Sword Dynasty
Episode 20
Ding Ning!
Ding Ning, you came around.
My brother-in-law woke up.
We can eat now.
He is all right now.
Greetings, Master.
I have come to check upon you several times.
You've always been asleep.
You finally woke up.
Come on, take a seat!
Master, please.
OK! OK!
Ding Ning.
Jiang Li.
You are fine now.
It's great.
Our master need not worry about you anymore.
How is your body, master?
Did the Crown Prince
bring you the Rudraksha?
We are all fine.
Good for you, boy!
When did you
come into contact with the noble Crown Prince?
Master, you
are not happy with it?
It's an honor to me.
Ding Ning,
how do you feel now?
I think the doctor
wasn't a real doctor at all.
Aunt.
You eat first.
Aunt,
let's eat together.
Xie Changsheng,
while I was away,
you harassed my aunt a lot, right?
I didn't. I didn't.
Besides, she just ignored me.
Then you really harassed her.
Let's eat first. Eat first.
You
should worry more about yourself.
I am like this any way.
I don't have anything to worry about.
Yes, you do.
Today, His Majesty issued an order
that the date of the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament is advanced.
I know you joined my Baiyang Cave
in order to join the Minshan Sword Sect.
If you still aim to do so,
from tomorrow onward,
you should strengthen your practice.
I got it, master.
You eat first.
Ding Ning!
Come on, master.
Come on, dig in.
The Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament has been advanced.
I am injured.
Based on my current realm of practice,
I am afraid that I wouldn't become the top winner at the Tournament.
From tomorrow onward,
I will begin the closed-door practice with my master.
I have gone to confirm the underground waterway.
The waterway map Liang Lian offered
is fake indeed.
They wanted to fish in a barrel
and burn all the prisoner rescuers
to death inside it.
How many places have you explored?
Ye Celeng and I
have explored all places that we have access to.
We have pinpointed the location of the water dungeon.
Examined all?
I asked you to explore the places roughly.
Why did you take actions arbitrarily?
Revenge is our common goal.
But if anything bad happens to you, how can I face it?
If I meet with misfortune,
you shall go on acting as planned.
But without you in my plan,
it will be difficult for me to move a single step.
Why have you been behaving abnormally recently?
You doubted me.
You took actions arbitrarily.
We have made it here in the chess game.
One careless move will cause us to lose the whole game.
Do you understand?
Ding Ning,
you changed.
You see all of us
as your chess pieces.
Ye Celeng is one.
The Crown Prince and Wang Taixu are your chess pieces, too.
As for me,
I'm afraid I've been one since the very beginning.
Ye Celeng asked for it.
In my relations with the Crown Prince and Wang Taixu,
each of us gets what he needs.
However, when did I ever
see you as a chess piece?
But you did things in this way.
Everything goes on as you planned.
It doesn't matter.
But you must remember your original aspirations.
Otherwise, you will be the same as Yuan Wu,
who plotted against Liang Jingmeng and killed him.
Maybe someday,
if your plan requires,
I will also be your chess piece.
If I become like Yuan Wu someday,
I hope you will be the one
who will kill me.
If you still want to investigate the waterway map case,
you can go on with it.
But you have to be careful in everything.
I don't want to be alone when I am old.
His Majesty is willing to have an audience with you, which is a boon.
If you commit a breach of etiquette in front of the Queen Dowager,
you will be sentenced to death.
In the morning court, why has Li Yunrui been absent recently?
My son, though you are acting in a more and more reliable manner,
if you have no one around to work for you,
you will still feel tired.
Mother, you need not worry.
A couple of days later,
news will come from the Chancellor,
who is in Heng now.
What kind of order did you give, my son?
Chancellor even troubled himself to execute it.
It is not given by me.
Chancellor wrote a secret letter to me,
saying he has found that
a spy of Heng has sneaked into our royal palace.
It is surprising that such a thing happened.
Has the identity of the spy been clarified?
Your Majesty the King!
Your Majesty the Queen Dowager!
You are
Sun Xing, right?
I remember you.
Though you come from Heng,
you serve my son wholeheartedly.
You are a meritorious statesman of our Great Xian.
Greetings to Your Majesty the King, Your Majesty the Queen Dowager!
Don't stand on ceremony.
Siche,
Sun Xing is my savior.
Don't doubt him.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Sun Xing,
what I said just now
may sound suspicious to you.
You should know that
if the spy of Heng
has been placed by my side,
this person's identity
must be very covert.
Therefore, our Chancellor
specially went to Heng to investigate into it.
But you need not worry.
You are my savior.
I trust you very much.
Your Majesty, I am flattered.
I can only repay your kindness by devoting myself entirely to serving you.
Good!
I will need you
to assist me in the future.
The King of Xian sent Li Yunrui
to Heng to investigate the spy case.
To prevent my identity from being exposed,
the person concerned must be killed
to stop the news from being leaked.
Prepare the horse!
I will go to the Quanxian Residence.
Your Majesty.
He is really harboring evil intentions.
Is he caught?
In order not to alert him,
no soldiers have been dispatched so far.
How long did the trip take?
Riding the horse up to a swift trot,
it only took half an hour.
It is late.
Search his mansion.
Send soldiers to search the whole city to catch Sun Xing.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Secluded practice. Secluded practice.
Only when there are no distracting thoughts on your mind,
can secluded practice be possible.
Master.
Boy.
If there is something on your mind,
you must get rid of it first
and then you can go on with your practice.
I am only thinking about
what strength is.
You need not think about it.
At the top of Lushan,
Marquis Fang and Chancellor Lian's combat ended up with a tie.
But in my view,
Chancellor Lian knew clearly he was fighting alone
and might lose his life.
But he was resolutely willing to
sacrifice himself for his country.
When His Majesty had a fight with the King of Xian.
For his country, the King of Xian
sacrificed himself.
In my opinion,
though the latter is not as strong as the former in martial arts,
he is stronger than the former in another sense.
Strength lies in the fact that
their goal
is not to kill,
but to protect.
Ding Ning, you are really kind-hearted.
But in such a troubled world,
how we should deal with affairs
is really a difficult problem.
Don't follow Ding Ning's footsteps to think wild.
This Renwang Jade can
speed up your practice.
Since your supporter gave such a treasure to you,
you should work harder.
To defeat those who are stronger than you
is your goal.
But living in this world,
you should be heroes instead of martyrs.
However, master,
I don't understand.
What is a hero?
And what is a martyr?
Martyrs
fill the breach left by fallen comrades,
while heroes
live in people's hearts forever.
Ding Ning,
to defeat those who are stronger than you,
you must be patient enough.
Your humble idea of perishing together with your rivals
seems daunting,
but it will not make you feel good once you put it into practice.
If you really get injured,
Xie Changsheng
will go court your aunt without any hindrance.
Master,
I won't act recklessly at the Tournament.
You should follow this advice I gave you today
at the Tournament,
and also
in other places.
Other places?
Master, what other places
did you refer to?
Muddle-headed.
I know I was wrong.
I got it now.
As a spy,
you got your identity exposed.
Don't you feel ashamed to come back?
I was trapped by the King of Xian and his mother.
Back then, I agreed to serve as an envoy in Xian
because you promised to help me take revenge.
Besides,
I have done all you asked me to do.
Do you think
I will be sympathetic with
someone who keeps failing?
If you really see me as an sacrifice,
you can just refuse to come and see me.
Since you've come to see me,
it proves that
I am still of some use to you.
How can you prove
you are still of use to me?
Then I can let you play an important role.
The Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament is about to kick off.
By then, I will defeat Ding Ning at the Tournament
to prove my strength.
But you have been expelled from Qingteng Baiyang Cave.
Imagine that if you show up,
your former fellow disciples will come together to eradicate you.
What's more,
your right hand has been destroyed by Ding Ning.
At this time,
how dare you talk wildly?
I won't forget to take revenge for my severed arm.
I have been practicing swordsmanship with my left hand.
My swordsmanship will be more powerful.
I don't want to know the grudges
between you and Ding Ning at all.
But the Life-sustaining Magic Art of the Minshan Sword Sect
is really a wonder book.
Back then, Ding Ning joined Baiyang Cave
so that someday, he would be able to
get the Life-sustaining Magic Art
at the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament.
I will kill Ding Ning
to get the Life-sustaining Magic Art for you.
Good!
In this way,
the rest will be up to your courage, insight and determination.
This is the Disfigurement Pill.
Eat it.
And your appearance will turn ugly,
but your skill will be improved.
Now you are at the top grade of the third realm.
If you want to become the top winner at the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament,
you must advance to the fourth realm.
Then victory will be guaranteed.
I never force a person to do anything.
It's up to you.
I will arrange you to take part in the Tournament.
If you fail again, there won't be another chance for you.
Arrangements have been made about Sun Xing.
At this Tournament,
his success or failure
will have a bearing on whether I can obtain
the Life-sustaining Magic Art successfully.
His Majesty will go to the Tournament for heaven worship.
I will have to stay at Fengming.
After you arrive there,
you must act prudently.
Yes, Your Majesty.
I won't let you down.
Now Liang Lian has become estranged from me.
Ding Ning
can no longer be used by me.
What an irony! Sun Xing, the base man
has become the only chess piece I can resort to.
Ding Ning refused your reward.
He was really rude.
But Officer Bai
hasn't found any clues about him.
I will give him a good lesson for Your Majesty
at the Tournament.
From what you said,
I can see Ding Ning will also take part in the Tournament.
Yes.
He is kind of excessively concerned with practice.
This is questionable.
It is apparent that he has a body of yang hyperactivity
and got severely injured in the battle at the top of Lushan.
But he insists on taking part in the Tournament.
What's more suspicious is that
Xue Wangxu won't stop him.
Master,
the sacrificial altar has been checked.
Chancellor Li has arrived.
His Majesty will also arrive in a while.
It will be a grander spectacle this year than the previous years.
The King of Heng is anxious to rule the world,
so of course he attaches great importance to it.
Who is the newly-appointed Marquis Fang?
He is named Fang Xiumu.
His elder brother Fang Xiang
was seriously wounded by Lian Ying
at the Lushan Alliance Meeting.
The King of Heng promised the title of marquis will be hereditary in the Fang family.
Let's go.
In the future, there will also be such rituals.
As a marquis, you have to adapt to them quickly.
Your Excellency, sorry to let you see my weakness.
Having drifted in the martial art world for many years,
I have been used to acting freely.
It's natural that I can't handle this as skillfully as my elder brother.
The court manners are not difficult to learn.
You will acquire them by seeing and hearing constantly.
You take a keen interest in martial arts.
Besides,
you once practiced martial arts in Minshan.
The Tournament
is the real world for you to strut your stuff.
Your Excellency,
thank you for your considerateness.
Marquis Fang, don't stand on ceremony.
You can see it as a revisit to an old haunt.
In our Minshan,
you can make yourself at home.
Mr. Baili.
Greetings, Chancellor Li.
Greetings, Marquis Fang.
Mr. Baili.
It is rare for you two to arrive at the same time.
Forgive me for being late to welcome you.
Mr. Baili, let's cut out the formalities.
We all serve the Kingdom of Heng.
His Majesty attaches great importance to this selection match.
He especially ordered us to come
to make preparations for it.
I heard what had happened
to your elder brother.
Back then,
I practiced martial arts in Minshan together with him.
I still remember clearly
his demeanor with the Dragon Scale Sword in his hand.
Thank you for your care, Mr. Baili.
My elder brother is recuperating peacefully at home
and he has been a lot better.
But I'm afraid that his skill
can't be restored anymore.
But your Fang family can pass down the title of marquis from generation to generation.
This is the first time for a family to be allowed to do so in Heng.
This is an unprecedented honor.
It can be a kind of consolation.
OK! Let's drop this topic.
His Majesty is about to arrive.
Let's go to welcome him.
Let's go.
Can you be a little quicker?
The horse is too slow.
What kind of lame horse is this?
Listen to me, sis,
next time we come out,
I will bring Feixue with us.
This horse, it…
It…
Sis,
what are you thinking about?
Are you thinking about my brother-in-law?
You are gossipy.
It's been a long time since we met last time.
I hope he won't let me down.
So my brother-in-law matters, right?
You really can't keep a coming-of-age sister at home.
What's wrong with you?
When you are annoyed, you just beat me.
You beat me at home, and everywhere else.
You even beat me in a carriage.
What's your problem?
Master!
Brat,
so even you are trying to disobey me, right?
Hurry up!
If we travel at such a high speed,
I am afraid that your body won't be able to bear it.
If we can't make it to the Tournament in time,
I'll definitely
die from anger.
I will
do as you said, master.
When can you
allow me to care less about you?
Ding Ning!
How do you feel?
It's my fault.
I was anxious to make the breakthrough to reach a higher realm.
How come you became like this?
There is too much heat caused by yang hyperactivity in my body.
You martial art is yin in nature.
I am afraid it will cause the heat
to be more obstructed.
However, when we practiced together previously,
this never happened.
Now what should I do?
What should I do?
Ding Ning!
Mr. Xue.
What's the matter?
He has practiced for a whole night.
He wanted to make the breakthrough forcibly.
Master.
Let me do it.
Who allowed you to use your vitality?
But master,
I can't just see Ding Ning burned to death
by internal heat without helping him.
The hope of our Baiyang Cave
lies not only in Ding Ning.
Your vitality
should be reserved for the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament.
Master.
Help him up.
The Rudraksha!
Master,
you didn't use it for yourself.
Master,
you can't do it.
I am old and my bones and body are decaying.
I'm supposed to come to the end of my life soon.
It's not necessary for me to waste this miraculous herb.
You are my disciple,
so I am obliged to
save you.
Master,
I can't let you do this.
You are both
the hope of our Baiyang Cave.
You should help each other
and earn honor for our Baiyang Cave.
I will
do as you wish, master.
Good boys!
Jiang Li, help me up.
Yes,
Master.
Xie Changsheng!
Slow down!
Xie Changsheng!
Why are you in such a hurry?
I feel anxious for your sake.
Xie Changsheng!
You have been caring so much about Ding Ning all the way.
For my sake?
It must be an excuse.
What on earth did you do?
I, I, I…
Will you say it?
I will! I will!
Say it or not?
I will say it!
I will come clean!
I will say it.
In the gambling house, I have bet on
brother-in-law's victory.
You even bet on this.
You are really greedy!
What?
Nobody in the gambling house bet on Ding Ning's victory.
You know my temper.
I can't help betting on it.
How much did you bet on it?
I only bet
1,000 tael of gold.
You!
I am wondering
who caused such an uproar.
It turns out to be Mr. Xie of the richest family of Guanzhong.
Mr. Ye,
sorry to let you see this.
With extraordinary strength,
you have topped
the talent ranking list.
Please don't lower yourself to his level.
Are you Ye Haoran?
I have heard a lot about you.
I, I also bet on your victory.
I really bet
one copper coin on your victory.
You!
Ding Ning hasn't arrived till now.
He may be afraid to come.
I will definitely become the top winner
to make you admit your defeat willingly.
See you!
Take care! See you!
Sis, look!
The carriage of Baiyang Cave.
Ding Ning!
My brother-in-law!
Jiang Li, where is Ding Ning?
Ding Ning
has damaged his vitality when trying to make the breakthrough forcibly.
Now he is recuperating inside the carriage.
What? I'm done for!
I will lose! I will lose!
Oh, how come?
If you don't want to lose, come in now.
Master.
Ding Ning.
I don't mind the money.
My family has a lot of money.
If you feel unwell,
let's just go back
and withdraw from the Tournament.
I have regained half of my power.
But if the outsiders find out
I am safe and sound,
a lot of trouble will come to me.
You want me to help you meet trick with trick
and to pretend you are ill?
You are smart!
In a while, you shall help me get off the carriage
and then send your servant
to pick up my master and escort him to the reviewing stand.
Remember...
Take good care of master.
Just leave it to me.
Master, let's go.
Take care!
Ding Ning!
Ding Ning,
are you all right?
I am fine. I am fine.
He is so scared that he can't walk steadily.
It seems that Mr. Xie's 1,000 tael of gold
will go down the drain.
I am fine.
Can such a weak person
take part in the Tournament?
In such bad conditions,
he can't fight at all.
Our Minshan boasts adequate primordial qi that boosts vitality.
Every time the newcomers arrive,
they will choose to take in
some fresh primordial qi
to supplement their own vitality.
Look at him!
He is in urgent need of vitality,
but he is not taking in the primordial qi in large volumes.
This suggests that he knows things turn into their opposites when they reach the extreme
and understand
forceful supplement of vitality
will only lead to backfire.
He is Ding Ning from Qingteng Baiyang Cave.
Though he is a gifted man,
he has a body of yang hyperactivity.
I know this is ridiculous.
He was not a likeable man.
But he has been dead for ten years
and his only disciple
is planning to carry out
an impossible mission
with steadfast determination.
He wants to kill the King of Heng.
Since the time when I met him
and learned about his plan,
to today when he got into Baiyang Cave to practice
with a body of yang hyperactivity.
He won't make it to 30 years old,
and the practice
might end his life earlier.
He knows this is a road of no return,
but he has never thought about giving up.
You mean
he wants to get into the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament
through Baiyang Cave
to obtain the Life-sustaining Magic Art?
Body of yang hyperactivity.
Are you Ding Ning?
You came with wounds, which is really commendable.
If I meet you in a fight,
I will let you attack me 10 times without fighting back.
You need not, Mr. Ye.
I am not a person who covets little advantages.
I hope Mr. Ye
will go all out by then.
Ding Ning!
Mr. Ding!
You are so badly injured.
Will you still fight in the Tournament?
I must obey my master's command.
I've got no choice.
You,
why haven't you entered the mountain gate yet?
If this blue jade gate remains closed,
no matter how much strength we apply, it will be no use.
Mr. Ding, I heard that in the Battle of Lushan,
you fought against a person of the fifth-realm with your third-realm power.
You must have your strengths.
Mr. Ding, why don't you give it a try
to see whether you can open this mountain gate?
Mr. Ye, you may
have thought too much.
You have come up with an idea to break into the gate,
Mr. Ding, haven't you?
I am Ding Ning from Qingteng Baiyang Cave.
I have come to take part in the Tournament.
I hope your respectable Sect
can let me in.
You are more interesting
than those unrefined ones.
I am Jing Liuli of Minshan.
My master ordered me to welcome you
into the mountain for the Tournament.
Please listen to a piece of music first
to welcome you and wash off your dust.
Thank you.
Let vitality run through the meridians all over your body.
Don't get distracted.
Those with distracting thoughts
shall not contaminate the holy land of our Sword Sect.
You all have passed the first test.
Follow me into the mountain.
Thank you, Jiang Li!
Let's go!
In the recent Lushan Alliance Meeting,
Ding Ning at the third realm fought against
a wizard at the fifth realm from Li.
Though he failed, it is still great honor.
He was thought highly of by His Majesty.
However,
what level can his skill reaches
is up to himself.
This kid is too sympathetic.
This morning,
the royal coach of His Majesty went out of the royal palace.
Did you see it?
Of course.
It is such a spectacle.
When the previous Minshan Swordsmanship Tournaments were held,
His Majesty never showed up.
He is attaching great importance to it this time.
This time,
competition has already been fierce
since the Booklet of Talents was released.
If we could watch it on the site,
it would be great.
Right.
What a pity!
Come on!
Though the competition is exciting,
it is unavoidable for one to fight against one's fellow disciples
and cause injuries and deaths by accident.
In all previous Minshan Swordsmanship Tournaments, there have been accidents.
If it were me,
I wouldn't take part in it even if I had a chance.
Come on! Drink some wine!
Ding Ning will certainly run into the King of Heng
in this Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament.
Rise to your feet.
Thank you, Your Majesty!
The date of the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament has been advanced
to select talents for Heng.
Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Baili.
Your Majesty, thank you for allowing me to live in seclusion for so many years.
The Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament is only held every three years.
Looking at these candidates,
I sometimes recall what we looked like back then.
It's really interesting.
Mr. Baili, there's no rush.
After I conquer the other three states,
I will step down from the throne,
and then we can battle it out.
You should know
I am no long what I was.
OK!
Wish Your Majesty success
in achieving your cause soon.
Lend me your ear.
If it were not for the fact that all practitioners in the world
look up to your Minshan Sword Sect,
I certainly
would not keep you alive.
I am loyal to Heng
and will not change my mind.
Leave now!
Your Majesty,
the auspicious time has come.
Gentlemen,
follow me up to the sacrifice altar to worship the heaven.