Original subtitles

=Parallel World= (Adapted from Wei Yu's novel "Parallel World")

=Episode 13= (This story is a work of fiction.)

- Marry him! - Marry him!

♪Hidden dreams slumber♪

♪Quietly setting the hidden stage♪

♪The twilight of destiny♪

♪Turns into the fortress of truth for love♪

♪When sealed memories♪

♪Slumber with the winds and sands♪

♪When choosing to continue the journey♪

♪With unwavering determination♪

Let's take a selfie.

Sure.

- Marry him! - Marry him!

♪Let the other side bring a colorful end♪

♪Ambiguity between truth and falsehood♪

♪Intoxicated between reality and fantasy♪

♪All beings are but for love♪

♪Spin in endless circles♪

♪Swear to enter the dangerous pass♪

♪Even if the future is filled with swirling snow♪

♪Only to have a clear conscience♪

♪Ambiguity between truth and falsehood♪

♪Intoxicated between reality and fantasy♪

♪All beings are but for love♪

♪Spin in endless circles♪

♪Swear to enter the dangerous pass♪

♪Even if the future is filled with swirling snow♪

♪Only to have a clear conscience♪

♪Ambiguity between truth and falsehood♪

♪Intoxicated between reality and fantasy♪

♪All beings are but for love♪

♪Spin in endless circles♪

♪Swear to enter the dangerous pass♪

♪Even if the future is filled with swirling snow♪

♪Only to have a clear conscience♪

Bear with it.

Liuxi.

Spray your wound with it.

No, thanks.

Be gentle.

Where's Dong?

He's waiting in a side room upstairs.

Do you guys think

Dong will plan to leave this place?

Dong is capable.

As soon as he came, he took care of everything.

What about us?

We dreamed of solving the puzzle,

but I didn't expect it to be so dangerous.

I came here to search for my past.

That's why I'm here.

As for you guys,

that will depend on Liu's opinion.

Now that you mention it,

Liu's godfather,

Liu Qi, provided the funds for us to come here.

We can't go back empty-handed, or he'll scold us.

Liu Qi doesn't know how dangerous it is inside the pass.

It's better to return safely than risk your lives here.

My godfather said

he sent me here to toughen me up.

If I survive in such a dangerous place,

he would trust me to handle matters.

The worst case is that we die here.

That's up to fate.

I'm not his biological child, anyway.

Liu.

Qi has repeatedly reminded me to ensure your safety.

He values you more than anything else.

What? Are you having second thoughts now?

I just think we might not be able to leave the pass yet.

The car needs repairs,

and the fuel condition is uncertain.

If we go back the way we came,

we may encounter the sand monsters at Flowing Sand Yardang again.

It's said that stepping out of here will run your blood dry.

Liuxi.

Do you think

there will be bloodshed when we leave the pass?

Don't bother looking.

We've checked all those things.

They're all from the 70s and 80s.

They're worthless.

But when I looked at clothes of Old Qian,

they seemed to be from the 90s.

When we saw the shadow coffins earlier,

the shadow puppets' clothes were from different eras,

but there wasn't anything from the last 20 years.

Doesn't that mean

the Ghost Camel Caravan

hasn't delivered goods for a long time?

No.

There's one from 2008 here.

It means they're still stocking up inside the pass.

That's strange.

Here's one more.

This is a gem.

Look, Liuxi.

(Crossroads of Love) This book is precious to Liu. It's a treasure.

Why?

It's her manual to young love,

and it accompanied her through all the seasons.

Don't listen to his nonsense.

Is it true?

Back in middle school,

we did enjoy angst romance genres

that are tear-jerking and heart-wrenching.

Heart-wrenching how?

In simple terms,

the male lead has a deceased ex-girlfriend,

and then,

to win his heart,

the female lead puts in relentless efforts to achieve that.

How foolish is that?

How can you compete with a dead person?

The author

must have a masochistic tendency.

I'm so tired.

Let's go to sleep.

Fatty Tang.

Bring Chang Dong's shadow puppet box to him.

Don't tell him I asked you to.

It's late now.

He won't be able to carve it.

Just go when I ask you to.

Bring the other three's blankets up to him as well since you're going.

Liuxi.

Do you think the sand monsters will come again?

If they come again,

the weak ones up there will...

So what if they're weak?

They deserve punishment after pulling such shameless acts.

Besides, if Dong can sleep, they can too.

Tell them to quit the petty act.

I bet those three upstairs

are up to something again.

It's great that Dong is watching them.

We can sleep soundly without worry.

(At most,)

(I'll help you fold it.)

How was it?

Delivered?

Yes.

You didn't spill my name, did you?

Why would I?

But you guessed it right.

Dong started carving right away after seeing it.

Wouldn't it be like this?

Hey, can you be fast with the water boiling?

Who are you calling? My name isn't "hey".

Isn't it ready yet, Fatty Tang?

Almost, Liuxi.

I don't care what you do

but make sure to bring the food up when it's time to eat.

Liuxi.

Dong is still inside carving shadow puppets.

Just pretend he doesn't exist.

We'll make food. It's up to him whether he wants it or not.

If he talks to you, let him.

If he doesn't, don't talk to him.

Liuxi.

I don't think you should stop us from talking to him.

He'll suffocate.

I'm close with him. I'll go talk to him.

Don't move.

Don't do anything.

Liuxi, try to talk to Dong.

Give it one more day.

Why?

I'll wait until his hunger gets the better of him,

so he'll come out obediently,

eat, sleep, and clean himself up.

You three,

come to me one by one after you are done eating.

I have something to ask you all.

You there.

I mean you.

You first.

Have a seat.

My whole body is aching from the fight with the sand monsters yesterday.

I'm very tired today.

When I'm tired, I don't like to talk,

but I love to listen to people talk.

How about this?

Let's play a game.

You speak, and I'll listen.

I'll ask one question,

and you'll tell me everything you know.

Don't make me ask more questions.

For each additional question I ask, one point will be deducted.

Relax.

You definitely know the answers to my questions.

But the same question

sounds different

when it's asked by different people.

What I fear the most

is when what you say doesn't match what others say.

The sand monsters.

Do they only exist here?

Or are they everywhere?

They only exist here.

The origin of sand monsters

(starts with an exotic beast called "the salt beast".)

(The salt beast has a voracious appetite and is bloodthirsty by nature.)

(It loves to lick the salt)

(from the Flowing Sand Yardang.)

(Every dozen years)

(or maybe over 100 years,)

(it'll awaken once.)

(However,)

(once it awakens,)

(the villages nearby)

(will meet with disaster.)

Collecting pig bristles here.

Dyestuff, anyone?

Oh, my goodness.

Aren't you freezing in just that?

Are you thirsty, young man?

Here.

Have some water.

Why would I, a peddler,

cry my wares in the desert

in the middle of the night?

Am I crazy?

Who am I doing this for?

This is a trap.

Do you understand?

You walked right into it yourself.

Don't blame me for doing this.

I'm rich.

I'm rich.

Anybody wants to sharpen your knives and scissors?

Collecting pig bristles here.

Collecting hair here.

Dyestuff, anyone?

Collecting pig...

(Among the exotic beasts,)

(the salt beast is relatively rare.)

(It only roams here.)

(The salt beast spends most of its time)

(in slumber.)

(Sometimes for decades)

(and sometimes for over 100 years.)

(So,)

(although the salt beast has caused trouble here,)

(people still live here.)

If they're lucky,

in their lifetime, they may never encounter.

A vicious shapeshifter, the salt beast lurks in the pass.

(According to the books,)

(it's very good at adapting to its surroundings)

(and can change its facial features at will)

(to resemble whatever it meets.)

(If it meets a human, its face becomes that of a human.)

(One has to look out for it)

(and take strict precautions against it.)

(At first,)

(it would pose as an outsider visiting the village)

(and settle down.)

(Gradually,)

(the villagers would dwindle in numbers,)

(but there would be no traces of their bodies.)

(After a period of activity, the salt beast)

(would return to the Flowing Sand Yardang to go into a dormant state.)

When the salt beast is slumbering,

the sand mounds and the nearby water-devouring swamp

serve as its guards.

No one can get near there.

Even if someone manages to enter,

they'll get infested by the fallen golden ants

and become sand monsters.

As a result,

the Flowing Sand Yardang becomes a forbidden area.

Ordinary incompetents can't get near there.

The sand mounds can't move.

Where did these sand monsters

come from?

It's just bad luck,

anyway.

Unless...

Unless what?

Unless someone feeds it.

I've never heard of that.

What's the point of feeding the salt beast?

That's insane.

We're just small fry.

We don't know much.

You should ask people at the market.

There are lots of people there, and they're well-informed.

You can find out all sorts of interesting things

at the market.

Are there a lot of cars at the market?

Can we buy gasoline there?

Yeah, you can.

It's just that few people can afford to drive trucks.

Gasoline is too expensive.

And there's been less and less of it over the years.

It can't be brought into the pass.

Gold leaf is used as the currency here.

You can also trade goods for other goods.

Things from outside the pass

are especially popular.

If you want to buy things or ask about something,

you should go to the main market.

The bigger the market,

the more Feathered Guards and sorcerers there are.

They can not only maintain public order

but also summon exotic beasts,

making them farm, generate electricity, transport goods,

and do all sorts of hard labor.

I heard that life in Black Stone City, the most prosperous city,

isn't much different from life outside the pass.

They say one step out of the pass and one's blood shall run dry.

If no one can step out of the pass,

then which of you have witnessed it with your own eyes?

My parents.

That's how Fries lost his parents.

Last year, the three of them were fine living in the neighboring village.

Then, five people came from Red Brick City,

saying they wanted to step out of the pass.

They offered money

to some people to act as their guides,

but in the end,

they never returned.

Their families went searching for them

and found the remains of the seven people

near the Flowing Sand Yardang.

So, in order to step out of the pass,

one has to pass through the Flowing Sand Yardang?

I don't know.

Rumor has it

that there are many ways to step out of the pass.

But in the end,

they all turn into bizarre ways to die.

This kind of secret

is known only to the Feathered Guards in Black Stone City.

Chang Dong.

Where are you going?

Whatever happened to you and Camellia,

I promise I'll uncover the truth.

About me

and Camellia,

forget it all.

Forget them.

Only then can you start anew.

Kong Yang.

I really wished

I had died with you back then.

Silly.

That wasn't your fault.

Chang Dong.

Chang Dong.

What are you doing?

You've been hiding here for three days.

Are you still unable to accept the fact?

I came to terms with it two years ago.

So, what are you doing now?

You can't accept the fact that Kong Yang had transformed?

Liuxi.

Kong Yang is dead.

Regardless of what transformed her,

she's no longer the same person.

It's indeed painful,

but I won't go as far

as not being able to comprehend it.

What about you?

Why didn't you let them talk to me?

Every time Fatty Tang came to deliver food,

he always seemed hesitant.

He clearly had something to say,

but in the end, he didn't speak up.

It's probably because

you forbid them from talking to me.

What are you up to?

What do you think I'm up to?

You're likely here to tell me

that you won't allow them to persuade me.

It's my choice whether I want to eat,

but if I want to survive,

I'll have to get up by myself and eat.

Tell me not to assume

that everyone has to revolve around me.

Until when

I'm on the brink of starving to death,

you'll only come to mock me

and give me a kick.

Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind.

You've got it right.

There's another possibility.

You just want me to calm down.

You'll wait until I figure things out

and come back to see if

I'm worth

lending a hand to.

Let's go.

Where to?

♪Moonlight gently taps the moments in time♪

♪Unfurling vast deserts of drifting sands♪

♪Vast deserts of drifting sands♪

♪The past in pursuit of those who race onward♪

♪Behind which door hides a scar, we ponder♪

♪Behind the door hides a scar♪

♪An ancient ballad left by someone♪

♪Buried in the mist, quietly it blooms♪

♪The precipice we tread in our anxious destiny♪

♪Yet we still long for a heartfelt answer♪

♪Let's ride the wind and break through the desolation♪

♪Embracing every starlight in the wilderness♪

♪Your smiling face♪

♪The dependable shoulder to lean on♪

♪A knowing glance on the thorny path♪

♪Together we wander through the end of the days♪

♪Dispelling all the evil spirits with our candlelight♪

♪Like sharp knives and spears♪

♪Like the protective walls against the cold night♪

♪Our fingers entwined, warming each palm♪

♪Like a dream♪

♪Crossing through the years♪

♪Broken memories sprout anew♪

♪Don't suppress or fear the chaos♪

♪For I am here♪

♪Let's ride the wind and break through the desolation♪

♪Embracing every starlight in the wilderness♪

♪Your smiling face♪

♪The dependable shoulder to lean on♪

♪A knowing glance on the thorny path♪

♪Together we wander through the end of the days♪

♪Dispelling all the evil spirits with our candlelight♪

♪Like sharp knives and spears♪

♪Like the protective walls against the cold night♪

♪Our fingers entwined, warming each palm♪

Let's go.

Come, let me carry it.

It's okay.

Give it to me.

Alright.

I'll stop taking care of you at this point.

Starting from when you wake up tomorrow,

there won't be any more special treatment.

Shouldn't you have waited

until I wake up to say these things?

Now that you've told me,

I'll feel burdened

and won't be able to sleep well.

Okay.

You're awake.

Get some more sleep.

I'll go check upstairs.

Fine.

(Observe desert rules. No trespassing nature reserves.)

♪Hidden dreams slumber♪

♪Quietly setting the hidden stage♪

♪The twilight of destiny♪

♪Turns into the fortress of truth for love♪

♪When sealed memories♪

♪Slumber with the winds and sands♪

♪When choosing to continue the journey♪

♪With unwavering determination♪

♪When the enigmatic world and the parallel reality contradict♪

♪Let the other side bring a colorful end♪

♪Ambiguity between truth and falsehood♪

♪Intoxicated between reality and fantasy♪

♪All beings are but for love♪

♪Spin in endless circles♪

♪Swear to enter the dangerous pass♪

♪Even if the future is filled with swirling snow♪

♪Only to have a clear conscience♪

♪Ambiguity between truth and falsehood♪

♪Intoxicated between reality and fantasy♪

♪All beings are but for love♪

♪Spin in endless circles♪

♪Swear to enter the dangerous pass♪

♪Even if the future is filled with swirling snow♪

♪Only to have a clear conscience♪