Ultimate Note Episode 34 Recap
> Ultimate Note Recap
In a frigid underground chamber, large iron chains hung from a slowly rotating device, suspending sacrificial animals such as pigs and cattle upside down. Below, a massive metal plate lay on the ground, filled with strange grooves that were stained with dried blood. Its hollow sound indicated a hidden mechanism underneath, suggesting it could only be opened by a blood sacrifice.
Huo San, a Huo family member with Fatty's group, proposed they draw straws to decide who would provide the blood. However, Fatty vehemently refused, stating that a thick, dense fluid should suffice, and human blood wasn't necessary. Deciding against using their own blood, Fatty’s group opted for an alternative. They sprayed the large metal plate with alkali, then Fatty instructed his team to smash open a section of the mountain wall. This action successfully lured out a Mi Luo Tuo.
Working together, they subdued the creature onto the plate, drenching it with more alkali. As the mechanism engaged, the metal plate slowly opened, revealing a passage leading downwards. Below, they found themselves surrounded by solid rock walls, offering a welcome sense of relief that no strange creatures would emerge from within. Meanwhile, at Mount Four Ladies, Wu Xie’s team received photos from Banai.
Wu Xie examined them closely, noting a striking resemblance between the patterns on the metal plate in the photos and the one before them – they were identical. The photos depicted ancient scenes: a mythical beast called Hou, said to be the ancestor of Qilin and a dragon-eater, being hunted while bound. Other images showed figures without right hands fleeing and a group of people, clearly not Han Chinese, with long swords and distinct headwear, seemingly in ambush.
Wu Xie deduced that one group acted as bait while another hunted the Hou, concluding these images, though potentially misleading if viewed separately, likely depicted a coordinated ritual. Inspired, Wu Xie acquired two sheep and used their blood to seal and open the sacrificial plate at their location. This activated the mechanism, slowly revealing relief carvings on the surrounding walls, which were identical to the patterns seen in the photos.
This confirmed a connection between the two locations, suggesting a "Thousand-Li Lock." While resting in the passage beneath the opened metal plate, Fatty initiated a headcount, only to be alarmed when he counted eleven members, one more than he expected. He then remembered that during the earlier straw-drawing for blood, there were indeed eleven sticks. Suspecting a mole, he decided to test Zhang Qiling with a question only the true Zhang Qiling would know.
Confirmed that Zhang Qiling was real, Fatty turned his attention to Huo Xiuxiu, asking her about their first meeting. When she claimed it was in Tamutuo, Fatty immediately knew she was an impostor, as he had never seen her there. He then tore off her mask, revealing Huo Xiao Yao.
A flashback showed the real Huo Xiuxiu arguing with her Grandma Huo, who had tied her up to prevent her from joining the expedition to the Zhang family's Old Pavilion, asserting it was her fate, not Huo Xiuxiu's. Huo Xiao Yao, now unmasked, explained that Grandma Huo had forced her to impersonate Huo Xiuxiu. This confirmed that Huo Xiao Yao was not the extra person. Suddenly, someone pointed out another unfamiliar figure lurking in a corner—the person with "sloped shoulders."
Before anyone could react, the mysterious figure quickly vanished. Fatty, amused by Huo Xiao Yao's disguise, even admitted it was better than Xiao Hua's. The so-called "Thousand-Li Lock" was deceptively complex, involving using information from one location to unlock mechanisms in the other. Zhang Qiling cautioned that the Zhang family’s Thousand-Li Lock was far from simple.
The photo from Banai showed a metal plate with three holes, which they believed corresponded to three walls in their current location, likely signifying three distinct locks. They considered two methods for solving it: first, aligning their metal plate’s position with the one in Banai, which Zhang Qiling dismissed as unreliable given the absence of real-time communication in ancient times; and second, solving the puzzle from within the mechanism itself.
While trying to decipher the Thousand-Li Lock, Fatty's group discovered what appeared to be a door covered in horse dung, which Zhang Qiling identified as the true gate to the Zhang family’s structure. Huo Xiao Yao took a photo of this discovery and sent it to Wu Xie's team at Mount Four Ladies for their insights.
Wu Xie's team concluded that correctly rotating their iron plate would cause a section of their wall to change, revealing the next answer, which might correspond to the second method of solving the puzzle from within the mechanism itself. Armed with this new information, Wu Xie immediately set about cleaning the sacrificial plate they had at Mount Four Ladies, systematically washing away the old blood with water until the plate reset.
Fully armored, he descended into the mechanism with Xiao Hua. Inside, they found three iron chains, each extending into a separate tunnel and corresponding to one of the three walls, confirming their theory of three distinct mechanisms. The lowest chain, connected to a tunnel behind them, appeared to be the first mechanism. They also observed water wheels, indicating they provided power for the plate's rotation.
Xiao Hua noted that the many fragile pottery jars in their path were identical to those found in the sunken ship in Devil City, implying they contained something dangerous. He also pointed out the heavy stone slabs above, weighing thousands of pounds, which could crush them if they fell. The jars themselves were too thin to step on and seemed glued to the floor.
With no other option, Xiao Hua, known for his agility, carefully moved across the jars by lying on his back. As he painstakingly maneuvered, Wu Xie was horrified to see a tiger keelback slithering out of one of the jars. Before he could react, an unseen assailant, whose identity remained unknown, suddenly attacked Wu Xie.
