Episode Summary
The team learns the legend of King Lu Shang and his magical seal that created an invincible army.While exploring a cave filled with body-stuffed tree roots, Pan Zi is attacked by a vine and Wu Xie falls into a pit of Corpse Beetles. After Pan Zi pulls him out, a stranger falls in, and Wu Xie's attempt to rescue him ends with both of them trapped with the beetles.
Spoiler Alert
The Guide's Bad Day
The episode kicks off with the guide. You remember, the guy who's basically just there. He hears his dog barking and decides to go find it. This is a terrible idea. The area is dark and the footing is bad. He lights a match to see, which doesn't help much. A few seconds later, we hear a scream. It's safe to say he found some trouble.
Story Time on a Cliff
While that's happening, Wu Xie finds some writing on a cliff wall. It tells a story about a guy named King Lu Shang and his special toy, a Gui Xi seal.Whenever the king showed this seal, his soldiers would turn into unstoppable fighting machines. They felt no pain and just fought day and night.Eventually, the king got sick from working too hard. He went to the emperor and asked for a vacation. The emperor said yes. The king knelt to thank him and then immediately dropped into a fake-death coma. The emperor, thinking he'd wake up eventually, had his body stored at Shending Mountain.
The Walls Have Eyes (and Roots)
The writing also says the emperor set up seven weird guardians to protect the king's body. The team starts looking around with their flashlights. They realize the cave is filled with huge, thick tree roots. It gets weirder. Some of the roots seem to have people inside them. Wu Xie suddenly yells. He swears he saw one of the dried-up corpses in the roots move. Pan Zi takes a look and says nothing's moving. Still, they both get the feeling something is hiding behind the corpse.
Pan Zi vs. The Grabby Vine
Pan Zi decides to push things aside to get a better look. Bad move. A hand suddenly grabs his arm. It's Zhang Qiling. He warns them not to touch anything. The real danger is whatever is behind the corpse.
Pan Zi, being Pan Zi, inches forward anyway. A root-like vine wraps around his ankle and starts dragging him backward. He's a pro, though. He protects his neck with one arm and uses his other hand to grab a knife. He hacks away at the vine until it finally lets go. He realizes this must be the same thing that dragged them into the cave in the first place. He decides to listen to Zhang Qiling and stay put.
Wu Xie Finds More Trouble
Things aren't going any better for Wu Xie. Something grabs him, and he panics. He breaks free and dives into a nearby tunnel. You'd think a tunnel would be safe. You'd be wrong. He sees something moving in the dirt just ahead of him. He scrambles to get away, but his foot slips and he falls into a deep pit.
At first, the pit is quiet. Then, one or two creatures start crawling out. Wu Xie gets a good look and realizes they are Corpse Beetles.
Out of the Frying Pan...
The beetles know what they're doing. They go right for his neck. Wu Xie struggles and screams for help. Pan Zi hears him and throws down a rope. Wu Xie manages to climb out of the pit.
For a second, it looks like they're in the clear. Then a random fat guy falls into the same pit. The Corpse Beetles immediately swarm him, and he starts yelling for help. Wu Xie has a soft spot for people in trouble. He decides to pull the guy out. But as he reaches down, he gets pulled back into the pit with him.
