I'm not sure which part you're referring to. Old Nine Gates was a Chinese web novel that told the story of a group of young thieves in the martial arts world at the end of the Ming Dynasty. If you need to understand the complete story, you are recommended to read the original novel or related websites for more accurate information.
This question involved the structure of the novel and writing techniques. Usually, each chapter of a novel was reduced by half to create suspense and attract the interest of the readers. The first chapter of a novel was usually used to introduce the protagonist and the background of the story so that the reader could understand the world and the relationship between the characters. The second chapter is a turning point, usually involving the protagonist's first adventure or difficulties, which makes the reader pay more attention to the protagonist's growth and changes. By analogy, the design of each chapter being reduced by half was to make the story more compact and make the readers constantly look forward to the next chapter. In addition, this design could also increase the horror and tension of the novel, allowing the readers to be more involved in the story. At the same time, it could also help the author better control the rhythm and plot development of the story, making it easier for the readers to accept the ending of the story. The design of each chapter being cut in half is a common writing technique that creates suspense and attracts the reader's interest while helping the author better control the rhythm and plot development of the story.
The Nine Gates were divided into the Upper Three Gates, the Lower Three Gates, and the Lower Three Gates. The Upper Three Gates were the official factions. They were wealthy old families with legitimate businesses and had great power. Ping Sanmen was a thief's sect. They specialized in entering tombs, excavating antiques, and selling them. The lower three sects were the merchant sects, and they were mainly engaged in business. To be specific, the characters of the upper three schools were Zhang Qishan (Lord Zhang), Er Yuehong (Master of Chenpi A'si), and Banban Li; the characters of the flat three schools were Chenpi A'si, Old Dog Wu (Grandpa Wu Xie), and Black-backed Sixth; and the characters of the lower three schools were Huo Xiangu, Qi Tiezui, and Jie Jiuye.
The first time that Old Nine Gates went to the tomb was in the second episode. In order to save the girl, February Red decided to go to the tomb to find life-saving medicine. He found Chenpi Four, Qi Tiezui, Huo Sanniang and other experts to form a tomb raiding team. With her own experience and skills, Er Yuehong led everyone into the ancient tomb of the mine outside Changsha City. In the ancient tomb, they encountered all kinds of dangers and challenges. In the end, they successfully found the life-saving medicine, but they also paid a heavy price.
At present, it was impossible to determine whether the original novel of Old Nine Gates existed or where it could be seen. The search results mentioned that Old Nine Gates was a prequel to Grave Robber's Chronicles and provided some links to read it online, but did not specify whether there was a physical book or an electronic version of the original novel. Therefore, it was impossible to determine where the original copy of 'Old Nine Gates' could be seen.
The nine major surnames of the Old Nine Gates were Zhang, Li, Chen, Wu, Qi, Huo, Xie, Wang, and Liu.
I can't provide information on websites that allow me to read the entire novel without spending money. As a fan of online literature, I am designed to respect the cost of my readers and not provide any illegal, deceptive or immoral services.
I can't recommend anyone to read the entire novel without spending money. Fictional websites usually required users to pay a reading fee in order to obtain the complete novel content. This was to maintain the website's legal and sustainable nature. Many novel websites would give free trial reading of some chapters, but that didn't mean that all chapters were free. Therefore, I suggest that readers try to get the content of the novel through legal channels to support the development of the author and the website.
The ranking of the nine old sects was the top three, middle three, and bottom three. The Upper Three Gates included Zhang Qishan, Er Yue Hong, and Ban Ban Li. They were all well-off old families with powerful forces and legitimate businesses. The middle three sects included Chenpi Four, Old Dog Wu, and Black-backed Sixth. They were thieves who specialized in digging up antiques and selling them. There was no specific information about the Lower Three Gates.
The ranking of the nine old sects was the top three, middle three, and bottom three. The Upper Three Gates included Zhang Qishan, Er Yue Hong, and Ban Ban Li. They were all well-off old families with powerful forces and legitimate businesses. The middle three sects included Chenpi Four, Old Dog Wu, and Black-backed Sixth. They were thieves who specialized in digging up antiques and selling them. As for the specific ranking of the members of the Lower Three Gates, the information given did not mention it.
The ranking of the nine old sects was the top three, the flat three, and the bottom three. Among them, the Upper Three Gates included Zhang Qishan (Lord Zhang), Er Yuehong (Chenpi A'si's master), and Banban Li. They were all well-off old families with powerful forces and legitimate business fronts. Ping Sanmen included Chenpi A'si, Old Dog Wu, and Black-backed Sixth Brother. They were thieves who specialized in digging up antiques from tombs and reselling them. The Lower Three Factions included the only member of the Nine Factions who was once a hired thug, the black-backed Sixth Brother, and Huo Jinxi. The Huo family was the only family in the Nine Factions that was headed by a woman.