Original subtitles

[A Moment But Forever]

[Episode 14]

You're weak and lack vitality.

Soft-shelled turtles are cold in nature.

If you eat too much,

you'll die sooner.

No need for your concern.

You're not exactly young yourself.

Who knows which of us

will die first?

What are you looking at?

That prosthesis of yours is well-crafted.

You have keen eyes.

This is a gift from heaven.

What a waste.

Alright.

Hurry up and eat.

The food is getting cold.

Master, you should eat more too.

Master, please have some tea.

Is that guy the one

you've been looking for?

Yes.

Who is he,

to have the God of Craft

personally serve him?

He's Yuanzhong,

the High Priest of the Youhu Clan.

I chose to serve him of my own will.

This man's vitality is depleted,

having the look of someone with a short life span.

He's not very good with words,

and sometimes he can be quick-tempered.

But he's a good person.

There are certain reasons

for his poor health.

Master, please don't speak of him like that.

It's all because of

that prosthesis you made, isn't it?

You're already a god.

What you create is naturally extraordinary.

Is this why you descended to the mortal world?

Master, could you please not ask

such dangerous questions?

I can't answer that.

Oh, right.

Was it you who set up

the restriction on the mountain?

That's great.

Can you temporarily remove

the restriction here?

Why?

Because a weapon spirit of Yuanzhong

is sealed at the formation's core here.

To break the seal,

we must first

remove your restriction.

Why should I care about his affairs?

Since this reckless weapon spirit

dared to enter my restriction,

it won't leave easily.

You solved

the first problem?

I should solve the second one now.

Master, where are you

planning to go next?

I'm not planning...

to go anywhere.

I'm going to stay here for a few days.

He took my room.

So where should I sleep?

What are you doing?

Master is going to

stay here for a while.

So I gave him

my room.

It's very cold in the mountains at night.

How can you sleep here?

It's fine.

I won't sleep.

I'll meditate here all night,

and the night will pass quickly.

Whatever.

Why are you here?

The side room was taken.

I gave my room to Ji Tanyin.

I'll sleep here from now on.

Wait, Yuanzhong.

Don't you think there's something...

inappropriate between them?

It doesn't seem wrong to me.

What's inappropriate about them?

It's not that simple.

Ji Tanyin is clearly a sincere,

good girl.

Be careful she gets sweet-talked away

by that old man.

They are just a normal

master and disciple.

You're overthinking it.

So what?

Didn't that Immortal Qingsong

marry

his own disciple?

Yuanzhong,

I think you should...

Shut up and go to sleep.

You're right.

You're not worried.

So why should I be?

Miss Ji's master

is really quite fortunate.

What gives him the right to live here?

To be precise,

this is his territory.

We are the ones who came later.

Master, did you sleep well last night?

It was alright.

Are you going to solve problems today?

No, I'm not.

It's rare to see you.

Over these years, I've accumulated

many unsolved problems

I'd like to ask you about.

You're already a god.

You don't need to ask me, do you?

The sea of knowledge is boundless.

There will always be unsolved problems.

Just like in the Mortal Realm,

there are many people who are no less capable

than those in the Divine Realm.

Like who?

Like you,

and... and Yuanzhong.

Him?

What's so good about him?

Well...

He's kind, righteous,

resilient,

and has a big heart.

Just because he said this house is his,

does that make it his?

Who authorized that?

Did he show you the deed?

By that logic,

the paths he's walked

would also be his.

Everything is a gift from heaven.

We are all just travelers in this world,

so what difference does it make who came first?

I can tell

that he's not as strong

as he appears.

Over these years, he has endured a lot of injustice

and suffered greatly.

But even so,

after he was unsealed,

he didn't take his anger out on others.

A quality like that

is rare anywhere.

Tanyin,

I have a question.

Answer truthfully.

Yes, Master.

Do you like him?

No.

I can't like him.

Is it that you can't like him,

or that you don't?

I don't know

why you're staying by his side,

but I can guess the reason.

Although you're a god now,

you still have a pure heart

and haven't fully grasped the ways of the world.

I've lived over 1000 years in this world

and can read people pretty accurately.

In this world, some people

like to keep things harmonious,

believing that friendships should be as light as water.

But some people

fight to the death

to seek a clear result.

The High Priest is the kind of person who,

knowing there's a tiger on the mountain,

still heads straight toward it.

He bears a heavy burden

and has too many things he must do.

Remember,

no matter what your intentions are,

don't try to figure him out

with your logic.

Because you won't be able to

see through a person like him.

No matter what your intentions are,

don't try to figure him out

with your logic.

Because you won't be able to

see through a person like him.

What trick is it this time?

There are words on the door.

"Taixuan Scriptures says, 'Xuan gives birth to all things.

All returns to one, following the way of nature.'

Therefore, the system of heaven operates in an infinite, cyclical pattern."

What is all this nonsense?

It's like a heavenly book.

This is a treatise.

The question is over here.

"One should know that all things have spirits,

yet only the 'white horse' remains.

Or perhaps all things lack wisdom,

and only the 'white horse' possesses it."

This seems to refer to...

The old saying, "Like a white horse passing through a crevice."

It's talking about time.

I think I know

how to solve this problem now.

It also says

to wait quietly in the inner room

until the incense burns out.

That should be referring to this.

The inner room...

The door isn't locked.

Let's go in.

Wait a moment.

I'll go in alone for this one.

Why?

Because only one person is needed.

If you come in with me,

it'll ruin my plan.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

This isn't something you're good at.

Besides, this is just solving a problem.

If I can't solve it,

I'll naturally come back out the same way.

This is a restriction set by my master.

He won't harm me.

Just wait for me here,

and I'll be out once I'm done.

Sir,

I received the message

and rushed here overnight.

But the journey was long.

I'm sorry for keeping you waiting.

It's alright.

Thank you for your understanding, Sir.

It's rare to find such a quiet place.

It gives me a chance to think about some things.

Have you found the High Priest's whereabouts?

Yes, we have.

Someone saw

the High Priest heading to Baitou Mountain.

That's Lord Mei Shan's territory,

and he happens to be

a friend of the High Priest.

I suspect

that Baitou Mountain is likely

where the other four weapon spirits

are sealed.

Baitou Mountain?

I'll make a trip to Baitou Mountain.

Go to Yandu and wait for me there.

Yes.

I didn't expect that, inside here...

Don't!

This door...

It's gone.

Why?

Because it's a door

that can only be opened

from the outside.

So doesn't that mean we're trapped here?

Not necessarily.

Once the incense burns out,

the door will reappear.

Then why are you so nervous?

It's just the time it takes for one incense stick to burn out.

I'll wait here with you.

Who asked you to accompany me?

I told you not to come in.

Why didn't you listen to me?

I've already said

I wouldn't be in danger

and told you not to come in.

It's just the time it takes

for one incense stick to burn out.

Why did you have to follow me in?

Since you said there's no danger

and it's only a short while,

why didn't you let me in?

Ji Tanyin,

you need to understand one thing—

I'm the one who needs to break the seal.

This is my business.

You are just

my maid.

I have no habit

of letting women fight my battles for me.

Are you still not going to tell me the truth?

Forget it.

Since you've come in,

I can't hide it from you anymore.

Look at the environment here.

The environment here is completely different from the outside world.

This place is called the Realm of the White Horse.

The Realm of the White Horse?

That's right.

It is an illusionary space created by the caster

using a mind technique.

The flow of time in this realm

is completely different from the outside world.

How is it different?

It's much slower.

Once, when I was in the cold...

I... I once encountered

a similar predicament.

Though outside,

only 30 minutes passed,

inside,

many years had already passed.

Many years?

Yes.

That's why I told you

not to come in.

I've already been through it,

so I know how to break out of it.

But there's nothing here.

For over a decade,

didn't you eat or drink anything?

Not exactly.

The constraint of emptiness

mainly confines the mind and spirit.

Even without food or water,

you won't feel hunger,

nor will you feel tired.

Actually, even breathing

is unnecessary.

Haven't you noticed

that there's no air

to breathe here at all?

Indeed.

That Xie is quite something.

My master is knowledgeable.

You're surprised because you've seen little.

Fine.

I admit that you and your master are impressive.

You're impressive, and he's even more so.

Satisfied now?

Since you already know

how to break it,

stop keeping it to yourself.

Please, go ahead.

What are these?

The lines must be drawn straight,

crisscrossed.

The sizes of the squares must be consistent.

I'll draw the horizontal lines, and you draw the vertical ones.

Got it?

This line isn't straight.

Is this better?

The horizontal and vertical lines are aligned, and the squares are neat.

That's good. Excellent.

Here, take it back.

Why are you giving it to me?

You still need to use it.

What do you mean?

I'll draw Xs, and you draw Os.

It's your turn.

You did all this just to play chess?

Yes.

Playing chess is the best way to pass the time.

Is this your way to break the formation?

What are you doing?

Checking my pulse.

Checking your pulse?

I'm timing it with my pulse.

What's the timing for?

To figure out how much time

it takes you to make this move.

This move

took you the time

of 21,800 heartbeats,

which means

you spent six hours on it.

We have plenty of time.

Isn't it better to play slowly?

Last time,

when I played chess against myself,

I often spent 10 or more days

on a single game.

Today, considering you,

I've sped it up.

Playing chess slowly is really boring.

Do you have any other ways

to pass the time?

Well...

how about drinking?

You have wine?

Yes.

But there's only one jar.

It was a gift from Xue when we were

on the tower ship last time.

Well, it's better than nothing.

Bring it out then.

There's only one cup?

High Priest, if you don't like it,

you can just drink straight from the jar.

The wine is so little.

We'll have to drink it slowly.

How about we play a drinking game?

But I don't know how to play drinking games.

It's not difficult.

There are countless drinking games.

Have you ever played "Never Have I Ever"?

What's that?

It's very simple.

You say one thing

you've never done.

If I never did it either,

then you lose.

The loser drinks.

No matter whether you win or lose,

the other person gets to set the next challenge.

But you need to start whatever you say

with "Never have I ever."

Got it?

It doesn't seem too difficult.

You'll get it after one round. You go first.

Well...

Never have I ever stolen anything.

Such a boring challenge.

But you won.

I won?

So you've stolen things?

What did you steal?

Many things.

When I was young, I stole my father's wine,

my teacher's exam papers,

and Tanghua's boots.

As I grew up, I stole even more.

I stole the fame that didn't belong to me,

power that wasn't mine,

and...

I stole many lives.

How much wine should I drink?

It doesn't work like that.

But I did steal Tanghua's boots.

My turn.

Never have I ever lied to a friend.

You're lying.

Last time,

you asked me to go to Penglai Alley in Shifang Town

to find a Mr. Bai.

But there's no such place

as Penglai Alley in Shifang Town,

let alone a Mr. Bai.

So, are you my friend?

I think I am.

Then have you ever lied to me?

Seems like you're not so honest either.

Never have I ever done anything I feel guilty about.

What do you consider as something to feel guilty about?

Things that make you feel ashamed,

guilty, go against your conscience,

and self-loathing.

Well, I haven't done that either.

You really haven't.

Never have I ever

approached someone

with ill intentions.

What counts as ill intentions?

Does that need to be asked?

Doing evil deeds, having malicious thoughts,

scheming, calculating—

they all count.

What if such ill intentions

are considered

a kind of good for the world?

If it's for the benefit of the world,

be called an ill intention.

Alright.

Then this drink is yours.

Alright.

Never have I ever lost my true self.

What's true self?

Unconstrained,

free of resentment or hatred,

at ease,

and never swayed

by outside influences—

that is the true self.

Then you're really lucky.

There's not much wine left.

Never have I ever had a crush.

What? You have?

I...

It's either yes or no.

Why are you hesitating?

How do you define a crush?

It's someone you care about, pay attention to, and admire.

You can't help

but want to care for her,

and you can't control the urge to see her

and be with her.

Sometimes,

you even forget who you are,

like...

like being drunk.

What? Have you experienced this?

I...

Why are you looking at me?

I don't know.

I can't explain it.

I'll just drink half a cup.

Why did you drink too?

I'm done playing.

Why?

What do you mean "why"?

I'm bored. I don't want to play anymore.

You're lying.

Who's lying?

You are.

You're telling a lie.

That's lying.

What's true and what's false?

Can you tell the difference?

The longer you live,

the more you understand one thing:

it's hard to tell what's true or false in this world.

Is the sky real?

Is the earth real?

What's real

in this space?

In this space, it seems true

that there's nothing real

except for you and me.

Are we real?

Doesn't the real us

need to breathe?

I know how to get out now.

The incense has burned out?

We've passed this challenge?

That's right. We're out.

Looks like this is the entrance

to the next challenge.

Let's go.

Wait.

What's really going on?

I still don't quite understand.

Haven't you figured it out yet?

Creating a space out of nothing

is beyond the ability of ordinary people.

Even if your master is incredibly formidable,

he doesn't have such an ability.

This so-called "Realm of the White Horse"

is just an illusion.

What it can trap

is only our consciousness.

Then why is the time inside

different from the time outside?

Time doesn't actually exist.

It's all an illusion.

Time doesn't exist?

Ji Tanyin, then tell me,

what is time?

Time, in its essence,

can be as grand as the rise and set of the sun,

the movement of the stars,

or as minute as the falling of incense ash or sand,

the shifting shadow of a sundial.

I've even heard that

in the Western Region, there are master craftsmen

who can create timekeeping devices

using metal gears,

precise enough to measure the tiniest movements of time

with almost no deviation.

But actually, no matter the method,

it's just measuring

one object's movement

in relation to another.

It's simply using motion to measure motion.

So, there's no such thing as time.

I'm even more confused now.

Let me put it more simply.

The essence of time

is just a consensus

made by all beings in the world,

a common agreement

for coordinated labor.

A day

can be divided into 12 periods,

but it can also be divided

into 24, 48,

or even countless ones.

As long as everyone in the world accepts it,

the number of divisions

doesn't really matter.

In fact, time has never changed.

What we can truly possess

is only one time,

and that is the present moment,

right here and now.

Did you come up with all of this just now?

It's not that hard to understand.

As long as you know that time is an illusion

and doesn't really exist,

then the Realm of the White Horse

is just a trick,

a form of hypnosis.

As long as you truly don't believe it in your heart,

why do you need to sit for 10 years doing nothing?

Unexpectedly, once I tried,

we got out.

Your comprehension is extraordinary.

It seems I've underestimated you before.

I'm serious.

I got it.

Braised pork?

What are these?

These are words.

Of course I know they're words.

What are those?

Those are the ink and brush for writing.

How strange.

Don't tell me

that we're supposed to practice calligraphy here.

Not you. Me.

I wrote all these words.

I wrote them here years ago.

Braised pork?

It's "braised pork,"

and also a calming mantra.

It was my 10th year in the mountains.

For a whole year,

I was trapped here

by the third question,

unable to pass it.

[Teenage Ji Tanyin] [Human Race]

I understand now.

Reach to the farthest corners in all directions,

immeasurably high, unfathomably deep.

It envelops the world, bestowing essence upon all things in an invisible manner.

It flows like a spring, rushing and gradually filling.

It churns and stirs, muddy yet slowly becoming clear.

Vertically, it extends to the entire universe;

horizontally, it covers everything.

Wrong.

Master,

I was frustrated by the problem.

I've embarrassed myself in front of you.

You're agitated.

How are you going to solve the problem like this?

But every time I try to focus,

I can't calm my mind.

Master, please teach me a calming mantra.

Have you been reading too many storybooks?

There's no such thing as a calming mantra in this world.

There isn't?

There isn't.

But actually, there is.

There is?

Hold your breath and calm your mind,

and everything in the world is a calming mantra.

When I was your age,

whenever I felt agitated,

I would copy a book called The Book of Calming

and I would naturally calm down.

Then I'll find a book and start copying it.

Silly child,

you still don't understand what I'm saying?

Then what should I do?

Please stop speaking in riddles, Master.

What do you like to eat?

What do I like to eat?

Braised pork.

Good!

Just copy the two words "braised pork."

Focus your mind on it,

and the effect of "braised pork"

will be no different

from that of The Book of Calming.

So,

you really copied

"braised pork" countless times?

It really worked.

And this challenge...

It's on the wall.

Tear off these words,

and you'll see it.

It's really spectacular.

Back then,

my master only calculated the star chart for one domain,

with just a few hundred stars.

Now,

roughly speaking,

there are already about 1000 stars.

I didn't expect

that he really created the Star Map.

What map?

The Star Map.

This map originated in the South Sea.

It was originally a navigation map

used by maritime vessels to determine their position.

Although there are so many stars now,

in the beginning, only a few dozen stars

were truly calculated,

with their movement patterns understood.

Only a few dozen?

What use is that?

Don't underestimate those few dozen stars.

The sea is vast and unpredictable.

If you want to determine direction

in navigation,

nothing is more accurate

than observing the stars.

It is precisely because this knowledge

was spread

that humans

could sail around the world

and transport goods

precisely between different regions,

enabling people in the south to eat ginseng

and people in the north to wear satin.

Eating ginseng and wearing satin?

That doesn't sound like

something ordinary people would do.

I know my master

has been wanting to perfect the Star Map since his early years,

but I thought 100 stars

would be his limit.

I never expected that

over so many years,

he never gave up

and has expanded the Star Map to a thousand stars.

If this map is widely spread,

there will be no more boundaries in the world.

From a hundred to a thousand?

Does that mean the difficulty of solving this problem now

is 10 times greater

than it was for you back then?

It's not just 10 times.

For every additional 100 stars,

the difficulty of solving it

increases by dozens of times.

I'm afraid

that this problem can only be solved

by someone who has navigated through the starry river,

familiar with the position of each star

in every domain.

But where can we find

such a person now?

Ji Tanyin...

I got it.

Star Map contains four variations.

Each variation ultimately

leads to a digit.

So, in the end,

the answer we need to get

is a four-digit number.

Correct.

Look at that door.

I see.

When you introduced it earlier,

I thought it would be much more difficult.

I thought I'd be trapped for another 10 years.

It is difficult.

I don't know why my master

set

such a hard problem.

If it were someone else,

10 years

might not be enough for them to solve it.

Got it.

You're really impressive.

Of course,

there are things I don't understand either.

For example,

why are these four digits

arranged in this particular order?

No matter how I try,

I can't figure out the meaning behind it.

If you can't figure it out, then don't.

We've passed it anyway. Let's move on to the next one.

I know this thing.

What is it called? Some kind of house?

Linglong House.

Right, Linglong House.

You're familiar with it?

Spatial craftsmanship

is a mandatory course

for students on Yingong Mountain.

Your master knows it too?

And he teaches you that?

Why is what I heard different from this?

What did you hear?

I heard that Linglong House

is the finest craftsmanship in the Mortal Realm.

Goddess Wushuang became divine precisely because

she created the method to build this

and attained immortality through her craftsmanship.

Although many people in later generations have tried to replicate it,

they have never been able to replicate

the true Linglong House's ability

to shrink

and stretch freely

and its mysterious transformations.

You know quite a lot.

Can this one change size?

It's indeed just a replica.

It seems that spatial craftsmanship

is quite difficult.

The bag of yours that can store anything

seems to work on the same principle.

They're two completely different things.

This is clearly a workshop,

and there's a replica here.

It couldn't be that

we need to build a Linglong House in this challenge, could it?

It seems so.

Don't tell me you can do it too.

Let's give it a try.

What if we succeed?

You can really make it?

Why not?

It was a lost art 1000 years ago.

But now,

isn't it just an ordinary skill?

Is that so?

For example,

why are these four digits

arranged in this particular order?

When I was your age,

whenever I felt agitated,

I would copy a book called The Book of Calming

and I would naturally calm down.

The Book of Calming?

What's that smell?

Why is it so bad?

What?

I'm saying your chess move stinks.

You made a move here.

Doesn't that mean this entire area

is mine now?

I didn't see it. Let's me take a step back.

Why are you taking a step back again?

How many steps are you going to take back?

Well, I didn't see it, did I?

Fine, take it back then.

Playing chess with you is so boring.

Just wait until Kai Shan

comes out.

You want to play with him?

By then, I won't play.

I'll just watch you two play.

With the way you're constantly taking steps back,

he'll chop you in half.

If you knew you couldn't make it,

why did you make such a boast?

Who says I can't make it?

They're back.

Why didn't you just break the formation earlier?

I'm tired. I want to take a rest.

Please be quiet now.

The Book of Calming...

Four-digit number...

Linglong House?

What's wrong with her?

Where's Kai Shan?

Why haven't you gone to sleep yet?

We're worried about Kai Shan,

so we can't sleep.

What about you? How's it going?

Not bad.

We passed three challenges in a row,

and only the final one is left.

It's not here either.

Could it be somewhere else?

What are you looking for?

A book.

Do you need my help?

No, thanks.

That's the situation.

In the final challenge,

if I'm not mistaken,

we have to build a Linglong House.

Interesting.

It really is brilliant.

The Realm of the White Horse,

the Star Map—

each seal

is a profound subject.

And in the end,

you even need to build a Linglong House.

My goodness.

This old guy really is something.

Well, if that's the case,

losing to him

wasn't so shameful to me after all.

You don't say.

Kai Shan really knows how to find a good spot.

It's almost dawn. Let's eat something.

I'm hungry too.

Is Ji Tanyin

still looking for something?

She's searched the entire mountain,

not leaving any room unchecked.

Looks like she's searching for a book.

But she didn't answer when I asked her what book she was looking for.

She's gone out now.