Old Nine Gates 老九门 - Episode 6 (Recap)

SakiVI: We start with Chen Pi and Ryouko Tanaka showing off martial arts skills where Chen Pi is winner by a hair. Then Er Ye and Ya Tou go on a date because they live dangerously like that. But then, a Tomb Action! A T-Action! In fact, we see two Tomb Actions, one present and one past. However, this tomb is a dangerous place, and even our amazing Fo Ye can suffer there.
kakashi: Loved this episode! Because we get T-Action. And because Fo Ye is so damn hot, especially when he is swining his torch.

Episode 6 - Dangers in the Tomb

Back to Chen Pi and Ryouko Tanaka.

Nose.
Oh. Good nose shot!

She tells him he will not do, he may be terribly skilled and all, but Er Ye will have held back some of his knowledge, so Chen Pi is not as good as Er Ye. She also points out his bad temper and says that alone makes him not worth dealing with. Fair enough, because for whatever nefarious deeds they want doing, they'll want someone cool-headed.
We haven't really seen Er Ye do anything except be boring with his wife, so for the time being, I want to believe Chen Pi is better than him. Just to be contrary.

She says Chen Pi will always just be a disciple.

Hahahaaaa, look at him giving her the stink-eye!

Chen Pi starts fighting all these guys who have swords, tossing them about, knocking them into the ponds and so on. Ryouko looks shocked, and ends up in a stalemate with Chen Pi, who tells her he will kill women, namely, he's not a gentleman. We knew that much, Chen Pi. And to be honest, I'd like Ryouko Of The Interview Suit (I'm titling her that since she doesn't wear anything else) to kick your butt down.
She has special skillz. I couldn't even walk in a suit like that let alone kick someone's butt.

Ryouko points out only she can give the medicine for Ya Tou. Chen Pi then backs down and Ryouko smirks. She walks away and smirks some more. She's good at smirking.
I feel a bit fond of her. 

Back to the Hong Mansion. Oh noes, Ya Tou is walking about perfectly fine watering flowers! How will she manage? Dying inside, Saki, dying inside! Sure, inside, sure. 

She teaches Chen Pi how to water flowers, he looks positively nice watching her,

and Er Ye watches them. Oopsies, though no one else notices.
I don't get a good sense of Er Ye's relationship with his disciple to be honest. Why did he take him on? It seems strange that someone as gentle would teach someone as brutal. Also, does Er Ye not SEE how much in love this man is with his wife? I don't know, Er Ye needs to wake up. This is not good.

Maybe Er Ye is too caught up in his worries and opera etc to care much.

Ya Tou sees Er Ye, and walks across the bridge to him. And poor, mad Chen Pi is lightly touching her back right until she comes up to Er Ye.

Because she's dying inside, she needs to be supported, Saki.

And maybe Chen Pi can't help himself.

Lay is so elegant as Er Ye.

Er Ye offers to take her out for a walk around town. This is Chen Pi's face, hahahahahaha.
Seriously, Er Ye must be blind!!!

Anyway, he goes to get Ya Tou's cloak, she goes on about how Chen Pi is so reliable and if she ever were not there...  Yawn. Haha, she calls him child. This is no child, woman. Off to a rainy scene in town complete with Kodak studio.  

I never thought this company would be that old! But it was founded in 1888. I wonder whether it's historically accurate that an American company had such a store in Changsa and thereabouts during that 1940s?

They decide to have their picture taken and are all stiff at first, but the photographer gets them to loosen up. 

Why were they so stiff?! When I first watched this I couldn't help but think they look like people who never touch each other.

I like this photographer. I wonder if he's a cameo by someone famous?

Right? He got an awful lot of screen time! Also... if my observations of C-Drama based on the few I've previously seen (namely Disguiser in this case) are correct, then it's not good if people take pictures together.

Finally, we are back to our Chipmunk Hunk and his bros!
Hot!!!
Woohoo! I thought we'd never return. Okay, I didn't really think that, but all this Chen Pi and Ya Tou stuff was a bit too much filler when Zhang Da Fo Ye is in a dark cavern waiting for us all. [Cue kakashi innuendo.]

Hahahaaa, nope, won't say anything. Except that Fo Ye makes me sweat.

Fo Ye scans the place: it's full of pottery and skeletons.  

You forgot to use the word "hotly" in the above sentence.

Shame on me. ::SmacksWrist::

There are all the holes where the coffins from the train were likely dug up from, and Ba Ye calculates on his fingers. Fo Ye even points out Ba Ye has been calculating so long. Ba Ye's response: it's a mess. Okay, then what are you for, again, Ba Ye? There's a donkey that's missing his buddy, you know.

Well, it's definitely messy down there, can't argue with that! 

Fo Ye says this place is a satellite tomb to the main tomb in the mine, Lt Zhang looks pretty, and Ba Ye wonders where the main coffin, or, as he puts it, the tomb master is kept. Ba Ye also notes the weird position of all corpses being face down in the coffins, and says no aristos ever, anywhere, buried their dead like that.

Okay, okay, I get it! I will never again lay down face down! (Actually, I just did. Nothing happened. I thought Fo Ye might appear, but nope)

I am disappointed for you, sensei.

Fo Ye and Lt Zhang find those specialized Northern School grave robber shovels that Fatty Wong used. Also, I think I'm remembering this from the books. Fo Ye notes the shovel quality is better than his own. Oh, he has a shovel?

hmmmm, his own personal shovel? Soaked full of his sweat? 

Fo Ye thinks that the Nine Gates ancestors have been to this tomb. Actually, we have good reason to believe that Er Ye or one of his ancestors came to this tomb before you. He has a matching ring and a model of it. But Fo Ye doesn't know all that.

No, he doesn't, because Er Ye has chosen to not say a word, the idiot.

I think, probably one of the Old Nine Gates has been here for sure, since tomb-robbing is what you people do, and this is in your neighbourhood. But Ba Ye asks why he's never heard of this tomb or any action here? That makes sense, Ba Ye. Okay, you can stay. But Fo Ye is convinced one of the Nine Gates has robbed this tomb.
It seems the Nine Gates normally don't keep secrets from each other? This makes this feel doubly-weird.

Maybe not with regard to their tomb-robbing activities, but I imagine they must keep family secrets.

Fo Ye looks confused. That's a first for him.

Our Lieutenant deserves a picture here, wait: 

Ladies, the actor, Zhang Mingen, is still in college. 

There's this hilarious scene where they stand and look around for about 5 seconds. That's a long time in a tv show. 

Well, it's because Fo Ye looks particularly good when he's confused, I'm sure!

Then, they hear the singing! Ba Ye says, this is Er Ye's song! And he comments that Er Ye was totally not at all like a rookie even though he was a rookie. Aw, did all Nine Gates go out to support Er Ye in his debut? 

Aww... Fo Ye probably didn't, he hates opera. 

Ba Ye sees a ghost and jumps behind Fo Ye. Then, the gang moves forward, deeper into the tomb.

HOT

Fo Ye sees some green light on a skeleton.
Huh! That can't be good!!!

Ba Ye looks for his amulet, while Fo Ye looks intense.

HOT!

Lt Zhang says, you're with Fo Ye, nothing can go wrong. Hilariously, Ba Ye retorts, "I spit on that! It's precisely because I was coming with you guys that I got this amulet." He goes on to complain he doesn't have Fo Ye's high level of consciousness, although he sees more ghosts as a fortuneteller. (Oh, golly gosh gum, now I'm wondering about that high level of Fo Ye consciousness and its applications in the non-tomb world.

Hmmmmmmm.....

Fo Ye continues to look intense.

There is a slight change of expression making this a new picture of Fo Ye and thus totally worth posting.  Besides, it's Fo Ye.
No need to explain, Saki.

He tells the other two to stay back and for Lt Zhang to protect Ba Ye. Those two squabble.
Gawd, Fo Ye's "it's a command" is hot. And this Little One one is hot too (haha, he's pissed he has to be the babysitter!):

Stop being only 21.

And, Fo Ye strides forward into the main tomb.
I SQUEE.

Crikey, this place is creepy! All those cobwebs, urgh. It's like going into another galaxy while still in this one. And I keep looking for sharks.
Imagine having to clean all this! By the way, there also is black stuff there. I am suspecting it might be hair.

Fo Ye notes the missing coffin, and he visualizes the thug coffin from episode 1 in it.  

Yup, fits. Have we found our tomb master?

I doubt it. I think this one may be a fakeout like we saw in The Lost Tomb.

Ha, Ba Ye then scolds Lt Zhang and shoos him into the cobweb tomb.

Damn, didn't Fo Ye order you to stay out?

Ba Ye and Lt Zhang both follow Fo Ye into the tomb, and Ba Ye wonders where the singing could've come from. Fo Ye looks intense again.

I'm beginning to suspect he only knows one mode: intense. Yum.

Lt Zhang cheekily asks if Be Ye isn't scared anymore, and Ba Ye says yes, but you two cannon fodder are here, hahahahaha.

Fo Ye is still intense, and I'm throwing in this extra picture just because I like him.
That's fine, Saki. 

I don't know about you, but I keep looking at his neck. He has a really lovely, yet manly, neck.

The gang looks around. And is that some sort of urn?

Do we really want to know?! Scary things may be inside.

Ba Ye notes the singing is coming from behind a cocooned wall, leans in close, and Fo Ye yells Don't! 

They really should start listening to our DILF.

But too late. Some radioactive-looking butterflies attack. No, really, they do. Anyway, that gives us a chance to see FoYe in action.
Extremely hot. And so cool. A question though: why isn't Fo Ye carrying the gun himself? All that throwing around. How inconvenient.

Note to self: these butterflies can be shot and stabbed.
Okay, I admit: the much more sensible question would have been: how come Fo Ye even wants his gun?!

Then Fo Ye does this incredible thing where he gets a piece of wood out of nowhere and lights it along the tomb wall like a match, and burns the butterflies.
I think he had it hidden in his trousers. It's a classical tomb-raider match-torch, $5.99 on ebay.

He yells at Ba Ye and Lt Zhang to leave or else he'll become someone who doesn't keep his promise. I know this was a terrifying moment, but I went Awww.

It's awww, but it's also the moment that made me realize Fo Ye isn't to be envied. He has so many responsibilities! 

And Fo Ye actually defeats all the vicious radioactive-looking butterflies.
And that made me realize it's not the $5.99 edition but the $12.99 "scatter bomb" one.  

 

Then Fo Ye smashes through the tomb doors, and drags himself up the stairs. If it had been anyone else, this would've been funny.
Oh no! Darling! Did the butterflies bite you?! 

But then he faints, our Fo Ye.  Lt Zhang and Ba Ye carry him out. 

Oh noes!! 

Cut to an impressive sky:

Our gang come out of the mine, Lt Zhang and Ba Ye carrying the unconscious Fo Ye. And they discover... Oh noes! The old man is dead! 

That makes me sad. he was so afraid of ghosts, but this were no ghosts.

Oh noes! Men with machines guns are firing on them! 

How dare they!

Oh yays! Not one of those machine gun bullets hits our gang! This is despite there being many machine guns while our gang is placed like a perfect target in the center of a small open space! Yay, yay, yaaaaayyy!

It's Fo Ye's incredible chi.

Lt Zhang tells Ba Ye to be Fo Ye's human shield (I volunteer!!!), pulls out his baby Zhang knife, gets behind some random old cart and then just manages to defeat all the machine gun holders. I'm not clear how he did it, but there was some kicking, some shooting and some stabbing. 

Enthusiastic clapping!

Cut to an American, Hendry Cox,

and a voice-over.... is this Wu Xie talking?

Probably the same dubber was free.

who is working as a consultant for the Japanese, but is actually working for his own nefarious ends. He is the one behind the attack on our gang. He tells his henchman not to kill the gang because they're all highly skilled people and may need to be used. Okay, I suppose tigers and lions and pandas can be trained... But look, we found the source of Er Ye's mysterious tomb singing: a gramophone.
Why?! Did he want them to touch the butterfly wall or what? Also: I really hate this guy's face and they way he talks/is dubbed.

So Lt Zhang and Ba Ye managed to escape pulling Fo Ye on this cart

and luckily found horses. 

Hahahaaa.

Ba Ye, who apparently can't ride and was thus missing his donkey for companionship purposes only in earlier episodes, tells Lt Zhang to ride quickly with Fo Ye. But Fo Ye is waking up! He has some sort of pottery piece. 

Looks like some sort of souvenir. No, don't mind me, I'm on holidays, that's why I'm thinking that.

A flashback shows Fo Ye didn't collapse after his fight with the radioactive butterflies, but after cutting through the cocoon, which, urgh, was made of hair. 

So there is white hair and black hair? Or the hair is attached to the cocoon/cobwebs? 

I think the hair is attached to the cocoon.

As Fo Ye dug deeper into the wall, he found that pottery piece. Or, maybe it's metal?

Plastic.

Even grossed out, our Chipmunk Hunk is Hawt.

Anyway, Fo Ye is mumbling "Er Ye", so off to the Hong Mansion we go! 

And, yawn.

Er Ye says to Ya Tou that the costume is old and that they can just buy a new one. But, Ya Tou likes him in that costume. (Okay, so remake it, Ya Tou. We know you're not really sick.) But Er Ye is afraid she will be tired. She says she is not tired. Riveting, isn't it?
Dying inside, Saki, dying inside!

So will I, if I have go through this conversation again and again.

Oh, thank God, Lt Zhang is here. I thought I'd die of excitement. 

Lt Zhang tells Er Ye that Fo Ye is injured. They rush to Fo Ye. Honestly, I would rush to Fo Ye too, but I don't know how to step into the screen. Er Ye wants to know why Fo Ye wasn't taken to a doctor and Ba Ye tells him not to waste time and to get on with looking at Fo Ye. Er Ye does so, sort of.

Now that you describe it like this, this whole scene is actually pretty hilarious. haha, why did he check his eye?!

Er Ye pulls Fo Ye's glove off,

(after they show him the souvenir)

and they are all grossed out, but we don't see why as yet.  Er Ye scolds them for going to the mine,

Did you really believe they'd listen?

then tells the servant to bring in some pretty ordinary items: tweezers, realgar wine, a fire basket and a handkerchief.
Does Fo Ye have splinters?

Anyway, Er Ye then has them hold down Fo Ye, who is tied to a rocking-chair, while he pulls long hairs from Fo Ye's hands. Which seems to be extremely painful. Those are then burnt, and Fo Ye's hands are dipped into what looks like a potion, but is actually just the wine in hot water.
It's all quite mysterious and extremely funny.

Ba Ye in Danger Of Being Bitten

Ba Ye tucks Fo Ye into bed, 

awwww, look at him.

Still intense, hahahahaha.

and then checks that removing and burning the hairs is enough. Er Ye says yes, and that he knew they had discovered the ancient tomb. Er Ye's ancestors had already gone to this same tomb and had got the twin of the ring that Fo Ye had given Er Ye. Er Ye says his great uncle had gone there with Hatoyama.

Great Uncle Er Ye to the left.
Good genes.

They used a really cool compass,

sniffed the rocks,

and went in. However, not one of the 6 people who went in survived.  

Oups. Wait, is this before or after the black smoke?

Not sure.

That includes Uncle Er Ye. Er Ye says all he found was his great uncle's corpse. And Uncle Er Ye's corpse was filled with hair. Ew. (But how does that make Er Ye capable of treating Fo Ye?) They give the pottery piece to Er Ye who looks at it moodily in his garden.
The hair even infiltrated the head!! Do we have to check Fo Ye's head, Saki?

I will take any excuse to check out Fo Ye.

Cut to Tong Qin Harbour, Chen Pi's lair. (Sidebar: Is this actor popular in China?) The workers are flattering him. But Chen Pi asks if they lost all their money again?

Is he a loan shark too?

Probably.

Uh oh, Ryouko Tanaka is here. Same suit, again. She says she can give him the medicine.  Chen Pi wants to know the condition, and she says, Fo Ye is injured, and then there's some push and pull, and then she clarifies she wants to know what happened.
She doesn't know what she wants. She doesn't want Chen Pi's help, then she wants Chen Pi's help?
Chen Pi says there's nothing he can't find out in Changsha City.
So... this Cox guy... he made sure Fo Ye would find the tomb and touch things and now he wants to know what happened exactly? He probably knows of the hair-incident with Er Ye's ancestor.

Hendry Cox is extremely creepy.

Cut to Fo Ye's generalissimo palace. 

You know, all of his fangirls would easily fit in there, right?

It's just for us, kakashi, just for us!

Fo Ye is reading in his bathrobe, teehee.
What a beautiful way to end this exciting episode.

Comments

There are two people I think I would like to elope and get lost: Chen Pi and Ya Tou. Ya Tou is taking insipidity (if that's not a word, I'm making it one) to a whole new level, and Chen Pi has that great nose - and that's it. Er Ye can meet someone else who can stitch his costumes and make him noodles: Lay fans, volunteer!
If only Chen Pi would do something really exciting! I think he will, I'm looking forward to that moment when he starts wearing his hair up.
Which, in Asian dramas, always means a tough guy.

But, on the plus side, we got plenty of action in the tomb, some really weird bromancy scenes between Fo Ye and Ba Ye for people who like that sort of thing - I mean, I thought Fo Ye was going to bite Ba Ye's neck - and a new villain call Hendry Cox. (I had thought it ought to be Cox Hendry, but I googled Cox and Hendry and the latter is a first name while the former is a last name.) But what is with that dude? Oh wait, this is a tomb-robbing show. He's after the tomb. And he wants Old Nine Gates' support/obeisance. I just wonder how he has the resources to control all those incompetent henchmen who can't even shoot machines straight at a short-range target.
I loved the T-Action scenes to bit. Those weird CGI butterflies! That Fo Ye shot and stabbed! The torch he pulled from his trousers (or jacket?)! Him wounded and suffering! Hahahaaaaa. 
This Cox guy on the other hand... I hate him so much I can't even articulate properly. Everything about him makes me foam at the mouth. Great choice of horrible actor, casting director. As you say, Saki, he is the über-villain. He wants what's in the tomb and as you said before somewhere, he is probably undead. 
That was the theory from The Lost Tomb. I think he's the guy who was after Wu Xie and High Junior in episode 1, and then backed off from Little Master.

Oh, yes, and the hair. Just gross. I laughed a lot, though, at Er Ye just using a commonsense home remedy to cure Fo Ye's ghostly infection, though: tweezers, alcohol, hot water, fire. I'd have expected a chant or talisman or a dance or something.
Haha, the grossed out expression when they removed his gloves! I mean... it's just hair, it's not THAT gross! I would like to know more about the hair though. Does it just grow, like moss? Is it connected to the butterlies/moths? Or is the tomb growing the hair, you know, like a living organism? Why is it so aggressive? What else is in the tomb? And... why did Er Ye not speak up earlier?! What an idiot. Was he feeling ashamed for his great uncle or what? Because he was working for the Japanese? Probably.