Tomb of the Sea Episode 48 Recap
> Tomb of the Sea Recap
After a month of intense training, Su Wan felt invigorated, especially after his first real fight against Zheng Yi. He proudly displayed his improved skills to Master Black, who informed him that their training was over for now. Master Black handed Su Wan a business card for "Huo's Tea House" and announced they would go there once the rain stopped.
Meanwhile, at the Huo family's establishment, Yang Hao was reporting to Huo Daofu on his successful completion of several company takeovers. Huo Daofu praised Yang Hao, stating he knew he had chosen the right person. Master Black arrived with Su Wan. Yang Hao walked past Su Wan without a glance, seemingly ignoring him. Su Wan, feeling disregarded, pursued Yang Hao, asking why he wouldn't speak to him.
Yang Hao questioned Su Wan's presence there, but Su Wan insisted he came specifically for him, having become Master Black's apprentice. Su Wan passionately argued that they should team up, acknowledging that their lives changed after Li Cu led them into the desert and that there was no turning back. He believed that even though the Jiu Men no longer formally existed, they could forge a new path together.
Yang Hao, however, corrected him, asserting that it wouldn't be just the two of them, but three, as he was certain Li Cu would return. He expressed his hope that the three of them would be reunited. Master Black observed their reconciliation with a relieved smile. Back at the Wang Clan base, Li Cu was undergoing another demanding black lesson alongside Shen Qiong and a third Clan Wang member.
The challenge was to secure two badges, but their formidable opponent proved difficult to overcome even when Li Cu and Shen Qiong teamed up. In the final seconds, Li Cu, recalling Master Black's "block and hit" technique, gave his badge to Shen Qiong and single-handedly confronted the opponent. Despite taking some blows, he managed to snatch a badge and hold it until the timer ran out, securing a victory for him and Shen Qiong.
Li Cu then commented on the Wang Clan's penchant for self-destruction, earning a warning from the instructor that such remarks would raise his odds. Mr. Wang summoned Shen Qiong after reviewing footage of the black lesson. He suspected Li Cu had developed feelings for her and hoped she could leverage this emotion to fully integrate Li Cu into the Wang Clan.
However, he also gave her a chilling directive: if Li Cu ever became a liability, she was to eliminate him. Shen Qiong, clearly troubled by this order, tried to appear unconcerned as she later approached Li Cu. Li Cu, anxious about his own status, confided in Shen Qiong that he had disclosed all his knowledge to the Wang Clan, yet the Algorithm Department's mysterious "odds" still dictated their trust in him.
He knew the Algorithm Department held absolute authority but was a place few Wang Clan members ever entered, only accessible to those with a zero-ratio. Li Cu, desperate to reach this critical zero-ratio, pressed Shen Qiong for details, asking about the department's rules and if she had ever been there. Shen Qiong could only confirm that entry required a zero-ratio and warned Li Cu that he was asking too many questions, an unusual trait for a true Clan Wang member.
Later, while Shen Qiong was occupied, Li Cu secretly retrieved a book and notebook from a drawer. These contained information from Wu Xie on how to pinpoint locations using details encoded in snake poison. Li Cu collected fallen leaves from the base's courtyard and used a plant encyclopedia to identify them, thereby narrowing down the probable location of the Wang Clan base.
He received further pheromone injections, which caused severe physical overload, but he persevered, determined to reach the Algorithm Department. A voice message from Wu Xie within the snake poison data also instructed Li Cu to locate the Algorithm Department and transmit its coordinates using the method Wu Xie had taught him. Shen Qiong observed Li Cu collecting leaves, and he explained that seeing fallen leaves reminded him of his father's returns.
He asked Shen Qiong about his father's whereabouts, and she assured him that Wu Xie was likely protecting him. Li Cu then provocatively asked Shen Qiong what she would do if their next black lesson pitted them against each other. When she asked if he would attack her, Li Cu stated he would simply destroy the badge. Shen Qiong reminded him that only by passing these tests and becoming a true Clan Wang member would the trials end.
With only Li Cu and Shen Qiong remaining in the black lesson tests, their training intensified. Li Cu's combat skills had advanced considerably, and he was now capable of defeating Shen Qiong. During a sparring session, Li Cu knocked Shen Qiong to the ground, reminding her of their earlier playful wager: a kiss if he won. As Shen Qiong leaned in with a smile, Li Cu, momentarily distracted by his triumph, was caught off guard as she launched a counter-attack.
He quickly regained the upper hand, pinning her again, asking if she was reneging on their agreement. She responded by kicking him, sending him reeling in pain. Later, Mr. Wang presented Li Cu with photographic evidence, claiming it proved Shen Qiong, whom he referred to as Wang Xiaoyuan, was a spy planted by Wu Xie. Li Cu was incredulous, but Mr. Wang asserted that the Algorithm Department's comprehensive data supported this conclusion.
He noted that Wu Xie had never mentioned Shen Qiong's alleged role to Li Cu, suggesting a lack of complete trust. Mr. Wang clarified that Shen Qiong was indeed a Clan Wang member, but Wu Xie had exploited this, positioning Li Cu by her side to gain entry into the clan. This strategy, Mr. Wang explained, diverted all attention to Li Cu, allowing Shen Qiong to covertly transmit information.
He accused Wu Xie of deceiving and using Li Cu as a mere pawn. Offering Li Cu an alternative path, Mr. Wang presented him with a dagger and instructed him to kill Shen Qiong; doing so would instantly reduce his odds to zero, thereby making him a true Clan Wang member. Recalling that only individuals with a zero-ratio could enter the Algorithm Department, Li Cu accepted the task.
Li Cu arranged to meet Shen Qiong, ready to carry out the deadly order. He confronted her, accusing her of betraying the Wang Clan as Wu Xie's spy. Shen Qiong refuted this, asserting her loyalty to the Wang Clan and reminding Li Cu that he himself had acknowledged the Algorithm Department's infallibility, implying the current situation was a test.
Li Cu then declared that regardless of the circumstances, he knew her only as Shen Qiong, and promised to take her with him. As he leaned in to kiss her, an instructor interrupted them, holding Li Cu's phone. To everyone's surprise, Li Cu's odds displayed a zero-ratio. Shen Qiong, bewildered, questioned how his odds could drop to zero without him killing her.
The instructor explained that Li Cu's developing feelings for Shen Qiong, a member of the Wang Clan, confirmed his allegiance, thus signifying his true integration into the clan. Li Cu was then escorted to the Algorithm Department, an underground facility beneath the Wang Clan's training base. Inside, he found a network of servers. An instructor explained that this department collected and analyzed vast amounts of information to deduce the truth and outcomes of events.
Using Li Cu as an example, the instructor pointed out twenty "coincidences" in his life before joining the Wang Clan—such as Huang Yan carving the map on his back before dying, his innate ability to read pheromones, and his accidental discovery of the real GuTongJing despite being destined for death in the fake one. These events, the instructor asserted, were too improbable to be mere chance, indicating Wu Xie had orchestrated Li Cu's entry into the Wang Clan.
However, with Wu Xie's presumed death, the "conspiracy odds" had decreased, prompting the Wang Clan to trust Li Cu, especially given his commendable performance during training. Li Cu questioned if these were merely probabilities. The instructor elaborated on the concept of the butterfly effect: with sufficient data, they could predict event outcomes. By subtly altering a small detail at the beginning of an event, they could drastically change its entire course.
He drew an analogy to Skynet in "The Terminator" sending a robot back in time to prevent the birth of a savior. The instructor confirmed that the Wang Clan's ultimate goal was to control the world and achieve their every desire, explaining that Li Cu, being young, would gradually understand the full scope of their ambitions. Meanwhile, Wu Xie was still trapped in the snow mountain. Although the mountain's opening day was approaching, Su Nan's snow blindness recurred.
Wu Xie felt deeply pained by her condition. He painstakingly obtained goat milk from the temple's master, which could be applied to the eyes to treat snow blindness, and also prepared a black eye mask for Su Nan. Bored with the eye mask, Su Nan asked Wu Xie to tell her a story. Wu Xie recounted a childhood memory of playing hide-and-seek with Xie Yuchen.
Su Nan, however, showed a detailed knowledge of the scene, revealing she had noticed him even when they were children. Wu Xie then shared stories of his adventures with his Third Uncle, admitting that he used to be clumsy and often, in his attempts to save someone, ended up harming another. With Wu Xie's company, Su Nan felt less lonely.
After walking Su Nan back to her room, she traced the carvings on the wall, counting the days that had passed. Unbeknownst to Li Cu, the Wang Clan's aspirations extended far beyond what Wu Xie had ever imagined, aiming to control the entire world, not just the Jiu Men. Li Cu's newfound trust within the Wang Clan was fragile, built entirely on the premise of Wu Xie's death. If the Wang Clan were to discover that Wu Xie was still alive and had emerged from the snow mountain, Li Cu's life would be in even greater peril.
