Original subtitles

[Blood River]

[Based on the novel of the same name from Zhou Munan's Youth in Jianghu series]

[Episode 33]

Changhe,

why must we work with them?

If we had stepped in

in time last night,

Muyu might not

have been hurt that badly.

You're questioning me?

Your decision

must have your reasons.

Go tell Dian Ye

my cooperation with them

is limited to helping them

take on the Prince of Langya.

When I leave seclusion,

everything will be decided.

Tell them they'd better...

not act rashly.

Understood.

Go.

Something big happened.

Your Highness, Deputy General He seeks audience.

Your Highness, urgent report!

Speak.

From your look,

it's definitely not the kind

of news you want heard.

When General Lei struck Nanxu City,

he was ambushed.

Then he led a small squad to break out,

and is now fleeing to Mount Luolei.

We do have some troops there,

but if Nanjue is set on sealing the mountain,

I'm afraid...

No reinforcements?

All tied down by Nanjue's main force.

They've gone all out,

willing to pay any price,

just to take down our commander.

Mount Luolei...

Your Highness.

Go.

Bring him back.

Undercurrents run deep in Tianqi City,

how can I leave now?

I'll be fine.

In Tianqi City,

no one can threaten me.

I just hate

that this time I can't...

Your Highness!

Where is Ji Ruofeng?

Why isn't he back yet?

He took Chuhe

to the Miao Territory to find Dragonfire Herb

and Cinnabar Spiders.

He found clues in ancient texts.

Taken together,

they can suppress the frost poison in me.

I keep feeling

someone's deliberately moving your people away.

Xinyue,

right now,

every extra word you say

could well become

a lifelong regret.

But, Your Highness...

In this world,

everyone

has something

we absolutely cannot lose.

I have it.

You do too.

When the worst

inevitably comes,

then...

cast everything aside.

I'm sorry,

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Something major happened

in Tianqi City last night.

Su Muyu fought Nanjue's Blade Ghost,

Xu Liuyun.

Xu Liuyun was killed.

As for Su Muyu's side,

that young physician Bai Hehuai

from Medicine King Valley

seems to have met with misfortune.

After that, Su Muyu stormed

the Flying Tiger General's residence,

even drawing in the Jinwu Guards.

Now He-Yu Clinic

stands emptied out.

As for the exact cause,

I don't yet know.

You'll know soon.

Mu Qingyang of the Mu family

pays respects to Your Highness

and Xuanwu Guardian.

Have a seat.

Looks like

Your Highness was not surprised

by my arrival.

About last night,

Lianyue told me.

The miracle physician...

She's alive.

That's good.

Not entirely.

Right now,

our Patriarch of Blood River

is in seclusion.

One family head is badly hurt.

Another

is far away in Blood River.

And the last

isn't much of a fighter,

and that's me.

But now,

something outrageous has happened.

So I think

we need the Guardians' help.

There aren't several.

Only this one left.

What is it?

What rotten luck!

Why are you the one left?

Muyu,

you're awake.

Why am I here?

He-Yu Clinic

is no longer safe.

It'll be under watch from now on.

So for now, we're hiding

at Ms. Wan'er's place.

Mr. Tu brought us here.

It's Ms. Wan'er

of Pleasure House?

That's her.

Mr. Tu also said

Ms. Wan'er's place

is the quietest in Tianqi City,

so no one should disturb us.

Good.

How's the miracle physician?

Zhaoyan says

she's out of danger,

but needs time

to wake up.

Xuewei,

please escort her

out of Tianqi City

to Nan'an.

No.

No one can protect her in Nan'an now.

Send her to Blood River.

Uncle Zhe and Uncle Qidao are there.

She's too weak now.

If she leaves Tianqi for Blood River,

the road is too long,

she won't hold out.

Muyu,

don't worry.

Yumo has sent word to Blood River.

Uncle Zhe and Uncle Qidao

will dispatch reinforcements to Tianqi.

Then we're getting some serious reinforcements.

[Good harvest this year. Next year, plant widely.]

Back in the old Blood River,

our intel

always told us

who would appear where.

On which year, month, and day,

some even picky enough

to name the exact hour,

to kill the target.

Now the info I get

is all about

this year's yields

and next year's planting plans.

When did Blood River's broadswords

turn into sickles for cutting wheat?

Now our disciples have nothing to do,

no place to spend their strength.

So Master Su

gave us these tasks.

When they return

from Tianqi City,

we'll even be tested.

Tested how?

Anyone who fails

is expelled from the Three Families.

That's the toughest thing

Su Muyu has said

since becoming family head.

Uncle Qidao, you know,

Master Su

is kind by nature.

But when he gives his word,

it's set in stone.

Our Xie family's the strongest,

so jobs like these

are easy for us.

The Su family... can manage too.

The Mu family has it rough.

They like things spotless and aren't strong.

- I'm afraid... - Enough.

Stand down.

Yes, sir.

Nice.

Su Muyu

has learned to tease people.

I think

he isn't teasing.

He's serious.

By the way,

they had you stay

to help me with Blood River affairs,

but why didn't you...

I can't farm.

Why didn't you

go to Tianqi with them?

I'm just an old man.

They're all young.

Sometimes,

having us elders around

just gets in the way,

you know.

I don't.

Then why didn't you go?

I...

Blood River is huge.

Someone has to sit in command.

Without a hand on them,

they'll run wild.

Big news!

Master, big news!

What is it?

Wild boars raided the cabbages?

No.

Something happened in Tianqi.

[He-Yu Clinic was attacked. Miracle Physician Bai was critically injured.]

[Master Su stormed and nearly destroyed]

[the Flying Tiger General's Residence.]

Su Zhe, what are you doing?

Flatten Tianqi!

So it's you.

You're...

Mu Xuewei, Poisonous Blossom of the Mu family.

Yumo's good friend.

Too bad the poison in me

has been purged.

Otherwise, one palm from me

and you'd be dead.

Well,

he's a genius of the Tang Clan.

Your poisons are fierce.

But to kill him,

that's nowhere near enough.

Let's go.

Where to?

I'd planned

to wait until the miracle physician woke

and ask her more.

But who knows when she'll wake.

So now,

we can only investigate

that rotten commander's son.

I really hate Tianqi City.

Let's move.

To your Mount Wangcheng?

So, are you...

coming with us?

They don't take women there.

Xuanwu Guardian,

let's split up then.

Where's Su Muyu and the rest?

He's hurt,

so of course he's inside.

Miss Yumo.

What should I call you?

Mr. Lianyue?

Sounds like quite the perfect match.

Now's not the time...

Now's not the time for this,

huh?

Then when is it?

Tomorrow?

The day after?

Or in the next life?

♪Thoughts that never fade, year after year gazing from afar...♪

I'll only ask once.

In your heart,

am I there?

Since we parted at the Tang Clan,

I often think of you.

Good.

Then why never come find me?

I've been tracking my senior's trail.

Let me ask you again:

If your senior

is safely rescued,

will you come to Blood River to marry me?

I'm a Tang Clan disciple

and Tianqi City's Xuanwu Guardian.

If I go to Blood River to propose,

the grand master won't agree.

And His Highness would likely...

I'm asking

if I'm in your heart.

Did I ask about the Tang Clan?

Or the Prince of Langya's Manor?

Enough.

I understand.

Miss Yumo...

- I didn't mean... - It's fine.

I'm happy.

At least...

now I know I'm in your heart.

But I'm also sad.

♪Do not long for the sorrow of separation...♪

I didn't expect

that in your mind,

Blood River ranks like this.

Is liking a woman of Blood River

so shameful?

That's not what I mean.

I've asked what I needed.

From here on,

we're partners in action.

As for you senior,

we'll help rescue him.

And for Muyu and the miracle physician,

we will have justice.

Let's go.

♪May this life leave no regrets♪

I'll leave you to talk.

Thank you, Ms. Wan'er.

Have a seat.

Mr. Su,

seems you're badly hurt.

I'll need a few days' rest.

I've been in Blood River for years.

Worse wounds than this

used to be routine.

Still, my thanks to you.

Without your care,

we'd likely be fleeing

from Tianqi City by now.

Leaving now

wouldn't be a bad idea.

Now that we're in the thick of it,

we'll fight to the death,

no more hesitation.

That's our choice

for Blood River.

Very well.

Since I got back,

I've been tracking

General Li Xian's son.

I found

something seriously off.

Yumo already started digging

based on the lead

you gave me.

Now it seems

you've found more?

Yes.

General Li Xian is brave,

but his son

is not much good at martial arts.

He's past twenty

and still hasn't made deputy general.

Before,

a deputy commander

could easily get his son

promoted.

But with the Prince of Langya now,

everything must be fair.

In fifteen days,

the Golden Throne Contest begins.

If he can rack up three straight wins,

he will be appointed deputy general.

Can every Jinwu Guard join

the Golden Throne Contest?

Of course not.

To enter the contest,

you must first clear

the Jinwu Guards' prelims.

Only forty-eight make the cut.

General Li Xian's son

couldn't even pass

the prelims at first.

But ten days ago,

he stunned everyone in the prelims,

earning a direct slot for the contest.

Soon after,

news spread he fell ill.

So, in that window,

he used some method

to boost his power,

most likely...

the drugged puppet art.

It can indeed boost one's power

for a short time.

But the general's boy likely didn't know

about the backlash.

He was probably set up.

So I traced his movements.

I found that a month ago,

he kept visiting Doom Abyss in the Ghost Market.

The Ghost Market

is actually just Tianqi's

best-known black market,

a mixed crowd,

a gray zone at best.

Without connections, you can't get in.

Even its hours

are hard to catch.

However,

as far as I know,

it opens once today.

Good.

Notify Xuewei now.

Bravo!

Since entering Tianqi,

I've wanted to see the Ghost Market.

They say it's a place of monsters and ghosts.

I wonder how it compares to Blood River.

Didn't expect this wish

would come true today.

What a coincidence.

All I've ever wanted

was to take you here.

Then why not sooner?

Now we need someone else to bring us in.

After all, we're strangers

in Tianqi.

We need the right connections.

Am I right,

Xuanwu Guardian?

Yumo,

I'll go with you!

Hey, that's not how we're grouped!

Looks like, same as me,

you're not very welcome.

Who's like you?

Everyone,

long time no see.

Try some snacks.

One for me.

Me too.

- Thanks. - Much obliged.

That's it!

Not bad!

Recently,

Li Zhengqi passed the Golden Throne prelims,

then soon fell ill.

A friend of mine

works at their manor.

He says he's gone mad.

Are these pills really safe to take?

Of course.

Take one after every two meals,

ten pills in a row.

In fifteen days,

your body will be

as good as reborn.

Forget the Golden Throne Contest,

you might even win first place

in next year's martial exam.

That magical?

Then why did he end up like that?

Because...

he rushed it.

He feared he'd fail the prelims

and downed all three pills I gave him

on the eve of the bout.

Even so, today,

I'll give each of you five pills.

I hope you all

won't do anything that stupid.

- Of course not. - Never.

This time it's in the bag.

Yeah.

With this, the martial exam's nothing.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Great.

How did Sikong Changfeng rope you in?

Since you're here,

why not a rematch?

A true lady stays silent

when others are reading.

He says there's a tough endgame

and asked me to take a look.

A fine game indeed.

So I seek answers in the books.

Nonsense.

[Your father's in peril on Mount Luolei. I'm heading there.]

[Tianqi City is in turmoil.]

[If a Sword Deity lends aid, I'll rest easy. Please help.]

What is it?

I thought at your Xueyue City,

atop Mount Cang,

nothing worldly would trouble the heart.

Seems as long as we live,

wherever we flee,

we can't escape being disturbed.

My mother left Tianqi

to aid my father.

The Prince of Langya

is in poor health

and may have no guards at hand.

So you're heading to Tianqi?

I don't like that city,

but it seems I have to go.

My mother wrote

that with a Sword Deity's help,

she'd have no worries.

- So, will you... - Hold.

Say no more.

In literary terms,

your mother's letter is just flowery praise.

In the end,

it was meant to move you.

Let's make a bet.

If I win,

you'll go to Tianqi.

I'll lend you the Luoshui City Lord's collection

to read.

If I lose,

I'll go instead

and take up my mother's charge.

Bet on what?

How about plucking leaves with sword energy?

Mount Cang has plenty of flowers.

Let's see,

within one stick of incense,

how many petals

we each can pluck.

Most wins.

So I'm alive after all.

Miracle physician,

you're awake!

Have a seat.

Your wounds are grave.

Don't move around.

Look at you...

Are you the miracle physician or am I?

Master!

How can you be out of bed?

Take care of yourself!

Are you the master or am I?

You're all talking

awfully bold today.

Master,

you're almost dead

and still bragging.

Please drink your medicine.

Did you treat

my wounds,

Zhaoyan?

Just now,

I felt the wound.

The bandaging

could use some improvement.

I am lacking.

Don't say that.

When I was hit,

I thought I was done for.

In Tianqi City,

finding a physician to fix this

isn't easy.

You're impressive!

You...

Give me your hand.

Master,

to draw those experts away

and safeguard us,

Muyu stormed the grand general's manor

and suffered severe internal injuries.

Lately,

he's been recovering.

I prescribed some medicine,

but I'm not sure if it's right.

Master, will you take a look?

It's not about internal injuries.

I trust your work.

Treating internal wounds

was the first thing I taught you.

If even that goes wrong,

you'd be expelled from Medicine King Valley.

All right,

I should rest.

You may go out.

Master,

we're staying at Ms. Wan'er's place now.

Thing is,

there aren't many rooms.

All patients have to stay here.

Muyu needs rest too.

So he...

has to sleep here as well.

Where... will he sleep?

He'll sleep...

in the next room.

You may step out now.

Su Muyu,

are you...

hiding something from me?

You're no longer

Blood River's Kui,

nor a wandering ghost

of No-Sword City.

Whatever it is,

you can

and should tell me.

When I took your pulse,

I found

you could go into deviation at any time.

Do you realize that?

As expected, I can't hide it from you.

Was it to save me

that you did this?

I promised

to keep you safe.

That promise

was back in Jiuxiao City.

Is that so?

I thought that promise

still stood.

You're in real danger now.

In Wushuang City,

we all saw

Jian Wudi's state.

Once in deviation,

power may surge,

but it burns one's life away.

Don't worry.

I know my limits.

I won't let myself

reach that point.

However,

about my condition,

please don't tell Yumo and the others.

Things are perilous enough,

no need to worry them.

All right.

But Su Muyu,

remember this...

no bravado.

Of course no.

The Mu family's messenger butterfly

is exquisitely made.

[Qingyang, Xuewei, Yumo, and the Xuanwu Guardian]

[are investigating the Ghost Market. Note from Su Muyu]

Looks like

I judged him right.

This head of Blood River's Su family

is worthy of trust.

Then,

it's time

to see them again.

All right.

Let's go.

- Let's go. - Let's go.

Keep the pills safe.

- My pills! - My pills!

Who's there?

Xuanwu Guardian Tang Lianyue!

- Move! - Move!

No one runs!

I hear in Tianqi City,

when the Four Guardians handle a case,

even the grand chancellor must cooperate.

Gentlemen, didn't you hear him?

No one leaves.

Get them! Go!

- Go! - Go!

Don't kill them.

That's a bit hard.

Move!

Quit staring! Move!

Hurry!

Leave it!

This way!

Quick!

What are you waiting for?

Are you just watching?

Winds howl, the longbow sings.

A general rides the killing field.

Facing you

on the battlefield,

I'd fear you some.

But within this space,

let's see if my Tang Clan's hidden weapons

are faster than your arrows!

Watch out!

Senior!

What "senior"?

He's here to take your life!

Tang Lianyue!

Don't touch him!

♪Like fate, winding with the tide♪

♪Who can ford this river of night?♪

♪Where's the far shore we chase all our lives?♪

♪Surrendering all hues for a glimmer of light♪

♪Through joy and sorrow♪

♪Still I can't let go♪

♪Longing keeps me awake at night♪

♪My heart no longer my own♪

♪No one can escape from love♪

♪How many hidden feelings♪

♪Sink in silence deep?♪

♪Searching through the endless nights♪

♪Struggling on the edge of love and pain♪

♪Shadows crossing shadows♪

♪Whose name hides in your eyes?♪

♪When the wind blows, ask not when I shall return♪

♪Ask not when I shall return♪

♪Like fate, winding with the tide♪

♪Who can ford this river of night?♪

♪Where's the far shore we chase all our lives?♪

♪Surrendering all hues for a glimmer of light♪

♪Through joy and sorrow♪

♪Still I can't let go♪

♪Longing keeps me awake at night♪

♪My heart no longer my own♪

♪No one can escape from love♪

♪My heart no longer my own♪

♪No one can escape from love♪