Relic Hunter s02e07 Episode Script
Three Rivers to Cross
Relic Hunter (PAL) Mongols.
Go.
The jade empress will protect us.
(li feng:)the dam is complete, The floodgates closed.
Soon the valley shall be flooded.
Beijing will be pleased that there have been no delays.
(monk:)li feng.
(guard:)who is this? A fanatic.
No one of concern.
All religious relics in the valley have been relocated.
Now, you must give up this fantasy That your statue can be found.
We cannot leave without the jade empress.
Open the dam and release the water.
Do not flood our valley, I beg you.
(li:)this is foolish.
The statue has been missing for 700 years.
There is no chance it can be found? Absolutely not.
I stake my reputation on it.
(monk:)we will not leave the valley.
(li:)you will drown.
Brother, the army (li:)will not allow you to stay.
(phone ringing) Ancient studies.
Yeah, yeah.
There's an urgent call for you, From china.
Hello? Scootchee? Dad? How soon can you be in hong kong? (claudia:)Where's the dam your father's building again? (sydney:)three rivers.
Check out this report on vn24.
(on tv)as the floodgates close, The rising water Has not only disrupted lives And submerged long-cherished homes, Additional military units have been called in to remove monks Who claim one of china's oldest artifacts will be submerged as well.
And in other news We'll call you from the airport.
Okay.
(nigel:)so I'm finally going to get to meet your dad.
You probably have an image in your head Of what my father's like, don't you? Yeah, I suppose I do.
An engineer who builds dams all over the world, Traditional, level-headed, analytical.
Well, wipe that out.
Think unconventional, impulsive, non-traditional.
My dad lives by two rules: Defy authority and never be caught dead in a suit.
Sydney.
Dad! Wow! Nice suit! You look terrific.
Thanks for coming.
This is my assistant, nigel bailey.
(nigel:)pleasure to meet you, sir.
Please call me randall.
Have a seat.
(randall:)meet mr.
Li feng.
He's the cultural affairs officer of the region.
He was just telling me why his government Can't reopen my dam for a couple of days.
Your father is a very persuasive man, But even with your help, You cannot make the jade empress reappear.
It does not exist.
You seem very certain of that.
I exhaustively researched sacred scrolls written centuries ago.
They refer to a dragon mandala, The supposed key to finding the statue.
And? And I found the mandala, Translated writings on it, examined their meanings.
But that lead, like All others to the statue's whereabouts, did not bear fruit.
The monks won't leave willingly.
They'll drown.
Colonel chang has assured me he can remove them safely.
Li, my daughter is a relic hunter.
Give us the mandala.
Perhaps there's something you missed.
Regrettably, no.
I have my instructions from beijing.
Now, this dam will provide power for millions of chinese.
I'm sorry, This is out of my hands.
Li, what's a couple of days? (li:)randall, enough.
I told them the statue does not exist.
Now, miss fox, Perhaps you can convince your father to enjoy his sightseeing In china's newest city rather than wasting time Chasing a fairy tale.
You obviously don't know my father.
(sydney:)let's go.
(randall:)valley's flooding, lives are at stake, Li's concerned about saving face.
What he didn't mention was a top spot in the beijing culture ministry Just opened up and he's in line for it.
Li's a real bureaucrat.
Where are we going? We're going to find that mandala.
I guess that means we're not going to cut the monks loose either.
Well, I promised them you'd find their statue for them.
I'm going to keep my promise.
Dad! Call me when you find out.
(randall:)that was my contact.
He's going to call very soon.
Nice place, dad, very quaint.
Oh, thank you, honey.
Come on in, No, make yourselves at home.
Come on in.
Nigel, tell me, How is it working with my daughter? You two dating yet? No.
Dad, nigel's my assistant.
(randall:)oh, that must have been the other guy.
What was his name? Dad Robert, roberto, javier, wasn't it? So nigel, sydney tells me you're an oxford man.
(nigel:)working on my masters.
(randall:)oh masters, very impressive.
Not just a pretty face like the last fellow.
What was his name? Dad, enough.
Honey, I'm just kidding.
Like always.
Exactly how long do we have to find the statue? Well, now that the floodgates are closed, Let's see The dam holds back about a hundred thousand litres of river flow per minute.
The valley should be underwater in less than three days.
(nigel:)not a lot, in other words.
You sure you don't want me to make a few phone calls? No, go with the flow.
(randall:)oh, excuse me.
Fox.
Ah Yes, all right.
It was my contact.
He said that after li examined the mandala, He gave it back to the dealer who had it in the first place.
Now, We have a meeting with that dealer In a very quiet spot where we're not going to be interrupted.
(loud crowd noises) A bomb going off wouldn't interrupt this place.
(randall:)that must be fetters.
(nigel:)it's a representation of the mandala, around the statue's neck.
And that's the jade empress, A truly magnificent piece of jade If it exists.
(randall:)oh, my contact says that you have the mandala.
I do.
Great.
We'd like to see it.
Are you serious buyers? Academics.
My contact said No, I've had it up to here with academics.
Sit down, please.
We'll make it worth your while.
Do you mean li? You're looking for the jade statue right? (randall:)that's right.
Yeah, so was he.
The mandala's supposed to be the key to finding the statue.
He had that mandala tied up in red tape for nearly a year while he studied it.
A year I couldn't sell it.
No way, I'm not going through that again, folks.
Why'd you give it to him in the first place? He's the cultural officer, had no choice.
We'd only need it for a few hours.
In your office.
We'll never leave the premises.
No red tape.
What's in it for me? Next time I come across a good relic, Maybe I'll slide it your way.
Sydney fox.
I only deal in museum quality.
I'll call.
Thank you.
You wouldn't really send him anything, would you? (randall:)oh, no.
What is it? Well, it's trouble is what it is.
Now, look, I've been in one too many fights.
If I get in one more, They're not going to let me back in this place.
Fight with who? Fox.
Now take it easy, big sam.
If you think I'm letting her go without a fight, (sam:)you're wrong.
He stole my girl.
Do you know him? Yeah, that's the boyfriend.
The boyfriend? (sam:)are you going to step outside Or are we going to go right here, right now? (randall:)now, look, I don't want any problems with you, big sam.
Maybe you should've thought of that before.
Come on, fox.
Back in the saddle, cowboy.
Sit down, missy.
(sydney:)okay, show's over, Nothing to see here.
(sydney:)sorry about your trouble.
Thanks, scootchee.
You're welcome, dad.
And please don't call me scootchee.
It's a little pet name I have for you, honey.
Yeah, I know, I was three, But I'm a grownup now.
Can you call me sydney? Yes, I will, sydney.
Rusty, allow me to pay you for all this.
(nigel:)don't you think we should just go? Yes.
To be a boyfriend, You have to have a girlfriend.
Exactly who was the girlfriend? Jenny.
Jenny who? My fiancee.
Your fiancee? You're not going to believe who just came to me looking for the jade empress.
Sydney fox.
Just thought you'd want to know.
When were you going to tell me? You know, I think I'll make some tea.
Anyone like a cup? No! (sydney:)but you meant to before the invitations went out? Look, sydney, you're right, I I greatly apologize.
I'm just asking you to give her a chance is all.
Isn't this just a bit sudden? Well, it wasn't my idea to get married, certainly.
But you know, when I met jenny and I got to know her, I mean, she was just the one.
Mom was the one.
Sydney, sit down.
Come on, sit down.
Now, listen, nobody will ever take your mother's place.
She was one in a million.
Happiest days of my life Was being in hawaii with you and your mother, Just the three of us.
That's the truth.
I know you did the best you could, dad.
And I loved all those places you took us to.
Yeah? I was always so proud of you.
I just miss her is all.
I guess it never goes away.
I miss her as well.
There isn't day goes by I don't think about you and your mother.
Really, that's the truth.
But sydney, Jenny's a terrific girl.
Wait until you meet her.
She's smart, She's funny.
You'll see.
Jenny.
Sydney, this is jenny.
Jenny, this is my daughter, sydney.
Hello.
(cell phone ringing) (randall:)oh, excuse me.
Fox.
Right.
It's time to meet fetters.
Good.
Oh, and jenny? Be right back.
Let's go.
I'm nigel.
So that's the girl that's replacing mom.
Oh, now, sydney You're marrying barbie.
You think maybe this is some sort of a midlife crisis thing, dad? Well, you never even talked to her.
I didn't know what to say.
What was I going to say? "love your shoes?" Oh, no, I see that you're upset.
I am not upset.
Am I upset, nigel? Just one more flight, I think.
(fetters:)hey, hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Hey (gun shot) Let's get out of here.
(nigel:)the mandala.
(sydney:)and that's fetters.
We can't afford to lose that mandala.
Right.
We need the jealous wife.
I'll be the dutiful assistant.
What? I'm telling you, he's not in here.
Mr.
Fetters, I'm so sorry.
Where's my weasel of a husband? Why are you protecting him? He's dead.
Why is this suddenly worth killing for? The mandala dates from the original temple monks.
The dragon symbol on it is closely associated with the jade empress.
Well, we know these are the symbols of the chinese zodiac.
But what's this about? Never conquered.
Well, The monks believed the mythical power of the statue helped keep the temple safe.
Well, actually, It was probably the natural defence system of the three rivers that surrounded it.
Yeah, they'd act like a moat around a castle.
Any attackers would be sitting ducks when they tried to cross.
(nigel:)for some reason, During the attacks in 1248, The temple master ordered the statue hidden And the local village and the temple were sacked.
It's odd.
Yeah, why get rid of your most powerful weapon? Yeah.
Okay, we know li looked for clues on the outside of the mandala.
(nigel:)but it didn't lead him to the statue.
Li's a bookworm phd, He's never been in the field.
He analysed it from the outside and translated like a scholar.
We have to look at this with different eyes.
A relic hunter's eyes.
(randall:)li couldn't look beyond what he could see.
Well, seems solid.
There are no seams.
It appears to be carved from a single piece of jade.
What's this? A dog, A monkey, And a rat.
Will you look at that? Looks like a drawing.
(nigel:)buried for seven hundred and fifty years.
That's the three rivers area.
Three rivers and a temple.
There's a fourth river here.
(nigel:)dragon symbol.
(sydney:)on an island in a fourth river.
I know the river basin very well, But I don't recognize this.
What we need is a map.
Coming up.
Could match-up.
Could be on our way to finding the statue.
Where's the fourth river? Another dead end.
Maybe not.
Okay, I'm going to load a program that we used to develop plans for the hydro dam.
As you can see here, This is a map of the three rivers area that we're interested in And how it looks today.
Now, watch.
I'm going to give the computer some parameters here And I'm going to ask it to go back into history, Look back into the past and chart this system based on historical, Geothermal, seismological -- all relative data.
It's amazing.
Yes, it is.
We're watching the computer turn back the clock of history.
What's that? That right there is our mystery river.
(sydney:)how does a river just disappear? Well, erosion, drought, a massive earthquake.
A combination of all three could do it, actually.
And right there is your island.
And with any luck, there's our statue.
Jenny, Guess what? We have a line on the statue.
That's great.
I'm going to fax li And have him get beijing to reopen the dam so we can take a better look.
I'll get my things.
Good.
Well, let's not just stand around, let's go get that statue.
Colonel chang, to what do I owe the honour of a visit at this late hour? Because of this missing statue, Our leaders in beijing are being portrayed in the Media as monk killers.
The monks are Be silent.
We are flooding their lands based on your final assurance As cultural officer in charge that all religious artefacts Were found and relocated out of the path of the water.
As I recall, you guaranteed it.
The statue does not exist.
If it is located, the consequences to you will be dire.
(li:)"dear li, with this map, We're going to find the jade empress.
Stop the water.
We'll meet you there.
Randall fox.
" Sydney Tells me you're randall's translator.
That's right.
I've had training in several different chinese dialects.
That's got to be very handy, especially when ordering take-out.
You have no idea.
How do they deliver to a junk? Very (together:)Carefully.
Hello.
Are you going to the three rivers area? I'm looking for the officer in charge.
I need some information.
As a matter of fact, We are all going up to three rivers.
What business have you there? To try and convince the powers that be to open the dam and stop the flooding.
I don't believe we've met.
My name's sydney fox.
The relic hunter.
You have an advantage over me.
Chang, Military governor of the three rivers area And of the dam project.
Then I guess my business is with you.
So it would seem.
Nigel, did sydney say anything to you, You know, about me and randall? Well, the usual sort of things.
"hope dad's happy", Things like that.
It was a bit of a shock.
I mean, any time a parent tells you about something as life-changing as marriage, Especially when it's marriage to someone like you.
Not that there's anything wrong with you.
Don't get me wrong.
I just meant Well, the two of you are so different.
Like Like, he's very tall.
He's very, very tall.
Very, very, very tall.
He certainly is tall, all right.
Not that you're that short.
I mean, well, it's all relative, isn't it? I mean, what is tall? What is short? What is small? What is big? Full Full You're full of energy and And, Well, not that she expected him to marry anyone boring and listless.
I mean, he's a very vibrant man, More vibrant than anyone gave him credit for, it seems.
Nigel, I know what you're saying.
You do? I know that I'm not what she expected.
I just don't want her to hate me.
I'm sure she doesn't hate you.
I mean, in fact, that I know.
Do you think she'd be open to having a conversation with me? I don't think now is the right time.
But I'm sure there is a right time and And if I were you And I'm not But if I were you, I'd I'd just let her make the first move.
Yeah.
And she won't be subtle about it.
In my case, she She threw a spear at my head.
Great conversation starter.
She could've taken my ear off, it was that close.
Had nightmares about it and everything.
Thought I was going deaf, had no ears.
What? Colonel, your government's going to look awfully bad if those monks end up dead.
Believe me, I want that least of anyone.
I believe you're a decent man.
Why don't you just open the dam? It is beyond my power.
I think you're being too modest.
Mr.
Li has given his report.
It says that the monk statue does not exist, Therefore my orders are simple.
The monks' refusal to leave must be met with An equally powerful push.
I take it you don't care much for mr.
Li.
No.
Then that makes two of us.
He is proud and careless.
I've been doing this a long time, colonel.
I can find that statue.
I believe you.
You do? Yes.
But the longer I let you look for the statue, The longer the monks will resist And the greater the chance that some may die.
Then stop the flooding.
Perhaps if you already had the statue I don't.
Then I have my orders.
What about the monks, colonel? The greatest danger to the monks now is you.
You give them hope which encourages their resistance.
What they need now is to leave.
It's too late.
This is my stop.
Mine, too.
(sydney:)colonel? You might want to keep your eyes open.
I have a feeling that statue just might turn up.
(jenny:)it looks like we're here.
(nigel:)it's not much of a welcoming committee.
(randall:)I was hoping to hear from li by now, But we can't wait.
All of these roads will be underwater very soon.
Speaking of which, Where's our transpo? The project office said they'd send someone.
(nigel:)he must've got held up.
Just one moment.
You promised to find the jade empress.
I know I did.
I'm a man of my word.
There are still others in the woods.
They will not leave.
No, I understand.
We'll find it, I promise.
Uh-oh.
I wonder what he's all about.
It can't be good.
Can you make out what he's saying? It's cantonese.
Urgent message.
(nigel:)restrain? Restrict.
Revoke.
Revoke.
Colonel chang revoked randall's papers.
They have orders to stop us from going into the valley.
That would explain our missing driver.
Sydney, where's your dad? He's right there.
Let's go, let's go.
You're going to get us shot.
You said you wanted transpo.
(sydney:)this is the closest spot, dad, stop here.
Careful, honey.
Okay.
According to the gps, ancient riverbed should be just beyond these trees.
Let's cut right through here.
Come on.
Be careful.
Listen.
(sydney:)that's a military helicopter.
Think they saw us? I don't think so.
Well, they may have seen the truck, Though.
Let's get going.
Come on.
Take that off.
It's red.
Be harder to spot you from the air.
Thanks.
(sydney:)dad, that looks like something up ahead.
This could be the old riverbed.
That would make this Entire area in here an island at one time.
The monks would use their rafts and their boats to get out to it.
Drop! Well, as soon as we get that statue, they won't be able to touch us.
Over here.
There's a marker of some kind.
The symbols of the chinese zodiac.
That's a dragon mandala with an indentation in the centre.
The mandala must be a key.
No movement.
Nothing.
Well, there must be another step.
(sydney:)okay.
Symbols of the chinese zodiac.
Now, what if we pushed the same ones as the mandala as part of the sequence? (nigel:)that would be the dog, the rat, and the monkey.
Dog, The rat, and the monkey.
Okay, all at the same time on the count of three.
Dad, could you push that one? Yes, sure.
Right there.
On the count of three: 1 What else? The monks hid the statue in The zodiac encompasses in each of its symbols Every year since the ancient chinese recorded time.
(nigel:)so counting backwards from now would make 1248 The year of the Tiger.
Look at that.
Dad, you know how heavy a jade statue's going to be? Maybe we should get the truck a little closer.
Okay.
Nigel? Take the map, Gps, pull the truck along as close as you can to that statue.
Go with him.
Go ahead, jenny.
The statue's in there.
I can feel it.
Let's go get it.
Have you noticed No helicopters? (speaking in chinese) (sydney:)ancient prayer screens.
Looks like an old mandarin dialect, A warning of some kind.
"whoever releases the jade empress will forever be cursed.
" this one says, " to honour the queen of heaven" I can't make out the rest of it.
(randall:) "hang the dragon around her neck.
" Dragon mandala? Could be.
(randall:)"only when the mongol danger is passed Will the world be safe for her return.
" Well, whoever wrote these didn't want the empress out of her cave.
(jenny speaking in chinese) (randall:)there she is.
The jade empress.
Wow.
(sydney:)I know a colonel that wants to meet you.
At last.
(sydney:)it's surrounded by a moat of water.
The water isn't reflecting any light.
(randall:)yes.
I can't see the bottom of this.
Oh, that must be a ground flow brought on by the valley filling up with water.
It definitely came from under here.
Something going on under here.
Good, good.
Now, you sir, in the green.
Yes, excellent, excellent.
Beautiful.
Hey, be careful here, sydney.
It's just water, right? What am I afraid of? (li:)so you found it.
I don't think beijing's going to reopen your dam, dad.
Correct.
You sent those men to fetters's office.
You killed him.
I did not mean for fetters to be killed, Only to retrieve the mandala.
You were doing business with him, then? No, what I did was not for something as crass as money.
You did it to keep us from getting it? Yes.
(sydney:)you told them they'd never find the statue.
Now, you're just making sure? In china, one must always save face.
You understand then, I had no choice.
Now, millions of gallons of water from your dam will preserve my secret.
Regrettably, there can be no witnesses.
No! Dad! (randall:)I'm all right.
(randall:)sydney, he's got the gun.
Dad, the mandala.
Put it around her neck.
(speaking in chinese) It's okay, they're with us.
What happened down here? It's a long story.
Dad, are you okay? Randall.
It's okay.
How'd you guys make out with the chinese army? Oh, I told them That they would have the extreme honour of Recovering one of china's most treasured missing relics Or we'd pay them fifty bucks each.
(randall:)oh, well, that's cheap at half the price, Now isn't it? (nigel:)I think I figured out why the monks hid the statue.
An inscription on one of the columns in the cave gave me the idea.
(nigel:)the statue disappeared in 1248, But three years before that, the beginning of 1245, The mongol hordes led by genghis khan Had the three river valley under siege.
Records say that they couldn't conquer it On account of some legendary force within the temple.
The statue.
At the end of those three years, Every building in the valley except the temple had been reduced to smoking ash.
I think the monks realized that if they wanted to save what was left of their world, They had to stop fighting and remove the means of waging war so they hid the statue and fled.
With the statue gone and no enemy to fight, The khan went home and peace was returned.
The new cultural affairs officer just told me the jade empress has a new home, (randall:)safe from flood waters where the monks are free to worship.
Isn't that great? Oh, by the way, honey, if you'll excuse me for a moment Nigel, would you come down to the bar car with me So you can tell me about your intentions toward my daughter? Intentions? Sydney? (nigel:)randall? Sir? I think he's leaving us alone to talk.
Yeah.
You like dim sum? Yeah.
Your father and I like those little round coconut sesame seed balls.
(sydney:)good, because I I know a really great place.
It's on the kowloon side.
It's It doesn't look great.
It's kind of a hole.
It's It's a dive, but the food's great.
The food's amazing.
So how did you two meet anyway? Well, that's a That's a long story.
I will tell you about it some time.
(jenny:)but I probably should clear it with randall first.
You can tell me now.
You may not like me anymore.
Subtitle by: Kiasuseven
Go.
The jade empress will protect us.
(li feng:)the dam is complete, The floodgates closed.
Soon the valley shall be flooded.
Beijing will be pleased that there have been no delays.
(monk:)li feng.
(guard:)who is this? A fanatic.
No one of concern.
All religious relics in the valley have been relocated.
Now, you must give up this fantasy That your statue can be found.
We cannot leave without the jade empress.
Open the dam and release the water.
Do not flood our valley, I beg you.
(li:)this is foolish.
The statue has been missing for 700 years.
There is no chance it can be found? Absolutely not.
I stake my reputation on it.
(monk:)we will not leave the valley.
(li:)you will drown.
Brother, the army (li:)will not allow you to stay.
(phone ringing) Ancient studies.
Yeah, yeah.
There's an urgent call for you, From china.
Hello? Scootchee? Dad? How soon can you be in hong kong? (claudia:)Where's the dam your father's building again? (sydney:)three rivers.
Check out this report on vn24.
(on tv)as the floodgates close, The rising water Has not only disrupted lives And submerged long-cherished homes, Additional military units have been called in to remove monks Who claim one of china's oldest artifacts will be submerged as well.
And in other news We'll call you from the airport.
Okay.
(nigel:)so I'm finally going to get to meet your dad.
You probably have an image in your head Of what my father's like, don't you? Yeah, I suppose I do.
An engineer who builds dams all over the world, Traditional, level-headed, analytical.
Well, wipe that out.
Think unconventional, impulsive, non-traditional.
My dad lives by two rules: Defy authority and never be caught dead in a suit.
Sydney.
Dad! Wow! Nice suit! You look terrific.
Thanks for coming.
This is my assistant, nigel bailey.
(nigel:)pleasure to meet you, sir.
Please call me randall.
Have a seat.
(randall:)meet mr.
Li feng.
He's the cultural affairs officer of the region.
He was just telling me why his government Can't reopen my dam for a couple of days.
Your father is a very persuasive man, But even with your help, You cannot make the jade empress reappear.
It does not exist.
You seem very certain of that.
I exhaustively researched sacred scrolls written centuries ago.
They refer to a dragon mandala, The supposed key to finding the statue.
And? And I found the mandala, Translated writings on it, examined their meanings.
But that lead, like All others to the statue's whereabouts, did not bear fruit.
The monks won't leave willingly.
They'll drown.
Colonel chang has assured me he can remove them safely.
Li, my daughter is a relic hunter.
Give us the mandala.
Perhaps there's something you missed.
Regrettably, no.
I have my instructions from beijing.
Now, this dam will provide power for millions of chinese.
I'm sorry, This is out of my hands.
Li, what's a couple of days? (li:)randall, enough.
I told them the statue does not exist.
Now, miss fox, Perhaps you can convince your father to enjoy his sightseeing In china's newest city rather than wasting time Chasing a fairy tale.
You obviously don't know my father.
(sydney:)let's go.
(randall:)valley's flooding, lives are at stake, Li's concerned about saving face.
What he didn't mention was a top spot in the beijing culture ministry Just opened up and he's in line for it.
Li's a real bureaucrat.
Where are we going? We're going to find that mandala.
I guess that means we're not going to cut the monks loose either.
Well, I promised them you'd find their statue for them.
I'm going to keep my promise.
Dad! Call me when you find out.
(randall:)that was my contact.
He's going to call very soon.
Nice place, dad, very quaint.
Oh, thank you, honey.
Come on in, No, make yourselves at home.
Come on in.
Nigel, tell me, How is it working with my daughter? You two dating yet? No.
Dad, nigel's my assistant.
(randall:)oh, that must have been the other guy.
What was his name? Dad Robert, roberto, javier, wasn't it? So nigel, sydney tells me you're an oxford man.
(nigel:)working on my masters.
(randall:)oh masters, very impressive.
Not just a pretty face like the last fellow.
What was his name? Dad, enough.
Honey, I'm just kidding.
Like always.
Exactly how long do we have to find the statue? Well, now that the floodgates are closed, Let's see The dam holds back about a hundred thousand litres of river flow per minute.
The valley should be underwater in less than three days.
(nigel:)not a lot, in other words.
You sure you don't want me to make a few phone calls? No, go with the flow.
(randall:)oh, excuse me.
Fox.
Ah Yes, all right.
It was my contact.
He said that after li examined the mandala, He gave it back to the dealer who had it in the first place.
Now, We have a meeting with that dealer In a very quiet spot where we're not going to be interrupted.
(loud crowd noises) A bomb going off wouldn't interrupt this place.
(randall:)that must be fetters.
(nigel:)it's a representation of the mandala, around the statue's neck.
And that's the jade empress, A truly magnificent piece of jade If it exists.
(randall:)oh, my contact says that you have the mandala.
I do.
Great.
We'd like to see it.
Are you serious buyers? Academics.
My contact said No, I've had it up to here with academics.
Sit down, please.
We'll make it worth your while.
Do you mean li? You're looking for the jade statue right? (randall:)that's right.
Yeah, so was he.
The mandala's supposed to be the key to finding the statue.
He had that mandala tied up in red tape for nearly a year while he studied it.
A year I couldn't sell it.
No way, I'm not going through that again, folks.
Why'd you give it to him in the first place? He's the cultural officer, had no choice.
We'd only need it for a few hours.
In your office.
We'll never leave the premises.
No red tape.
What's in it for me? Next time I come across a good relic, Maybe I'll slide it your way.
Sydney fox.
I only deal in museum quality.
I'll call.
Thank you.
You wouldn't really send him anything, would you? (randall:)oh, no.
What is it? Well, it's trouble is what it is.
Now, look, I've been in one too many fights.
If I get in one more, They're not going to let me back in this place.
Fight with who? Fox.
Now take it easy, big sam.
If you think I'm letting her go without a fight, (sam:)you're wrong.
He stole my girl.
Do you know him? Yeah, that's the boyfriend.
The boyfriend? (sam:)are you going to step outside Or are we going to go right here, right now? (randall:)now, look, I don't want any problems with you, big sam.
Maybe you should've thought of that before.
Come on, fox.
Back in the saddle, cowboy.
Sit down, missy.
(sydney:)okay, show's over, Nothing to see here.
(sydney:)sorry about your trouble.
Thanks, scootchee.
You're welcome, dad.
And please don't call me scootchee.
It's a little pet name I have for you, honey.
Yeah, I know, I was three, But I'm a grownup now.
Can you call me sydney? Yes, I will, sydney.
Rusty, allow me to pay you for all this.
(nigel:)don't you think we should just go? Yes.
To be a boyfriend, You have to have a girlfriend.
Exactly who was the girlfriend? Jenny.
Jenny who? My fiancee.
Your fiancee? You're not going to believe who just came to me looking for the jade empress.
Sydney fox.
Just thought you'd want to know.
When were you going to tell me? You know, I think I'll make some tea.
Anyone like a cup? No! (sydney:)but you meant to before the invitations went out? Look, sydney, you're right, I I greatly apologize.
I'm just asking you to give her a chance is all.
Isn't this just a bit sudden? Well, it wasn't my idea to get married, certainly.
But you know, when I met jenny and I got to know her, I mean, she was just the one.
Mom was the one.
Sydney, sit down.
Come on, sit down.
Now, listen, nobody will ever take your mother's place.
She was one in a million.
Happiest days of my life Was being in hawaii with you and your mother, Just the three of us.
That's the truth.
I know you did the best you could, dad.
And I loved all those places you took us to.
Yeah? I was always so proud of you.
I just miss her is all.
I guess it never goes away.
I miss her as well.
There isn't day goes by I don't think about you and your mother.
Really, that's the truth.
But sydney, Jenny's a terrific girl.
Wait until you meet her.
She's smart, She's funny.
You'll see.
Jenny.
Sydney, this is jenny.
Jenny, this is my daughter, sydney.
Hello.
(cell phone ringing) (randall:)oh, excuse me.
Fox.
Right.
It's time to meet fetters.
Good.
Oh, and jenny? Be right back.
Let's go.
I'm nigel.
So that's the girl that's replacing mom.
Oh, now, sydney You're marrying barbie.
You think maybe this is some sort of a midlife crisis thing, dad? Well, you never even talked to her.
I didn't know what to say.
What was I going to say? "love your shoes?" Oh, no, I see that you're upset.
I am not upset.
Am I upset, nigel? Just one more flight, I think.
(fetters:)hey, hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Hey (gun shot) Let's get out of here.
(nigel:)the mandala.
(sydney:)and that's fetters.
We can't afford to lose that mandala.
Right.
We need the jealous wife.
I'll be the dutiful assistant.
What? I'm telling you, he's not in here.
Mr.
Fetters, I'm so sorry.
Where's my weasel of a husband? Why are you protecting him? He's dead.
Why is this suddenly worth killing for? The mandala dates from the original temple monks.
The dragon symbol on it is closely associated with the jade empress.
Well, we know these are the symbols of the chinese zodiac.
But what's this about? Never conquered.
Well, The monks believed the mythical power of the statue helped keep the temple safe.
Well, actually, It was probably the natural defence system of the three rivers that surrounded it.
Yeah, they'd act like a moat around a castle.
Any attackers would be sitting ducks when they tried to cross.
(nigel:)for some reason, During the attacks in 1248, The temple master ordered the statue hidden And the local village and the temple were sacked.
It's odd.
Yeah, why get rid of your most powerful weapon? Yeah.
Okay, we know li looked for clues on the outside of the mandala.
(nigel:)but it didn't lead him to the statue.
Li's a bookworm phd, He's never been in the field.
He analysed it from the outside and translated like a scholar.
We have to look at this with different eyes.
A relic hunter's eyes.
(randall:)li couldn't look beyond what he could see.
Well, seems solid.
There are no seams.
It appears to be carved from a single piece of jade.
What's this? A dog, A monkey, And a rat.
Will you look at that? Looks like a drawing.
(nigel:)buried for seven hundred and fifty years.
That's the three rivers area.
Three rivers and a temple.
There's a fourth river here.
(nigel:)dragon symbol.
(sydney:)on an island in a fourth river.
I know the river basin very well, But I don't recognize this.
What we need is a map.
Coming up.
Could match-up.
Could be on our way to finding the statue.
Where's the fourth river? Another dead end.
Maybe not.
Okay, I'm going to load a program that we used to develop plans for the hydro dam.
As you can see here, This is a map of the three rivers area that we're interested in And how it looks today.
Now, watch.
I'm going to give the computer some parameters here And I'm going to ask it to go back into history, Look back into the past and chart this system based on historical, Geothermal, seismological -- all relative data.
It's amazing.
Yes, it is.
We're watching the computer turn back the clock of history.
What's that? That right there is our mystery river.
(sydney:)how does a river just disappear? Well, erosion, drought, a massive earthquake.
A combination of all three could do it, actually.
And right there is your island.
And with any luck, there's our statue.
Jenny, Guess what? We have a line on the statue.
That's great.
I'm going to fax li And have him get beijing to reopen the dam so we can take a better look.
I'll get my things.
Good.
Well, let's not just stand around, let's go get that statue.
Colonel chang, to what do I owe the honour of a visit at this late hour? Because of this missing statue, Our leaders in beijing are being portrayed in the Media as monk killers.
The monks are Be silent.
We are flooding their lands based on your final assurance As cultural officer in charge that all religious artefacts Were found and relocated out of the path of the water.
As I recall, you guaranteed it.
The statue does not exist.
If it is located, the consequences to you will be dire.
(li:)"dear li, with this map, We're going to find the jade empress.
Stop the water.
We'll meet you there.
Randall fox.
" Sydney Tells me you're randall's translator.
That's right.
I've had training in several different chinese dialects.
That's got to be very handy, especially when ordering take-out.
You have no idea.
How do they deliver to a junk? Very (together:)Carefully.
Hello.
Are you going to the three rivers area? I'm looking for the officer in charge.
I need some information.
As a matter of fact, We are all going up to three rivers.
What business have you there? To try and convince the powers that be to open the dam and stop the flooding.
I don't believe we've met.
My name's sydney fox.
The relic hunter.
You have an advantage over me.
Chang, Military governor of the three rivers area And of the dam project.
Then I guess my business is with you.
So it would seem.
Nigel, did sydney say anything to you, You know, about me and randall? Well, the usual sort of things.
"hope dad's happy", Things like that.
It was a bit of a shock.
I mean, any time a parent tells you about something as life-changing as marriage, Especially when it's marriage to someone like you.
Not that there's anything wrong with you.
Don't get me wrong.
I just meant Well, the two of you are so different.
Like Like, he's very tall.
He's very, very tall.
Very, very, very tall.
He certainly is tall, all right.
Not that you're that short.
I mean, well, it's all relative, isn't it? I mean, what is tall? What is short? What is small? What is big? Full Full You're full of energy and And, Well, not that she expected him to marry anyone boring and listless.
I mean, he's a very vibrant man, More vibrant than anyone gave him credit for, it seems.
Nigel, I know what you're saying.
You do? I know that I'm not what she expected.
I just don't want her to hate me.
I'm sure she doesn't hate you.
I mean, in fact, that I know.
Do you think she'd be open to having a conversation with me? I don't think now is the right time.
But I'm sure there is a right time and And if I were you And I'm not But if I were you, I'd I'd just let her make the first move.
Yeah.
And she won't be subtle about it.
In my case, she She threw a spear at my head.
Great conversation starter.
She could've taken my ear off, it was that close.
Had nightmares about it and everything.
Thought I was going deaf, had no ears.
What? Colonel, your government's going to look awfully bad if those monks end up dead.
Believe me, I want that least of anyone.
I believe you're a decent man.
Why don't you just open the dam? It is beyond my power.
I think you're being too modest.
Mr.
Li has given his report.
It says that the monk statue does not exist, Therefore my orders are simple.
The monks' refusal to leave must be met with An equally powerful push.
I take it you don't care much for mr.
Li.
No.
Then that makes two of us.
He is proud and careless.
I've been doing this a long time, colonel.
I can find that statue.
I believe you.
You do? Yes.
But the longer I let you look for the statue, The longer the monks will resist And the greater the chance that some may die.
Then stop the flooding.
Perhaps if you already had the statue I don't.
Then I have my orders.
What about the monks, colonel? The greatest danger to the monks now is you.
You give them hope which encourages their resistance.
What they need now is to leave.
It's too late.
This is my stop.
Mine, too.
(sydney:)colonel? You might want to keep your eyes open.
I have a feeling that statue just might turn up.
(jenny:)it looks like we're here.
(nigel:)it's not much of a welcoming committee.
(randall:)I was hoping to hear from li by now, But we can't wait.
All of these roads will be underwater very soon.
Speaking of which, Where's our transpo? The project office said they'd send someone.
(nigel:)he must've got held up.
Just one moment.
You promised to find the jade empress.
I know I did.
I'm a man of my word.
There are still others in the woods.
They will not leave.
No, I understand.
We'll find it, I promise.
Uh-oh.
I wonder what he's all about.
It can't be good.
Can you make out what he's saying? It's cantonese.
Urgent message.
(nigel:)restrain? Restrict.
Revoke.
Revoke.
Colonel chang revoked randall's papers.
They have orders to stop us from going into the valley.
That would explain our missing driver.
Sydney, where's your dad? He's right there.
Let's go, let's go.
You're going to get us shot.
You said you wanted transpo.
(sydney:)this is the closest spot, dad, stop here.
Careful, honey.
Okay.
According to the gps, ancient riverbed should be just beyond these trees.
Let's cut right through here.
Come on.
Be careful.
Listen.
(sydney:)that's a military helicopter.
Think they saw us? I don't think so.
Well, they may have seen the truck, Though.
Let's get going.
Come on.
Take that off.
It's red.
Be harder to spot you from the air.
Thanks.
(sydney:)dad, that looks like something up ahead.
This could be the old riverbed.
That would make this Entire area in here an island at one time.
The monks would use their rafts and their boats to get out to it.
Drop! Well, as soon as we get that statue, they won't be able to touch us.
Over here.
There's a marker of some kind.
The symbols of the chinese zodiac.
That's a dragon mandala with an indentation in the centre.
The mandala must be a key.
No movement.
Nothing.
Well, there must be another step.
(sydney:)okay.
Symbols of the chinese zodiac.
Now, what if we pushed the same ones as the mandala as part of the sequence? (nigel:)that would be the dog, the rat, and the monkey.
Dog, The rat, and the monkey.
Okay, all at the same time on the count of three.
Dad, could you push that one? Yes, sure.
Right there.
On the count of three: 1 What else? The monks hid the statue in The zodiac encompasses in each of its symbols Every year since the ancient chinese recorded time.
(nigel:)so counting backwards from now would make 1248 The year of the Tiger.
Look at that.
Dad, you know how heavy a jade statue's going to be? Maybe we should get the truck a little closer.
Okay.
Nigel? Take the map, Gps, pull the truck along as close as you can to that statue.
Go with him.
Go ahead, jenny.
The statue's in there.
I can feel it.
Let's go get it.
Have you noticed No helicopters? (speaking in chinese) (sydney:)ancient prayer screens.
Looks like an old mandarin dialect, A warning of some kind.
"whoever releases the jade empress will forever be cursed.
" this one says, " to honour the queen of heaven" I can't make out the rest of it.
(randall:) "hang the dragon around her neck.
" Dragon mandala? Could be.
(randall:)"only when the mongol danger is passed Will the world be safe for her return.
" Well, whoever wrote these didn't want the empress out of her cave.
(jenny speaking in chinese) (randall:)there she is.
The jade empress.
Wow.
(sydney:)I know a colonel that wants to meet you.
At last.
(sydney:)it's surrounded by a moat of water.
The water isn't reflecting any light.
(randall:)yes.
I can't see the bottom of this.
Oh, that must be a ground flow brought on by the valley filling up with water.
It definitely came from under here.
Something going on under here.
Good, good.
Now, you sir, in the green.
Yes, excellent, excellent.
Beautiful.
Hey, be careful here, sydney.
It's just water, right? What am I afraid of? (li:)so you found it.
I don't think beijing's going to reopen your dam, dad.
Correct.
You sent those men to fetters's office.
You killed him.
I did not mean for fetters to be killed, Only to retrieve the mandala.
You were doing business with him, then? No, what I did was not for something as crass as money.
You did it to keep us from getting it? Yes.
(sydney:)you told them they'd never find the statue.
Now, you're just making sure? In china, one must always save face.
You understand then, I had no choice.
Now, millions of gallons of water from your dam will preserve my secret.
Regrettably, there can be no witnesses.
No! Dad! (randall:)I'm all right.
(randall:)sydney, he's got the gun.
Dad, the mandala.
Put it around her neck.
(speaking in chinese) It's okay, they're with us.
What happened down here? It's a long story.
Dad, are you okay? Randall.
It's okay.
How'd you guys make out with the chinese army? Oh, I told them That they would have the extreme honour of Recovering one of china's most treasured missing relics Or we'd pay them fifty bucks each.
(randall:)oh, well, that's cheap at half the price, Now isn't it? (nigel:)I think I figured out why the monks hid the statue.
An inscription on one of the columns in the cave gave me the idea.
(nigel:)the statue disappeared in 1248, But three years before that, the beginning of 1245, The mongol hordes led by genghis khan Had the three river valley under siege.
Records say that they couldn't conquer it On account of some legendary force within the temple.
The statue.
At the end of those three years, Every building in the valley except the temple had been reduced to smoking ash.
I think the monks realized that if they wanted to save what was left of their world, They had to stop fighting and remove the means of waging war so they hid the statue and fled.
With the statue gone and no enemy to fight, The khan went home and peace was returned.
The new cultural affairs officer just told me the jade empress has a new home, (randall:)safe from flood waters where the monks are free to worship.
Isn't that great? Oh, by the way, honey, if you'll excuse me for a moment Nigel, would you come down to the bar car with me So you can tell me about your intentions toward my daughter? Intentions? Sydney? (nigel:)randall? Sir? I think he's leaving us alone to talk.
Yeah.
You like dim sum? Yeah.
Your father and I like those little round coconut sesame seed balls.
(sydney:)good, because I I know a really great place.
It's on the kowloon side.
It's It doesn't look great.
It's kind of a hole.
It's It's a dive, but the food's great.
The food's amazing.
So how did you two meet anyway? Well, that's a That's a long story.
I will tell you about it some time.
(jenny:)but I probably should clear it with randall first.
You can tell me now.
You may not like me anymore.
Subtitle by: Kiasuseven