Explore With the Note Episode 10 Recap
> Explore With the Note Recap
Due to Zhang Qiling's insistence, the group remained at the hot spring for two days to allow Jin Shunzi to fully detoxify from the fox poison he had contracted. During this time, Chen Pi observed Jin Shunzi waking up and commented on his resilience, then instructed Wang Pangzi to take guard outside if the snow continued. Later, Wu Xie, still feeling restless from the previous day's events, engaged Zhang Qiling and Wang Pangzi in a conversation about several lingering questions.
He pointed out that the Snake-Eyed Copper Fish Chen Pi possessed was identical to one pictured in an old newspaper. Wang Pangzi explained Chen Pi’s history with the fish, including his arrest after leaving the Mirrored Palace and how he later burned down the Cultural Bureau's office to reclaim it. Wu Xie acknowledged this but pressed on, asking why Chen Pi, the one who stole from the Mirrored Palace, showed no reaction upon seeing Zhang Qiling.
He reminded them how the Miao Village elder, who had captured and blinded Chen Pi, bore a striking resemblance to Zhang Qiling. Wang Pangzi, jokingly, suggested Chen Pi might be old and senile, forgetting what the elder looked like, but Wu Xie found this explanation unconvincing. Two days later, with Jin Shunzi's condition improved, the group resumed their arduous journey through the ancient forest.
Wang Pangzi complained about the three-day delay due to the snow and worried about dwindling supplies, but Chen Pi brushed off his concerns, implying that serious adventurers wouldn't worry so much. Wu Xie suggested they had no choice but to ration food, and Chen Pi declared turning back was impossible. After a difficult trek, they finally emerged to see a massive, snow-covered mountain in the distance.
Wu Xie immediately recognized it as the mountain depicted in the murals of the underwater tomb, though Wang Pangzi struggled to see the resemblance. Meanwhile, back in the city, Jia Sha informed Xie Yuchen that all data on his computer needed to be deleted within twenty-four hours to leave no trace. Xie Yuchen then tasked Jia Sha with discreetly investigating any private dealings between Huo Xiangu and Qiu Dekao.
Knowing that Huo Xiuxiu, Huo Xiangu’s granddaughter, might become suspicious, Xie Yuchen decided to personally handle explaining the situation to her. Huo Xiuxiu, during an inspection at a warehouse Qiu Dekao used, discovered numerous pieces of goods. The keeper informed her that around one to two hundred such pieces, filled with undisclosed goods, were shipped overseas either annually or semi-annually, and this had been ongoing for seven years.
Troubled, Huo Xiuxiu confronted her grandmother, Huo Xiangu, asking about the nature of these shipments. Huo Xiangu confirmed her partnership with Qiu Dekao, emphasizing the substantial profits and the advantageous position the Huo family gained from the ongoing conflict between Qiu Dekao and Wu Sansheng. She also mentioned Jason as a new source for acquiring relics. Huo Xiuxiu, however, expressed her deep unease, pointing out the immense risk and lamenting that priceless national relics were being lost forever.
She reminded her grandmother that her aunt was an archaeologist. Huo Xiangu dismissed her concerns, stating that profit was the driving force and urged her to proceed with the shipment, warning against delays. When Huo Xiuxiu questioned if there was more to the partnership than just money, Huo Xiangu grew angry, questioning her granddaughter's defiance and threatening to remove her from family affairs.
Reluctantly, Huo Xiuxiu agreed to comply, but she later secretly reached out to Xie Yuchen for help via phone. As the shipment day approached, Huo Xiuxiu orchestrated a plan to swap the cultural relics in transit. Xie Yuchen's subordinates incapacitated the bodyguards accompanying the convoy. Huo Xiuxiu then fabricated a story, instructing her subordinate to report that Jason had stolen the goods after their lead vehicle was swapped at a junction, leading them to a wrong location.
However, Huo Xiangu saw through her deception. She angrily confronted Huo Xiuxiu for conspiring with outsiders against her own family, asserting that she was still the head of the family and Huo Xiuxiu had no right to usurp her authority. Huo Xiuxiu defiantly declared she would not let the Huo family become Qiu Dekao’s puppets, accusing her grandmother of being stubborn and senile for jeopardizing their family’s future. Enraged, Huo Xiangu slapped her and ordered her to leave.
Back on the mountain, Chen Pi pointed out the three prominent peaks, explaining their significance as a rare "three-headed dragon" formation in macro-fengshui, an ideal site for group burials. He theorized that if the Eastern Xia royal tomb was on the cliff of the Trinity Hill, the two surrounding peaks would house the tombs of the empress and high-ranking officials.
Wu Xie asked if such multi-dragon tomb structures were real, to which Wang Pangzi confirmed, citing historical examples of linked tombs. Wang Pangzi further explained that the three dragon heads must be interconnected by passages; otherwise, the spiritual energy would scatter, leading to discord and self-destruction among the descendants. Wu Xie sought Chen Pi’s confirmation, and he agreed with their assessment, urging them to continue.
Later that night, as they made camp, Wu Xie approached Chen Pi, offering him water and a rest. He then asked Chen Pi for his insights into how the Eastern Xia people could have built such a monumental structure as the Empyrean Palace, given their limited resources and short reign. Chen Pi challenged Wu Xie, stating that as Wu Laogou’s grandson, he should be able to deduce the secret.
Wu Xie offered his theory: the Empyrean Palace pre-existed the Eastern Xia dynasty, and the Lord of Slavery merely claimed it as his own tomb, which then raised the question of its true builders. Chen Pi, however, remained cryptic, suggesting they would find answers once they reached the location. Wu Xie then pressed him about the Snake-Eyed Copper Fish, considering it a crucial key, and asked about its origin and any connection to the Empyrean Palace.
Chen Pi revealed he found it within an Eightfold Reliquary inside a stone pagoda at the Ridge of Sleeping Buddha in Guangxi, a naturally secluded and difficult-to-access valley, but claimed the pagoda itself held no other valuables. Wu Xie questioned if the process was unusually smooth for such a treasure, suggesting Chen Pi might have overlooked details. Chen Pi, with a hint of amusement, complimented Wu Xie’s boldness, comparing him to his grandfather.
Feeling restless and getting no further answers from Chen Pi, Wu Xie later went to talk with Jin Shunzi, who was on guard duty. He offered to take over, but Jin Shunzi declined, asserting his responsibility as a paid guide. Jin Shunzi shared his past, explaining he was a local who gathered herbs and hunted with his father, earning him the name "Alang Cai," meaning "son of the mountain."
He then, in turn, asked Wu Xie about their group's true purpose. Wu Xie hinted that Jin Shunzi could likely guess, and promised him safe return. Wu Xie then asked why Jin Shunzi, despite the profitability of herb gathering, chose the more perilous path of a mountain guide, especially given his admission that he wasn't a professional and rarely ventured so deep, usually turning back at Lady’s Lake.
Jin Shunzi confessed that his primary motivation wasn't money but a personal quest: his father had led a group of tourists on a similar route years ago, and none of them ever returned. Jin Shunzi, remembering those tourists’ insistence on ascending the mountain at the same time of year, decided to lead Wu Xie’s group in the hope of uncovering what happened to his father.
He expressed the profound pain of knowing his father was somewhere on Changbai Mountain but being unable to find him. Jin Shunzi implored Wu Xie to keep his reasons secret, fearing the others, especially Lang Feng, would worry. After a long ascent, the group finally reached the summit of Dragon Head Mountain. Wang Pangzi exclaimed at their achievement, calling it a significant leap for tomb raiders, as they took in the breathtaking panoramic view, appreciating the majestic snow-covered landscape.
Zhang Qiling, with a somber expression, walked to the side and knelt, bowing towards the distant Trinity Hill. Inspired by Zhang Qiling's devoutness, Wu Xie also stepped forward to offer his respects. Jin Shunzi seized the opportunity to narrate the local legend of Changbai Mountain: in ancient times, the Greater Hill, Lesser Hill, and Trinity Hill were a single peak, split into three by Yu the Great’s divine blade.
He explained the unique perspectives from each mountain, noting that from the Lesser Hill (where they were), one could see both Greater Hill and Trinity Hill. He then mentioned that from the Trinity Hill’s ridge, one could see not only the other two hills but also the distant Heavenly Stairway Peak, a more imposing peak perpetually shrouded in mist.
Legends held that the Heavenly Stairway Peak contained a "stairway to heaven," a portal between realms, sometimes marked by a rainbow-like glow. Wu Xie interjected, questioning why the Empyrean Palace was now associated with the Heavenly Stairway Peak instead of Trinity Hill, as he had previously understood.
Wang Pangzi offered a theory, explaining that his research suggested a mirage, formed by the refraction of the Heavenly Stairway Peak and surrounding snow mountains, projected onto the constant mist in the stream valley, making the palace appear to be in the sky. Wu Xie acknowledged the rarity of mountain mirages, attributing it to the unique terrain and powerful "dragon vein," concluding that in such a sacred place, anything was possible.
