Original subtitles

♪Through dust and storms, I press on alone♪

♪Winds arise, sands stretch far and wide♪

♪Trials of the world test my resolve♪

♪Forged in fire, I chase the light beyond♪

♪Facing challenges, fate ever shifts♪

♪A journey through the wilderness of time♪

♪Fearless like armor, through thorns I grow♪

♪Breaking through darkness, my name will shine♪

♪Never in vain♪

♪Guarding my fleeting light, tempered to shine bright♪

♪Cherished past♪

♪A lifetime treasured, through a thousand waves we ride♪

♪To fight with fury, to love with passion♪

♪True to my faith♪

♪I greet the frost and the prize with pride♪

=Love and Sword=

(Adapted from Shen Cangmei's novel Sleeping Beside Yan Shao)

=Episode 9=

A disciple killing their master

is an unforgivable crime.

Shangguan Tong,

the senior disciple of Junshan Sect

has also arrived at Yuchi Manor this time.

If they find out you've sided with Ghost Valley Sect,

what do you think

they'll do to you?

Who are you?

How did you know my identity?

You were an orphan born during a drought.

At just three months old,

your master took you in and raised you in the sect.

Three years ago, you killed your master while traveling through Mount Daling

with him.

The Junshan Sect branded you a traitor

and sent word to all sects to hunt you down.

You changed your appearance,

hid your name, and disappeared.

But you unexpectedly joined the Ghost Valley Sect.

Kill me.

Just kill me!

I said, kill me!

You're not even worthy of dirtying my hands.

If I reveal your true identity,

even Yuchi Manor won't be able to keep your body in one piece.

Who on earth are you?

Why does everyone

love asking that question?

You're with Tiangang.

I changed my appearance.

Only those from Tiangang

would know my past.

Who instructed you

to do it?

If you had set fire to those kerosene and wine jars,

no one

on that street would have survived from that fire.

What wrong have the innocent done?

With so much innocent blood on your hands,

I'm sure

you'll have sleepless nights

and relive their screams and cries every night

for the rest of your life.

You killed your master

because his cultivation went astray,

driving him into madness.

In the only moment of clarity, he begged you to end his suffering.

But he was a renowned swordsman,

and you didn't want to tarnish his name.

So you kept the truth to yourself.

Even if it meant being hunted for the rest of your life.

Yellow-Robed of the Three Wandering Masters

and Shen Zuitian

are in the city.

The distillery and Blossom's Smile are their meeting points.

There's also one more person.

But I don't know who that is.

But that person seems very familiar with Yuchi Manor.

That's all I know.

It's easy to go astray.

But it's difficult to walk the path of righteousness.

Shangguan Tong,

you should live for your master's sake.

Marvelous!

Young Master,

I sent the food personally.

He was still here just moments ago.

He might not have left the manor yet.

Search every corner.

Don't let anything slip past.

Yes, Young Master.

If you could escape from the prison cell,

leaving Yuchi Manor wouldn't be difficult

for you either.

So, why are you still here?

I was waiting for you.

Ghost Valley Sect won't let you go

after you've betrayed them.

That's why I waited for you.

You're so sure I'll help you?

I want to join Tiangang.

What do you take Tiangang for?

At the very least, Tiangang dares to stand against Ghost Valley Sect.

At the entrance of Blossom's Smile,

there's an old fortune teller.

Go to him and say,

"Though born of the same branch,

each leaf has its own fate."

Someone tampered with this bun.

There's a spy

inside Yuchi Manor.

Who gave it to you?

The prison guard brought it over.

Young Lady Lin touched one as well.

I don't know who's trying to poison me

or what kind of poison is inside the bun.

But I just know

it's poisoned.

Be careful.

Will we meet again?

(Celestial Maiden's Blossom is affecting me.)

(My inner strength is unstable.)

(I won't be able to hold on for long.)

Master?

When did you climb into my bed?

Are you asleep?

Don't tell me you fainted from my beauty?

You really have no self-control.

Young Lady Rong, please open the door.

A prisoner has escaped.

Young Master has ordered

a full search of the manor.

All right.

I'll come after I get changed.

Yan Shao, wake up.

Yan Shao. Yan Shao.

Wake up.

Get...

Sorry for disturbing you, Young Lady Rong.

(Shao)

At least you cared.

You lost focus while training.

But when it comes to painting, you're completely in the zone.

Young Lady Rong, get some rest.

I'm resting just fine.

I'd rather no one disturb me.

What...

Master.

Master.

Come on.

Master!

He's not dead, is he?

I need to do CPR.

No, Rong Shukuang.

You're trying to save his life!

You must stay focused.

Ouch, my hair...

My hair!

You're pulling it my hair!

Get off!

Don't push me.

That's enough.

What are you trying to do to me?

I was trying to save you.

Save me?

Do you need to take off my clothes?

In some cases, yes.

Unbelievable. Absolutely shameless.

Me? Shameless?

Then what about you sneaking into my bed while I was asleep?

Isn't that shameless?

I...

Master,

you're not behaving well.

I...

I didn't do anything inappropriate.

Oh? A man and a woman sleeping in the same bed at night.

Are you saying that's not inappropriate?

Before coming to my room,

where were you?

Why are you asking that?

The manor is being searched.

They said a prisoner escaped.

You have nothing to do with this, right?

I don't know anything about it.

So that's why you brought me

to the secret chamber.

You didn't see anything in the secret chamber, did you?

I saw your deep affection for Lin Shaoci.

Do you mean that painting album?

Anyway, I don't have

any romantic feelings for Lin Shaoci.

So don't overthink it.

I don't care how deep your feelings are for him.

I really don't like him that way!

I'll just put it this way.

If I truly like someone,

I want to share all the beautiful things in the world

with him.

When I see bright stars,

(I want him to see them too.)

(When I eat something delicious,)

(I want to share half of it with him.)

(When something funny happens,)

(I want to laugh about it together.)

Basically,

all the scenery,

all the fun,

all the joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness,

I want to experience all of these with him.

And Lin Shaoci

is not that person.

I'm very sure of that.

How did you end up at Yuchi Manor as a child?

I don't remember.

They only say

Lin Shaoci treated me well,

like an older brother.

You say you don't like him.

But the paintings you painted of him are filled with deep affection.

It's just one step away

from writing a girl's longing for love.

Master, you seem to be invested in my relationship with Lin Shaoci.

Are you

jealous?

No, I'm not.

Get off me.

(You call me "Master" all the time.)

(Yet you secretly hide Lin Shaoci's painting album)

(and look at it in the secret chamber every day.)

(Who knows who's really in your heart?)

(Forget it.)

(The most important thing right now)

(is to find the one who poisoned her)

(and save her life.)

Master, are you...

If you had put half as much effort into your swordsmanship,

you wouldn't even need me as your master any more.

Get up early tomorrow

to continue training.

Are you serious?

What does Rong Shukuang's love life

have to do with me?

Master, I'm here.

Laziness

is the greatest enemy of martial arts.

From now on,

I won't go easy on you.

Master, I have a question.

What is it?

They say

one needs to sink Qi to the Dantian. How do you do that?

Feel it for yourself.

This is incredible.

Concentrate and circulate your energy through the meridians.

When your Qi sinks to Dantian,

your energy gathers at the Shenque acupoint,

and it clears the mind and strengthens the body,

making you feel almost superhuman.

I have another question, Master.

You just mentioned the Shenque acupoint.

Where exactly is it?

Here.

Here?

What are you doing?

Keep quiet.

You're losing your energy.

What were you thinking?

During training, you must concentrate

and stay calm.

No distractions.

What happens if I get distracted?

You could lose control and go berserk.

Then I don't want to practice anymore.

That's too risky.

Just stay focused.

In less than a month,

you can use your sword techniques

even if your inner strength doesn't recover.

Since you're retraining from scratch,

there's no need to learn from anyone else.

I can teach you personally.

No need to trouble you for something so minor.

Rong,

you used to train with Shaoci all the time.

Young Master Lin,

are you that eager to snatch my disciple?

Why? You won't allow it?

She's already my disciple.

Of course, it's not advisable to change her master.

Then may I ask where you learned your skills?

What if I don't want to answer?

(We'll see how long your arrogance lasts.)

Excuse me, gentlemen.

Why don't you two spar?

The winner gets to be my master.

Go ahead and fight. Feng, come.

Then let's begin.

(It's time for Shukuang)

(to see your true colors.)

Rong, are you feeling unwell?

Are you all right?

Shaoci,

do you remember which tea set you loved the most?

Tea set? Why?

I don't remember.

It feels like there are things

I should remember.

But no matter how hard I try, I just can't recall them.

If you don't remember,

why force yourself?

It must be something important.

I have to remember.

Over here.

No, a little lower.

Here.

Yes! That's the spot.

Not bad, Yingluo.

You've got some serious massage skills.

It's all because of that album.

Master has been making my life miserable ever since he saw it.

What's so special about those sketches anyway?

I can't even memorize them.

Sister Rong, what album are you talking about?

Oh, just Shaoci's sword technique illustrations.

Brother Shaoci's?

Ah, yes.

Since Master hates that album so much,

I might as well sell it.

I bet images of someone with many admirers

would fetch a high price.

That's really valuable. Don't sell it.

- Don't do it. - There she is.

Keep this for me.

Are all of you admirers of Lin Shaoci?

Yes.

You too?

Young Master Lin

is talented and charming.

Who wouldn't admire him?

If they can like him,

why can't I?

Sure, why not?

All right.

Stock is limited. So first come, first served.

Come and get it.

I want the first one.

- I want this one. - I'll take this one.

All right. There you go.

All right, then.

Pay up if you like it.

Thank you.

Pay up.

Here you go.

Here's your money.

Thank you, everyone.

Let me see.

No!

Wait, just let me take a look.

I've already paid.

He's so handsome.

Let me see.

You can take your money back.

No way.

I changed my mind about selling them.

You can't do that.

You've received the payment.

I can return the money to you.

The market price isn't the same anymore.

It's at least

this much now.

One hundred taels.

You raised the price

in just a few seconds?

Ever heard of "once the deal is set, no changes"?

Fine.

I am Young Lady Rong from Yuchi Manor.

Wait here.

You think I can't afford it?

Just wait and see.

These

don't seem to add up to 100 taels.

Master!

Master!

Master.

Uh...

Can you lend me some money?

For?

I want to buy

some girls' things.

How much?

I need 100 taels.

Sorry, no.

Master,

don't they say once a teacher, always a father?

Since you're my father, can't you spare some pocket money?

Give me some.

Tell me what it's for.

I... I want to buy some...

I wanted to...

Sister Rong!

After some negotiation,

they agreed to lower the price.

You can get the album back for 50 taels.

Shut it.

So you asked Yan Shao to help?

Album?

Is that the album of Lin Shaoci looking all charming and dashing?

Handsome, graceful, and irresistible.

No!

Yes.

It's hard to tell.

I already sold the album.

But I suddenly saw something important.

But they won't give it to me.

So I have to buy it back first.

But they jacked up the price.

So are you selling it or redeeming it?

I'll redeem it first,

take a look, and then sell it again.

That's not an issue.

Spending a fortune just for a glance.

Young Lady Rong, you sure are passionate.

No, it's not...

Master!

You said you'd give me the pocket money.

How could he go back on his words?

Why do you think he did that?

Let's go.

(Fuyuan County Office Criminal Records)

(There's someone else here.)

(I just don't know why this person is here.)

It was a long night for me.

Yan Shao, you can't sleep either?

This is really killing me!

Why are you sneaking around?

Look who's talking.

I only followed because I saw you sneaking in first.

Did you hear that clearly?

Not really.

It sounded like someone moving around inside.

(River and Terrain Survey)

Young Master, we've searched everywhere.

(It's hard to guard against someone from the inside.)

(Since you want to play cat and mouse,)

(I'll play along.)

Leave.

Are you done hugging me?

You couldn't borrow money, so now you're stealing?

I was not.

I wanted to know

the manor's income and expenses.

That's rich of you to say.

If I didn't, I wouldn't have caught you here.

If you had nothing to hide,

why didn't you show yourself

when your Young Master was here?

Mind your own business.

What about you?

What are you doing here?

Just looking around.

Why didn't you catch me just now?

Consider this a lesson.

From now on,

stay out of my business.

Stay out of your business, huh?

A couple of nights ago,

I saw Young Lady Rong and Yan Shao

sneaking into the Hidden Pavilion.

Are you saying they went there together in the middle of the night?

That's right.

I saw Rong Shukuang

sneaking out.

So I followed her.

But when she went in, she was alone.

When she came out, there were two of them.

I heard Shukuang has been short on money lately.

She's probably looking into Yuchi Manor's financial records

to take over the business.

But why was Yan Shao

so reckless?

Just because he contributed to the Zhonghe Festival

and has Young Lady Rong's trust,

he's getting more and more out of control.

I suspect

he has another motive.

Keep an eye on him

and find out what he's really after.

If we don't deal with him,

it's hard for you to achieve what you want to do.

I understand.

Could it be

that our goals are actually aligned?

(If that's the case, why don't I give you a hand?)

Shaoci,

I heard about what happened last night.

Were you injured?

I'm fine.

You're not in the best health.

So don't push yourself too hard.

Yan Shao is still an outsider.

You must put the manor's safety first.

Of course.

Don't worry. I'll walk you back.

What kind of plot is this?

The Assassination of Jing Ke or The Gathering of Heroes?

You infiltrated the Yuchi Manor.

Are you playing the role of Jing Ke or Zhou Yu?

Let's put the theatrics aside.

Why the sudden hostility?

Stay away from this person.

Come here.

Yan Shao is here because of me.

If there's a problem, say it clearly.

Just come here first.

Last night, a brocade box went missing from Hidden Pavilion.

Yan Shao,

do you know where it is?

He didn't steal it. I can prove it.

Say something.

What's this?

Why?

Yan Shao,

why did you sneak into the Hidden Pavilion?

Don't bother asking him.

Only Father and I knew

about this brocade box.

But last night,

I found signs of an intruder.

If I'm not mistaken,

it was you, wasn't it?

Yes, it was me.

You're bold but at least you dare to admit what you've done.

That brocade box contains

the key to unlocking the Fuxian treasure.

You infiltrated Yuchi Manor

for this, right?

Yuchi Manor has always denied

any connection to the treasure.

What's this

sudden change of heart?

Shukuang,

do you still trust him?

Think back.

Since the day you met,

Yan Shao has risked his life for you multiple times

and then conveniently decided to follow you here.

Are you sure

that his intentions are pure?

Shaoci,

I want to ask him a few questions.

Don't let him fool you again.

I know what I'm doing.

Once I get my answers,

I'll decide for myself.

After all this time,

I've always considered you the person I trust most.

Do you really have nothing to say to me?

There's nothing left

to say.

Fine.

You're my master,

and you once saved my life.

From now on, we're even.

Do you really believe I'm that kind of person?

It doesn't matter anymore.

The world is vast.

May we never meet again.

♪Spinning through my heart, my dreams, the endless Jianghu♪

♪A fateful turn, where love and hearts collide♪

♪Ah, such a blissful tide♪

♪A journey long, yet life is but one ride♪

♪Blades in chaos, the world in turmoil, tangled ties♪

♪A fleeting warmth to shield me from the ice♪

♪Ah, as spring awakens love's delight♪

♪One single glance, my heart takes flight♪

♪I've heard tales of love and vengeance, left forgotten in the tide♪

♪And whispers of desert stars and rain, where love at first sight fades to cries♪

♪But I don't know, I don't know, how long this moment will abide♪

♪Yet here and now, for this one soul, I stand beside♪

♪I understand, love and longing, how much truth, how many lies♪

♪Yet my swift blade cannot sever, cannot sever these endless ties♪

♪I have known, the lonely journeys, wandering years without goodbyes♪

♪Yet this moment stirs the ache inside♪

♪One turn through this dream of Jianghu, one heartbeat lost in time♪

♪No dream compares to a fateful meeting so divine♪

♪Love needs no hero, only a foolish mind♪

♪Trapped in Jianghu's ruthless tides, once, let me defy♪

♪A single touch, a fleeting smile, is enough to shake the sky♪

♪Stirring the stillness, where the winds rise high♪

♪Though fate may part our paths, we walk the same road♪

♪A crescent moon, a crimson glow, a love untold♪

♪Like passing winds, like aching souls, never to meet once more♪

♪Then what is fate even for♪

♪Just once, to fall into your arms, not lost, nor torn, nor bound to strife♪

♪Amidst the storm of masters' might, hidden deep, a love so bright♪

♪Standing apart from all the fight, only one embrace so right♪

♪A dream of Jianghu's light♪

♪One turn through this dream of Jianghu, one heartbeat lost in time♪

♪No dream compares to a fateful meeting so divine♪

♪Love needs no hero, only a foolish mind♪

♪Trapped in Jianghu's ruthless tides, once, let me defy♪

♪A single touch, a fleeting smile, is enough to shake the sky♪

♪Stirring the stillness, where the winds rise high♪