Original subtitles

♪The Upper Three hold the seals♪

♪A valiant general, an opera star, and a ruthless cripple♪

♪The Middle Three stir the clouds♪

♪A fiend, a wandering hero, and a master of the blade♪

♪The Lower Three deal in gold♪

♪A beauty, a seer, and a scholar♪

♪The Upper, Middle, and Lower Three♪

♪Represent the nine houses of old Changsha♪

♪Together, they are known♪

♪As the Mystic Nine♪

[Mystic Nine] [Adapted from the novel of Kennedy Xu]

[Episode 6] [This story is purely fictional]

Zhang Qishan.

Zhang Qishan!

Zhang Qishan!

Zhang Qishan.

What in the world was that?

A humongous snake.

It was already here when I came to this place.

Weren't you dead?

I see you're just injured.

Master Zhang, you must be very ignorant.

Now that's a truly humongous snake.

Come out. The snake is gone.

It's gone?

What is going on?

An illusion.

And where's your wound?

I'm speechless.

Where did Tiezui send us?

I'm not sure yet.

After I came here,

I did not see any traces of Unit 401

or your men.

I get it now.

Look at these murals.

As we wander,

we keep seeing murals of the hellish landscape.

This is it.

We're in the Underworld.

Follow me.

I'll show you something.

Eighth Master.

Do the ritual again.

I must find my master.

Me too. I have to find my master as well.

We don't even know how Master Zhang

and Fifth Master disappeared.

I'm only in charge of the literary matters.

If all of you are gone,

who can protect me?

That's easy for you to say, Eighth Master.

When you disappear,

I'll be lounging around.

The Wu Clan is not known for their patience.

- Just do it, Eighth Master. - Exactly.

- This can't wait. - We can't wait either.

- Time is running out. - Yes.

- Exactly. - Do it again.

Do the ritual again.

Tiezui.

Send them off.

Otherwise, they won't quit yelling.

Who cares about the bigger picture anyway?

Master Zhang and Fifth Master

don't need help.

What's the worst that could happen? We'll just die here.

Continue searching.

Leave no stones unturned.

Yes, sir!

Heifeng, Aolie.

Make Master proud.

- Okay. - Yes!

Wow.

This relief sculpture looks quite old.

This snake...

Doesn't it look familiar?

It's like the one you chased away.

And this

looks like the shadow

you chased after.

We have the snake

and the shadow.

Then, the other monsters on this relief sculpture...

Don't tell me they are all here.

So, we are in the Underworld.

I don't see any indicator that we're in the Underworld.

You keep saying it.

You must love being in the Underworld.

It's my hunch.

Someone built the wall.

Someone carved this relief sculpture.

And they did a mediocre job.

If the Underworld was this shabby,

there would be no point in becoming immortals.

So where do you think we are right now?

I'm not sure yet.

You might as well not say anything.

I need you

to see another place.

There are many cracks here.

This place was the furthest I went just now.

These cracks are unusual.

Come check them with me.

This is the place.

I can hear the wind.

You didn't hear that just now?

No.

There is wind.

This crack might lead to the outside.

The Zhang Clan are good contortionists.

Go ahead.

You overestimate me, Fifth Master.

I knew it.

Now, listen to me.

There are only two possibilities.

One.

It's the hellish gust.

The other side of the crack is the Underworld.

If we crawl through,

we'll be in the tongue-ripping level

to be tortured.

Two.

It is as you have said.

This is not the Underworld. We're still alive.

And this crack leads to the ground above.

So?

Which one do you believe in?

Both are pointless.

The crack is too narrow.

To further verify,

we need another passage.

No need.

I didn't know you tamed birds too, Fifth Master.

Our clan is famous for taming dogs.

But that doesn't mean it's the only thing we do.

In this martial arts world,

everyone has a trick up their sleeve.

You don't know as much as you think you do.

Right, Tu?

Fly out now.

Hold it for me.

I'll draw something

to tell Tiezui to perform the ritual

and meet with us here.

Tu will fly out.

If it flies back to my residence,

people of my clan

will bring this drawing to the Otherworld Tower.

Tu will make its way through the collapsed waterway

and locate Juanlian.

Eighth Master, Miss Huo,

a drawing from Fifth Master.

That way, we can all regroup.

And it also means we have found a way out.

But if no one comes,

it means it's a dead end.

Regardless,

Tu's journey

will give us

the answer.

Tu.

Go now.

I checked everywhere.

There is no contraption.

I've dug the cracks

on the floor and wall.

We forgot one place.

So high.

How do we get up?

We'll have to fly.

Tiezui.

Light a joss stick for me.

Seal all cracks.

If the smoke rises vertically,

it means the roof is tightly sealed.

There is no exit above us.

But if the smoke is slanted,

it means the roof is hiding something.

Gosh.

Such a small door.

Where does it lead to?

Perhaps to the hall of the Underworld King?

If that's the case,

that means

what I said was right.

And you are in the wrong.

That is so embarrassing for you.

I'd love to see that,

but dying next to you

is rotten luck.

Fifth Master, you have become

more adorable now that you're here.

Of course.

If I'm going to die,

I'm going to die happily.

Unlike you, Master Zhang.

You'll die sulking.

In your next life,

you might become a sulking bullfrog.

There's a contraption.

This thing does not have a face.

The Otherworld Patriarch before also didn't have a face.

So, he must be the Otherworld Patriarch.

No.

He wears an official's robe.

Is he the Underworld King?

A fake one.

Made from clay.

A fake Underworld King?

Something's off about his position as well.

If he's watching the play,

he should be sitting right in front of the stage.

Why is he behind the stage?

And there are three things on his face.

What do they mean?

It feels intentional.

Punishment.

It means punishment.

Punishment?

Is this a test?

If you fail the test, you will be punished.

What test is it?

Let's split up and search.

I am not your subordinate.

Say "Please."

They even have tea and fruits.

They must be here for the play.

But it's so dark in here. How are they going to perform?

How will the fake Underworld King enjoy the play?

Very suspicious.

To my fellow audience,

thank you for your support.

As I ring the gong,

a good spectacle will unfold!

I'm a genius.

Yikes.

They are dried corpses.

Where are their skulls?

Remember the waterway we were in?

So, these are their bodies.

Their skulls are in the waterway.

And their bodies continue to perform in the Underworld.

Someone must have arranged it that way.

Since someone did this,

it means we're not in the Underworld.

I'm afraid I'm right.

Not you.

But that snake just now

was not manmade.

Master Zhang.

We worked together in the past.

Don't tell me you have no idea

what this place reminds you of.

Perhaps.

Let's split up and search for the exit, please.

I found a contraption here.

There's a hidden door here.

The corpses are placed on a rotating platform.

It can rotate

and there is a latch inside.

That should be the key to the door.

Solve the puzzle

and the door will open.

Do you have the solution?

I have no idea.

But it must have something to do with this play.

How am I supposed to know which play this is?

Can you force

the door open?

It's full of contraptions.

And a sophisticated one at that.

You're smart.

You actually discovered this.

So, we're not in the Underworld, after all.

As always, you are right,

Master Zhang.

Only humans can solve a puzzle.

Can you solve it?

This puzzle?

I have heard a thing or two.

It's called the Golden Toad's Gift.

Instead of saying

that this door is a contraption,

it's more accurate

to say the whole room is a contraption.

Everything is interconnected.

Stay behind me.

I'll show you how it's done.

Fine. I know you're strong.

But listen to me.

If you open this door by force,

no one knows what will happen next.

You can show off,

but what if it harms the people outside?

Unit 401, Tianpeng,

and the people in Liunian Hall.

How can you make sure they are safe?

That's why

we should start

from the stage.

[Madam Wang's Lecture]

Madam Wang's

Torture?

What?

It's so dark here.

Can I borrow your light?

Don't you have a torchlight?

It died.

Madam Wang's Lecture.

Madam Wang's Lecture?

I know this play.

It's a play about a woman teaching her son.

The Underworld keeps up with the trend, I see.

This play

came out not long ago.

Two dynasties ago, at most.

Second Master has sung it before.

Surely, you must know his performance.

I was busy.

I didn't stay for long.

I don't like to watch plays either.

It's too long-winded.

Unlike the thrilling Havoc in Heaven.

Wait.

The costumes

are indeed costumes from Madam Wang's Lecture.

But the hats

are all wrong.

If I remember correctly, no one wears hats in this play.

Does it matter?

It's just against the rules.

An opera stage is a place of entertainment.

It is sacrilegious to defile it like this.

The Otherworld Patriarch

is wicked.

He sure is.

I know what he's watching.

He's not

watching the play on the stage.

He's watching how we solve the puzzle.

If we solve it wrongly, we'll be punished.

Do those three things have anything to do with our punishment?

Do not blink then, Otherworld Patriarch.

Master Zhang.

Which opera should we sing right now?

Farewell My Concubine

or A Fisherman Kills A Family?

There's a hole.

Is there

a contraption above?

Fifth Master?

It's Fifth Master's hand!

All of you saw it, right?

Fifth Master is above us.

Fifth Master must be in trouble.

Zhang Xiaoyu.

Ask your men to make a human ladder.

We'll take a closer look

at the hole.

It's too high.

It'll take a lot of men to make a human ladder,

and the bottom ones won't be able to handle it.

I'll be the base.

The Zhang Clan is so weak.

If you can do it,

do it yourself then.

You...

I see it now.

You never intend to help.

Fine.

Don't forget

that besides our master,

your master might also be stuck

in the hole above us.

Even if he is,

it is not your place to worry about him.

We couldn't even hear your master,

let alone see his hand.

I bet your master is already dead.

Our master will still be alive

even after your entire clan is dead.

What did you just say?

Enough.

Enough!

Stop!

Let's fight it out.

Calm down!

We cannot fight among ourselves now.

Laogou, what are you trying to do?

Madam Wang's Lecture

tells the story about a widow

raising her rebellious son

until her son becomes a top scholar.

But judging from the son's look,

he is quite rebellious.

So this puzzle wants us to play the role of the mother

and lecture him.

The face bears the word "punishment".

If we do it wrongly,

we'll be punished.

Just do it correctly.

Spare the rod and spoil the child.

The old teacher next to my house

always says that.

One rod for Madam Wang.

One rod for Performer One.

One rod for Performer Two.

This seems right.

You must have had a tough childhood.

He'll be caned to death.

They say you are fair

and merciful.

Unfortunately,

your merciful light

does not reach

insignificant people like me.

Since your light doesn't reach anyone,

Changsha can still live with or without you.

I hope we can find Unit 401 soon

so that you'll leave the Mystic Nine.

It seems like I have a knack

for raising kids.

Perhaps I can open an academy once I'm out.

Another stage behind a stage?

The back of the Underworld King statue?

This should be

the latter half of Madam Wang's Lecture.

So the son grows up

and becomes evil.

Who canes their mother?

No.

Did we solve the puzzle wrongly?

But the door opened.

Laogou.

There is another door.

I can't open the door.

I'm afraid this is the only exit.

Raise the son well, and only then will the door open.

I see it now.

This is the karma Tiezui always talks about.

We planted a bad seed in the first stage,

so we get a bad ending in the second stage.

Only when we raise the son well in the first stage

can we have a good ending,

and the door will open.

But we did it incorrectly just now.

And we weren't punished.

Let's try a thousand times.

We'll get it right eventually.

Is this whole thing a setup

to lecture us?

The Otherworld Patriarch

sure is more patronizing than you are.

We're going to try a thousand times.

So don't just stand there.

Let's try again in the first stage.

Please put your talent to good use.

I...

I...

On this stage,

what the characters are holding

has a purpose.

It's right for the servants to be carrying refreshments and trays.

But it'd be ridiculous

if Madam Wang was carrying them.

Right.

Let's follow this rule

and put the props in the right place.

Okay.

What is it?

The wool balls.

There's one extra.

There's one extra wool ball.

The hats have to be made in a particular way.

It's against the rule to have one extra wool ball.

What is the usual rule?

A pair of sevens.

There should be 14 wool balls.

It has 14 wool balls.

No way.

I counted 15 just now.

9, 10, 11, 12, 13,

14.

What?

Your eyesight is quite bad.

Did I see it wrongly?

1, 2, 3,

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,

11, 12.

15.

Zhang Qishan.

Zhang Qishan.

There are 15.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,

11, 12, 13,

14.

There are 15.

The wool ball...

Forget it.

You'll never believe me anyway.

No, I do.

♪The past fades like smoke♪

♪A choice is made in silence♪

♪In this labyrinthine puzzle♪

♪Who can reach the shore?♪

♪Just an ordinary farewell♪

♪The sun seems to shine bright over our heads♪

♪But this could be our last trip together♪

♪The spring breeze continues outside♪

♪Who was it who left in such haste?♪

♪Caught in the game, the raging waves fall silent♪

♪Who believes in fate?♪

♪For my home and my country, the years pass like a dream♪

♪When the song ends, who will still be waiting?♪

♪With a nod, we bid farewell and set out again♪

♪Take care♪

♪We once raced♪

♪For the dawn♪

♪Ever-lasting bond, a satisfying vindication♪

♪In the web of fate♪

♪No one can escape♪

♪Life and death cut like a blade♪

♪We too were young once♪

♪Fortunate to brave the raging waves together♪

♪Keep the ember lit♪

♪To illuminate the journey ahead♪

♪The spring breeze continues outside♪

♪Who was it who left in such haste?♪

♪Caught in the game, the raging waves fall silent♪

♪Who believes in fate?♪

♪For my home and my country, the years pass like a dream♪

♪When the song ends, who will still be waiting?♪

♪With a nod, we bid farewell and set out again♪

♪Please, do take care of yourself♪