Ultimate Note Episode 9 Recap
> Ultimate Note Recap
After escaping from a giant python, Wu Xie and his companions found themselves in a difficult situation with diminishing supplies and Zhang's Black Golden Ancient Sword missing. While discussing their next steps, including going back to retrieve lost equipment by following the python's trail, A Ning knelt by the water to wash her hands. Wu Xie, realizing a tiger keelback was silently approaching her, desperately shouted a warning.
However, it was too late; the snake swiftly bit her, and she quickly succumbed to the venom. The group was in shock. Despite Pan Zi's questioning, Wu Xie was resolute. He placed his belt and a Dangshi Copper Coin on A Ning's body and began to carry her, determined to take her to the Palace of the Heavenly Queen Mother, the destination she had died seeking.
As they continued their journey, Wu Xie's group began to run low on food and water. Wu Xie kept his promise, carrying A Ning all the way to the ruins of the Palace of the Heavenly Queen Mother. The group was awestruck by the massive, ancient structure, now mostly submerged underwater, which Wu Xie theorized sank after its drainage system failed when the Queen Mother's kingdom collapsed.
With night falling, they decided to set up camp nearby and devise a plan for entry the next day. Meanwhile, Hei Yan Jing and Xie Yuchen, also low on provisions and trying to rendezvous with Wu San Xing, encountered a dense, poisonous miasma. Hei Yan Jing swiftly pulled Xie Yuchen into the deeper parts of the rainforest to escape. Despite their efforts, Hei Yan Jing stumbled and fell into a deep pit filled with snake corpses.
As a more potent form of miasma, known as the Miasma Mother, approached, Xie Yuchen desperately tried to pull Hei Yan Jing out. Hei Yan Jing, believing they were doomed, urged Xie Yuchen to cut the rope and abandon him, but Xie Yuchen refused. After a tense struggle, he managed to pull Hei Yan Jing to safety.
Later that night, back at Wu Xie's camp, Wu Xie awoke to find A Ning's sleeping bag unzipped and human footprints on the ground. He roused his companions, and Zhang immediately set off in pursuit of the mysterious figure. Shortly after, Fatty and Pan Zi discovered that A Ning's body was missing, likely taken by tiger keelbacks.
Enraged, Wu Xie attempted to follow them, but Fatty and Pan Zi restrained him, emphasizing the overwhelming danger posed by hundreds of snakes and the necessity of waiting for Zhang's return. They reflected on the harsh realities of their profession, accepting A Ning's grim fate, and decided to move to a safer location. Zhang, having followed the mysterious figure, found that it was a masked woman.
She confirmed that everything was proceeding according to plan and reiterated that Wu Xie must enter the Palace of the Heavenly Queen Mother. She also warned Zhang to be vigilant against an unknown entity hiding among their team. Concerned for Wu Xie and his friends' lack of experience, Zhang decided to discreetly follow and protect them, choosing a longer, safer route for himself, anticipating that Wu Xie's group would take a more direct but perilous shortcut.
Back with Wu Xie, Fatty, and Pan Zi, they sent a signal flare hoping to contact Wu San Xing. After a period of anxious waiting, a red smoke signal appeared in the distance, indicating that Wu San Xing's group was in grave danger. Elsewhere, Hei Yan Jing and Xie Yuchen also spotted the red smoke and immediately headed towards it, understanding it as a distress signal from Wu San Xing.
They arrived just in time to help Wu San Xing's group, who were surrounded by a large number of tiger keelbacks. After the harrowing escape, the combined group continued their journey. Wu San Xing's men complained about the difficult conditions and lack of proper food. They noticed the tiger keelbacks had mysteriously disappeared, which heightened their suspicion that a more formidable danger lurked nearby. They soon encountered ancient stone statues that appeared to move on their own.
Xie Yuchen bravely volunteered to descend into a newly discovered deep hole to investigate further, carefully tying himself to a rope. Meanwhile, Zhang discovered a note and some food left for him by Wu Xie, which indicated that Wu Xie's group had gone ahead to look for Wu San Xing. Concerned about their safety, Zhang immediately set off to catch up.
After narrowly escaping an encounter with venomous moths, Wu Xie, Fatty, and Pan Zi stumbled into what they identified as an ancient sacrificial altar within the Palace of the Heavenly Queen Mother. They examined murals depicting ancient rituals of offering living humans and animals to the Heavenly Queen Mother. As they observed the ancient carvings, they realized the altar was a deadly trap, and the walls began to shift, threatening to crush them inside.
