Original subtitles

[Sword and Beloved]

[Episode 26]

Qingtong.

As long as the whole world believes

that you killed them,

by then,

Qianji City will be your only refuge.

The shape of this wound...

Could it be…

Lady Hero,

this…

this was left by the killer.

[Wangquan Shouren will die on the night of Frost's Descent.]

Ridiculous.

There's no way this could've been done by Fugui.

Because the murdered Master Ximen

and Elder Shouren mentioned in the killer's message—

the thing they had in common

was that they'd both opposed Senior Fugui before.

So now rumors are spreading everywhere

that Senior Fugui has returned for revenge.

I believe in him.

He'd never do such a thing.

What else have you found out?

Master Ximen's Achilles' tendons were severed by someone.

That sword mark...

seems familiar.

It looks like...

Like what?

The work of the Dust-Seeker Sword.

The Dust-Seeker Sword?

I remember—that sword

was a gift from Fugui to Miss Qingtong.

Master,

could it really be them?

We must get to the bottom of this.

Fugui and Miss Qingtong must not be falsely accused.

Also,

the most urgent thing now

is to send people to protect Elder Shouren at once,

in case something happens to him.

Okay.

Foolish.

[Invitation]

Why hold a banquet at such a time?

Master,

why hasn't your condition improved yet?

Didn't the physician say it was just a common cold?

It's fine.

I'll be better soon.

Go handle what I told you.

Huaizhu,

I just wanted our Fugui to live an ordinary life.

But now he's caught up in chaos again.

If your spirit is watching over us,

please grant me a little more time.

Right now…

I can't go to see you yet.

[Night Hotel]

Pour some tea for me.

Here you go, Master.

Tasty.

The tea is bitter. You don't like it?

Well, right outside,

there's a steamed bun shop.

Just turn right out the door.

Then

I'll go get you some.

Alright.

I'm a spider demon from the Silk Cave.

Greetings, Soldier.

The matter I asked Madam Yin to investigate—

how's it going now?

Madam has kept sending people out

to look for Miss Qingtong.

Unfortunately,

she still hasn't been found.

Though Miss Qingtong's whereabouts remain unknown,

recently,

something major happened in the Yiqi Alliance,

and it concerns you, Soldier.

The entire Ximen family was slaughtered.

The killer even left a message,

saying they'll kill Wangquan Shouren on Frost's Descent night.

When did this happen?

Just a few days ago.

Master Ximen

and Elder Shouren

both had grudges against you.

People all believe you're the killer.

The rumors are everywhere.

They say you ordered the demon at your side—

Miss Qingtong—to do it.

Elder Shouren,

to prove his conscience is clear,

has openly invited heroes from all around

to the Wangquan family's

Frost's Descent Banquet three days from now.

Thank you.

The scent of that person...

why does it feel so familiar?

Elder Shouren,

the killer still hasn't been found.

By hosting the Frost's Descent Banquet,

aren't you unnecessarily complicating things

and increasing the risk?

You're worried about retaliation, aren't you?

Everything I, Wangquan Shouren, have done

has been for the Yiqi Alliance

and the Wangquan family,

not…

for myself.

Why should I fear retaliation?

Elder, there is no need to speak out of spite.

Senior Fugui couldn't possibly be the killer!

If it's not the Soldier himself,

then it's one of his followers!

Anyway,

the invitations for the banquet have already been sent.

If Wangquan Hongye values his reputation,

he'll have to protect me at all costs.

You...

What?

I'll assign more guards

to protect you, Elder.

But before Frost's Descent,

no guests should be allowed inside.

Don't worry.

Most of them

are staying at the Night Hotel.

The Night Hotel?

Miss, your tea.

Why have the drinks gotten even pricier?

That's ridiculous!

It's all because of Elder Wangquan

and his Frost's Descent Banquet.

Who on earth killed the Yiqi Alliance's family masters?

Yeah.

Isn't it obvious?

It was the Soldier.

He and that spider demon by his side

did it together.

All those murdered family masters

once wanted the Soldier dead.

To take revenge, the Soldier

first severed their meridians

and then killed them to silence them.

Do you have proof?

You can't just make wild accusations.

There will be soon.

Master Ximen's body

is currently stored in Huntian Prison.

They're bound to find proof there.

I don't believe it.

What's so special about that prison?

Very special.

Let me put it this way for you:

any case

that reaches Huntian Prison

will surely be solved.

Master,

eat it while it's hot.

Have you noticed

something's really off about this place?

Don't look.

Right now, the entire Yiqi Alliance

thinks I killed those family masters.

Eat.

I remember now.

Master.

I ran into someone today,

the guy who asked you to write a letter last time.

Waiter!

Coming!

[Night Hotel]

Rumors are flying everywhere.

Master Ximen's death—

I'll find out the truth behind it.

There it is again—that scent.

But it's not quite the same as last time.

Qingtong?

Miss, your tea.

Stop staring.

Miss Liu sure is in high spirits today.

Eat.

Let me introduce you.

The guest she's entertaining today

is none other than the Chief Inspector of Huntian Prison,

Lord Zhuge Wu himself!

No wonder he looks so distinguished!

So it's Lord Zhuge Wu!

Come on, pour the wine!

Here.

Okay.

Hurry.

Lord Zhuge, please.

Okay.

[Huntian Prison]

Here, let me fill your cup.

Not enough.

More!

That's enough.

Lord Zhuge Wu,

from now on,

we'll be counting on you.

Sure thing.

Here, have some more food.

Fill up the cups!

Got it.

Miss, you are so pretty and graceful,

like a lotus right out of clear water.

I wonder if I

may have the honor of buying you a drink.

May I ask who you are, sir?

That doesn't matter.

Are you my master's beloved one?

Your master's beloved one?

You have the wrong person.

Impossible.

The Celestial Master has drawn so many portraits of you for me.

There is no way I would mistake you.

Yunfei.

I have a friend who looks a lot like you.

Her name is Qingtong.

Qingtong?

What a beautiful name.

I wonder

where she is now.

She must have been held up by something.

But she'll show up soon.

Young Master Fugui,

before the truth comes to light,

I have to pretend I don't know you.

Otherwise,

you will be dragged into danger.

Then I hope

that your wish will come true.

Oh, right.

There is one thing

that you may

be interested in.

[Huntian Prison]

You came for this, didn't you?

This token belongs to Zhuge Wu.

The Zhuges

usually idle their time away.

It just so happens they

bought themselves posts at Huntian Prison.

How do you know

that I want this token?

It was not hard.

Then would you give it to me?

You want this token

only because you want to enter Huntian Prison.

As it happens,

I am heading there too.

You two…

know each other?

We do not.

I am her younger brother.

May I ask who you are?

Qingtong,

I saw a bracelet on the way here.

I thought it would look beautiful on you.

Try it on.

I also bought some candied chestnuts.

I will shell them for you.

They smell amazing.

They must taste really sweet.

Then I will take my leave.

At midnight tonight,

meet me downstairs.

Close the door.

Alright.

Well?

I was not mistaken, was I?

This nose of mine

never gets it wrong.

But

why were you two pretending not to know each other?

Tonight at midnight,

I will go with her

to Huntian Prison.

Miss Qingtong is willing to see you?

Shut up.

It is fine.

If she pretends not to know you,

I will lend you the courtship manual the Celestial Master gave me.

Yunfei.

The courtship manual…

I'll pass.

Tonight,

I need you to help me deal with someone.

Who?

Don't you like the bracelet I gave you?

Qingcheng already has many complaints about Young Master Fugui.

I'd better not tell him about tonight

to avoid unnecessary complications.

It is just that

so much has happened lately,

and my mind is a little unsettled.

It's not that I don't like it.

Qingtong.

What's the matter?

If one day

you had to choose between Wangquan Fugui

and me,

who would you choose?

Qingcheng.

I…

Forget it.

I know who you would choose.

I will not make things hard for you.

Qingtong,

I will go back to my room.

Okay.

Qingcheng.

Let me introduce myself.

I am

Li Yunfei of the Li Army.

Where did this poor dog come from?

I am from the Li family.

This fried pancake is really delicious.

Do you want a bite?

No need.

You are so dull.

In the future,

when Miss Qingtong marries Master,

you absolutely cannot come along as part of her dowry.

What did you just say?

Why is your temper so bad?

My wife told me when I came out

that while I am outside,

I must not get into fights.

Calm down.

Calm down.

Calm down.

[Night Hotel]

Miss,

you are right on time.

For this trip,

riding the sword there and back

will still take two hours.

We should set out quickly.

So,

have you figured out how to get in?

Qingtong.

Qingtong?

I never thought the Soldier would break the binding spell and come out.

Little Spider,

we need to get out of here.

With how well Wangquan Fugui knows your sister,

he will see through your plan very soon.

When that happens,

with Wangquan Fugui and the whole Yiqi Alliance together,

it will be hard for us to get away.

I cannot leave yet.

Since the Soldier is caught in this game too,

we might as well keep him trapped in it as well.

That way, Gulizan will be safer.

But this is not the time for us to risk our lives.

I know you cannot bear to leave Qingtong.

Let her go.

Go to the Western Regions and help Gulizan.

Once the Myriad Blight Formation is complete,

you can have any kind of woman

you want.

I do not want any woman.

I only want Qingtong.

I can give up everything in this world,

except her.

I will never let her go.

How can you be so stubborn?

Fine.

Since I am sharing your body,

I have no other choice.

Tell me your plan.

I want Qingtong

to choose between Wangquan Fugui

and me.

[Huntian Prison]

Zhuge Wu?

This is the token of the Chief Inspector, isn't it?

The high and mighty Chief Inspector

coming to my rundown

mortuary—what for?

I am here to examine the body of Master Ximen.

You think you can just walk in and examine it?

Where are your papers?

You have none?

Then this matter

is quite difficult to handle.

The Zhuge family, is it?

A prestigious family.

You want to solve the Ximen case—

that's some ambition.

As long as you don't find it disgusting,

take your time.

Take him in.

Yes.

This way.

There are nine sword wounds on his limbs and meridians.

The strikes were very controlled.

They crippled his martial arts without taking his life.

The truly fatal one

is this cut on his neck.

This sword mark

looks similar to the others at first glance,

but the killer struck without hesitation,

killing him instantly.

Qingtong,

I never thought I'd run into you here.

I was surprised too, Young Master Fugui.

What are you doing here?

I came here just to find you.

Ever since I lost you,

every day has felt like a lifetime.

Heaven has finally taken pity on me

and let me find you here.

Young Master Fugui,

since I left you,

I've suffered every single day too.

It's been so long.

You've lost so much weight.

But you haven't changed at all.

Still as beautiful as ever.

The truth is,

I've missed you all this time.

If you missed me,

why did you pretend not to know me?

I have my reasons.

Young Master Fugui,

could you hold me?

Of course.

If you want to cry,

lean on my shoulder and cry.

Young Master Fugui,

I will never leave you again.

Qingtong!

Qingtong!

Poor Dog?

Stop calling her.

Miss Qingtong is not here.

Master and Miss Qingtong

went out to drink under the moon.

It's you.

You have a death wish or what?

Why would I?

I've got a wife, a master,

and a pile of pastries.

Why would I want to die?

The pastries down south are so soft.

Forget it.

Don't be mad.

Anger hurts the liver.

I'm only keeping you here a bit longer

so Master and Miss Qingtong can spend more time together.

Be patient.

Be patient.

I'll

give you a little tip.

Stop wasting your energy.

The Wangquan family has already inspected the body.

The suspect is

that lowly spider demon.

The wanted notice

will be out in a day or two.

Take care, Mr. Zhuge.

Oh, right.

I'm not Zhuge Wu.

The token—

I borrowed it.

Stop shouting.

The money I gave you just now

is enough to treat your wounds.

What are you waiting for?

Get him!

The sword marks

are not hard to imitate.

The fatal slash on Master Ximen's neck

was deliberately staged.

Please contact Wangquan Manor's Feng Tingyun.

Have her examine it carefully.

What did you find?

The wounds were caused by a sword

called Dust-Seeker.

But I want to know—

why the attacker hated him so deeply.

There's some history behind it.

But the real reason

is that they hunted demons cruelly,

taking their cores

to absorb their demon power.

Then those nine strikes were deserved.

As for my old friend,

whatever kind of demon she wants to become,

whatever path she chooses,

it doesn't matter.

But she shouldn't

have been framed like this.

Have you...

never doubted her?

Never.

Young Master Fugui,

I went to Sandstorm Town to find you.

But I didn't expect your internal injury

to be so bad.

I didn't want you to carry all that burden again.

So I…

Qingtong,

I'm not afraid of carrying burdens.

I only fear

that something might happen to you.

The one who framed you knows you so well.

They could even mimic your sword marks.

I believe

deep down, you know that very well.

Y-You…

what's wrong?

Have you

just learned how to use talismans?

Yeah,

how did you know?

Isn't this formation only meant to trap me?

Why does my inner energy feel blocked?

It's really uncomfortable.

Then…

then what…

should I do now?

Maybe…

you can free me for a bit?

Fine.

What are you doing?

Forcing out so much sweat with demon power

must be exhausting.

My formation is perfect.

You think I'm that easy to fool?

Guess you really don't understand me at all.

I eat well and sleep well,

simple but not stupid.

I'm the prince of Corsac Fox State who sees his every mission done!

Wow!

I'm perfect.

Plus,

I am the only one among all of us

who has a wife!

Don't… don't get angry.

Breaking free by force will hurt you.

You dead dog!

Stop running!

Hey!

Why are you getting so agitated?

If you have the guts, don't run!

I already told you,

my wife doesn't let me fight.

Where is my sister, exactly?

I told you they went to drink under the moon!

Stop right there!

Make it clear!

You're serious?

You can't beat me.

Then keep going!

Stop!

I...

Qingcheng.

-What are you doing? -Qingtong, help me!

Come with me, all of you.

Let's go.

You fool.

Miss Qingtong,

your brother is really good at playing the victim!

He wasn't like this just now.

He smashed the inn window.

I told you, didn't I?

If you break things in someone's shop,

you have to pay for them.

You actually have dragon power inside you.

I told you you couldn't beat me.

Qingtong,

this guy just set a trap

and nearly killed me.

You're quite the actor.

Master, Miss Qingtong,

he's playing the victim.

He wasn't like this just now.

Enough.

I have made myself very clear.

Master Ximen was killed by you.

The evidence is conclusive.

Do you really think

you can keep it a secret?

Master, what's wrong with you?

How is it that after one trip out,

you two look like enemies now?

But don't worry.

I prepared two love poems for Xueyang.

I can

grudgingly let you use them.

That is unnecessary.

Don't be shy.

Are you feeling unwell?

Yunfei, listen to me.

I have a task

that I need you to do.

Qingtong, you've been gone for so long.

You must be hungry.

I made some desserts.

Please have some.

Has Wangquan Fugui

upset you again, Qingtong?

You've given him your whole heart.

After what happened to the Ximen family,

the first thing you thought about was

not letting him know who you are

so he wouldn't get dragged into it.

How did you know he was Wangquan Fugui?

You met him long ago, didn't you?

I…

Qingcheng.

What else have you been hiding from me?

No.

Nothing.

I went with him to Huntian Prison

to examine the body of Master Ximen.

The fatal wound on his neck

is identical to the mark caused by my Dust-Seeker Sword.

Whoever's trying to frame me

is truly vicious.

The evidence is solid.

He said he'd go with me

to Wangquan Manor to clear things up.

He's forcing you to turn yourself in

so he can wash his hands of it.

You can't go, Qingtong.

I'll go.

Qingtong,

why?

If I go, at least I can prove

that the Frost's Descent prophecy

has nothing to do with me.

Qingcheng.

I'm going right now.

If anything happens to me,

you must take good care of yourself…

and Qianji City.

Qingtong,

you can't go to Wangquan Manor.

You have to listen to me

and kill Wangquan Shouren.

A puppet talisman…

Qingcheng,

what did you just say to me?

You asked me to listen to you

and kill Wangquan Shouren.

Qingtong,

please, let me explain.

What's left to explain?

Looks like Young Master Fugui was right after all.

The one behind all this

really is you.

Qingtong,

what did he say?

Don't believe him!

Don't tell me…

everything you just said

was just to provoke me

to take action?

Miss Qingtong, are you alright?

Call me if you need me. I'm right outside.

Qingtong,

you worked with those people

to trick me!

Tell me yourself.

Was it you who killed

the entire Ximen family?

Yunfei, go after him!

Yes, I'm on it.

He won't get away!

Stop running!

Stop!

You can't escape!

Qingcheng,

if I kill Wangquan Shouren,

I'll become a criminal of the Yiqi Alliance.

Isn't that right?

This plan was perfect,

but his appearance

ruined everything.

I'm your only family.

Yet you chose to deceive me with him.

Be careful.

He's not your brother.

Who are you?

You're not my brother at all!

If I'm not Qingcheng,

where is

the real Qingcheng?

Wangquan Shouren's mansion.

Yunfei.

Go find Feng Tingyun.

Tell her to come at once.

Got it.

[Wangquan Shouren's mansion]

Let's split up.

Okay.