It seems that there aren't as many big families bidding for the Shen-Kai mansion as there used to be, so there's less competition for the mansion. This means that the sea monsters are surrounded by them, and they're trying to fight them off. The brothers decide to go with them, but they can't stop the sea beasts from attacking. The purple vines are gone, but the phantom lute is still there, and it's helping them fight.