Ultimate Note Episode 13 Recap
> Ultimate Note Recap
As the group presses onward, the peculiar ability of the tiger keelback to imitate human voices, a predatory instinct to lure its prey, makes everyone uneasy, urging them to leave the area. They soon discover what appears to be a large, soft, well-like passageway, which Wu Xie recognizes as a colossal snake skin. This confirms his previous theory about the existence of a Snake Mother, a creature whose sculpture he had once seen in a temple.
Hei Yan Jing notes the monster-like size of the snake but also observes that the ancient skin, unlike the surrounding area, is surprisingly clean, suggesting other snakes fear this place. Deciding it's the safest spot, they settle down to rest despite Mop's vocal protests and fear. Wu Sansheng then approaches Wu Xie, attempting to persuade him to leave with Hei Yan Jing to find Zhang at the temple and escape.
However, Wu Xie firmly refuses, asserting his deep involvement, citing the videotapes that brought them there, the unsettling resemblance of someone in A Ning's tape to himself, and his exploration of all the locations mentioned in Chen Wen Jin's diary. Wu Xie then presses Wu Sansheng about a third videotape, which Wu Sansheng admits he possesses.
He explains that nineteen years ago, Chen Wen Jin entrusted three videotapes to his grandmother, and three months prior, Chen Wen Jin contacted his grandmother via a secret sign to arrange for their mailing, though they did not meet in person. Wu Sansheng believes this was likely his last opportunity to connect with Chen Wen Jin, compelling him to come to the desert. He reveals that the tapes were meant for Wu Xie, Zhang, and himself.
Wu Sansheng admits he used Zhang to deliver a tape to A Ning, thereby drawing her into the expedition to gain access to her resources and manpower. He reflects on A Ning's death, likening their perilous journey to free solo climbing where death is an expected outcome. Wu Xie questions why he, unlike Zhang and Wu Sansheng, was chosen for this dangerous endeavor.
Wu Xie also asks Wu Sansheng about "It," a mysterious concept Chen Wen Jin referred to in her diary. Wu Sansheng explains that the mailing of the tapes signified Chen Wen Jin could no longer be contacted, either having died or been discovered by "It" and forced to flee the city. He speculates that Wen Jin’s additional path, intended to separate Wu Xie’s team from A Ning’s, might have been born out of fear for "It."
Wu Xie insists on seeing Wu Sansheng’s tape, which, to his surprise, contains only darkness, punctuated by panicked screams of "Those things are back!" and a distinct horn sound—the same one Wu Xie heard at the Bronze Gate in Cloud Top Palace. This leads Wu Xie to wonder if the archaeological team had entered the fabled gate.
Wu Sansheng claims ignorance, a response that frustrates Wu Xie, who then, in turn, withholds Chen Wen Jin's diary, which he had with him, as a form of leverage. Meanwhile, Mop's cowardly nature is exposed when Hei Yan Jing teases him with a small snake, sending Mop into a terrified fit. Mop pleads to be released, expressing his desperate desire to go home and his fear of death.
Hei Yan Jing and Xie Yuchen mock his cowardice, joking about how quickly he would perish if he encountered actual tiger keelbacks, even making a bet on his survival distance. Hei Yan Jing ultimately dismisses Mop's pleas, stating they still need to carry the unconscious Fatty. As they continue their descent, they realize they're at the very end of the massive snake skin, reaching a dead end caused by a past earthquake. Wu Sansheng deduces it's a collapsed sand layer.
Wu Sansheng, along with Hei Yan Jing and a reluctant Wu Xie, goes ahead to explore, secured by a rope. They discover numerous mud cocoons. Wu Xie's attempt to touch one is sharply stopped by Wu Sansheng, who reveals they contain the bodies of ancient construction workers, buried in mud after perishing during large-scale projects. Amidst these grim findings, they discover an old mark left by Zhang, confirming his prior presence in the area, likely before his memory loss.
Satisfied the path is safe, they call for the rest of the group to join them. Fatty eventually regains consciousness, relieved to be alive and reunited with the team. Wu Xie recounts to Fatty what happened, including being bitten by a snake and dragged to its den before Wu Sansheng's team rescued them. Wu Xie, who had been carrying the unconscious Fatty, complains about the burden and jokes about Fatty's weight.
As they continue, they encounter a path completely blocked by branches and vines. Wu Sansheng orders them cleared, warning against damaging any relics or triggers. Suddenly, a large group of tiger keelbacks attacks, scattering the team. In the chaos, Wu Xie encounters Zhang, who leads him away to a hidden alcove. There, Wu Xie comes face-to-face with a woman who looks strikingly similar to the Chen Wen Jin in old photographs, yet appears remarkably youthful.
Stunned, Wu Xie asks if she is indeed Chen Wen Jin. Chen Wen Jin acknowledges her identity and Wu Xie's surprise at her ageless appearance, which she dismisses as a curse, recalling changing his diapers as a child. Wu Xie, connecting the dots, realizes she was the "daughter-in-law" at Madam Dolma's and the "mud man" who had been cautiously following their group due to an unknown mole within their team. Wu Xie then presses her on her unchanging age.
She shows him an old photograph from the Paracel Islands expedition nineteen years ago. To Wu Xie’s shock, Chen Wen Jin reveals that the person he believed to be his young Uncle San in the photo is actually Xie Lian Huan, who swapped identities with the real Wu Sansheng during the expedition. Wu Xie vehemently denies this, but Chen Wen Jin insists that the truth is evident in the many flaws of his "uncle's" ongoing deception.
She further explains that the infamous blood message found by Xie Lian Huan’s body at the seabed, which read "Wu Sansheng harmed me," was misunderstood by Wu Xie. She clarifies that because it was a stone rubbing, the text was reversed, meaning the original message conveyed the opposite sentiment. Chen Wen Jin continues her revelations, stating that after the Paracel Islands expedition, the archaeological team was drugged and awakened a week later in the Golmud Sanatorium.
They discovered they were under surveillance by a mysterious, undefined force they called "It," a logical entity distinct from Cox Hendry and Xie Lian Huan, and noted it existed purely in a logical sense, having never physically appeared. She explains that something was done to their bodies during their coma, granting them agelessness, which she considers a curse.
She confirms that the grotesque creature Wu Xie encountered in the Golmud basement was indeed Huo Ling, and reveals that after returning from Tamutuo, Huo Ling began a transformation. Chen Wen Jin now smells the same ominous scent on herself, signifying that she too will soon skip death and transform into a monster, just like Huo Ling. She knows her ultimate fate is imminent. Suddenly, Zhang appears, calling for Wu Xie and informing him that "Uncle San" is injured.
Wu Xie rushes to the side of his "uncle," who is lying on the ground, wounded. " Uncle San," seeing Chen Wen Jin, expresses his distress, muttering, "Wen Jin, you. . . Wu Xie has learnt everything. You no longer have to hide it. You knew everything?" He then apologizes to Wu Xie. Chen Wen Jin responds to the injured man, "Don't worry, Wu San Xing is alive," then addresses him directly by his true name, "Lian Huan.
This is not your fault. You've now returned." Wu Xie is stunned, the words confirming Chen Wen Jin's earlier revelation that the man he had believed to be his Uncle San is, in fact, Xie Lian Huan. Xie Yuchen then steps forward, acknowledging the group’s overarching quest to find the path to the Queen Mother’s Palace, but declares his immediate priority is to resolve the affairs of the Xie family.
