Original subtitles

Subtitles and Timing brought to you by the Bloody Romantics @viki.com

♫ In this elaborately written letter, ♫

♫ all the words of love are filled with you. ♫

♫ The flowers within ten miles blossom elegantly for you. ♫

♫ I perform the zither, ♫

♫ as if you are standing behind me. ♫

♫ The rain falls while I foolishly wait for you. ♫

♫ Use these deep, shallow, near, and far distances ♫

♫ to add a touch of poetry to our regrets and entanglements. ♫

♫ This bitter, sweet, dream-like, and fantasy-like origin of our intertwined fates ♫

♫ is so that we can pleasantly drink this alcohol under the threat of swords and knives. ♫

♫ Use this lifetime, these moments of encounters ♫

♫ to trade for just one short instant when you can be with me. ♫

♫ These words, sentences, sentiments, and intentions contain hopes ♫

♫ that you and I can listen to the rain as we stand under the eave. ♫

[Bloody Romance]

Who are you?! What do you want? Don't come any closer!

Your hands are a little rough.

Your waist is very tight.

It's obvious you came from a poor family;

one used to doing heavy work. It's a pity that your hair is withered and yellowed.

Even for people with above average looks, it is not easy to survive here.

If you also have a bad temper, at the same time,

your life would be worse than death.

Don't come any closer! Or else, I'll teach you a lesson!

With your capabilities?

You wouldn't be able to kill anyone with this hairpin.

I'd better take it from you. It's not useful to you, anyway.

Since you're a brave one,

I'll be gracious and not hold this against you.

You're better than those who only know how to cry.

You look so plain and unhealthy.

I have a hairpin that suits you better.

Do you know when this hairpin looks the prettiest?

Not when it's in your hair,

but when it's in another's flesh. See the groove here?

It can hold exactly one drop of poison.

A deadly drop of poison.

Didn't you want to kill me? This hairpin

is simple but elegant. It suits you.

Make your move whenever you're ready.

Can I look at myself in the mirror?

- Where is this place?! Let me go! - Do you have somewhere else to go?

Is there someone waiting for you?

Since that's the case, why don't you stay here?

At least, this is a place you can stay in.

I might also stay behind to serve you.

Who are you?

I am Chang An.

Where exactly is this place?

Guihua City.

If you want to learn more, hold back your anger

and live on to find out the truth.

The new arrivals may come to Chuixing Tower after washing up.

[Yunjing Pavilion]

Time to rise. Wash up, girls.

Miss, go ahead.

Chang An. May I call you that?

As you like, Miss.

Do you also think... that I should live on?

This is where the living die.

It is also where the dead can live.

There is a limit to what I can do for you.

You must choose which path to take.

How interesting. She managed to make it in.

You are Miss Yue Ying, right? On my way here, people told me that you saved me.

I didn't save you, you saved yourself.

I will take you to see the person you should see, but think it over carefully.

There are many things in this world that are more frightening than death.

Staying alive may not be a good thing.

Call one of them Wan Mei.

Not a bad aroma. You are quite filial.

From now on, you will be called Wan Xiang.

Thank you for the name, City Master.

Report! City Master, Miss Yue Ying has arrived.

Have her come in.

City Master!

Gong Zi ordered me to bring her here to get a name from you.

Yue Ying! I'm not trying to scold you.

You haven't been here for a long time,

but you are at the Supreme Assassin level.

Why are you becoming less and less knowledgeable?

What is this place?

Guihua City!

When did Guihua City become a place where just anybody can come in?

Those who can hold a position here

have all gone through multiple obstacles.

How can she be spared from torture just based on one word from Gong Zi?

Do you see these two people?

If they hadn't passed through multiple types of tests,

they wouldn't be qualified to enter here, Chuixing Pavilion.

I am Gong Zi's subordinate. I only act under his orders.

As for whether or not you will do it, that has nothing to do with me. It's your decision.

But I'd like to remind you.

In Guihua City, the person who can create the rules,

naturally, is Guihua City's Master.

And no matter how unknowledgeable I am, I can still remember

who the real master is.

Those words,

are quite meaningful!

Why don't you tell me where Gong Zi went and what he did?

Also, were is this little lady from?

City Master! My name is Su Qixue!

After I was plotted against, Miss Yue Ying saved me!

I have no one to depend on now. I can only live through Guihua City.

Please take me in!

If you want to ask anything, you don't need to get it from me! Just go ask Gong Zi!

I do not dare to disobey Gong Zi's words.

But at least I can still

punish rude juniors!

I am old. I need some exercise now and then.

If I really get into a fight, injuries are not a big issue.

It would not be good if our relationship was harmed.

Your looks aren't bad.

What was your name again?

Su Qixue.

You... weren't afraid just now?

I was.

But I can still handle it!

Not only are you good looking, you are brave as well.

She is stronger than others.

The City Master knows even the smallest detail.

But Miss, are you really willing to stay at Guihua City?

I am willing!

Then stay. Once you are in Guihua City,

do not ever mention your past again.

From now on, your name will be Wan Mei.

Your Shadow will teach you properly.

C-City Master! Didn't you already give me the name Wan Mei?

City Master, did you forget?

Are you questioning me?

C-City Master!

Wan Xiang! Did I give her a name just now?

City Master, you liked the fragrance I made,

so you gave me the name Wan Xiang.

As for when this lady got a name...

I do not know. Either my memories have failed me

or she misunderstood your words.

Now the candidate list

is full.

City Master! City Master! City Master!

You said that as long as I gave up love and emotions, I could become an Earthly Assassin candidate!

I don't want to go back to being someone's servant anymore! I'm begging you, please let me stay!

Then I was wrong! You should forget what happened!

City Master! City Master! Let me stay! City Master!

City Master, you cannot be like this! City Master!

With one word from Gong Zi, I broke my promise again.

Goodbye then!

You don't need to follow me.

From now on, I will only call you Wan Mei.

You don't know who I am and I do not care what happens to you in the future.

Thank you for taking me in!

Torture Chamber Master, I'm tired.

Take Wan Mei and Wan Xiang to pick their Shadows.

Bring me my whip!

You are trying to guess what type of person I am.

I am quite curious.

I am your enemy.

I was at Dingxiang Pavilion last night, too. To enter Guihua City,

I prepared for over half a year. I was just about to finish the last test.

Then, you suddenly appeared.

You destroyed all my plans.

But you still got in!

Getting in is just the first step.

If you want to live at ease here,

you must stretch yourself to the limit at all times.

Also,

if you fail in your mission, you will pay with your life.

Do you know? There is only one vacant Earthly Assassin position.

Let me tell you something. That position,

can only be mine.

Your confidence is great!

Pick one from among these people to be your Shadow.

In the future, you will be with him in your daily lives, training, and carrying out missions.

Chang An!

His name is Chang An. His previous master failed in her mission and died.

If he cannot find a new master within seven days,

he can only die, too.

Then how long has he been waiting?

Exactly seven days.

How useless.

Since it's like that, give him to me!

You traitors!

Let's see if you dare to do it again!

City Master.

You may leave first.

What? Are you still thinking about Yue Ying's words?

If he dares to send people in as he pleases today,

who knows what he will do tomorrow?

If not for his identity, I would have already--

Don't fret. Come.

It is not time yet.

That's why I held it in! And that girl!

What does she count as? She was so rude!

She utilized Yue Ying's support to act so arrogantly with me. She wants to become an Earthly Assassin?

Once she is in my hands, will she still be able to live well?

You are the City Master. If you want to punish a junior,

it is extremely easy to do!

Now that I think about it, you are right.

Go and create a

unique box of rouge.

Tomorrow at the welcome feast, I will personally give it to her.

It will be my welcome gift.

I think you have a second order.

You can add some corpse powder of frost-winged gu cicadas to it. (Gu - poison / poisonous)

[Yunjing Pavilion]

- You have set times when the doors are opened and closed? - Yes.

This place is quite interesting!

There are indeed many interesting things,

but not many of them sound pleasant.

Hey, tell me!

You are nothing right now, Master.

You still need to go through an interview and a qualification competition

before you can become an Earthly Assassin.

Earthly Assassin?

Guihua City is a city of assassins. It survives on business from the Jianghu. (Jianghu - Martial Arts community)

Earthly Assassins are the lowest ranked.

But I don't know any martial arts! How can I become an assassin?

Just like there are different ways to make women's makeup,

killing is the same. Your beauty and your courage

will be your biggest weapons.

When you get to the point where you need martial arts, you have me, your Shadow.

After all, Shadows are meant for completing rough and dirty tasks.

Torture Chamber Master said that in my future daily life,

training, and completing missions, I will be with you.

Yes. I will do as you say.

I will follow you like a shadow.

You are only living here temporarily. Once you become an Earthly Assassin,

you will move to the Earthly Assassin Courtyard.

What if I fail to become an Earthly Assassin? What will happen to me?

If you are lucky, you will be kicked out of Guihua City.

Then... what if I'm not lucky?

What?

Today is your first day in Guihua City.

I hope you will have a good sleep.

Everyone is so mysterious! You and Miss Yue Ying both are!

If, during the welcome feast tomorrow,

you pass City Master Cha Luo's interview,

I will tell you everything.

Then what am I supposed to do right now? Practice martial arts or play with (devising) stratagems?

What you need to do now is to bathe and preserve your skin.

Your skin is a little rough. It is not as soft and white as the other girls.

You must nourish it more.

I think it's quite nice!

It is easy to know if it is good or not. Put one drop of water on it.

Let the water flow from top to bottom. If your skin is not damaged, the water drop will not become divided.

If you are confident, you can give it a try.

I still think it's quite nice!

[Tingzhu Courtyard]

[Tingzhu Courtyard]

Then, Cha Luo took that girl in

and gave her the name Wan Mei?

Yes. But I think

Cha Luo hasn't given in so easily.

I think Wan Mei is in trouble.

If you have something to say, just go ahead.

There are no other girls other than me here in Tingzhu Courtyard.

I am often away.

You need someone to take care of you, Gong Zi.

I'm used to being alone.

If I weren't a prince,

I wouldn't even want the ten soldiers by my side.

Or do you think

a blind person like me must (always) have someone to care for him?

I do not dare.

Yue Ying, you still don't understand why I made this move.

Whether she is Su Qixue or Wan Mei,

to me, it's all insignificant.

I had you bring her over because I wanted to remind Cha Luo

that I always get a large amount of news here in Tingzhu Courtyard.

The more she can't retain her composure,

the higher the chances she will show her weakness.

After all, there are many days to come.

I'm just gambling against her

as far as time.

Welcome to Guihua City, Sisters!

From now on, this will be your home.

A lot of people in the Jianghu realm question our existence.

In their eyes, all the sects in this world

must be strictly good or strictly evil.

But here in Guihua City, we have never concealed ourselves.

We only do assassination business.

No matter who it is, as long as they are on our Assassination List,

they have no chance of surviving.

So, at tonight's feast, I would like to thank you all

for your trust in Guihua City.

I will also pick girls among you of superior appearance,

bestow upon them the distinction of a flower ornament,

and give them the right to compete in the Earthly Assassin selection.

Wan Chun!

Wan Xia!

Wan Qiu!

Wan Dong!

Wan Xiang!

Wan Mei!

Among these girls, you are the prettiest.

Come, let me take a good look at you.

Sit! Sit!

City Master, please punish me. My Master is new and doesn't know the rules.

She doesn't know that others cannot sit in your seat!

Please spare her this once!

I did not intend to do this! Please be understanding!

Don't be afraid! Since I made you sit,

you are not at fault.

There is only one City Master. I don't dare act rashly.

You are a child who understands rules.

Since you are so obedient,

how could I punish you?

I was too careless today.

Xing Feng! Bring me that high-quality rouge.

Give it to Wan Mei.

City Master, I cannot possibly accept!

If I want to give it to you, then just take it.

Xing Feng! Go on.

Yes, City Master.

Master, do not forsake City Master's good intentions.

Chang An! Do you want to smell it? This rouge smells really nice!

I just don't know if it can maintain its beauty

if it's out here too long under the sun.

City Master gave you rouge.

It may not be a good thing.

I know! City Master treats me like a target.

But everything here depends on ability. I don't need to beg them.

We have nothing to do with each other. What could she do to me?

Prevent troubles before they start. It's better to be more careful.

You are too suspicious.

Is it because your previous Master failed,

so you're being very careful?

If you doubt my ability, you should not have chosen me, Master.

I don't like the way you talk.

In Guihua City, if you fail, you may die without even an intact corpse.

Reminding you more often is my job.

Then you must protect me even more!

You are my second master. If you fail,

I will die a terrible death.

So I will work hard, but not for your sake.

It will be for myself.

Neither of us has a second chance.

Naturally, we will work harder than others.

Let's go. Take me to see Guihua City.

Yes.

Guihua City used to be Empress Wu Zitian's secret bureau.

After she retired, it became part of the Jianghu realm and does business there.

The city has survived for a few hundred years.

The entire mountain you see belongs to Guihua City.

Where you are now living is called the Yunjing Pavilion.

It is the lowest ranked place in Guihua City.

It is for girls who've newly entered Guihua City.

This is the Earthly Assassin Courtyard.

There are twelve identical courtyards within, one for each Earthly Assassin.

Earthly Assassins are assassins, but they have no martial arts or internal power.

They only use their beauty and intellect to complete their missions.

There are four Heavenly Assassin Courtyards.

They are evenly spaced halfway up the mountain of Guihua City.

Heavenly Assassins are ranked one rank higher than Earthly Assassins.

They can undergo martial arts and internal power training.

Compared to Earthly Assassins, Heavenly Assassins have more freedom of movement.

When you become an Earthly Assassin, you will be given an oil-paper umbrella.

This umbrella contains a drop of gu blood.

Every time you kill someone, the umbrella will draw out the blood and turn it red once.

A golden flower will then appear on the umbrella. It is called the "Golden Lily that Bursts from Earth."

After you kill ten people, there will be ten "golden lilies."

In the tenth lily, there is a gu blood insect

for the umbrella's master to use. When the gu insect enters her blood, her internal power will greatly increase.

Then she may become a Heavenly Assassin.

[Supreme Assassin Courtyard]

This is the Supreme Assassin Courtyard. Guihua City has two Supreme Assassins,

but there is only one Supreme Assassin within the Courtyard now.

Why?

The other Supreme Assassin is called Yue Ying.

She was the young lady who led you to Chuixing Tower yesterday.

She lives elsewhere and is not under City Master Cha Luo's control.

Chang An, you're just in time!

Master Liu Guang has approved the medicines you wanted.

She said for you to pick them up in Suiguzi when you have time.

Thank you.

Why did you come here?

What is this place?

Ancestral temple.

It is a place to pay respects... to dead assassins?

Pay respects? Look at how broken down this place is, does this look like respect?

Guihua City has many rules.

They cruelly torture people.

Whenever a Supreme Assassin challenges the City Master and succeeds in gaining the position,

they will use cruel methods to torture the previous City Master for revenge.

So ever since Guihua City was established,

no one has ever paid respects to the dead.

They just write down the previous City Master's name

and leave it in this broken down temple.

Only City Masters?

Guihua City will not keep useless people around.

The same goes for the names of useless people.

The building with the white top is the Jigu Pavilion. Inside are makeup masters and tailors.

Your daily necessities, makeup, clothes,

and every kind of poison or gu insect are provided by them.

Supreme Assassin Liu Guang is in charge of it all.

The one with the long green corridor is the Suiguzi Pavilion.

Inside, there are doctors and pharmacists. The buying and mixing of medicine

is the job of Xing Feng, the Torture Chamber Master.

Rewards and punishments are decided by the Torture Chamber. Qiantong monitors its investigations and interrogations.

In addition, attendants, kitchen servants, and hundreds of others

live behind Yunjing Pavilion. If not for a special reason, they will never come outside.

Miss Yan Qin.

Your vital gate is purplish black and your linea alba now reaches your ear.

Miss, I don't think you can live for much longer!

Miss Yan Qin, you have been at Guihua City for a long time.

Receiving your advice is Master Wan Mei's honor.

Master, it is getting late. We should go back.

[Yunjing Pavilion]

Master.

You have to begin practicing for the Earthly Assassin candidacy test tomorrow.

You should sleep early.

That Yan Qin is one of the four Heavenly Assassins.

She is rude and insolent. You don't have to lower yourself to her level.

I am from a low class. It was already very hard for me to get here alive!

I will not argue with others.

You may come from a poor family, but you are not from a low class.

I believe that since you are here in Guihua City,

you should forget the past.

Act according to Guihua City's rules

and create a new path for yourself.

But I've never killed someone before.

If you don't like it,

you can let others kill you. For example,

that girl named Wan Xiang.

It is late. Go back inside and sleep.

Master, you are afraid of the dark?

I'm not very used to it.

When is Guihua City ever not dark as night?

Master, light will not reach this place.

Subtitles and Timing brought to you by the Bloody Romantics @viki.com

♫ I've never acted with proud indulgence. ♫

♫ See how the fallen flowers look so ignorant. ♫

♫ Your words “I will wait” prompt the racing of my heart. ♫

♫ I will wait for the wind and rain to brew this fragrant wine into a gentle drift. ♫

♫ I've never inexplicably fallen into disgrace. ♫

♫ I sigh that time is an elegant swan goose in flight. ♫

♫ I will use my lifetime of pain and loneliness ♫

♫ to welcome the simultaneous ring from the zithers into the night. ♫

♫ Who worsens the ache in my heart? ♫

♫ My heart's warmth will make these autumn leaves concentrated. ♫

♫ When will you grow drunk in the autumn wind with me, ♫

♫ so that I will be able to walk out of my dreams? ♫

♫ The zither music evokes feelings of desolation and cheerlessness. ♫

♫ Of a lifetime, the moon is always high, the dew is always heavy. ♫

♫ Alone, I foolishly sit among the blue ocean waters, ♫

♫ while the conifer plants grow in exuberance. ♫

♫ Who worsens the ache in my heart? ♫

♫ My heart's warmth will make these autumn leaves concentrated. ♫

♫ When will you grow drunk in the autumn wind with me, ♫

♫ so that I will be able to walk out of my dreams? ♫

♫ Who worsens the ache in my heart? ♫

♫ My heart's warmth will make these autumn leaves concentrated. ♫

♫ When will you grow drunk in the autumn wind with me, ♫

♫ so that I will be able to walk out of my dreams? ♫

♫ So that I will be able to walk out of my dreams. ♫