Original subtitles

Well, what do you want from me?

Speak up.

The sacred relic.

Which temple are you from?

Shaolin.

I know that the Shaolin monks wouldn't do such a thing.

They have a sense of honor.

For the sake of Buddha and the people, I'll do anything.

We paid a lot of money to buy

the Buddha's sacred relic to take back to Japan.

You dare rob us?

Well, you can't have it.

It has to stay in China.

Who are you?

Let me ask you.

Who are you?

I'm a Shaolin monk.

Ha.

Maybe you fooled him, but not me though.

Shaolin monks don't use swords,

and you're a skillful swordsman.

You're no amateur.

I'll wager you've never seen Shaolin.

Been here long?

Two days and nights now.

What for?

Well, like you, I'm after the Buddha's relic.

What do you think?

You're from Shaolin?

That's right.

Don't believe you.

And why should I?

That's up to you.

I don't care.

But when we fight though, you'll believe me then,

but then it's too late.

You're pretty confident.

But maybe I'll surprise you.

So if you can beat me, then that relic is yours.

Buddha bless you.

Please.

You won't use a weapon?

Ha.

Know who I am?

The reverse sword, swift as the wind,

that style is unmistakable.

I know you.

You're Lord Yun's man, Ko Fung.

Shaolin monk, you're pretty smart.

Ready?

You'll never find the Buddha's relic there.

Ko Fung did the job.

Where is he?

It's his sword.

We arrived too late.

Well, that looks bad.

That sword's his life.

He'd never leave it behind.

What happened?

I can't imagine.

Well, either Ko Fung has been killed,

or he's double-crossed us.

I always told you, your plan was no good.

I was right.

The plan was good, I know it was.

If it had worked, we would have got the gold,

and Shaolin got the blame, and we'd have the relic too.

I thought Ko Fung was good.

He's useless.

Father better not find out about this.

Let's get on with the main thing.

Locate Ko Fung.

Dead or alive.

It doesn't matter.

Right, I'll go to Guangdong right away.

We have got to get that relic back, and fast too,

or we're in trouble.

Your highness, a pigeon just arrived.

- Where from? - Guangdong.

Bring it here.

Sir.

Got some news?

Here.

Get Wan to check the records on this name.

Sir.

Tan Sui Uh, born in Canton, parents unknown,

and expert in tai chi technique.

Good swordsman, careful and alert.

Tan Sui Uh.

I've never heard of the name.

You've been following me all day, haven't you?

What do you want?

Buddha bless you.

I thought maybe you'd need a monk.

Part of our job is to pray for the dead.

Hmm.

Well, he was used while he lived, and he died needlessly.

Oh, what was he to you?

Nothing at all.

Well, where were you thinking of taking him?

To Lord Yun.

Oh, what for?

Reward.

I happen to know who killed the man.

Mister, you got it wrong.

He's not Lord Yun's man.

Oh?

He was my colleague, broke our rules,

and the abbot ordered that I should kill him.

Mister, if you look, then you can see he's a monk.

You want to take the corpse, huh?

Buddha bless you.

That's just what I want.

To take him back to Shaolin for a burial.

All right.

Thank you, mister.

Hold it.

Why?

The reward first.

Ha-ha, mister, you must be joking.

It's just a corpse, worth nothing.

Besides, how can a monk carry money?

I have nothing.

Get lost then.

Mister, watch your mouth!

Thank you, mister, for your mercy.

You want a bed?

Got rooms?

I'm sorry, only bunks.

And my friend?

Just put him in the stable.

Stable?

He's dead, so he won't mind.

Why should you?

Well, all right.

But this corpse is valuable.

Have a wash first.

I'll get some tea.

Would you like some food?

Bring some wine and buns and meat.

Right.

Good day, come in.

Hey, bring some wine here, and some beef.

All right.

Bring some food.

Right.

Hey Lai Wan.

Yeah, coming.

Want something?

Whose this coffin?

Oh, one of the guests.

Who's inside it?

A relative of the guest.

Hey, how do you know that?

Well, it has to be.

Otherwise, why would he bother?

It's obvious.

Ha, you're so smart.

You've got lots of guests, I assume.

We don't have too many at this time of year.

I'd like a good room.

A room .

Sorry, we only have bunks.

Very sorry, really I am.

All right, just bring some food then.

Right.

Morning.

- My bill. - Hey, right.

My lord.

Hmm, what is it?

Hold it.

Stop them!

Right.

Stop!

The coffin, who is in it?

A friend.

Oh, , must be a good friend

for you to take so much trouble.

Open it!

What was he to you?

I already told you, a friend.

Oh, you have a Japanese friend?

Well, I have friends everywhere.

Lord Yun got an urgent message, who sent me here.

Lai Lun.

Go on.

Coming.

What is the matter?

Weren't there two coffins here last night?

I think so.

- Let's go! - Right.

Where's the monk?

The monk?

He left early.

Hey mister!

Mister!

Hey mister!

Wait!

Hey mister, wait!

Hey mister, wait there!

You got the wrong coffin.

Huh, wrong one?

You took the wrong one.

This one's mine.

Who's inside of it then?

It's a monk from our temple.

And which temple is that?

Shaolin Temple.

Ha.

It's the truth, it really is a monk.

If you don't believe me, open it and see.

And if it's not?

Well then I'll pay what you ask.

Hmm.

You see I wasn't lying.

Hey mister, hey, hey, mister, what's wrong?

Hey, wait!

And how can a big litter like you be from a temple?

Litter.

Who's a litter?

Well, what else?

What do you have to say?

Huh.

What is this?

I should ask you that.

You could ask me.

Hey, are you a ghost?

You don't have ghosts in daytime.

Why were you in that coffin?

Well, wasn't it you who made

the switch though, and put me in there?

You lie!

Where's my brother?

Well, ask him.

I don't know.

Talk!

Where's my brother's body?

Now just relax.

You'll get his body back, all right.

Buddha bless you.

Please lady, stop this little joke now.

Don't know what you mean.

Well, just tell me where the body is.

Right.

But on the condition,

you tell me just what your reasons are

for wanting that monk's body.

Because he was a fellow monk.

I must take him to Shaolin.

Is that all?

Buddha bless you.

Shaolin monks never lie.

Well, you're definitely lying now though.

Huh, what?

You're not a Shaolin monk.

Who said so?

Well, when you were having your meal back at the inn,

you drank wine and you ate meat.

Where is it?

The body in the coffin, huh.

It's here.

The dead body.

Well, I was the one in the coffin.

Is that so?

All right, and why the hell were you in there?

Uh, it was all because of him.

Huh?

Hey, now cut that out.

Better play along.

Otherwise, you're in trouble.

Now come on, let's have the truth.

Oh, no, I said enough.

Hey.

Now miss, do you know who we are?

Of course, you're Ching officials from Lord Yun's palace.

That's right.

And if you'll just tell us where the body is now,

I promise nobody will harm you.

Hey, tell him.

Tell him what?

Ah, you're so silly.

Listen, I'll tell you.

Right, a really smart girl knows

when it's the time to talk.

Go on.

He said that he knew some place where there was some gold.

And if I went with him, we could share it,

but then as he was a monk and I was a girl,

it wouldn't look good traveling together.

So then he said I should go in the coffin.

Hey, that's a bunch of lies.

Every single word of it.

Why not just admit it?

You know, there's nothing wrong with liking girls.

Hold it.

You fight very well.

Don't bother to flatter me.

Tell me, what's your name?

Why?

You fancy me as well?

Huh?

We're here acting on the king's orders.

And if you have any sense, you'll cooperate.

My lord, I promise I'm quite law-abiding.

Of course I'll cooperate.

Well then, tell the truth.

But I told you everything.

The corpse.

The corpse, what corpse?

Ko Fung's corpse.

We're looking for it.

He was killed.

You should be looking for his killers then.

Shouldn't you?

Not looking for his body.

We shall do that.

Sorry, can't help you.

Ask him.

Get her!

No need, she won't live.

The body.

No idea.

I think you're lying.

Take him.

Where are you from?

Talk!

Did you kill Ko Fung?

Death is just like life, Buddha said,

and that Ko is dead makes no difference.

I don't know what you mean.

When the prince comes, you'll know.

Search.

Right.

Nothing.

No one here.

Take care of the horses.

Right.

Come with me.

Right.

There!

He's escaped.

Gong Fao.

Hold it!

Look, what is this?

Tell me, what's the secret behind that corpse?

There is no secret.

Why were you looking after it if there's no secret?

To find out why he posed as a monk.

You lie.

Well, all right, think what you want.

Anyways, corpse has disappeared now.

Well, if you would like to tell me the truth,

maybe I could help you.

Tell me what the secret is behind this,

and the corpse will be returned by my friends.

Who?

Korean agents.

Agents?

This has nothing to do with them.

Well, they hate the Chings.

They robbed them.

Robbed them?

Of what?

You know the answer to that.

I don't get it.

You Korean?

Grew up there, but I'm Chinese.

I have sympathy for all their problems.

You despise them?

I serve my own country.

By licking the boots of those goddamn Chings.

Is that how?

Nonsense!

I'm plotting against them.

Huh?

The thing with the body.

Is that part of your plot?

It's meant to confuse them.

All right, I'll go talk to my friends,

and tomorrow you can meet them.

Oh, God, where have you been all this time?

We've been so worried.

Find anything?

No.

It's strange.

They all want that body.

What's it about?

You got other clues?

No one will talk.

What about that fellow, Tan?

He said that he's a Ming rebel,

and Ko's body somehow is important to his plan.

Believe him?

Of course he can't restore the Mings now.

That doesn't make any sense.

Maybe we could outsmart him by giving him the body back.

And then what?

Well, if we watch him closely,

then we might learn what the secret is.

Hmm, you're right.

What's happening up there?

Their troops are coming.

At your service, sir.

My name is Captain Wan.

Send your men out, arrest everyone,

including the children, and bring them here.

Sir.

You came alone.

Of course I did.

The corpse?

Oh.

It's here now.

Can't you ever tell the truth?

There, you see, I'm not lying.

Isn't that Ko Fung's body there?

Well, that's him hanging there.

Can't you see him yet?

Thanks a lot.

And what now?

Take him out.

Well, Lord Nin and that monk are still at the inn.

You can't get out.

But still, if you tell me what your plans are, then maybe.

Really?

Really, and a whole lot are being held in the stables.

Should we let him have the corpse?

What's happening?

Because Nin can't find the body,

he sent for the Ching troops to arrest

all the villagers here as hostages.

At tomorrow noon, if that body is not produced,

then all of you will die.

Move along!

- Come. - All right.

No, you can't have the body.

You said that I could.

If you take it, all of those people will die.

Don't you care?

What if they do?

If it helps the Mings, then it's worth the cost.

They're to die in a worthy cause.

But it's only a corpse.

It can't be worth all that much.

Well, it's worth a lot to us.

But how, and why?

Well, tell me, just tell me.

Shall I tell them the truth?

No, better not trust anyone.

You watch him.

I shall tell Nin.

Wait.

You're gonna tell Nin where the corpse is?

There's too many lives at stake.

I have to.

All right, but will you give me three days first?

But what for?

I can't tell you that yet.

Now listen, I'm gonna set things up.

I need time.

To steal the corpse?

To confront them.

So that corpse, it means so much to you.

You'll understand one day.

Right, you have three days.

Thank you.

Go hide the corpse.

You defy me.

I'm the law.

Not defy.

Just asking, sir, for your mercy, for these innocent people.

How do you know they're innocent?

But they're all simple farmers, not future rebels.

Well, who killed my men?

Where's the body?

You've given us too little time.

Please, my lord, wait a few more days.

Well, all right, just one more day, then they die.

Lord Nin, I beg you.

Damn you!

You dare to oppose us?

You rebel.

I'm no rebel, just want justice.

Arrest this man, take him!

My lord.

Your highness.

Welcome my lord.

You are our Japanese friend?

And who is this?

A rebel, he made trouble, fought the guards.

Oh.

String him up on the flagpole.

Now you repeat what you told them.

Sir.

If we don't get that body back by tomorrow,

you're all going to die.

Ms. Lun, you must save Mr. Chin.

I'm thinking here, don't rush me.

Where you off?

I'm going to tell them the corpse is here.

Then they'll release Chin.

Listen, listen.

Please do nothing rash, because I doubt they'll let him go.

What's more, they might even kill you.

We can't just leave him hanging there.

We have to do something.

There's far too many of them now.

We'll have to wait.

Well then.

Sir.

Everything went according to plan at first.

Then what happened?

Well then, the body disappeared.

Did you see anybody suspicious there?

Uh, well, I knew the body couldn't be found.

So then I climbed a tree to look around.

That's when I saw that fellow, Tan,

carrying away Ko's body, and so I followed him then.

And once again, you lost the corpse.

I just don't get it.

That night I switched the body with that of a dead Japanese.

Next day, there was a girl in the coffin,

and Ko's body had gone.

Highness, I only acted according to your plan, sir.

You can't blame me.

All right, I know.

I'm worried, in case the abbot finds out.

Don't worry.

Just do what I say.

And then you'll be the abbot, I promise you.

Thank you, sir.

But this man, Tan, who is he?

I don't know.

He doesn't talk much.

Also, there's that Japanese.

He's no fool, that's for sure.

You watch him.

Sir.

Gentlemen.

Now, we'll attack separately.

Right.

Well, sir, you tell us when,

and our society will do your bidding.

Right.

But when you were carrying the corpse,

why didn't you cut it open and take the Buddha's relic out?

That monk was watching my every move.

I had no chance.

Where'd he come from?

He's the one who killed Ko Fung.

He's from Shaolin.

Well, go get him checked out at Shaolin.

Right.

When will you move?

We'll move at dusk.

Right.

- Burn! - Stop it!

The corpse is in the temple.

There's nothing.

My lord, we've searched it thoroughly now.

All this fuss about a body.

You think it was stuffed with gold.

What was that?

I said there was so much fuss for a body.

Stuffed with gold, huh.

Cut the stomach open and check.

Sir.

Go on.

Sir.

Ah, got it, it's here.

It's here.

We've been tricked.

What?

This is a fake.

Talk!

Where's the real one?

Real or fake, I've not touched it.

Don't know where it is.

Highness, we studied together at Shaolin, sir.

I'm completely loyal to you.

Why don't you trust me?

I only trust facts, not people.

Highness, I've told you everything.

But there's one thing you've not told me though.

What's that?

Where's the relic?

I really don't know.

Well, I think you're lying to me.

Don't blame me for what happens.

But I told you the complete truth though.

If you don't believe me, nothing I can do.

Hold it!

Where are you going?

Back to Shaolin.

Now I see.

So you're going to return the real relic to Shaolin.

Huh, you, you, you're wrong.

You stupid fool.

Did you really think that you can trick me?

You went back on your word.

Because of this corpse,

Mr. Chin sacrificed himself for you.

How many more people do you want dead?

You should have told me it was in his stomach.

It was too important to tell you.

After all, I don't know who you are.

Could be a traitor for all I know.

The stupid old relic, why is it so great?

You don't understand.

The Buddha's sacred relic is priceless.

It's beyond value.

So then, that's why you wanted to get hold of it.

With that, I could command all the men

willing to fight the Chings.

You're with?

The sky clan.

Sky clan.

How many steps?

36 steps.

And towards?

And 72.

You have a post?

- I do. - East or west?

It's west, Dragon Hill.

The clan acts as one against the enemy.

Brother Tan.

I have some good news for you.

The relic they found was a fake.

Who said?

The prince said, and he was furious.

Can't be.

I saw Ko swallow it.

Why would the prince say it's false?

Easy.

To confuse people.

There's too many of them.

Come with me.

Hey, arrest those two.

Right.

Send the instructions to the governor

to issue warrants for those two.

Sir.

Wait.

Did you hear him?

You deaf?

Where are you going?

To Japan.

To report your plot to my king.

My plot.

You intended to cheat him using a fake relic.

But it was you though meant to cheat me.

Get him!

Who are you?

A disciplinary monk from Shaolin.

You got in Shaolin and studied kung fu,

and then you stole the Buddha relic,

but today you'll pay for that.

And so you're all in the same gang, huh.

Well, let's just say we have common interests.

Oh.

Well, I don't care what they are.

I just want you to hand over that relic.

And then you can go.

But the relic is in your possession though.

And that's why I'm here now.

All right, if that's what you want.

Listen, that's just a fake.

Hurt them!

Ms. Lun, leave with Mr. Tan, go!

Buddha, catch.

Run, Mr. Tan, run, run, I got him, run!

Keep going, get out of here, run, run, run, run!

Ms. Lun, hurry!

Come on.

Hey, take a look.

Right.

Highness, there's a tunnel here.

So this is where they've been hiding out then.

It's no wonder that we lost so many men.

I'm sure there must be another exit.

Let's find it.

There's a way out here.

The relic.

The relic.

Kill!

Kill!

Thank you.

Listen, your wound better?

Much better.

You're hungry, I'll get some food.

Hey, Chin Lun.

Be careful.

And come back.

I will.

Careful, poison needle.

I know.

Get back, I'll handle him.

The Buddha's relic.

Get out.

Hurry.

The relic's inside the sword handle.