The Mystic Nine Episode 20 Recap
> The Mystic Nine Recap
Officer Lu visited Huo Sanniang for tea. Their conversation, initially polite, quickly turned into a subtle test of wills. Officer Lu made an ill-advised remark about her hair, causing Huo Sanniang to reveal the sharp implements hidden within her long locks. She warned him that only her husband or dead men could touch her hair, advising him to learn her rules if they were to associate further.
Officer Lu, realizing her formidable nature, bluntly asked why a woman of her caliber would willingly serve under Zhang Qishan. Huo Sanniang admitted her reluctance, acknowledging Zhang Qishan's immense power and her own family's inability to challenge him alone. Officer Lu then mentioned a friend who seeks to eliminate Zhang Qishan, clarifying that this person is not yet a member of the Mystic Nine but soon will be.
Huo Sanniang revealed a crucial rule: anyone who successfully kills the leader of one of the nine families can then take their place. Officer Lu expressed his gratitude for her valuable insight. Zhang Qishan, Er Yue Hong, and their team ventured deeper into the tomb. The air grew surprisingly dry despite their descent, arousing Qi Tiezui's suspicion about the unusual environment. They soon encountered a deliberately blocked path, which Zhang Qishan attributed to human intervention.
Undeterred by this obstacle, they pressed on, eventually finding a family mark left by Er Yue Hong’s ancestors, signifying safety. However, Er Yue Hong cautioned that this might actually mark the beginning of greater danger, urging everyone to remain calm regardless of what lay ahead. They then discovered a broken stone tablet in an uncharacteristic location, its inscriptions deliberately damaged. Zhang Qishan deduced that someone wished to conceal vital information about the tomb.
He ordered the tablet removed, uncovering a hidden entrance. Qi Tiezui, fearing a trap, hesitated, but Er Yue Hong assured him that it was not a trap of his family's design, suggesting it was merely an abandoned hole. Zhang Qishan decided that only he, Er Yue Hong, and Qi Tiezui would proceed into the newly revealed passage. Inside the hidden passage, they stumbled upon a secret Japanese laboratory.
Zhang Qishan noted that Qi Tiezui's earlier premonition of strangeness was proving true. They searched the lab and found numerous Japanese documents, including a highly detailed map of the mine. Although many documents were useless, the map, with its enigmatic symbols, was a valuable find. Zhang Qishan believed they could decipher the symbols by comparing them to the areas they had already traversed.
Before moving on, Zhang Qishan sternly warned his team against succumbing to curiosity in the unknown depths of the pit, emphasizing that rash actions could jeopardize everyone. He then instructed them to prepare to continue. Meanwhile, Chen Pi met with Officer Lu. Officer Lu relayed the strategy given by Huo Sanniang: to gain influence and challenge Zhang Qishan, one must eliminate an existing family leader and assume their position. Officer Lu inquired which family Chen Pi intended to target.
Chen Pi systematically ruled out San Ye, Liu Ye, Jiu Ye, and Wu Ye due to their formidable skills, cunning, or extensive security. Despite Si Ye's martial prowess and constant vigilance, Chen Pi decided he was the most suitable target, noting Si Ye's vanity would ensure he would accept an invitation from Officer Lu. Officer Lu agreed to arrange a meeting, entrusting the execution to Chen Pi. Officer Lu arranged a banquet and invited Si Ye.
Despite Si Ye's initial reluctance to associate with officials, Officer Lu's flattery, including suggestions that Si Ye deserved to lead the Mystic Nine, eventually appealed to Si Ye's vanity. Officer Lu then subtly pressured Si Ye to dismiss his two personal bodyguards, claiming their presence made him uneasy, to which Si Ye reluctantly agreed, asserting his own "rules." Officer Lu then recommended a special crab dish prepared by a new chef.
Chen Pi, disguised as this chef, entered with a serving cart. Si Ye, sensing something amiss, confronted Chen Pi, and a fierce fight erupted. The skilled Chen Pi attacked, even using broken chopsticks to kill. Though Si Ye was a skilled fighter and tried to escape through a window, Chen Pi’s signature nine-clawed hook was swiftly thrown in from outside, allowing Chen Pi to overpower and kill him.
Officer Lu, observing the outcome, expressed a slight disappointment in Si Ye's capabilities but acknowledged Chen Pi's effectiveness, deciding to manipulate him further. Officer Lu later visited Chen Pi, who appeared unharmed. Officer Lu recounted the fight, noting Si Ye's quick recognition of Chen Pi's disguise and the presence of his bodyguards. Chen Pi, undeterred, boasted that no one he targeted ever escaped.
When Officer Lu questioned him about the nine-clawed hook, Chen Pi explained the necessity of having good weapons for survival and thanked Officer Lu for facilitating the assassination. Chen Pi confidently declared his readiness to kill Zhang Qishan. Officer Lu, observing Chen Pi's unique weapon, noted that while Er Yue Hong's signature skill was metal marbles, Chen Pi's was the nine-clawed hook, expressing curiosity about it.
Si Ye's family held a vigil, planning their revenge against Chen Pi, who they believed was injured and in hiding. To their shock, Chen Pi brazenly appeared at the funeral, declaring his presence. A second bloody massacre ensued as Chen Pi eliminated more of Si Ye's followers. Si Ye's wife, consumed by grief and hatred, confronted Chen Pi, fearless in the face of death.
She expressed her profound love for her deceased husband and her desire to join him, touching his coffin. As Chen Pi raised his weapon to strike her down, Si Ye's young daughter suddenly stepped forward, offering him a bowl of noodles and pleading for her mother's life. The sight of the little girl, coupled with her offering of noodles, triggered a vivid flashback for Chen Pi, reminding him of his beloved Madam Ya Tou, who often made him noodles.
Overwhelmed by a rare surge of compassion, Chen Pi spared the mother and daughter, ordering them to leave Changsha and never return. Later, reflecting on the encounter, Chen Pi spoke aloud to the memory of Ya Tou, noting the girl's resemblance to her and reaffirming his resolve to avenge Ya Tou's death, for which he blamed Zhang Qishan. Guided by the Japanese map, Zhang Qishan’s team pressed onward, encountering another "Mother of Heaven" statue.
They soon reached a vast chamber where the source of the tomb's dryness was revealed: a river of molten lava. On the ground, they discovered patches of hair-like material, similar to what had attacked Zhang Qishan previously. Qi Tiezui identified these as carnivorous fungi that sensed human body temperature. He warned everyone to avoid touching them.
Although a subordinate suggested burning them, Qi Tiezui reasoned they lacked sufficient fuel and that the fungi inadvertently served as a natural defense against intruders. Zhang Qishan agreed, instructing everyone to proceed with extreme caution. Despite the warnings, one subordinate accidentally stepped on the fungi. Zhang Qishan quickly threw an oil lamp, burning the fungus off the man's foot, but this ignited a massive fire across the entire fungal field.
The fire rapidly spread, causing the bridge they were on to collapse. As they desperately ran for safety, some unfortunate team members fell into the lava. Er Yue Hong instinctively saved one falling comrade, only to be pulled back to safety himself by Zhang Qishan. Together, the remaining team members managed to escape the perilous chasm.
Afterwards, Er Yue Hong urged Zhang Qishan not to risk his life for him again, but Zhang Qishan asserted his responsibility to protect Er Yue Hong, whom he had brought into the tomb, stating that Er Yue Hong would have done the same for him.
