Original subtitles

(The tassel crowns the knight. The sword is snow white.)

(In the silver saddle, he rides like a shooting star.)

(He kills a man within ten steps. Invincible he is all the way ahead.)

(He would leave once it's done. No trace of him is to be found.)

=Sword Snow Stride= (Season 1)

=Episode 27=

Don't!

Xu Fengnian doesn't deserve to die.

You shouldn't be here.

You know me, don't you?

Your mother was the head of the 3,000 swordsmen of Chu.

Of course, I've seen you.

Lord of Jing'an used me as a pawn

and sent me to assassinate Xu Fengnian,

but Xu didn't kill me.

He's been really good to Her Grace.

He didn't deceive her.

If they hadn't spoken for you,

you would have been dead.

Your Grace, you're still alive.

It's a blessing for our country.

My father asked Xu Xiao not to kill me.

Because of that,

I'll spare Xu Xiao's life for one time.

If you're that good,

why haven't you ever been to North Liang these years?

Avoid the solid and strike the weak.

North Liang is dangerous. I won't go there recklessly.

But you broke into the palace.

North Liang is more dangerous

than the palace of Liyang.

Are you afraid of North Liang?

If I had known Her Grace was in North Liang,

I would have been there early.

Your Grace.

These years,

you've suffered a lot.

I'm fine, actually.

Your Grace, do you have anything to pack?

To pack?

Why should I pack?

I'm taking you back to Chu.

West Chu has long perished.

But we still have the people.

It isn't just you, is it?

Of course not.

Not just me.

The survivors of Chu

have gathered in Shu.

Shu is in chaos now.

All of the people are your subjects.

They've been in despair.

They look forward to returning home with Your Grace.

No way!

I won't let her go.

I didn't ask you.

She is mine!

Nonsense.

Move.

He wanted Jiang Ni and I stopped him.

I'll stop you, too.

No one can stop me

if I decide to take her away.

Snakes in Sleeves.

Li Chungang?

I know my name.

You needn't tell me.

Weren't you left at Mansion of Lu?

Did you think I was so gullible?

Have you been with me all the time?

It was patchy at best

when you fought Lu Baijie.

After that, it was unbearable to witness.

Step aside.

I'll talk with you later.

Even Wang Xianzhi

can't stop me today.

You're getting old.

Cut the nonsense!

Chess...

Uncle Chess Master.

Your Grace.

Would you please stop fighting?

I am

at your disposal.

Uncle Chess Master.

Can I stay here?

Your Grace.

If you stay,

you're a maid at best.

Do you think he'll marry a maid?

I don't want to marry him.

Wait a minute.

Since there is no fight,

why don't we go inside

and have a good talk?

All right.

Qingniao,

go to tell

Grandpa Wei and Ning Emei

to guard the temple.

Don't let anybody in.

After I die,

Your Highness, please let the little girl outside the temple go.

Why would you die?

Cao Changqing showed up.

Shu will be in chaos.

I've heard all the big news.

Heaven will not tolerate it if I don't die.

In fact, you have another choice.

If you go to North Liang,

you won't have to die.

If I go, the little girl

will have no one to depend on.

Take her to North Liang.

Her paralyzed grandpa is seriously ill. He can't travel far.

Before he passes away,

I can't leave Yangzhou.

Don't worry.

Stay and take care of her.

Stay?

Take it.

Use the money to treat her grandpa.

When he gets better,

hire a carriage and take them to North Liang.

Do you mean

I can leave?

There is no fight anymore.

You can't see the fun anyway.

Aren't you afraid I may leak the news?

If I want you to work for me,

I must trust you.

Chen Xiliang

is at your disposal.

My Lord, please wait for me.

No matter how long it takes,

I'll wait for you.

Do you think he can work for you?

Yes.

Aren't you afraid he'll betray you?

The circumstances of gentry and those of humble families

are worlds apart in Yangzhou.

His only hope

is to go to North Liang.

If I made a bad decision,

would you still follow me?

(Baoguo Temple) As long as my grandpa is fine,

(Baoguo Temple) I'll follow you wherever you go.

That's a deal, then.

When your grandpa gets better,

let's leave Jiangnan.

Where to go?

North.

(Memorial to the throne: tax of tea and other items, 562 taels of silver)

Prime Minister.

There you are.

You asked to see me.

How dare I not come?

You're really enjoying this.

Yeah.

I don't like to build a reputation of honesty and poverty.

I want all the scholars

to envy me.

Thus, it may arise

their ambitions to get promotions.

Don't you agree?

I'm not in a position

to make comments.

I heard Cao Changqing showed up at Yangzhou.

I heard that, too.

The last time when people saw him,

he seemed to head towards Yangcheng.

Is Xu Fengnian at Yangcheng, too?

We can take advantage of it.

We can spread the news

of North Liang and Cao Changqing...

No.

No.

Wait a bit longer.

Don't be anxious.

Let's see

if Cao Changqing

will meet Xu Fengnian

and

what happens

when they meet.

Yes.

Keep me posted

if there is any news.

Rest assured, Prime Minister.

You can go.

You're really diligent

in handling official business at home.

Bringing the memorials back home

isn't appropriate, actually.

But to manage state affairs,

I can't attend to the trifles.

People who make great achievements don't stick to small details.

Prime Minister,

you're with high ambitions.

Righteous men of Chu

who are hidden in Shu

have been expecting you for long.

Xu Fengnian is very likely

to be the next lord of North Liang.

The royal court of Liyang

may give him a princess.

Although North Liang is strong,

it is subordinated to Liyang.

What does it have to do with Xu Family

whether Jiang Ni leaves or not?

Your Grace,

our people want you

to go with me to Shu.

After we gather our troops,

we can return to West Chu.

Liyang

will have another enemy, then.

North Liang's position

is more secure that way.

Besides,

when you become the queen of Chu,

you'll be a fine match for Xu Fengnian.

I have nothing to do with him.

Mr. Cao,

can I say something?

Yeah.

First,

We won't let bandits have their own way

in order to distinguish ourselves.

Second,

we keep the army ready for combat

in order to bring peace to the world.

We've never thought of rebellion

and starting a war again.

You're so pedantic and simple.

How can you be the Lord of North Liang?

There are enough big shots who have little regard

for human life.

I prefer to be a pedantic lord

with a bottom line.

What's your choice, Your Grace?

I've never wanted to be a big shot.

Not a big shot.

You're the last hope of our people.

Can you bear to see them being hopeless again?

Why must it be me?

Your blood

brings you glory

as well as responsibilities.

Your Grace,

the royal family has no right to shirk their responsibilities.

Enough!

Don't push her.

If you let Her Grace go with me,

I'll kill Chen Zhibao for you.

Jiang Ni isn't a bargaining chip.

No matter what you give me,

I won't trade her for it.

You

want to force her to stay?

It's her fate.

Let her make the choice.

Have you thought about going home?

It's my dream to go home.

Since Chu perished,

we've become

rootless duckweeds

that have nothing to depend on.

We can't find a place to return.

We don't know where to go.

If we reunite with the people of Chu,

we're not far from going home.

But, Your Grace,

it's not important.

What?

You have your own life.

You don't owe us anything.

You're not just the princess,

you're also my friend.

Your Grace,

I respect your choice.

I'm going with you.

Jiang Ni!

In fact, I'm used to being a maid,

reading books to make money.

Spending several copper coins

on some rouge and powder would make me happy for a long time.

Occasionally, I stole some cakes and pastries,

and you didn't find out.

Life is simple,

but I like it.

Then stay.

But Uncle Chess Master is right.

I have responsibilities.

Too many people are expecting me.

They're looking forward to the silver lining in darkness.

I've tasted despair.

I know how important

the silver lining is to them.

I'm Jiang Ni.

I'm your maid,

but I'm also the princess of West Chu,

a royal descendant.

Cao Changqing.

Yu Youwei.

Greetings, Your Grace!

I'll give you my first order.

From now on,

you needn't kneel to me.

Your Grace.

We mustn't neglect etiquette.

Uncle Chess Master,

are you going to disobey my orders?

I dare not.

Your Grace,

let's set off now.

I'll leave with you,

but not now.

What do you mean?

Is the next stop after Jiangnan Mount Longhu?

Yes.

Except for Wudi City,

the most dangerous place on the trip is Mount Longhu.

I want to go with him first.

After we leave Mount Longhu,

I'll go westward with you.

I'm not doing it for Xu Fengnian.

Xu Family saved my life.

I owed them.

But, Your Grace,

we have two problems.

Please speak out.

First,

since I've shown up,

you shouldn't travel

with Xu Fengnian openly,

otherwise, people will think North Liang has allied with West Chu.

The emperor of Liyang won't spare the Xu Family.

Then I'll pretend to leave with you

while going along with him in secret.

Sounds good.

Second,

what should Xu Fengnian do?

Harboring the princess of West Chu for so many years,

how does he explain to the royal court?

Don't worry about that.

Over the years,

I've been trying to assassinate Xu Fengnian.

They can easily figure it out.

Inferring from that, they'll make the conclusion

that I've been hiding my identity

and trying to take revenge.

Your Grace,

you've been trying to assassinate Xu Fengnian.

Why?

Because...

The life of the princess of Chu is useful.

Of all people, why did they spare me?

At the crucial moment,

they can trade my life for something.

I thought Xu Xiao would kill me,

so I've been trying to assassinate Xu Fengnian since I was a child.

Granted that Xu Xiao harbored evil intent,

what did it have to do with you killing me?

Are all men fools?

It's obvious.

Jiang Ni knew she would die,

so she kept trying to assassinate you

in order to make you hate her.

She was afraid if she died in the future,

you might be sad.

That was why you tried

to assassinate me in the first place?

Let's put that aside.

Another question is on my mind.

If Xu Xiao really wanted to kill me,

would he let me overhear it?

I don't think so.

I don't, either.

I think Xu Xiao

let me overhear it on purpose.

And,

I tried to assassinate him again and again.

Did it really escape Xu Xiao's notice?

Why didn't he stop me?

Do you remember your words?

Xu Xiao often says he'll pay any price to achieve his goals.

I'm afraid you two are the price this time.

At first,

I thought Xu Xiao would give you to the Lu family.

Now I think about it,

Uncle Chess Master shows up,

if we go with him,

the failed assassinations over the years

happen to clear Xu Family of suspicion and hidden dangers.

Is it just a coincidence?

Because of you,

he didn't kill me.

Yu Youwei and I play our real role

here

instead of Lu Family.

Mr. Cao.

Yeah?

Why did you come to Yangcheng?

I came for Her Grace.

How did you know Jiang Ni was with me?

I didn't know if she was alive,

but I found this.

- Divine Token? - Divine Token?

Yes.

It's the treasure of West Chu.

I found it in the hands of a vendor.

Following the clue,

I came all the way here.

Didn't you have the Divine Token?

Someone borrowed it.

Who?

His Lordship wants to borrow something from you.

Grandpa Wei told you

that Xu Xiao wanted to borrow the Divine Token?

Yeah.

That's the reason

why Grandpa Wei came with me.

Xu Xiao planned everything.

Today you'll be taken away.

The princess of Chu reappears.

Liyang has another formidable enemy.

North Liang's position will be more secure.

He didn't kick you out because your services were still needed.

Xu Xiao deliberately allowed Her Grace to assassinate you,

so that in the future,

the whole world would know

Xu Fengnian resolved not to coexist with Her Grace.

In that case, the royal court would be more relieved.

The next lord of North Liang

would be me for sure.

All of these

were planned by Xu Xiao.

He has been scheming it since I was a child.

Xu Xiao

is a good player.

Aren't you a matchless chess master?

How come you become

someone else's chess piece?

West Chu perished.

My last game

came to a dead end.

Since then,

I've never been a player again.

Now I find Her Grace.

We can start a new game.

I'll challenge the heroes all over the world.

Your Grace.

It's time to go.

Let's fake

you being taken away by me.

I'll leave after Mount Longhu.

It seems suspicious

if we leave easily.

Come to the point.

I don't feel like guessing riddles.

Now that I've met God of Sword,

how can I miss the chance of appreciating Snakes in Sleeves?

(Baoguo Temple)

(Baoguo Temple)

Snakes in Sleeves?

They're fighting.

Am I still alive?

Where is Cao Changqing?

He recognized

Jiang Ni, the princess of Chu,

and became furious.

Then he

attacked Fengnian.

Fortunately, Mr. Li arrived in time.

He exchanged one move with Cao Changqing.

Who won?

It ended in a dead heat.

Cao took Jiang Ni and Yu Youwei away.

In order to protect Fengnian,

Mr. Li didn't chase them.

Indeed, she is the princess of Chu.

Unfortunately, I didn't see them fighting.

Where is Fengnian?

He's in the yard.

Mr. Lu, are you awake?

Did they only exchange one move?

Yes.

Only one move.

It's like the immortals

coming to earth.

Who would have thought

that a man could have such terrible power?

Now that you're awake,

do you still want to attack me?

Lu Family never wanted

to break with North Liang.

What happened today,

in the end,

is the result of her resentment.

Fix all the blame on her?

There must be someone that serves as a vent to your anger.

I'm not angry.

She has the right to hate me.

It's not a capital offense.

You're merciful.

I admire that.

My sister decides to stay.

If you don't want to break with us,

please be kind to her.

Rest assured.

Let me walk you out.

I'm thinking about something.

What is it?

Grandpa Wei borrowed Divine Token from Mr. Li,

but there must be another person

who let Cao find it,

provided clues to him

and led him to Baoguo Temple.

Grandpa Wei came to Jiangnan for the first time.

He doesn't have anyone on hand.

And?

When Cao tried to attack me,

you were very calm.

You knew Jiang Ni and Yu Youwei

wouldn't allow him to kill me.

Even if Jiang Ni couldn't stop him,

you knew

that Mr. Li was here.

All changes today

were within your expectation.

The whole scheme in Jiangnan

was under your control.

I didn't get it all under control.

You being attacked by that woman

was beyond my expectation.

I was scared to death.

You knew Jiang Ni was Xu Xiao's pawn.

He would give her to Cao.

I knew.

But you never told me.

Over the years,

I've been watching Jiang Ni and you.

Your second sister and I left North Liang one after another.

In a way,

it was Jiang Ni who had accompanied you till today.

Fengnian,

trust me.

Only in this way

could Jiang Ni and you

have a future.

Zhihu,

you made a real effort to hide it from me.

Though I'm in poor health,

I'm smart enough.

Listen to me.

Just leave.

Don't worry about me.

I'll be better than anyone else.

Then,

I'll wait for you to take me home.

(Baoguo Temple)

Grandpa Wei, you've got tricks.

I just followed orders.

Please forgive me.

(Baoguo Temple)

(Baoguo Temple)

Lady Zhihu.

They've gone.

Let's go inside and have a rest.

Lady Zhihu!

Lady Zhihu!

Be quiet.

Don't make him worry.

I'm afraid I can't live till we go home.

Uncle, since you've made a scene,

there must be a lot of people inquiring about the news today.

After tonight,

I'll sneak back to join them.

Have you ever thought that

if you were kept around Xu Fengnian

deliberately by Xu Xiao,

could your feelings to each other

be real?

The heart won't tell lies.

Just let me

accompany him to Mount Longhu.

Your Grace,

if Xu Fengnian is in danger,

should I save him or not?

Why not?

If I save him,

it's like telling the world

that Xu Family and West Chu are not enemies.

At that time,

there will be no turning back for Xu Fengnian.

Mr. Cao, you're highly skilled in martial arts.

You play chess well.

You're very learned.

But you know little

about women.

Why do you say that?

It's better if Xu Fengnian has no way back.

Her Grace can take him

to West Chu, then.

- Uncle Chess Master. - Yeah?

I want to eat cats.

Why are you so cruel?

Will you talk nonsense again?

I was telling the truth.

Watch your tongue from now on,

or your cat may have bad luck.

Can I talk secretly?

You should pray I don't hear it.

Hey, wait for me.

Hey!

I'll go up and have a look.

All right, I know.

I won't let anyone assassinate him.

What have I done that I deserve this?

Without Jiang Ni,

His Highness becomes quieter.

Jiang Ni is a maid.

You're a maid, too.

Haven't you thought of replacing her?

His Highness is the next lord of North Liang,

a powerful man in the world.

To escape the notice of the government,

Jiang Ni won't come back tonight.

I know.

Are you really going to let her go?

I can't defeat Cao Changqing.

If you want her to stay,

I'll take care of Elegant Cao.

That girl is with extraordinary natural endowments.

She is suited for taking over the mantle of me.

Then you should go to West Shu to take the apprentice.

Don't you want her to stay?

I do.

But Jiang Ni is not just my maid.

She has her own way to go.

I can't keep everyone around

and not let them go.

It's not fair to them.

Fool.

Huh?

What a fool!

Is it me?

Do you think it's me?

I can't defeat you, anyway.

Say whatever you want.

I saw you using Snakes in Sleeves.

Was it okay?

It was a complete mess.

It seems that I don't have natural endowments.

Why is it Snakes in Sleeves

instead of Dragons in Sleeves?

Is there any hidden meaning?

Flying snake turns into a dragon.

Though dragon is noble and dignified,

once a snake turns into a dragon,

it becomes a beast

that serves immortals and gods.

It becomes their mount.

Only the snake that hasn't turned into a dragon

harbors the ambition of breaking through all obstacles

and the arrogance

of climbing up and conquering the world

even if it must fight against itself!

Only by remembering the true meaning of the move

can you master it.

If you give in,

you'll lose the unruliness.

Give in to whom?

To your true heart.

People will be afraid.

They will despair,

fear

or shrink back.

All of those torture you from inside

and stop you from moving forward.

The real Snakes in Sleeves

cuts off the knot in your heart.

Only by getting rid of your fear

can you break through all shackles

and go your own way.

Neither the swordplay nor the move or the meaning is important.

Understanding this

helps you to master the move of Snakes in Sleeves.

(To the Son of Lord of North Liang) If I want to control a man,

the most important thing

is to disturb his mind.

Wu Su

(Biography of Wu Su) was Xu Fengnian's beloved mother.

Through the images,

we can affect his moods.

The dragon

will cut off his inner reliance on her.

In other words,

I'll let Wu Su

die once again in front of him.

And maybe,

he'll become a lunatic.

A lunatic

becomes the next lord of North Liang.

Isn't it the best result

for the royal family?

I'm going to ask His Highness to come down and have a rest.

General.

We found a box near the camp.

There is a note on it

saying it's dedicated to His Highness.

It's light.

It doesn't look dangerous.

(Biography of Wu Su)

What's wrong?

It's about the night

when Her Grace was ambushed in the capital.

I think we haven't found

any clues over the years, right?

We must ask His Highness to see it first.

Guard the camp and don't let anyone come up close.

Yes.

Keep on the alert.

Yes!

Don't worry.

There is no poison on that book.

Without tricks or poison,

how can a book

hurt people?

Some of your words I understand

while some I don't.

What don't you understand?

I don't understand

how you cut off the knot in your heart.

After all, the move of Snakes in Sleeves is just sword energy.

How could it cut off the knot in your heart?

You can't really stab yourself in the heart, can you?

Back in the day,

I was bothered by the same question for a long time.

After I invented Snakes in Sleeves,

I was almost unrivaled in the world.

Since then,

I've got the name of God of Sword.

Extraordinary.

But deep down inside,

I was anxious and confused.

I was struggling

to find a way out.

Why?

Because my move

needed unyielding wild snakes.

But humans have the nature of being slack

and compromising.

One day,

if I lost the unyielding spirit,

my swordplay

would come to a dead end.

So I was afraid and lost.

It was like the dead end had already come to me.

I couldn't escape from it.

I knew the dead end

came from the fear in my heart.

Only by breaking the misty barrier deep down inside me

could I move forward.

Just like you asked me,

I asked myself every day

how I cut off the knot in my heart.

You did it, didn't you?

Yes.

By improving the sword intent of Snakes in Sleeves

to another level,

I invented my real unique move.

It's called

Open the Heaven's Gate.

I seemed to see something.

That's because I was influencing you with the true meaning

of Open the Heaven's Gate.

What you saw

was the secret of the move.

You can show me a vision?

When martial arts develop to perfection,

they can influence you from body to heart.

They can achieve many things

from changing reality to affecting the spirit.

So

Some masters make you fear and shrink back

only by standing there.

It's because you're overwhelmed

by their spirit.

Let's put it aside.

What have you seen just now?

I saw you splitting the sky.

I don't understand.

What is heaven's mandate?

Heaven's mandate

is natural justice bestowed by natural law.

What is the way of heaven and man?

A man should respect heaven's mandate.

If a man doesn't respect the heaven,

the deepest disaster will befall the man,

which is invisible.

That's why

the ancients said man must conform to the way of heaven.

Those who go along with it have good luck

and those who resist it have ill luck.

The way of heaven covers all living creatures.

Man lives under heaven,

but eagers to be immortal.

Through Heaven's Gate,

man becomes immortal.

Those who pass through the gate

will lord it over all living creatures.

But I refuse to accept it.

Accept what?

I refuse to accept that heaven decides man's life,

man can't be the master of their own fate,

man can't conquer heaven,

and immortals overrun all living beings.

I'll use my sword

to split Heaven's Gate.

All my life,

I'll be a man who is dedicated

to exploring the way of heaven but not surrendering to it.

I'll find my own way without fearing immortals.

Even if all gods and demons come to earth,

I'll kill them with my sword!

Now, do you understand

what Open the Heaven's Gate is?

Defying fate

and cutting off the shackles,

with unyielding spirit,

I'll get rid of all hesitation

and the fear in my heart,

thus, with a clear heart,

I'll cross the mortal world.

The idea

is the soul of Open the Heaven's Gate.

Did you master the move at that time?

I did.

How did you lose to Wang Xianzhi, then?

During my fight against Wang Xianzhi,

I only used Snakes in Sleeves.

I didn't use Open the Heaven's Gate.

Why?

Wang is a talent.

I didn't want him to die.

So you'd rather lose to him?

I wasn't sure if I could win

without killing him.

I hesitated a little.

The moment I hesitated while fighting Wang Xianzhi,

I lost.

You should have another fight.

I thought so, too.

I wanted to improve my skills.

When I got full control of the move,

I would have another fight against Wang Xianzhi.

I might probably win him

without killing him.

But the fight

has never come true.

Because soon after that,

I lost my life.

My sword intent and battle intent

were all gone.

How did you lose your life?

You had mastered Open the Heaven's Gate.

People don't get everything

or live a happy life

just because they're masters of martial arts.

I killed

the most important person to me

with my own hands.

From that day on,

nothing matters anymore.

You...

No matter what happened,

it was all over.

Your Highness.

Mr. Li.

Your Highness.

We found a wooden box near the camp.

Inside is the information

about Her Grace's murder.

Let me see.

No matter what you see,

don't forget the sword that cuts off the knot in your heart.

Yeah.

(Biography of Wu Su) The sword that cuts off the knot?

Open the Heaven's Gate.

Isn't it

Mr. Li's legendary ultimate sword move?

Did he pass it on to you?

It's not a sword move.

It's the true meaning.

Huh?

True meaning?

Wang Xianzhi was also in the capital that night.

Is he the murderer of my mother?

The origin of the box

is unknown.

It isn't necessarily true.

Do you know what the painting is?

(Biography of Wu Su)

It looks like

some doodles.

It doesn't affect reading.

Leave it alone.

(Biography of Wu Su)

♪ The flower of pain ♪

♪ Blooms in my heart ♪

♪ I made a bet with the dawn ♪

♪ That you'll answer ♪

♪ Forgive this tragic end ♪

♪ Moved by the moment we met ♪

♪ In spite of thunder and lightning ♪

♪ In spite of my falling ♪

♪ When we are apart ♪

♪ I'll collapse ♪

♪ Capture an image of the memory ♪

♪ After all these ups and downs ♪

♪ The vanity ♪

♪ Who will open it again ♪

♪ It's worth it ♪

♪ It's enough ♪

♪ Drowned in sadness ♪

♪ Just to see through ♪

♪ I will whisper love to you ♪

♪ For a lifetime ♪

♪ End the worry in the world ♪

♪ It's worth it ♪

♪ I'll be there for you all my life ♪

♪ After the moments of beauty ♪

♪ You are my reason to be ♪

♪ If there is a way ♪

♪ To start over ♪

♪ Will you still remember me ♪