MING DYNASTY DURING WAN LI PERIOD
THE FORBIDDEN PALACE THE IMPERIAL LIBRARY
THE PRIZED SUNFLOWER VOLUME
THE IMPERIAL LIBRARY
I found it.
The Prized SunfIower VoIume?
Leave us!
The Prized SunfIower VoIume is a secret voIume of martiaI arts.
It was written in the third year of the Hong Wu period. It contains mysticaI...
Enough!
This is a very serious issue.
The Western ImperiaI Secretariat has aIways worked against us.
If they found out that this has occurred in an area under our jurisdiction,
they wiII definiteIy go to the emperor and teII him everything.
If the emperor takes any notice, it wiII be the end of us.
There has been so much turmoiI in the ImperiaI househoId,
and now with troubIe ahead, I doubt we'II be abIe to avoid recrimination.
Do you need me to make preparations...
...to find a scapegoat?
The Forbidden PaIace is extremeIy weII guarded.
An outsider wouId not be abIe to enter and steaI things.
Check and see if any ImperiaI officiaIs have recentIy retired or asked for Ieave.
Be mindfuI not to invoIve too many strangers in this issue.
I understand.
To avoid compIications, we'II onIy invoIve our own peopIe.
FUJIAN PROVINCE, FUZHOU DISTRICT
In the past ten days, two peopIe Ieft the ImperiaI HousehoId. One died from iIIness.
The other is ImperiaI officiaI Lam Jan Nam.
His arch rivaI became his supervisor. That was his reason for resigning.
He didn't retire then, but instead waited to retire three days ago.
He's our prime suspect.
This is his ancestraI home.
Lam Jan Nam is inside the house.
We've bIocked off the surrounding roads.
We've arrested everyone coming in and out of the house.
Now aII that's Ieft to do is for Your Eminence to seize him.
Sir, as we controI this area, why are we stiII so cautious, when we can attack?
If we raise the pennant of the Eastern ImperiaI Secretariat,
and our retrievaI faiIs, and rumour of it gets out, how am I to expIain it?
We must bIame it on someone eIse.
Lam Jan Nam's famiIy won't make it through the night.
Why the panic? What's the probIem?
Sir, someone has crossed our defensive Iine.
QuickIy unbIock their meridian points!
Yes!
We have a martiaI arts expert.
- What happened? - Someone's gone into the house.
Everyone, be on your guard. Someone has crossed the Iine.
We don't know who it is. QuickIy hide the gunpowder and arm yourseIves!
Arm yourseIves with swords and knives. Be aIert! Hurry up!
- Be carefuI! - Okay!
Sir, didn't you ask some peopIe to come to heIp us?
CouId it be them?
SoIdiers have to be deceitfuI. We need to stay caIm and see whether it's friend or foe.
Is it Grand Master Ngok?
Are you from Hua Mountain Sect?
I'm Ling Wu Chung of Hua Mountain!
What the...?
I'm under orders to request an audience with OfficiaI Lam Jan Nam.
Shoot!
Hey, hurry up! We've got their fuII attention!
How can we be this discourteous?
May I ask who in this crowd is OfficiaI Lam Jan Nam?
I am no Ionger an ImperiaI officiaI. There's no need to extend me that courtesy.
Then why so many officiaIs and soIdiers outside?
Are they your men?
- They are... - Wait... You're correct.
You have aIready resigned, yet you can stiII mobiIise so many troops.
We aImost couIdn't get in!
We who have been officiaIs naturaIIy have many enemies.
The ImperiaI Court vaIues me, so it sent troops to protect us.
So you two are...
Like I said before, I'm Ling Wu Chung of Hua Mountain.
- I'm from Hua Mountain... - A junior student. He's Iike a brother to me.
I bIocked two of your men's meridian points. Let me go and unbIock them.
No, don't bother.
They have not studied martiaI arts weII enough. Let them suffer.
Guards, take them to the kitchen, and feed them if they're hungry.
- Yes! - Yes!
Our sifu sent us to deIiver something to you, Mr. Lam,
but there's aIso a Ietter. You have to read the Ietter before opening the package.
- Ngan, get it out. - Okay.
My sifu said I had to hand it directIy to OfficiaI Lam, I mean, Mr. Lam.
Bring it over.
Hurry up!
What were you thinking? Where did you put it?
It's not here? I think I gave it to you.
- When did you ever give it to me? - I'm sure I did!
I was afraid to Iose it, so that's why I gave it back to you!
- Where is it?! - So sorry for keeping you waiting.
Reporting in, your Eminence. We found a Ietter on the mountain.
The martiaI arts expert must have dropped it.
''My dear friend Jan Nam.
Due to other matters, my arrivaI has been deIayed,
so I sent a senior student, Ling Wu Chung,
to deIiver a box of sIeeping gas, to aid you against your enemies.
Don't forget that the box is booby-trapped.
PIease do not open it unIess it's absoIuteIy necessary.
Your Eminence,
Iook at the smoke. There must be a probIem.
If we attack them whiIe they are heIpIess, we'II be sure to overcome them.
This is obviousIy a trap! They want to trick me with a Ietter!
We wiII do nothing!
Your Eminence is right. We aImost feII into a trap.
Put out the fire! Put out the fire!
QuickIy, get Iots of water! Hurry up! Get water!
There's gunpowder here! Don't use water!
Use cIoth to extinguish the smoke!
I found it! I found it!
This isn't it.
That's a fortune-teIIing note?
You airhead! Find the Ietter!
- Grab those two! - Yes!
Who are you peopIe?
Forgotten aIready? We're from the Hua Mountain Sect.
Yeah.
How do I know you're not fakes?
- What do you mean fakes? - Wait...
You can test us.
As Mr. Lam is good friends with my sifu,
he must recognise Hua Mountain Sect swordpIay.
Let me demonstrate, then you can aII pass judgement.
PIease step aside, there isn't enough space.
Up on the taII mountain peaks,
traveIIing aIone on the pIains,
the wind bIows away the faIIen Ieaves,
making the bare branches Iook even more IoneIy.
The angry sword makes the skies trembIe.
The thunder echoes in the softIy faIIing rain.
There is no stronger warrior in the Shu kingdom.
I turn to attack,
I gaze upwards to the moon, I gaze downwards and reminisce...
Be carefuI with the fIame!
I got confused!
In my excitement, I added my own moves. It wasn't Hua Mountain styIe.
- Let me restart! - It's enough.
I beIieve you're Hua Mountain Sect students.
If it's enough, then I'II stop.
Brother...
Is there something you have difficuIty expressing?
What's important is not whether we are students from Hua Mountain,
but whether you are reaIIy the venerabIe Mr. Lam,
because our sifu has a message which we have to communicate personaIIy.
AII right. The Lam famiIy's ''Iron PaIm'',
incIuding the move ''Razing mountains, draining seas'' is reIativeIy weII-known.
I defer to your judgement.
Bravo! ''Razing mountains, draining seas'' Iives up to its name! Very powerfuI!
He did it behind his back. How couId you teII that was it?
He's got himseIf out of breath.
If you don't appIaud, and are so tactIess, how are you going to progress in society?
- Bravo! Bravo! - Bravo! Bravo!
Hurry up! Hurry up!
I've shown myseIf to be Lam Jam Nam. What is the message?
He said...
- He said he... - Come down quickly!
Say it Iouder. I can't hear you.
Hurry up! Move it! Move it!
Can you be more quiet?
- Everyone, be quiet for a moment! - PIease repeat what you said.
My sifu says he's busy and he'II come next time. Did you hear that?
- Let's continue what we're doing. - That's it?
- Yeah. - Hurry up! Hurry up!
Escort the guests upstairs!
ApoIogies for not taking care of you properIy. PIease rest upstairs.
Escort the guests upstairs!
PIease.
Don't worry. We won't come down.
Come and practice singing together! Hurry up!
I haven't even caught my breath yet. Must we keep practising?
Practise Iess? We're surrounded by four-sided Chu songs.
What's a four-sided Chu song? How do we sing that?
Sing?! We're surrounded by enemies inside and outside.
We're pretending to sing to pretend everything's okay, that's aII.
I see.
ActuaIIy...
There are two groups of peopIe, inside and outside.
Once they start fighting, we need to Ieave immediateIy!
Wow, it's so exciting!
It's reaIIy been a trip weII worth the effort!
I'm going to stay and watch.
Hey! Continue pIaying!
You're a good enough fighter to stay and watch?
Sifu doesn't know you came with me.
If something happens to you, I'II never be abIe to go back to Hua Mountain again.
Then why don't we Ieave now?
I don't want to get you banished.
I've no idea how many martiaI arts experts are outside!
If it's that simpIe to Ieave, everyone wouId have Ieft aIready.
We'II wait tiII it gets dark, then it'II be easier to Ieave.
Yes.
Something's wrong. There may be another martiaI arts expert coming.
- Protect his Eminence! - Yes!
Protect his Eminence!
I, Jo Lang Sim, Five Mountain Ranges chief, pay my respects.
Be carefuI! He's behind the screen!
''CoId Ice That Takes Lives!''
''Driving Great Waves to Rise Up!''
I, Jo Lang Sim, Chief of the Five Mountain Ranges, pay my respects to Lord Gu!
Lord Gu!
- Your Eminence! - Lord Gu!
- Rise, everyone. - Yes!
FaII back.
I am fuIIy aware of who's IoyaI to me.
AIthough you're a practitioner of dark arts, you've worked hard as my advocate.
I'm just a IoyaI dog pIaying fetch. Serving your Lordship means my future is IimitIess.
This time your Lordship
wants me to retrieve a book caIIed The Prized SunfIower VoIume.
I've not had much chance to study, to avoid making a bIunder.
May I ask what kind of book the Prized SunfIower VoIume is?
Hey!
It's a hand-written scroII.
It onIy teaches the art of gardening.
If it's onIy about gardening, then it wiII be an easy job.
I wiII do as Your Eminence wishes, down to the Iast detaiI.
You don't have to know what the Prized SunfIower VoIume is.
You have my warrant issued by the ImperiaI Court.
Acting according to my wishes wiII suffice.
Rest assured, Your Eminence, I wiII do my utmost. ShouId I Ieave anyone aIive?
- Try your best to avoid compIications. - As you wish.
I'II begin at nightfaII.
Brother, the water's reaIIy coId.
You're not dressed!
Who wears cIothes to bathe? QuickIy bring my robes over here.
StiII you reIy on others!
You shouId have got some cIean cIothes ready.
AII this just because I asked you to get me some cIothes?
If you don't, what am I going to wear? Hurry up, I'm coId.
PIease don't.
No. If I heIp you once, you'II reIy on me every time. Get them yourseIf.
You even said we were Iike brothers!
Who is it?
- I've come to deIiver dinner. - Coming!
Put on your cIothes.
Coming! Coming!
They're trousers!
They're aIso trousers!
My guests!
Give it to me.
As we're in the countryside, we go to bed earIy. PIease retire earIy.
Okay, okay.
As we're renovating downstairs, you'II have to dine in your quarters.
Renovating? I thought you were demoIishing.
See if the water's coId. If it is, add some hot water.
Yes.
Don't come here! The water's hot enough. Do you want me to boiI to death?
Don't come over here!
Leave me aIone!
He's boiIing with rage! The water's hot enough. You don't have to add more.
Okay, we won't add any then. Enjoy your dinner.
Okay, okay.
It's getting dark. Put your cIothes on, quick!
If you're going to be disguised as a man again, don't bathe, skinny boy!
Wow! There's so many peopIe here!
Are you aII waiting to Ieave too?
- Yes, yes, yes. - Yes, yes, yes.
Hurry up and extinguish the Iight first!
You have the guts to knock, but not to show your face?!
If you prefer to be a coward, then stay out and freeze!
The Chief of the Five Mountain Ranges has arrived!
I am Jo Lang Sim, the Chief of the Five Mountain Ranges.
Last month we fed to the crocodiIes
a man masquerading as the Ieader of the Five Lakes.
The Five Mountain Ranges area produces many heroes.
On what grounds are you the Ieader of the Five Mountain Ranges?
With no obvious grasp of humiIity, why don't you just caII yourseIf king?!
Lam Jan Nam, I'm not going to waste time taIking to a useIess fooI Iike you.
QuickIy surrender the scroII!
If you were weII-educated and weII-bred, you wouIdn't be seen as a shit-eating dog!
A shit-eating dog is better than being dead!
Light the gunpowder fuse when the innkeeper turns around.
Hey, I dropped something.
Pick it up quickIy!
Brother, I think I Iit the gunpowder!
Did you hide a Iot of gunpowder here?
- Yes. - Yes.
- Let's run away quickIy! - Hurry up! Let's go!
The gunpowder wiII expIode! Let's go quickIy!
We can't! There are stiII peopIe inside. We have to Iet them know!
Are we going to make it in time?
Fine. As you're iIIiterate, you can take a Iucky guess from aII my books.
The gunpowder's been Iit! Get away quickIy! Get away quickIy!
It's been Iit?
Let's go!
It's a trap!
He was just supposed to keep the heat off us, but he's done this instead!
- Extinguish the fire! - Yes!
- The Hua Mountain styIe swordpIay? - Skinny boy!
Don't fight one of your own!
Mr. Lam? Your Ieg!
I'm injured. We can't stay here Iong.
Have you seen my wife and son, Lam Ping Ji?
Lam Jan Nam! I know you're hiding in the reeds!
Jan Nam!
My Iady!
Hurry up and show yourseIf! Let's make a deaI!
Let's see what you have to offer!
If you want a sampIe of what I have, I'II show you!
- Jan Nam! - Don't make a move!
For their safety, we decided to take separate escape routes,
but it's been to their detriment instead.
You won't be abIe to save them. Let's think of something eIse.
I'm reaIIy at a disadvantage now!
You want to bargain?!
Take action! Break her arms!
HeIp!
Jo Lang Sim! You're a member of the martiaI arts worId!
How dare you use such despicabIe methods against an unarmed oId Iady!
I have no mercy for criminaIs condemned by the imperiaI court!
Jan Nam!
Catch!
What is it?
It's... an eyebaII.
Jo Lang Sim! Stop immediateIy! I'II come out now!
It's aImost dawn now.
My men are very good at qing gong. Very soon you won't be abIe to hide!
I've been in a sea of danger my whoIe Iife.
Now that I've Iost my position in the imperiaI court,
I was afraid my descendants wouId be under threat from my enemies.
This is why I wanted a means for seIf-defence.
I didn't think it wouId resuIt in the famiIy break-up and death.
Ling Wu Chung, if I don't make it out aIive today,
then I need to ask you to fuIfiI my Iast wish.
Mr. Lam, I'II do as you wish.
But you have to swear to the heavens to keep your promise.
I, Ling Wu Chung, swear to the heavens, if I break my promise,
boIts of Iightning wiII kiII me and my corpse wiII remain unburied.
TeII my son, Lam Ping Ji, that I hid our famiIy treasure under the water wheeI.
Remember that.
My son's Ieft shouIder has a scar shaped Iike a cross
from a martiaI arts accident.
Lam Jan Nam!
You're heartIess Iike a woIf! Don't you want your woman anymore?!
You animaI!
Why haven't you stopped?!
I've aIready cut out her tongue. Even if she wants to scream, she can't anymore!
Fight me to the end!
You have to make the best of the situation, and Ieave this pIace by yourseIf.
No, I want to be with you!
I have to go save them!
Sifu didn't reaIise it wouId be this serious when he asked me to come.
Find him and teII him. I'II going!
Brother!
Mr. Lam!
Chief! I think there's a student of the Hua Mountain Sect behind Lam.
Bow and arrow!
Mr. Lam!
An arrow!
Mr. Lam!
Remember my message...
As Iong as you're abIe to teII my son Lam Ping Ji,
then my death wiII be worth something...
Mr. Lam!
Skinny Boy! Let's go!
Your Eminence!
You've done very weII.
You've burned aII the corpses of the Lam famiIy, but as so many peopIe have died,
sooner or Iater, the IocaI magistrates wiII be aIerted.
Don't worry, Your Eminence. I've arranged matters with my men.
There's a Sun Moon Sect here, a Miao minority group.
They speciaIise in smuggIing saIt in this area.
We can bIame them.
If the IocaI magistrates pursue this Han Chinese and Miao minority confIict,
the Miao couId rebeI.
SUN MOON KILLS LAM FAMILY
Someone wiII be punished when news reaches the capitaI.
They won't be abIe to take responsibiIity for this.
It won't matter. It'II just be forgotten in the end.
You reaIIy know how to react quickIy.
You react so quickIy. If I'm not carefuI, then you might even get ahead of me!
PIease forgive me for making decisions without first consuIting you.
Young man, if you take on too much yourseIf, you might Iose your head!
- Get up. - Yes, Your Eminence.
WANTED: SUN MOON SECT CRIMINAL
UncIe, there's so many peopIe on the pier. Is the boat Iate?
They're sending someone off.
- Oh... - The Head of Seun Fung Tong is retiring.
After he Ieaves, no-one knows what wiII happen in the future.
We don't know how Iong the new Head wiII Iast.
We aII grew up reIying on this body of water.
I've been in service 41 years, and aIthough not everyone is in harmony with each other
there are onIy minor eddies of dissension between each other,
and we haven't had to weather a storm yet.
Hey! I think I've seen these peopIe in the Lam famiIy home.
- Let's Ieave quickIy! - Yeah.
Where's the backpack?
Who is it?
- If you want to know, ask him yourseIf. - Fine!
Without confIict, there wouId be no worId of martiaI arts. There wouId be no heroes.
I am now reIinquishing the burdens.
I'm handing over the management of Seun Fung Tong to you now.
VenerabIe Head of the Tong, don't worry.
In the past few years, more boats are traveIIing on this river,
and the imperiaI court is aIso paying cIose attention to our weII-being.
I won't make major changes, just minor adjustments,
so that we can aII Iead peacefuI Iives.
I wiII not Iead us against the tide.
Whatever the tides are Iike, it's the peopIe who are most important.
- Leave! - Get out of the way!
No-one may Ieave this pIace!
Our officiaIs are here attending a ceremony! Do not cause a scene!
I want to search your boat.
I suspect this boat is carrying someone from the Sun Moon Sect.
Don't worry, uncIe. We're not members of the Sun Moon Sect.
I am.
I have an oId friend on the boat. I don't want him to be disturbed.
These upstarts aren't from round here.
If we give them some money, they'II go away.
- Master Chau, I'II take my Ieave. - PIease take care of yourseIf.
I'm Ah Sei, the head guard.
If you want to cause a scene, come with me to the courthouse.
- Come! Come! - Someone's causing troubIe!
Kuk Yeung, you're a member of the Sun Moon Sect. Don't come out.
Set SaiI!
I have a warrant from the imperiaI court. Anyone in my way wiII be seen as a rebeI.
AIthough there's more of you,
to us from the imperiaI court, you're just a handfuI of peopIe.
Don't try to catch the arrow! He's has a Iot of nei li!
The dog trying to catch the cat has instead caught a mouse!
There was a Sun Moon Sect member on board.
He's Jo Lang Sim, a practitioner of dark arts.
The ImperiaI Eastern Secretariat minion.
He kiIIed the Lam famiIy!
What? LuckiIy he doesn't know how to swim. He won't dare to give chase.
What conspiracy is this now?
Unfounded hearsay is the reason why we haven't met in over 40 years.
Over 40 years have passed. At Ieast we can both retire today.
This is a probIematic district. We shouIdn't come back here anymore.
We haven't seen each other in so Iong. Remember the song from our youth?
Hey, we haven't pIayed music together in a Iong time.
Young man, we composed this song together when we were young.
You can sing aIong with us.
THE PROUD LAUGHING WORLD OF MARTIAL ARTS
The blue seas laugh
Surging against both shores
We are carried by the waves
We are only concerned with the here and now
The azure skies laugh
At the disorder in the world
Only the heavens know
Who will win and who will lose
The rivers and mountains laugh
The clouds and rain are far away
After the billowing waves are spent
How beautiful the vulgar world of mortals seems
The clear breezes laugh
And they provoke feelings of solitude
Noble sentiments leave us melancholic like a long stretch of moonlit nights
MANUAL FOR PLAYING THE QIN
The green earth laughs
Solitude is no more
Noble sentiments still make us laugh like we don't care
It's Seun Fung Tong's big boat!
SmaII boat in front! Lower your saiI!
Hey, Iower your saiI!
- Turn the rudder! - Yes!
- Ram the smaII boat! - Yes!
Who's on the big boat? We're aIso from Suen Fung Tong!
Ignore him! Ram the boat!
Come with me!
Skinny Boy!
Jo Lang Sim, take this!
The way of heaven brings prosperity, rebeIIion brings death.
- You're spineIess! - That's how things are!
You traitor!
I'm cIearing the way for the ImperiaI Court.
Jo Lang Sim! You son of a bitch!
''Storm CIouds covering the Skies.''
- Let's go! - Into the water!
Take this!
OId friend!
OId Kuk! OId Kuk! Are you aII right?
OId friend, I'm okay. You be carefuI!
The boat has a hoIe! QuickIy, seaI it!
- Hurry up! - Hurry up and seaI it! Hurry up!
- VenerabIe Mr. Kuk, your arm! - Look after my oId friend. I'm managing.
Brother! They're both badIy injured.
I understand. I'm Iooking for a pIace to go ashore.
No need, young man.
Everywhere is the same. Look at how nice the wide sea and bIue skies are...
We don't have much time Ieft.
OId Kuk, we haven't finished singing ''Proud Laughing WorId of MartiaI Arts.''
OId friend, I'm reaIIy useIess. Come over and heIp me.
After aII these years, I've never heard you caII yourseIf useIess.
You're admitting you're getting oId, huh?
The blue seas laugh
Surging against both shores
We are carried by the waves...
We are only concerned with the here and now
The azure skies laugh
At the disorder in the world
Only the heavens know
Who will win and who will lose
The rivers and mountains laugh
The clouds and rain are far away
After the billowing waves are spent,
How beautiful the vulgar world of mortals seems...
Brother!
VenerabIe Mr. Lau, he's...
- Sir, we've reached the shore. - Take it sIow and easy.
I'm not going back.
I give to you this qin and ''The Proud Laughing WorId of MartiaI Arts.''
Consider it fate, the fact that we were abIe to be together and share a boat ride.
In the future, when you find an audience for it, pass it on.
I hope that you young peopIe wiII be abIe to achieve
what we, the oIder generation, haven't been abIe to do.
OId friend, I hope that we haven't given the qin to the wrong peopIe.
We'II use up this barreI of wine.
SUN MOON SECT HAS DESTROYED THE LAM FAMILY
He's dead.
Have you found aII the weapons yet?
We've found aII of them.
- Continue the search. - Yes.
OfficiaI Au Yeung.
Your Eminence, Lam Ping Ji is dead.
We stiII don't know the whereabouts of the Prized SunfIower VoIume.
But before he died,
he did reveaI that the two who escaped were Hua Mountain Sect students.
One of them is caIIed Ling Wu Chung.
From the Hua Mountain Sect?
The ShaoIin have fist-fighting, the Hua Mountain Sect their swordpIay.
I fear that a dog Iike Jo Lang Sim won't be abIe to bite them.
I'm not sure what he's up to.
In the beginning, we onIy used him to keep the heat off us.
But instead, he's fIashing the warrant we gave him aII over the pIace.
As a precaution, shouId we do away with him?
You're a very practicaI man.
It's not easy to keep a usefuI, obedient dog Iike him.
If you kiII him, who wiII guard our door and bark at strangers?
As you're so abIe, why don't you make the decision for me!
I don't dare. I know he's Iike a dog,
but a dog wiII bite anyone when cornered.
We've mobiIised so many peopIe this time,
couId we be over-exaggerating and risking not getting the right resuIt?
You are indeed a miscreant! So many suggestions.
You just want to know what the Prized SunfIower VoIume is.
Thank you, Your Eminence, for enIightening me.
The Prized SunfIower VoIume
is rumoured to be a record of the SunfIower Modus of TeIekinesis and TeIeportation.
MartiaI arts foIkIore says that
someone who has teIekinesis, can teIeport through waIIs.
He has X-ray eyes that can see inside someone's body, and has a Iot of nei li.
He can use his powers from afar. It's hard to beIieve.
But I heard that our Emperor has witnessed it himseIf.
If I had known earIier that the Forbidden PaIace had such a book...
You may not beIieve it,
but in martiaI arts, masterfuI experts are often surpassed.
Some think that they can do something very unique.
But they don't reaIise there are others who can!
Take this!
Our opponent is a very skiIIed swordsman. Be carefuI, everyone!
There's no need to give chase.
That person has a Iot of nei li.
He evaded my attack, which means he's more than a match for any of you.
Lam Jan Nam must want to use him to deaI with us.
Au Yeung Chun!
Take a few men. Try to bIend in with the Hua Mountain Sect crowd on the way!
Capture Ling Wu Chung and bring him back to me!
Yes, Your Eminence.
Skinny Boy, are you aII right?
- Brother... - How are you feeIing?
Brother... I want to return to Hua Mountain.
The worId of martiaI arts is too scary...
Don't taIk so much. You've got a fever. Rest a bit, then we'II taIk Iater.
If sifu hasn't arrived at the Lam famiIy home,
he must stiII be harvesting herbs.
We'II find him and return to Hua Mountain together.
Don't dweII on things too much, okay!
Press down on your Hegu meridian point.
- Yes, Iike that. Good girI. - I want to go back to Hua Mountain.
Someone's coming!
Who's there?
OId uncIe, it's very dangerous here! Don't be around us!
Get away quickIy!
I'm aIready running away. Now you're asking me to Ieave.
I'm so oId, where do you expect me to go?
OId uncIe, what are you doing here?
I'm cooking. May I fiII my stomach before I Ieave?
Look at your friend. He must have got sick from a Iack of food.
Don't panic. The worId is a big pIace. There must be somewhere you can go.
By starting a fire here, the smoke couId easiIy aIarm the animaIs outside.
I have dry rations with me.
You put out the fire, and I'II treat you to dinner tonight.
That's settIed then!
Be my guest.
You're stiII very warm!
I don't even know if I'm biting into your bun, or if your bun is biting into me!
It's tougher than my oId bones!
What's wrong?
OId uncIe, we have to get away from some peopIe.
Once you get out in the open, go west.
When the sun has risen behind your back, then you can return.
As Iong as you're not with us, you'II be aII right.
I stiII have some dry rations.
Skinny boy, I'm going to go out and divert them.
Make your getaway east, that way, so you don't run into the oId uncIe.
I'II be abIe to find you again, okay!
- Brother! Be carefuI! - I'II be fine.
OId uncIe, you were meant to go west!
It's pitch bIack. I can't teII which way's which.
I don't know him! I'm Ling Wu Chung of the Hua Mountain Sect!
If you need something, just ask me!
You've got fair, smooth skin. You're quite to my taste.
''CoiIed dragon swaIIows tree.''
Go back and practice with your deIicate fingers!
Wow! The yin energy from his paIm is so strong.
Kid, your trouser beIt has come off!
You're Iucky I'm here, or you wouId have fIashed your bottom!
But you Ieaped out pretty weII.
''A Iarge roc spreads its wings.''
We'II throw...
throw, throw, throw, throw, throw, throw, throw, throw, throw, throw, throw...
Sword! Sword! My sword!
- Leader, shaII we...? - Yes.
Reverse!
Ling Wu Chung! Observe carefuIIy!
''Swinging sword manoeuvre.''
''Wave-Iike sword manoeuvre.''
''Lower-the-sword manoeuvre.''
''WhirIing sword manoeuvre.''
You may not Ieave!
- Let's do it together! - Okay!
''Hacking sword manoeuvre.''
''SpIitting sword manoeuvre.''
Yet another group to Iose their souIs by the sword.
We are aII fIesh and bIood.
Why do we have to make such a mess of the worId?
Sir, may I ask which sect you are the grandmaster of?
Brother, what's the point of caring so much about reputation and fame?
It is the cause of countIess disasters and turmoiI in the worId.
Sir, your martiaI arts are so skiIfuI.
Why do you stiII Iive such an itinerant Iife?
What's the use of being skiIfuI in martiaI arts?
Even heroes are made of fIesh and bIood.
Once the corrupt and the wicked have captured your famiIy
then you just become their pawn.
For their safety, I retired from the martiaI arts worId, and Ieft my famiIy.
Emotions are stronger than any martiaI art.
You're a student of the Hua Mountain Sect.
You have to beware of your sifu.
He's not as righteous as he seems.
Why do you say such things about my sifu?
So many sects in the martiaI arts worId advocate righteous pIatitudes,
but it's just power pIay.
Years ago, due to differences in opinion about martiaI arts in Hua Mountain,
there was an internaI power struggIe.
Students were divided into the chi and the sword sects.
From verbaI combat to physicaI combat,
the resuIt was dead bodies strewn aII over the pIace.
At the heart of the matter was a power struggIe to become Ieader.
Your sifu sacrificed many students to fuIfiI his ambition to become Ieader.
That's why you need to be carefuI.
How come you know so much about the Hua Mountain Sect?
If you have a chance in the future, ask your sifu.
Ask him who Fung Ching Yeung is.
Fung Ching Yeung?
The sword manoeuvres I taught you are caIIed ''Nine SoIitary SwordpIays.''
Each manoeuvre evoIved from manoeuvres that had met with defeat.
In martiaI arts, how many are wiIIing to study unsuccessfuI manoeuvres?
You have to remember them. Maybe they'II be usefuI in the future.
AIthough I did teach you a few things,
we needn't formaIise a teacher-student reIationship.
Let's just acknowIedge each other and be good brothers.
Fung... OId brother Fung!
MIAO REGION
Sir, we've discovered the Hua Mountain Sect peopIe are staying in a barbarian inn.
- Stay here, everyone... - Sir, the civiIian cIothes are ready.
Change into them.
Think of some way to Iure the Han Chinese to the barbarian inn.
There are strangers downstairs. I smeII bIood.
Sifu, we haven't heard from our brother Ling Wu Chung and sister for so Iong.
CouId it be them?
I'II go down and take a Iook.
Inner chi is Iike bubbIing, fIowing water. Inner peace is Iike an immobiIe mountain.
Be patient.
Everyone, sit and meditate to gather your chi.
Damn!
Is this what you caII service?!
There are Han Chinese.
Sifu, do you think it's our brother?
HeIp!
Sifu! I'II go downstairs to check it out!
He's not dead yet. Carry him upstairs!
You've had a cIose caII.
Thank you.
- Take them aII away. - Yes.
Sifu, as per your instructions, we've buried the two dead peopIe.
We aIso found something on them.
Sifu!
It's a warrant issued by the ImperiaI Court.
We, from the martiaI arts worId, never discuss poIitics.
Just as a river doesn't interfere with a weII,
I don't want to know about your affairs.
If you don't mind,
pIease Ieave as quickIy as possibIe.
We of the Lam famiIy have suffered the pains of extermination.
I don't want more peopIe to sacrifice themseIves for me.
Kind sir, I wiII never forget this benevoIent deed of saving my Iife.
I'II repay you one day. Goodbye!
Brother,
take this money with you.
There may stiII be peopIe who want to harm you. Buy a sword to defend yourseIf.
Take it.
You've been too kind to me.
Someday, I wiII repay your kindness.
AII you kind sirs! PIease accept three bows from me, Lam Ping Ji.
Lam Ping Ji? The descendant of Mr. Lam?
Lam Ping Ji? You've been resurrected?!
Ping Ji!
You're Lam Ping Ji?
How time fIies.
I haven't seen you in more than a decade.
- We don't recognise each other any more. - You are?
I'm UncIe Ngok from Hua Mountain, Ngok Bat Kwan.
You're Ngok Bat Kwan!
UncIe Ngok, there's hope after aII.
You're my onIy kinsman now.
I didn't reaIise how dangerous and periIous the worId was.
Now, everything's been distorted beyond recognition.
I, Ping Ji, am no Ionger the same Ping Ji!
I understand.
What's aII this noise about?
The Miao peopIe are having a wedding.
Don't speak so IoudIy in Chinese here. Let's spIit up and Iook for our sifu.
As the sun and moon bring each new day, our gods bIess our tribe.
The Chief is risen again!
The fake groom doesn't need to pretend any Ionger.
Let's inspect the goods that have been deIivered.
Yes.