Episode Summary
Duan Banxia gets caught in the middle of a demon's wedding and discovers Qu Manniang's true nature. Jiu Xuanye protects Duan Banxia from Qu Manniang's attacks, while constable Chu Youhuang grows suspicious of Jiu Xuanye. Duan Banxia grapples with the consequences of Qu Manniang's actions and receives a protective charm from Jiu Xuanye.
Spoiler Alert
"The Demon Hunter's Romance" Episode 2: Recap & Spoilers
Okay, so it's the big wedding day for a mountain demon. This dude rolls up and spots Duan Banxia and someone else hanging out. He's all generous and offers Duan Banxia a bowl of wine. She feels pressured to drink it, and Jiu Xuanye, being the sweetheart he is, tells her it's got anti-aging properties to make her feel better about it. Smooth move, Jiu Xuanye!
Duan Banxia wants to use some special potion on her brother, Duan Yanqiu, but apparently, he doesn't have the right "special constitution" for it to work. Jiu Xuanye drops a bomb: the family's Qu Manniang is actually a human-faced owl demon who steals pretty voices. Turns out, she married Duan Yanqiu because she was after his vocal cords! Jiu Xuanye can only offer Duan Banxia a temporary fix to protect her brother. Duan Banxia, playing the concerned sibling, makes some medicinal soup for Duan Yanqiu. He doesn't want to disappoint her, so he drinks it. That night, Qu Manniang is about to make her move, but she smells the medicine and gets seriously ticked off.
The next day, Qu Manniang visits the grandma and sees Duan Banxia. Realizing Duan Banxia made the soup, she invites her to her room, but Duan Banxia declines. Smart girl.
Meanwhile, Chu Youhuang, a constable from Guangxi, finally catches up with Jiu Xuanye. He claims he's not following Jiu Xuanye, but rather some wanted criminals. Chu Youhuang is a skeptic when it comes to demons. He's noticed Jiu Xuanye is always around when weird stuff happens, so he suspects him, but he has no proof. That's why he keeps tailing him.
Later that night, Qu Manniang is singing in the courtyard, and her voice is putting everyone to sleep. Tingzhou barely makes it inside to talk to Duan Banxia before passing out. Qu Manniang shows up and says she genuinely wants to be with Duan Yanqiu forever and won't let anyone ruin it. Since Duan Banxia figured her out, she can't let her live. Qu Manniang transforms into her true form, ready to kill Duan Banxia, but Jiu Xuanye arrives just in time to save her. Qu Manniang has to bail.
Duan Yanqiu returns and is worried about Qu Manniang. He grills Duan Banxia, thinking she knows the "thief" who kidnapped Qu Manniang. Duan Banxia clams up, not knowing what to say. The grandma scolds Duan Yanqiu, suggesting Qu Manniang's past life in a brothel is the reason the thief came in the first place. She tells him to leave Duan Banxia alone, and he reluctantly does.
Jiu Xuanye and Qu Manniang have a major showdown in the woods. He eventually defeats her, and she vanishes, but not before promising she'll be back. Dun dun dun!
Tingzhou brings Duan Banxia a package with medicine, supposedly from someone specific. Duan Banxia, thinking it's a letter from her dad, opens it, but a cloud of dark smoke enters her eyes! She's transported somewhere and realizes Qu Manniang's bird form is after her. Duan Banxia runs for her life, but Qu Manniang is relentless. Just when things look dire, Jiu Xuanye shows up again and saves her! He strikes Qu Manniang's soul, and before disappearing, she tells Duan Banxia that even though she's hurt many people, she never intended to harm Duan Yanqiu. Hearing that Qu Manniang is gone for good, Duan Banxia finally collapses in relief.
The next day, Jiu Xuanye hears Duan Banxia fainted and goes to see her. He apologizes for questioning her and expresses concern for Qu Manniang. Duan Banxia asks Duan Yanqiu what he would do if Qu Manniang died, and he's clearly heartbroken and refuses to believe it.
Duan Banxia seeks out Jiu Xuanye to ask if Qu Manniang can be revived. Jiu Xuanye sees Duan Banxia's hesitation and warns her not to trust demons, as they're masters of deception. Duan Banxia always wears incense because she just wants to be normal and not see demons. Jiu Xuanye takes her hand and writes a protective charm on her palm, ensuring no demon can hurt her. He also tells her to come find him in Guangping if she needs anything.
Chi Xue points out that Duan Banxia is actually pretty brave, walking through the forest alone at night. Jiu Xuanye realizes he overlooked that. He has Chi Xue turn into a rabbit and create a circle of fireflies to guide Duan Banxia. Duan Banxia sees Jiu Xuanye in the distance and smiles. Aww!
