Original subtitles

(Zhan Zhao Adventures)

(Episode 28)

When your young master is meant to show up, he'll appear on his own.

I don't care whether he killed Jin Zhen Ping or not.

I care even less if he keeps that lousy official job.

I just want him to stay alive.

Count me in.

What? Are you interested in that rare poison, "At First Sight"?

Just like you,

I want Zhan Zhao to live.

The Tang Sect has done a lot of bad things these past years.

A lot of people have died.

Now, we've ended up like this.

My father already said before

that my timid and cautious nature means I'm not fit to be the Sect Leader.

No.

Tang, you're not timid.

You just want to hold on to that bit of youthful innocence.

I get it.

I can't keep running away either.

But I really don't know

how I'm supposed to face

this Tang Sect that's on the brink of destruction.

It's the end,

but also a new beginning.

About what happened yesterday, let it stay in the past.

The Tang Sect led by you

hasn't even taken its first step yet.

Zhan.

Have you forgotten

that the first step I took

was helping Shao Ji Zu destroy the account books?

But that first step

was still on the same old path that your uncle took.

Only when the old case is settled

can the Tang Sect finally cut ties with the past.

I already promised you

that I'd plead for the Tang Sect.

Do you really mean that?

Except for the one who made the Seven-Day Dream back then

who must answer for all the innocent people who died,

as for the rest of the Tang Sect disciples,

they shouldn't be dragged into this.

Once the old case is closed

and Siming is destroyed,

the Tang Sect will never be threatened again.

Whatever path you choose from now on,

that's up to you.

If it weren't for him,

I'm afraid I wouldn't have had the courage to face the old case either.

I wouldn't have agreed to put on an act with you for Jin Zhen Ping.

In my heart,

I've already accepted him as a true friend.

Third is already dead.

How dare you come here asking for the antidote?

Do you think everything is over just because Jin Zhen Ping is dead?

Weren't you going to the authorities? Why are you still here?

You...

I'm going to the authorities right now!

You're the one who got Third killed.

You made Zhan Zhao do it!

Both of you are accomplices!

I got him killed?

If you hadn't played so many tricks,

if you'd just handed him over to the law, at least he'd still be alive.

You were too clever for your own good.

You were the ones who got him killed!

Enough, stop pretending.

I've seen the true colors of the whole Jin family.

You still haven't gone to the authorities.

You must be glad he's dead, right?

One less problem for you. No need to drag this to court.

No risk of ruining the Jin family's reputation. Too bad, right?

I'm still here.

Hand over the antidote, and I'll leave.

Otherwise, I'll expose every dirty secret the Jin family has, one by one!

Don't even think about fooling me.

Bai Yu Tang.

Bai Yu Tang.

When our young master returns, will he get mad after seeing this?

You can only get mad

if you're still alive.

Father.

(Linglong Manor)

Father.

Brother.

Lady Huo. All your clean clothes are ready.

When your great-aunt heard you were coming back,

she asked us to prepare everything

you like to eat and use.

I got it. I'll freshen up and head over.

Father. Why are you doing this?

You lied to me.

You made me come back just so I'd get married.

I'm sorry.

But for the sake of the Huo family,

I

have no choice.

Brother.

Let me out.

Brother.

Brother.

Let me out!

Open the door.

Ling Long, have something to eat.

(The Capital City)

It's dry outside.

Be careful with fire.

Imperial Fourth-Rank Sword Guard Zhan Zhao

requests an audience with His Majesty.

I understand.

What is recorded in those account books

may be the crimes of Xiangzhou officials,

but many high-ranking court officials are involved in those crimes.

You don't want to implicate Prince Hui.

So, you rushed back to the capital to report this.

But Prince Hui is still royalty.

He can afford to offend these people.

If it were you,

I might not be able to protect you.

Besides,

I might not protect you at all.

You know that perfectly well.

That's why

you don't want to drag Prince Hui

or the Kaifeng Tribunal into this.

So you risked your life to come to me.

Zhan Zhao.

You're forcing me

to expose the court's corruption.

I forgive you for putting your duty first.

But the rebellion case of Prince Xiangyang isn't clear yet.

By acting this way,

aren't you just alerting the enemy?

Uncle. Let's play the grass-fighting game again.

I'll pass. I can never beat you anyway.

Are you sick?

Don't worry, when my dad comes back, he can definitely cure you.

I'll use all the herbs I picked to help you get better.

Young Master. Come out at once.

Ignore that person. He's a demon seeking revenge.

He'll eat you up.

Look!

Can this acupuncture technique be used to neutralize poison?

This...

Is this the Jin family's secret art, Tiangen Yueku acupuncture technique?

They say this technique can bring people back from the brink of death.

But this technique is extremely complicated.

I heard that in the Jin family,

only the fourth madam has truly mastered this technique.

Even if we spend our whole lives working on it,

it'll be hard to fully understand this acupuncture technique.

Still, we have to at least try.

Father. Ling Long still refuses to eat.

She's determined not to marry Shao Ji Zu.

Sacrificing Ling Long for the Huo family

breaks my heart.

Ling Long is my daughter.

Do you think it doesn't hurt me?

Father.

I'm willing to shoulder all the consequences by myself.

Let Ling Long stay away from all this family drama,

let her live free and happy.

All the consequences?

Can you inherit the Linglong Eye for her?

Master, the young lady has agreed to get married.

She's eating right now.

Ling Long. Have you really thought it through?

No, I'll never understand it.

Then why...

Did you lie to me about the Baihua Sect case too?

So, you are doing it for Zhan Zhao.

You just want me to get married, right?

If it can save Zhan Zhao, then I'll do it.

After eating, I'll pay a visit to Great-Aunt.

Feng.

Go with her.

(Great-Aunt Huo)

Great-Aunt.

Ling Long?

Are you well?

I'm doing fine.

Last time, Feng went to see you. When she got back, she told me

that you've learned a lot.

When I heard that, I was truly happy for you.

Along the way, I've really grown a lot and seen so much.

I even made two good friends.

Really?

This time, I've come back to ask you for a favor, Great-Aunt.

Father.

Shao Ji Zu sent someone to bring us a message.

He said in a few days,

he'll come to take her away.

It's not even the wedding day yet.

How can he take Ling Long to his manor?

Doing things this way,

what about Ling Long's reputation as a young lady?

It's just ridiculous.

This really isn't right.

Keep an eye on her for now,

and we'll figure out what to do next.

Yes, Father.

I can send a message by a carrier pigeon to ask the Baihua Sect

about how to neutralize the poison.

However,

let me give you some advice.

If you can't break free from this engagement,

if you can't escape the fate of being a Huo family daughter,

then don't fall for Zhan Zhao.

The fate of being a Huo family daughter?

Does that mean you and Aunt went through this too?

I always thought

you and Shao Ji Zu were childhood sweethearts

because you met when you were 16.

At least it was better than me and your aunt,

who married total strangers.

But now, it seems

he's not a good match either.

So back then, did Aunt

run away to escape from the marriage too?

She wanted

to escape her fate too.

In the end,

I guess she did escape, in a way.

But the price was

her own life.

The Huo family sacrifices generation after generation of their daughters.

Are we doing these marriage alliances

just to win over the powerful and curry favor with the martial world?

The Xuanqing Sect and the Qingshan Sect

are just two insignificant sects.

The Huo family doesn't need to rely on their influence.

But somehow, these small, insignificant sects

are forcing the Huo family to have no other choice.

The Huo family

didn't pick them for this marriage alliance.

But rather, they

chose the Huo family.

They're all after the Linglong Eye.

The fate of the Huo family women is all tied to the Linglong Eye.

I've heard since I was little that our family had this treasure.

But I've never seen it myself.

What is this Linglong Eye?

My child.

If you've truly decided to break free from your fate,

then the secret of the Linglong Eye has nothing to do with you anymore.

While you were out in the world,

I was worried about your safety,

but more than that,

I was relieved you finally got away.

Since you already escaped,

you shouldn't have come back.

Leave us.

The more stubborn you are,

the less likely Father is to let you go.

You have to go along with him first,

then figure out a way to escape the manor.

I knew all along you'd try to pull something and run away,

But I never thought your brother and your great-aunt would both help you.

What did your great-aunt say to you?

She didn't say anything.

Father, I really don't want to marry Shao Ji Zu.

I never meant to fight you.

Looks like I can only apologize to you later.

Father!

With so many of you here, is there really nothing you can do?

If there really was a cure for the poison,

would we dare keep it from you?

Even Sect Leader Tang can't do anything about it.

Bring me the Dawn-Dusk Cocoon.

You want to use it to make the Naiheyin Pill?

Let me tell you, the Naiheyin Pill can't neutralize Zhan Zhao's poison.

- Besides, you haven't practiced medicine in years. - That's my business!

I can use the herbs I picked however I want to!

Elder Clan Leader!

The head of the family is still alive.

Where did Zhan Zhao go?

I don't know.

He made my life a living hell.

He might as well have just killed me.

Do you really want to die that badly?

Why don't I help you out right now?

You wouldn't dare kill me.

You've searched through every medical book,

but you still haven't found a way to save him, have you?

Hand over the antidote now!

Is that how you ask someone for help?

If I'd known you'd let go of all that hatred for him,

I wouldn't have bothered running away all this time.

Little Seventeenth,

I actually have an idea.

If you get on your knees and beg me right now,

maybe

I'll consider helping you save him.

Even now,

when you're in such a desperate situation,

all you can think about is getting back at me and humiliating me.

I'm not a good person.

But you are.

Kneel and beg me.

I'll help you save him.

A real man never kneels easily.

How could you kneel in front of him?

He's lying to you.

He doesn't have any way to neutralize the poison.

If even the Naiheyin Pill can't neutralize it,

what makes you think he'll have the antidote?

Brother, what does this notice say?

They're going to retry the Jin Xue Wen murder case.

Looks like someone else was the real killer.

Jin Xue Wen?

Wasn't it from 15 years ago?

- It's been so long. - Yes, it's been 15 years.

It's odd that they are reopening a case this old.

What's even stranger is that the accused suspect

is the Jin family head, Jin Zhen Ping.

Isn't the Jin family a family of kind physicians who save people?

Kind physicians?

It's stated here that even the plague from back then will be investigated.

It probably has something to do with the Jin family.

You're all missing the point.

The notice states that the Jin Xue Wen case

has led to a bunch of wrongful convictions.

The court is sending an imperial envoy to Xiangyang to investigate it.

Now this is really something you don't see every day.

Look, that's Jin Zhen Ping!

He totally deserves it!

Third is young and accomplished, smart and steady,

a once-in-a-century talent.

Third is young and steady, a once-in-a-century genius.

Have you seen Third?

- Mr. Xu. - Have you seen Third?

- Mr. Xu! - He's a once-in-a-century genius.

Third is young and accomplished, smart and steady,

a once-in-a-century talent.

- Mr. Xu! - Third is young and accomplished, smart and steady...

Mr. Xu!

This is for you.

Do you think I'm a kid? Why do I want to play this?

Haven't you always wanted an eagle?

It's way worse than the one my brother made.

Don't complain when it's free.

Let it fly up in the sky,

and all your worries and bad luck will just disappear.

I'm not a kid anymore. Do you think I'd believe that?

If I let it fly up,

will your poison be neutralized?

What is this? Syrup water?

You're still hurt. So you can't drink alcohol.

This is yours.

When you risked everything to return to the capital to see the emperor,

you didn't really believe there would be justice, right?

Why didn't you keep putting your faith in this sword in your hand?

I used to believe in it.

But are we always right?

Not everyone

have martial arts skills like us.

What can most ordinary people believe in?

What can they hope for?

I still want to try to believe

that what they believe in

and what they hope for

are real in this world.

Try to believe?

Yes.

Try to believe.

Or maybe we're just afraid not to.

If there's really no justice left in this world,

isn't that just tragic?

Even though sometimes believing

feels like a gamble.

Zhan Zhao,

stand up and answer.

Your Majesty,

if I only focused on the Xiangyang Prince's case,

and turned a blind eye to the people's suffering,

or even sacrificed the justice of the people of Xiangzhou,

just to make my own investigation easier,

how would I be any different

from those corrupt officials?

Your Majesty,

the people of Xiangzhou have suffered long enough.

We can't let them keep suffering any longer.

Stand up.

Take your chess piece.

If you have more pieces

than I do,

then I'll grant your request.

But luckily,

this time,

I won the gamble.

You make it sound easy.

But to me, your trip to the capital this time was pretty risky.

There's still something I don't understand.

When you took Jin Zhen Ping to the Yecha Temple,

you clearly intended to kill him.

Why did you change your mind at the last moment?

I couldn't accept it.

I couldn't let Jin Zhen Ping just die like that.

What you get with a sword

is only justice for the living,

not for the dead.

The innocence of the dead

must be like a kite flying in the sky,

seen by everyone.

Isn't this outcome

better than just killing

Jin Zhen Ping outright?

I think I get it now.

It's not like you are loyal to the court.

You are using it.

Young Master.

Young Master.

- Young Master, you're finally back. - Smart Guy.

I brought you pastries

from the Kaifeng Tribunal when I returned to the capital.

You can have them when you get back to the inn.

Why didn't you take me with you to the capital?

I really miss Zhang Long and Zhao Hu.

You miss them? They miss you too.

Once we're done with this job,

we can go back to the capital.

When I return, I'll order the Imperial Medical Academy

to find an antidote for you as soon as possible.

Thank you, Your Highness.

You're welcome.

As for Siming,

the people I sent out earlier reported back

that they found tracks of him in Wanshan County.

I checked his background.

He really did work in Wanshan County as a clerk.

Your Highness.

Your Highness, please don't take Zhao Zhi Er back to the capital.

Without him here,

we won't be able to keep investigating.

Why can't you investigate without him?

After my young master is poisoned,

I've been feeling down and gloomy.

If Zhao Zhi Er leaves too,

my life here will be totally joyless.

Then I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of my young master.

Wouldn't that affect the investigation?

Fine.

Since you're now a key member here, you can stay a bit longer.

Remember, don't cause trouble for Officer Zhan.

Yes, Your Highness. Don't worry.

Ling Long.

Aunt.

I called you here today

because Si Yuan left something for me to give to you.

This belonged to your aunt.

When she first came to town years ago,

I remember seeing her carry it with her.

After she passed away, it disappeared.

A few days ago,

Si Yuan had the servants retrieve it from Shengyun Manor.

That's when I realized

it was actually taken by Jiao Chao Gui.

This crack on the chest

must be from when he tried to cut it open with a sword.

Si Yuan had a craftsman repair it,

but this is the best they could do.

The letters left at He Bo's manor

must have been written to him by someone else.

In those letters, there are three different seals.

Aunt.

Did my aunt ever tell you

where she went before she came to Tanxi Town?

I think she said

she'd been to Wanshan County.

The Huo family doesn't have any relatives in Wanshan County.

But my Great-Aunt said

the Lin family of the Qingshan Sect wanted to marry into the Huo family.

Maybe my aunt went to Wanshan County to break off the engagement.

Could it be she took this from the Lin family?

That's possible.

Young Master, the case is solved.

And I finally figured it out.

Before this, we didn't know

how Aunt Huo learned the details about the plague.

Now we know the Lin family might be connected to Prince Xiangyang.

And Aunt Huo visited the Lin family,

So maybe she found out about it from the Lin family.

Let's go to Wanshan County.

Are we really going to Wanshan County?

Let's just go there. Why are you whining?

You don't know it, but Wanshan County has a pretty bad reputation.

A few years ago, I traveled with His Highness and visited Wanshan County.

There were beggars everywhere in the streets.

His Highness tried to give them alms,

but we got mobbed and chased down.

We barely managed to escape.

Even when I think about it now, I still get chills about it.

Let's go. We need to get ready.

Let's prepare some plain clothes for everyone first.

And some food, too. Come on.

Bai.

Are you already in disguise?

You just have to dress in simple clothes.

No need to go overboard.

What nonsense are you talking about?

Zhu Zi, from now on,

watering this plant is your job.

If you can't keep it alive, I'll hold you responsible.

Let's go. Hurry up.

What is that?

Once it's grown, I'll tell you the answer.

What are you laughing at?

The Sleek Rat has transformed into a gardener.

Can't I laugh at that?

Your Highness,

the names from the ledger are all here.

You have a great memory.

I'm just doing my best to serve you, Your Highness.

This time, I sent my men to bring you back to the manor.

It means I won't be too harsh on you.

So just settle in without worries.

You'll have plenty of chances to prove yourself.

Thank you,

Your Highness!

I'll give my all to serve Your Highness's cause!

Your Highness,

I heard that

Zhan Zhao and his men are already heading toward Wanshan County.

I've made some arrangements as well,

hoping to lend Dong Jun a hand.

Stand up and leave.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness,

I'll take my leave now.

Your Highness,

what Siming just said was truly heartfelt.

The officials on this alliance list

only serve us because they're bound by the ledger.

And yet, it was him

who destroyed the very foundation he built.

Now, my nephew

has already started targeting the people on the list.

His plan in Wanshan County

was no secret to me.

There's nothing clever about it.

Luckily, we have Dong Jun.

He can keep things under control.

Yes.

Your Highness, please be assured.

With Shan Gui and Dong Jun there,

our plan there will be rock solid.

Rock solid?

Zhan Zhao has already ruined half of my territory!

Alright.

Hey, Blackie.

We should

stop focusing only on the Central Plains, right?

Maybe we should

shift our sights toward the northwest.

What's your plan, Your Highness?

That letter Liu Hong Yi intercepted earlier

was a generous gift from them.

So let's return the favor.

Let's prepare some gifts for them.

Who knows. Maybe one day

they might actually be of help to us.

Understood. I'll take care of it right away.

(Wanshan County)

Zhao Zhi Er,

is this what you called a barren and harsh place?

Are we at the wrong place?

This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides. It lacks farmland.

There's nothing here but weeds and rocks.

Looks like it really was a poor backwater back in the day.

But now, to see such a bustling marketplace here

means the local officials

have really turned things around.

Whose coin pouch is this?

Is this yours?

- No. - No.

Has anyone lost a coin pouch?

Is this yours?

If no one claims it, I'll hang it here.

I've only read about lost items never getting stolen in books.

Today, I've seen it with my own eyes.

(Wanted)

Is this Mo Dao?

That's interesting.

The Xiuluo Sect works for Prince Xiangyang.

For the magistrate to do this,

he's clearly going up against Prince Xiangyang.

Yes. He actually put out a wanted poster of the Xiuluo Sect.

That's gutsy.

With so few county staff,

can he really take on the Xiuluo Sect?

I can tell you guys aren't from around here.

You don't know how tough our Magistrate Hu is.

Since he took office,

all the mountain bandits and bullies nearby

no matter how vicious they were,

had all been dealt with.

That notice is already old news.

The Xiuluo Sect took off a long time ago.

They wouldn't dare show up in Wanshan County and stir up trouble.

Elder,

do you know where the Lin family of the Qingshan Sect lives?