The Lost Tomb 2 : Explore with the Note Episode 27 Recap
> The Lost Tomb 2 : Explore with the Note Recap
Wang Pangzi concluded his research on the bronze tree, finding no definitive purpose for it. He found that according to the internet, its ancient name was "Hollow Pillar," and a smaller one was discovered in a mine at Panzhihua in 1984, but without scrolls describing its use. However, he recalled that an elder, Mr. Qi, had mentioned in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and various ethnic poems that the bronze tree was linked to ancient Earth Dragons.
Wu Xie immediately connected this to the two giant snakes they encountered. One had a purple eye and the other a blood-red eye. The blood-red eye had caused him dizziness and nausea when he saw it, and A Ning had also fallen into a trance. He also recalled throwing a grenade into its mouth, and it melted like wax.
Zhang Qiling confirmed that the creature was a Candle Dragon, a legendary snake that lives in the deepest parts of the earth veins. Its eyes had mutated like a flounder's due to its habitat, and its thick layers of fat were historically used by ancient people as fuel for longevity lamps. Wu Xie wondered if the massive bronze tree was merely built to lure such a snake.
Wu Xie then pondered the inexplicable phenomenon of him and Zhang Qiling simultaneously touching the bronze tree's branches, yet perceiving and hearing each other despite being in different spaces. Wang Pangzi admitted he couldn't explain this, but shared news that Mr. Ma had been hospitalized for a mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. Wu Xie hypothesized that Mr. Ma, like Da Shan's son, might have developed the condition from contact with the bronze tree's branches and the bronze bells he carried.
He noted that some people's minds are more fragile and susceptible to such influences. Wu Xie sorrowfully recalled his childhood friend, Lao Yang, suggesting Lao Yang might have been mentally unstable even before touching the bronze tree three years prior, which led him to firmly believe the tree could revive his mother.
Wu Xie recounted his own vivid hallucinations, seeing Lao Yang's mother speaking to him, and the eerie experience of finding Lao Yang's corpse inside the cave while encountering a living Lao Yang outside. Wang Pangzi added to this, describing how they had fought a revived Young Yang Guo, only to find another Young Yang Guo as a disintegrated dry corpse in the coffin.
Zhang Qiling proposed that the strange occurrences might be due to disrupted time and space caused by magnetic fields. Wu Xie enthusiastically agreed, elaborating on the concept of parallel universes. He explained the concept using quantum physics and an analogy of playing a game where different choices lead to different scenarios, each creating a parallel universe.
He explained that the disturbed magnetic fields could cause these parallel spaces to coincide, thereby explaining the simultaneous appearance of two Lao Yangs—one dead, one alive—and two Young Yang Guos—one alive and fighting, one a thousand-year-old corpse. He acknowledged the theory was not perfect but was the most plausible explanation he could conceive.
Wang Pangzi, however, urged him not to get too caught up in scientific theories, expressing more interest in A Ning's true motives for going to the tomb and why she seemed to stick to Wu Xie like a tail. Wu Xie revealed that the person named Guo Guo, who was with A Ning, had been the one to introduce Mr. Ma to Wang Pangzi.
Both Wang Pangzi and Wu Xie suspected Qiu Dekao's manipulation, describing it as "digging holes" for them to fall into. Zhang Qiling prompted them to consider what valuable artifact Qiu Dekao was truly seeking in that tomb and why Wu Xie was consistently used as a scout. Meanwhile, at the Huo family mansion, Madam Huo, having selected a beautiful cheongsam for Xiu Xiu, was displeased to see Xiu Xiu return with a new dress she had bought herself from Vipshop.
Xiu Xiu, believing cheongsams didn't suit her, nonetheless agreed to have one tailored to please her grandmother, bringing a smile to Madam Huo's face. At that moment, the butler announced the arrival of Si Ye from Changsha. Si Ye, Madam Huo's nephew, was embroiled in a lawsuit for bribery and murder stemming from a land deal he pursued with a Mr. Lin. He defiantly rejected Xiu Xiu's advice to abandon the land.
Madam Huo, exasperated by her nephew's and Xiu Xiu's argument, simply dismissed Si Ye, who confidently believed his aunt would resolve the legal issues for him. Si Ye later discussed with his subordinate how Madam Huo would surely handle it, and criticized the idea of a woman like Xiu Xiu inheriting family leadership. Afterwards, a nervous Xiu Xiu offered tea to Madam Huo and apologized for her failure to manage Si Ye's situation, which caused her grandmother distress.
Madam Huo advised Xiu Xiu that a family leader must possess an imposing presence, be tough, and even heartless. She cited Xie Yu Hua (Xie Zi), who, despite being younger than Xiu Xiu when he took charge of the Xie Family after Xie Jiu's death, was fearless and capable. Madam Huo lamented Xiu Xiu's limited experience and declared her intention to give Xiu Xiu another important lesson.
Later, while Wu Xie, Wang Pangzi, and Zhang Qiling were eating, Wu Xie was still fixated on Qiu Dekao's true intentions, wondering why he was constantly being lured into dangerous situations. He speculated that Qiu Dekao aimed to influence his Uncle Wu Sansheng through him, while Wang Pangzi believed it was merely a transaction between Qiu Dekao and Wu Sansheng, with Qiu Dekao seeking resources.
Zhang Qiling, however, stated unequivocally that Qiu Dekao’s real target was Wu Xie himself, not his uncle. Wu Xie, bewildered, questioned what value he could possibly possess to warrant such elaborate schemes. Zhang Qiling suggested that Wu Xie’s true value might be something he himself had yet to recognize. Wang Pangzi worried about what further "traps" Qiu Dekao would set. Wu Xie, reflecting on their predicament, decided they could no longer remain passive.
He resolved to seize the initiative and set his own traps. Wu Xie admitted to his companions, when questioned about his bluff, that he truly had no clear plan, acknowledging that he lacked the wit and vision of his uncle or Qiu Dekao. However, he suggested that their unpredictability, even to themselves, could be their strength. If they took the lead, forcing others to follow, their opponents would inevitably expose their own tracks.
Wang Pangzi, as usual, found this idea unreliable, but Wu Xie insisted that reliability could be tested. Determined to act, Wu Xie tried to contact his Uncle Wu Sansheng, but his uncle was unresponsive and avoiding a meeting at his shop, as Pan Zi informed him while present.
Wu Xie then called Pan Zi on the phone, requesting him to convey an urgent message to his uncle: he had discovered a Chu dynasty tomb and planned to explore it in two days, inviting Wu Sansheng to join if interested. Wu Sansheng, aware of the ploy, saw through Wu Xie's bluff, telling Pan Zi (on the phone) that "some things are safer kept unknown" and Wu Xie didn't understand this.
Meanwhile, Xie Yu Hua attended a Kunqu opera, reflecting on the troupe's long heritage but lamenting the declining interest among younger generations. He instructed his subordinate to offer them support if they continued to preserve the art form. He also gave instructions regarding the "Little Jade Bamboo Troupe" and two traitors Zhai Xing Yao was looking for.
Xie Yu Hua then met with Kang Uncle, stating his visit was to provide an explanation to his men for the loss of six men during a recent tomb raid in Guizhou. Kang Uncle, initially dismissive and confrontational, received a phone call confirming that Xie Yu Hua had indeed disrupted his operations.
Enraged, Kang Uncle threatened Xie Yu Hua, reminding him that Xie Jiu Ye was dead and calling Xie Yu Hua an "opera singing sissy," warning that "Zhai Xing Yao is watching." Xie Yu Hua calmly dismissed Kang Uncle as a "muddlehead," asserting his authority as the Xie Family leader and nullifying any promises Zhai Xing Yao might have made. Kang Uncle eventually conceded, offering Xie Yu Hua his territory and all its contents.
When Kang Uncle tried to offer money as compensation for the six dead men, Xie Yu Hua rejected it, sternly telling him that he "should just go to jail." Later, Xie Yu Hua instructed his subordinate to liquidate Kang Uncle's assets and use the funds to distribute pensions to the families of the deceased men. His subordinate also reported on the contents of the "Yi" inventory, mostly items left by Granduncle Er.
Many packages were coded or unidentified, and one elm box contained personal effects like women's and children's clothing, shoes, a photo album, and a toy tiger. Xie Yu Hua, recognizing these as possibly the owner's most prized possessions, ordered them to be kept and the photo albums scanned to locate their families. He mused on Granduncle Er's and his generation's adventurous lives, regretting how little later generations knew, able only to piece together their stories through such left-behind mementos.
