Episode 23 recap: Di Ren Jie was trapped while sneaking into the warehouse at night.
Just as Di Ren Jie entered the bathhouse, he was stopped by Eleven Niang. Hearing the commotion, Lang Liu spoke up and asked Di Ren Jie to come in. The two of them engaged in a conversation filled with hidden meanings. One person, disguised as a merchant, hinted at the various injustices in the world, while Di Ren Jie, posing as Lin Ji the physician, vowed to cure all incurable diseases in the world.
In the evening, Di Ren Jie went to the hall to eat soup cakes. He noticed another table where the guests were bossing Xiaowei around. He playfully tried to cheer Xiaowei up. At this time, Lang Liu wanted to go out, and Di Ren Jie immediately became suspicious and refused Lang Liu's invitation to accompany him.
From Xiaowei, Di Ren Jie learned that Lang Liu was a silk merchant and owned several warehouses at the street corner. This piqued his interest, so he left the inn to investigate. Suddenly, Mr. Hulu appeared and exposed Di Ren Jie's identity. He asked if Di Ren Jie really wanted to see the pitch-black night, leading Di Ren Jie to believe that Mr. Hulu had orchestrated his arrival in Qingchuan. However, Mr. Hulu had no such intention. He was there solely because his mount chose that place. He advised Di Ren Jie not to recklessly follow Lang Liu, as it could cost him his life.
Di Ren Jie immediately questioned Mr. Hulu about whether he knew that something big was about to happen in Qingchuan. He also suspected that Mr. Hulu was the Black Flame. Mr. Hulu neither confirmed nor denied it and walked away. Di Ren Jie arrived at the warehouse on the street corner and, finding no one around, went inside to investigate. He discovered a strong smell of blood and immediately assumed a defensive posture. However, he fell into an ambush and was captured in a net by three masked individuals who intended to kill him. Fortunately, Mr. Hulu appeared and despite being an old man, he displayed impressive skills. He knocked out the three assailants and was about to leave when he realized that Di Ren Jie couldn't break free from the net. While telling him not to lose his belongings, Mr. Hulu kicked Di Ren Jie's sword toward him.
With the sword in hand, Di Ren Jie finally felt secure. He left the warehouse in a sorry state and returned to the inn. At the door, he encountered Wei Sheng, noticing bloodstains on his carriage frame, which immediately reminded him of the warehouse incident. Wei Sheng seemed guilty and explained that the stains were from sheep's blood. However, Di Ren Jie didn't believe him. When Wei Sheng asked Xiaowei to wash the carriage frame, Di Ren Jie discovered a piece of wooden hairpin on the carriage. By chance, he also noticed a similar one on Xiaowei's head. When Xiaowei reminisced about her mother, Di Ren Jie learned that her mother had made the hairpin for her. He advised Xiaowei to live well and hold on to hope, even though life wasn't easy under Wei Sheng's control.
Di Ren Jie bought a set of clothes from Wei Sheng. As soon as he put them on and appeared in the inn, he caught the attention of Eleven Niang and Lang Liu because the clothes belonged to a messenger. Hong Liang called all the renowned doctors in Lanfang, but they still couldn't figure out what was wrong with Qiao Tai. Hong Liang grew even more anxious, worrying that Ma Rong, who had been keeping vigil by Qiao Tai's bed without eating or drinking, wouldn't be able to hold on.
Cao An took the initiative to bring food to Ma Rong. As soon as Ma Rong saw her, she wiped away her tears and scolded Cao An for hovering around her, indicating that she didn't feel like eating. Cao An took out the primer book she had specially bought for Ma Rong when they went shopping that day. It was then that Ma Rong learned that Cao An now held a position at the yamen and earned a monthly salary of 300 coins. The more than 100 coins spent on the shopping trip were earned by Cao An herself. Ma Rong regretted blaming Cao An wrongly and felt that Cao An giving her a primer book was a sign of looking down on her illiteracy. Cao An patiently explained and made it clear that Ma Rong had always been free to do things she couldn't do or achieve in her entire life as a woman. She understood Ma Rong's unconventional way of thinking and didn't blame her for secretly taking Chen Xiaoyun to the grove, which led to Qiao Tai being poisoned. Cao An hoped that instead of feeling guilty and lost in thought, Ma Rong would do something useful. Ma Rong took Cao An's words to heart and sat down to eat seriously.
Di Ren Jie carefully pondered over all the people and events he encountered after entering Qingchuan. He went downstairs and saw Xiaowei singing. Wei Sheng remained his sarcastic self. Unexpectedly, Captain Xiao arrived at the inn, using his shoulder discomfort as an excuse to meet Di Ren Jie in a private room. The two carefully examined the room and confirmed that it was indeed empty. Captain Xiao admitted his previous mistake and expressed his submission to Di Ren Jie. If the Black Flame really appeared in Qingchuan, he was willing to bring his hundred or so men to assist Di Ren Jie.
Di Ren Jie learned that Captain Xiao's ancestors were also brave generals and that he himself had been demoted to this place because of his straightforwardness. He gave Captain Xiao's shoulder a strong pinch, causing him to let out a cry of pain to deceive others. At the same time, he hinted to Captain Xiao that if he needed assistance, he would seek him out.
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