According to the rules of Gui Hua City,
Chang An will represent Jue Sha, Liu Guang,
to challenge for the position of City Master today.
If he wins, both will exchange the positions of City Master and Jue Sha.
If he loses,
he has to break his sword and scoop out his heart,
and the red umbrella will be hung upside down.
Liu Guang, have you thought it through?
I'll not regret it.
If so, everyone will bear witness to this.
Xing Feng will fight a fair battle against Chang An for me.
Take no account of life or death.
My skills are beneath his.
Please punish me.
City Master.
Although I was fortunate to win,
I have no intention in usurping you.
Previously, I've made a mistake and upset you.
I know I can't escape the death punishment.
That's why I ventured to challenge you.
Actually, I merely want to save my life.
For the sake of our old friendship,
please spare my life.
I'm willing to give up my position as Jue Sha.
From now on, I'll withdraw myself from all things.
I'll never step outside of Ji Gu Pavilion.
Since Miss Liu Guang is being sensible,
why don't we go along with her wishes?
Please do as Master Liu Guang's wishes.
Chang An.
I've underestimated you.
Show me your sword.
This looks like an ordinary sword.
Did you tamper with it?
I dare not.
Why is it then?
Previously, Lord of Torture Chamber clearly gained the upper hand.
But, in a blink of an eye...
you managed to turn things around.
Those who are present here.
Who wants to test the sword?
I, Er Yue...
am willing to follow City Master's lead.
How is it? Do you feel anything?
There's nothing out of the ordinary.
Try to use your vital force.
City Master.
My pubic region hurts. I can't use my vital force.
Liu Guang, very well.
How do you explain this?
City Master.
As far as I know...
there's no such poison in Gui Hua City,
that would stop one from using his vital force.
That means...
Chang An brought it in from the outside.
Why didn't Lord of Torture Chamber notice it?
How dare you twist and turn the fact?
Just now, Lord of Torture Chamber was too focused on the competition.
So, it's normal if he didn't notice it.
Lord of Torture Chamber.
How is it?
Do you feel anything now?
How is it?
Did you see it?
He has been planted with sexual abstinence.
You deliberately tantalized him...
The shadow who represented you planted poison on the sword.
There's irrefutable evidence.
How dare you twist and turn the fact?
If you are out to condemn someone, you can always trump up a charge.
City Master, I can assure you that there's no poison on the sword.
If you don't believe it,
I'll personally test the sword.
I'll challenge you once more.
You're a guilty person.
You practised trickery before everyone.
What gives you the right to challenge me again?
City Master.
Cha Luo, I've known you since I was thirteen.
I address you as my sister.
I've been through more than once of thick and thin with you.
Is there really no room in your heart for me?
You betrayed me once.
You'll surely betray me again.
I just want to nip it in the bud.
Xing Feng, what are you waiting for?
Since the secret room is vacant now...
we'll send Miss Liu Guang there.
City Master, Liu Guang has been executed.
I've just said it just now.
A person who has betrayed me once will betray me again.
Have you forgotten?
City Master.
I'm your shadow.
I'm forever your people.
I'll never betray you.
Come.
Take this rebel, Chang An, to the torture chamber.
Liu Guang started a rebellion.
Leave her body under the sun for a day.
Xing Feng is punished to kneel and guard the corpse.
You aren't allowed to leave.
Spare Chang An.
Spare him.
This is the only thing I beg of you.
You're seriously injured.
You should rest.
Actually...
before we came to Ling City...
the prince has told me.
This mission is to kill Yue Qing Ya.
He said Yue Qing Ya is a guarded person.
If he isn't sure of something, he'll never meet us head-on.
So, we came up with a plan.
We let Yue Qing Ya thought that I'm the prince's weakness,
and he intentionally had a conflict with me.
That gave Yue Qing Ya a chance to capture me.
I've taken Jiu Ming pill.
Jiu Ming can protect my heart.
I just had to feign death,
and give him a surprise attack at the most critical moment.
Yue Qing Ya will inevitably die.
It's a comprehensive plan.
But, this is not what you really want to say.
I used to think that I was sold to the brothel by my father...
and that I was fortunate to escape and join Gui Hua City.
I live in fear with my conscience damned every day.
It's considered extremely miserable.
But, come to think of it now.
As compared to everything that prince has encountered...
my life...
is not even worth mentioning.
I've followed him for years.
I've been assisting him.
But, at the critical moment...
the one who fought alongside him...
turned out to be you.
Where are you going?
There's no news regarding the vine snake from my scout.
Even if there's no more hope...
I will never give up.
I'll go with you.
Stay here.
It doesn't matter how much I care for him,
and hope that he will survive.
But, when he wakes up...
the first person he wants to see...
will surely be you.
Prince.
I know a place that might have the vine snake.
You can be saved.
Since there's still a totem here...
there'll be Ding Shan Sect's vine snake too.
There must be.
Prince.
The red lines on your glabella region seem to have faded quite a bit.
The Firefox poison exhausts the human's vital force.
If the red lines disappear completely...
that means my vital force has been exhausted.
Tell me first.
Why are we here?
Also, the vine snake that you're looking for.
Where did you hear it from?
It's Ding Shan Sect's vine snake.
It's said that it can save your life.
Look at the totem.
It's carved with the vine snake that you talked about.
Its entire body is ice-cold and forever entangled.
It's worshipped by Ding Shan Sect.
Later on, it was introduced to Bloody Lotus Cult.
It symbolizes...
a lifetime of unpardonable sin.
This is what my mother had been teaching me.
It's the principle that I should follow.
So...
anything that's connected to Yue Qing Ya...
I'll never accept it.
I've stayed in Gui Hua City for a long time.
I've finally understood.
There are many things...
that can't be distinguished by judging the right or wrong.
As for Yue Qing Ya's matter...
you have your own reason.
I can understand that.
But, I too think that you shouldn't give up easily.
After all, out of the three things that you promised City Master Lan He,
there's one last thing that you have yet to fulfil.
Actually, your appearance...
isn't considered as a woman of matchless beauty.
But, this world is just so strange.
I've been blind for about ten years.
Yue Ying would take care of me every day.
But, right on the day I opened my eyes...
the first person I saw...
was you.
It was raining heavily that day.
You were drenched by heavy rain.
Your nose was red due to cold.
But, your eyes were really bright.
Perhaps, from that time onward...
I've fallen in love with you.
I've lived a long and hard life.
But, I've once been wilful for you.
That's enough.
If God has no room left for me...
I don't want to struggle anymore.
You can't give up.
The prince that I know wouldn't give up.
I won't let you die.
I surely won't.
Prince.
He is fine for the time being.
I saw your letter and I came right away.
- You haven't found the vine snake? - Come and take a look.
The blood drop on my hand,
will cause some changes on the totem at the bottom of this incense burner.
Why isn't there anything?
Wan Mei.
This totem is mixed with vines.
I presume this is the vine snake.
Without the offering of human blood, it died after some time.
This is our last chance.
City Master.
Get up.
I haven't knelt for a day.
You can't kneel for a day.
Please withdraw your order.
Don't leave her body under the sun.
Hang Liu Guang's umbrella in Bi An Palace.
Sink her corpse into Rebirth Pond.
She's dead already.
Does this matter?
Liu Guang had been in Gui Hua City her whole life.
This was her home.
I came to you because I was worried about you.
I was trying to give you an out.
In my whole life...
you're the only one who receive such an affection from me.
But, right now you're still pleading on her behalf.
Besides...
you're highly skilled.
You wouldn't lose to Chang An.
You intentionally lost to him.
City Master.
My martial arts are above Chang An's.
But, he has always been a tenacious person and determined to win.
I can assure you that we fought a fair fight.
I didn't intentionally lose to him.
I've told you before.
Cause the outbreak of his Shi Xin Gu.
Liu Guang was merely asking for her life.
Why won't you grant her that?
Because she wanted to live,
you tried to coerce me in front of others?
You know me.
When I've made up my mind,
I'll never change it.
You too have said this.
You want me to kneel here for a day.
You can't change that too.
Lord of Torture Chamber.
Bring along your sword.
Quickly leave.
City Master has changed her mind?
Once City Master made her up mind, she'll never change it.
But, the things you did for Liu Guang...
I am grateful to you.
It seems like City Master has been obsessed.
What do you mean?
Even if she has been obsessed,
you'll still follow after her?
I'm her shadow.
I thought you would understand the meaning of a shadow.
But, you're taking side with the evil-doer.
I'll say this once more.
I'm her shadow.
I'll be wherever she is.
There's no point to say anything more.
You can leave now.
What if I say I'm leaving Gui Hua City?
That's your choice.
I promised Liu Guang to spare you.
I've kept my promise.
- Lord of Torture Chamber. - Also...
There'll surely be a battle between Master Mei and City Master.
You've seen it yourself.
Master Mei has no chance to win.
Not at all.
You should persuade your master to stop her wishful thinking.
It's too early to discuss the outcome of the battle.
I hope so.
Hold on.
I'll say this once more.
If you have unswerving loyalty to your master,
and take no account of life or death,
I'll surely spare your lives at the critical moment.
City Master, I've something to report.
What's the rush?
City Master.
Lord of Torture Chamber let Chang An go.
What did you say?
The first thing that he did after getting up was to let Chang An go.
All of you are dismissed.
- Yes. - Yes.
I've let Chang An go.
I should be telling you this in person.
Why did you do that?
If we kill Chang An,
Wan Mei would surely burn all bridges,
and fight Chui Xing House to the end.
Ting Zhu Court backs her up.
Even if we try wrestling her,
the best result is but a heavy loss on both sides.
You're saying that I'm afraid of her?
There's a news from Spies Court.
Chief Yue has died in Nanjiang.
Ting Zhu Court's power will grow stronger.
Xing Feng.
Could you have made up your mind...
to switch and serve under Wan Mei?
City Master, I'm your shadow.
I'll never go anywhere.
If you think that...
there's someone else to replace me...
you can just kill me.
What's the point talking about this?
You know I wouldn't let you die.
Actually, I let Chang An go...
for a selfish motive.
I feel that he resembles who I was ten years ago.
I killed Liu Guang...
because I was afraid she would shift allegiance to Wan Mei.
Ever since Gui Hua City was besieged...
I find that something wasn't right with her.
You still have me, isn't it?
We didn't lose ten years ago.
We will not lose now.
Tell me.
What should we do then?
Perhaps you've forgotten.
Back then...
Back then, who delegated the power to Gui Hua City...
and Lan He?
You mean...
It was His Majesty.
The person who's really behind Gui Hua City...
has never been the prince.
It's Prince Jin.
What's that sound?
That's good.
Your Majesty.
It's fine.
That's interesting.
You did that?
That's right.
I did it.
Who are you then?
I'm the City Master of Gui Hua City, Cha Luo.
Prince Ning's people.
Although I'm from Gui Hua City,
I'm not Prince Ning's people.
How is that so?
Gui Hua City was built to be Emperor Wu's secret division.
For a very long time,
it was meant to be used by the imperial family,
and not to serve the official in the court.
You're saying...
I came here specifically to show my sincere convictions.
I'm willing to serve Prince Jin,
instead of following Prince Ning's lead.
Drop your blood into this vine snake.
The rest is up to the fate.
Use blood to cultivate Gu.
You know it better than me.
You should do it.
If the vine snake dies in the blood...
Regardless, we have to give it a try.
This is the only way now.
Why does he always have to suffer?
I've followed him for over ten years.
- I've never seen him happy. - That's right.
The prince has told me this.
He has lived a long and hard life.
I used to think that he lives an extravagant life...
stands up in a high position,
and overlook our life and death.
I thought he was an omnipotent and ruthless person.
I understand it now.
No matter where one stands, he'll surely have his own pain.
No one is all-powerful.
No one will truly be cold and ruthless too.
He's sincere to you.
Same goes for you.
I know.
If you really can't do it...
you can teach me then.