Time Raiders Episode 6 Recap
> Time Raiders Recap
Wu Xie and Pangzi found themselves trapped in a cave infested with corpse beetles. As swarms of the creatures converged on them, Pan Zi leaped into the hole, igniting a fire starter to drive the beetles back. The beetles, seemingly afraid of fire, began to scatter. Wu Xie quickly climbed out of the hole and tried to pull Pangzi up, but Pangzi's weight was too much, and he couldn't get up in time.
The fire oil quickly ran out, and the overwhelming number of beetles began to swarm back towards Pan Zi, covering his body. Someone yelled, "Fall back to the entrance!" and "No way! There's too many!" urging them to retreat as the beetles kept coming. Pangzi finally managed to climb out. He struggled with the biting insects, exclaiming, "My butt! My butt! Don't bite my butt!"
Seeing Pan Zi in mortal danger, covered in beetles, Wu Xie attempted to jump back down to rescue him, but Pangzi held him back, insisting, "Don't come down!" Pan Zi, resigned to his fate, pleaded, "Just finish me off." Just as Pangzi aimed an arrow, unable to bear witnessing a live person being devoured, a dark figure suddenly appeared in the cave.
Zhang Qiling struck the ground with his palm, causing a burst of blood that repelled the terrified corpse beetles, sending them scurrying back to their nests. Zhang Qiling then effortlessly tossed Pan Zi out of the hole, saving him. Without delay, Wu Xie and Pangzi helped the injured Pan Zi, who was suffering from numerous bites. Zhang Qiling took the lead, guiding them to escape the perilous area.
After a short while, Zhang Qiling stopped, instructing Pangzi to lay Pan Zi down. Using his index and middle fingers, Zhang Qiling traced a line from Pan Zi's mouth down to his throat, chest, and then his abdomen, telling him to endure the discomfort. He explained that something had entered Pan Zi's stomach and needed to be removed to save his life. Pan Zi nodded in understanding.
With two precise touches to Pan Zi's abdomen, Zhang Qiling quickly extracted a small creature, which Pangzi immediately stomped to death. With Pan Zi still bleeding from his wounds, Zhang Qiling produced two pills. He dabbed some of his own blood onto them before feeding them to Pan Zi. This action suppressed the toxins released by the creature, and Pan Zi soon felt better.
As Wu Xie and Pangzi continued to support Pan Zi, they heard ominous sounds, realizing they were still being pursued. " What's chasing us?" Pangzi asked. Zhang Qiling confirmed, "The thing from the kiln." Pangzi urged them to run, emphasizing, "If that thing catches us, we're done for." As they fled, Zhang Qiling swiftly cut down poisonous vines that appeared in their path. Despite these obstacles, Wu Xie, Pan Zi, and Pangzi accidentally tumbled into another cave.
In the new cave, which looked similar to the corpse beetle cave, Pangzi cautiously observed their surroundings, noting it was different from the previous one and had no openings. Pan Zi took the chance to rest against a wall. Wu Xie and Pangzi, shaken but relieved to have escaped the immediate danger, momentarily forgot their exhaustion. Wu Xie noticed Zhang Qiling was no longer with them, having been separated during the fall.
Pangzi then introduced himself to Wu Xie as Wang Pangzi, an experienced explorer, and began to elaborate on the history of their location. He asserted that the legend of King Shang of Lu summoning ghost soldiers was a lie, claiming King Shang was merely a depraved thief who used supernatural theatrics. His troops often rested during the day, marched at night, and eradicated alchemists wherever they went, claiming "alchemists mislead the nation" while in reality, he sought their secret manuals.
Pangzi presented the seven large trees embracing the seven alchemy furnaces as evidence. He explained that King Shang was connected to the Seven-Star Alchemy Sect, an ancient group that believed robbing alchemists was faster than making their own elixirs. They tested stimulating elixirs on captured alchemists to boost their soldiers' combat abilities, moving at night to create an aura of mystery. He even suggested that the last leader of this sect was so mysterious he was known as "the Unseen."
He concluded that King Shang of Lu was undoubtedly part of this sect and had likely built this kiln to refine elixirs, suggesting King Shang's corpse might still be inside. As they rested, the new cave proved not entirely safe. Poisonous vines, drawn by their presence, began to appear one by one.
Although Wu Xie, Pan Zi, and Pangzi tried to hold their breath, Pangzi, at the back of the group, was suddenly ensnared by a thick vine and dragged away. Then Pan Zi was also snatched by a vine. Wu Xie watched in horror, realizing that the snake-like things were actually incredibly long, powerful, extending hands that could lock onto prey. As Pan Zi was pulled away, Wu Xie, even as he himself was being dragged away, cried out to save Pan Zi.