Tientsin Mystic Episode 5 Recap

> Tientsin Mystic
> Tientsin Mystic Recap

After Guo Deyou surfaced from the Hai River, gasping for breath, Gu Ying and Ding Mao rushed to ask him what happened. To their astonishment, hundreds of floating corpses began to appear on the Hai River, near the Chamber of Commerce for Grain Transportation dock. The crowd murmured about the eerie sight, confirming that the Junior Tientsin Mystic had found a gate under the river, from which bodies kept emerging.

The Fifth River Corpse Retrieval Team members were busy, counting over a hundred bodies, anticipating they would be rich, as each body was worth fifty silver dollars, totaling more than five thousand. Ding Mao, reflecting on the situation, questioned how retrieving Xue Yuanyuan's body could lead to so many other deaths, all from the same spot. Soon, Captain Fu, accompanied by his men, arrived at the dock.

Ding Mao, already on site, immediately ordered more men to protect the scene, set up an investigation, and gather all missing person reports from Tianjin, determined to understand the connection behind these numerous deaths, which had escalated from Xue Yuanyuan's disappearance. However, Captain Fu curtly reminded Ding Mao that he was the heir of the Chamber of Commerce for Grain Transportation, not the police station, and insisted he would handle the police matters.

Ding Mao argued that he had pulled the bodies from the river and had been following Xue Yuanyuan's case, believing he had reason to investigate. Captain Fu countered that Guo Deyou, the Junior Tientsin Mystic, found the bodies, but Ding Mao asserted he paid Guo Deyou for the retrieval.

Captain Fu then stated that the corpse retrieval team was under police command and paid by them, implying that Ding Mao had ignored regulations and overstepped his bounds by paying for the investigation himself. He openly speculated if the Chamber of Commerce had an "inside story" related to Xue Yuanyuan's case.

As Captain Fu and Ding Mao debated, Supervisor Hu of the Chamber of Commerce for Grain Transportation arrived with his servants, lamenting that their dock, the biggest in Tianjin, had become the largest open-air morgue. He criticized Captain Fu for the recent River Worship Ceremony drawing so much attention and now this new predicament. Captain Fu demanded an explanation, but Supervisor Hu quickly checked the bodies and declared that none of them belonged to the Chamber.

Unwilling to be drawn into an argument, Supervisor Hu offered a solution: the Chamber would allocate special funding to transport all the bodies to the Mercy Hospital, which was funded by the Chamber. There, the bodies would be preserved for identification by their families, relieving the police of any further trouble.

Captain Fu, impressed by Supervisor Hu's "thoughtful" and "perfect" handling of the situation, accepted the offer and instructed his men to ensure the autopsy was done thoroughly and cleanly, warning that the police would not take the blame for any further complications. Later, Captain Fu’s subordinate showed him a pocket watch found on one of the bodies. Captain Fu then paid a visit to Xiao San Ye, engaging in pleasantries about Secretary General Xiao and Miss Xiao Lanlan.

He revealed the true purpose of his visit: the discovery of Qian Zixian's pocket watch among the hundreds of retrieved bodies. He mentioned that the bodies were now at the Mercy Hospital, and though it was hard to tell, there was a possibility that Qian Zixian was among them. Xiao San Ye, taking the watch, discreetly paid Captain Fu, instructing him to keep the discovery a secret, especially from Xiao Lanlan.

Captain Fu tried to mention Secretary General Xiao again but was quickly dismissed. Meanwhile, at a hidden location, Xiao San Ye discussed "birth" as "creation" and "original life" with a member of the Demonic Cult (Mogudao), revealing their belief that the "Holy Child" was the "original life of our Demon Sect." He lamented that even though the "Holy Child" (presumably Xue Yuanyuan's baby) was found, it had been dead too long to be of use.

Xiao San Ye expressed his frustration that Ding Yiqiu, even in death, continued to cause trouble, and now his son, Ding Mao, had become a police agent, threatening to disrupt their plans. He also warned the cult leader to "be careful of Guo Deyou," as he had "helped a lot with Xue Yuanyuan's case."

The cult leader, unconcerned about the Junior Tientsin Mystic, asked about the Senior Tientsin Mystic, Guo Chun, noting that he always chose to "keep a low profile" and had not been involved when Ding Yiqiu died. The cult leader then stressed the urgency of finding other "Holy Children" from the three who had survived years ago, suggesting they check who had adopted children back then.

He also indicated that if the Chamber of Commerce was "bold enough," they should "enjoy themselves," implying he had things arranged at the dock. That night, members of the Fifth River Corpse Retrieval Team gathered in Guo Deyou's wooden shack, drinking and chatting. The conversation turned to the Xuanwu statue found in the river. One member questioned whether it was a tortoise or a turtle, and then asked, "What about Xuanwu?"

The mood grew somber as another member mentioned that the Xuanwu statue, meant to guard the safety of the waters, was found with Ding Yiqiu's dead body tied to it, which was "scary." Guo Deyou then questioned Tieniu, asking where Xuanwu statues were typically placed. Tieniu explained that they were erected in places where the water was historically "not safe" or had "flooded," especially in Tianjin, with its complex waterways and many riverside villages.

He added that if truly horrible things happened, like a whole village being drowned, residents would ask witches to hold rites and, if necessary, set up a Xuanwu statue to "guard the restless water." Later, Guo Deyou discussed the recent events with Guo Chun, feeling that the over a hundred bodies had been "put there on purpose."

He connected the dead infant, Ding Yiqiu, Xue Yuanyuan, and the recent influx of bodies, noting how all these cases seemed "related to water." Guo Chun advised him to stop overthinking and just do his job, commenting that Ding Mao had been "preoccupied" and locked himself in his room since returning from the dock, urging Guo Deyou to "take care of him," as they were both his apprentices.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lanlan rushed to the newspaper office after receiving an urgent assignment from her editor: to publish an extra edition announcing a pandemic at the Mercy Hospital, where the bodies were taken. The hospital was quarantined, and body claims were to be delayed. Xiao Lanlan, surprised by the sudden outbreak, questioned the authenticity of the report, asking for proof like a telegram or a pandemic certificate.

Her editor dismissed her concerns, removed her from the story, and assigned it to Xiao Zhe. Determined to uncover the truth, Xiao Lanlan sought out Ding Mao at Yizhuang. She asked him about the Buddha head in the Yizhuang, which Guo Deyou explained had been there since he could remember, only the head, having rolled down a mountain. He recounted that his Master believed it would bring good fortune, but the temple eventually became an Yizhuang.

Xiao Lanlan then brought up the 100 bodies and the sudden hospital pandemic, asking if Ding Mao found anything unusual. He admitted that, aside from the sheer number, the bodies seemed normal, but he hadn't been able to perform an autopsy because the Mercy Hospital had immediately been sealed. Xiao Lanlan suspected an "inside story" and urged Ding Mao, as the Young Master of the Chamber, to investigate.

Ding Mao confided that the police had banned him from the case, but Xiao Lanlan pressed him, revealing her own connection: her fiancé, Qian Zixian, had been missing for a long time, and she had a strong feeling his body was among the corpses. She pleaded with Ding Mao to take her to the hospital. Though initially hesitant, Ding Mao agreed, his curiosity piqued by the Chamber's determined cover-up.

Later, Ding Mao and Xiao Lanlan attempted to enter the Mercy Hospital but were firmly blocked by guards who cited "three fatal orders from the Chamber, the police, and the hospital" forbidding entry. Despite Ding Mao's insistence that he was from the Chamber, the hospital belonged to them, and he was also a police detective, the guards would not budge. Frustrated, Ding Mao went to confront Supervisor Hu at his home.

He accused Hu of "hiding the truth" and ignoring the rumors circulating outside, which blamed the Chamber for "something wicked." Supervisor Hu dismissed the rumors, stating that they were waiting for German virus experts to assess the situation before making any decisions, arguing that spreading unconfirmed information would cause panic, not solve problems. He emphasized that "cautiousness and prudence" had built the Chamber's success, not "impulsion or recklessness."

Ding Mao angrily questioned why he, a forensic doctor and a Chamber member, was still denied entry. Supervisor Hu reiterated that his priority was Ding Mao's safety and preventing the virus from spreading further, which would "doom" the Chamber. Ding Mao retorted that this was the same obstruction he faced when his father died and when the Xue Yuanyuan case came up, all connecting back to the Chamber and its secrets.

He accused Hu of wanting him to "gobble food and wait to die," but declared he couldn't stand being a coward. He decided he would help investigate to uncover the truth, even if it meant discovering a father different from his imagination or revealing secrets of the Chamber of Commerce he "should not know."

At the same time, Gu Ying's mother attempted to stop her from going with Guo Deyou, calling him a "catastrophe" and warning of "bad luck" from so many corpses, even trying to exorcise bad luck from her daughter with "mussels mud." Unfazed, Gu Ying later revealed her plan to Guo Deyou and Ding Mao: they would pretend to be corpses to get into the hospital.

Observing the guards changing shifts, complaining about being tired and hot, the trio seized their chance. Disguised as dead bodies, they were pushed into the hospital on gurneys, along with "another three bodies" that had just been retrieved from the river. A guard joked about Gu Ying's "tofu" (referring to her delicate appearance) while they were being moved. They were instructed to remove their clothes before being left inside.

Navigating the dark, chaotic corridors, they cautiously made their way to the morgue. Gu Ying tried to use Ding Mao's sterile surgical tools to pick the lock, but he protested, concerned about contamination. Gu Ying then confidently pushed the door, revealing it was already unlocked, and let out a startled scream as she stepped inside. Guo Deyou and Ding Mao rushed in after her to see what had happened.

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