No Boundary Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
> No Boundary Season 1 Recap
Zhan Yan and Duanmu Cui arrived at Wengu Medical Hall, where Madam Wang was suffering from an itchy rash. Her husband, Wang Yuanwai, explained that Madam Wang was pregnant and had been poisoned. Wengu confirmed that the antidote he provided could temporarily slow the toxin, saving her life. Zhan Yan then asked about their recent activities. Wang Yuanwai recounted that his wife had been confined to home but insisted on watching a play by the water the previous day.
There, they encountered a peddler who pressed them to take some candied fruits. Duanmu Cui noted that other victims also received candied fruits. Zhan Yan quickly concluded that the peddler seemed suspicious, especially since he was giving away goods rather than selling them. Duanmu Cui praised Zhan Yan's investigative skills, which surprised him, hinting at their deepening connection. The two headed to the dock to find the peddler.
However, Zhan Yan's official Qifeng Prefecture uniform startled the peddler, causing him to flee. Duanmu Cui examined the leftover candied fruits, discovering they contained no poison but were imbued with spells, apparently to lure someone out. She chided Zhan Yan for scaring off the suspect by being so conspicuous, and Zhan Yan conceded, promising to be more discreet next time.
Duanmu Cui then proposed a plan: she would disguise herself as a pregnant woman, with Zhan Yan as her husband, to draw out the Demon Clan responsible. Elsewhere, a female gnat tried to help a child gnat he had captured escape, but her male gnat partner returned and killed the child. She confronted him, realizing the blood she had consumed was human blood, not animal blood as he had claimed.
She pleaded with him to stop killing, for the sake of their unborn children and their cultivation. The male gnat, lamenting their fate of being sealed in the Ninth Hell while humans prospered, eventually relented. Back at Wengu Medical Hall, Hong Luan attempted to cover Madam Wang with a blanket but was rebuffed by Wengu, who told her to focus on preparing medicine.
Hong Luan asked Wengu if he remembered his past, but he dismissed the question, stating that as a High Immortal, he had no past. He also asserted his resolve to protect Duanmu Cui, stating she needed no other companions. Duanmu Cui and Zhan Yan, disguised as a married couple, returned to the dock. Duanmu Cui playfully insisted on buying a doll from a vendor, feigning stomach pain, despite Zhan Yan's focus on the investigation. He relented and bought it.
She then used their "marital" pretense to demand a leg massage from him, threatening to expose their cover if he refused. As Zhan Yan begrudgingly complied, purposefully massaging her leg roughly, Duanmu Cui retaliated by pinching his arm. Just then, they overheard the peddler who sold the candied fruits talking about a play across the river, hinting at the gnats' next location.
Meanwhile, Hong Luan reported to a Demon Clan elder that her plan to lure Duanmu Cui into a trap was progressing. She requested a powerful artifact to counter Duanmu Cui's formidable magic. The elder granted her a Deity Trapping Formation, an ancient spell capable of weakening even immortals, which he noted Hong Luan, who served the Demon King for years, should have already known.
He also reminded her of the painful Heart Devouring Curse she was under, urging her to succeed in retrieving the Penglai Drawing fragment from Duanmu Cui. Later, Hong Luan met the injured male gnat. She offered him the Deity Trapping Formation to weaken Duanmu Cui and handed Madam Wang over to him as bait, encouraging him to obtain the Penglai Drawing fragment from Duanmu Cui to ensure his children's safety.
Despite the female gnat's pleas not to harm Madam Wang, the male gnat, driven by desperation, agreed to the plan, vowing to confront even the heavens for his family. After the male gnat escaped, Duanmu Cui gave Zhan Yan a "Butterfly Messenger," a magical butterfly that would summon her if he was in danger. Zhan Yan, noticing Duanmu Cui's unease around insects, asked if she was afraid of mosquitoes. She denied it, stating she merely disliked them.
Soon after, the male gnat reappeared and attacked. As he fought, he questioned the immortals' right to kill Demon Clan members. During the attack, Duanmu Cui had a vivid flashback of herself trapped in a coffin with swarms of mosquitoes, and fainted from the trauma. Wengu and Hong Luan arrived just in time, fighting off the male gnat. Hong Luan was bitten and poisoned in the process.
Duanmu Cui woke up, and in her dream, her memories of the traumatic childhood burial with her mother in a coffin became clearer. She was told Zhan Yan had returned to Qifeng Prefecture unharmed. She felt unwell and questioned Wengu about her aversion to mosquitoes and the recurring imagery of coffins and insects. Wengu reassured her, giving her a sachet for protection and telling her not to dwell on the past.
Duanmu Cui then asked about Hong Luan, learning she was suffering from the gnat's venom, which caused hallucinations and sluggishness. Wengu also informed her that Madam Wang had disappeared from the medical hall, likely taken by the gnats. Duanmu Cui, recovering from her own injuries, asked Wengu about the Demon Clan's situation in the Ninth Hell. Wengu vaguely replied that their fates were divinely ordained, separate from the immortals.
Later, Duanmu Cui, invisible, entered Zhan Yan's room without knocking, causing him to ask her to use the door next time. She clarified she was there to help search for Madam Wang, who had disappeared. Just then, Shangguan Ce arrived to speak with Zhan Yan. Concerned about their reputation in the mortal realm, Zhan Yan urged Duanmu Cui to hide, realizing that if she was found in his room, custom would dictate marriage.
He then dismissed Shangguan Ce, claiming he was busy. Zhan Yan and Duanmu Cui then found a reed leaf beside Madam Wang's empty bed at Wengu Medical Hall. Recognizing the reed as unique to the city's east marsh, they deduced Madam Wang was taken there and immediately set off. Meanwhile, Yang Jian arrived at Wengu Medical Hall looking for Duanmu Cui and was told she went to capture gnats.
He was horrified, revealing Duanmu Cui's childhood trauma of being buried alive with her mother, covered in mosquitoes, making them her greatest fear. Hearing this, Wengu rushed to find Duanmu Cui. At the eastern reed marsh, Duanmu Cui entered the Deity Trapping Formation. She was disoriented by illusions of a female general identical to herself fighting in a battle. Wengu arrived but could not sense Duanmu Cui's presence within the formation.
The male gnat appeared and attacked Duanmu Cui, who found herself powerless. Zhan Yan bravely intervened, blocking an attack from the male gnat. They attempted to escape by boat, but the entire waterway had been transformed into a maze by the formation. Wengu returned to Xihualiu, realizing that the Deity Trapping Formation, which was thought to be lost after the Demon King's demise, was being used. He found Hong Luan, who had recovered from the gnat venom.
Though she didn't know the gnats' lair location, she insisted on joining Wengu to rescue Duanmu Cui, having already fought the gnats and being familiar with their methods. Back in the maze, Zhan Yan suggested abandoning the confusing waterways and crossing directly through the reed marsh. Since Duanmu Cui had lost her powers, Zhan Yan took her hand and led her through the dense reeds. They eventually reached the female gnat's habitat, a hidden nursery for her children.
Duanmu Cui was momentarily touched by the gnat's maternal instinct but quickly resolved that such love did not excuse harming innocents. Zhan Yan suggested they wait there for the gnats to return, catching them off guard. Wengu and Hong Luan returned to the reed marsh, still unable to find Duanmu Cui. They encountered the male gnat, and a fierce fight ensued. Overpowered, the male gnat quickly seized Hong Luan as a hostage.
