Original subtitles

ALCHEMY OF SOULS

Here, at Cheonbugwan, we have records of all the constellations.

Even the one on your birthday. Would you like to see it?

Yes, Father.

All right. Let us go.

There it is.

My father studied stars and kept records of them

as he was a constellation recorder mage at Cheonbugwan.

My lady!

My lady!

My lady, stay inside and do not come out.

If you see your father, run away.

Do not let him catch you.

Father…

I will give you power.

Will you come with me?

The day my father was killed by the four families of Daeho,

I followed Jin Mu.

I was raised as if I was cut off from the world

in the deep and dangerous valleys of Danhyanggok.

I do not know if I toughened up to survive

or if I survived because I was tough.

By the time my past self and my father had been forgotten,

I finally returned to the world as Naksu.

But Naksu is dead now.

I have returned to this place as Mu-deok,

along with an incapable young master

who is also an unmotivated pupil.

How far do we have to go?

This bracelet weighs a ton.

Master, your pupil is exhausted.

I am done. I am too tired to go any further.

I am the one carrying all the luggage.

I am your young master, and you are my maid.

That is your job.

So I am your master when you are in need

but your maid when you need a servant?

Of course.

I did not know

there was a place like this right outside the city.

This is a place so rugged and remote that even echoes cannot be heard.

Hence the name, Danhyanggok.

I hear the echoes just fine.

It was a figure of speech.

The name is just a bluff.

I am hungry.

Up there is where I used to live.

You will eat what I provide for you

and sleep where you collapse after a hard day's training.

What is this? I smell chicken.

-Do they sell chicken here? -Who would sell chicken here?

You smell chicken too, right?

I am telling you. It is chicken.

I am sure it is chicken. I love chicken.

How did you climb up there?

Someone must be cooking chicken nearby.

Come on down. Why are you up there?

See? It is chicken.

I told you I smelled chicken. It is so nice here!

Why are these things here?

Mu-deok!

There is even a bath here!

Mu-deok.

There are tons of things to eat, and the bathtub is nice too.

Master, you had yourself a pretty nice place.

Did you really have to scare your pupil like that?

You are one weird…

There is even a blanket.

This is so soft. It is nice and comfy.

These are not mine.

Someone else is living here.

Mu-deok.

Should we eat the chicken? I noticed that it was nicely cooked.

Mu-deok?

Is it a man?

Quiet! Stop!

Stay still.

Good boy.

You are well-trained. Do you live here?

He is not a stray dog.

Where is your owner?

Hey, Fluffy. Go bring your owner.

What a clever dog.

Who could it be?

It cannot be one of Danju's men,

seeing that this person is not trying to hide him or herself.

There is tea.

We are guests, so it would not be rude to have a cup, right?

Watch what you eat or drink.

We need to check who lives here first.

Then we will decide what to do next.

So you really have no idea?

What?

There is a dog, a bunch of flowers,

roasted chicken, and a pot of tea.

I almost had the wrong idea.

What do you mean?

I almost misunderstood you for trying to kidnap and make me live with you

on the pretense of training me.

If that dog wagged its tail at you,

I would have thought that this was all part of your plan.

This place is big enough for two or three kids.

It was not like this when I lived here.

It was completely barren

and perfect for training, which is why I brought you here.

So just for training?

Was that all you had in mind?

Forget it! Go ahead and eat or drink whatever you wish

and get yourself killed.

Unbelievable.

I cannot believe she would say that to me just because I made a joke.

I was a fool to have followed her all the way here.

Goodness.

Just stay a clueless Young Master

of the Jang family.

I would rather live here

than live that way.

Today, the leader of Jinyowon

has gathered the mages of Daeho to hold a Unanimous Assembly.

All 11 families have gathered aside from Jang Gang of the Jang family.

Is my duel with Jang Uk that big of a deal?

It is a duel between a royal family member and a mage.

The last one was hundreds of years ago.

I am merely trying to punish Jang Uk

for having looked down on me.

This is not a personal matter.

His Majesty gave his orders, and the mages have gathered.

If they agree to this duel, the fight will become official.

A crack has formed and damaged the stability and peace

that had existed between the royal family and mages.

Did you really agree with depriving Uk's right to become the next Gwanju?

Yes, it is true.

This duel is merely to resolve

the misunderstanding between the Crown Prince and Uk.

As for the Gwanju position,

I already have someone else in mind other than Jang Uk to recommend for it.

Having it taken away is different from giving it up.

I heard Jang Uk ran away before he even received the duel offer.

How embarrassing.

He should fight honorably and die as a mage with integrity.

Uk does not have the guts to do that.

Everyone here has been his master.

-Right. -He never had any kind of potential.

I do not wish for us mages to be disgraced like this.

What if we disqualify Uk of his rights as a mage?

If we disqualify his rights followed by a unanimous vote,

his energy flow will be cut off, and he will lose all his power.

Are you suggesting we ruin the young man's life forever?

Still, it will help us stop the duel.

Uk's gate of energy was closed anyway thanks to his father.

-He is right. -He has a point.

All of you here

have once taught Uk as his master.

How could you be so nonchalant

about ruining the life of someone who once used to be your pupil?

Songrim has accepted the royal family's duel.

Songrim will take on the disgrace that may or may not occur.

Then make sure it becomes an official duel between Songrim and the royal family.

I will.

I heard Uk mastered Ryusu in a very short amount of time.

Was he taught by someone in Songrim?

No matter where he goes, whether it is Songrim or not,

there will be no master for Uk.

The water is nice and clean. My skin feels so soft.

Maybe it is mineral water.

Mu-deok, the owner of this place seems like a very neat person.

I do not think he will be back…

Goodness.

She is completely knocked out.

Of course, you are tired.

We could have taken our time, but you insisted on hurrying.

You are Mu-deok now, not Naksu. You do not have the strength.

Oh, gosh. This is…

This is heavy.

What a fool.

If it was this heavy, she should have asked for help.

It is so comfy.

I am a young master,

and she is my maid. That is right.

It is only right that I sleep here.

Gosh, this is making me feel uneasy.

All right.

Master.

Please get a good night's rest.

This is so uncomfortable.

Are you saying there is a soul shifter inside?

How interesting.

I would not have recognized her without your help

since her soul has no malice.

You will be better off dying in my hands than to run wild and be petrified.

A great soul has shifted into this body.

She should have run wild by now, judging by how weak this body looks.

How is she still fine?

I feel no energy around her. Where did it all disappear to?

Who are you?

And you are?

Step away from Mu-deok.

That sword was given to the Cheonbugwan's Gwanju by the king.

Who are you?

What are you doing with a girl like her?

Mu-deok, run!

Hey, you are up.

Who is he?

The man you saw last night.

The man I saw last night?

Yes. Do you not remember?

Mu-deok, run!

I apologize about last night.

I saw someone inside the hut,

and you suddenly wielded your sword at me, so I had no choice.

I was startled too.

I am not trained enough to control the energy in my arm.

I had no intentions of harming you.

Did you two…

fight?

Do you not remember anything from last night?

No.

You stood right there and watched us fight.

I did?

What?

I guess you sleepwalk.

I will get you medicinal herbs for that. Brew them and drink the tea.

Are you a herbalist?

No, but he is staying here to pick some medicinal herbs

that are only found in Danhyanggok.

Call me Master Lee.

There is enough food and space for all of us,

so make yourselves at home.

All right, Sapsali.

Do you really not remember?

Did I really sleepwalk last night?

I swear I was on the floor…

That soul shifter is special.

There is a great soul dwelling inside that small body.

Let us get to know her a bit.

Do not lie.

I am serious. I moved you so you could sleep comfortably.

What is your relationship?

Are you married?

-No. -No.

You did not put me on the bed. I remember sleeping on the floor.

Why would I lie to you? I really--

-You always lie. -They must be married.

-We are not. -We are not.

So did you win?

No, I lost. But…

He is very strong.

-He is-- -Good for you. I knew it.

What?

They even held a gathering. Things are getting out of hand.

Do you think Uk and Mu-deok are all right?

They went to Sari Village, Mu-deok's hometown.

She must be happy.

Why would she be happy?

She had to leave you.

-So? -Goodness, you fool.

Mu-deok is in love with you.

She only said that

so she could help Uk.

Sure. Whatever.

I heard Young Master Jang ran away.

He did not run away. He just fled to take refuge.

What is the difference?

Does that mean he went to Danhyanggok with Mu-deok?

-Danhyanggok? -Yes.

She lit firecrackers there recently under Young Master Jang's orders.

I remember seeing the fireworks from the fortress.

I figured that was where they went since it is not too far away.

-Did I guess correctly? -No.

Mu-deok took him to Sari Village, her hometown.

Oh, I see. Sari Village.

Do not tell anyone that Uk is there.

All right. I will not.

Enjoy.

Mu-deok used to go to Danhyanggok?

That place is pretty dangerous.

Is that the place where you kept your pet bird?

You hurt your leg there and worried everyone.

Yes, it was Danhyanggok.

I had forgotten all about that place.

The fire is weak.

His body must be filled with energy, judging by his strength.

He has mastered Jipsu.

Jipsu? That means he is as strong as I am.

No wonder it was not easy to fight him.

He is using his energy to control fire.

He is far above

the Ryusu level.

RYUSU: THE STAGE OF EMITTING ENERGY FROM THE BODY

Ryusu?

He is stronger than I am. I could have gotten badly hurt.

The rain has soaked my clothes.

He has mastered Chisu.

He dried his clothes so easily.

He is a master of the higher levels of Chisu.

A master of levels beyond Chisu?

I could have died.

It is nice and dry.

Do not drink that tea.

You drank the entire pot?

Yes.

Are you all right? Do you feel unwell?

Did you brew poisonous herbs?

No, not poisonous herbs.

Chaste herbs.

Chaste?

Chaste herbs?

You mentioned picking herbs that grow only in Danhyanggok.

Did you mean chaste herbs?

You know about chaste herbs?

I heard that there were mages who drink tea made with chaste herbs

to lower their libido so they could focus on mastering their spells.

Lower their libido? What is that?

Your sexual desire, one of the five desires of humans.

What? Sexual desire?

Chaste herbs cut off…

the energy that causes humans to have sexual desires.

I heard about a mage who reached a high level of sorcery

by cutting off his libido and mastering spells.

They say he only wears clothes made with hemp fabric,

which is why they call him, "Hemp Master Lee."

You really do know a lot of things for a mere maid.

I am honored to have met a mage who has reached such a high level.

Here is a proper greeting, Hemp Master Lee.

Young Master.

What are you doing? Greet him properly.

Does this mean my libido has been cut off?

No…

No way.

No…

That cannot happen. Please help me.

A single pot of tea is not enough to cut off your libido.

Are you sure? Tell me the truth!

Yes, it is the truth. If you are so worried,

I will make you a tonic to help boost it back.

Thank you.

Master Lee.

Can you help my young master?

He is struggling to control the energy that is focused on his right arm.

Can you help him control it?

Teaching him would not be hard,

but if you wish to learn from me, you must do as I say.

Are you ready for that?

He is ready to do anything.

Right?

What exactly do I need to do?

Just like me,

you must drink chaste herb tea.

Are you willing to cut off…

your libido?

You drank the whole pot?

Yes.

You can do it, right?

So what if he is a renowned mage?

He is stuck here all by himself without a pupil for a good reason.

His method will speed things up.

You will quickly be able to control that energy in your arm.

Listen. He wants me to drink that chaste herb tea. That is ridiculous.

I am already bothered by how much I drank yesterday.

I wonder if this tonic will be enough to undo it.

It is not entirely ridiculous.

Cutting off your libido is not a bad idea

if you will not be needing it for a while. It is a good way to train.

Are you saying I will not be needing it for a while?

Mu-deok, look me in the eye and tell me.

Yes! Is that a problem?

Think about it. This is a rare opportunity.

It takes a lot of luck to meet someone like him.

Just practice celibacy for a while

and get rid of this.

Do not make it sound like a walk in the park.

Impotence is a small sacrifice for a high-level mage.

See? Listen to what you just said.

You do not care if my libido will be cut off forever.

Stop fussing over what is useless.

It is precious to me regardless of its use!

Hey…

Mu-deok, are you all right?

What just happened?

Ryusu.

The energy within you has trickled out.

A small amount of energy created immense strength.

If you took off the binding bracelet and used your full force,

I would have died on the spot.

Hey, you are bleeding.

Master, you must be crazy.

-Do you enjoy almost dying? -Yes.

It means you are getting stronger.

Right now, it may seem insignificant,

but your energy will soon add up,

and your power will be as awe-inspiring as Lake Gyeongcheondaeho.

Then I will also be able to regain my power.

Wipe that blood off before it fills up Lake Gyeongcheondaeho.

It must hurt.

Not at all.

Stop acting tough.

Year one of the King Go Sun regime.

The first day of April.

GO SUN, YEAR ONE FIRST DAY OF APRIL

The King's Star was in the night sky the night the baby was born.

No one can find out about that star.

But Cheonbugwan would have kept a record of it.

I have managed to sneak out the actual plate.

The one in Cheonbugwan is…

a fake one without the King's Star.

You must not let anyone find out the secret behind his birth.

Do you see a strange constellation there?

It is the day that Lady Do-hwa died and Jang Uk was born.

I heard about the gathering.

All you noble mages must have had to gather because of me.

Assistant Gwanju.

Why not start your own family line?

If you receive a unanimous vote,

you can also become a noble member of the Unanimous Society yourself.

I am a member of the Jin family. Jinyowon is my birthplace.

What brings you to Cheonbugwan?

The soul shifter found in Songrim

was a constellation recorder mage in Cheonbugwan.

The Jeongjingak mages must carry out an investigation,

so please cooperate.

Investigate what?

Why do you want to know? So you can hide things in advance?

I have nothing to hide.

They are welcome anytime.

They are already here.

That mage's job was

to continuously maintain the right amount of energy in here.

He was in charge of this section.

What? There is a dead body in Cheonbugwan?

Eunuch Kim absorbed a man's energy, and the body is in the secret room.

The soul shifter's job here was nothing important.

He was also warned for secretly looking at the constellation plates.

My lord.

A lot of the officials seem to have suddenly disappeared.

Where could they have gone?

Thank you for your cooperation.

Do not mention it.

I have one more favor to ask.

This may be out of line,

but I would like to take a look at the secret room inside Cheonbugwan.

Feel free to look around.

Use the underground tunnel to take the corpse out.

If they are hiding something, they will try to get rid of it.

Watch and follow his men.

Let us hurry.

We saw this wagon exiting Cheonbugwan.

Are you a mage there?

Show us your face.

Let us see what is inside.

Go after him!

The man I fought just ran away.

Did you lose the wagoner?

I found this inside.

That is Songrim's Spirit Plaque.

Were those men from Songrim?

The Spirit Plaque of Songrim was found inside the wagon,

so they will not be able to raise an issue.

Naksu ended up helping us even after she died.

I apologize for the trouble I have caused, Assistant Gwanju.

You attacked a person in the middle of the street?

I shifted your good-for-nothing soul into a man of power,

but it was not so you could act out.

Forgive me.

Deliver this chest.

Make sure they receive it as always.

I will make sure it is delivered right away.

He will have to be discarded soon.

Find me another eunuch.

Then I will shift your soul into his body.

Into the body of a eunuch?

What is the matter? Is it not to your liking?

I shall follow your orders.

Do you still safely carry around the Soul Ejector?

Yes.

I was going to refrain from shifting souls because of Songrim's vigilance.

But it seems to be the only way to serve Her Majesty.

An item that belongs to Songrim was found in a suspicious wagon

that was coming out of Cheonbugwan.

So it gives us no right to raise an issue about it.

Find out whose Spirit Plaque this is.

As you all know, Uk recently lost his Spirit Plaque.

And judging by that burn mark, I think it belongs to him.

This is Uk's?

I cannot believe him. He does not fail to cause trouble even when he is not here.

I want you two to visit Uk

and ask him where and how he lost this Spirit Plaque.

-Yes, my lord. -Yes, my lord.

This is from Jin Mu, the Assistant Gwanju.

What is it that the Assistant Gwanju always sends to you?

He sends me medicinal herbs for the sake of my good health.

He may not look it, but he is a thoughtful man.

Mu-deok.

I am going to go with Master Lee to pick medicinal herbs.

When will you train?

I should earn my keep to stay here. I will see you later.

-Let us get going. -Right.

Does it really have a great view?

-The view is magnificent. -I cannot wait to see it.

Master Lee, you are very dexterous.

I buy everything and just put them together. Hold it.

-Like this? -Yes.

This is nice.

Today, we will go to a place with tons of mandarin fish.

Mandarin fish? Then we should prepare ingredients for the fish stew.

Do you know how to cook it?

No, but you can teach me how.

Why, you…

It is a bit salty.

Mu-deok, have a taste.

Young Master, are you here to mess around?

What are you doing?

Master Lee has a lot to teach.

Who told you to learn things like this?

If you wish to learn from him, do it right.

Mu-deok, I think I am fit to live in the wild.

Thank you for bringing me

to such a peaceful place.

Are not even worried…

about the duel with the Crown Prince?

If you are so worried, go find out.

It is salty.

Hey!

My gosh!

Mu-deok, put down that knife.

You better not throw it at me.

I said I would kill you if you become useless.

You cannot kill me.

I have mastered Jipsu, and you are just Mu-deok.

You are no longer Naksu.

Hey! That is dangerous!

You and I have no need for peace and serenity in our lives.

I will destroy it for you.

What is the matter with you?

Who are you to stop me from enjoying my peace?

Are you satisfied with this life?

Yes, I am.

I am very satisfied. If you do not like it, then you can leave.

I am happy with my life here,

but if you do not feel the same way, you may leave.

You jerk.

You know we are both connected by fate.

And you are asking me to be the one to end it.

You coward.

Damn it.

I have found a way for Uk

to avoid a duel with the Crown Prince and still become Cheonbugwan's Gwanju.

What is it? We are ready to do anything.

By having Uk marry my daughter, Cho-yeon.

Our family owns a plaque that gives us the power

to reject the King's orders.

We even have the power to dethrone the King

if all the mages in Daeho unanimously vote for it.

This plaque was granted to us by the Unanimous Assembly

to prevent the rare and dangerous spirits inside Jinyowon from escaping.

Are you offering to go against His Majesty's order to deprive Uk

of becoming the next Gwanju?

Yes, but only if he marries my daughter

and becomes a member of the Jin family.

But Lady Jin and Young Master Jang have already once

called off their engagement. Are you all right with that?

It was not because my feelings for him had faded.

I still wish to marry Uk.

I did not expect him to wed so soon.

I am not sure if he is ready to get married.

You do things pretty well for someone from a wealthy family.

Once I put my mind to something, I tend to learn very fast.

I like you even more now.

You should reconsider becoming my pupil.

Master Lee, do you not have any pupils?

I had one,

but he gave up on celibacy and got married.

He works at an infirmary now.

You can always change your mind and go back.

So think about it.

I did not come here to train.

Do you really want to waste that energy

on just fishing and picking medicinal herbs?

-I cannot control it anyway. -Is that so?

That arm will become a burden if you leave it like that.

Shall I cut off your energy flow?

Then you will be able to live an average and comfortable life.

I need to go to the fortress. Would you like to come with me?

No, I will pass today. I need to cook for Mu-deok.

She is not here. She went down the mountain earlier.

What?

Jang Uk is a real genius

and has already mastered Ryusu.

And he is training hard to get ready for the duel.

Spread that rumor around the city, word-for-word.

Really?

If he still does not show up, he will completely lose face.

Then at least he will feel humiliated.

Give me some chicken.

You should leave today. Cheonbugwan officials are here.

Someone high-up came to visit us today.

It is best not to run into them,

especially with the Spirit Plaque incident.

Stop right there.

You are Jang Uk's maid, are you not?

Yes, I am. Do you need something?

There is no way Naksu would have shifted her soul into a body like that.

You…

Do you remember seeing me at the inn by the dock?

I am not sure.

He is suspicious of me.

I have a few questions for you. Come with me to Cheonbugwan.

Follow me.

-Get off me! -Stay still!

-Why are you… -Stay still!

She has no blue mark.

Is she really not Naksu?

I do not know where Young Master Jang is.

Your Royal Highness!

Your Royal Highness.

Your Royal Highness, it is me.

It is me, Filthy Mu-deok.

You are Filthy Mu-deok.

Yes, that is me. You granted me that name.

I am Filthy Mu-deok.

Your Royal Highness, please help me.

Help you with what?

Your Royal Highness, you are not only intelligent but also strong.

Meanwhile, my young master is dumb and pathetic.

Because of him, my life is at stake.

Please help me, Your Royal Highness.

Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness.

What is your dumb, pathetic young master up to these days?

He spends every day crying.

He is terrified of you, so he shakes in fear

and weeps in hiding.

I see you are speaking ill of him just so you can please me.

I can say things that are a lot worse if it pleases you.

Filthy Mu-deok, you must think I am a petty man.

I am filthy for a reason.

Relieve yourself of everything you have wanted to say but could not,

thinking it might make you seem petty.

Are you offering to be a verbal outhouse of sorts?

Goodness, that would be too grand of a title for me.

But I would be more than honored.

I do not need someone like you to relieve my stress.

Your Royal Highness, I know you have done enough,

but can you please tell those men not to drag me away again?

A warning will be enough.

Take this.

That is my sachet.

SACHET: A SCENTED BAG

Show them that if your pathetic master puts you in trouble again.

My goodness. Thank you, Your Royal Highness.

It smells of cinnamon.

Why do you look disgusted by the smell?

What is the matter? Do you not like it?

Nonsense. I really like it.

-Give it back then. -No.

It is already covered in my filth.

I am grateful for this wonderful-smelling gift.

Then let me pour you a glass of alcohol that also smells wonderful.

It is cinnamon and ginger wine,

made with plenty of cinnamon.

You must not like the smell. I will take it back.

No.

I like it.

-How does it taste? -It tastes wonderful.

Have another glass.

Mu-deok probably went to Chwiseonru. She has nowhere else to go.

Did she get angry and leave?

What kind of maid is that?

She is no ordinary maid.

If she is no ordinary maid, then what exactly is she?

Mu-deok is like a bird's egg.

She needs to be embraced.

-Let us go and look. -What is it?

They found the corpse of a soul shifter.

-A soul shifter's corpse? -Where?

-Let me see. -What happened?

-My goodness. -Oh, dear.

-It looks horrible. -Goodness gracious.

That is not a soul shifter.

But he died because of one.

You know about soul shifters?

When soul shifters run wild, they feed off the energy of humans.

That is why they banned the alchemy of souls

and started capturing and killing soul shifters.

Do all soul shifters run wild?

Not if they master Hwansu.

Is that level even possible for a human being to master?

Of course.

Would you like to be my pupil and reach that level?

You are not only well-built and smart,

but you also have what it takes.

Thank you for the compliment, but I do not wish to be celibate.

If you become my pupil,

I will teach you how to take off that binding bracelet.

"Master."

That is all it takes.

Please stop trying to convince me.

We are from Cheonbugwan. Everyone, step away.

I should get going. It is bad for me to run into them.

Goodness.

Look over there.

-It is a rainbow. -Where?

-Oh, my goodness. -It is a rainbow.

-It really is a rainbow. -Beautiful.

-Look at that. -It has been so long.

-How beautiful. -Look.

-It really is a rainbow. -Where did the wagon go?

It was right here a minute ago.

-Where did it go? -Where is the wagon?

I am surprised to hear my voice echo in Danhyanggok.

Nice.

What? Mu-deok is drunk?

Are you saying she has been drinking here?

She almost got dragged to Cheonbugwan today.

But fortunately, the Crown Prince saved her.

-The Crown Prince? -Yes.

She did a great job of humoring him.

She knows how to flatter too.

She drank every glass of alcohol that he offered to her.

Where is she?

She is completely wasted.

Mu-deok, are you all right?

My pupil, you have come for me.

Yes, I am here for you, Master.

I have no control over my body.

I am also having trouble keeping my head up.

This has never happened to me before, no matter how much I drank.

You are no longer a skilled assassin.

You are just Mu-deok.

I cannot even hold my liquor in this body.

I want to give everything up and live a quiet life.

But one thing keeps bothering me.

I thought I fell from somewhere really high up.

But I guess it was not that high.

I think I broke my leg.

Help me.

I saw you using that to summon your bird a few times.

I would also like to try.

Can I have that?

I came to give it back.

Mu-deok!

I saw Mu-deok.

She really is here.

Where is Uk?

I told you not to run.

What is going on?

Why are you here?

We could not find you at Sari Village,

so we came here to look for you just in case.

Ju-wol was right. You really are here.

Mu-deok, have you been well?

Yes.

Look at you, Mu-deok. You must be really happy to see him.

Oh, my gosh.

She is drunk.

Did she drink?

-Yes. -Yes, she did.

Help her climb back up.

You can carry her.

Mu-deok used to come to Danhyanggok to pick herbs.

A man named Master Lee lives here, and he is letting us stay with him.

I cannot believe Mu-deok got drunk all by herself.

She must be enjoying life.

I did not know there was a place like this in Danhyanggok.

You knew about Danhyanggok?

He used to come here often in the past.

He got in trouble for sneaking out all the time.

He did?

He was crazy about birds.

Why would you come here all by yourself?

You even broke your leg here.

Because I missed them.

The broken leg did not bother me.

And I was not scared to get scolded.

I liked them a lot.

He is way too fond of birds.

By the way, what kind of tea is this?

-It smells really nice. -Did you drink that?

Yes. Why? Is it good for you?

Of course.

It was made with a medicinal herb

that can only be found in Danhyanggok.

Really?

-Yul, have some more. -Do not drink…

Fine, go ahead.

-It really smells nice. -Yes, I know.

That is chaste tea.

What? Chives tea?

You will all lose your…

-Is this made with chives? -I am not sure if it was chives.

Well…

It was made with a lot of ingredients. Drink up.

This is nice.

Enjoy.

A group of suspicious men had my Spirit Plaque?

Yes.

Did you really lose your Spirit Plaque?

Did someone steal it from you, or did you lend it?

No, I lost it.

Do you remember when and where you lost it?

No.

We found it while investigating the soul shifter's case.

This is very important and dangerous.

The marriage of Jin Cho-yeon and Jang Uk?

That is a magnificent idea.

But when two people get married, they should love each other.

He cannot marry someone he does not love, just to resolve an urgent matter.

Look at you babbling on about love. That is why you two are still single.

Marriage is no fantasy.

I know what love is.

I even once

turned my back on my own master for love.

However, it was all for nothing.

Let us push forward

with the wedding.

An unknown man has broken our barrier and entered.

Heo Yeom, come outside and greet me.

Who dares to call me by my name?

Yeom.

Have you been well?

Master.

Master.

Master!

Master.

Goodness, Master.

Oh, dear.

Put down your swords! Put them away!

Mu-deok.

I thought you were sleeping. I looked for you everywhere.

Are you still drunk?

I thought I might be able to climb it when I was drunk.

But it is too tall. I am starting to sober up.

Is this the tree with the bird's nest on top?

Yes.

I want to climb up that tree again.

Did you really climb all the way to the top?

I was Naksu then.

The moon from up there looked beautiful.

But I can no longer see it with this body.

I ran into one of Danju's men today.

He seemed suspicious of me.

By any chance, did you give him my Spirit Plaque?

I tried to use the Spirit Plaque to go back.

But he killed the person whom he thought was me.

If I ever happen to get caught by them,

do not try to save me.

Of course. I am too weak to help anyway.

There is nothing your pupil can do for you.

I expected nothing from you.

Mu-deok.

I may not be able to do much, but I think I can climb that tree.

There are no branches for you to stand on at the top.

You must use your energy to create a foothold.

You must master Chisu in order to do that.

You are nowhere near that level.

I wanted to do nothing,

but I feel motivated to climb this tree.

You said you want to see the moon from there.

I am the only one who can take you up there,

so I would like to try.

Do you wish to go up there?

You must master Chisu in order to be able to climb up there.

Do you wish to go up there?

Then do me a favor, Uk.

Take me up there.

Fine.

I will take you to the top of that tree.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS

How is Uk doing?

Do you know who my real father is?

Nobody is expecting you to come to that duel.

His next step could lead him to his death.

Is your young master aware of that?

You have met Naksu when you were young?

I do not know her name or age.

Other than the cliff where we called out for birds,

I have never been to her abode.

Is this the Jin family's abode?

Lady Jin's daughter is getting married.

What should I do, Master? Should I get married?

I have no plans to stay by your side as just a maid.

Subtitle translation by: Ja-won Lee

Ripped and synced by TTEOKBOKKIsubs