Explore With the Note Episode 13 Recap
> Explore With the Note Recap
Wu Xie continued to decipher the Sanskrit inscriptions found on the jade pieces, referencing a scripture to understand the stroke order. He discovered a tale of the Lord of Slavery who, after burying his beloved wife in an undersea tomb, returned to battle in the southwest. The inscription also contained a heartfelt love poem, revealing the Lord’s deep affection for his departed wife.
Wang Pangzi, however, was unimpressed by the romantic details, instead urging Wu Xie to focus on opening the tomb. Once Wu Xie completed the nine-square grid puzzle, a stone door began to rise but stopped abruptly less than half a meter high. Confused, the group searched for other mechanisms. Wu Xie noticed the main deity statue, and after clearing the accumulated snow from its surface, the stone door fully opened.
Wang Pangzi joked about being the Lord of Slavery’s janitor, while Wu Xie speculated that the snow symbolized the Lord's loneliness, and its removal acted as a trigger. Despite the success, Wu Xie found the mechanism illogical. Meanwhile, Jia Sha, working through Zhang Hao, uncovered information confirming Huo Xiangu’s involvement in cultural relic smuggling. Xie Yuchen summoned Huo Xiuxiu, advising her to remain calm as Huo Xiangu might have been coerced.
Their immediate goal was to approach Dao, the head of the smuggling operation. Known for his extreme caution, Dao was difficult to reach. Huo Xiuxiu proposed going undercover as a hostess named Summer at a nightclub he frequented. Despite his reluctance and concern for her safety, Xie Yuchen eventually agreed to the plan after Huo Xiuxiu’s persistence, ensuring she wore an ear-mic with a locator.
He was reassured by the fact that Qiao, the nightclub’s madam, was a former member of the Xie family’s organization and thus trustworthy. Qiao successfully introduced Summer to Dao, immediately capturing his attention. Xie Yuchen, monitoring the situation via hidden cameras, suppressed his anger, waiting for the right moment. However, seeing Dao lead Summer into a private room, he could no longer wait and gave the command to his team.
He rushed in, subdued Dao, and was informed by Jia Sha that Dao's mercenary bodyguards had already been taken into police custody. As Dao was being led away, he defiantly threatened Xie Yuchen and his team, boasting about his influence and subordinates. Back in the tomb, the group advanced from the main hall into a corridor. They noted the absence of typical funerary offerings or decorative coffins, which was unusual for such a tomb.
Instead, the walls and ceiling were covered in murals, mostly depicting Hundred-legged Dragons. Wu Xie pointed out that if it were a satellite tomb for family or favored officials, the murals should show scenes of their lives or political duties, not just creatures. He found it strange that there was no central figure, like the Lord of Slavery, depicted among the worshipping figures, only soldiers and slaves.
They then entered the apse, which had a similar layout to the main hall but was smaller. It also featured Hundred-legged Dragon murals on all four walls. Opposite the entrance, three catafalques were arranged, and a raised square seal stone with a Taiji Bagua relief and surrounding bird-human carvings dominated the center of the floor. Wu Xie asked Zhang Qiling to check for traps before they attempted to move the seal stone.
Zhang Qiling confirmed there were none, and the group worked together to push it aside. Underneath, they found a layer of green bricks. After excavating for some time, they unearthed a dual-headed giant tortoise with a woman's face carved on its back. Wu Xie's shovel unexpectedly stuck to the tortoise, revealing it was made of magnetic material. When Chen Pi's compass malfunctioned, Wu Xie had an epiphany: they had been tricked.
The "three-headed dragon" formation they had previously relied on was a false premise, influenced by the magnetic field. He realized that the Kunlun fetus, the ice vault, and the entire spirit palace were elaborate illusions designed to lead them into a trap, likely set by Wang Zanghai. This explained the abnormal murals and the complete lack of valuable funerary objects, only inexpensive bronze artifacts.
Frustration grew among the group due to the wasted time and the magnetic field's effect on their emotions. Lang Feng and Wang Pangzi began to argue about their next course of action, with Wang Pangzi suggesting they return to the village for supplies, hoping Jason's team would also be misled and leave "leftovers." Zhang Qiling intervened, urging everyone to control their emotions, explaining that the stone tortoise's strong magnetic field amplified negative feelings.
Wu Xie noted that Zhang Qiling was also experiencing discomfort, though less severe than in the Black Crystal Cave, confirming the strange nature of the place. Zhang Qiling then pointed towards a hidden path, believing there must be something else to discover. Following Zhang Qiling's lead, Wu Xie discovered a section of the wall that felt hollow and had a draft, suspecting a hidden escape route.
He theorized that this wall, constructed with a specialized brick structure, could only be opened from the other side. He explained that ancient tomb builders would seal such escape tunnels irreversibly as they retreated, using spiral structures to save materials. However, the extreme cold of the hall meant that the materials used were not strong enough, allowing drafts to reveal the hidden passage. He warned against using modern demolition methods, fearing a massive collapse.
Frustrated by the inability to find an outward exit, Lang Feng, believing the tortoise to be a curse, declared that they must destroy it to break free. Zhang Qiling agreed, stating that without doing so, their direction would always be wrong once they left. Wu Xie, however, expressed concern about the potential for the ice in the hall to melt if Lang Feng set the tortoise on fire.
