Episode 29 recap: Lin Fan is the true Black Flame.
Di Ren Jie followed Lin Fan into the sand dunes while recounting the story of Diao Xiao Guan. Diao Xiao Guan was also a Black Flame, and to conceal the mark of the Black Flame, he tattooed it under his tongue. Di Ren Jie then spoke of Chu Lei, the first person who abandoned him, his father. From that moment on, Chu Lei had to exert all his strength just to survive, ultimately tempering his character through merciless killings. However, what tormented him was not the soldiers but the Black Flame itself.
Upon hearing this, Lin Fan couldn't help but stop in his tracks and asked when Di Ren Jie discovered the truth. It turned out that Di Ren Jie had deduced during the investigation of the Pure Jade case that the Chu Lei mentioned by Lin Fan was not the real Chu Lei, but Lin Fan himself. Di Ren Jie exposed Lin Fan's true identity as Di Ying, his own sworn brother. Lin Fan straightened his back and demanded an explanation from Di Ren Jie.
Di Ren Jie knew that there were many humanoid sculptures in the stonemason's workshop, so deceiving Cao An was not difficult. And indeed, Lin Fan did just that. He had the stone figure put on his own clothes to attract Cao An's attention, then knocked Cao An unconscious. While Cao An lay motionless on the bed, Lin Fan disguised the stone figure as himself, feigning an injury. In reality, he had stabbed himself and placed the dagger next to Cao An's bed.
At this point, Lin Fan had to admire Di Ren Jie's investigative skills. However, Lin Fan desired a Lanfang where the strong ruled over the weak, while Di Ren Jie sought a Lanfang where the strong upheld the law and the weak could live in peace. Their beliefs were fundamentally different. Lin Fan scoffed at Di Ren Jie's ideas and bluntly told him to leave once he achieved a higher position. Lin Fan questioned whether the next person in power would uphold the law, as in his eyes, Lanfang would ultimately remain a place where the law of the jungle prevailed because of the scarcity of water.
Di Ren Jie saw through all the sins of Lanfang, which stemmed from Lin Fan's paranoia. Lin Fan wanted to break his faith, but Di Ren Jie persisted in choosing the path of righteousness. At this moment, Di Ren Jie finally understood why his father had driven Lin Fan out of the family all those years ago. It was to spare Lin Fan's life, and after witnessing Lin Fan's malicious intentions, Di Ren Jie decided to apprehend him, regardless of their blood ties, and uphold the laws of the Great Tang.
Lin Fan proudly told Di Ren Jie that he didn't have any tattoos on his body and had never killed anyone. He claimed that those who died under his evil thoughts did so because of their own desires. He laughed uncontrollably, believing that Di Ren Jie couldn't use the laws of the Great Tang to judge his crimes. What he wanted most was to see Di Ren Jie disregard the law and directly kill him, provoking Di Ren Jie. Di Ren Jie mentioned the missing Cao An and believed that Lin Fan had kidnapped her. However, Lin Fan claimed that Cao An went willingly. Di Ren Jie was infuriated and engaged in a fierce fight with Lin Fan. They fought intensely, and Di Ren Jie was struck by Lin Fan, causing him to cough up blood. Lin Fan mocked Di Ren Jie for his lack of skill and threatened to slit Cao An's throat if he didn't show his true abilities. Di Ren Jie immediately unleashed all his strength to fight back against Lin Fan, but when he saw Lin Fan catching the sword barehanded and covered in blood, he felt a pang of pain. In a moment of distraction, he was struck by Lin Fan once again.
Di Ren Jie realized that Lin Fan didn't care about their brotherly bond and was using Cao An to threaten him. He decided to give it his all and fought against Lin Fan, seizing the opportunity and stabbing Lin Fan in the chest. As Lin Fan neared death, he finally realized that the heavenly way was not wrong, Di Zhi Xun was not wrong, and Di Ren Jie was not wrong. What was wrong was human nature.
Di Ren Jie, seeing that Lin Fan was about to breathe his last, urgently asked about Cao An's whereabouts. With Lin Fan's gesture, he saw Cao An tied to a stone pillar. Only then did he feel relieved. The two of them looked at each other from a distance, their eyes filled with complex emotions. At that moment, the rising sun cast a myriad of golden rays, and the darkness finally passed. Di Ren Jie dreamed of his childhood brother looking for his wooden sword. He wanted to reach out and touch it, but his brother disappeared without a trace, leaving him feeling melancholic.
Hong Liang wanted Di Ren Jie and Cao An to marry as soon as possible, but their birth dates were both Yin, so they needed to choose an auspicious day with strong Yang energy. September was a good time, but Cao An was unsure of the date and asked Hong Liang to discuss it with Di Ren Jie. However, Di Ren Jie kept postponing the decision, causing Hong Liang to worry that their marriage would be in jeopardy. He urged Di Ren Jie to choose a date, and to his surprise, Di Ren Jie chose a day with extreme Yin energy. Naturally, Hong Liang disagreed.
Cao An went back to her room to play the qin (a traditional Chinese musical instrument), and the sound of the qin reached Di Ren Jie's ears outside the room. He couldn't help but listen and wanted to enter, but he remembered Cao An's past with Lin Fan, which she hadn't disclosed to him. He couldn't help but feel suspicious and eventually turned away. Cao An took the initiative to suggest going to the Crescent Spring to fetch a handful of spring water to clear their minds. They set off together, but Di Ren Jie intentionally dropped the Rain Dragon Sword. When Hong Liang discovered it, he felt helpless and believed that it was a tribulation that the two of them had to cross.
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