Tientsin Mystic Episode 14 Recap

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> Tientsin Mystic Recap

As Huang Yisuo's body hung from the stage ceiling at Ju Hua Grand Hotel, Wang Meiren fainted from shock. Guo Deyou quickly attended to her, while Gu Ying, who had been sulking backstage, hurried to investigate. Before she could ascend the stairs, a fat man with a bald head tossed a handful of white powder at her, causing her to lose strength and collapse. Guo Deyou discovered Gu Ying unconscious later.

The police arrived and, much to Guo Deyou and Ding Mao's dismay, Captain Fu ordered the rope holding Huang Yisuo's body to be cut, effectively destroying the crime scene. Captain Fu dismissed the death as a mere "performance accident," stating that Huang Yisuo had "screwed up the show and killed himself," and no suspicious individuals were found during the initial sweep.

Guo Deyou and Ding Mao angrily argued that cutting the rope ruined evidence and pointed out Gu Ying's sudden collapse backstage as a clear sign of foul play, but Captain Fu simply told them not to "make trouble for yourself and don't bother the police station." Meanwhile, Guo Deyou comforted Wang Meiren, who was kept in a hotel room under police guard as a key witness.

He calmly massaged her Hoku point to soothe her nerves and offered to listen if she wished to speak. Later, Guo Deyou controversially splashed Gu Ying with cold, overnight tea to wake her, enraging Ding Mao, who worried about potential brain injury. Upon waking, Gu Ying recalled seeing the "fat man with a bald head" throw white powder at her before she lost consciousness.

She also vaguely remembered him carrying a suitcase as he left, strongly suspecting him to be the killer and urging everyone to catch him immediately. Guo Deyou, disguised as a stableman, infiltrated the Huang family mansion where a mourning hall was set up for Huang Yisuo. He overheard other stablemen discussing Huang Yisuo's profligate lifestyle and hinted at foul play, even suggesting the Old Lady Huang was indifferent.

As Guo Deyou prepared to use his "point smoke to identify grievances" technique in front of the body, Ding Mao and Gu Ying suddenly appeared, startling him. Their commotion attracted Old Lady Huang, who, despite Guo Deyou introducing himself as a member of the Wuhe River Salvage Team and Ding Mao as a special police detective suspecting murder, vehemently refused to allow anyone to "humiliate" her son's body.

To protect Ding Mao and Gu Ying from the dangers he anticipated, Guo Deyou deliberately used harsh words, calling Ding Mao a "burden" and criticizing Gu Ying's "thievish-looking" appearance and getting knocked out by the killer. Offended, Gu Ying and Ding Mao left. In the background, Ding Sanye, facing increasing risks, pressed Lian Huaqing to quickly find the "Holy Child" and a "Preacher" to fulfill their goals, emphasizing their mutual utilization rather than any deeper connection.

At the newspaper office, Xiao Lanlan overheard Huang Yu, the second son, making arrangements with the editor. Huang Yu intended to "put an ad on paper to invite to a battle," challenging his brother's killer to appear, hoping to provoke the culprit who "licks the blood from the blade." The editor proposed a special column where, if the killer didn't show up, Huang Yu would regularly "reveal some secrets of rivers and lakes"—a significant taboo—to maintain public interest.

Huang Yu agreed to this risky plan, leaving Xiao Lanlan unsettled. Wang Meiren met with Guo Deyou again, recounting her experience at the hotel. She confirmed that when Huang Yisuo died, she distinctly saw only his head, without a body, insisting she was sober and not hallucinating. Guo Deyou explained this was likely a "Jianghu illusion," a secretive technique of the "Cai Men" (Colored Door) sect, often involving drugs.

Since Huang Yisuo's performance was simple and didn't require such complex illusions, Guo Deyou deduced that the illusion was cast by the killer to deceive witnesses, solidifying his belief that Huang Yisuo was indeed murdered. Ding Mao received a call from Xiao Lanlan, informing him about Huang Yu's dangerous "letter of challenge" and his intention to expose "code words" and "bandit argot" in the newspaper.

Ding Mao believed Huang Yu was being manipulated and would destroy the Huang family, so he decided to rush back to the mansion. Meanwhile, Tieniu brought Guo Deyou some fried cakes wrapped in a newspaper. Guo Deyou noticed the newspaper headline announcing Huang Yu's challenge and immediately headed to the Huang residence. Upon arrival, Guo Deyou heard a struggle in the east wing. Peeking through the door, he saw Huang Yu fighting the bald fat man Gu Ying had described.

Just as Guo Deyou prepared to intervene, Ding Mao and Gu Ying arrived, loudly calling his name, which startled the assailant. The bald fat man seized the opportunity and fled through a broken window. Seeing Huang Yu injured, Old Lady Huang was finally convinced. Ding Mao and Guo Deyou explained the risks of Huang Yu's public challenge and reiterated their belief that Huang Yisuo was murdered.

Recognizing the grave danger to her family, Old Lady Huang finally permitted them to examine Huang Yisuo's body. Ding Mao's examination found no external injuries or signs of struggle, confirming Huang Yisuo died of asphyxiation. Ding Mao observed that the rope's knot appeared to be self-tied. Guo Deyou countered that if the killer was left-handed, the knot would appear the same.

He then suggested that Huang Yisuo, like Gu Ying, could have been drugged before being strangled, explaining the lack of struggle. Old Lady Huang then recalled that the "fat man with a bald head," who had injured Huang Yu and drugged Gu Ying, could be Wu Laoxian, a former disciple expelled for "secretly learning medicine art" and who was left-handed.

Huang Yu, having recovered slightly, thanked the trio for their "folk ways" assistance, but requested them to cease their interference until after his brother's "seventh week of death" and all funeral matters were concluded, as he was still upset by their investigation in the mourning hall. Despite this, Guo Deyou continued his search for Wu Laoxian in the ghost market, spending money to gather more information.

He learned that Wu Laoxian was eccentric, lived in the suburban grasslands, sold peculiar "medicine sugar" that caused nightmares, and had a distinctive appearance. The informant directed Guo Deyou to a reed land upstream of the Yingou River, where Wu Laoxian had "got a land" and was said to be even stranger now. Gu Ying and Ding Mao were already at the reed land, having gotten a lead on Wu Laoxian.

Gu Ying expressed her frustration to Ding Mao about Guo Deyou's coldness towards her, attributing it to his admiration for Wang Meiren. She recounted how she and Guo Deyou were childhood sweethearts, and how he had saved her from a human trafficker years ago, but had been distant ever since, as if there was "something in between us inside him." Back at the Huang mansion, Old Lady Huang discovered Huang Yu's room in disarray and him missing.

She called Captain Fu, who arrived and presented a lengthy, theatrical, but illogical deduction based on a broken window catch—that the criminal entered through the window, fought Huang Yu, and then took him through the main door. Old Lady Huang, however, rejected his fanciful theories, asserting that it was undoubtedly Wu Laoxian, her family's traitor, who had killed her eldest son and kidnapped her second.

She declared her intention to accompany the police in the search for Wu Laoxian, knowing that Captain Fu was unprepared for the unconventional Jianghu methods of the Cai Men (Colored Door) sect.

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