Old Nine Gates 老九门 - Episode 17 (Recap)
kakashi: Oh no, a Chen Pi focused episode! >.<
SakiVI: focus on the nose!
Actually, there's not a lot of Chen Pi at all, even though this episode is named after him. We actually get quite a bit of Fo Ye and Xinyue, and we also get some tomb-action, which means I'm happy.
Fo Ye is not the type to just accept someone else taking charge like that unless he actually likes it. So, I think he likes it. Plus, the injury is minor for him, so it's not like he's weak from it.
She clearly loves the chance to take care of him - and he lets her.
He loves it too, though he seems conflicted about it.
The conversation turns to Er Ye - who is drowning his grief with alcohol and whores. That enrages our Xinyue, who considered Yatou her friend, and she stomps into the establishment to give Er Ye an earful. He isn't moved one bit and tells her to call back the whores on her way out.
He had a point: he'd paid for them to pour his drinks and flatter him.
He takes her to the family crypt (what is it that they are throwing? I think they're talismans of some sort.) and then tells everyone to leave. He cleans the coffin of that stuff they have been throwing into the air - and tells her to wait for him. And then... he falls into a hole in the ground. Haha, that was unexpected! Ya Tou's spirit wants him grave robbing as her final self-negation. It's a "reversed robbing entrance and exit point into a tomb", he exclaims. And disappears into the passage.
Fo Ye is back home and Xinyue is hovering again. She even blows on his hot soup. Awww. She's also worked out a special diet for him and goes ooooooon and on about it, until he's had enough.
His expression was so funny.
She starts peeling an apple for him and she's so cute while doing all this, he has to smile.
Only someone with a heart of stone wouldn't find her cute here.
He's enjoying her company all the more because he straaaangly hasn't gotten any visitors lately. Funny that. Just then, the butler anounces Ba Ye - with something very important. But Ba Ye doesn't dare come in and the butler doesn't dare let him in... because they were under the impression that Fo Ye refused to see anyone until being fully recovered. Well, guess what ... not Fo Ye, but Xinyue was the one who gave these instructions! Fo Ye is not pleased about her meddling to this extent and scolds her.
She's the lady of the house. She can give these instructions. On the other hand, it's not right to be that possessive. Eh, I'm torn.
He also suggests she should go back to Bei Ping, now that her friend has passed away and nobody is left for her to worry about. She worries about him though, she says, almost crying! She feels sorry for him, all alone and always in danger! She leaves in a huff, the apple murdered. No, Fo Ye, you cannot win against her. And stop sending her away.
Rude Fo Ye. And that apple made me laugh.
Ba Ye has come to report to Fo Ye that Er Ye is missing. He also dismissed all his servants, the poor souls! They worry about him so much. Given that the Japanese are still very interested in the mines, Fo Ye thinks they need to go to the tombs as quickly as possible and without Er Ye, who is in no state to enter the tombs. Ba Ye doesn't like thet idea at all, but he still offers to accompany Fo Ye.
Aw, Ba Ye just can't live without Fo Ye! Sorry, Xin Yue, but you have competition here.
Fo Ye smiles and promises to prepare better this time. Yeah, you better. And don't touch any hair.
Xinyue, who wanted to bring Fo Ye food despite cursing at him a few minutes before, has heard every word about the mines. After Ba Ye has left, she brings the food in and asks when Fo Ye's leaving. He is of course angry about her eavesdropping and tells her to mind her own business, which prompts her to say: "Send yourself to death's door then: Goodbye". In the sweetest of ways. It causes him to smile again.
I don't think he really minds her eavesdropping. I wonder if he's starting to come around to the idea of marriage to her?
While everyone is very much worried about Er Ye, he goes and explores a tomb under the tomb. It's full of dead ancestors in a kind of mummy state. And there's that amulet again that Fo Ye brought with him the first time he went in! They all have it, so I assume it means they're Hongs?. No idea why they died though. The tomb under the tomb isn't really a tomb but an office, it seems, it is full of documents from the ancestors. And they're all about that other tomb, the one Fo Ye wants to go back into.
That office setup was so weird. Who just sits there writing stuff up while there are dead bodies right nearby? Super-vampiric - or just plain psycho. And I also wondered if those amulets were some sort of Hong Family identity tags. And all those mummified ancestors were just weird. All face down, though, so at least there's some consistency. One other thing I noticed: the writing engraved onto the wall. Someone in a desperate state with ink and paper and a desk and near the surface isn't really going to engrave such a message like "If one enters this door after us, you must reveal the truth."
Flashback to Er Ye's sexy uncle! He's so handsome! We see what we saw before, how they check with a compass, look at the gravel and then go into the mines. They get to that gigantic gate and start measuring it. Not sure why. The sexy uncle reads the Dante quote and then, he has his men open the gate. There's some creeepy green light in there, don't go in!
Off they go! The Japanese visitors don't seem to care at all about any of the strange things there.
Oh look! Skeletons. And weapons.
I see them, yes.
Er Ye's great uncle and the other Chinese conspire to take the huge treasure that must be in here for themselves. (For nationalist reasons, naturally, not greed or anything.) They plan to split up. One group stays with the Japanese, to kill them if they find the treasure first. The other group, with the Sexy Uncle, will go explore on their own. To be continued! Woohoo!
I think Ba Ye and Jiu Ye help. We haven't met the rest of the Gates yet, so perhaps they are not into worrying about Changsha if Fo Ye is there to do it. Er Ye, for example, was preoccupied. Fo Ye is also the unofficial ruler of the city, and that's what rulers should do, take the responsibility.
Xinyue gets it, and she is the only one. He is still very macho all the time and "I don't need a woman's help", but he has actually gotten her help more than once. He certainly hates being weak, but I think he realizes that she is right when she orders him strict rest. You know, sometimes we just need someone stern that takes care of things for us to get better. A moment of weakness for us to become strong again.
You're right when you're right, sensei.
I particularly liked the moment when she just accepts that he is going to go into the tombs, risking his life once again. She knows that is Fo Ye and she knows she will never be able to change that aspect of him. Fine, so she goes with it. He probably yearns for the warmth of a family, and her nursing is showing him what that could be like. Her accepting him for who he is, basically just offering her support ... it is exactly what he needs.
He could stop telling her to get lost, though.
SakiVI: focus on the nose!
Actually, there's not a lot of Chen Pi at all, even though this episode is named after him. We actually get quite a bit of Fo Ye and Xinyue, and we also get some tomb-action, which means I'm happy.
Episode 17 - Chen Pi Breaks the Law
After being hit by Er Ye (still wondering why that arm didn't come off), Fo Ye rests sexily at home. Xinyue makes sure he is really resting and throws our poor Ba Ye out. He is terrified of her. And Fo Ye won't stand up for him. Buahaha.Fo Ye is not the type to just accept someone else taking charge like that unless he actually likes it. So, I think he likes it. Plus, the injury is minor for him, so it's not like he's weak from it.
He loves it too, though he seems conflicted about it.
He had a point: he'd paid for them to pour his drinks and flatter him.
Cut to Chen Pi, wandering through the streets like a zombie. He sits down in front of a noodle shop... and overhears the owner talk about "that night" when Er Ye Hong came banging at the door. He went to so many of the noodle places, but nobody opened. Chen Pi gets a murderous look in his eyes...
So nothing new there.
... and that night, with the thunder roaring, he kills them all, one after the other.
There goes our Chen Poo!
Fo Ye - up and about again - gets news of the noodle-shop murders (8 in total) and Visual Zhang even knows the details and that is was Chen Pi. He is so smart. Fo Ye gives the order to search for and arrest Chen Pi. They also decide to keep this from the highly unstable Er Ye. Unfortunately, Chief Lu Idiot also decides to go capture Chen Pi.
Our bloodsoaked delinquent is somewhere in the countryside... is that the village he grew up in? Maybe it's a village he slaughtered some time ago. Also, all that blood on him was disgusting. He had actual blood on his hands, and he looked filthy. The house he seeks refuge in is completely run down. Maybe it's the first place he ever wrecked, so memories. Visual Zhang's men discover him, but their discovery is discovered by Lu's men in turn. Since Visual Zhan is only taking a few men, Lu goes in with many more ... and even plans to KILL OUR ZHANG! You VILE MAN! Our Zhang is beyond this man's minor skills. Never again will I post a good picture of you. And only small ones.
The smaller, the better considering everything regarding him.
Visual Zhang has captured Chen Pi when Idiot Lu intervenes and Chen Pi gets away. The Idiot spurts nonsense about Fo Ye having to take responsibility, blabla, and just you wait until Fo Ye is no longer defense chief of Changsha. Seriously, get a life.
I think he's trying to take over Fo Ye's life, sadly.
The upside: Visual Zhang looks delicious when angry. Also, he doesn't get killed.
Because he's gorgeous and awesome! Also a gif of Lt Zhang looking all pretty was just what I needed this morning.
It's the day of Yatou's funeral. Fo Ye and his Madame arrive together - he in white, she in black - just as her coffin is carried out. Er Ye, who leads the procession, just looks dazed and doesn't acknowledge anyone's presence. But he remembers that Yatou told him to continue living with a smile ... and so he smiles. Oh Er Ye.
Ah, so this is why Er Ye is wearing red, a normally totally inappropriate colour for funerals. He's living life with a smile.
His expression was so funny.
Only someone with a heart of stone wouldn't find her cute here.
She's the lady of the house. She can give these instructions. On the other hand, it's not right to be that possessive. Eh, I'm torn.
Rude Fo Ye. And that apple made me laugh.
Aw, Ba Ye just can't live without Fo Ye! Sorry, Xin Yue, but you have competition here.
I don't think he really minds her eavesdropping. I wonder if he's starting to come around to the idea of marriage to her?
That office setup was so weird. Who just sits there writing stuff up while there are dead bodies right nearby? Super-vampiric - or just plain psycho. And I also wondered if those amulets were some sort of Hong Family identity tags. And all those mummified ancestors were just weird. All face down, though, so at least there's some consistency. One other thing I noticed: the writing engraved onto the wall. Someone in a desperate state with ink and paper and a desk and near the surface isn't really going to engrave such a message like "If one enters this door after us, you must reveal the truth."
Off they go! The Japanese visitors don't seem to care at all about any of the strange things there.
I see them, yes.
Comments
Well, well, well, looks like Er Ye will be shaken out of his stupor much quicker than everyone thought! Let's hope he gets his act together quickly, I wouldn't want him next to me in those mines if not. I get his grief though. And I don't want to make fun of it. Yatou was his everything, for whatever reason, and if your everything is taken from you like this, the world just ends. However, why does Fo Ye have to carry all the burden? Why is he the only one that worries about Changsha day and night? That seems unfair. Sure, he's the No 1, but couldn't 2-9 minus Ba Ye and Jie Jiu also help a little?I think Ba Ye and Jiu Ye help. We haven't met the rest of the Gates yet, so perhaps they are not into worrying about Changsha if Fo Ye is there to do it. Er Ye, for example, was preoccupied. Fo Ye is also the unofficial ruler of the city, and that's what rulers should do, take the responsibility.
Xinyue gets it, and she is the only one. He is still very macho all the time and "I don't need a woman's help", but he has actually gotten her help more than once. He certainly hates being weak, but I think he realizes that she is right when she orders him strict rest. You know, sometimes we just need someone stern that takes care of things for us to get better. A moment of weakness for us to become strong again.
You're right when you're right, sensei.
I particularly liked the moment when she just accepts that he is going to go into the tombs, risking his life once again. She knows that is Fo Ye and she knows she will never be able to change that aspect of him. Fine, so she goes with it. He probably yearns for the warmth of a family, and her nursing is showing him what that could be like. Her accepting him for who he is, basically just offering her support ... it is exactly what he needs.
He could stop telling her to get lost, though.