01x08 - Episode 8

[bunniefuu]

[Shadow Punisher]

[Divine Constable Tally]

[Episode 8]

As expected,

at this time of year,

this is the only place
around Tianhuang City

where Dragon-whisker Grass

can be found.

The autopsy results
for Yan Zige

are in.

How did it go?

I'm afraid the results may disappoint you.

The ventricles were intact,

and there were no other signs of illness.

The only explanation is that he died
from external trauma.

But Meng Rui,

as I told you,

you're honest
and straightforward by nature.

You couldn't possibly be the k*ller.

So

whether you consider me

a friend or not,

I

will help you get
to the bottom of the truth.

Meng Rui,

Tell me about your master.

When I had nowhere to go,

he took me in

and taught me martial arts.

I only learned these past few days

that he was known
as the Netherworld Swordsman.

Why did you have nowhere to go?

When did this happen?

The 20th year of Hongyun.

Why?

Were you an orphan from a young age?

I'm not an orphan.

Then what about your parents?

Do you have any siblings?

Is the Netherworld Swordsman still alive?

He's dead.

Are you sure?

I buried him myself.

If that's the case,

I'm afraid the real culprit
behind the black chest case

intended from the very beginning

to use the legend

of the Netherworld Swordsman

to create the black chest warnings.

Based on your Severe-Cold Sword,

they deduced

that you were

the heir to the Netherworld Swordsman.

So they began

carefully laying their plans,

intending to pin the whole thing

on you.

[Retreat of Bamboo and Pine]

[Retreat of Bamboo and Pine]

Chief.

Zhenzhu.

If you can't make sense of things,

you should go home

and spend some time with your father.

If the culprit really

is connected
to the Netherworld Swordsman,

I suspect their revenge

isn't over yet.

Their next target

will be the person
who joined forces with the imperial court

and the martial world
to hunt down the Netherworld Swordsman

back then.

In other words,

my father.

Xuanyuan Shan said

that Northern Kun was forced
to join forces with the Great Shi

and, together with Grand Secretary Bai,

issued an order

to hunt down the Netherworld Swordsman.

Grand Secretary Bai Qi?

The Divine Constable Bureau matters,

of course,

but family matters, too.

Lately, I've been wondering
about something.

Who really stands to gain

from Wenbu's death?

I've even suspected the First Prince

and the Crown Prince.

Li Si,

investigating them for my sake

puts you at great risk.

Actually,

I'm not doing this entirely for you.

There are things

I want to find out myself.

Why don't we

look at it from another angle?

Go on.

If someone wanted
to recreate the circumstances

in the black chest warning exactly
and k*ll someone that way,

how difficult would that be?

Wenbu's timing of taking the poison

could be chalked up to luck.

But...

Yan Zige's death was different.

Neither he nor I knew

what move would be used in the end—

whether it would be a palm strike
or a sword strike.

Yet how could that black chest

possibly know in advance,

with such precision,

that Yan Zige would be k*lled
by a single palm strike from you?

The real culprit went to all that trouble

to create the black chest warning

just to frame me?

Why?

What grudge could they
possibly have against me?

What if we look at it
the other way around?

The other way around?

What if

the black chest

wasn't merely meant

to frame the Netherworld Swordsman,

but the warning itself

was an essential part

of the k*ller's method of m*rder?

You're saying

you met Mr. Meng?

Don't worry.

He's doing just fine.

Did he say anything?

Zhenzhu,

there's something

I've been wondering.

Were Yan Zige's ribs

broken?

No.

I found that strange

when I examined the body earlier.

No matter how profound
Meng Rui's inner power was,

there was no way

he could have shattered
the heart meridians

through the intact ribs
without leaving a mark on them.

Exactly.

That proves

Yan Zige couldn't possibly
have been k*lled by Meng Rui.

I'll go check again.

Li Si,

thank you.

Go ahead.

Your Highness, please,

don't drink anymore.

Watch your step.

Your Highness, let's go back
to the Crown Prince's residence.

No, no, no.

Your Highness,
you've had too much to drink.

I'm not drunk.

You are. You're drunk.

I'm not drunk.

I'm not drunk.

Have you heard?

With the w*r

against Northern Kun upon us,

says the Ministry of w*r
under my command

holds the most power.

But!

No, no, no.

None of you know!

Y-Your Highness,
you've had too much to drink.

-Let's not talk about this.
-Actually, all my men

are stationed at the frontier.

The capital's defenses

are all under my elder brother's command.

Your Highness,

that's a military secret.

You can't tell her that.

What military secret?

Even a fool knows that.

-Your Highness.
-Your Highness.

-Your Highness.
-Your Highness.

-Get away!
-Your Highness.

Your Highness.

Go!

For 17 years...

For 17 years,

His Majesty has loved watching

my elder brother and me
fight for the upper hand.

-You know that?
-Your Highness.

It's always been like this.

If I lose,

His Majesty helps me

bring down my elder brother.

If His Majesty
sees my elder brother losing,

he helps him turn the tables.

Everyone thinks I'm a fool,

but I know exactly what's going on.

Tell me, am I a fool?

-Am I? Tell me!
-Your Highness, you're drunk.

-Let's go back to your place.
-Say it! Am I a fool?

Tell me!

Your Highness.

Get away!

Am I a fool? Tell me!

Your Highness.

Say it!

-Your Highness, you're drunk.
-Tell me!

Master.

Your Highness.

-Qingyang.
-Your Highness.

Qingyang.

-Your Highness, take it easy.
-Qingyang, you're finally here.

Your Highness.

Don't you think I'm a fool,

Qingyang?

Don't you think I'm a fool?

Your Highness,

you're drunk.

Qingyang,

I... I can't carry him.

Your Highness.

I can't carry the Crown Prince either.

I'll help His Highness back

to the Crown Prince's residence.

Master, I've found something regarding

what you asked me to look into last time.

On the 9th day of the 2nd month
in the 20th year of Hongyun,

the Ministry of w*r sent out

an urgent military dispatch
by express courier.

As for the specific contents,

I wasn't able

to find out.

Military intelligence
is highly classified,

so it was difficult
to uncover the details.

I don't blame you.

That dispatch not only
reached His Majesty,

but also made its way
to the Crown Prince's residence.

So that's it—they joined forces.

Something else happened that day

that shook the realm:

Fourth Prince Zhou Yan died of illness.

A month later,

the First Prince handed over

the seal of the Ministry of w*r.

Most of the First Prince's men

were replaced by the Crown Prince's men.

There were extensive personnel changes.

This is the list we've compiled.

[Ministry of w*r Roster]

Those marked with a red check

are no longer alive.

It's only been 17 years,

yet so many of them are already dead.

Could they have been silenced?

[Ministry of w*r Roster] [Su Wei]

There's one person here

who isn't marked.

Could this person

still be alive?

This person

went to Mingling County in Qingzhou
many years ago

and disappeared without a trace.

Constable Li,

the Chief has summoned everyone.

The entire Divine Constable Bureau

is to convene
in the Chief Constable's Hall.

[Clear as a Mirror]

Everyone,

the third black chest has arrived.

It was left right

at the entrance
to the Divine Constable Bureau.

We don't know when it was placed there.

Open it.

[Severe-Cold]

Look.

The inscription on this sword
reads "Severe-Cold."

The Severe-Cold Sword?

Does this black chest warning mean

Meng Rui will k*ll again?

Though the likeness is crude,

the pattern on the armor

is unmistakable.

The plum-dyed Xuan Bird—

the insignia of a First-Rank
Senior Grand Secretary.

That's Grand Secretary Bai.

After all,

Grand Secretary Bai was the mastermind

of the alliance that hunted down
Dao Yin back then.

Now,

Grand Secretary Bai is training troops
at the Vanguard Camp

outside the city

to prepare
for Northern Kun's southward advance.

All members
of the Divine Constable Bureau,

you are ordered to leave the city at once
and head to the Vanguard Camp.

Protect the Grand Secretary

at all costs.

-Yes!
-Yes!

The Ministry of Justice is here
by imperial order to investigate.

No one is allowed in or out.

The Divine Constable Bureau

operates independently
of the Six Ministries.

Since when does the Ministry of Justice

have the authority

to decide whether we come or go?

When will the Chief arrive?

This is a matter of great importance.

The Chief is in the palace
seeking His Majesty's permission.

An oral decree from the Crown Prince!

It's finally here.

An oral decree from the Crown Prince!

By the Crown Prince's decree,

all members of the Divine Constable Bureau
are ordered to enter the Vanguard Camp

and protect the Grand Secretary

while apprehending the culprit.

Do not delay.

Do you hear that?

Do not delay!

Go report this to Lord Xiao.

Yes.

We're here on urgent business.

Please inform

the Commander and Cavalry Commander
at the Vanguard Camp

to come down and receive us.

Didn't you hear us?

Move!

Step aside.

Well?

[Vanguard]

Wasn't I impressive just now?

You're formidable, Eunuch Zhao.

So,

has the Crown Prince awakened?

He's still drunk in your room.

Eunuch Zhao,

you falsely relayed
the Crown Prince's decree?

Wasn't I doing it for your sake?

Thank you, Eunuch Zhao.

What's wrong?

Are you cold?

Why are you trembling?

What else? I-I heard that

whenever Meng Rui draws
that wailing sword,

someone dies.

If not
for the Crown Prince's oral decree,

I wouldn't have come.

Just remember

to protect me later,

all right?

Eunuch Zhao,

should I

focus on capturing Meng Rui

to earn merit for the Crown Prince,

or on protecting you?

Well...

the Crown Prince's business

is more important.

Grand Secretary,

these soldiers are indeed formidable.

They are the finest of the finest

from every camp across Great Shi,

forged through countless trials.

When the two armies clash,

they charge fearlessly into battle,

fighting solely for Great Shi.

With soldiers like these,

Great Shi has nothing to fear
from Northern Kun's army.

Grand Secretary, have you

given these newly trained warriors

a name?

The Soldiers of Sorrow.

[Vanguard]

Fight! Fight! Fight!

"Under Heaven, we are all travelers,

united in sorrow
beneath the dust of ages."

What a fitting name.
The Soldiers of Sorrow

embodies a spirit
as impassioned as a song,

treating death as lightly as dust.

Are you also
from the Divine Constable Bureau?

Yes, Grand Secretary.

I'm Li Si,

a trainee constable
with the Divine Constable Bureau.

The bell in the black chest warning

clearly indicated midnight.

Midnight

has now passed.

My thanks to His Highness
the Crown Prince

and everyone from
the Divine Constable Bureau.

My deepest thanks.

Protect the Grand Secretary!

Where is he?

Split up and search!

Yan, you stay here.

Grand Secretary, come with me.

All right.

Meng Rui,

don't go any further down this wrong path.

Meng Rui,

why are you doing this?

It's you.

Grand Secretary, it's safe here.

Grand Secretary, rest in peace.

Lord Lou,

why don't you guess

when Meng Rui and I

swapped outfits?

And when

Meng Rui and the Grand Secretary

swapped outfits?

What if

the black chest

wasn't merely meant

to frame the Netherworld Swordsman,

but the warning itself

was an essential part

of the culprit's plan?

If the culprit wants to frame me,

their next target

must be Grand Secretary Bai—

one of the people

who hunted down the Old Man back then.

Why don't we

wait for

the third black chest to appear,

then turn their plan against them?

An oral decree from the Crown Prince!

It's finally here.

Meng Rui hid

among Eunuch Zhao's men

and infiltrated the military camp.

Grand Secretary, come with me.

Lord Lou,

you had your men
assassinate the Grand Secretary,

just as foretold
in the black chest warning.

But you knew perfectly well

that this military camp
was full of highly skilled fighters,

so your men could never succeed.

Your real plan

was to use the chaos

to take the Grand Secretary away.

Then, once the two of you

were alone,

you would
seize the opportunity to k*ll him.

Am I right?

So we turned your plan against you

and swapped outfits.

I disguised myself
as Grand Secretary Bai,

while Li Si disguised himself as me

and drew everyone else away.

The goal was to lure the real culprit—

you—into making your move.

The first two black chest warnings

were your doing as well,
weren't they, Lord Lou?

Your goal

was to make everyone believe

that the black chest warnings
were genuine,

that Meng Rui

would definitely k*ll the Grand Secretary.

That way,

you could openly approach
the Grand Secretary

under the pretext

of protecting him

and then k*ll him.

I never thought

that despite all my careful planning,

I couldn't fool you,
Young Master Qingyang.

Lou Tianming,

we've worked together for years.

Why?

The victor becomes king, and the loser
becomes a bandit. Enough talk.

Come at me together.

You treacherous b*stard.

This place is crawling with experts.

Do you really think you can escape?

Today, I speak for the Eastern Palace—

Lou Tianming,

surrender!

Do you think
taking that damn eunuch hostage

will save your life?

Who are you calling a damn eunuch?

Let me tell you:

if I lose even a single hair,

I'll report you to the Crown Prince

and have your entire household ex*cuted.

I clearly k*lled them.

What the hell are these things?

Why won't they die?

This beast

is one you raised
at the Divine Constable Bureau.

Naturally, it knows

the people of the Divine Constable Bureau

are friends, not foes.

You've been known
as the Constable Eagle

for 10 years.

How is it

that you're not as perceptive as it?

It's you people.

Protect the Grand Secretary!

Protect the Grand Secretary!

Protect the Grand Secretary!

Meng Rui!

Come back!

Yan,

be careful. Don't let them lure you away.

What a fine display of mastery
over objects with qi.

Greetings, Chief.

For the past few years,

I've entrusted
nearly all the day-to-day affairs

of the Divine Constable Bureau

to you.

Everyone in and out of court says

that sooner or later,

you'll take my place.

Chief,

I will never forget your kindness.

It's enough that you remember it.

You needn't hold back now.

In the jianghu,

there have been two ten-year periods.

In the first,

the Netherworld Swordsman tested
his swordsmanship against the world.

In the second,

Chief Xuanyuan reigned supreme.

Tonight, I am honored

to witness the skills

of the greatest female martial artist
in history.

Greatest of all time

is too much.

But adding "female"

to the title

would be looking down on me.

You may leave it out.

Then, let the greatest martial artist
of our time make the first move

and show me the legendary technique,

"Clouds Veil the Mist,
Stars Split the Heavens;

Jade Pendants and Gold Ornaments
Set the World in Order."

Who are you?

What are you after?

Why did you k*ll my family?

Speak!

Come on!

Tell me,

who are you people?

Speak!

Brother!

[Vanguard]

Are you all right?

Just sprinkle it on. That should do it.

Be careful.

Bear with it. It'll be over soon.

How is he?

He's much better.

Zhenzhu, is it okay to tie it like this?

No problem.

It's done.

[Vanguard]

Divine Constable Bureau,
receive the imperial decree.

By His Majesty's oral decree:

I have learned

of the crimes of Lou Tianming
and Meng Rui

and am deeply shocked.

Three days remain
of the seven-day deadline.

Lou Tianming has now been apprehended.

You are to capture Meng Rui at once.

Bring him back alive,
or bring back his body.

What?

The truth is clear.

Meng Rui is innocent.

We receive the decree.

Chief,

why do we still have to arrest Meng Rui?

Knowing full well
that Meng Rui isn't the culprit,

are we really going to
compound the mistake?

If we can establish exactly

what happened

and give His Majesty and Northern Kun
a satisfactory explanation,

can Mr. Meng then be cleared?

His Majesty wants

an explanation

that will stabilize the situation for now.

I'll return to the Bureau

and continue examining Yan Zige's body.

Chief.

Once you find Meng Rui,

sound the whistle as the signal.

Yes, Chief.

You've been
with the Divine Constable Bureau

for 13 years.

Thirteen years, seven months,

and nine days.

I've always regarded you

as my own younger brother.

Why?

Attempting to assassinate
the Grand Secretary

is treason.

And then there are the deaths

of Wenbu and Yan Zige.

No one can save you

from the crimes you've committed.

If you won't speak now,

do you intend to take your secrets

to the grave?

Everyone has a grave

in their heart.

The Divine Constable Bureau

has 49 forms of t*rture.

Are you saying
you'd like to experience them today?

Thirteen of those

were devised by me.

I wonder which one

I'll survive today.

Guards!

Yes.

Take good care of him.

Yes.

His Majesty issued the decree

right after you finished
interrogating Lou Tianming.

Effective immediately,

the Eastern Palace,
the Ministry of Justice,

and the Court of Judicial Review

may all enter the prison
to interrogate Lou Tianming.

Only the Divine Constable Bureau
is forbidden from doing so.

We're to merely keep watch over him.

Wait,

is His Majesty
afraid we'll show favoritism,

or does he suspect
the Divine Constable Bureau?

Watch your tongue.

But Lou Tianming

spent years
in the Divine Constable Bureau.

He knows interrogation inside out.

With those people from the Eastern Palace

and the Ministry of Justice,

what could they possibly get out of him?

What exactly are those things

under Lou Tianming?

What is his real plot?

And what about Wenbu and Yan Zige?

So many questions remain unanswered.

Are we really
just going to leave it at that?

Yan,

His Majesty said

we're not allowed to interrogate him.

He never said

we couldn't keep investigating.

That's true.

Master.

We can't keep Mr. Meng

here forever.

Before Senior Old Geezer left,

he said there was nothing he could do

about Mr. Meng's injuries.

If we want to save Mr. Meng,

the only hope is Mr. Tao
from the Divine Constable Bureau.

Yuque has ordered Meng Rui's arrest.

We can't send him back

to the Divine Constable Bureau now.

Not unless

I can uncover the truth

and clear his name.

The heart is protected by the breastbone.

No matter how profound
Meng Rui's inner power was,

even if one strike

could shatter Yan Zige's heart meridians,

there was no way

he could strike his heart

through completely intact ribs.

If the culprit really

wanted to recreate the effect
of the m*rder warning,

they would have had to calculate exactly

when Wenbu would take the poison
and when it would take effect,

down to the last detail.

Yan Zige's death was even more mysterious.

No one could have predicted in advance

which move Meng Rui would use

to k*ll Yan Zige.

And there are

no ghosts or gods in this world

capable of foreseeing the future.

Unless...

This is...

A belly feather
from a Western Migrant Bird...

A Western Migrant Bird

grows only 1 belly feather
in its lifetime.

As fine as a strand of hair
yet extraordinarily tough,

it can travel through the blood vessels

and sever the heart meridians.

[Clear as a Mirror]

If Yan Zige had been secretly attacked
by someone else,

he could never have chosen this moment

to duel Meng Rui.

Unless

Yan Zige was the one
who drove this feather

into his own body.

The human body
is riddled with blood vessels,

yet you managed

to find

such a tiny feather.

Zhenzhu, you did well.

He drove the feather

into his own body,

which means Yan Zige k*lled himself.

That explains everything.

The reason his death

looked exactly
like the black chest warning

is simply

that Yan Zige k*lled himself.

Yan Zige willingly took his own life

to make us completely believe

the black chest warning.

Combined with the assassination attempt,

it becomes clear that Lou Tianming
planned everything so carefully

simply to make us believe

that the Grand Secretary

would be the next to die.

Once the Divine Constable Bureau
believed the warning,

we were bound to protect
the Grand Secretary.

Lou Tianming could then
seize the opportunity to assassinate him.

To assassinate the Grand Secretary,

they went to such lengths
and devised such an elaborate trap.

They certainly went to great lengths
to plan it.

If the Grand Secretary were to die,

Northern Kun could launch

an all-out w*r without restraint.

Qingyang.

Chief.

You're back.

Where have you been all day?

Thank you for your concern, Chief,

and both of you.

I've been searching

for Mr. Meng's whereabouts.

Any leads?

Then let's get back to the case.

Based on what we just deduced,

Yan Zige committed suicide.

But what about Wenbu?

Just like Yan Zige,

Wenbu would have had
to take the poison himself

so that the time of death

could be pinpointed

and his body

would match
the black chest warning exactly.

Suicide by Yan Zige is one thing,

but Wenbu was the Crown Prince
of Northern Kun.

He was willing to risk his own life

just to provoke a w*r
between the two sides?

For years,

tensions had been simmering
between us and Northern Kun.

w*r is a test of national strength,

and over time,

many in Northern Kun

had come to favor peace.

But now

that the Crown Prince is dead,

the peace faction in Northern Kun

has been silenced.

The entire nation

is united against us

and launches
a massive invasion of the south.

But even

if Northern Kun wins,

the Crown Prince is still dead.

What would be the point?

It doesn't make sense.

Corpse-Dissolving Powder.

No wonder.

Once the body dissolved,

it would be impossible
to determine the true identity.

The man who died

wasn't Crown Prince Wenbu.

It was a substitute.

Yan Zige took his own life.
Wenbu died.

The two nations went to w*r,

and no one could stop it.

At the same time,

if the Grand Secretary were to die,

Northern Kun's chances
of victory would increase dramatically.

That was their motive.

But what exactly is Lou Tianming

trying to accomplish?

What does he stand to gain

from a w*r between Northern Kun
and Great Shi?

That is something

we'll have to ask Lou Tianming ourselves.

Chief.

Chief,

Lou Tianming has escaped.

Chief.

How could this have happened?

He was tortured

and had no way of escaping on his own.

Someone must have tampered with things.

It's no easy feat for an outsider

to get into the Divine Constable Bureau,

let alone get someone out.

Could there be

a mole within the Divine Constable Bureau?