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"When a nest falls, all the eggs break. And someone must take the lead."
— Lan Wangji insisting that the clans should be helping each other against the Wen Clan and not just worry about themselves
With their home lost and the Wen Clan hot on their trail, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng go on the run while trying to hold on. But it's in times of duress where surviving is easier said than done.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: The scene where Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng that he can regain his Golden Core is more uplifting in the novel. In this episode, the scene is more melancholy due to the original scene where they both pay their Due to the Dead.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Wen Qing is a lot more irritated than her novel counterpart when she catches Wen Ning trying to hide Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, and she needs further convincing from her brother to let them recover in their hideout.
- Adaptation Distillation: In the novel, Wen Ning brought Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng to Yiling to hide them in a Supervisory Office he and Wen Qing were in charge of. The episode cuts out the travelling time by having them remain in Lotus Cove, with Wen Ning hiding the two in Wei Wuxian's old room.
- Adaptation Expansion: The fact that Lan Wangji searched for Wei Wuxian since the fall of Lotus Cove was only briefly mentioned in the novel. The episode goes into more detail about how his search plays out.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Wen Ning provides Wei Wuxian shelter due to the latter's kindness towards him in the archery tournament.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Wei Wuxian proves in this episode that when backed into a corner or when he truly intends to kill someone, his demeanor becomes vicious.
- Catapult Nightmare: After being knocked out for a few days, Jiang Cheng wakes up with a jolt when when Wei Wuxian wakes him up near the end of the episode, implying he was having less than pleasant dreams if any.
- Despair Event Horizon: Jiang Cheng has lost all hope in his life for most of this episode, having not just lost his parents and home but even his Golden Core. As a result, he barely responds even when Wei Wuxian talks to him and nearly goes insane. It's only when Wei Wuxian informs him he can recover his Golden Core that he acts a bit more like his normal self again.
- Due to the Dead: After Wen Ning retrieves some of the belongings of Jiang Cheng's parents, both the latter and Wei Wuxian properly pay their respects to them.
- Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: After Wei Wuxian rescues Jiang Cheng, the latter wakes up with no light in his eyes, showing how broken he is from his ordeals.
- Easily Forgiven: Wei Wuxian threatens to kill Wen Ning twice in the episode, but expresses remorse for it and sincerely asks the latter for help with retrieving Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan's remains. However Wen Ning doesn't hold it against him, as he understands the circumstances that influenced Wei Wuxian's actions.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite her neutrality and aloofness towards Wei Wuxian's plight, Wen Qing isn't loyal to Wen Chao and finds both him and Wang Lingjiao sickening.
- Foreshadowing: Wei Wuxian examines his own spiritual energy before waking Jiang Cheng up and telling him that his Golden Core can be restored. Jiang Cheng asks if he's lying, but receives no answer.
- Gray Rain of Depression: Almost the entirety of the episode features both Yunmeng and Gusu being overcast with rain, complete with dark skies to highlight the bleakness of the episode. The sky clears up when Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng that not all hope is lost for his Golden Core.
- Instant Sedation: Wen Qing instantly knocks out Jiang Cheng with an acupuncture needle to the head when the latter starts raving mad.
- I Will Find You: Lan Wangji turns out to have been sending search parties to track Wei Wuxian as well as the Jiang children (with Jiang Yanli successfully rescued so far). His look of concern makes it clear he's especially worried for Wei Wuxian's safety.
- Laughing Mad: Jiang Cheng goes into a fit of self-loathing laughter after he reveals that his Golden Core was destroyed, and later when he thinks that Wei Wuxian became a turncoat for the Wen Clan.
- Neck Snap: Wei Wuxian kills one of the Wen clansmen by snapping his neck, and threatens to do the same to Wen Ning.
- Pet the Dog: Implied. Wen Qing notes that the whip scars on Wei Wuxian are not as severe as they should have been had Yu Ziyuan used Zidian at its full power, hinting that she didn't hate him as much as she let on and wanted to avoid injuring him too severely. Wei Wuxian isn't consoled by this, because he can only remember her talking badly of him.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Lan Qiren goes against a superior and agrees with Lan Wangji's statement that the cultivation clans should take a stand against the Wen Clan, and also supports his decision to find the survivors of the Jiang Clan.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After suffering a lot throughout the past few episodes, Jiang Cheng is told that he can get back his Golden Core, and he's finally able to bid a proper farewell to his parents.
- Trauma Conga Line: On top of losing both his parents, Jiang Cheng loses his Golden Core, leaving him in a nearly-unresponsive state. He also almost loses it when he mistakenly believes that Wei Wuxian defected to the Wens.
