Explore With the Note Episode 20 Recap
> Explore With the Note Recap
Upon discovering a vast treasury, Shun Zi silently kneels by one of the dead bodies, gently tidying its hair, indicating he has found his father. Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi examine the scene, noting empty food packaging. Wu Xie concludes that the archeology team found here did not die accidentally but starved to death. Pan Zi, however, disagrees, pointing out that people can survive for several days without food or water, suggesting they should have been able to escape.
Wu Xie counters that they might have been trapped and unable to find a way out. This discovery made everyone uneasy, the initial joy and excitement fading into solemnity. Wu Xie, feigning cheerfulness, suggested that even if they couldn't find an exit, they could use dynamite, and so they prepared to continue their search. Shun Zi recalls that his father departed with seven other people, making a total of eight in the expedition.
Yet, they only found six bodies in the chamber. Wang Pangzi speculates that the two missing individuals might have killed the others for the treasure and then fled. Wu Xie dismisses this idea, noting the absence of any signs of struggle and observing that the bodies do not appear to have been murdered. Feeling uneasy amidst the dead, Pan Zi urges everyone to refocus on their main objective.
Wang Pangzi realizes that the jade door was blasted open and that this chamber is solely a treasury, lacking any caskets. He suspects that Ning and her team might have marked the location for a second team to collect the valuables. Wu Xie, however, suggests that the blast hole on the door seems to have been made by the trapped individuals themselves.
Pan Zi concludes that since the caskets are not here, they must head in the opposite direction, where Wu Sanxing is likely to be. Wang Pangzi agrees, eager to find Wu Sanxing quickly. As the group proceeds, Wu Xie notices that the murals on the tomb path have completely changed. Wang Pangzi, unfazed, mentions that he and Wu Xie encountered a similar phenomenon in the Underwater Tomb.
Pan Zi expresses concern about the complex structure of the Underground Palace and fears they might be trapped. Wu Xie reassures him, explaining that Wang Zanghai's tricks typically create psychological pressure, often leading people to succumb to mental exhaustion and despair, rather than employing actual fatal entrapment. He confidently states they will find a way out. Pan Zi voices his worries about Wu Sanxing, who is likely further ahead, and hopes he avoids dangerous creatures like Man-faced Owls.
Wu Xie playfully suggests that Pan Zi sounds like Wu Sanxing’s nephew. Pan Zi asserts that Wu Xie is not his uncle. Wu Xie, maintaining the playful act, asks, "Who am I then?" Pan Zi responds, "You're Xie Lianhuan." Wu Xie then clarifies, "Kid, in this world, there's only one person who won't hurt you. That is me, your uncle." The group continues and soon encounters another jade door, identical to the one they had previously blasted open.
Wang Pangzi notes the similarity, believing the previous explorers cleared the way for them. However, upon entering, they discover yet another treasure room, an exact replica of the last one, complete with the same pile of gold and silver and the familiar six dead bodies. They realize they are caught in a looping illusion, commonly known as a "Ghosts pounding the wall" phenomenon, constantly returning to the same chamber.
At that moment, Wu Xie understood why the archaeological team might have been trapped and starved to death amidst the gold, realizing their predicament was far more bizarre than imagined. Frustrated, Wang Pangzi attempts to make Shun Zi put down his father’s body, believing it to be the cause of their predicament. Pan Zi intervenes, urging Wang Pangzi to remain calm. Pan Zi then reminds Wu Xie of his earlier statement about Wang Zanghai’s tricks being psychological.
Wu Xie agrees, confirming that an actual "Ghosts pounding the wall" is a myth, and that this must be a clever mechanism designed to create a misleading atmosphere. They decide to try navigating the path again, moving slowly this time, to detect any hidden traps. Separately, Xie Yuchen goes to confront Huo Xiangu about Huo Xiuxiu, whom he has been unable to contact since he sent her home.
Huo Xiangu admits to confining Huo Xiuxiu, stating that disobedient young people need discipline and suggesting that Xie Yuchen himself has lacked proper guidance since his grandfather and Er Yuehong passed away. Xie Yuchen challenges her, accusing her of downplaying Huo Xiuxiu's efforts and questioning her true fears. He then articulates his suspicions about Huo Xiangu's involvement with Hendry Cox and Jason’s Alpha Inc., whose operations in China began even before the Liberation.
He asserts that their scheme at the Paracel Underwater Tomb directly led to the death of his uncle, Xie Lianhuan, and the disappearance of her daughter, Huo Ling. He finds it unbelievable that she could ignore such obvious facts. Huo Xiangu warns him against blind self-assurance, which could lead to harm. When Xie Yuchen asks why she sent him a particular photo, Huo Xiangu evades the question, claiming fatigue.
Xie Yuchen persists, noting that only she and Chen Pi Ah Si remain from The Mystic Nine, and she must be keenly aware of her own aging. He then questions why Hendry Cox appears unaffected by age, suggesting that Hendry is tempting her with a secret related to immortality to secure her cooperation. Huo Xiangu dismisses the idea of immortality as a ridiculous dream.
However, Xie Yuchen points to Hendry Cox’s own inexplicable physical state as a unique medical anomaly, stating he is "70 percent convinced, 30 percent skeptical" about immortality, and that any further proof from Hendry Cox would turn his skepticism into belief. When asked what proof Hendry Cox has, Huo Xiangu replies, "The Empyrean Palace." Huo Xiangu recounts that the entire archeology team, including Huo Ling, disappeared, with only Wu Sanxing returning.
She explains that Wu Sanxing claimed Xie Lianhuan was the first to encounter trouble, and his body was supposedly sent back on a research vessel. However, both the vessel and Xie Lianhuan's body subsequently disappeared. Wu Sanxing then recounted blacking out in the Underwater Tomb and waking up ashore with no memory of what happened to the others.
Huo Xiangu reveals her deep suspicion that Wu Sanxing orchestrated these disappearances to eliminate promising heirs from both the Huo and Xie families. Soon after, she received a videotape showing Huo Ling, dressed in clothes she wore a week before the expedition (after getting oil on her work uniform), trapped and desperately crying out for help to her mother.
Xie Yuchen understands Huo Xiangu’s past inaction: she feared that if his grandfather, Wu Laojiu, with his keen intellect, discovered the tape, he would pursue the mastermind behind the conspiracy, which could further endanger Huo Ling. She clarifies that because of this, his grandfather died believing Huo Ling’s disappearance was an accident. Huo Xiangu then reveals she received a second tape three years after Huo Ling's disappearance.
This tape showed a gaunt, silent Huo Ling and was equipped with a self-destruct device that burned it after viewing, nearly causing a fire. This device prevented her from analyzing it for clues. She explains that she could not gamble with Huo Ling's life, which is why she appeared to do little to investigate and discouraged Huo Xiuxiu from pursuing the truth, instead merely distancing herself from the Wu family.
Xie Yuchen recalls seeing Wu Sanxing looking exactly like Xie Lianhuan when he was a child. Xie Yuchen understands her past rationale but remains confused by her current actions, particularly sending him the photo. Huo Xiangu insists she wants him to see the true nature of Wu Sanxing and his nephew, Wu Xie.
She asserts that despite her decades of experience in the ruthless world of The Mystic Nine, where she prided herself on being able to discern anyone's true character, Wu Sanxing remains an enigma to her. She emphasizes that Wu Sanxing's sole survival from the expedition, regardless of his relationship with Huo Ling or his motives, is highly suspicious. Xie Yuchen accuses Huo Xiangu of merely wanting to spite Wu Sanxing.
He argues that Hendry Cox’s involvement in the Underwater Tomb incident and the archeologists' disappearance is a proven fact. He presses her, asking if her alliance with Hendry Cox is truly for finding her daughter or if she is tempted by his secret of immortality, believing that Hendry Cox's leverage must be this secret, given his own medically unexplainable youthful state.
Convinced he needs to investigate further, Xie Yuchen instructs his subordinate, Jia Sha, to prepare for a journey to the Northeast, to the Empyrean Palace, where he intends to meet Wu Xie and seek answers directly. Meanwhile, Ding Ning reports to Hendry Cox via phone that her team is also trapped in the painted corridor of the Empyrean Palace, experiencing a looping illusion for seven hours without finding an exit.
Her team members are panicking, with some refusing to continue and claiming they haven't been on this path before, and others noticing the murals have changed from centipedes to something else, causing fear. Wu Sanxing, who is with Ning's team, suggests using dynamite. Jason objects, fearing unknown traps, but Wu Sanxing argues that ancient traps would be ineffective against their explosives. Hendry Cox, trusting Wu Sanxing's judgment, orders Ning to follow his advice and prepare the dynamite.
Wu Sanxing then sarcastically questions if Hendry Cox, supposedly invincible, is now afraid. Back with Wu Xie's group, they have repeatedly tried to find an exit but failed, exhausting everyone. Pan Zi suggests rationing their remaining food, but Wang Pangzi points out they only have enough for two more meals, so they might as well eat it all and accept their fate. He then asks for food to be prepared to help him think.
Shun Zi suddenly succumbs to the "fox poison" again, prompting Wu Xie and Pan Zi to struggle to restrain him. Wu Xie wishes "Brother Zhang" were there, while Pan Zi suggests tying Shun Zi up and urges them to quickly reunite with "Brother Zhang," as Shun Zi's condition is temporary and could relapse. Wu Xie theorizes that the Underground Palace is shaped like a moat, with the structurally rigid Spirit Hall at its center.
He believes they are currently at the outer edge, where the complex corridors and tomb paths are more prone to tricks. Wang Pangzi proposes a systematic approach: listing all possibilities and testing them. Pan Zi suggests "booby traps." One person mentions an "illusion" or "mind control" affecting their senses, citing Shun Zi’s recent experience. Wu Xie adds "space folding," and Wang Pangzi suggests "ghosts." They decide to first test the booby trap and illusion theories simultaneously.
Wang Pangzi takes a gun to the entrance of the tomb path and fires a shot. Wu Xie explains that if it's an illusion, the bullet won't be fooled, and if it's a short booby-trapped passage, the bullet would hit the end instantly. However, the bullet remarkably flies back, narrowly missing Wang Pangzi's head. They find the bullet mark right where he fired. Wang Pangzi emphatically declares it a "Ghosts pounding the wall." Wu Xie then recalls an earlier encounter with Brother Zhang that might have also involved space folding, wondering how they could prove it.
