Original subtitles

At the end of Ming Dynasty,

Marquis of Wuqing led the Guanning Army

to encircle and suppress Qi Army

and asked his son

to collude with bandits and rob the provisions

to destroy the Qi Army.

Sir,

we're ambushed!

Kill!

Is there anyone alive in the Qi Army?

Is there anyone alive?

[Five years later]

Later,

I became blind

and crippled

and was even wanted for treason.

I used to be the governor of Nightspears,

but since then I have to cover my face

and beg for a living.

[Blind Kill]

[Qingshi Town]

Move fast!

What are you doing?

Leave here.

You're here every day.

No food for you.

Leave here.

Move.

Move.

Wait.

Go to the kitchen

and get him a bowl of meat porridge.

Ma'am, it's inappropriate.

A family with good deeds will be blessed.

Why is it inappropriate?

Yes.

This doll is so cute.

Xiaoyue, don't be naughty.

It belongs to others.

So cute.

My dear daughter,

let me hug you.

Do you like it?

You can keep it.

Say thank you.

Thank you.

Ma'am.

It's hot.

It's hot.

Are you from another city?

When the new year comes,

my father will offer free clothes and porridge as usual.

You can come over.

You can sleep in my woodshed

and leave

when spring comes.

Boss,

go!

I'm not leaving

unless we leave together.

Don't waste time.

The more people can survive, the better.

This is the military order.

Go.

Run!

Boss, save me!

Say thank you.

Thank you.

Do you like it?

You can keep it.

It's mine.

Good stuff.

This is mine.

Give it to me.

Mine!

He's still alive.

Blind!

Why did you kill all the people in the town?

I'm asking you why you slaughtered them!

Stop!

If you don't tell me,

I will kill you.

I'll kill her if you don't stop.

Help me!

Young Master, run!

Stop him.

Take her back

and let her make figurines.

Let's go.

Help me!

Go!

Don't move.

I'll kill her if you move.

Hurry up!

Go!

Go.

Please let me go.

Where is your master?

Beasts Mountain.

Mount three hills to the northwest.

We killed the town with bandits

and agreed to divide the stuff there.

The young master came here this time

to find something that can keep the body intact.

I told you everything I know.

Please let me go.

It's all yours.

All for you,

as long as you let me go.

[Beasts Mountain]

Stinky beggar!

Get lost!

What's wrong?

Do you know him?

No.

So much gold.

That's a lot.

So much gold.

We can have a good life for a long time.

Let's go.

Let's go.

She looks good.

Don't touch her.

She belongs to the Young Master.

Kill him!

Retreat!

Come out.

It's okay.

Share the money

and go home.

Think of this as a bad dream.

Now that you're awake,

you should move on.

Please wait.

I was abducted by these bandits.

I don't know how my father and sister are.

[Grave of My Sister Ian Xiaoyue]

[Grave of My Father Ian Huishan]

I found something on your family

that doesn't look like bandits' stuff.

Do you recognize it?

I know.

Someone came to my house that day

to see the luminous pearl.

Is it for sale?

This is our treasure.

No.

Master Ian,

we can discuss the price.

No.

Goodbye.

Why?

Why?

All for that one thing.

They killed my whole family,

even the kid.

Why?

A man is innocent,

but possessing a jade may bring trouble.

If you show your face,

the calamity will come.

My condolences.

Steward Dao.

Steward Dao.

Steward Dao.

Greetings, Young Master.

No one is alive?

No.

He hid his identity

and begged for a living,

He is quite capable.

It's really interesting.

Young Master.

Do you think

something

is missing

here?

All these years,

you've searched all the treasures in the world.

Now,

you got the Beauty-Preserving Pearl

that can protect the body.

I guess the marquis and generals

can do no better.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

All dead.

They are all dead.

What's missing?

It's vigor.

Vigor.

Face death

as we face life.

Even if I'm in the netherworld,

I will still

do whatever I want.

The geomancy master once said

Five Tigers Gate-Severing Formation

needs someone with extremely evil aura

to be the eye of the formation

and protect the tomb for me.

That's exactly what I need.

Now,

we have a ready-made one.

But his kung fu...

Go to my father

to get some weapons.

No matter how skilled he is,

he can't survive two Thundering Bombs.

I will bring him back to you.

Remember,

I want him alive,

and then freshly killed.

Yes, Young Master.

You've been with me for three days and nights.

Are you going to marry me?

I just want justice.

You're highly skilled.

Please help me.

Right or wrong depends on power.

People's opinions don't matter.

I can't give you

the justice you want.

Please.

Only you can help me.

Do I look like

a hero?

I'm just

a despicable beggar.

I can't help you.

Then why did you save me?

To repay you for the porridge.

Now,

you and I

are even.

I've collected some herbs that can dispel the coldness.

Drink it while it's hot.

Why did you save me?

You don't care about anything.

Why don't you let me die?

Now,

I just want to reunite with my sister and father.

Why didn't you let me do that?

Why?

Because the mastermind

can control the whole Beasts Mountain.

They are very powerful.

That's why they dared to slaughter the town.

In this world,

major evil covers minor evil

and minor evil is regarded as peace.

In this way,

evil won't be disclosed by those who care.

This matter will fade away.

Hundreds of people were killed overnight

just for one thing.

It's not even food,

just for fun.

In some people's eyes,

life of people

is indeed worthless.

Father,

Xiaoyue,

is that you?

There's a legend in our hometown

that if the deceased is still attached to their familily,

they will turn into fireflies

to visit their family in the mortal world.

Father and Xiaoyue are here to see me.

Those are all lies.

People die like lights go out.

The only thing left behind is those pitiful thoughts.

They will also disappear in the end

and no longer exist.

At this time,

why are there fireflies?

They came to say goodbye.

Father,

Xiaoyue,

I will live well.

Don't worry about me.

Stay with me later.

Don't speak.

It has its own rules here.

I want to buy cloth.

What cloth?

Songjiang cloth.

Three feet long and three yards wide.

And embroider three peony flowers with golden hooks.

Who is this?

It doesn't matter.

Just an outsider.

This is all I have.

Wait for me.

The blade is as light as paper and as bright as flowing water.

Its five-foot cold gleam glows like frost-stained jade.

No wonder you single-handedly stirred up

the wolf den of Beasts Mountain.

Your bureau truly lives up to its name.

I had barely taken my leave,

and you already caught wind of it.

All patrol officers across the country report to our bureau.

Just the carrier pigeons alone

number over a hundred letters a day.

All the world's affairs

could not escape our bureau's eyes.

Back to the point...

What is it you wish to inquire about?

A person.

A benefactor?

An enemy?

Neither benefactor nor foe.

Just someone on the verge of death.

If you

know where this person is,

please share it.

His name is Nanzhu Lang,

a salt smuggler who built his empire on black-market salt,

illegitimate son of Zhao Xuan, Marquis of Wuqing from Luyi,

born to a concubine outside the family.

Thanks to that background,

both the righteous and the underworld fear him.

In recent years, he's been sending men far and wide,

searching for rare and mystical treasures,

especially those that can preserve corpses from decay.

That's why he was after

the Beauty-Preserving Pearl from your little lover's family.

Where is he now?

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian!

Miss Ian!

Let's go home.

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian!

I'm right here.

Where did you go?

I'll tell you later.

Let's go back first.

Master,

are we really

doing the right thing?

Are you teaching me how to run my business?

I wouldn't dare.

[Capture this person alive, with a reward of 1000 taels of silver.]

This is a big fish.

We at Xiuchun Bureau are open for business...

Silver is silver, no matter whose it is.

Besides, this could earn us favor with Marquis of Wuqing.

Why not do it?

Nanzhu Lang

is a salt smuggler turned power broker

and illegitimate son of the Marquis of Wuqing from Luyi.

Thanks to that background,

both the righteous and the underworld fear him.

For reasons unknown,

he's been collecting rare treasures these past years,

especially those that prevent corpses from rotting.

That's why he coveted your Ian family's Beauty-Preserving Pearl.

Where is he?

Southeast, a hundred miles out...

Nanzhu Fortress in Honghe Town.

That's his base.

Leave at dawn, arrive by dusk.

And me?

Do nothing.

Just wait here for me.

I'll give you something good.

If you ever can't find me,

ring this bell.

If I'm nearby,

I'll ring back.

It's been so long since anyone gave me a gift.

So,

what was the last gift you received?

Thanks, Papa.

I'll give you a gift, too.

A kiss.

Stay here.

Don't move!

And you...

Your master searches the land for rare treasures.

What's the purpose?

Speak.

Please don't kill me.

I kill men,

not underdogs.

The young master suffers from an incurable illness.

He doesn't have long.

A fortune-teller once told him:

Lay the Five Tigers Gate-Severing Formation.

Gather heavenly and earthly energies.

And when he dies,

his soul might ascend,

escaping the cycle of reincarnation.

He took Ian family's Beauty-Preserving Pearl

to keep his body from decaying

and to avoid descending into the underworld.

He doesn't even know how to be a man.

And now he dreams of becoming a god?

Ridiculous.

Give him a message for me:

He doesn't need to keep looking for me.

I'll find him myself.

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian.

Where are you?

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian!

Miss Ian.

Where are you, Miss Ian?

Miss Ian.

Miss...

Miss Ian.

Are you alright, Miss Ian?

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian.

Don't kill me!

I won't.

You played your cards a little too well.

Money...

I'll pay you back tenfold.

Just spare my life.

Even if I let you go,

it wouldn't matter.

Treasure Fox

doesn't tolerate betrayal.

You broke Xiuchun Bureau's code.

He'll clean the house himself.

You know the Master?

Who are you really?

Just tell me...

Do you want to die by my hand,

or your master's?

I have something

that can help you get revenge.

This is a layout of Nanzhu Fortress.

Nanzhu Lang is ruthless

and unprincipled.

He's made many enemies.

To protect his bloodline,

Marquis of Wuqing gathered master craftsmen

and spent three years

building the Nanzhu Fortress.

Guards every five steps,

sentries every ten.

Walls of copper, gates of iron...

Impregnable.

And Nanzhu Lang rarely leaves.

Killing him

is near impossible.

But this diagram

marks the weak points in Nanzhu Fortress.

Follow this path,

and we'll be there.

You promised to spare me.

Help me with one more thing.

What is it?

Just finding an old friend.

My lord.

My lord.

My lord.

My lord.

Kill if you must.

Rob if you dare.

But why be so sloppy?

Eunuchs now hold power.

And I have ties to the Donglin Party.

Do you know how many eyes

are watching my life?

If word gets out,

it'll be

the end of me.

I was wrong, Father.

Please forgive me.

Do you know your greatest mistake?

You made me...

A white-haired man bury my black-haired son,

dooming

the Zhao bloodline.

It's fate.

It's karma.

I've been unfilial.

I'm terminally ill,

and I won't live to send you off.

But even so...

I don't want to die.

If I must,

I'll take others with me.

Father.

Save me.

Please save me.

Do you know where this came from?

The Nightreapers seize the living and crush the dead.

Approach them blind, and you're as good as gone.

Even among the battle-hardened Qi Army,

these Nightspears

are war-hungry monsters

feared by gods and ghosts.

Untouchable.

And unshakable...

They are living grim reapers.

War-hungry

and feared by gods and ghosts...

If we had one guarding our family tomb,

wouldn't that be...

Even at a time like this...

You're still talking about something like that？

Father.

I have a few days to live.

Don't you want me

to rest in peace?

With him at our side,

the Zhao family

could rule the land,

even from the shadows!

If he were whole,

neither of us could beat him.

But I hear he's blind

and crippled

His strength is greatly diminished.

Killing him again won't be hard.

Thank you, Father.

Gu Bei, oh Gu Bei...

You mangy stray.

Truly, you're made of iron.

Your life is as unyielding as steel.

Father.

He's that dangerous;

What's our plan?

A wild tiger is fierce.

But if caged, it's dead.

Father,

then let me be the bait

to lure the tiger in.

Pick whatever you need.

What,

are you blind

like me now?

Boss?

Is it really you, Boss?

I finally found you.

It's been years since we parted,

with not a word or sign ever since.

I thought you

were already dead.

But I've been living

like the dead.

Oh, boss,

how did you find me?

I called in a few favors in the underworld.

Boss, you came at the right time.

All these years, I've been investigating old military contacts.

I found clues about the Soul-Breaking Mountain incident.

I'll go get them for you.

Boss.

This is it.

Not much,

but enough to follow.

If we trace it right,

we'll find them.

The scene of our brothers' tragic deaths back then

is still vivid in our minds.

That debt

can't go unpaid.

We walked through hell...

Now we live.

Let

the past go.

So they died for nothing?

Those corrupt officials...

They rose by stepping on our corpses.

Boss,

can you really live with that?

This letter mentions a name...

Marquis of Wuqing,

Zhao Xuan.

During the border conflict,

he led

the Guanning Army.

He blocked our Qi Army at every turn,

and used every dirty trick.

I suspect he was behind it all.

So you didn't open a forge here

by chance.

I've checked.

Zhao Xuan and his bastard son

are hiding nearby.

If we capture him alive

and trace it right,

we'll find the truth

and clear our brothers' names.

You don't need to tell me that.

I have nothing to do with it.

How can you say that?

Did our brothers died for nothing?

Our brothers still don't know

why they died by the blades of their own.

They were even branded as traitors,

condemned by thousands,

and cursed by tens of thousands!

Can you live with that?

I'm asking you—can you live with that?

Cat got your tongue?

Speak.

Answer me!

I forgot.

And so should you.

Only then

can we live a little longer.

Are you still the Gu Bei I knew?

Gu Bei of the Nightspears?

Not anymore.

Fine.

Then burn your badge.

And I'll believe you.

The badge?

I lost it.

What?

I said...

I lost the badge.

I see it now.

You're done for!

Gu Bei.

Go away!

I never want to see you again.

Tie Xuan of the Nightspears

on behalf of all the brothers of the Nightspears,

no longer recognizes you as our commander!

From this day on, we walk separate paths!

I see it clearly now.

You're done for!

Boss!

We're ambushed!

Careful—it's hot.

Thanks.

Why?

All for that one thing...

They killed my whole family,

even the kids.

Are you still the Gu Bei I knew?

Gu Bei of the Nightspears?

Tie Xuan of the Nightspears,

on behalf of all the brothers of the Nightspears,

no longer recognizes you as our commander!

From this day on, we walk separate paths!

Across a thousand miles,

ask the lone goose in the border winds.

Beneath Jiayu Pass,

recall

wars through the ages.

Who knows the border guard's bitter cold?

Dreams rest with the yellow leaves and mulberry trees.

The Nightspears fade beyond the winding paths.

A nameless soul departs,

leaving behind sorrow for the ages.

Boss.

Boss.

You finally come back.

Boss.

Boss.

Boss.

I knew it the moment

you walked in yesterday.

Your heart hasn't died.

Your blade is still sharp.

You're still our boss.

I was too hasty yesterday.

I didn't know what you'd been through.

And I didn't know how much you've suffered.

Boss,

you are not alone.

You still have me.

Let's drink tonight.

Boss.

Wait right here.

Boss,

I know you have a favor to ask.

These are my treasures.

Take whatever you like.

Later, I'll fix your leg brace.

This is a replica of the Five-Thunder Cannon,

smaller than the original,

but light

and powerful.

Forget it.

You can shoot.

So you can barely protect yourself.

Protect myself?

No...

I want to help you.

Help me?

You can't see.

So you can't face gunfire.

But if we work together...

I can be your eyes

and help you.

This is my fight alone.

It has nothing to do with others.

It concerns me.

It concerns Xiaoyue

and the people of Qingshi Town.

I know you're used to fighting alone.

But you don't have to carry everything yourself.

Shoot.

Shoot!

I've been blind for years.

My hearing is far sharper.

I can hear saltpeter burn

and react before it hits.

I can even hear

your heartbeat.

Remember...

Sometimes,

ears are better than eyes.

I understand.

In a world of sound alone,

I'd only hold you back.

Protect yourself...

That's the greatest help to me.

Her wound's infected.

Looks like it's time

to sharpen my blade.

Treat her wound.

I can't.

Alright.

Apply some medicine.

Watch her.

I'll go sharpen the blade.

Cold...

So cold...

So cold…

Boss,

I'm not going anywhere.

I'll follow you

just as the old times...

Strategize the formation.

Fight side by side.

You have someone you miss too.

My heart remains burdened by countless regrets.

Things I cling on..

Yet in the end...

it is still them I ache for most.

Five years ago,

I was framed

and escaped from the pile of dead people.

All I desired was to return home, to hide my wife and daughter

from troubles.

On that journey,

I learned to see through sound instead of sight.

I raced

day and night.

Yet still arrived too late.

Blind man! Stay back!

Flee now!

A plague

sent away the two most important women in my life.

This tune

is a lullaby from my homeland.

My daughter loved it as a child.

Whenever she wept,

this song alone could soothe her.

Now,

they will never hear it again.

Do not doubt.

Their spirits hear it in the heavens.

He's gone.

Truth be told,

I desired Nanzhu Lang's death more fiercely than you.

No.

Better yet, their mutual

destruction.

Having betrayed two masters in a single day,

if they aren't eradicated,

there will be

no place for me to stand.

Am I next, then?

Stay here

and pray.

Wait for your blind fool's return.

That debt I owe you... I will repay.

My failure as a father allowed

my reckless son

to commit

unspeakable crimes.

This is 1,000 taels of gold.

Will it suffice to spare his life?

Qingshi Town.

75 households.

The population of 358.

Your gold could never repay

the blood of 358 souls.

Fine.

Eat something.

You've had nothing all day.

I'm not hungry.

What is he to you?

A friend?

Kin?

Or

A lover?

Nothing.

To him,

we're strangers.

Not even friends.

Strangers?

Yet he stormed a den of wolves for you.

And you fret for him like a guarded secret.

Do you think

everything can be bought?

Move.

You need gunpowder.

Mine's primed.

Suyi!

Suyi!

Suyi!

Suyi!

Suyi!

Suyi!

Suyi!

Such lovely eyes.

So you're the one who came to kill me.

Thought you were some

invincible demon king?

Now you're just a rat in my trap.

Blind idiot!

Bring her!

Move.

On your knees!

Pitiful.

You alright?

I can't see.

Your eyes...

Men live for

wealth and lust.

A hero can't get over a beauty.

Had I known you craved a whore's company,

I'd have

gifted you a brothel

instead of steel.

A used plaything

and a gutter rat...

a perfect match.

Now,

you share a face.

Fine matchmaking,

isn't it?

If I survive,

I'll feast on your flesh,

drink your blood,

and gnaw your bones!

How amusing.

I've been thinking about the same thing.

Son.

Delay breeds risk.

Finish him.

This Ten-Scent Soft Bone Powder from the Western Regions.

How does it taste?

Even with three heads and six arms,

what can you do now?

King of hell's decree, Judge's pen,

why fear the wicked?

Life without laughter.

Gods-abandoned. Night-rejected.

Blade in hand.

Fate demanded.

King of hell's decree, Judge's pen,

why fear the wicked?

Life without laughter.

Gods-abandoned. Night-rejected.

Blade in hand.

Fate demanded.

Hurry!

Faster!

Lid!

Put the lid on!

Seal it now!

Stoke the fire!

Father, look.

Go! Now!

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian!

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian.

Miss Ian.

Don't grieve.

At last

I'll reunite with

Father

and my sister.

Promise me.

From now on,

don't live for vengeance.

Live for...

Live for yourself.

I promise.

I wish you could see

what I look like.

No need.

You must be a beauty.

Miss Ian...

Gu Bei of the Nightspears,

Scion Battalion, Qi Army.

Twelve years of service.

581 skulls

claimed beneath my tent.

Countless more felled

by my blade!

Those who cross

my wrath

meet no mercy...

only descent

into the Asura!

Father!

Leave.

This is where I belong.

Blind bastard!

You are the linchpin of this trap.

Today,

you'll join me in death!

Rise, my son!

So Tie Xuan

spoke truth.

Five years ago,

the Qi Army

returned to the hometown,

and marched through Soul-Breaking Mountain.

Only to be ambushed and slaughtered by government troops.

All perished.

After that,

conspirators

branded them traitors.

All

orchestrated by you, Zhao Xuan.

And you,

Nanzhu Lang were their executioner.

The battle at Soul-Breaking Mountain

is not something I could have done alone.

I was following orders.

No choice in the matter.

The mastermind

holds high court position.

Power flows through his veins.

Even now,

we maintain

mutual arrangements.

Your deeds...

I've sent word via falcon.

Spare

my son,

leave this place

and I'll reveal

everything.

Deal?

The Nightspears seize the living and crush the dead.

Blind fools who dare approach.

Marked by vengeful spirits,

no escape remains.

Only endless suffering awaits.

Last time I spared your wretched life.

This time,

I'll watch the life drain from your eyes!

Father!

Father!

Your life is mine!

Blind man,

I truly cannot comprehend you

This matter had nothing to do with you.

Why go to such lengths?

You sought to forge me into a human effigy

to guard your tomb,

and protect your eternal slumber.

But your scheme has failed.

From the moment you become a Nightspears,

your fate is an ignoble end.

This is your destined doom.

Look at the monstrous wretch you've become.

What meaning

does your existence hold now?

A man like you could never understand.

You've done nothing but evil.

In death,

countless vengeful spirits will torment you.

You'll only descent into the Asura.

No.

No.

I can't die.

No.

No.

No!

No!

[Grave of Ian Qiuyao]

Gu Bei!

Gu Bei.

From now on, only live for yourself.

As long as you live,

hope remains.