Time Raiders (吴邪私家笔记)

Antique dealer Wu Xie is an ordinary young man who runs an antique shop in Hangzhou, Wushanju, and usually leads a quiet life. One day, a mysterious customer arrives with a fragment of a silk book from the Warring States period. Wu Xie immediately calls his third uncle, Wu Sanxing (played by Francis Ng), an experienced explorer. Wu Sanxing discovers that the silk manuscript contains a hidden map. To find the missing owner of the manuscript, Wu Sanxing forms an expedition team with Wu Xie, the resourceful Pan Zi (Cao Lei), the mysterious Zhang Qiling (Cheng Xiang), and Da Kui (Ma Jingjing). They journey to the underground palace of King Lu Shang of the Qi State (Qi State was a vassal state during the Zhou Dynasty). Along the way, they meet another treasure hunter, Wang Pangzi (Sun Ge Ye Chuan). The story unfolds along two parallel paths. The first path follows Wu Xie's crew as they explore the thousand-year-old underground palace, encountering various deadly creatures and supernatural crises. The second path involves investigating a mysterious sunken ship at sea. During their underground exploration, the team discovers a bronze fish with snake-scale patterns (She Mei Tong Yu, serpent-headed copper fish), which unexpectedly reveals Wu Sanxing's buried past. After his uncle meets with a mysterious woman named A Ning (Li Muchen), Wu Sanxing suddenly disappears. To uncover the truth and find his missing uncle, Wu Xie and his companions have no choice but to embark on a new journey. The series is a re-telling of the first two story arcs from the original Dao Mu Bi Ji (Tomb Notes) series: "The Seven-Star King Lu's Palace" ("Qi Xing Lu Wang Gong") and "The Sunken Ship of the Angry Sea" ("Nu Hai Qian Sha" / "West Sand").

The 18-episode series is divided into three main story arcs, structured as a clear three-act journey. The first act establishes Wu Xie's reluctant entry into tomb-raiding, the second act forces his crisis and transformation, and the third act sees an experienced and determined Wu Xie take the lead.

Arc 1: The Adventure Begins — Reluctant Initiation (Episodes 1–5)

Synopsis Wu Xie, a timid and bookish antique dealer, stumbles upon a cryptic silk manuscript from the Warring States period. Together with his mysterious third uncle Wu Sanxing (Wu Sansheng) and Zhang Qiling, a resourceful assistant Pan Zi, and Da Kui, they form a team to locate the underground palace of King Lu Shang. Key Story Beats

• Wu Xie secretly photographs the mysterious manuscript and uses it to convince his third uncle to let him join the exploration.
• Uncle Wu Sansheng reluctantly agrees to bring Wu Xie along but demands that he recruit two trustworthy companions.
• Wu Xie chooses Pan Zi (resourceful and fiercely loyal) and Da Kui to join the team.
• They encounter Zhang Qiling, a mysterious young man carrying a sword case on his back, who joins the team as a guide.
• The team navigates a water-filled ancient cave, is attacked by giant corpse-eating beetles, and the boat capsizes mid-journey.
• Wu Xie gets dragged underwater but manages to survive. This arc establishes the inciting incident and is characterized by Wu Xie's reluctant and nervous personality. His hesitation and fear show a character who never wanted to be a tomb raider but was dragged into it by his uncle's past and the family's mysterious heritage.

Arc 2: Into the Underground Palace — Fear and Crisis (Episodes 6–8)

Synopsis The team ventures deeper into the Seven-Star King Lu's underground palace, now truly far from the surface. Key Story Beats

• The team encounters a terrifying nine-headed snake cypress (Jiu Tou She Bai), a giant man-eating tree that attacks anyone who comes close. Wu Xie is captured and nearly dies.
• Zhang Qiling shows off his survival skills, single-handedly defeating the creature.
• Uncle Wu Sanxing's puzzling identity becomes questioned due to inconsistencies in the tomb's structure.
• The journey takes a devastating turn when the monster attacks again, forcing the team to make desperate choices.
• Da Kui sacrifices himself to save his companions, burning alive in the fire below. Wu Xie watches helplessly, powerless to save him. This arc marks a major turning point for Wu Xie. The death of Da Kui, his friend, shatters Wu Xie's innocence and naivety. For the first time, he realizes the brutal reality of tomb-raiding, forcing him to transition from a timid follower to someone forced to face death head-on.

Arc 3: Deep Sea Mystery — Growth and Leadership (Episodes 9–18)

Synopsis After Da Kui's death and Uncle Wu Sanxing's sudden disappearance following a secret meeting with the mysterious woman A Ning, Wu Xie takes the lead. Together with Zhang Qiling, Pan Zi, and the newcomer Wang Pangzi, the team ventures underwater to search for a sunken ship in the waters of Xisha (West Sand), Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Their goal: uncover why the original expedition crew vanished and why Wu Sanxing has been framed. This arc represents Wu Xie's transition into maturity and leadership. Key Story Beats

• Uncle Wu Sansheng disappears after meeting the mysterious woman A Ning, leaving behind more questions.
• Wu Xie steps up as the de facto leader, organizing the mission without relying on his uncle's instructions.
• The team explores the underwater tomb of the sunken ship. They search for clues about the original missing crew and attempt to clear Wu Sanxing's name.
• Wu Xie's personal growth becomes evident: instead of merely following, he now asks the right questions and makes key decisions independently.
• The final episodes tie back to the original silk manuscript, explaining why Wu Xie was chosen and what role his family has played in this journey all along. The story also pays off the earlier setup about Wu Laogou's (Wu Xie's grandfather) past trauma.