The Wanted Detective: Drama Info and Recap Cases 1 and 2

Introduction

A series of unimaginable murder cases for our detective squad to solve, with a ruthless and mysterious mastermind behind the killings. Until the last day before the drama ended its airing, viewers still guessed who was behind the cultish figure whom many worshipped and would die for.

There are 7 cases in total. This article examines Cases 1 and 2. The case introduction contains no spoilers. The case details/episode recaps contain minor or medium spoilers. Any major spoilers (for example, the killer or the death of significant characters) are hidden in tags. Any important information would be highlighted.

The drama started with the Male Lead and the Female Lead. Therefore, the featured image resembles the beginning.

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Drama Info

Drama title: The Wanted Detective (Native title: 定风波 )
Alternative title: Ding Feng Bo, Calming Waves
Genres: Historical, Mystery, Thriller
Aired: Aug 1, 2025 - Aug 14, 2025
Episodes: 36 |  Duration: 45 min.
Director: Zhao Jin Tao ( 赵锦焘 )
Screenwriters: Zhang Yu Xiao ( 张云霄 ) - chief screenwriter, Chen Zi Hao ( 陈子豪 ), Lin Nan Nan ( 林男男 ), Xu Yu ( 徐玉 ), and Tang Yu ( 唐昱 )
Where to watch: iQiyi
OST: Full album (fan audio)

Trailer:

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Synopsis

Xiao Beiming, the best detective in the Qi Kingdom, flees after being accused of treason and murder. Three years later, he returns to the capital and joins forces with his junior Zhong Xueman and a group of witty and courageous partners to solve several strange cases, uncover the truth about the serial killer Yesha (Night Evil), calm down the turmoil in Qi, and protect the people of the world. (source: iQiyi)

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Characters

Character Chart

The character chart is quite simple. Everyone below is a detective squad member.

Main Characters

Supporting Characters

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The Blood-weeping Statues

Case Introduction

In the capital city of Qi, the Emperor of Qi ordered the construction of the Langhua Pavilion to honor the 48 loyal ministers who had dedicated their lives to the court over the years. The ministers were ranked according to their contributions. The four highest-ranking ministers were honored with statues built for them. However, on the day the Langhua Pavilion was inaugurated, the statues of the four ministers inexplicably wept blood tears. A few days later, the four ministers all died, and their deaths were quite bizarre. Moreover, the name “Ye Sha” was left in all crime scenes.

Episode 1

The loss of his trusted aides gave the Emperor a headache, so he called in Zhuge Tong, the Chief of the Special Investigation Unit, and Zhong Yunchi, the Chief of Elite Constabulary Unit. Zhong Yunchi is Zhong Xueman’s father. The Emperor suggested they work together, but the rivals objected. While Zhuge Kongyun, Zhuge Tong’s son, boasted of cracking the case in 10 days, Xiao Beiming outdid him with only 3 days! The Emperor gave the case to Beiming.

Zhong Yunchi suggested to the Emperor that the Yesha case might have a connection with what happened in Haiya many years ago. The Emperor didn’t want to talk about it. Aha!

Xiao Beiming accompanied the next minister in target, Mr. Shen, in his carriage, with Xueman in disguise as the driver. However, the killer was smarter, and Mr. Shen was killed with a hidden poisonous needle!

Episode 2

Thankfully, Mr. Shen didn’t die! Beiming replaced him with a death row prisoner. But the Emperor still demanded an explanation of the case. Beiming explained how the statues ‘cried’ blood, and the modus operandi of the three deaths. The only thing he didn’t know was the culprit’s identity. Beiming promised he would find out sooner, so the Emperor let him continue the investigation.

Beiming wanted to use his wedding to trap the culprit. There were three officials whom he suspected. They were all invited. Beiming worked together with his father-in-law to trap those three on a boat trip. However, things didn’t go smoothly. When Xueman was informed that something was wrong on the boat. When she arrived, she saw a gruesome sight: all three suspects were dead, including her father! And her new husband, holding a knife covered with blood, was standing in front of her dead father, looking bewildered. The soldiers shot Beiming, and he fell into the water!

Zhong Yunchi seemed to know that he would die. On the wedding eve, his words to his son-in-law hinted at a farewell. He also gave all his money to his daughter as a dowry.

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The Sewn Bride Murders

Case Introduction

On a night of lightning and thunder, a sedan chair was carried to the hut in the depths of the bamboo forest. The bride slowly lifted the cover of her head, tremblingly. The moment of happiness became a moment of nightmare. Yesha appeared like a ghost, piercing the bride’s heart with silver needles. His killing technique was extremely cruel, sewing the bride in red thread. The same as how he killed the three officials on the boat three years ago. The killer was dubbed Tailor.

Episode 3

Since her bloody wedding, the traumatic Xueman had vowed to capture Yesha, and avenge her father’s death. Naturally, she found the horrifying murder scene immediately, the bride’s corpse was on a tree, suspended and sewn with red threads.

In this episode, it was the first time we met Tong Shuang, a new staff member of the Elite Constabulary Unit, and Feng Qingzhuo, the coroner of the Elite Constabulary Unit.

Xueman also found her fugitive husband, who had secretly investigated the same case to find Yesha and clear his name. The angry Xueman didn’t trust him, so she stabbed and chained him. She asked Qingzhuo for a paralysis pill to weaken her husband, but he accidentally gave her a lethal poison, the Blood-freezing Frost. There was no antidote. Beiming not only lost his internal energy and his martial arts skills, but he was also dying slowly!

Beiming told Xueman he didn’t kill her father, nor did the other officials. He didn’t remember what happened. He passed out, and when he woke up, a knife was in his hand, and everyone was dead. Beiming had some ideas about Yesha and the modus operandi of the killing on the boat 3 years ago.

Regarding the sewing-bride’s case, Beiming predicted there would be another murder, and Xueman went to the location he suggested. But she was too late, the bride was already dead!

Episode 4

The three bride victims earlier were not only sewn, but also burned to death. Beiming guessed that Yesha or Tailor didn’t burn them, the Elite Constabulary Unit did, under the order of the new chief, Fang Tian Zheng. Xueman confronted Mr. Fang. He ordered the burn because he didn’t want Xueman to go hunting her husband, knowing that he was Yesha the killer. After begging, finally, Mr. Fang allowed her to investigate.

Meanwhile, in Xueman’s home, Qingzhuo was guarding Beiming. Through Qingzhuo’s Golden Fire Needle and his acupuncture technique, Beiming identified that Qingzhuo was “Little White Dragon”, the disciple of the evil sect that was famous for its poisons. Qingzhuo hid his identity because of the crimes committed by the sect. Beiming made a deal with Qingzhuo, so he cut his chains.

Xueman took Qingzhuo and Beiming (in disguise) to examine the bodies. Hmm, someone (in the Elite Constabulary Unit?) locked them in and burned down the place. Luckily, they were able to escape. However, people in the Elite Constabulary Unit were suspicious with Beiming in disguise. Somehow, Tong Shuang saved him by treating him like someone he knew from his hometown. Ah, it turned out that Tong Shuang worked for Beiming!

Although the bodies were destroyed in the fire, Qingzhuo found about golden thread under every woman’s face to preserve their face, a rejuvenation technique known by Nanyue people who now resided in Nanren Lane. When they investigated the place, a gold shop owner confessed that he did the rejuvenation technique for his cult, Blossom Skies. The women were sacrificed for Sada, the messenger of their god. The next victim would be sacrificed tonight!

Episode 5

Beiming, Xueman, and Qingzhou disguised themselves as the Nanyue people to attend the sacrificial ceremony. They could figure out the trick used by Sada and confronted him, but some mysterious men attacked them and took Sada away.

Qingzhou was saved by Beiming during the attack, so he concluded Beiming was a good person and was framed. With his keen observation, Qingzhou also guessed that Xueman actually cared about Beiming. After this, Qingzhou also cared about Beiming meticulously because of his accidental poisoning, even when he had to carry the weak Beiming here and there due to the poison.

Their investigation led them to Marquis Jingshan’s mansion. He was a Nanyue, and was present at the sacrificial night. While the Elite Constabulary Unit was there, the Marquis’ son, Ajia aka Sada, was abducted.

Episode 6

The son was found bleeding heavily with the same modus operandi (sewn with red thread), and his body was nailed to the board. However, Beiming figured out that it was not the son who was the target, but Marquis Jingshan! And the son was actually the serial killer Tailor, disguised with a face mask. He killed the Marquis while no guard was around.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Kong Yun and the Special Investigation Unit got a tip on the Elite Constabulary Unit’s investigation at Marquis Jingshan’s manor, so they went there, too. Kong Yun suspected that they (or at least Xueman) were hiding Beiming. Everyone was there and found that the Marquis was dead. Xueman cornered the fake Ajia at the cliff, and he jumped down. Beiming and Qingzhou arrived, but they were followed by everyone else. Beiming, who was still a suspect, jumped down, too. Everyone was looking for him down the cliff, but he was nowhere to be found. Luckily, Beiming landed on a platform that led to a cave, Tailor’s hiding place. Inside, the real Ajia was found dead and sewn.

Episode 7

Xueman and Beiming cornered the Tailor, whom they surprisingly knew. Beiming revealed to Tailor his modus operandi. Tailor confessed every killing he did: the brides, the human trafficker, Marquis Jingshan, Ajia, everything to avenge the woman he loved. Not only that, even the killing of Zhong Yunchi and the officials on the boat 3 years ago! However, in this case, he got an order from Yesha, a masked middle-aged man whom Tailor suspected was also on the boat and had died, too. Yesha made the meticulous plan, Tailor just executed it. Tailor never met the man again. Beiming asked: Why didn’t Tailor kill him? Tailor received a specific order to spare Beiming’s life. Beiming remembered Zhong Yunchi didn’t allow his future son-in-law to be on the boat, but Beiming went anyway. Could it be that Zhong Yunchi was Yesha? However, before Tailor committed suicide by stabbing himself with a hidden knife, he told Beiming and Xueman that Yesha was not one person, but many people from Haiya, a mysterious place that disappeared from the map! Even Beiming is also a Haiya!

After knowing the truth from Tailor that Beiming didn’t kill her father, Xueman felt guilty and apologized to her husband for her accusation and the accidental poisoning.

Before he died, Tailor also said that Yesha ordered him to kill Mr. Shen. We knew him from Episode 1. Mr. Shen disappeared along with his retirement. Beiming and Xueman decided they needed to find Mr. Shen; he should know anything about Yesha. Unfortunately, Mr. Shen also died under the Special Investigation Unit’s watch! Zhuge Kong Yun promised the Emperor that he would crack the case in a month.

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Conclusion

I’m glad that Beiming and Xueman were finally on good terms! They had gone through a lot in the past three years. I wonder when his name will be cleared publicly. Let’s continue to the second part: The Wanted Detective: Recap Case 3!

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