Original subtitles

[The Wanted Detective]

[Nanren Lane, two years ago]

Stop right there!

Are you crazy?

Watch where you're going!

Behave!

[Tea]

[Tea]

I was chasing a criminal

and knocked over your tea stall.

Sorry, miss.

I'll take all your tea leaves.

I'll just take these.

[The Wanted Detective]

[Episode 7]

After I finish this pot of tea,

I'll go with you.

Have a seat.

Green tea from Nanyue.

Good eye.

Hibiscus brought it back from Nanyue.

Did you commit

all these murders

to avenge Hibiscus?

If it weren't for Hibiscus,

I'd never have used sewing murder again,

and you never would've seen through me.

And you, Xiao Beiming,

would remain

the evil Yesha who killed his own master.

Was Hibiscus your wife?

Hibiscus was from Nanyue.

She only knew me as a constable.

I first met her

when I was working on a case

at Nanren Lane.

After that,

I couldn't get her out of my mind.

Later,

I went back to Nanren Lane to find her.

She told me

that the first time she saw me,

she believed I was a good man.

Later, we got married.

We had no family in this world.

Only heaven and earth witnessed our union.

Those were

the happiest days of my life.

From then on,

I didn't want to kill anymore.

I just wanted to be

an ordinary constable,

Hibiscus's husband,

and a father to our child.

When I was with her,

all my pain seemed to disappear.

I even forgot that these hands of mine

were once covered in blood.

But unexpectedly,

two months ago,

when I was out on a case...

It was all Ajia's fault.

He forced me into it.

Take her back.

Ajia,

Hu Shisan,

Marquis Jingshan, and those four bitches

killed my wife and child.

I had to make them pay with their lives.

So,

I turned back

into that cold-blooded killer.

Fortunately,

three years had passed,

but I hadn't lost my touch.

You had 10,000 ways

to kill them.

Why choose sewing murder?

Because sewing murder

is the most painful way to die.

I had to make sure

they suffered the cruelest punishment.

I never cared

whether it'd cost me my life.

It was Hibiscus

and my unborn child

that made me want to live.

I know you two

must have many questions.

Three years ago,

you lost everything

overnight.

I never knew before

what that feeling was like.

Now I finally understand

that kind of pain.

Go ahead and ask.

I'll tell you

everything I know.

The Fengbo Lake case from three years ago—

was it your doing?

Yes.

Did you kill my father too?

I personally sewed and murdered Zhong Yunchi.

It's such fine green tea.

It'd be a shame not to finish it.

Why did you do it?

It was Yesha's order.

You'll hide in advance

and kill them

after they lose consciousness.

Yes, Master.

That day, I hid beneath the deck

for a long time.

I only came out after everything went quiet

on the ship.

When I got in the cabin,

I found those five people

had been drugged unconscious—

completely unable to move.

So I had no trouble at all

sewing and killing them one by one.

Then why didn't you kill me?

Yesha ordered me

to spare your life.

There's one more thing you must remember:

don't kill everyone;

leave Xiao Beiming alive.

Who is Yesha?

If I told you

I never saw him, would you believe me?

How did he give you orders?

And how did he contact you?

He had 10,000 ways to find me.

He was an extraordinary genius.

However, every time we met,

he concealed his face.

The Case of the Blood-Weeping Statues three years ago—

although I carried it out,

the entire murder process

was designed by him alone.

Not just anyone…

can come up with such a foolproof plan.

Then is this person male or female,

old or young?

You must have some idea.

Judging from his build, voice,

and posture,

he should have been

a middle-aged man.

A middle-aged man?

But he might be dead already.

What do you mean?

That day,

when I was hiding under the deck,

I vaguely heard

what sounded like his voice above.

Everyone here

is a suspect,

but only one can be Yesha.

What I've seen today

has confirmed

my speculation.

Minister Miao, what are you trying to say?

Mr. Miao,

don't push this

to a point of no return.

However, I couldn't tell

exactly who he was.

If he really was

on that ship,

he might have been killed by me.

How is that possible?

Why would Yesha send someone

to kill himself?

He never did things

the way others would.

So nothing he did

surprised me.

So after the Fengbo Lake case,

you never saw him again?

That day, Yesha gave me two orders.

The first was to kill.

Second…

Once it's done,

infiltrate the Elite Constabulary Unit

and track down Shen Bi.

Rest assured, Master.

Once I find him,

I'll kill him.

Later, I managed

to join the Elite Constabulary Unit,

but I never found

any trace of Shen Bi.

I heard that after the Fengbo Lake case,

he retired and left the capital.

Most likely,

the Secret Investigation Unit is hiding him.

After that,

I never saw him again,

nor did I

receive any more orders from Yesha.

Could Yesha really be dead?

I've told you everything I know.

Let's go.

By the way,

there's one thing

I forgot to tell you.

Do you know the true meaning

of the word "Yesha"?

Are you talking about

Haiya?

Haiya?

Zhong Yunchi,

when will you stop pretending?

[Fengbo Lake, three years ago]

King Zhong of Constables

always handles cases by the book

and never crosses the line.

Yet today,

without any evidence,

you lured us onto this ship

into a death trap.

Is this really

how the King of Constables usually solves crimes?

You're clearly trying

to silence us forever.

You...

Your plan is to kill us first

and then accuse one of us

on the ship

of being Yesha.

You can say the others

died unfortunately

while fighting Yesha.

Then you can walk away clean.

Constable Xiao,

why did your master insist

you not board this ship?

Because you were never

part of his plan!

Am I right,

Zhong Yunchi, King of Constables?

Or should I call you

Yesha?

Nonsense!

My master invited you to the ship

just to find out who Yesha is.

He has never thought of framing

or harming anyone!

Mr. Miao,

don't push this

to a point of no return.

What exactly do you know?

So you've found something

in the past three years after all.

I'm from Haiya—

one of the few survivors.

An orphan of Haiya.

Where is Haiya?

What really happened back then?

I knew you wouldn't believe me.

Let me tell you one more story.

What story?

What are you trying to say?

Calm down.

You'll understand when I finish.

Long ago,

on the border of the Qi Kingdom,

there was a small city

called Haiya.

It was isolated

and sparsely populated,

with fewer than 10,000 residents.

But they lived

in peace and contentment.

Then one day,

something strange happened in Haiya.

A horde of monstrous creatures

invaded Haiya.

These demons

were vicious, brutal,

and immune to blades, fire, and water.

In just one night,

they slaughtered all the citizens.

From then on, Haiya disappeared

from the map of the Qi Kingdom,

becoming nothing but a folk legend.

You're rambling on and on.

What are you trying to say?

"Yesha" is actually a name

given to the demons

who slaughtered everyone in Haiya back then.

A small frontier city,

slaughtered in a single night.

Sometimes, humans can be more evil

than ghosts.

You're saying it was done by humans?

In fact, there are no ghosts in this world.

It was all done by human hands.

Not only did they massacre the city,

but they also found a scapegoat,

claiming Yesha

was the vengeful ghost that destroyed Haiya.

But let me tell you the truth:

every single survivor

of that massacre is Yesha.

As long as there's one survivor

still breathing,

Yesha

will keep coming back.

That includes you, Xiao Beiming.

King Zhong of Constables,

I suppose Constable Xiao has no idea

that you've always known

what Yesha really means.

Have you never told him

the truth because

you don't want him to know

what you did years ago?

Yesha, confess now!

Do you want me to continue?

What do you mean?

Do you think capturing me

will clear your name?

As Hibiscus's husband,

my wish has been fulfilled.

But as someone from Haiya,

there's one last thing I can do.

Where is Haiya?

What really happened back then?

Once I die,

you'll still be Yesha.

You'll have to

keep walking down this path.

The further you go, the darker it gets,

until you fall into an endless abyss.

You'll become just like the ghost who slaughtered Haiya

and never go to the afterlife.

Zhu Yitie. Zhu Yitie!

Zhu Yitie!

Wait,

how could you bury Constable Zhu

together with Hibiscus?

Constable Zhu was Tailor,

the killer.

You should've taken his body

to the Elite Constabulary Unit.

Only then can his name be cleared.

Zhu Yitie is dead,

and dead men tell no tales.

With only us testifying for Beiming,

who'd believe us?

Wouldn't the wounds on Zhu Yitie

be proof enough?

People will only think

I was the one

who sewed and murdered him.

But your name

still hasn't been cleared.

At least you believe me now,

don't you?

Yes, I've believed you all along.

C-Constable Zhong…

Dad,

what is it?

Your dowry.

I've deposited all the deeds

to our lands and shops

in a bank.

This thumb ring is the token.

Dad,

why are you giving me this now?

After I get married,

we'll still live together.

It doesn't matter whether you keep it or I do.

Silly girl,

just take it when I tell you to.

A girl

needs money

to have confidence.

Beiming,

are you worried about Dad?

I can't shake the feeling that something's off.

Off how?

I've worked with Master for years.

No matter how brutal the criminal

or how dangerous the situation,

he was always calm and composed.

But the look on his face yesterday…

I had never seen it before.

He looked like

he was saying his goodbyes.

Now that you mention it,

I also feel

something's off with Dad.

Yesterday,

he gave me this thumb ring,

calling it a dowry.

But it felt more like he was entrusting it to me.

Do you think my dad…

could be Yesha?

Zhu Yitie said

Yesha was on the ship at that time.

And the order given to him

was to keep you alive.

I remember it clearly.

That day, Dad kept

trying to stop you from boarding the ship.

And after boarding,

who else could have been

merciful enough

to spare your life

except my dad?

That's exactly what I've been trying

to uncover for the past three years.

Back then, on the ship at Fengbo Lake,

before I passed out...

Yesha, confess now!

At that moment,

I saw Master's eyes.

I had never seen him like that before.

So angry,

so frenzied,

and so out of control.

I was just about to stop him,

and then I blacked out.

You've suspected my dad

all along, haven't you?

I've always wanted to prove

that Master wasn't Yesha.

After I escaped three years ago,

the only clue I had left to find Yesha

was Haiya.

Haiya really does

exist.

I don't know exactly where it is,

and I'm afraid no one does.

All I've heard is that Haiya

is somewhere near the border.

Miao Jie mentioned Haiya,

and judging from Master's reaction,

he clearly knew about it too.

If Yesha

was truly connected to Haiya,

then finding Haiya

could uncover clues about him

and prove once and for all

whether Master was Yesha.

But I advise you to stop searching.

Why?

Because even if you find it,

it won't matter.

Sir,

what do you mean by that?

Everyone there died long ago.

For these three years,

I went through

all available documents and maps.

But none of them

mentioned Haiya.

Miao Jie said

Haiya was a border town.

So during these three years,

I searched all along the Qi Kingdom border.

Legend says

demons once appeared in Haiya,

and everyone in the city

was slaughtered

in a single night.

Even government troops were alarmed.

They told us demons were coming

and we should stay inside for a few days.

But nothing happened afterward.

So many years have passed,

but still, no one dares search for Haiya.

Sir,

do you know

when all this happened?

The 36th year of Ningtai.

I did manage to find

the general direction of Haiya,

but that whole region is mountainous—

I couldn't find the exact location.

From Zhu Yitie's confession,

we can deduce

that everything Yesha did

was to avenge Haiya.

We just don't know

what those assassination victims

actually did back then.

Don't worry.

Although there are still many mysteries

that remain unsolved,

I refuse to believe

that the upright, principled master

who lived with us every day could be…

♪ If there's no solution ♪

♪ Then say no more ♪

♪ Burn half of my life's passion, don't ask about tomorrow ♪

♪ A journey of pain, a journey away ♪

♪ Don't look back, don't leave regrets ♪

It's raining.

♪ Breaking through the light, what is there to fear about obstacles? ♪

Go back.

♪ No regrets, no resentment ♪

I know what you're thinking.

♪ Love and hatred are one obsession ♪

You're blaming yourself

for what you did to me before,

aren't you?

Why didn't I

♪ If by the abyss ♪

believe you sooner?

If I had believed you sooner,

♪ Take a glimpse with this body ♪

-I never blamed you. -you wouldn't…

I should thank you instead.

♪ For the blood of sincerity ♪

You spared my life

and gave me that last bit of doubt.

♪ For the brave decision ♪

♪ For the wish made ♪

Just like that day

on the beam at Lang Hua Pavilion.

I knew

♪ Even if I die from exhaustion ♪

you'd catch me.

Also,

♪ For the destined fate ♪

if it weren't for you,

I wouldn't have found Zhu Yitie

♪ For the endless thoughts ♪

or come this far.

But the frost toxin in your body...

♪ Drink to this farewell ♪

That's not your fault,

nor is it Feng Qingzhuo's.

♪ From daybreak ♪

You only did

what you had to do.

♪ The sun and moon in my heart ♪

If I were in your position,

I would have done the same.

But...

Xueman.

The most important thing now

is that I have you guys by my side.

That's what puts my mind at ease.

♪ If there's no solution ♪

Alright, don't cry.

♪ Then say no more ♪

Sorry!

♪ Burn half of my life's passion, don't ask about tomorrow ♪

♪ A journey of pain, a journey away ♪

♪ Don't look back, don't leave regrets ♪

♪ Breaking through the light, what is there to fear about obstacles? ♪

♪ No regrets, no resentment ♪

♪ Love and hatred are one obsession ♪

♪ If by the abyss ♪

♪ Take a glimpse with this body ♪

♪ For the blood of sincerity ♪

♪ For the brave decision ♪

♪ For the wish made ♪

♪ Even if I die from exhaustion ♪

♪ For the destined fate ♪

♪ For the endless thoughts ♪

♪ Drink to this farewell ♪

♪ From daybreak ♪

♪ The sun and moon in my heart ♪

[Elite Constabulary Unit]

Zhu Yitie is missing?

The last time he was seen

was during the search at the cliff bottom,

and then he vanished without a trace.

Yes, we've been searching for days,

but still no sign of him.

You.

Have you seen Zhu Yitie?

No.

Keep searching!

I want him found, dead or alive!

Yes.

[Justice Gate]

Even a constable from the Elite Constabulary Unit

can go missing now?

If word gets out,

we'll be a laughingstock.

Yes.

Boss.

You wanted to see me?

I have a task for you.

Cleaning the courtyard?

No problem. Leave it to me.

Not that.

I want to be Yesha again.

Yesha?

I disagree.

After the corpse-sewing cases,

although we couldn't prove your innocence,

both the Elite Constabulary and Secret Investigation Units

believe you're dead,

so you're safe for now.

But you...

My safety doesn't matter.

If three years ago,

the Case of the Blood-Weeping Statues

was Yesha's revenge

against high-ranking officials,

then Mr. Shen, who's still alive,

must know what happened

in Haiya back then.

Mr. Shen retired and went home,

and hasn't been heard from since.

The Secret Investigation Unit.

But this is too dangerous.

They all think you're Yesha.

If they discover you,

you'll be

in constant danger.

That's right.

You still have the frost toxin in your body.

That's precisely

why I have to do this.

Xueman,

I don't have much time left.

He just vanished without a trace.

Father,

knowing Xiao Beiming as I do,

I find it hard to believe

that the Yesha case

would end this way.

The problem is how to report this to His Majesty.

Chief,

Young Master.

Ye…

Yesha has appeared again.

A servant at the Shen Mansion found it

and instantly reported it to the Secret Investigation Unit.

Did he leave any clues?

He came and went like a ghost,

[Shen Mansion]

leaving no traces behind.

Any casualties at the Shen Mansion?

None so far.

[Yesha]

Li Long,

take your men

to Chunyu Town immediately.

Yes.

[Yesha]

Wait.

Father,

it may be a trap.

Whether it's a trap or not doesn't matter.

What matters is

that we must ensure nothing goes wrong.

Once you reach Chunyu Town,

escort Mr. Shen to the safe house at once.

Yes.

You guys,

come with me.

[Yesha]

My Lord,

Zhu Yitie betrayed you.

He deserved worse than death.

It's just a pity

that he didn't die by our hands.

Blinded by love.

But he was

of no value to us anymore.

I'm just afraid

he revealed something before he died.

That's alright.

It's better if he told

everything he knew.

If Xiao Beiming insists on seeing the truth,

then we'll lead him

and show him the truth.

Let the entire Qi Kingdom

see the truth!

Success or failure; survival or ruin; blessing or curse.

That's the way of all times.

One must hold to the fundamentals,

stay true to oneself,

and remain humble and restrained.

That's the art of ruling.

[Shen Bi]

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Mr. Shen.

Mr. Shen, are you all right?

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I'm completely unharmed.

Sir,

there's a man on horseback outside

asking to see you.

Greetings, Mr. Shen. I'm Li Long from the Secret Investigation Unit.

Mr. Shen,

I have urgent matters to report.

I have long retired

and hold no official position.

Now,

I'm just an ordinary teacher.

Sorry, Mr. Shen.

You have to stay in the safe house for a few days.

Here?

You still haven't

caught this Yesha after all these years?

I've been hiding away

in the remote countryside,

and now I have to be locked up here

like a prisoner?

Unbelievable!

You guys stay here

to make sure

Mr. Shen stays safe.

That damned Xiao Beiming

is so cunning.

Father, don't worry.

As long as he's still alive,

I'll capture him with my own hands.

But there's one thing

I still don't understand.

Why did he show up

this time?

What's wrong?

Oh, no.

I need to go to Chunyu Town myself.

Young Master.

Is Mr. Shen safe?

He's in the safe house. All is well.

Mr. Shen.

Mr…

I followed the Secret Investigation Unit

to Chunyu Town

and found Mr. Shen

in a place

with lots of children.

That's a school.

Yes, that's right, a school.

Later, they took Mr. Shen

to a small house.

That house was surrounded by mountains.

That's a safe house.

Boss, I was planning

to come back and report to you,

but then

Zhuge Kongyun went in there.

That's when I felt

something was wrong.

Guess what happened next?

Stop keeping us in suspense.

Just get on with it.

What happened?

What happened to Mr. Shen?

He died.

Who was it that promised me

Mr. Shen would be safe

as long as he retired

and hid in the countryside?

Is this how

you protected him for me?

Your Majesty,

I-I failed in my duty.

I deserve to die for this.

Your Majesty,

when I learned that Yesha had appeared,

I immediately sent men

to escort Mr. Shen

to the safe house.

The safe house was heavily guarded,

but unexpectedly,

Yesha still managed to get to him.

How did Mr. Shen die?

Boss, I followed your instructions carefully.

I neither approached nor made a sound.

After they left,

I bribed one of the guards.

The guard told me

that Mr. Shen was poisoned.

They found poison

in the pastry he ate.

The Secret Investigation Unit

has made such a grave mistake

and caused me to lose a beloved official.

Zhuge Kongyun.

Zhuge Kongyun!

How long do you intend

to keep fooling me?

I wouldn't dare.

I've carefully checked

every room in the safe house.

In the end, I found

that the pastry

Mr. Shen ate

contained a deadly poison—

Heart-Severing Red.

The murder of Mr. Shen

was the false news we released.

Zhu Yitie is dead,

and before he died,

he confessed to killing Yesha at Fengbo Lake.

So who killed Mr. Shen?

Was Zhu Yitie lying,

and Yesha isn't dead at all,

or is Yesha someone else entirely?

I'm from Haiya.

One of the few survivors.

An orphan of Haiya.

There are no ghosts in this world.

Everything is done by human hands.

Sometimes, humans can be more evil

than ghosts.

Zhu Yitie once said…

as long as Haiya

has a single survivor,

Yesha will

keep appearing.

If Tong Shuang could follow the Secret Investigation Unit

to find Mr. Shen,

so could others.

We never know if we're the predator or the prey.

Boss,

did I

cause Mr. Shen's death?

It had nothing to do with you.

I miscalculated.

We originally planned to test the waters,

using the Secret Investigation Unit

to protect Mr. Shen

and then finding a way to meet him.

Unexpectedly,

Yesha turned our plan against us.

So was there a traitor in the safe house?

Or did someone get bribed?

At first,

I made the same assumption.

[Seal]

But when the coroner examined the other pastries,

no poison was found.

Moreover, the food

at the safe house was inspected

by multiple people.

Bribing all of them

would be nearly impossible.

I also interrogated

everyone who inspected the food

and ruled out the possibility of poisoning.

You don't need to explain

so elaborately to me.

Just tell me,

how did

the poison get into the pastry?

No, wait.

You saw with your own eyes

that Mr. Shen was escorted into the safe house,

and he was fine at that time,

right?

Yes, perfectly fine.

Healthy and well.

Logically speaking,

once inside the safe house,

he should've been completely safe.

So how was the poison administered?

Could it be like

the Case of the Blood-Weeping Statues

where the killer bribed someone

on the inside?

All food in the safe house

goes through multiple inspections,

with silver needle testing every time.

If someone wanted to sneak in and poison him,

they'd need

to bribe every single tester.

That was nearly impossible.

I'll go out and investigate further

to see if there are any other clues.

Your Majesty,

everything I've said is true.

Poison was indeed found

in the pastry

Mr. Shen ate.

But the poison

was administered by Mr. Shen himself.

You mean Mr. Shen

poisoned himself?

Ridiculous!

Delicious.

Do you have to munch?

Would it kill you to eat slower?

Slow down, or you'll end up

swallowing

the wax paper

and get a stomachache.

The poison Mr. Shen took

wasn't in the pastry.

Not in the pastry?

Then where?

That's right.

That's like tears flowing above the eyebrows—

it makes no sense.

Then how was he poisoned?

Tong Shuang,

did Mr. Shen bring any luggage

when he entered the safe house?

Just one case.

Probably just some spare clothes.

The poison was in his luggage.

Three years ago,

Yesha killed those officials

by exploiting

their personal habits.

Your Majesty,

Mr. Shen didn't

poison himself intentionally.

Yesha exploited

a habit of his that few would notice.

What habit?

Three years ago,

when I was protecting Mr. Shen,

I secretly observed him

from outside his study.

Mr. Shen had a small habit.

I investigated

Mr. Shen's lecture hall

and discovered that when reading,

he had this particular habit.

[Rites of Zhou]

Mr. Shen loved books

and always had one in hand.

When reading,

he liked to wet his fingertip with saliva to turn the pages.

All Yesha needed to do

was poison his books.

I verified this

with Mr. Shen's students.

When reading, Mr. Shen indeed

had the habit

of wetting his fingertip with saliva to turn the pages.

If I'm not mistaken,

besides clothes in his luggage,

there must also have been books.

Poison was found

on the books

Mr. Shen brought with him.

The poison on the pastry

came from Mr. Shen's fingers

after he touched

the poisoned pages

and then picked up the pastry.

So that's how it happened.

This fiend Yesha

is so cunning.

Yesha is cunning,

but I still failed in my duty.

Those books

were brought by Mr. Shen himself.

The guards at the safe house

thought they were just books,

so they didn't check them.

That gave Yesha

the opportunity to strike.

It was my negligence.

Enough.

Say no more.

It's been three years,

and I've lost several beloved officials.

I left this case in your charge.

Three years passed,

and you've made no progress at all.

Dismissing you both and throwing you in prison

would be lenient.

It was my miscalculation

that cost Mr. Shen his life.

My mistake dragged

the Secret Investigation Unit down.

Boss,

that father and son

have always thought you're Yesha

and hunted you everywhere.

So let them suffer a bit.

The Secret Investigation Unit's goal

is the same as ours.

They just mistake me for Yesha.

Father.

Yun.

The time left for us

is running short.

I'll give you one last chance

to redeem yourselves.

But this time,

there must be a deadline.

Why are you looking at each other?

Lost your tongue?

Three months.

Within three months…

Three months?

Three months

is enough for Yesha to infiltrate the palace!

One month.

Your Majesty,

within one month,

the Secret Investigation Unit will surely

bring Yesha to justice.

If we fail,

I'm willing to pay with my life.

One month,

not a day more!

Is there any hope of finding Yesha

by examining those books?

Mr. Shen's books

were left on the desk in the lecture hall.

Too many people could access them.

Besides, the lecture hall

was wide open.

Even if someone snuck in with poison,

there'd be no way to trace it.

So we have no clue at all.

Father,

I want to look into

the resume documents

of the four officials from the Blood-Weeping Statues Case.

Why look into those?

I always thought

Yesha killed them three years ago

just to create mystery and fear

and cause panic in the court and beyond,

which is why he chose the officials

with tombstone statues in the Lang Hua Pavilion.

But I never expected

that after all these years,

Yesha would still

go after Mr. Shen.

It makes me suspect

that Yesha had a compelling reason

to kill those four officials.

There must be a connection

among them.

The resume documents of all the Qi Kingdom's officials

are kept in the Imperial Secretariat.

With this token,

you can get access to it.

[Chief Zhuge Tong]