Ultimate Note Episode 33 Recap
> Ultimate Note Recap
Zhang's group, including Fatty, cautiously navigated a dark mountain cave using their flashlights. However, an unseen "Sloping Shoulder" was watching them from the darkness. Zhang suggested taking a break to study the map, and they paused for thirty minutes, urging everyone to stay clear of the rock face due to the known presence of Mi Luo Tuo. Suddenly, numerous Mi Luo Tuo appeared, overwhelming them.
Despite their efforts to fend off the creatures with alkali, they realized the situation was dire. With quick thinking and seamless teamwork, Zhang and Fatty led the group in a swift retreat, narrowly escaping the attacking swarm. On Mount Four Ladies, Wu Xie's team successfully breached a section of the mountain wall, revealing a narrow passage ahead. The path was densely packed with clay pots, eerily similar to those found in Tamutuo.
Within recesses along the passage walls, they discovered scattered bamboo slips, which Xie Yuchen identified as a "cultural corridor" and the probable source of ancient texts once translated by Jin Wan Tang. Wu Xie observed that very few of the pots were broken, prompting him to wonder aloud how the skilled members of the Mystic Nine had managed to pass through such an intricate obstacle.
Hei Yan Jing, exhibiting his usual confident and playful demeanor, volunteered to "check out the situation" and scout ahead, dismissing Wu Xie's concerns about his debt. Although Xie Yuchen expressed concern, given the potential presence of corpse bug kings within the pots, Hei Yan Jing insisted on going alone. A team member then suggested they all go together, but the idea was dismissed.
Hei Yan Jing swiftly traversed the tunnel, reporting back that it was surprisingly shallow and easy to navigate. He playfully demanded a price from Wu Xie to guide him through, before abruptly falling silent. Concerned, Xie Yuchen, worried for Hei Yan Jing's safety, decided to go investigate himself. Xie Yuchen soon reported reaching the end of the passage but found no trace of Hei Yan Jing.
He then described encountering a colossal iron plate, resembling a cymbal, that was mysteriously spinning on its own. Moments later, Xie Yuchen's communication also ceased. Frantic, Wu Xie desperately called out for both Hei Yan Jing and Xiao Hua, before immediately broadcasting an alert via radio, requesting urgent assistance for their missing companions. Unwilling to remain idle, Wu Xie began to carefully traverse the cave wall.
As he moved, he spotted a shadowy figure on the cliff face ahead, moving erratically. Uncertain of its nature, but initially believing it might be Xiao Hua, Wu Xie cautiously attempted to communicate, proposing a non-aggression pact, but the figure remained silent. Upon reaching the massive iron plate that Xie Yuchen had described, Wu Xie knocked on its surface while calling out for Hei Yan Jing and Xiao Hua.
To his surprise, he heard a muffled response from beneath, leading him to believe his companions might be trapped under the rotating structure. Wu Xie, his voice now hoarse from shouting, struggled to pry open the heavy iron plate. Although he found nothing directly beneath it, a figure emerged from the shadowy depths, almost entirely covered in dense, dark hair-like substances. Wu Xie recognized the figure as Xie Yuchen after spotting Xie Yuchen's knife.
Xie Yuchen, despite his bizarre appearance, was able to speak. He immediately warned Wu Xie about the inherent danger of disturbing such mechanisms, explaining that the knocker clearly signaled a trap, and tampering with it could be fatal. Supporting each other, Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen slowly made their way back to the tunnel entrance.
Xie Yuchen explained that when he first entered, the iron plate had been open, and he had descended into a hidden space beneath it, believing Hei Yan Jing was there. However, he abruptly lost his voice before he could warn Wu Xie, forcing him to resurface and close the plate. Xie Yuchen reassured Wu Xie that Hei Yan Jing was safe, but revealed a perplexing message from him that ambiguously asked them both to "find me" and "don't find me."
Xie Yuchen then reasoned that if he could manage the situation below, Hei Yan Jing could too, and their current injured state would render them unhelpful anyway. Explaining his unusual appearance, Xie Yuchen clarified that the hair-like substances were hyphae, which had attached to him upon entering and became highly active when exposed to his blood, completely enveloping him.
He also mentioned discovering an iron suit, which had Hei Yan Jing’s name engraved on it, and was about to put it on when Wu Xie arrived. Xie Yuchen further warned that the air beneath the iron plate was hazardous and would require a ventilator. He then revealed a striking discovery: Wu Xie's blood possessed a unique property, causing the hyphae to recoil and not take root on his body.
Xie Yuchen attributed this to Wu Xie having consumed Qilin Blood, making his blood similar to Zhang's, which repels dangerous creatures. He concluded that Old Mrs Huo had made a remarkably insightful decision in assigning Wu Xie to their team. As Xie Yuchen continued to remove the remaining hyphae from Wu Xie’s minor wounds, he playfully chided Wu Xie for his low pain tolerance. Meanwhile, Zhang and Fatty's group arrived at a cliff with a rope bridge.
Lao Gao, consulting their map, assured them a passage lay behind a large wall on the opposite side. Faced with an ancient, unstable rope bridge, the group debated how to cross. Huo Xiuxiu proposed that each sub-team send one member, on the condition that the chosen person must be from the Huo family and obey her instructions. Fatty Huo, declaring himself suitable, readily volunteered. Despite Lao Gao's assurances about the rope's fire resistance, the crossing proved treacherous.
Midway across, they spotted a stone gate. Fatty inadvertently triggered a mechanism, causing the bridge to erupt in flames, severing their retreat. Simultaneously, Mi Luo Tuo emerged from the stone gate, quickly killing a team member named Jack. Trapped between the inferno and the attacking creatures, Fatty made a desperate leap, saved only by Zhang, who skillfully pulled his safety rope and secured him.
On the other side, Huo Xiuxiu's group battled an increasing number of Mi Luo Tuo, their alkali supplies rapidly dwindling. Just as their situation became dire, Zhang's group successfully crossed the chasm using ropes and joined them. Witnessing the peril, Huo Qi bravely sacrificed himself to cover Huo Xiuxiu's escape. Once everyone was safe, Fatty angrily confronted Lao Gao about his "lousy map."
He pointed out the map's critical flaw: it was two-dimensional, failing to accurately represent the mountain's three-dimensional structure. This meant the stone gate they had encountered earlier was not the true path, leading them into extreme danger. Fatty vehemently stated that had they blindly relied on Lao Gao's "reliable" claims, they would have perished multiple times over. Having found a new route, Zhang and Fatty's group continued their descent, arriving at a chilling and eerie section of Yang Jiao Mountain.
Zhang recognized a symbol on the wall—a circular shape enclosing a square, which he identified as an ancient copper coin, as well as a similar symbol of a square enclosing a circle. A brief argument arose when a member of the Huo family questioned Zhang about a "brother" who had fallen, leading to a quick clarification from Fatty that Zhang had saved him during earlier dangers.
Observing a spiral staircase ahead, Zhang noted its resemblance to the symbols they had just deciphered, interpreting it as the "spiral shape" on the map. Confident that the staircase would lead them to a chamber, possibly the "square" indicated on the map, they began their descent into the cold depths.
