Original subtitles

[Shadow Punisher]

[Divine Constable Tally]

[Episode 20]

I presume

this is the former citizen of Liluo

you've been suspecting

all along.

You don't actually suspect

that I'm from Liluo, do you?

Master.

You raised me for 17 years,

fed me,

taught me martial arts,

and instructed me in the mystical arts,

medicine, divination, and astrology.

Such kindness and grace—

I, Li Si, shall never forget them for as long as I live.

And I, Zhou Yan,

shall carry them in my heart forever as well.

Chang Bo.

When you joined the Divine Constable Bureau,

I wasn't Chief yet.

You and I were colleagues.

[Former Head Constable of the Divine Constable Bureau, Chang Bo]

Given your experience,

if you had remained in the Bureau,

you would undoubtedly have secured a place

among the current Four Divine Constables.

Chief, you flatter me.

You're saying he was with the Divine Constable Bureau?

Seventeen years ago,

after the incident at Mulan Hunting Ground,

I took over as Chief.

The first thing I did

was expel Chang Bo from the Bureau

and have him secretly investigate

the whereabouts of the remnants of Liluo.

Li Si said

he had people searching everywhere for you,

claiming you'd been frequenting Lanyue Pavilion.

I only frequented Lanyue Pavilion

in search of a person—

a Liluo citizen.

You mean the former citizen of Liluo

who incited Tang Wei and Tang Yiming

to commit murder?

I know nothing of this person's

identity, background, or real name.

For seventeen years,

I've traveled far and wide,

working day and night,

and all I've managed to uncover is a surname:

Li—as in "common people."

And it's also the "Li" in the name of Divine Constable Qingyang,

Li Si.

I've always believed

that our encounter

in the deep mountains that year

was just a coincidence.

But so much has happened lately

that I can't help but think

there was more to our encounter

than I realized.

I've known you for years,

and this is the first time

I've heard you talk in circles like this.

If you have something to say,

just say it.

I'd like to meet Lou Tianming.

I'm guessing

you two have known each other

for quite some time, haven't you?

Lou Tianming?

Let me think.

Lou Tianming...

Lou Tianming, Lou Tianming, Lou Tianming...

I don't know him.

Do you believe me?

I don't know him!

I really don't know him.

If only I could actually say that

and you would actually believe it.

If that were the case,

then wouldn't you have spent those 17 years

raising a fool, Master?

Those who are too wise often die young.

Sometimes, being a little foolish

helps you live longer.

Master.

Weren't you just telling me

not to beat around the bush?

Why

are you the one changing the subject now?

There's too much I want to say,

and I simply don't know where to start.

Then should I ask first,

or will you speak first, Master?

I'll ask first.

When did you start suspecting me?

A few days ago,

at Jiang Zeshui's residence,

we captured a demon-men assassin alive

and threw him into the Divine Constable Bureau's prison.

What happened?

He endured all those tortures without breaking.

Why did he suddenly go berserk?

The way that demon-man went berserk

was remarkably similar to how I am

when my heart meridians flare up and the burning takes hold.

Then something happened

that suddenly improved

his condition.

There are still a few pills left inside.

Save them for later.

When I picked the bottle up,

the pills inside

were already gone.

That was when

I realized.

This medicine has a name.

It's called the Demon-Suppressing Pill.

It's used to suppress

the Chiying Bug Venom within demon-men's bodies.

If not taken regularly,

the victim will lose their mind,

suffer unbearable pain,

go berserk,

and eventually die.

The first time you fell ill that year

was exactly when the Chiying Bug Venom I had planted in you

took effect.

Master...

Save me...

Save me...

So you've finally admitted it yourself

that what I have is

the Chiying Bug Venom.

And of course, you know now

that what I've been preparing for you every month

isn't some "All-Nourishing Pill",

but rather the "Demon-Suppressing Pill",

designed to suppress the worm toxin within you

that could flare up at any moment.

Seventeen years ago,

the Fourth Prince, Zhou Yan, was exceptionally gifted

and deeply favored by the Emperor.

Everyone was convinced

that the one to inherit the throne one day

would definitely be Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan accompanied His Majesty on a hunting expedition

when he suffered a tragic accident

and met an untimely death.

Everyone assumed

Zhou Yan had died of illness,

but in truth,

this so-called accident

was a

carefully orchestrated murder.

You kept saying

you wanted to uncover the truth.

So tell me now—

who was the real culprit?

Although my eldest and second brothers

have never gotten along,

they show surprising unity

when faced with a common threat.

If your eldest brother had done it,

the Emperor would surely

have punished him once the truth came out,

leaving your second brother

secure on the Crown Prince's throne.

But if your second brother had done it,

the Emperor could've easily flown into a rage

and replaced the Crown Prince.

Either one acting alone

would only benefit the other.

The only way for both of them to succeed

was to join forces.

As expected of you, Master.

You're right.

But even if Father uncovered the truth,

what could he really do to my eldest and second brothers?

Would he depose them both?

And if he did,

who would inherit

his empire?

Back then, the Crown Prince set a trap to have you killed.

Your eldest brother

used his position in the Ministry of War

to fabricate military reports,

keeping your father from

reaching the hunting grounds in time.

We learned of

the assassination plot beforehand.

Therefore,

we were prepared.

Like Lou Tianming,

you're both members of Liluo's Dark Night.

You found a household

on the outskirts of Tianhuang City—

a small family

with no other relatives.

As it happened,

they had a child

who was the same age as me.

The Shen family.

Shen Lan.

You sent demon-men

to slaughter the entire Shen family

and took Shen Lan to the hunting grounds,

-Go home! -dressed him in my clothes,

-I want to go home! -so that the Eastern Palace assassins

would mistake Shen Lan for me and kill him instead.

Then, just as planned,

you burned his body,

took me away, and abandoned me deep in the mountains.

Finally,

you staged the whole act

of Li San rescuing the Crown Prince.

My father,

my eldest brother,

and my second brother

were, of course,

completely unaware of this.

Flawless, wasn't it?

They all believed

you were dead.

-Chief. -Chief.

We've searched everywhere.

There was no trace.

And Meng Rui is currently

nowhere to be found, either.

Chief.

I believe

that Li Si's master, Li San,

is a former citizen of Liluo.

The two of them

must be together at this moment.

Pass on my order.

Search the entire city

for Li Si and Li San.

-Yes. -Yes.

Master, it's not hard to guess

why you raised me.

Dark Night

only needed to

keep me alive.

Yet Master,

you taught me martial arts,

astronomy, geography,

medicine, divination, and astrology.

You even

passed the Heaven-Measuring Ruler down to me.

I am deeply grateful.

But I suspect

your true intention was to have me

take part in the struggle for the throne.

After all,

a crippled man

would stand no chance against my eldest and second brothers.

But if a Fourth Prince like you,

now dashing and handsome,

skilled in both the civil and martial arts,

and wealthy beyond measure,

were to suddenly appear before your father,

then he...

he would be tempted

to make you his heir.

Liluo has fallen.

Dark Night alone

could never restore the kingdom.

But if

they hold in their hands the future emperor—

who must take

your specific antidote every month

without fail—

then restoring Liluo

will no longer be a mere dream.

Look at the Eastern Palace today

and the First Prince who's been placed under house arrest.

The throne

is meant for none other than you.

No matter what,

I owe my thanks to

you, Master, and Dark Night.

If it weren't for you,

I would have died at the hands of

my eldest and second brothers long ago.

On behalf of Zhou Yan, I, Li Si,

would like to thank you for raising me, Master.

And I'd like to thank the people of Liluo

for saving my life.

Fate cannot be defied!

Heaven's grace is boundless!

You must understand

that everything I did

was to help you reclaim

the throne that was yours by right.

As long as you obey me,

the Chiying Bug Venom in your body

will never flare up again.

My dear disciple.

Master.

Do you understand

what I meant when I said, "On behalf of Zhou Yan,

I, Li Si, thank you?"

Zhou Yan died long ago.

So how could he possibly inherit the throne?

How dare you deceive me?

Why didn't you dodge?

Master,

save me.

-It hurts. -I'm here.

It hurts.

It hurts.

I'm here.

It's okay. It's okay.

It's okay. you're fine now.

Master.

When I grow up,

I'll also make locust flower pancakes for you.

Do you mean it?

I do.

Pinky swear?

Cross my heart, for real,

-on god, pinky swear. -on god, pinky swear.

Whoever breaks his word is a pig.

Master.

You saved me, an abandoned child of Great Shi.

That was a life-saving grace.

If the day ever comes when we meet on the battlefield,

and you must take my life, Master,

I won't hold it against you.

That strike—

I was willing to take it.

If you want to sever ties with me,

why wait until then?

You raised me, an abandoned child of Great Shi,

for 17 years.

For that, I owe you a debt of gratitude.

You and I stand on opposite sides,

each serving our own master.

If you

insist on remaining loyal to Liluo,

I would never presume

to say that you are in the wrong.

That second strike—

I was also willing to take it.

Master.

Now that

this piece has returned to the board,

I hold a position of great importance.

I owe it all to your guidance and teachings.

I'll follow your example

and protect my homeland,

and personally slay the enemy

in defense of our Great Shi Empire.

You are

seeking your own death.

You promised

to make locust flower pancakes for me with your own hands.

You also promised you'd care for me in my old age.

We could have been a loving father and filial son,

living happily together,

but you had to turn things into this!

Tell me, aren't you bringing this on yourself?

Master.

I have to thank you for striking me.

With that,

I consider the debt I owe you

repaid.

From this day forth,

you

are no longer my master.

The Soaring Dragon Thousand-Mechanism Formation,

using all things as instruments.

The skills I taught you

are enough to make you the envy of the world!

Talking about repaying me?

With what do you plan to repay me?

This is what it means to repay a debt.

To repay it in full!

I'll give you one last chance.

Serve Liluo,

and I'll spare your life.

Li San.

You want me to side with demon-men

and commit atrocities?

Then between you and me,

there's only a fight to the death.

Then I suppose we have nothing left to discuss.

Seventeen years ago,

Liluo took the lives of my parents and my little brother.

That debt must also

be repaid in full.

In this life,

there's never enough wine to drink,

nor enough grudges and debts to settle.

When the wine runs dry,

the grudge should end with it.

Who would have thought that,

somehow, your life would

come to an end like this?

Lord Constable Ghost.

Are you looking for the Chiying tattoo?

Lord Constable Ghost,

did you see it clearly?

I almost forgot.

Seventeen years ago in this very place,

I buried 2 things.

Now,

it's time

to bring them back to light!

Is it pretty?

It is.

It's pretty, right?

Shen Jing'an.

Your parents, whom you've searched for

all these years,

are right here.

How about it?

I left their bodies intact.

That should be enough to make it up to you, right?

Come on, take them home and lay them to rest.

Give them a proper burial,

with all due honors.

Poor soul.

Seventeen years ago,

the one who killed your parents,

wiped out your entire family,

and abducted your younger brother

to take someone else's place in death

was me, Li San.

Meng Rui!

Whether you believe it or not,

I also

only found out about this today.

But no matter what,

your family's tragedy

is indeed related to me.

I owe you.

Lord Constable Ghost!

I hope you understand that,

in this mortal world,

we are all but pawns in a greater game.

Every grudge has its cause, and every debt has its debtor.

Lord Constable Ghost,

draw your sword.

Little brat.

Does it look familiar?

The puppet doll

you've been searching for

all these years

is precisely my specialty.

Then Wen Nansheng's puppetry...

The one who passed the puppetry to Wen Nansheng

and had him cultivate

the fruit of immortality of Tianmoluo

was me.

The one who told Tang Wei about his background,

taught him the Illusion of Mirrors and Water,

and secretly helped him seek revenge

was also me.

However,

Wen Nansheng's puppetry

was merely the basics.

Today,

let me show you, Lord Constable Ghost,

what the real

Five Wonders of Liluo can do!

I was outmatched.

I admit defeat.

What a pity— after all these years of planning.

Seventeen years ago,

when you killed my parents and little brother,

did you ever think this day would come?

The fear you feel now

is nothing compared to what they suffered.

This grudge goes back

far longer than 17 years, doesn't it?

It goes back 47 years.

That day, when Tang Wei

killed Huang Gang

and beheaded Jiang Zeshui,

he said the exact same things.

Lord Constable Ghost,

you are much luckier than Tang Wei.

Come on.

Do it.

Hurry.

No...

Do it!

No!

Li Si!

Meng Rui won't think to look for us

at his own home anytime soon.

Stand straighter!

We should

be safe here for now.

Letting me die in the Shen residence—

how evil of you.

Shut up!

This must be karma.

Get off me!

Stay back!

Stay back.

Didn't you sever ties with me?

Then why did you save me?

That strike with the ruler just now

was vicious,

but you deliberately avoided my vital points.

I'm just getting old

and past my prime.

Li Si.

No.

I mean, Zhou Yan.

Remember,

you have to be ruthless

to survive.

If you're soft-hearted and hesitant,

you'll never stand a chance against Liluo.

There's no point in saying more.

Now that things have come to this,

do you have any

unfulfilled wishes?

I...

I was born a citizen of Liluo,

and I will die a ghost of Liluo.

I have no regrets.

♪ Night deepens, spreading like ink over rivers and mountains ♪

Master.

When I grow up,

I'll also make locust flower pancakes for you.

♪ I'm a spark that refuses to die ♪

♪ Riding the wind, a thousand years pass in a fleeting moment ♪

♪ Seeking the song left unsung ♪

Old man.

But I still remember

♪ Fleeting light fades like fragile promises ♪

that I owe you something.

♪ Who softly sings along from the far shore? ♪

♪ I'm the poem that keeps summer nights awake ♪

♪ I'm amber that defies the passage of time ♪

♪ A fleeting glimmer entwines with eternity ♪

♪ Rewrite the loneliness of time and space ♪

♪ Let longing become ♪

My hands are stained with the blood of countless people,

♪ Every word whispered on the wind ♪

yet somehow I ended up raising a disciple like you.

I should never have saved you

17 years ago.

There is no cure for the Chiying Bug Venom.

You will eventually

become nothing more than a puppet of Liluo.

Remember,

the only thing in this world

that can save your life is the Ode to Canglang.

Only the Ode to Canglang...

can save your...

life.

♪ Capture my heart ♪

Old man.

Here.

♪ Unravel my longing ♪

♪ Can we relive the mark you once carved deep? ♪

Didn't I promise

that I'd make locust flower pancakes for you?

♪ Turns out every soul ♪

♪ Fears deep devotion ♪

I worked so hard to make them.

♪ In a moment, I fell, a lifetime left to heal ♪

At least take a bite.

♪ Tossing and turning through endless nights ♪

Come on.

♪ Breaking free from a labyrinth ♪

♪ Will we meet again, those I dare not face? ♪

♪ One thought to ferry me across the sea of suffering ♪

♪ One thought to burn me to ash ♪

♪ A thousand schemes can never be enough, till all turn to dust ♪

♪ Dare not forget ♪

♪ No regret, no blame ♪

♪ In love, I fear neither life nor death ♪

♪ I turn a blind eye ♪

♪ Who was it that cast the spell? ♪

♪ Let my heart abide ♪

♪ Forever within your shadow by your side ♪