Word of Honor Episode 31 Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
Changing Ghost and Black Grim Reaper reported to Scorpion King about the recent battle at the Gentle Wind Sword Sect, detailing 47 losses and 3 injuries. Scorpion King, acknowledging their efforts, instructed Liu Qianqiao to distribute their monthly antidotes. Lovelace Ghost then presented Cao Weining and Gu Xiang to Scorpion King, who noticed Gu Xiang was upset about her antidote.
Scorpion King, referring to Gu Xiang as "Amethyst Fiend," ordered Liu Qianqiao to untie her, stating his intention to have a private conversation with her. Meanwhile, at the Gentle Wind Sword Sect, Fan Huai Kong confronted Mo Huai Yang about their sect's principles and the apparent alliance with questionable figures. Mo Huai Yang defended his actions, explaining that his alliance was with Zhao Jing, the Five Lakes Alliance Chief, not directly with evil cults.
He clarified that Zhao Jing was the one colluding with Scorpion King and the Ghost Valley. Mo Huai Yang revealed that he had not given the real Glazed Armor to Zhao Jing and that their cooperation was merely a pretense. He argued that his primary goal was to preserve the Gentle Wind Sect's legacy, even if it meant sacrificing his own reputation.
He aimed to become the martial arts leader at the upcoming Heroes Conference and lead the charge against Ghost Valley. Realizing his misunderstanding, Fan Huai Kong apologized to Mo Huai Yang. Bi Xing Ming, Cheng Zi Chen, and other former Window of Heaven disciples bravely infiltrated Prince Jin's prison, successfully rescuing Zhou Zi Shu.
However, they were ambushed by Duan Peng Ju, who revealed he had intentionally allowed the prison break to discreetly eliminate Zhou Zi Shu and blame it on an escape attempt. Cheng Zi Chen bravely sacrificed himself to protect Zhou Zi Shu. Just as Duan Peng Ju prepared to deliver the killing blow, Wen Ke Xing dramatically descended, instructing Bi Xing Ming to lead the others to safety.
Duan Peng Ju, recognizing Wen Ke Xing as the Ghost Valley Chief, initially dismissed him as a lone opponent but was quickly overwhelmed when Wen Ke Xing summoned a multitude of Ghost Valley's phantoms. Terrified, Duan Peng Ju and his men fled. Wen Ke Xing then gathered the former Window of Heaven disciples, explaining that Han Ying, before his death, had entrusted them to him with the hope that they would join Four Seasons Manor.
Wen Ke Xing then led them in kneeling before Zhou Zi Shu, formally acknowledging him as their lord. Overcome with emotion, Zhou Zi Shu accepted. They brought Zhou Zi Shu to Jing Bei Yuan and the Grand Wizard's residence. Seeing Zhou Zi Shu's severe injuries, Gu Xiang expressed her anger and vowed revenge on Prince Jin. Wen Ke Xing anxiously awaited the Grand Wizard's assessment.
The Grand Wizard confirmed that while Zhou Zi Shu's Nails of Seven Torments were challenging, they were not insurmountable. Wen Ke Xing gratefully promised to repay their kindness. Jing Bei Yuan remarked on his long-standing friendship with Zhou Zi Shu, a fact that surprised Wen Ke Xing. Zhou Zi Shu suggested that the formal master-disciple ceremony for the new disciples should wait until Zhang Cheng Ling returned.
Later, Wen Ke Xing asked Zhou Zi Shu why he wasn't surprised by his arrival, to which Zhou Zi Shu replied that he always knew Wen Ke Xing would come for him. At Jing Bei Yuan's home, Jing Bei Yuan and the Grand Wizard questioned Gu Xiang and Cao Weining about their elopement. Gu Xiang proudly explained that Cao Weining chose her over the rigid rules of the martial world.
Cao Weining recounted how he was deeply troubled by his master Mo Huai Yang's alliance with Zhao Jing and the defection of some Ghost Valley figures to Zhao Jing's side, which his "Uncle Master" (Fan Huai Kong) only vaguely explained as "far-reaching plans." Disillusioned, Cao Weining decided to abandon the martial arts world and elope with Gu Xiang for a simple life, a proposal Gu Xiang joyfully accepted.
However, when pressed about how they reunited with Wen Ke Xing, Gu Xiang hesitated, and Cao Weining revealed that Wen Ke Xing had explicitly forbidden her from discussing his secret agreement with Scorpion King. Later, Gu Xiang confronted Wen Ke Xing, urging him not to return to Ghost Valley. She expressed her deep concern, having witnessed Scorpion King controlling other ghosts with secret medicine, and feared Wen Ke Xing was "asking a tiger for its skin."
Wen Ke Xing dismissed her fears, assuring her he would return quickly after relinquishing his position as Chief and settling matters with Luo Fu Meng. He reiterated that he had a plan and would not be outsmarted by Scorpion King, implying he was the true manipulator. He specifically instructed Gu Xiang not to reveal any details of his agreement with Scorpion King to Zhou Zi Shu. Meanwhile, at Mount Dagu Sect, Zhang Cheng Ling trained relentlessly.
Shen Shen received a letter from the Five Lakes Alliance, confirming an "Exorcism Assembly" at White Deer Town, located near Mount Qingya, the burial site of Ghost Valley's first chief. The assembly's goal was to annihilate Ghost Valley. Knowing Wen Ke Xing would be there, Shen Shen asked Zhang Cheng Ling for his opinion on whether they should attend. Returning to Ghost Valley, Wen Ke Xing found Scorpion King seated on the Chief's throne.
Wen Ke Xing, undeterred, mockingly offered him the position, which Scorpion King humbly declined. A frightened maidservant's reaction prompted Wen Ke Xing to muse that even the fiercest ghosts yearn to become human once they find a path back to the mortal world. Luo Fu Meng, having taken "Drunk-Like-a-Dream" to counteract the "Water of Lethe," regained all her memories.
She tearfully acknowledged Wen Ke Xing's childhood name, "Ah Xing," and expressed deep regret for not saving his parents, who had shown her great kindness in Healer Valley, and for failing to care for him properly. Wen Ke Xing then confided his true intentions. He admitted that his eight years as Ghost Valley Chief, living in constant paranoia and plotting revenge, brought him no peace, even after eliminating his parents' direct murderers.
He realized his true torment stemmed from his own role in their demise. This led him to meticulously engineer a grand scheme to eradicate all the "filthiness" in the world and the hypocritical "righteous" martial artists he viewed as "greedy ghosts in human skin." He confessed he had no Glazed Armor; he had secretly killed Hanged Ghost and fabricated the theft as a pretext to reignite a massive conflict, aiming for mutual destruction, including his own.
However, meeting Zhou Zi Shu had fundamentally changed him, teaching him that hatred, like greed, merely imprisons oneself, and that his survival was meant for a life beyond vengeance. He revealed he had struck a mutually beneficial deal with Scorpion King. Wen Ke Xing urged Luo Fu Meng to take Liu Qianqiao and the other women of the Department of the Unfaithful, whose poisons Scorpion King would remove, and return to the human world. Luo Fu Meng, though acknowledging his path, firmly declared her own choice to remain in the Ghost Valley and endure her suffering forever.
