Original subtitles

[Shadow Love]

[Episode 23]

No matter how powerful you are,

you can't defend against the malice in the dark.

You've been crying for so long.

You'll wake up

to the swollen eyes tomorrow.

This medicine

can fix the swelling.

It works wonders.

Also,

Nanxing sacrificed his life for you

because he wanted you to live well,

not to beat yourself up about him

for the rest of your life.

He's already gone,

and as the survivor,

all you can do is move on.

Get some rest.

[General's Residence]

About the Crown Prince,

have you really made up your mind?

Right now,

numerous people are keeping eyes on the General's Residence.

We're definitely

surrounded by Prince Li's spies.

To keep the Crown Prince safe

and deceive everyone,

we must play this charade.

We can't return to Yunjing anymore.

I'll find a safe place

and send the Crown Prince there.

His life comes first.

Even fierce tigers don't eat their cubs,

yet as a ruler of a nation,

he's resorted to such despicable means.

How ridiculous.

That's why

we must protect the Crown Prince

to safeguard

Taijin's last hope.

Hope he gets your good intentions.

[Zang Mansion]

No way.

Your Highness,

the spies have reported

that General Li actually fell out with the Crown Prince.

Today at 8 a.m.,

the Changfeng Army

will escort the Crown Prince's carriage

out of Lucheng.

Does Li Shuang

try to distance herself from Su Muyang

after realizing the consequences?

No matter what,

go intercept the carriage immediately

and make sure to bring the Crown Prince back to me.

Understood.

What's the point of panicking?

Since we've already set out,

excessive anxiety

won't help anyway.

Lucheng might be remote,

but at least General Li can protect us

from Prince Li's endless harassment.

Now that we're leaving,

-I'm afraid… -All these years,

I've been living in fear,

keeping my head down.

Isn't that just how I've survived?

That I've made it

this far alive

is already a luxury.

Your Highness!

General Li sending us away

for their own safety

is understandable.

But from now on,

I have no one

to rely on in this world.

You've followed me for so long.

I will certainly treat you fairly.

If you wish to live out the rest of your life in peace,

take this money

and flee.

Your Highness,

I have served by your side since childhood.

My life

already belongs to you, Your Highness.

I will protect you with my life

and will never abandon you.

Good.

Then you'll

accompany me through this final ordeal.

Yes.

Lucheng is a remote

and isolated place,

perfect for secret murder without leaving a trace.

Do you really think

we can make it out of here alive today?

Prince Li invites you over.

Stay still!

We have prepared fine horses.

Please mount it now, Crown Prince.

Prince Li is inviting the Crown Prince.

What does that have to do with a commoner like me

who's just out for a hike?

What?

Tell me.

What do you mean he disappeared?

Please calm down, Your Highness.

We carried out your command to intercept the Crown Prince's carriage,

but inside it

sat only Jin'an from the General's Residence.

I dared not act rashly,

so I had to let Jin'an go

and hurry back to report.

How dare you return without capturing him?

Without Baoxing around,

none of you seems capable of doing anything right!

Spare me, Your Highness.

Keep searching.

Bring him to me,

dead or alive.

Understood.

Jin'an deliberately exposed himself

to lure them into pursuing him.

Prince Li's men took the bait.

The Crown Prince has secretly left the city.

Once beyond Lucheng's jurisdiction,

the Grand General's friends

and students along the way will have his back.

They should be able

to ensure His Highness's safety.

Jin'an's trick of secret swapping

has indeed worked.

General.

General.

Reports from outside the city say

that His Highness's carriage

hasn't arrived at the meeting point.

The Crown Prince

seems to have disappeared.

Disappeared?

Yes.

Huai'en?

Huai'en!

Huai'en!

Your Highness.

Your Highness!

Did you get hurt, Your Highness?

Your Highness,

I'll go check it out.

Protect His Highness!

You guys...

Huai'en?

Huai'en!

Huai'en.

Huai'en?

Your Highness,

where are you heading?

Didn't expect

Prince Li to have such an extraordinary sidekick.

Prince Li has never

liked such roundabout tactics.

As remote as that road is,

he could have simply killed me directly

without going to all this trouble.

Your Highness, you're so sharp-witted.

I was right about you.

Who are you?

How dare you imprison the Crown Prince?

How rude of you.

When did I ever imprison His Highness?

The door is right over there.

If you want to leave,

you're free to go anytime.

You went to great lengths to bring me here.

While you haven't treated me with proper courtesy,

you haven't hurt me either.

What on earth are you up to?

Your Highness, you're perceptive.

Prince Li is desperately trying to kill you.

General Li

is also in a hurry to cut ties with you

to save her own skin.

But Your Highness, if you were to leave this place,

wouldn't that be

walking straight into danger?

Staying between two opposing armies,

and being so familiar with news from the city,

are you

from Yao State?

It's a pity, though.

I bear the mere title of Crown Prince

with no real power.

If you plan to use me

to force Taijin to submit,

I'm afraid

you're wasting your time.

Your Highness,

just look.

I'm merely

a wandering brute from the jianghu

with no place in my heart for state affairs.

I just feel

that you, as the Crown Prince,

are bullied all the time

and live in constant fear like a stray dog.

I simply can't stand to watch it anymore.

I brought you over

to offer you a way out

to start anew.

Tempting smooth talk

always has a reason behind it.

Rather than waste time beating around the bush,

why don't you just cut to the chase?

Fair enough.

The General's Residence

has something I'm after.

I heard about the Crown Prince's matter.

Any updates?

We've searched everywhere along the way.

Not only the Crown Prince,

but the whole convoy's gone,

as if they vanished into thin air.

Could they have gotten lost?

The escorting soldiers

were all carefully selected,

knowing Lucheng's terrain like the back of their hands.

I've sent reinforcements

to expand the search area.

We must find him.

Are you going

to look for him in person?

This happened because of me.

I can't sit by and do nothing.

Ji Ran and the others are searching along the way.

Then we

can check those rugged areas.

We might

discover something unexpected.

The footprints seem

to be heading that way.

Let's go.

The footprints

end right here.

I've been wondering.

Since those people using the silver needles

have kept targeting you,

why would they drag the Crown Prince into it this time?

Perhaps after losing to me repeatedly,

they couldn't accept it

and wanted to leverage the Crown Prince

to force me to come out.

I'm thinking

that His Highness

shouldn't have to suffer so much.

Although my father

has always treated me like his own,

I've known well that living under someone else's roof,

I must be careful

with my words and behaviors.

I know you don't want excessive intakes of sweets to affect your sword practice,

so I told the palace maids

to use less sugar.

Others thought I was always standing up for the Crown Prince,

but few knew

that His Highness

was my only friend back then.

Now,

he's in danger

due to my oversight.

Regret won't help.

We should find the Crown Prince as soon as possible.

And then

I'll figure out what to do next.

Let's treat your wound first.

If it gets infected,

we'll lose both the Crown Prince

and you.

So what's your plan?

You knew that the man in black

was one of their targets.

To keep me safe,

you planned

to take it all on yourself.

You had to send the Crown Prince away,

so you felt guilty.

Yet Prince Li was relentless,

leaving you nowhere to hide.

So you planned to go all out.

I know everything in your mind,

and I'll help you make it all.

You've been on edge lately,

not even getting any proper rest.

Shuang,

you still have me by your side.

You're willing to risk your life for me,

and I would do the same for you.

I don't want to see anyone die.

I just want to end this mess

and spend

the rest of my life with you.

In those biography scrolls I've read,

all the young ladies would cry their eyes out

at the slightest injury.

But look at you.

With all these wounds,

you haven't even flinched,

let alone shed a tear.

Ever since I entered Lucheng,

I'm no longer some pampered lady.

I'm the General of the Changfeng Army.

I have neither the time

nor the luxury to be weak.

But I'm different from the others.

You are everyone's general,

yet you're my one and only beloved Shuang.

It's alright.

Neither I

nor these lush woods and bright moon

would know it.

Master.

Li Shuang's broken into the secret forest with her man.

They're heading this way.

I knew she would come,

but I didn't expect it to be this soon.

Seems like you don't have much time left

to consider, Your Highness.

You and Prince Li are

meant for a fight to the death.

Instead of

fleeing and hiding,

why not go all out and fight to the bitter end?

Your Highness,

I can ensure your survival

or even help you rise to power in one fell swoop,

free from future worries.

As Crown Prince,

you have no power, no influence.

And even the loyalty and friendship that could've

saved your life are gone now.

If you don't join hands with me,

what other path

do you have other than death?

What are you after

in the General's Residence?

The man in black,

Jin'an.

I can sense

the stronger aura of the Crown Prince.

Help.

Help...

Help me.

Your Highness.

Your Highness!

Are you hurt, Your Highness?

Let's first find a way

to take them back.

Your Highness!

Anxiety and fear

have made it hard for you to focus.

Though there are no serious problems,

you still need some good rest.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Run, Your Highness.

Your Highness, run.

Your Highness.

Mr. Mo Yin.

Your Highness.

Huai'en was injured because of me.

Could you

check on him for me?

Of course, Your Highness.

I treat

all patients equally,

with no distinction

between princes and commoners.

[That weird.]

[Why do]

[these wounds show traces of Wuling Mountain techniques?]

Is there something wrong?

Don't worry, Your Highness.

Despite some internal injuries,

no vital parts were hurt, fortunately.

He only needs some medicine to promote circulation

and reduce bruising.

Your Highness.

Are you alright, Your Highness?

His Highness is fine.

Your Highness.

Do you know

who abducted you?

Who else could it be?

As long as I'm alive,

my dear brother

won't easily let me go.

Had Huai'en not saved me,

I would probably

be dead now.

This one's on me.

Sorry for my oversight

and lack of consideration.

-I promise that next time... -Promise what?

Promise that next time

you'll successfully throw me even farther away?

General,

His Highness just got out of danger and needs some peace and rest.

Please talk to him

after His Highness feels better.

Then we will

take our leave.

Mr. Mo Yin, please hold on a minute.

Due to treacherous mountain paths,

I accidentally got some minor injuries.

Would you mind helping me dress them?

General, you truly are a remarkable woman.

You don't seem concerned about the social distance

between men and women.

How clumsy the man was

to bandage the wound

this badly!

Thank you for your help, sir.

Sir, you've put aside our past grudges

and offered us so much generous help.

I really appreciate it.

General, Miss Lu told me

that you never

take good care of yourself

and even pay

no attention

to minor wounds.

You specifically asked me to dress your wounds today.

I guess

you have something to ask me, right?

His Highness was thrown into a great fright this time.

Is he really alright?

Not only is he fine,

he's even in much better shape than you are, General.

Then

what about Huai'en?

This man is extremely loyal.

I think he must have been

fretting over the Crown Prince's situation recently,

causing him digestive problems.

Just now,

when I checked his pulse,

guess what I found?

What?

His constipation

has lasted for at least five days.

In this case,

it seems

that I was overthinking it.

It's never wrong to overthink a matter of life and death.

In my opinion,

it's uneasy to cure him.

If this keeps up,

I'm afraid it could lead to serious complications.

Where

did you get this?

Weren't you so into the show you put on just now?

Why quit acting now?

Ever since you showed up in Lu City,

I've suspected your identity.

Despite our meticulous plan,

the Crown Prince was still abducted.

So it was because of you,

a spy hiding in my place.

General, you must be joking.

Not even the deepest dungeon could hold me.

For the Crown Prince, a mere weakling,

why would I bother working as a spy for others?

Since you recognize this needle,

you must know its owner

and must be involved in it somehow.

If you don't come clean,

I'll have no choice but to throw you into prison

for relentless interrogation.

Why don't you let people finish speaking

before resorting to force?

I don't know why this person

kidnapped the Crown Prince.

I came to your place

for the man in black.

Or should I say,

Jin'an?

How much do you know about him?

General, you can rest assured.

I've been at your residence for so many days.

If I truly wanted to harm anyone,

I'd have done it long ago.

Why would I wait until today?

During your long stay at my residence,

you've been keeping a low profile.

I guess it's because

you're no match for the man in black, right?

As unpredictable as your martial arts skills are,

I can do nothing to you.

Guess I'll

have to call Jin'an for help.

I once thought you were an upright and reliable general.

Didn't expect you

to be as cunning as Jin'an.

The Jade Linglong inside Jin'an's body is

a sacred relic of my Wuling Mountain.

Do you mean

that only by removing the Jade Linglong

can we save Jin'an?

This way, we can save

not only him, but also you

and all the other living beings.

Will it endanger his life?

No, it won't.

But whether it's removed or not,

all his memories of you, General,

will be totally wiped out.

Jin'an and I originally agreed

that when everything was settled,

he'd go to Wuling Mountain with me.

But given the complicated situation now,

he doesn't have much time left.

I have to...

I have to spill

everything to you

like a big-mouthed guy.

If he refuses

to go with me one day in the future,

I might

need to ask for your help, General.

Has Jin'an

known about this all along?

He didn't want you to worry,

so he kept it from you on purpose.

I'm not in cahoots

with this silver needle's owner.

Many years ago,

my godfather was murdered,

and the Jade Linglong was stolen.

The same silver needle

was left at the scene.

I have a blood feud with its owner.

General, please

tell me the truth about it.

Since I brought Jin'an back to my residence,

this person has launched several attacks on us.

He acts in a mysterious way,

coming and going without a trace.

I know very little about him.

The only clue is

that he can use silver needles

to manipulate innocent people at will.

Could it be the acupoint-sealing needle?

Some time ago,

I had Jin'an draw his portrait

and searched everywhere,

but still found no trace of him.

So you do recognize him, sir.

Who is he?

I can not jump to conclusions,

but I will certainly get to the bottom of it.

This person kidnapped the Crown Prince,

yet was willing to let him return safe and sound.

He must be up to something big.

I urge you, General,

not to let your guard down.

The shadow puppet is way too powerful.

I've set several traps.

Still, he not only escaped easily

but also injured me.

The shadow puppet and the Jade Linglong haven't perfectly merged yet.

If he loses his mind,

the consequences of the chaotic power can be devastating.

If we don't act decisively now,

it'll be a big threat looming large in the future.

You're already so exhausted,

yet you still try to stay awake?

Let me finish what I'm working on first.

I'm sorry

for keeping you up so late with me.

I couldn't fall asleep anyway.

You've been working until the middle of the night.

What

is this exactly?

This is the child doll I made for Nanxing.

And this is his wife.

I've thought it over.

I plan to visit him

first thing tomorrow morning.

You're right.

There's something

we must get over.

Those who remain

need to move on.

Nanxing saved your life.

The doll you made is so ugly.

Isn't that

repaying kindness with ingratitude?

I've tried my best.

Nanxing's biggest wish in life

was to have a family of his own.

Now that he's gone,

no matter what,

I must do everything I can

to fulfill that wish for him.

With such good intentions,

you're certainly honoring all that Nanxing did for you.

To honor his kindness,

I should find the one who killed him

and finish the murderer

to avenge him.

An eye for an eye, and this cycle of revenge will never end.

Do you have to trap yourself in this worldly karma?

You're saying so

because you've never experienced

the pain of losing someone close to you.

Now that he's gone,

these things

are just meant to ease

the regrets and guilt

of the living.

They're all fake.

Make the murderer pay with his life.

That's the only real thing I can do for him.

What if

the killer is someone on good terms with you

or even one of your family members?

Would you still have to kill them?

If they were truly my family,

how could they hurt someone important to me?

Nanxing,

I've brought you your wife and child.

You can rest in peace now.

Thank you

for making such a beautiful family for Nanxing.

I might be

leaving soon.

This is Clear Moon Pearl.

Take it.

Why give me something so valuable?

You want to rebuild the clinic,

and I can't think of any other way

to help you.

Ordinary people love fortune.

Money is always

the way to go.

Jin'an,

I need to leave the General's Residence for something urgent.

Do you remember our agreement?

There's something

I want to figure out.

What do you think makes shadow puppets

lose control?

I'm not sure.

I only heard about it

from my godfather when I was young.

Many years ago,

there was a shadow puppet in the mountains.

It seemed like a normal man,

who even got married and had children in the village below,

living an ordinary life.

But later, for some reason,

it suddenly lost control

and slaughtered everyone

in the entire village within one night.

Therefore,

to ensure peace for all people,

I must take you back with me.

I'll go with you.

The moment you told me

that the Jade Linglong would drain Shuang's life,

I just made this decision.

But right now, Lucheng is in turmoil.

Shuang is caught in the middle of it

and having a hard time.

I need to help her get through this crisis first.

But the Jade Linglong is unpredictable.

What if you

completely lose control before then?

If I lose control,

can you protect the people at the General's Residence for me?

I have no connection with them.

I only want to get what I'm after.

If I totally lose it,

please

guarantee their safety

even if it means killing me.

I promise you

that once everything is settled,

I'll go with you.

Alright,

I promise you

that I'll do my best.

If necessary,

I'll take extreme measures.

Thank you.

Do shadow puppets

also have compassion

and concerns about others' lives?

Your Highness,

latest reports say

that Li Shuang's brought the Crown Prince

back to the General's Residence.

When did this happen?

Around dawn.

After they returned,

the General's Residence shut the doors to all visitors.

Not even a fly had come out

until sunset.

Li Shuang

sent the Crown Prince away and then brought him back again.

What trick is she playing?

What's the use of wild speculation?

Who's there?

Your Highness, don't be afraid.

I mean you no harm.

I've come

to offer you

a great gift.

Everyone, leave us alone.

-Yes. -Yes.

Your Highness, if you want to kill the Crown Prince,

you just need to strike directly.

Although Li Shuang commands powerful forces,

the Changfeng Army isn't

the Li family's private army after all.

She wouldn't dare use them arbitrarily.

The General's Residence has only a few dozen people.

As long as you bring enough troops,

there's no way you'll lose.

Since you know this matter so well,

how could you not know

that Li Shuang's got

a man in black who has

overwhelming power to even fight thousands of soldiers?

Please don't worry about that man, Your Highness.

On the day of the heavenly calamity,

he will certainly not appear before you.