Episode Summary
Rong Shu Kuang chooses to open the treasure to save Yan Shao, discovering ancient texts instead of riches. Lin Qian Yi commits suicide out of guilt. Yan Shao masters a new technique and defeats Shen Zui Tian, who kills Lin Wan Ci. Yan Shao collapses, seemingly poisoned again, but it's a ruse. He survives, and the couple's story intertwines with a modern-day doctor's dream. The story ends with them back in the desert, reflecting on their shared dream.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with Tang Chan Yi pleading for mercy for Jiang Ru Hai. Despite his many misdeeds, she still considers him her man and wants to take him away. Chu Tian Yao grants her request. Feeling unworthy of her position as the martial arts alliance leader, Tang Chan Yi relinquishes the title to Lin Qian Yi.
Lin Wan Ci then appears, witnessing Tang Chan Yi's departure. Chu Tian Yao confronts Lin Wan Ci, revealing her involvement with Jiang Ru Hai in their evil schemes. Lin Qian Yi expresses his disappointment that his own daughter would commit such acts.
Lin Wan Ci admits to her actions, finding amusement in the contrast between her outwardly fragile appearance and the numerous misdeeds she's committed. Shen Zui Tian arrives with his forces, and Chu Tian Yao intends to destroy the key to the treasure. However, Lin Wan Ci suggests that Rong Shu Kuang, as a descendant of the Fang Family, should make the decision. To everyone's surprise, Rong Shu Kuang refuses to destroy the key. Chu Tian Yao is visibly shaken. Lin Wan Ci then declares that Rong Shu Kuang's true love is not Chu Tian Yao, and her refusal to destroy the treasure is for the sake of that love. To protect Rong Shu Kuang's reputation, Chu Tian Yao removes his mask, revealing his identity as Yan Shao. Lin Wan Ci is shocked, realizing that Rong Shu Kuang married Yan Shao.
Lin Wan Ci reveals to Yan Shao that the secret to curing him lies within the treasure. She also reveals that the reason Lin Qian Yi took Rong Shu Kuang back then was out of guilt. It turns out that Rong Shu Kuang's mother, Rong Li, betrayed Longyue Village in exchange for medicine to save Lin Wan Ci. Rong Li's dying wish was for Lin Qian Yi to care for Rong Shu Kuang and to destroy the treasure's key if it was ever found.
Lin Wan Ci then accuses Lin Shao Ci of rejecting Rong Shu Kuang previously, only to feign unrequited love after Rong Shu Kuang's marriage. She also condemns Yan Shao for concealing his identity and marrying Rong Shu Kuang under the guise of Chu Tian Yao. She claims that everyone around Rong Shu Kuang, who lost her parents at a young age, are the culprits and whatever Rong Shu Kuang does is a debt they owe.
Tears stream down Rong Shu Kuang's face, seemingly swayed by Lin Wan Ci's words. However, Rong Shu Kuang suddenly turns her dagger on Lin Wan Ci, stating that while she's unsure if others have wronged her, she knows Lin Wan Ci has. Unfazed, Lin Wan Ci urges Rong Shu Kuang to kill her, believing that Rong Shu Kuang should embrace hatred, just as she has. Lin Qian Yi acknowledges his wife's fault in the Longyue Village tragedy and his own debt to Rong Shu Kuang. After entrusting Yu Chi Manor to Lin Shao Ci, Lin Qian Yi takes his own life in front of Rong Shu Kuang as atonement.
Knowing Yan Shao's weakened state, Rong Shu Kuang decides to open the treasure to find a cure. Lin Shao Ci leads a defense against Shen Zui Tian, allowing Rong Shu Kuang and Yan Shao to escape.
Lin Wan Ci meets with Shen Zui Tian, proposing they seek the treasure together. Shen Zui Tian refuses, but Lin Wan Ci reveals she holds the treasure map in her memory, forcing him to take her along.
Rong Shu Kuang and Yan Shao reach the snake cave, followed by Shen Zui Tian, who recalls having been there before. Yan Shao and the others open the treasure's secret chamber, using one jade piece to raise the keyhole and another to reveal the encased key, opening a stone door.
Inside, they find ancient, lost texts. Rong Shu Kuang believes these are the true treasure, though she knows many in the martial arts world will be disappointed.
The latter half of the Helian mental cultivation method is also found. Yan Shao begins practicing it while Rong Shu Kuang instructs Feng Ming to guard him. Rong Shu Kuang confronts Shen Zui Tian, revealing the texts as the treasure. However, Lin Wan Ci and Shen Zui Tian refuse to believe her, suspecting she's hidden the real treasure.
Shen Zui Tian orders Yan Shao captured. Rong Shu Kuang fights to protect him but is overpowered by Shen Zui Tian. Fei Wu joins the fight, but both are severely injured. Shen Zui Tian approaches Yan Shao, but Yan Shao, having successfully mastered the cultivation method, repels him. Shen Zui Tian, blaming Lin Wan Ci for lying about Yan Shao's poisoned state, kills her. Fei Wu, gravely injured, asks if Yan Shao is cured. Upon learning he is, Fei Wu closes his eyes, his life's mission fulfilled.
Yan Shao and Rong Shu Kuang together defeat Shen Zui Tian. The Six Major Sects arrive, and Lin Shao Ci apologizes to the injured Lin Wan Ci, feeling they neglected her. Lin Wan Ci rejects pity, stating she never got what she wanted in life and wishes to be buried in the Jianghai amber after death.
Yan Shao suddenly collapses, poisoned again. He reveals he never found the cure, but used the last Ghost Gate Revival Needle to protect Rong Shu Kuang. Heartbroken, Rong Shu Kuang weeps. Yan Shao entrusts Lin Shao Ci with distributing the treasure's contents for the benefit of the people, then collapses in Rong Shu Kuang's arms. The Six Major Sects praise the couple's righteousness.
Rong Shu Kuang feels Yan Shao's pulse and is overjoyed. Yan Shao weakly tells her not to make a fuss. Rong Shu Kuang, relieved, scolds him for deceiving her.
In a modern hospital, Dr. Chu Tian Yao, asleep at his desk, dreams of Yan Shao and Rong Shu Kuang's past. He wakes and rushes to Rong Shu Kuang's room, where she awakens and grasps his hand.
They travel to the desert, a jade piece hanging in their car, seemingly narrating their story. Rong Shu Kuang and Yan Shao are also in the desert, seeking someone to take their wedding photo. This is where their martial arts dream began. Rong Shu Kuang wonders whether Fang Yi dreamed of Rong Shu Kuang, or vice versa. No one can explain it, but they share a common martial arts dream.
Ending Explained:
Ancient Timeline: A Cycle of Fate
After surviving the machinations of the Ghost Valley Alliance and betrayals within their own families, Rong Shukuang and Yan Shao join forces to defeat the ultimate villain, Shen Zuitian. However, in the final battle, Yan Shao sacrifices himself to save Rong Shukuang, exhausting his inner energy and dying. Rong Shukuang, filled with regret, returns to the modern era.
Lin Shao Ci, betrayed by his family and heartbroken in love, chooses to leave the martial arts world, eventually disappearing and becoming a legend. His romantic connection with Rong Shukuang ends with "respect and blessings."
Lin Wanci, driven by jealousy, repeatedly tries to harm Rong Shukuang. Her true colors are exposed in public, and after witnessing her father's suicide, she is killed by Shen Zuitian, becoming a victim of the power struggles within the martial arts world.
Modern Timeline: A Reunion Across Time
Back in the present day, Fang Yi (the reincarnation of Rong Shukuang) meets a doctor named Chu Tianyao (the reincarnation of Yan Shao). Through fragments of an ancient jade, they remember their past lives and entanglements. Finally, they reunite in the Gobi Desert, dressed in ancient costumes, their love transcending death and time.
The ending includes a specific detail about the "inheritance of ancient mineral formulas," hinting at the continuation of ancient martial arts world wisdom in modern society, reinforcing the theme of "the eternal nature of love and chivalry."
