Original subtitles

[The Wanted Detective]

[Episode 12]

[Honored for Seniority and Virtue]

Get medicine according to this prescription.

Within half a month,

Madam's health will certainly improve.

You're so kind, Mr. Feng.

I don't know how to repay you.

Miss Huo, it's nothing.

No need to repay me.

The bond between you and Madam

is truly touching.

It's my honor

to treat her.

You two talk.

I'll go out.

Well? Did they confess?

They admitted to killing Xue Qianshan

but denied involvement

in General Huo's death.

That woman had an affair with Li Xiao.

If my father had found out,

she'd have been dead.

Besides,

she was in charge of the pharmacy,

which gave her the best opportunity to do it.

Miss Huo, you do know a lot,

but not everything.

Actually, General Huo knew

about their relationship

and signed the divorce agreement with Mrs. Huo.

But before they could leave,

General Huo passed away.

Divorce agreement?

Why would my father divorce her?

Mrs. Huo confessed.

She said General Huo

was infertile.

So…

General did have a hidden illness.

But that was

after I gave birth to Dairong.

Dairong is indeed

General's and my daughter.

I see.

Constable Zhong, I think you've misunderstood.

We've discovered that General Huo's death

may be connected to an incident

that happened 23 years ago.

You once said

you'd just entered the household at that time.

Did General Huo ever mention anything?

Managing the pharmacy isn't hard proof.

Besides,

there are many ways to poison someone.

What are you implying, Constable Xiao?

I heard Madam Feng once acquired some wellness tea

for General Huo from a famous physician.

Is there

any of that tea left?

You can't find evidence

to convict those two,

so you're suspecting my mother and me?

Miss Huo, you're a smart girl,

and you know who I am.

You should understand

that solving a case means

ruling out every possibility.

Besides,

don't you want to prove your innocence?

I understand.

Please wait a moment.

I'll go get it now.

You don't trust me?

General never told me about matters

outside the household.

I don't know anything.

Even if I did hear something,

it's been so long—

I've already forgotten.

Madam Feng,

this matter is very serious.

It concerns not only General Huo

but everyone still living,

especially Miss Huo.

If you recall anything,

please let me know.

Alright.

I'm a bit tired.

If there's nothing else,

please leave.

Alright.

Take care.

[Cassia seed, burdock root, mulberry fruit, dandelion…]

This is the wellness tea bag

[Mulberry leaf, polygonatum, poria, and honeysuckle.]

and its recipe.

You may have them examined.

Thank you.

Is there anything else?

No. Sorry to bother you.

How did it go on your end?

Madam Feng's reaction was unusual.

Our speculation

is likely correct,

but she is hiding something

and wouldn't reveal anything.

Some things can't be hidden

no matter how hard you try.

Feng Qingzhuo,

take this tea bag for examination.

I'll stay and keep watching the Huo family.

Okay.

Coroner Feng said

as long as you keep taking it,

you'll be fine soon.

Did they give you a hard time?

They just did their job

and asked some questions.

Don't worry, Mother.

Mother,

what's wrong?

Did Constable Zhong give you trouble?

No.

Dairong,

let's go out for a walk.

Sure.

I'll help you to the courtyard.

No.

I want to take you out of the Huo Mansion,

out of the capital.

Out of the capital?

Mother, where's this coming from?

So many things have happened with the Huo household,

and everyone

is watching us closely.

In this big mansion,

there are schemes everywhere.

Though you're clever,

when facing truly wicked people,

you won't be able to deal with them.

I'm afraid something might happen to you.

It's better

if we leave for now.

When things calm down,

we can return, alright?

Mother, I know you're worried about me.

But don't worry.

I have a plan.

We'll both be fine.

I've examined it.

The ingredients in the tea bag

match the recipe exactly.

Taking it long-term

is very good for health.

Most importantly,

there's no trace of poison at all.

Madam Feng and her daughter

must be innocent.

Huo Dairong is too smart

to give us

poisoned tea for examination.

Then wasn't having me test it

a waste of time?

No.

I had you examine the tea

so you'd have something to compare with.

Compare with what?

Beiming.

I found what you asked me

to look for.

What's this?

When I was inspecting

General Huo's study,

I noticed this flower was positioned

differently from the other plants.

More importantly,

all other flowers have withered this season,

yet this one is still blooming.

So I asked Tong Shuang

to do me a favor.

So the medical consultation

was just to keep Huo Dairong occupied

and give Tong Shuang time?

Exactly.

Huo Dairong thought

that after Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao were arrested,

the case was closed,

so she temporarily let her guard down.

So when I mentioned

the wellness tea to her,

she wasn't surprised at all.

She had clearly prepared.

Prepared?

Huo Dairong didn't just

swap out the tea bags in advance.

When she took me

to General Huo's study,

I noticed that General Huo's tea set

had been replaced with a new one.

So regarding the wellness tea,

she didn't

slip up at all.

But no plan is ever perfect.

Look here.

There are leftover tea leaves here.

The tea dregs are mixed with fallen leaves in the soil,

making them difficult to notice.

I guess General Huo had the habit

of pouring the last cup of tea

into the flowerpot.

Over time,

the poison in the tea

caused this flower to mutate.

So the issue was the water used for watering.

I see.

Miss Huo didn't know

General Huo had this habit,

so she focused all her efforts

on changing the tea set

and overlooked

this flowerpot.

Smart.

Well?

Any way to prove it?

Let me think.

[Honored for Seniority and Virtue]

Beiming,

what is it?

I suddenly understand

why Huo Dairong was still willing to help me

after discovering my identity.

Is she planning to harm you?

After Feng Qingzhuo finishes testing,

I'll confront her directly.

This flower itself isn't poisonous.

For now, I can't think of

a way to confirm it.

Aren't you always saying you're unbeatable

in medicine and poison?

What now?

Can't even deal with a flower?

Tong Shuang.

[Utter Devotion]

Miss Huo,

are you looking for this?

Xiao Beiming, your reputation is well-earned—

always one step ahead

and leaving no loose ends.

We found the same poison

in this flowerpot

as in General Huo's body.

Wait, I'm not done eating!

-What are you doing, Madman? -I'm not mad.

Go buy me

a goat right now.

A goat? You want to eat goat?

I need it alive!

I've figured out how to test for the poison.

Cut the crap.

Go buy it now.

Red crystal has a foul smell,

but if the dosage is controlled,

its smell can be completely masked

by the wellness tea's herbal scent.

Impressive, Coroner Feng.

So it was you who killed General Huo?

That's right.

It was me.

But he was your father!

My father?

What kind of father would treat

his daughter like that?

Ever since I was young,

he had treated me

like an annoying object,

always ignoring me.

Then he married that woman

and let her bully us

and target us.

And what did he do?

He turned a blind eye and did nothing.

Shouldn't I hate him?

Shouldn't I kill him?

Just because of resentment,

you poisoned

General Huo's tea?

That's right.

I knew the poison was a hallucinogen.

So I secretly

added it to his wellness tea.

I thought

he'd just get sick and die slowly.

But I never imagined

he'd strangle himself

under the effects of the hallucinations.

That was karma.

Just to poison him,

you even

used your own mother?

After killing him

and pinning it on that woman,

I'd be the only mistress

of the Huo household.

By that time,

my mother could

live her best life.

It was worth it.

I had no other choice.

Miss Huo,

at this point,

telling the truth

is your only way out.

I did kill him.

Everything I just said is true.

She's lying.

Mother,

you're not well.

You shouldn't be out of bed.

Qing Ying, help my mother back to her room.

Kneel.

I...

Kneel!

Mother,

I was wrong.

I killed Father.

They've already found me out.

The evidence is solid.

There's no escape for me.

Mother,

I've failed you as your daughter.

I won't be able to care for you in your old age.

Silly girl,

you think your little trick

can fool these officers?

You think you can take the fall for me?

Mother,

what are you talking about?

I killed Father.

It had nothing to do with you.

Qing Ying, take my mother back.

Fine, then tell me—

hallucinogenic herbs are all banned.

What kind of pharmacy would sell them to you?

Where did you

get these herbs?

Get up.

What's meant to happen will happen eventually.

Help me sit down.

My Lords,

I came here

to clarify things.

I killed General.

What exactly happened?

It started

as an accident.

Six months ago,

General was troubled by something

and often had me accompany him in the study.

Later, by chance,

I met

a limping physician.

He gave me a bottle of pills.

He said if I ground them into powder

and added it to tea,

General would forget his worries

and treat me with affection.

I didn't really believe it,

but I wanted to try.

Surprisingly, after General took the tea,

he became energetic.

After that, he had me

brew tea for him every day.

And he treated me

with growing affection.

But later,

I started to notice

something was wrong.

Addiction.

That's right.

General became more energetic

but also

more irritable.

I tried to stop giving him the tea.

General,

that's all the tea for today.

But at that time,

he was like a wild beast

and even beat me badly.

I had no choice

but to keep brewing the tea for him.

I thought

I could just endure it.

But then one day,

after he drank the tea…

General,

you're still up so late?

General,

let me help you to bed.

The ghost of Haiya.

The ghost of Haiya!

I'm going to kill her.

-I'm going to kill her! -General.

General!

I'm going to kill her!

-General! General! -Don't stop me!

Don't let her get away!

Don't let her get away!

She's here to take revenge on me!

[Honored for Seniority and Virtue]

General!

The way General looked at Dairong…

I'll never forget it.

I'd never allow him

to hurt my Dairong.

So I decided

to kill him.

By then, he couldn't notice anything unusual,

so I increased the dosage.

I watched him spiral into madness.

I watched him

strangle himself to death.

Mother.

That's how it happened.

I'm the real murderer.

I'm the one who killed General.

Mother,

even if it was you,

I can find a way to save you.

Don't bother, Dairong.

Constable Xiao,

a life for a life.

It's fair, isn't it?

That day, you saw through my identity

and chose to keep my secret.

You were planning

to threaten me

with my life

into sparing Madam Feng

when I cracked the case, weren't you?

That's right.

You're a wanted criminal in the Qi Kingdom.

If I turn you over to the Secret Investigation Unit,

even if you're not Yesha,

your life won't be yours

to decide anymore.

[Huo Dairong, Madam Feng]

Only the mother and daughter are left.

The 36th year of Ningtai.

Huo Dairong.

Li Long.

Young Master.

Let's go

to the Huo Mansion.

Before I came here,

I had already figured out

your intention.

To be honest,

I was torn.

And I'm sure they're even more so.

My life matters,

but some things

matter more than that.

If I made this deal

with you today,

everything that has kept me

going until now

would completely fall apart.

Miss Huo, you once said

that you know well about

everything I did

in the Elite Constabulary Unit.

Then you should know

that I don't respond well to threats.

I didn't before,

and I won't now.

Whatever you want to do,

I'll face it head-on.

-Mother. -Madam.

Please, don't make this harder.

Mother.

Mother, what's wrong with you?

I wanted

to find you a good man

and see you get married.

But now,

I'm afraid…

I'm afraid that won't be possible.

Mother,

what do you mean by that?

Before coming here…

I took poison.

A life for a life.

I just want

to die…

with dignity.

Dairong.

I can't bear to leave you.

Mother.

Mother.

Constable Xiao,

I know

you all have doubts

about Dairong's origins.

Now,

I can tell you the truth.

Actually, she…

she's

not my biological daughter.

23 years ago,

General brought back

a baby from the border.

That baby was Dairong.

I've never

told anyone about this.

Not even Dairong herself knew.

So,

Dairong has absolutely nothing to do

with the matter

you're investigating now.

Dairong,

your father was always cold to you,

always hard on you—

perhaps it was because of

your origins.

Don't blame him.

I don't know what happened in the past,

but now,

everything is over.

I just hope

you can forget all this

and live

as an ordinary person.

Please…

please don't follow in my footsteps

down…

down a dark path.

Mother.

Mother.

Mother.

Qing Ying.

Yes.

Please take care of

Dairong.

You must take good care

of Dairong.

Yes.

I...

I...

Mother.

Madam.

Mother.

Mother.

Mother!

Madam!

Mother.

Mother.

[A Voice That Shakes the World]

[Honored for Seniority and Virtue]

I'll go in and check on Miss Huo again.

Wait.

What's going on here?

[Honored for Seniority and Virtue]

You're too late.

What should we do

with this case now?

What are you thinking about?

Nothing.

Just that…

even though the case is solved,

we've still made no progress

on Yesha or Haiya.

The more we dig, the murkier it gets.

What exactly happened

in Haiya back then?

Something about this case

feels off.

Off?

You mean Madam Feng?

That limping physician

she mentioned—

the timing of his appearance

and his motive for giving her

the red crystal—

neither of them adds up.

But Madam Feng confessed and took poison.

She was so resolute.

It's exactly because she was so resolute

that it feels suspicious.

It's like she took her own life

to cover something up.

You mean

this case isn't over yet?

But what…

what kind of person

or secret is worth dying to protect?

Huo Dairong.

Not everyone

from Haiya is necessarily evil,

right?

Huo Dairong didn't even know

about her own background.

She only learned it from Madam Feng

right before she died.

If Zhu Yitie hadn't confessed himself,

we wouldn't have known

he was an orphan from Haiya.

Anyway, I don't think

she's a bad person.

Master,

if we let them keep digging like this,

it'll lead to disaster.

Everything is going as I planned.

But...

Go do what you need to do.

Yes.

She definitely isn't the one behind all this.

My Lady,

Constable Zhong is here.

Miss Huo,

my condolences.

I know you're not here

to comfort me.

Today,

I just want to cry and mourn my mother.

But

the more I try to cry,

the harder it becomes.

No one can understand

the pain I'm feeling.

I understand how you feel.

Miss Huo,

so many people have died already.

Constable Xiao's secret

is safe with me.

Yes, many people have died.

I don't want

to hurt anyone else.

You have something to say.

Go ahead.

You can't keep things to yourself.

So just say it.

That limping physician...

I think I know who he is.

Who is he?

Beiming!

Beiming!

Beiming, wake up!

Beiming!

Beiming!

Beiming!

How is he?

The frost toxin has flared up again.

I didn't expect

the second attack to come so soon.

I've already performed acupuncture.

He should wake up soon.

But this time,

it's worse than last time.

I don't know

when the third attack happens…

Move!

Tong Shuang.

Even though the murderer in the Huo Mansion case

has taken her own life,

I still don't think

it's that simple.

You're still trying to connect this case

to Xiao Beiming?

Even if there is a connection,

our only lead now

is that limping physician.

With just that one clue,

how are we supposed

to catch Xiao Beiming?

But I have a strong feeling

that Xiao Beiming is in the capital—

maybe even right under our noses.

Father,

give me a few more days.

I swear I'll catch him.

It's not that I won't give you time.

It's that we truly have no time left.

Do you think your instincts

can save both our lives

in these last few days?

Alright.

I'll have Li Long investigate

the limping physician.

You focus on finding another way out for us.

Even if we're doomed,

we can't

bet everything on one clue.

So you're saying

Madam Feng was

unknowingly

using forbidden medicine,

which led to this tragedy.

That physician is suspicious.

Besides the limp,

are there any other characteristics?

According to Madam Feng,

he seemed to be a wandering physician

who profited from selling restricted drugs.

Apart from Madam Feng,

no one has seen him.

How's it going?

Have you found

a way to save Beiming?

I've gone through all the medical books

but found nothing.

However, I do have a new idea.

This is no time

for half-answers.

This method is extremely dangerous.

We should talk it through.

What are you saying?

Blood-freezing Frost is the deadliest

frost toxin I've ever seen.

It can't be neutralized

by common herbs

available in the market.

I want to fight poison with poison.

Fight poison with poison?

According to the principle of yin and yang,

what can counteract Blood-freezing Frost

must be something extremely powerful

and fiery hot.

Only one thing

comes to mind.

[Fire Cicada, a poison of extreme yang and heat]

What is a Fire Cicada?

Why have I never heard of it?

It's incredibly rare.

It's a herb that grows only

at volcanic craters.

It looks like a cicada,

hence the name.

With the Fire Cicada as a primer,

I might be able to

counteract the Blood-freezing Frost.

Then try it right away!

As I said, the Fire Cicada is extremely rare.

It's not something you can just buy

at the market.

Even if we do obtain it,

I can't guarantee

it'll work.

If it doesn't, I fear

Beiming may die because of it.

This method is too dangerous.

Regardless of the risk,

getting the Fire Cicada first

is better than doing nothing.

Where can I find it?

I'll go right away.

According to my master's medical book,

it can only be found at the Ghost Market in the capital.

I've only read about this place in medical books.

Why are all the things here

so strange and eerie?

Some are robbed,

some stolen,

some taken from murder victims,

and some even dug up

from ancestral graves.

Of course they're eerie.

No wonder it's called the Ghost Market.

Everything here

can't see the light of day.

Why are they

all staring at us?

Have we alerted them?

Maybe they smelled the scent of outsiders.

The rules of the Ghost Market:

no questions about who you are;

no questions about where the goods came from.

We need to stay careful.

Don't get into trouble.

Got it.

Look, the Fire Cicada.

That's the Fire Cicada.

Don't move.

How much is this?

How much are you offering?

50 taels.

Is that enough?

100 taels then.

Still not enough?

My rule for selling

is to trade one thing for another.

What do you think

you have on you that's valuable enough

to exchange for that thing?

This thumb ring is a token from a bank.

It can be exchanged for money or land deeds.

This is

the most valuable thing on me.

Can I trade it for your herb?

Of course not.

What exactly do you want?

Your eyes are beautiful, miss.

I wonder

if I could trade this

for one of your eyes.

The choice is yours.

What...

What's happening?

Hand it over!

Never!

You can't escape.

Girl, you're actually

a skilled fighter.

Constable Zhong,

watch out!

Who are you?

Are you alright?

Don't bother. You won't catch him.

What's wrong?

What happened to your eyes, Xueman?

I can't see.

You can't…