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"No Return" by Fan Shiqi

♫ Memories slowly surround me, are they happy or sad? ♫

♫ The intersection of being clear-headed and blurry, can’t determine if it’s white or black ♫

♫ Going against the wind yet still pursuing, I must retreat if I cannot advance ♫

♫ You needn’t and I am unwilling for tears to fall ♫

♫ For you I won’t regret anything even if I forget who I am ♫

♫ No matter how many years have passed, even when stars are falling ♫

♫ I’ll spend this long journey nestled together with you ♫

♫ Grant me a cup of deep love, a life of being intoxicated ♫

[Qing Qing Zi Jin]

[Episode 2]

You lost! You can't take them away.

You can't take any away. Go now! Go now!

- Hurry up and leave! - Go!

Okay. You can take them away.

That's great!

That's so great!

We can finally go home!

Open the gate!

Brother!

Brother!

Brother, are you okay? You didn't lose.

It must have been because you were tired from traveling.

Okay. You don't need to talk.

If I lost, I lost.

I embarrassed the Academy and the Sun family.

Let's go!

- Zhao Qinghe. - You came to get me?

My dad took money from your family. Let's go! Before anyone sees.

- Let's go. - You can't go.

What's the reason for that?

Tell them the demands again.

Sure, Mountain Lord!

To get the 15 female students of the Zhu Xiu Academy back,

15 male students of the Zhu Xiu Academy

should come forth in person to Dong Yi Mountain with 10 guan each.

Each man can only take one.

In ten days, not a single coin less.

The deadline can't be missed.

Did you hear that? Only one man can take away one lady.

I didn't go back on my word.

Brother, what about Shu'er?

Don't panic! I believe Sir Wenren has found someone.

But they must still be on the road.

A'Juan, I won't go! I'll stay with you.

Stupid! What are you saying?

Be careful! In case the Mountain Lord changes his mind and doesn't let you go.

But what if no one comes to save you?

- There will be someone. - Who?

Senior Yuan Zhi.

Senior Yuan Zhi grew up with us and we're close,

so he won't ignore us.

But there's only half a day before the deadline.

Don't worry!

He will come.

No one else is coming today, surely...

We're done here!

Bye, we won't see you off!

Shu'er, don't worry!

You're the main daughter of the minister; thus, your parents will definitely come for you.

Zhao Qinghe, let's go!

Go on!

A'Juan...

Don't worry, Sister! Don't be afraid.

I, Hang Ruxue, greet Your Majesty.

Long live Your Majesty!

General Han, please quickly get up!

Thank you, Your Majesty.

You've done well leading the army to quell unrest.

You're worthy to be called a young hero.

Your Majesty flatters me.

I announce that you've done well

and appoint you the General of the Left Flank!

Thank you, Your Majesty! I will do my best and

give my life to my country!

It's already the last day.

There are only four hours left before the deadline.

There's still no one coming for us.

What should we do?

Don't worry, Sister! Anyway, the time is not completely up yet.

I'm sure that someone will come to save us.

Are you familiar with the Mountain Lord?

Go and ask him to let us go!

Our parents can give him whatever he wants.

Mountain Lord!

Is that so?

What if I want her?

Will he let me have her?

Open the door!

Dong Yi Mountain Lord, why have you come over?

My sister was just too scared just now.

So you can't take what she says seriously.

Well... it seems like it's about time...

Why don't I play a game with you?

Should we play chess or tell stories today.

- Drink. - Drink...?

Okay! Drinking is good!

Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!

I don't want you. I want her.

You can't! She can't drink, I can!

What's the use of you being able to drink?

Look, she can't drink,

so it's no fun. Right?

It'll be a pity if it spoils your mood, Mountain Lord.

Isn't that right?

Mountain Lord has a little girlfriend!

How nice!

Let go of me!

I'm begging you! Please let go of my sister, I'll go with you.

Mountain Lord, why is this girl so persistent?

It must be because she's smitten with the Mountain Lord.

Is this funny?

Drag her away!

Come on...

Mountain Lord, this girl is too strong!

If you don't let go,

I will kill her in front of you.

Mountain Lord, please stay calm!

I beg you! Please let my sister go.

You actually dare to face off with a bandit?

I know you're not a typical bandit.

Otherwise, we wouldn't still be standing here in one piece.

I don't think you have any intention of hurting us.

You're a good person. Why do you have to act as a bad guy?

If I don't kill you, it's not because I can't bear to.

It's because I can't be bothered.

What I hate most is hearing the words "good person."

Got it?

You two, watch her.

You, come with me!

Let my sister go! Let go of me!

Stop moving!

- Let go of me! - Stop moving!

- Sister! - Let go of me! Let go of me!

- Don't move! - Let go of me! Let go

Don't come here!

I'm offering you a drink out of the goodness of my heart.

But you keep refusing it.

It really hurts my feelings.

I'll die before being with a bandit!

Let me see you die, then.

I beg you... If you want money,

my parents can give it to you.

Or if you want to be an official,

my father can make arrangements. Sixth rank? Or fifth rank?

You're really generous.

But I'm not interested in any of those things.

Then, what do you want?

Then, how about I get my father to give my little sister to you?

Mountain Lord!

I find you really interesting.

Look! We have the same hairstyle.

- Sister! - Mountain Lord.

Mountain Lord, we...

Where's my sister? What have you done to her?

You're pretty daring to speak to me like that!

Is it because I haven't violated you?

Don't you know what sort of person I am?

What did you say?

My sister is so pure and kind... how could you...

I hate you!

Thank you for your words.

As I was saying, ladies brought up in noble families are really good.

They're all soft and gentle.

Should I leave her to you two,

or should I keep her in my room for myself?

You bastard... I'll kill you!

Stop it! Be good!

Be good!

The lady is here!

- Sister! - Let me go!

Let my sister go! Let go!

Let her go!

- Sister, are you all right? - I'm all right.

Time will be up soon.

Once the deadline is up,

I'll leave the big one to my brothers.

We're a little shy!

As for the little one... throw her into the kitchen to work.

Remember... we're all one family. Take care of them well!

Don't worry, Mountain Lord.

Mountain Lord!

Reporting to Mountain General. Someone has come to pay the ransom.

[Dong Yi Mountain Villa]

Here to rescue someone? You've certainly picked a good time.

Go down!

Let's go.

- Senior! - A'Juan.

- Senior. - Junior Shu.

I assume this must be the Mountain Lord.

- I've admired you for some time. - Cut the crap!

You know the rules! Choose something for us to compete in.

If that's the case, let's recite poetry.

- Recite poetry? - That's right!

Someone can propose the title of the poem,

and the other can recite the poem.

Or the proposer can read out half the poem,

and the other has to complete it.

All right.

Then let's get that skinny monkey

- to pick the questions. - Me?

Happy now?

Since you're the guest,

you can start with the first poem.

Junior Juan, please begin.

Then we'll use Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thought."

Senior Brother, please answer.

"A bright moonlight before my bed.

It looks to be frost on the ground.

I lift my head and gaze at the moon.

- I look down and think of my hometown." - Correct!

Is that right?

Is that right?

A'Juan, you don't have to favor me.

The competition should be fair.

Then, the next poem...

Mister Li Shangyin's "Atop Mount Leyou."

"Evening approaches finding my spirit indisposed. So I rode a carriage up the historic site.

Sunset is ever so beautiful, regrettably as dusk fades, impends night."

- Is that right? - I don't know.

It's right.

Great! Great!

What is it? You thought I was an amateur?

Did you think I'd fail in the first instance?

Then let's continue... I'll recite the first half, and you can complete the rest.

"My longing for a quiet secluded life has never once tapered."

"Thus, in this voyage, I abandon my will to the wind."

"By the west cliff, an old fisherman anchors for the night.

At dawn, he dips from the clear stream and cooks over a bamboo fire."

"When the sun rises, the mists thin, he is out of sight.

A creak of the oars, a drowsy spell the green hills acquire."

- Good! - Is that right?

They both got it right.

Great!

- Mountain Lord! - Great!

Let me find something else... I know this!

"Yet her natural beauty had spelt her destiny that could not be forsaken. Into the palace she did go and by the Emperor's side she was received."

"As she turned her head, one smile enchanted all,

Outshining all women in the palace who in comparison had their color lost."

"The palace gardens and ponds were as they had always been in their comeback. Hibiscus in the Taiye Pond blossomed, the willows in the Weiyang Mansion thrived."

"The hibiscus was like the late ady's face and the willows her eyebrows,

With such scenery, how could the emperor not be reminded of the lady's countenance?"

"How they had seen together with the peach and plum blossoms in the spring breeze,

How they had watched the leaves leave phoenix trees in the autumn rain.

The emperor now resided in the south-western mansion full of autumn vegetation,

Where stairs were covered in reddened leaves and no one would come by to sweep."

"The operatic circle students' hair had begun to turn grey. Eunuchs and maids at the late lady's mansion had aged and faded away.

The palace had a lonely place become, even fireflies of the night could not it enliven,

The emperor's lament would wear a lone candle to its end on sleepless nights.

Night-hour gongs struck the start of long nights,

Starry light lighted so brightly resembling daybreak time.

Palace roof figurines of mandarin ducks were covered cold in heavy frost,"

"With whom could the Emperor share the now warmth-lacking kingfisher feather quilt?"

"Zheng Peng left Hansai"

"and returned to Gui Yan."

That's right...

Wait!

I think that's not right...

- It should be... It should be Hu Tian instead of Gui Yan.

I've lost.

- Who lost? - Who lost?

How can the Mountain Lord lose?

How can this be?

How can the Mountain Lord lose?

Thank you for the competition.

What are you dilly-dallying for? Don't you want the girl?

Thank you to the Mountain General for taking care of them all this time.

- I didn't say you could take both. - What?

The rules were clear.

Fifteen men, each can only rescue one.

Only idiots wouldn't understand.

They're sisters. Shouldn't they count as one?

If they count as one...

I've already slept with one.

Doesn't that mean the other is my woman, too?

What?

Mountain General, are you trying to force my sister into death?

A'Juan... is this true?

- Did he really... - Of course not!

We only played games and chatted.

We didn't... Don't you believe me, Senior?

That's enough! Stop nagging.

It's wasting too much time. It's giving me a headache, hurry up and take one!

How about... no one leaves?

Don't leave!

I choose

the older sister.

Senior.

You've already picked one.

Lao Huo and Lao Zhu, send them off!

A'Juan, I've let you down.

But you have to trust me. I will definitely...

If you keep talking, none will leave.

What are you doing? Off you go!

Go!

A'Juan!

Off you go! Stop looking!

Hurry up!

Are you upset?

Sad?

Are you crying?

Your lover didn't rescue you.

Your father didn't save you, either.

A pair of sisters and the older one has been rescued.

Could it be that you're not her biological sister?

Of course not.

My father and Senior

must have their reasons.

Your innocent look...

is really very annoying.

[Wenren Manor]

Sir Wenren!

Big Miss is back.

Father!

- Father! - It's good that you are back.

It's good that you are back.

Shu'er!

- Shu'er. - Mother.

- Mother. - Shu'er.

You finally came back.

Let Mother see.

Where's A'Juan? Why don't I see her?

Thank you, Young Master Fu.

You've rescued my Shu'er.

On another day, your master and I will visit you formally to express our gratitude.

- Madam, it's too much. - How can it be too much?

Shu'er is the first daughter of our Wenren household. She's very precious.

How can she spend time with those rough bandits?

Did they all come back?

- Yes. - Then why isn't A'Juan back?

Father.

Are you worried about Little Sister?

The bandit was despicable and unscrupulous.

He actually... made my little sister spend the night with him.

What?

I tried to stop him...

but I couldn't hold the bandit off.

I could only watch...

It seems like she might as well stay there.

Shu'er, let's go! Mother will accompany you to your room.

- Shu'er, you aren't hurt, right? - No.

Master!

Master!

I would like to bring some people to attack Dong Yi Mountain and rescue A'Juan.

Are you crazy?

Even the imperial court doesn't want direct conflict with Dong Yi Mountain.

What battle are you going to fight?

If that gets out,

you'll be betraying the emperor and your future will be ruined!

Then are we really going to leave A'Juan with those bandits,

with no care for her well-being?

She is your daughter.

- Do you not care? - Care, care, care! Of course, I care.

But what do we do now?

Bear with it! Thank you for caring about our A'Juan.

But for this situation, you don't have to worry.

I won't let you worry.

Go back!

[Fu Manor]

This time, the Wenren family owes our family.

Mother, do you have any demands?

Not now! But that doesn't mean I won't have any in the future.

Remember this!

No matter what you do, you have to look far ahead.

This is how you'll go far in the court.

Yuan Zhi will remember Mother's advice.

Father, Sister,

Senior Yuan Zhi, A'Juan can't...

can't ever see you all again.

You have to stay healthy.

On behalf of A'Juan,

live long and happily.

Looking at this, Qingzhou is pretty beautiful, too.

It's more beautiful than the capital.

So, please!

Don't you worry about me.

Who is allowing you to die?

You belong to Dong Yi Mountain! Your life belongs to me!

I won't let you die so you can't.

- Why are you crying? - Why did you have to save me?

You should have left me to die.

You don't like me anyway.

You're really sisters. You even talk in the same way.

So what if it's the same? Is that bad?

Don't you also like my sister?

I want to be like my sister, too.

But I'm not.

How much more can I practice?

I study hard, I'm diligent with my studies...

I don't play around anymore...

But they still don't like me.

I just know... even if I die...

they won't care about me.

But I'm your daughter, too...

- Are you done crying? - No!

It's all your fault.

What sort of stupid ransom rules did you come up with?

If it wasn't for you, I'd be able to go home!

Would I have been abandoned like this?

You're a big bastard!

You don't want me, either!

♫ It happened to meet you under the rain ♫

♫ Don’t worry about how far the road will be tomorrow ♫

Done crying?

Come along.

♫ I met you at the intersection ♫

♫ Don’t worry about the twists and turns to the left or the right ♫

♫ It’s just that the last is always the best ♫

♫ Meeting you is the most beautiful beginning ♫

Who am I?

- Dong Yi Mountain Lord. - That's right! I'm a bandit.

You're scared of me, remember?

You aren't a bad person.

My father told me before.

Bad people wouldn't have such pretty eyes.

You aren't a bad person.

My father said that

people's eyes are like mirrors of the heart.

The clearer the heart,

the brighter the eyes.

What are you talking about? It's nonsense!

That's what my father said, you can't insult my father!

Weren't you just complaining about your father?

You said he didn't rescue you.

I didn't!

Let go!

I won't!

I'm telling you to let go.

I won't let go.

Mountain Lord?

What's wrong?

Mountain Lord! Mountain Lord!

Mountain Lord! Mountain Lord!

You'd better be okay.

As the Dong Yi Mountain Lord, how could you faint just like that?

If anyone saw you like this, wouldn't it be super embarrassing?!

[Dongyi Mountain Villa]

Are you awake? We're here! I'll get someone to help.

- You dare? - What is it?

I can't let them see me like this.

- Put me down! - No, your leg is still injured.

It's all right! I won't laugh.

I won't laugh, okay?

- Go in by the back. - The back?

That way!

Why did you try to take your own life?

I didn't want to take my own life.

Stop acting! You don't have to be ashamed of wanting to die.

It's true! I was just in a bad mood.

So I wanted to look at the scenery but as I was about to leave,

I slipped and fell.

Then... you know what happened after.

So you're saying that I went all that way to rescue you

and even got injured, just because you weren't being careful?

I'm sorry!

Sorry? I'll remember this.

All right! Then we'll settle scores together.

Settle scores?

I'm pretty nice overall,

but I have one small problem.

That is, I bear grudges!

You know? You're the Dong Yi Mountain Lord.

If someone else saw you lying in the arms of a little lady,

- what would they think? - You?

If they want to look, then just let them look.

Just let them have a look... at my new mistress.

I... I won't care about you.

Go back alone!

Is he really not coming?

Mountain Lord!

Mountain Lord, are you really not coming?

Mountain Lord?

What's wrong?

[Tong Ren Gate]

"The second month's wind outside the city

has all transformed into the fourth month's.

The green rooftops shine under the sun.

People, in pink and yellow clothes, come and go like flowers.

Carriages and horses run in a hurry.

(When the night comes), lights shimmer and the jade cups gleam in the moonlight,

looking further beyond the cloud."

The red eaves soar to the top of the clouds at Fairy Palace.

I can't wait for the moment I enter the exam hall with my pen and emerge victorious.

Little Monkey, that's the palace.

It's also the exam hall but I can't go there now.

Only the nobility can sit the exam in the palace.

Don't worry! Once I become a scholar, I'll take you to the palace

where you can watch the emperor put the scholar's hat on my head!

- Move away! - Beat it to death!

Little Monkey...

You guys... you all killed Little Monkey!

- You're all murderers! - What are you doing?

I'm Luo Heng. I'm here for the exam!

The exam? You?

It's already an insult that you're studying but you're still hoping to sit the exam?

We're all students of Zhu Xiu Academy.

And you think someone like you can sit the same exam as us?

How disgusting!

Whom are you talking about?

We're talking about you!

And he wants to fight us? Beat him up!

Let's see if you dare!

Little Monkey...

[Heaven gates are wide yet I cannot fly]

Let's go!

Later, it was lucky that some kind soul came by

and rescued me from the pit.

Mother...

But when I got home, I discovered

that my mother had already passed away.

Mother! Mother!

Mother, don't leave me!

Mom, what do I do if you die?

Mother...

But why did your mom...

No one imagined...

hat the news of my failure and my disappearance would reach my home before I did.

She was struck with grief

and died from illness soon after.

From then on,

I become someone without a family,

someone without an identity.

I could only wander far and wide.

Soon, I came to Qingzhou.

I met my master.

He was the old leader.

For someone so young, you've already learned to steal!

I'm begging you, let go of me! I'll give the money back to you.

I'm begging you.

Hurry up!

Hurry up!

Hurry up!

The kid that no one wants.

Why are you staring?

Come and hit me if you can!

Look at him!

Beat him!

Timing and Subtitles brought to you by Cheerful Scholars team @Viki

Who is it that's so heartless that they would kill even a little kid?

I don't know how long I was in that pit.

I was unconscious for some time.

I don't even know when they left.

"Pear Blossoms Bloom" by Su Miaoling

♫ Pear flowers are blossoming, pear flowers are blossoming ♫

♫ Fluttering in the wind ♫

♫ Waving to and fro on the mountain ♫

♫ Thousands of miles away ♫

♫ Thousands of miles away ♫

♫ Is she still waiting there ♫

♫ Is she still waiting there ♫

♫ Dear wind, please blow gently ♫

♫ Dear wind, please blow gently ♫

♫ Slowly blowing the ends of her hair ♫

♫ Slowly blowing the ends of her hair ♫

♫ Rain, please drizzle slowly ♫

♫ Rain, please drizzle slowly ♫

♫ Don’t dampen her face ♫

♫ Don’t dampen her face ♫

Timing and Subtitles brought to you by Cheerful Scholars team @Viki