Word of Honor Episode 11 Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
Inside Ghost Valley, Tragicomic Ghost confronted Wen Ke Xing, demanding to know why he was acting so erratically, especially after mercilessly killing the White Grim Reaper and ordering her girls to spread the nursery rhyme about the Ghosts on Mount Qingya. Wen Ke Xing, however, remained unmoved, stating his madness was his natural state and that his unpredictability likely made them more fearful. He warned her not to mistake his tolerance for weakness and dismissed her.
Beauty Ghost Liu Qianqiao knelt, pleading for Tragicomic Ghost, suggesting her master was upset out of concern. Wen Ke Xing insisted on speaking with Liu Qianqiao alone, sending Tragicomic Ghost away. Liu Qianqiao apologized for Tragicomic Ghost’s rudeness, assuring Wen Ke Xing that she believed his actions had deeper meanings and they only needed to follow. Wen Ke Xing scoffed at the idea of deeper meanings, claiming he simply felt like killing.
Liu Qianqiao, however, surmised that Wen Ke Xing killed White Grim Reaper as a warning to Changing Ghost, who had been restless and plotting. Wen Ke Xing sternly asked if she knew the fate of those who tried to guess their master's intentions, but accepted her loyal explanation. He then assigned her a new task, first inquiring if her transformation skills came from Four Seasons Manor. Liu Qianqiao confirmed this but stated she had never visited the manor.
She explained that as a child, she met a martial arts master, Qin Huai Zhang, who, pitying her disfigured face, taught her the skill. Wen Ke Xing mused about the beauty of Four Seasons Manor and asked why she hadn't visited. Liu Qianqiao declared that having entered the ghost path, she no longer yearned for worldly splendor, wishing only to serve Ghost Valley and its chief.
Wen Ke Xing then darkly added that they were indeed ghosts, and ghosts disappear in the light. Meanwhile, Zhou Zi Shu, haunted by his past and the recent tragedies, drowned his sorrows in wine outside Yueyang Sect. He lamented his fate, wondering why he had struggled so hard to leave the Window of Heaven only to end up alone and aimless.
Despite his desire to leave this chaotic world, his concern for Zhang Cheng Ling kept him lingering near the sect’s gates. Zhang Cheng Ling, still inside Yueyang Sect, discovered a note signed "Xu," instructing him to meet at the northern garden at midnight. Believing it was from Zhou Zi Shu, he tried to sneak out, but was intercepted by a senior disciple. Zhang Cheng Ling feigned hunger to escape, but the disciple refused to let him leave.
Just as the situation escalated, Gu Xiang arrived, dispatching the obstructing disciple. Zhang Cheng Ling excitedly asked about Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing, thinking Gu Xiang was sent by them. Gu Xiang was confused, but realizing Zhang Cheng Ling was lured out, she accompanied him. They quickly fell into a trap set by Pretty Arhat and Evil Bodhisattva, two assassins from the Scorpion organization, with Phantom Musician Qin Song providing a magic sound diversion.
Gu Xiang valiantly fought Pretty Arhat, urging Zhang Cheng Ling to flee, but Qin Song's magic sound incapacitated her and the Yueyang disciples, allowing Pretty Arhat to abduct Zhang Cheng Ling. Zhou Zi Shu, witnessing Zhang Cheng Ling's abduction, immediately gave chase. Pretty Arhat and Evil Bodhisattva viciously tortured Zhang Cheng Ling, demanding the whereabouts of the Glazed Armor.
Zhang Cheng Ling defiantly refused, declaring he'd rather die than betray his father's legacy, even spitting blood in Pretty Arhat's face during her brutal water torture. While they debated their next course of action, Wen Ke Xing caught Qin Song, who was separated from his companions. Wen Ke Xing brutally broke Qin Song's fingers, one by one, threatening to crush every bone in his body until he revealed Zhang Cheng Ling's location.
Zhou Zi Shu burst in, rescuing Zhang Cheng Ling. Jiang Laoguai soon arrived, joining Pretty Arhat and Evil Bodhisattva in a fierce three-on-one battle against Zhou Zi Shu. Already weakened by his internal injuries, Zhou Zi Shu realized he couldn't prolong the fight. He decisively used a hidden weapon, killing Jiang Laoguai. As Pretty Arhat and Evil Bodhisattva moved to capture the heavily injured Zhou Zi Shu, Wen Ke Xing arrived, dragging the mangled Qin Song.
Terrified, the remaining two assassins fled. Enraged that Zhou Zi Shu was hurt, Wen Ke Xing wanted to pursue them, but Zhou Zi Shu insisted they prioritize Zhang Cheng Ling's safety and escape. As they tried to flee, Scorpion King, accompanied by Pretty Arhat, Evil Bodhisattva, and a horde of Drug Men, intercepted them. Pretty Arhat hastily reported Jiang Laoguai's death and Qin Song's severe injuries, enraging Scorpion King, who vowed to kill all three of them.
Scorpion King then engaged them in a conversation, asking Zhou Zi Shu about his "fast friend" Wen Ke Xing and proposing a wager where the loser would reveal their true identity. Wen Ke Xing found the Scorpion King even more talkative than Zhou Zi Shu.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Zhou Zi Shu deployed a smoke bomb, allowing him, Wen Ke Xing, and Zhang Cheng Ling to escape the furious Scorpion King, who wondered how the "leader of the Window of Heaven" and the "leader of the ghosts" had come together. Meanwhile, at Yueyang Sect, Gao Chong, upon learning of Zhang Cheng Ling's abduction by the Four Assassins of Scorpion, inferred they were after the Glazed Armor.
He convened his disciples overnight, reassuring himself that Zhang Cheng Ling's life should be safe as long as he didn't reveal the armor's location. Safe with Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing, Zhang Cheng Ling finally broke down, pouring out his frustrations. He confessed that despite his initial hopes, his "uncles" at the Five Lakes Alliance, especially Gao Chong, only cared about the Glazed Armor, not about his family's revenge or his personal well-being.
He revealed Gao Chong was more preoccupied with organizing the Heroes Conference than avenging the Mirror Lake Sect. Zhou Zi Shu asked what he truly desired. Zhang Cheng Ling declared his wish to learn martial arts from Zhou Zi Shu, avenge his father and brothers himself, and continue the Mirror Lake Sect's legacy. He recounted his father's dying words, "Never trust anyone," but affirmed his complete trust in Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing.
He then offered the Glazed Armor, which his father had surgically hidden inside his body. Zhou Zi Shu, however, told him to keep it for now. Wen Ke Xing marveled at Zhang Yu Sen’s foresight in hiding the armor this way, realizing he must have already distrusted his sworn brothers.
Zhang Cheng Ling then revealed that his father had given him a letter to deliver to the Changming Mountain Sword Immortal, which he had discreetly hidden under a Buddha statue in an abandoned temple. He had memorized its contents: the Five Lakes Alliance brothers – Gao Chong, Zhao Jing, Lu Tai Chong, Zhang Yu Sen, and Shen Shen – were once close friends with Rong Xuan.
Their dispute over the Combined Six Cultivation Method led to a duel where Rong Xuan, though victorious, was poisoned by a substance on Gao Chong's sword, driving him mad. When Rong Xuan was subsequently hunted by the martial world, his sworn brothers stood by, doing nothing.
Zhang Yu Sen had intended to go to Mount Qingya to stand by Rong Xuan's side, but his own grandmaster broke his legs, confining him until it was too late, leaving him with lifelong regret. Both Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zi Shu listened intently, processing this shocking truth. At the Yueyang Sect, Gao Chong entered a hidden room, pouring out his heart to the memorial tablets of Zhang Yu Sen, Lu Tai Chong, and Rong Xuan.
He expressed deep regret over losing Zhang Cheng Ling and the failure of his two-decade-long quest for truth, which had only brought him more sorrow and news of death. He bitterly reflected on his friends' distrust and his own profound regret over ever knowing Rong Xuan. Back at their safe haven, Wen Ke Xing light-heartedly demanded wine from Zhou Zi Shu.
Observing their strained interactions, Zhang Cheng Ling innocently asked if they had quarreled and urged Wen Ke Xing to appease Zhou Zi Shu, describing his master as outwardly cold but inwardly soft. As Zhou Zi Shu's internal injuries flared up, Wen Ke Xing, without a word, immediately used his internal energy to help him heal.
Afterwards, Wen Ke Xing proudly spoke of his own unique ability to discern a person's true nature from their physique, recalling how he instantly knew Zhou Zi Shu, despite his disguised appearance, was a peerless master. He also boasted of his flawless judgment, recalling a time he identified a dead woman as a rare beauty just by her shoulder blades. Zhou Zi Shu, uncomfortable with the topic, cut him short.
Wen Ke Xing then jokingly claimed to be Philanthropist Wen, a kind, wealthy man surrounded by beauties. After careful consideration, Zhou Zi Shu decided to formally accept Zhang Cheng Ling as his disciple. He revealed his true identity: Zhou Zi Shu, the current and last leader of Four Seasons Manor. His beloved master, Qin Huai Zhang, was the previous leader.
Zhou Zi Shu explained that after his master's sudden death when he was sixteen, he was unable to maintain the Manor's prestige. In a moment of despair and misjudgment, he led his eighty-one fellow disciples to serve the Jin Military Governor, founding the Window of Heaven. He confessed that this decision turned them into "eagles and dogs of power," leading to their gradual demise until he was the only one left.
He confirmed that he was the former leader of the Window of Heaven, explaining why the Scorpions knew him and how he knew their bases. He clarified that he was no longer the leader and was merely a common man, acknowledging his past actions had forced him to do and kill things against his will. Zhou Zi Shu reflected that he had once desired to wander the world and die unremarked, but fate seemed to have other plans.
He then asked Zhang Cheng Ling if, knowing his true identity, he still wished to become his disciple. Zhang Cheng Ling, deeply moved, reaffirmed his unwavering desire to learn from Zhou Zi Shu. At Wen Ke Xing's urging, Zhang Cheng Ling knelt and formally accepted Zhou Zi Shu as his master. Zhou Zi Shu, accepting his new disciple, expressed his joy, declaring that with such a superb disciple, the heritage of Four Seasons Manor would continue.
