Adventure Behind the Bronze Door Episode 4 Recap
> Adventure Behind the Bronze Door Recap
Years ago, on a rainy night at the Wu family residence, amidst a sorrowful atmosphere, Wu Laogou lay gravely ill. His sons, including the eldest (老大), second eldest (老二), and third eldest (老三), were present. Wu Xie was young at the time and witnessed his grandfather's passing. Wu Laogou instructed his sons to divide his possessions among themselves.
He then gave urgent instructions for his cremation: it must take place within two hours of his death, no one was to be within 30 meters of the cremator, and no one was permitted to look inside. For decades, Wu Xie harbored the feeling that his grandfather had taken a significant secret to his grave, a mystery that remained unknown but often surfaced in his dreams.
Wu Xie reflected that knowing too many secrets could be dangerous, especially those more hidden and complex, often requiring abilities beyond an ordinary person, particularly concerning individuals like Zhang Qiling. Despite the inherent danger, he still felt compelled to do what he could to help Zhang Qiling. Later, Wu Xie was staying at a spiritual retreat in Mosang. Early one morning, as he walked outside, his attention was drawn to a figure sitting motionless, seemingly observing a distant cliff face.
Immediately thinking of Zhang Qiling, he approached, only to discover the figure was a stone statue that locals said had been there for decades. Wu Xie imagined Zhang Qiling himself carving it. That day, Wu Xie found the local restaurant unusually crowded with hikers and foreigners. The server noted the unusual number of visitors, particularly the foreigners, who arrived on Wu Xie's third day there, and felt they didn't seem like typical tourists.
Wu Xie felt the place had lost its spiritual retreat atmosphere, becoming more like a motel, leaving him subtly uneasy. He called his friend Fatty. Fatty, recognizing the urgency in Wu Xie's call, expressed concern that Wu Xie might have been set up. He questioned why Wu Xie, having failed to find information in Dejia, traveled to Mosang instead of returning home, suggesting some subtle influence must have driven his decision.
Fatty then pointed out the suspicious coincidence of finding a painting depicting Zhang Qiling right after arriving in Mosang and near a mailing station. He concluded that the investigation into the Ma family was likely a distraction, a "bait," and that Wu Xie had been intentionally steered into a trap using the painting as the lure.
Fatty urged Wu Xie not to leave Mosang, but to remain calm and act as if unaware, promising to arrive quickly to help, as Wu Xie's situation potentially put him at risk as well. Wu Xie, determined not to sit idly by, decided to begin his own investigation while waiting for Fatty, noting that many people present were physically fit experts, not just ordinary tourists.
Wu Xie went to a nearby post office under the pretense of completing a past transaction. While waiting for staff to check, he examined the nail hooks on the wall where the painting had hung, noting the heavy oxidation on the nails suggested it had been there for a long time. However, he then realized that Zhang Qiling's small oil painting must have been deliberately made conspicuous for him to see.
To achieve this, a larger, contrasting but unobtrusive ink wash painting must have been hung nearby to highlight the smaller one, confirming his suspicion that he had been manipulated. He called Fatty to report his findings, stating he was indeed being played. Wu Xie outlined his plan: he needed to isolate himself and identify his watchers, who could be anyone nearby. He recognized that in a place like Mosang, control points at intersections would suffice for surveillance.
To confuse them, he would perform seemingly random, suspicious actions. As a test, he offered a chocolate bar and instant noodles to a woman, introducing himself and proposing exchanging contacts for mutual help, but she curtly dismissed him. Wu Xie considered this tactic, born from his business experience, as a way to make opponents reveal themselves by reacting to his unpredictable moves.
He planned to hide small items in various locations around the retreat, anticipating his watchers would have to check them, potentially leaving traces. He targeted the early morning hours, when surveillance would be most lax, for his observers would be tired. The next morning, checking his hidden items, he found they had been moved, noting that even the specific sequence of items at locations like 30, 37, 31, and 36 had been altered, confirming he was under constant surveillance.
He also encountered a person with the surname Zhang at the location, leading him to wonder if Zhang Qiling's family was somehow involved in watching him. One morning, while seemingly getting hot water, Wu Xie made a coded signal by complaining loudly about daily diarrhea at 7 am, then repeating "Seven o'clock" and calling out for "Fatty." Fatty, who had been secretly observing Wu Xie, appeared shortly after, disguised so well he was almost unrecognizable.
Wu Xie, recognizing his friend, asked about his rapid arrival and if he had been followed. Fatty confirmed it was a trap. Wu Xie mentioned his suspicion that Zhang Qiling's family was involved based on his earlier encounter, but Fatty revealed the situation was more complex, involving a group of foreigners as well, making him doubt it was solely the Zhang family's doing. Fatty explained that his phone at Gui's place had been monitored for three weeks.
As a countermeasure, he had set up a false trail, making the eavesdroppers believe he was still at Gui's (using Gui's phone and speakerphone) while he had secretly traveled to Mosang to monitor Wu Xie from the shadows. He confirmed that someone was indeed following Wu Xie very closely, though he hadn't yet identified them, and stressed the need for Fatty to remain hidden.
They agreed that Wu Xie would continue to operate in the open while Fatty worked in secret, enabling them to counter-investigate. Before parting, Fatty gave Wu Xie a cigarette case containing a baby monitor, instructing him to keep it on him so Fatty could stay informed in real-time. Wu Xie asked about their adversaries' goal, and Fatty replied he didn't know but assured him it wasn't to kill him, otherwise he'd already be dead.
He warned that they could act at any moment, requiring them to be ready to adapt. After his clandestine meeting, Wu Xie was stopped by a trainer who urgently requested he go up the mountain to see Mr. Yu Da. The trainer stated that "what happened back then is happening again," explaining that someone had emerged from the snow-capped mountain, just as Zhang Qiling once had, and this person looked exactly like Wu Xie.
Arriving at Mr. Yu Da's location, Wu Xie was stunned to find a man who was his absolute double. The two men stared at each other, equally shocked, their appearance, voice, and expression almost identical. Mr. Yu Da confirmed the new arrival had come from the snowy mountain earlier that day, just like Zhang Qiling years ago, and bore an uncanny resemblance to Wu Xie.
The original Wu Xie demanded to know the other's identity, to which the double replied, "I am Wu Xie." Wu Xie then accused the double of being a mountain monster who had used magic to transform into his likeness. The double dismissed this as childish. Addressing the double as "brother," the original Wu Xie advised him to leave immediately while he was still free, warning that otherwise, he would become entangled in a deep mystery.
The double retorted he had nothing to worry about and that his presence was merely a coincidence, adding that how he arrived was "none of your business." Wu Xie pressed the point, emphasizing that if the double hadn't arrived through his own investigation, they were both facing significant trouble. As the two men argued, the door was violently kicked open, and several armed individuals, carrying guns and knives, burst in.
They blocked the only exit, informing the two Wu Xies that escape was impossible due to their skill levels. The intruders expressed satisfaction that both were finally in one place, suggesting it would help resolve their questions. The original Wu Xie demanded to know their identity and purpose for setting this trap. One of the intruders, later identified as Zhang Robert, stated he would not reveal anything until he could confirm which Wu Xie was genuine.
When one intruder made a move towards one of the Wu Xies, the other Wu Xie used a slingshot to deter them. A discussion ensued among the intruders about which one was real; one referred to as "Second Uncle" doubted the original Wu Xie's outward appearance, referencing Wu Laogou's family reputation for "playing the pig to eat the tiger." The original Wu Xie asserted his identity and offered Mr. Yu Da as confirmation, but Mr. Yu Da remained silent.
Addressing Zhang Robert by name and calling himself a "useless piece of work," Wu Xie questioned why such an elaborate scheme was orchestrated for someone like him, revealing he knew more than they thought, visibly surprising Zhang Robert. Addressing the group as Mr. and Ms. Zhang, Wu Xie proposed they lay down their weapons, deal with the "fake" person, and talk peacefully over tea. Instead, the intruders seized one of the Wu Xies.
Mr. Yu Da attempted to intervene, calling it a misunderstanding, but was ignored. The captured Wu Xie cried out in pain as they roughly twisted his arm. The intruders explained that one of the faces was a fake, created with sophisticated technology and worn for over twenty years, causing it to fuse with the real skin, making it undetectable by touch without professional equipment like genetic testing.
They reasoned that Wu Xie, being a teenager twenty years prior, could have his future appearance estimated with high accuracy, allowing for the creation of the mask long ago. They stated they had crucial information for the real Wu Xie and were certain they could identify the imposter, who they would eliminate. The two Wu Xies were told they must prove their authenticity. The original Wu Xie protested that the intruders didn't know him well enough to make this judgment.
The intruders explained their method, assuring the real one would be fine. They then presented a box containing seven severed human heads, explaining they belonged to previous individuals who had impersonated Wu Xie and been exposed. The test was for each Wu Xie to carefully examine the heads and identify which one most resembled himself within five minutes. The original Wu Xie found the test absurd and subjective, questioning its accuracy.
As the timer started, one intruder suggested the double was fake because he didn't react fearfully to the heads like the original Wu Xie did, calling him "not afraid at all of seeing his own head." The two Wu Xies began arguing amongst themselves about who was the imposter. With three minutes remaining, the original Wu Xie attempted to get the double to refuse to choose, arguing they couldn't kill both of them if neither selected a head.
The intruder warned that failure to choose within the time limit would result in having their hand and foot tendons severed and being imprisoned for life. As the time ran down, the original Wu Xie argued that the test was flawed because the real Wu Xie might make a wrong choice under extreme panic due to his personality weaknesses, leading to his accidental death, but the intruders expressed absolute confidence in their method.
With one minute left, the original Wu Xie finally made a choice, asking for paper and a pen to write it down secretly so the other couldn't see. With seconds left, he quickly pointed to a head. Immediately, the intruders rushed forward and seized Wu Xie (the original). He cried out in confusion and fear, asking what they were doing, why they were grabbing him when he had made his selection and they had smiled.
They restrained him, telling him not to move, and chillingly described how they would slowly cut his spinal cord from the base, promising he wouldn't feel pain. Terrified, Wu Xie pleaded for another chance, claiming he might have been nervous and chosen incorrectly, desperately insisting he was the real Wu Xie.
