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 21]

I never thought you'd be this shameless.

Your technique is like a mind-deranging art

meant to bait out the killing urge in me.

Though you fought hard to hold it down,

but with one look I knew

your whole body

reeks of blood.

You are no swordsman.

All these years,

you've made a living by killing!

When the sword stirs wind,

he smiles as the clouds rise.

So many years have passed

and the Old City Lord's sword

is still this effortless and free.

But judging by the exchange

I crossed with him just now,

his swordsmanship

shouldn't be that weak.

So Master's training

at the Sword Abode

is starting to show,

and his swordsmanship

has climbed a level.

You banked on no one seeing clearly

and pulled a dirty trick.

You headed east the whole way,

keeping your blade sheathed

to raise a swell of sword energy.

Once your killing urge outweighed that energy,

all that momentum dumped,

and you lost

the bravery you had.

You're a shameless scoundrel.

The Way of the Sword

was what your father sought.

And I

seek only victory.

For only the victor

is fit to talk the Way of the Sword!

The Way of the Sword

is indeed the term

my father often spoke of.

[Sword]

[Way]

Sword...

Way.

Father,

what is the Way of the Sword?

By "sword" we mean skill and technique.

How strong can a single blade be honed?

First it strikes down ten,

then a hundred,

then a thousand,

even ten thousand!

We swordsmen

train our blades

day after day,

hoping to push them

to the utmost,

so they can stand against all.

I believe my sword

has already reached

its utmost strength.

To take one step further,

I must awaken to the Way.

So what is the Way?

The Kunlun Sword Deity once said

his sword art

has three realms.

First realm, see mountains as mountains

and waters as waters.

Second realm,

see mountains as not mountains

and waters as not waters.

Third realm,

see mountains still as mountains,

and waters still as waters.

I pondered this for long,

yet never grasped its meaning.

But I believed

the Way

is simply a reason to draw the blade.

So it seems some truths...

reveal themselves

only in one's dying moment.

The strongest strike in a life

may come only once.

Sadly,

I can no longer protect you.

I just said

people of Wushuang City

have no right to speak my father's name,

least of you!

All that "flowing like water",

break!

All that "grandmaster aura",

break!

All that "peerless under heaven",

all can be broken!

The harder you kill now,

the faster you'll lose.

You've lost.

You want me to use killing arts,

but I refuse.

Today,

I'll beat you with the sword alone.

It's him!

You know him?

He's Blood River's Umbrella Ghost,

Su Muyu.

Blood River...

If he's truly from Blood River,

then everything makes sense.

Elder Jian,

what do you mean?

Are you saying

Wushuang City and Blood River

are entangled?

And it even ties

to No-Sword City?

Sir, there's no need to ask.

It's all in the past.

Master,

the sword coffer's slipping control!

It only spotted

a worthy opponent

and wants a match.

It's a pity you're still young.

Otherwise, such an opponent

is truly worth a fight.

Master,

what should we do?

Don't worry.

It won't be long

before it settles down.

Little Wushuang,

when you're grown,

take it to seek

a worthy opponent.

The Old City Lord

is about to lose.

He should have lost.

Only this loss

came a dozen years late.

Had he lost back then,

he might have risen again.

But losing today,

he loses for good.

Here it comes...

the Old City Lord's strongest strike.

Riding the sword to the Ninth Heaven...

The dragon falls into the Yellow Springs!

You're the one who will fall!

It's over.

Jade Ruyi!

Such pure sword energy!

Master,

why was the sword coffer

acting by itself?

It wasn't the coffer

acting on its own.

Without noticing,

you stirred it.

These last two days,

I only taught little Wushuang

some basic inner work.

Did the Jade Ruyi

shift the battle below?

Stop!

My killing intent has faded,

and my sword momentum is gone.

If you strike now,

I'll surely lose.

I know.

But I won't hit a man when he's down.

I only ask you

to spare my master's life.

Spare your master?

Back when your master

slaughtered everyone

in No-Sword City,

did he spare theirs?

You're right.

My master's deeds back then

were truly unforgivable.

But as his disciple,

how could I possibly

watch my master be killed

before my eyes?

I hope you can understand.

And my master

has his inner channels destroyed.

He lives now

only by a thread of qi within him.

He won't last many days.

Mr. Zhuo,

why strike that final blow?

A swordsman's death

is not the body's death,

but his sword-heart's.

I've crushed Liu Yunqi's sword-heart.

He can never wield a sword again.

He is already dead.

Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Zhuo.

We've actually met.

Yes.

When we stood against the Demonic Sect,

I saw your swordsmanship.

Since you've come

under the name Zhuo Yue'an,

then you are Zhuo Yue'an.

I admire you.

You're unlike your master.

Your swordsmanship holds little malice.

But you shoulder too much,

so the blade can't follow your heart

and you never reach

your strongest state.

Many have said the same.

Since the elders

entrusted Wushuang City to me,

I've had to place

its honor and shame

on this very sword.

Peerless Under Heaven...

I heard the White-Feather Sword Deity

once saved a disciple

on Tianqi City's execution ground.

As he left,

he cut down the plaque above with one stroke.

So today,

if I sever these characters

with one stroke,

the name No-Sword City

will once again ring through

the martial world.

Sir,

please don't act rashly.

Seven days from now,

you and I will fight.

If you lose,

I'll cut them down.

Very well.

Seven days from now,

by the Sword Abode behind Wushuang City,

I'll see your swordsmanship.

Good.

This kid...

After changing his name,

he acts like a different man.

Challenging Wushuang City was one thing,

he even crippled

the Old City Lord.

Too arrogant!

Too overbearing!

Had he been like this earlier,

we'd have crushed the three families already.

Yeah.

Muyu never liked the spotlight,

but this time

the whole world is talking

about Zhuo Yue'an of No-Sword City.

However...

What?

The move Muyu used

at the last moment

looked like the Eighteen-Sword Array.

Back when we helped the sects

resist the Demonic Sect's eastern campaign,

Muyu once used

that very array in public.

So some folks are quietly saying

that Zhuo Yue'an, No-Sword City's heir,

is Blood River's Umbrella Ghost.

But that guess

is far too absurd,

and many won't believe it.

An assassin

who walks the night and kills without a sound

now shows up openly under the sun,

even challenging a once-glorious sect...

Sounds a bit like a tall tale.

If he's finished the job,

he should be back by now, right?

Oh,

maybe...

he went straight back to Nan'an?

No.

Muyu set another duel with City Lord, Song Yanhui,

a solo fight on Wushuang City's back mountain.

Su Muyu's lost his mind?

The City Lord of Wushuang

won't be easy to handle.

This time

Muyu really caught the competitive bug.

No.

That's not what I mean.

I mean,

Song Yanhui is nothing

worth waiting around for.

When we fought the Demonic Sect,

we'd already seen his skills.

If he truly wants his sword to shake the world,

why not head to Xueyue City

and teach that brat a lesson?

Still, this isn't bad either.

Old pain

should be cut off someday.

Otherwise,

he'll carry

that grudge for life.

And...

I've been waiting for that day too.

I've long known who he is,

but he doesn't know

who destroyed No-Sword City.

From how he's moving now,

he must've found out

Wushuang City was behind it.

Wushuang City is unworthy

of "Peerless Under Heaven" long ago.

Still,

Liu Yunqi's defeat

isn't the end.

What else?

Su Muyu and Song Yanhui

agreed:

four days from now,

on Wushuang City's back mountain,

they'll fight again.

Maybe true vengeance

would be to wipe out Wushuang City,

but I won't,

and I know you won't, Father.

After all, Wushuang City

isn't full of Liu Yunqi types.

And killing to stop killing...

never ends.

You've done well,

my son.

Father...

I don't want you living in hatred.

Just be yourself

after the debt here is paid.

Don't shoulder those old grudges.

Son, look.

♪I almost lost myself...♪

After tonight's moon sets in the west,

tomorrow

still brings a brand-new sunrise.

Didn't expect

that guy

to really challenge Wushuang City.

He challenges Wushuang City

and fame follows.

What are you so proud of?

But Zhuo Yue'an...

Who is he?

I never heard of him.

Zhuo Yue'an is Su Muyu.

He was heir to No-Sword City.

And if not for sudden calamity,

when grown

he'd surely have entered the Academy.

Fate toys with us.

So,

you're going to watch the show?

Going into Wushuang City as I am,

if anyone recognizes me,

it'll be big trouble.

Then what are you excited about?

Because this spectacle

was egged on by someone.

He wants to use Su Muyu's sword

to spark chaos in Wushuang City.

[Flying Tiger General's Residence]

Wushuang City

was once the foremost city.

Its martial path may have declined,

but in craft and devices, it's still second to none.

We've eyed this fat prize for years,

and it's time to swallow it.

Ruled by a madman only craving victory

and a fool shackled by trifles,

the sky over Wushuang City

is long due for a change.

Only now

we can ride Su...

no...

Zhuo Yue'an's rise.

And then,

that man

can profit from it.

Besides,

he's a man of the court.

You told me

about this before.

Earlier I wanted to send men to Wushuang City,

and you stopped me.

This time,

what's the plan?

What he didn't expect is,

Su Muyu

told me the fact

that someone planned

to use him.

I've prepared in advance.

Since he wants Wushuang City in chaos,

fine...

let's make it even messier.

How?

Guards.

Your Highness.

How goes Sihuai City?

Our people have courted

the City Lord's senior disciple for years.

Frankly, the man

is a brainless incompetent,

easy to turn.

As for the other one,

he's out of seclusion

and willing to lend us a sword.

What of Su Changhe?

Any sign of movement?

The Blood River are truly secretive.

We've found

only scattered traces,

but...

they're surely heading toward Sihuai City.

A contest of the Way of the Sword

without a living Sword Deity,

what's the fun in that?

Very well.

Then let's await

the Sword Deities to gather

at Wushuang City.

The real game

is about to begin.

What matter?

Su Muyu, head of Blood River's Su family,

has challenged Wushuang City.

He'll duel the City Lord,

Song Yanhui.

I hate you all,

but that Ji Ruofeng isn't bad.

Speak,

what brings you

this time?

Our master has no business for you,

only a bit of sport,

lest you miss it.

A sword-related spectacle.

A worldly matter?

Leader Lv!

Master.

[Zhao Yuzhen of Wangchengshan Sect]

Honored guest,

what news do you bring from afar?

Greetings, Profound Sword Deity.

Ji Ruofeng

may have planted spies

on my sect.

My good disciple hasn't even left the mountain,

nor sparred with anyone.

Yet somehow,

he's been dubbed the Profound Sword Deity.

And my once-secluded

Wangchengshan Sect

knows no peace anymore.

Master,

don't be so fierce.

He's a guest from afar.

I'm ordered by our master

to bring a message to the Profound Sword Deity.

Speak, then.

Su Muyu, head of the Su family,

challenged Wushuang City.

He fought the former City Lord, Liu Yunqi,

and won.

He then set a duel with the current City Lord,

Song Yanhui.

What has that to do with my sect?

Go tell Ji Ruofeng this:

if he makes trouble here again,

I'll go to Tianqi

and smash his Baixiao Hall.

Master Ji wishes to invite you to watch?

But I cannot leave this mountain.

And surely the all-knowing Master Ji

knows that.

He's invited several other Sword Deities too,

because he believes

this duel

may well birth

another Sword Deity.

If overnight

the jianghu boast six Sword Deities,

wouldn't that be something?

Sword Deity...

She'll go, no doubt.

No one loves the sword like she does.

Master...

Very well.

Decide for yourself.

Tell Master Ji

that I understand.

Got it.

Move.

Spider Woman

of Blood River...

Baixiao Hall's intel is truly sharp.

You pegged me at first glance.

I heard you've been visiting

Sword Deities everywhere,

so I waited here.

And I lucked out.

So you came

to buy news from Baixiao Hall?

Pick any branch,

pay and get what you want.

Why block my path?

As if I don't know.

Your Baixiao Hall

seems to have some dirty ties

to the Inner Security Division,

and certain news is never for sale.

What you want to know

is about...

The Xuanwu Guardian,

Tang Lianyue.

If you won't share it,

fine.

I'll find a way

to make you.

Hey...

Go ask your master.

You'll get the antidote

next time.

Master.

Yanhui.

You're awake.

Will you blame me?

You wanted to roam the world

as a knight-errant,

yet I kept you

here in Wushuang City,

burdened you with its honor and shame.

Master,

is it

really so important

that Wushuang City be number one?

But you are different.

Yanhui,

from the day I met you,

I knew

you could change

all of this.

You're no worse

than any of them.

You were born

for the sword.

But I often regret

whether

I pressed you too hard,

leaving you unable

to be as free as they are.

In your sword-heart,

you aren't as pure.

You shouldn't have accepted his duel.

Master...

Master...

You shouldn't have agreed to fight him.

Do you understand?

Master,

don't get so worked up.

Don't forget...

I still have one trump move

left unused.

You mean...

the Wither-Bloom Sword Art?

You're being reckless.

That will cost your life.

I'll die,

but I won't lose.

With my death,

I'll keep Wushuang City's honor.

That's my duty as City Lord.

Your disciple

can open the Peerless Sword Coffer.

Maybe let him...

Master,

Wushuang's still too young.

As the teacher,

I should go before my disciple.

You did the same for me.

Besides,

I don't want Wushuang

to walk my old path again.

I want him to choose his own way.

As for Wushuang City's future,

leave it to the young.

All right.

Very well.

Have it your way.

All my life,

I mostly did wrong.

I hope you all

won't repeat my mistakes.

[All Blessings Attained]

Master!

Sihuai City's packed lately.

Sects from everywhere

are flooding in,

too many to count.

All want into the Tianxia Casino

to get a Wushuang Token.

Business must be booming, right?

It was a big deal at first.

But among the crowd

are even great sect leaders

and famed first-rate swordsmen.

Selling so many tokens at once

will cause a huge mess.

We'll

easily be exposed too.

And now,

the top experts wanting tokens

are fewer and fewer.

Why?

They think too many of them are coming,

so many Wushuang City can't stop them.

With this many,

they could storm a city.

Why need tokens at all?

When the time comes,

the chaos will only grow.

Who's there?

Me.

Master!

Keep your dirty dealings hidden.

If you expose yourself in Wushuang City,

I won't be able to keep you safe.

♪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♪