Original subtitles

(A Journey to Love)

(Episode 7)

Ru Yi, is this correct?

- Do it again. - Okay.

Someone may be here physically, but his heart is somewhere else.

Shut up.

All right. I'll shut up.

Chief Ning.

We received a secret letter from the headquarters.

Find an inn with no guests ahead.

We're not staying in the courier hostel this time.

Understood.

Ding Hui.

Qian, here's the last bit.

I'm not hungry. You can have it.

Excuse me.

Shi San, here.

I have no appetite.

What was Ning and Ru Yi talking about when we were in the inn earlier?

Why did his expression change?

If you tell me, I'll give you a sip of my peach blossom brew.

Give me the peach blossom brew first.

Have I ever deceived you?

Tell me first.

Ru Yi said she wanted to have a child with him

with no emotional attachment.

I never expected him to have this day too.

He treats her like a treasure while she treats him like a drag.

You promised you wouldn't tell anyone else.

How could you believe my words?

Besides, Qian Zhao is our buddy, right?

This time, we're not staying at the courier hostel.

We might have to find an inn in front.

What does a drag mean?

It's...

Yuan Lu!

You guys, come here.

That's pretty interesting.

(Mount Tu Inn, Mount Tu Town)

Your Highness, Mount Tu's courier hostel is under renovation.

Please bear with this for now.

Mr. Du, Mount Tu's courier hostel is under renovation.

We shall stay here temporarily.

Miss Ru Yi, let me help you out.

Let me do it.

Brothers are at the back, make haste.

Over here, please.

We received this letter from the branch nearby.

It's the same as the letter I received this afternoon.

Lord Dan Yang's confidant, General Ping Yuan, Zhou Jian,

has deployed 3,000 troops

in order to intercept us.

That's why I told Sun Lang to find an inn with no guests

so that we could avoid his ambush in the courier hostel.

However, we were sent here by the imperial court.

How dare Lord Dan Yang intercept us with his troops?

Of course they won't do it directly.

They can pretend to receive us or escort us to our destination.

By then, they could make it as if the courier hostel was set on fire

or drag us to the mountain valley and finish us off there.

They will silence us.

After that, they can shift the blame to bandits

or the Crimson Guard.

They'll be fine after that.

I read Zhou Jian's profile before

when I was still in Hell Realm.

He's overly ambitious.

He's also a mighty military official.

What about this? Shi San,

head to his place again

and find out about his troop deployment.

Leave it to me.

Aren't you cold?

Put on your clothes.

- Chief Qian, don't make us do that. - Yeah.

It's not like we're trying to steal her from Chief Ning.

We'll take her if Chief Ning doesn't want to.

- Precisely. - Yeah.

All those who are good enough to join Six Realms Hall

have excellent figures.

- That's right. - That's right.

Forget about it. She won't fall for guys like you all.

- Who can say for sure? - I don't know about that.

Have you guys heard of Lou Qing Qiang, who served Zhao Ji?

Ding Hui.

Tell them

how Lou Qing Qiang died.

You see,

Lou Qing Qiang was killed

by Miss Ren with one blow.

Really?

Understood?

You should weigh the importance of your life

before you show off in front of her.

Did you see that?

He actually smiled.

I'm done.

Try to understand their feelings.

They've been single for a long time. And now, they've encountered a girl.

Moreover, your cousin is a beauty too.

She's not my cousin.

If so, why aren't you having a child with her?

I... You...

What is it?

Our guards went overboard just now.

I hope you don't take it to heart.

What do you mean by going overboard?

Anyway...

Anyway, they don't harbor ill intentions.

They just hope to show off in front of you.

You could tell?

Of course.

I think I've seen more male peacocks trying to display

their feathers than you.

What?

Are you afraid that I'll abandon you

after falling for them?

You're overthinking it.

I'm afraid they'll make you mad.

By then, you'll surely try to kill them.

After all,

there are not many people who are willing to risk their lives with us now.

Anything else?

Can you stay together with Her Highness for the next few days?

- Is there an assassin? - It's Lord Dan Yang's men.

- I need a hanging bell and a pearl bird. - I've prepared them.

- Does Lord Dan Yang know about this? - No.

Only Zhang Song and the empress know about His Majesty's return to Wu.

You could predict that I was going to ask that?

We're peers after all.

I'm not as rich as the guys in Six Realms Hall.

You guys can order a hit on someone with thousands of gold taels casually.

It's because Zhao Ji was a greedy scum.

We're quite thrifty usually.

Sometimes, we can't even afford a horse.

On one hand, our superiors hope that we're almighty beings.

On the other hand, they hope that we can

survive by breathing air, just like deities.

It's the same for you guys too?

When I was still in position, I spent more effort to demand

my compensation from my superior than killing someone.

I know that feeling all too well.

Shi San and the rest will be back soon.

Do you want to join us for our plan discussion?

Me? Won't you guys be worried?

Of course we won't.

I told you long ago. You're our companion.

But I'm not trying to dispense grace by winning hearts.

Lord Dan Yang has too many men for us to overcome.

- We can only get through this... - Call me when they're here.

Go ahead and laugh. Don't hold it in.

You guys can laugh at me all you like.

But do not disrespect Miss Ru Yi,

even by a little.

- Understood? - Understood.

I snuck into Zhou Jian's mansion by pretending to be a musician.

Coincidentally, he and his aide were discussing this matter.

They said

they won't allow us to leave Mount Tu Pass alive.

This is the place.

That's the path that our diplomatic team must take.

If so, let's skip the official path.

Let's take the small path on the mountains.

That won't do.

Even if we can get through it, Her Highness's carriage can't.

And, we have gold taels and military supplies to transport.

It's too obvious even if we transport it one by one through carts.

It'll still attract their attention.

What if we get through them by force?

They stationed 1,000 men at Mount Tu Pass.

And, there are martial arts experts among them.

Look at our number.

You want to get through them by force?

What do you think?

Just kill him.

We just need to target the ringleader first.

Once we kill off Zhou Jian out of the blue,

his troops will panic

and we won't need to worry about them at all.

How?

I'll do it.

When do you guys want him dead?

I like that straightforward nature of yours.

How many percent of your inner force have you recovered?

About 50%.

That won't do.

Zhou Jian once ranked third in the martial arts exam.

Even if you do succeed by chance,

it's likely that you cannot escape unscathed.

He's famous since long ago.

I also read his profile before this.

I've done my calculations.

I can definitely kill him

by sacrificing at most one of my arms.

Even if Zhou Jian is dead,

Mount Tu Pass is still filled with his troops.

By then, we still need to get through them by force.

Your members are pretty good at martial arts.

It's too huge of a sacrifice.

I can't do this or that, huh?

Why did you call me here then?

People in our trade

have to risk their lives every day, am I right?

It's not that we cannot risk our lives.

It's just that we shouldn't risk them unnecessarily.

We have to make sure we stand the highest chance of winning.

What about this?

Tell me about the content you read in Zhou Jian's profile

so that I can compare it with what we have in Six Realms Hall.

I only remember that he's over 40.

He has a frank nature and loves to drink.

He never sleeps alone.

He's not good at the pen.

However, he loves to read stories about famous generals.

He calls himself the 20th-generation descendant of Commander-in-Chief Du.

Shi San,

are you sure he doesn't know

that Six Realms Hall is escorting the princess too?

I don't think so.

Explain yourself.

We never went to the courier hostel.

I already spoke to the station master there.

They thought we hadn't arrived at Mount Tu Pass yet.

His aide also said

that he thought we only had barely over 20 guards with us.

Once they kill us, they'll give Lord Dan Yang

half of the 100,000 gold taels

and use the rest to buy military supplies.

If that's the case,

why don't we conquer them with wit?

Zhou Jian is out in the open while we're lurking in the dark.

- As long as... - You guys can go ahead.

It's Yang Ying's bedtime.

I should head to her room now.

Chief, is Ru Yi angry at us?

That's not it.

She's just not used to discussing matters with such a large group.

She was an assassin.

She's used to being alone.

It looks like you know her pretty well.

Let's get back to business.

All right. I support your proposal.

We can...

Pearl birds are more sensitive to poisonous smoke than humans.

It'll chirp if it detects

any poisonous smoke.

This is interesting.

I'll hang a hanging bell on the window.

It'll ring when an assassin touches the door.

Understood.

Such audacity!

I'm not the princess.

I'm Lord Li.

It was my misjudgment.

Your Highness, please pardon me.

Official Ren,

I can't sleep alone.

I want you in my room tonight.

Your Highness,

what do you want me to do?

The Crimson Guard will most likely

send bewitching beauties to envoys of different nations

to fish intel out of them.

If you don't wish to give yourself away,

you have to learn how to deal with them calmly.

Okay.

How can I calm down then?

First, frown.

Second,

do not move.

Third,

say these two words in a gentle tone.

Filthy.

Scram.

Filthy. Scram.

Your Highness, please pardon me.

However, I have nowhere else to go.

Your Highness, please take me in.

You're so disrespectful!

Someone! Drag this wretch outside!

Did I do the right thing?

It's pretty good.

You do learn pretty quickly.

Really?

But Ru Yi,

how do you know all this stuff?

If only I was half as pretty and capable as you.

I learned them.

If I failed, I would die.

It's the same for you.

I'm not afraid.

I've seen through you after all these days.

You're the same as Yuan Zhou.

You two say mean things,

but you two say them to scare me.

Yang Ying,

remember this.

All genuine feelings in me

and Ning Yuan Zhou have died off.

Maybe,

he still had some genuine feelings for you

when he was your bodyguard in the palace.

But if you fail to learn what to do,

he'll kill you one day.

Just like what I'm doing right now.

I can joke around with you

and kill you at the same time.

Don't trust anyone

no matter how nice they are to you.

The only person who won't betray you

is yourself.

This is my most important lesson for you.

Understood?

Go to sleep now.

Your Highness.

Morning, Your Highness.

Did you not sleep well last night?

I couldn't sleep last night.

Why is no one packing our things?

When are we departing?

We're not departing today. Chief just told us to be on standby.

Where did he go?

He and Shi San will persuade Zhou Jian to let us through.

I thought Zhou Jian was Dan Yang's subordinate.

Would he listen to Yuan Zhou's words?

I mean, Mr. Ning?

We appeal to the emotions and convince with reason.

This time, he has to listen to him.

Does he wish to abduct Zhou Jian?

Is this the solution you guys figured out last night?

It's more effective than that.

Ru Yi, just wait here patiently.

Why are Lord Li and his escort team so slow?

When will they enter Mount Tu Town?

I'm Ning Yuan Zhou, the chief of Six Realms Hall.

General Zhou, I'm here to see you

under Lord Dan Yang's order.

Ning Yuan Zhou?

Some secrets cannot be divulged to outsiders.

That's why I have to make Advisor Zhang take a break here.

General Zhou, we met each other once

at Duke Shen's Residence two years ago.

I wonder if you remember?

I do.

But I thought you were already...

It's all thanks to His Highness's grace.

He rescued me.

That's why I have the chance to serve him alongside you,

General Zhou.

This pass is my proof.

Wait.

I need to verify the seal first.

When did His Highness

send you here?

On the 27th of the month.

Mr. Ning, please forgive me.

Please don't blame me for being paranoid.

I received a letter from His Highness a few days ago,

telling me to intercept Lord Li.

- But now... - I didn't manage to return to the capital

and meet His Highness by then.

If not,

why would I let those incompetent fools come up with such a useless idea?

They intended to take down Lord Li directly.

You see,

if Lord Li does die in An,

Zhang Song and the empress would never let us off.

They just need to catch a few witnesses when you commit the act.

His Highness will be convicted of treason and the murder of his brother.

And General Zhou,

you would be beheaded as well.

But luckily, General Zhou, you always acted cautiously.

You only set up an ambush at Mount Tu Pass.

That's how you were able to avoid committing a serious mistake.

That's right.

I knew something was off long ago.

Mr. Ning,

what plans do you have then?

I've told His Highness about my plan.

General Zhou, I wonder if you've heard of the story

where General Zhang of the previous dynasty

made a fake version of himself with straws

and lured the enemies into his camp?

Of course I've heard of it.

General Zhou, you're knowledgeable indeed.

I call this "stealing pillars and replacing them with rotten timbers."

Lord Li lives inside the palace all year long.

Naturally, the people of An don't know what she looks like.

We just need to form a fake diplomatic team

and enter An before the real diplomatic team.

After that, we'll stir up a ruckus and cause her to die in An.

This way, the peace talk between the two nations will be disrupted.

By then, chaos will ensue.

No one will care about where the real Lord Li is.

As long as His Majesty cannot return to the nation,

His Highness will be able to ascend the throne.

Even if people see through the fake diplomatic team,

no one will relate it to us or His Highness.

This is an excellent plan indeed.

However, a diplomatic team consists of many members.

It's difficult to find this many candidates at such a short period.

General Zhou, you don't need to worry about that.

I've already brought my old subordinates from Six Realms Hall here.

Although it's not perfect,

it does look the part.

Really?

Really.

(Wu)

That was unexpected.

Ru Yi, you're pretty good at Qinggong.

You didn't make a sound even when you were beside me.

I almost fell off the roof.

So, was Yuan Lu the one who told you where we went?

Let's get straight to business.

What is Ning Yuan Zhou trying to do here?

How did he convince Zhou Jian to believe him?

It's an excellent plot.

Although Yuan Zhou came up with the plot,

I'd contributed a lot to the plan.

Get to the point.

If we wish to convince Zhou Jian,

we have to possess Lord Dan Yang's seal and secret letter.

Last night, I stole the letters they wrote to each other.

- Try it again. - Yuan Lu could make

elaborate traps with his eyes closed.

Crafting a seal of the same caliber

is a piece of cake for him.

As for the encrypted messages,

that's Yuan Zhou's forte.

He detected the scent of milk on the letters with his excellent nose.

He was sure that the encrypted messages were written by brush with milk.

He told Sun Lang to capture one of their messengers.

I'll give you one last chance.

- Will you speak or not? - I will!

Qian Zhao spent an hour to decrypt the messages

after interrogating him.

He finally figured out the encrypted messages after all that.

Qian Zhao can decipher encrypted messages too?

Although he always pulls a long face,

he can get away with most things

we know or see on the surface.

Did Ning Yuan Zhou come up with this idea?

The real diplomatic team is now the fake diplomatic team.

And now, Zhou Jian has to escort us through the pass too.

What do you think? Isn't Ning amazing?

I don't think so.

He could've resolved this easily by killing Zhou Jian,

yet you guys had to go through all this trouble.

Didn't we make our calculations before this?

If we get through them by force, we'll lose our men.

Yuan Zhou can't bear for us to get hurt.

Therefore, he would rather resolve this with his wit.

He treats his subordinates like brothers, huh?

He was just saying.

How could you guys trust him?

I'm sure you know why we trust him the best.

People in our trade all lead risky lives.

We're not fools.

No one else can truly brave through dangers and risks with you.

All of us know that.

Yuan Zhou is good at martial arts and is intelligent.

However, he can't be our chief

with those two traits alone.

Back then, Hungry Ghost Realm's gunpowder warehouse exploded.

He rushed into the scene and managed to rescue

a five-year-old Yuan Lu

and a group of unconscious trap makers

after breaking four of his rib bones.

The late emperor was struck with the poison of Su, and

the previous chief of Hell Realm took his own life to escape punishment.

He risked his life to make a written pledge to the emperor

and found the culprit within ten days,

saving the lives of over 500 members of Hell Realm.

We have much more rules in Six Realms Hall

compared with assassins like you all.

No one can become the chief or deputy chief

unless they're from the Three Good Realms.

Do you know who Yuan Zhou was?

He was just a scout from Hell Realm.

How did you think he broke that rule?

It's because the brothers of Six Realms recommended him for the position.

Say, don't you think we're real brothers?

So, you guys are willing to follow him to An to save Emperor Wu

all because of this reason?

Of course.

Ru Yi, it's also because of you.

Do you know this? He was especially worried that you might get hurt.

He almost had a heart attack when he heard

that you wanted to assassinate Zhou Jian.

Ru Yi, you have to believe me. I'm not lying.

Although I'm the real deal, I have to pretend to be a fake, huh?

That's right. This way, we'll incur the least loss.

It's the safest way.

But...

You don't need to worry.

You're a fake from the start.

It's actually normal for you to act unnaturally.

By then, you don't need to speak.

Just act accordingly according to Ning Yuan Zhou's expression.

He's staying in the military garrison on purpose

to convince Zhou Jian.

He has to keep talking to Zhou Jian

so that he won't have time to find out what's wrong.

All right.

What about Mr. Du then?

He's the chief clerk.

What if he gives himself away?

So, that's the chief clerk?

Such audacity!

I'm a Rank Three Chief Clerk.

You're just a cavalry general.

How dare you disrespect me?

General Zhou.

He's a real chief clerk.

Initially, he's retired from his post.

I faked the empress's imperial edict

and made him the chief clerk of our team.

He thought he was in a real diplomatic team.

We can only dupe the people of An by making it as real as possible.

What an excellent move.

Sir, please forgive me.

I was too busy with military affairs.

Sorry for my rudeness.

Mr. Du,

General Zhou has arranged the entire journey for us.

Please pardon him for his rudeness.

Mr. Ning, you do live up to your name.

The Six Realms Hall is just as amazing.

You guys actually managed to form

a convincing fake diplomatic team in just a few days.

Even I was almost duped.

We didn't have much time.

I don't think the members are convincing enough.

Look at all those guards.

They look as dumb

and silly as you can get.

Especially Lord Li.

She doesn't look like the part at all.

She does seem lacking.

Mr. Ning, please teach her

on your way there.

Don't worry about it.

General Zhou,

have you made arrangements for us to get through the pass?

I will escort you guys through the pass personally.

I'll make sure no one else

sees your face besides me.

Okay. Thank you, General Zhou.

- Let's depart immediately. - Raise the carriage.

General Zhou, you're thoughtful and meticulous indeed.

Thank you for the assistance.

Mr. Ning, you flatter me.

Those who love reading stories

are my bosom friends.

Don't mention it.

I just received a letter.

The real diplomatic team is near Sanli Courier Hostel.

General Zhou, I'll leave you in charge of intercepting them.

But please don't forget His Highness's instructions.

You may delay their journey,

but don't kill anyone.

And,

in order to defend themselves from the bandits,

they're transporting both real and fake gold taels.

If you see the word "Wan" on the horses' legs,

those carts carry genuine gold taels.

General Zhou, please help yourself to them.

Mr. Ning, you're amazing indeed.

If so, I shall take my leave.

Farewell.

Full speed ahead!

Leave Peizhou as soon as possible.

We actually got through just like that?

Forget about assassins. No one even questioned us.

It's fun, right? This is why all of us

love to work together with Chief Ning.

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Your Highness, here's a secret letter.

(Zhou Jian intercepted and killed the diplomatic team at Mount Tu Pass)

(under Marquis Yong Ping's order.)

This is ridiculous.

I have to leave the palace.

Tell them that I'm suddenly sick.

I won't attend any minor court sessions.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness,

Her Majesty is inviting you to her chamber.

Your Highness.

Did you order Zhou Jian to intercept the diplomatic team?

Would you believe me

if I said it wasn't me?

Zhou Jian is your cousin's brother-in-law.

If it's not you,

who else can it be?

We studied together in the imperial library for six years.

I'm sure you know me well enough.

Ying is my real sister.

Why would I try to harm my siblings?

The past version of you wouldn't do that.

But now,

in order to ascend the throne,

I assume you even want your elder brother to die in An.

A girl like Ying means nothing to you.

Answer me.

Did you give him the order?

It wasn't me.

It was my uncle, Marquis Yong Ping.

Even if I wish to kill him, I would do so

after the diplomatic team left the border.

In the end,

you still want Ying dead.

And, you don't want His Majesty to return to the nation.

I went to Marquis Yong Ping's Residence just now to tell my uncle to stop.

I always wanted to ask you this.

Back then, when Father granted you a marriage with him,

you were unwilling to obey the edict.

You even wanted to run away.

After you got married to him, he favored someone else.

Even so, you still treated him with courtesy and respect.

But now, why are you acting like a virtuous wife out of nowhere?

Could it be that you fell for him out of the blue?

The word "love" doesn't exist in the imperial family.

It doesn't matter if I like His Majesty or not.

Most importantly,

he's the one who can make me

the most distinguished woman in Wu.

However, if you join hands with me,

you can remain as the empress.

Yan,

actually, I...

Actually, I still have feelings for you.

You know this too.

I never got myself an official wife even now.

However,

I want to be the empress dowager.

If I become an empress,

I'll only receive honor and glory from the love you show me.

But if I become the empress dowager,

I'll rule over the court

before my son ascends the throne upon coming of age.

All right.

Chief Ning,

the valley is up ahead. It's foggy and slippery out here.

I'm afraid our horses might slip if we continue onward.

Seems like we can't reach Shuzhou by today.

Tell them to find higher grounds and set up camp there.

Yes, Chief Ning.

Do you need anything from me?

Today's the tenth day.

Yes.

The poison hasn't acted up yet.

You can get the antidote once we reach Shuzhou tomorrow.

You better don't deceive me.

You better give up on that thought.

There's an iron rule in Six Realms Hall.

We cannot form a close bond

with our companions in the same mission.

I have to obey that rule.

I'm a Crimson Guard.

I don't need to obey your rules.

But now, you're our companion.

Am I that inferior?

Am I so inferior

that I can't even tempt you?

No.

You're excellent.

I can even go as far

as to say that you're one of the biggest temptations I've faced.

If so, why are you rejecting me?

It's not like I'm going to harm you.

My rationality is telling me

that we're the same kind of people.

I think you should understand this too.

For people like us,

whenever we encounter something lucky,

there's always a catch behind them.

It's my honor

that you think I'm good enough for you.

However, there are plenty of better men in the world.

For us, the safest way to get along with each other

is to go on our separate ways

after fulfilling the promises we made to each other.

You better keep your promise

and find the culprit behind Her Majesty's death.

- If not... - You'll kill me, right?

Do you know how many times you've said that?

I could recite it in my sleep.

Who told you to deceive me when I said I wanted to have a child with you?

I...

That's a different thing.

And...

And, I didn't expect you to be this gullible.

Hey.

Don't do it. You might not be able to defeat me in your current state.

So,

I'll go and take over Sun Lang's shift now.

- Rest early. - I'll join you.

Chief Ning.

- Sun Lang. - Miss Ru Yi.

Pass it to me.

You guys should return and rest early.

All right. Let's go.

Lang,

Chief Ning didn't allow us

to show off in front of Miss Ren.

Was it because he regretted

what he did?

Shut up.

The rest are making a bet.

They're betting whether Chief Ning will agree to Miss Ren's request.

I told you to shut up.

I bet he won't.

I met Official Pei, who was on good terms with Chief Ning.

She was gentle and warm.

That's the type Chief Ning likes.

I bet two strings of coins

that he'll agree to her request.

But why?

For no reason.

It's because I like furry animals.

I saw Miss Ren feeding a cat last time.

I'll bet that she'll become an item with Chief Ning because of that.

You've been following me all this while.

I'm sure you have something to say to me.

What is it?

Just go ahead.

I want to ask you this.

How did you manage to get along with Yu Shi San and the rest so well?

What's with the sudden question?

Her Majesty said

I must be a sword in my past life

as I didn't know how to get along with people.

I would've died during the Crimson Guard's internal struggle

if she didn't defend and nurture me.

She told me to change my ways.

But I couldn't do it no matter what I did.

No matter if it was with my foster mother

or Ling Long,

I still felt that there was a barrier between us

even though we spent quite some time together.

However, I'll become a mother in the future.

I don't wish to treat my child like this.

So,

can you teach me?

If so, have you ever thought of

why Empress Zhao Jie wanted you to have a child?

No.

Why not?

Her Majesty assisted His Majesty for 20 years.

Her foresight and demeanor were extraordinary.

If she wanted me to do something, I'm sure she did it for my sake.

Why should I overthink it?

You're right.

If so, do you like children?

Naturally.

Look into my eyes.

Be honest with me.

Actually,

I don't really like them.

I hate it when children cry.

Her Majesty only gave birth to Second Prince.

I should've liked him.

But I felt annoyed

whenever he cried.

If so, I think you should think about

why Empress Zhao Jie forced you to do something you didn't like.

I also forced Yang Ying to do things that she didn't like.

It's the same as practicing martial arts.

No one liked it at first.

But you'd get used to it once you got it down.

Anyway, I'll definitely fulfill

all of Her Majesty's requests.

I agree with that.

I still remember how good the Crimson Guards were

at obeying orders

when I infiltrated An as a spy.

You guys obey

all orders absolutely.

To me, Her Majesty isn't a superior.

Moreover, all Crimson Guards have to recite the line:

"Those who disobey orders will die"

since the first day.

I'm sure it's the same for Six Realms Hall, right?

Of course not.

No matter if it's Yu Shi San, Qian Zhao, or the rest of them,

no one treated me as their superior.

You're right.

That's why you couldn't keep your subordinates in check.

That's why you were betrayed by Zhao Ji

and sent to prison.

You're indeed an outstanding assassin.

You kill with your words too.

Enough already.

Don't be sad.

When I was still a Crimson Guard,

not many of my subordinates

listened to my orders too.

Chief.

- It's our turn. - Okay. Go ahead.

Thanks.

So,

you should rest early.

Let's chat again when we have the chance.

Why weren't you sleeping just now?

You showed an unusual expression when you were looking at Ru Yi.

You even made a funny face just to make her smile.

Kid, don't let your imagination run wild.

I'll let my imagination run wild

if you don't tell me what's going on.

Fine. If you can't bring it to words, I'll ask you in another way.

Do you feel something for

Ru Yi now?

If you do, look at my left hand.

If you do not, look at my right hand.

Hey.

But why?

Wait.

Ru Yi is an excellent lady.

But you don't like her?

What's with the question?

Qian Zhao is an excellent guy too.

Shi San is excellent too.

But I didn't fall for them.

That's different.

What gives? Why don't you like Ru Yi?

I don't care.

Anyway, you have to tell me

why you don't like Ru Yi.

Ru Yi was right about one thing.

- What is it? - Kids are troublesome indeed.

If you don't tell me,

I won't sleep tonight.

Fine.

Ru Yi

is the most perfect assassin I've ever seen.

She's calm, ruthless,

intelligent, and agile.

As an assassin,

she has next to no weaknesses.

I still remember the chilling feeling I got when I first read her profile.

She assassinated three provincial governors in one month.

And, she assassinated the emperor of Chu in seven days.

Back then, I wanted to meet Ren Xin.

I wanted to see which one of us was better.

But I never expected

Ren Xin

to be a woman.

And, she's very young too.

She's just like a cheetah.

A bloody fate awaits

people like her.

But me?

I'll retire from my position and live in the countryside after this.

We're not the same.

But...

But everyone thinks that you look at

Ru Yi differently

compared to other people.

Isn't it common for one to take a closer look

when they see a beautiful lady?

That's not it.

The expression you make when you see her is unusual.

You treat her in a special way too.

Sometimes, you treat her better

than Her Highness.

Actually,

I just sympathize with her.

About what?

Although as a White Sparrow,

Ru Yi is an expert

at tempting men,

sometimes, I feel like

she's just like the wooden puppets you make.

She only knows how to assassinate people

and accomplish her missions.

However, she never questions why she has

to do all those things.

It never occurred to her to even think about it.

I'm sure she's suffered a lot

when she was a Crimson Guard.

That's why I wish to be nice to her

even though I don't like her.

I want to let her know

that there are many more interesting things

in the world

besides assassinating targets

and having children.

If...

(Zhou Jian realized that he was duped. He's after you.)

This is bad.

Sun Lang!

Chief Ning!

Yes, Chief Ning?

Zhou Jian found out that he was duped.

He's coming after us with 1,000 troops.

Tell them to pack their stuff and get ready to depart.

We'll follow Plan B and rush to Shuzhou full speed ahead.

We'll hold a defensive position in the natural stronghold.

Yes, Chief Ning.

Everyone, load the carriage and get on your horses!

- Ding Hui, load the carriages! - Yes, sir!

Yuan Lu, load the carriages and get on your horse!

Load the carriages!

Time to get on our horses.

Everyone, load the carriages and get on your horses!