[Recap] Word of Honor – Episode 23

Episode 22 ⇦ Word of Honor Index ⇨ Episode 24

Note: For the confused people like me, here’s a character guide.

Credit: sixteenthshen@Tumblr

Li Mansion, Front Door

Cheng Ling walked Shen Shen out of the Li Mansion and asked him where he’s going. Shen Shen worried about Gao Xiao Lian and he’s been looking for her. Cheng Ling used his master’s words to reassure Shen Shen that the kidnappers wouldn’t hurt her. Before he left, he asked Cheng Ling one last thing. If Shen Shen died, he entrusted Xiao Lian’s safety to him. It does not matter if he married her or not but if possible, put her under the Four Seasons Manor’s protection. Cheng Ling told Shen Shen he didn’t even need to ask. With that, he asked Cheng Ling to take care and left.

Li Mansion

Wen Ke Xing on Coma

Meanwhile Wen Ke Xing was still on coma. Zhou Zi Shu asked Ah Xiang about Wen Ke Xing’s illness. When Ah Xiang was young, Wen Ke Xing always stayed in bed because of the illness, but not anymore when she grew up. Ah Xu convinced Ah Xiang to take some rest. Then, he sat beside Wen Ke Xing and held his hand. Wen Ke Xing gripped Ah Xu’s hands as soon as it touched his’.

Li Mansion, Wen Ke Xing’s Dream

In this dream, Wen Ke Xing was as young as he was twenty years ago. He knelt in front of the former Ghost Valley Chief and asked to be punished again. The former Ghost Valley Chief whipped Wen Ke Xing’s face and told him the only way to survive was to kill. He’s amused to see Wen Ke Xing enjoying the pain of being whipped as a child. Thus, he offered to train Wen Ke Xing. Wen Ke Xing accepted this. The former Ghost Valley Chief whipped his face one last time and left. As he left, Wen Ke Xing clenched his fist.

Wen Ke Xing Woke Up from Coma

Wen Ke Xing woke up. Ah Xu told him he’d been on a coma for a day and a night. Wen Ke Xing wasn’t that bothered about it. He looked for Shen Shen but Ah Xu already chased him away. Wen Ke Xing wasn’t happy about this. Ah Xu explained that Shen Shen was just a victim and he didn’t deserve to die. Wen Ke Xing didn’t really listen to the reasons Ah Xu laid on the table. Instead, he attempted to get up as a sign of wanting to kill Shen Shen but he was still too weak.

His parents didn’t deserve their fate either but look at what happened. Ah Xu apologized for meddling with his family matters. It’s just that he didn’t want Wen Ke Xing to have more blood in his hands. Wen Ke Xing suddenly changed his mind. He didn’t want to kill Shen Shen anymore. If Wen Ke Xing killed Shen Shen in person, it may be a chance for him to atone for his sin with his life but that’s too easy. it would be better to watch Shen Shen and others to suffer from Five Lakes Alliance. Ah Xu promised to help Wen Ke Xing on his revenge to Zhao Jing.

After a mini-monologue of why Wen Ke Xing would rather watch the Five Lakes Alliance drama than kill them himself, Ah Xiang entered the room. She delightedly rushed to his side and bombarded him with questions. Zhou Zi Shu left them to check if Cheng Ling was done cooking. After Ah Xu left, Ah Xiang wasn’t even done asking her question when her master replied “It’s because of the Water of Lethe”.

Scorpion King’s Lair, Tragicomic Ghost & Beauty Ghost’s Prison Cell

Department of the Unfaithful & The Water of Lethe

Meanwhile, Scorpion King successfully hid Tragicomic Ghost and Beauty Ghost in his Evil Fortress. It wasn’t very much different from her He observed Tragicomic Ghost repeatedly call Zhao Jing’s name from afar. He struggled to believe that Luo Fu Meng had anything to do with Zhao Jing. After all, Zhao Jing sent Lovelace behind his back to kill Tragicomic Ghost and everyone in Mount Hua Sect.

Scorpion King entered Luo Fu Meng’s prison cell and checked her pulse. He asked Qian Qiao if this was all because of the Water of Lethe. Qian Qiao denied this. The Water of Lethe could only let people forget the things they are most obsessed with. It does no harm to the mind. Tragicomic Ghost had an uncured illness. It’s possible that someone ( Zhao Jing ) has provoked her so the soul-dissociation has relapsed. Scorpion King asked how to cure this. Qian Qiao had no answer for this.

Qian Qiao didn’t drink the Water of Lethe. She didn’t volunteer to join the Valley but she had no other options. Tragicomic Ghost saved her and took her back to Mount Qingya when she wanted to kill herself. So, the Ghost Valley Chief made an exception for her. If she remembered everything, she won’t make the same mistake twice.

Scorpion King’s Gamblers’ Alliance Proposal

And that, my friend, is how you dodge death. And more importantly, that’s how you hit Scorpion King right in his feelings. They had a quick chat about how and why the Department of the Unfaithful was founded. In case it wasn’t clear from the name itself, it’s for Tragicomic Ghost to punish all the unfaithful men in the world. Scorpion King disagreed to the Department of the Unfaithful’s objective. Being unfaithful is human nature. It’s not about gender. Aww. Look at that. This is the kind of psychopath I signed up for… next to Lunatic Wen, of course.

After that conversation, Scorpion King announced he didn’t want to kill her anymore. He’d rather have her pledge her loyalty to him in exchange of whatever she wanted. Even if it’s Yu Qiu Feng. If Beauty Ghost would hand him the recipe, he would set her free.

Li Mansion

Wen Ke Xing & the Water of Lethe

Ah Xiang asked Wen Ke Xing why he drank the Water of Lethe despite joining at seven or eight years old. Wen Ke Xing said some people didn’t want Wen Ke Xing to recall something. Too bad, it didn’t work. Even if he was broken into pieces and burnt to ashes, he would climb back from hell step by step and take revenge on them.

As a child, Wen Ke Xing told Ah Xiang, he often had strong headaches, vomited blood, and fell into comas. That was the price of fighting against the Water of Lethe with his mind. He hadn’t had a relapse for a long time. However, the past has been mentioned frequently, which might have triggered his recent coma. He might be tortured to madness by this headache in the end. However before that day comes, all his enemies would have to die ahead of him.

Wen Ke Xing’s Verdict on Cao Wei Ning

He told Ah Xiang not to worry, he would make proper arrangement for her. Ah Xiang would rather stay with Wen Ke Xing and help him. Wen Ke Xing asked her whether or not she loved Cao Wei Ning. If she doesn’t, he’d kill him. Ah Xiang was tongue-tied. A rare occurrence which Wen Ke Xing took as a yes.

So, Wen Ke Xing instructed Ah Xiang to return to the Gentle Wind Sword Sect with Cao Wei Ning. Mo Huai Yang had great martial arts skills and he’s a crafty. He wouldn’t let his sect get involved in the turmoil. She’d be safe there. Ah Xiang was about to cry and asked if this was Wen Ke Xing’s way of saying he’s abandoning her. Wen Ke Xing explained to her that he’s chosen a path to hell. She’s just a lost soul who entered the demon area mistakenly. Now she had a chance to get back to the mortal world. In addition, Wen Ke Xing might not like Cao Wei Ning in so many ways but he can be easily manipulated. She could live a normal life with him.

Ah Xiang’s Dilemma

Ah Xiang confessed her initial plan was to spy on Gentle Wind Sword Sect to get more information about the Glazed Armor and report it to Wen Ke Xing. Gao Chong might have handed over the real Glazed Armor to Mo Huai Yang. Unexpectedly, she developed feelings for him. She cried, apologized and pleaded for Gentle Wind Sword Sect’s safety. Wen Ke Xing didn’t promise anything. Before he could say more, at this point, they share the same dilemma.

Ah Xiang was conflicted. While she wanted to stay with Cao Wei Ning, she didn’t want him to know the truth. If he found out about her identity, he might end up killing her. Ah Xiang was crying the whole time. There were a few attempts to hold back her tears but she failed. Wen Ke Xing still doesn’t seem to comprehend why in the world Ah Xiang was crying about that idiot Cao Wei Ning. That kid should be lucky to have her.

Ah Xiang raised a compelling argument.

Wen Ke Xing quickly scolded Ah Xiang for being sentimental over humans after spending a short time with them. She’s mostly afraid of the meet-the-parents session. She’s from Ghost Valley, she couldn’t expose where she grew up. Ah Xiang cried harder. Wen Ke Xing told her to keep the truth from Cao Wei Ning til the end. He even promised to spare the Gentle Wind Sword Sect. Unless Wen Ke Xing contacted her first, she’s gonna have to stay away from the Ghost Valley affairs once she joined Gentle Wind Sword Sect.

Wen Ke Xing revealed that he didn’t need the Glazed Armor. It was just a cover.

Kitchen

Cao Wei Ning and Cheng Ling busied themselves preparing food. Wen Ke Xing showed up in the kitchen. Cao Wei Ning happily noticed they were wearing the same clothes. Wen Ke Xing asked to speak to him in private. Cheng Ling panicked because he doesn’t know how to cook. Cao Wei Ning and Wen Ke Xing spoke privately in the front yard.

Wen Ke Xing Narrates Ah Xiang’s Childhood

Wen Ke Xing had his monologue and it went like this. He told Cao Wei Ning about Ah Xiang’s past without telling him where exactly they were from. Wen Ke Xing brought ah Xiang from the street and raised her. They lived in a very inhuman place. In fact, he could barely take care of himself. Many times, he thought about throwing Ah Xiang away but he couldn’t do it. Ah Xiang followed him everywhere, afraid to be left alone. Cao Wei Ning said he knew this already.

Wen Ke Xing admitted that it would be difficult for her to grow up in a normal way given that her role model was Wen Ke Xing. He saved her. Later on, Wen Ke Xing realized that she actually saved him. She was his little ray of sunshine. Ah Xiang was never his servant. She’s more of a sister or a daughter to Wen Ke Xing. She was kind to him. Not many people were kind to him in his life. Thus, he’s willing to repay that kindness with his life.

Wen Ke Xing Accepts Cao Wei Ning as his Son-In-Law

Wen Ke Xing wanted Ah Xiang to have a better life as a normal person. He asked if Cao Wei Ning could give Ah Xiang a happy normal life. Cao Wei Ning said he could’t give her great fortune. Wen Ke Xing cut him off. He couldn’t care less about great fortunes. He asked if Cao Wei Ning would never betray Ah Xiang, would take care of her, would keep her happy and safe. Cao Wei Ning raised his right hand and swore to Wen Ke Xing, to the gods and to even to the devils, that he would be on Ah Xiang’s side no matter what.

Wen Ke Xing warned him that devils did not just exist in tales. Ah Xiang might not be who Cao Wei Ning thought her to be. Cao Wei Ning said when he first met her, he wanted to treat her well his whole life. If he betrayed Ah Xiang in the future, he would kill himself before Wen Ke Xing asked him to. After a few death threats from Wen Ke Xing, it’s a done deal.

Ah Xu showed up and said if his father-in-law was mean to him, Ah Xu would handle Wen Ke Xing for him. All Cao Wei Ning needed to do was to treat Ah Xiang well. Cao Wei Ning left to make some preparations.

WenZhou Couple on Marrying Off their Daughter

Ah Xu asked why Wen Ke Xing was in a rush to ship Ah Xiang away. At first it was a joke, but the second time Ah Xu asked Wen Ke Xing, he switched to a serious tone. Wen Ke Xing said since he’s found Ah Xu, he’s into matchmaking now.

Meanwhile, Cheng Ling went to the front yard informing his dads he burnt their food. They told him Cao Wei Ning went out to buy food. Due to the Seven Nails, Ah Xu already lost his sense of taste. When Wen Ke Xing took a drink from his wine bottle, he spat it out saying it tasted like vinegar. Ah Xu said once they reached the Four Seasons Manor, he’d dig out a liquor buried in the plum forest. Cheng Ling got excited over hearing about the Four Seasons Manor. According to Zhou Zi Shu, people of the martial arts world praise their manor as “Full of flowers all year round, knowing everything in the world.”

Chongwu Palace

Zhao Jing received a letter aiming to convince him to eradicate the Ghost Valley. Just in time, Scorpion entered his office. The survivors of the Fairy Ray Sect (Xianxia Sect) went to Mount Song and begged Ci Mu of Shaolin Temple to destroy the Ghost Valley. Zhao Jing showed the letter to him. He laughed at the hypocrisy of the sects who wanted destroy the Ghost Valley. In the past, these sects turned a blind eye when the Ghost Valley attacked the Five Lakes Alliance.

If they wanted Zhao Jing to participate, they need to show their sincerity. Those who attended it were all nobodies. The leaders of the eight major sects didn’t attend. Changming Sword Immortal only sentone disciple to the event. These famous sects in the martial arts world were either blinded by gain and greed or aimed at fame and credit only. They need to put more effort to attract the eight major sects.

Li Mansion

Cao Wei Ning fed the horse for their journey to the Gentle Wind Sword Sect. Ah Xiang refused to go with Cao Wei Ning. She told him to leave one horse behind and go on his own. She’s not angry with him but she had to follow her master around. Cheng Ling and his dads went out of the mansion.

After making fun of Ah Xiang, Cao Wei Ning promised to go through all the formal procedures to prepare the dowry and a proper marriage without one step missing. Cheng Ling asked wasn’t the dowry supposed to be prepared by the bride’s family. Ah Xiang ran inside the mansion and left the guys outside. Wen Ke Xing looked worried.

Chongwu Palace

Zhao Jing instructed Scorpion King to compile a book of the ghosts and distribute it to everyone in the martial arts world. Since Changing Ghost, Black Changing Ghost, Happy Ghost and Lovelace were allies, Scorpion King told Zhao Jing he didn’t want to do this. If they made that move, they couldn’t ask the ghosts for help later.

Since Shaolin Temple came forward, Zhao Jing wanted to seize the opportunity. Zhao Jing closed the door and told Scorpion King that he already laid a trap. After these ghosts lose Zhao Jing’s protection, they wouldn’t have a choice but to go back to Mount Qingya. Even if the ghosts tell everyone about their little evil alliance, no one would believe them.

The rumor was it was Gao Chong who colluded with the Ghost Valley and it greatly affected the Five Lakes Alliance’s reputation. While sects in the martial arts world fought each other, they’d take the opportunity to find someone to prove their innocence. It would look like the Ghost Valley framed he Five Lakes Alliance. The other sects would be guilty of their past accusations, Zhao Jing would lead them to get rid of the Ghost Valley. This way, they’d revive the Five Lakes Alliance’s reputation and gain power with guilt from all sects.

Silently, Zhao Jing wondered why he hasn’t heard from Lovelace, yet. Yu Qiu Feng must be in hiding and Lovelace pursued him. It didn’t matter that much since he already asked the other sects to look for him.

Episode 22 ⇦ Word of Honor Index ⇨ Episode 24