Word of Honor Episode 32 Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
After Jing Bei Yuan rescued Zhang Cheng Ling and returned him to Shen Shen and Gao Xiaolian, he assigned his disciple Ah Qin Lai to serve him. However, when Shen Shen revealed that Wen Ke Xing was the chief of Ghost Valley, Zhang Cheng Ling became deeply distraught, crying profusely. Overcome with a desire for revenge, he dedicated himself to relentless martial arts training, dismissing Gao Xiaolian's attempts to console him and even angrily sending Ah Qin Lai away.
Zhou Zi Shu's injuries had gradually healed. He hosted a banquet, gathering Grand Wizard, Jing Bei Yuan, Gu Xiang, and Cao Weining. During the feast, where Grand Wizard playfully restricted Zhou Zi Shu's drinking due to his recovery, Ah Qin Lai returned. He reported that Zhang Cheng Ling, having discovered Wen Ke Xing's true identity, was consumed by rage and had sent him away.
Realizing the depth of Zhang Cheng Ling's pain and the severity of the misunderstanding, Zhou Zi Shu declared his intention to go to Ghost Valley himself to mediate. Before he left, Grand Wizard, stressing the potential for severe injuries and the need for preparedness, presented Zhou Zi Shu with a potent elixir, capable of sustaining life for five days, suggesting it could also be for Wen Ke Xing, which Zhou Zi Shu accepted.
Zhou Zi Shu immediately rode towards Mount Qingya. Along the way, while at an inn, he overheard other patrons discussing a major event unfolding: the chief of the Ghost Valley was trapped in a siege, cornered on White Deer Cliff by the Five Lakes Alliance, and was about to be killed. Upon hearing this, Zhou Zi Shu's anxiety surged, and he hastened his pace, realizing Wen Ke Xing was in grave danger.
Upon reaching White Deer Cliff, Zhou Zi Shu found Wen Ke Xing severely wounded and surrounded by Zhao Jing's forces. Shen Shen had also arrived, bringing Zhang Cheng Ling with him. Zhao Jing urged Wen Ke Xing to surrender, promising him a whole body, but Wen Ke Xing defiantly refused.
Cornered and desperate, Wen Ke Xing brandished the key to the armory, declaring it could open the legendary vault without the Glazed Armor, and offered it to anyone brave enough to kill him. Scorpion mocked Wen Ke Xing's claim to fair play. Zhao Jing then proclaimed that Wen Ke Xing's death was destiny.
Shen Shen, seeing Wen Ke Xing, condemned him as a "devilish son" of the honorable Zhen Ru Yu, declaring his intent to "erase the shame" for his late brother. Wen Ke Xing, overcome, admitted his regret for harming the Zhang family, stating Zhang Yu Sen had done no wrong to his father, and offered to let Zhang Cheng Ling kill him for revenge, promising not to resist because he was tired.
Shen Shen, suspicious, tried to stop Zhang Cheng Ling, warning him not to trust the devil's words. Zhang Cheng Ling initially accused Wen Ke Xing of lying, but then seemed to have a realization, muttering that Wen Ke Xing hadn't lied to his master. At this critical moment, Zhou Zi Shu dramatically descended, shielding Wen Ke Xing.
When Zhao Jing warned him against aiding a demon, Zhou Zi Shu retorted fiercely, asking if they wished to fight him one by one or all at once. Just as the confrontation escalated, Ye Bai Yi appeared, swiftly engaging Wen Ke Xing in battle, fulfilling his vow to kill Wen Ke Xing if he ever saw him again in the martial arts world. Zhou Zi Shu tried to intervene but was held back by Impermanence Ghost and Lovelace Ghost.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Cheng Ling, amidst the chaos, hurled a hidden weapon, striking Wen Ke Xing and causing him to lose balance. Wen Ke Xing stumbled and plummeted from the cliff. Zhou Zi Shu, horrified, cried out "Lao Wen!" and lunged after him, but Ye Bai Yi intervened, snatching Zhou Zi Shu from the fall.
As Wen Ke Xing vanished below, Zhao Jing let out a triumphant laugh, and Scorpion immediately urged everyone to search for the armory key on Wen Ke Xing's body. Zhou Zi Shu awoke in Ping An Inn, initially believing the ordeal to be a dream. However, the innkeeper's nonchalant remarks, combined with the celebratory clamor of the townsfolk rejoicing over Wen Ke Xing's death and complaining he had received a "whole body" instead of being desecrated, shattered his illusion.
Overwhelmed by grief and fury, Zhou Zi Shu coughed up blood. Meanwhile, Zhao Jing hosted a celebratory banquet, showering praise on Ye Bai Yi for his pivotal role in their victory. Ye Bai Yi, however, diverted the credit to Scorpion, noting that it was Scorpion's cunning plan to lure Wen Ke Xing out of the heavily fortified Ghost Valley that made the victory possible. After briefly acknowledging the accolades, Ye Bai Yi, stating his dislike for crowds, departed.
Zhao Jing then publicly introduced Scorpion as his "most beloved son, Zhao Xie Er," to the assembly. This revelation, along with another martial artist inadvertently mentioning "the famous leader of the Scorpion" while toasting, cemented Scorpion's true identity to the attendees. Though Zhao Jing feigned humility, stating his goal was merely to uphold justice and vanquish evil rather than leadership, the attendees' fervent support for him as the new martial arts alliance leader was undeniable.
Fan Huai Kong, witnessing these developments, silently departed from the banquet. Gu Xiang and Cao Weining sought information about Wen Ke Xing and found Fan Huai Kong, Cao Weining's paternal uncle, who reprimanded Cao Weining for associating with Gu Xiang. Cao Weining, however, stood firm, declaring Gu Xiang his fiancée and vowing to protect her even at the cost of his own life. Gu Xiang, distraught, then directly asked Fan Huai Kong if Wen Ke Xing was truly dead.
Meanwhile, Zhou Zi Shu arrived at the Five Lakes Alliance. He saw Liu Qian Qiao burning paper money outside, a solemn ritual. Forcing his way inside, he found Wen Ke Xing's body. As Five Lakes Alliance disciples rushed to confront him, Zhou Zi Shu, determined to prevent any further desecration of Wen Ke Xing's remains, kicked a burning piece of firewood towards the body, igniting it in a protective blaze. Overwhelmed with pain, he departed.
Soon after, Gu Xiang and Cao Weining found Zhou Zi Shu. A grief-stricken Gu Xiang confronted him, desperately asking if he had saved her master as promised. Zhou Zi Shu, with a heavy heart, admitted his failure and explained he had set the body on fire. Gu Xiang, consumed by sorrow, fainted. Zhou Zi Shu then instructed Cao Weining to take Gu Xiang away to safety.
He advised them that if the Central Plains became too dangerous, they should return to South Xinjiang with Jing Bei Yuan and Zhou Zi Shu's eighteen new disciples, where Jing Bei Yuan would ensure their lasting peace. When Cao Weining inquired about Zhou Zi Shu's own plans, Zhou Zi Shu remained silent. Drowning in sorrow over the loss of his soulmate, Wen Ke Xing, Zhou Zi Shu retreated to the riverside where Wen Ke Xing had fallen.
He sat alone, drinking and reminiscing about their shared past, particularly recalling Wen Ke Xing's declaration of him as a "soulmate." In his grief, Zhou Zi Shu finally understood Wen Ke Xing's profound desire: to incinerate the corrupt human world and the ghost realm alike, to see those consumed by greed and hypocrisy suffer the consequences of their actions, and to burn the tainted world as a pyre for his murdered parents.
Though he had once deemed Wen Ke Xing's vengeful path too extreme, Zhou Zi Shu now fully comprehended his anguish. With this clarity, and a fierce resolve, Zhou Zi Shu made the perilous decision to remove the seven nails from his body, a procedure Grand Wizard had warned would cause internal meridians to rupture unless protected by a special elixir. Uttering, "The world is not important, but my soulmate is.
Since my soulmate is gone, what do I have to care about?" , he began the agonizing process, determined to fulfill Wen Ke Xing's unfinished legacy. Zhao Jing announced that the Heroes Conference would restart the following day, on "Insects Awaken," with the goal of completely eradicating Ghost Valley and electing a new martial arts alliance leader.
He began by toasting his "deceased brothers," invoking their spirits to bless the Five Lakes Alliance in selecting a virtuous leader to destroy Ghost Valley. He then toasted the assembled "brothers," encouraging them for the hard fight ahead against the well-defended Ghost Valley, and expressed his wish for their "safe return" to celebrate for days. While some attendees confidently dismissed the Ghost Valley as a negligible threat after its chief's death, others remained cautious.
Shen Shen then raised a toast to Zhao Jing, wishing him success in fulfilling "Big Brother's unfinished career." Zhang Cheng Ling also toasted "Uncle Zhao," expressing his hope that Zhao Jing would achieve his aspirations and that his deceased father and uncles would bless his quest for revenge. Scorpion, too, toasted his "godfather," openly wishing him to become the "supreme leader of the martial arts world."
Zhao Jing, while pretending modesty and claiming his motivation was solely for justice and demon elimination rather than leadership, inwardly beamed with satisfaction as the various martial artists lauded his accomplishments and acclaimed him as their next leader.
Drinking alone, Ye Bai Yi bitterly reflected on his deceased disciple, Chang Qing, whom he called an "idiot" for creating the Ghost Valley and its "Water of Lethe" with the misguided intention of offering redemption to evildoers, a path that ultimately led to his own demise after practicing the formidable Combined Six Cultivation Power. He chastised Chang Qing for attempting to shoulder the burdens of the world like a "Bodhisattva," only to be betrayed by fate.
Ye Bai Yi revealed that he had promised Chang Qing to destroy the Ghost Valley but had never dared to tell him that "our child" died outside Mount Qingya, and how Rong Xuan's death, and that of another young man, unexpectedly led to that young man's son, Wen Ke Xing, becoming the Ghost Valley chief – a cruel twist of fate. Meanwhile, Liu Qianqiao, cleverly disguised as Duan Peng Ju, confronted Zhao Jing.
She accused him of being a duplicitous figure, "playing both sides against the middle" as both the Five Lakes Alliance chief and the leader of Scorpion. Zhao Jing, caught off guard, attempted to downplay his involvement, claiming his multiple identities were strategic secrets and offering a selective explanation. However, Liu Qianqiao, in her disguise, condemned Scorpion's heinous acts of "hurting and pillaging everywhere," and "buying people to make Drug Men," declaring such actions anathema.
She severed any ties with Zhao Jing, warning that supporting such a figure would jeopardize the Window of Heaven, and vowed to treat him as an enemy in any future encounter. Zhao Jing, desperate to maintain his facade, denied being the Scorpion King, asserting Scorpion was merely his "ally" and "godchild" whose "evil deeds" he was unaware of, even feigning ignorance about "Drug Men."
After the confrontation, Liu Qianqiao relayed Zhao Jing's true intentions to Scorpion: he planned to restart the Heroes Conference, eradicate Ghost Valley, and then eliminate Scorpion to absorb his forces. Hearing this chilling confirmation of Zhao Jing's betrayal, Scorpion was left profoundly disheartened.
