No Boundary Season 1 Episode 17 Recap
> No Boundary Season 1 Recap
Hong Luan, witnessing Wengu lying unconscious under a curse, expressed her immediate resolve to return to the Ninth Hell to retrieve an antidote for him. As Wengu stirred and awoke, he noticed a scalded mark on Hong Luan's hand. This confirmed his suspicion: Hong Luan was the envoy of the Demon Clan, a fact he deduced by recalling her faking an injury to return to Duanmu Residence.
Enraged, Wengu demanded an explanation for her involvement in framing him and setting up Duanmu Cui in past incidents like the Mirror Spirit, gnat demons, and Silkworm Phantom cases. Hong Luan, claiming she was a victim herself, confessed that she was forced by the Demon Clan Elder, Yue Long Men, who had placed a Heart Devouring Curse on her, leaving her no choice but to aid in finding the Penglai Drawing.
During their heated exchange, Wengu's poisoned state worsened, making him vulnerable. Seizing the opportunity, Hong Luan fled Duanmu Residence, promising to return from the Ninth Hell with the antidote, regardless of the danger. Soon after, Duanmu Cui returned to Duanmu Residence, where Wengu revealed the truth about Hong Luan. At the same time, Zhan Yan arrived at Xihualiu, and the two accidentally collided while attempting to apprehend Hong Luan, but she still managed to escape.
Duanmu Cui declared her intention to pursue Hong Luan into the Ninth Hell, believing her capture was essential to clear Xihualiu's name. Zhan Yan, insisting that matters within Qifeng City were his responsibility, asserted he would accompany her, despite Duanmu Cui's warnings about the perils mortals face in the Ninth Hell. Meanwhile, the Demon Clan Elder, Yue Long Men, finalized his plans with Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo reported Wengu was deeply poisoned and on the verge of turning into a beast, inquiring if he could now eliminate Duanmu Cui. The Elder, however, stated that only he possessed Wengu's antidote and with Duanmu Cui isolated, Jiang Mo simply needed to incite the public further to ruin Xihualiu Sect's reputation. This, he believed, would force Penglai to intervene and eliminate Duanmu Cui.
The Elder harbored ambitions to become the Demon Clan King, secretly believing Wengu's "half Dragon blood" made him unworthy, and intended to let Wengu lose his mind to prove that only he could offer true freedom to the Demon Clan. Duanmu Cui and Zhan Yan reached the entrance of the Ninth Hell, located deep under the sea, a treacherous realm established long ago to trap rebel Demon Clan members.
Duanmu Cui again urged Zhan Yan to turn back due to the danger to mortals, but his resolve to accompany her was unwavering. Seeing she could not deter him, Duanmu Cui gave him a stealth cape, enchanted to be impervious to water, fire, and weapons, and capable of temporarily hiding his presence. She also provided him with a Soul Protecting Pearl to shield him from the Ninth Hell's arrays.
Concealed under the cape, they slipped past the Heavenly Soldiers guarding the entrance and entered the perilous realm. Fearing for Zhan Yan's safety, Duanmu Cui used a "drawing the ground as prison" spell to trap him, explaining that as Hong Luan was her responsibility, she must face the dangers alone. She further instructed him that if she did not return within a day, the barrier would dissolve, and he must leave immediately without venturing further inside.
Back in the human realm, Jiang Mo led an incited mob to Duanmu Residence, demanding Wengu's punishment. Having secretly obtained a Zhen Huo amulet while disguised as a cat, Jiang Mo easily opened the residence's defenses, allowing the angry citizens to storm in. As they threatened to destroy Xiao Qing Hua, Wengu awoke from his poisoned state and bravely shielded Xiao Qing Hua.
Lord Jiang soon arrived, calming the agitated crowd by promising a five-day grace period for Xihualiu to prove its innocence, threatening to arrest anyone who continued to cause trouble. Meanwhile, in the Ninth Hell, the boundary Duanmu Cui had placed around Zhan Yan began to crack much earlier than she had predicted.
Zhan Yan, realizing Duanmu Cui's powers might be limited within the Ninth Hell and sensing her danger, used his sword, Ju Que, to shatter the weakening barrier and rush to her aid. After Lord Jiang arrived at Duanmu Residence, Jiang Mo, in his cat form, followed him back to Qifeng Prefecture. On Zhuque Street, Jiang Mo overheard citizens criticizing Lord Jiang.
Transforming back into human form, Jiang Mo, in a fit of rage, attempted to attack the street vendor using oil and firecrackers. He was swiftly apprehended by Zhang Long and Zhao Wu, who brought him to Qifeng Prefecture. At the prefecture, Jiang Mo defiantly claimed Lord Jiang as his father, insisting he had been saved and cared for by him in the past and had searched tirelessly to find him.
Lord Jiang, having no memory of the boy, initially dismissed his claims but was moved by Jiang Mo's fervent desire to stay and reluctantly agreed to let him remain in the prefecture while efforts were made to locate his true family. Jiang Mo secretly vowed to stay with him forever. Meanwhile, in the Ninth Hell, Zhan Yan encountered Demon Clan soldiers who had captured Duanmu Cui. Mistaken for a Shadow Clan member, Zhan Yan cleverly leveraged this misunderstanding.
He used a private code, mentioning cold wontons and Zhuque Street dolls, to confirm his identity to Duanmu Cui, who then shrewdly played along, pretending that Zhan Yan had recaptured her after an escape attempt. Zhan Yan then convinced the Demon Clan soldiers that as a Shadow Clan member, he was a master tracker and could track the escaped immortal.
The soldiers, impressed and eager for rewards, entrusted Duanmu Cui to him, believing he would help them track and deliver her to the Elder, thus allowing Zhan Yan to infiltrate their ranks and rescue Duanmu Cui from immediate danger. Once safe, Duanmu Cui and Zhan Yan sought refuge. Duanmu Cui openly admitted her hunger, prompting Zhan Yan to offer her a sesame candy he carried.
He described its exquisite making and taste, but when Duanmu Cui playfully probed if he carried it for her, he denied it, claiming it was for coaxing crying children during his patrols. Duanmu Cui feigned sleep, but in her dreams, she murmured Zhan Yan's name, pleading "Don't leave." Zhan Yan, hearing this, gently took her hand and whispered an apology. Back at Qifeng Prefecture, Lord Jiang and Madam Jiang watched over a sleeping Jiang Mo, who was still muttering "Father."
Madam Jiang gently chided her husband for being too harsh on Zhan Yan, comparing his current strictness to his past tenderness with their own children, Yan'er and Ce'er. Lord Jiang explained that his severity stemmed from a deep desire to protect Zhan Yan from the dangers associated with Duanmu Residence and Xihualiu Sect. Madam Jiang, however, argued that his interference only pushed Zhan Yan to investigate privately, putting him in greater peril.
She defended both Zhan Yan's principles and Duanmu Cui's character, even suspecting that Zhan Yan and Duanmu Cui were likely together, pursuing crucial leads. Lord Jiang clarified that his public search for Zhan Yan was a strategic move to avoid alerting the true masterminds behind the incidents, thus protecting Zhan Yan. Still, Madam Jiang remained firm, threatening him if any harm came to Zhan Yan.
As Jiang Mo stirred in his sleep, he again muttered his desire to stay with his "Father" forever. Duanmu Cui, now awake and finding her hand still held by Zhan Yan, understood that despite his outward aloofness, he deeply cared for her. The Demon Clan Elder, receiving reports from his soldiers about the intruder's appearance and the "Qiankun bag" she carried, immediately recognized her as the powerful Penglai High Immortal, Duanmu Cui.
He declared that he had been waiting for her and now intended to kill her. Soon after, a Demon Clan inspector discovered Duanmu Cui and Zhan Yan. Zhan Yan, maintaining his guise as a Shadow Clan member, quickly claimed he had just recaptured Duanmu Cui after she attempted to escape. Impressed, the inspector praised Zhan Yan and ordered that Duanmu Cui be taken to the execution ground, as the Elder wished to personally carry out her execution.
