Episode 15 recap: Hu Ba Yi's life was hanging by a thread.
Fatty asked Da Li to do some work, and Da Li reluctantly took the rope and arrived at the work site. Unexpectedly, he saw a merman emerge from the water. Startled, he quickly hid behind a giant rock. After the merman came ashore, he circled around the rock. Da Li skillfully maneuvered around and managed to avoid being noticed by the merman. When the merman returned to the sea, Da Li remained hidden nearby, observing. Fatty approached and suddenly patted Da Li's shoulder, startling him almost to the point of jumping up.
Fatty had encountered the merman before, so when Da Li finished recounting the encounter, Fatty grabbed a submachine gun and nervously kept his eyes on the water's surface. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he unexpectedly noticed that Hu Ba Yi and the others had returned. As soon as Hu Ba Yi resurfaced, a massive explosion came from the sea floor. After Hu Ba Yi entered a password, the Divine Land Disk started to activate. He suspected that the rocket was about to launch, so he quickly informed everyone to get to the big wooden stake.
Upon hearing Hu Ba Yi's words, everyone gathered their personal belongings and hurriedly ran towards the big wooden stake. At that moment, hundreds of merpeople suddenly jumped out from the sea floor and launched an attack on them. The merpeople fought against Hu Ba Yi and the others on land but were clearly at a disadvantage. Fatty sprayed the submachine gun, mowing down the merpeople in front. However, their numbers were numerous, and they kept coming in waves. Hu Ba Yi and the others ran out of bullets, while the merpeople showed no signs of diminishing. On the contrary, their numbers continued to increase.
The group fought while retreating. Da Li was the first to climb the spiral ladder on the big wooden stake. In the midst of the battle with the merpeople, he accidentally broke the ladder. When Fatty saw that Da Li had cut off their retreat, he cursed loudly. Da Li ignored Fatty and, without the merpeople chasing them anymore, he lay on the ground, closing his eyes to rest. Suddenly, he felt a wave of heat on his face. When he opened his eyes, he saw a large merperson leaning over him.
During the fight with the big merperson, Da Li and the merperson fell down together. Hu Ba Yi, Fatty, and the others fought while retreating toward the center of the big wooden stake. When Da Li fell, there were several more explosions from below, and smoke and flames immediately engulfed him. Ming Shu, Fatty, and the others were the first to climb to the top of the big wooden stake. The thought of Da Li being gone saddened Ming Shu.
Hu Ba Yi and Sherry Yang held their ground. When they saw the big wooden stake shaking violently, the others quickly threw down a rope for them. After Sherry Yang climbed up, Hu Ba Yi was about to climb up when suddenly, Da Li emerged from the sea of fire and desperately grabbed Hu Ba Yi's leg, begging for him to save him.
Hu Ba Yi pulled Da Li up and was about to climb up while carrying him when the iron chain of the big wooden stake suddenly broke. The two of them fell together.
Hu Ba Yi, also known as Wang Pangzi, was hired by Yang Xueli to search for his father in the ancient city of Jing Jue in Xinjiang (Red Ape, Strange Snake, Demon Tower, Fireflies, Enchanting Devil's Eye). However, they encountered the Red Eye Curse, and in order to break the curse, they traveled to Longling in Shaanxi (Spider Cave Labyrinth, Hanging Soul Ladder, Zhou-Tang Tomb) to obtain the Dragon Bone Scriptures.
They discovered the Mochizhu in the Xianwang Tomb in Yunnan (Insects, High Priest, Celestial Palace, Water Tomb Corpse Cave). Finally, in the Kunlun Divine Palace (Wolf King, Nine-story Demon Tower, Snow Maitreya, Evil Luo Sea City, Great Black Heaven Thunder Mountain), they used the Mochizhu in a reverse ritual to lift the curse, and Hu Ba Yi decided to retire and go to the United States.
During their journey, Hu Ba Yi recalled his experiences during his youth in rural Northeast China, including the Huangpizi Cemetery (Huangpizi, Cremation Furnace, Japanese Military Base, Corpse Offering), and he was entrusted to go to Nanhai Guixu (Ghost Ship, Guixu, Hatred Heaven, Mermaid Elder) to find the Qinwang Mirror.
However, they encountered the Duo Ling Gu curse, and in order to save Duo Ling, they needed an inner elixir. They sought guidance from Chen Xiazhi, who accompanied them to recall the story of Xieling and the theft of the Bottle Mountain Tomb (Wengcheng, Various Monsters, Yuan Dynasty Corpse King).
They fed the inner elixir to the Zhegu whistle, fought in Heishui City, and annihilated the Xianwang Tomb in Xieling. Later, Professor Sun deceived them by claiming that the Diexian Village (Black Sheep King, Mountain Observer, Nine Deaths Shocking Ling Armor, Diexian) had inner elixirs in order to eliminate the Diexian.
As a result, the three of them prepared their equipment to confront the Diexian.
I've been watching "The Ghost Blowing Lamp" since I was young, and I truly appreciate how the three actors have brought the Iron Triangle in my mind to life! I believe they have captured every aspect of the characters perfectly, and I can't find any flaws!
Hu Ba Yi is a courageous and strategic military man, with both bravery and meticulousness, and a compassionate heart. Wang Pangzi is greedy and often makes mistakes, always cracking jokes at inappropriate times, but he always supports Hu Ba Yi wholeheartedly in crucial moments.
Yang Tiancai, as Shirley, is a genius with both literary and martial talents, aloof and proud. She always keenly perceives the essence of things, which is why she doesn't want to live a life of danger and sacrifice anymore.
They have witnessed the deaths of so many people on their journey, and she fears losing the most important companions in her life.
It is precisely because each character is three-dimensional and vivid, without rigid perfection, that they have their own shining points, as well as their flaws and indecisiveness.
That's why the image of the Tomb-raiding Trio resonates with so many people.
I hope the "Ghost Blowing Lamp" series lasts for a long time! Every year, I look forward to adventuring with the Tomb-raiding Team!