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Wei Wuxian engages in conversation with Xiao Xingchen but realizes he's not who he seems. Afterward, he, Lan Wangji and the junior disciples rest in a coffin house and notice a ghost girl with a bamboo pole trying to help them; this girl, who goes by the name A-Qing note turns out to be a key figure in the gang's investigation.
- Adapted Out: In the novel, there are several other junior disciples around in addition to Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi. Due to the arc undergoing Adaptation Distillation, the group is reduced to just the aforementioned trio and the only other named disciple Ouyang Zizhen.
- Adaptation Distillation:
- In the novel, the gang find a house to make congee and later seek refuge in a coffin house containing Xiao Xingchen's corpse. To fit into the shorter runtime, this episode combines the two events so that both take place at the coffin house after the encounter with Xue Yang.
- Unlike the novel, where they spent some time travelling together in between events, A-Qing and Xiao Xingchen's first meeting occurred right before they found the injured Xue Yang and thus kickstarting their backstory faster.
- Blank White Eyes: The donghua rarely uses slapstick artstyles, so Ouyang Zizhen fainting with comedic blank eyes drives home just how awful the spicy congee he ate was.
- Chekhov's Gunman:
- The previously mentioned Xue Yang (who was said to be executed) turns out to not just be the man masquerading as Xiao Xingchen, but also the Arc Villain.
- Lan Wangji spots a ghost girl with a bamboo pole trying to catch his attention early in the episode. It's revealed later that she's the one who lead him to the three captured junior disciples, and the gang find out at the end of the episode that she's involved in the backstory of both Xiao Xingchen and Xue Yang.
- Continuity Nod: Wei Wuxian running while carrying a mostly unconscious Jin Ling on the roof and having to dive down to grab him when they slip off is an eerie parallel to him having to do the same with Jiang Cheng when saving him from the Wens as teens. Fortunately, he's able to land properly this time and doesn't need to use himself to cushion Jin Ling's fall.
- Cordon Bleugh Chef: While Wei Wuxian makes the logical decision to cook some congee to cure the junior disciples' corpse poisoning and shows some acceptable cooking skills, he also makes the bizarre choice of adding in a fucktonne of chilli spice. Sure enough, everyone else is appalled by the scent alone (not even Lan Wangji can hide his discomfort), and all four juniors are left red-faced and in tears afterward eating it.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Lan Wangji is infamous for his icy demeanour, so the gentler way he acts around Wei Wuxian surprises Ouyang Zizhen and prompts him to comment that the man is different from what he expected. Lan Jingyi attributes this gradual change to "Mo Xuanyu".
- Foreshadowing: When Wei Wuxian commends Xue Yang for his acting skills when in disguise, the latter replies that he has a friend who is an even better actor. Who this friend is becomes apparent later on in the season.
- Funny Background Event: As Lan Jingyi runs offscreen screaming for water, Ouyang Zizhen can be seen in the back corner passed out from the spicy congee.
- Percussive Pickpocket: A-Qing attempted to steal Xiao Xingchen's money by bumping into him as a "blind" girl and snatching his pouch.
- Reactive Continuous Scream: When taking a peek at A-Qing behind the door, it's Lan Jingyi's terrified scream that gets Ouyang Zizhen screaming too, leading to both of them screaming and running to hide behind a pillar.
- Remember the New Guy?: Ouyang Zizhen makes his donghua debut but no particular fuss is made of his sudden appearance (other than his name introduction to the audience) and it isn't clarified how he also got dragged into the situation and ran into the group (as the last episode established Jin Ling was only travelling with Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi), making it seem like he's been travelling with the disciples the whole time.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Not wanting to endure the awful-smelling congee Wei Wuxian's conjuring up, Lan Jingyi attempts to sneak out the door despite being in a middle of a mission (note that there's a murderous criminal, fierce corpses and risk of corpse poisoning out there). Wei Wuxian stops him before he can escape, however.
- Security Cling: A-Qing suddenly running into the house frightens Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi so much that they immediately scream and hug each other tight. After calming down, they realize what they've done and immediately pull away.
- Slasher Smile: When Wei Wuxian realizes that "Xiao Xingchen" is actually Xue Yang, the man in question gives a menacing grin in response.
- Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Downplayed. When describing A-Qing's appearance, Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui give straightforward descriptions. In contrast, Ouyang Zizhen goes off on a tangent on how pretty she is and how she much of a beauty she'd be if she was cleaned up. Wei Wuxian teasingly remarks that he'll grow up to be a romantic.
