Tomb of the Sea Episode 5 Recap
> Tomb of the Sea Recap
Wu Xie managed to reach the exit just as the seesaw was about to tilt fully, narrowly escaping danger. Once on the surface, Shiyi, who had first bolted from the exit, was severely beaten by the others, including Lao Mai, for his panicked actions. Su Nan noticed her subordinate, Yaowang, was missing and hadn't come out with the rest of the group.
She questioned Lao Mai, who confirmed he hadn't seen Yaowang and speculated he might have gone further into the underground palace, though Su Nan doubted this, fearing an accident. Wu Xie asked Li Cu if he had considered running away while at the exit; Li Cu chuckled, stating he hadn't, as he depended on Wu Xie to lead him out.
Despite the recent events, Su Nan, at Master Ma’s insistence, announced they would have to descend again to retrieve what was needed. Wu Xie warned that the underground was too perilous, but Master Ma countered that risk was inherent in their venture, and the deaths shouldn't derail their efforts.
Wu Xie relented, agreeing to formulate a new plan for their next expedition and advising Su Nan’s team, who were preparing to go first, to retreat immediately should they encounter any trouble. Meanwhile, Wang Meng successfully recovered several SD cards for Wu Xie, but none contained photos of Huang Yan. Wu Xie handed the tablet with the recovered images to Li Cu, cautioning him against playing games.
Li Cu browsed the photos and discovered a deleted image where he saw someone resembling Wu Xie. Shortly after, Sis Lulu, Master Ma’s companion, approached Li Cu, requesting help with her photos and asking him to transfer them to Master Ma’s phone after enhancing her features considerably.
Li Cu hatched a plan: he deliberately deleted all of Sis Lulu’s photos, then enlisted Wang Meng’s help to recover them, knowing this process would also retrieve the photo Wu Xie had previously deleted. Wang Meng restored the files, and Li Cu confirmed that Wu Xie had indeed been to this place before. While Wang Meng was briefly away, Li Cu quickly copied the incriminating photo.
When Sis Lulu returned, displeased with Li Cu's lack of photo editing, she snatched her phone back, frustrating Li Cu’s efforts to study the images further. He later attempted to retrieve the phone from Master Ma’s tent but was unsuccessful. Back in their tent, Wu Xie and Wang Meng were working on a detailed map of the underground palace.
Wu Xie remarked that the palace's layout didn't match the Seven-Fingers Map tattooed on Li Cu's back, making him question if this was the true GuTongJing. Nearby, Marera, muttering in his sleep about "auspicious bugs from heaven," began to reveal an ancient legend after Wu Xie instructed Wang Meng to give him more liquor. Marera recounted a tale about the lord of GuTongJing, a spider-like entity with eight limbs, who could mount clouds and mist.
This lord reportedly managed floods hundreds of miles away during the day and returned to the city at night to absorb human souls. Most importantly, the legend spoke of an almighty gemstone that granted its owner limitless power, from ascending to the heavens to descending into the earth. Wu Xie realized this gemstone was Master Ma's ultimate objective. Later, Su Nan summoned Wu Xie to Master Ma.
Master Ma was eager to see Wu Xie’s new plan, but Wu Xie claimed it wasn’t ready, subtly attempting to dissuade him by asserting the underground palace held only archaeological value. Master Ma, however, was unconvinced, believing his intelligence was accurate. He cynically stated that human hearts were the most deceitful things in the world and demanded a new plan by nightfall.
Back in their tent, Li Cu confronted Wu Xie, accusing him of lying about his past presence in GuTongJing and threatening to expose his secrets to the group. Wu Xie calmly challenged Li Cu to do so, then revealed that the Seven-Fingers Map on Li Cu’s back did not correspond to GuTongJing, suggesting they might not be in the genuine location and asking Li Cu to stop causing further problems. Wu Xie firmly maintained he had never been there.
The discussion was interrupted by an alarm from outside as some of Su Nan’s men returned from the underground palace; one, Beiluo, was severely injured, while another, Ye Xiao, was now missing, and Yaowang was still unfound. Beiluo distraughtly claimed the palace was "eating people." Despite these harrowing reports, Master Ma staunchly refused to abandon the mission. Su Nan then decided she would go down again and invited Wu Xie to join her.
Master Ma, however, insisted Wu Xie stay to finalize his plan. Recalling seeing Wu Xie's drawings earlier, Su Nan retrieved a map from Wu Xie's tent and presented it to Master Ma. Upon seeing the map, which precisely marked the gemstone’s location, Master Ma became overjoyed and declared he would personally lead the next descent, commanding everyone, including the film crew, to accompany him.
Master Ma then proposed a deal: Wu Xie would lead the expedition for the gemstone, and in return, he could take everything else. Wu Xie accepted and added two conditions: the descent would take place the following morning, and the film crew, being a hindrance, should not go. Master Ma insisted all the men from the crew must go down, but compassionately permitted the female members to stay behind.
Wu Xie privately instructed Wang Meng that if he did not resurface within 42 hours, Wang Meng should contact "Black Glasses." He also advised Li Cu to be exceptionally careful, as he would not be able to offer constant protection. The following morning, the entire team, secured to a single rope, embarked on their second descent. After turning a corner, another team member, Zeng Ye, vanished without a trace.
Su Nan observed that the rope's shackle remained attached, indicating that the disappearances were not due to getting lost but to activated traps. Caitou, a film crew member, panicked and fled. Soon, his cries led them back to where they found the rope tied to a stone statue. Su Nan struck the statue, revealing it to be filled with strange sand.
Meanwhile, above ground, Guozi, who had used some of their precious drinking water to wash her hair, asked Lao Mai for two more bottles. Lao Mai attempted to take advantage of her, but Wang Meng arrived just in time to intervene.
Guozi later expressed concern to Wang Meng that Lao Mai’s tattoo resembled that of a wanted criminal she had seen on the news, but Wang Meng dismissed it as a coincidence, stating he had merely been there to fetch water himself. Back in the underground, Zeng Ye miraculously reappeared, disoriented and unable to recall how he had returned. The team then pushed open a large door, revealing a new chamber.
This vast space was filled with mummified figures, which were identified as the city lord's ancient soldiers. Master Ma was thrilled, believing that the presence of these guards meant they were close to his desired location. Based on architectural elements, the chamber appeared to have once been a pond. As the film crew began to set up for shooting, fine fluff from one of the mummies drifted into a girl’s eye, instantly causing her eyes to turn white.
It became evident that Master Ma was determined to acquire the gemstone, and his subordinates, such as Lao Mai, who Guozi suspected of being a wanted criminal, were not to be underestimated. This reinforced the impression that Master Ma's pursuit of the gemstone was driven by self-serving motives, likely at the expense of others.
