Original subtitles

(Zhan Zhao Adventures)

(Episode 18)

Jing Yi Ming's crimes are backed by undeniable evidence.

Lord Bao will make sure justice is served for the Ding family.

So that means

he'll definitely be sentenced to death?

Yes.

When I was at Ding Residence,

Zhao Hui told me about what happened to Xiao Yun.

He deeply regretted not believing you at the time.

After you left home,

he kept Xiao Yun's body preserved,

hoping to find you and gather evidence

to get justice for Xiao Yun.

Yue Hua.

Zhao Hui.

I'm sorry.

I should've

trusted you.

I regret it so much.

Come home

with me.

Alright.

Dongting Spring wine.

They say it's the finest in Xiangyang.

The best in the city is from Liuke Hall.

You've been deceived.

Is that so?

How's Zhao Hui?

He's awake, no serious injuries.

Yue Hua is with him now.

About Zhi Hua,

I acted impulsively.

I'm sorry.

That's your unresolved issue.

I don't blame you.

Unresolved issue?

What do you know?

About your brother.

Zhi Hua already told me.

When you were young, your brother died because of a crime he didn't commit.

So when you saw Fan killed,

you felt twice the grief and rage.

You wanted to kill Zhi Hua.

But Zhi Hua took that chance

to tell you that your brother's case was a wrongful conviction.

So you also wanted to kill the Yicheng magistrate

to avenge your brother.

There's one more thing I haven't told you.

Zhi Hua said

it was Si Ming who told him to use your brother's case

to steer you toward investigating the Yicheng County magistrate.

Si Ming?

How does Si Ming know about that case?

What does he have to do with it?

These questions are the key to finding Si Ming.

Why don't we go confront the Yicheng magistrate

face to face?

It might help you find some answers.

If you don't want to go,

that's fine too.

Just tell me the whole story of what happened back then,

and I'll seek justice for you.

Justice?

If my brother

was wrongly executed by the authorities,

and you are one of them,

how can you guarantee justice will truly be served?

You still don't trust me.

- Miss Huo - I'm here to talk about Chang Hong Bi.

- Please come in. - It's fine.

I just want to tell you about Chang...

About Xiao Di's background.

Then I'll be on my way.

To raise Chang Hong Bi properly,

he must drink the Emerald Flame Three Lives Water daily.

Only those with the utmost Yang constitution can endure it.

Grandma searched far and wide

and finally found Xiao Di in the Bashu region before he turned three.

If you ever want to help him find his family,

you can start your search there.

Alright.

Thank you.

Xiao Di, I apologize for the things I've done to you before.

But rest assured,

from now on, with Lady Huo by your side,

those inhumane days will never return.

Wait.

I heard about your situation from Bai.

I understand that everything you did at Hanshui Palace

wasn't really your choice.

Now, Jing Yi Ming will soon be taken to the capital for trial.

The court will see to his fate.

It's time for you to put down the burden you've been carrying.

The way you're dressed today

looks so much better than that cold, stiff one you wore before.

When I see Jing Yi Ming die with my own eyes,

I will let go then.

Goodbye.

It's you.

You're still alive.

Yes.

The only reason I've stayed alive until now

was to come for you.

So this is your courage?

You only dare seek revenge

now that I've fallen.

Go on, then.

I'm not a coward like you.

If all I wanted was to kill you with one strike,

there'd be no reason for me to come here.

This cage is forged from black iron.

Even if you kill me, you won't escape this place.

So let's settle this once and for all.

Such arrogance.

A little brat like you

dares challenge me?

You think you've come here today as the hunter.

But to me, you're just prey with one foot in the grave.

A year apart, and your skills have improved quite a bit.

If your brother hadn't injured me,

I would've killed you with a palm strike already.

If you can't kill me, it's because you're incapable.

Stop making excuses.

Can't stand to lose?

You're at death's door. Stop struggling.

I'll kill you now.

When I see Jing Yi Ming die with my own eyes,

I will let go then.

Now you see

I'm more than just Ding Yue Hua.

I've been serving Hanshui Palace,

hiding my name and living like a coward,

all to get my hands on this weapon.

So what if your Great Compassion Palm is unmatched in the world?

I said I'd kill you,

and I would.

You've been doing bad things for over a decade,

ruining countless young girls.

You killed my father, gravely wounded my brothers,

and destroyed my family!

So today,

I want you to die before my eyes.

I want you to witness how an ant can kill an elephant.

Even in the underworld,

remember this,

the one who killed you

is the daughter of the Ding family.

Yue Hua.

Lady Huo,

you don't need to say another word.

When it comes to revenge,

how could I leave it to someone else?

As I told you before,

I could only truly let go after seeing Jing Yi Ming dead

with my own eyes.

And now, I'm finally free.

You killed a prisoner wanted by the court.

The authorities will come after you.

I knew the cost before I acted.

Whether I ended up being killed Jing Yi Ming,

or being hunted by the authorities for killing him,

I could bear it.

I have no regrets.

The city gates will be opening soon.

If there's no movement from the prison before the gates open,

you can make your escape.

Your injuries are the same as Zhao Hui's.

I'll go back to the inn and fetch the prescription Bai wrote for him.

Wait for me at Moonbright Lake after you get out of the city.

Thank you, Ling Long.

Did you see the killer's face?

Take him away.

Officer Zhan, if this person wanted to silence witnesses,

Zhi Hua would likely be dead too.

Given how brutally Jing Yi Ming died,

this was probably personal, an act of revenge.

Officer Zhan,

even though He Bo is no longer of use to the court,

he still died in prison.

We're going to have to answer to our superiors.

This was my oversight.

I'll take responsibility.

Huo, something terrible happened.

Yue Hua killed Jing Yi Ming last night.

She's already fled.

Did the authorities go after her?

They did, but the moment the city gates opened, she escaped.

No one can find her now.

Where's Zhan?

He's writing a petition to the court.

He says Yue Hua made a great contribution in the Zhongxiao Courtyard case,

and hopes the court will show leniency.

I need to go out for a while.

Please save Moon Envoy.

I'm Zhang Yue of Hanshui Palace.

I failed to bring back Chang Hong Bi.

I've come to accept punishment.

When I joined Hanshui Palace, I concealed my identity.

And now I've broken the sect rules by letting Chang Hong Bi go.

I know my crimes are grave.

I'm willing to accept any punishment,

without complaint.

Throw her in the dungeon.

Before sunset,

execute her publicly.

Grandma,

Zhan Zhao is requesting an audience.

No wonder I couldn't find you earlier.

So you went to ask Zhan Zhao for help.

How dare you!

I forced Fu Feng to bring me here.

Please don't punish her for it.

Enough, Zhan Zhao.

Do you really take me for some senile old fool?

You really are something.

Whether people are connected to you or not,

you insist on saving them all.

Fu Feng, you're not needed here for now.

Leave.

Earlier, you manipulated Zhang Yue

into using Hanshui Palace as your pawn.

I haven't come after you for that yet,

and now you dare come to me yourself.

Hanshui Palace turned against He Bo

not because Zhang Yue and I manipulated them.

It was because you and everyone in Hanshui Palace

pitied those women.

That's why you acted.

I've lived long enough

to see every kind of injustice.

I'm not someone

who suddenly turns soft-hearted just because a few girls suffered.

The only reason I allowed them to act

was because I no longer wished to remain under He Bo's control.

The people under your care

have all lived difficult lives.

I imagine you took in Yue Hua

out of compassion for a young woman

wandering alone through the martial world.

And yet she took advantage of my sympathy.

She fabricated her background

and deceived me.

She had her reasons.

She had no choice but to lie.

Would you like to know

why Yue Hua ran away from home,

and how she came to Hanshui Palace?

Didn't I tell you

not to come back to Hanshui Palace if you couldn't find the Chang Hong Bi?

How could you not understand what I meant?

If I didn't come back,

you and all the other disciples would suffer the consequences.

At worst, we'd suffer a little punishment.

Grandma wouldn't actually kill us.

But you coming back is basically a suicide.

I came back

not only for all of you,

but also for myself.

I owe Grandma too much.

I couldn't just run away.

Even if it means death,

I'll accept it.

Zhang Ri, during my time at Hanshui Palace,

thank you and all my fellow disciples for taking care of me.

You think spinning all these heartfelt stories

will soften my heart and make me spare her?

What she set free

was Hanshui Palace's greatest treasure.

She committed a crime that threatens the very foundation of Hanshui Palace.

Not even death can atone for it.

You have mastered your ultimate technique.

Do you still need Chang Hong Bi?

Zhan Zhao, there's no need to provoke me with words.

For the mistake Zhang Yue has made,

no amount of pleading will change my mind.

But have you considered this?

Hanshui Palace stayed hidden from the world for years,

yet this time, because the exposure of Chang Hong Bi,

you were dragged into conflict and controlled by He Bo.

In my view,

Chang Hong Bi may be a priceless treasure to Hanshui Palace,

but it's also your greatest weakness.

Perhaps you underestimated

your own strength and that of your disciples,

and the legacy Hanshui Palace has built over generations.

People always say you're an honest, simple gentleman,

yet who knew you could speak so persuasively.

Every word I've said comes from the heart.

Now that Hanshui Palace's secret treasure is no longer a secret,

I hope you'll think carefully about

whether Chang Hong Bi

will bring fortune or disaster to Hanshui Palace in the future.

I sincerely ask you to spare Zhang Yue.

I will never forget this kindness,

and I'll repay it with everything I have someday.

My mind is made up. No amount of talking will change it.

If you plead further,

I'll have her executed immediately.

It's time for the execution.

You're about to die.

Any last words?

I failed to repay your kindness.

I deserve death.

I have no excuses.

Zhan Zhao came earlier.

He told me about your past.

He wanted to appeal to my sympathy

so I'd spare your life.

Zhan was only trying to help me.

Please don't make things difficult for him.

At my age,

I'm not petty enough to hold it against him.

Still, the things he told me

did remind me of a story.

Many years ago,

there was a young girl.

She was born into a merchant family.

Her mother died the moment she was born.

When she was 14,

she was married off.

On the night of the wedding,

she discovered her husband was a fool who could only drool

and couldn't even recognize people.

As it turned out, her father and brothers had lost money in business.

To cover their debts,

they sold her off.

She hadn't even been with her husband's family for half a year

before her in-laws were murdered by

her husband's elder brother and sister-in-law.

And they framed it on her.

She begged her own family to testify for her,

but those men, having taken bribes from the brother and sister-in-law,

instead joined them in framing her.

What happened after that?

She killed her father and brother,

fled as a fugitive,

and wandered the martial world alone.

She suffered greatly,

even becoming blind.

Later, she met a reclusive master

who brought her to Hanshui Palace,

accepted her as a disciple,

and taught her unparalleled martial arts.

Eventually, that master passed everything down to her.

That was your story.

For decades,

I have never dared to slack off,

fearing that I might disgrace my master's teachings

and tarnishing Hanshui Palace's reputation.

We disciples

have always understood your dedication.

When I passed Everlasting Longing on to you,

I believed you could endure hardship,

and that your actions were decisive and ruthless enough.

Among the hundreds of disciples in Hanshui Palace,

I thought only you were worthy of becoming my successor.

I failed your expectations.

Yet you concealed your true identity from me all this time,

and even released Hanshui Palace's sacred treasure.

Moon Envoy,

do you admit your guilt?

I do.

Your mistake should have been punishable by death.

But you led the disciples

in resisting He Bo and rendered great service.

So I cut your hair in place of your head,

and your death sentence will be suspended for now.

The martial world is vast,

the world wide and open.

Whether you return or not

will be entirely your choice.

That strike from my cane earlier,

are you alright?

It's nothing serious. Thank you for your concern.

You're quite loyal and devoted to Zhang Yue.

That is how disciples of Hanshui Palace should be.

Grandma, when Zhan Zhao pleaded with you,

you refused to relent no matter what.

But now...

If I released her because Zhan Zhao begged me to,

then Zhang Yue would owe that gratitude to him.

Why should we

let someone else claim that favor?

Now that Hanshui Palace spared her,

she'll remember this debt.

She would never betray us for another sect.

Still, Zhan Zhao did make one good point.

When a secret treasure is no longer secret,

it becomes a burden to Hanshui Palace instead.

At that point, there's no reason to keep it anymore.

What do you mean, Grandma?

Originally, I thought

she was the most suitable successor.

But now...

Perhaps this is for the best.

No one's here.

Why is Hanshui Palace completely empty?

Did they move the execution somewhere outside the estate?

Let's split up and search the back mountain.

They can't have gone far.

Someone's coming.

She's gone.

What do you mean?

- Did you execute Yue Hua? - Grandma let her go.

She's left the mountain.

Come.

Yue Hua.

Don't worry. I didn't tell Ding about what you went through.

He's resting and recovering well.

Thank you.

Xiao Di also wanted to come see you off.

He said

that you didn't mistreat him like the other disciples did.

You secretly took care of him

and brought him different kinds of food.

Turning a blind eye to his suffering was still wrongdoing.

A few small kindnesses can't make up for that.

The past is behind us now.

My name is Xiao Di now.

And your name is Ding Yue Hua.

Yue Hua,

there's something I've always wanted to ask you.

You want to ask

whether I regret joining Hanshui Palace.

Some people might pity the daughter of the Ding family

for becoming the Moon Envoy,

but I've never regretted walking this path.

And I treasure the title of Moon Envoy,

because

I fought for it with my life.

After the tragedy befell my family,

I hid my identity and drifted through the martial world,

enduring all kinds of hardship.

That was when I realized

the only reason I'd never been bullied before was because

I was the daughter of the Ding family,

born into a prestigious martial clan.

Outside of Ding family,

I was nothing.

I'll never forget

the moment I defeated Grandma's senior disciples,

took hold of Everlasting Longing, and became the Moon Envoy.

From that moment on, I knew for certain

that no matter whose descendant I was,

in this dangerous martial world,

I could survive on my own.

Do you have any plans for where you'll go next?

During these past months in Hanshui Palace,

I learned of many renowned physicians.

I want to visit them one by one

and see if any of them can cure my eldest brother.

Ling Long, I have an idea.

Wouldn't it be inconvenient to bring Xiao Di along

while investigating cases?

Xiao Di,

I've learned where your family might be from Sun Envoy.

While I travel in search of physicians,

I can take you to find your parents.

Consider it my way of making amends.

Would you be willing to give me that chance?

It's your decision to make.

You're back.

You're really good to her, you know.

Afraid she'd be lonely on the road, so you even sent Xiao Di with her.

You were the one who let Yue Hua out of the city earlier, weren't you?

The poison's really gotten to you.

Hallucinating again?

Someone's been running around behind the scenes,

all because they couldn't bear to see

Zhan Zhao trapped between duty and personal relationship.

Such thoughtfulness!

Yu Lian told me Madam Jing has nearly recovered.

She'll be heading to the capital soon.

I've verified the identities of all the Zhongxiao Courtyard assassins.

Once the antidote from Young Master Tang arrives,

we'll distribute it to everyone.

As for testifying, Yu Lian and Madam Jing are enough.

Shen and the others won't need to go to the capital.

So that means the girls from Fenglai Pavilion

aren't needed as witnesses either?

The girls from Fenglai Pavilion won't have to go to the capital anymore?

Can the girls from Fenglai Pavilion buy back their freedom and go home?

Young Master, he's talking to you.

Is he?

You're still holding a grudge over what happened that night?

When I said we should save Yue Hua,

why didn't you pretend not to hear that too?

Did you two have a fight?

He's not the only one

who can act childish and ridiculous.

He's upset with you

because you didn't tell us you were poisoned and having hallucinations.

I'm really fine. You don't need to worry about me.

He keeps insisting there's nothing wrong with him.

Stubborn as a mule.

- He said you're stubborn as a... - I heard him. No need to say it twice.

I thought that after everything we'd been through,

we'd become friends who trusted each other with our lives.

But it turns out someone never really trusted me at all.

How did I never notice you have so many sides before?

Now you're even playing the victim?

I have to say something here too.

As the saying goes,

compassion can't command troops, and sentiment can't get things done.

Some rules still need to be enforced.

We've treated someone with sincerity,

yet he still couldn't trust us completely

and acted recklessly.

Shouldn't someone like that be kicked out of the group?

- Zhan Zhao already explained this... - You're right.

That person blurted out those hurtful words so easily.

He must've been holding those thoughts in for a long time.

Just thinking about those words he said,

it still hurts even now.

Speaking of which,

you haven't told us what he said that day.

Since everyone's here,

why don't you tell us how his words hurt you?

Young Master, give us the details.

I was just

putting on an act for Zhi Hua that day.

I wasn't thinking straight,

and I was angry, so I said things I shouldn't have.

I'm sorry.

Please don't take it to heart, alright?

- About that day... - Enough.

I get it now.

I know exactly why you two put on this whole act today.

Don't think I can't tell you planned this together beforehand.

All that teamwork, and you use it just to gang up on me?

Let's go.

I'll go see the Yicheng magistrate with you.

- He said he'll go with you to see... - He heard that.

Alright.

We'll go after we eat.

Come on.

Come on. I'll go with you.

Did you handle

Jin Xue Wen's case from 15 years ago?

Jin Xue Wen?

I'm talking about the murder case in Tanxi Town.

Tanxi Town...

Back when I was serving as a clerk there,

I did work on that case.

Could it have been a wrongful conviction?

A wrongful conviction?

Impossible.