Original subtitles

(Zhan Zhao Adventures)

(Episode 23)

When are you going to practice your needle techniques properly?

The Suwen Tournament is almost here.

The entire clan will be there to watch.

Don't embarrass yourself.

Bai,

I'm going to win first place at the Suwen Tournament.

Stop daydreaming.

Go study, will you?

Alright, Bai.

I'll do as you say.

I'll go study hard.

Wait!

Where are you going?

Don't go looking for Qiu Chan.

Mr. Xiang Cai said the plague is getting worse.

Don't you go catching it.

Bai, don't worry.

People in our family never get sick.

Besides, the plague will be gone in a few days.

I'm off. I'll go to study now.

I found it.

This is my brother's handwriting.

40 li southeast of Xiangyang City,

at Eagle Beak Rock in Feihua Hollow,

there's Qingyu grass growing on the cliff.

It blooms for three to five days.

Multi-tailed night moths lay their eggs inside.

They spin cocoons inside the flower buds.

When they're about to break out, pick the flower buds.

The moths die at dawn,

merging with the cocoon.

It's highly poisonous, but it can be used as medicine.

The ancient Naiheyin manuscript mentions

that it can be used as a catalyst

to cure all kinds of poisons.

It forms at dawn, and withers by dusk.

That's why it's called the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon.

So this Dawn-Dusk Cocoon

is actually one of the ingredients for Naiheyin Pill.

This plant opens its leaves on sunny days and closes them when it rains.

It grows several feet above the ground,

sometimes found on steep cliffs.

When harvesting the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon,

seal it in a jade box with gold foil

and store it somewhere cool and dark.

That way, it'll stay fresh for three days.

Store it somewhere cool and dark?

It'll keep for three days?

You guys!

You can't just take me away!

What right do you have? Do you even have any proof?

It should be in the well.

It really is the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon.

No wonder my brother was so certain

that he'd win first place at the Suwen Tournament.

Naiheyin has been lost for years.

But with this, there's finally a chance to recreate Naiheyin.

That night, my brother

really did stay on the cliffs of Feihua Hollow all night long.

He must have said it in court,

but nobody believed him.

He never told anyone else where the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon was hidden.

It was probably to keep the evidence from being destroyed.

If I'd gone to the county office that day,

he would have told me everything.

I should have gone to the hearing.

I really should have.

We grew so many medicinal herbs in the garden,

but he never even bothered to look at them.

Why did he suddenly start working so hard?

Why did he push himself so much, even going into the mountains for herbs?

He already told you the reason.

I just never gave him the chance.

If I'd believed in his innocence,

and cherished his belongings,

maybe I would have found that missing page sooner.

It's because I didn't believe him.

Why was he so sure

that the plague in town would clear up after a few days?

Did he go looking for the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon

because it had something to do with the plague?

That's what I suspect too.

The Dawn-Dusk Cocoon is extremely poisonous.

Naiheyin can cure strange poisons

and even bring people back from the brink of death.

It works by fighting poison with poison.

I remember Jin Zhen Ping publicly claimed back then

that the plague was caused

by the seasons being out of balance.

So why would the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon be needed?

It turns out that the so-called plague was actually caused by poisoning.

Normally,

I enjoy working with embroidery.

But the pattern you mentioned

is one I haven't seen before.

You don't really seem like someone interested in needlework,

so why ask about it all of a sudden?

It's for my aunt's case.

Aunt,

on the night it happened, it was still raining.

Did you get a good look at Jin Xue Wen's face?

That person,

he looked just like a scholar from a distance.

He really resembled him to a tee.

Did you notice anything unusual about him?

Like the way he walked, for example?

It's just been so long.

Madam, the young master has arrived.

He's already in the front yard.

Si Yuan?

What's he doing here?

Then I won't bother you anymore, Aunt.

I'll come visit you next time.

Ling Long, there's no need to rush off.

You can meet Si Yuan while you're here.

Technically speaking, he's your cousin, too.

Mother.

Si Yuan, this is your cousin.

She's Mr. Huo's daughter, Ling Long.

And this is my son, Si Yuan.

Hello, Si Yuan.

I didn't expect that I'd get to meet my cousin today.

Before my father passed, he often spoke to me about you.

He praised you as someone with great potential.

Ling Long, do you know your uncle?

I actually met Uncle before.

I even sparred with him.

That plague back then was really strange.

Some folks who were always out and about

didn't always get sick.

But those who never left their homes?

Sometimes, their whole families died.

Hardly anyone got sick on the east side of town.

But on the west side, a lot of people died.

Everyone living by the west riverbank right now

just moved in over the past few years.

You can go ask him if you want.

I heard his whole family caught that plague,

and none of them survived.

When the plague broke out back then,

I was working out of town.

By the time I got the news and came back,

my family had already been taken deep into the mountains.

Not even two days later,

they told me everyone was gone.

Later, I got sick too.

If it weren't for the Jin family, I wouldn't have survived.

What was it like when the illness hit?

It was really weird.

It always felt like I was dreaming.

It felt like I couldn't run out of energy.

But suddenly, I'd see my dead wife,

then my child would appear.

When I woke up, I had no idea what I'd done.

The symptoms he just described sound like

the state of poison induced by Nightmare Sky.

But it's even more like the Seven-Day Dream, which Tang had mentioned.

If the plague your brother discovered back then

was actually caused by poisoning,

then it's very likely he was silenced.

So that's how it was.

Honestly, when you put it that way,

it's really his fault.

He's not young anymore, yet he still made things hard for you.

I'm sorry, Aunt.

Sorry for keeping this from you.

It's all right.

Ling Long, I suppose

you fought Father more than once, right?

He had already lost to you.

Why did you have to go so far as to kill him?

You're so young,

yet so ruthless.

Si Yuan, you think I killed him?

My father was killed by a sword

that pierced through the top of his head right into his Baihui point.

His swordsmanship was always known for its speed.

In all the martial world,

how many people have the skill

to dodge his sword in the middle of the fight

and instantly leap above him,

leaving him no time to defend himself,

and kill him with a single strike?

That move

does resemble Fleeting Speed from Linglong Manor.

And, you were in Xiangyang at the time,

weren't you?

Si Yuan, I understand why you're suspicious of me.

But I wasn't the one who did this.

Earlier, Uncle was taken away by Jing Yi Ming's suicide squad to Xiangyang.

Those suicide squad members had mastered

the secret techniques of many sects.

If you want to know about Uncle's death, you should investigate them.

So that's how it is.

Thank you for telling me, Ling Long.

Ling Long,

why don't you head back first?

I'll talk to your cousin for a bit.

Fresh vegetables for sale!

Feng.

Since you agreed to come home with me,

why did you sneak back here when I wasn't looking?

Feng,

I have something important to ask you.

You want me to look for the prescription for the plague from back then?

Are you guys still looking into Jiu's case?

How did it end up involving that old plague again?

This is really important.

Please help us, Aunt.

But I really don't know where San put that prescription.

Jin Zhen Ping knows that you gave us the antidote for Nightmare Sky.

Did he give you a hard time about it?

No.

That's not true.

Forget it.

I'll figure out another way.

Fourth Madam,

have you ever seen the flying petals at Feihua Hollow in late spring?

Or have you ever seen any woman

with that flower pattern embroidered on her dress?

Is this also related to the case?

Then I really need to think about it.

Fourth Aunt?

Fourth Aunt,

the kitchen has finished preparing your herbal medicine.

Please take it as soon as possible.

Okay.

Little Seventeenth,

Fourth Aunt is no longer young.

She should be enjoying a peaceful life.

So don't go causing her any trouble.

As for Jiao Chao Gui's murder,

Linglong Manor had nothing to do with it.

So it really was Jing Yi Ming's people who did it.

Has Jiao Si Yuan given you any trouble?

- Do you need me to... - No need.

I already explained things to him.

Ling Long, the martial world is dangerous.

You should come home with me.

I was wrong before.

I shouldn't have said those things.

Father does care about Aunt.

It's just that there are too many things he can't control.

Don't blame him.

There's something fishy about Aunt's case.

I have to keep investigating.

Just give me a little more time.

Once the case is over,

I'll come home.

Don't worry, Feng.

Since I've already decided to break off the engagement,

I'll give Father a proper explanation.

Anyway, there's no way I'm marrying Shao Ji Zu.

He's foolish, arrogant, and full of himself.

I really can't stand him.

As for Father, I'll calm him down first.

Anyway,

you have to come home once you find out the truth.

Otherwise, Father will come looking for you himself.

Let's go. I'll walk you back to the inn.

Get up!

All of you, leave.

Have you met that Huo girl?

Who does Huo Ling Long think she is, anyway?

And that Huo Feng, too.

If it weren't for the prince's orders, I'd have killed him with one strike!

Enough.

The wedding is almost here.

Once the ceremony is done, and you get the Linglong Eye,

you'll have done a great service for the prince.

A wedding? She'll have to go back to Linglong Manor.

If you want her to go home, there are plenty of ways.

It just depends on whether you have the guts.

(Putting out a fire by pouring water on it)

(isn't as good as cutting off the fuel at the source.)

Since you like the shade, I'll put you in the little attic room.

I know you prefer the sun.

Get some more sunlight.

Let me take a look at this pot.

Young Master, we've checked all the embroidery shops in town,

as well as the tailor and clothing stores.

No one's seen that pattern before.

Maybe that woman embroidered it herself.

Fourth Aunt knows a lot of people in town,

especially women from prominent families.

Maybe we'll get some clues if we ask her about it.

However,

if we go ask her now,

we'll be putting her in a tough spot.

Then let's avoid Jin Zhen Ping and ask her in secret.

I'll do it.

The water is the issue here.

What the Tang Sect wanted from the start was Nightmare Sky.

The Seven-Day Dream was just an accident.

Miss Huo.

I have urgent business with Fourth Madam.

Please wait a moment.

Madam, Miss Huo is here.

She wants to see you.

Have her wait outside for a moment.

Yes.

Let not your heart bloom with the flowers.

Chunxin Pavilion?

Impossible.

That's impossible. It must just be a coincidence.

Fourth Aunt married into Xiangyang over 20 years ago.

She must've been to Feihua Hollow before.

Being able to embroider a scene full of those flowers

isn't strange at all!

But the picture shows a man and a woman,

just like the hunter described.

It has to be a coincidence.

She's not that kind of person.

She's a good person.

Don't get impatient.

Let's go ask the Jin family again.

Let's go right now.

Let me ask you something.

Does Fourth Madam have a white dress with pale red petals on it?

Yes. Once when I was tidying up the room,

that dress was pressed under the bottom of the chest.

I wanted to take it out and air it,

but Cai Zhu scolded me for it.

Where is Fourth Madam now?

She went to Moyun Temple to offer incense.

Where is Moyun Temple?

Is it far from Feihua Hollow?

It's about 30 li from town.

Once you reach Feihua Hollow, you still have to go another 7 or 8 li.

Are those two places in the same direction?

Pretty much.

Are you saying she didn't go there to offer incense?

Why is she entering the temple, then?

Could we have gotten it wrong?

You're letting your emotions get the best of you. Your mind's a mess too.

That's the Jin family's coachman.

Would Fourth Madam really be foolish enough to use her own coachman

to take her to see Tang Ji?

So she was just switching carriages.

Why did she take off that dress she was wearing?

Did she realize we were onto her? Is she trying to destroy the dress?

That dress is an important piece of evidence.

I'll go look for it. You two keep following her.

Miss Huo.

Why are you burning paper?

Fourth Madam told me to do it.

I don't know who it's for either.

But, just now she kept saying over and over

"I'm sorry, Little Seventeenth."

So it turns out they didn't just meet at Chunxin Pavilion.

They even set up a secret spot like this.

Where did Fourth Madam go?

This place must have another exit.

I hear water.

There must be an underground river below us.

Besides the entrance we used,

there must be another vent somewhere around here.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be any breeze.

It's poisoned.

Looks like you never really trusted me.

Save your words. Go explain yourself to my father in the afterlife.

When your father fought me before,

he used this same sword formation.

Last time, you managed to break it

because Zhan Zhao was there to help you out.

But now, you're on your own.

Fourth Aunt is actually working with Tang Ji to set me up?

She knows you're not afraid of poison.

Why would she use it against you?

Obviously, it's to deal with you.

Without you, dealing with just me would be much easier.

I never once guarded myself against Fourth Aunt.

Tang Ji, you hypocrite.

You framed my brother before,

and now you want me dead?

Bai Yu Tang, the poison wasn't meant for me.

They're trying to make you hallucinate here!

You and Zhan Zhao aren't leaving Feihua Hollow today.

Your brother's case will never be cleared up.

You'll always be the brother of a murderer.

Bai Yu Tang, look at me closely.

See who I really am!

Even if you kill me,

your brother won't come back to life.

You'll never clear his name.

Jin Xue Wen will always be a murderer everyone spits on!

Bai Yu Tang, I'm not Tang Ji.

I'm Zhan Zhao.

I've already done what you asked me to do.

Let's never meet again.

Her life is still useful to me.

Take your people and get lost.

You hurt my men,

and now, you think you can send me away with just a word?

So you don't want to leave?

Then you can all stay here.

Bai!

Brother?

It's really you.

Release the arrows.

Set the whole cave on fire.

Brother, there's a fire outside!

Don't go out there!

Bai Yu Tang! Wake up!

I've grown up now.

I can definitely get you out of here.

I was wrong.

I've been wrong for 15 years.

This time, I'm definitely getting you out!

I know.

We can definitely make it out of here.

Keep watch for me.

I want them burned until nothing's left.

Yes.

I hear water.

There must be an underground river below.

Follow me.

Zhan Zhao?

Bring them along. Let's go.

Commander Shao, you finally got revenge for that arrow.

Are you satisfied now?

Ling Long, you do know me well.

Guess all those childhood memories we made weren't wasted.

Let's go.

I'll walk you home.

Zhan, I'm leaving this place to you.

I'm going after someone.

Tang Ji is utterly useless.

What? Aren't you going to help Huo?

She's already not the person she used to be.

I just want to know

why you think I'm the killer.

You...

You're all still alive?

Where's Tang Ji?

Even now, you're still thinking about that adulterer, huh?

I...

I know Fourth Uncle is a little eccentric,

but he's always been good to you.

I was wrong!

Tang Ji and I have known each other since we were kids.

We always liked each other.

But our families were different.

It was my parents who forced me to marry into the Jin family.

That cave today

was set up by Tang Ji at the last minute

to lure us in, huh?

Yes.

He said with the pace you guys were investigating the case,

you'd find out about us

sooner or later.

You're just scared your secret meetings with him would be exposed.

Even now, you still won't tell us the truth?

Was it you or Tang Ji

who created the Seven-Day Dream

15 years ago?

So many people in Tanxi Town died because of it.

Was it you or Tang Ji

who killed my brother to cover up the truth?

You let me stay in the Jin family

so you could always monitor me.

You showed me Jin Zhen Ping's manuscript

and told me my brother confessed that year

so that I'd take the antidote, leave right away,

and give up on overturning the case, huh?

- I... - Every time we brought up

Jin Zhen Ping's collusion with the Tang Sect,

you always dodged the question.

It wasn't to protect the Jin family's reputation.

You just didn't want your own scandal to come to light.

We never meant to hurt anyone back then.

It was just an accident.

I know I hurt so many people.

I deserve to die.

You have every right to kill me.

Little Seventeenth.

Little Seventeenth, I'm begging you.

Can you at least spare me some dignity?

Don't let the Jin family find out about any of this, okay?

This is between you and her.

How to handle this

is up to you.