Their country falls, the royal family is imprisoned, and Sun Qiemo watches the glory of the past reduced to scorched earth. Then she sees that the person responsible for destroying it all has the exact same face as Ye Zhihuan, the guard she trusted most. Only then does she realize that she has long been caught in someone else's game, a pawn to be moved at will.
Just as her heart turns to ashes, a sharp sword thrusts toward Ye Zhihuan's chest, and Sun Qiemo instinctively rushes forward to shield him. As she lies dying in his arms, she whispers, "Ye Zhihuan, I don't hate you, and I don't blame you. I only ask that you forget me, and forget all of this." When her soul reaches the River of Forgetfulness, she takes the Bowl of Oblivion and drinks without hesitation, severing every tie to the mortal world.
Holding her body, Ye Zhihuan sits motionless for two days and nights, like a walking corpse. The enemy kingdom's crown prince, Ye Shaoan, is enraged by the sight and calls him "useless," drawing his sword to kill him. Ye Zhihuan turns the tables and kills him instead. His long-hidden restraint and disguise shatter completely, and he descends into utter madness. At last, he reaches the edge of a cliff. With a trace of relief on his face, he leaps into the abyss, taking his endless regret and madness with him.
