All language subtitles for Tientsin Mystic EP02

The underworld.

Science.

Punch and kick.

The truth.

A great swimmer.

Forensics.

Sorceress.

Reporter.

Weak body.

Special detective.

Mother.

Secretary of municipal government.

An individual with unsurpassed
and exceptional abilities.

Young Master.

Belongs to the Great God.

The heiress.

Neither a smoker nor a drunkard.

What is the use of having power and money?

Can't stand the sight of you.

Not bad. Reasonable and fair.

Take a bath.

Are you kidding me?

Not finicky.

There are clues.

Germany.

Spirit channeling.

Big news.

Chamber of Commerce
for Water Transportation.

Master.

De-you!

Father.

Not messing things up.
Not afraid of things.

Inference.

Evidence.

Childhood sweetheart.

The people of Tientsin.

Mao Ding.

De-you Guo.

-River God.
-River God.

-River God.
-River God.

EPISODE 2

IN REMEMBRANCE

De-you, are you okay?

These paper men
and paper horses cost us money.

When they're burned,
they'll suffocate you.

They also pose a hidden danger of fire.
I find this pointless.

It's customary to burn them as offerings
for the deceased.

Otherwise, your dad will be lonely.

The deceased will soon decompose anyway.

The offerings made will only go in vain.

Actually, these paper men and horses

are burned by those who are alive
for the sake of themselves.

By doing so,
people can show their solicitude,

their yearning for the lost.

IN REMEMBRANCE

De-you!

DEEPEST CONDOLENCES

Look at these brazen-faced rogues.
How dare you perpetrate violence here?

Perpetrate violence?

Obviously it was you
who attacked De-you first.

Do you know where we are right now?

He didn't drown in the river.

What did you say?

Your dad.

He died in the sea.

He was tied up onto the statue of Xuanwu
and then thrown into the sea.

In the end, he was dragged down

to the place where I found him.

Firstly, you were not at the crime scene.

Secondly, you don't have any evidence
to prove your theory.

Thirdly, you came up
with such a clear cause of death

without a proper
and professional autopsy analysis.

I don't believe anyone
but the murderer can figure that out.

Come up with a clear cause of death?

Do you mean to say
that my theory is correct?

I've done the autopsy.

How could you cut
your own dad open with a knife?

Go ahead.

Tell me what's your motive.

Have you tasted laver before?

-Pardon me?
-It is an edible aquatic plant.

It has a reddish color.

The dish that the commoners of Tientsin
enjoy the most is laver egg soup.

There is a steamed bun restaurant
somewhere in Sanbuguan district.

It's next to Ruifengxiang Silk
and Satin Store.

That restaurant's famous dish
are laver egg soup and steamed buns.

-They're amazing.
-Yes!

Everyone who has tried it
gave it a thumbs-up.

Anyway, have you ever seen
laver grow in a river?

What are you trying to say?

Each takes its own way
without intersection.

The river has its own rules
and regulations.

What lives in the sea
can't necessarily tolerate the river.

I found some wispy traces of red algae
in your dad's mouth and nose.

Thus, I believe he died in the sea,

instead of the place
where we found his body.

I found deep marks of iron chains
on your dad's wrists.

It doesn't seem like he was taken there
and drowned before being tied up.

Rather, he was tied to the statue
under the bottom of a ship

and dragged all the way to that place.

But to maneuver a heavy cargo ship
without letting anybody know,

it must have been the middle of the night.

The more details you give,
the more you are incriminating yourself.

In Tientsin City,
how many companies do you think

can maneuver such a big ship?

Only your Chamber of Commerce can.

How many vessels with a capacity
of above 20 tons are there?

Why are you asking about big ships?

During the nights when my dad was missing,

were any of these vessels out of port?

For a vessel of that size,
we wouldn't choose to leave port at night.

It's likely to have an accident
due to poor vision.

Are you sure?

This is the ship departure record.

Have a look at it yourself.

Young Master, I know you are agitated.

But you should leave this matter
to the police.

Merrier!

Hypocritical.

Hey.

Aren't you Master Ding?

-You're Master Ding, right?
-When will my dad's case be solved?

Well, rest assured.

Our entire police force

is pulling out all the stops
and working on this case around the clock.

I'm sure they'll have
the result in a few days.

There are 37 officers who work for you.

You have nine cases on your hand
with deadlines for them to be solved.

You've deployed 26 people on these cases.

Since it concerns their job prospects,
they are giving it their all.

Another three people are on leave.

As mandated by the police station, each
division must have two on-duty officers.

It seems to me

that with the manpower available,
with yourself included,

is only seven people.

They're all here.

You guys didn't investigate
the scene as early as you could

nor did you collect any clues.

Rather, you are idling around
in the police station.

I am skeptical of what you described as

"pulling out all the stops."

Goodness.

They say that Master Ding
of the Chamber of Commerce

is a young and promising man

who resembles President Ding
when he was the same age.

Surely, the apple
doesn't fall far from the tree.

Since you are in charge of this,

you must account for the ins
and outs of this case clearly to me.

Okay.

I'll stop beating
around the bush with you.

If you don't believe the authority,

I suggest that
you try to work on it yourself.

Me?

Master Ding, since you studied
forensic medicine in Germany,

surely you must know some approaches
of solving a legal case.

Our police station can't find
such a talent like you.

-What do you mean?
-Our police station

employs too many insignificant people now.

We urgently need someone like you
who is talented, knowledgeable

and capable to set an example.

Otherwise, even if you hound me to death,
all I can answer is "I'm doing my best."

How can I go about investigating?

I'll let you be a special detective
to handle a special case.

A special detective?

I'll give you a new identity,
so it'll be easier for you to do things.

But your identity is only limited
to investigating this case.

You don't get paid
and we don't have a gun for you.

Okay.

-It's a deal then.
-It's a deal.

Dizzy Head, take Master Ding to get
a temporary police certificate,

taking effect immediately.

Understood.

Master Ding, please come with me.

Sir, why did you recruit a young master
to do your job?

You knucklehead,
can't you make sense of it?

It concerns his dad
so he'll deal with it himself.

This way, the news agency will divert
their attention from our police station

to the inner workings
of the Chamber of Commerce.

Right?

A young master who has returned
with a foreign degree

takes over his dad's murder case.

If I were the chief of the news agency,
this news will make the front page.

What are you doing over there?

The dead child
has just been laid in a coffin.

Either go tidy it up

or come over to help me.

This tub is damaged by that mad girl.

You passed it on to me.
How can I leave it unfixed?

Wait.

You didn't have to come to apologize.

I am a forgive-and-forget kind of person.

If you feel bad about it,
you can treat us to a hearty meal.

I'm going to interrogate you right now.

If you don't cooperate,

I'll have to reprimand you.

Go ahead and try.

You're threatening him as if I'm not here.

Master Ding,

I've never been abroad,
but I'm not that ignorant.

People can actually disprove
the magistrate who is trying a case.

If they have any exhibits,

the exhibits must be inspected
one by one in court.

Your point is?

You plan to nab me with this thing today,

but what happens next?

I've told you,
I am not the one who killed your dad.

You didn't trust me.

Fine. Now, what if I tell you
that I am indeed his murderer.

Do you have evidence?

Master Ding.

For diviners, magicians and jugglers,

and even for storytellers
and itinerant entertainers,

there are rules at official levels

as well as firmly established practice
of the trade.

Your dad died in the river,
which makes the case look fishy indeed.

But there are many people living
by the water and pier

other than De-you Guo.

Do you want to interrogate people

from door to door
just with this piece of paper?

Even with power,
things don't always go your way.

So?

There is a person who never lies.

You probably can believe what he says.

Who is he?

The dead child.

I'm working on my dad's case.
That child has nothing to do with it.

Their bodies appeared
at the same place on the same day.

You'll be able to dive deeper
if you find the tip of the iceberg.

Hold it.

It's an intact body.

How can I account for it if the family
comes to claim its tattered body?

What am I supposed to then?

Hold this.

Hold this.

Don't touch and don't smell.
You can only look.

A foreign coroner without a scalpel
will only mess things up.

The first step
of studying forensic is by observation.

I know better about it than you.

So would you like to bet on it?

-What's the stake?
-A meal at Taifenglou.

Okay.

Please.

What's your problem?

Taboo.

-Pardon me?
-What were you trying to do?

-Turning the fish over.
-That's a taboo.

Especially under such situation.

Superstition.

Not all the old sayings are well grounded,
but they are plausible

when it comes down to brass tacks.

Turning over a fish
is a taboo for those who deal with water.

The child has a strong body,

which shows that he was well-nourished
during his mom's pregnancy.

He was probably born into a rich family.

How could a rich family
do such a cruel thing?

Well, I guess rich people
like repulsive things.

As the young master
of the Chamber of Commerce,

you should know this better than me.

As far as I can tell,
the child was drowned.

Our job is getting corpse
out of the water.

We see dead bodies every day.

We can make an approximate judgment
at the very first glance

as to whether a person is drowned or not.

I believe, this has been
imprinted in our minds.

But things imprinted in our minds
are not all necessarily correct.

For me,

the child was not drowned.

Logically speaking, a rich family
wouldn't give up their child easily

even if the child has a terminal illness.

They have to continue their bloodline.

So he must be
the child of the poor family.

Because of the high costs of treatment,
they were left with no choice.

Master, this meal is a stake for the bet.

I wouldn't have ordered this much
if I had known.

Please give us a definite answer.

Which one of us is right?

No matter which one of you is the winner,

I can still have this meal
for free, right?

Why are you still following us?

I treated Master Guo to this meal,
but it doesn't mean that I've given up.

We must reach a final conclusion by today.
Let's examine it again.

Just go home. The adults
of your family are getting worried.

Mao Ding, grab some leaves
and put them over there.

What?

Go.

Okay.

Take out the kerosene lamp from the room.

What?

Heap them up.

Okay.

Pour the oil evenly.

Pour a little over there.

All right. That's good.

Take some soybeans from the kitchen.

-Okay.
-Go.

Master.

What are you trying to do?

I'm trying to catch the thief.

-Where are you going?
-After the man.

He's right here.

Hold this.

Good observation.

What does it mean?

It's a theft if he doesn't make a sound.
It's a heist if he does.

He didn't make a sound
even when he almost split his buttocks.

Although he didn't do this for money,

this thief observed the rules
of the trade pretty well.

I don't care about the rules.

Why did he try to steal a dead baby?

I've told you,
you have to ask that dead child.

Master Guo, make me your disciple.

Only now I realize your strength.

You have the ability to amuse people.
You are very amusing.

Master Ding, everyone has
their own line of work.

I'm afraid our work doesn't fit you.

I've seen people
who are better than me today.

I can't hope to solve my dad's case
with only what I've learned abroad.

I don't want to be ridiculed
in Tientsin City in the days ahead.

Help me achieve my goal, Master Guo.

You're already a laughingstock.

Do you know why I'm the only disciple
he has?

Skill, temperament, character and ability,
none of them are dispensable.

I'm as good as you are in these aspects.

Hey, don't be so arrogant and impetuous.

You don't have the virtues
to be qualified as his disciple.

Master Guo, don't worry.

I promise I'll do my best.

-You must pay a fee.
-How much is it?

-One thousand silver dollars in cash.
-Okay.

-Three-day family feast at Taifenglou.
-No problem.

A ten-year apprenticeship during which
you can only serve the master.

Your life is predestined.
They have nothing to do with the master.

Occasionally, you have
to chip in for any ceremony.

Anything else?

Gosh, can you stop horsing around?
Go home and get some sleep, okay?

Let me know if there's anything else.

Hang on.

There are rules for each line of work.

Yes, rules.

What rules?

Put it there.

Come on, be quick.

Be careful.

Be careful.

-I appreciate your kindness, Master Guo.
-Who is your master?

-River God.
-When did I agree to that?

Whoever can catch the turtle
can be a disciple of Old River God.

This rule can't be changed, right?

But what's all this stuff?

I'm moving in to learn the skills better.

What skills are you going to learn?

Besides, who knows
if this is the real turtle or not?

You can ask those sorceresses
to examine it.

Put it here. Come on.

Slowly.

Listen here, buddy.

One must keep their integrity
when doing things.

Don't go astray.
Now go back to where you come from.

What's that room for?

Accommodation.

Thank you.

Move to the second floor.

Hey.

Put it down.

-This is my home. Just put it down.
-Hey.

Put it down. Very carefully.

Master, this is
specially prepared for you.

Please try it.

I often see you bend down
and pound your back.

It's probably due to an ill-fitting chair.

How can I accept such an expensive thing?

Master, please sit on it for a while.

You're really making this place
as your own home, aren't you?

-This is for my senior.
- I'm not your senior.

You're usually indolent
and neglectful of time.

So I've specially prepared
a Germany-made clock.

A clock?

Let's encourage each other
and improve together.

I'm coming.

How dare you keep moving the stuff?

Stop!

Master, please take a seat.

How many chefs
did you bring with you here?

Master.

This is grilled pork knuckle
from Hongshengyuan.

This fried carp with sour sauce
is from Dengyinglou.

I heard these are your favorites,

so I specially prepared them for you.

The other dishes are all my own cooking.

Each household has its own rules.

Anywhere you go practices different rules.
Is it that hard to understand?

Do you know
where you're sitting right now?

Look behind you.

You're sitting right in front
of the Kitchen God.

How dare you sit in front of Him!

Even the master is very cautious about it.

This disrespect is intolerable.

Such closed-mindedness.

This is the rule here.

The Kitchen God is the head of our family.
He gives us food. Respect our rule.

Do you think I should think much of you
because you've given us gifts?

Outside of this place, you're still
the sole heir of the Ding family.

You're used to doing things
however you like.

A teacher is similar to a father figure.

You can't simply crash another's house
and treat this man as your own parent.

I bet there is an ulterior motive.
Otherwise, you're a traitor.

First of all, I am both the witness
and a case-handling personnel,

so I have every reason to live here
while investigating the case.

Secondly,

your corpse salvage team is outside
the personnel quota of the police station.

And now,

I'm a special detective.

I am your superior in terms of rank.

Thirdly,

you haven't been totally cleared
as the suspect in my dad's case.

I have the right to reprimand you
for interrogation.

I was indeed a little bit hasty
these past few days.

But today,
I've been polite and disciplined.

I can tolerate your degradation,

but don't take me
for someone you can bully.

Are you getting mad at me?

Today,

I'll become Master Guo's disciple
by all means.

Are you qualified to call him your master?

You don't have the final say.

My rule is nobody's allowed
to talk during a meal!

Eat your meal!

Both of you should tell me first

how you want to investigate it.

What did that guy
come here for the other day?

For the corpse.

Why would anyone steal a corpse?

What would his motives be?

Now it seems that the easiest way
to find out the truth

is to figure out the baby's real identity.

If the thief was a relative,

why did he try to steal the child
instead of walking in openly?

Someone wanted the child's body
without formally claiming it.

So there is a huge possibility

that the child was a bastard

whose identity could not be exposed.

So he had to steal the child
by climbing up to the rafters.

Groundless empiricism.

You're free to investigate it step-by-step
following your own logic.

Data of missing persons?

Especially that of babies and children.

The police station has its own rules.

If you break them
for the sake of solving a case,

how will my subordinates
think of me as their captain?

Detective Ding, other than this matter,

do you have anything else to report to me?

If there's nothing else, let's dismiss.

Do you have a pet?

It's hard enough for me
to support my big family,

why would I keep a pet?

Then what's that room for?

As a captain,
I hold an important position.

And I often work around the clock
when I have a case to solve.

It's my own retreat area here
for my convenience.

You and your wife
must love each other very much.

What did you say?

I noticed a cup
that is different from the others.

It can't be yours

since there is still
a lipstick stain left on it.

I also noticed some animal hairs
on the chair.

But you said you don't have a pet,

so I think they must be from a fur coat.

It's unlikely for you to wear a fur coat
while working in the office.

Besides, the one who could sit
in this chair

must be someone very close to you.

So I reckon that

it must be your wife.

Yes, you're right.

But Captain Fu, let me ask you a question.

What is it?

Your wife is a devout Buddhist, isn't she?

Devout or not,

she has something
to show solicitude for, right?

Based on what I can see from the photo,

your wife seems attractive,
elegant and graceful.

Thank you for the flattery.

But why did a devout Buddhist

wear a fur coat
made from a slaughtered animal?

Besides, the indelible lipstick stain

goes against her demure personality.

Don't you think so?

Gosh.

It must be so nice

to have such a room as a retreat.

-Detective Ding.
-Yes?

You said you wanted to look
into the missing person's data, right?

-Right.
-Let's go then.

I'll take you to the archives room.
Let's go. Come on.

Come with me.

You picked that to drink.
Doesn't it taste bitter?

Ting-yan, change a pot
of Yacca tea for Mr. Guo.

-All right.
-Don't bother.

This tastes just as good.

Are you not busy
with the river business today?

I'm not busy today.

Good for you.

Don't just stand there, Ting-yan.

Sing a tune for Mr. Guo.

No, it's fine.

Don't bother.

It seems like there's nothing
that suits your fancy here.

Why did you come to my place for then?

Well, I heard that you have a new girl.

Yes, we do.

She came from
a government official's family.

Her family was stricken by mutiny.
She fled here to take refuge.

So I gave her a job.

Mr. Guo, let me tell you something.

She is still a virgin.

Shall I ask her to come over
and talk to you?

You are a class act.

Where did you get that information?
And how did you get a hold of such girl?

For those who are making a living
in the underworld,

each of us has friends
that know something.

Ma'am, take a seat.

Take a seat.

I'd like to ask you something.

Go ahead.

Do you have a pregnant girl here?

You turned out to have such a taste!

No, that's not what I meant.

I meant to ask,

what should my friend do
if she's pregnant?

She can just give birth.

But what if she gets pregnant
out of wedlock?

Mr. Guo.

Could it be that you're...

I was on the spur of the moment

-and couldn't control myself.
-Goodness.

You didn't have to beat around the bush.

It's not a big deal.

Go to the black market
and find a secretive midwife.

A secretive midwife?

But I have to give you a warning.

A ghost has its own way.
You have to seek blessings for yourself.

If Steward Hu makes any noise,
put all the blame on me.

It has nothing to do with you guys.

I will not go back
until I find out how my dad died.

Young Master,
let's not care about what outsiders think.

But can you solve the case
by moving to Yizhuang?

As of now,

it seems like the dead child
is a starting point indeed.

Master Guo either has the knack
or clues on my dad's murder.

I came to become his disciple,
but my aim is to investigate.

I'll definitely find something.

There is some tea on the table.
Help yourself.

Do you like the chair?

It's all right.

It's made of Bubinga.

We brought the log back by sea
from the overseas trip.

It was made by Axe Liu himself.

There are few on the market.

Steward Hu.

Did you come here to make another bet?

Given the current situation
of the Chamber of Commerce,

I can't afford another bet.

Where's Mao Ding?

Haven't I just found him for you?
Is he missing again?

Why do you keep him here?

Being kept or not,
he has something he's destined to do.

No one can say how far he can go.

I said I can't afford another bet.

I can't leave Mao Ding in danger.

From the moment President Ding
and the statue of Xuanwu

were found in the river together,

people that were in this 20 years ago
have been embroiled in the bet.

It's no longer important
whether you can afford the bet or not.

Do you mean the Ancient Evil Gang?

He did this on purpose, right?

Who knows?

Come on.

Is he really that dense?
Or is he trying to provoke me?

I can't tell.

Nobody gives a clock as a present.

It's probably due to his stay overseas.

Are you telling me

that you're going to accept him
as your disciple?

The rule is set. He caught the turtle.

That turtle was injected
with hydrotherapy.

There's no way he could've caught it.

This is fishy.

There has to be a hidden agenda.

He's always acting like he's all that.

-He's not like the rest of us.
-It's true.

He doesn't depend on the river to survive.

But what matters is the heart.

The heart? The heart
is volatile, Master Guo.

A youth's strength
is their straightforward thinking.

I've taught you for almost
20 years now, right?

You're still a delinquent.

Forgive me for being frank, Master Guo.

He suspects the both of us
are involved in the death of his dad.

So he's purposely getting close
to seek revenge.

He doesn't suspect the both of us.

He suspects you.

Subtitle translation by Jay Wong