He Chuner examines the corpse and discovers that the cause of death was neither burning nor drowning. Everyone begins discussing the case, analyzing possible causes of death to find clues. In the midst of their analysis, Li Ye quietly slips away, and He Chuner notices his departure.
Everyone sets out to look for Li Ye. By the river, Sun Weiyan runs into Sun Yi, one of Li Ye’s classmates. After Li Ye is caught, Sun Yi appears and tells everyone that Li Ye secretly filed a complaint at the academy against the deceased. He also reveals that the deceased was known for doing many evil deeds. Based on Sun Yi’s account, Sun Weiyan deduces that Li Ye, out of jealousy at the temple, murdered the victim. However, He Chuner and Cao Xuanxuan feel there is something suspicious about the situation, especially as no clue has turned up regarding Zhao Qiang’s mysterious disappearance. Li Ye insists he did not harm anyone. Just then, Zhao Qiang appears, acting deranged, and accuses Li Ye of being the killer before running off.
The people of Zhao Family Village are quite superstitious. They bring in a sorcerer to perform rituals for Zhao Qiang, believing that this will restore his sanity. From the existing clues in the case, Cao Xuanxuan notices something peculiar and decides to visit Zhao Xiaolin’s home for further investigation. Worried when Cao Xuanxuan doesn’t return for a long time, Guo Zijie and two others head to Zhao Xiaolin’s house to look for her but find no trace. While they are wondering where she is, Cao Xuanxuan suddenly walks in from outside. Through her investigation, Cao Xuanxuan discovers that the vanishings were all illusions, much like modern-day magic tricks. Guo Zijie wants her to explain how the crime was committed, but at this point, Cao Xuanxuan strikes a deal with him: she demands that Guo Zijie follow all her instructions. Guo Zijie, unwilling to comply outright as the county magistrate, hesitates—yet Cao Xuanxuan promises to credit him with solving the case, so he agrees under certain conditions.
Cao Xuanxuan tells everyone that what Zhao Xiaolin witnessed that night was not her husband but a puppet. Because it was dark and hard to see clearly, she mistook the puppet for her husband. When Zhao Xiaolin looked away, the puppet was pulled up to the roof, thus making it seem as though a person had suddenly disappeared. The four of them continue interrogating Li Ye, who categorically denies committing murder himself—though he admits he did harbor the thought—and then mentions how Fu Miao sullied his childhood sweetheart, Zhang Qin. In order to gather more evidence, He Chuner and Sun Weiyan head out to find Zhang Qin.
At first, Zhang Qin denies knowing Li Ye. However, upon hearing the talk of being “sullied,” she becomes extremely upset and refuses to engage any further with He Chuner and Sun Weiyan. The next day, everyone learns that Li Ye has run away. Just then, Zhang Qin comes looking for them, saying her child is missing. She also reveals her past history with Li Ye. Everyone searches high and low for the child and finally finds him unconscious in the bushes, with vines wrapped around his neck.
Meanwhile, Guo Zijie’s father continues investigating Cao Xuan’s background and discovers that Cao Xuanxuan once had a missing elder sister. He mistakenly believes that the Cao Xuanxuan currently in the residence might be that elder sister. Sun Weiyan and He Chuner go to see Zhang Qin, but she refuses to let them in. Nevertheless, they notice a man’s footprints, and He Chuner deduces they might belong to Li Ye. Li Ye is then pursued by a group of masked men. Just as he is about to be captured, He Chuner appears, but she is not strong enough to defeat them, and both are taken prisoner. When Li Ye comes to, he panics and reveals what really happened. It turns out that He Chuner intentionally allowed herself to be captured, just to hear Li Ye’s honest account.
Cao Xuanxuan figures out why Zhao Qiang’s “room” disappeared: the place Zhao Qiang entered wasn’t actually a room but merely a wall—however, from where everyone else had been sitting, it looked like a real structure. From this, they deduce that the real murderer could be Zhao Qiang. He Chuner soon brings Li Ye back, and Li Ye explains everything that happened. It turns out that his escape was aided by Zhao Qiang, and Zhang Qin steps forward to corroborate Li Ye’s account. But at this point, it is all still just speculation; there is no concrete evidence to apprehend Zhao Qiang. Yet the trial is set to open the next day.
Zhao Qiang is brought to the county court for questioning. Initially, he denies killing anyone and even produces evidence to prove his innocence. However, one by one, these pieces of evidence are disproven.
