✨ Title: The Mystic Nine: Qing Shan Hai Tang

ℹ️ Alternative Title: 老九门

🌎 Country of Origin: China (Mainland)

🗓️ Aired: July 4, 2016

🍿 Format: TV Series (48 Episodes)

🔥Rating: PG-15 (Teens 15 or Older)

Action / Adventure, Treasure Hunt, Antiquities Protection, Tomb Raiding, Wartime

(The Lost Tomb Universe: Prequel)

Set against the politically fraught backdrop of early 1930s Republican China, The Mystic Nine transports viewers to the city of Changsha—a region guarded by nine venerable families known collectively as the “Old Nine Gates.” These elite clans have long governed the trade of ancient tomb relics and the protection of sacred burial grounds. But in the autumn of 1933, an ominous disturbance unsettles their uneasy peace: a ghostly train arrives at the Changsha railway station, its carriages filled not with passengers, but with corpses.

Zhang Qishan, a high-ranking military officer and the de facto head of the Mystic Nine, takes charge of the investigation. His inquiries lead him to a remote and enigmatic mine on the city’s outskirts, one that soon reveals unsettling signs of foreign interference. Recognizing the magnitude of the threat, Zhang calls upon two trusted allies—Qi Tiezui, a renowned fortune-teller steeped in esoteric knowledge, and Er Yuehong, a scholar-turned-opera singer whose ancestral legacy conceals more than he knows.

Haunted by his wife Ya Tou’s failing health, Er Yuehong joins the group on a journey to Beijing in search of medicine. There, they cross paths with Yin Xinyue, a sharp-witted hotel proprietress whose resourcefulness proves vital when the team returns to Changsha. As secrets unravel, Er Yuehong discovers that his family’s past is entangled with the mysterious mine—and with it, a looming threat far greater than any of them had imagined.

The mine, it turns out, has been infiltrated by Japanese operatives intent on poisoning Changsha’s water supply. As Ya Tou’s life slips away, Er Yuehong’s grief turns to resolve. Alongside Zhang Qishan and Qi Tiezui, he joins a final effort to expose the plot and defend the city from invasion. In a climactic confrontation, the nine families stand as one, determined to protect not only their people but the soul of their nation.

The Mystic Nine is more than a mystery—it is a story of sacrifice, hidden histories, and the enduring strength of unity in the face of impending darkness.

The Grave Robber Chronicles

✒️ Author: Xu Lei (Nan Pai San Shu)

🗓️ Publication Date: 2007

#️⃣ There are many prequel, sequel, and side stories in the Grave Robber Chronicles universe, but this show is the prequel (The Mystic Nine or Lao Jiu Men).

The best place to find information about the original Chinese edition and the direct translation by Merebear is the translator’s website here.

The first few volumes of the main story has been adapted into a series of English Translated volumes and one graphic novel.

⚠️ Please Note: The shows do not directly align with either the original Chinese or the English editions. Nor do the English editions directly align with the original Chinese. Parts are spliced together, cut out, or otherwise edited to create the various adaptations.