Tomb of the Sea Episode 18 Recap
> Tomb of the Sea Recap
Li Cu observed the motionless figures around him, which began to stir slowly when he wasn't looking, their eyes appearing strangely eerie. Upon a closer look, he was startled to realize that Wu Xie and Wang Meng were among them. After relieving himself, Li Cu attempted to sleep but was soon awakened by Master Black, only to find that all the figures were now moving.
It turned out these individuals had been in hibernation, and the fire Li Cu and his companions had made had raised the temperature, causing them to awaken. During their escape, they accidentally knocked over the fire, rousing even more of these creatures. Wu Xie then appeared, urging them to return and extinguish the fire to prevent further awakenings. As they fought the blaze, Li Cu was touched by a snake, which then burrowed into him.
This triggered a vision of Uncle Buddha conversing with a scientist years ago, and the scientist eventually descending into madness. Master Black and Wu Xie, with Wang Meng's help, swiftly rescued Li Cu and fought their way out of the perilous area. Wu Xie led them to a hidden space—a rocky secret passage—where they could finally rest. Master Black briefly explained that the bizarre figures, known as Black Flyers, were people parasitized by Black-haired Snakes.
The toxins from the snakes affected their nerves and muscles, causing them to adopt strange postures. When a better host appeared, the Black Flyers would attack to transfer the parasite. Wu Xie confirmed that they had discovered the true GuTongJing. Li Cu, exhausted, asked if he could go home now that Wu Xie had found what he was looking for, but another wave of Black Flyers attacked, prompting Wu Xie to lead them further to see something "interesting."
Separately, Master Xie decided to purchase an old theater. He clarified to the owner that he wasn't buying it for profit but because he loved antiques and couldn't bear to see them fall into ruin. The current owner, planning to retire as his daughter was returning from Germany, was relieved Master Xie took over, ensuring his staff's long-term worker fees could be paid. Meanwhile, Zhang Rishan met with Liang Wan, still deeply suspicious of her identity.
Liang Wan remarked how quickly time flew when they were together. After dropping her off, Zhang Rishan's subordinate, who had been investigating Liang Wan, reported finding nothing suspicious, not even a connection to the Wang Clan. The subordinate suggested the totem on her back might just be a coincidence, but Zhang Rishan remained unconvinced, certain Liang Wan held secrets. Deeper inside GuTongJing, Li Cu pointed at a large, circular object, mistaking it for an abacus.
Wu Xie corrected him, identifying it as a QiongQi and explaining that it functioned like an eight-diagram abacus with fixed tapping numbers. Using a five-element incantation, Wu Xie manipulated the beads, forming a trigram, and a hidden door opened. Master Black explained that only the Zhang Clan could typically decipher such mechanisms. They entered an empty room. Wu Xie instructed Li Cu, Master Black, and Wang Meng to simultaneously light three lamps.
Symbols and images of figures in peculiar poses then appeared on the walls. Wu Xie, recognizing the symbols as the ancient script of GuTongJing, realized they matched the carvings on Li Cu's back. He asked Li Cu to remove his shirt, explaining that the picture engraved on his back and all he had suffered were meant to lead him to this door, which Huang Yan, a master of mechanisms, had designed.
The key was to press the stone symbols in the correct order. Wu Xie cautioned Li Cu against rushing, warning that a mistake could kill them all. Wu Xie directed Li Cu to mimic the strange poses from the images. Each time Li Cu adopted a pose, a small area on his back would ache, and a corresponding symbol would become visible. Wang Meng diligently recorded these symbols in sequence.
However, when Wu Xie attempted to open the door using the recorded symbols, many Black-haired Snakes erupted after he pressed the third symbol, indicating Wang Meng had made a mistake. Wu Xie instructed Li Cu to quickly re-do the third pose to get the correct symbol. The door finally opened, but not before both Wu Xie and Wang Meng were bitten by the snakes.
Beyond the door, they found a massive snake cypress statue, surrounded by traces of ancient worship, suggesting an ancient tribe had once revered it. Scaffolding built into the temple's ceiling indicated that modern humans had also visited, likely through an entrance at the top that had since been buried by sand over the past seventy years. Wu Xie speculated that these previous visitors intended to explore, develop, utilize, and protect the site.
As Wu Xie articulated these intentions, both he and Wang Meng began to repeat the phrase mechanically, their minds seemingly confused. Master Black slapped Wang Meng, who stopped repeating but remained dazed. Li Cu managed to snap Wu Xie out of his trance by yelling, "Go back home!" Master Black and Li Cu then realized that Wu Xie and Wang Meng’s strange behavior was a result of being bitten by the Black-haired Snakes. Suddenly, Wu Xie scrambled up the scaffolding.
Li Cu rushed to pull him down, while Master Black was held back by Wang Meng clinging to his leg. Wu Xie, believing he was poisoned and it was too late, attempted to jump from the high scaffolding. Li Cu grabbed him, but the old structure gave way. Master Black managed to catch Wu Xie as they plummeted, but Li Cu crashed through the fragile floor into a mine shaft below. Master Black quickly pulled Li Cu back to safety. Wu Xie, his eyes vacant, murmured "mine" and "Black-haired Snake."
