Original subtitles

[Archives: The Nanyang Mystery]

[Episode 1]

[Balai, Nanyang]

Please welcome the bride and groom!

What's that smell?

It stinks.

What's that smell?

This is a wedding gift from our clan.

Bride and groom, bow to heaven and earth.

Go there.

As long as you abandon your physical body,

you can get everything a mortal desires.

Later,

the bodies of the groom's family

were found in a salt marsh

deep within Nanyang.

The bodies were discovered in a very bizarre state.

It was said that before they died,

they had frantically been digging for treasure buried underground.

After that,

countless people, bewitched by the Evil God,

lost their lives there.

Some unscrupulous factions

also came to explore,

hoping to obtain whatever lay hidden in the deepest part

beneath the salt marsh.

[Zhang Ruipu, former senior of the Southern Archives]

[Expelled and Hunted Down for His Vile Nature]

Keep digging.

Boss,

all our men who went down there are dead.

We can't keep digging anymore.

Your lives are nowhere near

as valuable as what's inside.

In the end,

those people also vanished into the depths of the pit.

No one knows

what exactly happened down there.

This case

also drew the attention of

a secret agency dedicated to bizarre cases...

The Southern Archives.

It consists of

people with extraordinary abilities,

specializing in handling such bizarre

and dangerous mysterious cases.

Dispatched to investigate this time

are two young agents with completely opposite personalities.

This is also

the first case they took over

after being sent to Nanyang.

[Nanyang Evil God Case]

Recently, a large number of mysterious deaths

have occurred at the salt-alkali marshes of Balai Yazhou...

No fewer than 100 people.

Before their deaths, all of them came to this marsh

[Hermit Crab Watch—Token of the Archives]

searching for a mysterious cave,

only to die suddenly in the end.

Legend has it that the incidents

were caused by a Balai Ancient God that can speak.

[Shrine of the Evil God]

This should be it.

The Archives instructed us

to figure out what this thing really is

to prevent more deaths from happening here.

Are you listening to me?

Zhang Hailou?

Zhang Hailou?

[Zhang Hailou—Probationary Agent, the Southern Archives]

[Nickname: Zhang Salty Notable Ability: Blade-Spitting]

[Zhang Haixia—Probationary Agent, the Southern Archives]

[Nickname: Zhang Shrimpie Notable Ability: Extraordinary Sense of Smell]

No one smokes here.

No.

Before we go down later,

I need a couple of puffs to wake me up.

Keep your eyes peeled.

I heard this Balai Ancient God

is very good at bewitching people.

Those who died

came from all walks of life,

but the only thing they had in common was that

they had all had contact with this Balai Ancient God.

Within 3 days,

they'd inevitably come here to dig the cave,

and every one of them died a tragic death.

So far, there hasn't been a single exception.

So while we investigate the case,

we must be extremely careful

and must not come into contact with it.

Do you think if we

solve this bizzare Evil God Case,

we can become regular employees?

I think something must be off

with that Zhang Ruipu.

He must have been

playing tricks.

As long as we catch him,

we should be able to close the case.

You're so powerful, huh?

I can't touch you, huh?

Zhang Hailou!

Put it down!

It looks a bit fierce, so I just wanted to cheer it up a bit.

The Archives sent us here to investigate,

not to fool around.

Hurry up and get back to digging.

I've been digging this passage for ages.

Are you sure this is the right direction?

I've done the calculations.

Dig a few more meters in this direction,

and we can break through this passage

to reach that mysterious cave.

What's that you're using?

This thing works amazingly well.

Want to give it a try?

The gods of Nanyang are all very evil.

Get that thing away from me.

You're that superstitious?

Got it, you're not superstitious.

Just don't make me clean up your mess every single time.

I clean up my own mess every time.

Your nose is seriously freakish.

Eating a durian at home is basically a capital offense with you around.

Zhang Haixia.

How about this?

Why don't you just smash your nose somewhere and break it already?

It'd save both of us from torturing each other in the future.

What do you think?

See, it works amazingly well, right?

Let's go.

So much treasure.

Zhang Ruipu must be after this, right?

It's probably not that simple.

Which way?

There's a smell of blood.

Three died just now,

and 2 are still alive.

They were heading deeper down.

The air and muddy water here are both highly toxic.

[Zhili Pill—A Secret Detoxifying Remedy of the Zhang Family]

Let's finish this quickly

and not stay too long.

There's an opening up ahead.

Those two went in there 10 minutes ago.

This is the one time your nose actually comes in handy.

Strange.

Apart from the smell of those two people,

why is there such a heavy smell of corpses?

Let's go inside and take a look.

We might find some clues.

This thing is kind of interesting.

These murals

must be about the legend of the Balai Ancient God,

as known as Evil God.

The greedy ancestors wanted to obtain its treasures,

so they built an ancestral shrine for it,

to please it and worship it.

But the Evil God took advantage of people's greed,

turning its believers into puppets

to guard its treasures.

So whenever intruders break in,

these puppets will kill them.

And after death, the victims are also turned into puppets,

becoming slaves of the Evil God.

Such a boring legend.

It sounds like something made up just to scare people

In this world,

how could there possibly be something

as absurd as murderous puppets?

Did they just look at me?

Why are they only staring at me?

They

don't even look at you.

This thing works amazingly well.

Want to give it a try?

Goddamn.

Is it really that bizarre?

Quite impressive.

How did that work?

Very Nanyang style.

Zhang Hailou.

This kind of ancestral shrine is very rare.

The things inside the niches are even more dangerous.

Don't act rashly.

I've tested it.

It's safe.

Then let's keep searching.

This should be the Evil God's ancestral shrine.

I'm guessing

each puppet corresponds to a corpse-position.

Don't you feel like

something is missing here?

Isn't the size of this gap

exactly the same as that Evil God?

I think maybe...

Did that Evil God statue move just now?

It moved. I saw it.

It seems the crisis hasn't been resolved yet.

What do we do now?

If you don't want to be killed by them,

we've got to deal with it first.

Don't you think this stone

looks like a human head?

Yeah.

How tall is it?

Not sure.

My guess is

it's at least around 10 meters.

What's on it?

On it?

Let me take a closer look.

It's grass.

Doesn't it look like its hair?

It's green.

Come here!

Come over here!

Come here!

Shrimpie.

We're completely safe now.

What are you doing?

Its eyes

have been completely blinded by me.

Move a bit.

It's safe now.

Alright,

now you put it back.

Shrimpie,

why don't you come with me?

No,

my legs are numb.

What if I die?

Then I'll give you a grand funeral.

That sounds nice.

Sailing underground?

This is not a ship.

It should be a shrine for the Evil God.

Look at that door.

What's enshrined behind it

is probably the Evil God's statue.

Why is this door sealed?

Shrimpie.

Look at these Evil God statues.

They are the same type as the one from earlier,

but the craftsmanship

seems to come from different regions.

It shows that there are

believers of this Evil God in many places.

The grooves at the base of these statues

are all different.

Do you think it's possible

that the statue is meant to

be inserted into this base,

and by doing so, the sealed shrine door would open?

This shrine door must never be opened.

If you bring it in here,

we will both die.

There's definitely key evidence

for the case inside that shrine.

If we put it in,

we might be able to see it.

So what do you say—do we put it in or not?

We don't.

Zhang Hailou, you...

Could this be the thing the Evil God lured people here to dig up?

Don't you think it looks a bit

like the one below?

It's looking at me again.

It's looking at me too.

These two things

seem to belong to the same family.

Here's what we do.

I'll handle the small one,

and you take care of the big one.

I can finish this small one

in 3 seconds.

I'd be finished by it in 3 seconds.

Let's risk it.

The movements and behaviors of these two things are synchronized.

They can control each other.

What do we do now?

Shrimpie.

Looks like it's time for us to part ways.

If one of us

has to sacrifice themselves,

then let it be me.

You go back to Xiacheng

and find our mentor!

Don't worry about me.

Leave.

Just leave!

You wait here.

There are so many corpses outside.

I'll find one to press it down.

Are you coming back?

Shrimpie!

Remember to come back!

I'll be waiting for you!

Shrimpie!

I've changed my mind!

I'm going back to Xiacheng too!

Where's the Evil God?

Look behind you!

Dead end.

Zhang Ruipu?

Hello, sir.

Who are you two?

We are...

Boys.

What's our stance again?

Just passing by.

We heard there's treasure being dug up down here,

so we wanted to get a piece of the action.

Judging by your moves just now,

you don't seem like ordinary civilians.

- Actually... - Actually...

We are bandits.

Probably the same as you.

Yeah.

By the way,

how did you manage to walk in here

alive?

And

what is that thing outside?

You're hiding in here,

yet you don't know?

And you're asking us?

When my men and I came down,

toxic water leaked.

Everyone else died.

After that, we stayed in the corner

waiting for the toxic water to drain.

In the end,

you guys came over with this thing,

so we had to hide again.

The 4 of us

are in the same boat now.

Oh, right.

When we go out later,

we'll split into 2 groups.

The small one is easy to deal with,

while whoever the big one follows

will die.

Let fate decide

what happens to our 2 groups.

No, no, this is not right.

Look.

The two of us

are able-bodied,

but as for you two...

One is old,

and the other is sick.

It should be like this.

You two go out

and split into 2 routes.

That's a 50% chance either way.

We'll take the chance to slip out— 100% success rate.

If you don't agree,

we'll just kick you guys out.

You guys might not know who I am.

I'll cripple one of you first,

then we can talk on equal terms.

Looks like we're going to have to settle this after all.

With those skills,

you still claim to be ordinary civilians?

We are just skilled civilians.

You're from the South...

Buddy,

are you switching sides?

[Hermit Crab Watch—Token of the Archives]

I'm Zhang Siye from the Xiacheng Headquarters

[Zhang Siye—Member of the Southern Archives]

of the Southern Archives.

I've been staying by Zhang Ruipu's side

as an undercover agent.

After Zhang Ruipu failed to seize power back then,

he fled the Archives to Nanyang

and expanded his influence here.

The Headquarters assigned me

to stay by his side and keep him under surveillance,

to prevent him from doing evil.

We're from the Balongzhou Branch

of the Southern Archives.

I'm Zhang Hailou, and he's Zhang Haixia.

Since you're from Xiacheng,

do you know...

A few days ago,

he hijacked an official ship

and obtained

a never-before-seen Balinese statue

from a military official.

It came from Xucheng.

Rumor has it that there are similar Balinese statues in Xucheng.

After obtaining the statue,

Zhang Ruipu started acting as if he was possessed.

He insisted on coming here

to search for a mysterious cave,

saying he wanted to obtain some mysterious power.

I assumed there was something wrong with this Evil God statue,

so

I secretly notified the Headquarters,

hoping colleagues in Nanyang

could assist me in investigating this Evil God Case.

So you were the one who called us here.

I realized

that the purpose of this statue

is to let something out.

You guys didn't let anything out, did you?

We didn't.

Then what is that outside?

Zhang Ruipu.

Didn't I knock Zhang Ruipu out?

His men.

Here's the thing.

You just said you called us here to investigate the case...

Stop the investigation.

Also, bear this in mind:

if the Archives

assigns you any more tasks

related to the reef,

you must not accept them.

Why?

Trust me.

Don't investigate anything.

The reef...

And this place...

If you look into it,

you...

You...

You will...

Will...

Will...

So what about...

He's dead?

Grass!

Grass...

Grass...

Grass...

Hey,

why are you still cursing when you're about to die?

Grass...

Plants...

The reef.

But he's right.

We can't stay here any longer.

Otherwise, we'll both die.

But that thing is still out there.

I just came up with a brilliant plan.

Look at your terrible idea.

What do we do now?

We roll out.

Let's go! Come on.

Who are you two?

Zhang Ruipu is dying,

and you're asking who I am?

Where are the explosives? Bring them here!

We have to blow up the entrance

to save him!

Didn't you just climb up from the entrance?

Why do we still need to blow it up?

You're asking me why?

Good question!

Because I am

lying through my teeth!

Run!

Here.

What do we do now?

Isn't the case closed?

The Evil God's ancestral shrine has been blown up.

No one will die there anymore.

We solved a major case in Nanyang.

We'll definitely become regular agents.

The Evil God's ancestral shrine is sealed off now,

but the case can't be closed yet.

How am I supposed to write the report?

What report?

The report to our mentor, of course.

Just write that it was my fault that the Evil God's ancestral shrine

had been blown to pieces.

But I also took care of the Evil God.

Make me sound cool.

You know every report

has to be checked for logical consistency, right?

If other agents

are somehow connected to our case,

the Archives will be able to

link everything together.

So for this report,

I can only write

that the leads were cut off.

How were the leads cut off?

Didn't that advisor say

the Evil God statue came from Xucheng?

How is that lead any different from saying this fish

came from this lake?

Do you know how many Evil God statues are there in Xucheng?

Zhang Haixia, I think you're just targeting me.

You know I blew up that place

for my own reasons.

If I had a choice,

I absolutely wouldn't have done it.

I think you're just blaming me

for getting you stuck in Nanyang.

Zhang Hailou, do you even have a conscience?

We were doing just fine in Xiacheng.

Who's the one that got fooled by Mentor

into coming to Nanyang for a 30-year assignment?

Do you even know how long 30 years is?

[6 months ago, Xiacheng]

Did Mentor talk to you?

Where did you choose to go?

I forgot

where I chose.

Where did you choose to go?

Probably the Thirteen Hongs of Guangchuan.

Not bad.

That's a cushy post.

I remember now.

The place I'm going to seems to be called...

Balongzhou.

What?

You're going to Balai?

- What's wrong? - You…

Do you know that agents who go to Balongzhou

never come back alive?

Seriously?

You, oh you.

You got fooled by Mentor again...

Alright.

Someone has to go anyway.

Mentor letting me go

means she trusts me.

Maybe

I'll become the only agent

to come back from Balongzhou.

Wherever you go.

Anyway, we won't be

handling cases together anymore.

As for whether you can come back from Balongzhou,

it has nothing to do with me.

What do you mean?

Hey, Zhang,

are you breaking off our friendship or something?

Come back!

[Xiacheng]

[Baggage and Cargo Area]

This is the ship to Balongzhou.

Weren't you going to the Thirteen Hongs of Guangchuan?

Got the wrong ship?

I applied to change locations.

Working abroad pays well.

Come on.

I think

you were just worried

I'd be going to Balongzhou all alone, right?

Cut it out.

Be more careful, will you?

We're heading to

a godforsaken place,

and we have to stay there for 30 years.

If we sneak back to Xiacheng halfway through,

we'll face severe punishment...

Even imprisonment.

Thirty years...

Isn't that over in the blink of an eye?

Relax.

Stick with me.

We'll make a name for ourselves in Balongzhou.

When the time comes, we'll return to Xiacheng in glory

and see Mentor together. Let's go.

Board the ship!

Balongzhou,

here we come!

But we could sneak back.

We signed and left our fingerprints.

We're going straight to jail if we sneak back.

Enough.

I'm not happy.

I quit!

Every time we talk about this,

you get like this.

Let's sit down and talk it through, okay?

What did you say?

I can't hear you!

I said you're a good-for-nothing!

You said you're a good-for-nothing?

♪ The answers come in a rush, the harbor's wrapped in mist ♪

Got it!

♪ One punch is a joke, the next one is the real deal ♪

See you in Xucheng!

♪ We may not be partners ♪

♪ Just travelers sharing the same stretch of road ♪

♪ Through bloodstorms and chaos, life's still worth the walk ♪

♪ In this joking jianghu, the blood is real ♪

♪ Another page turns in the archives, the fog blurs every boundary ♪

♪ Yet he sees it crystal clear, the moment his lips curl crooked ♪

♪ Another case is solved ♪

♪ Smiling like crescent moon after crescent moon ♪

♪ When gunfire replaces wisecracks ♪

♪ That's when you learn the code hidden in his eyes ♪

♪ Who swiped my coffee? ♪

♪ Time for me to blow the whistle on somebody ♪

Don't play this game with me.

♪ You speak another heartfelt truth ♪

♪ I'll answer with another joke ♪

♪ This place runs on gunpowder, not perfume ♪

I don't think I was wrong.

♪ Who's afraid of whom? The ship's already sunk before, anyway ♪

♪ What the archives can never fully record is the silence of ordinary people ♪

Right.

How could you ever be wrong?

♪ When the laughter fades away, only the truth remains burning ♪

Do you think I haven't learned your tricks?

♪ Welcome to Nanyang ♪

♪ The swift ship of justice ♪

I have.

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

Every time I take a risk,

it's because I really have no choice.

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

If I had a choice,

♪ With harmony we make our way through the world ♪

I'd be a very meticulous person.

♪ Or lose an arm in the name of justice ♪

♪ Breaking through the maze, I still dare to carry on ♪

Bro.

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

It's not that you take risks...

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

it's that you actually feel thrilled

♪ With harmony we make our way through the world ♪

♪ Or lose an arm in the name of justice ♪

when you take risks.

♪ Breaking through the maze, I still dare to carry on ♪

That's fatal.

♪ Hanging by a thread, this one won't retreat a single step ♪

Darn it.

You can tell?

♪ You once said we'd live on, does that promise still count? ♪

My name is Zhang Haixia,

♪ If this is a gamble, put your life in my hands ♪

not "Zhang Haixia the blind", okay?

Just for the sake of argument,

feeling thrilled is my personal freedom,

right?

Then have you ever thought about the people around you?

You get your thrill,

but what about everyone else?

Not everyone is as good as you.

Some people can't handle the fallout.

But since childhood,

haven't you and Mentor both handled it well?

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

So stubborn.

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

- You'll drag me down sooner or later. - Where's the carriage?

♪ With harmony we make our way through the world ♪

It left.

♪ Or lose an arm in the name of justice ♪

♪ Breaking through the maze, I still dare to carry on ♪

It left? So we have to walk back?

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

Just think of it as your punishment.

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

Fine, I've got my punishment. But what about you?

♪ With harmony we make our way through the world ♪

♪ Or lose an arm in the name of justice ♪

I always end up getting dragged down by you.

♪ Breaking through the maze, I still dare to carry on ♪

Let me ask you.

♪ Waters in the east, bandits in the west ♪

Take this case for example.

Tell me what the right way to handle it is.

♪ The Archives' story goes on ♪

♪ Moving day by day ♪

Tell me about it.

♪ With the sky overhead, mountains and seas back to back ♪

I'll try to be more like that, okay?

♪ In this tale of the South, who's the coward now? ♪

For example, you could investigate the Evil God,

♪ Waters in the east, bandits in the west ♪

but you shouldn't have touched that Evil God statue.

♪ The Archives' story goes on ♪

Well, I didn't have a hammer, bro.

♪ Moving day by day ♪

Speaking of which, you shouldn't

have used the Evil God statue as a hammer.

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

If I didn't use the Evil God as a hammer,

♪ Hey there, hey there, sweet hey there ♪

should I have used you instead?

Should I have smashed you?

Seriously.

Hurry up.

We still need to go to Xucheng to investigate the Evil God.