Episode Summary
Ye Dahei's identity as Ge Tianlou is revealed. Gou Lingfeng pretends to be a Demonic Sect member to gain Ye Dahei's trust, impressing him with business acumen. Zhuge Heng investigates the serial rapist case, while Deng Yunfeng cracks down on illegal salt trade to provoke Ye Dahei. The Old Beggar, revealed as the former Demonic Sect Leader, tries to recruit Gou Lingfeng. Gou Lingfeng seeks a deal with He Changzai, but Ye Dahei's subordinate dies to protect secrets.
Spoiler Alert
"Hidden Master" Episode 10: Double Identities and Shady Deals
So, remember Ye Dahei? Turns out, three years ago, he created a whole new identity for himself to move around the Jianghu more easily. That identity? None other than Ge Tianlou! Gou Lingfeng is understandably freaked out by this revelation and wants to kill He Changzai for getting him into this mess. He tries to play it cool, pretending to respect Ye Dahei, but Ye Dahei quickly finds his XiaKe (knight-errant) token.
Ye Dahei is furious, accusing Gou Lingfeng of impersonating someone from the Demonic Sect and threatening to end him. Thinking fast, Gou Lingfeng claims he's a disciple of the old Sect Leader, sent to infiltrate the Wulin (martial arts world) Assembly as a spy. Ye Dahei is skeptical until Gou Lingfeng shows off some moves that are clearly the old Sect Leader's signature techniques. Gou Lingfeng is also surprised, realizing the old beggar he met really was the former Demonic Sect Leader!
Even though Ye Dahei is convinced by the martial arts, he still questions Gou Lingfeng's motives. Gou Lingfeng, remembering what the old beggar said, declares his dream is to restore the Demonic Sect. This shocks Ye Dahei, and Gou Lingfeng uses the opportunity to further impress him with his magic skills, finally winning him over.
Next, Ye Dahei takes Gou Lingfeng to see his business operations, specifically a warehouse where they make illegal salt. Gou Lingfeng nods approvingly and compliments his business skills. Ye Dahei raises an eyebrow, curious about Gou Lingfeng's opinion. Gou Lingfeng offers even more ways to make money, impressing Ye Dahei with his talent. Gou Lingfeng thinks to himself that his time in the business world hasn't been a waste.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Heng disguises himself as a member of the Demonic Sect and sneaks into a target location, only to find it empty. He's forced to leave empty-handed. On his way back, he runs into Linglong Princess, who laughs at his disguise, joking about his "interesting hobbies." Wang Zipeng is waiting outside Linglong Princess's residence, hoping to write a scandalous story about Gou Lingfeng and the princess. Linglong Princess clarifies the situation and offers him inside information from the court instead.
Zhuge Heng tries to make an excuse to leave, but Ma Yingdan stops him, inviting him to investigate the case of the serial rapist together. Ma Yingdan expresses concern for Gou Lingfeng's safety, but Zhuge Heng dismisses it, saying that someone with his Demonic Sect background can take care of himself. Ma Yingdan agrees and puts her worries aside for the time being.
The team starts investigating the serial rapist case, first interviewing the victim, Mo Qing'er. Mo Qing'er describes the rapist's appearance, mentioning that he only has one arm. Ma Yingdan immediately orders her men to gather all the one-armed men in the city, but Mo Qing'er denies that any of them are the rapist. When they interview the other victims, they all describe the rapist differently. Zhuge Heng suspects that Qing'er is hiding something, so he and Ma Yingdan decide to keep an eye on her to find out the truth.
Meanwhile, Gou Lingfeng and Ye Dahei get drunk together. Ye Dahei shares his dream of becoming a great hero, and the two bond over their shared ambitions. Later that night, they go out for a walk. Ye Dahei gets scared of the dark and leaves, and Gou Lingfeng sees a woman in white, thinking she's a ghost, and runs away.
At the same time, Deng Yunfeng catches two women buying salt illegally and burns several bags of illegal salt in front of a crowd of people in order to lure out Ye Dahei. On the way back, Deng Yunfeng runs into Linglong Princess, but Linglong Princess mocks her for coming up with such a stupid plan. Deng Yunfeng doesn't care and is worried that Ma Yingdan doesn't have any salt to use.
Ye Dahei is angry that the Wulin Hero Assembly is working with the government, and Gou Lingfeng asks Ye Dahei for the list of names. Ye Dahei refuses and questions his true identity. Gou Lingfeng admits that he is a spy sent by the Wulin Assembly, and Ye Dahei is filled with murderous intent. Just then, the old beggar appears, revealing himself to be the Demonic Sect's old Sect Leader. The old beggar laughs at Gou Lingfeng for not being able to do anything in the Wulin Assembly and tries to convince him to work together to restore the Demonic Sect.
Gou Lingfeng refuses, and the old beggar tells him that if he uses his magic skills, he won't be accepted by the righteous path, and if he doesn't, he'll be useless. Ye Dahei says that there are people who are secretly allowing the illegal salt trade to happen, and that the list of names must not be handed over. At this time, Deng Yunfeng leads his men to capture several illegal salt dealers, and one of Ye Dahei's men commits suicide rather than reveal any secrets.
On the other side, Gou Lingfeng meets with He Changzai and suggests exchanging the list of names for some room to maneuver. He Changzai agrees, saying that as long as he gets the list, he'll let Ye Dahei go. When Gou Lingfeng returns to Ye Dahei, he sees Deng Yunfeng escorting his men. One of the men bites open a poison sac and dies on the spot, freezing the scene.
Lots of double-crossing, hidden agendas, and shifting alliances in this episode! Who is Gou Lingfeng really loyal to? What will happen to Ye Dahei? And who is the serial rapist? Stay tuned for the next episode!
