Original subtitles

(Phantom Love)

(Episode 19)

Mr. Xiao,

this seal pattern of yours

is pretty unique.

That's the legendary sacred beast.

It's known as Chi Xin.

It guarded the peace of the human world.

But it was hurt by a powerful demon.

Its soul was torn apart.

No one knows where it went.

For a while, we had all sorts of weird stuff happening in my workshop.

State Preceptor, Xu Qing Lai, gave me some advice.

So I began honoring this sacred beast.

Since then,

nothing strange has happened.

No one knows where it went?

Mr. Xiao, do you know anything else about Chi Xin?

Word is, Chi Xin has spent ages collecting its shattered soul.

It's pretty much found all the fragments

to be fused back.

Now, only the most crucial piece is still lost.

They call it

Shui Yun Xi.

Where's Shui Yun Xi?

There's a brush demon on Xiyue Mountain

that records everything that happens in this world.

Don't worry, miss.

If you're into these stories,

just wait until I finish your portrait.

Then come with me to the backyard.

I'll tell you

all the wild stories from this place.

May I ask your name, miss?

So I can add it to your portrait.

Meng Li.

So you really are forging those portraits.

Play nice now.

Or else,

I'll send out all these scandalous paintings right away.

You'll lose your reputation for good.

Sir, Prince of Xian has arrived.

Take this woman away.

Yes.

(Perfect timing.)

(Let me see)

(what secrets this place is hiding.)

Go inside.

(Unreturned Spring)

Sorry I didn't welcome you earlier.

Please forgive me, Your Highness.

What brings Your Highness here today?

I heard you have quite a collection of women's portraits here.

I'd like to see them for myself.

Your Highness, if you came here

for this,

then you've come to the right place.

Take a look, Your Highness.

Feel free to pick whichever you like.

I

can arrange anything you want.

(What's she doing here?)

Your Highness, did you take a fancy to this woman?

Why not

flip through the rest

It gets even better further in.

(Shen Que.)

(Destroy it.)

(I want it destroyed.)

Are you satisfied, Your Highness?

If Your Highness needs anything,

I can make the necessary arrangements.

All I ask is that someday, Your Highness

will look out for me.

Is she here right now?

Of course.

Just a moment, Your Highness.

I'll take care of it right away.

Water.

The water's clean.

Thank you.

You

got tricked by that painter too?

Yes.

He used drawing me as an excuse

to lure me into Unreturned Spring.

He forged all those filthy portraits.

With them, he blackmailed me for money.

When I couldn't pay, he locked me up here.

He even told my family.

My family thought I disgraced them.

So they cut me off completely.

Here,

there are many girls who suffer the same fate

as mine.

Your Highness,

this is

the girl you want to see.

She's just as stunning as she is in the painting,

beautiful and captivating.

Go on, greet Prince of Xian.

Your Highness is even more

debauched than I expected.

Spare me, Your Highness. I...

It wasn't me who said it.

It's fine.

I actually like women with a sharp tongue.

Great.

Pour His Highness some wine.

Serve him well.

You want to cozy up to the powerful,

so why not serve him yourself?

How dare you!

No one's ever treated me like this.

Why? Your Highness always says

hunting demons is your duty.

Yet you still have time

to come here for pleasure.

I only came here

to find a portrait, at first.

This workshop specializes in painting women's portraits.

He used that as an excuse

to lure people into Unreturned Spring.

He forged private portraits and extorted them.

You... You're lying!

I didn't do that.

Then I'm curious.

How did you get in here?

Were you tricked into coming here too?

Your Highness knows about the criminal activity here,

yet you haven't gotten rid of it.

Are you in league with him?

Do you want to harm the women

locked up in the dungeon?

There's actually a dungeon here

imprisoning women?

You've got some nerve.

Your Highness.

Don't just believe her side of the story.

All those women

forced me to make those portraits for them.

Look. These paintings...

They all asked me to paint them.

How dare you! What are you trying to do?

How many innocent women

are disowned by their families because of your fake portraits?

They ended up on the streets.

Even worse,

to protect their so-called reputation,

some hanged themselves.

With just a few brushstrokes, you ruin lives.

You're even crueler than an executioner.

So is he the evil person you talk about?

All right. Then let him be my gift to you as my teacher.

Does it hurt?

Do you know how many innocent women

hanged themselves

with a white silk cord because of you?

Your Highness.

She's a demon.

Hurry, kill her.

Save me, Your Highness.

Your Highness.

I'll give you anything you want.

You can give me anything I want?

Great. I want you to apologize to those women.

I was wrong.

I won't do it again.

I'll be careful from now on.

I won't cause Your Highness any more trouble.

No sign of remorse at all.

You only repent

because you know you're about to die.

With just a brush,

you destroyed their lives.

You left them unable to defend themselves.

In that case,

I'll shut your mouth now, too.

So you can feel their despair.

How does it feel?

How do you feel now?

You can't say a word.

Neither could they

defend themselves.

They were forced to endure false accusations.

If you won't repent,

then you don't deserve to live.

I thought Your Highness

only hated us demons.

I didn't expect you to treat mortals

with such ruthlessness too.

I know right from wrong in my heart.

Villains like this

can't be allowed to harm the people I protect.

Just spit it out.

Why are you acting so shy?

They say anyone who opposes the righteous is evil.

But who knew

even demons could hate wickedness as much as anyone?

In this world,

there are good people,

and bad people.

Demons have good and evil among them too.

Only the ignorant

believe just one side of the story.

If being a demon is so great,

and those women are so weak,

why not turn them into demons too?

Let them have the power to protect themselves.

Turning mortals into demons

means enduring unbearable pain.

Besides, the ones who should suffer are the perpetrators,

not the victims.

You knew it would hurt,

yet you still turned me into a demon.

And now you pretend to be kind.

You're so fake.

You show compassion to women you've just met,

but not to me.

Do you really not know what you've done?

You killed my closest friend.

You slaughtered my demon clan.

Now all this pain is what you deserve.

If you're so cruel to me,

why keep me by your side?

All the nightmares you absorb

are for me to use.

That's why I haven't killed you.

Where else can Your Highness go?

The world is vast,

but I doubt there's anywhere left for you to hide.