The Mystic Nine Episode 23 Recap
> The Mystic Nine Recap
Lu Jianxun expressed curiosity about Qi Tiezui, who always accompanied Zhang Qishan. Hendry then took him to Qi Tiezui's small fortune-telling and antique stall. Although the stall had few customers present, a shop attendant remarked that Qi Ba Ye’s treasures were worth a great fortune, and even foreigners came to buy his goods. Hendry explained that while such small businesses usually fail, the Qi family's stall had flourished for generations, which Lu Jianxun found peculiar, suspecting some hidden trick.
Hendry divulged that Qi Tiezui had a unique business rule: he offered a free fortune-telling service to anyone who bought his goods. While ostensibly selling antiques, his real business was divination, and his predictions were remarkably accurate, earning him the title of Changsha's No.1 fortune teller. This "giveaway fortune-telling" attracted many superstitious people from the "tomb business" and antique trade, who would buy items randomly just to get a reading, ensuring a steady stream of customers.
However, a shop attendant informed Lu Jianxun and Hendry that Qi Ba Ye was not present that day, so only goods were for sale, and no fortunes would be told. Lu Jianxun, acknowledging the situation, decided to visit another day. The accuracy of Qi Tiezui's predictions was indeed miraculous. Hendry recounted an interesting rumor: a customer once visited Qi Tiezui’s incense hall, disliking all the antiques but taking a fancy to a particular incense burner.
Qi Tiezui, however, had a strict rule that his shop only sold antique wares, not just any displayed item. Despite this, his clerk, Xiao Man, succumbed to greed and secretly sold the incense burner to the customer, keeping the generous payment for himself. When Qi Tiezui discovered this, he was not angered by the money, but by Xiao Man's offense to the spirits and ancestors, warning of divine retribution for such a major sin.
Terrified, Xiao Man pleaded for a solution. Qi Tiezui divined, instructing Xiao Man to carry the money from the incense burner sale on his person when he went to the nearby villages to collect rent in a few days. He was to place the collected rent money at the bottom of a trunk, and importantly, he was to exempt the melon farmer from paying rent. Xiao Man followed Qi Tiezui's instructions.
On his way back from collecting rent, he was waylaid by robbers. The robbers took the money from the incense burner sale that Xiao Man carried on his person but left the trunk containing the collected rent money untouched. Soon after, the robber was apprehended, and it turned out to be none other than the melon farmer Xiao Man had exempted from rent.
The melon farmer, whose harvest had been ruined by heavy rain, had become desperate and resorted to robbery. Upon seeing Xiao Man, who had shown him kindness by waiving his rent, he couldn't bring himself to harm him. Instead, he took only the money from the incense burner sale, fearing recognition if he stayed longer, and fled, sparing Xiao Man's life. Xiao Man returned safely with the rent money intact, praising Qi Tiezui's uncanny foresight.
Qi Tiezui then revealed his clever divination: the "money for burner" (买炉钱) sounded like "money for way" (买路钱), which predicted the robbery. And the customer not asking for "fortune-telling" (不算卦 bu suan gua) was a homophone for "ruined melons" (瓜不算 gua bu suan), which foresaw the melon farmer's plight.
Qi Tiezui admonished Xiao Man that he must bear the consequences of his own actions but that the ancestors had given him a way out due to it being his first offense. He urged Xiao Man to live righteously and avoid such muddled mistakes again, to which Xiao Man solemnly agreed. News of this remarkable incident quickly spread throughout Changsha.
Lu Jianxun remained unconvinced, dismissing Qi Tiezui's story as a mere trick to deceive the ignorant public, akin to Zhang Qishan's "transporting technique." He even speculated that Qi Tiezui might have advised Zhang Qishan on the "transporting technique." When asked about Qi Tiezui's other talents and weapons, Hendry stated that Qi Tiezui's tools were merely trivial items like compasses, talismans, tortoise shells, and copper coins, and he would surely flee from any real combat.
Lu Jianxun still wondered why Qi Tiezui, despite his lack of combat skills, would risk his life following Zhang Qishan into the perilous tomb. Hendry explained that some people cannot be bought with money; they are simply willing to brave danger and fight alongside their friends. He revealed that Qi Tiezui was Zhang Qishan's first friend in Changsha, and Zhang Qishan had always come to his rescue whenever he was ambushed.
Hendry described their bond as that of "sworn friends," using the Chinese idiom "knives piercing both sides." Lu Jianxun, however, cynically dismissed it as Qi Tiezui simply leveraging Zhang Qishan's current fame. Meanwhile, Lu Jianxun was actively pursuing his plans against Er Yue Hong. He had stationed men to monitor Er Yue Hong's manor, acting on information from Chen Pi that there were few servants or guards.
His subordinate confirmed they were ready to capture Er Yue Hong by surprise upon his return from the mine. Though his subordinate expressed concern about Er Yue Hong's fighting prowess, Lu Jianxun confidently stated that even the most skilled fighter would submit to a gun, especially after being weakened and "half alive" from the dangerous ancient tomb. To avoid repercussions from the other Nine Families, Lu Jianxun asserted that they only needed a justifiable crime and a witness.
He mentioned that Huo Sanniang and Chen Pi were already on their side, which would deter others. He then indicated that Chen Pi, Er Yue Hong's disciple, would help them arrange everything. Elsewhere, a courtesan named Xiao Hong in a brothel was approached by one of Lu Jianxun's men. She recognized the man in a picture as Chen Ye (Chen Pi), a soldier and a frequent, generous customer.
Noticing Chen Ye's recent absence, she wondered if he had found another courtesan. The man insinuated that Chen Ye might be dead, but promised double payment if Xiao Hong would perform a task for him should Chen Ye reappear, to which she eagerly agreed. Deep within the tomb, after Zhang Qishan, Er Yue Hong, and Qi Tiezui had entered their respective passages and their steel wires snapped, they continued forward, each facing disorienting challenges.
Qi Tiezui found himself in a room that seemed familiar yet new, marveling at the exquisite mechanisms. He noted there were 64 holes, similar to the Fuxi 64 Hexagrams, implying a causal circle that made it nearly impossible for an ordinary person to escape the cycle within. He called out, hearing echoes but no responses, and in a moment of panic, feared dying alone far from Changsha, eventually resorting to meditation and prayer.
Er Yue Hong navigated a passage filled with broken mirrors. The flashlight's reflections were disorienting, causing him to hallucinate Ya Tou and relive painful memories from their past. After composing himself, he continued, only to find himself in a looping pattern, unable to retrace his steps as the passage behind him had changed. Zhang Qishan experienced a similar problem, wandering through identical passages, noting that the entrances behind him kept changing.
He observed remnants of their steel wires, realizing he and Qi Tiezui had been in these rooms before, indicating a complex labyrinthine trap designed to disorient them. Despite calling out for help and hearing only echoes, Zhang Qishan persevered, eventually discovering a soft spot in a cave wall, which he dug through with his shovel, finding a new path forward. He still had not found an exit.
