Word of Honor Episode 1 Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
Twenty years ago, the great evil Rong Xuan was vanquished in Mount Qingya by the Five Lakes Alliance and other heroes. Before his death, he left behind an armory said to grant its wielder invincible power overnight. To unlock this armory, one needed the mythical Glazed Armor. As a nursery rhyme about the armory began to spread, various factions started to covet this treasure, secretly searching for the Glazed Armor.
In the north, Prince Jin also grew ambitious, secretly cultivating the Window of Heaven, an organization of assassins and spies, to eliminate court officials and further his rebellious aims. The Military Governor, Officer Li, submitted a memorial to the court, accusing Prince Jin of treason. In response, Prince Jin ordered the Leader of the Window of Heaven, Zhou Zi Shu, to eliminate Officer Li and his entire family. Late that night, numerous Kongming lanterns floated over the Governor’s residence.
Guards shot one down, igniting a fierce fire, and three masked figures descended in the chaos, quickly killing all the guards. Officer Li's personal guard, a Swordsman in Green, tried to rescue him, fighting valiantly and attempting to escape across the rooftops. However, they were intercepted by a masked Zhou Zi Shu, who demanded Officer Li hand over a confidential letter. The Swordsman in Green refused, engaging Zhou Zi Shu in a fierce battle.
During their intense fight, the Swordsman managed to pull off Zhou Zi Shu's mask, revealing his identity. Officer Li, recognizing Zhou Zi Shu, pleaded with him to turn back from his misguided path and cease aiding evil. Zhou Zi Shu ignored his pleas, swiftly killing Officer Li and seizing the secret documents. Zhou Zi Shu then visited Princess Jing An, Officer Li’s daughter, who was the beloved of Zhou Zi Shu’s junior brother, Qin Jiu Xiao.
Zhou Zi Shu informed her that her father had been executed for conspiring with corrupt officials in an attempt to revolt. Princess Jing An was heartbroken, crying out that her father had always been loyal to the country. Zhou Zi Shu calmly acknowledged the pity of her father’s situation but insisted his actions warranted death.
Remembering her kindness in safely returning Qin Jiu Xiao’s remains to Four Seasons Manor, Zhou Zi Shu offered Princess Jing An a vial of poison, allowing her to take her own life with dignity rather than face humiliation. With tears in her eyes, Princess Jing An drank the poison. Zhou Zi Shu watched her die, holding a hairpin Qin Jiu Xiao had carved for her.
He recalled Qin Jiu Xiao's desire to retire and live with Princess Jing An, feeling a deep pang of regret for his actions and questioning how he could face his junior brother in the afterlife after killing his beloved. He lamented his fate as a cruel senior who gave a bottle of poison as a meeting gift to his junior brother's beloved. Upon returning, Zhou Zi Shu reported to Prince Jin.
He learned that Bi Chang Feng, a former member of Four Seasons Manor and now a guard of the Window of Heaven, had made a grave error during the mission against the Military Governor and insisted on leaving the Window of Heaven. Enraged, Prince Jin ordered Zhou Zi Shu to personally carry out Bi Chang Feng’s punishment. Zhou Zi Shu then went to the desolate Four Seasons Manor.
He reflected on the past ten years, remembering how 81 brothers had followed him to Jinzhou, but now only he and Bi Chang Feng remained, with even Jiu Xiao dead. Bi Chang Feng, who had faithfully followed Zhou Zi Shu for years, had grown disillusioned with Prince Jin’s true nature. He urged Zhou Zi Shu to stop being Prince Jin’s lackey, saying he would rather leave the Window of Heaven as a cripple than continue.
He pointed out that the persecution of their brothers and kin had made him question Prince Jin's intentions, saying he would rather endure a thousand cuts than continue serving. The rule for leaving the Window of Heaven was the Nails of Seven Torments, a horrific punishment where iron nails were driven into various parts of the body, causing the victim to gradually lose all five senses, become mute, and die a slow death of torment over three years.
Bi Chang Feng willingly accepted this fate. With a heavy heart, Zhou Zi Shu personally administered the seven nails to Bi Chang Feng. Despite the excruciating pain, Bi Chang Feng remained stoic. Zhou Zi Shu promised to care for Bi Chang Feng's family. Witnessing his loyal brother’s agonizing fate, coupled with the cumulative loss of all his Four Seasons Manor brethren, Zhou Zi Shu was overwhelmed with grief, spitting blood and falling gravely ill.
He forbid others from ever mentioning the title "Manor Lord" again. He also reflected on his life as the all-powerful Leader of the Window of Heaven, lamenting that he couldn't protect anyone he cared about. Prince Jin was displeased that Zhou Zi Shu had been in seclusion for over a year, recuperating from his injuries. He saw Zhou Zi Shu's grief over Qin Jiu Xiao as a weakness that made him unfit for great tasks.
Unknown to Prince Jin, Zhou Zi Shu had been preparing his own exit from the Window of Heaven for a year and a half. There were two methods for inflicting the Nails of Seven Torments. The first, administering all seven nails at once, resulted in a swift loss of all five senses and a three-year existence as a mute cripple before death.
However, by inserting one nail every three months, as Zhou Zi Shu had done, the nails would gradually integrate with the body, preserving half of one's martial arts and allowing the senses to fade slowly over three years, though this method comes at the cost of prolonged and agonizing pain. Summoned by Prince Jin, Zhou Zi Shu appeared before him, his face pale, and declared his intention to leave, asking for the seventh nail to be driven in.
He argued that his spirit was broken, his injuries unhealed, and he was no longer capable of serving Prince Jin. He reminded the Prince of his loyalty and hard work over the years, requesting that his wish be granted. Prince Jin was initially enraged, questioning why Zhou Zi Shu would choose such a painful exit instead of just dying. He desperately pleaded with Zhou Zi Shu to stay and help him conquer the land.
But Zhou Zi Shu, who had already embedded six nails into his body over time, only requested that Prince Jin administer the final nail. Infuriated by Zhou Zi Shu’s unwavering resolve to become a cripple rather than his trusted official, Prince Jin relented. He ordered Duan Peng Ju to administer the final nail to Zhou Zi Shu and appointed Duan Peng Ju as the new Leader of the Window of Heaven.
Prince Jin then vowed that within three years, he would ascend to the throne of the Central Plains, asserting that he was the chosen one and would succeed regardless of who helped him. Zhou Zi Shu rode away on horseback, seemingly leaving his past behind. After leaving the Window of Heaven, Zhou Zi Shu donned a specially made disguise and began wandering the martial arts world.
Meanwhile, in Ghost Valley on Mount Qingya, the Hanging Ghost, one of the Ten Devils, had stolen the Valley Chief’s Glazed Armor. Although pursued by other ghosts, he managed to escape by jumping off a cliff, but no body was found. The enraged Valley Chief ordered all three thousand ghosts of Mount Qingya to hunt down the traitor and dismember him. He promised that whoever recovered the Glazed Armor would be appointed as the head of the Ten Devils.
Three months later, Zhou Zi Shu arrived in Yue, a bustling city. Disguised as a weary, sun-drenched beggar, he rested by a bridge. From a nearby building, Gu Xiang and Wen Ke Xing observed him. Gu Xiang bet that Zhou Zi Shu was a beggar, while Wen Ke Xing believed he was merely enjoying the sun. Young Master Zhang Cheng Ling from Mirror Lake Manor, passing by, instructed his servant Xiao Wu to give Zhou Zi Shu some money.
Zhou Zi Shu politely refused the money. Intrigued, Gu Xiang decided to test him, offering him a flask of wine. Zhou Zi Shu accepted it, taking a deep drink and declaring that it was excellent wine, worth dying for even if poisoned. He thanked Gu Xiang, calling her a "kind lady," and affirmed that he only wanted wine, not money.
Skeptical and thinking he was merely trying to trick her out of more drink, Gu Xiang furiously attacked him with her whip. Zhou Zi Shu skillfully dodged her blows. Zhang Cheng Ling interrupted, reprimanding her for bullying a sick person and reminding her of a martial artist's virtues. Gu Xiang snapped back, threatening to cut out the boy’s tongue. Just as she attacked again, Wen Ke Xing intervened, stopping her.
