Original subtitles

[Shadow Love]

[Episode 9]

My Lord, please calm down.

Calm down?

Li Shuang showed me such disrespect.

How can I possibly calm down?

To upset yourself so much

over a criminal's daughter

is not worth it.

Had I known Li Shuang was so arrogant,

I'd have given her dozens more strokes.

You,

write a letter to the court at once.

Report that the one who killed Huo Du is hiding in the Changfeng Army.

If Li Shuang dares shield him,

I'd like to see how she's going to pull that off.

My Lord,

that's not advisable.

Li Shuang must know

that he was just a servant,

and even if he were handed to the court,

His Majesty wouldn't be satisfied.

Yet to protect him,

she fell out with you in public,

even at the risk of crossing Prince Li.

Looks like that boy

means a great deal to her.

Have you looked into his background?

His name is Jin'an.

I heard that Li Shuang took him back a while ago.

He's homeless,

a useless wretch with no martial skills.

No martial skills?

Then how did he kill Huo Du?

I've already investigated it.

It was just an accident.

They say he merely pushed Huo Du accidentally,

and that worthless fool just died.

Sit. Tell me more.

So you're suggesting

that I do Li Shuang a favor and let it go?

Exactly, My Lord.

Although Li Wei has been demoted,

the Li family and the Changfeng Army

are not to be underestimated.

If you can persuade

Li Shuang to align with Prince Li,

His Highness will surely be pleased,

and you'll win

His Highness's favor.

If Li Shuang still refuses to cooperate,

you can bide your time to deal with her

and Jin'an later.

Send word to the General's Residence.

Tell them I'll pay a visit

later today.

Yes.

Who does Li Zhangyi think he is?

He hurt you so badly.

You always worry about me.

But after all these years by my side,

you should be used to it.

Don't I always get injured

now and then?

How could I ever get used to it?

You're my best friend.

I'll be fine in a couple of days.

At worst,

I'll be more careful.

I just need to be more careful.

You're always trying to be tough.

I'm leaving now.

Remember to apply the ointment.

Don't worry.

I'll be fine soon.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Take care on the road.

I'm off.

Shuang,

it's over between you and the Crown Prince.

Rather than dwelling on the past,

you should let it go

and cherish what you have now.

Mr. Ji.

Miss.

Although this is the General's Residence,

it's also where Shuang lives.

With women everywhere,

your frequent visits

may not be proper.

Miss,

you misunderstand.

I'm here to report something important to General.

Judging from your expression

and gait,

it doesn't seem like an urgent matter

that requires a personal visit.

You know best if there's any misunderstanding.

I am

just offering a friendly reminder.

Just now,

I took matters into my own hands.

You don't blame me?

You owned up to it.

In that situation,

you stepped out and took the blame.

Why would I blame you?

But what you did today

has pulled you

into this power struggle.

They won't

let you off easily.

Li Zhangyi is Prince Li's man.

Prince Li is

both favored

and trusted by His Majesty.

Why didn't you compromise?

Prince Li is ambitious

and aspires to be the crown prince.

If he truly gains military power,

he will certainly start a war.

When that day comes,

it's the common folks who will suffer.

Since ancient times,

the fight for the throne has always been bloody.

Perhaps you're just a pawn too.

Why get yourself involved?

Perhaps

I am just a pawn.

But I don't want to be involved in court politics.

I only know

that behind me stand the Li family

and the Changfeng Army.

All I want is to protect

the people I should protect.

I decided to come back

because I wanted to face this with you.

It's my fault that I failed

to protect you—

letting Li Zhangyi hurt you like this.

Being in the eye of the storm,

I'm bound to suffer a little.

Gen…

General.

Li Zhangyi has sent word.

Tonight,

he'll visit you in person.

Make the arrangements.

Prepare a banquet for him.

Yes.

Your wound has opened again.

Let me bandage it for you.

It might hurt a bit.

Let me attend tonight's banquet

with you.

You said I'm already involved in this struggle.

If you hide me away on purpose,

Li Zhangyi

certainly won't let it go.

Besides, if I'm there,

I can protect you.

Protect me? How?

You're as weak as a kitten now,

and you've lost the supernatural strength you had as a child.

How are you going to protect me?

Last time you took a blade for me

and barely survived.

Instead of risking your life for me,

I'd rather

you stay alive and well.

As the mastermind behind everything,

she surely knows you're bound by the blood pact

and can't leave her.

She wants you to obey her willingly.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Don't move.

You're bleeding.

If I still had some of my strength,

I could at least do something for you.

But things are so unpredictable with me,

and I might never return to how I was.

I'm completely useless now.

Why are you still willing to keep me by your side?

Most of the women

in my residence

are homeless castaways.

Since you have nowhere to go,

you might as well stay here for now.

Besides,

there's still

the blood pact between us.

There's a dense forest outside Lucheng.

Three days from now,

you must find a way

to bring Li Shuang there.

Only then

can I have a chance to break your blood pact.

To you,

is this blood pact

a blessing

or a curse?

If it could be broken,

would you try?

Or…

would you still choose to keep me here?

Mr. Ji.

How is General?

Her wound's been dressed.

Nothing serious.

What did you

and General do

in Ninglan?

You're her right-hand man.

Why are you asking

an outsider like me?

Wouldn't it be quicker

to ask her directly?

When you speak of General,

show some respect.

Exercising your authority

on the battlefield is not enough,

and now you're forcing me to be grateful?

You have no right to complain about General.

If it weren't for you,

she wouldn't have been punished today.

Your past is suspicious.

She already showed you mercy by sparing your life.

Before leaving for Ninglan,

she even asked me to find your portrait

and look into your past,

just to give you a surprise.

Why did she do that?

You saved Young Master.

That makes her indebted to you.

If you dare use that debt of gratitude

and be rude to her,

I'll kill you myself.

She cares so much about me,

yet I let others mislead me

and doubted her.

My sharp senses

are back.

General,

Lord Li has arrived.

General, I gave you strokes today.

Though it was official business,

I fear it might have offended you

and damaged our bond as colleagues.

I hope you won't take offense.

You overthink it, My Lord.

Achievements should be rewarded.

Mistakes should be punished.

That's the rule of the Changfeng Army.

Speaking of rules,

tell me then,

is Jin'an killing Huo Du

an achievement…

or a mistake?

I was just joking.

The Changfeng Army is known for its strict discipline.

If you insist on protecting him,

you must have your reasons.

It's just that

when I think of Mr. Li,

who has illustrious military achievements

yet is affected because of this,

I feel bad for him.

This dagger is forged of cold iron,

sharp enough to cut through steel.

The pearl on its hilt is from the southern seas—

a once-in-a-century find.

Prince Li,

knowing your fondness for fine weapons,

had this dagger made

especially for you.

Prince Li is

of noble rank.

His gift is

lavish indeed.

Unfortunately,

I,

as a rough warrior,

am not used to such delicate things.

I'm afraid I can't accept

His Highness's kindness.

General Li,

you truly don't know what's good for you.

Have you forgotten your place

after being admired for so long

at the border?

Lord Li,

you are mistaken.

The Li family is Taijin's loyal subject.

The Changfeng Army

consists of Taijin citizens.

For generations,

we've only sought to defend Taijin.

We know

our duty

and have never forgotten our place.

My Lord,

General Li is devoted to serving the country.

That's a blessing to Taijin.

Indeed,

I came today

just to have a simple meal

and offer my apologies.

I didn't expect

to upset you again, General.

My bad.

My bad.

Just sitting here eating and drinking is so boring.

Why not

arrange some entertainment?

No girl in your residence

is ordinary.

I'm afraid

they can't sing or dance.

I heard that you're skilled

in riding and archery.

As it happens,

I know a thing or two about them.

Why don't we

have a contest?

What do you say?

Lord Li,

General is injured

and shouldn't draw a bow.

Please allow me

to take her place.

Generals get injured

in battle all the time,

but the war still goes on.

Surely they wouldn't

surrender just because of

an injury.

-But... -Ji Ran,

stand down.

Don't spoil the fun for Lord Li.

Yes.

Lord Li,

please.

General,

since it's a contest,

shouldn't we

place a wager to make it more interesting?

My Lord, what do you have in mind?

If I win,

you must accept

the precious dagger from Prince Li.

And if you lose?

If you lose,

you'll drop all charges against Jin'an.

As for Huo Du

colluding with the Yao State,

I will give His Majesty

a satisfactory explanation.

Report!

Lord Li scored nine points.

Seven points.

Eight points.

Nine points.

Six points.

A total of 39 points.

General,

you'd better think it through.

With Prince Li's help in the capital,

your father

would surely suffer less.

Since General's wager concerns me,

I should be the one

to shoot the arrows.

What do you think, Lord Li?

Your fate

should be in your own hands.

But if you take her place,

the rules are broken,

and the wager

must double.

Anything you say, My Lord.

Very well.

Then…

we'll wager your life.

Lord Li!

As you wish.

Missed.

Zero points.

10 points.

10 points.

10 points.

10 points.

Total of 40 points.

Since

we had a bet,

I hope you

will honor your agreement.

Fine.

Let's go.

You've been by my side for so long,

yet I had no idea

you had such remarkable skills.

Your wound is bleeding again.

Let me bandage it for you.

You deliberately missed the target earlier.

You were testing me.

He threatened you with your father,

so I had to know where your heart lies.

You…

I heard it.

Where my heart lies has never changed.

Do you think I only care

about my father?

I care about your life too.

We've only

known each other for a few months.

I shouldn't

mean so much to you.

Why do you care so much

about whether I live or die?

In these chaotic times,

staying alive is hard enough.

How could I let you die so easily?

Ji Ran told me

you went to Zang Budu

to find out about my past,

not to investigate me.

Why didn't you tell me?

I haven't uncovered anything yet.

There was nothing to say.

Perhaps you're right.

We've not known each other long.

I shouldn't have pried.

It's my fault

this time.

If I'd had more patience

or thought things through,

maybe I wouldn't have misunderstood you.

I overestimated myself…

and underestimated you.

Then tell me—

back in Ninglan, you were already acting strange.

After we returned, you kept testing me.

What is it you're hiding from me?

That's the whole story.

Do you have anything to say?

You already have doubts.

I have nothing to say.

Since I lost my memory,

that was the first time someone had mentioned my past.

Naturally, I had to think it over.

But I figured it out.

I trust you.

You've lost all your memories.

What makes you trust me?

Without memories,

I still have my intuition.

You've never mistreated me

or anyone around you.

I trust what I see

and what I feel.

What about the blood pact?

It inflicts excruciating pain on you

and robs you of freedom.

If it could be broken,

why not give it a try?

If it can be broken,

I'll find the way myself

instead of putting you in danger with me.

Have you considered…

maybe that person

was telling the truth?

I want to tell you

that even if the blood pact

was deliberately made by you,

I still want to have

a deeper bond with you.

She keeps you by her side

just to use you

and turn you

into a bloodthirsty beast.

Since I've chosen to trust Li Shuang,

I can't let him influence me.

Master.

It's still early.

That shadow puppet

might show up later.

You still don't understand human nature.

I gave him three days.

If he meant to come,

he'd be here already.

Empress Dowager's 10-day limit is almost up.

What should we do?

Ultimately,

a shadow puppet can't live without their blood master.

If we control Li Shuang,

the shadow puppet will be easy to deal with.

I've changed your dressing.

Be careful these days.

Don't get injured again,

understand?

Sorry for troubling you.

Don't be absurd.

There's no trouble at all.

Your quick recovery

is the best reward

for me as your physician.

I'll write you a prescription.

Take the medicine for a few days.

It's just a superficial wound.

Why do I need to take medicine?

That's exactly it.

Normally, this kind of wound

would almost be healed in a few days.

Why is it healing so slowly this time?

Your body must not be

as strong as before.

Look at you—

pale as a ghost.

One might think

you've been drained of blood.

Could it really

be related to Jin'an taking my blood?

This one

is the prescription.

And this map

shows a natural hot spring

in the forest outside the city.

You only need to soak in it

for about 30 minutes,

and it'll promote blood circulation

and fade scars.

When you're better,

go there regularly.

I don't have time for that.

Make time!

Are you trying to drive me crazy?

I'll go.

Who is there?

Don't waste your energy.

My camp was ambushed

twice before.

You were behind it?

Sharp as ever, General.

What is it you want?

What you picked up in the Barren Forest

was mine to begin with.

I just want it back.

You mean

Jin'an?

Your approach

is inappropriate.

Then call me presumptuous.

But I'm doing it for your sake.

Having someone of unknown origin by your side

must be unsettling.

Give him to me

so we don't have to go against each other.

I took him in,

so he's mine now.

Whether I keep him

or kill him,

no one else has any say in it.

Is that so?

Then you'll have to suffer for it.

How is this happening?

Li Shuang.

Holding out until now

and still not begging for mercy.

You deserve your reputation as Taijin's top female general.

I never expected

such a perfect fusion.

Li Shuang!

No!

If you don't want her to die,

you must come with me.

Then I'll let her go.

I'll go with you.

So you truly love your blood master.

Tell me,

after each transformation,

are you always this lucid?

Yes.

How long does it last?

Two hours.

I never imagined

Jade Linglong could fuse with you so perfectly.

So you're the one

behind all this.

Now that you know,

you must realize—

only I hold the answers

to your past.

Come with me,

and I'll give you the answers.

What do you say?

Master.

Let's go.

[General's Residence]

Urgent military report!

General is not in the residence now.

Do you know

where she is at the moment?

General!

General!

General!

General!

General!

General!

General!

General,

the enemy has reached the border.