Tomb of the Sea Episode 43 Recap
> Tomb of the Sea Recap
The exit for Zhang Rishan and Liang Wan was blocked by fallen rocks. Liang Wan exclaimed, "It's blocked. What now?" to which Zhang Rishan responded, "Save it. It's the only exit." Liang Wan expressed despair, asking if they were just going to die there, but Zhang Rishan urged her to relax. Although Zhang Rishan stated he was fine, Liang Wan noticed his injured arm and quickly offered to treat it with her medicine and gauze.
She couldn't help but ask why he was smiling in such a critical situation. Zhang Rishan mused that since they were going to die anyway, it was better to face it with a smile, and that it was good to die in her company. Liang Wan pointed out he didn't even know who she was, but she had asked him many times before, and he never told her.
For her, he was her love at first sight, and that was enough. She then questioned his reaction, wondering if he disliked her. Taking the opportunity, Zhang Rishan decided to reveal his identity. He told Liang Wan he was the lieutenant of Uncle Buddha Zhang, from the upper three clans of the Old Nine Gates. Liang Wan was surprised, saying "Buddha?" and remarking that he sounded like a character from a TV series.
Zhang Rishan explained that Uncle Buddha, Dog Master Wu, and Grandma Wu were all from the same generation. Uncle Buddha was born in 1910, served as Changsha's Protection Officer, and fought against the Japanese. He had been Uncle Buddha's lieutenant, going through thick and thin with him. Liang Wan, trying to make sense of the timeline, realized Uncle Buddha was from the last century.
Calculating, she inferred that Zhang Rishan must be over a hundred years old and accused him of trying to fool her, calling it a strange way to flirt. Zhang Rishan insisted he had no reason to lie at such a moment. He then noticed Liang Wan's own injury, a skin deep cut on her arm, and insisted on bandaging it himself.
Zhang Rishan then pulled her into a hug, making Liang Wan feel that no matter how old he was, she had made up her mind about him. Liang Wan also noted that Zhang Rishan's tattoo was still present, asking if he had a fever because of it. He confirmed he had been having a fever ever since entering GuTongJing. Liang Wan admitted she needed time to process all the information.
Zhang Rishan thanked her for her hard work these past few days. Liang Wan affirmed that she didn't care if he was a manager or a lieutenant; his identity didn't matter to her. Zhang Rishan reciprocated, adding that it didn't matter to him if she was from the Wang family. Liang Wan insisted she was not connected to the Wang family at all and asked why he had come to GuTongJing.
Zhang Rishan replied that she knew why—because he wanted to be with her. Liang Wan confirmed that his wish had come true, and they were together now. Suddenly, a sound interrupted their sweet moment. Liang Wan asked what it was, and Zhang Rishan identified it as the snake cypress. Fearing its entry, he urged them to leave. They found another path with a door. Zhang Rishan said it was useless, as the door couldn't be opened without a key.
Liang Wan wanted to check it out, but then hesitated, explaining her poor physical condition and asking if they were just to be eaten by snakes. Zhang Rishan reiterated that he knew the structure better than anyone, and the door was indeed locked. Frustrated, Liang Wan, despite his warnings, decided to try and ram the door open herself but stopped halfway, realizing she couldn't do it alone. As she leaned back in defeat, the door surprisingly opened.
Inside, they found a room filled with provisions. Zhang Rishan explained that these were specially made canned foods that wouldn't spoil. He then offered her a "good news, bad news" scenario. The good news, he revealed, was that there were enough supplies to last them forty years. The bad news, he added, was that once the supplies ran out, they would starve to death.
Liang Wan realized this meant they would both starve after forty years, but she would age while he wouldn't. Zhang Rishan clarified that time worked differently there than outside. Liang Wan asked why they had initially come to GuTongJing. Zhang Rishan explained it was because Uncle Buddha wanted to uncover a secret, though they themselves didn't know what it was and hadn't found it. He clarified they didn't build GuTongJing, but merely repaired it.
He recounted how, years ago, they found a corner of GuTongJing with confusing paths. Uncle Buddha led a team to explore it. Strangely, despite it being autumn when they entered, there was no wind inside the ancient city. Liang Wan scoffed, saying it was natural for an underground place to have no wind, but Zhang Rishan corrected her, implying it was indeed unusual.
As they ventured deeper, a continuous wind appeared, and with it, intermittent music emanated from the entire ancient city. They couldn't make sense of the fragmented tunes but were certain it was music. Liang Wan wondered if it was a collective hallucination. Zhang Rishan admitted they thought so too until they found a map of GuTongJing, which depicted a vast ancient city.
This made them realize the entire city was a gigantic musical instrument that would play music when the wind blew through it. Since the ancient city was incomplete, the music was fragmented. Uncle Buddha then ordered them to fully repair GuTongJing according to the map, hoping to hear the complete music. He believed the music held the secret. Zhang Rishan confirmed this, but lamented that after all the repairs, the wind hadn't returned, and something unexpected happened instead.
Liang Wan felt they had worked in vain. Zhang Rishan also expressed regret, explaining that the wind followed a pattern, blowing at fixed intervals. Based on previous cycles, the complete music was due to play in two weeks, but they were now trapped and couldn't bring the information out. Meanwhile, Wu Xie and Su Nan had found refuge in a cave. Wu Xie caught a fish from an ice field river outside and offered it to Su Nan.
He noticed her eyes were troubling her. Su Nan initially dismissed it, but Wu Xie later realized she was suffering from snow blindness, a temporary condition that eating fish would help. They ate the unseasoned, bitter fish for three days, with Wu Xie teasing her about the limited cooking options. Su Nan, now recovered, awoke to find Wu Xie shivering from the cold, draped in the clothes she had been wearing.
She felt their roles had reversed and began to care for him. She joked that his grilled fish seemed to have worked. She promised to cook him his favorite dish, poached sliced beef in hot chili oil, every day once they got out. Wu Xie cautiously asked if she still planned to kill him, and Su Nan replied that she wouldn't kill him before they got out of there, to which Wu Xie gratefully responded.
Wu Xie revealed he knew she had been faking her blindness and still possessed her knife. Su Nan, no longer pretending, demanded her knife back, threatening to kill him if he didn't return it. Wu Xie, however, refused to return it, reminding her that she wanted to kill him even when she could see, and now that she was blind, she still did. He stated he would keep the knife for her.
Back in the city, Master Black accompanied Su Wan home. Su Wan expressed concern for Li Cu and Liang Wan, and Master Black reassured him that Li Cu would return soon and Liang Wan would be safe, as he had already called the police on those in GuTongJing. He urged Su Wan to focus on his studies.
When Su Wan self-deprecatingly described himself as a useless rich kid, Master Black gave him his sunglasses, reminding him that the address on the frame was a glasses store where Su Wan could find him if he ever felt his life was too boring. Su Wan, surprised, asked what Master Black would wear, unaware that Master Black carried multiple pairs of sunglasses.
Yang Hao was taken home by Huo Daofu, who offered him a business card and invited him to join him, seeing potential in Yang Hao. Yang Hao, however, recognized Huo Daofu's manipulative intentions and refused, though he kept the business card. Upon returning home, Yang Hao searched for his grandmother, only to find her memorial tablet on the table.
He called Uncle Zhu, who informed him that his grandmother had suffered a heart attack and passed away after some troublemakers visited their shop. The neighbors had pooled money to arrange her funeral. Yang Hao was distraught, feeling like an an abandoned child and blaming himself for being away. He knelt before her memorial tablet and harshly slapped himself. Meanwhile, Li Cu awoke from a nightmare in an unfamiliar place surrounded by medicine bottles.
Injured, he painfully used a crutch to walk outside, encountering Russians speaking a language he couldn't understand. He stumbled, and the bright sunlight caused him to pass out again. Li Cu, Su Wan, and Yang Hao have all returned to the city, but their futures are now diverging, particularly Yang Hao, who has become increasingly volatile under Huo Daofu's influence.
