Original subtitles

The underworld.

Science.

Punch and kick.

The truth.

A great swimmer.

Forensics.

Sorceress.

Reporter.

Weak body.

Special detective.

Mother.

Secretary of municipal government.

An individual with unsurpassed and exceptional abilities.

Young Master.

Belongs to the Great God.

The heiress.

Neither a smoker nor a drunkard.

What is the use of having power and money?

Can't stand the sight of you.

Not bad. Reasonable and fair.

Take a bath.

Are you kidding me?

Not finicky.

There are clues.

Germany.

Spirit channeling.

Big news.

Chamber of Commerce for Water Transportation.

Master.

De-you!

Father.

Not messing things up. Not afraid of things.

Inference.

Evidence.

Childhood sweetheart.

The people of Tientsin.

Mao Ding.

De-you Guo.

-River God. -River God.

-River God. -River God.

EPISODE 8

Steward Hu, what brings you here?

I'm here to bring Young Master some soup.

You don't have to do this. It's late.

It gets harder to fall asleep at this age. So I just came here for a walk.

-Please come in. -All right.

-Would you like some soup too? -No, thank you.

Uncle Hu.

Young Master.

What brings you here at this hour?

Look at you, I can tell that you've not been eating properly.

Your aunt made you some black-bone chicken soup.

You must be worn out lately. This can replenish your energy.

How are you getting on with the case?

There has not been much progress.

You've been back for quite some time, but you're rarely home.

You come to the police station every day.

Look at the time now.

Even if you sacrifice your health, you won't necessarily find anything.

I can't sleep well until I find out

my dad's cause of death.

There are too many things that remain unanswered.

I can't have a peace of mind.

That bastard played some tricks

and coaxed Yuan-yuan into eloping with him.

Apart from being hobbled, does he have any other idiosyncrasies?

You should've heard his voice.

I couldn't recognize his accent. I only heard him coughing a lot.

Uncle Hu, I've something to ask you,

but I don't know where to begin.

There's nothing to hide between us. Just be straightforward.

During my absence,

had my dad ever thought about remarrying?

What makes you think this?

Or did he ever have any affairs?

That's nonsense!

Where did you hear this from?

I didn't hear it from anyone.

I'm just a bit puzzled.

President Ding put all of his heart into the development

of the Chamber of Commerce.

He was also too busy worrying about you.

How could he have the leisure to have an affair?

This is the last cigarette.

Here you go.

I...

Have one.

I know you do smoke occasionally when you are upset.

One's life is as brief as the life of autumn grass.

All my life,

your dad was the only man whom I looked up to.

Now that the Chamber of Commerce

has a prestigious standing on the turf of Tientsin,

wherever President Ding went,

people had to show him some respect.

Actually, he no longer had to work so hard.

President Ding was much more visionary than the rest of us.

Not only did he have a

vision for the small entity of our Chamber of Commerce,

he also had his mind on the Haihe River and the whole Tientsin.

If he ever had a selfish motive,

it would be you.

Young Master.

It's getting late.

Why don't you call it a night and get some sleep?

Young Master.

Young Master.

It's past 12:00 a.m.

Go back and get some sleep.

I'm all right.

I have to interrogate a very important criminal in there.

Really?

Okay.

Don't you damage the reputation of the Chamber of Commerce.

Yes.

-You should go back now. -All right.

-I'm leaving. -All right.

Wake up!

Tell me, how did she die?

I wonder too.

She was locked up in a jail cell with nobody around.

How could she end up dying? How could this possibly happen?

Someone must have murdered her to cover up their crime.

We must investigate this thoroughly to curb the underlying issue.

Investigate thoroughly? Are you serious?

See what bad luck you have brought us.

I feel like slapping myself now!

Why would I let you investigate this case? I must be insane.

What is the point of saying this now?

We should start the investigation at once and find out what happened.

Okay, investigate it and find out what happened.

This responsibility should go to the one who stirred this up.

Now a person has died in our police station.

How would people out there perceive us?

How would the press view us?

We are clean so there's no need to be afraid.

Detective Ding. Mao Ding.

I'm going to ask you again.

How did Manager Wang die?

-She drowned. -Crap!

Captain.

Have some water and calm down.

Get lost!

This is a police station.

A place where criminals are locked up. Where did the water come from?

You told me that she drowned in the room.

Did she drown in her own urine? My goodness.

I've done the autopsy.

Water entered the lungs. It's true that she drowned.

You can go check it out.

No.

Rumor has it that this police station is also haunted by the River Monster.

Is there anything you want to eat in particular recently?

Nothing. I'll just stay at home.

Never mind.

I feel like eating something good.

I want to enjoy good food while I can

before you infuriate me and cause me to die one day.

What a regret it will be!

Master, I didn't do it deliberately.

I was forced by the circumstance. I got in as I was hunting them down.

I can forgive you for smoking.

But how dare you hang out at the opium den.

It was all Mao Ding's fault!

It was because I needed to help him. Please tell him off if there's a chance.

You're taking it to the extreme!

Rather than behaving yourself, you put the blame on Mao Ding.

I know I'm wrong. I won't do it anymore.

You're lucky enough to return alive this time.

-Don't you dare do it again. -I didn't know it'd spiral out of control.

Do you know what opium is?

Even a normal person can be debilitated once he takes it.

Given your health condition,

-you're indeed risking your life. -I know I'm wrong, Master.

Master, are you all right?

Stay still in the tub.

I'm too old.

I'm too old to whip you anymore.

You should know

what's right and what's wrong.

Since you're too old to whip me,

I'll whip myself if I make any mistake again.

Didn't you say you wanted to eat something good?

Let me know what you want. I'll go buy it right now.

Let's have a hearty meal this evening.

Forget it!

Do you know how much herbal medicine I've added in this tub?

Stay in and soak yourself well.

Master Guo.

The police wants you to recover a dead body.

Can't you just go there yourself?

They want him to go.

He is too weak to enter the water now.

There's no need to enter the water.

How can I recover without entering the water?

It's true that the deceased died of drowning,

but she drowned in the jail cell of the police station.

Look, didn't I say she was killed by the River Monster.

Otherwise, they wouldn't ask the Little River God to come.

Captain Fu told us not to talk nonsense.

When did she die? Can you confirm the time of death?

Based on the stiffness of the corpse,

she probably died between 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. last night.

What's wrong?

Did you smell something odd?

No.

Besides the smell of mildew.

Apart from you, has anyone else entered this place?

Captain Fu has given me full authority over the case.

I'm the only one who has the key. Others couldn't come in.

Where is the key?

I've been hanging it around my waist. It's always with me.

This lock has such a deep cylinder. It's not easy to pick it.

There's only one entrance here. People can't enter from elsewhere.

There's no need to investigate anymore. I know who the culprit is.

-Who is that? -You.

Now is not the time to joke around.

How can you prove that you're innocent?

This is a locked room and you're the only one who has the key.

Obviously, you are the prime suspect.

Anyone who looks into this case

will definitely assume that you're the prime suspect.

-I have an alibi. -What is it?

Uncle Hu can be my alibi. We were talking outside.

Steward Hu? How did he know?

Uncle Hu brought me some soup last night. We're talking in the lobby.

The security guards who were on duty should have seen him too.

Do you remember when Steward Hu left?

It was past 12:00 a.m.

How can you remember it so well?

The clock just chimed at 12:00 a.m. when I walked him out.

Then, I wanted to go on with the interrogation.

But I found her dead instead.

Is the Little River God exorcising the demons?

Shut up!

What are you looking at?

Didn't I give you a small one as a gift?

Can you not disturb me?

-Did you smoke? -Just one cigarette.

I thought someone who studies medicine and science like you wouldn't smoke.

I just take a puff sometimes when I'm upset.

Did you throw out the ashes?

Not me. Someone cleans it up regularly.

What time did you say Steward Hu left last night?

12:00 a.m.

I remember it very well. The clock chimed twelve times.

What did you find?

I know who the culprit is.

Who is that?

I also have a general idea of how he did it.

Tell me now.

It's a bit complicated.

If you want to know, I would probably have to trouble you.

-Trouble me? -We have to make a bet.

But it doesn't matter if you'll win or lose.

The result will concern the future of the Chamber of Commerce.

You've got to think it through.

Tell me the whole story in detail.

Why are we here?

We're here to get ready for the bet.

I've tried my best to get you what you want.

Over the past 30 years,

there're a total of four severe floods in Tientsin.

The most severe one happened about 21 years ago.

The toll of casualties and missing people mounted to over 100 people.

One important thing is that

in the most affected area of the western suburb,

there was a village called Qiming Village.

Two years after the disaster, an evil organization was formed.

It was called the Ancient Evil Gang.

They preyed on children across Tientsin and caused a lot of trouble.

But too bad.

Its relevant information has been sealed up.

I only know that the government sent troops to wipe out the gang.

The Ancient Evil Gang disappeared since then.

The Ancient Evil Gang?

You came just in time.

Since Mao Ding is here today,

I bet the two of you must be interested in this piece of information.

What is it?

There were three people who annihilated the Ancient Evil Gang.

There was someone you know.

Yi-qiu Ding Annihilated the Ancient Evil Gang.

Chief Commander, Yi-qiu Ding,

Deputy Commander, Hai-jiang Hu and an underworld volunteer, Guo Chun.

My dad?

Uncle Hu?

Master?

-My dad was tied onto this statue. -I must ask Master about it.

Little River God, is this the information you're looking for?

I have an exclusive story that can shock Tientsin City.

I want to give it to you in return.

Shock the city?

Yes.

Young Master of the Chamber of Commerce Bought His Position as Detective.

His Misuse of Torture Caused the Death of a Suspect in Prison.

Captain.

This is an accusation.

Yes.

-Shut the door. -All right.

Sit down.

Have you read the news?

-Where is he? -He has been detained.

This is indeed an accusation.

Captain Fu, please do me a favor.

He insisted on looking into the case.

He bragged that he'd solve the case, but he failed to find anything.

Feeling disgraced, he turned to lynching.

He didn't expect that the girl couldn't stand it

and died during the interrogation.

At least, Mao Ding is sensible. He didn't try to cover it up.

He accepted the consequences of his doing and has come clean once and for all.

Nobody accused him.

He turned himself in and we arrested him.

It's done fair and square. There's nothing wrong.

Tell me.

How can I do you the favor?

This case has been publicized. Even my superiors know about this.

Even if I wanted to cover him,

I won't be able to do that.

An intelligent man who decided to do something stupid.

How could anyone possibly stop him?

Am I right?

I came here today

to turn myself in.

I was the one who killed Manager Wang.

After getting everything ready,

I went to send him some soup.

Uncle Hu.

What brings you here at this hour?

Look at you, I can tell that you've not been eating properly.

Your aunt made you some black-bone chicken soup.

You must be worn out lately. This can replenish your energy.

Young Master.

Young Master.

Didn't you have the soup as well?

I did.

But having the soup alone wouldn't work.

It must go with a cigarette to take effect.

What happened next?

I didn't know a pig bladder can be used for this purpose.

When one was put to sleep

and came round again,

how could he not realize that he had been unconscious for a long time?

Time can be deceiving.

When I came to see Master Ding,

it was almost midnight.

While I was talking to him, I was calculating the time

so that the medicine could show its full effect at 12:00 a.m. sharp.

The chiming could reinforce memory,

which made him unaware that he had passed out.

Young Master.

It's past 12:00 a.m.

Go back and get some sleep.

I have to interrogate a very important criminal in there.

Don't you damage the reputation of the Chamber of Commerce.

All right.

You should go back now.

I'm leaving.

I brought the pig bladder along.

The evidence is sufficient now.

Why don't you arrest me?

What was your motive?

Why did you kill her?

There was an enmity between Manager Wang and I.

How could you be in bad terms with an opium trader?

You don't have to know this.

No way.

Mao Ding's homicide case has been publicized.

If I arrest you now and refile the case,

do you think the public is foolish enough to ignore it?

Isn't this obvious?

The Chamber of Commerce operates behind the scene and sends in a scapegoat?

How will this affect the police's prestige?

Captain Fu.

You can bring Mao Ding to trial right now.

If he can tell the details of how he did it,

I would not barge in.

Otherwise,

I'll mobilize all social connections of the Chamber of Commerce in Tientsin

and stir things up.

Captain Fu.

You can consider it first.

Master!

Master!

Master!

Where did this statue of God of the Northern Sky come from?

I don't know.

I have never seen this before.

My dad was tied onto this statue.

I must ask Master about it.

Usually, no matter how the victim's family begs him for help,

Master won't help them to investigate.

It's not that he's unable to do it.

Rather, it's because the truth he discerns

will hurt the family more.

How would you know that?

-Could you smell it? -It smells sour.

It's the white vinegar.

Why did he use this?

Don't you know about the pig bladder?

It's smelly and foul.

It needs to be soaked in the vinegar for days in order to banish the smell.

When the corpse salvage team first learned to swim,

we would usually use pig bladders to practice breathing.

That's why I'm so familiar with this smell.

How can you be sure that it was Uncle Hu?

I told you that he was with me at the time.

Didn't you realize that the clock has been tampered with?

All other places are dusty,

but it's very clean here.

Look at the glass.

Pig bladders are very oily.

On top of that, if his hand was wet when he touched the glass,

it's easy to leave a mark on the glass.

The drugs become potent when they're mixed together.

The soup was spiked with the drug,

but the effect was triggered by the drug in the cigarette.

To make this drug, four types of herbs are parched, ground and lit,

with a part of it inhaled and the rest of it taken orally.

-How did you get to know this? -My Master has been refining the recipe

that makes up my medicinal bath for more than ten years.

My knowledge covers all the herbs on the market.

But

the drug I mentioned is not available on the market.

In the military, it's often used as an anesthetic.

People who have never been in the military wouldn't know this recipe.

There were three people who annihilated the Ancient Evil Gang.

Chief Commander, Yi-qiu Ding,

Deputy Commander, Hai-jiang Hu and an underworld volunteer, Guo Chun.

Like I said, these are just my speculations.

There's no concrete evidence.

You're the one who decided to bet on it.

My master once told me,

the reason why the Chamber of Commerce can become so influential in Tientsin

in such a short period of time

is because the persons in charge are loyal enough.

I didn't understand why.

But I get it now.

Master is missing.

He left without saying anything.

There must be something strange about this.

It may have something to do with the Ancient Evil Gang.

Did you know that one of the two managers of the Chamber of Commerce died today?

You knew both of them, didn't you?

Tientsin is a small place.

We've been in the same boat. It's not odd at all.

By the way, Master, speaking of the doll,

where did this statue of God of the Northern Sky come from?

Mind your own business.

Don't you meddle with the investigations that are none of your business.

Master.

I brought you some snacks.

What did you say?

-Snacks? -Yes.

Youngsters like you nowadays know nothing about history.

What do you mean?

Have you ever heard of an old saying?

"Kill or slaughter? It's your choice."

Yes.

Then, let me ask you.

How is killing different from slaughter?

They mean the same thing.

No, they're not the same.

Kill is just ending one's life.

Slaughter means ending one's life brutally.

Ending one's life brutally

means slicing the criminal's fresh piece by piece.

If the criminal died before the last slicing,

it is deemed unacceptable.

Then the executor needs to get punishment.

The last slicing

must be of the criminal's heart.

Then only would the criminal die.

Do you know what they call the last slicing?

The last slicing is called dian-xin.

You brought me dian-xin. Do you mean to end my life that way?

I didn't know about it.

I mean I have learned new things today.

I bought you some pastries.

Pastries?

Subtitle translation by Gwen