ADAPTED FROM BAI LU CHENG SHUANG'S LOVE IN THE CLOUDS
I am
Ming Xian, Crown Prince of Yaoguang Mountain.
Since I was 13,
I have fought in the Qingyun Tournament.
I've brought victory to Yaoguang Mountain for seven consecutive years.
Since childhood, I've used magic to disguise myself as a man.
In the eyes of others, I am a man.
They call me the mightiest Warrior God of Hexu
and see me as a hero.
But I am no hero.
MING ZHENGHUI EMPEROR OF YAOGUANG MOUNTAIN
I simply never dared to relax
because winning the Blessed Rain is my duty.
Ever since I could remember,
I've been told that I could only win,
that I must win, and that I must keep winning.
-Ming Xian! -Ming Xian!
JI BOZAI, A WARRIOR OF JIXING ABYSS
I knew there was a fish that slipped through the net.
Why do you not strike?
-Why have they both vanished? -Gone?
Ming Xian can't lose to Jixing Abyss, right?
Of course he won.
I am seeing it with my own eyes. He won't lose.
Your Highness, can we really defeat Ming Xian this time?
My spiritual power is restrained in this space.
I can't even maintain my armor.
This man is no ordinary fighter.
A Jixing Abyss warrior with such spiritual power…
Who are you really?
You are trapped in my Spirit Well, yet you still speak with such conceit?
Even within your Spirit Well,
I can defeat you with weakened strength.
Is that so?
Impressive, Warrior God.
You even forged a weapon with your own blood.
I will win.
That is the only thing I know.
Everyone can lose.
You can too.
JING SHU, EMPRESS OF YAOGUANG MOUNTAIN
-Ming Xian is defeated? -Look, Father!
He's severely injured.
-Yes. -How disappointing.
In this tournament of two realms,
Jixing Abyss wins!
Jixing Abyss rises.
Yaoguang Mountain falls.
Let the Blessed Rain descend!
Your Highness, we have won!
I knew I did not misjudge him.
-Blessed Rain! -It's the Blessed Rain!
-It really is the Blessed Rain! -It really is the Blessed Rain!
Seven years have passed.
The Blessed Rain has finally descended upon Jixing Abyss!
How dare this loser show his face?
-Exactly! -Right!
-It's all his fault! -How dare he?
Right!
The Blessed Rain was within reach, yet he let it slip away!
Without the Blessed Rain,
Yaoguang Mountain's spirit light will fade,
and the land will dry up!
Without the Blessed Rain,
no spirit stones will form.
How are we going to live?
Exactly.
You don't deserve to be our Warrior God!
-How can we survive? -Exactly.
We are doomed.
I am Ming Xian, Crown Prince of Yaoguang Mountain.
Since I was 13, I have fought in the Qingyun Tournament.
I won for seven consecutive years,
yet it feels as though I never won at all.
YAOGUANG PALACE, YAOGUANG MOUNTAIN
CHAMBER OF EASE, YAOGUANG MOUNTAIN
Ming Xian!
Ming Xian, what happened to you?
TWENTY-SEVEN MING XIAN'S COMPANION BEAST
Twenty-Seven,
my spiritual veins are broken.
How can that be?
It seems I have been poisoned
by something potent.
He did it.
Despicable.
Mother.
I order you to leave.
Depart Yaoguang Mountain at once.
Mother, are you banishing me?
Your spiritual veins are severed.
If you remain here, you will only die
at the hands of those coveting the Crown Prince's seat.
Mother,
I can restore my spiritual veins.
At the next Qingyun Tournament,
I will win back a thousandfold
of what Yaoguang Mountain has lost.
I can still be of use to you.
Please, do not send me away.
Ming Xian, listen.
I am not casting you out.
I just want you to live and be safe.
How laughable my life has been,
ever cautious, walking on thin ice.
From the moment you were born,
I made you use the Veil of Illusion to take on the guise of a prince.
You could have lived as a simple fairy maiden.
This supreme art of deception
has made you appear to all
as a man.
But with your spiritual veins broken,
all we've done is now in vain.
Ming Xian,
staying in Yaoguang Mountain
will only bring you danger.
I am letting you go.
Remove the Veil of Illusion
and return to your true form.
No one will know who you are.
Live well,
and never come back.
Mother, don't worry.
I will restore my spiritual veins and rejoin the tournament one day.
TWO MONTHS LATER
MOONLIT BLOSSOMS, JIXING ABYSS
One more.
MOONLIT BLOSSOMS
Immortal Ji?
I am going to another immortal then.
Don't go.
Immortal Ji, you really treat Moonlit Blossoms as your own home.
The moment the Qingyun Tournament ended,
you came here.
You've even stayed here longer than I have.
I fought bitterly in the tournament
for no other reason
than to have whatever I wanted.
No, you want
whatever I have.
Oh?
Then tell me,
what do you have?
Immortal Ji, have a grape.
With so many fairies waiting here for me,
I shouldn't favor one over another, right?
-Many thanks, Immortal Ji! -Immortal Ji!
Sir, please.
MING XIAN CROWN PRINCE OF YAOGUANG MOUNTAIN
MING YI AN ATTENDANT OF MOONLIT BLOSSOMS
That Ji Bozai…
Since winning the Qingyun Tournament,
he's spent his days in debauchery.
As expected, he is a shameless scoundrel.
Two months have passed, yet I still cannot get close to him.
Today, he's hosting a grand banquet to celebrate
being named the Qingyun Warrior.
I must seize this chance to approach him.
I heard from my friends about the Qingyun Tournament.
You know how it is in places like this.
One tale can turn into hundreds of versions.
They say you fight valiantly and are unmatched in battle.
SUN LIAO, A WARRIOR OF JIXING ABYSS
Surely you couldn't have been defeated
by Ming Xian with a single move.
Who said I was?
Was it Ji Bozai?
No, Immortal Sun.
Ji Bozai is full of nonsense.
What…
What does this have to do with Immortal Ji?
Then why did you say such things to me?
You're mistaken, Immortal Sun.
I only meant…
Now.
First, play the damsel in distress.
Then I'll get close to him.
Excuse me.
He didn't fall for it?
Did you think Immortal Ji would take your side?
Immortal Sun, this is a misunderstanding.
Immortal Ji never said a word about you to me.
Please, don't blame him.
Ji Bozai,
have you been spreading rumors about how I fared in the tournament?
You, a former Sunken Abyss prisoner, only gained spiritual veins by chance
and became a warrior through Princess Tianji's favor.
What,
is gossip behind people's backs all you're good for?
Sun Liao, you are actually quite skilled.
It's just that Ming Xian struck too quickly.
You…!
What a pity. You are a step too late again.
You…
Well, well, once again I see you
fighting for the sake
of a fairy maiden, Immortal Ji.
Sun Liao,
this is Immortal Ji's celebratory banquet.
Don't make a scene.
Consider yourself lucky.
This man is truly hard to approach.
I must think of another way.
Immortal Ji, the food and wine are ready.
The banquet may begin.
Congratulations, Immortal Ji, on winning the Qingyun Tournament.
May I have the honor of toasting you?
Immortal Ji, your valor in the tournament
brought the Blessed Rain to Jixing Abyss.
It is an honor to see you today.
Allow me to toast you.
Master said my time was running out.
Ming Xian, let me see your injury from the Qingyun Tournament.
Master, I don't know what poison it is,
but my spiritual veins are broken.
Listen. The poison in you is called
Heavenly Grief.
For those with spiritual veins, it destroys them.
For those without, it grants them.
From now on, don't use your spiritual veins again,
or the poison will only spread faster.
This mark is called the Grief Blossom.
When all seven petals fall,
your primordial spirit will be burned out.
So, within a year,
you must find the antidote, Golden Millet Dream,
and take it to restore your spiritual veins,
or you will die.
Since the poison came from Ji Bozai,
he may hold the Golden Millet Dream.
Go to Jixing Abyss and find him.
Once I get rid of the pursuers, I will come to you.
He refuses food and drink from others because he fears they might be poisoned.
Truly, an evil man sees evil in all things.
Lord Hanfeng has arrived!
No need for formalities.
I cannot stand them.
Hands down, all of you.
From now on, act like Bozai.
Wherever you see me,
greet me as you would an old friend.
Wouldn't that be nice?
Lord Hanfeng, was that a dig at me?
I wouldn't dare disrespect you.
When I was still a prisoner,
I had to kneel even to a noble's pet.
Though I am better off now,
I ask only for a life where I need not bow.
I've always liked this side of you.
Today is a fine day, Bozai.
You've been named the Qingyun Warrior.
I've brought a small gift to express my congratulations.
Your Wugui Sea is far too desolate.
Even the one servant you have is already old.
That's hardly acceptable.
My niece Tianji is the one to blame.
Though she is in charge of Jixing Abyss's Shouhua Academy,
she has yet to live up to her station.
She didn't even think to assign you attendants.
Today, I've brought you two maids.
From now on, they can handle your accounts and household tasks.
Bozai, are you happy with this gift of mine?
Lord Hanfeng, must you keep such a close eye on Wugui Sea?
Just as I thought, there are rifts within Jixing Abyss.
It's not that I don't appreciate it.
Tonight's feast is hosted by Princess Tianji in my honor,
yet you suddenly arrived with two maids.
If I take them back, won't that upset Princess Tianji?
So, you dare not offend Princess Tianji,
but you have no fear of offending me?
Bozai, are you sure you are turning down my gift?
Is Immortal Ji really turning down Lord Hanfeng's gift?
He's turning it down?
Won't Lord Hanfeng be offended?
This is my chance.
I object! Lord Ji, you just promised
to take me back to Wugui Sea.
Did I say that?
You did.
I must have made too many promises and forgotten.
Then why don't you take all three back with you?
-Wouldn't that make quite a story? -Right.
-Good idea. -Yes, take all of them back.
That's a fine idea.
I will have carriages and boats prepared to send you all back together.
-Great! -Good idea!
Take them all back!
Yes, take them all!
-Right. -Yes, take them all back.
-No way! -Exactly.
There isn't enough room!
Wugui Sea may be remote,
but as Immortal Ji's reward,
it is spacious and tranquil.
I'm sure it can hold more than a few people.
-Yes! -Naturally!
-Exactly! -Well said!
-Immortal Ji should take them all back! -Lord Ji…
-Good. -That's right!
Hold on.
Everyone, Wugui Sea is not a fish pond.
Besides, my energy is limited.
Here's what we'll do.
Ladies, I will ask you one question,
and I will take the one who pleases me most
with her answer.
How about that?
-Good idea! -Great!
Let's do it!
Since you are to serve in my abode,
tell me, what spirit beasts are kept in Wugui Sea,
and how would you tend to them?
The water in Wugui Sea is stagnant. Nothing can survive there.
But if I give the right answer, I could draw suspicion.
You go first. Yes, you.
Wugui Sea…
Like rivers, lakes, and ponds,
it has… turtles,
fish, and shrimp, right?
Lord Ji, my loyalty to you
surpasses any spirit beast,
and my devotion is deeper than the Wugui Sea.
She is certainly funny.
Your turn.
The water in Wugui Sea is stagnant.
Nothing can survive there.
There isn't a single spirit beast there.
That's right.
Ignorant fairy,
do you really know Immortal Ji at all?
Do you even know what he likes?
Lord Ji, please give me one more chance. I'll get it right this time.
She knows nothing.
Even if he gave her another chance, it would be wasted.
Lord Ji…
She's asking for a second chance?
This fairy keeps pestering Immortal Ji.
Could it be…?
Immortal Ji would never choose her.
Those two know Immortal Ji so well.
Surely he'll pick either of them.
Lord Hanfeng's choices are never wrong.
I choose…
her.
What?
-Her? -I envy her.
-Me too. -I was once a prisoner,
so I know all things in this world are meaningless,
and only true devotion deserves to be valued.
This lady…
-Your name? -Ming Yi.
Ming Yi.
Fairy Ming Yi is so devoted to me,
laying bare her heart to me.
How could I let her down?
Rest assured. I will never fail you.
As for you two,
it seems we are just fated to be strangers.
He is tough to handle.
Still, I'm one step closer to my goal.
WUGUI SEA, JIXING ABYSS
GRANNY XUN, STEWARD OF WUGUI SEA
Your Lordship, you're back.
Lord Ji,
why did you cover my eyes
the moment we arrived?
Because I like it.
Lord Hanfeng,
Ji Bozai carried that fairy into the chamber.
SHEDDING THE OLD AND EMBRACING THE NEW
Lord Ji,
it must be nearly dawn.
Why not take this blindfold off me?
Lord Ji…
Tonight, you went to great lengths,
putting on a show,
just so you could follow me back to Wugui Sea, right?
You got what you wanted.
You saw right through me, Lord Ji.
Well done, keeping the acts coming one after another.
I dismissed two fairies, and then you showed up.
And your little scene with Sun Liao? Truly well-coordinated.
That's unfair, Lord Ji.
Questioning my devotion to you
by bringing up Sun Liao is just humiliating!
That's true.
Could you remove the blindfold for me?
I don't like this. It feels like an interrogation.
Answer my question first.
Lord Ji,
do you enjoy questioning women like this?
I never thought you had such a hobby.
Thank you, Lord…
Lord Ji?
Lord Ji,
is it really so strange that I want
to follow you back to Wugui Sea?
Once a Sunken Abyss prisoner, you rose to fame in one battle.
You are a living legend in Jixing Abyss,
the man we fairies of Moonlit Blossoms admire most!
I've given you all my heart,
yet you are so cold to me.
I am heartbroken.
Don't treat me this way again.
Your name
is Ming Yi?
"Ming", as in "bright", like the moon in your heart,
and "Yi", as in "feelings", like the deep ones I hold for you.
Before you worked at Moonlit Blossoms,
what did you do?
He's still interrogating me.
The more I say, the more risk I take.
I need to silence him somehow.
My family once lived by gathering herbs.
After my parents died,
I came to Moonlit Blossoms.
-So you… -Why so many questions?
Do you not trust me?
No, you simply don't like me.
If you dislike me, why did you bring me back here?
Are you all right?
I don't like women who come on too strong.
Seriously? How desperate is he?
Fine then.
What's Twenty-Seven doing?
Why hasn't he acted yet?
There's a fire outside. I'll go check.
Lord… Lord Ji, what happened?
Your Lordship, the pavilion at the back is on fire.
Please come and see.
Let's go and check.
I can't let you come along.
You don't know your way around Wugui Sea.
What if something happens to you?
I will be fine…
This barrier
can only be passed through by Granny Xun and me.
No one else can enter,
and you cannot leave either.
This way, you are completely safe.
Wait for me here.
Ugh, that man.
Ming Yi,
with your spiritual veins broken,
you are like an ordinary person now.
You only have a little power for simple spells.
Don't push yourself.
-I know. -Are you all right?
Didn't Master She warn you not to use your spiritual veins?
What if the Grief Blossom withers?
Using this little power won't stir my spiritual veins.
This is a complex barrier.
I have to break it myself.
I only asked you to make some noise
to keep him from staying the night.
Why did you go so far?
I am puzzled too. I did exactly as you said.
I cast a small spell on that pavilion over there
to create just a tiny flame.
But somehow, it grew into a blaze.
I don't understand how.
Never mind. Get down to business while he's out.
Where is the thing?
Trouble arose right after Ming Yi arrived.
Rest assured, Your Lordship.
-I will find the cause of the fire. -No need.
It is only a natural fire.
No need to alarm an outsider.
I don't like women who come on too strong.
I need to stall a bit longer.
Why are there so few layers to this robe?
Why hasn't Buxiu started the fire?
I will put the fire out myself.
WUGUI SEA, JIXING ABYSS
In these two months in Jixing Abyss,
we've learned that Ji Bozai's spiritual veins
were formed through Heavenly Grief.
Since he used it,
without the Golden Millet Dream,
he would have died already.
The fact that he's still alive
means he must have the antidote.
It's not here.
And it's not here. Where could it be?
The Heavenly Grief and Golden Millet Dream respond intensely to one another.
Using this locator forged with your poisoned blood,
we should be able to find it.
-I'll check over there. -Your Lordship, mind the steps.
They are coming back! Hide quickly…
You ran off on your own?
We have been gone so long.
I wonder if that little fairy waited as she was told.
SHEDDING THE OLD AND EMBRACING THE NEW
The Confinement Barrier is broken!
Your Lordship, she's not inside.
SHEDDING THE OLD AND EMBRACING THE NEW she was told.