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Translator: Wuzimiko Proofreader: K QC: Raliath Lyrics Translator: Wuzimiko Timer & Effects: Yuuki
There are some things
I must tell you.
Over these years,
I've forgotten many things.
My memory
has been failing.
A lot of things,
I'd forget them if I didn't write them down.
That is the long-term effect of using such a power.
I don't know
if you're also affected by it,
since you carry
a strange energy
similar to this.
Adapted from a novel of the same name, "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles (Dao Mu Bi Ji): Bronze Tree of Death" by Nanpai Sanshu. Original work by Nanpai Sanshu
Chief Producer Cheng Wu
Producer Zou Zhengyu
The Grave Robbers' Chronicles (Dao Mu Bi Ji): Bronze Tree of Death
An endless road ahead.
Two extremities of love and loyalty.
Inner demons shrouding the heart—
they wallow in the past.
Where is my old friend?
He is lingering in the shadows,
convinced that he hasn't veered too far off course, in this world of fleeting destinies.
Why do you pine? Why do you yearn?
Nowhere to turn—it's a path of no return.
The way of life is vicious, we keep going in circles.
Hard to discern the truths from the lies,
tell the evil from the kind.
In front of my eyes, a gnarled mess of mountains and waters.
Why do you tread a path this treacherous?
Embroiled in sinister schemes, in trepidation as the tables turn and turn.
I bid you adieu—
shall we never meet again!
Episode 01
Oh, my!
Today's our lucky day!
Cut the crap.
If I didn't keep an eye out,
you'd have gotten caught today!
With my skills,
that'd be impossible.
Ha! Your skills...
What about my skills?
Okay, okay, that's enough.
We've got quite a haul today.
We'll go feast in *Lou Wai Lou later.
楼外楼 (Lou Wai Lou): an extremely famous traditional restaurant in Hangzhou, China.
Ohh,
this looks interesting.
(Certificate of Release No. 0-0487 Sex: Male, Hometown: Jiangsu)
What a surprise.
We even stole from an ex-convict!
This guy...
is he one of us?
Those in the same line of work are also often enemies.
The net of law has large meshes,
but it lets nothing through.
Reaching for pockets may thrill you for a minute,
but it sure
s-saddens your family for a long time.
Young man,
you've learned well in prison,
but reciting slogans
is pretty much useless.
Hah!
You guys...
had b-better turn over a new leaf.
Wu Mountain House (Wu Xie's Antique Shop)
Hello?
Who's this?
Hey.
It's me.
Don't tell me y-you've forgotten my voice?
Lao Yang (Old Yang)!
You rascal.
I haven't heard your voice in 3 years!
Of course I can't recognize it.
You sound all g-grown up now!
And you still dare to call me?
All these years, you never contacted me at all.
I thought you were dead!
Are you free tonight?
Let's eat out.
I haven't eaten a decent piece of meat in 3 years.
Today,
I must have my fill!
Sure!
To celebrate your return.
See you at Lou Wai Lou.
Yeah.
Bye!
Lao Yang.
Lao Yang!
Come on, Lao Wu (Old Wu), b-bottoms up!
You even put on weight!
Screw you.
In there and out here are like two different worlds.
Count yourself lucky that you could see me again.
What exactly were you meddling with?
I heard your cousin's still in prison.
Don't remind me.
He was the one who dragged me into trouble.
He found something precious and just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
He even confessed to all his past atrocities!
Something precious?
What do you mean?
It's quite an eerie thing.
You wouldn't k-know
even if I told you.
We grew up sharing the same clothes.
Don't you know my family?
I learned well from my grandpa.
Just tell me its shape.
Have you seen this?
In the past 3 years...
your drawing skills haven't improved one bit.
Two branches,
and a stroke.
Is this a pattern?
Why does it look like a tree branch?
The heck is this?
You don't say—
it is a tree branch.
A bronze tree branch
as t-thick as your wrist.
At that time,
I was convinced by my cousin's boasting
and went deep into the Qinling Mountains.
We trekked for more than a dozen days.
Apart from the layers and layers of old-growth forest,
we found absolutely nothing.
Just when we were about to give up,
something different appeared in front of us.
The geographical environment in there
was very unique.
It was filled with massive banyan trees that could hardly be hugged by even ten men.
In that forest,
tree roots crawled all over the forest floor,
and you couldn't walk normally at all.
Stone figures?
As the saying goes,
where bamboo doesn't survive the land's saline,
where bridges of offerings sprout overnight;
where mountains look all brown and dry,
it is worth panning the sand and soil.
In such places with abnormal vegetation growth,
something has to exist.
So we followed the leads of the stone men
and continued to venture deeper.
As we walked,
an ancient path appeared.
Once inside,
we walked for hours.
The deeper we delved, the thicker the aerial roots.
In the end...
that structure
was like a pyramid planted upside down.
Stairs were carved
on all four slopes in the pit.
There were over a hundred steps.
By the time we reached the bottom,
it was already midnight.
However, it wasn't an ancient tomb.
It was more like
a sacrificial altar.
The mud well in the center
was around a dozen meters deep.
When we pointed our flashlights inside,
we saw nothing but grass.
As for what was in it,
you can guess.
If it really was a sacrificial altar,
there must have been a sacrifice.
There must have been something beneath the altar.
I'm impressed!
I silently recited every possible thing
I could think of,
but it turned out
to be way more shocking
that I had expected.
My cousin and I took turns digging.
15 meters in,
still no sign of the bottom.
Who could have known how deep that thing was?
At the end of the day,
apart from some broken jade tiles and earthenware,
there was nothing.
The two of us were beyond exhausted.
According to my cousin,
we'd already seen some interesting things,
so we might as well leave,
however,
I couldn't swallow it.
As if I had been taken over,
I just wanted to keep digging.
I had a strong feeling
that there must be
a secret hidden underneath.
That sound...
it was as if it came from hell.
It was chilling.
Was it really bronzeware?
Of course!
E-Exactly like what I drew for you just now.
What a pity, though.
We did a rough calculation.
The part of the bronze tree branch that was buried underground
must have gone on for about 10 more meters.
That thing must at least have been 30 meters.
Something that gigantic
must have required more than ten thousand men to build.
Keep spinning.
How could there be a vessel that huge?
That's because you're too inexperienced.
Tch.
If you took nothing, then why were you in jail for 3 years?
Guess I didn't exactly take nothing.
Look at this.
How is it?
This thing...
where did you get it?
L-Let go first!
Let go first!
I-I'm gonna get mad if you keep on pinching!
That hurts!
You didn't go easy on me at all.
There was no need to react like that even if you saw something good.
Spill it!
What's with that thing?
Where did you get it?
Bet you've never seen it.
You'll be green with envy once you know.
This thing,
I took it from a zombie
in the sacrificial pit.
A zombie?
It turned up by accident
when I was digging that pit.
That zombie was tied up tightly by rattan ropes, like a cocoon.
It was probably
a human sacrifice of relatively high status.
This thing
was on that zombie's earlobe.
I took it since I thought it looked good.
What do you think?
Green tinged with black.
This must be a first.
What's with that expression?
Why are you so uptight?
Don't tell me there's something more to it?
You're really getting jealous?
You don't understand.
This bell...
I've seen it somewhere else.
The hexagonal bell.
T-T-This thing is really so peculiar?
I saw it in the Seven-Star Palace and the undersea tomb.
It's quite a bizarre bell.
Once it rings,
it hypnotizes anyone who hears it.
Although,
you look fine wearing it on your ear.
My goodness.
And I thought the sacrificial altar was enough for me to boast for a lifetime.
Compared to your adventures,
mine are absolutely pathetic.
If you like it,
I'll give it to you.
Hey!
No wonder you're fine.
It's filled with rosin.
It can't ring anymore.
But still, ordinary people
should keep their distance from that sort of thing.
But you are not an ordinary guy.
Don't I know you?
You're more curious than anyone.
If you're interested,
let's visit that place again.
I made a mark there.
There might be more of these bells.
Give me a break.
You learned nothing in jail.
Reoffending warrants a harsher sentence.
You might even get executed.
Idiot.
Don't run!
Stop right there!
What's with that one-track mind?
Just tell me if you're low on cash.
I can give it to you, brother.
Yeah, right.
When we were young, you'd ask for interest over even a popsicle.
You still remember? That was so long ago.
What happens in childhood
can affect someone throughout their whole life.
You're not entirely blameless for how I am today.
I never told you to rob graves.
How is it my fault when you were the one who decided to go astray?
You were indeed part of the reason.
Do you remember?
You used to always tell me stories about your grandpa.
You even flaunted his treasures to me.
I was tempted back then.
I thought,
if I had the chance,
I must go on an adventure.
Now that would make my life worthwhile.
Frankly speaking,
in the past 3 years,
I've thought of that place every day.
I just couldn't take it lying down.
Don't pull that on me.
That cousin of yours never heard my stories.
You can cut the melancholic act.
I can't even act a little melancholic now that we're at the West Lake?
You're heartless!
I'm telling the truth.
First of all,
I'm just curious and want to see it again.
Second,
*Uncle Three: Wu Xie's third uncle.
didn't you say your *Uncle Three went missing?
Since there were the same bells,
some fresh clues might show up over there.
Since there were the same bells,
some fresh clues might show up over there.
T/N: from the second volume of the novel, Angry Sea, Hidden Sands. As Chinese can be read from both left to right and right to left, the message was meant to be intentionally confusing.
(Wu Sanxing)
(caused me)
(caused me to die a horrible death)
(Xie Lianhuan) (caused me to die a horrible death)
Uncle Three.
Hey,
are you listening to me?
Lao Wu,
you count yourself as my brother?
You're the one who said you wanted to find your Uncle Three.
Besides,
w-what's the big deal making the trip with me?
Will I harm you?
Just because you know some feng shui, y-y-you...
I'll go with you.
But I'll say this first:
you're not allowed to take anything.
Also,
give me that bell.
Still putting on that tough act?
Hey! What are you doing?!
I bet you wanted to go from the start!
Do you want to die?
Lao Wu!
You'd better honor your word!
Hey!
Come over here!
That's not fair!
Look! A p-p-plane!
Say,
couldn't we have just taken a flight?
The road was so bumpy.
It's all because of you.
You've been out for just a few days, and you're already running around with a big backpack.
What if you got checked?
You're exaggerating.
With your looks, they'll recognize you from a mile away.
Can't deny that.
Time has
drowned out even the claps of thunder.
They scatter
the cut-up fragments of myself.
I can only fumble around, trying to piece them back.
Why must I climb mountains and peaks
to collect
the shadows of hanging onto someone
however late I always seem to be.
Those places where I once walked,
what did they
look like originally?
Trying to trace those footsteps behind me,
I have forgotten,
as the path I came from was too far and too long.
Where will be the end of my journey?
Where will it be?
Where will it be...