Episode 1 (The Lost Tomb 2.5)

**Episode 1 (The Lost Tomb 2.5)** is the first episode of the television series The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note. It is loosely based on chapters 1-2 in *Palace of Doom*.

## Story

   After Hendry Cox brought his men to the Misty Village in Guizhou and the tomb broke down over Wu Xie and his friends, Wu Sanxing made his appearance. He refused to save Wu Xie unless his nephew agreed to stop investigating him. Wu Xie silently refused and his uncle declared them no longer related and refused to save Wu Xie.

Wu Xie was in the hospital and remembered what happened when he was trapped under rocks and his uncle came to him. His uncle advised him to let him go and informed him that if Wu Xie did not hurry his friends might actually die. Wu Xie refused to let his uncle go, especially after so many people ended up dead while investigating him.

Wang Pangzi, who was taking care of Wu Xie at the hospital, was alarmed when Wu Xie started to react to external stimuli after two months of being in the hospital since the tomb. Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu joined him at the hospital after hearing the good news. However, Wu Xie had disappeared from his room after getting a note from a stranger saying he would find his uncle's secret if he followed the note. The note read: "Yellow Springs Route, Bus Route 99." Wu Xie got on the bus but was still suffering from a weak body due to his long stay in the hospital.

He arrived at a strange antiques shop where the owner checked for the note he received. He handed Wu Xie an old news article about the Snake Eyebrow Copper Fish. When Wu Xie tried to find out more from the owner, but the other refused to tell him. Right after leaving the shop, Wu Xie was abducted and dragged into a vehicle where he was injected with an unknown blue-glowing serum. The serum caused him to writhe in pain. Soon after, his abductors threw him out of the car into the middle of a plaza in the rain.

Wu Xie woke up in a bed at the hospital. Wang Pangzi and Xie Yuchen were by his bedside worrying about the news article they found in Wu Xie's pocket. When they went to help Wu Xie he reacted in anger and told them to care about their own business. Still caring about his uncle, he thanked his friends, but decided to leave the hospital and explore more about where to go to find his uncle.

Back at home, Wu Xie had nightmares about Xie Lianhuan yelling for Wu Sanxing's help while he was trapped in the Paracel Underwater Tomb. The nightmare changed to the older Wu Sanxing presenting two of the Snake Eye Copper Fish to Wu Xie while in a stone pagoda. Wu Sanxing presented Wu Xie with two of the Snake Eyebrow Copper Fish were uncle he knew now mysteriously told him Wu Sanxing caused him harm. Wu Xie woke up shocked and goes on to explore more clues. He found his acquaintance Uncle Hai and exchanged Qilin blood for information. He did not get an answer when he asked about his uncle's whereabouts. He also asked about the Mirrored (Jing Er) Palace that was mentioned in the article. Uncle Hai knew it by the name that the northern school of grave robbers called it, Yin Yang Shuttle. The palace was mirrored because the structure that was built above ground was replicated beneath it. Wu Xie asked about a stone pagoda and its relation to Wu Sanxing. Underneath the stone pagoda is the Mirrored Palace where a Snake Eyebrow Copper Fish was found. Wu Xie was determined to find the palace so that he could also find his uncle and learn the truth.

Wu Xie went to his uncle's home but no one was there. Wu Xie thought back to when he was a child and his uncle was being lectured by Wu Laogou about Xie Lianhuan. Wu Xie had overheard the conversation and became upset, so Wu Sanxing tried to console him.

At one of Hendry Cox's laboratories, Zhang Buxun still in a Republican Era uniform was being experimented on. One of the scientists called over Hendry Cox and Ning gave Hendry a serum while telling him of their successful experiment. The body was now immune from corpse poison and mutation found in an ancient tomb. The body must have contained a special substance that could alter DNA and delay aging. Hendry Cox seemed to be happy and asked whether the serum he was given was injected into Wu Xie. They injected the same serum into a mouse. Hendry Cox then took a call from another foreigner who asked about his progress. Hendry Cox lied and told the other man that they were unsuccessful and Zhang Buxun's body was starting to decay. He put the blame on Wu Sanxing saying that the other was losing their trust by not warning them. The man in the call reminded him that Wu Sanxing did what was asked of him and he is only to blame. The company would not tolerate anymore missteps by him. The call ended and Ning asked him why he had lied to the company. Hendry Cox did not want to share his research on immortality with others. As he said this, the mouse they injected with the serum started to emit smoke, burned a little, then turned into goo.

Wu Sanxing woke up from a nightmare about his nephew who he left in the tomb, Wu Xie told him how much he was disappointed in him. He received a call from the company and was being criticized for having made no progress, the same as Hendry Cox. It was revealed he was keeping the company from going to the Heavenly Palace and the company ordered him to take them there, together with Wu Xie.

Xie Yuchen dealt with a break-in at his storage room. After threatening the thief, Wang Jiaming, the thief revealed he was ordered to steal the Snake Eyebrow Copper Fish. He promised to give Xie Yuchen their contact information.

While searching for the Mirrored Palace, Wu Xie was attacked by tree vines but saved by Wang Pangzi who had followed him there. Wang Pangzi was also attacked, so Wu Xie burned the vines to scare them away. Not wanting to have his friend follow him, Wu Xie tried to get rid of him, but the other refused. Wang Pangzi was suddenly bitten by a snake and Wu Xie finally relented and accepted to work together. That night they exchanged information. Wu Xie revealed he knew all this was probably a trap set up by Hendry Cox, but he wanted to find the Snake Eyebrow Copper Fish hoping it would lead to Wu Sanxing. The next morning, Wang Pangzi woke up alone in the tent, Wu Xie had left without him. At the same time, he was being watched by Hendry Cox through a television in the safety of a building far away. Ning advised him to be careful since they were being spied on by "Alpha". A man had come in to tell Hendry Cox that Wu Xie had already arrived.

Wu Xie found the palace and made his descent. Wang Pangzi caught up with Wu Xie in the underground ruins and they explore further together. After finding multiple corpses who were shot with arrows from a trap, they believed the trap was set up by Wang Zanghai after the tomb was built. Wu Xie pointed out that every site of the copper fish had a clue leading to the Heavenly Palace. The Seven Star Palace, Paracel Underwater Tomb, the Misty Village in Guangxi, and now the Mirrored Palace should all have all lead to the Heavenly Palace. Someone had moved the bodies after they were shot by the trap, so they marked the spot and continued on. They encountered traces of the weapon, Nine Claw Hook. They found another statue with eyes that had been broken by flying pebble stones. They tried to analyze their findings but Wang Pangzi activated the mechanism of a chamber.

## Characters

* Wu Xie
* Wu Sanxing
* Wang Pangzi
* Xie Yuchen
* Huo Xiuxiu
* Hendry Cox
* Ning
* Zhang Buxun

## Locations

* Misty Village, Guizhou, China (flashback)
* Jingfang Bus Station, China
* Hospital
* Changsha, China
* Guangxi, China

## Items

* Snake Eyebrow Copper Fish
* Nine Claw Hook (flashback)

## Trivia

* While in the hospital, Wu Xie was watching the television show Noble Aspirations (aka The Legend of Chusen). The scene depicted the actor Li Yi Feng who played Wu Xie in The Lost Tomb as well as Zhao Yi Ling who played Yin Xinyue in The Mystic Nine. Noble Aspirations was produced by Huanrui Century who also produced The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note.
* Wu Xie was staying in a VIP room at the hospital.
* Wu Xie was introduced in overlaid text as Wu Sanxing's nephew.
* Wang Pangzi was introduced in overlaid text as Wu Xie's best friend (挚友).
* Huo Xiuxiu was introduced in overlaid text as the heir to the Old Nine Clans' Huo family.
* Xie Yuchen was introduced in overlaid text as the young master of the Old Nine Clans's Xie family.
* Hendry Cox was introduced in overlaid text as a cultural relic smuggler.
* Ning was introduced in overlaid text as Hendry Cox's adopted daughter.
* Wu Sanxing was introduced in overlaid text as the leader of the Old Nine Clans's Wu family.

## Divergence from the Novel

* The explanation about the Jing Er Palace was in the books.
* Wu Xie was not crushed by debris in the novel and so he never went to the hospital.
* Wu Xie was never abducted in the novel nor was he injected with anything.
* Xie Yuchen does not appear in the novel The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note is based on.
* Hendry Cox does not appear in the novel The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note is based on.
* Zhang Buxun does not appear in any of the novels.
* Wu Xie and Wang Pangzi do not go to the Jing Er Palace.