Overlord Episode 7 Recap
> Overlord Recap
Li Qingliu was reluctant to accept Long Aoyi's assistance. Long Aoyi proposed they raise the stakes significantly in their gamble with Shen Yiguan, hoping to intimidate him into retreating. As they prepared, Long Aoyi explained the coin toss rules to Shen Yiguan, ensuring fairness. When Shen Yiguan questioned her identity, Long Aoyi proudly introduced herself as the Master of Longzhu Gang, though currently serving as Master Li's personal maid. Shen Yiguan, amused, remarked on Li Qingliu having a "gambling partner."
Li Qingliu initially told Long Aoyi to leave, but she countered, asking if he was confident to win without her. She then advised him to bet the maximum he could afford to scare Shen Yiguan away, allowing Li Qingliu to achieve his goals without a decisive win or loss. Taking her advice, Li Qingliu declared his sincerity by wagering the deed to his Silk Manor, much to Yan Bin's alarm. Shen Yiguan, however, had not brought such substantial collateral.
He offered to bet the deed to his Jiangnan properties by writing it on a slip, which his subordinate strongly advised against. Li Qingliu then escalated the bet further, including one year's sales rights for three of his Silver City stores. Cornered and visibly sweating, Shen Yiguan reluctantly added his Silk Store in Jiangnan to the wager, prompting another plea from his subordinate. Long Aoyi noted that the old man was on the verge of cracking.
She then pressed both men, asking if they were truly prepared to lose all their property should the coin land on the wrong side. Just as the coin was about to be dropped into the water, a distraught Shen Yiguan cried "Stop!" He admitted that Li Qingliu had shown great sincerity and expressed his desire to be friends, suggesting they discuss the contract later and abandon the dangerous gamble, calling it "risking life."
Afterward, Shen Yiguan offered Long Aoyi his sedan chair, but she declined, stating she preferred a bullock cart over a sedan chair and couldn't ride a horse. Long Aoyi returned to the Longzhu Gang, where her subordinates were excitedly discussing how a performer named Gengzi, who played Cui Yingying, strongly resembled her. To thank them for helping the Silk Manor through its recent difficulties, Long Aoyi voluntarily drank three bowls of liquor.
She announced that while she would be busy for some time, any urgent matters should be directed to Second Master Lyu. If they insisted on seeing her, they should queue up with Xiaoqin. She then informed the gathered brothers that from the following day, the Longzhu Gang's twelve district meetings would change from long tables to square tables, emphasizing equality, open discussion, and the absence of a chairman or strict hierarchy.
Later, Qi Honghua informed Long Aoyi about the Silk Manor's internal bank, where workers could deposit their surplus wages and earn a substantial 30% interest. This system was exclusively for internal use to retain skilled workers. Seeing an opportunity, Long Aoyi decided to invest all of Longzhu Gang's assets, amounting to fifty-three thousand taels in bank notes. She justified it by acknowledging Li Qingliu's business acumen and saying there was no better time to profit from him.
Since she wasn't a regular employee, Long Aoyi asked Qi Honghua to deposit the money on her behalf, reassuring her that she would bear all responsibility if anything went wrong.
Long Aoyi confided in Xiaoqin her ambitious plan: with compound interest, they would have enough capital for a small business in three months, buy each brother an acre of land in six months, and potentially even buy the entire Silk Manor in a few years, making Li Qingliu her "prisoner" who would fetch her water to wash her feet.
She also urged her workers to hasten the completion of semi-finished products that required accessories like flower embroidery, beading, and leather edging. Li Qingliu then showed Long Aoyi the empty gold thread box. Despite its intact appearance and unbroken brass lock, the contents were gone. He suspected someone had duplicated the key, but Long Aoyi hinted at more esoteric unlocking techniques.
Li Qingliu then chided Long Aoyi for her slow progress, stating that in his Silk Manor, such inefficiency would lead to immediate dismissal, but Long Aoyi simply retorted that he was "begging" her. Long Aoyi suggested consulting Mr. Tan, a master craftsman. Upon their visit, she offered him some rare "Toad Brew," which his own master had always refused him. Mr. Tan recognized the box's valuable rosewood but Long Aoyi directed his attention to the lock.
He jokingly questioned Li Qingliu's "girly" name and suggested he and Long Aoyi swap names. Mr. Tan concluded that the lock had only been opened once, contradicting Li Qingliu's assumption that it was opened by Li Jun'er. Mr. Tan explained that the box was opened without a key using a secret Lingnan technique that involved rotating the box from the middle, removing the contents, and restoring it to its original state.
This skill was never taught to outsiders, and Mr. Tan himself did not know its secret, nor the whereabouts of the Lingnan carpenter, though he noted that practitioners' fingers would bend "like a crouching tiger." Li Qingliu offered 500 taels for his help and promised more if the gold thread was recovered. Mr. Tan refused the money, instead teasing Long Aoyi about finding an "eligible boyfriend" in Li Qingliu and requesting a large jar of Toad Brew for their wedding.
Long Aoyi denied any such relationship, prompting Mr. Tan to advise her that sleeping in the same bed could turn an enemy into family. Li Qingliu, overhearing Long Aoyi's casual dismissal of him as "any random guy," was clearly annoyed. To catch the thief, Long Aoyi and Li Qingliu devised a plan. Long Aoyi secretly invited workers to feast on roast meat inside the Silk Manor, pretending Li Qingliu and Yan Bin were unaware to make them relax.
She taught them a "Guo Manor dance" where they held hands and interlocked fingers. During the dance, she explained a custom where a man could discreetly "pick the palm" of a woman he admired; if she reciprocated, it signified acceptance, and if not, no embarrassment ensued. This was a subtle method to observe the workers' hands for the "crouching tiger" finger trait.
Li Qingliu and Yan Bin watched from hiding, with Yan Bin commenting on the clever way to publicly touch women's hands. Soon, Long Aoyi and Li Qingliu realized Dongzi was absent. Upon checking everyone's hands, they found no evidence of the Lingnan skill. They were informed that Dongzi had claimed to have an upset stomach and gone to the latrine. Long Aoyi and Li Qingliu, suspicious, went to search for him. Dongzi did not return that night.
Long Aoyi and Li Qingliu searched his room, finding it surprisingly bare, save for a pair of ragged socks. Long Aoyi initially wondered if the Silk Manor was deducting wages, but Li Qingliu explained that Dongzi, as the manager of shipment accounts, earned a higher salary. Long Aoyi then speculated if he spent it on drinking and women, but noted she had never seen him at Wuyun Pavilion.
They noticed the bed was unusually clean despite being a mess, leading Long Aoyi to suspect it concealed a mechanism. To uncover it, she asked Li Qingliu to lie on the bed with her, claiming it would reveal a "clue." Li Qingliu questioned her, but she insisted. She jokingly remarked that even if she wanted an "eligible boyfriend," she wouldn't choose him, preferring someone named "Xiaozhao," leaving Li Qingliu puzzled.
Meanwhile, a curious Yan Bin peeked in, seeing their "ambiguous" positions on the bed, and quickly averted his gaze. Together, they found a hidden compartment containing a plate engraved with the name of a black market in the Southern City. Long Aoyi deduced that Dongzi had been depositing his money there, rather than the Silk Manor's internal bank.
Li Qingliu then realized the significance of Long Aoyi's description of the black market: it was "warm in winter and cool in summer," maintaining a constant temperature. This environment was crucial for preserving the delicate gold thread, which would rapidly oxidize if not kept under thermostatic conditions. He suspected the gold thread had been moved there. Long Aoyi, exasperated, remarked that working with him often meant she had to clean up the mess herself.
That night, Li Qingliu and Long Aoyi stealthily infiltrated the black market. Elsewhere, a drunken Yan Bin complained to Xiaoqin about being left out. He implied that Long Aoyi was seducing Li Qingliu, to which Xiaoqin vehemently disagreed, accusing him of being blind. Yan Bin, claiming Li Qingliu couldn't touch girls, insisted Long Aoyi must have initiated it. He then demonstrated how, by subtly picking Xiaoqin's palm, a person could take the initiative, startling Xiaoqin into recoiling.
Long Aoyi and Li Qingliu eventually found the well-hidden entrance to the black market. As they debated whether to say "deposit" or "withdraw" to the attendant, they overheard another patron, "Dongzi," requesting a withdrawal. Confirming his presence, they rushed into the storage room. Dongzi, alerted, threw a crate of pepper at them and attempted to escape. Long Aoyi and Li Qingliu pursued him, cornering him on a rooftop.
Long Aoyi charged forward, causing Dongzi to flee, while she herself jumped from the roof, only to be caught by Li Qingliu. Dongzi, in his desperation, tripped over a railing and fell from the roof, dying instantly. Li Qingliu retrieved the gold thread from Dongzi's body, while Long Aoyi lamented that another crucial clue had been lost with Dongzi's death. Later, Xiaoqin helped a thoroughly drunk Yan Bin navigate the streets.
In his stupor, he mumbled about his favorite story of Liu Xun and Empress Xu Pingjun, expressing longing for his "Junjun" and even embracing Xiaoqin, which deeply unnerved her. Li Qingliu, back in his room, tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind consumed with thoughts of Long Aoyi. He reflected on the successive deaths of Dachun and now Dongzi, noting that while the gold thread was recovered, all those connected to it were dead.
He questioned Dongzi's motives, believing that if it were simply about money, stealing gold thread so obviously, especially with so many other valuables at the Silk Manor, seemed foolish. He also recalled Long Aoyi's command for him to stay "three feet" away and an earlier thought he had of telling her, "I have a crush on you."
The next morning, as Li Qingliu rigorously trained, punching a sandbag, he pondered why, unlike previous times, he had not fainted when he held Long Aoyi last night. He found it illogical. Yan Bin, bringing him a towel, found him in this contemplative state. Li Qingliu, feigning a hypothetical situation, asked Yan Bin about "an old friend" who held "a little girl" in danger and didn't have his usual adverse reaction.
After some playful back-and-forth about the girl's age, with Yan Bin slowly realizing Li Qingliu was describing Long Aoyi, Yan Bin declared that Li Qingliu had undoubtedly fallen in love with her, as she was "of marriageable age," the perfect time for romance.
