Episode 9 recap: Ding Liu intends to sow discord between Ye Liu Xi and Chang Dong.
Uncle Qi said he couldn't forget a shadow puppeteer who drove a truck. Chang Dong asked Uncle Qi what he intended to do. Uncle Qi said he wanted to take two people inside—the first being his goddaughter named Ding Liu, and the second being Gao Shen, who helped him with tasks. Gao Shen thought they were formidable, while Ding Liu believed that if they wanted to sow discord between couples, it couldn't be any simpler.
Ye Liu Xi and Chang Dong saw sand gathering in the sky, forming the shape of an eye, with sand continuously falling. It was likely the "sand falling" that Zhang Shao had mentioned. Chang Dong thought the sand resembled sand eels, and the eye shape represented a group of sands. Ye Liu Xi believed that any living creature could be eradicated. Once the sand disappeared, everything related to Hailong Mound No. 2 would also vanish.
Ye Liu Xi and Chang Dong returned first, stating that their supplies were running low. They had found a place and needed to rest and then come back later. Chang Dong stayed at a hotel, and Ye Liu Xi came over, saying she had found a part-time job at the hotel. If she needed to do laundry, there was a washing machine downstairs with detergent available, but she had to operate it manually.
Chang Dong went downstairs to do the laundry, and after he left, Ye Liu Xi stuffed her clothes in and washed them together. When Chang Dong returned with groceries, he saw Ye Liu Xi waiting for her clothes and gave her some food. Chang Dong brought up recent events, expressing his confusion about why it involved him and Ye Liu Xi and what their connection was to the interior region. Ye Liu Xi replied that if she had to be involved with someone, she could accept it being Chang Dong.
The next morning, Ye Liu Xi came with tools to clean the room, and Chang Dong let her in. Ye Liu Xi skillfully changed the bedsheets and noticed something drawn by Chang Dong in a notebook. She asked when they would return to the sea dragon mound. Chang Dong replied that he hadn't decided yet.
Chang Dong received a call from Fei Tang, but unexpectedly, it was a stranger on the other end named Liu Qi. Liu Qi introduced himself as a fellow villager of Hui Ba and wanted to bring Fei Tang over to inquire about what happened after they entered. Liu Qi also wanted Ye Liu Xi and Chang Dong to come. Ye Liu Xi and Chang Dong arrived, and Liu Qi explained that he wasn't very familiar with Hui Ba, but they were from the same hometown. However, Hui Ba had died, and Liu Qi was there to claim his body. He didn't believe what Huo Ya and the others said, but since Ye Liu Xi and Chang Dong confirmed it, it must be true.
Chang Dong asked if they could leave, but Liu Qi mentioned that he couldn't forget a shadow puppeteer driving a truck several decades ago. He went to the sea dragon mound and encountered trucks, from which a shadow puppeteer disembarked. There were a total of nine trucks, and the shadow puppet figures they saw in the coffins were also nine.
Chang Dong inquired about Liu Qi's intentions. Liu Qi explained that he would provide the funds while Chang Dong and the others would do the work. First, they needed to find Hui Ba's body and bring it back, and second, they needed to unravel the puzzle of the shadow puppet figures on the trucks. Liu Qi admitted that there was mutual mistrust and suggested that Chang Dong and his group bring two additional people with them: his goddaughter, Ding Liu, and a person who helped him, Gao Shen. Chang Dong wanted to take Fei Tang away, but Ye Liu Xi argued that Fei Tang had excellent observation skills and should go inside at least once, and they needed someone knowledgeable.
After Ye Liu Xi and the others left, Gao Shen thought they were impressive, and Ding Liu believed they were a couple, making it easy to sow discord between them. The next day, Chang Dong and the group set off. Chang Dong contemplated that the Si Ma Road was likely not the entrance to the interior region but a necessary route where people encountered strange and scary things, leading to fear and the desire to leave. He believed it was a way for the people inside to protect themselves from being discovered by others. All of this was related to Ye Liu Xi. Chang Dong felt that they hadn't found the real entrance yet, but he was certain that the shadow puppets had come out from the interior region.
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