Duan Zhengchun's poisoned and incapacitated condition

Duan Zhengchun’s poisoned and incapacitated condition strips away the internal strength on which his martial skill depends, leaving him vulnerable to Madam Ma and Bai Shijing. Its shifting appearance—first hidden, then briefly reversed through Xiao Feng’s intervention, and finally made more severe—shows how little Duan Zhengchun can control once his strength is gone, even as he tries to preserve a composed face and mislead his captors.

The Poison and the Loss of Strength

When Duan Zhengchun attempts to rise from the bed, his knees give way. At first he jokes that his weakness comes from seeing Madam Ma, but when he tests his breath and inner power, he discovers that his dantian feels empty. Three attempts convince him that the profound internal energy he had cultivated over more than ten years has disappeared. He does not know when it left him, and recognizes that he is in serious danger.

He keeps his alarm from showing. To discourage anyone who might attack, he claims that he still has the Yi Yang Finger and Six Meridians Divine Sword and says that, despite his intoxication, he can kill but cannot restrain someone. Xiao Feng, observing him, understands that the threat is a bluff: Duan Zhengchun knows the Yi Yang Finger, not the Six Meridians Divine Sword, and without internal energy he cannot use even the former. The exchange establishes the central constraint of the poisoning: Duan Zhengchun retains knowledge and presence of mind, but lacks the strength that would make his martial reputation useful.

Madam Ma tells him that he has been poisoned with the Ten Fragrance Bewitching Powder. She claims that the powder entered his wine while she was pouring it and says she was too distracted by him to notice. She further explains that even a highly skilled martial artist would lose all internal energy under its effect. Her account confirms that his collapse is not ordinary drunkenness, while her feigned helplessness and insinuations keep him from immediately identifying her as the danger.

Concealment and a Brief Reversal

Duan Zhengchun first suspects that Madam Ma has drugged him, but her performance leads him to withdraw that suspicion. Once he recognizes the threat, he tries to communicate without exposing himself: he writes on the table that they have fallen into an enemy’s poisonous plan and must remain calm. Madam Ma asks in writing whether he is telling the truth. He replies that they must not show weakness, while aloud he asks what enemy could be trying to harm him.

The arrangement does not give Duan Zhengchun control. Madam Ma urges him to make a hole in the paper window to force the enemy to retreat, but Xiao Feng recognizes that he cannot summon the power required. When Madam Ma names the Ten Fragrance Bewitching Powder directly, Duan Zhengchun acts surprised and asks how she knows. Their exchange exposes the gap between his calculated composure and his actual dependence: he can attempt to direct the conversation, but cannot act on his own plan.

Xiao Feng intervenes from outside the room. He slowly punches through the weak clay wall behind Duan Zhengchun and presses his palm against Duan Zhengchun’s back, avoiding notice. When Madam Ma’s actions provoke a sudden response from him, Xiao Feng uses the opening to tear the ox-tendon rope from Duan Zhengchun’s wrists and transfer profound internal energy into his channels. For a short time, Duan Zhengchun can move his breath and direct the borrowed power through his arm to his finger. He strikes Madam Ma with the Yi Yang Finger and brings her under control.

Incapacitation Restored

The recovery lasts only while Xiao Feng maintains contact. After Bai Shijing arrives, he seizes Duan Zhengchun and breaks both his wrists. Duan Zhengchun has no strength with which to resist: the internal energy Xiao Feng supplied was temporary, and once Xiao Feng withdraws his hand, Duan Zhengchun is helpless again. The episode therefore does not represent a lasting cure or restoration. It is a narrow reversal that allows him to act once, followed by a more serious physical incapacity.

Xiao Feng is startled that, after helping Duan Zhengchun, he has again had to confront Bai Shijing’s cruelty. He considers Duan Zhengchun’s faults but resolves to save his life for A'Zhu’s sake. His decision frames the rescue as an obligation grounded in his relationship with A'Zhu, not as a judgment that Duan Zhengchun has earned protection. The episode leaves Duan Zhengchun alive but gravely compromised: the poison has taken his internal power, Xiao Feng’s aid has ended, and his wrists have been broken.