Original subtitles

Have you made up your mind?

Once I catch Xiaowei,

I'll be able to get into the Shilin Sect.

Then,

I'll kill the Dragon Deity.

One of you here

is the heart-ripping killer I'm after.

It was him!

It was him!

Wu was the one who tied me up!

He's been poisoned.

How could that be?

Shengwei, don't worry.

A powerful demon hunter from the Shilin Sect is right here.

He'll be fine.

Someone must have poisoned him.

My brother-in-law has never had enemies.

Who would do this?

It seems to be a slow-acting poison.

It'd have to be given in small doses over time.

Only someone close to him could've done it.

If we'd found him any later,

he would've been beyond saving.

But even now,

he's in bad shape.

Normally, I could use magic to draw the poison out of his body.

But my ring's sacred power is down to a tenth.

I can't save him.

Master Ji Ling, not even you can save him?

Wei Qing.

Wei Qing. Wei Qing…

How did this happen?

If we find the antidote soon enough, there may still be hope.

-I have-- -Let's go.

-I… I really have-- -Come, let's go.

Thank you, Mr. Ji.

No need.

There's another injured person here.

Miss Yu, your neck wound looks pretty deep.

If it's not treated properly,

it'll scar.

But…

Mr. Ji, you just said

your sacred power is down to only a tenth.

Can you still heal me?

There's another way.

Here.

A special wound powder from the Shilin Sect.

It works even better.

Take it.

You… You don't want it?

Mr. Ji, would you be so kind

as to apply it for me?

I'm not familiar with this.

I'm afraid I'll do it wrong.

Sure.

Done.

Thank you, Mr. Ji.

You're welcome.

Miss Yu Wei,

-have we--? -Mr. Ji,

we'd better head back to the front hall.

They may be questioning Master Wu.

All right.

I was worried about Master Wei's safety,

so I secretly asked Master Wu Shiguang to pose as the groom.

Master Wu Shiguang,

wait.

Master Wei won't hire you,

but I will.

Steward Luo,

my brother-in-law trusted you so much,

yet you colluded with some demon hunter of questionable background

to pull something this absurd.

If you really wanted help,

you should've hired a real demon hunter from the Shilin Sect.

Am I right, Mr. Ji?

Exactly.

But Steward Luo's concern wasn't misplaced.

Master Wei was poisoned.

Someone really was trying to harm him.

You're suspicious of a human instead of a demon?

The fox demon is clearly in the Wei mansion.

Two people died here last night.

One of them was even a single-flower hunter

from the Shilin Sect.

The culprit was brutal.

If I hadn't hidden Master Wei away in advance,

then maybe…

I can still drink.

I can still drink. Where's the wine?

Wine…

Let's sit down.

Prepare a bowl of hangover soup for Young Master Liu.

Yes, madam.

Why would a demon need poison to kill?

It could just rip out hearts.

The fake groom has spoken.

Shouldn't the fake bride explain herself too?

Stop calling me the fake bride.

I have a name.

My surname, Wu, means "mist".

My given name, Wangyan, means "reckless speech".

My parents gave me this name

to remind me not to speak rashly.

So,

when I say I'm not a fox demon,

I'm not.

But you do carry a fox demon's aura.

Master Ji Ling, have you been paying attention to me?

If you're so interested in me,

why don't we talk in private?

That won't be necessary.

A man and a woman shouldn't meet in private so casually.

Whatever you have to say, say it here in front of everyone.

I've been searching for this nine-tailed fox for years.

It took a lot to get my hands on this severed tail.

Its connection to the fox demon

led me all the way here to the Wei mansion.

It does carry the aura of a nine-tailed fox.

Why are you looking for that fox demon?

Do you have some grudge against her?

You could say that.

That nine-tailed fox is named Xiaowei.

When she fell into hardship, a mortal saved her.

To repay the debt,

she kept killing people and ripping out hearts

to preserve her human form and spiritual power,

all so she could find her savior in the vast sea of people

and keep him safe and happy for life.

Unfortunately,

her wish was never fulfilled.

More than a millennium has passed,

yet she's still obsessed

with finding the one who saved her.

Did Master Wei

save her?

I think so.

If that's the case, she must want to kill her rival in love.

That's why I posed as the bride

and waited for her to walk into the trap.

But instead,

all I caught was a foolish pig.

These days,

demons all know how to wear painted human skin.

They no longer need to devour human hearts

to maintain their human form.

Then why is Xiaowei

killing people?

Demons are evil by nature.

Do they need a reason to kill?

Demons are bad,

but humans

aren't much better.

Humans aren't born knowing virtue and decency,

and demons aren't always bent on evil either.

But either way,

there has to be a reason for a killing.

Maybe she was badly weakened after losing a tail

and needed to eat human hearts

to maintain her human form.

Since everyone here is under suspicion,

until Xiaowei is caught,

no one should leave the Wei mansion.

That's unnecessary.

Xiaowei's savior is now lying in bed dying.

She'll definitely find a way to save him.

Why would she leave?

That's only your guess.

Are you Xiaowei?

The fabric house is busy.

Everything inside and out needs my attention.

I can't stay here forever.

If you want to leave, you can.

But you'll have to cooperate with me

and accept my Blood Binding Seal.

That way, even if you flee

to the ends of the earth, I'll still be able to track you.

Wait.

We're demon hunters from the Shilin Sect.

Do we have to do that too?

Demons can wear human skin, and people can lie.

How do I know if you're really from the Shilin Sect?

You scared me.

Fine. The innocent has nothing to fear.

We'll cooperate.

A death curse?

What… What did you do?

Master Wu, what did you do?

Why do you want us dead?

I didn't do this.

Xiaowei did.

Xiaowei?

How powerful is that fox demon?

She managed to brand all of us

with a death curse mark without anyone noticing?

No,

that's not necessarily true.

She might have set conditions

so the curse would be triggered automatically.

For example, she could make it so that if all of us did something

or failed to do something at the same time,

the death curse would be triggered.

I get it now!

None of us brought a wedding gift.

Gentlemen, to prevent confusion, please tell us your names

and leave your gifts here.

You and Wu Wangyan were posing as the groom and bride,

so naturally, you didn't prepare any gifts.

Xiaowei

must've linked the curse to the gift record.

GIFT RECORD

Anyone who entered the Wei mansion without a gift

must have ulterior motives.

Using that condition to filter people out

truly is a clever move.

Miss Yu Wei,

how come you didn't bring a gift either?

I don't have the money.

I'm sorry.

It's fine.

What now?

The mark looks like a moon phase.

And it's slowly shifting.

Just now, it was full.

Now it's already a waning crescent.

A death curse eats away

at one's lifespan day by day.

Once it's fully consumed, one will be dead.

I don't want to die.

We may have been cursed, but we've gained something too.

The suspect pool just got a lot smaller,

didn't it?

I assume the three of you don't have the curse mark on your hands, right?

Pig.

You…

Of the three people without the curse mark,

Liu Weixue is the one I suspect most.

He was so drunk, he could barely tell east from west,

yet somehow he happened to stagger into the weaving workshop?

I don't buy it.

Good. You shouldn't.

He went there specifically to find Luo Wei.

Luo Wei?

What's that?

Master Wu Shiguang set up a barrier.

He said it could stop demons from hurting people.

Good. Good.

Have some tea and sober up.

Young Master Liu,

please don't drink so much again.

It's too hard on your body.

I only drank that much because I was shielding you from the wine.

Luo Wei…

What do I have to do

for you to finally care about me?

Young Master Liu,

fate is predetermined.

It can't be forced.

Everyone says Weimiao Pavilion is the best place to pray for love.

If I went to ask for a talisman,

would your heart…

Would your heart finally be mine?

But anyone can see

Wei Qing is the only one Luo Wei loves.

The Wei mansion may not be big,

but the relationships here are all tangled up.

What a headache.

He was obviously drunk.

How could he have killed anyone?

Ms. Yu said

that last night, Steward Luo took her

to the weaving workshop right after she entered the Wei mansion.

She and Steward Luo can vouch for each other.

Vouching for each other

can also mean covering for each other.

What a headache.

Why does everyone seem innocent and suspicious at the same time?

It's driving me crazy.

Who is Xiaowei, really?

Don't worry. A fox will show its tail sooner or later.

What's wrong?

I've lost my sense of touch.

What do we do now?

-I don't want to be the one to bury you. -Shut up.

If I were Xiaowei,

I'd put the death curse on myself too.

But when that scream rang out…

Wu Wangyan, Ji Ling, Li Jie,

and Yu Wei were all with you.

Who would've had time to rip out a heart?

There are countless demonic arts.

A demon can kill from 1,000 li away.

Besides, what if Xiaowei wasn't working alone?

Couldn't she have had an accomplice?

Good point.

Even I've got a capable right-hand man like you.

Who do you suspect most?

Wu Wangyan.

And Yu Wei.

Wangyan.

What are you doing?

The death curse is starting to take effect.

I've lost my sense of touch.

It doesn't hurt.

Don't worry.

Right, and there's Ji Ling too.

He's just an ordinary demon hunter with no sacred power,

yet that Shilin Sect commander

obeys him without question and never leaves his side.

Something's definitely off.

I can't even taste these roasted ginkgo nuts anymore.

This is awful.

The death curse will gradually strip away our senses

until all five are gone.

The day this mark turns completely dark

will be the day we die.

Xiaowei truly is vile.

We've got to find a way to make her slip up and show herself.

The Shilin Sect's demon hunters obey their commander.

Who does the commander answer to?

The Dragon Deity.

The Dragon Deity?

No way.

That silly boy is the Dragon Deity?

But how could the Dragon Deity have no sacred power?

There's always been a rumor

that Chi Wen was badly wounded in that great calamity

and lost all of his Dragon Deity's Power.

Do you remember the ring on Ji Ling's hand?

He was able to use demon magic only with the help of that ring.

We traced the demonic energy right here.

You're the nine-tailed fox who ripped out hearts!

Then isn't this just what we wanted?

Now we can kill the Dragon Deity

without going to the Shilin Sect.

I don't think it's that simple.

Let's wait a bit longer.

We need to survive first.

Now, I need to visit somewhere first.

Weimiao Pavilion?

Wangyan,

what's your plan?

Are we really just going to sit here

and wait for the death curse

to take our lives?

Catch Xiaowei, and the death curse will be lifted.

Besides, Ji Ling and Wu Shiguang are cursed too.

They won't sit around waiting to die.

They're even more anxious than we are.

Are they really that powerful?

Let's not even get into the rest.

Wu Shiguang's prayer bead bracelet alone is no ordinary artifact.

It's called the Twelve Thoughts.

The beads were forged from the blood of 12 vicious sinners

and embodied 12 different thoughts.

Benevolence, malice, greed,

obsession, desire,

delusion…

All right, enough.

If that artifact is really so powerful,

how did it end up in the hands of some wandering demon hunter?

Do you really think he's just some ordinary wandering demon hunter?

What about Ji Ling?

What do you think?

He's clearly a simple-minded fool.

Smile at him, and he'd hand over his life to you.

Wrong.

He's even more mysterious than Wu Shiguang.

Don't let your guard down.

Interesting.

Then I'll go spend some time with this man fate chose for me.

You scared me.

I found nothing.

Actually, I…

Miss Yu Wei,

you hit me way too hard.

Why did you hide in there? You scared me.

I thought you were some creep.

You clearly saw it was me.

You did that on purpose, didn't you?

It was so dark in there.

I couldn't see clearly at all.

Well,

can you see clearly now?

I should have the kind of face

people never forget, right?

Very handsome.

So tell me,

do you think I'm handsome?

Or do I look familiar to you?

Not at all.

I don't look familiar?

She means not handsome.

Thanks.

Why are you in Luo Wei's room?

And why were you hiding in the cabinet?

We're here to investigate. What about you?

I'm here to investigate too.

You… You're here to hunt the demon too?

Are you a demon hunter?

Are you a demon hunter?

I'm just an ordinary person.

How could I be a demon hunter?

I'm only investigating to save my own life.

If we don't find Xiaowei soon,

how are we supposed to break this death curse?

I found Steward Luo very suspicious,

so I thought I'd start with her.

Everyone, we're here.

Watch your step.

-We're here. -Watch your step.

This is the place.

Rouge for sale!

This way.

-Let's hang ours over here. -Finest rouge!

Come and have a look.

Over here! Come.

The Energy-Draining Spell?

Tanghulu!

WEIMIAO PAVILION

Looks like someone's hiding inside,

cultivating demon magic by absorbing

mortals' heart energy.

Someone?

You mean a demon.

Be careful.

Yes, Lady Wei.

Understood. I'll handle it now.

Miss,

what do people pray for at Weimiao Pavilion?

This is a pavilion of love.

People come here to pray for romance, of course.

So that's where all that heart energy comes from.

No wonder I see pink everywhere.

He's so handsome.

It can't be happening this fast, can it?

This place really works.

Darling, why did you walk so fast?

You should've waited for me.

Miss,

I've heard that praying for love at Weimiao Pavilion really works.

Is that true?

I used to think so too.

Now?

I'd say it's just so-so.

But they all say the love talismans here work wonders.

You two don't really look like you need Lady Wei's love talisman.

-We… -Lady Wei?

Anyway, if you really want one…

What did she tell you?

Curious?

I am.

Beg, and I'll tell.

She said that if you wanted a love talisman,

you'd have to take off all your clothes

and bare yourself completely.

I wasn't finished.

After you take off your clothes, you need to tell Lady Wei a secret.

You're making this up.

Remember? I don't lie.

You have to undress to go inside and ask for a talisman?

Also, why are you following me?

Tanghulu!

Tanghulu!

Scented sachets and pendants!

I wasn't following you.

You're suspicious of her?

But last night, she was with Ms. Yu all night.

I wasn't exactly with her all night.

There are too many guests.

We can't let them find out

the bride never went through with the ceremony.

I'll take you to the weaving workshop.

Hide there for now.

After Steward Luo took me to the weaving workshop, she left.

I asked her to bring Wei Qing to me.

I was worried about Master Wei's safety,

so I secretly asked Master Wu Shiguang to pose as the groom.

But she knew

Wei Qing was locked inside a cabinet in the workshop.

Exactly.

Such a blatant contradiction.

Now, don't you think she's highly suspicious?

Luo Wei's only been at the Wei mansion for a little over a month.

No one in the household knows where she came from.

She's the only outsider living here.

Don't you think she's highly suspicious?

We've already looked into Luo Wei.

Luo Wei,

born in the old town, is an orphan

and was raised by a rural healer.

It is said that the healer knew a thing or two about poison.

We suspected she poisoned Wei Qing,

so we came to her room to look for evidence.

I knew something was off about her.

Thank goodness we have you, Mr. Ji.

Otherwise,

the whole Wei family would've been destroyed.

You're not a demon hunter, so don't worry about it.

That fox demon is dangerous.

Leave it to the Shilin Sect to deal with her.

That other Shilin Sect hunter was too weak.

Mr. Ji, if you'd come a little sooner,

I would've had someone to rely on.

Ji,

thank you.

"Ji"?

I'm just worried about my cousin.

You mean Ms. Yu Shengwei?

You two are so close.

At a time like this,

how can Luo Wei still be in the mood to pray for love?

Is she really in love with Wei Qing?

Shiguang, I'm afraid you've never seen

what a woman who's truly in love looks like.

My surname is Wu.

You can call me Master Wu.

Love

can make someone holding a sharp blade cast aside their weapon.

It can make the proud and arrogant lower their heads.

It can make someone clad in armor show their weakness.

It can make the cleverest person

do the stupidest things in the world.

It can even make one forget where they came from

and where they're going.

I came by boat,

and I plan to walk back later.

Look. What is this?

Wood.

That's what you're made of.

You make mutual love between a man and a woman

sound like some kind of sorcery.

Love is sorcery.

No, it's even more terrifying than sorcery.

Tell me, does Luo Wei strike you

as someone who would do crazy things for love?

Compared with ordinary women,

she's far more meticulous, and she hides her sharpness deep within.

So, no, she doesn't.

Shiguang, you're so clever.

-Wangyan, your name suits you well. -Thanks.

Found it.

Mr. Ji,

if you don't let go of my hand,

how am I supposed to give it to you?

Here.

It's the antidote.

You can tell just by smelling it?

I am a pharmacology genius who's read widely.

The evidence is conclusive now.

Looks like beautiful women are all liars.

Why are you insulting yourself?

So you think I'm pretty, Ji?

I think we've all underestimated Luo Wei.

Jealousy born of unrequited love is only her disguise.

What she really wants isn't Wei Qing.

It's this entire Wei mansion.

Miss Yu Wei.

Come on. Let's go.

Why are you still standing there?

"Zhao Xiao'e."

What?

A victim's wife

is named Zhao Xiao'e.

ZHAO XIAO'E

Wake up!

Li Mao, the man who died at the Wei mansion last night,

was holding this talisman too.

I also came here because of this talisman.

Could it be that all the victims' partners

once came to Weimiao Pavilion?

We'll know once we look.

"Chen Geng"?

"Sun Zhiniang."

Li Mao's wife,

Tao Xi.

It seems

we really do need to go inside.

WEIMIAO PAVILION

He's awake.

Easy now.

What happened to me?

You were poisoned, but you're fine now.

Poisoned?

Why don't I remember anything?

Luo Wei poisoned you.

Luo Wei?

Why would she do that?

Where is she? I need to find her.

You… You should rest first.

A couple coming here together to pray for love? That's new.

How interesting.

-We're not-- -What can we do?

We just love each other too much.

We're here to pray

that we'll still be a couple in the next life.

Isn't that right, darling?

Lady Wei is out traveling.

She won't be here for quite a while.

Please come back another time.

But someone just came out with a talisman.

Lady Wei isn't here,

but if you follow the rules,

the love talisman may still be granted.

I don't have any money.

Really, I don't.

Besides a donation,

you also have to write down a secret and put it in the box.

A secret?

Why?

Lady Wei likes secrets.

She thinks they are the most powerful force in the world.

Besides, isn't mortals' unrequited love a kind of secret too?

Fair point.

My… copper coin.

Looks like what you wrote was a lie.

Without sincerity, you'll never get a talisman that works.

Leave now.

Stop wasting your time.

I told you so.

We shouldn't have bothered.

Hiding private savings, are you?

If you don't want to die,

answer my questions.

Any connection between the heart-ripping murders and the love talismans

you handed out?

This concerns Lady Wei.

Even if you kill me, I won't say a word.

Let me.

Tell me.

Are the heart-ripping murders in the city

connected to the love talismans

you handed out?

The love talismans carry a Fox-Allure Spell.

They can make the one who asks for the talisman

win the affection of the one they love

and become their partner.

Is there a price to pay?

If the one who asked for the talisman falls for someone else

and regrets the union,

they can tear up the talisman,

but their partner will suffer the consequences.

They'll be racked with heartache.

Eventually, they'll rip out their own heart and die.

When the one who asked for the talisman falls for someone else,

their partner will die.

What a vicious spell.