Recap / Qian Qiu Season 1 Episode 16 The Righteousness Of A Noble Man

• Berserk Button: Shen Qiao manages to actually anger Yu Ai by telling him that he's unworthy of being Qi Fengge's disciple, which prompts Yu Ai to exclaim an outraged "How dare you!"
• Know When to Fold 'Em: After Shen Qiao defeats Yu Ai, he firmly tells him that he is not someone anyone can manipulate and that he is serious when he states that he has cut ties with Xuandu Mountain. Yu Ai finally takes the hint and, albeit bitterly, leaves the stage.
• Pyrrhic Victory: Not quite. At first, this seems to be the case; while Yan Wushi destroys the Golden Flower Ring, he does so at the cost of his own life — and the five masters did want him dead. But then The Stinger reveals that he's alive, albeit barely, which means that all their plans are ultimately for naught.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him??: Yan Wushi remarks that Shen Qiao had the perfect opportunity to kill Yu Ai after defeating him in a one-on-one fight, yet he still chose to show him mercy.
• Worf Had the Flu: It's only because Yan Wushi's demonic core was poisoned and damaged beforehand that the five masters even had a chance to stand against him. Even they're aware that they'd be dead had he fought them at his prime.
• X Must Not Win: One of the far less pettier examples; while Shen Qiao has not forgotten that Yan Wushi betrayed him, he is helping him in this instance because Beimu is a far greater threat to the Central Plains, and Yan Wushi is the only one who can keep them from taking full action against the nation. Shen Qiao even tells Yan Wushi that he's saving him less for the latter's sake and more because he cannot let Beimu achieve their goals.

---