Original subtitles

[The Unclouded Soul]

[Episode 16]

Tan'er.

Tan'er?

Didn't you want to find my true form?

Here I am.

I was confused.

I have failed you, Immortal Lord.

You certainly were confused.

Miss Pianpian.

Lu Pianpian.

The murderer who killed your brother

is right before your eyes.

Back then,

he used this demon-slaying blade

to kill your brother with his own hands.

I have wronged you, Immortal Lord.

I willingly accept my death.

I was the one who deceived Miss Pianpian.

Dreamshard,

even if you tear me into pieces

and use me as fertilizer for your flowers,

I won't resist.

I only beg you to let Miss Pianpian go.

Bingzhu,

still so smooth with your words.

Take these two to Biexin Courtyard.

Let everyone see

the consequences of naively trusting humans.

[Lovely and intelligent]

If it weren't for a man,

Pianpian could have enjoyed

being second only to one

and above all others in privilege.

But she was blind,

choosing to believe the sweet talk of this Feiyu Guard

and repaid Immortal Lord's kindness with betrayal.

Immortal Lord cared for Pianpian

and gave her several chances.

But she was bewitched by that wretched man

and repeatedly tried to harm Immortal Lord.

In the end,

this man

turned out to be her brother's killer.

Such people who can't tell right from wrong

don't deserve to become an immortal.

Today,

venomous insects will

turn them into living corpses.

They will stand in Biexin Court forever after,

as a warning to all.

What's that?

The venomous insect!

The venomous insect.

Master Bingzhu.

Thank you for treating me to delicious food.

I had no choice either.

I failed to protect all of you.

Pianpian.

At the brink of death,

do you have any last words?

I have followed Immortal Lord for 16 years,

and have long regarded her as my only family.

Every command from Immortal Lord,

I have obeyed without exception.

Luring people to the island,

keeping those who submit,

humiliating those who err,

punishing them,

and killing them.

I also extract human essence…

What is she talking about?

Harm their physical bodies,

and destroy their souls.

Whatever Immortal Lord asked me to do,

I never once refused.

That can't be true.

How is that possible?

She must be talking nonsense.

Immortal Lord isn't that kind of person.

Exactly.

It's impossible.

Right.

Pianpian,

you brought this on yourself,

yet how dare you slander Immortal Lord here.

I remember all the kindness from Immortal Lord,

but what I've done

I can never forget.

Every day, I'm tormented by inner conflict—

the suffering is unbearable.

So I can only punish myself.

Only when my body hurts enough

can my heart feel somewhat relieved.

When the heart wavers,

slander finds its way in.

It's your own weak conviction

that made you fall for a man's deception.

I am useless.

Following Immortal Lord every day,

yet making no progress at all.

Immortal Lord wishes to return to the celestial mountain,

but someone like me

is of no benefit to Immortal Lord.

But my life was given by Immortal Lord.

[Lovely and intelligent]

Now,

I'm willing to give my life

back to Immortal Lord.

What is she trying to do?

Release Lu Pianpian!

Still acting like you're deeply devoted?

As long as you release Lu Pianpian,

I'm willing to help Dreamshard

collect the fragments of the Kunlun Mirror.

Miss Zhirui.

[Lovely and intelligent]

Has Immortal Lord given any response

about when Hong Ye will be returned to me?

Immortal Lord

is not someone you can negotiate with as you please.

Then what will it take for you to release Hong Ye?

You should think about

what else you can do.

Fine.

If you are willing to release Hong Ye,

I am willing to join Master Bingzhu

in seeking the fragments of the Kunlun Mirror for you.

Both of you,

follow me to Linghua Palace.

You two think you can find the Kunlun Mirror?

Yes,

the two of us can.

If we can truly recover the mirror fragment,

you must release Tan'er

and Miss Pianpian.

Where do you plan to start looking from?

With determination,

even stones can be split.

Besides,

Immortal Lord will surely give us some clues,

won't you?

Then I shall give you one clue.

Mount Qiansui.

There's a legend in both human and demon realms

that a fragment of the Kunlun Mirror is hidden in Mount Qiansui.

But it's guarded by Taotie, the extremely ferocious ancient beast.

Neither humans nor demons

can approach it.

The lucky ones get injured, the unlucky ones die.

Hong Ye.

Wait for me.

I promise I'll get you out of here.

Be careful!

What is this thing?

It's a spirit herb

that I brought from Demons' Valley.

Perhaps

it hasn't been watered for a while and is throwing a tantrum.

I'll be right back.

Are you a dog?

Why did you bite me?

I...

What are you trying to prove?

Do you think Mount Qiansui is a place for ordinary people?

You wouldn't even fill the gaps in Taotie's teeth.

There's a Demon Slayer here, isn't there?

Him?

He's even more dangerous.

Dreamshard Immortal is truly wicked,

sending you alone with a man.

Are you jealous?

I'm not.

During this journey,

when you're with him,

you must be cautious at all times.

Keep your distance

and don't cross any boundaries.

Go back.

I'll tickle you!

It had enough to drink.

Immortal Lord let them leave the island so easily.

Does she really believe

they can find the Kunlun Mirror fragment?

Mount Qiansui

is guarded by Taotie.

Everyone knows that.

Many have tried to find that fragment

but never returned.

You mean

finding the mirror fragment is just an excuse,

but she's actually sending them to their deaths?

It takes Hong Ye

to find the fragments.

Master Bingzhu and Xiao Yao are mere mortals.

What use could they be?

If they realize they're no match for Taotie

and flee as soon as they reach shore,

wouldn't that be too easy for them?

That would be even better.

Isn't Hong Ye convinced their love is unbreakable?

Seeing his beloved run off with another man

is the only way he'll finally give up.

Lu Pianpian is still waiting eagerly in prison.

Let her see

how unreliable

a man's promises can be.

With no one at the helm,

I wonder where the wind will carry this boat.

The wind comes from the Realm of Mist and Void.

It will naturally take us to Mount Qiansui.

Let me ask you something.

Why did you kill Pianpian's brother?

Lu Tong was severely poisoned at that time.

He had already lost all his humanity.

I had no other choice.

Then why didn't you tell her?

She's suffered enough already.

Knowing that would only add to her sorrow.

Let her keep

the memory of her heroic brother

as something to hold onto.

Isn't that better?

We've arrived at Mount Qiansui.

The quickest way to find the mirror fragment

is to find Taotie first.

We need to be wary not just of demons,

but also of this place.

If you're ordinary villagers, come out now!

Otherwise, you'll all be treated as bandits!

Officer,

forgive my poor eyesight.

Please forgive my poor eyesight.

But that arrow just now

clearly came from that direction.

Li!

Come out now!

The officer has already seen you.

Hurry up.

You shot those three arrows just now?

[Li]

Yes.

Your archery is not bad.

Officer,

he failed to recognize you.

You can't even tell officials from bandits?

Are you saying

my Feiyu Guard uniform

isn't obvious enough?

No, no, Officer.

I was blind!

We truly have nothing left.

Please spare us.

The village has nothing left to pay taxes with,

Officer...

I'm not here to collect taxes,

only to exterminate demons.

Good.

Good.

Thank you.

-Thank you, Officer. Thank you, Officer. -Do you know where the demon is?

That demon

was wreaking havoc in our village just days ago.

Many houses were destroyed by them.

Lead the way.

Here.

I'll show you.

Li, how many years have you been an archer?

Your draw strength is sufficient,

but your rear elbow isn't level when drawing,

you release too quickly,

so your accuracy suffers.

Please don't blame him, Officer.

Li is our village's best hunter.

He wasn't always like this.

Since his wife was devoured by Taotie,

he's become somewhat deranged.

Please don't hold it against him.

That's right.

Does Taotie appear often?

Yes.

Taotie has turned

our village into ruins.

It's terrifying.

It has three heads, six arms,

and huge bloody jaws.

It can swallow

a fully grown man whole.

Yes, if you anger it,

it breathes fire from its mouth.

Wherever the flames touch,

nothing grows again.

Officer,

our village is just ahead.

Let's go.

I'll show you around the village.

Please.

Let's go.

It's terrifying.

Our village

is in terrible shape now.

Officer,

this is our village.

Take a look.

This is all Taotie's doing.

This house belonged to Ding Laosan.

His family of four couldn't escape.

Officers,

there's another one ahead.

Let me show you.

This monster terrorizes our village daily.

You have no idea.

The villagers are so frightened

they barely dare to leave their homes.

Ya, come to Grandma quickly.

Tribe Leader,

an official is here.

Hurry, leader!

Come welcome our distinguished guests.

Sir.

Greetings to both of you.

Please come inside.

This way, please.

Please.

Leader,

Li just shot an arrow at them at the village entrance.

He probably made them angry.

[Tribe Leader]

Sheng,

you two should go back.

Alright, we'll head back first.

Sir and Madam,

please sit.

Have a seat.

No need to trouble yourself, Leader.

It's no trouble at all.

Let me pour you some tea.

Sir, as you've seen on your way here,

you must have noticed

how our houses

and lands are completely devastated.

Moreover,

the villagers never know where their next meal will come from.

They're constantly harmed by Taotie.

Nowadays,

whether farming or hunting,

people must go in groups.

I would like to ask for your forgiveness

for the young men just now

who have offended you.

Leader,

are the claw marks on the wall

all left by Taotie?

Yes,

indeed.

Leader,

are there any other traces left by Taotie?

Would you please

show us?

Yes.

Well,

Sir.

No...

No matter how skilled you are,

you're still just one person alone.

So—

No, no.

You're stronger than him.

But

there are only two of you.

It's better to not disturb that monster.

In the past,

government troops came several times,

-and they were scared away. -They don't know how to catch demons.

The two of us

will not leave

until we eliminate Taotie.

Mm-hmm.

I just want to see the traces left by Taotie,

yet you're making various excuses.

Don't tell me you want me

to send a tax collector instead.

If that's the case,

then...

Sir,

please follow me.

Look.

These large footprints.

Look.

Especially that wall.

The handprints.

Claw marks.

Were all these left by Taotie?

Yes, yes.

This blood too?

That's right.

Taotie's blood?

No,

it's Wang Er's wife's.

Xiao Yao.

Told you it'd scare her off.

What footprints and handprints?

The paint too?

You might fool others,

but not me.

I used to make a living from this.

But this Taotie...

did it ever really appear?

Li, have you decided yet?

Are you going to meet her or not?

It'd be nice

to have a girl marry in this village.

Other families are lining up asking me to arrange marriages—

but look at you.

If the girl hadn't taken a liking to you,

I wouldn't even bother wasting my breath on you.

This boy...

Tell them

I already have a wife.

[Zixiu]

Are you playing hide and seek?

I want to play too.

If you don't play with me, I'll scream.

Don't scream, don't scream.

Let's play.

I'll hide and you find me.

What's this?

They made Taotie into an archery target.

This is Taotie?

Actually, Taotie doesn't look like this at all.

You've seen it?

Mm-hmm.

Where did you see it?

Play hide and seek with me first,

then I'll tell you.

Aren't I playing with you already?

Then close your eyes.

Okay.

I'll count to five.

After five, I'll open my eyes.

Run quickly.

Don't cheat.

I won't cheat. I play fair.

One.

Two.

Three.

Five.

I'm coming to catch you!

If I get you,

you have to come back to my cave with me.

Come find me!

Come on!

I'll catch you!

Did it scare you?

It scared you, didn't it?

Xiao Yao.

Why did you come so far?

I couldn't find you anywhere.

I thought something had happened to you.

It's nothing. I was just playing with this child.

But I was startled by this painting.

Zixiu.

This isn't a place you should be running around.

Go home.

I'm not done playing yet.

Stop playing around.

All you think about is playing.

Let me tell you.

If Taotie finds you, it will cost you your life.

But I still want to play!

Go back. Go back.

Back. Now.

I found

this child

when I was hunting in the mountains.

I searched for a long time

but couldn't find his parents.

They probably met with disaster.

This child has had a hard life.

So now

we're letting him stay in the village,

giving him food to eat.

He just offended you, Miss.

Please don't blame him.

-No, no. -Why is there an arrow hole?

That was drawn by Li.

He uses it as a target.

It's getting late.

We shan't disturb the villagers.

We'll rest here tonight.

Well...

Shall I bring you a charcoal brazier?

Yes, please.

All the traces left by Taotie in this village

were done by a human.

The footprints

and claw marks

are all created very shabbily.

The blood stains are the most ridiculous of all.

I suspect

they've never seen a Taotie before.

The Baize Drawings say

a Taotie has a sheep's body with a human face.

Its eyes are located under its armpits,

completely different from this one.

Regardless of whether this drawing depicts the real Taotie,

but from what Li did today,

I can tell

he must have seen the real demon before.

By the way,

that kid just now

told me today

he has seen Taotie before.

Him?

I don't know if it's true.

Here's what we'll do.

Tomorrow you go find Li,

and I'll find that child.

We'll investigate further.

Sure.

All right.

Xiao Yao!

What?

I need to talk to you about something.

He's a single man and you're a single woman—

it's inappropriate for you two

to using the same room.

And also,

since you two got on the boat,

this pretty boy—

I've felt that

he has ulterior motives toward you.

Furthermore,

I'd rather

you stayed with Luoluo

than him!

Do you get it?

Little mantis, watch your tongue.

Shut up!

Who are you calling little mantis?

You shut up.

What's wrong with being in the same room as him?

Are we doing anything shameful?

We're discussing important matters.

Yet you're projecting your own indecent thoughts onto others.

How dare you

blabber on

and on.

Let me tell you,

you two being together is unacceptable!

You like Luoluo, don't you?

I'll let you see him right now.

Luoluo, right?

Luoluo!

Weren't you blabbering on?

What? I can't hear you.

Still can't hear you.

Speak louder!

Aren't you supposed to be tough?

Aren't you tough?

That's...

well drawn.

It's alright.

Did it hurt?

Get out!

Taotie is here!

Taotie is here!

Taotie is here!

Taotie is here!

The demon is coming!

Kill it!

Kill it!

Sir, are you alright?

This Taotie

took advantage of the dark

and entered the village.

It was spotted in front of Li's house.

The villagers

have some experience dealing with it.

Right, right.

It didn't hurt anyone.

They drove it away.

Drove it away.

It ran off.

You drove it away?

Yes, yes.

It's gone.

It ran off.

Well done.

Let's press our advantage.

Give me the blade.

Sir,

look,

Li and the young men have already gone,

so there's no need to trouble yourself.

Right, right.

Sheng,

go check it out.

Go, hurry.

Quick, let's go.

Sir and Madam,

get some rest.

So,

does it look familiar?

All too familiar.

There's fresh blood at the base of these scales,

and the footprints are so even.

This doesn't seem like a human pretending.

It must be a demon at least.

Li!

They're back.

You've returned.

They're back.

How did it go?

Another night wasted.

Still couldn't catch it.

So you all encountered Taotie?

Chased it all night,

but it got away again.

It's fine if it escaped,

as long as everyone is safe.

Have some water.

Here.

Are you alright?

You went that way.

Next time,

we absolutely cannot let it escape again.

Li,

may I see your arrow?

This arrowhead is poisoned,

and bound with charms.

It is indeed

the only way to fight demons right now.

But if it's truly Taotie,

this is far from enough.

I'm willing to help you

slay the demon and avenge.

Li,

I heard your wife

was killed by Taotie.

Did you witness it yourself?

Could you tell me

the details?

Did you see what it looked like?

Sir,

please don't put Li on the spot.

Leader.

As a Feiyu Guard Demon Slayer...

It's my duty to eliminate demons for the people.

Yes, of course.

If the demon isn't eliminated,

more people will suffer the pain of losing loved ones.

Are you going to wait for that day?

Follow me.

My wife's name was Ya'er.

We grew up together.

We were betrothed since childhood.

After marriage, life was hard,

but there was sweetness in the bitterness.

But later,

the government taxes kept increasing,

and I happened to fall seriously ill,

so all our money

was spent on treating my illness.

Tax day was approaching.

I insisted on going hunting in the mountains despite my illness.

But Ya'er wouldn't allow it.

She absolutely refused.

While I was fast asleep,

she took the bow and went to the mountains herself.

She was gone for many days.

She returned the day before taxes were due.

Not only did she bring back game,

she also brought back a bottle of spring water.

She said that on her way,

she met an immortal,

who gave her a bottle of

Yuli Spring water that grants immortality.

The water smelled foul to me,

so I refused to drink it.

But Ya'er insisted I drink it.

She said I would be cured after drinking it.

During our argument,

I accidentally pushed her,

and broke the bottle.

The shards also cut her hand.

I deserve to die.

If I had drunk that water then,

none of this would have happened.

Go play by yourself.

Do you know how to play jianzi?

No, I don't.

I'll teach you.

Don't mess around.

Jianzi is really fun.

I don't want to play.

Just play with me for a while.

Fine. Give it to me.

What's wrong with you?

No need to throw it away even if you're not playing with me.

Here.

Thank you.

What's your name?

Zixiu.

Zixiu.

Yes.

Do you remember you promised me yesterday

that if I played hide-and-seek with you,

you would tell me something?

Do you know how to play jianzi?

Of course.

That's amazing!

Teach me!

Want to play something else?

Yes.

Let's go.

Later on,

the tax officials came.

They took away our game

and all the valuables in our home.

They still thought it wasn't enough.

Ya'er had to go to the mountains again.

But when she went up this time,

she never came back.

The villagers and I searched for many days,

but couldn't find her.

We only found her clothes

and...

this half jade pendant.

This is my family heirloom,

our token of love.

At the place where I found the jade pendant,

I also heard the howl of Taotie,

and saw a pair of eyes.

What kind of eyes?

Blood-red eyes.

Hidden in the forest, staring at me.

If I don't kill it,

I swear I am not human.

Bear with it.

Just cooperate.

You're so nice, Miss,

just like Ya'er.

Who is Ya'er?

She's Li's wife.

Mm-hmm!

Before, only Ya'er would play with me,

sometimes bringing Li along too.

What happened after?

Later, Ya'er disappeared

and Li changed too.

Zixiu.

Was Ya'er

really eaten by Taotie?

No.

But

many people in the village

died in strange ways.

They don't even get coffins—

just wrapped in mats

and thrown in the graveyard.

Follow me if you're not afraid.

Let's go.

We're here.

Li said

at the place where Ya'er disappeared,

he also saw a pair of eyes like these.

Can the dead become a living corpse?

This location is extremely yin,

so it's hard to say.

Don't be afraid.

I'll set up a formation

to suppress the evil energy.

I'm not afraid.

Go and set it up.

Zixiu, come here.

Okay.

Listen,

the rats are gnawing on human bones.

The coins didn't move.

It's likely someone playing tricks.

I have done nothing wrong,

so I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking.

Want to see a magic trick?

Yes.

Blow on it.

Fire!

Hurry!

Come put out the fire!

Leader!

-Leader! -Leader!

Stomp it out!

That's it!

Quick!

Help!

Harder!

That's it!

Let's go!

Leader.

Are you alright, Leader?

The act fell through.

Sir...

S-Sir...

You have such nerve,

daring to trick the Feiyu Guard.

No.

Sir, let me explain.

Mount Qiansui has always been barren,

we truly cannot afford the taxes.

We had no choice

but to spread rumors about monsters hurting people

and destroying fields and homes.

Our goal was to keep officials and outsiders away

so we could have a moment to breathe.

We dressed as ghosts to scare people

out of desperation,

with no intention to harm anyone.

Please understand our situation, Sir.

Please be merciful, Sir!

Please be merciful.

Since we entered the village,

we've been telling you

we're not here to collect money

but to capture monsters.

Yet you still try to deceive us.

I... I... I...

I had no choice.

Well... Well...

I was once forced into doing something like this too.

Though they have deceived us,

they truly haven't hurt anyone.

Get up.

Thank you, Sir.

Thank you, Sir!

Thank you, Sir.

Thank you, Sir.

Was Taotie from last night

also something you fabricated?

My Lord,

there really are monsters here.

Strange incidents have occurred in the village.

Every time officials came,

they claimed they would eliminate the monsters,

but they would always fail

and only add to the extortion—

Even so—

I'll say this one last time.

The two of us came here

with no ulterior motive.

Only here to eliminate monsters.

Yes.

Then we're extremely grateful, Sir.

Thank you, Sir.

Thank you, Sir.

But you must tell me everything

that has happened here in detail.

Us.

Do not...

hide anything.

I wouldn't dare deceive you at all.