Original subtitles

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