Episode 18 recap: Either Qiu Yue is the murderer, or it's Li Tao who committed suicide.
Di Ren Jie went alone to find Qian Hao and advised him not to take the hidden flower job. However, Qian Hao didn't listen to the advice. At that moment, someone attacked Qian Hao. Di Ren Jie saved his life, and Qian Hao found an opportunity to kill the attacker. They discovered a Lone Wolf Gang necklace on the attacker, confirming that it was a remnant of the Lone Wolf Gang. Qian Hao marked a cross-flower pattern on the forehead of the deceased, proving that he was the one who killed him.
Out of gratitude for saving his life, Qian Hao didn't want to make things difficult for Di Ren Jie. However, Di Ren Jie persisted and asked him to promise not to take the hidden flower job. Just then, a group of Qian Hao's subordinates arrived, which made Qian Hao even more confident. He stated that in the Lan Fang area, he could kill anyone he wanted. He had accepted the hidden flower job, and whenever Di Ren Jie investigated someone, he would kill that person. This put Qiu Yue in a very dangerous situation.
Di Ren Jie returned to the Red Pavilion and immediately looked for Qiu Yue. However, Qiu Yue had been missing for a day, and she couldn't be found anywhere in the building. Di Ren Jie realized that Qiu Yue might have escaped, so he ordered a search of her room. They discovered that all valuable items had been taken. Di Ren Jie took out a map to analyze Qiu Yue's possible whereabouts and eventually narrowed it down to the nearby Red Willow Village.
However, when Di Ren Jie arrived at the Red Willow Village, he didn't find Qiu Yue. He only found her hairpin in a cellar. Di Ren Jie wanted to test Li Lu's loyalty, so he deliberately wrote a letter and asked Li Lu to deliver it to the prefect Li. However, Li Lu opened the letter and read it before leaving the house, and he was caught in the act by Ma Rong and Qiao Tai. This proved that Li Lu was completely unreliable.
Today, Di Ren Jie went to the temporary county yamen on the ruins as usual. Just as he raised the wooden tablet to announce the court session, he discovered that the legs of the table had been sawed off. Di Ren Jie's face turned serious. Since he entered Lan Fang, he knew that it was controlled by the Black Flame Gang, and everyone considered the county yamen useless. Di Ren Jie felt bitter and decided to find an opportunity to change the situation.
Di Ren Jie pondered over the scene of finding Qiu Yue's hairpin in the cellar of Red Willow Village. He speculated that Qiu Yue hadn't actually left Red Fang, and it was the people from the Jadeite Sect who had placed the hairpin in the cellar and planted the flag of the Mysterious Tiger Gang. However, although this plan was clever, the Jadeite Sect didn't consider that Qian Hao treated lives as insignificant. It was unreasonable for him not to kill a few people wherever he went. If Qiu Yue was captured, someone would have to claim the hidden flower job. By revealing that Qiu Yue was still in Lan Fang at this time, Di Ren Jie hoped that Jadeite would trust him and reveal Qiu Yue's whereabouts.
Jadeite was shocked in his heart but refused to admit anything. He only murmured that he didn't know. Disappointed, Di Ren Jie left.
Governor Li received intelligence that Qiu Yue had not left Lan Fang and ordered his men to turn the Red Pavilion upside down to find her and avenge Li Tao. Unable to find Qiu Yue from Bi Yu, Di Ren Jie approached Cao An and expressed his doubts. Cao An learned that Qiu Yue and Li Tao were lovers, and Di Ren Jie confirmed that Qiu Yue was the last person to see Li Tao and the only one who entered his room. The evidence in the room led Di Ren Jie to conclude that it was impossible for anyone else to have committed the crime, and he boldly deduced that Li Tao had committed suicide for reasons he couldn't disclose. This revelation enlightened Di Ren Jie. Just as Hu Wu awoke, he started painting frantically and drew a picture of sand fleas upon Di Ren Jie's arrival. Di Ren Jie realized that Li Tao died from being bitten by sand fleas, a poison with no cure, and he ultimately died in agony. To prove Qiu Yue's innocence, Li Tao wrote a farewell letter, but unfortunately, the letter was carried away by the wind, making Qiu Yue a suspect.
Governor Li found Qiu Yue in the Red Pavilion and held a knife, intending to kill her to avenge Li Tao. Fortunately, Di Ren Jie arrived in time and risked his own life to guarantee that Qiu Yue was not the murderer. Governor Li learned that Li Tao had committed suicide due to a terminal illness, and he was overwhelmed with grief. However, when he discovered he had contracted tuberculosis, he had sent Li Tao to Lan Fang, unaware that she would be in danger from the sand fleas attracted by the tulips he had planted.
Governor Li, filled with self-hatred for causing Li Tao's death, put down the dagger and apologized to Qiu Yue. He then asked Di Ren Jie to let him die with dignity and locked himself in a room, setting it on fire. Lan Fang finally welcomed the city defense forces, and the various factions in the city were swiftly suppressed by the defense forces. Qian Hao, defeated and cornered, was captured by Qiao Tai and Ma Rong. Even at this moment, the serial killer refused to surrender, but with his capture, clarity returned to Lan Fang. The city well was no longer monopolized, and the people lined up orderly to fetch water. The streets became lively, and prosperity flourished. The reconstruction of the county yamen immediately began, and the people voluntarily came to help clean up the ruins, symbolizing their trust in Di Ren Jie and the county yamen.
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