Original subtitles

[Respect Copyright, Everyone's Responsibility]

[The Eternal Fragrance]

[Adapted from Shisilang's novel, The Eternal Fragrance]

[Episode 20]

Qin.

Qin.

What happened to you?

Did you get beaten up in your dream?

I'm fine.

Trouble!

Demons are breaking the mountain-sea barrier.

Return to the city at once

and guard the people.

The demon beast Qiongqi.

[Qiongqi] I'm Qiongqi. Greetings, My Lord.

My Lord,

you've finally returned.

Is the lord you mentioned

the Demon Lord Yecha?

Word spread that you reappeared on the White Cliff.

The whole demon clan

longs for your arrival.

After five centuries of exile and humiliation,

we've dreamed of your return

to restore our demon clan.

I'm not your Demon Lord.

Leave Duanming City

with your followers at once.

But the Guardians ordered...

Yes, My Lord.

Thank you.

Tongzhou.

Let's go.

Uncle.

What's this?

The Four Symbols Divine Fire Formation.

Medicine.

Here.

Are you alright?

I'm fine.

Move!

Get up!

Get up right now, you beast!

Are you seeking death?

- Get up. - Are you hurt?

Who's there?

It's just a cub.

Doesn't seem to have killed anyone.

Why slay it?

You

spared that little beast last time!

You...

All of you

are in league with the monster beast.

Bully the weak

and twist the truth, huh?

Duanming City used to live in peace.

Ever since you showed up,

either the barrier breaks

or demon beasts run amok.

How can you deny you're spies?

What do you mean?

We've worked tirelessly

to subdue monsters and calm chaos.

How dare you slander us?

Everyone knows Mountain Sect's disciples are crafty.

Chances are, you came to the East Sea

with malicious intent to stir trouble.

Watch your words!

You slander us out of thin air!

This is the Sea Sect's territory.

Leave at once!

Silence!

Among these captured monster beasts,

some are spirit companions raised by the Sea Sect.

There is a hidden truth behind this chaos.

The Guangsheng Faction only detains them,

with no authority to pass judgment.

Mr. Shen and the immortal elders haven't looked into this yet.

You're trying to kill them to cover up the truth, huh?

Fine, forget it.

Let's go.

Move, follow me.

Come.

Go.

Hurry up!

Faster!

Quick!

Be careful.

Behave yourselves.

Hurry.

I'll follow them to watch them,

in case they stir up more trouble.

[Duanming City Inn]

You know that cultivating the Xuanhua Sacred Fire

requires severing all mortal affection.

Yet only a few days after arriving in Duanming City,

your spirit sense has sustained damage,

and a heart tribulation looms over you.

Is it because of Jiang Lifei?

I let my guard down for a moment.

It has nothing to do with her.

Besides, she's far stronger now.

Her cultivation has advanced greatly,

and she saved me on Fanghu Island.

Tongzhou,

the Xuanhua Sacred Fire is the Hua Sect's supreme technique.

No one has mastered it in hundreds of years,

not even me.

If you cannot cast aside personal desires

and master the Sacred Fire,

how will you lead Xingzheng Hall

and fulfill the grand plan to secure Yue's realm?

I'll master the supreme technique.

You have my word.

But

I'll never give up Jiang Lifei.

In your life,

you gain only after you let go.

The immortal path is lonely.

How can you have both?

Whether I can have both,

I'll have my own judgment.

No need to lecture me

over and over.

Very well.

If you insist on this foolish path,

so be it.

I'll wait for the day you hit a dead end

and damage your cultivation.

Tongzhou,

here's the antidote to the monster poison...

Mr. Xuanshan.

He's so furious.

Still because of the mirage dream?

What did you see?

Are you still under its influence?

All those illusions are fake.

Dwelling on them, and you'll lose yourself.

I'm not dwelling on it.

You don't understand.

Don't understand?

Because I don't dwell on painful memories.

Dreams show the opposite of reality.

Try to look on the bright side,

and they might be a good sign.

A good sign?

Think about it.

The illusion laid out

all your deepest fears,

so you can avoid them in the real world.

At the very least,

you won't feel as helpless as you did in the illusion.

Lifei,

if one day a great disaster befalls me,

or

I lose everything

and am left all alone,

would you abandon me?

Your Highness, do not abandon us,

your friends.

How's Tongzhou?

He's alright,

just acting a little strange.

Probably the mirage dream scared him badly.

By the way,

did you catch demon beast Qiongqi?

It got away.

If it escaped your grasp,

it must be extremely powerful.

I wonder how many demon beasts are in the city.

You are fiery

and passionate.

Your cultivation

will surely be fraught with hardships.

All love, hatred, grudges, entanglements,

and the bustling mortal world

will stoke an unquenchable inner flame.

If you cannot let go,

how can you make progress?

Tongzhou.

Lifei.

Dwelling on them,

and you'll lose yourself.

It is a fleeting dream,

all fake.

Let it go.

Lifei.

Speak!

Who ordered you to stir up trouble?

You humans are selfish and hypocritical.

You oppress the monster clan

and slaughter us at will.

We only fled for our lives.

What's wrong with that?

What's wrong with that?

So it's possessed by the demon clan.

Speak!

Monster,

who is your demon leader?

Old fool.

The Demon Lord has returned.

The Guardians' schemes are flawless.

Soon we'll conquer the Central Plains

and slay every last one of you.

Which Guardian?

Are they hiding in the city now?

Five centuries ago,

I fought two Guardians of the demon clan.

They were extremely crafty.

Whichever one has sneaked in,

they will prove a deadly foe.

Mr. Shen,

we can't question every

captured monster beast.

In my opinion,

we may execute all of them together

to eliminate future threats.

Lifei!

Lifei!

It's terrible!

Elder Cuixuan has ordered

that all captured monster beasts must be killed.

Did they find the demon leader?

Why kill the monster clan suddenly?

Last night, I went to the Guangsheng Faction's prison

to make sure they wouldn't kill the spirits.

But when I came back this morning,

Luo Chengji's disciples passed down the order

to transfer all monster beasts to the shore

and kill them all,

none spared.

Deng,

what are you doing?

Step out here!

You're hiding a spirit right under the elder's nose.

Are you seeking death?

I saved this little one before.

It risked its life to save me yesterday

and is sharing key information with us.

That day, after Lifei saved me,

I planned to head back

to my homeland, Yingcui Island, with my elders.

But before we left the city,

all the spirit beasts around suddenly went berserk,

and my elders lost their minds too.

I tried to hold them back,

yet they acted as if they didn't know me

and even tried to kill me.

Terrified,

I hid myself away,

and that's when I met Lifei.

Spirit companions may have faint power,

yet they possess some cultivation.

Why are they controlled by the demon clan so easily?

Before they lost control,

did you eat or drink anything?

To avoid being captured again by the Guangsheng Faction,

we didn't even have time to eat.

They drank water from a pond along the way.

I had a mouth wound

and dared not touch the water.

Now it all makes sense.

I was wondering

how the demon clan could seize

all the monster beasts in the city overnight

under the immortal elders' noses.

That would only alert us.

There's only one explanation.

The water source is poisoned.

Yeah, they poisoned the water supply.

I've asked Gelin.

All underground water in Duanming City

connects to this freshwater lake.

If someone wants to poison the water,

this place will be the perfect spot.

They're from the Guangsheng Faction.

Mr. Shi,

I've spread all the sea salt.

After killing every monster beast tomorrow morning,

we'll strip their hides

and cure their flesh.

Not a single hair will go to waste, I promise you.

Seems that the man told me the truth.

Wait till you return to tally your gold.

Let's go.

What if

that old fool changes his mind

and calls off the slaughter?

He won't.

The immortal sects mean to bait someone out,

so they'll kill without mercy.

Hurry, let's go.

Spirit-Releasing Antidote Powder.

It's Shi Chengtian's doing, just as expected.

I'm going to Mr. Shen.

Don't bother.

To them,

the truth means nothing.

The elders know full well what caused

the monster beasts to lose control.

They're using it to eliminate all non-human creatures

and future threats for good.

All lives are precious.

They have no right to decide

the fate of these innocent monster beasts.

As the monster beasts ran amok,

slaying them is what everyone wants.

If you speak up for them,

be ready

to openly stand against the immortal sects.

Do you understand?

I do.

At worst, I'll be barred from returning to Wuyue Court.

If they can't tell right from wrong

and kill the innocent,

I won't care to remain their disciple.

In that case,

we can return to the Chufeng Academy.

Master...

Mr. Hu

and Mr. Zuo Qiu will take us in.

Lifei,

count me in, too!

Count me in, too!

Don't get mixed up in this.

How can I be your senior

and stand aside?

Besides, what are you off to do?

Save all living beings!

It's such a meritorious deed.

I might even ascend to immortality from this.

You must count me in.

This journey will be dangerous,

so you may back out at any time

if you regret it.

- I'll never regret it. - I'll never regret it.

Everyone, good work out there.

Mr. Shi sends his regards.

It didn't work at all.

I knew it.

Mr. Dongyang refined

this drug from sleep-inducing bugs,

so it can knock them all out.

Go.

Wuyue Court's restriction spell.

What do we do now?

What can we do?

I know how to break it.

Then...

All arts converge as one;

break the formation and reveal the spirit.

You've got real skill.

Naturally.

Since I was taken as my master's personal disciple at three,

I've tinkered with these formations for over a decade.

Child's play for me.

Let's go.

Hurry.

As the mirage poison lingers in your body for ages,

your spirit roots are damaged now.

It may take a decade

to fully mend them.

Darn it.

I'm incompetent

and have troubled you greatly.

Focus solely on recuperating for now.

Once we return,

I'll have Dongyang tend to your conditioning carefully.

Thank you, Master.

Master,

during our time on Fanghu Island,

I discovered that Jiang Lifei...

There's a jailbreak rescue!

Halt!

You should guard the outside.

Why have you come in?

Any more drugs left?

I've given you all of it.

I came inside to relieve myself

and will head out right away.

- You... - He's far too strong.

I'll fetch reinforcements. Hold him off.

What a fair-weather friend.

Are you also here to relieve yourself?

I came along with him. I'm leaving.

Jiang Lifei.

You have sharp eyes and saw

right through my disguise at once.

Why are you dressed like this?

I heard the monster beast chaos

was stirred up by demon spies.

So I thought

if I dressed like this,

I could capture and question a monster beast,

so I could help you capture

demon spies ahead of time.

She is cunning and will become a grave threat.

He's trying to kill me!

I... I have

a terrible stomachache.

May I step aside for a moment?

Stomachache?

Then let me check your pulse.

I'm sacrificing myself to save them!

Xiuyuan, everything rests on you.

Lu.

Clan leader.

Clan leader?

I'm a half-monster.

They are my clansfolk.

I never thought disciples of the immortal sects

would lend a hand to the monster clan.

Lei,

thank you.

The elders will find out soon.

We have to leave at once.

I'm at my limit.

I'll risk everything!

An empty shell.

You were testing me.

You've got some perseverance.

So you really came to rescue them.

Uncle!

Tongzhou?

Uncle,

this whole thing was my idea.

I told Lifei to...

To meet you.

Since His Highness is here,

I'll speak plainly.

What are you doing?

Since His Highness got injured yesterday,

I've been consumed with guilt.

I feared you'd hold a grudge against me.

But His Highness said

you're the kindest,

and you won't hold this against me.

So I ventured here

to explain myself.

Uncle,

please allow us to be cultivation partners.

Lifei,

we've sworn to never abandon one another.

My uncle won't make things hard for you.

Take out the token I gave you.

The Chiyan Stone.

It's here.

Here.

You gave the Zhurong Stone to an outsider?

This is the Zhurong Stone?

Watch out!

Go!

Take care!

Tongzhou,

you dare raise a hand against me?

Calm your anger.

Lifei is no outsider.

She is my cultivation partner who shares life and death with me.

Please grant us your permission.

[Guangsheng Faction] We're finally out.

Hurry up!

Mere petty trickery.

Reveal your form!

Over there! Chase!

Yes!

They're somewhere nearby.

Mr. Luo,

monster beasts

are trying to kill me.

Where

are they?

Over there!

There's evil spiritual energy

all over you.

I must have gotten monster blood on myself

while fighting them earlier.

Master,

monster beasts are over there!

Right there, let's check it out.

- Go. - Chase!

Dawn is breaking soon.

Are you sure we can get out this way?

There is a secret door under the jar fortress.

We'll make it out for sure.

Leave it to me.

This aura...

Jiang Lifei.

Let them pass.

The trip is dangerous.

Take care.

Will do.

Hurry!

What's going on here?

What happened?

I let my guard down.

They mean to hunt us all down,

leaving none alive.

Fire! Look, there's fire!

Fire!

Everyone, stay calm.

Mr. Lu,

we signed a spirit pact

to live in peace alongside humans.

Why do they seek to slay us,

even leaving our bodies unburied?

The formation won't hold much longer. What to do?

I'll hold them off.

Lead everyone away with Lu Li.

I'm staying here with you.

Lifei.

Don't you act on your own.

The Fragrance Bond still binds us.

We swore

to live and die together, never to abandon each other.

Neither of us shall break that.

[Riyan, Nine-Tailed Fox] It's so hot in here.

What are you roasting?

Riyan, you've healed up.

Please,

let us get out of here.

I'll give it a shot.

It's the mountain-sea barrier.

I can't break through.

The old monster is here too.

Wait for me!

Just listen to me.

Don't touch me.

Riyan.

Riyan,

could you teach me

the Divine Brush Teleportation skill?

Old monster, mind your own business!

You're stealing my spotlight!

Fox, you're truly ungrateful.

I went out of my way to help you,

yet you won't even say thank you.

Mr. Yan.

Lifei,

we're fated to cross paths from afar.

It'd be such a waste not to strike it rich together.

You stinky old monster!

Mr. Yan,

what are you doing here?

Lately, folks are on edge,

and business has been slow,

so I plan to travel overseas

to gather material for new tales.

Mr. Yan,

are you also a monster?

Anything abnormal is labeled as a monster.

In that sense,

we're all monsters.

True.

None of us fit the norm,

so we're all monsters alike.

Mr. Yan,

what kind of monster are you?

Your mastery over script spirit is peerless,

so you must possess a semi-immortal body,

knowing all under heaven.

Does that mean

all script spirits obey your will?

No wonder you're skilled at spinning tales.

I'm deeply grateful to all of you for your help.

I'll lead my clansmen to Yingcui Island to settle down.

Farewell for now.

Yingcui Island belongs to that great bird.

Are you its descendant?

I'm Lu Li, leader of the Jiufeng Clan,

half-monster.

Yingcui Island is thousands of miles away.

You'll struggle to travel there.

I'll give you a ride.

Thanks, Mr. Yan.

Old coot,

you're tagging along.

I'm going overseas to find answers.

Young man,

come over here.

I need a word with you.

You've got your old memories back,

so you know who she is, right?

So what if I know?

I've only ever wanted her

from day one.

Can you protect her?

You just want to

lock her up for yourself.

Your so-called love

is poisoning her.

Things will be different in this life.

She might believe you

a few times,

but she'll see through you eventually.

Riyan,

you misunderstand her.

Lifei is far from foolish.

At times,

she is even wiser than I am

and is clear about her choices.

Mark my words.

If she suffers even the slightest injury,

I will hold you accountable.

Rest assured.

I'll protect her with all I have.

What are you two whispering about?

You don't want to leave me?

When I first met you,

you were a fool.

Now that I'm leaving,

you still are.

Just say it if you'll miss me.

Enough,

old fox.

Let's go.

Young folks have their own paths to walk.

Let's stay out of this.

True.

I've slept far too long.

Time to stretch my limbs.

Girl,

on your way back,

visit the East Sea's cliff inscriptions.

Did you leave a treasure for me?

I wonder if Lifei managed to escape.

Don't worry.

She'll be fine

with Xiuyuan by her side.

Jiao said a witness

claimed Lifei helped the monster clan run off.

We promised we wouldn't...

We promised we wouldn't leave any clues.

Who ratted them out?

No matter who it is,

Lifei will be in trouble if she comes back.

Then she'd better stay away

and lie low somewhere.

I'll go and find her.

Our trip begins at Mount Man by the East Sea.

Boundless ocean spreads out.

By Qingcheng of Wuyue Court

and Riyan of Qingqiu.

Riyan was actually close with Elder Qingcheng.

I never heard this before.

Where do you reckon Elder Qingcheng ended up later?

My master said

he invented the Five Turtle Technique.

It's late.

Let's go home.

I figured Riyan might've felt guilty

and left me a spirit artifact.

Total letdown.

Xiuyuan,

why'd you stick around?

Because you stayed.

You could've gone your separate way.

After all,

we can't stay together forever.

Why can't we?

Our bond won't fade.

We won't leave each other, living or dead.

Lifei,

I want to be with you forever,

in this lifetime,

and every next one.

What're you talking about?

Nothing much.

What brings you here?

They say you worked with the monster clan

and broke them out of prison.

Don't head back to Duanming City.

I covered our tracks the whole trip.

Who ratted her out?

No clue.

The elders plan

to question Lifei severely.

This is bad.

Hide out with me at Xingzheng Hall for now.

Running off now

would make me look guilty on the run.

I didn't slip up at all last night.

I'll just deny it.

It won't be easy to get away with.

Cuixuan and my uncle

will see right through our lies.

What if they torture you to talk?

They wouldn't do that.

Those sect elders

torture a weak girl

to get a fake confession?

That's cruel.

And it'll be very embarrassing

if everyone finds out.

But what if they do?

We'll team up

and get through anything.

I hunted monster beasts all night

and did my job properly.

How do I suddenly become a demon spy?

Mr. Luo,

we met last night, didn't we?

I saw you last night,

but you reeked

of evil spiritual energy back then.

That just means

I was fighting monster beasts hard.

Lifei stuck with the group

and hunted monster beasts

straight through till morning.

You two have long been close friends.

You might be lying

to cover for one another.

Qin,

you mean we're covering each other,

and that makes me a spy, too?

I followed the evil spiritual energy last night

and was jumped halfway.

Jiang Lifei's the one

who attacked me.

Qin,

you've hated me ever since what happened

at Lilie Valley.

If you want to get even,

fight me fair and square.

Quit stabbing me in the back.

You're disgracing Wuyue Court

and Elder Cuixuan.

You!

Yangling,

you said she attacked you.

Got any evidence?

I'm sure

that energy is definitely hers.

Qin,

I didn't know

you thought about me so much

that you see me

in everyone now.

She's the demon spy.

It's her!

She dressed up like one of us from the Wanxian Sect

and knocked us out with drugs.

Did you actually see me drug you?

No, we didn't.

But right after you walked past,

we passed out.

You were all lazing around

and sleeping on duty.

That's why the monster beasts got away.

Now

you're scared of taking the blame,

so you lie and pin it on me?

Well... I...

Speaking of which,

you really did have

our Wanxian Sect outer robe on that night.

Why was that?

This is all on me.

Lifei only took

such a risky action to visit

my uncle for my sake.

You're from Wuyue Court.

What were you doing

visiting Mr. Xuanshan late at night?

I wanted to form a cultivation partnership with Lifei,

but I feared that my uncle wouldn't agree.

She panicked

and went straight in to ask why.

[The Eternal Fragrance]

[Adapted from Shisilang's novel, The Eternal Fragrance]

♪I trade all the mortal world's splendor♪

♪For a fleeting moment with you♪

♪Our fates intertwined, embracing yet fighting♪

♪The hardest bond to balance♪

♪Obsessed and struggling, a thousand thoughts arise♪

♪Love sprouts again in this lifetime♪

♪No calamity can rival the lingering thread of a fragrance♪

♪With you, through mountains falling and seas turning to sand♪

♪Withered branches burst into bloom♪

♪Hand in hand on the Naihe Bridge♪

♪Past the pagoda, in fine robes on galloping horses♪

♪Always, at the very end of obsession♪

♪Comes that one moment of softness♪

♪Betrayed by all, I still reign supreme♪

♪With you, we melt into mist and haze♪

♪I trade the highest heaven and endless clouds♪

♪For a fleeting moment with you♪

♪Pierced by countless arrows, pain and illness pile on♪

♪Yet I remain silent♪

♪Deep love and long yearning, a kiss falls into a dream♪

♪In the distant night, bitterness blooms♪

♪The grand chapter is rewritten, startling the whole world♪

♪With you, through mountains falling and seas turning to sand♪

♪Withered branches burst into bloom♪

♪Hand in hand on the Naihe Bridge♪

♪Past the pagoda, in fine robes on galloping horses♪

♪Always, at the very end of obsession♪

♪Comes that one moment of softness♪

♪Betrayed by all, I still reign supreme♪

♪If the seal can't be broken, then let it go♪

♪Where the heart finds peace, there is home♪

♪Side by side, we fly through seas of clouds♪

♪Break through the waves; the heart's ocean knows no shore♪

♪Always, at the very end of fate♪

♪Comes that one moment of defiance♪

♪In the human world or above, like flowing water and falling petals♪

♪Let this fleeting life be whatever it may♪