Original subtitles

=Moonlit Reunion=

(Adapted from Fu Hua's novel "Madam Mei's Husband Spoiling")

=Episode 16=

Jiushi Incense.

Pass the ball to me.

Little medicine jar!

Little medicine jar, it's not that we won't play with you.

You just can't keep up!

Half a breath left. No strength at all.

Trip once and you'll never get up!

Half a breath left. No strength at all.

Trip once and you'll never get up!

Half a breath left. No strength at all.

Trip once and you'll never get up!

Half a breath left...

- Who's that? - Who's that?

If he can't play with you,

I can.

- You? - You?

- Run! - Run!

I heard you're my cousin.

Let's blend incense together.

Fetch me plum blossom buds and azalea.

Is this enough?

Add more.

Add some La tea powder.

Wild turmeric, patchouli, and licorice.

And also black locust honey.

(Common, Skilled, Exquisite, Supreme)

(Exquisite)

Young Master Pei, you traveled all the way here

to attend this grand assembly.

Why did you present

such an ordinary incense?

You may not know, Master An.

This incense of mine

burns only for one person.

Do you like it, Your Ladyship?

I do.

I see an image of a garden, in full blossom, from my childhood days.

A spring bloom of old days.

However,

you've prepared for so long for this assembly,

come all this way,

only to burn an incense of memory?

It's unworthy of it, right?

That's how people speak of poets.

Some write for the world,

and some write for the very one.

I don't make this incense to please everyone.

I only wish to please one heart.

Now, one extraordinary incense remains unjudged.

It's crafted by Master An Biluo.

As the final incense of this assembly,

we invite all to behold.

It's Master An's incense.

Master An?

He hasn't crafted incense in nearly three years.

This trip is well worth it.

Indeed.

This is the Si horn censer?

It's big

and finely carved.

It's rare indeed.

This censer is carved from the Sky-piercing Horn of Linyi.

It's precious.

Yet even so,

its worth can't be compared to one of the spices used.

What is this incense called?

Qiling Incense!

- Qiling Incense? - Qiling Incense?

So this is the Qiling Incense.

I've heard it is Master An's new creation.

Gathering the essence of heaven and earth.

Its smoke rises to the Ninth Heaven

and spreads far and wide.

Bathe in it for years,

and you will stay forever young,

and your vigor will never fade.

What is the recipe?

The main ingredient is the phoenix feather.

Dragon scales are ground to powder,

blended with styrax, resin, ambergris, and a hundred other spices,

then sealed away for a thousand days.

Phoenix feather and dragon scales?

That's absurd.

Such things never existed.

Don't speak ill of Master An.

He must have his reasons.

Is Master An sure about this?

Why does it smell like poo?

Hold your tongue.

How can you doubt Master An?

His incense

is beyond compare.

We're just too lowly

to appreciate it.

Rancid.

Master Xie.

What do you think of my incense?

This one?

Smelly.

This incense is truly extraordinary.

It's like

the fragrance of the earth.

Like the spring sun melting the winter's frost.

Life begins anew.

Marvelous!

- Marvelous! - Marvelous!

I've been away from Chang'an for years.

Has their taste grown so peculiar?

Marvelous.

Marvelous.

Marvelous.

How would you grade this incense?

It's the incense blended by Master.

How could we dare to judge?

I asked, what grade would you give it?

Of course...

It must be Supreme.

(Common)

(Supreme)

Supreme.

And you, Master Gao?

(Supreme)

Young Lady Wu.

What do you think?

I think,

though the earlier incenses each had their differences,

they were at least fragrances.

Master An, your incense...

What about it?

It smells like a fowl pen.

Fowl pen?

Is that not so?

She's just like what she used to be.

Never sparing anyone's face.

What about you all?

It smells like filth.

Yes.

It does smell like filth.

See? I'm not the only one.

You wet-behind-the-ears persons!

You know nothing at all!

This is Qiling Incense!

For this Qiling Incense,

I spared no effort.

The dragon scales are pangolin scales,

and the phoenix feather

came from white geese.

They may be ordinary,

but the method of taking them is most exacting.

The more terrified the goslings are,

the richer the scent of the feather

under their beaks.

(Mind purified, focus sharpens.)

(All immortals heed the call of protection.)

(Dark fiends crumble.)

(Evil vanishes.)

(Break!)

Where's Zhen?

I know you're miserable.

An Biluo has taken countless innocent lives.

I understand you possessed him

to stop his slaughter and take revenge.

But this body is his.

Even if it eases your hatred,

it's only temporary.

How did you...

How did you find out?

I'm the Cat Master in Chang'an Demon Market.

The human world is complicated.

Why not

come back to the Demon Market with me?

I'll get you a body from the Attached Body Shop,

help you advance your cultivation,

and punish the evil

for your justice.

Demon Market?

Cat Master?

Cat Master,

since this is over,

let's return to the Demon Market now.

It's better to explain to them first.

Cat Master!

Ling Xiao.

After all,

you're handing me over to them.

Report! Nothing on the east side.

Report! Nothing on the west side.

Report! Nothing on the north side.

Enough.

Don't report again unless you find them.

What kind of Cat Master are you?

You don't even have the demonic power.

You're a liar!

Over there!

Zhen?

Wait. How did they get across?

Don't tell me they can fly?

That's impossible...

I know you're stalling for time.

Before I deal with them,

I'll finish you, liar.

There's something at his nape.

Are you all right?

Zhen!

Zhen.

Are you all right, Zhen?

Zhuyu.

You were amazing.

Why didn't you ever tell me?

Commissioner Mei, that was incredible.

Where's my sword?

Commissioner Mei.

Gosh!

I'm the weakest now in the Mei family.

Commissioner Mei,

will you think about transferring to Jinwu Guards?

Commissioner Mei, will you join us?

- Zhuyu... - Commissioner Mei.

I should get going.

I can't believe this, Zhuyu.

How did you do that?

Will you consider joining us?

Join us.

Why didn't you invite me?

Young Master Pei, we've got the Qijiao resin.

Help! Help!

You'd better stay out of this.

Go.

If you save me,

I, Pei Jiya of Kunzhou, will serve at your command.

Run!

(Dear benefactor, I met a man named Mei Zhuyu in Chang'an.)

(He seems well-versed in Daoist magic, which resembles yours.)

Blood as guide, heed my order.

(He can draw talismans,)

(and his moves resemble those of the one who saved me.)

(Could this Mei Zhuyu also be connected to the Changxi Palace?)

Demons

should be slain.

But I won't kill you.

I know you never meant to harm the innocent

at the Incense Assembly.

You chose An Biluo only to warn others

to stop slaughtering

for their selfish gain.

His various crimes

will be punished by the law.

Fear will haunt him every night.

But you,

if you can't let go of hate,

do you really want to feed on resentment

forever?

(Stars of the Supreme Mystery,)

(change beyond form.)

(Starlit wisdom, a mirror of clarity,)

(brings peace to the six spirits.)

(Disperse!)

It's you.

It... It was all done by An Biluo?

Yes.

He actually slaughtered so many

just for his own gain.

This is insane.

Why are you here?

I recalled what An Biluo said when he was possessed.

The trail led me here.

This was where he lived two months ago.

I guessed it was tied to the Incense Assembly,

so I came to check it out.

So did I.

What a shame.

Only bodies remain.

Not quite.

Her Majesty was furious when she heard

what happened at the Incense Assembly.

She intended to cancel the event for good,

but Noble Consort Mei and Princess Yuanzhen persuaded her

before she changed her mind.

The Incense Assembly is a festival for all the people.

It shouldn't be condemned entirely

just because of An Biluo.

So His Majesty decreed

that no animal ingredients should be used

from now on,

and extravagance isn't allowed.

Only incense that the people can afford may be judged the best.

An Biluo has been expelled from the Incense Association.

When he left the city today, no one came to send him off.

The crowd chased him and pelted him with vegetable leaves.

If this curbs

the fashion of those young noblemen

squandering fortune on incense,

caring only for high price and not the quality,

then some good has come of it.

Young Lady Wu, you share Her Majesty's view.

Her Majesty worries for you

and summons you to the palace.

All right.

What should I name you?

A goose?

O geese, O geese, O geese!

You crane your neck and to the sky your song sweet.

Your white feathers float on green water with ease.

You swim through clear waves with your red-webbed feet.

Zhen,

you're losing knowledge pretty quickly.

I should send you a Three Character Classic later.

Mind your own business.

When did you arrive?

When you were honking.

Young Lady Wu is naming the goose.

Naming it?

Are you going to build a monument

if you cook it?

Mind your tongue.

You'll scare my Goose Son.

Son?

It's Goose Son.

His name.

You're my Goose Son from now on.

Your son?

Guess who I am?

You can't see me, right?

Can't see me, right?

Can you?

This is a fine treasure

I acquired on this journey.

A sorcery master

sold me this invisibility cloak.

You really think this thing has anything to do with sorcery?

Never mind that.

You...

I was only away for three months,

and I'm a grandfather now?

That's too fast.

You?

You?

You?

Whose son?

Uncle.

Duke Wu.

I, Mei Zhuyu, greet you, Duke Wu.

Pretty good.

A familiar face,

a long-lost one,

and

a newcomer.

Very good.

You were gone so long

that I almost thought I had no father.

I heard

two young men were living in our house.

Everyone in Chang'an

is talking about it.

They're betting on it.

I'm also concerned.

So you came home because of the gossip.

No, I'm worried about my daughter.

So,

um...

Which of them is my son-in-law?

Whom do you like, Father?

Me?

It's hard to choose.

Hard to choose?

If so, carry your grandson first.

Wait for me, Zhen.

Young Master Mei,

I wonder what you think of my daughter...

Uncle,

Young Master Mei only stays here because of me.

And I came to Chang'an

to propose to Zhen.

Please give me your permission, Uncle.

Zhen.

You want to ask about Liu Taizhen?

What has happened to Young Lady Liu?

Why was it you at the Incense Assembly?

I thought

I'd have a chance to see her that day.

Why are you so anxious about her?

I'm reproducing Notes on Demons and Oddities.

I wished to finish the painting to show her.

I went to the Incense Assembly

at Ling Xiao's invitation.

As for Liu Taizhen,

she's sick.

She's sick?

What illness?

Is it serious?

Could it be fatal? Did she see a physician?

Calm yourself.

She is fine.

But she's not in Chang'an.

About...

In about three days, she'll be back.

In three days?

How dare a cultivator

drain a rabbit demon's essence core with dark magic?

Seems like another prey has delivered herself.

(End it quick. Don't ask what you shouldn't.)

I was only asking a question.

Why be so impatient?

- What should we do now, Young Master? - What should we do now, Young Master?

Forget it.

After all, this benefactor of mine taught me the spells

and made me stronger.

Since he's anxious about this,

I'll put this matter first.

(Mei Residence)

How can it be? That doesn't make sense.

She looks perfectly fine.

What are you mumbling about?

Stop pacing.

You're making me dizzy.

My Young Lady Liu didn't attend the Incense Assembly.

So what?

She looked well enough.

How could she suddenly fall sick?

You mortals have a short lifespan.

Falling ill is normal.

Do demons lurk

in someone's household?

Demons have their own affairs.

We don't go to mortal homes for nothing.

And yet you're in mine.

I'm in my recovery.

Special case, you know?

Fine, fine.

That means if it's a special case,

demons do stay in people's houses?

Of course.

You know what?

I saw a giant white serpent in Young Lady Liu's house.

White serpent?

It's as thick as a barrel, and about 13 meters tall.

It's gigantic.

Surely a demon.

Do you think

Young Lady Liu fell sick

because of the serpent?

Well...

I can only know if I see it.

(Shu)

Are you saying

the Zhuan fish demon at Tangquan Baths

and those demons in the massage house

are fighting over business?

I heard there's a lot happening in your manor

that you have no time to come to the Demon Market.

There's something I don't know how to handle.

I'd like to see your advice.

Matters you can't handle?

I always thought you were all-knowing

and capable of everything, Lord Shu.

Hold on.

Didn't Hu Zhu mention this

to me before?

It happened a long time ago.

Perhaps

they've quarreled again.

This is the account of Tangquan Baths and the massage house.

Please have a look

and see where the problem is.

(Account) This is the last thing I want to see.

Numbers always gave me a headache.

(Liu Residence)

It's already this hour. Why hasn't she returned?

Loach, you!

What are you doing, Sir?

Since she's not coming,

and you're not allowed inside,

why keep waiting?

Take me for a stroll in the market.

I've been stuck in your house for so long.

I'm bored to death.

Where do you want to go?

Somewhere with food.

You?

You're smaller than a Hu flatbread. What do you want to eat?

Stop.

I... I'll take you.

I'll take you to eat.

Let's go.

(Fortune Abound)

Sir, in Chang'an,

there's not only local delicacy,

but also rare cuisine from Western Regions and Southern Borders.

Up ahead, there's lamb soup with vermicelli and beef tripe.

Of course, there's also my favorite, thousand-layer pastry.

The drunken chicken roll with pickle sauce is good.

Sir...

Have a nice day.

Wait, Sir!

Have a nice day.

Where did this loach come from?

Well...

Sir.

I want this one.

I just saw one loach crawl up here.

I'll get a new one.

No, I want this one.

Well, then.

Here you go.

Thank you.

Have a nice day.

Are you all right, Sir?

He hit me on the head!

He actually hit me with a strainer!

Stop complaining.

Didn't you see the knife in his hand?

What is this shop?

So dark inside.

This is an ink shop.

They sell ink.

Not to my taste, though.

This isn't food.

It's for painting.

Painting?

I see.

This black ink is made especially to paint me.

I doubt they could capture my dashing looks.

I've run out of ink,

so I came to buy some.

Sir.

Coming.

Young Master Mei Si, it's been a long time.

I'd like to buy some fine styrax ink.

Bad timing.

A few days ago, a wealthy customer came

and bought it all.

All of it?

Yes.

Usually, I can't sell any in months,

but that customer bought everything.

I regret not keeping more in stock.

But I need it now.

One moment.

If you're interested, try this one.

Someone left it here to sell.

Look.

Smooth texture and lustrous as lacquer.

This is surely excellent.

Top quality.

Indeed.

This is better than styrax ink.

I'll take it.

Sure thing.

Thank you, Sir.

Have a nice day, Young Master Mei Si.

(Shu)

Lord Qiangyi.

It wasn't easy for me to be with her today.

So what if you're a mere wisp of its soul?

Even if the Heavenly Emperor himself were here,

I won't allow anyone to disturb us.

♪Apricot blossoms flutter, in an instant, all else fades♪

♪Leaving only the bitterness brewed from memory♪

♪Promises of forever written into drifting smoke and waves♪

♪Without you in this world, what worth remains?♪

♪Joys and sorrows of the past entangle in dreams♪

♪But nothing cuts deeper than that moment of farewell♪

♪The rest of my life I'd give just to grow old with you♪

♪Yet still what I seek I cannot reach♪

♪Watch as petals fall one by one♪

♪If I fall in love, how is that wrong?♪

♪Moonlight dries the air, breath turns cold♪

♪I hold you close, but you stay silent♪

♪Watch as petals fall one by one♪

♪If I fall in love, how is that wrong?♪

♪Eyes flicker, memories overflow♪

♪How could I say goodbye when you turn back to look?♪

♪How dare I hope for anything after?♪