Episode 11 recap: Official ship surrounded by black flames, in danger of being destroyed.
After nightfall, several small boats moved forward in the darkness, gradually converging to surround the official ship in the middle of the sea. The leader, dressed in a black robe and a beast-headed mask, stared intently into the distance, as if ready to give orders at any moment. Jin Sang took advantage of the distraction and broke a porcelain bowl used for food, using the broken pieces to open his shackles and escape from the cage. He then took a soldier hostage and demanded to know the whereabouts of Yu Su, followed by using Hou Yu as a hostage to order Di Ren Jie to bring Yu Su for exchange.
As the two sides reached a stalemate, they suddenly heard a voice saying, "A ship is approaching." Jin Sang quickly blew a whistle. Di Ren Jie, a bit slow to react, was about to warn everyone to be on guard when a shower of arrows came flying, causing heavy casualties among the officials and soldiers. Ignoring his own safety, Hou Yu urged Di Ren Jie to quickly inform the Feathered Forest Army. Di Ren Jie had to turn back and found Gu Mengbin critically injured and dying from a surprise attack, a result of his collaboration with Yi Si to provide ships to Wang Lide in exchange for gold, leading to this tragic outcome.
At this moment, the scene on the ship was still one of fierce fighting. After a brief moment of distraction, Di Ren Jie quickly regained his composure and commanded the Feathered Forest Army to defend against the enemy. The enemy's attack weakened for a while, and the officials and soldiers managed to bring Yu Su on board while Jin Sang became the hostage. On the other side, Black Flame led a group of people charging towards the official ship. During the chaos, Cao An, hiding in a corner, caught Black Flame's attention. Seeing the panic in Cao An's face but refraining from killing him, Black Flame unknowingly triggered a memory in Cao An.
Di Ren Jie personally negotiated with Jin Sang in an attempt to rescue the hostage. Jin Sang, thinking that the situation was under control, admitted that he was a member of Black Flame, aiming to deceive Wang Lide and steal the gold. He even pretended to be a survivor from Baekje to divert their attention, intentionally leaving behind a nautical chart and damaging the mast to isolate the official ship.
While they were talking, the masked person suddenly appeared and abducted an official, thanking Di Ren Jie for revealing the secret of the gold. Jin Sang held a knife to Yu Su's throat, questioning her about the location of the gold, and in that moment, Hou Yu seized the opportunity to shoot an arrow and kill Yu Su, catching everyone off guard. In the midst of the chaos, Jin Sang was killed by an arrow, and the masked person jumped off the ship and escaped, while Cao An kept his gaze fixed on the masked person, only feeling relieved when he saw him get away unharmed.
However, Hou Yu had no intention of backing down. After Liu Zhongshi arrived, he immediately accused Di Ren Jie of colluding with foreign enemies and insisted on killing him in front of everyone. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai were subdued and unable to approach Di Ren Jie, but at Hou Yu's command, dozens of arrows were swiftly released.
In the moment of crisis, Di Ren Jie grabbed Cao An and jumped into the turbulent sea. Ma Rong and the others witnessed this with great sorrow, shouting Di Ren Jie's name, but the two disappeared completely in the vast ocean, as if the horrifying scene just now had never happened. Di Ren Jie sank into the water struggling to breathe, and images of his father jumping into the river flashed through his mind, like a life's montage before his death.
Fortunately, Cao An was an excellent swimmer and managed to bring Di Ren Jie ashore. They stayed by the shore, warming themselves by a fire and waiting for Hong Liang's rescue. Di Ren Jie speculated that Cao An had boarded the ship to meet someone, and they discussed their reflections on life. Cao An carried a heavy burden in her heart, silently gazing at the dark sea and humming a tune from Bingzhou.
Several days later, in the early morning, Di Ren Jie discovered the decaying corpse of Wang Lide. Hong Liang and others arrived promptly, and they reported to him the events of Yi Si's night patrol at sea. Di Ren Jie connected the clues provided by Yu Su before her death, cleverly deciphered the mystery using a musical score, and finally identified a crucial figure who possessed one of the three nautical charts— the enigmatic guest. The other two charts were in the hands of Black Flame and Wang Lide.
According to the records in the "Tidal Chronicles," every hundred years, Penglai experiences a peculiar phenomenon called the Great Tide, where the water level recedes for over ten miles, creating a trench. Now, a hundred years have passed again, and Di Ren Jie deduced that the tide would occur today. He had an idea in mind and rode his horse alone towards the trench, where he indeed encountered his former friend, Hou Yu, disguised as the mysterious guest.
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