Original subtitles

[Money]

[Children]

[Official]

[Blessing]

Whoever wrote this,

follow them to see where they live.

Who wrote this?

[The Zhang family will die a horrible death!]

[Fortune Telling]

[Li Yingjuan]

Wish you longevity.

Are you here for divination

or for the talisman?

Master,

my surname is Li.

I want to invite you to my house to perform a ritual.

Sure.

What is it for?

My niece is getting married soon.

To read their Four Pillars of Destiny?

No problem.

No, no.

I want you to come to my house and help me

break them up.

Well...

It's better to destroy ten temples

than one marriage.

Please

don't make it difficult for me.

None of the Zhang family are good people!

They want to kill my niece.

They want to...

trap her soul.

She's my only relative left.

I can't watch her

jump into a fire pit.

Why won't she listen to me?

She thinks I'm trying to harm her!

How could I...

I have indeed heard of

the soul-trapping ritual to change one's fate.

But this ritual is extremely wicked

and rarely done.

Ma'am,

how can you be sure

that family did this ritual?

Because

our Li family

did it before.

The one trapped was from the Zhang family.

What a sin.

If we keep repaying one wrong with another,

when will this cycle of vengeance ever end?

So...

Master,

please,

help me.

Alright?

We are willing to pay any amount.

It's not about the money.

Boundless Heavenly Honor.

We've been exorcising demons for 20 years.

We know our craft,

and we get results.

We'll take your case.

Thank you!

Thank you, Master!

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much!

Then we are saved!

Thank you.

Thank you, Master.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The Zhang family is where they are today

because the soul-trapping ritual boosted their business.

They hired an evil Taoist to perform the ritual.

Once our Li Ling marries into their family,

they will stuff her alive into a vat

full of talisman water

to trap her soul,

so she can never be reincarnated.

Have you heard of the soul-trapping ritual?

I've heard of it, but never seen it.

That requires killing.

But we don't do that.

Let's take a look first.

Come on.

There's nothing here.

That old lady was so weird.

I guess she has a problem here.

[A Prophet]

[Episode 19]

You think I can't catch you?

You little thing!

If I catch you,

I'll make you into

spicy chicken!

You really made me angry.

I'm telling you.

Oh my.

It's the Sect Master's room.

Why is there a coffin?

[Tomb of Shangguan Chengming]

Shang...

Four character‌s?

Who is it?

Master.

Master.

I put it here.

This thing

was...

brought from Pangzhou by Chief Batou.

It was a long journey.

I'm afraid someone tampered with it.

How about we open it and take a look?

No rush.

Shangguan Chengming.

Do you think this Shangguan Chengming

could be my son?

To be honest,

this kid doesn't look like you at all.

I don't think he's your son.

It's so mysterious.

Did Li Yingjuan find him?

They...

Didn't you hear that?

That was a rooster crowing.

Let's go.

Let's talk inside.

Where did this chicken come from?

Are you keeping a vigil?

You didn't sleep all night?

I did.

Just couldn't fall asleep.

What's wrong?

Something on your mind?

No.

Nothing at all.

Then why are you sitting on my bed holding a chicken?

It's my guardian now.

Then keep your guardian away from me.

No can do.

I'm counting on it to make me some money

so I can get a wife.

Do you even have a girlfriend?

Talking about getting a wife.

Of course I do.

We've been together for a while now.

How come I've never seen her?

Is she a fairy?

Nonsense.

So you don't have one!

I do!

I might as well tell you,

her name is Liu Xijiao.

She really looks like a fairy,

like the ones in the murals.

When she was standing there,

Chen, who sells jelly noodles,

couldn't even take his eyes off her.

It's rea—

Master!

Master!

Sounds like that crazy old lady.

Don't move. I'll go.

Watch my guardian for me.

Shangguan Chengming.

I've been thinking,

you shouldn't be running scams these days.

Just lay low.

Master!

Coming.

Master!

Ma'am.

Look!

Look at my arms.

My niece and I are both like this.

We were scratched by ghosts!

The Zhang family must be trying to trap our souls.

They want to take our souls away!

What should we do?

This is quite serious.

As they say, only a century-old evil ghost

can show its form.

What should we do?

Master, please save us!

Please save us!

Don't panic.

Don't panic.

This indeed

can't be cured with just a few doses of medicine.

I need to go to your residence

and perform an exorcism for the whole house.

Here's the plan.

I'll go get some evil-warding artifacts first.

Wait for me here.

I'll be right back.

Okay.

Okay, Master.

What are you doing?

I can handle this scam myself.

Sit down.

But honestly,

I really can't handle

this situation.

You gotta help me.

I'm telling you,

the scratches on that old lady's arm...

I heard you guys talking just now.

That old lady

was bitten by a bug.

A bug?

There's a bug called the Ghost Crawler.

Its bite marks look just like that.

But

these bugs don't usually appear indoors.

Maybe someone is playing tricks.

Whether someone is playing tricks or not,

I've already taken the money.

I have to fix this for her.

What am I supposed to do?

What does this mean?

Spirits of heaven,

spirits of earth,

demons and monsters, hear my decree.

Dogs bark in the east, cats meow in the west,

the Day-Wandering God knows best.

Copper bells pin down the headless demon!

Incense ash mixed with wine breaks the spell.

Open!

Aunt!

Why did you bring another scammer home?

Look at this place. It's a smoky mess.

Oh my!

Stop talking nonsense!

You are being too rude!

Master, please don't mind her.

Look,

Master.

Look at her arm.

Look at her legs!

Aunt, I study medicine.

[Li Ling]

How could I not know this?

These are just bug bites.

How could I not know if they are bug bites or not?

This happened to me over 20 years ago.

These are ghost scratches.

I didn't pay attention back then.

Then I almost died at the Zhangs'.

Get out of here right now.

Or I'll report you to the authorities.

Get out.

Li Ling!

Maybe I should have the authorities throw you in jail.

Let's see how they can marry you there!

Aunt!

Master,

please forgive us.

It's fine.

Please.

Listen well, you evil spirits!

The Boundless Heavenly Lord is here today.

Dare not harm the innocent again.

If you dare to come again,

I will ask the Celestial Master

to scatter your souls himself.

Lord of the Red Feather!

You may rise.

Ma'am,

have any strangers visited recently?

No,

absolutely not.

Any movement from the Zhang family?

They are preparing for the wedding.

A lot of people are coming and going.

They didn't come looking for you?

Master,

do you think

the Zhang family did this?

The Zhang family?

[Zhang Residence]

Where is he?

Where did he go?

What's going on?

What's going on?

Liang.

Liang.

Xijiao?

Liang.

Xijiao.

Xijiao.

Liang,

what's wrong?

I missed you so much, Xijiao.

Liang?

Xijiao...

Liang, what's wrong?

Xijiao...

Wake up!

Liang, wake up!

Xijiao...

Liang!

Xijiao.

Liang, wake up!

You've been drugged!

Liang, wake up!

Liang!

No, no, no!

Liang!

Liang!

Liang...

Xijiao.

Liang!

Xijiao.

Xijiao.

Liang, are you feeling better?

Liang.

Xijiao...

Liang.

My chest is so tight.

I feel like I'm dying.

I can't breathe.

Liang!

-I can't breathe. -Liang.

I'm burning up.

Xijiao.

Xijiao...

[Liu Xijiao]

Xijiao...

Xijiao...

I miss you so much.

What are you hiding?

Nothing.

Let me see.

I just wrote it randomly.

I was just saying that casually.

You're actually learning to write it?

What did you bring me?

You managed to write "Liu" and "Jiao,"

the two difficult characters.

Why can't you write "Xi"?

I learned the hard ones first.

From hard to easy.

This pig trotter is delicious.

How about I teach you?

Okay.

Look.

First there's a heart.

And on the right, there's a house.

Then a "sun" at the bottom.

Got it!

It means

the two of us,

of one mind,

moving into a house

and living together.

Right?

I can't help you if you can't remember it.

I won't be able to teach you in the future.

Why?

I'm getting married.

Who are you marrying?

They didn't tell me.

The sect arranged it all.

They said he's quite old,

but his family has some money.

The sect must have sold me for a good price.

I've made some money,

enough to buy a sow,

but not enough for a boar yet.

But I know where they sell them.

Then I'll mate them,

and they'll have a bunch of piglets,

so we can make more money.

Stay in the sect and work hard.

Save more of your earnings.

You'll definitely...

You'll definitely find a better woman than me to be your wife someday.

That's true.

With my current skills,

I can't even afford pig trotters.

At least the man you're going to marry

is rich.

He can buy you trotters

and give you a good life.

Let's both take good care of ourselves.

Take care of yourself.

[Liu Xijiao]

[Liang]

You're awake?

Why are you here?

Good thing I was here.

The poison you got

could only be cleansed with water.

How is it?

Feeling better?

Much better.

I was set up by that guy.

Leave now.

Didn't I say

I was going to make money on my own this time?

I just saved you.

And now

you're telling me to leave the moment you wake up?

But seriously, Liang.

You really have a girlfriend

named Liu Xijiao?

I heard you muttering her name just now.

My love is already dead.

There's nothing to mutter about.

You didn't just mutter about Liu Xijiao.

You muttered about me too.

You said something...

about a coffin.

What else did I say?

You said everything—

things you should and shouldn't have said.

Well, I...

Let me ask you,

are you really the Sect Master's son?

I...

Don't say it!

I have a loose tongue.

Whether you are or not,

you're still my brother.

Let me tell you the truth.

The Sect Master found

Shangguan Chengming's coffin somewhere.

So he suspects you're not his son.

Then he set up a trap for you.

I didn't want you to get involved,

so I tried to stop you from coming.

Do you understand?

This is Shangguan Chengming's coffin.

The Sect Master got it last night.

Since the coffin arrived at the sect last night,

why hasn't the Sect Master

sent anyone to find me yet?

He is the Sect Master, after all.

While you were setting a trap for him,

he was actually setting one for you.

The Sect Master often says

that everyone has a weakness.

Grasping their weakness

is equivalent to

having leverage over them.

Do you have a weakness?

I don't.

How are things between you and Jiang Feiyan?

Liang,

since I'm here,

I won't leave.

Nor will I abandon you.

My good brother.

Oh, right.

That master

is no ordinary man.

It seems what happened to the Li family

was indeed related to the Zhang family.

Then where did this master go?

But why do you think

he came to this wilderness?

Mountain peaks rise in a chain,

with clouds winding around their waists

and a clear stream meandering through the valleys—

this is a land with good feng shui.

Feng shui

is about wind and water.

Can you walk now?

No problem.

Let's go.

Let's check downstream.

Li Ling?

Li Ling?

She's Mrs. Li's niece, I think.

Get out of here right now.

Or I'll report you to the authorities.

Get out.

Li Ling!

Maybe I should have the authorities throw you in jail.

Let's see how they can marry you there!

Aunt!

This paper figure looks like the work of the sect's spiritual con.

When I was performing the ritual at the Li family...

Master.

I found that Mrs. Li

wasn't that crazy.

Oh, right.

You were right about one thing.

It really was a bug.

Could it be someone from the sect running a scam?

Could it be a misunderstanding between our own people?

This is the Zhang family's ancestral tomb.

Maybe it's really a soul-trapping ritual.

Liang.

[Xijiao]

Liang.

Liu Xi...

L-Liang...

Liang!

Liang, are you going?

I'm going to the Zhang family to ask them!

Liang! Liang!

Listen to me!

If you rush over there recklessly,

you won't get any answers.

Didn't you tell me?

This trap is aimed at me.

Calm down first.

Li Yingjuan...

Li Yingjuan should know a lot about the Zhang family.

Let's go find her and ask for details.

Every wrong has its cause, and every debt has its debtor.

If this is really related to the Zhang family,

I'll help you

without you even asking.

Ma'am,

what exactly is this soul-trapping?

Ma'am!

She's not dead.

She just passed out.

Shangguan Chengming.

I knew you'd come.

The master the Zhang family hired is actually you, Second Master?

Big Teapot.

You're still tough as nails.

My poison didn't even take you down.

Looks like I went too easy on you.

What?

Are you mad?

You're not even greeting your grandmaster?

Tell you what.

I'll apologize to you.

I'm talking to you.

Cat got your tongue?

Silly Liang.

Second Master.

These days, any kind of trash can join the sect.

You have quite the appetite, Second Master.

From the Zhangs to the Lis.

Is one family not enough for you?

You know nothing.

This is a double-sided scam.

It's just playing both sides for profit.

What's so hard to understand?

This scam was passed down by the old Sect Master.

The current Sect Master

became the Sect Master

because he took on this scam.

Then I should congratulate you, Second Master.

If this double-sided scam is so important,

why did the Li family come to me?

This double-sided scam

requires killing.

Do you have the guts?

Greenhorn.

To perform this soul-trapping ritual,

you need to stuff a living person

into a water vat.

And then,

you drown her...

with your own hands.

Fifty years ago,

the Li family kept making things difficult for our old Sect Master.

Seal the soul.

He had no choice

but to use the soul-trapping ritual.

All these years,

it wasn't just Miss Zhang's soul that was trapped, right?

The Zhang family

and the Li family—

both families have shed quite a lot of blood.

This soul-trapping ritual actually worked every time?

Ever since the first time it was performed,

the Li family's eldest son, Li Yingfu,

has risen through the ranks and landed a government position.

As long as it works once,

everyone will think

it's all thanks to the soul-trapping ritual.

The Zhang family was jealous of the Li family.

The wicked prey on the destitute.

The Zhang family also asked the Sect Master to perform the soul-trapping ritual.

So he conveniently turned

the soul-trapping rituals of both families

into a double-sided scam.

The old Sect Master—

I respect him.

But our current Sect Master

is quite something.

He made the Zhang and Li families, who were once close,

grow suspicious of,

envious of,

and hateful toward each other.

The desires in their hearts

are like algae at the bottom of a river,

tangling tighter and tighter.

The more they hate each other, the more the sect profits.

I'm just curious about one thing.

This soul-trapping scam has lasted for 50 years.

The Zhang and Li families have trapped so many girls.

Has there never been any trouble?

Good question.

Today,

I'll explain it to you in detail.

Actually, it's not just the girls

from the Zhang and Li families who were trapped.

There are also

the girls from Yuehaitang.

Speaking of which, I feel sorry for those girls.

Such beautiful girls,

yet their lives are worth less than the dogs used for spiritual cons in the sect.

Sometimes I think

the Fifth Batou

is really ruthless.

They were all...

Silly Liang!

Shangguan Chengming!

Is he crazy?

I'm telling you,

keep an eye on him!

This case is the legacy of our Tianxiang Sect.

If you dare to make a move against it,

the Sect Master will definitely kill you.

Jiang Feiyan!

Jiang Feiyan!

Jiang Feiyan, come out here!

Jiang Feiyan!

Why are you yelling?

Jiang Feiyan,

you jinx!

Liang!

You watched our brothers and sisters in the sect die without doing anything!

Did the blood wine you drank at the altar mean nothing to you?

Calm down, Liang!

I can't calm down!

The woman I love died an unexplained death,

and it was all because of her!

What are you going crazy over?

What is he talking about?

Was there a girl named Liu Xijiao

in Yuehaitang before?

Yes, there was such a girl.

And there were Lin Wan'er, Song Xue'e,

and many others.

It was all the sect's arrangement.

You used them all for soul-trapping?

That's right.

I handled every single one of them myself.

What right do you have to act up here?

Get out of here.

You're too ruthless!

Liang!

How are things on the Zhang family's side now?

The wedding and the ritual have all been prepared.

Shangguan Chengming is already in the game.

You need to teach him a good lesson.

Yes.

But with you at the Zhang family,

I can rest assured.

By the way,

I found a little something for you.

A Xuande Jar?

It's in better condition than yours, right?

Yes,

much better, Master.

Master,

you're the only one who'd remember

such a little thing for me.

I really love it.

Then keep it and enjoy it.

Sixth Batou is here.

Then I'll take my leave first, Master.

Alright.

Master.

Shangguan Chengming went to find Jiang Feiyan.

Now that all the players are here,

the show can begin.

[Zhang Residence]

[Zhang Yinhua]

Here they come!

Congratulations!

Master, the Young Master is here!

[Zhang Yuanfan]

Congratulations!

First bow to Heaven and Earth!

Second bow to the parents!

Husband and wife, bow to each other!

The newlyweds will now serve tea!

Congratulations, Master Zhang.

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Master Zhang!

When you get to the other side,

I will burn plenty of joss paper for you.

You must also bless our family

with wealth, glory,

happiness, and longevity.

Seal the soul!

The ritual is complete.

Congratulations, Master Zhang.

You've gained another 10 years of life.

I'm recovered.

I can feel it.

I can feel it!

[Li Ling]

[Li Residence]

For this scam to work,

the ritual needs to look like it's complete.

So those girls have to be put in the vats.

Because the fools who paid

will check if they are really dead.

As for

the soul-trapping nails,

they are fake ones I had the Fourth Batou make in advance.

Nailing them in won't kill them.

We just need to fool those people first.

So that means

Liu Xijiao is still alive.

Where is she?

Even if I tell you,

you can't go looking for her.

According to the rules of the Tianxiang Sect,

you should know very well

how they will treat me and those girls

who have left the sect,

and what will happen to them.

So,

you've been saving these girls all along?

These girls have had a hard life.

Someone has to

shield them from some disasters.

However...

how did you end up in this scam?

It's the Sect Master.

Yanzi,

where have you been?

I was worried about Shangguan Chengming

being involved in the scam.

With you gone, I felt even more uneasy.

What are you saying, Second Master?

I just went to prepare some dishes for your drinks.

You're the best to me.

Yanzi,

if we could be

of one mind

from now on,

imagine how good our meals would be.

Just eat.

Master!

Have some water.

Master, you...

The ritual has just been completed.

Why is my health

getting worse?

Well...

Master!

Master!

Where is she?

Where is Li Ling?

Well...

I'll go

bring that witch over here right now!

Follow me!

Who are you?

How dare you brandish weapons in Zhang Residence?

Cut the crap.

Take her away!

Don't touch her!

Catch them!

Second Master!

Take them away.

Move!

Hurry up!

Move!

Here.

Have some water.

Don't worry.

Once the boat arrives

and Chengming settles things with the captain,

we'll get you out of Yucheng.

It will be fine.

Have some water.

[In the next episode]

What are you doing, Second Master?

With that brat around,

he'll drag you down with him sooner or later.

Second Master!

Jiang Feiyan saved Li Ling?

She exposed the scam.

Between Li Ling and Feiyan,

you can only save one.

Feiyan!

Watch out!

Second Master!

Look carefully! It's me!

Brat!

You're the one I'm here to kill!

Interesting.

When do you think the fish will take the bait?