Original subtitles

=Sword and Fairy 1=

=Episode 15=

This way.

We've arrived.

This is the Temple of the Earth God?

Why is a giant rat being worshipped?

What's going on here?

How would I know?

I've never seen Mr. Jinba, Miss.

Now that I've brought you all here,

please let me go.

Why did you let him go?

He probably wasn't lying.

No use keeping him.

If this is really the place,

what do we offer as tribute?

So?

We just wait here?

A'nu,

be patient.

As Mr. Huang said,

Mr. Jinba should come to us.

That is Mr. Jinba.

(Mr. Jinba)

A mouse demon?

Who are you?

You came looking for me,

and yet you ask who I am?

You

are Mr. Jinba?

Follow me.

"Being in a room of orchids for a while, one stops noticing their fragrance."

Truly the ancients did not lie.

Li,

to be honest,

I can no longer distinguish any scents.

Did you find it?

No.

Sir,

still can't find the scent you're after?

Perhaps consider other rouges?

I want to gift one to Ling'er.

Any recommendations, Scholar?

This rouge.

Its hue is like peach blossoms upon the water, bright and captivating.

It's perfect

for Miss Ling'er.

Sounds impressive.

We'll take this one.

Madam.

Two boxes, please.

Sure.

Does your cousin

need this?

After all, she's a lady.

Though she's currently trapped in jail,

looking dirty,

once she clears her name,

she'd surely want to dress up properly.

Come here.

(House for Music and Pleasure)

Follow me.

Let's go.

That's right, sir.

Li,

did you see that female thief?

- No. - Yes.

Any new clues then?

None.

Li, let's focus on what's important.

I can't let my cousin down,

nor can you disappoint Miss Ling'er.

Right?

First time here, gentlemen?

What kind of girl do you like?

You can find whomever you need.

Manager,

ask all the girls

to be here.

All of them?

We can surely afford that.

No problem.

Gentlemen, follow me.

Follow me.

A rare Thunder Fire Bead.

So generous.

You must be seeking a finer treasure.

Mr. Jinba.

We're looking for a Spiritual Bead with spiritual powers.

A Spiritual Bead?

For the lost treasures from the appraisal event,

our friend has been wrongly imprisoned.

Without that bead

to find the lost treasures,

they're in mortal danger.

Those treasures weren't stolen by the thief.

So, that won't save your friend.

Alright, Ling'er, I get it now.

He's not answering our question.

It's just that he has no clue about where the Spiritual Bead is.

Stinky mouse, give back my Thunder Fire Bead!

How bold!

No one's dared speak to me like that.

So what if I did?

Mr. Jinba, my friend is outspoken

but means no harm.

Please understand.

Tang Yu, A'nu,

go outside and wait for me.

No, Ling'er.

- What if... - Come with me.

Forget it.

Humans naturally distrust the different.

You not seeing me as a demon

is already unusual.

Mr. Jinba,

then you are...

Since birth,

I've had this long tail.

Even my own parents

thought I was a mouse-turned demon.

Fearing trouble,

they abandoned me in a dilapidated temple in the wilderness,

leaving me to fend for myself.

Perhaps my fate wasn't sealed yet,

so I was saved by mice.

They taught me their language,

and we depended on each other

until one day I ventured

into the city and realized,

I was not one of them.

Though the mice showed me kindness and raised me,

after much thought,

despite the pain,

I left them.

You are different after all.

Perhaps,

parting is for the best.

- I'm not a snake demon. - Ling'er.

- I'm not a snake demon. - Descendants of Nuwa have their own missions,

destined not to live at will.

They'll never be able to become

an ordinary person.

I thought so too.

But having experienced the world's coldness and warmth,

and seeing through people's hearts,

I realized people despise rats,

calling them dirty and despicable.

But human hearts

are even darker and filthier.

Never mind.

Let's not dwell on it.

Our meeting is fate.

I'll help you find that Spiritual Bead.

Thank you, sir.

Stand straight. Stand straight.

Gentlemen,

all our female musicians

are here.

I especially recommend

Cuiye and Lanzhao to you,

Not only are they beautiful,

well,

they can also surely take good care of you.

Let them all stay.

All of them?

It's broad daylight.

Well, isn't it a little inappropriate?

Is it?

No, no, no. It's not.

Then you should leave.

Alright, alright.

You go ahead and enjoy.

Shh.

Don't talk.

Take off your clothes.

What are you doing?

Scholar,

- did you see it? - No, nothing.

Not here either.

Strange.

You, you, and you.

Leave.

This is absurd.

What are they trying to do?

Why are you coming out?

They're crazy.

Who's crazy?

None of these girls

suit my master's taste.

All...

All of them?

Just those two inside are acceptable.

Tell me.

Are you hiding the best ones from us

- and not letting us see? - No, no, no, not at all.

Forget it. I'll look for them myself.

Go, go, go.

May I ask what you're doing?

Sir,

why have you come to this unclean place?

My master is seeking pleasure in the room.

I came out for some fresh air.

These are...

They're old clothes the girls no longer wear.

We deal with them all at once,

packing them up and throwing them away.

Right. I just remember I haven't eaten.

Who knows

when will my master be done.

I'd like to trouble you to prepare me some food.

Keep this for yourself.

Sure, no problem. Please wait.

Wait a moment.

Sir,

your food

is ready in the hall.

Thank you, thank you.

I'd like to ask you about one more thing.

Tell me.

Whose clothes are these?

Don't let this dirty your hands.

It's fine. Take a look.

This belongs to Miss Yingying.

Are you sure?

This. Look.

(Ying) They're different.

(Yingying)

Li.

Scholar,

you escaped so quickly.

What about those two girls?

They're asleep.

So soon?

I just shared some life lessons with them.

Admirable, admirable.

Li, did you find a new clue?

Pretty much.

Who are you?

We've come to meet Miss Yingying.

Gentlemen, I apologize.

I'm unwell today and cannot see guests.

Please leave.

Manager!

Manager!

Coming.

Gentlemen, this...

How did you end up in Miss Yingying's room?

Unfortunately,

Miss Yingying is not receiving guests today.

Quite the coincidence.

None of your musicians

caught my master's eye,

except for Miss Yingying.

Well...

This really puts me in a difficult position.

Gentlemen,

I'll prepare some drinks and dishes for you.

Yingying, these two gentlemen seem gentle and refined.

They won't cause trouble.

Take good care of them.

(House for Music and Pleasure)

Barging into your room without knocking

was presumptuous of me.

I'll drink as punishment.

Sir, I don't drink.

If you don't drink,

does it mean that you refuse to forgive us?

Bravo.

I felt you were familiar the moment I saw you.

Your voice

seems so familiar, too.

Have we met before?

You must be joking, sir.

I've never met you before.

Is that so?

To me, it feels like we've hit it off right from the start,

extraordinarily familiar.

You mentioned you were unwell earlier?

Just some old ailments,

nothing serious.

No need for concern, sir.

I know a bit about medicine.

Let me take a look at you, okay?

I don't think your injury

is on your left hand.

It's on your shoulder, right?

Last night, at Yue Lai Inn,

a thief was stealing.

Have you heard about it, Miss Yingying?

Not at all.

That female thief had a fragrance

exactly like yours.

- How coincidental, don't you think? - All the girls here

smell like this.

What's so strange about that?

I injured the female thief's left shoulder,

and today, your left shoulder happens to be injured.

- How would you explain that? - Merely a coincidence.

Just now, you were tidying up.

Were you worried about being questioned

- for not killing us? - No.

Your palms are sweating so much.

Are you afraid of the person instructing you?

- I'm not afraid of her. - Her? Who is she?

Help! Help!

She...

Are you sure it's her?

Don't get it wrong.

It's the thief I encountered at the inn.

But by build,

she doesn't resemble the one I saw with the savage girl.

Really?

This is your night attire, right?

Miss Yingying,

with evidence so clear,

should I take you to the authorities?

I really can't bring myself to do that.

In the bottom compartment of the wardrobe, there's a hidden box,

containing the money

I've saved over many years, hoping to buy my freedom.

A total of 480 taels and seven qian.

If you're willing to let me go,

all this money is yours.

So, we take your money

and still take you to the officials. Wouldn't that be better?

Don't be nervous. We don't want your money.

Just answer our questions.

What do you want to ask?

Who instructed you?

I can't say.

You're afraid of offending her.

How long have you been trapped here?

Five years.

You're afraid we'll find out about the female thief,

and that if the thief is caught,

you won't be able to earn money.

And without money, you can't buy your freedom, right?

I didn't want to do these things.

But relying on my art alone,

I feared I'd be old

and not have saved enough money.

If you can provide us

with clues about the female thief,

I can help you buy your freedom today.

Really?

A gentleman never goes back

on his words.

He's particularly wealthy.

In the eastern corner of the city, there's an abandoned house

with a dry well that leads to an underground passage.

Go down and follow it

until you reach a secret room in the middle.

What you're looking for

is there.

Thank you, Mr. Jinba, for the information.

He'll guide you there.

Following Yingying's directions, we're here.

Let's look around.

The female thief you mentioned is Ji Sanniang.

She's the one sending people to find me.

I can't find her.

If she has something for me to do,

she leaves a note at the window.

After completing the task,

I go to the west of the city

to retrieve money from beneath a brick wall.

It's empty.

Did Yingying lie?

Scholar, how about you?

Nothing here.

It's empty.

And you?

Nothing at all.

Here come two more who don't value their lives.

Madam.

Madam, to be honest,

we are brothers and came here to find relatives.

You're here to find relatives?

Who are you looking for?

I...

This house has been vacant for over a decade.

No one has lived here.

I advise you to leave quickly.

But my wife

promised to meet me here tonight.

Could it be she...

To tell you the truth,

this house,

at night,

always has these in-and-out sounds.

Those sounds

are muffled,

as if coming from underground,

calling for one's life.

Terrifying.

You should leave, quickly,

You can't stay here.

Can't stay here, hurry and go away.

Underground...

That well!

We're late. The well is sealed.

It seems the female thief was prepared.

A rabbit has three burrows. There must be other entrances.

It's hot.

This weather shouldn't heat the stones this much.

The female thief hides underground,

naturally needing ventilation.

The well, serving as a passage,

would emit geothermal heat.

Given the rich geothermal resources in Yangzhou City,

and the interconnected wells,

thus...

Finding a well emitting heat

would lead us to the entrance of the female thief's secret chamber.

- Exactly. - Let's go.

It seems the Spiritual Bead must be hidden beneath this well,

so the Bead's energy was masked.

Wait.

There's a trap ahead.

Impressive, Tang Yu.

Quite clever.

Good thing we didn't proceed.

Look,

the Spiritual Bead is just ahead.

Let me.

I'll hold them off.

You go find the Bead.

Don't get hurt.

Among the eight wells nearby,

only this one is hot.

This must be the right place.

Finally, a chance to save my cousin.

Li, let's go down.

Wait.

This female thief is full of tricks.

If we rush in recklessly,

we might fall into an ambush.

Here's the plan.

You go to the yamen to call for reinforcements.

I'll draw them out to catch them all.

Excellent plan.

But please be very careful, Li.

Why is it closed?

Ling'er,

the Spiritual Bead is here.

Let's split up and search.

It's nearby.

Ling'er.

This chest.

This wooden box has the aura of the Spiritual Bead.

Why is it empty?

After all this effort,

the trail goes cold again.

Ling'er, the mechanism is here.

There's something off about this chest.

Look, it's open.

Ling'er, you go find the Spiritual Bead.

Once Tang Yu and I regroup,

we'll come find you.

A'nu...

Once you find the Spiritual Bead, hurry to find Li Xiaoyao.

I understand.

You can't leave him now.

- But... - No buts.

Go now.

Hurry.

A'nu,

you must be very careful on your own.

Ling'er, you too must be cautious.

Go now.

Be careful.

I wonder how Tang Yu is doing.

Since you've come,

come in.

You're here to catch me, right?

Return that hair tie to me.

So, you came for the hair tie.

Where did you see

the owner of this hair tie?

You care about her so much.

Could it be you're that girl's lover?

No.

The girl who followed me with you

and watched me change clothes

was someone else.

Enough talk!

Seems you're quite the romantic.

Quite different

from Li Sansi

back in the day.

You...

Who are you talking about?

Of course, your father.

How do you know my father?

Indeed.

More than just knowing.

We were like-minded

and quite familiar.

Shut up.

My father was a hero who robbed the rich to help the poor.

How could he be in the same league as a thief like you?

Ah, the noble robber.

Your theft is for personal gain,

framing others.

How dare you compare yourself to my father?

I used you

because I thought

you had the skill to escape.

Enough.

Surrender quietly.

Hand over what you stole

from the Treasure Pavilion.

What?

Did I steal that much from the Treasure Pavilion?

Of course.

You emptied the second floor.

It seems you saw it with your own eyes.

I saw you sneak into the Treasure Pavilion.

What more do you have to say?

Kid, you're too naive.

Compared to your father,

you're far behind.

Don't mention my father again.

Though I'm a thief,

I'm not the worst of them.

I don't want to end like your parents,

beheaded.

You're talking nonsense.

My parents aren't dead.

Li,

it seems you're really kept in the dark.

No.

You're trying to distract me.

You know nothing.

Alright.

Then you might as well listen.

It's said that the Nanzhao Kingdom possessed a treasure,

named the Water Spiritual Bead,

reportedly crafted by the Nuwa herself.

Your parents sneaked into the Nanzhao Palace

and stole the Water Spiritual Bead,

but were discovered by the guards.

They broke through the encirclement and fled with the treasure.

And thereafter, Li Sansi vanished with the Bead.

Rumor has it they were afflicted by the Shadowless Poison.

Even though they escaped,

they would never live.

Impossible.

Impossible!

The Shadowless Poison, Nanzhao's deadliest toxin,

guarantees death

without an antidote.

Thus, Li,

your parents

have long perished.

My parents

died in Nanzhao...

Had your parents not been greedy,

getting in trouble with the Nanzhao people,

they wouldn't have met

such a fate.

- You're lying! - The son of a thief!

My dad was not a thief!

Not a thief at all!

You're all lying!

Lying!

The son of a thief!

Son of a thief!

Auntie,

what exactly does my dad do?

Why do they all say my dad was a thief?

Weren't my parents

the envied couple of the martial world?

Envied couple?

They left you behind without care,

claiming to rob the rich to aid the poor,

yet who knows what they are actually up to?

Xiaoyao, do you know?

Your parents are wanted by the authorities.

You must not follow in your father's footsteps.

Understand?

Xiaoyao, be careful!

Ling'er!

Li, to fight me,

you're still too inexperienced.

Who?

The mantis stalks the cicada,

unaware of the oriole behind.

What took you so long?

Are you hurt?

Didn't you tell me not to get hurt?

You're quite obedient.

Ling'er,

you're alright?

I'm fine. Don't worry, Xiaoyao.

Ling'er,

it's really you.

You're really in Yangzhou.

I've finally found you.

If people see my form,

they'll surely identify me as a snake demon.

Xiaoyao would definitely protect me,

even getting hurt in the process.

Xiaoyao,

I...

You...

Why did you leave without saying goodbye?

Did I do something wrong

that makes you angry, Ling'er?

No.

Xiaoyao,

you did nothing wrong.

Ling'er,

I promised your grandmother.

I must safely return you to Nanzhao.

The words I spoke must hold true.

Ling'er,

what happened?

What exactly happened?

Do you know how hard it was for me to find you?

Do you know how anxious I was

when you left without saying goodbye?

Why?

Why can't you tell me anything?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

This hair tie,

I got it back for you.

It's my fault.

I

never wanted to leave you.

But...

Ling'er,

if you don't want to talk,

I won't ask anymore.

I'm sorry.

But,

please, don't leave me again.

Alright?

♪Immortals never age, awaiting youth's prime♪

♪Meteors dazzle, adorning the flash of swords and sheaths♪

♪In matters of cunning, unleash martial prowess with fists and kicks♪

♪In pursuit of freedom, level up by defeating monsters early on♪

♪Time sneaks a smile, brushing past brows, eyes, and lips♪

♪Back then, so small, admiring the heroes with tender affection♪

♪Mocked and pushed down♪

♪Enduring without retort♪

♪Rise up, stance firm and ready♪

♪Hey, young man, the world is yours to roam free♪

♪The martial world may seem perilous with evil♪

♪Ultimately, they're but inner demons to be beaten♪

♪Choose weapons that match the Buddha in your heart♪

♪Great joy lies in my own freedom♪

♪Through losses and gains, be a wandering immortal♪

♪Eventually, there will be rewards, rare and hard-earned♪

♪At the road's end stands a solitary crane♪

♪Together, we'll break through the mountains amid the clouds♪

♪The martial world may seem perilous with evil♪

♪Ultimately, they're but inner demons to be beaten♪

♪Choose weapons that match the Buddha in your heart♪

♪Great joy lies in my own freedom♪

♪Through losses and gains, be a wandering immortal♪

♪Eventually, there will be rewards, rare and hard-earned♪

♪At the road's end stands a solitary crane♪

♪Together, we'll break through the mountains amid the clouds♪

♪The martial world may seem perilous with evil♪

♪Ultimately, they're but inner demons to be beaten♪

♪Choose weapons that match the Buddha in your heart♪

♪Great joy lies in my own freedom♪

♪Through losses and gains, be a wandering immortal♪

♪Eventually, there will be rewards, rare and hard-earned♪

♪At the road's end stands a solitary crane♪

♪A solitary crane♪

♪Together, we'll break through the mountains amid the clouds♪