Episode Summary
Duan Banxia seeks Jiu Xuanye's help to find her missing father, but he initially refuses due to other commitments. A mysterious death occurs in Guangping City, involving Lady Zhang. Duan Banxia moves next door to Jiu Xuanye, who is secretly protecting her from Yin Man. The episode ends with Duan Banxia and Jiu Xuanye investigating a potential connection to an underground city, and a dancer, Tian Rui, collapsing during a performance.
Spoiler Alert
"The Demon Hunter's Romance" Episode 4: Recap & Spoilers
So, things are heating up! Episode 4 sees Duan Banxia getting persistent with Jiu Xuanye. She tracks him down, spills the whole story about her missing father, and begs him to come to Nanyang City to investigate. She's convinced her dad's still alive. But Jiu Xuanye is all "busy, busy" and refuses. Duan Banxia keeps pushing, so he finally says he'll only go if she pays him to exorcise demons. She agrees, but her offer is apparently way too low, and he turns her down again. Classic!
Duan Banxia leaves Tingzhou, bummed, but not defeated. She finds a place to rent, conveniently close to Jiu Xuanye. As soon as she's gone, Chu Youhuang shows up, peppering Jiu Xuanye with questions. He blows her off, more concerned about Duan Banxia. He knows that Yin Man is after revenge for Qu Manniang, and if Yin Man can't get to Jiu Xuanye, she'll target Duan Banxia. That's why he was trying to get rid of her! They search for her but can't find her.
Just when Jiu Xuanye is starting to sweat, Duan Banxia shows up with snacks! She tells him she's moved in next door, close enough that he can see her courtyard from his window. She trusts that Jiu Xuanye isn't just greedy and that he had a real reason for pushing her away. Girl's got faith!
Meanwhile, in Guangping City, there's a mystery afoot. Lady Zhang, the wife of an important official, was glowing with health a few days ago. She even hosted guests at the Zhang residence. But then she suddenly felt dizzy, went to her room, and vanished! The next day, all that's left is the body of an old woman, like 70 or 80 years old, dressed exactly like Lady Zhang. Detectives Wen Jian and Li Mao, along with Chu Youhuang, arrive to investigate. Chu Youhuang suspects that Lady Zhang was kidnapped and a fake body was left behind. The local magistrate wants the case solved ASAP, given Lady Zhang's status.
A rainstorm forces Duan Banxia to take shelter in a temple. She writes to her grandmother, asking for 200 taels of silver to pay Jiu Xuanye. While she and Tingzhou are talking, two dancers from the Yunmen Dance Troupe, Ji Li and Xu Zhizhi, arrive to pray. They believe that if the incense in the Buddha hall burns continuously for three days and nights, their wishes will come true. Duan Banxia offers them some pears she picked, but they both want to lose weight and refuse. Xu Zhizhi hopes she'll be skinny next time.
Xu Zhizhi hears where Duan Banxia is staying and warns her to leave. She says that the place next door used to be a pharmacy. The parents were going to leave all their money to the eldest son, and the younger son killed everyone in a rage. The pharmacy is actually where Jiu Xuanye lives! Duan Banxia doesn't want to believe it.
That night, Yin Man tries to kill Duan Banxia, but Jiu Xuanye has already moved her. He's lying in bed, pretending to be her. He seizes the opportunity to capture Yin Man but doesn't want to kill her. Instead, he takes her Yuan Dan and releases her into the river as an ordinary fish.
The next morning, Duan Banxia has a bit of a cold and goes to Jiu Xuanye for medicine. She also mentions what she heard about him, wanting to say that she doesn't believe it. Jiu Xuanye admits it's true. Duan Banxia says that things aren't always as they seem, and you can't judge by appearances. If it were really Jiu Xuanye, he wouldn't be able to stay out of trouble. She also says that she thought he was a good person from the first time she saw him, and even though Chi Xue is a demon, she must be good if she's with Jiu Xuanye.
Jiu Xuanye takes Duan Banxia to a pavilion overlooking the street and asks her to identify the humans and demons walking below. Before she can really get a good look, they hear someone cry for help. Jiu Xuanye rushes to the rescue, and Duan Banxia follows. He's saved two kids who nearly drowned. He warns them to stay away from the river because there's an underground city there, a mix of humans and demons.
Duan Banxia overhears this and bravely declares that she wants to go to the underground city to see if her father is still alive. Jiu Xuanye tries to scare her off, but she insists and agrees to his demand for 1,000 taels of silver. She drags him to Yanlai Restaurant for a fancy meal. The Yunmen Dance Troupe is performing there, and everyone is eager to see Tian Rui. Ji Li and Xu Zhizhi are jealous of how beautiful Tian Rui has become.
