S01E16 — Five Years in Endless Darkness

Cai Zhao learns the truth about Mu Qing Yan’s past and Sun Ruo Shui’s deception, including how she manipulated rumors and claimed the role of his “mother”. When Sun Ruo Shui appears again and attempts to poison Cai Zhao, Cai Zhao turns the tables, only for Mu Qing Yan to suddenly fall ill. Sun Ruo Shui accuses Cai Zhao, but the situation is revealed to be part of a deliberate trap set by Cai Zhao and Mu Qing Yan to expose a larger scheme. Mu Qing Yan later brings Cai Zhao to the hut where he was imprisoned as a child, recounting the five years he spent crippled and abandoned after Nie Zhe severed his tendons. While Sun Ruo Shui falsely believes Mu Qing Yan is dying, he and Cai Zhao infiltrate Bliss Palace to confront Nie Zhe. The plan unravels when Mu Qing Yan is poisoned with Suzi Incense, and both are captured in a trap, leaving them imprisoned as the power struggle reaches a dangerous turning point.