Ultimate Note Episode 21 Recap
> Ultimate Note Recap
Wu Xie, currently in Guangxi, received a call from Xie Yuchen who urged him to come to Changsha to discuss a photo Wu Xie had inquired about. Xie Yuchen also promised to provide diving equipment. Wu Xie, intrigued and needing the gear, agreed to travel to Changsha, where he met Huo Xiuxiu and then Xie Yuchen at a restaurant owned by Mop. Xie Yuchen presented Wu Xie with high-quality diving equipment.
Pressed for information about the mysterious photo, Xie Yuchen revealed that Huo Xiuxiu's team had found something Wu Xie had mentioned, but it was spread across a vast area, requiring more guidance. He then explained that the Qiongqi pattern in the photo was a tattoo of Master Buddha's tribe, suggesting that the individual with "sloped shoulders" might be Master Buddha's man, potentially guarding a secret in Banai related to Master Buddha and the Mystic Nine.
Wu Xie, realizing the significance, expressed his desire to return to Guangxi. Wu Xie then questioned why Xie Yuchen had made him travel all the way to Changsha, suspecting he had discovered something more. Xie Yuchen admitted he was investigating Wu Sansheng, having learned from Mop that Wu Sansheng planned to visit Xiangxi after his return from Tamutuo, specifically to the Yi City Waterway.
Xie Yuchen revealed he had already explored the waterway, finding it had been excavated decades ago using the Zhang family's "Two Finger Technique," likely by Master Buddha and Xie Yuchen's own master. He deduced that Xie Lian Huan was also likely pursuing the same hidden object. Xie Yuchen believed Master Buddha had brought something out of the waterway and hidden it in a secret chamber in Changsha, which was their current objective.
At Mop's restaurant, Mop, recognizing Wu Xie as "Master Xiao San" and acknowledging Xie Yuchen as his savior, eagerly offered his assistance in finding Wu Sansheng. Xie Yuchen disclosed that their current clues originated from Zhang Ri Shan, implying Zhang Ri Shan was aware of their investigation. He further explained that Master Buddha's secret chamber had been under continuous surveillance for many years, and they had located the grandson of the original keeper.
The grandson, an aspiring musician more interested in votes for his music than information, eventually revealed that his grandfather and father had tasked him with taking photos every three months at a specific location, for which he received 100,000 yuan annually. The photos, dating back to the 1960s, documented changes in the area around the secret chamber, showing a progression from a department store to a factory, and finally a commercial street.
The photos were sent to Beijing, and the payments originated from Xin Yue Restaurant, confirming Zhang Ri Shan's involvement. Through their investigation, they discovered that Master Buddha had overseen the factory's construction in the 1970s to conceal his secret chamber. During the commercial street's demolition in 1999, a screen had been discovered underground. Master Buddha had ensured its safety by donating it to a museum. This "Mr. Zhang" who donated it was identified as Zhang Ri Shan.
The screen itself displayed peculiar, uniformly sized holes, suggesting a hidden message or code. Xie Yuchen, recognizing the screen from a photo at Xin Yue Restaurant, arranged for a replica to be made for study. Meanwhile, at the lake, Zhang Qiling had already retrieved a pile of human bones from the water.
Fatty and Zhang Qiling began piecing them together, confirming Wu Xie's earlier theory: the first expedition team had been killed by Uncle Panma and subsequently replaced by a second group. As they worked, Uncle Gui observed the deteriorating weather, warning of potential mudslides in the mountains. Despite his pleas for them to leave, Zhang Qiling and Fatty, confident in their wilderness experience, refused to abandon their post.
They instructed Uncle Gui to take Yun Cai back to the village and return with supplies once the rain subsided. Later, while Fatty was fishing on a bamboo raft, a powerful underwater current dragged him into the lake. Zhang Qiling, without hesitation, plunged into the water after him. Back in Changsha, Xie Yuchen received the photograph of the screen from Xin Yue Restaurant, confirming its identity.
He noticed a globe in the photo and realized it strongly resembled the one in Wu Sansheng's room. Wu Xie, Huo Xiuxiu, and Xie Yuchen promptly went to Wu Sansheng's house. There, they found the globe, which also had several holes. By shining light through the replica screen onto the globe, they aligned the holes, revealing several key locations, including the Paracel Islands, the Queen Mother's Palace, Tamutuo, Changbai Mountain's Cloud Top Palace, and, surprisingly, Banai.
This confirmed that these locations were directly related to the information Master Buddha had deciphered from the Yellow Silk. Xie Yuchen immediately decided to return to Guangxi with Wu Xie. Wu Xie attempted to call Fatty, but his phone was unreachable. He then called Uncle Gui, who confirmed the heavy rain in the mountains and that Zhang Qiling and Fatty had refused to leave the lake.
Feeling a deep sense of unease, Wu Xie resolved to rush back to Banai that very night and asked Mop to book flight tickets. Just as Xie Yuchen was preparing to leave with Wu Xie, Hei Yan Jing called, insisting on an urgent, face-to-face meeting in Changsha the following day. This compelled Xie Yuchen to delay his departure, while Wu Xie proceeded to Banai alone.
Concurrently, in Cox Hendry's office, a woman reported that Zhang Qiling and Fatty had not resurfaced from the lake, and their diving equipment had arrived in Banai. Cox Hendry implied his rivals might have found something before him. Hei Yan Jing eventually met Xie Yuchen, revealing his true purpose: he had been hired by Master Wu Er to prevent Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu from accompanying Wu Xie to Guangxi, instead wanting them to wander around irrelevant places.
Hei Yan Jing further explained that Master Wu Er had long suspected the identity of Wu Sansheng since his return from the Xisha underwater tomb. The returned Wu Sansheng, unlike the real one, could drink alcohol without consequence, though he perfectly mimicked the real Wu Sansheng's mannerisms and even knew childhood secrets only the brothers shared.
Master Wu Er had concluded that the current Wu Sansheng and Xie Lian Huan were collaborating and had chosen to play along, even helping them conceal certain matters. Hei Yan Jing characterized Master Wu Er's actions as a way to protect his family. Despite Master Wu Er's instructions, Xie Yuchen, having learned the full story and providing payment, convinced Hei Yan Jing to accompany him to Guangxi.
Back in the village, Wu Xie was frantic with worry as Zhang Qiling and Fatty remained unaccounted for after days of continuous rain. Uncle Gui reiterated the dangers of mudslides in the mountains and urged Wu Xie to wait until the rain stopped. Yun Cai attempted to persuade Uncle Panma, a seasoned local, to guide Wu Xie into the mountains, emphasizing the dire situation of Wu Xie's friends.
However, Uncle Panma steadfastly refused, citing the extreme danger and the need to wait for safer conditions. Frustrated by Uncle Panma's stubbornness, Wu Xie formulated a new plan, requesting old work overalls and a female wig. Meanwhile, Hei Yan Jing, in a car with Xie Yuchen, attempted to lead him astray by circling a canola field, claiming it held an important clue related to the Yellow Silk that Master Buddha had painstakingly discovered.
Xie Yuchen, seeing through the ruse, confronted Hei Yan Jing, who then admitted his true purpose was to divert them from going with Wu Xie, as instructed by Master Wu Er. Xie Yuchen then presented Hei Yan Jing with a map marked with red dots, asking for their meaning. Hei Yan Jing revealed that these points, marked in the Yellow Silk, all fundamentally represented the same thing: the Zhang family's ancient buildings. He confessed he did not know what secrets the buildings held, as even Master Buddha had spent a lifetime trying to uncover them.
