♪Ask the sword and knife, and do away with resentment♪
♪I fear that new and old grudges will add to my troubles♪
♪Ask each tactic and move to see who is more skilled♪
♪Fate changes and cannot be predicted♪
♪Ask the road and journey ahead♪
♪Where is my soulmate?♪
♪Ask the rain and clear skies about the troubles on my mind♪
♪Face the moon every day and night♪
♪Ask the flowers and leaves, their colors are perfect♪
♪Happiness and pain are both short, how many springs are left?♪
♪Ask autumn and winter, the snowstorm continues♪
♪The rainbow scatters easily but the days are hard to endure♪
♪No one knows why the flowers blossomed early♪
♪Heaven doesn't mock us, you've also grown old♪
♪The pugilist world is small, but the rest of the world is vast♪
♪I've forgotten those who are gone♪
♪No one knows why the flowers withered early♪
♪Heaven feels no sorrow, you've also grown old♪
♪The heroes have died and little time is left♪
♪I've forgotten those who are gone♪
[Word of Honor]
[Episode 11]
Reporting to Shifu:
Renovations to the Five Lakes Monument are going smoothly.
When the Assembly of Heroic Men convenes in a few days,
[Five Lakes Alliance] When the Assembly of Heroic Men convenes in a few days,
the Five Lakes Monument will once again see Shifu ascend as leader of the martial arts alliance. [Five Lakes Alliance]
Truly it is a tale for the ages in the Jianghu. [Five Lakes Alliance]
What martial arts alliance leader?
This Gao has done everything he can
simply to keep up the foundation his ancestors left.
His own merits and demerits aren't worth mentioning.
Yes.
Wen Kexing. What made you lose control this time?
Out of control is my normal state.
If I weren't out of control, you'd all be scared completely witless, hm?
Why choose now to kill White Impermanence, without cause or reason?
Why order my ladies to spread that verse about Mt Qingya ghosts all over?
What's going on in your head? What's your plan?
Don't mistake restraint for indulgence.
Wen Kexing!
Valley Master, please calm down.
Master is concerned and feels confused.
All of us are concerned for the Valley Master.
We want to serve the Valley Master more effectively.
Qianqiao, get up.
You're afraid of him, right?
I'm not.
Joyful Funeral Ghost, leave.
This master wants to give Beauty Ghost her orders in private.
Wen Kexing, are you ready to be an adult now?
Master.
Get up.
Valley Master.
Beauty Ghost will be so bold as to ask you to forgive Master's rudeness.
Your goings and doings all have deep intentions and we must merely follow orders.
Deep intentions?
I just suddenly missed killing people.
What deep intentions?
Changing Ghost is discontented with his place and was getting restless.
You killed his right-hand man, White Impermanence, in order to send a warning. [Lit: hitting the mountain to shake the tiger]
Beauty Ghost,
you've evidently been analyzing your superiors' intentions. How does that usually end?
One only tries to analyze one's superior's intentions for personal gain.
This subordinate is entirely loyal in heart
and only desires to serve the her master and the Valley Master.
This subordinate's heart is free of shame.
Don't worry.
Everything is under my control. This master has another task for you to go and do.
This subordinate is ready for orders.
Your technique for changing your appearance, did you learn that from Four Seasons Manor?
Yes.
Have you been there?
I haven't.
In childhood, this subordinate had a chance encounter with an eccentric man of the Jianghu.
I did a small favor for him.
The honorable senior felt sympathy for my damaged face,
so he taught me the technique of changing one's appearance.
That's all there was to it.
That person must have been the leader of the Four Seasons Manor, Qin Huaizhang.
Yes, Qin-qianbei.
I heard that the Four Seasons Manor has a flourishing mass of flowers
that bloom all year round and is a truly beautiful place.
Since you and Qin Huaizhang had this encounter,
why didn't you go visit?
This subordinate began walking the ghost path,
and wasn't able to maintain attachments to the world of flourishing blossoms.
I only wish to be wholeheartedly loyal to Ghost Valley and to the Valley Master.
We are ghosts.
A ghost in the light turns to ashes and smoke.
[Fruits]
[Yueyang Sect]
The world is so vast. This Zhou is now all alone in the world and can go anywhere freely.
Why stay here and watch these clowns climb the rafters and sing opera?
After half a lifetime of watching them, don't tell me I haven't had enough. So many years scheming, and for what? [Yueyang Sect]
After half a lifetime of watching them, don't tell me I haven't had enough. So many years scheming, and for what?
[Xiangzhu Hall]
[Tonight at 11:00 pm, come to the northern garden - Xu]
Why are you sneaking around like a sly ghost?
I... I've got an empty stomach and can't sleep.
I wanted to go find some food.
Is that not okay?
It's fine, naturally it's fine.
Someday when Zhang-gongzi is the leader of Yueyang Sect,
you can go anywhere and do anything.
But of course that's the future.
Zhang-gongzi, what do you want to eat?
I'll go tell the kitchen, and you go back to your room and wait.
No need to inconvenience yourself. I've always just found leftovers in the kitchen.
If you don't go back,
I'll have to tell Master.
Xiang-jiejie? You came too?
It's the middle of the night! Why are you wandering around randomly?
Where are my shifu and Wen-shu?
Didn't Shifu ask you to come join me?
Join you?
Xiang-jiejie, I've seen that person before.
He's a servant in the inner courtyard.
So then he works for my shifu! He's a servant in the inner courtyard.
So then he works for my shifu!
I'm here. Where is Master?
What's your relationship to Beauty Ghost?
None of your damn business!
Silly boy, quick, run!
Xiang-jiejie.
Hurry up and go!
Stinky girl!
Xiang-jiejie!
[Diecui Pavilion]
Chengling!
Old Qin, cut them off behind me!
[Chongwu Palace]
Wandering around aimlessly in the end, not even having a roof.
Zhou Zishu, ah, Zhou Zishu,
Your whole life you bragged about being intelligent.
Did you really give everything to leave the Window of Heaven only to drink yourself to death?
The world's got as many fools as the Ganges has grains of sand,
but which of them could possibly be as foolish as you?
Let me go!
Chengling?
Anything?
Didn't find anything.
Search over there.
Okay.
A few of you, over there. The rest of you, that way.
Okay!
Wen-gongzi.
Forgive us.
We're here searching for a wicked person.
Has Wen-gongzi perhaps seen a man carrying a pipa in his hands?
Or—he might not be holding it.
You're speaking of Magic Musician Qin Song?
Wonderful! The Gongzi knows this person!
Here's the deal—
He and another wicked person abducted our young master Zheng Chengling.
We've already told the city master to lock down the whole city.
I hope Wen-gongzi will help us.
Let me give you some advice: be smart and flexible,
and tell me where the Glazed Gadget is,
and you can avoid being tortured.
Tomboy. [Lit: man-grandma]
How is it that you don't know how to use your feminine wiles?
If a little boy like this gets tortured, someone barely off his mommy's teat,
he won't be handsome after.
Little boy, is this making your body uncomfortable?
Shall I help you out and blow a little bit?
Shameless stinky woman! Stop touching me!
But I want to touch you.
This pack of puppies are baying close at my heels.
Why are the three of them so slow to come help?
Where did your accomplices take your captive?
Do you want to tell me on your own, or do I get to press it out of you [like juice from fruit]?
Little boy, you want to tell us yet?
Just kill me!
Not before you tell us where the Glazed Gadget is.
Darling, killing you would be letting you off cheaply.
Jiejie and I have a hundred ways to make death look like ecstasy.
Are you done yet?
Flirty wench. [Lit: stinky child of a pig's hoof]
Master doesn't have patience
for you to try all hundred methods one after another.
This little boy looks sweet and pretty,
but he's actually stiff as bone.
Is this lady going to have to pull out her real tricks?
For one little bastard brat?
Don't try to be clever and outwit yourself.
If he dies, both of us will buried with hin.
Leave him
I've got it.
You go see why old monster Jiang hasn't returned from rescuing old Qin.
It's been a while and he's still not back.
I'm not going.
I don't care if those stinky men live or die.
I want to watch
and see what kind of skills you really have.
In that case, go get a basin of water
and a stack of fine writing paper.
Your hand for playing pipa
is now destroyed.
There was a guy who believed he was a man of steel.
I asked him this one question,
but he also wouldn't answer.
What else was there to do?
I had no choice but to
inch by inch, crush every bone in his whole body.
and slowly press out the answer.
My papa told me the human body altogether has 206 individual bones.
When I was holding the 80th bone between in fingers, then,
that man of steel answered.
Qin Song.
Tell me right now.
Where did your accomplices take the captive?
What now?
No need for your flowery and feminine torments.
One basin of water, one stack of paper.
This lady has yet to meet a famous hero who could withstand being water-boarded.
I admire you,
Tomboy.
Guess it's true: no poison, no husband. [Idiom: a great man must be ruthless]
Jiejie, compared to you,
I'm a tiny shaman meeting a great shaman.
How about it? Want to talk yet?
I'll tell you.
The Glazed Gadget...
Glazed Gadget...
What did you say?
What other tricks do you have? Use them all.
Find out whether I can endure them.
My Papa was Mirror Lake Hero Zhang Yusen.
None of his sons are cowards!
Who are you?
Who dares to make the Four Assassins their enemy?
A gang of loathsome little scorpions aren't qualified to know this daddy's name.
You know of Poison Scorpion?
Oh, I know.
This daddy is the ancestor of your sect!
Shifu!
Why did you come back alone? Where is Qin?
I couldn't find Qin!
These wretched nail wounds.
I can't afford to waste any time.
I have to win fast or not at all.
Why's this guy here?
Stop nattering! Kill him first, talk later!
Shifu!
Who are you?
Since your distinguished self knows of Poison Scorpion,
you must also know
that if the Scorpion King wants to kill someone, or wants anything else,
there isn't anyone who can block his path!
What a coincidence.
If this daddy wants to kill someone, or wants anything else,
the whole world doesn't have anyone who can block my path.
Old Monster Jiang!
Shifu!
Don't be afraid, I'm here.
He's already almost done for.
Let's attack together!
Capture him alive.
I'm going to get my sweet revenge
for Qin Song and Monster Jiang.
Handsome young man,
Let this jiejie show you
what they call losing the will to live and being unable to die.
Wen-shu!
Who hurt you?
Wen-shu, they came and kidnapped me
and injured Shifu.
No need to keep fighting.
It's more important to get Chengling out of here.
Not good enough.
Whoever hurt you, I'll break them into ten thousand pieces!
Go!
Shifu.
These … what are these?
Don't be scared.
Take Chengling and leave.
Or don't leave, that's fine too.
If I join you to share in death,
I'd call that a pretty good ending too.
Who wants to join you to share death?
Together in life, sharing in death. A pair of honorable and refined gentlemen.
Your presence is an honor.
Apologies for not welcoming you earlier.
These two wily dogs killed old monster Jiang and destroyed old Qin!
Your skills weren't as good as theirs. How do you have the face to complain to your master that you lost?
Chief Zhou.
Are you not planning to introduce this person beside you, your friend together in life and sharing in death?
Who are you?
Why send minions to capture Chengling?
This friend wants to know my identity,
but first you must tell me who you are.
Even better, let's spar and gamble on it. At the end, the one who wins must tell the one who loses their identity.
This guy talks even more than you do.
Your Majesty, who are they?
A Window of Heaven Lord,
And the gang leader of the evil ghosts.
Ghost Master?
These two devil stars,
how'd they end up meeting and getting together?
[Profound Expectations]
Da-ge.
Everything's fine. Worrying so much is bad for your health.
The Four Assassins took an unusual risk to abduct Chengling, s
urely for the purpose of interrogating him about the Glazed Gadget's whereabouts.
As long as Chengling doesn't say anything, it's unlikely his life is in danger.
Enough.
Shifu, Wen-shu.
You both came to save me.
Xiang-jiejie really didn't lie to me.
You didn't abandon me!
Foolish child.
You call me Wen-shu
and you call him Shifu.
Doesn't that imply I'm younger than he is?
Don't tell me I'm not your elder.
The Four Assassins tortured you
and you didn't weep.
Why are you like this after seeing us?
Alright, alright. A real Han man can be like that too.
They tortured me, and I'd rather die than give in.
But when I saw you two, I...
Master, Wen-shu.
I have so many things to tell you!
So sweet.
Ah Xu.
Chengling, you're hungry, right? You eat first.
Shifu, I realized that only you guys are sincerely kind to me.
Silly child.
Don't your uncles treat you properly well?
I heard that Gao Chong even wanted to betroth his only daughter to you.
This Wen doesn't have any daughters, just Ah Xiang.
I actually wouldn't say anything, but I'm afraid she'd be biting off more than you can chew.
They only want me to hand over the Glazed Gadget.
None of those people are concerned for me or my family's revenge.
In the beginning, I thought they treated me like a son or nephew,
But later on, I realized they never even treated my papa as a real brother,
so how could I be one of their own?
Silly boy, what do you mean?
Gao-bobo isn't eager about getting revenge at all.
Instead, he's using that as a pretext to raise the profile of his Assembly of Heroic Men.
Since arriving at Yueyang Sect,
nobody really was concerned about me.
No one asked what I wanted.
Then what do you want?
I want to study martial arts.
I want to personally take revenge with my own hands.
I never want to be a useless child ever again,
with no choice but to let other people sacrifice themselves to defend me.
I also want to continue the Mirror Lake Sect's traditions,
and then go on to pass them down to others.
That was the cherished goal of Papa and my brothers.
Chengling, you're very suspicious towards the Five Lakes Alliance.
Is there some matter we don't know about—
if you're willing to tell us?
Eat something first. There's no hurry to say anything.
No.
Shifu, Wen-shu.
The day my family was killed,
my papa didn't have time to tell me much
only warned me repeatedly of one thing.
"Don't trust anyone. no one is trustworthy."
But Shifu, Wen-shu, I trust you!
Foolish child. Don't be so eager to trust anyone.
Shifu, if I'd trusted you in the beginning, it would have been better.
At the time, Uncle Fisherman didn't know
about the grudges between my papa and the Five Lakes Alliance,
so he was going to take me to Zhao Jing-bobo.
I didn't know then what to do
or how to know who I could trust.
Shifu, I'm sorry.
I should've trusted you from the beginning.
I have the Glazed Gadget on me.
It was an urgent situation and my dad was out of time,
so he didn't see a choice other than
to cut open my stomach to hide it in there.
The wound healed,
and this whole time it's been in my body.
I'll cut it out for you now!
Foolish child.
Did I say I wanted it?
Silly boy, what's the rush?
Listen and talk more slowly,
and slowly you'll learn people's character.
Your papa took such care and prudence in this.
He must have guessed that even if Old Li
brought you safe and sound to his brothers in the Five Lakes Alliance,
you wouldn't be able to avoid being searched head to toe.
It seems like those sworn brothers of his lost his trust a long time ago.
Yes. Outsiders don't know, but they fell out many years ago.
Do you know why he and his brothers had a falling-out?
I do know. He gave me a letter.
A letter?
I hid it back at that ruined temple, under the foot of the Buddha statue.
I thought you were a foolish child, but who knew you're quite cunning?
In those kinds of circumstances, you still managed to hide it?
My papa said that besides the addressee,
I must not let it fall into anyone else's hands.
I didn't know what to do, then,
so when I went to relieve myself, I hid it.
I thought that I could at least tell the addressee,
even if I couldn't deliver the actual letter.
Who was the addressee?
Do you remember the contents of the letter?
The letter was addressed to
the Mount Changming Sword Immortal.
It was mostly about the Five Lakes brothers, Gao, Zhao, Lu, Zhang, and Shen.
They were once all good friends with Rong Xuan, Rong-bobo.
Rong-bobo fell to evil because of a mistake they made.
Once, they had a dispute over their Six Joined Hearts Method,
and decided to settle it with swords.
Rong-bobo won the contest, but he was badly poisoned in the middle of it.
After that, he lost control.
The root cause was that someone put poison on one of the blades.
And then?
After that, Rong-bobo ran off like he was on fire and went to join the devils. [Idiom: to become obsessed, probably intended literally here]
The five brothers had a responsibility that should have been absolute,
but when Rong-bobo was besieged by the whole world, no one came to stand with him.
My papa was going to rush after him and go to Mt Qingya—"together in life, sharing in death"—
but his shifu broke his legs to keep him home until it was too late.
It was his biggest regret throughout his life.
Who was the one that put poison on his sword?
I... I don't know. But the sword belonged to Gao-bobo.
[Late Brother Zhang Yusen's memorial tablet]
[Memorial tablets of Zhen Ruyu and his wife]
Yusen. I've let you down.
I lost your son. [Late Brother Zhang Yusen's memorial tablet]
I endured for twenty years, trying to find a way to uncover the truth, [Late Brother Zhang Yusen's memorial tablet]
I endured for twenty years, trying to find a way to uncover the truth,
but in the end all I got was, one after another, news of deaths.
[Memorial tablets of all the close friends]
One morning, and my intimate friends are all withered and fallen.
Five Lakes alliance leader, supreme martial artist, they're all empty titles.
I tried to explain to them, but they know what I'm capable of. I question myself sometimes.
If they don't believe me, that's fine, but … why couldn't you believe me?
[Late Brother Zhang Yusen's memorial tablet]
Our next generation is as old as we were when we got to know each other. They've gotten so big.
Now I'm old, but you … you're dead!
Rong-da-ge, the biggest regret in my whole life is getting to know you.
[Late Brother Rong Xuan's memorial tablet] Rong-da-ge, the biggest regret in my whole life is getting to know you.
[Late Brother Rong Xuan's memorial tablet]
Yusen.
Taichong.
[Late Brother Lu Taichong's memorial tablet] Taichong.
You've probably already met up in the underworld, right? Taichong.
You've probably already met up in the underworld, right?
You must be cursing me right now.
You curse as much as you like, okay?
Ah Xu.
Let me have a mouthful of wine.
Give it to him.
Shifu, Wen-shu.
Did you quarrel?
Don't... Don't be angry anymore.
There's nothing that good friends can't resolve.
Wen-shu, hurry up and coax Shifu [to forgive you].
He looks cold on the surface, but his heart is softer than anyone's.
He'll be fine after you coax him.
Didn't you teach me? Fierce women can't resist bothersome men.
Shut up.
What muddled nonsense did you teach him?
Who's softhearted?
You brat, talking nonsense and drivel.
Master, I know.
Your heart is softer than anyone's.
You can complain to me, how did Wen-shu upset you?
I'll apologize in his place.
Don't be mad at each other anymore.
Fine.
The Yueyang Sect is heavily guarded.
How did the Four Assassins kidnap you?
I... I received a message telling me to go to the lotus pond at 11:00 pm.
Xiang-jiejie helped me avoid the guards along the way.
Shifu … The message was signed with a "Xu", so I believed it.
Was it not from you?
Of course not.
The outside world is very dangerous right now.
The Yueyang Sect is the safest place for you to stay.
Is your internal injury acting up again?
Internal injury? What injury?
Shifu, what's wrong?
Right.
If it wasn't for this internal injury, how long would I have to wait for a chance to serve a master like Ah Xu?
Chengling. Did you know that when I first saw your shifu,
I could tell he must be disguising his appearance
by his incomparable, unparalleled build.
If that mask of a sick man opened up, under it,
there must be an unparalleled master.
You're blowing your beard up to the sky. [boasting wildly]
How am I boasting?
My ability to recognize someone by their bone is truly a remarkable skill. [pretty sure this is a sex pun I'm not getting]
Wen-shu, you're so cool.
I never realized that Shifu had disguised himself.
In my entire life, I've never made a mistake.
Many years ago, I saw this one dead body.
The hair was all spread out,
and the face unrecognizably mangled.
A long pike was stuck clear through the chest, front and back.
I looked at the shoulder blades in detail,
and realized that this person was a rare beauty when she was alive.
Guess what happened after?
It's over. Let it be.
May your grief turn to guidance. [Condolence on the loss of a parent]
Lao Wen, who are you actually?
Who am I?
I am Philanthropist Wen,
doing good works to accumulate merit,
pitying the poor and cherishing the weak.
Many virtuous intentions, many silver ingots, many beautiful women.
Ten thousand flowers, and I can take my pick.
Master.
Drink some.
Chengling.
Do you sincerely want me to be your master?
Yes, Master.
You and I were strangers met by chance, but you trust me as if I were your lord.
All I have to return is sincere devotion.
But let me tell you who I really am first, and then you can decide.
My real name is Zhou Zishu.
I am the current Manor Lord of the Four Seasons Manor,
and also the last.
The previous Manor Lord, Qin Huaizhang, was my beloved teacher.
Our clan used to be well known for our flowers that blossomed in all seasons,
and knowing everything in the Nine Provinces.
But now, there are not many left in the Jianghu that know about Four Seasons Manor.
All because of my one poor choice
and incompetence.
When I was 16, my master suddenly died of illness.
I couldn't preserve the reputation of the Four Seasons Manor,
so I took the skilled disciples of our clan to seek asylum with the Jin Military Governor,
whom the Zhou family had served for generations,
and this was the foundation of the Window of Heaven.
I didn't expect
that all of the fellow disciples from the Manor would be reduced to dogs, running at the command of the powerful.
All eighty-one previous followers of the Manor slowly died one by one,
until I was the only one left.
"Chief Zhou" refers to the leader of the Window of Heaven.
Yes.
This is why the Poison Scorpion knows me, and how I know where their base is.
Master.
Poison Scorpion... what's the Poison Scorpion?
Poison Scorpion is an assassin organization.
Their roots are tangled all over Jiangnan, and are highly mysterious.
The Four Assassins that kidnapped you are one of Scorpion's trump cards.
But they have much more power than that.
Previously, the Window of Heaven wanted to spread our presence to Jiangnan,
and had a few conflicts with the Scorpion.
The Scorpion's power in Jiangnan is no less than the Window of Heaven's power in the Northwest.
Then is your Window of Heaven also an assassin organization?
It's not my Window of Heaven anymore.
Now, I am just a commoner in a cotton robe.
This Zhou spent half of his life drifting like autumn leaves,
doing things against my convictions
and killing people against my will.
I wanted to wander the waves on the shores of the world until I was dead and buried,
but it seems like God has another destiny for this useless Zhou.
Now that you know who I am,
do you still want me to be your master?
I do, of course I do!
Master, regardless of whether or not you accept me,
my heart was set on you and only you a while ago.
Silly child.
Since you know, hurry up and finish the formalities. [Lit: cook the rice]
Kowtow.
Hurry up.
Master, please accept my bow.
Alright.
Now that you have entered the [sect] door,
you are the first disciple of the sixth generation.
With a superb disciple like you, the Four Seasons Manor will not be lost.
I... I am deeply joyful.
Thank you, Master.
Master, I'm very joyful too.
Very very joyful!
♪The sky was gray as I crossed the cold river♪
♪The moon in my cup at night reflects the sadness in my smile♪
♪Who allowed me to roam around the world on horseback?♪
♪Who is drunk in their dreams but can't find home when they wake?
♪The cold rain kisses my windows♪
♪I don't mind hate and slander, but my melancholy persists♪
♪The spring breeze brings greenery along the river♪
♪But can't warm my cold heart♪
♪Is that our light out of nowhere?♪
♪I regret not meeting you earlier, but we've finally met now♪
♪Don't let the seasons pass in vain♪
♪Give up the adventures on horseback for a peaceful quiet life♪
♪The lights of ten thousand families light up the world♪
♪The past disappears like smoke in a sandstorm♪
♪I will spend the rest of my days enjoying my life with you♪
♪I will be with you forever♪