Original subtitles

[Shadow Punisher]

[Divine Constable Tally]

[Episode 1]

[Bugui Manor]

What is a fleeting beauty worth?

Accompany your lord into a drunken dream.

Shattering like glass at 16;

your body light as sorrowful falling flowers.

[Fragrance fades and jade is lost; the withered blood case]

In Tianhuang City,

9 young girls have gone missing one after another.

Witnesses say

the one who abducted the girls

carries a puppet about three feet tall.

[Shi Dynasty capital, Tianhuang City]

Now the Divine Constable Bureau is to dispatch more personnel

to search the entire territory.

[Tianhuang City Divine Constable Bureau]

There must be no mistakes!

Yes, Sir.

Set off!

[It has been 72 years since the establishment of Shi Empire,]

[Chief Constable's Hall]

[Spanning 3 emperors.]

[Emperor Wuzong conquered Northern Kun and Nanrong.]

[He then headed west]

[and annihilated Liluo and unified the world.]

[In order to protect the capital, Tianhuang City,]

[Divine Constable Bureau]

[Emperor Wuzong of Shi, put in place the Absolute Heaven and Earth Prohibition]

[through a secret method.]

[With that, within the capital,]

[other than Divine Constable Bureau,]

[all kinds of magic become useless.]

[That's why the Star-Gathering Pavilion chose]

[Star-Gathering Pavilion] [Tianhuang City outskirts; best tavern in Great Shi]

[the wilderness of the outskirts]

[so that it won't be under the jurisdiction of the Absolute Prohibition,]

[and is able to use magic.]

[Star-Gathering Pavilion]

[attracting many great nobles]

[to watch all kinds of strange sights.]

[In just 3 years,]

[it became]

[the best tavern in Great Shi.]

Master,

your green plum tea is ready.

Just leave it there.

[Young Master Qingyang, Lisi]

What's wrong, Qing Wu?

Did it scare you?

Master,

everything's fine—

why did you make

such a weird thing?

It looks really scary.

Master,

don't blame me for talking too much,

[Qing Wu]

but I heard

the Divine Constable Bureau

is searching for someone

carrying a puppet doll.

Lest

you be misunderstood

by them

and get arrested.

Hopefully it goes as you say.

I want to be arrested by them.

[Wind and Moon]

So this is what a dragon's like?

Great!

Great!

Wonderful, truly wonderful!

Amazing!

Amazing!

Young Master Qingyang!

Young Master Qingyang!

Young Master Qingyang!

Great!

Impressive!

Qingyang!

Young Master Qingyang!

Impressive!

Young Master Qingyang!

[Wind and Moon]

Young Master Qingyang!

Young Master Qingyang!

A dragon is in the sky,

flying far away.

I am the master of Star-Gathering Pavilion,

Li Si, Li Qingyang.

I wish you all

wealth and prosperity,

and a long life.

Great!

It disappeared.

Great!

Great!

This round of drinks today

is on me.

Thank you, Young Master Qingyang!

The Star-Gathering Pavilion

is truly the number one tavern in Great Shi.

It's said the late emperor, to keep the imperial city safe,

built the supreme mechanism, Absolute Heaven and Earth Prohibition,

within the valleys surrounding the city.

Because the earth veins are blocked

and the spiritual energy is cut off,

in all of Tianhuang City,

except for the Divine Constable Bureau,

no one can use strange arts.

[Wind and Moon]

It is

indeed safer.

But

where's the fun if you can't use

strange arts?

Yes, exactly!

That's why

I chose to build

Star-Gathering Pavilion

in a remote area in the suburbs.

Thus, not limited by the Prohibition,

there is

the strange scene

you just saw.

Yes.

Thank you for your love.

You all went through the trouble,

traveled over land and water,

and came from afar

to gather together.

Here,

I thank you all for your support.

You are too polite!

Too polite!

Thank you.

Everyone,

in my Star-Gathering Pavilion,

there are not only fun things,

but also delicious food and drinks,

and beautiful sights.

What others have,

I have.

What others don't have,

I also have.

As long as you are willing to spend silver,

in my Star-Gathering Pavilion,

you can buy

everything you want.

Great!

What about puppet dolls?

Do you have them too?

Isn't this a Divine Constable from the Divine Constable Bureau?

Why is the Divine Constable Bureau here?

Master.

[Constable Frost]

[Constable Frost, Bai Zhenzhu]

So you are the

famous Young Master Qingyang in Tianhuang City,

Li Si.

Not only are you good at business,

but your illusion arts are also amazing.

Nice to meet you.

Greetings, Lord Constable Frost.

My Star-Gathering Pavilion

has been open to guests for over 3 years.

Indeed, there have been

many government officials

who have visited.

But to say,

an official from the Divine Constable Bureau,

Constable Frost, you are the first.

I apologize for not welcoming you from afar.

I just heard you say

as long as one is willing to spend silver,

anything can be bought

in the Star-Gathering Pavilion.

I think,

in this huge pavilion,

there must be

puppet dolls, right?

What is that?

A puppet doll.

Puppet dolls?

What you just said

is quite interesting.

To tell you the truth,

guests who come to my Star-Gathering Pavilion,

besides seeking pleasure,

indeed buy many various things.

But

you're the first

who wants to buy

a puppet doll

straight away.

Your Lordship...

I heard

the Divine Constable Bureau

is recently hunting a criminal

who carries a puppet doll.

You coming to my Star-Gathering Pavilion

to buy a puppet—

could it be that you've

been unable to catch the criminal

and can't report back,

so you want to secretly

buy a similar one

as fake evidence?

Fake evidence alone is not enough.

I need at least a suspect

to report back.

Lord Constable Frost,

why are you staring at me like that?

Do you think

I am a suspect?

It's not impossible.

Master Li,

2 months ago,

you specially ordered a batch

of pigments for painting puppet dolls

to be delivered to the Star-Gathering Pavilion.

If you didn't paint them yourself,

how could you get it on you?

And this time coincides with

the disappearance of

the first girl in Tianhuang City.

Master Li,

based on this alone,

I have to suspect you.

[Star-Gathering Pavilion]

What's going on?

Divine Constable Bureau on official business!

Out of the way!

Those who obstruct official business will be executed without mercy.

[Constable Eagle]

I am Lou Tianming, Constable Eagle of the Divine Constable Bureau.

[Constable Eagle, Lou Tianming]

I am here to apprehend a murderer.

Please cooperate.

Search this place

inside and out!

-Yes! -Yes!

Master Li, my apologies

for disrupting your business.

We are just doing our job.

I hope you can forgive us.

Greetings,

Constable Eagle.

No need for formalities.

At the Crown Prince's Mid-Autumn banquet last year,

I had the chance to see your grace.

It is my honor to

see you again today.

You flatter me, Constable Eagle.

My Lords, we found something.

[Yaoguang Pavilion]

My Lords.

A puppet doll?

Young Master Qingyang,

what a beautiful place.

You overpraise, Lord Lou.

This is

merely my living quarters.

Your living quarters?

And you keep this here?

Young Master Qingyang,

how do you explain

this puppet doll in your room?

I usually

like mechanics and contraptions.

I made this puppet doll

in my spare time.

It seems

you two don't believe me.

In that case,

it seems I must

pay a visit to the Divine Constable Bureau.

In that case,

please do.

[Shangfang Drum]

[Shangfang Drum]

[Divine Constable Bureau]

[Divine Constable Bureau]

[Divine Constable Bureau]

[Great Shi's Divine Constable Bureau]

[was set up on the 4th of the military expedition—]

[it has now been 46 years since its establishment.]

[It is independent of the Three Secretariats and Six Ministries.]

[They are in charge of patrol and arrest,]

[military information,]

[and secret affairs like anti-rebellion.]

[Wherever the Divine Constable Tally is]

[Divine Constable Bureau, Chief Constable's Hall]

[it is as though the Emperor is personally present.]

[Clarifying Laws to Guide Virtue]

[Officials of the fifth rank and below]

[Imperial Thunder]

[may be executed first and reported later.]

My investigation has found

that Young Master Qingyang is named Li Si,

and he was born in the border area.

But the border area was turbulent at that time,

[Law Prevails]

and many household registrations were lost.

[Divine Constable Bureau Chief, Xuanyuan Shan]

The origin of Li Si

is difficult to verify.

Three years ago,

he came to Tianhuang City to do business,

spending money like water.

Throughout the Great Shi,

he opened Star-Gathering Pavilion

and dozens of branches.

He can be said to be a new wealthy merchant

of the Great Shi Dynasty.

He is in the limelight.

In addition,

this person also has a deep

personal relationship with the Crown Prince.

According to the existing investigation,

you suspect

that it was Li Si who manipulated the puppet doll

to abduct the girls?

In my opinion,

I don't think that was the case.

It was through his massive purchase

of oil paint used for painting puppets

that I followed the clues,

finding the Star-Gathering Pavilion,

and subsequently discovered

this puppet doll.

But it's such a big flaw.

If I can think of it,

how could Li Qingyang not?

Since the incident 2 months ago,

he hasn't taken any

precautions or cover-ups.

Isn't he just waiting for people to come and catch him?

If he is the real culprit,

it doesn't make sense.

Have you ever seen

what the puppet doll in the Bugui Manor

looks like?

I haven't,

but I've heard witness descriptions.

Then how can you be sure

that the one in the Star-Gathering Pavilion

must be the one

in the Bugui Manor?

I can't be sure.

But I'd rather catch the wrong person

than miss any clues.

Zhenzhu, over the years,

you have become more and more steady.

Zhenzhu is right.

I also think

that Li Qingyang seems

to want to be caught by the Divine Constable Bureau.

Otherwise,

why would he put a puppet doll

in his own room

and arouse suspicion for no reason?

In just 3 years,

Li Qingyang

turned a desolate suburban area

into a bustling paradise

for the rich.

He is

indeed quite something.

Chief, please instruct us

on how we should deal with him.

Take him to the interrogation room.

No need for interrogation yet.

Just

don't guard him too closely.

-Yes. -Yes.

[Tianshu Pavilion]

[Tianshu Pavilion]

[Tianshu Pavilion]

[Tianshu Pavilion]

So this is the Tianshu Pavilion.

In the 72 years the Shi Dynasty

has been established,

all case files—big and small—

and even secret anecdotes,

[Tianshu Pavilion]

are recorded here.

I hope

it holds the answers I'm looking for.

[Tianshu Pavilion]

Better to storm the King of Hell's Palace

than enter the Divine Constable Bureau.

You

came to the wrong place.

Strange.

Why didn't I sense

a trace of his inner energy just now?

[Tianshu Pavilion]

[Constable Ghost, Meng Rui]

Someone once

tried to break into the Tianshu Pavilion,

but couldn't even climb over

the Bureau's wall.

[Tianshu Pavilion]

You are different.

You turned yourself in first,

and then sought death.

But to me,

both methods

are equally stupid.

[Tianshu Pavilion]

My Lord,

why do you say that?

I was invited by Constable Frost

and Constable Eagle

to have tea at your Bureau.

Trespassing into the Tianshu Pavilion

is punishable...

by death.

[Tianshu Pavilion]

Don't.

I haven't even been interrogated yet.

I can't die yet.

The sword is not yet unsheathed,

but its aura has already

spread for several meters.

Could you be...

Lord Constable Ghost?

Surrender,

and I'll spare you for a moment.

You speak as if you've already won.

We haven't started fighting yet.

You asked for it.

So stubborn!

Illusion?

[Tianshu Pavilion]

People say

that Constable Ghost's strike

leaves no survivors.

But this time,

you missed.

You are indeed quite skillful.

Lord Constable Ghost,

you started first.

Now,

let me show you mine.

After 17 years of peace,

the winds are finally rising.

Heaven has eyes; Qian is above.

Winds rise over the Capital; Xun is at the flank.

Qian over Xun; forming the "Gou" Encounter.

A star falls from the heavens; the will defies fate.

The world is swept by wind; a mandate to the four quarters.

Arrogant Dragon Thousand-Mechanism Formation

[Arrogant Dragon Thousand-Mechanism Formation; heaven meeting wind]

They say in Tianhuang City,

only the Divine Constable Bureau can use strange arts.

It seems true.

This fight with you

was really thrilling.

[In the Shi Dynasty's 37th year of Hongyun,]

[Several children went missing one after another]

[in Suzhou's Doudou County.]

[According to the witness,]

[a puppet doll appeared.]

[Tianhuang City outskirts, Underworld Market]

Pull harder! Pull!

Young Master is here!

Young Master!

Young Master, you look great.

So elegant and stylish.

Young Master, this Dragon Snake Gall

has 60 years of cultivation.

Divine weapon—

Gan Jiang and Mo Ye!

If you don't like it,

I have the Invincible Tai'e too.

It's definitely—

Don't miss it as you pass by.

These are the results of my lifelong medical practice,

made with my life's effort.

Dragon-Eye Rabbit Liver.

It's concentrated essence.

I want it!

Slowly.

Slowly, slowly.

Hundred-Year-Old Dragon-Eye Rabbit Liver.

It's 3 taels of gold and 3 taels of silver.

Slowly.

Slowly—

Young Master.

How is it? Does it work?

How is it?

Does it work?

Does it work?

Tell us quickly.

What a petty trick.

It's just a painkiller.

Instead of letting you cheat people here,

you might as well let me have it cheap.

So it was a lie.

These are fake medicines?

They're not. They're not!

They're not.

I'll just compensate you.

Pay up!

I'll compensate you.

Pay up!

Pay us!

Don't think that because of this,

you don't have to pay!

What's wrong?

Let's go back to the clinic first.

You really make me worry.

Bear with it.

It'll hurt.

Lighter!

Okay, almost done.

Constable Ghost's Reaper Sword

truly lives up to its reputation.

If your clone hadn't

drawn away most of his sword aura,

you would be dead by now.

[Li San]

You are not careful at all.

It's just a flesh wound.

It's fine.

If I had known,

I shouldn't have mentioned the

missing girls case in Tianhuang City.

Hearing about puppet dolls,

you acted like you went crazy.

Look at you now—

you made yourself a suspect trying to investigate things.

That was also my own plan,

okay?

Sure.

You are great.

All right, almost done.

Almost done.

Once the Severe-Cold Sword is drawn,

someone must die.

This is the rule set by you, Constable Ghost.

But tonight,

to execute my order,

you broke your rule.

I must've put you on the spot.

The method the opponent used,

taking Bagua as the formation

and the Five Elements as weapons,

was incredibly powerful—

something I've never seen.

I feel

they didn't use their full strength either.

You mean

he is the one who actually held back?

That's right.

In your opinion,

why would he risk his life

to barge into the Tianshu Pavilion?

I don't know.

17 years ago,

the last thing I saw

at the Mulan Hunting Ground

was a puppet doll.

Now

puppet dolls have reappeared in Tianhuang City,

I think

there must be some connection

between these two.

Seventeen years ago,

after my death was announced,

the former Chief, Lu Chong,

was dismissed from office.

So I guess

the Divine Constable Bureau must be involved

in what happened 17 years ago.

The files related to that year's events

should also be locked in

the Divine Constable Bureau's Tianshu Pavilion.

I almost got in.

Who would have thought

Constable Gui would come out of nowhere halfway.

So what if you find out

the truth?

Back then, the darn emperor announced to the world

that the Fourth Prince, Zhou Yan...

was dead.

You are now my disciple,

Li Si.

It's been 17 years.

[ Emperor Qi Huai, the God of Yan]

[King Qi Huai of the Great World]

I gave you a choice back then.

I can't do it.

For these 17 years,

there hasn't been a single day

I didn't want to know the truth.

Over the years,

I learned martial arts, did business,

and opened the Star-Gathering Pavilion

to collect various intelligence.

As Young Master Qingyang,

I also befriended the Crown Prince.

I did all this

to find out exactly

who wanted to harm me

back then,

and who

abducted me.

I must find out

what exactly happened

17 years ago

at the Mulan Hunting Ground.

I...

will never let all this

remain up in the air.

Young Master Qingyang...

What does what happened at the Mulan Hunting Ground

17 years ago have to do with you?

[The Great Qi Huai, God of Yan]

I want to go home!

I want to go home!

Where are you?

Where are you? I want to go home.

I want to go home!

I want to go home!

I want to go home. Tell me.

Who did this to you? Don't go. I want to go home.

Don't go.

Don't go!

Don't go!

This old geezer.

Where did he put the Qilin blood?

Master, Master!

I just got news that

the Divine Constable Bureau's men

went out the west city gate

and headed straight for Bugui Manor!

Keep it down.

He finally fell asleep.

What if you wake him up?

If you let him know,

he'll rise from the dead, believe it?

He did! He just did!

Stop right there.

Where are you going?

To Bugui Manor.

Going to mess with the Divine Constable Bureau again?

Master,

the Divine Constable Bureau making such a big move

must mean some progress in the case.

As you know,

this is the only clue

to finding the puppet doll.

I want to solve the case

even more than they do.

You can't stop me.

You're injured,

and you have an old heart condition.

The Arrogant Dragon Thousand-Mechanism Formation—

you must never use it again.

I know.

Don't worry,

I'll be fine.

I must live well

so I can take care of you in your old age and send you off.

I'm off.

You remember that quite clearly, huh!

Remember!

You must never use it again!

An inescapable net, no way to fly!

Lord Constable Frost,

informants say

it was here

that the missing girls were spotted.

Search!

Yes.

All the bodies found are here.

These should be

the 9 missing girls.

No trace of the suspect was found at the scene.

But judging from

the solid wax drippings,

the person in the room has long gone.

Nine girls.

The oldest was just 20 years old.

Why on earth did the killer

kill these girls?

Do they have

anything in common?

On-site autopsy?

There were no wounds on the victims' bodies

nor any strangulation marks.

But

they died from being drained of all their blood.

Drained of their blood?

No wonder they looked

so terrifyingly pale.

But why did the killer

drain their blood?

-Once drained of blood, -Once drained of blood,

-the bodies wouldn't rot easily. -the bodies wouldn't rot easily.

But what did the killer

want to do

with their bodies?

Lord Constable Frost!

Lord Constable Frost,

a silk thread was found

on the floor of the room.

This thread

seems to be used for controlling puppets.

In that case,

the witnesses told the truth.

It was indeed a puppeteer

who abducted these girls.

What's wrong, My Lord?

This silk thread

has a peculiar fragrance.

A peculiar fragrance?

Indeed.

It's very unique.

I have never smelled something like this before.

The girls were

drained of their blood to death.

I got it.

Stop!

Lord Constable Frost.

Are you

feeling guilty toward those girls

because you're unable to catch the real killer,

so

you were trapped by the illusion just now

and willing to be bound?

Li Qingyang.

You escaped last night,

but today you walked right into the trap.

You're wrong, Your Lordship.

I am here today

to help you investigate the case.

I've seen

your skills with my own eyes.

The illusion just now

was your doing.

You found out.

That's right.

It was indeed my doing.

With so many Divine Constables in the manor,

I didn't want

them to swarm up

and tie me up.

So,

I had to use an illusion

to invite you here

to discuss the case together.

Not only did you appear at the murder scene

and interfere with the investigation,

but a puppet doll was also found in your room.

No matter how I look at it,

you are the prime suspect.

Yet you say you're helping me investigate?

Don't you think it sounds like a thief crying "catch the thief"?

Stop.

Whether you believe it or not,

I share the same desire as the bureau

to solve the case.

Cut the crap.

Come with me to face justice.

Your Lordship.

There are thousands of ways

to kill in this world.

Have you ever wondered

why the killer specifically chose

to drain their blood?

When we get back to the bureau,

you can talk all you want.

"Hibiscus pales beside a beauty's blood;

refined nine times, even dead bones turn sweet.

I wonder if Your Lordship

has heard of this saying.

The Strange Medicines Chapter

of the Tianshu Pavilion's Pharmacology Volume reads:

"Hibiscus pales beside a beauty's blood;

refined nine times, even dead bones turn sweet."

Legend has it that this exotic Dead Bone Spice

is extremely rare

and must be refined with the blood of young girls.

Who says the killer drains the murdered girls' blood

to preserve the bodies?

Their goal

is not their bodies,

but their blood.

The killer drains their blood

to refine this Dead Bone Spice.

No wonder there's a scent on the silk threads.

Now it seems,

the Dead Bone Spice in Huangquan Market

was sold out overnight.

Now it's hard to find even a single bottle,

making it worth a fortune.

Lord Constable Frost,

do you think

the killer might be killing

to create this spice

for huge profits?

If you knew how hard it is

to create this spice,

you wouldn't think so.

To create this spice,

the collected blood

must be from a young girl

with a pure Yin destiny.

In the entire Tianhuang City,

there are very few such people.

To find 9 such girls,

the killer must have gone to great lengths.

Blood of a young girl with a pure Yin destiny...

Qing Wu.

Oh no.

Qing Wu!

Qing Wu!

I'm sorry.

I came too late.

These

are all the dowry gifts for you.

I hope

that in the future, you could find a

better home

than Star-Gathering Pavilion.

She also died from having her blood drained.

Did you see the killer?

She was originally going to get married

on the second day of next month...

The killer

should still be here.

Take her away.

Yes.

Jiang Zhan, Ding Mao.

My Lord.

Search the Star-Gathering Pavilion thoroughly,

and report back immediately if you find anything unusual.

Yes. Yes.

Li Qingyang!

If you leave now,

you'll be fleeing to avoid punishment.

Although you didn't kill Qing Wu,

you are still a suspect.

Come back with me quickly

and explain it clearly.

What suspicion?

I don't care.

Since they laid hands on

someone from the Star-Gathering Pavilion,

they must pay the price.

I will settle this score

of what they did to Qing Wu.

Li Si!