Original subtitles

[Strange Chronicles of Tang]

[Episode 4]

[Yongzhou Prefecture]

Am I free now?

Am I finally free?

Thank you, Officers.

Thank you all.

I can't wait

to visit the East Market,

eat a bowl of Xiao's wontons,

and buy myself some decent clothes.

And then

have some fun in the Pingkang District.

I go to the Pingkang District

just to listen to the songstresses

playing the pipa.

It's been months

since I heard any music.

I really can't stand it anymore.

Did you really not write the blood letter?

No, I didn't.

Why don't you check again?

Biting my finger would hurt so much.

I can't bring myself to do it.

Write down your name.

Why?

Cut the crap.

Is this a place for you

to ask questions?

I'll write it. I'll write it.

[Xie Xia]

Why did those 3 women

imprison you?

They are bad people.

Then how did you get

the nickname "Woe-Reliever"?

I...

Yeah,

it's my fault.

I seduced them first.

I admit that.

Later, I wanted to leave,

but I couldn't get away.

You brought this on yourself.

With such poor character,

you don't deserve to become a jinshi scholar.

Go back to your hometown!

I could tell at first glance

that the blood letter wasn't written by him.

But what I want to say

is whoever wrote that blood letter

must be a scholar.

Writing with blood

and still making such neat letters

isn't easy at all.

I understand.

Thank you for your work.

[Honesty and Diligence]

The 3 women are neighbors,

all widows.

Is this kind of situation

common in the Xiuzhen District?

Not common.

I believe this would be unusual

anywhere else too.

Have they always lived there?

Not exactly.

Cong has lived

in the Xiuzhen District since childhood.

She married a live-in man.

That man was quite honest.

Later on,

he caught an unknown illness

and died.

As for Manniang and Hua,

they moved here in the past few years.

Manniang came earlier,

and Hua

a few months later.

Was Cong's husband

still alive then?

I need to think about that carefully.

In the glorious capital,

you dared to imprison someone as a slave.

What punishment do you deserve?

Captain Xue.

They're not answering.

Apply torture!

Apply torture!

I am the mastermind.

The underground chamber is in my house.

The idea of imprisoning Xie You

was also mine.

These 2 had nothing to do with it.

Having Manniang and Hua

move in as your neighbors

was also your idea, wasn't it?

How did your husband die?

Take her away.

Yes!

Manniang.

Your martial skills are impressive.

How many lives have you taken?

Take her away too.

Yes!

[Loyalty]

Hua!

I...

I'm just an accomplice.

I was an assassin before,

but I only assisted others.

I've never killed anyone myself!

If I didn't have evidence,

would I let you stay alone?

You killed Cong's husband,

didn't you?

No, no, I didn't kill him!

It was Manniang!

Manniang

was the handler for Cong and me.

Because of my carelessness,

Cong's husband

found out about our past.

Manniang didn't even give a warning

before she struck.

His blood splattered all over me.

It was terrifying.

What happened in the past?

Nothing important.

Not talking?

Luo, Jia, Liu!

Silence!

I'll talk! I'll talk!

Manniang

was an assassin from the Crimson Pact.

Cong and I were her subordinates.

How did you find the flaw?

When you went mushroom picking at Leyouyuan

to celebrate his birthday,

he had supposedly moved away already.

It's all because of Hua's big mouth.

Of course, it's also my fault.

I was seduced by the Woe-Reliever

and ended up like this.

About the Crimson Pact,

I won't say anything.

Just cut off my head!

Yingtao,

you're a heroine.

When you were saving Su Wuming,

you weren't afraid of death.

And you're now afraid of my mere acupuncture needles?

Don't move. Don't move.

Done.

Although I've removed the needles,

you should still lie down a bit longer.

Don't worry.

With me here,

everything will be fine.

Yingtao used all her strength

to protect me.

Those 2 assassins, a man and a woman,

were highly skilled in martial arts.

I've been thinking,

but I can't figure it out.

I have no enemies.

Who would want to kill me?

How did you all get involved with assassins?

Those 3 women,

though ordinary in martial arts,

have been confirmed to be Crimson Pact assassins.

Ordinary in martial arts?

They're just minions at best.

What are minions?

Minions

are part of the Crimson Pact

but not really assassins.

They can develop their own subordinates

but have only one direct handler.

If they lose contact

with their handler,

they'll become abandoned pieces

and can never find their assassin group again.

The core assassins of the Crimson Pact

are either highly skilled martial artists

or experts with extraordinary abilities,

including those who excel in poisoning

or illusion.

In short,

their common characteristic

is that they're all extremely arrogant.

Assassins of high caliber like Beacon Fire

and Silent Ember

naturally have

all kinds of business

from clients seeking them out.

But if the target

is just an ordinary nobody,

even if you offer them a fortune,

they won't do the job themselves.

That's why they have minions

handle the minor tasks.

Some masters even train

their disciples to become minions.

I must say, Mr. Fei,

you seem to know

quite a lot about this.

Of course I do.

After all, I once treated

Silent Ember's wounds.

Su Wuming.

Why don't you

take another look at this thing?

You said it's 15 days old,

but Mr. Fei suggested

it's 5 days old.

[Save Lives, Relieve Woes]

[Save Lives, Relieve Woes]

The bloodstains seeped into the linen,

winding like trails left by earthworms crawling through mud.

Though it was just a quick assessment back then,

it seems correct now.

Something this completely dried out

and brittle

should be at least 15 days old, right?

Su Wuming,

you've learned well from Master Di.

When criminals leave traces,

they can't escape your keen eye.

But when it comes to human blood,

I have seen

more than most.

I didn't just guess it was 5 days old.

I smelled it.

Try it yourself.

Your noses aren't good enough.

Haven't you smelled the blood?

No, I haven't.

Scrape off a bit more

and dissolve it in water, then smell.

Especially the word

"Relieve."

The first 2 words "Save Lives"

are clearly lighter than the following words.

This is because the blood was still thin

at the initial stage of writing,

requiring the writer

to bite his fingertips repeatedly.

[Save Lives, Relieve Woes]

Look, it turns as red as cinnabar

toward the end.

My mentor Sun Simiao once said

once drawn from the body, human blood will develop a putrid odor after 3 days

and decompose by the fifth.

Now, smell the blood in the water again.

There is indeed a faint putrid odor.

This is a sign that the vital essence in the blood hasn't dispersed.

According to the "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon,"

based on the principles of blood decomposition,

it is definitely no more than 5 days old,

likely between 3 and 5 days old.

But the cracking level of these words...

I understand now.

Recently, the Maestros of Rain in Chang'an

have all been praying for rain,

which only came this afternoon.

The robe

was hanging in Ascension Forest.

The robe was exposed to wind and sun,

which accelerated its drying.

That's why

this blood writing that's only a few days old

appears

to be half a month old.

That's right.

Thank you, Miracle Doctor Fei,

for correcting my misjudgment.

No need for that.

We're a team.

Such a grand gesture

might shorten my life.

In the future,

if there's anything you don't understand,

just ask me.

I'll give you some guidance anytime.

Alright,

both of you, sit down.

Whether it's 15 or 5 days old,

the leads have gone cold on both sides.

Didn't we capture

the 3 female assassins?

That's quite an achievement.

What a coincidence.

Today, when I left the district office,

I ran into Mr. Hou from Hero Restaurant.

So I ordered

some of their signature dishes.

They should arrive soon.

How about we have a few drinks?

A few drinks sounds good.

A few drinks can help blood circulation,

which is perfect

for my back to heal faster.

Ruan Daxiong has gone beyond the border.

Mr. Hou is running the restaurant alone.

He must be very busy.

The restaurant is already short-staffed.

And you've made them

deliver food all the way here.

Won't that interfere with

Hero Restaurant's business?

It sounds like

Official Lu has invested

in Hero Restaurant.

Besides,

I wouldn't have

their staff deliver it.

I hired an errand service to pick it up.

Everyone's been so busy lately.

Lu Lingfeng and Xue Huan used to stay at the district office,

so it's rare for us to gather.

There's no time to cook,

so this is the best I can do.

I've already asked Xue Huan

to buy some good wine.

Xijun, you really understand me.

My gold-plated silver flask

with a dancing horse pattern

is already empty.

Doesn't the name I came up with for this flask,

the one Xijun gave me, sound nice?

It's nice,

but just a bit of a mouthful.

According to my original plan,

tomorrow, the district circuit shall take place in the Xiuzhen District.

I hope

I can find some useful clues.

So I won't drink today.

The recent cases we've investigated

and situations we've encountered

are all related to this Xiuzhen District.

How about I go with you tomorrow?

You volunteered to go,

so don't complain.

For the sake of the investigation,

when have I ever complained?

Thank you for your work.

Here's your fee.

Thank you, Miss.

To be honest,

I've been working as an errand runner

for over 6 months now,

but this is my first time delivering food.

On my way here, I was wondering

who would be rich enough

to have just a few dishes

delivered from outside Kaiyuan Gate,

all the way across half of Chang'an.

Little did I know

you were going to host

the renowned disciple of Master Di.

I've seen Official Lu before.

On district circuit for cases, he cuts an imposing figure

and is so kind to us common folk.

This errand trip

is definitely worth it.

Here,

this is from Official Lu for you.

Thank you, Miss.

Thank you, Official Lu.

Please enjoy your meal.

I'll be on my way now.

I have more deliveries to make.

Farewell.

For an official,

earning the people's approval

is the greatest joy.

How about you have a few drinks tonight?

Just a small drink,

not enough to affect the district circuit tomorrow.

Well then,

a small drink?

A small drink.

In my entire life,

I hate nothing more than the words "small drink."

It reeks of pretentiousness.

You 2 can have your small drink.

I shall drink heartily with others.

If we're drinking, let's drink properly!

Let's go.