Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Peacock in Wonderland]

[Episode 17]

In the past, I didn't understand

why Flowers Kill always stands against Peacock Sect.

But now I understand.

Peacock Sect is a tumor.

Drink, Lord Li.

But actually,

Peacock Sect's members

and the civilians

pin their hope on the intangible Peacock God

because of their ignorance

and hardships.

If we give them livelihood guarantees

and teach them knowledge,

no one will be deceived, right?

As the saying goes,

all remarkable accomplishments start from scratch,

and success can only be attained through our own efforts.

I think it makes sense.

You're right.

I used to go against Peacock Sect.

But I never thought about solving problems from the roots.

Just like you said,

if the civilians

are so foolish,

even without Peacock Sect,

there would be other sects.

But it's easier said

than done.

Don't worry.

No matter how challenging the journey is,

I'm willing to go with you.

Okay, it's a deal.

Deal.

Lisha Town has suffered from drought for three years.

Why haven't they reported it until today?

Master,

among the three towns in the north, Lisha Town is at the border.

It's beyond the influence of royal power.

If it weren't for the recent investigation,

we wouldn't have known the local officials have been hiding the truth

and lying to you.

Ridiculous!

How dare they ignore the people and be so selfish!

Remove all the officials in Lisha Town from office

and investigate them.

I'll punish them later.

Master, you are wise.

The drought situation is urgent.

Is there a way to deal with it?

I'm willing to go to Lisha Town for disaster relief.

As long as

the problem is not solved,

I will not come back.

Master, please allow me to go.

Okay.

Thank you, Master.

Mother,

I also want to make some contributions to addressing the drought.

I'm willing to go to Lisha Town with Lord Li.

Holy Envoy,

are you willing to go to Lisha Town?

It's my honor

to do things for Peacock City-State.

Good.

Master,

He Huan made a big mistake before.

He has been repenting.

Can you let him go with them

to make up for his mistake?

Let He Huan go with them.

Master, you are wise.

-Mother. -No need to say more.

It's been decided.

Chief.

You suffered in prison.

Get up.

I begged Master Rong for an opportunity

of letting you go to Lisha Town for disaster relief.

You must seize it.

Chief,

I will make up for my mistake.

There is something more important.

After Holy Envoy appeared,

she prayed for rain and blessings.

She offered a sacrifice and was summoned.

Now she's more popular

than anyone else.

The people in the city worship her as a god.

This is not a good sign.

Chief, you're very distinguished.

She is just a Holy Envoy.

How dare she cross the line!

So,

I need you.

Chief,

I understand.

How much longer will it take?

If we travel day and night,

it will take more than five days.

Five days? That long?

Lisha Town is the northernmost in Peacock City-State.

Although the weather is dry,

it's still prosperous

as it's situated on a vital trade route.

There are many vendors coming and going.

The market is crowded every day.

You remember a small town so clearly.

Lord Li, did you major in Geography?

[Lisha Town]

Lord Li,

is this the Lisha Town you said

that is very liveable?

My Lords,

I'm Liu Zhi,

the new county magistrate just transferred from Lin County.

I'm Li Muyang, Assistant Minister of Rites.

This is Hua Ni, Holy Envoy of Peacock Sect.

Master Rong heard Lisha Town has long been troubled by the drought.

So she sent us to help.

You came all the way here to help us.

Thank you very much.

On behalf of the civilians in the town,

-I thank you. -Don't.

Lord Liu, get up.

Get up.

Lord Liu, you don't have to do this.

Tell me

what on earth happened in this town first.

According to my inspection and investigation these days,

the drought has lasted for three years.

Hardly a drop of rain has fallen.

In the first year of the drought, the town had surplus grain

and could barely support itself.

In the second year,

the town ran out of its surplus grain,

and there was no harvest at all.

The young and the strong

left the town to make a living.

The old, the weak, women, and children

could only look for wild grass

and eat uncooked plants.

This year is the third year.

If you hadn't come,

I'm afraid...

In my opinion, it's not difficult

to deal with the drought.

If so,

you deal with it.

Yes.

I'm incompetent.

I'm not like you.

You're very powerful.

You prayed for rain successfully by dancing.

This place is so dry.

Holy Envoy, why don't you pray for rain as soon as possible

to address the drought here?

Praying for rain is about the time, place, and people.

I can't do that just because I want to.

Besides,

even if we successfully pray for heavy rain,

maybe we still can't address the drought from its root.

Lord Liu,

Holy Envoy is right.

If we can't solve the problem from its root,

it won't be useful.

How about this? Let's talk inside.

Please.

Please.

My Lords, please.

[Landform Map of Lisha Town]

What a shabby place!

Where is my room?

Upstairs.

A leopard can't change its spots.

Is he here for disaster relief or for fun?

Forget it. Ignore him.

Lord Li, you said

in the past, Lisha Town was surrounded by lush vegetation

and encircled by mountains.

According to the terrain,

there must be underground water.

Since it doesn't rain,

let's look for underground water.

Then the drought can be addressed, right?

Holy Envoy, you are right.

But we already used the way of digging a well to get water.

We didn't see water

after digging down 1.667 meters underground.

What?

The location is the most important to opening a well.

Look at this place.

But the Peacock River has already dried up.

The riverbed has sunk.

The water level of underground water

must have sunk with it too.

Looks like the key really lies in finding the water outlet accurately.

In that case,

let's set out for an inspection immediately.

According to the map,

this area is the basin of the Peacock River.

But the land has suffered severe desertification.

There's no sign of underground water at all.

It's because of the weather.

Maybe there is still hope.

Let's take a look first.

Look.

This kind of plant is highly water-dependent.

If it can grow here,

it means

the underground area here

must be moister than other places.

So there must be water underground.

But there is only one plant here.

It's hard to say.

You're right.

I have an idea.

We just need to dig a pit here

and observe carefully

before the sun rises tomorrow.

If there is moisture

in this pit,

it means there must be underground water.

Okay.

Let's do as you said.

Hua Ni.

[Posthouse]

Where are they?

Holy Envoy went out for an inspection with Lord Li.

Why didn't they tell me they went for an inspection?

You said you were tired as soon as you arrived here.

Now you have the energy to go out?

It's getting dark.

There is sand in the wind everywhere outside.

If you want to go, I can take you there.

I'm not going. I haven't eaten yet.

You.

You.

Go cook some in the kitchen.

There must be meat and vegetables.

I can't eat this.

I'm not going.

You're not going?

You are a servant. How dare you disobey my order!

I only obey Holy Envoy's orders.

I don't obey other people's orders.

Holy Envoy, right?

Holy Envoy! Holy Envoy!

If you dare to touch him,

I'll chop your hands off.

I'm a member of Peacock Sect.

Do you believe I'll...

I'm not a member of Peacock Sect.

Just tell on me.

See if I'm afraid of you.

Qiang, forget it.

You two.

Just you wait.

Thank you.

You almost got beaten.

Why didn't you fight back?

Holy Envoy asked us to stay here.

I'm worried I would cause her trouble if things got worse.

You

shouldn't always think for others.

Think for yourself sometimes.

Forget it.

Don't worry.

As long as I'm here,

he can't cause any trouble.

Okay.

It's too dry.

My throat hurts.

Thank you.

This is the best food in Lisha Town.

It seems you are very familiar with this place.

It's not your first time here, right?

It's not my first time here.

I was born here.

This is my hometown.

So you and Uncle Li

moved to Peacock City-State later?

He is my foster father.

Lisha Town was not like this when I was little.

Although there was a water shortage at that time,

the rainfall was sufficient

for the townsfolk to be self-sufficient.

At that time,

I lived here with my biological parents.

Although we were not rich,

we were very happy.

In childhood,

my brother and I often came here

to look at stars.

This place could avoid the town's lights.

The stars here were the brightest.

Since I went to Peacock City,

I haven't looked at the stars for a long time.

You have a brother?

You never told me this.

He passed away.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

It's been years

since he died.

It's just that returning to this place

reminds me of him.

You have returned to your hometown.

I don't know when I can go back.

It's strange.

Actually, I asked Qiang to investigate you secretly.

But we just couldn't find anything.

Are you really Peacock Sect's Holy Envoy

falling from the sky?

That's nonsense.

Look, I'm a human too.

I also have a home and kinsfolk.

It's just that...

my home is far away.

It's different from Peacock City-State.

Although Uncle Li is your foster father,

he treats you very well.

No matter what you want to do,

he will support you unconditionally.

My dad is different.

He is a chemistry professor.

He's a male chauvinist.

He wants to decide what I learn, what I do,

and what I like.

I was miserable when I was little.

When I couldn't even recognize many Chinese characters,

my dad forced me to study chemistry

and do experiments.

He wanted me to become someone like him.

Do you know

what my nickname is?

Qingqing.

Qing as in Ai Qing (Ai Qing is how an emperor calls his courtiers)?

No.

Let me write it for you.

Give me your hand.

Watch carefully.

I've never seen this Chinese character before.

What does it mean?

What does it mean?

How should I explain it to you?

It's...

an element.

It's the first in the periodic table of elements.

This element...

is contained in water

and in the air we breathe.

Anyway,

this character doesn't represent any good wish,

and it is difficult to write it.

Later,

when I went to college,

my dad wanted me to major in Chemistry.

But I was rebellious.

I chose Physics directly.

I never thought

Physics is more difficult than Chemistry.

Is Physics the study of the principles of everything

you mentioned before?

You still remember?

When you mentioned it before,

I also yearned for it.

Of course I remember.