S01E14 — Yan Xu Tells His Story

After escaping the Li Sect, Cai Zhao and Song Yu return with the villagers, who learn that the sect has been secretly creating corpse puppets. Seeking a way to stop them, the group goes to the Jiuzhou Archive, where they encounter Yan Xu, a former Li Sect elder imprisoned and forced to falsify history. Yan Xu reveals that the corpse puppets can be temporarily neutralized with a rare herb. As the Li Sect moves to strengthen its forces, Mu Qing Yan leads an attack, and You Guan Yue fights desperately to save Xing Er, only to face her after she is turned into a corpse puppet. Cai Zhao arrives in time with the herb, disabling the puppets and turning the battle, but Mu Qing Yan collapses from poison. It is later revealed that Cai Zhao is also infected, and a new lead points the group toward a mysterious herb garden.