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Jin Ling: Hanguang-Jun, they say you and [the Yiling Patriarch] never got along. Why are you defending him now?
Lan Wangji: I am unbiased. It's not fair to condemn a man without evidence. [Wei Ying] practiced dark magic, but he had principles. He wouldn't do such a thing.
Lan Wangji: I am unbiased. It's not fair to condemn a man without evidence. [Wei Ying] practiced dark magic, but he had principles. He wouldn't do such a thing.
The search for the demonic arm's other limbs begins, and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji start at Huaicang Mountain. Soon enough, they realize that there's more to be found than they initially expected.
- Adaptational Badass: The fight against the serpent beast shows just how much more powerful Wei Wuxian is with The Dark Arts in this adaptation compared to the novel.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Jin Zixun makes his first appearance in this episode, whereas in the novel he debuts in a later flashback and is only mentioned in the present timeline towards the end.
- Adaptation Expansion: Majority of the content in this episode is unique to the adaptation. Its purposes are to add more mystery to the protagonists' investigation, show off their teamwork, and make early references to Wei Wuxian's days as the Yiling Patriarch.
- Ascended Extra: The episode shows Jin Zixun's death plays a larger role in this adaptation than the novel, due to being part of the murder mystery Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have to solve.
- Bad Powers, Good People: Lan Wangji tells Jin Ling that Wei Wuxian, while still using unconventional dark spells, never used them for malevolent purposes.
- Body Horror: Jin Zixun is revealed to have suffered the Hundred Holes Curse, which creates holes not only in the victim's skin but in their organs as well.
- Continuity Nod:
- When Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji kill a giant mutated serpent, Lan Wangji recalls the time they defeated the Tortoise of Slaughter with similar teamwork.
- Like at Dafan Mountain last season, Lan Wangji defends Wei Wuxian to Jin Ling and explains that the Yiling Patriarch had good intentions even if he used demonic cultivation.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Jin Ling repeatedly gets himself in trouble in this episode due to his tendency to rush into danger without thinking.
- Not Me This Time: Due to the many casualties he's caused thanks to his demonic cultivation, Wei Wuxian has long since suspected of inflicting the Hundred Holes Curse on Jin Zixun. However, the holes only disappear from the victim's body once the caster lifts the curse or dies. Lan Wangji couldn't find Jin Zixun's corpse when he wanted to verify this fact, making him suspect that Wei Wuxian didn't cast the curse and the real culprit hid the body so no one would be able to prove anything.
- Protective Charm: The Clarity Bell of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan wards off resentful energy and cleanses the holder's spirit. This allows Jin Ling to be immune to the array that caused people to go mad in Huaicang Mountain.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: As a well-respected and rational cultivator of high ranking, Lan Wangji makes it clear he doesn't agree with other people's prejudice towards demonic cultivation. He indirectly tells Clan Leader Yao that he doesn't mind accepting the help of a demonic cultivator who means well, and he tells Jin Ling that it wouldn't be fair to accuse even a figure like the Yiling Patriarch of something he didn't do.
- Ring of Fire: When Lan Wangji realizes they're being followed, he traps the culprit in a wreath of fire made from spiritual energy before interrogating him.
- Saying Too Much: When Wei Wuxian (who's pretending to be Mo Xuanyu) starts to reveal some details about a hunt on Phoenix Mountain that isn't public news, he immediately catches himself and hastily claims that he heard it from somewhere.
- Snakes Are Sinister: Jin Ling gets in trouble when he fights a large and monstrous serpent. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji fortunately make short work of the beast in no time.
- Tranquil Fury: The memory projection from Inquiry shows Wei Wuxian very calmly yet murderously threatening to kill Jin Zixun.
- Ungrateful Bastard:
- Downplayed with Jin Ling. He doesn't thank Wei Wuxian for saving his life and still acts hot-headed, but he also doesn't act as hostile as he was before.
- Despite being saved from his hallucinations, Clan Leader Yao condemns and berates "Mo Xuanyu" solely because he practices The Dark Arts.
