Tomb of the Sea Episode 28 Recap
> Tomb of the Sea Recap
Liang Wan repeatedly called Zhang Rishan, but his phone was off. Frustrated, she left him a voicemail, stating she knew all the secrets of a certain matter and threatened to expose everything if he didn't contact her before 8 PM that night. Upon returning to her hotel room, she found her belongings neatly packed, along with a train ticket to AShanDong. On the train, Liang Wan immersed herself in Huo Zhongshu’s notebook.
The entries revealed that Huo Zhongshu, a distant relative of Clan Huo, was taken by members of the clan to build a monumental structure abroad. His parents were reluctant, arguing he was too young and unsuitable for work in enclosed environments. However, Clan Huo insisted his age was perfect for a project expected to take thirty years.
They warned his family that if this structure was not completed before a rival group, the Wangs, arrived, not only Huo Zhongshu and his parents but the entire Nine Clans would face destruction. Huo Zhongshu, a clever boy, was told the building's design already existed from nineteen hundred years ago, and he would receive professional training to construct it.
He was warned that failure would result in the death of his family and himself, as he belonged to the Nine Clans, and the rivals were the Nine Clans’ biggest secret. Meanwhile, Li Cu showed Su Wan the video of Shen Qiong, which worried Su Wan greatly. Su Wan wanted to call the police, but Li Cu cautioned against it, explaining that it might endanger Shen Qiong.
Li Cu pointed out that Shen Qiong in the video claimed Huang Yan took her, but Huang Yan was already dead. This raised the question of who the "later" Shen Qiong was. Su Wan realized the timing of Shen Qiong's appearance did not align with their actual interactions, leading him to believe they were caught in a vast conspiracy.
Li Cu decided they had to go to AShanDong to investigate the hotel, believing the key they possessed would lead them to clues. Despite Li Cu’s reluctance due to Su Wan’s recent snake bite, Su Wan insisted on joining, claiming the snake venom had made him even stronger.
Yang Hao also demanded to go, arguing that if Li Cu and Su Wan left, he would be left alone to take responsibility for the mysteriously emptied warehouse, which he believed to be problematic. Ultimately, Li Cu relented, and the three brothers embarked on their adventure. On the train to AShanDong, Li Cu, Su Wan, and Yang Hao were startled to find Liang Wan also aboard. Their fears were confirmed when she entered their compartment.
To avoid her, they quickly covered themselves with blankets. Su Wan and Yang Hao managed to sneak out to find another compartment, but as Li Cu attempted to follow, Liang Wan’s foot accidentally brushed against him, revealing their presence. Liang Wan was surprised to see them, and after some playful banter about showing tickets, she suggested they travel together since they had met by chance.
When the train neared its terminal, they realized all four of them were still on board, implying they might share the same mysterious destination. Concurrently, Zhang Rishan and his team prepared to descend into an underground palace. Zhang Rishan identified it as a Solitary Mausoleum, a type of palace he had read about in ancient texts, built to prevent entry by outsiders with only one safe entrance, a “cover door.” Entering from anywhere else would be fatal.
He noted the eerie sight of bodies with heads buried in the ground, suggesting they were victims of traps. After carefully finding the correct entrance, Zhang Rishan warned his team to be cautious. Inside, one of his men stumbled and was immediately pulled down, his head seemingly sucked into the ground. Zhang Rishan quickly grabbed Luo Que’s fishing rod to rescue him, but as he did, he experienced a vivid hallucination.
He saw Uncle Buddha, who sternly questioned his failure to protect GuTongJing and threatened him with military punishment. Zhang Rishan's subordinates called out to him, breaking his trance. He recovered and pulled the man to safety, then ordered his team to exit by following their footprints, declaring he would proceed alone. Outside the underground palace, Luo Que and Waistcoat stood guard.
Waistcoat tried to amuse Luo Que with a joke in Sichuan dialect, calling him a "little sparrow," but Luo Que simply dismissed him as a psycho. Suddenly, several masked attackers ambushed them. Despite their formidable skills, the two were overwhelmed by the sheer number of assailants and were captured. Alone in the underground palace, Zhang Rishan was suddenly confronted by Chief Chen, the owner of Clan Chen, who appeared with the captured Luo Que and Waistcoat.
Chief Chen feigned displeasure at Zhang Rishan’s unannounced visit and expressed concerns for his safety, while subtly alluding to the dangers within the palace. He mentioned how many of his own men, including seasoned veterans like Xiaotian and Xiaoyi, had died mysteriously in this place, their bodies appearing with heads buried. Zhang Rishan asked for lime, revealing that the deaths were caused by soil lice, which release a hallucinogenic toxin upon death.
His men had likely accidentally killed these bugs while digging, inhaling the poisonous gas. Chief Chen ordered his men to clear the area of the soil lice and suggested he and Zhang Rishan proceed further. Zhang Rishan agreed, instructing Luo Que to accompany them while sending Waistcoat back to report to Yin Nanfeng that everything was going smoothly. As Chief Chen, Zhang Rishan, and Luo Que ventured deeper, they passed numerous corpses.
Chief Chen mused that such a strong presence of "corpse gas" must indicate significant treasures within. They soon encountered a section covered by what appeared to be a dense, maze-like barbed wire net. Many of Chief Chen’s men were cut, even though the wire seemed distant. Zhang Rishan’s arm was also scratched. Chief Chen’s men began to panic, realizing the area was "sucking blood" and they were becoming lost.
Zhang Rishan, however, discerned that the barbed wire was an illusion, a trick of light and shadow created by distant candlelight. He declared, "What you see may not be real," and led Luo Que through a different path. Recognizing Zhang Rishan’s understanding of the mechanism, Chief Chen quickly followed with his remaining men. They passed through the illusory barrier to reach a grand statue surrounded by more bodies.
Chief Chen immediately recognized it as the statue commissioned by Uncle Buddha before he entered GuTongJing. Overjoyed at this discovery, Chief Chen ordered his men to begin searching the statue for treasures. However, as they approached, his men suddenly fell into a trance, their faces expressionless, walking forward mindlessly.
