Word of Honor Episode 36 (Ending) Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
Zhang Cheng Ling questioned why his master, Zhou Zi Shu, would not kill the wicked Prince Jin. Zhou Zi Shu explained that while he harbored deep personal grievances against Prince Jin, for the sake of the greater good, taking his life was not an option. Prince Jin commanded immense power in the Northwest, yet he was surrounded by ambitious opportunists.
If Zhou Zi Shu were to kill him, these factions would undoubtedly rise in revolt, plunging the entire land into widespread war and devastation. Instead, Zhou Zi Shu planned to severely injure Prince Jin, confining him to his sickbed. This would prevent any single contender from easily seizing power, thus creating a delicate balance among the vying forces and potentially securing a few years of peace for the people.
Jing Bei Yuan corroborated this strategy, adding that the Jin army's rebellion was inevitable, and simply replacing Prince Jin would only perpetuate the conflict. Zhang Cheng Ling, though initially struggling with the concept, eventually understood the profound sacrifice his master was contemplating. Zhou Zi Shu, regretting the brevity of his mentorship with Zhang Cheng Ling, imparted his final lesson that a true hero serves the country and its people.
He then solemnly entrusted Grand Wizard and Jing Bei Yuan with the care of Zhang Cheng Ling and Wen Ke Xing, whom he considered his dearest family, expressing his complete faith in them. Jing Bei Yuan then revealed a long-held secret: Prince Jin’s true ambition was not merely the Yin Yang Book, but a mythical treasure vault said to hold the "secret for a long-lasting country."
He explained that his own ancestors, despite receiving a national surname for their service, were originally part of the Tuojie imperial kinsmen. An ancient legend within their clan spoke of a treasure vault, established by their forebears, containing the key to enduring prosperity. This vault was said to be secured by six keys, each held by a leader of a different clan. Jing Bei Yuan noted the striking resemblance between this legend and the Glazed Armor with its corresponding keys.
He recounted how the former Prince Jin had once been on the verge of uncovering this secret but was thwarted by a "turncoat," a period that tragically coincided with the secret execution of Zhou Zi Shu’s father, who was accused of betrayal. This history led Zhou Zi Shu to conclude that the Glazed Armor and keys that Qin Huai Zhang had collected were originally given to him by Zhou Zi Shu’s own father.
Despite Jing Bei Yuan's attempts to persuade him that the legend was a baseless rumor, Zhou Zi Shu remained steadfast in his decision to confront Prince Jin. He reasoned that with his own life nearing its end, whether the legend was true or false, he had nothing to lose. Success would bring no regrets, and failure would be a sacrifice for justice.
Before his departure, Zhou Zi Shu pulled Zhang Cheng Ling aside and reminded him of the elaborate deception they were to maintain: Zhang Cheng Ling was to tell Wen Ke Xing that Zhou Zi Shu was gravely wounded and had been taken by Grand Wizard and Jing Bei Yuan to a distant, mythical mountain for healing. Zhang Cheng Ling and Wen Ke Xing were to remain and rebuild Four Seasons Manor, awaiting his return.
Zhou Zi Shu sternly warned Zhang Cheng Ling about Wen Ke Xing's unpredictable nature, stressing the severe consequences if Wen Ke Xing were to discover the truth about Zhou Zi Shu's terminal condition. Zhang Cheng Ling promised to perfect his performance, and they shared a poignant farewell, clinging to the hope of a future reunion. Meanwhile, Scorpion King and Duan Pengju, leading their forces, finally reached the heavily frozen armory.
With a show of false magnanimity, Scorpion King offered Duan Pengju the honor of opening the vault. Duan Pengju ordered his men to break through the thick ice encasing the entrance. He then attempted to unlock the massive door using the Glazed Armor and what he believed to be the genuine key. The door, however, remained immovable. Duan Pengju quickly realized the key was a fake, sending Scorpion King into a furious tirade against Wen Ke Xing for his deception.
As Scorpion King raged, Zhou Zi Shu suddenly appeared, descending from above. He swiftly attacked, killing Duan Pengju on the spot. Scorpion King, demanding Wen Ke Xing and the real keys, was met with Zhou Zi Shu's derision, who scoffed that if Glazed Armor could be faked, so could keys. Zhou Zi Shu also noted Prince Jin's absence. At that precise moment, a colossal snowslide erupted from the mountain.
Scorpion King hastily ordered a retreat, but many of his men were engulfed and buried. Zhou Zi Shu, resigned to his fate, closed his eyes. To his astonishment, Wen Ke Xing suddenly materialized, rushing to his side. He pulled a hairpin from Zhou Zi Shu’s hair, which then transformed into the true key for the armory. Zhou Zi Shu, surprised and concerned about Wen Ke Xing's severe injuries, questioned his presence.
Wen Ke Xing chastised him for attempting to face death alone, reminding him of their sacred promise to live and die together. He explained that Ye Bai Yi had repaired his internal injuries, allowing him to track Scorpion King’s trail to find the armory. He also revealed that the hairpin, disguised by his parents, had always been the authentic key, which he had cleverly hidden on Zhou Zi Shu before faking his own death.
As Wen Ke Xing inserted the key, the armory doors swung open, and they quickly sought refuge inside just as the torrent of snow sealed the entrance behind them. Inside the armory, Wen Ke Xing attempted to light a fire, but Zhou Zi Shu warned of limited air. Wen Ke Xing reassured him that the armory, used by Rong Xuan for martial arts practice, must have a specialized air passage.
He then playfully mocked Zhou Zi Shu's sudden aversion to death, to which Zhou Zi Shu replied that no one truly desires death when the possibility of life exists, especially now with Wen Ke Xing by his side. They discovered a vast library within, which Wen Ke Xing identified as the site of ancient swordsmanship contests. He quickly located the Yin Yang Book, hailing it as a treasure from Healer Valley, and asked Zhou Zi Shu to safeguard it.
As they continued their search for the Combined Six Cultivation Method, Zhou Zi Shu observed countless books on various martial arts, including the "Thirteen Changeable Moves of Cloud and Fog" from the Mount Heng Sect. Surprisingly, he also found numerous agricultural texts, such as "Arts for the People." They eventually unearthed the Combined Six Cultivation Method hidden within a treasure box.
Delving deeper, they found that many chambers were not filled with riches, but with farming tools, grains, and agricultural texts translated into the Tuojie language. Zhou Zi Shu finally grasped the true meaning of the "secret for a long-lasting country." He realized that the Tuojie ancestors' legacy was not martial power or material wealth, but the fundamental knowledge of agriculture.
This wisdom would enable a nomadic people to settle, cultivate their own food, and become self-sufficient, thereby ensuring the stability and longevity of their nation. Wen Ke Xing found this revelation hilariously ironic, considering Prince Jin’s relentless pursuit of what he believed to be a grand, mystical secret.
Zhou Zi Shu further deduced that his father, entrusted by the former Prince Jin to uncover this secret, had deliberately concealed its mundane truth from everyone, including Qin Huai Zhang, to protect them from the Prince's wrath. Unaware of the armory’s true contents, Qin Huai Zhang later gave the key to Rong Xuan, who then used the effectively empty storehouses as a place to collect martial arts manuals. Wen Ke Xing eagerly anticipated Prince Jin’s reaction to this humbling truth.
Trapped within the armory by the snow, Zhou Zi Shu wondered how long they could survive on only ice and snow. Wen Ke Xing then revealed the true, devastating cost of cultivating the Combined Six Cultivation Power, knowledge he had gained from Ye Bai Yi. He explained that Ye Bai Yi's century-long existence on Mount Changming, sustained solely by ice and snow, was a side effect of achieving this "god-like" state.
Such a practitioner must perpetually reside in an extremely cold environment and abstain from all secular food; otherwise, they would suffer "withering." Ye Bai Yi, weary of this "living-dead" existence, had deliberately broken this curse by consuming human food, even though it meant gradually losing his powers and facing his ultimate demise. Wen Ke Xing clarified that the Combined Six Cultivation Power demanded immense, painful torture to reshape one’s meridians and achieve rebirth.
Crucially, it required two practitioners, not just for mutual support with genuine Qi during critical junctures, but because one individual had to willingly sacrifice themselves as a "furnace." This person's body would refine the fierce genuine Qi before transferring it to the other practitioner. In doing so, the "furnace" would have their meridians utterly destroyed and their hair turn white overnight, while the recipient would achieve complete recovery.
Wen Ke Xing confessed that he had intentionally misled Zhou Zi Shu earlier about the shared nature of the cultivation, considering his deception a minor transgression necessary to save Zhou Zi Shu's life. He then poignantly stated that the one left behind to mourn is always the one who suffers the most. Following Wen Ke Xing’s profound sacrifice, Zhou Zi Shu recovered completely.
However, Wen Ke Xing's hair turned white overnight, and his meridians were irrevocably shattered, leaving him in a severely weakened state. The massive snowslide at the armory had permanently buried Zhao Jing and Scorpion King, effectively ending the Scorpion sect's influence in the martial arts world. Years later, Zhang Cheng Ling and Gao Xiaolian were happily married and had a daughter, Zhang Nian Xiang.
Zhang Cheng Ling, now a respected master in his own right, frequently gathered his disciples to recount the heroic tales of the past, particularly emphasizing the deep bond and ultimate sacrifice between Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing, ensuring their extraordinary legacy would live on through generations.
