Word of Honor Episode 12 Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
Wen Ke Xing stood by the lake, contemplating Zhou Zi Shu's heartfelt words. Soon after, Zhou Zi Shu found Wen Ke Xing, who playfully congratulated him on taking Zhang Cheng Ling as a disciple. Wen Ke Xing expressed surprise at Zhou Zi Shu's decision, given Cheng Ling's lack of martial arts talent and advanced age for starting.
Zhou Zi Shu explained that his master had taught him that humanity values two qualities: benevolence and the "solitary bravery"—doing what is right despite knowing the challenges and trusting people despite their unpredictable nature. Zhou Zi Shu admitted that it was difficult for them, at their age, to open their hearts. He had chosen to take a leap of faith, gambling that Wen Ke Xing was truly the person he had come to know.
Wen Ke Xing was visibly moved by this declaration. Meanwhile, Cao Weining, worried about Gu Xiang after hearing about the assassins at Yueyang Sect and Cheng Ling's kidnapping, had visited her courtyard the previous night, only to find her absent. Early the next morning, he sought her out and noticed her pale complexion, deducing she had been involved in Cheng Ling's rescue.
Gu Xiang, however, quickly brushed off his concerns with vague excuses and urged him to leave before anyone saw them together, muttering to herself about the foolishness of the people she'd met since leaving the valley, including Zhou Xu, Cheng Ling, and Cao Weining. Zhou Zi Shu woke Zhang Cheng Ling, planning to take him to a safe place to remove the Glazed Armor embedded in his body, as the prolonged presence of a foreign object could be harmful.
Zhou Zi Shu suggested they dispose of it, but Cheng Ling was adamant about attending the Heroes Conference to uncover the truth behind the Glazed Armor, as his family had been annihilated because of it. Wen Ke Xing offered to explain its history. He revealed that twenty years ago, an obscure yet formidable martial artist named Rong Xuan, also known as the Death Sword, emerged.
Rong Xuan held a radical theory: all martial arts shared a common origin, and if practitioners could shed their selfish desires and share their knowledge, they could forge an unparalleled martial art. This vision captivated a group of ambitious individuals, including Zhao Jing, Lu Tai Chong, Gao Chong, Zhang Yu Sen, and Shen Shen.
The martial world of that era was vibrant and full of genuine camaraderie, and these six friends rallied around Rong Xuan's ambitious quest to transform traditional martial arts. However, Rong Xuan soon became consumed by his dream, resorting to "trickery or violence, or even by deception" to amass secret martial arts manuals, transforming from a respected young master into a figure reviled throughout the martial world.
Fortunately, his wife, Yue Feng Er, the Fairy Ganoderma and a senior disciple from Healer Valley, repeatedly saved him from near-fatal injuries. Over several years, Rong Xuan and his five friends managed to collect countless martial arts secrets, which they stored in a hidden treasury known as the World's Armory. They fortified the armory with intricate traps and divided its key into five pieces, each entrusted to one of Rong Xuan's five closest friends, among whom was Zhang Yu Sen.
Wen Ke Xing continued, explaining that the chief of the Five Lakes Alliance eventually called a grand martial arts conference, rallying all heroes to collectively hunt down and kill Rong Xuan. Cornered and with no escape, Rong Xuan fought ferociously, killing many before ultimately committing suicide outside Mount Qingya, near the Ghost Valley's boundary stone. Following his death, the entire Ghost Valley erupted, engaging in a cataclysmic battle with the righteous sects outside Mount Qingya.
Both sides suffered immense casualties, nearly decimating the martial world's established sects and severely weakening the Ghost Valley. Despite the devastation, this conflict ironically ushered in twenty years of relative peace in the jianghu. Wen Ke Xing mused that had the World's Armory been opened twenty years prior, perhaps the tragic fate of the Mirror Lake Sword Sect would have been avoided. Hearing this, Zhang Cheng Ling realized his father, Zhang Yu Sen, was one of Rong Xuan's five friends.
After careful consideration, Cheng Ling resolved to return to Yueyang Sect to attend the Heroes Conference, determined to prevent the Mirror Lake Sword Sect from vanishing from jianghu history. Zhou Zi Shu supported his decision but urged him to return the Glazed Armor to the Five Lakes Alliance. Cheng Ling initially refused, arguing his father had died protecting it. Zhou Zi Shu patiently explained that his father's true commitment was to brotherhood, not the armory itself.
He pointed out that greed fueled the pursuit of the armory, and even if one amassed all martial arts, they could not master them all. Zhou Zi Shu implored Cheng Ling to live his own life, free from the entanglements of the past, believing that his father and Rong Xuan would have wished for his safety over any involvement in the ongoing conflict.
Meanwhile, Gao Chong gathered all guests who had stayed overnight at Yueyang Sect, suspecting an insider had aided the assassins who kidnapped Cheng Ling. Gu Xiang was among them, and Gao Chong pressed her for her identity and whereabouts. Gu Xiang attempted to evade his questions, claiming to be a simple country girl who admired the Five Lakes Alliance's prestige.
Gao Xiaolian stepped forward to vouch for Gu Xiang, revealing her as Cao Weining's friend and an old acquaintance of Cheng Ling. Gu Xiang internally criticized Gao Xiaolian's naivety. Gao Chong, however, remained suspicious, accusing Gu Xiang of being "glib-tongued and wicked" and not a respectable woman, demanding to know her movements from the previous night.
Just as Gao Chong intensified his interrogation, Cao Weining arrived and provided Gu Xiang with an alibi, claiming she had been with him all night. Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zi Shu escorted Zhang Cheng Ling to the entrance of Yueyang Sect, giving him final instructions: make it known that he no longer possessed the Glazed Armor, and avoid engaging with the cunning leaders of the Five Lakes Alliance by remaining silent.
After the Heroes Conference, they promised to take him away. Cheng Ling, with a mix of sadness and determination, bid them farewell and walked into the sect. He was immediately taken to Gao Chong, where he dramatically cut open a scar on his abdomen to publicly present the Glazed Armor. Later, Gao Xiaolian visited Zhang Cheng Ling, expressing profound relief and gratitude.
She thanked him on behalf of her father for his trust and understanding, which she believed was crucial for mending the strained relationships among the five brothers and restoring the Five Lakes Alliance's honor. Gao Xiaolian also confessed that she wished for Cheng Ling to be her brother so she could always protect him, acknowledging that their proposed marriage was a strategic move for her father to demonstrate his resolve to the martial world.
She hoped their generation could finally put an end to the previous generation's grudges. After Gao Xiaolian departed, Gu Xiang arrived, dismissively calling Gao Xiaolian "dumb." Gu Xiang expressed happiness for Cheng Ling becoming Zhou Zi Shu's disciple. Cheng Ling, in turn, offered Gu Xiang the tonics sent by Gao Chong, thanking her for protecting him during the kidnapping attempt. Gu Xiang reassured him that her injuries were minor and she was recovering.
Inside Yueyang Sect, Gao Chong was perplexed, wondering who had rescued Zhang Cheng Ling and why they chose to remain anonymous. He believed that whoever it was, they were not enemies, given Cheng Ling's safe return with the Glazed Armor. He then discussed with Shen Shen the recovery of the remaining two Glazed Armor pieces from Ghost Valley and demanded Shen Shen's piece for safekeeping. Shen Shen reluctantly complied.
Soon after, Zhao Jing arrived, announcing his success in persuading Longyuan Cabinet to send a representative to the Heroes Conference to clarify the Glazed Armor's origins, a piece of news that greatly pleased Gao Chong. Shen Shen then recounted his unsuccessful attempts to summon the Sword Immortal of Changming Mountain using the Shan He Token, suggesting that the immortal was likely long dead, as there was no sign of life on the mountain.
Gao Chong dismissed Shen Shen's explanation and proudly showed Zhang Cheng Ling's Glazed Armor to Zhao Jing, who expressed his delight. Meanwhile, Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing journeyed to the Scorpion's branch fort, only to find it completely destroyed. Wen Ke Xing feigned surprise, but in an internal monologue, revealed that he had long been aware of Changing Ghost's secret collusion with the Scorpion and had orchestrated the fort's destruction.
They then returned to Yueyang City, settling down at a tavern to drink. Gu Xiang soon appeared to report back to Wen Ke Xing. Wen Ke Xing instructed her to leave Yueyang Sect, but she insisted on staying to continue protecting Zhang Cheng Ling. Just then, Cao Weining arrived, having followed Gu Xiang after learning she was meeting someone. Wen Ke Xing chided Gu Xiang for her lack of awareness.
Cao Weining, ever concerned for Zhou Zi Shu's health, offered to arrange a meeting with his master's uncle, who knew many skilled physicians, believing they could cure Zhou Zi Shu's severe illness. Zhou Zi Shu politely declined, admitting he was terminally ill and preferred to spend his remaining days "traveling around the world with a jug of wine" alongside Wen Ke Xing, living freely without regrets.
Zhou Zi Shu then subtly suggested that Gu Xiang, as a young woman, might find it inconvenient to travel with "two tough guys" like themselves, hinting that they were looking to find a "trustworthy partner" to settle her properly. Overjoyed and taking the hint, Cao Weining immediately proposed marriage to Gu Xiang.
