Original subtitles

(Moonlit Reunion)

(Episode 16)

The Reminiscent Fragrance.

Pass it to me.

Little sickly! Little sickly!

It's not that we won't play with you...

You just can't keep up!

Huff and puff, no strength enough,

trip and fall, can't get up!

Huff and puff, no strength enough,

trip and fall, can't get up!

Huff and puff, no strength enough,

trip and fall, can't get up!

Huff and puff...

Who did that?

He can't play with you, but I can.

You?

Run! Run!

I heard you're my cousin.

Let's mix fragrances together.

I want plum blossoms and azaleas.

Is this enough?

More. And some Lacha tea leaves too.

Wild turmeric, patchouli, and licorice.

And honey.

(Marvelous Grade)

Young Master Pei, you've come from so far

to join this grand event.

Yet why did you present a fragrance made of such

common ingredients?

You don't understand this,

but this fragrance is meant for one person alone.

Your Highness, do you like it?

Yes.

It carries the scent of our garden in full bloom,

the springtime of years past.

But still,

you spent so long preparing for this fragrance contest,

and journeyed all this way,

only to present a scent of memories.

It seems such a waste.

I've heard it said of poets,

some write for the world,

while others write for just one person.

I don't seek to please the world,

only hers.

And now, a peerless fragrance,

crafted by none other than Master An Bi Luo himself.

Presented as the grand finale of the Grand Aromatics Competition,

I invite you all to witness it together.

A fragrance by Master An.

Master An!

He hasn't personally crafted a scent in nearly three years!

This trip was worth it after all.

Indeed.

That's a one-horned rhino censer.

It's such a large piece.

The carving is exquisite.

Truly a rare sight.

This censer is carved from the horn of a Linyi one-horned rhino,

exceedingly rare.

Yet its worth is nothing

compared to the fragrance it holds.

What is the name of the fragrance?

The Spirit Fragrance!

The Spirit Fragrance...

So this is the legendary Spirit Fragrance.

I heard this is Master An's new creation.

He condensed the essence of nature into this scent.

When burned, its aroma ascends to the heavens,

and you can smell it for miles.

They say those who breathe it in year after year

will stay young and gain endless vitality.

What recipe was it made from?

Its base is phoenix feathers.

Then, powdered dragon scale.

Then blend with a hundred other aromatics

like styrax, benzoin, ambergris, and more

Left to steep and mature for a thousand days.

Phoenix feathers and dragon scales!

Pure theatrics.

Those mythical things don't really exist.

Don't speak that way about Master An.

Everything he does has meaning.

Is Master An being serious?

Why does it smell like poop?

Don't say that.

How can you question Master An?

His creations

are beyond compare.

Our noses just aren't refined enough

to appreciate it.

It really stinks.

Master Xie.

What do you think of my fragrance?

Well...

It smells horrible.

It is certainly uncommon.

There is an...

An earthy scent,

like spring sunlight melting the snows of winter.

The first breath of new life.

Marvelous! Truly marvelous!

That's right! Marvelous!

It's been years since I last visited Chang'an.

Has the local taste become so peculiar?

Marvelous! How marvelous!

Yes, marvelous!

What grade do you give it then?

How could we presume to judge a fragrance

crafted by your own hand?

What grade?

Well, of course...

It is Supreme Grade!

Supreme Grade!

What about you, Master Gao?

(Supreme Grade)

Lady Wu.

What do you think?

I think...

The earlier blends may have had their differences,

but at least they smelled like fragrance.

Master An, yours...

What about mine?

It reeks of a barnyard.

Barnyard?

Am I wrong?

Still as the same as she was little,

sparing no one's pride.

What do you think, people?

It does smell of manure.

Yes, it smells like dung.

See? Not just me.

You snot-nosed brats!

You know nothing!

The Spirit Fragrance...

Do you have any idea

the effort I poured into making it?

The dragon scales are pangolin scales.

The phoenix feathers are plucked from white geese!

Ordinary, yes, but the method of plucking is an art.

The more terrified and anguished the gosling,

the feathers from under its beak

produce a richer, more profound scent!

By the rising purifying intent,

all spirits align!

By the shattering darkness,

all demons disperse!

Break!

Where is Zhen?

I know your pain.

An Bi Luo has spilled too much innocent blood.

You possessed him to stop the slaughter and to seek revenge.

I understand that.

But this body is still his.

Even if venting your hatred through him gives you relief,

it's only temporary.

How...

How do you know this?

I am the Cat Lord of Chang'an's Demon City.

The mortal realm is complicated.

Why don't you...

Return with me to the Demon City.

I'll find you a body of your own at The Skin Shop,

and help you cultivate.

I will see that he is punished.

You will have your justice.

The Demon City...

Cat Lord...

My lord,

since this matter is settled,

should we return to the City at once

or explain things to those people first?

My lord!

Ling Xiao!

So you're still going to hand me over to them!

No sign of Her Highness on the east!

No sign of Her Highness on the west!

- No sign of Her Highness on the north! - Enough!

Report only when you've found her!

You are the Cat Lord? You don't even have any power!

You're a fraud!

Over there!

Zhen...

Hang on, how did they get across?

Did they fly there?

No way.

You really were stalling for time.

I'll get rid of you

before I deal with them, you fraud!

The back of his neck.

Are you hurt?

Zhen!

Zhen!

Are you hurt, Zhen?

Little Fish! Little Fish!

You were such a good fighter!

Why did you never tell me?

Commissioner Mei, that sword strike was amazing!

Where is my sword, Commissioner Mei?

Great, now I'm officially the weakest one in our family.

Commissioner Mei, will you consider transfer to Jinwu Guards?

Will you consider joining us instead, Commissioner Mei?

- Commissioner Mei... - Little Fish...

I have to go.

Little Fish, I couldn't believe my eyes.

How did you do that?

Will you join us?

- Will you please join us? - Why didn't you ask me to join?

Young Master, here's the Kirin Horn Gum.

Help! Help!

Take my advice and stay out of this! Go!

If you save me,

I, Pei Ji Ya of Kunzhou, will serve at your command!

Run!

With blood as the guide, heed my command.

He knows how to draw talismans.

And his techniques are similar to my lifesaver.

Is Mei Zhu Yu also connected to Changxi Palace?

A demonic entity

should be exterminated.

But I will not kill you.

I know you never intended

to harm the innocent during the Grand Aromatics Competition.

You chose An Bi Luo to make an example,

to terrify them into ending their cruel slaughter for profit.

His crimes are numerous.

The law will deliver the punishment he deserves.

Fear will haunt him every night from now on.

But you...

If you cling to this hatred,

do you really wish to feed on resentment

for all eternity?

Stars of the Supreme Platform,

shift without form.

Starlight, mirror-bright,

bring peace to the six spirits.

Disperse!

It's you.

This... This is all An Bi Luo's doing?

Yes.

All for his own selfish desire,

he slaughtered so many innocent creatures.

He's...

What are you doing here?

I recalled what An Bi Luo said when he was possessed.

I followed those clues here.

This was his residence two months ago.

I suspected a connection to the competition.

So I came to take a look.

So did I.

But sadly...

All that's left are these remains.

Wrong.

Her Majesty was furious when she heard about what happened.

She almost ordered the competition to be abolished entirely.

Consort Mei and Princess Yuan Zhen pleaded with her for quite a while

until she finally changed her mind.

The Grand Aromatics Competition is an event for all the people.

It wouldn't be right to cancel it outright

just because of An Bi Luo.

So His Majesty decreed

that from now on, no fragrance may be

made with ingredients from the cruel slaughter of animals,

nor may the blends be excessively lavish.

The winning scents should be ones common folk can afford.

An Bi Luo has been expelled from the Fragrance Society.

They say that not only did no one see him off when he left the city today,

a crowd was even throwing rotten vegetables at his carriage.

If this incident can break

the nobility's habit of spending fortunes

on fragrances,

prizing expense over actual quality,

then some good has come of it.

Young Lady, you and Her Majesty are of one mind.

She's worried about you

and asks that you visit the palace in the next few days.

Alright.

What should I call you?

A goose...

Goose, goose, goose...

Goose, goose, goose,

long neck stretching to the sky.

White feathers float as the river drifts by,

red paddles as the waters fly.

Zhen, your poetic skills have taken a dive.

Maybe I should bring you a children's primer to brush up.

Mind your own business.

When did you get here?

Right when you started reciting about geese.

Lady Wu is naming the goose.

Naming it?

What's next, giving it a eulogy when it goes in the stew?

Watch your mouth.

You're scaring my Gooson.

Your son?

It's Gooson.

Its name.

From now on, you're my Gooson.

Your son?

Guess who I am!

Can't see me, can you?

You can't see me!

I picked up a new souvenir from my travels.

An invisibility cloak

sold to me by a master.

You honestly believe that thing has any magic in it?

Never mind that for now.

You...

I was gone only three months,

and now I'm a grandfather?

That was fast.

You.

You.

You.

Who is the father?

Uncle.

Duke Wu.

I'm Mei Zhu Yu. Greetings, Duke Wu.

Good, good.

One I see often,

one I haven't seen in a long time,

and one I'm meeting for the first time.

Good, good.

If you had been away any longer,

I would've thought I'd lost my father.

Well, I only heard that two gentlemen

had taken up residence in our manor.

The gossip in Chang'an is simply riveting.

People are even placing bets.

Naturally, I was concerned.

So you just came home for the drama.

No. I'm worried about my daughter.

So...

Which...

Which one of these two is my future son-in-law?

Which one do you prefer, Father?

Me?

It's a tough choice.

Tough choice?

Look after your grandson first then.

Zhen...

Young Master Mei,

might I ask what your intentions are toward Zhen...

Uncle.

Young Master Mei is only residing here on my account.

And I have come to Chang'an

to formally ask for Zhen's hand in marriage.

I hope you will grant your consent.

Zhen.

Is this about Liu Tai Zhen?

What's going on with Lady Liu?

Why was it you who went to the competition instead of her?

I thought I'd get to see her that day.

Why do you want to see her so badly?

I've been copying the Compendium of Demons.

I wanted to show her my drawings.

That day, it was Ling Xiao who invited me to the competition.

As for Liu Tai Zhen...

She fell ill.

She fell ill?

What illness? Is it serious? Is it bad?

Is it fatal? Has she seen a physician?

Calm down. She's fine.

She just isn't in Chang'an at the moment.

She...

She should be back three days later.

Three days later...

You were supposed to be a righteous cultivator.

Yet you're stealing the life essence of a rabbit demon with evil arts!

Looks like another fresh prey has delivered itself to me.

(Get it done quickly. Don't meddle in anything else.)

I was only asking about a person.

Must he be so impatient?

What should we do now, Young Master?

Never mind then.

My lifesaver did teach me these arts

to help me grow stronger.

Since he needs this done urgently,

we'll prioritize his task.

How could it be? That makes no sense.

She looked perfectly fine to me.

What are you mumbling about?

And stop pacing. You're making me dizzy.

Lady Liu didn't attend the Grand Aromatics Competition.

So?

She seemed perfectly fine.

How could she suddenly fall sick?

You mortals have short lives.

Catching an illness here and there is normal, isn't it?

I have a question.

Do you demons infest people's houses?

We demons have our own business to attend to.

Why would we hang around in mortal homes for no reason?

Aren't you living in mine?

I'm only staying to recover from my injuries.

Special case. Got it?

Fine, fine.

So what you're saying is, under special circumstances,

you would infest someone's home?

Obviously.

Listen,

I saw a huge white serpent at Lady Liu's place.

A white serpent?

Its body was as thick as a barrel, about 30, 40 feet tall.

A serpent that huge has to be a demon.

You don't think Lady Liu

got sick because of that white serpent demon?

Well...

I'd have to see it to know for sure.

Let me get this straight.

So the Zhuan Fish demons at the hot springs

and the little demons at the massage parlor

are fighting over business?

I heard a lot had been happening at your manor lately.

It's been a while since you last came to Demon City.

There are some matters I'm unsure how to handle.

I was hoping for your perspective.

There are things you can't handle?

And here I thought you were brilliantly clever

and capable of anything.

Hang on.

Why does this sound familiar?

I think Hu Zhu mentioned this to me before.

Wasn't it something that happened ages ago?

Maybe

they've started squabbling again.

Here are the ledgers from the hot springs and massage parlor

Go over them with me,

let's see where the problem lies.

I hate ledgers.

Numbers give me a headache.

(Liu Residence)

It's getting late. Why isn't she back?

Loach!

What are you doing, Master Snake?

Since she won't be back anytime soon,

and they won't let you into the manor,

what's the point of waiting around?

Might as well take me for a stroll.

I've been cooped up in your place so long. It's been boring.

Where do you want to go?

Someplace with food.

Food for you?

You're smaller than a flatbread! What could you even eat?

Stop! Alright, alright! I'm taking you there now!

We're going now.

Master Snake, in Chang'an you'll find not only local specialties,

but exotic flavors from the Western Regions and Southern Frontiers too.

Up ahead, there's mutton soup and ox intestine sausages.

And of course, my personal favorite, layered pastry.

And this stall here has great wine-marinated chicken.

- Master Snake? - Come again.

- Master Snake? - Come again!

Where does this loach come from?

Oh... Boss.

Boss, I'll take this one.

I just saw a loach crawl over it.

How about another one?

No, I want this one.

Alright then.

- Here you go. - Thank you.

Come again!

Master Snake, are you alright?

He hit me on the head.

He actually smacked me with a skimmer!

Count yourself lucky.

Didn't you see he had a knife in his hand too?

What shop is this?

Why is it so dark here?

It's an ink shop. They sell ink here.

This doesn't suit my tastes at all.

It's not for eating.

It's for painting.

Painting?

Ah, I see.

This black stuff is meant for painting me, isn't it?

Not that they could ever capture my true magnificence.

I ran out of ink at home. I'm here to buy some good ones.

- Boss! - Coming!

Young Master Mei, it's been a while.

I want some top-grade storax ink sticks.

Ah, bad timing.

A wealthy patron bought up all the good ink a few days ago.

All of it?

Yes.

Normally, I'm lucky to sell an ounce in months,

but this time, he cleared me out completely.

If only I'd stocked up more.

But I need ink urgently.

Please wait a moment.

If you're interested, you could try this.

Someone left it here on consignment.

Look at it, smooth texture, glossy sheen, like polished lacquer.

This is absolutely top-quality.

Premium ink?

No doubt about it.

This is better than storax ink.

- I'll take it. - Alright!

- Thank you! - Come again, Young Master Mei.

Lord Qiang Yi.

I finally got to spend time with her today.

You're only a fractured soul.

I would not allow anyone to disturb us,

not even if the Heavenly Emperor himself descended.