Original subtitles

[Blood River]

[Based on the novel of the same name from Zhou Munan's Youth in Jianghu series]

[Available on fanqienovel.com & bkneng.com]

[Episode 1]

The martial world of Beili is vast and turbulent.

Xueyue City in the south,

Wushuang City in the east,

and the Tang Clan, together with other prestigious sects,

built the brilliance and order of the martial world.

But beneath the brilliance,

there must be shadows.

Blood River,

the most mysterious assassin organization.

Once you join Blood River,

you live only as someone's blade.

Still, there are those who seek light in the dark,

hoping to reach the shore amid raging currents.

The tide of Blood River

begins

to surge once more.

[Su Muyu, Blood River]

Why

do I wield a sword?

[Chou the Ox, one of the Twelve Zodiacs of Spider Shadow]

Lord Kui,

we have news.

[The Patriarch's meeting Second Master Tang in Liaoluo City. There's an ambush.]

[Second Master Tang, Tang Clan]

The snow comes too late for spring,

and turns into flying petals on the courtyard trees.

I thought the winter

had ended.

People our age

are always impatient

for winter to pass.

But somehow, just as it ended,

it snowed again.

Blood River,

the world's best assassin organization.

They kill ministers and nobles

in the imperial court,

or wipe out entire sects

in the martial world.

Right or wrong, good or evil.

It means nothing to them.

You've led such an organization

for thirty years.

You must be tired.

I'm already an old man.

[Patriarch of Blood River] If not for an obsession,

the blood inside me

would've long gone cold.

Thirty years ago,

we had a duel,

but there was no winner.

As per our pact,

I returned to lead the Blood River,

and you assisted Grand Master Tang

in rebuilding the Tang Clan.

Thirty years later,

we meet again to continue the duel.

Yes.

I've lived in seclusion in Liaoluo City for years.

It's time to stretch my body.

I've been waiting for this day.

I was too arrogant when I was young.

I tried to catch one of your hidden weapons with my bare hands

and nearly died from the poison.

I won't fall for that again.

You may be able to catch a few of them,

but what about

Blossom Shower?

How will you deal with that?

What a brilliant move.

It's been a long time

since I've had such a great fight.

The duel

we promised thirty years ago

is for victory,

not for life.

To an assassin,

there's no victory or defeat,

only life or death.

What a shame.

Shame?

What a shame

that your swift slash just now

drained most of your zhenqi.

And what a shame

that you thought you were the one in control.

Little did you know,

you were also a pawn in someone else's game.

Muyu,

didn't I tell you

not to meddle

in my affairs?

Someone wanted to attack you

during your duel

with Second Master Tang.

Kill two birds with one stone, huh?

Old fellow,

you've had a killing intent

during our duel.

You know me.

I've always demanded fairness.

Show Falls

on a Plum Blossom.

On the road six feet under,

I'll take my rest.

Don't keep me waiting too long.

Sir,

let's head back to Blood River

and get the best physician

to heal you.

We can't return to Blood River.

Su,

Mu,

and Xie.

How long do you think

the Three Families have waited to hear

that I was injured?

Those assassins just now

were all their people.

But...

Go to Qiantang City.

I have an acquaintance

there.

The martial senior of the King of Medicine, Xin Baicao.

Go...

Go look for her.

Her name is Bai Hehuai.

[Three days later] In the early spring

of the 11th year of Mingde's reign,

since the great calamity

brought by the Demonic Sect,

three years have passed.

Now, the martial world

is at peace, with fewer conflicts.

Meanwhile, the Blood River

hides

in the most powerful sect,

an assassin organization

formed by the Su, Xie, and Mu families.

[Second Master Tang has died.] But now, the head of the Three Families,

[Mu Mingce has been poisoned] the Patriarch,

[by Snow Falls on a Plum Blossom.] has been poisoned,

and turmoil is imminent.

The martial world,

and even the imperial court,

which had rested in a fleeting peace,

are about to be shattered.

Mu Mingce's gravely injured.

Seems like

we need to choose

a new patriarch.

[Earth Official, Soul Reapers' Hall] He's grown old

[Water Official, Soul Reapers' Hall] and slipping

out of our control.

Send word to the Three Families.

If the Patriarch dies,

whoever seizes the Dormant Dragon Sword first

and returns to Soul Reapers' Hall to report

shall be

[Heaven Official, Soul Reapers' Hall] the new patriarch.

Then all hell will break loose.

It's the chaos

that brings forth a new head of Blood River.

[Baihe Medicine Hall]

Baihe Medicine Hall?

[Su Changhe, the Su family]

Here we are.

[Su Zhe, the Su family]

Your informant says

they'll come here to look for that famed physician?

Yes.

The Patriarch was poisoned

and won't last long.

And here

lives the martial senior

of the King of Medicine.

Master Su hopes

this martial senior

will not appear.

Or better,

he never existed.

People chew betel nuts

and smoke.

They look like they're enjoying themselves.

Uncle Zhe,

why are you eating dried plums instead?

There was once a woman who told me

that betel nuts are bad for health.

Do you want one?

No thanks.

Since when

have you become so polite?

I learned that from Su Muyu.

An assassin should have manners

when visiting someone's door.

But this miracle physician

doesn't seem to welcome us.

Perhaps King of Medicine's martial senior

is old,

and his hearing has gone.

Knock harder.

Uncle Zhe,

are you knocking?

You looked more like trying to kill him.

Aren't we here to kill him?

Who's that?

Making such noise.

My ears will go deaf.

Young lady,

may I ask if your master

is at home?

My master

has gone out to see patients.

How about this?

I'll look for him.

That would be a great help, young lady.

What did you do?

Oh, my apologies. My hand slipped.

Here.

This is Scented Ointment.

Rub it on your face,

and in less than one hour,

that red mark

will disappear.

Ridiculous.

The Scented Ointment that can be tracked by medicine snakes.

He thinks such tricks will fool me?

Young lady,

are you a physician?

Why?

Do I not look like one?

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to offend you.

Mister,

are you asking for directions?

You have keen eyes, young lady.

May I ask

if there's a medicine hall nearby

called Baihe?

Are you here to see a physician?

I'm quite skilled myself.

You can ask for my help.

Someone in my family is seriously ill,

and he specifically asked for

the miracle physician of Baihe Medicine Hall.

Anyway, thank you for your kindness.

How do you know

I'm not

from Baihe Medicine Hall?

Could it be that you are...

Of course I am.

Young lady, please

take me to your master.

My master?

He can't come here right now,

but he told me

a guest was coming

from very far away.

It must be you, I suppose.

He asked me to go with you first.

I hope you don't mind.

I'm in a rush,

so please mount up.

We've arrived.

Sir.

You've come just in time, sir.

Something's wrong

with the Patriarch.

Where's the miracle physician?

I'm standing

right in front of you.

How can you not see me?

Is she the miracle physician?

No.

Fine, I'll leave.

Please don't be offended.

She's the miracle physician's disciple.

She came on her master's behalf

to check the Patriarch's condition.

Please come with me.

I feel

there's a ghost inside.

Don't be afraid, young lady.

Sir.

The last time I saw you,

you were just

a dirty kid with snot hanging.

The last time I saw you,

you were

a god of killing

who was ready to draw your blade at any time.

I'm still ready to draw my blade anytime.

Only my hair has turned white.

My hands

are still stained crimson.

Enough talking.

Let me read your pulse

to see if you

can still draw your sword.

Put away your killing aura.

If you scare me

and my hand trembles,

your Patriarch

will be done for.

Snow Falls on a Plum Blossom?

That's right.

How are you still alive?

My Kui

took the blow for me.

Only half a plum hit me.

I'm barely holding on.

That's the Second Master Tang's

signature poison.

It's said to be the top poison of the Tang Clan,

ranked second in the world,

second only to the poison created by the Wen family head,

Illusion.

They say

no one but Second Master Tang himself

can cure it.

Where's Second Master Tang?

I killed him.

I didn't know the Patriarch of Blood River

would take a killing mission himself.

Young lady,

can you cure it?

There's a saying in Medicine King Valley.

"As long as one's not dead, they can be saved."

However...

Tell me what you need.

Speak plainly.

That's what I wanted to hear.

Of course,

I can heal him.

As long as...

As long as?

...you can pay well.

Looks like

she's seen through your trick.

She threw the bottle away

as soon as she left the manor.

Seems we were wrong.

Wrong about what?

We let the real miracle physician slip away.

Fortunately,

I made some preparations.

Alright.

Find me a place to stay.

It's too much trouble running back and forth.

Aren't you sending your master over?

My master?

He passed away a long time ago.

Why do you all keep trying to make him

crawl out from the grave?

What?

The King of Medicine's martial senior is dead?

Muyu,

you're mistaken.

The person before you

is the martial senior

of the King of Medicine.

The last disciple of Li Yuzhen,

the founder of Medicine King Valley,

Bai Hehuai.

[Bai Hehuai, Medicine King Valley] I'm Bai Hehuai, a physician.

Greetings, sir.

Greetings, Lord Kui.

Lord Kui, I'm peckish.

Forgive me, Miss Bai.

We're in the wilderness.

It's hard to find good food.

This is all we have.

That's all right.

Having something to eat is good enough.

Better than

having to eat

my martial senior's herbal cooking in the Medicine King Valley.

You must be wondering

how I know your identity.

Since you and the Patriarch are old acquaintances,

you must've heard of us.

When I was little,

my master used to tell me stories

to make me study medicine.

In his stories,

there was often

an organization called Blood River.

It's formed by Su, Xie, and Mu,

the Three Families.

Their leader

is known as the Patriarch.

Under him

is a direct assassin unit called Spider Shadow.

[Rat, Snake, Ox, Rabbit, Dog, Tiger] The strongest twelve

[Horse, Dragon, Pig, Sheep, Chicken] take the Earthly Branches

as their code names,

and their commander

is Kui.

The people I saw today

all wore animal masks,

but you alone

wear a blood-red demon mask

and stand beside the Patriarch.

Who else could you be

but Kui?

Your understanding of us

is much deeper than I imagined.

I also know

every Kui

is trained

as the future Patriarch.

The last Kui

is

dead?

I'm sorry.

I couldn't tell you

about such confidential matters.

But the last Kui

is my father.

Can't I even ask about that?

You must be kidding, Miss Bai.

Forget it if you don't believe me.

Whether someone lives or dies

seems to be a secret to you.

But given your sensitive identity,

you're awfully conspicuous.

Why not keep that a secret instead?

I once asked my senior the same thing.

As assassins,

we should do everything possible to conceal our identities.

Why do we

wear it so plainly

on our faces?

What did he say?

"It's a sense of ceremony.

You don't understand a thing."

Why are you suddenly slurring your words?

I'm not slurring,

he is.

That reminds me.

Could the man I saw

during the day

be from your sect?

Does he carry

a staff

with golden rings on it?

So Uncle Zhe came too.

And the other one who plays with a dagger.

That's Changhe.

Chen the Dragon,

get ready.

Take Miss Bai and go now.

Yes, sir.

Where are we going?

Jiuxiao City.

No one knows Changhe better than I do.

We've definitely walked into his trap

by now.

Yu,

everything is set.

Miss Bai,

this is Mao the Rabbit.

[Mao the Rabbit, one of the Twelve Zodiacs of Spider Shadow]

Go with her.

Take care.

Lord Kui,

I hope we'll meet again

in Jiuxiao City.

Don't call me Lord Kui.

Just call me Su Muyu.

Su Muyu.

That really is a beautiful name.

See you.

You said you made preparations.

And we're just waiting here?

The Xie's blade, and the Mu's ghost.

They're getting impatient.

But I'm different.

I'm lazy.

It's better to follow

those who hustle.

I may be slower,

but never late.

You broke the news to them,

and both families sent people here?

You sly kid.

Master Su sent you over.

He's determined to take that seat.

The cleverest me and the strongest you.

Uncle Zhe,

once Blood River's top assassin,

the previous Lord Kui.

[Mu and Xie have arrived at the abandoned post on the outskirts. ]

[Only one of the Three Families has yet to show up.]

An abandoned post on the outskirts?

The show's about to start.

Let's go, Uncle Zhe.

Master Su

must be anxious by now.

As expected

of the infamous Umbrella Ghost.

This line marks the boundary.

Please don't cross it.

[Xie Qianji, the Xie family] Purple Boot Ghost and

Blade Yama of the Xie family.

[Xie Jinke, the Xie family]

You shouldn't be here.

What a bore.

You saw through us

right away.

But our family head heard

that the Patriarch had been badly injured.

He was anxious

and wanted to bring him back

to the main hall for treatment.

The Patriarch is fine.

Whether the Patriarch is fine,

please allow me

to see him

and confirm.

Otherwise,

I can't explain it.

What does that

have to do with me?

You don't want us

to see the Patriarch.

Do you intend

to delay the treatment we offer?

That would be one good reason.

But for that reason to hold,

there's only one possibility.

Kill you?

That's right.

A blade hidden in the umbrella?

Why not show it?

The Xie family's Wind Whirling Blade.

Impressive.

Die!

Do you really think I'm that weak?

Inch Blade.

Good one.

Tell your family head.

If he withdraws now,

the Patriarch

will pretend

nothing happened.

If he keeps being stubborn,

don't blame the Spider Shadow for being ruthless.

Are you going to

spare us?

Fellow members of the Blood River

are family.

Let's go.

You're here.

You don't look pleased

to see me,

my Lord Kui.

I knew you'd come,

but I hoped you'd come later.

Master Su asked me to relay a message.

You're part of the Su family.

Now I am Kui,

the ghost among men.

I belong to Blood River,

not to any single family.

You're always so serious.

No fun at all.

When you were a Nameless,

you woke up early to practice swordwork.

You were

a hardworking practitioner.

Later, when you became an assassin,

every mission

you completed

was flawless.

Now you're a Kui,

and you're still so diligent.

The Patriarch is dying soon.

Are you going to throw your life away

for him?

The Patriarch is fine.

You shouldn't have started

this rumor.

If he were fine,

why would he have looked for

Xin Baicao's martial senior?

If you kill him

and take the Dormant Dragon Sword,

you could get

what you want most.

Freedom.

Right.

Leave the Su family. Leave the Blood River.

Go wherever you want.

Do whatever you like.

You know

Blood River has

never allowed that.

Yet Master Su

is willing to make an exception for you.

What if I say no?

We are the Sus.

We've lived in the Su residence for so many years.

You've only followed him

for years as a Kui.

How deep can your bond with him

be compared to the Su family?

I don't care

what you think.

Right now I am Kui,

and my duty is

to keep the Patriarch safe.

Everything

or every condition

mustn't

go beyond this.

Yes.

That's right.

I replied to Master Su

exactly the same thing.

I knew

you'd say that.

And?

And he said,

"If that's the case,

kill him."

♪Like fate, winding with the tide♪

♪Who can ford this river of night?♪

♪Where's the far shore we chase all our lives?♪

♪Surrendering all hues for a glimmer of light♪

♪Through joy and sorrow♪

♪Still I can't let go♪

♪Longing keeps me awake at night♪

♪My heart no longer my own♪

♪No one can escape from love♪

♪How many hidden feelings♪

♪Sink in silence deep?♪

♪Searching through the endless nights♪

♪Struggling on the edge of love and pain♪

♪Shadows crossing shadows♪

♪Whose name hides in your eyes?♪

♪When the wind blows, ask not when I shall return♪

♪Ask not when I shall return♪

♪Like fate, winding with the tide♪

♪Who can ford this river of night?♪

♪Where's the far shore we chase all our lives?♪

♪Surrendering all hues for a glimmer of light♪

♪Through joy and sorrow♪

♪Still I can't let go♪

♪Longing keeps me awake at night♪

♪My heart no longer my own♪

♪No one can escape from love♪

♪My heart no longer my own♪

♪No one can escape from love♪