White Cat Legend Episode 18 Recap
> White Cat Legend Recap
A few people in Mingjing Hall analyzed that since Cui Bei and Yuan Buer were acquainted, Cui Bei must have believed the rumor about the heavy evil energy during Qingming and sought out Yuan Buer for divination.
After finding Yuan Buer, it was indeed as they had guessed, but Yuan Buer gave Cui Bei a method to counteract it: during the Qingming season, find a place backed by a mountain and stay there for a few days, staying away from crowds as much as possible, to avoid being infected by the evil energy. Li Bing took a few people back to Court of Judicial Review and searched Cui Bei's room.
Sun Bao found that Cui Bei had taken out two sets of clothes, indicating he was preparing to stay overnight. Wang Qi suddenly remembered that after Qingming last year, when Cui Bei returned to Court of Judicial Review, the hem of his clothes was a bit damp. The only shady mountain with water nearby could only be Tianchi Mountain.
As Li Bing was going through some of Cui Bei's notes, a yamen runner reported that the prison had been struck by lightning a few days prior, and the prisoners had scattered and fled. After a period of pursuit, most had been recaptured, but only one major criminal, a bandit who killed and plundered, was still at large.
A secret message had just been received stating that someone saw him hijack a carriage, go to the foot of Tianchi Mountain, abandon the carriage, and go up the mountain alone. Li Bing immediately ordered everyone to go to Tianchi Mountain together to pursue the bandit. When they arrived at the foot of Tianchi Mountain, they found three small paths leading up the mountain. Based on common sense, Li Bing found the one with fewer fallen leaves.
Since Cui Bei went to Tianchi Mountain almost every year and was quite familiar with the terrain, their primary goal was to search for the fugitive. When they reached the middle of the mountain, Li Bing nearly stepped into a void. A thick layer of fallen leaves underneath emitted a foul smell. Chen Shi identified it as the smell of horse manure.
After a long period of fermentation, the moisture in the manure had mostly evaporated, leaving only dry, loose powdery substance. Chen Shi stepped on the horse manure and got colored dry powder stuck to his shoes along the fallen leaves. There were also several footprint-shaped marks nearby, indicating that the fugitive had taken the same path. Cui Bei walked to the back of the mountain and knocked on the gate of a Taoist temple.
Reverend Zhang stepped forward to greet him. Cui Bei picked up a jade pendant and asked if it belonged to Reverend Zhang. Reverend Zhang took the pendant and urged him to hold the purification ceremony as soon as possible. After tidying up his room, Cui Bei took out silver and offered it. Reverend Zhang performed a purification ceremony for Cui Bei by the river. Cui Bei felt the ceremony was shorter than in previous years.
Reverend Zhang said it did not affect the purification effect. Li Bing walked to the mountain peak and climbed a large tree. He saw a Taoist temple on the back of the mountain. Suddenly, a small cat climbed up to him. Distracted, Li Bing fell from the tree. Everyone explained it by saying Li Bing had been contaminated by the evil energy. Li Bing did not think so.
Since there was a small cat, it meant someone lived and raised it nearby. The Taoist temple he had just seen likely housed the person who kept the cat. The fugitive arrived first and knocked on the gate of the Taoist temple. Cui Bei said that Reverend Zhang had gone into the mountains to collect herbs, so the fugitive stayed in the temple to wait. That night, the guest room of the Taoist temple suddenly caught fire.
Reverend Zhang was helpless. Cui Bei soaked his clothes, rushed into the flames, and rescued the fugitive. Just then, Li Bing and the others arrived. The next day, Wang Qi brought the fugitive back to Court of Judicial Review. Cui Bei blamed himself, believing his evil energy had clashed with the temple. He was filled with remorse. Li Bing went to examine the burnt room and discovered a secret passage.
Reverend Zhang seemed unwilling for them to stay in the room for long, so Li Bing directly exposed him for deliberately setting the fire to burn the fugitive to death. Reverend Zhang looked innocent. Li Bing further explained that the fugitive specifically sought out Reverend Zhang, indicating their deep relationship. Reverend Zhang had been hiding in the deep mountains for many years, likely to evade official pursuit. The two must have hijacked official silver.
When they divided the loot, the other person was caught, so Reverend Zhang hid in the deep mountains, daring not to show his face. Reverend Zhang still tried to deny it, but Li Bing tricked him into revealing the truth by using newly minted silver, so he could only confess honestly. Cui Bei was deeply moved when he learned that the brothers from Mingjing Hall had originally gone up the mountain specifically to find him.
He couldn't help but recall the past when his father took him on spring outings in his childhood. Because his mother died in childbirth, Cui Bei had always believed he was unlucky and deliberately kept a distance from people, remaining alone until he left the Imperial Academy. On Cui Bei's bedside table were the case documents regarding his father's death. Fearing that his heavy evil energy had caused his father's death, Cui Bei had never dared to open them. Li Bing, in his capacity as Deputy Minister of Court of Judicial Review, ordered Cui Bei to re-examine the case and restore the truth.
