Original subtitles

♪Heavens strike with thunderous wrath♪

♪Mountains and rivers shatter before my eyes♪

♪Endless splendor cultivated through lifetimes♪

♪Turns to dust between my fingers in an instant♪

♪When the line between good and evil is clear♪

♪Countless souls drift into the boundless wilds♪

♪Carrying the spirit fire forward♪

♪I defy fate♪

♪Just to remain by your side♪

♪Falling into love's abyss♪

♪Like heavy rain pouring down♪

♪Drunk on romance♪

♪In a blink, love and hate vanish into illusion♪

♪Falling into endless love♪

♪Stirring waves upending a lifetime♪

♪Even if this life leads to ruin♪

♪I still choose to be entangled with you♪

♪Through all lifetimes♪

[When Destiny Brings The Demon]

[Based on the JJWXC novel "When Destiny Brings The Demon" by Fu Hua]

[Episode 10] [It's always trouble going out in disguise with Grandmaster!]

Why did something inside me just stir?

What is it trying to tell me?

[Zuihua Pleasure House] Have a nice day, sir.

Welcome, sir.

Did he fly all the way here

just to...

Is this some late-life scandal plot or what?

Pipe down.

Hm?

Did I say anything just now?

Grandmaster,

can you read minds?

No, I can't.

Then let me test it again.

Sima Jiao, you crazy old man!

Are you cursing me?

No.

Sir.

Please have a look inside, sir.

This way, please.

Take care, Mr. Wang.

It's been a long while.

Yes, a long while.

Nianjiu,

stay here with it

and wait for my orders.

Yes.

Let me tag along.

This way, please, sir.

This really blows my mind.

Nianjiu actually misses out

on such shocking scenes.

He's just transformed into a human.

Why let him see things like this?

No wonder you didn't let him in.

I see.

It's not kid-friendly.

Never thought you were this kind of man.

I came here to look for someone.

As if.

Mr. Yan,

didn't you just take in your fourteenth concubine today?

Why aren't you spending the night with her,

but coming here to seek pleasure?

Why, yes?

She's already mine.

[Yan Huan]

There's no need to rush it.

Cheer up, Mr. Yan.

Come.

The fourteenth concubine?

This man is scum through and through.

Do you see that person?

I do.

The distance is far.

He looks rather small.

I see it.

There's a flame-shaped birthmark on his back.

Grandmaster,

is he the one you're looking for?

Grandmaster,

he's coming up.

Huan.

Why are you here again?

When will you stop pestering me?

Huan...

[Zhou Qing'er]

You once said

you'd love only me.

But

why do you still come here to seek pleasure?

Hey.

Where's the owner here?

Coming.

Huan, you...

Take this whining wench out.

Yes, sir.

- Go. - Huan.

- Huan. - Leave.

- Just leave. - Huan!

He's a piece of work.

If this were in the modern day,

he'd have been exposed and canceled.

You sure have many concerns.

What do you mean, "canceled"?

It's the most miserable fate.

Worse than death.

Let's go.

Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan,

am I so unattractive

that you won't touch me even once?

Go away.

Yes, sir.

Who are you?

What are you trying to do?

Grandmaster,

does this man have anything to do with your clan?

I'm wondering the same.

I feel a blood resonance with him.

Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan.

You only changed your clothes.

Why did they all think

you were that Mr. Low-Stamina?

It's an illusion.

Grandmaster, are you going to pose as him

to get inside the enemy's base?

I thought you were the frontal assault type.

I never thought you could use the roundabout tactics.

Not bad.

Mr. Yan,

you look much better.

It was indeed a lovely night, huh?

My hand!

- Ow! - If you don't want that hand, I don't mind breaking it.

I want it!

Stop it!

I overestimated your roundabout tactics.

You're Mr. Yan now.

Don't give yourself away.

Huan.

Huan.

Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan.

You've been

avoiding me.

Do the vows we once made mean nothing now?

Poor lady.

Perhaps you shouldn't break her heart.

That's none of my concern.

Grandmaster,

remember that you're Mr. Yan now.

Say to her,

"I'm not worthy of such devotion from you."

I'm not worthy of such devotion from you.

"I'm a jerk. A scum."

"Nothing but an animal."

I'm a jerk. A scum.

Nothing but an animal.

"So, miss, forget me,

and go find a better man."

Forget me,

and go find a better man.

Huan.

I can stop coming to see you.

I won't disturb you anymore.

But can you tell me why?

Why have you suddenly become so cold,

as if I were a stranger?

You fool?

That's exactly how every jerk acts when he dumps a girl.

You fool? That's exactly how every jerk acts when he dumps a girl.

You don't have to say that line, Grandmaster.

Huan,

I don't understand what you're saying.

There were too many people around just now.

Actually, I had something important to tell you.

Our daughter was born last month.

This poor child doesn't have a name yet.

Will you give her a name?

What's that to me?

Huan.

Where's Nianjiu?

I sent him a message.

Wasn't I supposed to stay as an otter for three months?

The Form-Changing Pill works

according to my will.

Whenever I want, I will change.

But you're now a dead person.

So you should still appear as an otter

in front of others.

All right.

Huan.

By the looks of it,

Mr. Yan

is indeed an irresponsible jerk.

What exactly does "jerk" mean?

A man who abandons his wife and child

and should be pounded into pulp.

Perhaps he will be.

What do you mean?

Smashed into pieces

and ground into dust.

I have a feeling Grandmaster's cooking up something big.

[Yan Residence]

Mr. Yan has returned!

- Quick! - Quick!

Mr. Yan.

You...

Who are you?

Why did you transform into me?

Because there's something about you that interests me.

What do you want?

Are you going to catch me back there again?

Someone! Father!

Have you forgotten, Mr. Yan?

Your father went to the neighboring city on important business.

He won't return for a month.

All right.

Get lost.

Yes, sir.

You!

Who are you people?

Never ever try to fight against Grandmaster.

Just give up, jerk.

The flame-shaped birthmark on your back,

where did it come from?

I don't know.

I honestly don't know.

Speak.

I don't want to go back there.

I don't want them to go there either.

It's so frightening. So disgusting.

Grandmaster,

he seems to have PTSD

about that birthmark.

What?

Just hearing about the birthmark

triggers his traumatized memory

and drives him into madness.

Not even the Truth Spell works on him.

Mr. Yan,

the Master asks that you rest at the sixth concubine's quarters tonight.

You're not going anywhere from now on.

Stay home and give me heirs.

That son of the Yan family takes concubine after concubine,

yet never studies for the imperial exams.

He spends his days drinking in brothels.

There's no difference between him and keeping worthless trash.

Well,

you're just jealous

he was born with a silver spoon.

If this keeps going on,

he'll wind up down and out.

I can't get anything out of him.

The Soul Search can't help either.

Looks like the memory traumatized him badly.

He's a good-for-nothing.

Patience.

We'll see if

we can find clues elsewhere.

Don't worry.

We can kill a few people in this residence,

and they'll tell us the truth.

That won't do, Grandmaster.

We still have much to find out.

Besides, you're wearing this jerk's face,

you have to tread carefully.

A little impatience will spoil our plan.

Goodness!

This frigging Mr. Low-Stamina

has enough wives for a football team.

Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan,

you haven't visited me in so long.

Mr. Yan, when will I get to see Xian?

I've barely seen him

since he was born.

- Right. - Mr. Yan.

Let go.

- Mr. Yan. - Mr. Yan.

Could you turn me back into human form, Grandmaster?

I need to go out.

Why?

I bet Ms. Qing'er still has no idea

Mr. Yan has taken a dozen concubines.

I must tell her

so she'll give up on him.

Weren't you the one who always slacked off?

Why take trouble now?

I'm not lazy.

I'm just relaxed.

The point is,

those concubines

are such a pain.

It's worse if Ms. Qing'er keeps coming to you.

I should handle this trouble for you.

Fine, then.

Go on.

If Zhou Qing'er

has any clues about the flame-shaped birthmark,

report back to me.

He's a workaholic.

All right.

That's a compliment.

How much for this embroidery?

Five wen.

And the white one?

Show us the white one.

That's also five wen.

Same price?

I think the red one is prettier.

Thank you.

Ms. Qing'er.

You're Huan's new concubine, aren't you?

I saw you in his carriage.

I have nothing to do with Mr. Yan.

I came because I saw

how he treated you the other day.

I thought it was unfair.

He has taken too many concubines now.

Just days ago, he took another.

Heed my advice,

leave

that faithless scoundrel.

You don't know.

Huan isn't the kind of man you say.

When we first met,

we sincerely

liked each other.

Which one do you like? Tell me.

Cui.

Do you like this one?

Jeez.

The good ones are inside.

Ms. Qing'er, you're fooled by him.

Why still

hang on to someone like him?

I took some silver

from Yan Huan.

Take your child and start over somewhere else.

Did Huan give you this

to pass to me?

No. He...

Yes, you can think of it this way.

Miss,

I won't take this money.

I can stop seeking him out.

But

if he won't explain to me in person,

I'll never leave.

Wake up, Ms. Qing'er.

Huan once wrote me poems.

"We entrust our affection to the clear moon.

Let the breeze carry you away forever."

We also recited poems together

and played the guqin on a boat.

I don't believe this.

I don't believe everything just ends up like this

without reason.

Don't cry.

- There... - Ms. Qing'er, I just want to ask.

Do you know

the flame-shaped birthmark on Yan Huan's back?

I do.

Has he ever told you

about that?

Never.

All right.

- Don't cry. - That birthmark is indeed a hard secret to dig.

There...

Your face tells me

things didn't go well.

I spoke with Ms. Qing'er.

She knows Yan Huan has a flame-shaped birthmark,

but she has no idea what it means.

Then we have to find clues elsewhere.

And Ms. Qing'er is a hopeless romantic.

No matter how I try to warn her,

she refuses to believe that Yan has failed her.

What is "hopeless romantic"?

It's an illness in which one

only cares about romance and nothing else.

Do you suffer from this illness?

Me?

Of course not.

I can barely manage my own affairs.

Good.

Love is the most useless thing in this world.

You can't put it that way.

A true and beautiful relationship can give people great strength.

Only people with poor cultivation

would think so.

Considering the environment he grew up in,

it's normal that he doesn't believe in love.

Not resting yet?

I know otters are cute,

but it doesn't have to appear so often.

I'd like to stroll the market tomorrow.

Can you turn me back into human form?

You chatter too much.

I'm trying to rest.

Grandmaster,

please.

Don't fall asleep yet, Grandmaster.

Not again.

Care to buy a body pillow?

It's cheap.

I already have one here.

Why would I need another?

The soul-tracking firefly

[Yan Residence] shows me that Nianjiu's last trace

is at Yan Residence.

Sima Jiao and Tingyan must be here too.

Let's go shopping.

It's Ruling!

Miss,

has a young lady entered your household lately?

Do you mean

Mr. Yan's new concubine?

Concubine?

No.

The one I'm looking for

is about this tall.

She's slender and beautiful.

Ruling must be here for me.

No, I haven't seen her.

Thank you.

Ruling.

Ruling.

Where did this little spirit come from?

Don't get in my way.

Wait for me, Ruling!

Nianjiu was clearly

last found here.

Could it be...

Could it be that Tingyan's already...

You little spirit.

Why is it you again?

[I'm Tingyan]

What does that mean?

I'm Tingyan.

Tingyan?

It can't be.

On Stargazing Terrace,

Tingyan gave me fruits,

and we enjoyed the view.

You really are Tingyan?

Tingyan!

Oh, finally, my friend.

I understand now.

Grandmaster is trying to protect you this way

so you can avoid trouble from the Eight Palaces.

But it truly frightened me

when I saw your life lamp go out.

It's always good to have friends.

Ruling.

Ruling, it's really you.

What brings you here?

I came seeking Tingyan,

so I happened to stop by here

and found her.

You found Tingyan?

Where's she?

You don't know yet?

No.

Don't worry.

She's safe now.

That's a relief.

Looks like you two are tight.

Grandmaster.

I told Liao Tingyan to keep this secret

from everyone.

She trusts you so much.

Forgive me, Grandmaster.

I worry for Tingyan

and came looking for her.

Tingyan couldn't bear to see me upset,

so she told me.

If you say a word about her whereabouts...

Please don't worry, Grandmaster.

I will keep it to myself.

Grandmaster, Ruling,

you know where Tingyan is,

why won't you tell me?

I didn't mean to hide it from you.

Why don't you ask yourself?

Ask myself?

Say,

Ruling,

now that we meet again,

are you ready to begin the lesson?

Lesson?

Have you forgotten? You promised to teach me how to behave like a human.

No, I haven't.

So, in the first lesson,

you've just taken human form

and still carry your beastly nature.

Though it can be brutal,

it also makes you lower your guard

and obey unconditionally.

You're too sincere and kind.

That won't do you any good.

What should I do?

Ruling.

Teach me, please.

Miss,

we have great tube whistles.

Come have a look.

Which one do you like?

Come have a look.

You have keen eyes, miss.

This tube whistle has an excellent tone.

How much?

Only 100 gems.

100 gems.

Yes.

Wait.

I can tell

this tube whistle

was bought in bulk from South Mountain.

It's worth no more than ten gems.

Ten gems.

Miss,

you should take this one instead.

Ten gems for you.

Ten it is.

No.

I'll lose money.

No way.

Wait.

You can have this for ten gems.

All yours.

There you go.

Master,

this is my gift as a disciple.

The sound of this whistle travels a hundred li.

If I call for you with it,

you'll hear me even from afar.

All right.

If you need me,

I can appear by your side anytime.

Thank you, Nianjiu.

You see,

human minds are complicated.

Full of traps.

If you ever come across a situation

like the whistle peddler,

never agree so easily like you did just now.

Understood?

How should I refuse them?

I'll teach you.

You can refuse politely

by saying,

"This doesn't look right."

This doesn't look right.

If the other person insists,

you say,

"I don't have the time."

I don't have the time.

If they still insist,

you can be more direct

and give a firm refusal.

"No, I can't."

Oh, I see.

It's the same when Grandmaster usually says

"Get lost", right?

Yes, but

that's the ultimate form of rejection.

This doesn't look right.

I don't have the time.

No, I can't.

Get lost.

I think I've got the hang of it.

I didn't teach you the last one.

This doesn't look right.

No, I can't.

I don't have the time.

[Yan Residence]

[Zhou Yueqing]

You're indeed a jerk.

You haven't even settled things with Ms. Qing'er,

and now you're messing with Zhou Yueqing.

I'm going to teach you a lesson.

Yueqing.

Yueqing.

Yueqing.

Yueqing.

Hold on.

Our daughter was born last month.

This poor child doesn't have a name yet.

Will you give her a name?

Huan once wrote me poems.

"We entrust our affection to the clear moon.

Let the breeze carry you away forever."

Clear moon, breeze, Zhou.

My, my! This name is...

Yueqing. [*Moon and breeze]

Grandmaster,

I think I've discovered something important.

What's it?

Yan Huan

really likes Ms. Qing'er.

You rushed here

just to tell me

Yan Huan's love story?

I just saw him

giving Ms. Qing'er's child a name.

Even if he truly likes her,

so what?

Grandmaster,

think about it.

For someone like Yan Huan,

who bluffs and flirts a lot,

if he really liked her,

why wouldn't he marry Ms. Qing'er?

Why would he go to such lengths

to cut ties with her?

Perhaps he has his own reasons,

and it might have something to do with the flame-shaped birthmark.

Mr. Yan!

Mr. Yan,

the twelfth concubine threw herself into the well!

What?

Luckily,

she was saved.

Take me to her.

Mr. Yan, she's here.

My Xian!

Mr. Yan!

Mr. Yan,

please let me see my son.

Mr. Yan,

if I weren't desperate to see my son,

I wouldn't have risked my life, Mr. Yan.

I'm begging you.

Please.

Please let me see him.

Mr. Yan, I miss my child too.

Mr. Yan.

Where's her son?

I don't know, sir.

The Master and you

never allow us to ask about the children.

It seems like

something's wrong with this Master Yan.

Oh, right, Grandmaster.

We've overlooked something.

With so many concubines in the Yan Residence,

there's no child here at all.

I'm begging you, Mr. Yan.

There's still one person who has a Yan child.

Ms. Qing'er.

I saw Ms. Qing'er here last time.

She said she lives nearby.

Huan!

- What's wrong, Ms. Qing'er? - Some...

Someone took our child away.

When did this happen?

Just now.

I was playing with the child in the courtyard.

Then, I went inside to get her a pellet drum.

But when I returned,

the child was gone.

What should we do?

I'll find her.

But the streets are full of people.

We don't know where the culprit went.

How do we find the baby?

Follow this light stream.

We should be able to find the baby.

This way.

You!

Return the child.

Get out of my way.

Move!

The baby!

Mr. Yan?

As expected of you, Grandmaster.

Why are you stealing someone else's child?

Do you know you'd be sentenced to death

if you stole a kid in my world?

Why are you taking this child?

I'm bringing her back to the household

and will hand her over to Master Yan when he returns.

You're from the Yan Residence?

And what happens after giving the child to Master Yan?

I don't know.

The Master only told me to watch

if Mr. Yan had any children outside.

If he did,

bring the child back.

That's why I was watching Zhou Qing'er.

I'm clueless about the rest.

Where's Master Yan?

He said he went to the neighboring city on some matters.

No one knows where he is.

As expected.

This child has a flame-shaped birthmark.

Could it be

that all of Mr. Yan's children

have a flame-shaped birthmark,

and for some reason, the Yan family

took them away?

Perhaps because these children are of great use,

the Yan family made Yan Huan marry many concubines

and forced him to have children.

This sounds exactly like...

It's exactly the same as what the Eight Palaces did.

To feed the Spirit Fire,

they first forced Grandmaster's parents together

and then plotted to obtain his blood.

The Celestial Palace is indeed boring.

They always use the same trick.

Nothing new.

My child!

Thank you, miss.

Thank you, sir.

Who took my child?

Was it a human trafficker?

It's someone from the Yan family.

Yan family?

Why is that?

We don't know.

Ms. Qing'er,

last time I asked you about the flame-shaped birthmark,

why didn't you tell me

your daughter had it too?

Do you know anything about it?

I truly didn't know.

I wasn't trying to hide it either.

Huan...

I asked Huan before

about the flame-shaped birthmark,

and he suddenly became agitated,

as if it were an ill omen.

When I later gave birth to my daughter,

she also had the same mark.

I knew Huan wouldn't like it,

so when you asked,

I pretended I didn't know.

Looks like we could only get the answer from Master Yan

to find the truth.

Grandmaster,

tell her

the daughter's name is Yueqing.

Me?

I'm here, baby girl.

I've come up with a name for her.

Yueqing.

Zhou Yueqing.

Yueqing...

"We entrust our affection to the clear moon.

Let the breeze carry you away forever."

It's from a poem Huan wrote for me.

I suppose

he still cares for me.

Yueqing, this is the name your father gave you.

Do you like it?

Yes?

E,

give our child a name.

Let him be called Jiao.

So what

if she has a name?

Even with a name,

she still will

bring disaster.

Grandmaster,

don't say such frightening things.

No matter what dangers lie ahead,

Yueqing has a mother who loves her the most.

I won't

let her face the world alone.

Sir, miss,

although I don't know your true identities,

thank you so much.

You can tell he's not Yan Huan?

You broke my illusion trick?

I know nothing about spells.

But I spent so much time with Huan before,

and I'm familiar with his every move.

I wasn't sure at first,

but over time,

and after you cast a spell to locate the baby,

I knew you weren't him.

Grandmaster,

true love can break spells.

In that case, she can break the Yan family's fate

with true love.

He didn't mean that.

We'll continue looking into the Yan family.

Thank you, miss.

Thank you, miss.

Thank you, miss.

Thank you, sir.

Grandmaster,

so,

does the Yan family have a blood relation

with you?

Otherwise, why would all this happen?

Yes. I suspected there was some relation

between the flame-shaped birthmark and the Fengshan line.

Just when I entered the town,

I located Yan Huan using blood resonance.

For over five hundred years,

I'm the only one left of the Sima Clan.

I didn't know the blood

could sense each other.

That's why

I used blood resonance

to find the child.

But

why is there

Fengshan bloodline here?

The Fengshan Clan

has always pursued bloodline purity.

But over the years,

some have

defied their elders, run off,

and had children with outsiders.

Shi Qianlv

has gone to great lengths to gather people of the Fengshan bloodline.

He is playing a long game.

♪Autumn winds sigh♪

♪Moon and stars dapple the sky♪

♪Brushing the loneliness of bygone days♪

♪Candlelight flickers low♪

♪Shadows sway♪

♪Shimmering in the night♪

♪With a brush I draw♪

♪The color of light♪

♪To warm your frozen soul♪

♪Memories anchor here♪

♪Longing is engraved♪

♪Yet cannot be touched♪

♪Following♪

♪The veins of gravel♪

♪I turn into spirit fire♪

♪Burning away♪

♪All these karmic ties♪

♪To save you♪

♪To save me♪

♪To cross over all suffering, I'll break through♪

♪The laws of heaven♪

♪The vortex of reincarnation♪

♪What of life and death?♪

♪To save you♪

♪To save me♪

♪To redeem all beings, I'll let pass♪

♪Right and wrong♪

♪Rumors and tales♪

♪To seize fate♪

♪With my own hands♪

♪For you♪

♪For me♪

♪For the healing of wounds♪

♪I'll stir the murky seas♪

♪And strive against the heavens♪

♪To protect the vastness♪

♪For you♪

♪For me♪

♪For the light of dawn♪

♪I'll face promises♪

♪Like a moth to a flame♪

♪And use my body to shine♪

♪On even more♪