Original subtitles

Demons may not stir up trouble, but humans can.

Luo Wei,

you're worse than a demon.

One, two, three, four.

These four things

are the keys to tonight's fox demon murder case.

Ji, you're amazing!

Stop keeping us in suspense. Spill it.

After Wei Qing died,

it's obvious Ms. Yu planned to leave immediately.

In the bags she packed, besides her own clothes,

there were also Steward Luo's.

So, Ms. Yu was planning to run away with you, right?

But Yu Shengwei is from a respectable family.

If she suddenly vanished,

the Yus would report it and search the entire city.

So how could she completely escape this place?

I know you don't love him.

If it weren't for that talisman,

you'd never have married him.

I don't want to be trapped in this mansion for life.

Wherever you go, I'll follow.

But if you disappear,

your family and the authorities will come looking.

I have a plan.

To vanish completely,

you must first die.

Fake your death to get away. Nice and clean.

That's a really good plan.

Smart.

But Ms. Yu is even smarter.

She perfectly used the fox demon chaos in the mansion

to make everyone believe she died at its claws.

So, the fox demon shadow we saw outside her room?

They planned to use shadow play to lure us away,

sending everyone after the fox demon.

That way, they could sneak away without a trace.

When we returned and found no body, we'd be helpless,

only able to assume the fox demon took her or ate her.

Pulling a stunt right under our noses,

two fox demons?

Trying to teach a master?

No.

Trying to fool Li Jie!

Thanks.

You're welcome.

Sit up straight.

Look at you.

So mean!

And you.

Anything else?

Yes!

Next,

how did they manage to lure the people away from the front courtyard?

Do you remember that Ms. Yu is best at embroidering?

She's Luo'an's famous embroiderer,

especially skilled at stitching birds and beasts.

Birds and beasts.

Exactly.

Here.

Before everyone gathered in the front yard for the ceremony,

Steward Luo had already hung up this cloth with a fox there.

Then, she just needed to lure everyone over

to see the fox demon with their own eyes.

A fox demon…

It's a fox demon!

But when we got to the dye workshop,

we didn't see that cloth.

Unlike a man's feelings,

it couldn't just disappear in the blink of an eye.

Not every man's feelings disappear in a blink.

Really?

This piece here is the black cloth with the fox Ms. Yu embroidered.

Where's the fox?

This is Steward Luo's smartest move.

She really did make the fox disappear in a blink.

So, Steward Luo can use demon magic?

Nothing to do with magic.

It's the kite.

What a huge kite!

Back in my hometown,

they say when bad things happen,

we should buy a kite and fly it away.

The higher the kite flies,

the further the bad luck goes.

The kite flew away with threads from the embroidery.

The silver threads were pulled out bit by bit.

So the fox demon naturally vanished.

Indeed.

This cloth is covered in needle holes.

Interesting.

Two mortals went to great lengths to set up a fake fox demon,

never expecting the real one to show up.

Xiaowei,

were you helping them?

I just wanted to hold you off…

to buy Shengwei some time.

But in the end, you only hurt her.

People with evil hearts

are scarier than demons.

You…

Don't you dare slander me!

A fox demon killed Ms. Yu and ripped out her heart!

You won't give in,

even with the evidence right here.

Ms. Yu's wounds were clearly made by a demon's claws.

That's because the murder weapon you used is special.

You're really clever.

After you led us to the dye workshop,

you went straight to Ms. Yu.

A fox demon!

It's at the dye workshop!

Let's go!

Go?

I don't want to be left with nothing again.

I don't want to start over.

I don't want to be homeless anymore.

You kept making me…

my favorite chestnut cake,

just to make me happy, didn't you?

And…

you prepared cakes for me

and put them in my bag…

Actually,

you wanted to come with me…

What are you talking about?

I never prepared any chestnut cake for you.

What I've been preparing

is something else.

All along,

I've been copying Wei Qing's handwriting.

Using his handwriting, I wrote a contract.

Now that he's dead,

if you die too,

the entire Wei cloth business will be mine.

Too bad you were so nervous,

you forgot about the heated red candle.

Even a light touch would leave a mark on it.

Need me to match the fingerprints on it, Steward Luo?

-It was you! -What?

You killed Shengwei!

You killed Shengwei!

The waning moon mark!

No.

It's just a similar tattoo.

I was born with this mark.

We agreed to become sworn sisters, right?

Then I'll get one too.

You don't deserve it!

I really don't.

You're powerful demon hunters,

wealthy nobles from prestigious families.

Have you ever known hunger and cold,

been bullied every day, and trampled upon?

The Shilin Sect preaches protecting the people,

loving all living beings.

Then let me ask you.

Don't the folks in the old town count?

The wailing there never stops.

You don't hear it?

‎I'm hungry.

But Ms. Yu never bullied you.

She even pulled you from the pit.

No matter how bitter you feel,

she doesn't deserve your hatred.

I just don't want to be living in fear again.

I didn't want to give up the wealth and comfort before me.

Was that wrong?

Yes.

But I accept that.

Those who've been rained on

should be more willing to lend an umbrella.

However…

you kept the umbrella for yourself kindly lent to you.

Even demons are grateful.

You're worse than a demon.

The world is cold and bleak.

A caring heart is hard to find.

I've been searching for that caring heart

in the vast sea of people, lifetime after lifetime.

The pain is unbearable.

But you…

You killed the one who truly cared for you.

After hundreds of years,

I still don't get

the human heart.

GIFT REGISTER

What's this?

The list Xiaowei put a death curse on.

She gave it to me.

GIFT REGISTER

It's gone!

Look!

Look, it's gone! It vanished!

Let me taste something.

So fragrant! Here, great master,

try some too.

Right?

What about Luo Wei?

She's handed over to the authorities.

And Xiaowei?

People say

scent is the longest-lasting memory.

But I've already forgotten…

how long it's been

since I last smelled flowers.

I will never smell flowers again.

I've smelled spring blooms and autumn grass,

rain, snow, wind, frost.

I've smelled the world's delicacies,

the warm breath of daily life.

That was when

I felt most like a human.

Too bad later,

I couldn't smell anything anymore.

I wanted to offer you the very best of this world.

I never imagined

a simple piece of chestnut cake could make you so happy.

Your joy was so simple, yet I couldn't protect it.

For hundreds of years,

lifetime after lifetime,

I always wanted to keep you safe.

But now,

I've only harmed you.

GOLDEN WEAVE

Using magic again?

Is he trying to get himeself killed?

Wu…

Lu…

Wu…

Lu…

Lu…

Thank you.

The world is cold and bleak.

A caring heart is hard to find.

You can capture the form, but never the heart.

What a pity.

You feel sorry for Xiaowei?

Few hunters sympathize with demons.

Under the sun, all beings suffer.

When I see something heartbreaking,

I feel sympathy.

Demons can seduce hearts but can hardly understand them.

People always say demons are cruel and cold-blooded,

but they don't know some are deeply obsessed with love.

Yu Shengwei is just Yu Shengwei.

She's no longer Wang Sheng.

She doesn't know Xiaowei,

never saved Xiaowei either.

Xiaowei's deep affection

is nothing but a pipe dream.

Even exhausting a thousand years of magic,

you can save the person,

but not the heart.

He's trapped by his own obsession,

mistaking gratitude for love.

Few demons truly understand love.

With all that talk,

you seem to know love pretty well.

Of course.

So, who loves you enough to die for you?

Anyone?

Run, child!

You must survive!

I never thought someone would truly die for love.

They say blood and tears are hot.

Never thought one day

I'd see tears turn to ice.

Demons' tears are all fake,

just to make themselves look more human.

I really don't get it.

Why are so many demons

painting bones, painting skin,

desperate to be human?

Wangyan,

are you sad for Xiaowei?

I'm just recalling a lot of the past.

Since birth,

our Nine-Tailed clan have cultivated under the Fox Queen.

She taught us like a mother,

taking us along to find colorful stones for Goddess Nuwa.

After the Fox Queen passed,

Goddess Nuwa channeled the moon's power,

granting us, the Fox Queen's descendants, the power of endless rebirth.

From then on,

we formed the Formless Moon Sect,

guarding the Oracle Stone left by Nuwa.

I thought with immortality,

we sisters would never suffer separation again.

But Xiaowei still left.

Reunited after a hundred years,

it just ends up like this.

Xiaowei was so silly.

Fleeing the sect,

enduring the pain of losing her tail,

and living in hiding just to stay by one person.

No magic for even the simplest things,

ending up with cuts and bruises.

Those chestnut cakes were all made by Xiaowei's own hands.

Just like an ordinary person,

Xiaowei sliced chestnuts piece by piece,

mashing them into paste,

and making cakes.

Like cutting open its own heart,

just to make the loved one happy.

And this is how it ended.

Love in this world…

Better off without it.

Yeah.

Love in this world really is complicated.

Don't worry.

I'll never betray you or our sect.

Wangyan, you wouldn't either, right?

I don't understand love, nor hate.

I don't think I've ever loved anyone

or hated anyone either.

I guess

-I'm just… -A woodenhead.

When a guy is clueless and don't get romance,

young girls call him a woodenhead.

Fine, I'm a woodenhead then.

No, you're not.

I think Miss Lu Wuyi is more like one.

Miss Lu?

Miss Lu… is clever.

Then she's pretending to be dumb.

You like her so much.

Even a woodenhead can see it.

Is it that obvious?

Oh man.

Miss Wu said they're taking Xiaowei back.

That won't do! Xiaowei still owes…

Xiaowei is coming with us.

Can you beat Lu Wuyi and Wu Wangyan?

You and me

are a match for them, right?

It's just…

I don't want to fight Miss Lu.

In your dreams, you're a match.

I'll help you bring Xiaowei to the Shilin Sect.

Why would you help?

I was hunting Xiaowei for the bounty anyway.

Didn't they say, catch the heart-ripping killer,

and you get into the Shilin Sect?

So you want to join the Shilin Sect?

That's easy for me to arrange.

So you have such a high status in the Shilin Sect?

His words?

Half of it is trash.

Count yourself lucky

if you can scrape together a couple of truths.

But if you really can bring Xiaowei to us,

getting into the sect shouldn't be a problem.

Give it back first.

Give what?

It's on you.

I can smell it.

You mean this Cosmic Pouch

and the little demon within?

No need to trouble you.

We'll just take him back with us.

If we find no evil deeds from him,

we'll keep him as a pet.

He's even biting through the bag?

That's a dog.

A demon hunter carrying a demon around?

-Are you crazy? -Nonsense!

Young man,

quit calling me a demon. It sounds awful.

Me,

I'm family with him, buddies with him.

More like a follower.

So…

you're a weasel's follower?

That's rough.

No wonder you want to join our sect.

Enough.

Save him some face.

He's my follower!

I need a spy, an accomplice…

Well, a helper.

What's wrong with that?

Nothing.

True. After all, weasels always live in packs,

sneaking around everywhere,

best at sniffing out gossip.

Perfect for a spy.

Li Jie, when we get back,

let's get a captured weasel to switch sides.

Seems useful.

I heard that!

Both my ears heard it!

Your ears are so small!

Li Jie, look…

His are even smaller.

Little mouse. You weasels all come in packs.

You got names?

How rude!

Little mouse?

Among humans, we're called the Yellow Spirit.

And we name ourselves carefully.

Our elders use the first thing we steal

to name us.

And the first thing I ever got was a ruler.

Plus, we're weasels.

So, you're "Ruler Weasel"?

What's that thing?

Ridiculous!

Who'd have such a lousy name?

My surname is You,

and my given name is Chi.

Catchy, right?

Yeah…

Very catchy.

Miss Lu.

Stop right there.

Want to go in?

No, you can't.

Xiaowei is from our Formless Moon Sect.

You can't take him.

Ji, you're such a nice guy.

Don't make me fight you, okay?

You already fought.

Check with its master before hitting the dog.

With just you?

You've got it backwards.

Two lousy hunters from the Shilin Sect,

not a single flower on your foreheads,

wanting to take someone from us?

Or…

do you have some other noble status?

So rude.

Watch this.

Miss Lu, we're old acquaintances

and have a little connection.

Just do me a small favor.

Let me talk to Xiaowei alone.

Can you?

You want to talk?

What's in it for me?

What do you want? Name it.

That ugly doll you always carry.

Give it to me.

How about that?

No. No way!

What's ugly about it?

Miss Lu,

I'll give you anything else, but not this doll.

Pick something else.

Is it that important?

Someone important gave it to me.

So, you have someone important?

Then forget about seeing Xiaowei.

I…

Miss Lu…

Alright, Wuyi. Stop teasing Mr. Ji.

Mr. Ji,

we did work together.

You helped us catch Xiaowei. I'll let you see him.

But remember you owe us a big favor.

No problem.

You scared me!

Scared you? You scared me!

GOLDEN WEAVE

Are you really helping Ji Ling and that big guy

take Xiaowei to their sect?

What else?

Take you instead?

You're not worth the bounty.

My pretty lady will get mad.

Which pretty lady?

Like seeing flowers in the mist,

even through the pouch, Miss Wu looks pretty.

My head's full of Wu right now.

Looks to me your head's misted.

Is it?

Don't forget our goal.

A new demon?

I know what you want to ask.

Wangyan, you look upset.

Something bothering you?

So many people in Luo'an asked for love talismans.

All these hexed people risk being cursed any time.

You're worried how to fix it, right?

You really know me best.

It is strange.

Xiaowei's been giving out talismans for over ten years.

Those hexed people lived normal lives.

Why did they suddenly tear the talismans,

getting their hearts ripped out?

Someone must be behind this.

So many people tearing talismans, suffering the curse.

Who's the mastermind behind all this?

Speak!

-Do you sense demonic energy? -Of course.

Xiaowei's using magic again.

That crazy, reckless fool!

No.

Another demon is here.

Rude.

I let the Dragon Deity down.

I broke my vow.

Go back and tell him to be on guard.

That person…

is truly terrifying.

Who?

A butterfly demon.

A month ago,

he came to Weimiao Pavilion for me.

He said his name was Yuan Wuhuo,

meaning "nothing gained".

Yuan Wuhuo…

Sir, are you here for a love talisman?

I'm here to grant your wish.

Quite confident.

You've been looking for someone,

and I know where they are.

Then tell me, who am I looking for?

You're looking for Wang Sheng.

Nothing in this world comes for free.

What do you want?

What a coincidence.

My name is Yuan…

Wuhuo.

He made two demands.

He wanted me to take back the nine-tailed power I lent the Dragon Deity

and to tell him how to reverse the love talisman's spell.

But he didn't lie to me.

He really helped me find Wang Sheng.

WEI MANSION

What is that thing?

How can it know everything?

Heavenly Sticks.

Heavenly Sticks?

So this butterfly demon is something.

Why?

An immortal from thousands of years ago left that magical tool.

It can see fate and destiny.

However, prying into fate comes at a cost.

Each divination

must be paid for with one's own sacred power and lifespan.

"Hard to come back.

Hard to find again…"

But the ancients said fate cannot be revealed.

So what the sticks can tell is only an approximation.

That's why I came to the Wei mansion,

never expecting fate to toy with me.

Perhaps…

this is heaven's punishment for you.

You made so many lovers part as strangers

and the loveless wed as mates.

I only helped those poor souls like myself.

Their love hurt too much.

You're wrong,

Xiaowei.

After a thousand years of cultivation, you still don't get it.

Like people love flowers.

In your hand, they're beautiful.

On the branch, they're also beautiful.

But those seeking talismans are like picking flowers by force,

only making them wither, ending in tragedy.

Yuan Wuhuo wanting you to take back your magic,

I can understand.

But he lured those hexed people to tear talismans,

making them suffer the curse,

why?

I know his purpose.

The Fox-Allure Spell in Luo'an isn't lifted yet.

So, you can't take Xiaowei.

Her staying won't help.

She can't even lift her own spell.

Then we really can't let a murderer walk away.

Actually,

I do know one power

that can undo the spell's curse.

Dragon Deity,

please save us! We're under the Fox-Allure Spell!

-Please, Dragon Deity! -Oh man, who spread the rumor

that only the Dragon Deity's power can undo the Fox-Allure Spell's curse?

Who knows?

Everyone with a love talisman

gathered here, stuck kneeling.

What a headache.

The Dragon Deity's power?

Can it really cleanse the spell?

The Dragon Deity's power can revive the dead,

undo all spells and curses.

However,

I've heard some rumors lately.

I don't know if they're true.

You mean the rumor

about the one worshiped by all,

the last dragon son in the world, Chi Wen?

What rumor?

The rumor says Chi Wen…

No longer has the Dragon Deity's power.

Bai Ze.

Master, you rarely summon me.

What's it this time?

After Xiaowei,

Wu Zhiqi and Han Ba also broke their vows,

taking back the power they lent me.

In this Spirit-Binding Ring, only your power remains.

There must be a schemer

behind their sudden betrayal.

So I need you to find them.

I know.

I've already found Xiaowei.

Right now,

she's hiding in the Wei mansion in Luo'an.

Master,

you no longer have the Dragon Deity's power.

Please stay in the sect

to be safe.

So, now Chi Wen can only stay in the Dragon Deity Temple,

under the sect's tight protection.

He occasionally receives petitioners

but rarely ventures out,

scared of being killed by demons.

A dragon without its power still counts as a deity?

So pitiful.