Original subtitles

[Strange Chronicles of Tang]

[Episode 13]

[Abode of Transcendence]

Back then,

when I followed my revered mentor, Master Di,

in investigating mysterious cases,

the so-called deities we offended

were too many to count!

One more won't make a difference!

Though worldly affairs are complex,

they follow certain rules.

Life is full of suffering,

but there is always a way to relieve one's woes.

I cannot bear to see people suffer,

so I came here

to help relieve their woes—

only to meet such disrespect from this youngster.

Do you wish for the Demon of Woes

to remain in this mortal world,

bringing harm everywhere?

Please don't be angry, divine one.

Please remain in the mortal world

to relieve our woes!

-Master, please calm your anger. -Master, please calm your anger.

Please remain in the mortal world

and relieve our woes.

-Master, please calm down. -Master, please calm down.

Guards!

Throw this troublemaker out

and never allow him to return to the Relief-from-Woes Shop!

Let go of me!

Let go of me!

Let go of me!

[Abode of Transcendence]

Madam, you are a gold member,

yet you didn't get a chance to share your troubles.

We're deeply sorry.

It's fine.

Witnessing a deity descend

into the world with my own eyes

is already an honor beyond measure.

You're devout and faithful.

Why not remain here and cultivate immortality?

I can remain here?

Of course.

Even gold members

cannot compare to

the cultivators here.

What's the difference?

Cultivators can serve the Master regularly.

Their souls dwell alongside the divine,

and worries and woes cannot afflict them.

They have a greater chance of slaying the Ultimate Evil

born of worries and woes—

not a straw effigy

like the one on stage today.

Excellent.

However...

I still have unfinished business in the mortal world.

Once I've settled it,

I'll surely return here to cultivate.

I have another request.

I have a friend

who also wishes to seek relief here.

Is there any way

to give him a chance to voice his woes publicly?

If gold coins can settle it,

just name the amount.

Worldly possessions are the source of troubles,

and this is certainly not a place to line one's pockets.

As for your friend,

he seems to have a fated connection with this place.

What do you mean?

Today's Relief-from-Woes Assembly

was disrupted by some troublemaker named Su.

The Master also feels sorry about it,

so he's decided to hold an additional session tomorrow.

Only 12 gold members

will be permitted to enter,

and all will be given a chance to voice their woes.

Bring your friend.

No gold coins are needed.

Official Lu,

did I mess things up today?

Why would you say that?

If it were me,

I'd have done the same.

It's just that the Demon of Woes

was disguised too convincingly.

I'm telling you—

last time, I saw it with my own eyes

as blood splattered out,

and it was definitely human blood!

Besides, if it were really made of straw,

there's no way the sound of its head

hitting the ground

could have been that real!

That was a real human head!

What shocked me even more was...

that Master's

voice—where did it come from?

Your hearing is sharp.

Did you detect it?

Strange.

My ears failed me

as soon as I entered the Relief-from-Woes Shop.

I couldn't even tell

that the voice wasn't coming

from the Master himself.

The guard standing behind him

is very suspicious.

Also,

Fei's suffering is bitter beyond words.

We haven't

cared enough about him.

Let's forget everything

we heard tonight.

And never ask about

his past again.

Xijun told me

that beneath the Hanzhou city walls,

Fei once said...

You and I cannot leave.

In life,

we journey west together.

In death,

we go to the underworld together.

So we must never

abandon him.

Technically,

I can eat chicken

without paying,

because I have...

I'll keep my good stuff to myself.

Therefore,

I'll pay!

Which one would you like?

I want that one,

the one that's almost done,

with the chicken wing tips glistening with oil.

But that chicken

has already been reserved.

Reserved?

Not reserved, not reserved. It's yours.

I'll go take a leak.

When I come back, I want it on my table!

Sure thing!

Sleeping incense...

The scab is about to fall off.

It shouldn't leave a scar.

Your ointment works wonders.

Before,

a wound like this

would've taken at least a month to heal.

Come on.

Alright, dear. You must be tired.

I've heated some water.

Let me wash your feet.

No need.

If we're washing, let's wash together.

My feet are huge.

They're ugly.

Big feet help you stand firm.

They're beautiful to me.

Just like your face.

I, Sheng,

after all, am someone

who owns a house in Chang'an.

Not only do I own a house,

but I can also pay off the pawnshop debt.

Not only am I debt-free now...

but I even have money to spare.

From now on,

I, Sheng, can hold my head high

and stand as a proper citizen of Chang'an.

You've betrayed the Master.

You deserve to die.

I...

H-Help!

This is the mercy granted to you

by the all-powerful Master.

In your next life, you shall be free of all troubles.

Attendant!

Attendant!

Attendant!

Don't leave me alone here!

Attendant! Help me!

[Yongzhou Prefecture]

In Lantian County,

we found information about Chen Qian.

Five years ago,

after his parents died,

he decided to go to the capital to take the imperial exam.

When leaving Lantian,

he vowed to pass the exam

and return in glory.

But after that,

he never came back.

With the portrait Miss Xijun drew,

we asked the neighbors near Chen Qian's old residence.

It's him.

Five years ago.

The timeline matches up.

The female Master of Rain left home

at 6 PM.

Her husband, Chen Qian,

left a quarter of an hour after her.

They were cautious,

so I didn't follow too closely.

They went in the direction

of the Relief-from-Woes Shop, but whether they actually entered

remains uncertain.

At 8 PM,

the couple returned home together.

I intended to keep watch,

but then I heard Sheng's screams.

Their houses are very close together.

How is Sheng?

I saved him from Ascension Forest.

He's really lucky.

Uncle Fei's life-saving miracle medicine

was all used on him.

He's awake now.

We agreed to be friends,

and friends shouldn't hide anything from each other.

But you?

If I hadn't asked Madam Yingtao

to protect you secretly,

you would have...

They actually wanted to drain all my blood.

They wanted those Ghost Birds to devour me.

Not even...

Not even my bones would remain!

So you even know

the secrets of Ascension Forest.

How dare you, Sheng!

What else are you hiding?

Hanging myself...

taking poison...

or jumping into the Qu River...

Which one should I choose?

That was two months ago.

I discovered

that my wife was actually

cheating on me

in the house I bought.

I was heartbroken at the time

and wanted to end my life.

But then I heard

there was a new Relief-from-Woes Shop in the district.

I know that place.

It used to be some unknown

general's residence from the previous dynasty.

Rumor had it that it was haunted, and no one dared to go there.

It had been abandoned for many years.

Somehow,

someone had fixed it up quite nicely.

After pouring out my sorrows,

they actually asked me

to become a cultivator

and seek immortality there.

I worried

that they were just trying

to take my house.

Well...

I worked hard to get my house.

How could I agree to that?

But...

the altar attendant wasn't angry at all

and even gave me an assignment.

[East Street of Chunming Gate, Xingqing District]

He gave me different addresses each time.

He asked me to go to those places

to praise the Relief-from-Woes Shop.

I thought it was nothing more than drumming up clients,

just a broker's work at most.

But... they made me swear

never to betray the Master.

Otherwise,

they would execute me

as a traitor.

I needed the money,

so I agreed.

You took the money but didn't do the work,

and that's why you faced disaster tonight.

No!

When I take someone's money, I do the job.

I, Sheng, follow the rules!

Then why?

You

weren't recruited

at the designated location.

By making a scene at the altar,

you clearly posed a threat to them.

Also,

I took gold coins behind their backs.

Yingtao, go check his home

to see if the gold coins are still there.

The so-called gold membership

had to be purchased with gold coins—

that's your money-making scheme?

Yes.

They only asked me to drum up clients

and never mentioned charging any fees.

Gold, silver, iron—

there's actually no difference.

Just a gimmick.

Cultivating immortality inside the shop

also doesn't require offering up one's family property.

I only found that out later.

But from that moment on,

I truly believed

the Master was a god.

Because only a god would not seek money

and would only want to relieve our woes.

Where is your wife?

Why didn't we see her when we went to your house?

After I confessed at the Relief-from-Woes Shop,

perhaps

she realized I had discovered her affair,

so she ran away.

She never came back.

Then how do you know she ran away

rather than being harmed by someone?

Also,

why didn't you report it to the authorities?

Why should I report it?

A wife like that—

it'd be better if she were dead!

You're more vicious than I thought.

Let me ask you:

the Relief-from-Woes Assembly was originally held every three days,

but suddenly an extra one was added.

Has this ever happened before?

Never.

Where did they

have you go to attract clients?

Think carefully

and don't leave out a single location.

Yes.

Yes.

[Jincheng District]

[Banzheng District]

[Imperial Palace]

[Chongren District]

[Shengye District]

[Xingqing District]

The Xingqing District was formerly called Longqing District,

[Xingqing District] [Chunming Gate]

where the current Emperor

lived when he was Prince of Linzi.

I've also noticed

that the districts where they sent Sheng

all have imperial courtiers living there.

Could it be...

Official Lu.

All the money is here.

The fact that the Relief-from-Woes Shop

doesn't seek money is precisely what makes it so dangerous.

This is your reward.

Your Majesty,

this reward is too generous.

I dare not accept it.

If I can pour out my heart

and relieve my worries and woes,

this reward is nothing.

I want to rest for a while.

You may all leave.

Yes.

Your Majesty,

the side gate guards have already withdrawn,

and horses are ready outside.

Where does Your Majesty wish to go?

So I, Lu Tong, can take precautions in advance.

Lu Lingfeng,

what do you mean by this?

I implore Your Majesty

to prioritize the realm and its people

and reconsider this matter carefully!

I just want to find a place

to express my troubles and find some relief!

What is there to reconsider?

Though I am no emperor who conquers on horseback,

I surely don't need

your protection at every turn!

Lu Tong,

you are my grand general.

How could you take orders from him,

a mere Yongzhou Judicial Officer?

Lu Lingfeng deduced that Your Majesty

planned to exit through the northwest side gate

and head to Xiuzhen District.

I didn't believe it at first,

but considering Your Majesty's safety,

I just...

I almost thought

you had planted spies

around me.

Your Majesty jests.

This accusation

is too serious for me to bear.

Alright, that's enough kneeling.

Get up.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Lu Lingfeng,

how did you know of my plan?

This subordinate is currently investigating a case

regarding the Relief-from-Woes Shop in Xiuzhen District.

Allow me to report the details.