Subtitles by DramaFever
[Sound of the Desert]
Episode 19
We noticed that you are quite skilled in martial arts when we met in Jian-An.
I've been tempted to challenge you to a fight ever since. I am Iron Ox-wood.
I have some physical strength. I'd like to compete with you!
Don't mind me.
Do as you wish.
If I compete with you, it would be unfair.
Get the best warrior here among the Tartars to compete with me.
If I were to be defeated, you may have my head.
If you are defeated
the Tartars are not to bully people of Nan Dynasty in this market anymore.
You are to respect each other and get along in harmony.
Yes! If he is defeated
I will apologize to you!
If he is defeated... you can have my head as well!
Come on!
Are you willing to compete with me?
My lord, he is not fit to compete with you.
If I defeat you, I don't want to take your life.
I want you to work for me.
Thank you for thinking so highly of me.
But I only do what I will.
If I am defeated, my life is to be forfeited.
Your wife is Muslim?
The traditional customs of Muslims and Tartars...
I am willing to do whatever he wishes.
What if I am defeated?
What else could I do?
I could only follow you to the netherworld.
Sister, since we bade each other farewell in Jian-An
I didn't expect us to meet again.
Aren't you scared of their competition?
That freak you brought with you is clearly obsessed with you.
He doesn't even know if he can survive this competition
but he didn't even spare you another glance.
I'm scared. How can I not be?
But there are things in life that still need to be done even if I'm scared.
You know how skilled the King is in martial arts.
I can tell that he appreciates that man's character.
As long as you remain veiled
and let the King assume that you are just a runaway
I will beg him to spare your lover.
My mind is made up, so why should I fear death?
Watch the competition with ease.
In this competition
the winner is decided by the number of pigeons they shoot down.
The man from Nan Dynasty uses black feathered arrows.
The Tartar uses white feathered arrows.
The time will be up when a stick of incense is burnt.
The winner is the one who shoots down more pigeons!
Great archery skills!
Likewise.
One... two... three... four...
- Five... Six... - Six...
This man is very skilled in archery. It's hard to tell which of us won.
Fifteen... Sixteen...
- Don't worry. I'll be fine. - Seventeen.
Eighteen.
Nineteen.
This young master shot down twenty-one pigeons with black arrows.
Our lord shot down twenty-three pigeons!
Our lord has won!
Great!
When it comes to horse-riding and archery skills
the Tartars are still the best! Am I right?
Yes! How can we possibly lose to men from Nan Dynasty?
Exactly!
What a waste of a human life.
We told him not to compete, but he insisted.
What should we do?
We have won!
Young man!
Please reconsider my suggestion.
I already told you that I would only do what I will
and I never go back on my words.
I have a favor to ask of you.
Escort my coffin back to Jian-An.
I don't wish to be buried in foreign lands.
And... you must return to Jian-An.
I'd like to borrow your sword.
I only realize it now
that in all the time and the moments we shared without noticing
he has already secured a spot in my heart.
May I borrow your dagger?
Sister...
Are you really willing to...
Thank you.
Please.
Hold it!
Every pigeon that I shot down
is shot once through the heart.
Why are there two wounds on this pigeon?
I'm sorry, my lord.
I was the one who fiddled with the pigeons when I picked them up.
I swapped a black arrow with a white one.
You have served me for such a long period of time.
You should know what I hate the most.
Take great care of their families.
Yes.
I didn't expect my men to do anything like this.
You're a man of great bearing.
May I ask for your names?
We encounter each other by chance, we'll meet again if it is meant to be.
Names aren't important.
I truly wish to become good friends with the both of you.
We'll be friends and nothing more.
I'd like to buy you some drinks, and drink till we're drunk.
I'm impressed by your bearing.
But we really have other matters to attend to and cannot linger.
Then we shall meet some other day.
- Bring two horses over. - Yes.
Since you have a journey ahead of you please don't turn down these two horses.
It'd be disrespectful of me to decline. Thank you!
Farewell! We shall meet again if it is meant to be.
Are you still thinking about the competition?
That man must be of high ranking among the Tartars.
When the results were announced
he already noticed that his men had fiddled with the pigeons
but he pretended to be ignorant of it and almost had me take my own life.
He only exposed them at the last moment.
He has a suspicious frame of mind, he is very scheming.
He is ruthless and cruel.
But then he also acts with righteousness.
I couldn't read him.
I saw that you were quite impressed by him.
It was as if you didn't notice anything amiss.
You had no regard for your own life
and acted like some heroic vagabond.
It turned out that the competition was really down to the last minute.
First you competed for valiance, and then intelligence.
If you made a wrong move and cause him to suspect you
the horses would be the last thing that he gave to us.
Don't worry. Should that happen, my uncle would wipe them all out
and fight against them.
Wipe them all out?
Don't worry, I'd never let anything happen to you as long as I am with you.
It's really rare that anyone from Nan Dynasty has such archery skills.
That's because you are too kind and respectful of heroes.
You shouldn't have let him off so easily.
You shouldn't have exposed the swap of the arrows.
Not only is he of a heroic spirit
but he is also just and righteous.
In order to stay true to his words he could take his own life.
He is a heroic young man of great spirit.
There is an awe-inspiring air about him.
As the King of Tartars
how could I be petty-minded?
My King, you are the true hero.
- You are our ruler. - My King.
The army has replenished the water and food supplies.
We are ready to leave anytime.
Not one arrow misses its mark.
My King is truly excellent in archery.
Zhao Zheng, you flattered the wrong person.
This is the result of a match between our King and a man from Nan Dynasty.
They came to a draw.
Yet our King has the broad mind of a ruler and tolerated the man.
A man from Nan Dynasty could have archery skills as such?
My King, Nan Dynasty's general Wei Wu Ji has camped nearby.
What?
You mean...
I've competed with Wei Wu Ji in archery once.
I know about his archery skills.
It should be him.
So it was Wei Wu Ji.
I actually got to meet him.
My King, we must capture Wei Wu Ji alive.
We should attack that woman next to him first.
If we kill that woman first we could distract Wei Wu Ji.
That would give us a better chance at capturing him alive.
Pass down my orders to capture Wei Wu Ji.
He must be captured alive!
Yes!
What are you thinking about again?
Would you like to know what I am thinking about?
Tell me.
I've figured out why you're wearing this outfit.
You don't want them to recognize you.
Who exactly are they?
Hu Wei Li.
The King? I was right.
He truly is the King of Tartars.
No wonder the match came to a draw.
It seems that he has changed his mind.
Xiao Yue! Be careful!
Thank you, my wife.
Don't shoot the horses! Shoot that woman!
Distract Wei Wu Ji!
Xiao Yue, be careful!
Wu Ji!
Keep shooting!
Xiao Yue.
Jin Yu? Is that Jin Yu?
Jin Yu!
Jin Yu is already dead!
Brother, I'll leave them to you.
Let's go!
Kill Wei Wu Ji!
Don't hurt that woman!
Yes!
Hide over here.
Fortunately, your wolf brother came to help us.
We got away from them.
Show me your wound.
I'm fine. This won't kill me.
I'll look around for herbs to staunch the bleeding.
No! I think that Hu Wei Li already knows who I am.
He would never let me off.
Your wolf brother came to our aid, but he might not be a match for
those well-trained Tartar soldiers.
It's best that we...
That is why I have to staunch your bleeding all the more.
If you keep bleeding
am I to carry you on my back?
Shouldn't a general know his priorities?
Don't worry. I know my way around this area.
All right.
Xiao Yue!
Take this with you.
Be careful.
Wait here for me.
Stop right there!
Attack!
Stop it!
Are you Jin Yu?
I already told you that Jin Yu is dead!
Jin Yu isn't dead.
You are Jin Yu.
Hu Wei Li, does it matter whether I am Jin Yu or not?
What will you do even if I am Jin Yu?
I am no longer related to you in any way.
It is Wei Wu Ji that you are after.
If you are still the same Hu Wei Li you used to be
don't make things difficult for a woman like me.
Let me go.
Where is Wei Wu Ji?
In order to get away from you
we've gone on separate ways.
He left you here alone?
Yes, he left me here alone.
He was shot and couldn't move around very easily.
In order not to drag me down with him, he lied that he couldn't move
so I would go and look for medicinal herbs.
But when I got back, he is already gone.
Search this area! Kill him when you find him!
- Yes! - Yes!
Go over there!
- Come with me! Hurry! - Hurry up!
Go!
Don't let me see him again.
Otherwise, I'll shoot him myself.
Since he left you to fend for yourself
come back to us.
Don't come any closer!
I will never go back with you!
You still hate me?
Stop right there!
My arrow would show you no mercy if you take another step forward.
Are you going to use the archery skills that I taught you to shoot me?
Do you still remember that I taught you archery on horseback when you were little?
Hu Wei Li, my father was from Nan Dynasty.
You should know that he had always wanted to take me back to Nan Dynasty.
I'm doing very well there.
Don't force me
if you feel a bit guilty.
Jin Yu.
I'd rather have you come at me seeking revenge
and staring at me with hatred.
At least, that means you still kept me on your mind.
You have not forgotten about me.
But I never expected you to look at me as if I were a stranger.
In the past, no matter what the occasion might be
be it the former King or Crown Prince
when everyone only looked at them
you were the only one who looked at me.
Back then, although you were young
you could read everything with your eyes.
You could read my sorrows
my tolerance, my anxiety...
You would be happy and upset for me.
Is there none of that left now?
Hu Wei Li, it might be true that Jin Yu once looked at you in that manner.
But only one person would look at you in that manner now.
The emotions in her eyes are different from that of Jin Yu's.
But she only has her eyes and heart set on you.
Come back with us!
Don't come any closer!
Stop right there! Don't come any closer!
Don't... Don't come any closer!
My King!
- Yun Zhu? - Mao Yun Zhu...
Yun Zhu...
- Yun Zhu... - I'm sorry.
Yun Zhu!
It's you! Why are you always doing this to me?
Why couldn't you leave us be?
Why couldn't you let Papa off?
Why couldn't you let the Crown Prince off?
Why couldn't you let me off?
Because of you, Mao Yun Zhu now...
Sister...
I'm sorry... I should never have hated you.
This was never your fault.
I even sent assassins to Jian-An City...
It isn't your fault.
This is all Hu Wei Li's fault!
You can't blame him. It was all my fault.
He doted on me because I was like you.
He feels guilty for what he did to you.
I couldn't let that go.
It is all my fault!
Stop talking.
Jin Yu is right.
This is all my fault.
Yun Zhu, you won't die.
I wouldn't let you die.
Haven't you always wanted to go to Lake Shuiye with me?
We'll go there when you've recovered from your injury.
Really?
I'm so cold... so cold...
Xiao Yue, she will be fine.
You didn't shoot her in any of the vital organs.
Her life won't be in danger as long as they attend to her wound in time.
Wu Ji...
That woman took drastic measures.
She advanced by taking a step back.
She had no other choice in the first place.
Everything will be fine.
Tell me... Would Mao Yun Zhu really be all right?
Definitely.
I believe that the King of Tartar could save a woman.
However, in that situation her actions were quite amusing.
She won him over so quickly with the use of her injury.
A cunning mischief maker like her won't die so easily.
I'm sorry.
We should have left right after we offered prayers to Papa.
If I hadn't wanted to go out to have fun
we wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble.
I should be the one to apologize.
You wanted to have fun, but I didn't manage to protect you well.
You even got frightened.
It hurts.... Be a bit more gentle...
You're not to call me Madam.
What about my wife?
All right! I'll just call you Xiao Yue.
Get the physician!
Yes!
Doctor!
My King...
Yun Zhu, don't be scared.
I'm here with you. You'll be fine.
I'm not scared. I'm willing to sacrifice my life for you.
As long as I am here with you you won't die.
I know that all these years you've only seen me as Jin Yu.
This is all my fault.
I made you miss out on her again.
I won't die.
I'll always stay by your side...
Even if it means to remain but a shadow of Jin Yu...
You are my concubine.
You're not Jin Yu's shadow.
Yun Zhu...
Wu Ji, you should know who the Tartar Crown Prince was?
Papa was his Grand Tutor.
I'm not Papa's blood daughter.
He adopted me from the wolf pack.
In the beginning, I was reluctant to stay with him.
I didn't find Hu Wei Li ambitious when I first met him.
Everyone said that he was valiant and skilled in battles.
He was smart and open-minded.
I was still quite young then.
I didn't know much about anything.
All I thought was that he is the best person ever.
I even presented the roasted goat's head to him instead of the Crown Prince.
That almost escalated to a catastrophe.
The Crown Prince disliked Hu Wei Li
but he wouldn't tell me his reason.
It was until much later that I figured out why.
He killed the King
and took over his throne.
He became the new King of Tartars.
He forced Papa to take his own life
and even sent assassins after the Crown Prince and me.
We kept on running and running...
But we still couldn't get away from more and more soldiers who came after us.
The Crown Prince tricked me into thinking
that we were escaping in two directions.
He left me all alone in the desert
and rode away on a wounded horse to distract the soldiers from me.
When I was almost dying from dehydration in the desert
my wolf brother came to save me.
Then...
Be a bit more careful.
Jin Yu only had eyes for me.
She even presented the goat's head that should be given to Crown Prince
to me by mistake.
If it hadn't been for Jin Yu
I'd never kneel to him.
If Jin Yu hadn't been so young then
she might have been my queen by now.
Murong Feng said that Jin Yu is already dead.
Please return to the tent.
Jin Yu, since you don't hate me anymore
why wouldn't you come home with me?
- General! - General!
General!
General, why are you injured?
Have you met with an ambush?
I'm fine. I was wrestling with some wolves in the mountain
and I accidentally cut myself.
Should we get a physician to take a look at it?
Don't bother. I can handle it.
Pass down my orders. The army is to set out to Jian-An tomorrow.
Yes!
General, where is Mister Xin?
He is fine.
Meng Shan, do you have any news of them?
We've already received news.
After they set out from Right Beiping
General Li went first with a troop of four thousand men.
Marquess of Bowang joined him later with a troop of ten thousand cavalries.
Soon after General Li set out, he ran into the Tartar army
of forty thousand men led by the Left Virtuous King.
His four thousand men were immediately surrounded.
Li Ji was fearless.
He led only a small troop of ten some cavalries to break siege.
After killing about two hundred Tartars
he returned safe and sound.
He dumped the heads of the Tartars before his troop.
At that time, the army's morale was immediately stabilized
and everyone pulled out their swords to yell out at the top of their lungs
that they would fight the Tartars to death.
That battle lasted from dawn to dusk.
More than half of the troop was gone
and arrows were all used up.
But the remaining men persisted under General Li's command.
They continued the battle the next day.
More than half of the remaining soldiers were killed.
By dusk, Marquess of Bowang finally got there in time.
Only then did the Tartars retreat.
Zhang Shuo is indeed remarkable in his army's march speed.
General Li Da was trapped in combat
and therefore, he couldn't meet up with me as planned.
What about Sima Lie?
Just as General had expected
General Sima was lost in the desert.
That was why he couldn't meet up with us in time as scheduled.
This is such a joke.
My uncle will be in quite a dilemma this time.
His Majesty wanted us to drive out the Tartars of Hexi Region
so that we could explore and develop routes beyond Hexi Region.
Although General Sima Lie and Li Da didn't really take part in this war
we already defeated Tartars as a minority and exceeded expectations.
Not only did we defeat the Tartars
we also reclaimed Heli Mountain.
In great rejoice, His Majesty might not punish General Sima too severely.
All right. You should also get ready for the journey home.
Yes!
What are you thinking about?
You've contributed greatly to this success.
Are you thinking about what His Majesty might reward you?
I'm thinking about asking His Majesty to bestow marriage to me.
I'll ask for your hand in marriage!
Didn't you say that before we get married...
I said that I would behave
but I didn't say that I won't kiss or hug you.
There are others outside the carriage. Don't fool around.
All right! March at top speed!
We'll camp and rest sooner!
You abuse your power for personal gains!
- I was just... - I know what you just thought.
What was I thinking?
You must be thinking what you should do being caught between
His Majesty and Great General Wan.
You do know how to attack someone's weakness.
I must be right if you don't deny it.
We'll discuss those matters when we get to Jian-An City.
Let's not think about them now.
We'll discuss those matters when we get to Jian-An City.
What's the matter?
I don't know what's troubling you
or what you're scared of
but I want you to remember that I will soon be your husband.
I'll be here for you no matter what happens.
Be it joy or sorrow, we'll go through all of it together.
In the future, you won't face the world alone anymore.
We will face it together.
From now on, I'm no longer on my own.
It won't just be me and my shadow.
I have him with me now.
We're General Wei's army, so when we return to Jian-An City
we'll have all the wealth that we could possibly dream of!
Exactly! If His Majesty rewards us we'll bring honor to our ancestors!
Yes! We will be wealthy!
Wealth? That all comes from our brothers who sacrificed their lives.
If Niu Er didn't take a shot for you would you still be alive by now?
What did you say?
Do you think that was what I wanted? Do you think that I was afraid to die?
What are you doing?
Aren't you going to step in?
- All right, all right. - Damn you!
Stop fighting!
After a war, those who survived get to rejoice in wealth.
After an escape from death, it is understandable for them
to vent their anger when such huge changes in life occur.
But I read in the martial law that military discipline must be strict.
The army must be in great array in order to fight with high morale.
I've read the stories of Zhou Ya Fu and General Han Xin of Han Dynasty.
They always led the army with great military discipline.
Don't be in a rush to leave, my dear wife.
Allow your husband to explain it to you slowly.
Who is your wife?
We're not married.
I'm not going to be your wife.
Sir, General Li Da's army has arrived.
He's sent someone over to report to you.
Understood. Go and rest.
Yes.
I'll leave you to your business.
I'll go and take a walk.
You have to face him eventually.
- Here, drink it up! - Fill it up!
- General Wei. - Brother Li!
General Sima.
Please come inside.
I've already heard about the battle between Li Ji and Left Virtuous King.
What an outstanding victory!
I'm sure that you'd be promoted rewarded heavily this time.
Such great honors.
It's nothing when compared to General Wei's achievements.
You've even taken Heli Mountain.
That is a huge contribution.
If I wasn't mistaken, that person should be the Mistress of Fair Maiden's House?
Exactly.
There will surely be another rumor going around in Jian-An
saying that not only did General Wei defeat Tartars and took Heli Mountain
but he also brought his lady friend to war with him against discipline.
It is a long story.
It's a waste of effort to explain.
We've witnessed numerous lives and deaths on the battlefields.
What is a rumor or two?
Indeed, since we don't even fear death
why would we care about gossips and rumors
or the restrictions of etiquette?
General, the weather in the desert is truly bizarre. I...
Before we set out to war, I already told you that
the geographical conditions in the desert are very complicated.
I've reminded you to be cautious.
You served under General Wan for many years now.
You were very confident.
But you missed out on the war because you lost your way.
According to martial law, you should be beheaded!
I was too careless!
I hope that in regards to our past comradeship
General Wei could plead His Majesty to pardon me when we get back to Jian-An.
I would be deeply grateful to you!
Because of your carelessness many innocent soldiers had died!
Please forgive me, Young General Wei!
For the sake of your uncle Great General Wan Qian
please pardon me. Please forgive me.
General Sima has served under my uncle for so many years.
You risked your life to save him in the past.
I am aware of all that.
Even if I don't plead on your behalf
my uncle would.
I'm sure that you won't be sentenced to death.
But a demotion is inevitable!
Thank you, Young General Wei.
Here.
General Sima, you don't have to worry.
Young General Wei is a man of great sentiments.
He would surely think of ways for you to render meritorious services.
It wouldn't be hard for you to be awarded as a marquess.
I know that I have done wrong.
How would I dare to trouble Young General Wei again?
Don't snatch it from me!
- I grilled it! - Why is it yours?
- I'm going to taste it first! - Why?
Don't take it from me!
Let me try it first!
- Let me have a bit first! - Look at those three rascals.
The chicken isn't even cooked thoroughly and you've already taken it!
Stop fighting over it.
Why don't the both of you be the Captain's dog?
His dog gets to have meat every day.
Try and bear with it for a while.
What can't we have when we get back to Jian-An?
You're right.
We can do whatever we want.
We could get a few girls to sing for us at Fair Maiden's House.
By then, we could act like wealthy lords as well.
It's boring at Fair Maiden's House.
We can only watch performances there, so why don't we
make a visit to the whore houses instead?
- We'll have more fun! - Exactly!
The House Mistress of Fair Maiden House is quite something.
Her girls perform, but they are not for sale.
It doesn't matter who you are. Everyone only gets to watch the shows
but you don't get a chance to try anything else at all.
Is that really true?
It seems that Fair Maiden's House has already offended many people.
But if those wealthy lads really get what they want
they would abandon the girls in just a few days.
The more they can't have them, the more they think about them.
Some might even started to hate them...
What is it? What are you thinking about?
You look miles away.
General Sima doesn't seem too pleased to see me here.
Is that so?
He has his own neck to watch
and yet he is so nosy?
Don't worry.
It's fine as long as we're happy.
I have no family anyway.
But what about you?
Your aunt is the empress
and her husband is the emperor.
One of your uncles is a Great General
and one of your aunts' husband is a general.
Even your stepfather is an important court official.
Including all of your uncles' subordinates
I don't have enough fingers to count them.
It hurts...
Stop thinking so much about that.
It's my life so I call the shots.
As for those words of others, we'll listen if they are pleasant
and ignore them if they aren't.
Moreover, you still have your wolf pack in the desert.
I'm scared that you might run home to them if you get upset.
How would I dare displease you?
I can tell that you don't seem to like the power struggles in Jian-An either.
Why don't we leave together?
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