♔ Instagram @skysoultan ♔
Guardians of the Ancient Oath
[This story is purely fictional.]
♔ Instagram @skysoultan ♔ Episode 12
Please.
You've instructed me once.
I’m sure you have better ideas.
I certainly do
since I’m here.
I’m wondering
if you're willing to accept it.
Of course.
As long as you can get rid of the evidence.
I’d like to borrow your body.
What...
Your Highness.
How do you plan
to deal with the five new horses?
My plan?
Kill them all to feed the dogs.
Don’t bother His Highness
with such trivial matters.
Clean up the stable
and take good care of the horses.
Yes.
However mad you are,
you can’t let His Majesty know.
The horses are Ming Lai’s gifts
for His Majesty.
You can’t kill them.
No wonder Ming Yefeng
went to Baize alone.
Father sent him there.
Bai Nuo is my mother’s relative.
Father asked a stranger
to kill him.
How could I feel at ease?
Bai Nuo colluded with Yo for long
to stage a coup.
The longer he lived,
the bigger a threat he posed to you.
Ming Yefeng
taking care of him
is actually
doing us a favor.
But now, Baize
has become
Ming Yefeng’s domain.
Baize is too remote
to be a threat.
The real problem is
His Majesty trusts Ming Yefeng a lot.
The grassland is beautiful.
I haven’t felt so free
for a long time.
Once brother arrives,
will you have to...
I won’t be able to stay.
I wish I could.
Will you miss me?
What?
You want me to write to you again?
If I miss you,
I’ll come to visit you.
I’ll be waiting for you.
Pinky swear.
How old are you?
This is childish.
I hate you Langs.
Beast.
General.
Baili Hongxuan is resourceful.
Continue to keep an eye on him.
He’s being watched
the whole time.
Also,
do the same
to Baili Hongyi.
Listen,
report everything happened
to me.
I mean, everything.
Yes.
Hongxuan has been in Li City
for days.
I wonder how things are going.
With Hongxuan there,
I’m sure the problem will be solved.
I was worried
that Li City is remote and poor.
If Lang launched attacks
and got Hongshuo injured,
as his uncle,
I’d feel guilty in front of Hongxuan.
Who’d know
before Lang making any move,
Hongshuo got himself into trouble first.
He’s still too young.
The stability of the border is crucial.
I agree.
King of Lang
is old.
Once he steps down,
how will his successor
treat our country?
Are you worried
they’ll invade us?
The enemy is at the door.
We cannot lower the guard.
If that’s the case,
we should
prepare for it.
Better sooner than later.
Precautions should be taken.
If that happens,
can you think of
any strategies to deal with it?
No need to worry.
We have plenty of talents
to save the day.
The Bailies and Hes
are the pillars of our country.
If they can get along,
that’ll be our bliss.
If they're against each other constantly
and can’t overcome their barriers,
once Lang is fully-fledged
and invades us,
you and I
will have no one to depend on.
Are you the messenger?
Ba Yin of Baize.
I've been waiting for you, General.
OK.
What is
Ming Lai’s message for me?
You aren’t a messenger
but an assassin!
You’re surprisingly skilled, General Wanqi.
A hot assassin.
I like it.
I'm here to marry you
not only for Baize
but also for myself.
I admire you
and marrying you
is a dream comes true.
I’ve also heard
that you have more than one woman.
I don’t want
to be those
who are disposable.
They all say Ming Lai’s sister
is young and pretty
and as brave as boys.
You do live up to your reputation.
I love you
and I hope
you’ll love me back someday.
Chenfu,
do you want to go home with me?
You prefer
this place, don’t you?
Hongyi.
Go pack up.
We’re leaving.
So soon?
You're out long enough.
Got it.
Marquis.
My brother
is taking me back.
Are you going with me?
Bai Yi.
I dared not to come
when Marquis was here.
What's wrong?
I heard your conversation
but I’m not an eavesdropper.
I didn’t mean to hear it.
Are you leaving with Marquis?
Why?
Come here.
Come.
I’m only telling you this
because we're friends.
Actually,
I’m a guard of the Baili’s.
I was sold
to them when I was young.
Look,
now that Young Master is here,
I have to leave with him.
Got it?
Yeah.
If you leave,
what about Commander?
He went to Xuanming Temple for you
without hesitation.
That place
was terrifying.
It seemed to be boundless.
The path suddenly disappeared.
Xuanming Temple?
At first,
I didn’t know
why Commander wanted to go there.
Later, I realized
he went there for you.
You know,
we went through a lot
in order to get in.
There was a man inside
who was like a ghost.
He was pale and scary.
It was strange, though.
That man knew
Commander was there to...
to save you.
He risked his life
for you.
If you leave,
he’ll be devastated.
Listen,
after I leave,
you must take good care of him.
Don’t let him do anything rash
or stupid.
Also,
don’t let him drink.
He becomes hotheaded
after drinking.
You got all that?
It's cold at night.
Before he sleeps,
remember
to warm him room
and bring him more quilts.
Understand?
Yes, I know.
Bai Yi.
Are you leaving for real?
Hey,
take care of him for me.
Alright.
This is it.
Be very careful.
I will.
You, too.
About those things I gave you,
use them properly.
What are they?
I’ll tell you on the way.
I’m leaving.
Take care.
Have a safe trip.
Careful, brother!
Brother!
He Yao?
Are you crazy?
Marquis.
Long time no see.
When did you come
to this border town?
He Yao.
What are you doing?
To kill all of you!
Since when
has he become
so skilled?
Brother!
Hongshuo!
Careful, Hongshuo!
Baili Hongshuo.
Ever since you came,
I’ve let you have your way.
You're ungrateful.
I have to teach you a lesson.
Brother!
Are you alright?
Brother.
That's An Tingfeng.
You know him?
I met him once.
He's a demon hunter.
An Tingfeng.
Marquis.
Why are you here?
I hunt demons for a living.
He’s a demon?
Not exactly,
but he’s used by a demon.
Clearly, he holds a grudge against you.
He hates all your guts.
He hates us?
How do you know?
He exchanged ten years of his life
for the evil power he possessed.
In order to kill you,
he sold his body to a demon.
Now you know
how much he hates you.
What should we do to him now?
I've removed the evil power in his system.
He’ll wake up later.
Why did he try to kill us?
His motive
isn’t my concern.
Goodbye.
An Tingfeng.
I’ve been looking for you.
Do you want to ask me
about demons?
Brother.
What is he talking about?
It's said that Marquis is one of the smartest.
How come
you don't understand this?
There are demons
and immortals in this world.
Before Zhong and Li destroyed the Ladder,
immortals lived in the mountains
while humans lived on earth.
All of them
could climb up the Sacred Ladder
to reach heaven.
You’re knowledgeable.
I'm sure you’re familiar with the lines,
“South to the Kingdom of Baimin,
under the Sacred Ladder,
there’s no shadow at noon
or the sound of breathing
because this is the center of the world”.
If that's true,
why are there only humans in the world?
Where are the demons?
Legend has it that the Sacred Ladder,
located in the southwest,
linked heaven and earth.
Later on,
it was cut off by Zhuan Xu’s sons
Zhong and Li.
Therefore,
heaven and earth
became distant
and humans and immortals separated.
Demons are different.
All creatures can become demons.
The skilled can turn themselves into humans.
The weak
can only live in the mountains.
The longer they practice,
the easier the transformation is.
They can live in different shapes
and look exactly like humans.
Demons
do exist
and they look like humans.
Baili Hongxuan.
Just a friendly reminder.
Ya Yu represents
catastrophe.
You mean
that was a demon in my mansion?
See with your heart not your eyes.
I’m sure
you know that.
Were there no demons,
why would there be
demon hunters?
Since the separation between heaven and earth,
most demons have hidden themselves.
Few can see them.
As for why
you can see it,
I also want to know the reason.
Maybe one day,
you’ll join my line of duty.
Goodbye.
Good morning.
General Wanqi.
Morning.
General Qiantong.
Did you wait for me the whole night?
It’s said Qianling Lake in Baize
is vast
and fascinating.
Looks like
this lake
can nourish people, too.
This must be another wife of yours.
General Qiantong.
You and your men should be exercising now,
yet here you are
sticking your nose
into my camp.
What happened in the camp
also concerns the future of our state.
Now you have a partner
both at home and at work, don’t you?
General Qiantong.
Let me make it clear.
Everyone here is to serve His Majesty.
What a shame!
Were I a girl,
my father would probably
marry me to you.
But now,
he’s more interested
in Anahoi.
You're sharp-tongued.
Luckily, you aren’t.
Were you married to me,
there’d be
no day of rest for me.
If one day
I can
make that come true,
that’ll be
quite fun.
I’ll leave you alone.
Good day.
Baize won’t
disappoint you.
Brother.
You can see demons?
I’ll explain that
to you later.
Hongshuo.
How will you deal with him?
In order to
eliminate all three of us,
he sold ten years of his life
and his body to a demon.
He hates our guts.
Do you still think
you can handle him?
Luckily,
the demon hunter helped us.
Can you
deal with him on your own?
Once I get back, I’ll deliver
those letters to the Supervision Agency
for court officials to review.
OK.
Since you've made up your mind, then go for it.
We should leave now.
Brother.
Hongyi.
Take care.
You don’t want to leave?
No.
I’m worried about him.
Hongshuo has grown up.
I believe
he’ll take good care of himself.
Brother.
Is that man
really a demon hunter?
There are demons for real?
You know how skilled He Yao is
better than me.
His skill improved dramatically.
Hadn’t he been controlled by demons,
how else could he have improved so fast?
But...
I know.
So many weird things happened
for no reason.
Hadn’t I seen it myself,
I wouldn’t have believed it.
Do you believe it now?
I might’ve seen
a so-called demon.
She could bewitch people easily.
Her original shape is said to be a ginkgo.
A tree can become a demon, too?
Those people we saw
and things happened
are puzzling me.
I’m worried...
I’m worried about you.
If you stop running around,
I’ll be relieved.
Got it.
Did you come here alone
because you didn’t want to be at home?
You’re married.
Hongshuo was away.
I was bored.
Didn’t you know I’d be worried?
I’m fine, aren’t I?
Besides,
I was concerned about Hongshuo.
You've grown up.
You can think for others now.
Hongshuo is no others.
Last time,
when we came here,
you were a little girl
about this tall.
Now, you’re a big girl.
Back then,
you only brought me with you.
Hongshuo was mad at me
for that for days.
When you were little,
you loved following me around.
Now,
all you talk about is Hongshuo.
You’re married
and older than before.
If I
still followed you around,
you’d be sick of me.
Besides,
I’m not following Hongshuo.
He’s following me.
Fine.
Once we get back,
be friendly to my wife.
Behave yourself.
I will.
I won’t bully your wife.
Attaboy.
Let's go.
You're covered with dirt,
all travel-stained.
You must’ve had a long journey.
It was
a good way to kill time.
Using He Yao
is a smart move.
I hope so.
They've all believed it.
They saw such supernatural things,
of course they were affected.
Didn’t we go through great length
to achieve this result?
The day will soon come.
Let’s wait and see. I’ll do my best.
I’m leaving.
There’s an old friend waiting for me.
[Inn]
General,
Baili Hongxuan and Baili Hongyi
have left Li City.
He Yao ambushed them on the way.
He Yao?
He did it in person.
That was unexpected.
He was overconfident.
He alone
couldn’t beat
Baili Hongxuan.
He could
barely handle Baili Hongyi.
Not exactly.
Somehow, his skill improved greatly.
The three Baili brothers
weren’t his match.
Luckily, someone helped them
and they're safe now.
Is Baili Hongyi injured?
He’s fine.
Continue to watch him.
Also,
the one who helped them
seemed to be a demon hunter.
Demon hunter?
Why are you here?
Why am I here?
You don’t remember?
With the demon’s help,
you became much stronger
at the cost of ten years of your life.
Do you know that?
Demon?
You tried to kill me
but dare not to admit it?
He Yao, you hate me
simply because
I sabotaged
your collusion with Lang
and discovered all your dirty deeds
in Li City.
You have no proof. This is pure slander.
“Ask men to disguise as mountain demons
to cut off the water supply from Qianling Lake
so that I can ration water”.
You...
“The water supply has been restored.
You failed your mission.
Poison the water
so that I can get rid of Baili Hongshuo.”
How did you know all that?
Letters between you
and Bai Nuo
have been sent to Ye City.
I bet
they’ll soon arrive at the Supervision Agency.
It’s OK.
General He and I are chatting.
You may leave.
Just because you're related to the royal family,
you abused your power.
You disappointed your ancestors.
Ancestors?
When I was in Ye City,
I was the heir of the He’s.
I could have everything I wanted.
Yet my aunt
sent me
to this border town
in the name of training me.
Once I won a few battles,
I’d be given ranks and titles.
She said it was for my sake,
but life here was tough.
There was no water, no food,
no people, no money.
So
I had to do something.
Like what?
Safeguarding the city and the locals
isn’t worth doing?
It’s nothing
compared with what I did.
I want money, lots and lots of it.
That's what I deserve
for suffering so much on this badland.
You’ve established your authority in the city.
All merchants here
pay you to do business.
You've earned
enough money and power.
It’s far from enough.
Yo and Lang are mortal enemies.
Merchants coming to Li City
are only a few.
Money they paid is peanuts.
You colluded with enemies and harmed others
for your personal interest.
He Yao, your greed
will kill you eventually.
Kill me?
As long as my aunt is the Empress Dowager,
as long as the Hes
are related to the royal family,
my life
will be as carefree
as yours.
The evidence is irrefutable.
Even Her Highness
can’t help you this time.
You had this coming.
Guards!
Yes.
Take General He back to his place.
Yes.
General He. Please.
[Marquis Zhenbei’s Mansion]
-Mr. He. -Mr. He.
Young Master. Miss.
Is everything alright at home?
Everything is fine.
It's been two months, Miss.
[Yiwang Hall]
You look skinny.
I've asked the kitchen
to cook your favorite dishes.
They’re ready.
Thank you so much.
How is my wife?
She’s fine.
She’s been acting
as you requested
and kind to servants.
Did she have any visitors?
Not at all.
I see.
If you will excuse me,
I need to prepare the table.
Go ahead then.
What happened?
Do you remember
the ginkgo I mentioned?
Is Princess...
She isn’t
but she saw it, too.
She also knew a demon was here?
Alright. Enough of it.
You just came back. Don’t sneak out again.
Have some rest after the meal.
I will.
Go ahead.
[Yiwang Hall]
My respect, Your Majesty.
You're a sweet girl, Ba Yin.
I’m flattered.
You came all the way from Baize to Shuchi.
Are you used to this place?
General Wanqi is my husband.
I like
whatever he likes.
Shuchi is his hometown.
Not only am I used to it,
but I also love it.
Ming Yefeng,
your wife is amazing.
Before I came here,
Pontifex of Baize, Yi Jiumo,
told me in person
to hand in this letter
to Your Majesty.
Good! Wonderful.
Pontifex Yi
has decided to attend
the annual Ancestral God Praying.
He’ll soon
arrive in Shuchi.
Congratulations, Your Majesty!
We’ll have
the messenger of the Ancestral God
to host this year’s ceremony.
The future of Shuchi
and the power of Your Majesty
will flare like the heavenly fire
and reach every corner of this land.
Pass my order.
Pontifex Yi
will be hosting this year’s ceremony.
All pontifices of Shuchi
must follow
his lead.
Yes.
You've proved
Baize’s loyalty
to me.
I thank you on behalf of our tribesmen.
Jinyang.
You're back, Marquis.
There’s tea
in the pavilion.
How's everything at home?
Mr. He is meticulous.
All is well.
You’ve lost some weight.
I didn’t do much.
All I wanted was
to see you return safely.
You have dark circles.
You didn’t sleep well?
After I heard that you’d come back today,
I was too excited
to sleep.
You went to the palace, didn’t you?
How did it go?
It went well.
I was there to pay respects as usual.
Did Her Highness say anything?
Since you were away,
Her Highness asked about my situation.
Nothing else other than that.
OK.
Although I’m back,
I’ll be in the palace most of the time for work.
You’ll need
to take care of things at home.
I’m happy
to help you.
Have you prepared winter clothes
for everyone at home?
Winter this year
will arrive earlier than before.
I need you
to handle this.
Yes.
Mr. He has been working for us
for decades.
If you have questions,
you can ask him.
I know.
I was away for a few days.
Work has piled on.
I may have to
work in the study all night.
Don’t wait up for me.
I see.