Original subtitles

[The Wanted Detective]

[Episode 27]

[Registry of Haiya Orphans]

Why are there

so many orphans from Haiya?

Huo Zongyao,

female infant, Huo Dairong.

Miao Jie,

male infant, Miao Yun.

Zhong Yunchi,

male infant…

Xiao Beiming.

S-So Beiming is also…

Actually, after learning

that Master once served in the Canfeng Army,

I began

to question my origins.

Now that it's confirmed,

at least I have some closure.

But don't worry.

Whether I'm an orphan from Haiya or not,

it won't change anything

I've set out to do.

[Tong Xin, male infant, Tong Peng]

Tong Xin?

My father was in the Canfeng Army,

and my second brother was a Haiya orphan?

How is that possible?

If Old Master Tong served in the Canfeng Army,

then the massacre at Pingyuan Escort Agency

was likely Yesha's revenge.

It says here that Tong Peng was your second brother.

Why have you never mentioned him?

My second brother passed away accidentally

before the massacre.

I had no idea

he was a Haiya orphan.

Brute,

at least now you know who your enemy is.

Don't be too upset.

I'm fine.

It's just that this bastard Yesha—

I have to catch him with my own hands.

I'll go look into

everyone on this list right now.

We'll go with you.

Beiming,

you stay here and wait for news.

The ones who adopted Haiya orphans

were not ordinary soldiers back then.

[Wei Residence]

They were at least battalion commanders.

So the military still

keeps processed files

like Chu Guangsha's,

which let us trace

where they went after discharge.

Apart from the twenty-some who stayed in the capital,

[Tong Xin, male infant, Tong Peng]

they moved to different parts of the country.

In the past few days, we visited

those who stayed in the capital

and found, without exception,

that they were all dead.

[Wei Zhongfu] [Wei Hai]

And the ones not in the capital?

Same result.

Over the past decade or so,

they all died for various reasons.

Most of them

either went missing or died of illness.

They were scattered across the country,

with no apparent connections,

so no one would notice

or report it to the authorities.

If we hadn't investigated

the Huo family case

and gone to Weizhou for the Yellow Heaven,

no one would have connected

these deaths together.

And those Haiya orphans?

The orphans who were adopted back then

all died for various reasons,

just like Tong Shuang's brother.

As for the rest,

apart from you and Dairong,

all are missing.

The missing ones

must have been taken by Yesha.

Some became

Zhu Yitie, Qing Ying,

and Huang Wuchang.

Xueman,

when did the first death occur?

The ninth year of Xingwen.

So Yesha started his revenge

13 years ago.

What a grand scheme he's been weaving.

Now that the registry

is a dead end,

what should we do next?

The trail isn't cold yet.

[Zhang Guangquan, male infant, Zhang Weinan]

[Tong Xin, male infant, Tong Peng]

[Zhong Yunchi, male infant, Xiao Beiming]

[Zhong Yunchi, male infant, Xiao Beiming]

There's a hidden seal on it.

Military confidential documents

must bear a hidden seal.

[Prince of Pingnan, Wu Lie]

This is…

Prince of Pingnan,

Wu Lie?

I've always felt there was

something off about this registry.

With so many names on it,

it looks like it was meant

for someone to review.

I kept wondering,

who was it for?

You mean…

the leader of the Canfeng Army?

Exactly.

My father and General Huo

held positions no higher

than vice commander at the time.

Taking the Haiya orphans

was such a significant matter.

They couldn't have made that decision alone.

So,

having Prince of Pingnan's name here

makes perfect sense.

Otherwise,

they couldn't have brought the orphans back.

Wu Lie, Prince of Pingnan, was

the late emperor's sixth younger brother.

That makes him His Majesty's sixth uncle.

Wu Lie joined the army at a young age

and had defended the border ever since,

but official records about him are scarce,

which makes it very likely

that he was the one

commanding the Canfeng Army.

Where is he now?

Dead.

Dead?

According to official records,

in the early years of Xingwen,

he returned to the capital, fell ill, and died.

But I don't think

it's that simple.

What do you mean?

His death was

way too quiet.

I checked the Ministry of Rites' records from that year.

By rights,

as His Majesty's uncle

and Prince of Pingnan,

even without a state funeral,

his burial

should have been grand.

Yet the Ministry of Rites

has no record of it at all.

Not even

where he was buried.

Could it be that he was just low-key

and didn't want a grand funeral?

What about the Imperial Infirmary?

A royal was seriously ill,

but the Imperial Infirmary

had no medical records about it.

Isn't that odd?

You're saying the official records

are fake?

I never said that.

I just

found these things suspicious.

He was the leader of the Canfeng Army after all.

Slaughtering an entire city

was such a hideous crime.

Could His Majesty have

executed him secretly?

A royal committed crimes.

Covering it up would be understandable.

But why was he the only one killed?

His vice commanders—

whether my master

or General Huo—

both held high positions

in court after the Haiya Case.

Even Old Master Tong went back to Weizhou

and ran a thriving escort agency.

If not for Yesha's appearance,

they wouldn't have died.

You mean Wu Lie isn't dead,

and we just don't know where he went?

If he's really in hiding,

the world's a big place—

where would we even start looking?

I'll have to

visit Mr. Wu again.

Mr. Wu.

Who is it?

Is Mr. Wu here?

Mr. Wu has left.

He doesn't live here anymore.

When did he leave? Where did he go?

How would a servant like me

know such things?

Sorry to bother you.

You're the one from the Elite Constabulary Unit

who came here a few days ago, right?

That's me.

Your timing is perfect.

Before Mr. Wu left,

he asked me to give you something.

Something for me?

Mr. Wu knew I'd be back?

Just a moment.

Thank you.

"Born the most exalted in the Qi Kingdom,

stuck in its darkest place,

facing its hardest tribulation."

This is the clue Wu Zhui left you.

"Born the most exalted

in the Qi Kingdom"—

that must be referring to

Prince Wu Lie.

Mr. Wu guessed

I'd investigate this person,

but because of his connection with the Canfeng Army,

he couldn't say it outright,

so he left a riddle.

"Stuck in its darkest place,

facing its hardest tribulation"—

must be referring to

where Wu Lie is.

But what's the darkest place

in the Qi Kingdom?

And what's the hardest tribulation

for the Qi Kingdom?

Wu Lie is His Majesty's uncle.

You're thinking what I'm thinking.

It must be that place.

I'm afraid you'll have to…

I know what you're going to say.

We're in big trouble this time.

Xiao Beiming,

have you lost your mind?

[Elite Constabulary Unit]

Even I can't get into a place like that.

How could you?

I have my ways.

I came to see you today

to give you advance notice

so your unit won't get in trouble.

Trouble?

So you do know

the meaning of that word.

No one gets into that place,

and no one comes out alive.

I understand,

Chief.

But time is short.

I've finally found the answer.

I have to go.

But...

Didn't you once say

someone has to do something?

[Work in Parallel]

Looks like

there's no way

to stop you now.

If I don't make it back tomorrow,

do you have a plan?

The prison caught fire,

and the criminal

died in it,

burned beyond recognition.

In this world,

Xiao Beiming would no longer exist.

How's that?

I never thought that one day, your trick

for covering up the corpse-sewing case

would be used on me.

Don't push your luck.

Just one day.

If I don't return tomorrow,

do as you suggested.

Xiao Beiming,

tomorrow,

you must

come back alive.

I hope so.

After all, this concerns

more than just my life.

When are you leaving?

Right now.

What about Xueman?

I didn't tell her.

You're going alone?

That's too dangerous.

It's exactly because it's dangerous

that I can't tell her.

Please, Chief Fang, keep this between us.

Go.

[Work in Parallel]

Xueman.

Don't be mad.

How could I not be?

Where exactly are you going?

[Born the most exalted in the Qi Kingdom]

[Stuck in its darkest place]

[Facing its hardest tribulation]

This is the clue Wu Zhui gave you?

What does it mean?

It's where Wu Lie is.

From what I overheard just now

between you and Chief Fang,

you already know

where Wu Lie is,

don't you?

Xiao Beiming!

Where on earth is he?

In the Infernal Dungeon of the Heavenly Prison.

The Infernal Dungeon of the Heavenly Prison?

What kind of place is that?

It's where the Qi Kingdom imprisons

the most vicious criminals.

I know what the Heavenly Prison is.

I'm asking about the Infernal Dungeon.

I've never heard of it.

The Heavenly Prison has 18 levels.

The lower the level,

the graver the prisoners' crimes

and the harsher the punishments.

Even if I were locked up

as Yesha,

I would at most be kept

on the 16th level.

The so-called Infernal Dungeon

is in the deepest part of the Heavenly Prison—

another name for the 18th level.

It's a prison within the Heavenly Prison.

What kind of person

would be imprisoned there?

Mostly royals,

even princes.

The lightest crime there

is treason.

So the "darkest place"

on the note

refers to the Infernal Dungeon?

How do you plan to get there?

Don't tell me

Chief Fang has a way.

Even when my father was alive,

he had to make one application after another

until he got His Majesty's written approval

to enter the Heavenly Prison.

And that's not even the 18th level.

The reason I'm going alone

is because it's too risky.

If I get caught,

the consequences will be disastrous.

So how are you going to get in?

Father.

Father.

[Two hours ago]

Where is Chief?

He's at court

and should be back soon.

This is plague-repelling incense.

Things have not been going well in the unit lately.

Go change the incense in the study

to drive away the foul air.

Yes.

Feng Qingzhuo is quite skilled.

[Imperial Token: Destroy the Evil]

You actually asked Zhuge Kongyun to…

Do you know

that if caught,

you'll both be executed on the spot?

That's exactly

why I'm going alone.

Even if I got caught,

you wouldn't be dragged down.

The same old excuse.

That time with Wu Zhui,

you did the exact same thing.

If that water really had been poisoned,

you'd be dead by now.

What happened with Mr. Wu was an accident.

What about three years ago on Fengbo Lake?

If you hadn't left me behind that day...

♪ How long have I awaited this moment in time? ♪

if I had been on that ship too...

♪ Hand in hand, until the end of our lives ♪

would things have been different?

♪ Lanterns illuminate brocade curtains throughout all seasons ♪

Xiao Beiming.

♪ How long have I awaited this moment in time? ♪

♪ With melody and wine, idle away while basking in moonlight ♪

♪ Beauty fades as time passes by ♪

♪ Lingering only for you ♪

♪ Breezes stir waves ♪

♪ Gleaming like a vast starry sky ♪

♪ Only because I loved you ♪

♪ Autumn and waters constitute perfect harmony ♪

♪ Even if ♪

♪ Blossoms fall on a silent night ♪

♪ Even if ♪

♪ Swallows return in a hurry with the bleak season drawing near ♪

♪ Climb to the peak and show you my love ♪

♪ Time flies like shooting stars ♪

♪ That scene ♪

♪ Ten thousand charms ♪

♪ Dim the glints and flashes of blades ♪

Stop.

This is the Heavenly Prison.

If you have no business here, leave at once.

[Imperial Token: Destroy the Evil]

I didn't know the imperial envoys were here.

Please forgive me.

We're acting under His Majesty's orders.

Take us to the Infernal Dungeon.

Yes.

The Infernal Dungeon?

Why are you going to…

[Imperial Token: Destroy the Evil]

Is that for you to ask?

Please.

Officers,

the Infernal Dungeon is on the level below.

You're not coming with us?

By law, I can only come this far.

Any further,

and I'd lose my head.

Thank you.

We'll go down by ourselves.

As a guard in the Heavenly Prison,

he's seen so many

vicious criminals and atrocities,

yet he's so frightened.

What in the world

is on the 18th level?

Will it be dangerous?

We're already guilty of a capital crime

for faking an imperial decree.

What danger could scare us now?

True enough.

We'll deal with whatever comes our way.

Let's go.

[Infernal Dungeon]

This should be the place.

[Infernal Dungeon]

[Infernal Dungeon]

[Wu Lie, Prince of Pingnan]

He's actually carving a stone stele with his bare hands.

His internal energy is immeasurable.

Is he the one we're looking for?

"Facing the Qi Kingdom's hardest tribulation."

By the prison rules of the Qi Kingdom,

the more serious the crime, the heavier the chains.

The record weight

is 370 catties,

and his chains don't seem any lighter.

He's the one we're looking for.

Sir, are you Wu Lie, Prince of Pingnan?

His Majesty sent us here

to ask you something important.

[Imperial Token: Destroy the Evil]

Please go back.

This is a token bestowed by His Majesty.

Faking an imperial decree is a capital crime.

This token is real.

Why do you say we're faking an imperial decree?

The token is real,

but he would never

send anyone to see me.

I live in seclusion here

and want no part

in your disputes.

Now that you've seen me…

you can leave.

We came here

only to seek the truth.

If we can't get the answers we want,

we're not leaving.

What is it you want to know?

The Haiya Case.

As an internal energy master,

his emotional changes

can cause his energy to fluctuate.

I'll ask you one more time:

are you leaving or not?

Mr. Wu Zhui sent me here.

Did you just say Wu Zhui?

[Registry of Haiya Orphans]

Where did you get this registry?

Sir,

confined in the Infernal Dungeon,

you may not know that the Haiya Case

has caused massive upheaval in the Qi Kingdom.

Yesha is hiding in Haiya now.

If we can't capture him,

I'm afraid the Qi Kingdom will face

even greater calamities.

Please leave.

Leave now.

Do you not understand

what we just said?

So many people have died.

You're the only one

who can tell us the truth about Haiya.

Why won't you…

The world is ruled by the law of cause and effect.

The cause is what can give rise;

the effect is what arises.

From cause comes effect, no exception.

The Ten Realms

are nothing but cause and effect.

I repent my sins here

to end the karma of the past.

If I say nothing,

the outside world won't suffer

further calamities because of me.

Leave now.

Prince of Pingnan,

we're not leaving.

Leave at once!

What are you laughing at?

I'm laughing at you.

What is there to laugh at?

Everything.

You once commanded great power,

yet now you hide in the Infernal Dungeon,

with countless fiends

living right above your head.

How pathetic and laughable!

You wear chains weighing hundreds of catties,

thinking this bit of physical suffering

can atone for the countless lives

lost because of you.

How naive and laughable!

You keep talking about cause and effect,

yet you don't even know what the cause is

and who's bearing

the consequences.

How foolish and laughable!

There's no point in arguing with me.

When cause and effect align,

karma will reveal itself.

You don't understand

what atonement means.

Atonement?

You are

so absurd!

Tell me,

what is atonement?

Your vice commander,

my master Zhong Yunchi,

served the court with integrity and impartiality.

In 20 years of service,

he solved more than 760 wrongful and cold cases

and brought

over 1,700 criminals to justice.

The people called him the King of Constables.

But on Fengbo Lake,

he was pierced by thousands of needles and threads,

dying a horrible death.

Tell me—

what is atonement?

Your vice commander, Huo Zongyao,

served in the army for 20 years,

fighting in the desert and the southern seas.

In over 100 battles,

he never lost a fight and was promoted to general.

His body bore countless scars

from blades and arrows.

He survived the battlefield,

only to be poisoned in his own home.

Those hands that once killed the enemies

strangled himself to death.

Tell me—what is atonement?

And your vice commander, Tong Xin—

after discharge,

he founded the Pingyuan Escort Agency.

He and his escorts fought the evil,

stood up for the weak,

and kept the people safe.

Pingyuan's chivalry was known across the martial world.

But in one night,

all 74 members of the escort agency

were brutally massacred.

The only boy who survived that massacre

was kidnapped by human traffickers.

Tell me—

what is atonement?

And Miao Jie, Shen Bi,

Lu Wenzhong, Fan Jingzhi, Qin Ye—

which of them didn't give their all

for the Qi Kingdom?

Which of them didn't give their heart and soul

to the Qi Kingdom?

Compared to them,

what kind of atonement are you seeking?

Shut up!

And those Haiya orphans—

their parents died in the war.

You thought bringing them back

was giving them a chance at life.

But what happened after that?

Most of them were rootless

and suffered a lot,

and their adoptive parents died unnatural deaths.

They were taken by Yesha,

brainwashed into swearing loyalty to him,

and willingly serving him in revenge against the Qi Kingdom,

even at the cost of their lives.

Wu Lie,

it all started because of you,

yet everyone but you

is bearing the consequences.

You hide here,

shackled in chains,

chanting Buddhist scriptures and sutras,

only to cover up your hypocrisy

and mask your cowardice!

You talk about ending the karma,

about atoning for your sins,

but what karma have you ended?

What sins have you atoned for?

You can keep hiding here

in the Infernal Dungeon,

chanting your scriptures.

But I am not like you.

The karma you cannot end—

I will end it for you.

The sins you can't atone for—

I'll atone for you.

You're so much like your master.

He was the person

I trusted most in this life.

This is the map of Haiya.

Like your master,

find it,

bring it back,

and I'll tell you everything.

Take it.

I know

they're all citizens of the Qi Kingdom,

all innocent people.

I know once this order is given,

there's no turning back.

But for the greater good of the Qi Kingdom,

I have no other choice.

Come on.

Let's go to Haiya.

[Mount Baiyu] [Haiya]

♪ Yesha ♪

♪ You don't have to be afraid seeing it, draw your sword ♪

♪ When black and white reversed ♪

♪ You must've shown up ♪

♪ All the former prejudices against me ♪

♪ All the rumors about me ♪

♪ I have no intent to confute them ♪

♪ As I open my eyes, nothing can escape my sight♪

♪ Whose knives, whose swords ♪

♪ Are hurting people from behind? ♪

[Haiya] [Mount Shaoyang] [Hezhong Prefecture]

♪ Some are proud, some are arrogant ♪

♪ Some repay kindness with hatred ♪

♪ Don't be cocky ♪

♪ Karma is true ♪

♪ Cross the sea of bitterness and break the barriers of sins ♪

♪ Among blades and flames, I smile on the battlefield ♪

♪ Don't ask who I am— just draw your sword out ♪

[Haiya] [Mount Tianchi] [Mount Tianbao]

The path to Haiya

is somewhere in these woods.

Why is the path gone?

This map was drawn

over 20 years ago.

After so much time,

the old path

might be overgrown with weeds.

Sir,

do you know how to get to Haiya?

No idea.

What place is that?

Never even heard of it.

Wait.

Look.

We can pay for your answer.

Take this.

I told you, I don't know.

Go ask someone else.

You're acting sneaky.

You're not some mountain bandit, are you?

Watch your mouth.

You guys look more like bandits to me.

[Elite Constabulary Unit]

E-Elite Constabulary Unit?

Please spare me. Please spare me.

It's not that I don't want to tell you.

I'm just afraid.

So you do know about Haiya?

You must never mention

that word.

Sir,

please get up.

You just said

we can't say that word.

What do you mean?

Will someone harm you?

No one will harm me,

but…

but the things in there—

who knows what they'd do?

You mean

there are strange creatures in Haiya?

I told you

not to say that word.

Since you know,

how dare you still come here?

Have you seen one yourself?

Once, when I was chopping firewood,

I went there by mistake.

I saw those things…

Are you telling the truth?

Yes.

It's true.

We've been

looking for that place for a long time.

Since you've been there,

please show us the way,

will you?

You…

You guys are really going there?

No.

What I just said

is all true.

There really are...

Sir,

don't worry.

Nothing will happen to you.

If you're really that scared,

take this money

and start a small business.

From now on,

never come back here

to chop wood.

How about that?

This is the path.

Just follow this path straight ahead.

At its end,

turn right and go less than three miles,

and you'll be there.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

Then you...

Let's go, Beiming.

We've been travelling for four hours.

Are you hungry?

The sun is setting.

Let's take a break.

Tong Shuang, find a suitable place.

Alright.

Dairong,

go hand out

the fruit to everyone.

Here, eat something.

Thanks.

Here.

Beiming.

I don't want any. You have it.

-Thank you. -Okay.

Let me help you.

Beiming,

where should we

head next?

That woodcutter told us

to follow this path forward.

If we're lucky,

maybe we'll find the ruins of Haiya.

I'll go take a look around

and bring back some game.

I'll go with you.

This place has been abandoned for so long.

There might be wild animals.

Better be careful.

Wild animals are nothing to fear.

What's scary is the monst…

Don't start with that.

I've been afraid of those things since I was a kid.

That story about Haiya monsters

was just made up

to cover

the Canfeng Army's secret.

That woodcutter must have been mistaken.

No way there are real monsters.

Exactly.

No monsters.

Don't worry.

With me here,

no monster

would dare harm you.

Stop being lovey-dovey.

Let's go.

Be careful.

Okay.

I'll be right back.

Be careful.

Let's go.

Dear Madman,

if I get scared later,

you have to protect me.

I'll definitely bring back

some game for her.

Let's go.

What is that?