Episode Summary
The group confronts memory loops in a glitching "boundary zone" as Ling Miaomiao discovers their world is a constructed narrative. Ling races to prevent a tragic future after glimpsing Liu Fuyi’s betrayal and Mu Sheng’s violent fate, while Mu Yao grapples with cryptic family ties after receiving a royal summons. Mu Sheng’s half-revealed past and a clumsily crafted bamboo dragonfly hint at deepening bonds—and looming fractures.
Spoiler Alert
Mu Yao struggles with unanswered questions about Liu Fuyi’s past after their escape from the Water Demon’s illusion. Though he’s the most powerful cultivator in their group, his prolonged captivity in the illusion hints at a devastating personal history. For five years, Liu Fuyi has guarded his secrets, refusing to share even with Mu Yao—a choice that confounds her. She vows to stand by him, just as he’s supported her, but doubts linger: What inner demons could break someone so unshakeable?
Meanwhile, Ling Miaomiao recovers from her illness, though her guilt grows heavier. Overhearing servant Cui Cui gush about the rare millennium-old medicinal herbs Mu Sheng gathered for her—a task requiring all-night hunts for elusive plant spirits—Ling awkwardly deflects praise. Her growing attachment to these "NPCs" clashes with her original mission to "complete the game." The tension peaks when Mu Yao abruptly arrives, forcing Cui Cui to shapeshift into a backscratcher to hide. After a comedic close call, Mu Yao relents, allowing the loyal spirit-turned-hairpin to join their journey.
The group ventures into the mysterious Mountain Beyond Mountains, where reality warps. Exhausted, Ling Miaomiao spots an unsettling panda statue—a creature foreign to this fantasy world. Alarm bells ring as the team loops past the statue repeatedly, their memories resetting each cycle. When Ling carves a marker into stone, only to find it vanished moments later, she realizes they’re trapped in a glitching "boundary zone" between worlds. During the fourth loop, she’s violently sucked into a void where the system—manifested as the panda statue—admits a catastrophic error: crossing into the "edge of the game world" triggered memory wipes for all except Ling. Worse, she glimpses a grim "canon" future: Liu Fuyi betrays Mu Yao for the Hundred Demons Atlas, Mu Sheng murders him in rage, and a poisoned Mu Yao becomes possessed by a Resentful Lady.
Returning to the group, Ling scrambles to alter fate. A sudden summons to the capital via the Mu family’s jade token—now held by the enigmatic Consort Zhao—pushes the plot back on track. But Ling’s dread deepens: the novel’s "Capital Arc" marks the beginning of their tragic unraveling. To buy time, she insists on taking the slow road, clinging to her found family.
In quiet moments, Mu Sheng reveals fragmented childhood memories—a mother’s blurred face, no father—but claims indifference toward his abandonment. Ling, haunted by visions of his future violence, prods further, sensing his emotional armor cracking. Their bond softens when he crafts her a bamboo dragonfly (poorly designed, hilariously salvaged by talisman magic), though he insists it’s "just Big Sister’s idea." Cui Cui’s teasing exposes his sincerity.
As the capital looms, Ling takes desperate action, warning Liu Fuyi to avoid a "peach blossom calamity"—any woman except Mu Yao could be his downfall. But with the system gone silent and her own memories of the novel fading, her gambit feels perilously fragile. The episode closes on Mu Yao’s unease—why does the royal court have her family’s sacred token?—and Ling’s whispered plea to the wind-tossed dragonfly: "Fly against the storm. Just… don’t let us fall apart."
key Spoiler:
- The "glitch" reveals Ling’s world is a constructed narrative, raising stakes for her agency.
- Mu Sheng’s half-demon heritage inches closer to exposure.
- Consort Zhao’s possession of the Mu token ties to a hidden royal conspiracy.
