Episode 2 (The Mystic Nine)

**Episode 2 (The Mystic Nine)** is the second episode of the television series The Mystic Nine.

## Synopsis

Er Yuehong seems troubled after Zhang Qishan left the ring from the Whistle Coffin with him. Zhang Qishan, Zhang Rishan, Qi Tiezui head towards the mining mountain to find out where Train 076 came from.

## Story

   At Er Ye's home, Er Ye was deep in thought. Ya Tou greeted him and asked him if something was wrong. He told her about the rude man that interrupted his show but Ya Tou started to cough. Er Ye asked if she had taken her medicine yet. He then asked Tao Hua to bring Ya Tou to her room to rest. Er Ye moved to another room and moved the bookcases sideways to reveal a secret passageway. He walked down a corridor into a room that had spikes and sticks long enough for a person to step on on the floor. Er Ye gracefully maneuvered onto the sticks almost halfway into the room, then flicked something that hit the door which opened. The rest of the sticks rose to a level where Er Ye could jump on them and he entered through the door. The final room was filled with various odd things.

   He moved toward a small box which contained another small box that contained a ring similar to the one Fo Ye had taken from the whistle coffin. He said to himself while looking at the rings, "after everything, this place got to see light again."

Fo Ye and Lt. Zhang were talking in the backyard where a large Buddha statue was visible. Fo Ye asked about Ba Ye and Lt. Zhang assured him that the other had already been invited. Fo Ye then told him to go to sleep.

Ba Ye was traveling in a car with two Zhang soldiers on his way to Fo Ye's house. Ba Ye recounted a story to the soldiers about Wu Teng: a man that became interested in the old nine clans' business. The man was bothering Ba Ye who tried to back off and in turn Wu Teng only came at him harder. He had people wreck Ba Ye's place and kidnap him. A flashback had Ba Ye hanging from the ceiling with more than 30 people around working for Wu Teng. Fo Ye arrived and fought off everybody and cut Ba Ye down. After this event, he became famous in Changsha and no dared to fight him. Throughout this story, Ba Ye seemed to be exaggerating many details.

Ba Ye, Fo Ye, and Lt. Zhang were in a room discussing what Er Ye had told them at the opera house. Fo Ye believed Er Ye meant to imply that the Japanese were doing some kind of secret experiment and that Changsha was in danger. Ba Ye tried to convince Fo Ye to drop the investigation because it was too dangerous. Fo Ye refused because it was related to the Japanese and a possible war was looming. Without Er Ye's help they couldn't investigate the Northern & Southern dynasties' tomb coffins. However, they could track the path of train 076 which came from the northeast and was near the mining sites. Ba Ye again attempted to get out of the investigation but Lt. Zhang and Fo Ye convinced him to stay.

In his secret room, Er Ye thought of a moment earlier in time where the best doctor in town visited Ya Tou to examine her. When the doctor looked to Er Ye, Er Ye slightly shook his head back and forth as if to signal something to him. The doctor seemed to have understood and informed them that she just has a cold and that she will be fine. Afterwards, Er Ye visited his family's ancestral hall in his house and gave offerings. He told them that his wife was sick and asked his ancestors whether their ancestral business was not virtuous and was the reason he ended up with this fate. He thought not getting involved in that business would change Ya Tou's fate. He pleaded that his wife was innocent and if there was any retribution he was willing to bear it himself. In the present, he was holding the two rings.

Ya Tou was outside when Chen Pi Ah Si came up behind her and draped his coat over her shoulders. She thought it was Er Ye and turned around but greeted her husband's student. They both went to look for Er Ye and approached the bookcase that lead to the secret passageway. Chen Pi called for Er Ye and was about to enter the passageway when Ya Tou gestured him to not bother his teacher.

    Fo Ye, Lt. Zhang, and Ba Ye met near the mountain to investigate where exactly the train had came from. Fo Ye and Lt. Zhang were dressed in suits and were riding horses. While, Ba Ye arrived in fortune tellers' clothes and with a donkey. They argued about whose disguises were more appropriate.

Back at the Hong Manor, Chen Pi looked at his teacher's wife longingly while waiting for Er Ye to come out of his secret room. Ya Tou started to cough and Chen Pi went to help when Er Ye came out of the secret entrance and checked on her. Ya Tou asked Chen Pi to get Er Ye some hot water since he worked the whole night. Chen Pi went to get water and met Er Ye in another room. Ya Tou came into the room with noodles that she made for Er Ye. She tells Chen Pi that there is some more in the kitchen. After he leaves, she makes a comment that Chen Pi is like a kid with a smile on her face. Er Ye responds that he is only a kid in her eyes.

    Fo Ye, Ba Ye, and Lt. Zhang came to two separate train tracks heading in different directions. Fo Ye said to take a particular path without reason and Lt. Zhang obediently followed with Ba Ye tailing behind shortly thereafter. Ya Tou overheard workers gossiping about Chen Pi saying that he made a mistake and was kneeling in the Hong ancestral hall. Ya Tou goes to the ancestral hall where Chen Pi revealed that he got in trouble for not practicing martial arts and instead fishing for crabs for Ya Tou. Ya Tou gave him the noodles that she made with crab hidden inside. Chen Pi thought back to how he got the crabs. He was dunking a man's head under water because the man refused to sell the crabs to him. The man eventually surrendered and gave the crabs to Chen Pi so that he would let him go.

Ba Ye, Fo Ye, and Lt. Zhang arrived at Qingguan Town. The town appeared to be empty so they checked to see if anything was suspicious. On the streets were a lot of antiques but not a single person could be found. Eventually, they saw a woman and her child leaving one of the houses. Lt. Zhang asked them what had happened and how to get to the mining site. The woman said she didn't know. After the Lieutenant insisted, she pointed him towards the right direction and told him that several huge mine disasters happened in the area. People didn't have another way of making money so many left the town. The Japanese came before but left after the mining disasters. The three of them planned to stay the night in the town. After walking for some time looking for somewhere to stay, they stumble upon people cooking food inside.

## Characters

* Fo Ye
* Ba Ye
* Lieutenant Zhang
* Er Ye
* Ya Tou
* Chen Pi Ah Si

## Locations

* Zhang Manor
* Hong Manor
* Qingguan Town

## Artifacts

* Northern & Southern Dynasties Ring
* Train 076 (mentioned)