[Recap] Word of Honor – Episode 3

Episode 2 ⇦ Word of Honor Recaps ⇨ Episode 4

Luohan Temple

Zhou Zi Shu, Wen Ke Xing, Gu Xiang and Cheng Ling were still in the abandoned temple. Upon noticing that Zhou Zi Shu’s wine bottle was empty, Wen Ke Xing offered his own flask.  Zhou Zi Shu started addressing him formally. Wen Kexing pointed out that he’s been helping Zi Shu kill people all night and even buried a body with him. Addressing him formally was unnecessary. He also pointed out that drinking cold liquor would worsen Zi Shu’s injury. Soon, Gu Xiang was complaining while heating Wen Ke Xing’s liquor. Cheng Ling offered to heat up the liquor. 

Meanwhile, Wen Ke Xing openly stared at Zhou Zi Shu before touching Zhou Zi Shu’s face. He revealed he knew Zi Shu was wearing a mask and there’s a skin and flesh feel to it. Zhou Zi Shu was worried and wondered how Wen Ke Xing can recognize Swift Moving Steps and see through his disguise.

Wen Ke Xing said he never made a mistake in judging people. According to him, Zhou Zi Shu’s figure speaks of honesty and uprightness and that he must be extraordinary. Gu Xiang pointed out an incident. In the past, Wen Ke Xing said someone looked pretty just by looking at her shoulder blades but when she turned around she was ugly. He defended the lady as inherently beautiful. It’s just that her poor environment made her that way. It was not a mistake.

Wen Ke Xing turned to Zhou Zi Shu, smiling and said, he was not sure of anything yet but he was sure Zhou Zi Shu changed his appearance. Zhou Zi Shu, as if mocking Wen Ke Xing’s x-ray vision, asked if Zhou Zishu’s real face was beautiful. Wen Ke Xing stared at him for a brief second and replied it’s perfect. 

Wen Ke Xing turned to Cheng Ling. He addressed him as Master Zhang. He mentioned the men who were after him looked like men from Mount Qingya’s Ghost Valley. These men disappeared for many years. Wen Ke Xing asked how Mirror Lake Sect, Zhang Cheng Ling’s clan, got into trouble with them. Cheng Ling averted his gaze and suspiciously claimed he didn’t know. Wen Ke Xing laughs and turned to Zhou Zi Shu instead. He hypothetically gave the exact situation of Cheng Ling to Zi Shu and asked if he’d be curious if he was Cheng Ling. Zhou Zi Shu shrugged off the question. He stressed that could not care less. However, he could get a good picture by just guessing. Cheng Ling called out to Zhou Zi Shu as if to stop him from saying anything. He was ignored.

Zhou Zi Shu pointed out mixed martial arts world are about three things: greed, hatred and ignorance. SInce Ghost Valley disappeared for many years, there was no hatred. Mirror Lake Sect preserved moral integrity and was at peace with all. Hence, there was no ignorance. The only thing left was greed. Meaning, the Ghost Valley attacked Mirror Lake Sect out of greed for something.

Wen Ke Xing recited the nursery rhyme to Zhou Zi Shu:

The water from the Five Lakes gather around the world
Who else deserves supremacy in the martial arts world?
The iridescent clouds are scattered and the glaze is shattered
Who will cry with the Ghosts on Mount Qingya?

Children of Yue, Nursery rhymes that doesn’t rhyme as gossip

Zhou Zi Shu scoffed at the nursery rhyme. He found nothing to be sad about the “Ghosts on Mount Qingya”. They were all evil and ended up in Ghost Valley because they had nowhere else to go. Wen Ke Xing corrected him. The “Ghosts on Mount Qingya” did not stand for a group of ghosts but for Rong Xuan, the great demon, who was executed at Mount Qingya twenty years ago. This demon left behind a martial arts treasure called the “World’s Armory”. The armory contained long-lost techniques supreme techniques from various martial arts sects. It can make any ordinary man invincible. The key to this armory is called “Glazed Armor”.

Zhou Zi Shu scoffed at this again. He said this is a foolish talk and asked if Wen Ke Xing bought this story. Wen Ke Xing redirected the question back to Zi Shu. He said every few years some sort of treasure or divine weapon was made up into all sorts of stories which causes people to scramble for it and cause deaths. He found it ridiculous because these things were a way of reaping without sowing. Wen Ke Xing emphasized they both have the same opinion. He added though the world was at peace, ignorant people create trouble for themselves.

Gu Xiang chimed in saying that she just understood what Zhou Zi Shu just said. If the people fighting over the glazed armor, it meant these people have poor martial arts skills. Hence, they were trying to reap without sowing and that in itself is already a death wish. Wen Ke Xing turned to Cheng Ling and asked what he thought. When Cheng Ling could not respond, Zhou Zi Shu said they all should take a nap because it was almost dawn.

Mirror Lake Manor

The Mirror Lake Manor was strewn in dead bodies of the sect. Shen Shen, the Leader of Mount Dagu Sect of Five Lakes Alliance arrived in the manor. He found Deng Kuan of Yueyang Sect cleaning up the dead bodies. Naturally, he asked what happened and where Master Zhang was, the leader of the sect. Master Zhang and his two sons were tortured to death. Deng Kuan begged Shen Shen to refrain from seeing the body. He emphasized it was his fault for not arriving sooner. He explained that the boats were destroyed early in the morning. 

Grandma Tao Hong and Grandpa Lu Liu, Cosmo and Wanda of ancient China, entered the scene mocking Shen Shen’s claim to avenge Master Zhang’s death a hundredfold. When Master Zhang and Shen Shen became sworn brothers, they swore to live and die together. Tao Hong asked why won’t he end his life and follow Master Zhang. Lu Liu added insult to the alliance’s friendship. For decades the members of the Five Lakes Alliance never visited each other for decades but now that one of them was dead, the members came as soon as possible.

Shen Shen caught on the insult and asked if they were provoking him. Tao Hong provoked him further until Shen Shen drew his sword. Elder Huang He of Beggar Gangs broke the tension. He spoke to Shen Shen and said he was the one who invited Tao Hong and Lu Liu over for help. He turned to the two oldies and told them that in these trying times, they must stick together to face their enemies and let go of the past grievances for now. 

The Elder Huang led Shen Shen, Tao Hong and Lu Liu inside the manor.

Luohan Temple

Zhou Zi Shu was leaning against a post with his eyes closed while Wen Ke Xing stared at him from five feet away to his heart’s content. He opened his eyes annoyed and asked if Wen Ke Xing stared enough. Wen Ke Xing was unbothered and said he was wondering what lies beneath Zhou Zi Shu’s disguise. 

Zhou Zi Shu ignored what Wen Ke Xing just said, woke up Chen Ling and thanked him for everything. He said fate let them meet. Wen Ke Xing added fate will reunite them but on a second thought, he offered his boat to Zhou Zi Shu and Cheng Ling. They can take his boat to send Cheng Ling to Tai Lake. It would be a long journey. Since Wen Ke Xing wanted to enjoy the Tai Lake’s scenery, they could go together. Zhou Zi Shu and Cheng Ling walked out of the building as if he didn’t hear anything. 

When he was out of sight, Gu Xiang asked why in the world was Wen Ke Xing hell-bent on getting a dying man’s attention. Zi Shu was one-of-a-kind. He had a fabulous voice and good looks, especially his shoulder blades. Wen Ke Xing couldn’t see a trace of disguise despite the inconsistency between psychological and physical attributes. He found that flawless trick and Zi Shu’s sword from last night commendable. 

Gu Xiang asked why the men from last night were mysterious. One of them even called himself “Hanged Ghost”. Wen Ke Xing ignored this question and walked out of the temple. Gu Xiang picked up their stuff and followed.

Mirror Lake Manor

Meanwhile, the only body they did not find was Cheng Ling’s. The investigation team proceeded to one of the courtyards of the manor and saw they yellow confetti on the floor. In conclusion, Ghost Valley was responsible for the attack last night. Either that or someone disguised as people from Ghost Valley. To clear up the matter, Tao Hong and Lu Liu had to verify this. The Soul Winding Thread belonged to Hanged Ghost of Ten Devils of Ghost Valley. The oldies began provoking Shen Shen, again.

Shen Shen asked Deng Kuan to:

1. Send his master a message and inform him of the second half of the nursery rhyme
2. Look for Cheng Ling

Shen Shen gave the Alliances Leadership token to represent him in the search for the only survivor of Mirror Lake Sect. Elder Huang also offered his help in looking for Cheng Ling.

Into the Woods

Zhou Zi Shu and Cheng Ling were walking by the woods on their way to Tai Lake. They bumped into Wen Ke Xing and Gu Xiang again. Zi Shu thought they must be after the glazed armor, too. Wen Ke Xing asked the two to join them for tea. He was ignored, again. When Zhou Zi Shu saw them again for the third time by the lake, he began to question himself whether there was a tracking technique he didn’t know about. After all, he was the founder of Window of Heaven, Prince Jin’s assassins team.

Wen Ke Xing was not very pleased when he was ignored for the third time.

Jiangnan

Meanwhile, in Jiangnan Tao Hong, Lu Liu and Elder Huang had a meeting. Tao Hong expressed her glee about what happened in Mirror Lake Manor. The Five Lakes Alliance was strong for the past few years. She would like to see them suffer a bit. Elder Huang mentioned if the culprit was really the Death Valley, it would affect them, too. Tao Hong didn’t care, if she could live to see the Five Lakes Alliance fall, she would die in peace. She’s old, anyway. Lu Liu had the same sentiments. A lot of people died for the sake of the glazed armor. However, only the Five Lakes Alliance got all the benefits.

When I watched this episode, I was confused on who were the new characters these three oldies were talking about. See image below for reference.

Two out of five lakes alliance fell apart. First, the Dan Yang Sect. Second, the Mirror Lake Sect. Lu Tai Chong left behind two disciples who ran over to Ao Lai Zi’s Mount Tai Sect. Elder Huang guessed these two disciples have Liu Tai Chong of Danyang Sect’s glazed armor. They all agreed this must not fall into the hands of the Ghost Valley.

Tianya Inn

Zhou Zi Shu and Cheng Ling arrived at an inn but it was fully booked and there were no inns nearby. A man reserved the entire place. Zhou Zi Shu said he would settle for a woodshed but Wen Ke Xing interrupted before the staff could respond. Wen Ke Xing would not let “Brother Zhou” sleep in a woodshed. Hence, he got the first-class room cleaned up for the beautiful and gallant man, Zhou Zi Shu. He also got two new outfits for them both.

As soon as Zi Shu got into the room, he kicked out Wen Ke Xing. The entire inn was reserved, surely Wen Ke Xing could find another room to relax in. Next, he searched the room for any sign of tracking device. Cheng Ling said Wen Ke Xing seemed like a good person. Zhou Zi Shu told him to always keep his guards up. After he searched the room and found nothing, he told Cheng Ling to sleep since he was awake all night but Cheng Ling laid there with all his clothes on.

Zhou Zi Shu acknowledged that Cheng Ling was uncomfortable. He left the room and gave him hemostatic for his wounds. Cheng Ling treated his wound on the right side of his stomach and changed his clothes. Zhou Zi Shu also changed his clothes and went down to the inn lobby where Wen Ke Xing was having drinks to himself. He approached Wen Ke Xing and bluntly asked why Wen Ke Xing was following them all this time. Wen Ke Xing said he just wanted to see Zi Shu’s true face. Zhou Zi Shu returned the question. Wen Ke Xing claimed Zhou Zi Shu’s face must be really handsome. As for Wen Ke Xing, it may not be that appealing. Maybe, he’s covered in scars or had a terrifying appearance. Zhou Zi Shu said he didn’t care but advised Wen Ke Xing to mind his own business.

Wen Ke Xing asked what about his relationship with Cheng Ling. Did he really want to involve himself in Cheng Ling’s troubles without knowing what it was? Zhou Zi Shu clarified his mission was to take Cheng Ling to Zhao Jing of Tai Lake Sect safely, nothing more.

Beggar Gang Meeting

Elder Huang distributed Cheng Ling’s sketch to the Beggar Gang and gave his instructions.

1. Find Cheng Ling
2. Bring Cheng Ling to him directly
3. Tell no one that Cheng Ling must be brought to him

Tianya Inn

Cheng Ling woke up, got up and went out of the room. Gu Xiang, Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zi Shu were waiting for him downstairs. As he was washing his hands outside the inn, the beggars recognized him.

Back in the inn, Cheng Ling didn’t have any appetite to eat. Gu Xiang picked a fight with Cheng Ling over not eating anything. Cheng Ling didn’t respond but Wen Ke Xing told her off. When Gu Xiang said “How are you gonna gain strength if you don’t eat? Did you expect a bunch of strangers to avenge your family’s death?”. Cheng Ling started eating lang a mad man, crying.

Chongwu Palace

Gao Chong, Leader of Five Lakes Alliance, gathered all the leaders of different sects in the Chongwu Palace to inform them of Master Zhang Yu Sen and the Mirror Lake Sect tragedy. It’s been twenty peaceful years since the Battle of Mount Qingya. An agreement was made with the masters who developed Ghost Valley. As long as the Ghost Valley does not harm the people of the martial arts world, the people will not set foot inside Ghost Valley. However, since the Ghost Valley attacked first, Gao Chong will hold a Heroes Conference on July 15th in order to plan the attack of Mount Qingya together.

In the middle of forest, somewhere

Ao Lai Zi stood on top of a tree, in the middle of the forest. The last two survivors of Danyang Sect were with him. He said due to the Mirror Lake Manor tragedy, Shen Shen let them get away. However, if they caught up with him again, he won’t let the go easily. The young boys of Danyang Sect offered to surrender to Shen Shen. Shen Shen was a sworn brother to their late master, Lu Tai Chong. Five Lakes Alliance won’t do anything to them.

Ao Lai Zi told them that Shen Shen was after the glazed armor their master left them. The last wish of Lu Tai Chong was to prevent the glazed armor from getting back to Five Lakes Alliance.

Tianya Inn

Zhou Zi Shu was neutralizing the effects of the seven nails and trying not to die in his room. Cheng Ling was having a nightmare. Zhou Zi Shu woke him Cheng Ling. He stepped out of the room and heard a noise outside the inn. Zhou Zi Shu found two dead Death Valley soldiers, taken care of by Wen Ke Xing.

Wen Ke Xing rambled about ghosts and humans. It’s difficult to tell ghost from human. Someone wearing a ghost mask is not necessarily a ghost. Someone who looks like human might not necessarily be human. Zhou Zi Shu looked at him briefly and said nothing.

He eyed the liquor on Wen Ke Xing’s hand. Wen Ke Xing said the liquor was sealed for 30 years and asked if he can call him Ah Xu. Zhou Zi Shu did not respond. Wen Ke Xing compared Zhou Zi Shu’s judgement of liquor to his judgement of people. He was sure that a really big surprise lies underneath Zhou Zi Shu’s outermost skin. To which Zhou Zi Shu responded with “You might as well rip it off and take a look.” and this:

Episode 2 ⇦ Word of Honor Recaps ⇨ Episode 4