Qi Tiezui (齐铁嘴), also known as Ba Ye (八爷), is a character in the novel The Mystic Nine. He was also the eighth member Changsha's Mystic Nine and the most famous fortune teller in Changsha.[1] Qi Tiezui was the only heir of his generation.[2]
Personality & Skills[]
He was proficient in numerology and Feng Shui.[1] As a fortune teller, there were three things he didn't look at: foreigners, people with qilin tattoos, and strange marvels.[1] He believed his reasoning was simple. Foreigners could not understand it, strange marvels could provoke fights because they were part of a huge conspiracy, and qilin tattoos were an ancestral rule.[1] Qi Tiezui considered the incident with Train 076 a strange marvel.[1]
Qi Tiezui was normally a coward but when he was in his element he became a different person.[3] He was ashamed of his timid appearance because he felt like he was letting the Qi family down.[3]
Zhang Qishan described Qi Tiezui as having a meek temperament but was quick-witted.[4] Zhang Qishan believed he was one of the few people of the mystic nine who could help him.[4]
History[]
Train Car[]
Qi Tiezui opened an antique shop. He helped Zhang Qishan with the mysterious Train 076 that arrived at Changsha Railway Station.[1] At first, he refused to help because he thought it was a strange marvel that was unlucky.[1] However, Zhang Qishan threatened him and pulled him along to explore the train. While investigating, he saw a bronze mirror hanging on the engine car. He became unconformable since it indicated that someone in his family had died an unnatural death.[5] They discovered a whistle coffin in the final carriage of the train and moved it to Qishan's home.
The Zhang soldiers set up a device that would cut off the arm of the person reaching into the opening of the coffin. The device was attached to a horse's bridle and when a gong was hit, the horse would move to activate the mechanism.[6] Qi Tiezui would be the one to hit the gong.[6] An unnamed Zhang soldier was the first to try putting his arm into the opening.[6] The soldier was very young, only sixteen or seventeen years old.[6]
After a while, Zhang Qishan's face darkened and he made a gesture for the child to take his hand out.[7] The child was stubborn and continued.[7] The child suddenly jerked, cried out, and was pulled down by a force. He tried to get free but he was only dragged in further.[7] Qi Shan attempted to help and was able to pull the child's arm out a little bit but a red rash was crawling up towards the child's shoulder. [7] Qishan cried out to Qi Tiezui to hit the gong.[7] He dropped the gong and the horse ran forward, the shears closed, and the child screamed.[7] Qi Tiezui almost fainted while the Lieutenant set up the device again.[7] Qishan put his hand into the opening and brought out a black fragment.
Qi Tiezui woke up in the guest room after having nightmares and was led to Qishan's office by a soldier.[4]
References[]