Episode 14 recap: Mu Qing and Wang Jialuo join forces.
Late at night, Men San Dao and Wang Di Bao met at a tavern to discuss recent events. After carefully reviewing the situation, they reached a consensus. As both of them served the Qing Dynasty, they decided it was better to collaborate instead of acting separately. Therefore, they agreed to be frank with each other and work together. Inside the inn, Lin Hao Han exerted great effort to repair the porcelain jar, but the bottom inscription was shattered and couldn't be restored.
Men San Dao, with keen perception, noticed faint and indiscernible ancient seal script appearing on the walls of the jar. Lin Hao Han struggled to identify the script, which read, "I aspire to transcend the world and attain the supreme path. I refuse to settle and vow not to achieve enlightenment!" Zhong Haichao bought jewelry specifically to apologize to Wu Lan Shan and took the opportunity to inquire about whether Prince Qi had any contact with people from the martial arts world. Wu Lan Shan was unaware of Prince Qi's affairs, so Zhong Haichao didn't obtain any useful clues.
Liu Lin and Lin Hao Han were being followed by people from the Internal Affairs Department. Lin Hao Han instructed Liu Lin to leave the city with a plan in mind, and they would meet at the city gate. However, they were intercepted by the Internal Affairs Department before they could reunite. Lin Hao Han used flowery words to explain his reasons for attempting to flee when he saw Mu Qing. He also claimed that his encounter with Liu Lin was purely coincidental.
Mu Qing handed over the fragments of the porcelain jar to Lin Hao Han for examination. Lin Hao Han explained that it was a container used to hold the ashes of highly revered monks, but it had now been shattered into pieces and he couldn't determine its origin. Mu Qing decided to have Lin Hao Han directly piece the fragments together. Mu Qing was aware that Liu Lin was a member of the Alliance Society, but interrogating her yielded no valuable information. Consequently, he decided to detain her, as there were no other rooms in the inn. Ge Tai locked Liu Lin in Lin Hao Han's room.
Late at night, Mu Qing and Wang Jialuo met at the tavern. Wang Jialuo returned the money he had borrowed earlier, and Mu Qing returned Wang Jialuo's key. Wang Jialuo stated that despite being given the opportunity to rob and harm others by the Beiyang faction, he remained a constable of Dagukou County and continued to serve the court.
Mu Qing and Wang Jialuo carefully reviewed recent events and discovered that Jiang Hen frequently appeared wherever they went and assisted them multiple times. Mu Qing was puzzled as to why this person kept leading them closer to the truth, despite not being affiliated with the court. Mu Qing analyzed that this person was definitely not associated with the Japanese or Zhuo Bufan, as he had helped both Mu Qing and Wang Jialuo. He speculated that this person was at least not an enemy of the court. Currently, among those seeking the Pure Altar's hidden treasures, only Mu Qing and Wang Jialuo were serving the court. They agreed to be open with each other and collaborate wholeheartedly, jointly pursuing Zhuo Bufan and searching for the Pure Altar's treasures.
Mu Qing brought Wang Jialuo back to the inn. Lin Hao Han had done his best to piece together the porcelain jar, but unfortunately, the damage to the bottom was too severe. Mu Qing suspected that Zhuo Bufan must have discovered the secret at the bottom of the jar, leading to such extensive destruction. Mu Qing saw ancient seal script on the body of the jar and learned from Lin Hao Han that it was a scripture that read, "I aspire to transcend the world and attain the supreme path. I refuse to settle and vow not to achieve enlightenment." Wang Jialuo believed that the ashes of a Bodhi successor should be stored in a temple, so their next step was to investigate the temples.
On the other side, Zhuo Bufan told Huo Cen that he intentionally destroyed the porcelain jar because there was an inscription at the bottom indicating the Dachan Anhui Temple. He didn't want Mu Qing and Wang Jialuo to continue their investigation, so he destroyed the jar. Late at night, Mu Qing arrived at the chaotic burial mound in the west of Zhaozhuang. He recognized the clothes in the coffin as belonging to his former master, who had taught him martial arts.
Back then, Mu Qing had become a first-class imperial guard thanks to the skills taught by his master. Before parting ways, his master had shared a scripture with him, which Mu Qing didn't understand at the time. His master also reminded him that he would no longer have a master from that point on. Now, seeing his master's old clothes again, the separation between master and disciple was like the division between life and death. Mu Qing respectfully reburied his master's old clothes and speculated whether the Bodhi successor he was pursuing was his fellow disciple. He was even more puzzled about his master's aspiration to transcend the world. Could it be related to the overthrow of the dynasty and the downfall of the Qing Empire? These years, he had never considered the possibility that his master might be an enemy of the Qing Dynasty.
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