Tientsin Mystic Episode 6 Recap
> Tientsin Mystic Recap
Gu Ying shrieked as she entered the morgue and nearly struck an armed searcher. It was a false alarm, however, as Xiao Lanlan removed her mask, revealing herself to the group. Xiao Lanlan had arrived earlier than the others, having swapped clothes with a guard during a shift change to sneak in. Guo Deyou, sensing the heavy "yin" energy in the morgue, instructed Gu Ying and Xiao Lanlan to stand guard outside, pushing them out.
He and Ding Mao then proceeded to examine the visible bodies. Guo Deyou, with his extensive experience in salvaging corpses, could immediately distinguish between those who drowned and those thrown into the river after death. Ding Mao, a proponent of modern forensics, initially dismissed Guo Deyou's empirical observations. However, upon closer inspection, he found that the victims' engorged blood vessels were inconsistent with drowning. Using his instruments, Ding Mao discovered that all the individuals had died from cyanide poisoning.
He even recognized Qian Zixian, Xiao Lanlan's fiancé, among the bodies, but decided against revealing this to Xiao Lanlan to spare her distress. Their investigation was interrupted when the two guards they had been avoiding earlier entered the morgue. Gu Ying quickly incapacitated them. Amidst the chaos, Xiao Lanlan inadvertently saw Qian Zixian's body. Though grief-stricken, she maintained a strong resolve, vowing to find the killer. Ding Mao, witnessing her determination, promised to bring her a satisfactory explanation.
Ding Mao explained that all the victims, including Qian Zixian, died of cyanide poisoning and were then thrown into the river. He also noted that many bodies were infected with a virus, but Qian Zixian’s body showed no signs of it, leaving the connection unclear. He acknowledged that their presence had already alerted the perpetrators, making further investigation challenging. The constant discovery of bodies in the Hai River left everyone feeling increasingly overwhelmed.
The case of the deceased infant remained unsolved, with the child's body disappearing, and Xue Yuanyuan's body was deliberately thrown into the river before the hundreds of floating corpses appeared. Unable to tolerate further loss of life, Guo Deyou decided to use the forbidden "analysis by lighting cigarette" technique, despite the physical toll it would take. While in a trance, he was jostled out of the vision.
After gasping for air, he collapsed, only to suddenly spring up during Ding Mao's resuscitation attempts, grabbing Ding Mao's clothes and shouting the word "opium." Before dawn, Ding Mao rushed into the police station, surprising Captain Fu by entering without knocking.
Following Guo Deyou's hint, Ding Mao, leveraging his temporary police badge and special detective status, declared his intention to investigate the opium trade, reasoning that if he couldn't handle the floating corpse case directly, he would tackle this related, illegal activity. Captain Fu, unaware of the full context, was reluctant but eventually agreed to let Ding Mao investigate opium "secretly." To gather information, Ding Mao reluctantly went to a brothel, Cangcuilou.
The madam explained that various girls catered to different types of clients. Ding Mao paid a high price for Guan Mei, a girl known to serve clients who enjoyed "smoking a few puffs," hoping she would have information. Meanwhile, at the Hai River's water transportation dock, Gu Ying and her mother performed rituals, scattering paper money to send off the hundreds of floating bodies.
Guo Deyou arrived, and a lively argument ensued between him and Gu Ying's mother, who, as a self-proclaimed medium, accused him of bringing bad luck. Feigning a desire to cleanse himself, Guo Deyou plunged into the Hai River. After searching for some time, he discovered a hidden entrance related to where the hundred floating bodies were found, leading him through an underwater passage. He eventually emerged from a well in a desolate, overgrown field outside the city.
Back at the brothel, Ding Mao was in an awkward situation with Guan Mei in a private room, trying to extract information while fumbling with tea. With the promise of payment, he learned from Guan Mei that Qian Zixian not only smoked opium but was also involved in opium dealing. She recalled Qian Zixian frequently mentioning the word "jasmine."
Ding Mao conveyed this new information to Xiao Lanlan, warning her about the dangers of Qian Zixian's past associates and asking if she knew what "jasmine" meant. Xiao Lanlan then brought Ding Mao to the Ju Hua Grand Hotel. Coincidentally, Guo Deyou and Gu Ying, who had been following a car with mud matching that from the well, also observed it stop at the same hotel. As they dined, a singer on stage began performing a song whose title was "Jasmine," prompting Ding Mao to realize the meaning of Qian Zixian's last word.