Word of Honor Episode 20 Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
Long Que, enlightened by Ye Bai Yi's words, finally understood that parents only withhold things from their children if those things cannot be given. He hoped his son, Long Xiao, would eventually grasp this profound truth. With his end near, Long Que instructed Zhou Zi Shu to retrieve two maps from the library in the bamboo building: one of Longyuan Valley and an armory tectonic chart, asking him to deliver the latter to Ye Bai Yi.
He also entrusted Zhou Zi Shu with two books containing the Longyuan Cabinet's unique skills, hoping he would find a successor. Zhou Zi Shu proposed Zhang Cheng Ling. Long Que was overjoyed, acknowledging Zhang Cheng Ling as Zhang Yu Sen's child and Qin Huai Zhang's grand-disciple. He envisioned Zhang Cheng Ling mastering the unique skills of three different sects, thus honoring their brotherhood.
Zhang Cheng Ling knelt and reverently addressed him as Master Long, promising to diligently study martial arts and revive the prestige of Four Seasons Manor and Longyuan Cabinet. With his wishes fulfilled, Long Que requested that the iron chains embedded in his body be cut. Wen Ke Xing urged him to reconsider, explaining that after being confined for so long, removing the chains would cause his meridians to rupture, putting his life at risk.
However, Long Que insisted he did not want to meet his deceased brothers in the afterlife still bound, fearing their ridicule. Despite his sorrow, Wen Ke Xing, at Long Que's repeated pleas, used the White Clothes Sword to sever the chains. This act severely depleted Long Que's life force, leaving him on the brink of death. Zhang Cheng Ling tearfully begged Master Long not to die.
Zhou Zi Shu held Wen Ke Xing close, urging him to reveal his true identity to Long Que. However, Wen Ke Xing lacked the courage to admit he was Zhen Yan, Zhen Ru Yu's son. Seeing Wen Ke Xing's reluctance, Zhou Zi Shu gently told Long Que that the Zhen family had successfully concealed their identities and were living peacefully.
He assured Long Que that their child had grown into a capable young man, proficient in martial arts, thanks to Qin Huai Zhang, who had helped them disguise themselves and accepted the child as his disciple and Zhou Zi Shu's junior. Greatly relieved and smiling, Long Que peacefully passed away. Overwhelmed with grief, Wen Ke Xing knelt beside Long Que, weeping profusely and thanking Zhou Zi Shu for his words.
Zhou Zi Shu then gently led Zhang Cheng Ling away, leaving Wen Ke Xing to his sorrow. Meanwhile, Gu Xiang meticulously cared for Cao Weining. Cao Weining, having learned about the Heroes Conference, felt he needed to return to the Gentle Wind Sword Sect. He suspected his master had left the conference early with the Glazed Armor and feared his sect was in danger. He asked Gu Xiang to accompany him, and she agreed.
While feigning concern for his injuries, she was secretly eager to investigate the Glazed Armor's whereabouts for her own master, telling herself that this was a mission he had given her. Elsewhere, Yu Qiu Feng, aware that Zhao Jing had deserted Luo Fu Meng (Tragicomic Ghost) and caused her transformation into a demon, sought to use this scandal to ruin Zhao Jing's reputation. Liu Qianqiao initially disagreed, arguing that society typically forgave men for such indiscretions.
Yu Qiu Feng countered that he intended to use the secret as leverage to force Zhao Jing to reveal the Glazed Armor's location. Furthermore, he offered to obtain the Yin Yang Book from the armory for Liu Qianqiao, claiming it could cure all ailments and "transform" her. Liu Qianqiao was visibly swayed by this offer.
Zhao Jing, now the Chief of the Five Lakes Alliance, leveraged the allegiance of the Sirius Fortress and the Striking Cloud Hall to expand his power. However, the disappearances of Gao Xiaolian and Zhang Cheng Ling remained a persistent worry. Under a guise of righteousness, Zhao Jing urged all sects to help search for them.
To consolidate his power before restarting the Heroes Conference, Zhao Jing ordered Scorpion King to eliminate Bai Qi Feng, the chief of the Fairy Ray Sect, and Long Xiao, as they both knew too much about the past. Scorpion King assured his adoptive father that he had sent people to search for the missing Long Xiao. Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zi Shu confronted Long Xiao, pressuring him to reveal the mastermind behind Gao Chong's framing.
Wen Ke Xing threatened to push him off a cliff, but Long Xiao defiantly refused to speak. Instead, he leaped into a cave, rang a bell, and summoned his Drug Men, who swarmed and consumed him. After his gruesome death, Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing decided to take Zhang Cheng Ling to the library. Soon after, Ye Bai Yi arrived at Yu Zhui's grave to pay his respects.
Scorpion King's men, hidden nearby, observed everyone's arrival in Longyuan Valley and hastily sent word back to their master. Gu Xiang visited Liu Qianqiao to bid farewell, advising her to leave the Mount Hua Sect with Luo Fu Meng, as Yu Qiu Feng was untrustworthy. Liu Qianqiao gave various excuses, explaining that Luo Fu Meng's mind was unstable due to "Soul-Dissociation" and the effects of the Water of Lethe.
She also expressed fear of the other Ten Ghosts, who constantly schemed against each other. Liu Qianqiao had sent her subordinates to leave marks for the Valley Chief, hoping he would contact them. She then advised Gu Xiang to cherish her time with Cao Weining, as moments with a loved one were the most precious. Later, Zhou Zi Shu proposed that he, Wen Ke Xing, and Zhang Cheng Ling return to Four Seasons Manor to restore its former glory.
Wen Ke Xing vehemently rejected this, stating he was unworthy to face the sect. The suggestion plunged him into a painful memory of the past: his father, Zhen Ru Yu, had his meridians severed by the chief of Healer Valley. The family, including his mother Miao Miao and himself as a boy named Zhen Yan, were hunted down until rescued by Qin Huai Zhang.
During that time, the young Zhen Yan befriended Zhou Zi Shu, and Qin Huai Zhang disguised the family, agreeing to take Zhen Yan as his disciple. Pulled back to the present, Wen Ke Xing's turmoil prompted Zhou Zi Shu to finally deduce his identity. He openly addressed him as "Zhen Yan," explaining how the character "衍" (Yan) could be split to form "客行" (Ke Xing).
He pressed Wen Ke Xing about why he now used the surname Wen, but Wen Ke Xing simply insisted his surname was Wen. When Zhou Zi Shu continued to inquire, a distraught Wen Ke Xing fled to a lake, leaving Zhou Zi Shu and Zhang Cheng Ling behind. Zhou Zi Shu told Zhang Cheng Ling to let him be, understanding that he needed space.
