Original subtitles

[Mysterious Lotus Casebook]

[Episode 15]

Physician Li,

may I have a word with you?

Li Lianhua, come here.

I got something for you.

This is Wuxiang Golden Needles.

They were used by the Immortal Healer in Dazhou a hundred years ago.

They can cure every disease

and be used for acupuncture.

It took my grandpa a long time

to find this set of needles.

You helped me just now.

Take it as a thank-you gift.

Guan,

I don't think it's proper.

I insist.

Then thank you, Guan.

You flatterer.

After I go back home,

I can give you a dozen better needles.

That'll be too late.

He's childish.

You're much better than him.

We're here to investigate the case.

Why are you following us?

I'm not following you.

I'm following Li Lianhua.

Besides,

I'm here to investigate the case too.

Childish.

[Good virtue carries good fortune]

Butler Jin.

What's that?

I prepared clean clothes

for Master Jin.

I'll put them on for him.

How did Dong Ling come in

without triggering the Thousand Bell Formation?

Had he been hiding in this secret room?

The last time we came here,

the comb was right up there.

He had checked all the treasures.

Why didn't he notice it?

Look.

[Long-lasting Fortune]

Did you find anything?

Date of pawning.

This is a pawn ticket.

It's all black. How could you tell?

Let me have a look at it.

Guan.

There were lots of people here

so I didn't notice this incense burner.

Take a look.

Jin Mantang owned a pawn shop

so it's not surprising that he had pawn tickets.

There's more than one kind of incense in it.

Inhaling it for a long time causes dizziness.

This is a kind of knockout incense

with a woody scent.

Careful.

Was this incense

used to knock out Jin Mantang

before he got strangled to death?

Or did Jin Mantang

plan to use this incense

to deal with Dong Ling?

Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this incense.

Otherwise, we can get more clues.

If only

Su Wencai, the All-Knowing, were here.

He knows everything.

He definitely knows what this is.

That old man is a grumpy wanderer.

It's almost impossible to ask him questions.

So forget about him.

There's something you don't know.

Su Wencai's granddaughter is my sworn sister.

He won't refuse to help me.

You've been quiet. What are you thinking?

I think I've smelled

this scent before.

Woody scent.

Yes.

The woody scent you mentioned,

Miss Zhiyu smelled like it.

It can't be a coincidence.

Bracelets.

What bracelets?

Something is wrong with her bracelets.

Let's go.

She's gone.

Let's split up to find her.

Okay.

Wait.

Miss Zhiyu.

Where are you going in that outfit?

You went to Jin Mantang's room last night.

Was the knockout incense your doing?

N-No.

You smelled like the knockout incense.

Your foster father just died.

As his daughter,

instead of waiting to attend his funeral,

you tried to escape in disguise.

What happened between you and Jin Mantang?

You won't talk?

You wore so many bracelets

to cover

the scratches left by Jin Mantang, right?

She thinks she can get away with it.

What are you doing?

The murderer has been found.

She shall be locked in the woodshed

and interrogated.

Take her away.

Yes.

I really hate to hurt

a beautiful girl like you.

Tell me.

Where is the opal skull?

I don't know.

I didn't kill anyone.

I didn't take the opal skull.

Guess we have to do this the hard way.

You can't punish her without trial.

If someone files a complaint about it in the court,

do you think His Majesty will be infuriated?

Keep an eye on her.

No one is allowed to come near her.

She can't eat or drink

until she confesses.

Let's see how long she can last.

Mr. Fang.

Please.

Oh, no.

Stop!

Guan, are you all right?

I'm fine.

Miss Zhiyu, come out.

You…

What's going on?

We thought

Miss Zhiyu wore those bracelets

to cover the scratches Jin Mantang left when he struggled.

But it turned out that we were wrong.

Those are knife wounds.

So you made a wrong judgment?

Sorry that we misunderstood you.

Then how did Miss Zhiyu get those wounds

and why did she have the woody scent?

Miss,

say something.

How can we help you if you don't tell us anything?

At this point,

I can tell you the truth.

Everyone thinks I'm Jin Mantang's adopted daughter

and lives a carefree

and luxurious life.

But in fact,

he just wanted my blood to make medicine.

What? Your blood?

After I was sold to the Yuanbao Villa when I was six,

I had to take dozens of herbs every day.

After a decade, my blood became his nostrum.

He used incense

to knock me out every few days

so I wouldn't feel the pain

when he took my blood.

He soaked herbs in my blood

and drank them from the opal skull.

He believed that could cure his disease.

Is that true?

Can't believe

there's such a cruel treatment in the world.

Jin Mantang was heartless!

Someone like him

deserved a tragic death.

What was his disease?

He never talked about it

and never trusted anyone.

Neither did he ever use the opal skull

in front of me.

Since that's the case,

why didn't you tell us the truth?

Why did you disguise yourself and run away?

I was worried that what he did to me

would be revealed sooner or later

and I'd be suspected of killing him.

On the night Jin Mantang died,

you went to his room to give him your blood.

That's why you and his room

had that woody scent.

After you left,

he deactivated the Thousand Bell Formation and led me in.

I left after he took my blood.

I really didn't do anything.

Try to recall that night.

Before Jin Mantang died,

was there something off with him?

Yes.

He usually took his time when he took my blood,

but he was absent-minded that night

as if he was in a hurry to do something else.

He even got blood under his nails.

I guess Jin Mantang

was in a hurry to go to the secret room

to check on Dong Ling.

So you still think

before we set the Thousand Bell Formation,

Dong Ling had already been in the room.

Not on the day we arrived.

He'd been there

since half a month ago.

Was Dong Ling from Zhuzhou?

How did you know that?

That pawn ticket.

I got it.

Dong Ling must have pawned something

in Jin Mantang's shop when he was young.

Now he wanted to redeem it.

Maybe it was the opal skull.

But Jin Mantang refused to return it to him.

That's how they became enemies.

Here is my guess.

Dong Ling threatened Jin Mantang,

but Jin Mantang didn't use the ransom note

as solid evidence to turn him in.

It means that Dong Ling had long been under his control.

It's not that Dong Ling hid in the secret room to get back at Jin Mantang

but that Jin Mantang

managed to hold Dong Ling captive.

Dong Ling came to see Master Jin.

Luckily, Master Jin took him down using the arrow hidden in his sleeve.

He reacted swiftly

or he'd have been hurt by Dong Ling.

No one saw it coming

so we didn't arrive in time

and let Dong Ling run away.

After that, we guards got flogged by the butler

for our negligence.

Yes.

Everyone in the Yuanbao Villa

said Dong Ling was chased away by Jin Mantang.

But no one saw it with their own eyes.

So,

Jin Mantang was lying.

It doesn't make sense.

Dong Ling was good at martial arts.

Jin Mantang was no match for him.

How could he take him captive?

Don't you remember this?

This empty box was on the floor.

Why is it up there now?

I thought

a third person entered the secret room

and took away the thing in the box.

But if someone tried to come in,

the Thousand Bell Formation at the door

would definitely be triggered.

The empty box?

It was a bait Jin Mantang used to distract Dong Ling.

Hurry!

Don't get clever with me.

I…

I've promised to give it to you.

There's nothing you need to worry about.

Where is the opal skull?

Over there.

In that box.

You played me!

Jin Mantang!

Let me out!

Jin Mantang!

Half a month later,

Jin Mantang thought Dong Ling was dead,

so he was in a hurry to check it out.

But he didn't expect that

Dong Ling was still alive.

So Zongzheng Mingzhu was right.

They killed each other.

It's not that simple.

Why was Dong Ling still alive

after being trapped here for half a month?

He even still had the strength to strangle Jin Mantang.

And why was Jin Mantang

wearing only one shoe?

In my opinion,

just because there is no trace

of a third person in the secret room

doesn't mean there wasn't a third person

in this story.

Could it be that man in black?

Why did he want Miss Zhiyu dead?

Maybe

he wanted a scapegoat.

It's also possible

that he didn't get what he wanted.

It seems that only by catching that man in black

can we find out the truth.

So that was a trap you set.

It's my fault

that he escaped.

I can't help but wonder

if you two are on his side.

Fang Duobing.

Don't let him escape next time.

There's no next time.

You again.

You beat my subordinates

and took away the suspect.

What do you want?

Miss Zhiyu isn't the murderer.

We're here

to find out the truth.

Find out the truth?

I've sent someone to check

the payroll of the Baichuan Court.

Fang Duobing,

you're a downright impostor!

You don't have the right to conduct an investigation here.

[Yuanbao Villa]

Get lost!

Zongzheng Mingzhu!

Open the door!

I was sent here by the Baichuan Court!

I'm an authorized detective!

How dare you call me an impostor?

That's a wild accusation!

Fang Duobing.

Calm down.

I'm not done yet.

Zongzheng Mingzhu, listen carefully!

You violated the laws

and got away with it.

I don't care what you want this time.

You can't get off the hook!

I'll get to the bottom of it

and throw you into jail!

Let's wait and see!

I'm so mad.

-I'm so mad. -So hot-blooded.

No.

In just a few days,

even if the Gang Qi in his body is dispersed,

he won't be able to practice martial arts again.

We must find the opal skull as soon as possible.

Zongzheng Mingzhu!

Morning.

Does your throat feel better?

I'll write a letter to the Baichuan Court.

I've solved three cases.

They must keep their promise.

I'd rather die than be humiliated like that again!

Wait. I…

Fox Spirit.

Guan.

Well,

what brought you here?

I'm here to visit you

and the impostor.

I know you want to know

the situation in the Yuanbao Villa.

You know what?

Zongzheng Mingzhu is worried

that someone may sneak the opal skull out

and searched me before letting me go.

Is he still

grilling Miss Zhiyu?

Yes.

He said he couldn't risk releasing a murderer.

He's still searching for the opal skull

in the Yuanbao Villa.

Everyone is cooperative.

They all want to find the murderer

and seek justice for Jin Mantang.

They're all very righteous.

But Butler Jin is in a bad mood.

I don't know if it's because

he's grieving over Jin Mantang's death.

Since last night,

he's been devastated.

He wouldn't talk to anyone.

Were they so close?

I didn't expect you

to love flowers too.

I just like to use flowers as medicine.

You're a physician too.

You should know

the medical value of these flowers.

Li Lianhua.

What are you thinking?

It's the first time you came to my place.

Come.

I'll cook for you.

Not for you.

Li Lianhua,

you're actually such a great cook.

Eat.

You're not only a great physician

but also a well-mannered man

who's good at cooking.

Pork tripe with chicken.

Braised fish.

What's wrong with you?

I asked you to make them so many times but you never did.

Now you made them for her willingly.

So delicious.

Don't be rude to the guest.

Slow down.

Guan.

To be honest,

now that we were kicked out of the Yuanbao Villa,

it's hard for us to continue with the investigation.

Since you can still go there,

why don't you

be our man on the inside?

What do you think?

Well…

I need to think about it.

After all, I'm a big name

in the martial world.

I don't do people favors just because they make lunch for me.

Miss Su,

why don't you give it a second thought?

Miss Su?

Who is that?

Guan Hemeng, the Miracle Healer with Needles,

is good at acupuncture.

When we arrived at the villa,

we saw you chasing someone with moxibustion tools.

That's not the treatment

Guan Hemeng would use.

When you first saw the body,

you didn't have any idea about the cause of death.

You were even surprised by the Tree Man Syndrome.

So I guess

you don't know medicine at all.

So?

The Yuanbao Villa is worldwide famous.

That's why

all the great physicians in the martial world are gathered there.

Everyone knows that.

You pretend to be Guan Hemeng

and no one came to blow your cover.

It means Guan Hemeng knows about it.

Anything else?

You mentioned Su Wencai before.

So my guess

is that you're Physician Guan's sworn sister,

Su Wencai's granddaughter,

Su Xiaoyong.

You're so smart.

Yes.

[Su Xiaomeng] Yes.

[Su Xiaomeng]

I'm Su Xiaoyong. [Su Xiaomeng]

I'm Su Xiaoyong.

What?

You're a girl?

Yep.

You searched her bag

and groped her.

If the princess finds out,

how will you explain?

I didn't know…

Wait.

Why should I explain to the princess?

I never said I'd marry her.

That's nonsense.

That night, Jian Lingxiao

saw you sneaking out.

I guess you were going somewhere out of view

to wash up.

Yes.

I'm curious about the opal skull

so I came to see it.

I didn't expect to be recognized.

Li Lianhua.

Are you going to use my real identity to threaten me

into helping you?

I'm not that kind of person.

I can help you,

not because I'm afraid that you'll expose me,

but because

I like you.

You…

I…

There is a rule in the Su family in Jinling.

The Su family's daughters don't give out gifts easily.

When we do,

the gift is a token of love.

You accepted my golden needles.

You're mine now.

What's so funny?

Stop eating.

It's all because of him.

It's because I need to feed him

that I accepted those needles.

I'm an honest man.

Why would I do something like that?

So it's all your fault.

Li Lianhua,

how could you talk to her like that?

I think Miss Su is nice.

You won't lose anything.

Miss Su,

to be honest,

I'm engaged.

Besides,

-I… -He's not engaged.

He never mentioned it before.

And when he met you for the first time,

he said you two hit it off

and he hoped he'd met you earlier.

Really?

I'll be honest with you.

There's someone I love dearly.

But

she's already spoken for.

So I've made up my mind

to stay single all my life.

I don't want to waste your time.

I didn't know

that rule of the Su family.

Now that I know it,

I can't keep these golden needles.

Relax.

I didn't ask you to make a commitment.

We don't need to get married immediately.

We can

spend some time getting to know each other first.

I'll help you with the investigation

to thank you for saving my life that night.

Physician Guan?

What do you want?

Don't be afraid.

I just want to ask you a few questions.

I've told Li Lianhua everything I know.

I really don't have the opal skull.

I know you don't have it.

Because

I have it.

What?

You killed Jin Mantang?

I shouldn't have trusted you guys.

Who told you I'm with them?

Miss Zhiyu,

Jin Mantang cured his strange disease

with your blood and the opal skull.

So tell me.

Will there be any physician

who doesn't want such a magical thing?

Since you've gotten what you want,

why can't you get off my back?

Rest assured.

I'll get you out of here.

With you

and the opal skull,

I can take my time to find out

why the opal skull has such wonderful healing power.

[Yuanbao Villa]

[Mysterious Lotus Casebook]

It would be humiliating

if I let you escape again.

Jian Lingxiao.

Li Lianhua is right.

You didn't make it the other night

and wouldn't give up so easily.

You've been biding your time outside the woodshed.

Jian.

My apologies.

We didn't mean to set you up.

So,

you've long found out that it's me.

How should I put it?

We didn't know it was you at first.

But I suddenly remembered

those pedals you stepped

under your feet outside your room.

Those fresh pedals

could be used as medicine

but you didn't care about them at all.

So you came to the Yuanbao Villa

with all those flowers

not because they could be used

as medicine.

You're right.

I noticed

a sting

on Jin Mantang's hand

but got distracted

by the blood under his nails.

So I didn't pay much attention to it.

Now I think about it,

those bees outside your room

were not there by accident.

You planted those flowers

to keep bees, right?

He does bring bees with him.

You set me up,

so you must know

that I don't have the opal skull.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have come after Guan Hemeng.

Yes.

He's right.

To be honest,

that night,

when I pretended to be Miss Zhiyu,

I found that you didn't want to kill her,

so it's clear

that you tried to snatch her away

because you wanted

to get the opal skull from her.

That's why he bought my words so easily.

I use flowers to keep bees.

But it was an accident that Jin Mantang got stung.

This kind of bee is called Black Tracker.

Sorcerers in Tianzhu keep them

to track down those they want to find.

I just want to find the opal skull.

Master Jin.

Open the door!

Master Jin.

I found a dead bee without its sting

outside Jin Mantang's room after he died.

Only then did I know that he got stung.

So,

Jin Mantang was killed by your poisonous bee.

However,

you didn't get the opal skull before he died.

This kind of bee

is just slightly poisonous.

Their venom doesn't work on humans.

We'll know whether the bee killed him

after examining the bee venom.

I'm curious about something.

Jian, why do you

want the opal skull?

That's none of your business.

Don't you guys

want it too?

[Ci'an Hospital]

This bee is just slightly poisonous.

It can't kill anyone.

You didn't lie.

Now, can you tell me

why you want the opal skull?

I need it

to cure my son.

What's your son's illness?

You're the Ghost-feared Physician. Can't you cure him?

He has the Tree Man Syndrome.

So when I saw that Dong Ling

had the same nasty disease,

I was very surprised.

To be honest,

this disease is very rare.

It's a genetic condition

that passes from generation to generation.

A genetic condition?

My wife

died of this strange disease.

Now my son is suffering from it.

I don't want him

to die in pain like my wife.

I have to get the opal skull at all costs.

Jian,

how did you know the opal skull

can cure the Tree Man Syndrome?

I learned

that Jin Mantang used it

to get his condition under control.

You mean Jin Mantang also had this disease?

It's a rare disease.

Why did they all have it?

Could it be…

Yes.

My dead wife, Jin Yuzhu,

was Jin Mantang's half-sister.

Their father was a dissolute man

and had many love affairs.

My wife was an illegitimate daughter

and was never taken back to the Yuanbao Villa.

It seems

that Dong Ling

was related to the Jin family too.

That's also my guess.

I didn't expect

Jin Mantang to be so cold-hearted.

He'd rather watch his family die

than take out the opal skull.

I learned from Miss Zhiyu

that every few days,

Jin Mantang drank her blood from the opal skull

to suppress his symptoms.

It's so cruel

to hurt a girl like that.

Jian,

you're a kind physician.

I'm sure you can't bring yourself to do that

if you get the opal skull.

We're not making any progress.

It's not that bad.

At least we're sure

that Dong Ling

had been trapped

in that secret room since half a month ago.

Now we need to figure out

how he survived in the secret room.

Withered agave

can cause nausea

and weakness in legs and hands.

But Dong Ling broke the back of his head

and died from excessive bleeding.

Not on the day we arrived,

but since half a month ago.

Miss Su,

can you

do me another favor?

Why did you send Su Xiaoyong

back to the secret room?

We didn't find any clues there.

Do you count on her to find anything?

So I asked her to bring an assistant with her.

Assistant?

Here you are.

Look.

Bun crumbs?

So the assistant you brought with you

helped a lot.

Dude,

I'm counting on you.

Li Lianhua is so smart.

He thought of using a rat to find clues.

Fang Xiaobao.

You asked me why Dong Ling didn't starve to death

after being trapped there for so many days.

This is the answer.

Someone sent him food.

But wasn't Jin Mantang the only one

who could open the door of the secret room?

Is there…

Su Xiaoyong.

Did you find these crumbs

near the wall facing the courtyard?

How did you know that?

Is there an uneven place

somewhere high on the wall?

Yes!

There must be a vent

up there.

It's simple.

Someone sent food to Dong Ling

from that vent.

That's how he survived.

Later, to cover his tracks,

that guy blocked the vent again.

In that case,

the guy who helped Dong Ling is the most suspicious.

He helped Dong Ling stay alive

so that he and Jin Mantang could kill each other.

It's not that simple.

There are also cinders.

Cinders.

Food.

The blocked vent.

Did Dong Ling die of smoke inhalation

instead of poison?

Smoke?

The guy who sent him food

burned charcoal near the vent after his goal was achieved.

Dong Ling inhaled a lot of smoke.

After he fainted,

he hit his head

and died from excessive bleeding.

I've been confused about it.

Dong Ling was indeed wounded

by a poisonous arrow

but the wound was shallow

and Dong Ling had strong internal force.

How could a little bit of poison knock him out?

I didn't find traces of any other poisons,

so

I ignored it.

That's it.

Now we can explain

why Jin Mantang was wearing only one shoe.

The door of the secret room opens from the inside

with a formation instead of a key.

So Dong Ling

couldn't find a key

even if he searched Jin Mantang all over.

Keep your voice down.

That guy knew that he could send Dong Ling food

through the vent.

So he must be someone

living in the Yuanbao Villa.

You're right.

But there are so many servants

in the Yuanbao Villa.

Who could it be?

Li Lianhua.

Where are we going now?

Fang Xiaobao.

Have you forgotten

the cinders just now?

What's wrong with the cinders?

Take a closer look at them.

They're soft and gray.

They're the cinders of silver coal.

So what?

It's not winter yet.

Coal

is kept in the warehouse now.

So who was the guy

stealing silver coal in this season?

The butler Jin Changbao.

He's the only one who has the key to the warehouse.

Yes.

Zongzheng Mingzhu searched the entire Yuanbao Villa

but couldn't find the opal skull.

Perhaps the opal skull

has never left

Jin Mantang's room.

I got it.

I'll go to the Yuanbao Villa now.

Wait!

I heard that you're guests of the Yuanbao Villa.

Here are the medicines

that Master Jin used to take.

For some reason,

Butler Jin hasn't come to take them.

Jin Mantang's medicines?

Yes.

Could you please take them

to the Yuanbao Villa for me?

The dose is different every day.

I've marked them.

Give them to me.

Okay.

Why are there two bags of every medicine?

At first,

one bag per day was enough.

Later,

Butler Jin said

Master Jin's condition worsened

and the physician they consulted suggested increasing the dosage.

So the dosage was doubled.

I've been keeping an eye on

the medicines Jin Mantang took.

Judging from the prescription,

it indeed helps with the Tree Man Syndrome.

But from what I could tell,

he didn't take two doses of medicine every day.

That's weird.

Butler Jin told me in person

to double the dosage.

Did Jin Changbao

come to take the medicines himself?

Yes.

Butler Jin is loyal to Master Jin.

He did all these small things himself.

Li Lianhua.

Does…

Does Jin Changbao has the Tree Man Syndrome too?

Is he Jin Mantang's half-brother too?

[Yuanbao Villa]

The commander has banned [Yuanbao Villa]

[Yuanbao Villa]

you two from entering. [Yuanbao Villa]

[Yuanbao Villa]

We've found an important clue. [Yuanbao Villa]

We've found an important clue.

If you don't let us in

and cause the suspect to run away,

the Supervision Bureau will be held accountable.

We let you go last time

as a favor to Minister Fang.

Please leave.

You…

Li.

Fang.

Yang.

I heard that Zongzheng Mingzhu

is here with men from the Supervision Bureau.

I'm worried

so I came to check it out.

The Supervision Bureau

is now in the charge of a criminal.

I wonder

whether the founders of the Supervision Bureau

are turning in their graves.

Forget it.

We have other things to do.

But…

Something's wrong.

Something's wrong.

Deputy Commander Yang, something's wrong.

What happened?

The butler of the Yuanbao Villa, Jin Changbao,

hung himself.

How dare you come in?

Yang Yunchun?

Why did you collude with these two impostors

with ulterior motives?

I saw Miss Shi Shui from the Baichuan Court

assigning tasks to Fang Duobing.

He's not an impostor.

These two guys are suspicious

and I kicked them out.

You're just the deputy commander.

I'm your superior.

How dare you disobey my order?

I'm just the deputy commander

but I was granted the title of the Royal Dragon

and have the Royal Dragon Badge.

I can act independently.

You…

I heard

that something happened to Butler Jin.

If there's nothing else,

I need to go in for a check.

Fang Xiaobao.

He's much more powerful than the Baichuan Court.

What happened?

Why did he suddenly commit suicide?

Perhaps Butler Jin went mad

because he was too sad about Master Jin's death.

In the past few days,

he was either absent-minded

or very emotional.

He cried and laughed,

keeping mumbling things like "Why can't I?"

and "Why didn't it work?"

A few days ago,

I started treating Butler Jin's condition.

The needles on his head

were used by me

to alleviate his depression.

Unexpectedly,

after performing acupuncture on him,

I went out to prepare his medicine

and was told that Butler Jin killed himself.

What a pity.

It's indeed a pity.

We planned to ask him some questions.

Mr. Gongyang,

it seems

that I have to find the answers myself.

He…

Sure enough, Jin Changbao had the Tree Man Syndrome.