Episode Summary
Episode 11 sees Liu Sanniang confronting He Changzai about the salt trade. The team investigates the flower thief case, leading to Mo Qing'er revealing her past and her search for her one-armed savior. Gou Lingfeng discovers Ye Dahei is the flower thief and helps him. Ye Dahei and Mo Qing'er reunite. Deng Yunfeng's true skills are revealed, and Gou Lingfeng uses his demonic powers to help Ye Dahei escape. The episode ends with a flashback about Deng Yunfeng's past.
Spoiler Alert
Alright, buckle up for the latest happenings in "Hidden Master"! Episode 11 is a wild ride of mistaken identities, hidden feelings, and a whole lotta salt.
So, the episode kicks off with Liu Sanniang barging in on He Changzai in the middle of the night. She's furious that he's teamed up with Deng Yunfeng to control the salt trade. Apparently, this has seriously impacted her appetite (priorities, right?). She helps herself to a couple bags of salt from his stash and tells him to get on catching Ye Dahei ASAP.
Meanwhile, Ma Yingdan and the gang are still on the hunt for the "flower thief" (a creepy guy who preys on women). Zhuge Heng suggests they try to lure him out, but he's not convinced that Ma Yingdan, with her strong, assertive vibe, fits the thief's usual victim profile.
Enter Ling'er, who's been busy crafting a super realistic "flower thief" mask. She wants to help the team out, since they've been so kind to her. Zhuge Heng decides to use the mask to test Mo Qing'er. Things get intense when Mo Qing'er sees the mask and completely loses it, bursting into tears and clinging to Zhuge Heng, babbling about someone returning. Ma Yingdan arrives just in time to see this whole scene, and Zhuge Heng quickly takes off the mask to reveal the setup.
Mo Qing'er then spills the tea: years ago, she was rescued from some bad guys by a one-armed hero. They never exchanged names or addresses, but they promised to meet again in five years. Now that the time has come and gone, she's resorted to pretending to be the flower thief to get the Wulin (martial arts world) to investigate and hopefully find her long-lost savior.
Everyone's touched by Mo Qing'er's dedication, but they're torn about whether to turn her over to the Wulin society. Just then, Gou Lingfeng shows up, looking for Ma Yingdan's help with the Ye Dahei situation. Zhuge Heng is immediately on board, but Ma Yingdan and Ling'er are still hesitant.
Plot twist! Gou Lingfeng sees a wanted poster of the flower thief and realizes it's none other than Ye Dahei! The next day, Gou Lingfeng confronts Ye Dahei and tells him about Mo Qing'er. Ye Dahei is clearly moved but denies knowing her. After some prodding, he finally admits that he's the one-armed hero, but he's ashamed because he was mistaken for being one-armed when he was just trying to keep warm, and he later joined the Demonic Sect, making him feel unworthy of her.
Gou Lingfeng gives Ye Dahei a pep talk, telling him that Mo Qing'er loves him for his heroic actions, not his background. This inspires Ye Dahei to get his act together.
That night, the group decides to help Ye Dahei steal some private salt. Ye Dahei is super grateful and starts reciting poetry (because why not?). Mo Qing'er arrives, and she and Ye Dahei finally recognize each other! The gang leaves them alone to reconnect.
Meanwhile, Deng Yunfeng is grilling his men, demanding they find Ye Dahei. Gou Lingfeng tells Ma Yingdan the story of Ye Dahei and Mo Qing'er, and realizes he might have feelings for her too. Ma Yingdan gets flustered and tries to change the subject, but then suddenly faints! Gou Lingfeng gives her some water he touched, and it seems to help her. (Intriguing, right?)
Ye Dahei and Mo Qing'er are having a romantic moment on a rooftop, and she's really impressed by his poetry skills. Linglong Princess is secretly messaging He Changzai, setting a trap. He Changzai and his vigilantes, along with Deng Yunfeng, surround Zhuge Heng's place.
Ye Dahei and Qing'er try to escape, and Gou Lingfeng pretends to stop them while secretly helping them get away. But Deng Yunfeng attacks Gou Lingfeng, revealing some serious martial arts skills. Ma Yingdan explains that Deng Yunfeng is Eunuch Deng's adopted son and a highly trained weapon, a formidable opponent.
Ye Dahei manages to injure Deng Yunfeng with his dual swords, and escapes with Ling'er, only to be ambushed by He Changzai. Mo Qing'er gets hit by an arrow protecting Ye Dahei, and Ma Yingdan rushes to help her. Ye Dahei is surrounded, and Gou Lingfeng is torn between his loyalty to the vigilantes and his desire to help his friend. He Changzai reminds him of the vigilante code.
In a dramatic move, Gou Lingfeng unleashes his demonic powers, easily defeating Deng Yunfeng and the others. Ye Dahei hands Gou Lingfeng a list and escapes with Ling'er. Later, Ye Dahei and Ling'er are seen camping out in the woods. The episode ends with a flashback revealing that Xiao Shitou, who met Ma Yingdan years ago, was adopted by Eunuch Deng and became Deng Yunfeng! Talk about a twist!
