Recaps

After learning that Danny Rand had stormed The Hand’s headquarters, Xiang Qian went to New York and helped Danny, Matt, and their companions escape. He questioned Danny about the raid and learned that Danny had entered alone simply to warn The Hand about its conspiracy.

• Shen Ran told Xiang Qian that Danny Rand had fought Bakuto and then entered Midland Circle Financial alone.
• Xiang Qian recognized Matt in a photograph, arranged false U.S. entry records, and traveled through a portal to the Midland Circle rooftop.
• Xiang Qian sensed Matt, Danny, and two others fighting The Hand, while Elektra fought against them as a powerful new Black Sky.
• Danny unleashed the Iron Fist, giving the group a chance to escape, and Xiang Qian drove them away while arranging for his people to block The Hand’s pursuers.
• Xiang Qian asked the group why they had attacked The Hand’s headquarters, and Danny admitted he had gone there only to warn them their conspiracy would fail.

Xiang Qian reunited with Danny Rand and Matt after they escaped Midland Circle, questioned the Hand's return and its new Black Sky, and revealed that the Hand had attacked his Hong Kong laboratory. The group went to the Hilton to eat, where Danny ran into Joy Meachum and Xiang Qian invited her to dinner.

• Xiang Qian told Danny Rand that he might be the weakest Iron Fist in history and called him the dumbest Iron Fist ever, then revealed that they had met in Kunlun.
• Matt explained that Elektra had died and been revived by the Hand as Black Sky, while Xiang Qian questioned where the Hand had found another Black Sky.
• Xiang Qian said the Hand had crossed him by sending Undead Ninjas to attack his Hong Kong laboratory, and he planned to investigate them.
• Xiang Qian took the hungry group to the Hilton, arguing that an upscale hotel would help them avoid attention and information leaks.
• Danny Rand encountered Joy Meachum at the restaurant, and she revealed that Xiang Qian was Rand Enterprises' largest trade partner in the Far East.
• Xiang Qian charmed Joy and invited her to dinner, leaving Matt, Luke Cage, and the others behind.

Xiang Qian’s hired investigators uncovered a vast underground excavation beneath Midland Circle Financial, and he concluded that the Hand was digging for Dragon Bones buried under Manhattan. Matt explained that Dragon Bones could greatly extend life, while Xiang Qian suspected they might also be connected to Elektra’s resurrection; the group learned the buried bones were at least several times larger than a blue whale.

• Joy Meachum left Xiang Qian’s suite after spending the night there, and Xiang Qian showed Matt and the others the investigation results gathered by his paid teams.
• An investigator reported an abnormal underground space beneath the target site, while another estimated that more than fifty thousand cubic meters of debris had been removed.
• Xiang Qian concluded that the Hand had excavated a pit more than twenty thousand feet deep beneath Midland Circle Financial, likely causing Manhattan’s recent shallow earthquake.
• Xiang Qian mocked Danny Rand for failing to use his wealth and hired investigators to uncover the Hand’s plans.
• Xiang Qian revealed that the Hand was excavating Dragon Bones beneath Manhattan, and Matt explained that the bones could extend life and were the source of the Hand leaders’ longevity.
• Xiang Qian suggested the Dragon Bones might be linked to Elektra’s resurrection, and Matt indicated that the buried bones were several times larger than a blue whale.

Xiang Qian explained that The Hand needed Danny Rand’s Iron Fist to open the Dragon Bones’ seal, and warned the group that removing them could devastate Midtown. He revealed to Matt that he had joined the fight to identify The Hand’s hidden backer and determine whether it was an alien, planning to use Danny and the others as bait to draw out its leaders.

• Xiang Qian explained that the Dragon Bones were sealed by an ancient Iron Fist and that Danny’s power could open the seal without draining their energy; he scolded Danny for approaching The Hand recklessly.
• Xiang Qian warned Colleen to watch Danny and told the group to insure Midtown property and sell local stocks because extracting the Dragon Bones could trigger a disaster that might sink half of Midtown.
• Luke and Jessica left to warn their relatives and friends, while Matt stayed behind and challenged Xiang Qian about his real reason for investigating The Hand.
• Xiang Qian told Matt he wanted to discover who supported The Hand and whether the backer was an alien, citing the new Black Sky and Undead Ninjas as clues.
• Xiang Qian admitted that Danny, Matt, and the others were bait meant to lure The Hand’s leaders into the open so they could be caught before they escaped.

Matt agreed to help Xiang Qian use himself and the others as bait to draw out The Hand, while asking Xiang to show basic concern for their safety. After a discovery suggested The Hand had access to advanced mind-control technology, Matt joined the others at Detective Misty's home, where an attack began shortly after they left for the police station.

• Matt refused to warn Danny, Luke, Jessica, and Colleen, but offered to help guide Danny and Luke in exchange for Xiang Qian's consideration for their safety.
• Xiang Qian learned that a chip connected to a laboratory employee's brain had apparently controlled his mind and ordered the chip and the alien captive secured under the highest protocol.
• Matt argued that The Hand's leaders avoided cutting-edge technology in their businesses, and Xiang Qian arranged for him to locate Luke and the others after his surveillance team withdrew from the Black neighborhood.
• Matt found Luke, Jessica, Danny, and Detective Misty at Misty's home, revealed Xiang Qian's plan to use them as bait, and warned that The Hand might target Danny.
• Misty drove the group toward the police station, but The Hand launched a violent attack on police officers in broad daylight, leaving Matt considering whether to call Xiang Qian for help.

The Hand attacked Matt, Misty, Luke, Jessica, Danny, and Colleen, kidnapping Danny and his wife while Xiang Qian monitored the battle and withheld help to track the Hand's leaders. After escaping police custody, Matt and his companions headed toward the conflict, while Xiang Qian suspected Alexandra was already inside Midland Circle Financial.

• A dump truck crushed Misty's sedan, but Jessica freed Matt and the unconscious detective while Luke and the others fought off The Hand's attackers.
• Madame Gao and Bakuto ambushed Danny Rand and Colleen Wing with Undead Ninjas, knocked them unconscious, and abducted them as Xiang Qian ordered his people not to intervene.
• Matt, Luke, and Jessica refused to speak to police without a lawyer, and Matt disclosed that Danny had been kidnapped and taken near Midland Circle Financial.
• Foggy arrived at the precinct with Matt's Daredevil suit, and senior attorneys pressured the commissioner into allowing the three to meet before Jessica smashed them out through a wall.
• Xiang Qian learned that Danny and his wife had entered Midland Circle Financial, suspected Alexandra was inside, and then heard that Matt and the others had escaped the precinct.

Xiang Qian infiltrated the Hand’s underground chamber after Danny Rand opened the Dragon Bone Seal, then confronted Elektra and the Hand leaders. After learning that Elektra had killed Alexandra and that the Hand knew nothing about the Black Sky’s origin, he demanded to enter the sealed chamber and forced the group to choose whether to let him pass or fight him.

• Xiang Qian descended through the elevator shaft and discovered Elektra, Danny Rand, Madame Gao, and Bakuto gathered before the Dragon Bone Seal.
• Elektra forced Danny Rand to strike the seal by threatening Colleen Wing, and the opening caused the underground chamber to shake.
• Xiang Qian emerged from the elevator and confronted the Hand, while Bakuto silenced Danny Rand when he disrupted the conversation.
• Xiang Qian asked about Alexandra, and Elektra said she had killed her; Madame Gao then admitted the Hand did not know where the new Black Sky had come from.
• An alarm sounded as Matt and the others broke into the building, and Xiang Qian offered the Hand a choice: let him enter the seal or fight him.

Xiang Qian defeated the Hand leaders, forced the injured Danny Rand and Colleen Wing to leave, and entered the sealed remains of a Sacred Beast with Elektra. As he absorbed the creature’s life energy, Elektra’s memories and the new Black Sky’s instincts awakened, leaving her longing to relive a buried memory.

• Xiang Qian incapacitated Bakuto and Madame Gao, then questioned Elektra about Black Sky and the Hand’s attack on the Hong Kong laboratory.
• Elektra refused to fight Xiang Qian or leave, while he knocked Danny Rand unconscious and ordered Colleen Wing to take Danny and the Hand leaders to the surface.
• Xiang Qian entered the sealed Sacred Beast remains, and Elektra followed despite his warnings that the underground space would soon be destroyed.
• Xiang Qian explained that Elektra’s damaged soul and time in Hell had affected her memories, then tested her reaction by trying to awaken them.
• Xiang Qian resonated with the dragon bones and began absorbing their life energy, while some of it entered Elektra and awakened her memories and desire to relive one of them.

After Midland Circle Financial’s collapse, Xiang Qian dismissed a police investigation and helped Elektra recover memories of being human. Elektra revealed that two blue-skinned aliens had met with Alexandra, then left to seek Matt and explore whether her memories could restore her soul.

• Authorities claimed Midland Circle Financial had been deliberately demolished, while a detective’s attempt to question Xiang Qian was challenged by his lawyer.
• Xiang Qian and Elektra spent the day together in his hotel room, and Elektra later said the experience had revived memories of being human.
• Elektra told Xiang Qian that she had seen two blue-skinned aliens meet Alexandra before the Hand attacked his laboratory.
• Elektra said she did not know whether the aliens had provided the new Black Sky, since the Hand had captured her after obtaining it.
• Elektra planned to leave the hotel and possibly find Matt, hoping that her emotional memories of him might help restore her soul.

Xiang Qian rescued Jiaying from a Kree attack and discovered a cave containing ore that could catalyze Inhuman mutations. Before he could question her about the mine, he learned that an unknown intruder had broken into his Hong Kong laboratory and left him a video message.

• Xiang Qian heard Jiaying's call for help and teleported to her, pulling her and the injured Gordon into his pocket dimension to escape a Kree attack.
• Xiang Qian fought the four Kree, absorbed their weapons' energy, and tried to capture them, but their suicide devices killed them.
• Xiang Qian sent a reconnaissance drone to search for the Kree craft and questioned Jiaying about the cave's mutation-inducing ore.
• Xiang Qian learned that an unknown intruder had torn open the Hong Kong laboratory ceiling while searching for Supergiant, who had already been moved to safety.
• The laboratory staff told Xiang Qian that the intruder had left him a video file that none of them could open.

Xiang Qian received Ebony Maw’s offer to exchange Supergiant for information about the Inhumans, then returned to Afterlife to investigate the Kree attack and the origins of the Inhumans. He left the decision open while suspecting the Kree deaths and the landing craft’s destruction were attempts to silence witnesses.

• Xiang Qian returned to the Spear Bureau’s warehouse, where a device scanned him and played Ebony Maw’s message offering Inhumans information in exchange for Supergiant.
• Ebony Maw revealed that the Inhumans’ history involved Hydra and asked Xiang Qian to send a signal toward Saturn within seventy-two hours if he accepted.
• Xiang Qian and Zheng Xian discussed the proposed exchange, but Xiang Qian insisted there was no need to decide immediately.
• Xiang Qian returned to Afterlife and extinguished the mountain fire caused by the destroyed Kree landing craft.
• Xiang Qian suspected that the Kree soldiers’ deaths and the landing craft’s explosion had been intended to eliminate witnesses.

Xiang Qian visited Raina after her transformation and discovered that her dreams described blue-skinned, gun-wielding monsters killing Jiaying. The conversation ended with Raina revealing another dream about Xiang Qian and Jiaying.

• Xiang Qian returned to Afterlife, where Jiaying told him Raina was in a terrible state and wanted to see him.
• Xiang Qian confronted Raina about her transformation, and Raina said she hated Jiaying and all Inhumans despite knowing her hatred was irrational.
• Raina described dreaming that blue-skinned monsters killed Jiaying with laser guns, prompting Xiang Qian to ask when she had dreamed it.
• Raina said she had the dream the previous night or early that morning, and Jiaying and Xiang Qian both reacted with shock.
• Raina revealed that another dream showed Xiang Qian raping Jiaying while Jiaying cooperated.

Xiang Qian pressed Jiaying about Raina’s dreams and the crystal mine cave, and Jiaying revealed her ancestors’ history of guarding the cave and using its crystals to trigger mutations. The chapter ended with Xiang Qian questioning how much catalyst Jiaying had mined and stockpiled, while she insisted Afterlife had produced very little.

• Jiaying left after Xiang Qian pressed Raina for details about her dreams.
• Xiang Qian confronted Jiaying about the crystal mine cave, and she explained how her ancestors had discovered and guarded it for centuries.
• Jiaying described how the crystals had killed some people and caused others to mutate, and how knowledge of heredity eventually led her ancestors to send young people to study, including her.
• Jiaying recounted that she had studied biology in Europe during World War II and had been captured by Reinhardt, later known as Whitehall.
• Xiang Qian argued that Jiaying should have disclosed the cave to the Spear Bureau and questioned her about the amount of catalyst Afterlife had mined and stored.
• Jiaying claimed Afterlife had mined little catalyst, but Xiang Qian remained unconvinced.

Xiang Qian and Zheng Xian prepared to negotiate with Ebony Maw while testing the Spear Bureau’s mass-work and communications defenses. Ebony Maw revealed that he was near Earth and could travel from Saturn in about five hours, leaving the Spear Bureau with valuable intelligence before substantive negotiations began.

• Xiang Qian told Zheng Xian that Jiaying remained resistant, while Zheng expected the village cadres and grid workers to produce results soon.
• Sixty-three hours after arriving at Afterlife, Xiang Qian sent a Pythagorean-theorem signal toward Saturn, and Ebony Maw replied six and a half hours later by intruding into the Spear Bureau’s communications system.
• Xiang Qian cut off Ebony Maw’s unauthorized projection, then agreed with Zheng Xian to test the alien’s technology while keeping Supergiant in their custody.
• Ebony Maw’s five-minute intrusion triggered repeated alarms but failed to take control of the Spear Bureau’s system, after which he made a proper communication request.
• Xiang Qian learned that Ebony Maw was near Earth and had been on Saturn when he received the signal, suggesting he could travel between them in about five hours.

Xiang Qian negotiated with Ebony Maw over the price for the captured intelligence agent and rejected information about the Inhumans’ origins as too old to be useful. Ebony Maw offered intelligence about an uncharted, resource-rich planet with an interstellar passage on Earth, while Xiang Qian pressed him about his Kree agents and the gift given to The Hand.

• At Zheng Xian’s signal, Xiang Qian argued that the Inhumans’ origins were no longer valuable and demanded a different bargaining chip.
• Ebony Maw refused to offer information about Thanos and proposed intelligence about a habitable, resource-rich planet that Earth could potentially claim.
• Ebony Maw revealed that people on Earth had long known of the planet and that its interstellar passage was on Earth; Zheng Xian considered the offer while Xiang Qian continued negotiating.
• Xiang Qian questioned Ebony Maw about bringing Kree agents to Earth and silencing them after their failed attack, and Ebony Maw admitted responsibility.
• Xiang Qian asked where Ebony Maw had found the gift given to The Hand and how many of its kind remained, but Ebony Maw stayed silent.

Xiang Qian rejected Ebony Maw’s offer of a habitable planet and demanded intelligence on the Celestials in exchange for Supergiant, then waited as several major developments emerged on Earth. The chapter ended with Zheng Xian revealing that Jiaying had a vast warehouse of mutation catalysts and offering Xiang Qian a chance to question her for Skye’s sake.

• Xiang Qian and Zheng Xian rejected Ebony Maw’s offer of a planet and demanded intelligence on the Celestials instead, agreeing to wait for his response.
• Ebony Maw accepted the condition but asked to see Supergiant; Xiang Qian refused, and Ebony Maw ended the call after they agreed to treat the deal as a first step toward trust.
• While Xiang Qian waited, Dr. Stephen Strange suffered a car accident that shattered his hands and ended his career as a surgeon.
• Shen Ran’s surveillance revealed that Phil Coulson’s S.H.I.E.L.D. remnants had tracked Hydra to its core leadership.
• Community workers in Afterlife discovered Jiaying’s hidden warehouse of mutation catalysts, and Zheng Xian told Xiang Qian he could question her once for Skye’s sake.

Xiang Qian found Jiaying’s catalyst stockpile and confronted her about her plan to attack cities occupied by Hydra, while Gordon failed to protect her from him. As Jiaying spoke with Skye over the Electronic Bracelet, Xiang Qian seized the moment and told her that the final step of Raina’s prophecy was beginning.

• Xiang Qian entered the hidden cave and discovered crates of catalysts stockpiled there since 1991, then tested one and saw its deadly black mist spread.
• Jiaying arrived with Gordon, whose attempt to teleport them away was interrupted by Xiang Qian’s power to seal and cut apart space.
• Xiang Qian made Gordon leave and questioned Jiaying, who admitted she intended to attack cities occupied by Hydra to carry out her revenge.
• Xiang Qian explained that he needed to uncover her agents and plans, while Jiaying refused to cooperate.
• Skye called Xiang Qian after finding agency orders through a hack, and he lied that the operation was about securing the catalysts before handing the bracelet to Jiaying.
• While Jiaying spoke with Skye, Xiang Qian grabbed her from behind and told her it was time to begin the final step of Raina’s prophecy.

Xiang Qian used Jiaying’s weakened attachment to revenge to make her surrender while Skye spoke to her over the wristband. After Xiang Qian concealed them in a subspace, Jiaying questioned what remained of her life without hatred, and he urged her to see a future beyond it.

• Skye happily described her training to Jiaying, who struggled to respond while Xiang Qian held her and pushed her to the brink of losing control.
• Xiang Qian reflected that removing Jiaying’s scars and helping her take revenge had made him her new psychological anchor.
• Jiaying begged to end the call, and Xiang Qian told Skye they had encountered a small problem before ending the conversation.
• After Skye hung up, Jiaying asked whether Xiang Qian intended to destroy her self-respect, and he said he wanted to destroy the hatred in her heart.
• Xiang Qian hid them behind a subspace barrier, and Spear Bureau’s operations team found the cave empty when they searched it.
• Jiaying asked what remained of her life without hatred, and Xiang Qian told her that embracing hatred meant she no longer had a future.

Xiang Qian explained how the Spear Bureau had dismantled Jiaying’s revenge plan and pressured her to reveal the location of its operation plan. After he sent the location to Zheng Xian, the Spear Bureau prepared to deal with Afterlife and the Inhumans gently.

• Xiang Qian explained that Afterlife members had betrayed Jiaying because the Spear Bureau offered them hope of normal lives, and Jiaying broke down as she realized her revenge plan had failed.
• Jiaying demanded that Xiang Qian promise never to hurt Daisy, but he argued that abruptly ending his relationship with Skye would only make her investigate him.
• Xiang Qian overwhelmed Jiaying’s resistance, and she finally revealed where the operation plan was stored.
• Xiang Qian traveled through subspace to the hidden location and sent its intelligence to Zheng Xian.
• Zheng Xian felt relieved and hoped to handle Jiaying, Afterlife, and the Inhumans without harsh measures.

Xiang Qian and Zheng Xian discussed the handling of Jiaying and the Inhuman catalysts before learning that the Winter Soldier had appeared in Austria. As Xiang Qian headed to Europe, he refused Steve Rogers’s request to persuade Tony to forgive Barnes, insisting that Tony alone had the right to decide.

• Zheng Xian told Xiang Qian that Jiaying would retain basic freedom under strict surveillance, then pressed him to help manage her because of their relationship.
• Xiang Qian learned from Tony that a man resembling the Winter Soldier had appeared during a shootout in Bregenz, where Phil Coulson was also present, and set off for Europe.
• Steve Rogers called Xiang Qian after learning that Barnes had been spotted and asked him to persuade Tony to forgive his friend.
• Xiang Qian challenged Steve for withholding the truth from Tony and for demanding forgiveness before meeting Barnes.
• Xiang Qian refused to intervene, telling Steve that Tony was the victim and that only Tony could choose whether to forgive Barnes.

Xiang Qian and Sylph cornered Sergeant Barnes in Eastern Europe, where Tony confronted him over the murder of Howard Stark and Mary Stark. As Barnes tried to escape, Steve Rogers and Black Widow Natasha arrived, and Xiang Qian faced them while Tony continued pursuing Barnes.

• S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony, and Xiang Qian tracked Barnes toward Eastern Europe, but Xiang Qian reached a roadside town first with help from his local contacts.
• Sylph challenged Barnes in a fast-food restaurant, but Xiang Qian trapped him behind a magical barrier and arrived with James Zion's empty stealth armor.
• Xiang Qian asked Barnes about his memories, then Tony arrived and accused him of murdering Howard Stark and Mary Stark.
• Barnes tried to flee, but Tony's armor kicked him through the restaurant window and pursued him outside.
• Steve Rogers and Black Widow Natasha arrived by aircraft, and Xiang Qian stepped in to face them while telling Tony not to kill Barnes.

Xiang Qian and Tony’s Mark armors subdued Steve and Barnes, after which the CIA took Barnes into custody. Xiang Qian then flew off with Sylph and Natasha in the Bar Ghost armor, teasing them as they headed toward a hotel.

• Xiang Qian blocked Steve and Natasha while Tony’s Mark armor beat Barnes, then used fighting techniques to hold off Steve and Natasha.
• Xiang Qian summoned the invisible Bar Ghost armor, which knocked Steve back and joined the other armor in fighting the two men.
• Steve struck at Xiang Qian with his shield, but Xiang Qian caught it and sent him flying with a return blow.
• Tony stopped beating Barnes after Jarvis began monitoring his condition, and the CIA took the unconscious Barnes into custody while Tony and Steve stayed silent.
• Xiang Qian introduced Natasha to Sylph, then had the Bar Ghost armor scoop up Sylph and invite Natasha aboard as well.
• The armor flew toward a nearby city with both women in its arms while Xiang Qian asked Jarvis to book the best hotel suite.

Xiang Qian returned to Kamar-Taj, where he revealed his identity to Stephen Strange before the Ancient One sent him to London to monitor the Convergence. As strange events gathered around Greenwich Observatory, Phil Coulson arrived and found Xiang Qian there.

• Xiang Qian visited Mordo during training, joked with him, and met the apprentice Stephen Strange.
• Xiang Qian introduced himself to Strange as James Zion, a senior mage at Kamar-Taj, and left when Wong said the Ancient One wanted him.
• Mordo told Strange that James Zion fought extradimensional threats and patrolled Hell twice a week, prompting Mordo to begin weapons training.
• The Convergence began near London, bringing spatial anomalies and bizarre incidents, including a snowfall from the Old Royal Naval College.
• Phil Coulson met Xiang Qian at Greenwich Observatory and asked about the strange events.

Phil Coulson questioned Xiang Qian about the strange blizzard and the Inhumans, unaware that his questions revealed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new intelligence. Xiang Qian learned about the Inhuman king, Hydra, and an exile location, then sent Coulson out of the Mirror Dimension.

• Coulson asked Xiang Qian about the blizzard, and Xiang dismissed it as a natural phenomenon beyond S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ability to affect.
• Coulson asked whether Kamar-Taj knew the Inhumans' origins, and Xiang falsely claimed they were Kree experiments recorded in Kamar-Taj's history.
• Coulson revealed that the Inhumans once had a unified regime, prompting Xiang to use the Hell Lord's mark to learn about their king, Hydra, and a mysterious place of exile.
• Xiang gave Coulson an ambiguous answer about the Inhuman king and refused to discuss the matter further.
• Xiang opened a portal-like crack and sent Coulson out of the Mirror Dimension, leaving him to realize he had been inside it.

Kamar-Taj contained London’s strange occurrences until a surge of energy shattered the Mirror Dimension and revealed Hela. Xiang Qian confronted her to prevent her from using the Nine Realms overlap to return to Asgard, but the Bifrost unexpectedly appeared at a distant dock.

• Kamar-Taj’s mages used the Mirror Dimension to contain creatures and phenomena caused by the overlap of the Nine Realms, while Xiang Qian watched Jane Foster and her companions enter an abandoned warehouse.
• A powerful energy surge shattered the Mirror Dimension, but a larger hidden Mirror Dimension protected the mages and contained the displaced elements.
• Hela emerged from the freezing mist, and Xiang Qian greeted her and blocked her path.
• Xiang Qian explained that Hela’s seals and the lack of the Bifrost made her return to Asgard difficult, but Hela donned her war helm and prepared to fight.
• The Bifrost descended onto a distant river cargo dock, prompting Hela to mock the Asgardian who had activated it.