Original subtitles

[The Wanted Detective]

[Episode 35]

Where are we going?

Chessboard Alley.

Chessboard Alley?

I remember that's where

the families of Ministry of Works officials live.

That's right.

Chessboard Alley

is just a nickname the locals use.

The people from the Ministry of Works are so set in their ways

that not only did they build their houses

exactly the same,

[Qiluo Pavilion]

but also lined them up perfectly straight,

nineteen rows across and lengthwise,

like a chessboard.

But why are we there

instead of going to the Ministry of Justice

to investigate the case?

Because some things

the Ministry of Justice can't handle,

but the Ministry of Works can.

So who exactly are we looking for?

Feng Bamao,

a clerk at the Ministry of Works.

I dealt with him

before the Fengbo Lake case.

He's just a clerk.

How can he help us?

Of course he can.

Because the work he does

is different from most people's.

What kind of work does he do?

Under the Ministry of Works,

there's a small office called the Office of Rodents and Insects.

They handle

every snake, insect, rat,

and ant problem in the capital.

Most people

don't want the job,

but Feng Bamao is different.

He loves this work,

spending his days with bugs.

No one in the world can match him in this field.

Spending his days with bugs?

So strange?

Strange indeed.

But finding the right person is what matters.

So the place we're going

is full of bugs.

No wonder Zhuge Kongyun

and Dairong didn't come.

Kongyun is a neat freak.

Huo Dairong was probably terrified

the last time in the underground tomb.

The one who got bitten was me.

If I'd known, I would've brought some insect repellent.

Let's go.

Stand still!

Lift your foot! Lift your foot!

Lift it up.

Lift it.

Easy.

Easy.

You can step on me if you want,

just don't step on it.

What are you looking for?

A very rare black silkworm

from the Kingdom of Mulberry.

-How about we help you find it? -Don't move!

Get up.

Its skin changes color,

blending perfectly

with its surroundings.

It's extremely sneaky.

Don't move.

If it gets stepped on,

who knows when

I'll find another one.

Just stand still for now.

Don't move.

Sorry for the poor hospitality.

Don't move.

It's afraid of strong light.

It must be in this room.

But it also hates the dark,

so it won't go into that dark chamber.

It has to still be in this room.

Why are you laughing?

Didn't you say

when faced with a difficult problem,

you should use your brain?

So use it.

My little treasure,

you're getting sneakier and sneakier.

In the future, tie a red thread

around its head.

It can change color,

but the thread won't.

That way, if it runs out again,

it'll be easy to spot.

Makes sense.

But using silk spun by its own kind

to tie it up…

isn't that a bit…

Xiao?

How come it's you?

Long time no see, Feng.

I came this time

to ask you for a favor.

You just helped me

with such a big favor.

If there's anything I can do,

just say the word.

I found this

at three crime scenes.

Their bodies

were arranged in a spiral.

You're an expert in this field,

so I'd like you to take a look.

These ants

are all showing signs of molting,

which indicates they were extremely agitated

before death.

Extremely agitated?

That means extremely excited.

To put it bluntly,

they literally excited themselves to death.

Excited to death?

I'm telling you,

I'm a doctor.

Don't try to fool me.

You can heal people,

but can you heal insects?

People can die from excitement,

so can insects.

These insects

must have come into contact with something

before death to end up like this.

You mean…

they were poisoned?

You're sharp.

Someone must have been using

certain substances while these insects

happened to be present,

causing their deaths as collateral damage.

What kind of substance?

I don't know.

It definitely

wasn't a pesticide.

I only specialize in

insecticides.

Alright.

This trip was a waste of time.

We didn't find any clues.

Sir, you speak so bluntly.

Do you look down on me?

Feng, please don't take offense.

He's not good with words.

Just ignore him.

I may not know

the exact poison that killed these insects,

but I feel like I've seen bugs

die the same way somewhere before.

Where?

My brain isn't working well.

I can't remember right now.

Are you messing with me?

Don't rush.

See this inner room?

It has specimens of all kinds of insects.

For each one, there's a record

of how it died, what its death looked like,

and where it died.

Let me

go in and check.

Thank you.

There are quite a lot of specimens.

Can anyone help me?

Coroner Feng.

Me?

Yes, yes.

Go.

You already know how to heal people.

If you learn to heal insects too,

you'll reach the pinnacle of medicine.

I...

Doctor,

would you help me?

I'm telling you,

insect bodies

are far more interesting than human bodies.

What are you doing?

I have a few poisonous insects inside.

They will attack my face.

What about me?

You'll be fine.

The one they hate...

is me.

You'll reach the pinnacle of medicine.

How did you get to know this person?

Once, a palace in the capital collapsed,

causing deaths.

The Ministry of Justice thought the Ministry of Works officials

had cut corners,

so they arrested the supervisor.

I was there at the time and sensed something was off.

Later, Feng Bamao approached me,

wanting to investigate together.

Isn't he from the Office of Rodents and Insects?

What does he have to do

with a palace accident?

He believed the collapse

was caused by termite damage,

which was later confirmed.

He seems to be quite selfless.

Not only that,

the supervisor

had previously had conflicts with him,

yet instead of taking advantage,

he helped uncover the truth

and cleared his name.

On this point alone,

he seems reliable.

We have a lead.

It's Yunji Palace.

I once saw

identical dead insects there.

Yunji Palace?

Isn't that

where Taoist Yunji lives?

Who is Taoist Yunji?

He's a sorcerer from a foreign land,

skilled in all kinds of magic tricks,

especially illusions.

During festivals,

nobles in the capital

would invite him to perform.

I even invited you to watch once.

I remember.

I couldn't go

because of official duties.

That's a shame.

One year at the Mid-Autumn Festival,

he was invited into the palace

and performed a trick

called "Thousand Miles Landscape"

in front of His Majesty and all the officials.

He stood alone on the stage,

and with a wave of his hand,

a vision of "Thousand Miles Landscape"

appeared.

Rivers, lakes, towering mountains,

the sun, moon, and stars—

all amidst swirling clouds and mist,

accompanied by faint Buddhist chants.

It was truly magnificent,

absolutely breathtaking.

It seems that

Taoist Yunji's

"Thousand Miles Landscape" trick

bears some resemblance to Yesha's

"Demonized Four Symbols".

If they're

the same kind of tricks,

then finding Taoist Yunji

could help us solve our mystery.

Thanks.

You're welcome.

So this is Yunji Palace?

He's just a mechanical sorcerer.

Do you really think he lives in a palace?

That's right.

Why are you here?

For trivial matters like finding bugs,

you're fine.

Catching people is my specialty.

Maybe there are bugs in there too.

Alright.

Enough joking.

Let's go in and take a look.

No one's here.

Judging by the dust,

it's been some days.

There are clear signs of a struggle.

He didn't leave on his own;

he was taken.

It must have been Yesha.

He took Taoist Yunji

probably to use

his illusion skills

to stage the Case of the Demonized Four Symbols.

So we're late again?

He could take him,

but not necessarily

everything.

Let's split up

and see if we can find any clues.

[Unpredictable Changes]

I'll search outside.

Okay.

Look.

There are dead insects.

Two locks?

Perfect chance.

Let's have a competition

to see who can pick the lock faster.

Stop it.

It must be tung oil in this barrel.

This is probably what we're looking for.

What is this thing?

I know now.

What?

Bosuo Flower.

There are scattered petals

of Bosuo Flowers all over the yard,

though the blooms have been picked.

But I still found

their seeds in the soil.

Bosuo Flower?

I've never

heard of them before.

Have you?

Then why aren't you surprised?

You're so calm.

I'm used to it.

He often talks about things

that are hard to understand.

Quickly, explain—

what are Bosuo Flowers?

Bosuo Flowers are plants from foreign lands.

According to Yin-Yang Book,

if you grind and refine

their flowers and seeds into powder,

it can become a medicine.

What medicine?

A sedative.

It's non-toxic.

When inhaled by humans,

it causes dullness of consciousness

and numbing of the five senses.

The numbness

doesn't last long,

so it's hard to detect.

But if insects come into contact with it,

they die instantly.

I'm now certain

that there was a large amount of Bosuo Flower pollen

at the crime scene.

This is the key to the illusion technique.

The Bosuo Flower pollen

is only an aid to make viewers

more immersed

in the illusion.

That's right.

By itself,

it cannot create illusions.

Let's take all these things back

and see if we can find

anything crucial.

Bosuo Flowers appeared

at all three crime scenes.

But if you wanted everyone present

to experience dull consciousness

and numbed senses,

the few at Yunji Palace

wouldn't be nearly enough.

Qi Kingdom doesn't grow this kind of plant.

If a large quantity of Bosuo Flowers is needed,

they must be transported from the Western Regions.

In the capital,

the trading houses Xilaigui and Liluxi

specialize in goods

from the West.

I'll check and see

if I can trace the source

and find some clues.

Such things

might also be sold at the Ghost Market.

We can go look there.

Okay.

Then I'll stay here with Coroner Feng

to continue investigating the secrets of this illusion technique.

Let's split up.

Be careful.

I don't know.

[Talc] [Soda Ash] [Alum][Fragrant Bone]

[Tung Oil]

[Lime] [Charcoal Powder]

[Talc] [Green vitriol] [Fragrant Bone]

I'll talk!

I'll tell you everything!

Jiuxiao powder.

The owners of the two trading houses confessed.

Someone recently purchased a large quantity

of Bosuo Flowers from them

at a very high price.

Who was it?

Did they see the person?

The buyer is extremely cautious

and has never shown their face.

Their method of payment

is like that of a traveling theater troupe.

A box of gold and silver

suddenly appeared in front of the shop.

As the saying goes, "Men die for wealth,

birds die for food."

Though they sensed

something suspicious,

the lure of great profit was enough for them to take the risk.

At first, they were unwilling to speak,

probably because

they feared being implicated

in other cases.

So how did the transaction take place?

With so many flowers,

how did they manage them?

There was an instruction in the box

telling them to deliver the flowers

to a courtyard in the north of the city.

Did you check it out?

Of course.

But we were still a step too late.

By the time Li Long and Fang Yin arrived,

the courtyard

was empty,

leaving only

a few Bosuo Flower leaves.

This only proves that the trading house owners

weren't lying.

It seems he had already prepared for this.

The clues we have now

are too few.

I'm afraid it will get even harder

to investigate later.

I actually managed to find some

useful information.

You found leads at the Ghost Market?

Although

there's no seller of Bosuo Flowers there,

we found that recently

someone transported a large quantity of Bosuo Flowers

to the Ghost Market.

Why did they transport them to the Ghost Market?

It's probably to refine them into powder.

I see.

Refining Bosuo Flower powder isn't difficult.

But refining

such a large amount of it

isn't easy.

If it were done openly,

the unique effects of the Bosuo Flower

would attract

many insects during the process,

making it easy

for us to notice.

That's why

they placed a large amount of Bosuo Flower powder

in the pharmacies in the Ghost Market.

Exactly.

The pharmacies in the Ghost Market

are meant for refining

forbidden and highly toxic substances.

They strictly follow the Ghost Market rules—

never asking about the source

or the purpose.

So, sending the Bosuo Flowers there

for processing is both the safest

and most secure option.

Let's go to my place

and see if we can find

any other useful clues.

Since the people in the Ghost Market

are so rule-abiding,

what have you discovered?

Even the most rule-abiding people fear death.

Unlike the trading houses,

the powders in the Ghost Market pharmacies

were collected by someone specifically assigned.

Someone specifically assigned?

Everyone entering the Ghost Market

must cover their faces.

But the pharmacy staff said

the person who collected the powders had a left hand

that was very limited in movement.

It was wrapped in bandages

and looked as if it were injured.

Someone with their left hand bandaged?

I believe he must be

one of Yesha's men.

But this clue is too broad

to point to anyone specific.

Still, something is better than nothing.

Indeed.

I'll send people to investigate right away.

Oh, right.

How's your investigation into

Taoist Yunji's belongings going?

It's all

a jumble of things.

There's even sugar.

We really can't make

anything out.

Where's my senior?

He hasn't found any clues,

so he went out for a walk

and hasn't returned yet.

[11 PM]

[1 AM][3 AM][5 AM]

He's been gone for two hours.

I need to find him.

Follow me.

Where have you been?

These are the three crime scenes

of the Four Symbols case.

Beiming,

did you discover something?

I've uncovered the secret behind the Four Symbols case.

[Peace]

Bosuo Flowers.

When inhaled by humans,

it causes dullness of consciousness

and numbing of the five senses.

But if insects come into contact with it,

they die instantly.

So intricate.

It's absolutely mind-boggling.

If the method you described

really works,

then next,

he will surely use it

to commit the Black Tortoise case.

So when and where

will he strike again?

Here,

and here.

According to my analysis,

there are only a few places

where the final Black Tortoise case

could take place.

The Heaven Worship Ceremony is tomorrow?

Why hold it at such a time?

Won't that only make things more chaotic?

I understand His Majesty.

The people of Qi Kingdom are in panic.

Rumors that the kingdom will fall

and divine punishment is coming

are spreading like wildfire.

Qi Kingdom is in a state of fear and paranoia.

If His Majesty doesn't calm the people soon,

the situation will only worsen.

That's right.

This is our only option.

Previously, preparing for a Heaven Worship Ceremony

took the Ministry of Rites

several months.

Given the current situation,

His Majesty wants it done as quickly as possible.

We can only choose a nearby auspicious day

and handle it simply.

Where will the ceremony be held?

At the Heaven Worship Altar, of course.

Now we know

when and where he plans

to commit the Black Tortoise case.

Everything happening right now

is part of his plan.

Demonized Four Symbols,

with each step linked to the next,

is truly terrifying.

But what is his goal

in doing all this?

The Heaven Worship Ceremony is a grand ritual.

His Majesty, the officials,

[Honest, Wise, Magnanimous, Insightful]

and the imperial family will all attend.

His goal couldn't be...

To use this case

to make the officials—and even His Majesty —of Qi Kingdom

take the Swift Wind Pill,

turning them into monsters in front of the people.

Then he could, under the guise of divine punishment,

easily seize control of all of Qi Kingdom.

If that's really the case,

we must enter the palace immediately

and ask His Majesty to cancel the ceremony.

It's too late.

The imperial edict has already been issued.

[Honest, Wise, Magnanimous, Insightful]

If it were withdrawn,

the people would only think

His Majesty is afraid

of this so-called will of heaven.

Rumors would spread even more,

potentially shaking

the very foundation of Qi Kingdom.

That would be far too dangerous.

If Yesha really poisons the ceremony,

how can we defend against it?

Although I still haven't found

an antidote to the Swift Wind Pill,

no one understands its toxicity

better than I do.

These are bamboo sticks

soaked in a special solution I prepared.

They can't neutralize the poison,

but when they come into contact with the Swift Wind Pill,

they turn black,

offering a degree of protection.

Chiefs, please enter the palace at once

and inform His Majesty of the seriousness of the situation,

then distribute these sticks

to the palace personnel

and officials,

asking them to carefully check

all food and drink

before consuming anything.

But what if tomorrow

the Black Tortoise illusion

really occurs

and deceives the people again?

We won't give him another chance.

Hail the deity!

We respectfully invite the Heavenly Emperor to descend and receive the offerings!

Bow!

Rise!

First offering: jade and silk!

Bow!

Rise!

Second offering: grains!

Bow!

Rise!

Final offering: wine and food!

Ceremony complete!

Heavenly Emperor, please manifest

and bless Qi Kingdom.

The emperor of Qi Kingdom is unjust.

Heaven has abandoned him.

Submitting to the new ruler

is what aligns with the will of Heaven!

The emperor of Qi Kingdom is unjust.

He really came.

Submitting to the new ruler

is what aligns with the will of Heaven.

The emperor of Qi Kingdom is unjust.

Heaven has abandoned him.

Submitting to the new ruler...

Where is Xiao Beiming?

Why has it gone silent?

Is it just this thing?

Foreign lands really do have

quite a few strange things.

Through this thing,

the so-called

divine beasts' decrees

can be spread into the sky?

What's going on?

What's happening?

I have no idea.

I'll go out and check.

Okay.

Don't move if you want to live.

Step back.

Beiming, you were right.

My Lords,

I'm not with him.

I was forced into cooperation

after he captured me.

So you're Taoist Yunji?

Yes, that's me.

Taoist Yunji.

We know you were coerced,

but the situation is urgent.

There's something we need your help with.

The demons have been vanquished!

Yesha has been slain!

Heaven's will returns to Qi Kingdom!

It will bless us!

The demons have been vanquished!

Yesha has been slain!

Heaven's will returns to Qi Kingdom!

It will bless us!

Heaven bless Qi Kingdom!

Turning the plan against him?

He's quite something.

It worked.

"Heaven's will returns to Qi Kingdom. It will bless us."

Didn't expect you to be so brave.

[One day ago]

What does this mean?

This is the method of creating images with fire

recorded in the Book of Mechanics.

By using a dark room and light,

you can produce phantom illusions.

This is one of the methods

used in the Four Symbols case,

and the most crucial one.

You mean

the divine beasts that appeared in the sky

were illusions, just like

the candle's reflection?

But the divine beasts

are so different

from the reflections in the sky.

[Honest, Wise, Magnanimous, Insightful]

Could Yesha

have hung a cloth in the sky?

Exactly.

That cloth

is the clouds in the sky.

You mean

those divine beasts

were actually projected

onto the clouds?

Then where did

those clouds come from?

They were created

by Taoist Yunji

using the substances in his jars and bottles.

Celestial stone powder and sugar?

Exactly.

By using celestial stone powder and sugar as the main ingredients,

then mixing in various pigments,

one could produce colored smoke.

Adding crystal powder to the mix

would allow the clouds

to reflect light and shadow.

Most importantly,

they included

a large amount of Bosuo Flower pollen.

Once the clouds rose into the sky,

the pollen would drift down,

and the onlookers—

unaware—

would have their five senses numbed,

making them more likely to believe

the illusion before them.

But even if he could make those clouds,

they weren't solid objects.

How could he carry them around

and use them at will?

Of course he could.

In Yunji Palace,

we found large quantities

of silk cloth and tung oil.

When the silk was soaked in tung oil,

it became waterproof.

By sewing them together,

they could make so-called oil-silk pouches.

Then he put the drug powders

inside these pouches,

and when needed, opening them

would release

the colored smoke.

Using this method,

whether for the illusion chambers

or the drifting clouds,

the setup would have to be deployed

from a height to work effectively.

Follow me.

Both the street where the White Tiger case took place

and the execution ground of the Azure Dragon case

[Tranquility]

happened to have watchtowers nearby.

These watchtowers are meant for city defense

and are not used in peacetime.

I believe that, at the time,

Yesha's men were hiding atop

that watchtower.

Then how do you explain the injuries

on Wu Zhui and Wu Lie's bodies?

Of course, they were faked.

The bite and claw marks

on their bodies

were deliberately made

using the fangs of wild beasts.

If Wu Zhui had really died in a tiger's jaws,

his body would show marks

from the tiger's tongue scraping him,

and his corpse

would have been dull and yellowed.

Once the bodies are returned,

I want you to re-examine

Wu Zhui and Wu Lie's bodies.

You want me to perform an autopsy?

The Four Symbols killings never actually happened.

It's all nonsense.

We must have missed

some crucial clue.

During the original examination,

Feng Qingzhuo was misled by the illusion and jumped to conclusions,

so he didn't notice it.

That was my oversight.

We were also deceived

by Yesha at the time.

Fortunately, we discovered it before it was too late.

But how did he manage

to escape riding a dragon?

I had Fang Yin investigate the executioner

from that day,

only to find he had been missing for several days.

I suspect

he was either bribed by Yesha

or already dead.

Moreover, the execution blade used that day

was fake.

Smoke filled the stage,

and while everyone's attention

was drawn to the Azure Dragon in the sky,

Yesha changed his appearance,

left behind the shackles,

and blended into the crowd.

That explains everything.

No, that's not right.

[Honest, Wise, Magnanimous, Insightful]

This method could indeed work for

the Azure Dragon and White Tiger cases,

but the Vermilion Bird case is different.

It happened in Feng Prison, a Heavenly Prison.

This method definitely wouldn't work.

Besides, I fought with the Vermilion Bird myself.

If it were just a phantom,

I would have noticed

immediately.

As I just said,

this is only one method

used in the Four Symbols case.

The Vermilion Bird case

employs a different technique

from the other two.

What do you mean?

The author of this book

was obsessed with magical arts and illusions.

[The Complete Collection of Magical Arts]

He recorded all the strange phenomena and wonders

he witnessed in his lifetime in this book.

Although he didn't know the key methods,

I found clues

in his descriptions.

What does it say?

This book records

the lifelong mastery

of Taoist Yunji.

His "Thousand Miles Landscape"

was created using the method

I mentioned earlier.

But Taoist Yunji

had another ultimate skill

called Mind Control.

Mind Control?

[Honest, Wise, Magnanimous, Insightful]

It's a hypnotism

introduced from the Western Regions.

With the right technique,

one can control

[The Complete Collection of Magical Arts]

a person's consciousness in a short time.

The person under hypnosis

[Mind Control]

will obey orders,

and upon waking

will only remember

what they were commanded to remember.

The greatest use of Bosuo Flowers

lies in this.

Are you saying

I was under Mind Control at that time?

The Heavenly Prison was built underground,

with each level's vents

leading straight to the surface.

These vents are extremely narrow.

Only insects can pass through them,

so no one pays them any attention.

But the Bosuo Flower pollen

could travel through these vents

all the way to the lowest level of the prison.

The prison was sealed,

so inhaling

a large amount of Bosuo Flower pollen

in a short time would likely do more

than just numb the senses;

it would blur one's consciousness.

I suspect that at the time, it wasn't just you—

Tiangang and Disha, the two top experts,

and even Wu Lie,

were all affected.

But how exactly

did we fall victim to it?

Mind Control

often only requires

some repeated actions or sounds

to subtly

trap a person.

For example...

When you faint,

someone will come to save you.

So that day,

all my memories of the Vermilion Bird

were fabricated?

My mind was being controlled?

After you fainted,

Zhuge Kongyun and I also arrived.

Although we were late,

we still noticed

some oddities about you.

You said you entered the fire

and were knocked out by the Vermilion Bird.

Zhuge Kongyun and I also went in,

but we didn't see anything.

The entire Buddhist hall was made of wood.

After the fire,

our shoe soles

were coated with some ash,

but yours were completely clean.

Moreover, there was

no trace of smoke on you.

You claimed to have been knocked out

by flames expelled by the Vermilion Bird,

yet not a single strand of your hair

was singed or curled from the heat.

All of this proves that

you never entered the fire,

nor did you see the so-called Vermilion Bird.

In other words,

the Vermilion Bird murder

was just a false memory implanted in me

through his control?

Making you

the sole witness

was his goal.

The so-called Demonized Four Symbols

is nothing more than

an illusion created

using unorthodox methods.

Now that we've uncovered

all his methods,

the final Black Tortoise case...

We will certainly stop him.

That's enough.

Thank you.

You were the one who bought the Bosuo Flower pollen

in the Ghost Market, weren't you?

He trusts you so much.

So let me see

your true face.

Gong Fu?

Beiming,

you know him?

Remember what I told you

about Feng Bamao?

He's the supervisor

who was taken to take the blame.

Your hand

was injured during

the Ministry of Justice's forced confession, wasn't it?

I didn't expect you to remember me.

You're also an orphan from Haiya?

That's right.

Back then, my foster parents

sold me into the palace,

and I almost became a eunuch.

By a twist of fate, I ended up in the Ministry of Works.

I didn't expect the world to be so unjust.

Just because of some termites,

my left hand was crippled.

Fortunately,

I met Master then.

Where is he?

Tell me,

and I'll make sure you survive.

Survive?

Do you think

I would betray Master

for my own life?

Your show is over.

Sooner or later, we'll catch him.

Over?

You think solving the Four Symbols case

will stop Qi Kingdom from falling?

Xueman!

We can't catch up.

It's the Swift Wind Pill.

These must have been prepared

for His Majesty and the officials during the sacrifice.

This time we stopped him.

But once the Four Symbols case is solved,

if they get desperate

and start spreading poison throughout the capital,

we won't be able to defend against it.

I might know

where they are now.

It's where

I was imprisoned before.