The Lost Tomb 2 : Explore with the Note Episode 5 Recap
> The Lost Tomb 2 : Explore with the Note Recap
The group entered the main tomb chamber, immediately struck by the dazzling sight of golden Phoebe Zhennan wood and dozens of massive luminous pearls embedded in a star chart of 50 stars. One team member exclaimed it was "paradise," and another added that the tomb owner must be "filthy rich," creating "endless new discoveries known to history." He eagerly anticipated the world being "shocked" when they found the "Sky Palace."
Soon after, a team member climbed onto a model of what appeared to be the Sky Palace, where he discovered a dry corpse. Zhang Qiling calmly approached the corpse and began examining it with practiced tomb raiding techniques. Wen Jin confronted him, demanding to know his true identity, how he was so familiar with such methods, and his motive for joining the archaeological team.
Zhang Qiling simply replied that "it doesn't matter who I am" and urged her to observe the anomaly within the corpse. Suddenly, the dry corpse's surface ruptured, and after a brief tremor, a complete mural appeared on a nearby wall. Zhang Qiling explained that it was a "shadow painting," formed by light shining on the wall from a specific angle, interacting with carvings.
It depicted the "situation before the Sky Palace was completed," showing a palace built on a "very steep mountain," enveloped in mist as if "floating on clouds," resembling a snow mountain. The mural further illustrated how a shadoof was used to pull a coffin up the mountain for a funeral procession, confirming that the "Sky Palace is actually a mausoleum."
The mausoleum guards were shown setting the boardwalk on fire after the ceremony, destroying the only way in and out, implying they "lived and died with the mausoleum." The mural concluded by depicting a massive avalanche burying the entire mountain, turning it into a "real graveyard." Another team member lamented the cruel twist of fate, but Wen Jin confidently declared that with future technological advancements, they would "one day" find the Sky Palace again.
While everyone was still processing these revelations, a female team member screamed, having spotted a man, whom she identified as Wu Sansheng, in the adjacent tomb door. Hesitantly, the group moved toward the door. As they walked, water began dripping from the ceiling. Zhang Qiling quickly covered his mouth and nose, but one by one, the other team members collapsed. As Zhang Qiling himself lost consciousness, he saw Wu Sansheng standing before them, smiling eerily.
He later awoke in a hospital, suffering from complete amnesia; he couldn't remember anything about the underwater tomb, nor even his own identity. Months passed before he recalled fragmented memories, and years later, he noticed something was wrong with his body. Three months prior, he encountered Wu Sansheng, who looked familiar. Seeking answers about himself, Zhang Qiling followed Wu Sansheng to King Lu's Seven Stars Palace, where he uncovered "something fishy" about Wu Xie's uncle.
Wu Xie expressed disbelief at Zhang Qiling's story, suggesting that the "traps and scent" in the tomb might have caused him to hallucinate, and the person he saw before passing out was likely not his uncle. Zhang Qiling calmly countered that the golden silk book Wu Xie had retrieved from the copper coffin was "fake," the real one having been "taken by your uncle."
He elaborated that Wu Sansheng and Da Kui had "dug a tunnel from behind a tree to the bottom of the coffin," a maneuver that was "also the reason why Da Kui had to die." Wu Xie recalled a dream of his uncle killing a companion, but dismissed it as "only a dream." Zhang Qiling pressed him to consider "how many things have your uncle hid from you or lied to you" and "how many suspicious things" he had noticed.
Wu Xie staunchly defended his uncle, stating, "He would never hurt me!" Zhang Qiling responded cryptically, "If he really was your uncle, for sure he won't hurt you. But. . ." His sentence was cut short by Wang Pangzi, who interjected, "What is the point of you guys talking about this now? It doesn't matter who's telling the truth. It only matters if we get out of here."
Wang Pangzi then declared his intention to "get dolled up," believing it might help them escape. As Wang Pangzi began comically posing in front of a mirror, mimicking the "Forbidden Maiden," A Ning appeared in the tomb door, searching with her flashlight. Zhang Qiling, ignoring Wang Pangzi, walked to a stone stele and performed a ritual, which soon caused another tomb door to open.
Wang Pangzi, still engrossed in his performance, mistakenly took credit for opening the door, exclaiming, "I've got it right!" He then shared his strategic thinking, outlining three potential escape routes: returning the way they came (risky due to shifting chambers), using a secret passage to the sea (too deep without oxygen tanks), or digging their way out, which he calculated was feasible given the ceiling height of the Sky Palace model room.
As they cautiously entered the newly opened tomb door, Wang Pangzi immediately complained about the "narrow" passage, lamenting that it felt like "an elephant passing through the eye of a needle." Wu Xie explained that such narrow spaces were typical for shipwreck tombs, designed to save space. However, as they proceeded, Wang Pangzi suddenly got stuck. Wu Xie quickly realized that the passage was "getting narrower!" With no way to turn back, Zhang Qiling urged everyone to "start climbing!"
Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling, agile, swiftly ascended, while Wang Pangzi, due to his size, barely made it to the top as the walls threatened to crush him. Reaching a narrow passage at the top, they discovered a chilling inscription on the wall: "Wu San Xing pushed me to the wall and I died unjustly. God is my witness. Xie Lian Huan." Wu Xie was stunned, asking, "Who is Xie Lian Huan? Why did Uncle San Xing hurt him?"
Zhang Qiling identified Xie Lianhuan as a member of the archaeological team who had "died on the beach." Zhang Qiling then recalled that Xie Lianhuan had wanted to join the team because he was "commissioned by a foreigner." In a flashback, Wu Sansheng confronted Xie Lianhuan about how he knew about the "blood zombie tomb," and Xie Lianhuan revealed that "Qiu Dekao took me there."
Xie Lianhuan explained that Qiu Dekao had asked him to do something in the sensitive Paracel Islands, and joining the archaeological team was the most convenient way to get there, promising that his presence "won't create any trouble for Wen Jin."
Admiring Xie Lianhuan's zigzag upward tunnel for its safety against landslides, Wu Xie concluded that the path they had taken earlier must have been the "gate of death," not the "gate of life," suggesting the monument's mark had been altered. Zhang Qiling hypothesized that Xie Lianhuan and Wu Sansheng, knowing each other and concealing their connection, had secretly "dived in the underwater tomb" after Xie Lianhuan discovered the entrance.
He further speculated that Wu Sansheng then abandoned Xie Lianhuan, leading to Xie Lianhuan writing the blood message. Xie Lianhuan, discovering the wall was hollow, then "used the tools he had to dig a tunnel here and saved his own life." However, Zhang Qiling concluded that Xie Lianhuan still "ended up dying on the beach" because, after his escape, he sought out Wu Sansheng, only to be killed by him.
