It wasn't his love and admiration for Ya Tou and Er Ye that drove Chen Pi to the extremes found in Mystic Nine. He was always like that.

This story deals with Chen Pi prior to his meeting Er Ye and joining his clan so it has nothing to do with Mystic Nine. The only connection besides Chen Pi himself is the dilapidated temple where he lives. That temple is the same as in MN: Side Story 3 about Huo Ji Xin. In this movie Chen Pi becomes the avenger of a family after being paid by one family member. They should have named this MN: Grim Reaper because that is what Chen Pi was. It's most evident in the after credit scene.

The story is not new. It's been seen before. It's been done better and worse. There is a whole thing about human experiments that has no explanation. That may actually have tied in with the Mystic Nine series, but I don't know. There's absolutely no character development whatsoever. I mean like NONE! The crazy people are just crazy. Why? They just are. The cast and the acting were good.

The music was supportive. As always the re-watch is n/a.

Unlike the other movies I'm not sure this prequel was worth watching. You learn nothing new. Chen Pi is a killer! Big deal. We already knew that. Honestly, if you just go by the look and flow of it, this is the better of the 4 specials. For me it's the 2nd most entertaining. It's an example of a good story that's poorly executed.