Word of Honor Episode 5 Recap
> Word of Honor Recap
Shen Shen, having just defeated the wicked old couple Tao Hong and Lv Liu, confronted Ao Lai Zi. He demanded that Ao Lai Zi hand over the two Danyang Sect disciples, whom Shen Shen insisted belonged to his "Third Brother Lu." Ao Lai Zi, however, countered that Leader Lu had personally entrusted the disciples to him on his deathbed and accused the Five Lakes Alliance of overbearing arrogance.
Shen Shen, growing visibly angry, dismissed the disciples' wishes and warned them of disgracing their sect if they followed Ao Lai Zi, declaring he wanted both the disciples and an unnamed item. Just as the argument reached a boiling point, Zhao Jing arrived with Qing Hua, interrupting the tense standoff. Shen Shen quickly changed his tone, claiming he had merely stumbled upon Tao Hong and Lv Liu being rude to Ao Lai Zi and had intervened.
Zhao Jing then politely invited Ao Lai Zi and the disciples to Sanbai Manor. Ao Lai Zi refused, warning Zhao Jing that "a common man's only crime is to carry treasure" and that the martial arts world would never be peaceful now that the Glazed Armor's secret was out. Although Shen Shen pressed for the disciples, they reaffirmed their loyalty to Ao Lai Zi as per their master's dying wish.
Zhao Jing, conceding, allowed Ao Lai Zi to leave with the disciples, telling them to be sensible and not bring shame to the Five Lakes Alliance. Following Ao Lai Zi's departure, Zhao Jing officially introduced Zhou Xu and Wen Ke Xing to Shen Shen, who expressed thanks for their role in bringing Zhang Cheng Ling to safety. At a celebratory banquet, Wen Ke Xing, charmed by the lavishness of Sanbai Manor, toasted Zhao Jing's refined taste.
Shen Shen also thanked them, and Wen Ke Xing returned the compliment when Zhao Jing introduced Shen Shen as the esteemed Leader of the Mount Dagu Sect. Zhou Xu, meanwhile, observed Zhao Jing's opulent lifestyle, noting that his wealth far surpassed the official records. Later that night, as Ao Lai Zi and his disciples journeyed toward Broken Sword Manor, they were startled by Mu Yun Ge, the young leader of Broken Sword Manor, who fled past them screaming for help.
He claimed a female ghost was pursuing him. A disembodied voice echoed, condemning Mu Yun Ge as unfaithful and declaring his name was now on the "List of the Unfaithful." Ao Lai Zi, recognizing the sinister nature of the voice, instructed his senior disciple Qing Bai to lead the other juniors to safety while he went to confront the spectral entity, but Mu Yun Ge was swiftly seized and dragged away.
Back at Sanbai Manor, Shen Shen, feigning drunkenness, attempted to force Zhang Cheng Ling to drink. Zhao Jing intervened, sending Song Huai Ren, a disciple of Gao Chong, to escort Shen Shen to his room, before taking Zhang Cheng Ling to his own chambers. After Song Huai Ren left, Shen Shen secretly opened his eyes, revealing his intoxication was merely a pretense.
Meanwhile, Wen Ke Xing engaged in polite conversation with Yu Qiu Feng, the leader of Mount Hua Sect, and his son Yu Tian Jie. Zhou Xu, disdainful of the empty pleasantries, feigned illness to withdraw from the festivities. He then observed Yu Tian Jie discreetly entering a secret room and subsequently chasing a masked figure from within, prompting Zhou Xu to ponder the intrigues within the Five Lakes Alliance. Suddenly, an uproar broke out at the manor's main gate.
Zhao Jing and the other leaders rushed outside, followed by Zhou Xu, to find Ao Lai Zi and his two disciples brutally murdered, their bodies grotesquely hanging from the gate tower. Yu Qiu Feng immediately identified the "Happy Ghost's mark," confirming the culprit as Happy Ghost, one of the Ten Devils of the Ghost Valley. He emphasized the systematic targeting of the Five Lakes Alliance by the Ghost Valley, which always left behind gruesome displays after their killings.
Realizing this was a diversion, Zhao Jing frantically rushed to check on Zhang Cheng Ling, relieved to find him safe, though badly shaken. Wen Ke Xing, casually downplaying the event, told Zhao Jing that a few masked men had attempted to kidnap Zhang Cheng Ling but had been easily repelled, suggesting the Ghost Valley's reputation was inflated. Zhao Jing nevertheless expressed immense gratitude to Wen Ke Xing for saving the boy.
Simultaneously, Beauty Ghost Liu Qianqiao, the female ghost who had abducted Mu Yun Ge, tormented the unconscious young leader. She confronted him with his past betrayal of her, Yan Wan, and their unborn child, whom he had left to die by a hemp rope at the foot of Broken Sword Manor. She conjured visions of their unborn child and demanded he join them in the afterlife, ultimately terrifying him into a deep faint.
Her companions later praised her elaborate illusion skills, which she noted were "easy to learn and difficult to master." Later, Zhou Xu found Zhang Cheng Ling weeping, still traumatized by the day's events. Zhou Xu gently informed him that their journey together was concluded, having fulfilled his promise to bring him safely to Sanbai Manor.
He advised Zhang Cheng Ling to remain and learn martial arts from Zhao Jing, Gao Chong, and Shen Shen, urging him to be a strong man who does not cry. Meanwhile, Zhao Jing and Shen Shen had a tense discussion. Zhao Jing was distraught that the Glazed Armor had been stolen from his supposedly impregnable secret room.
Shen Shen harshly criticized Zhao Jing's complacency over the past twenty years, citing the annihilation of the Danyang and Mirror Lake Sects and the death of an elder from Mount Tai Sect as consequences of neglecting the Glazed Armor. He confirmed that of the five pieces of the Glazed Armor, held individually by the five sworn brothers of the Five Lakes Alliance, three were now gone.
Shen Shen expressed dismay at how Zhao Jing had allowed the alliance's century-old prestige to crumble. A remorseful Zhao Jing confessed he never desired the armory or the Glazed Armor, wishing only for peace and the safety of his family and brothers. He proposed destroying the remaining pieces, but Shen Shen vehemently disagreed, reminding him of the countless lives already sacrificed for the armory's secret.
From his vantage point on the rooftop, Zhou Xu secretly listened to their conversation, finally understanding the true significance of the armory and the Glazed Armor. He then detected another figure, discreetly hidden, also eavesdropping. Zhou Xu pursued, only to discover it was Wen Ke Xing. Zhou Xu recounted seeing Yu Tian Jie chasing a masked man from the secret room, suspecting this masked individual to be the traitor responsible for the Glazed Armor's theft.
As they continued their investigation, they discovered Yu Tian Jie hanging from a tree, ensnared by the "Soul Winding Threads" of the Hanging Ghost. Wen Ke Xing observed that this was the genuine Hanging Ghost, implying that the one Gu Xiang had previously encountered was a mere imitation. Further on, they found Song Huai Ren's lifeless body. Zhou Xu immediately deduced that Song Huai Ren was the traitor.
However, Wen Ke Xing pointed out that Yu Tian Jie's "Taiyue's Green Peak Swordsmanship" was not the cause of death; a different, unfamiliar weapon had inflicted the fatal wound. Wen Ke Xing then spoke ominously of "owls laughing," a traditional harbinger of death, and drew a parallel between the unfolding events and a game of chess, where everyone, believing themselves to be the "yellow sparrow" observing, was in fact just a "small cicada" ensnared in a larger scheme.
Their pursuit led them to Zhao Coffin Home, Zhao Jing's ancestral hall. Upon entering, they were ambushed by hidden projectiles, but Zhou Xu swiftly pulled Wen Ke Xing to safety. The hall was filled with coffins and an unsettling atmosphere. They split up to search. Wen Ke Xing encountered a figure seemingly standing vigil over a coffin. After a brief, confrontational exchange, he was stunned to realize he was facing an illusion of his own father.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xu experienced a hallucination of his late master, Qin Huai Zhang, and his junior brother, Qin Jiu Xiao, joyfully building a snowman. Recognizing it as an illusion, he quickly cut his own arm to regain clarity, then struck down a perceived "evil ghost." He rushed to Wen Ke Xing, who was still smiling inanely, clearly trapped in his own hallucination. Zhou Xu identified the hallucinogenic scent as "Drunk Like A Dream" and quickly administered an antidote.
Wen Ke Xing, disoriented and childlike, complained about the medicine's bitterness and jokingly threatened to tell his mother. In his semi-conscious state, he then uttered Zhou Xu's true name, "Zhou Zi Shu," leaving Zhou Xu utterly bewildered and questioning how Wen Ke Xing could possibly know his real identity.
