ADAPTED FROM BAI LU CHENG SHUANG'S LOVE IN THE CLOUDS
Spirit of the Divine Tree.
I, Hou Zhao, the clan leader, beg the Divine Tree for mercy.
Tell me why the Hou Clan
suffers from the Withered-Branch Disease.
All the descendants of the Hou Clan died gruesome deaths.
Is the family lineage going to end like this?
Spirit of the Divine Tree, please tell me
how to save the bloodline
and ensure the prosperity of the Hou Clan!
I, Hou Zhao, am willing to give everything I have in exchange!
Hou Zhao.
I can fulfill your wish.
However, you must first do one thing.
Ming Yi!
Ming Yi.
Your Lordship, they are all dead.
What's going on?
-What happened? -My Lord, I…
Lord Hanfeng.
There was a netherbeast just now.
That… All of them are dead.
Netherbeast?
A cloud of dark mist rushed towards us and…
That's impossible. The bloodthirsty netherbeasts
have been extinct since the incident with the Spiritual Veins Fairy
from a century ago.
Besides,
if there was really a netherbeast, how come you're still alive?
I'm sure you made a mistake.
I saw it myself! It wasn't a mistake.
That was a netherbeast! If…
If Immortal Situ hadn't saved me,
I would've been dead.
Lord Hanfeng,
it seems like
there was a mastermind behind Hou Zhao after all.
This person
must be the one who wanted Ming Yi and Ruo Shui dead.
Since you were there, why don't you tell us
if it was you who saved them?
Also,
did you see any netherbeasts?
Sorry, Immortal Situ.
I have no choice but to make you pass out.
Yes.
After I escorted Hou Zhao back, I was on my way back
and saw one, two, three, four…
many netherbeasts. Young ones.
They were attacking the fairies,
so I couldn't ignore them.
You,
defeating netherbeasts?
Are you still the chief I know
who shirks off all responsibilities when it comes to official duties?
I was lazy in the past,
but I was
considering what I should
and shouldn't do as a chief.
Saving someone is also the duty of a chief.
I'm sure you have misunderstood me.
In that case, tell me
how you killed the netherbeasts when you have no spiritual veins.
Since I grew up without spiritual veins,
I learned some martial arts to protect myself.
I suppose
it was all for this day
when I risked my life and used my skill to protect those two fairies.
I could barely defeat the netherbeasts
because they were not fully grown.
With the chief's testimony,
do you have any more doubts, Lord Hanfeng?
This is weird.
Why are you concerned with the veracity of his statement?
The appearance of netherbeasts will endanger the Six Realms.
We should believe it instead of doubting it.
Lord Hanfeng,
this must be investigated thoroughly.
Immortal Ji, you are right.
This must be investigated thoroughly.
It was fine if you meddled in other people's business in the past,
but you can't do it now with your body.
You should know what's best for you.
A petal of the Grief Blossom has withered. How do you feel now?
I'm fine after the negative effect.
Saving Ruo Shui was important.
Besides me, no one else could've saved her in that moment.
However, what happened today was too complicated.
First, Hou Zhao was found to have refined medicine in the Sunken Abyss.
Then, netherbeasts that had been extinct for a century appeared.
Thankfully, this incident has turned into a big mess.
Judgment Hall will surely investigate it.
The Blood Pearl Bloom trade will end because of this.
The people of Freezing Hot Waters
will no longer be harmed by the gathering of Blood Pearl Bloom.
Have you delivered the jewelry I asked you to deliver?
Ji Bozai isn't trying to uphold justice, but to achieve his own goals.
Giving them what Ji Bozai gave me
counts as robbing the rich and helping the poor, right?
They do need money,
but are you going to flatter yourself because of that?
My Lord.
Did the netherbeasts hurt you?
I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me.
How's Fairy Ruo Shui doing?
She's fine.
Let me see your wound.
My Lord, when I said I'm fine, I meant it.
What? Do you feel sorry for what you did?
You were shocked. Rest early.
What is he trying to do today?
I'll leave after you fall asleep.
Your Lordship, it's almost time for the execution.
-Something's wrong. -Let's go.
Hou Zhao, former chief of the Judgment Hall in Jixing Abyss,
used the Sunken Abyss to harm innocent people.
With undeniable evidence, your crime is beyond pardon.
On behalf of His Majesty, Lord Hanfeng is sentencing you
to the destruction of your primordial spirit immediately
to appease those who died innocently.
Carry out the execution.
Let's go. Go back and tell Lord Hanfeng
that the execution has concluded.
His primordial spirit has been destroyed.
He will vanish soon.
Ji Bozai.
I promised you
I would sacrifice myself
in exchange for my daughter's safety.
Right now, I've confessed to my sins.
When Lord Hanfeng was interrogating me,
I never mentioned a thing about you.
You've promised me.
You mustn't go back on your promise.
You must give the Moonshade Grass to Ruo Shui
and treat her.
She is the only person I care about
in this world.
I beg you. I beg you.
Why are you smiling?
Do you think
I will keep my word to an enemy?
Ji Bozai!
Did you destroy the Moonshade Grass?
Where's Ruo Shui?
Is Ruo Shui still alive?
She is the only remaining child of the Hou Clan.
Ji Bozai!
Hou Zhao.
Have you been acting as a kind father for so long
that you've truly believed you're one?
How can you be so shameless
as to say these things?
Yes.
She is indeed the last child of the Hou Clan.
This is the only truth you speak, right?
What…
What do you know?
Hou Zhao.
How can you not know this?
I took away all your memories.
Of course, it includes this part.
Hou Zhao.
I can fulfill your wish.
However, you must do one thing for me.
You need to offer me a healthy descendant.
But every member of the Hou Clan
died from the Withered-Branch Disease.
How…
How can I find you a healthy descendant?
Hou Zhao.
Don't you still have a daughter?
If the Withered-Branch Disease is not that serious,
she can be cured with the Moonshade Grass.
You cast a bewitching spell on Ruo Shui.
Once she recovers from ingesting the Moonshade Grass,
she will lose control of herself,
commit suicide,
and offer her blood
to your family's Divine Tree,
so your family can continue to thrive.
Have you hypnotized yourself
until you've forgotten that Ruo Shui is just an offering to you?
What?
Do you really think you are a good father?
No.
You got it wrong.
Hou Zhao.
I want you to witness
the end
of the Hou Clan.
Ji Bozai!
You!
-Why are you doing this? -Why?
I still remember vividly how my master, Bo Yulan,
died in your hands.
I will return all the pain she suffered before her death
in multiple folds on all of you.
You…
Your Lordship, congratulations on getting rid of the first culprit.
However, I don't understand one thing.
Why don't you kill him immediately
right after obtaining his memories?
If I killed him immediately,
he would still die with a noble identity.
I want everyone to know
that he is the real criminal.
I want all of them to die as criminals.
Let's go back.
Don't let them notice us.
That should be Ji Bozai's companion beast.
It has gained a human form too.
Just like you, he has probably reached the Transcendent Stage.
He survived the Spirit Well.
It's not strange for his companion beast to assume a human form too.
Ji Bozai also mentioned just now that he wanted to avenge his master.
He is not a descendant of the Bo Clan,
but Bo Yulan's disciple.
Bo Yulan was killed by Hou Zhao,
but there seems to be more than one murderer.
In that case,
Lord Hanfeng probably has secrets too.
Everything Ji Bozai has been doing in Jixing Abyss is just a cover.
His real objective is to avenge his master.
If Hou Zhao can concoct the Heavenly Grief,
it'll be common in the world.
Many people
in the Six Realms probably possess the Heavenly Grief.
Is it possible that it was someone else who poisoned me?
So…
So, you see him as a loyal person
who overturns the whole Sunken Abyss
to avenge his master and now, you've wavered?
Yes. Heavenly Grief might be in many people's possession,
but the situation back then
still makes Ji Bozai the most likely culprit.
However, he kept Embers safe
and said he'd return it to Ming Xian once he came back.
In Hou Zhao's case,
everything he did had a righteous purpose.
I admit that I'm wavering.
I think he might not be the person who poisoned me.
However, you are right.
He is suspicious. Moreover, I need the Golden Millet Dream.
I'm destined to be his enemy.
He still needs to eliminate those people,
and I'm still useful to him.
Between us,
let's see who's more ruthless
and can survive until the end.
Buxiu,
have you arranged for Ruo Shui's departure?
Your Lordship,
at noon tomorrow,
I will escort Fairy Ruo Shui personally out of Jixing Abyss.
I will go with you.
The appearance of young netherbeasts must be because of Mu Qibai.
I thought
he only wanted to become the ruler of Jixing Abyss.
However, I didn't expect him
to be so depraved.
He actually raised netherbeasts to endanger the Six Realms.
He failed to kill Ruo Shui this time.
I'm sure he is planning something else.
We must act before him to find out what he's planning.
What else did you find in Hou Zhao's memory?
The other person
who killed my master.
I'll go and kill him.
Where are you going? Come back. Sit down.
That's right.
I will send Ming Yi away too.
Her?
I'll see.
Buxiu,
I have a friend…
Your Lordship, I can't hear you.
It's like this.
I have a friend
who used a fairy
to achieve his own goals.
And she was injured because of that.
He wants to make up to her,
but he doesn't know what to do.
What will you do in this situation?
A friend? Since when do you have a friend?
Who is it? How come I don't know about it?
Did you make a new friend? When was it?
I shouldn't have asked you.
Your Lordship, you're back.
Granny Xun. His Lordship said he had a friend to achieve his goals…
Buxiu.
Your Lordship, can't I speak about this?
You can.
His Lordship said his friend
used a fairy to achieve his goal, and she was injured because of that.
He wants to make up to her but doesn't know what to do.
Granny Xun, do you know who this friend is?
When did he make a new friend?
This fairy friend of your friend…
What kind of person is she?
Her?
She…
She is
usually a carefree person
who likes to play tricks.
In truth,
she is loyal
and doesn't back away from trouble.
I think
she's a tough person.
Maybe your friend can apologize to the fairy first.
He doesn't have a mouth.
It's better to give her more benefits than to waste time talking nonsense.
Indeed.
I will talk to this friend of mine.
Your Lordship,
you haven't told me who this friend is.
Let's go.
The Sunken Abyss case has been solved.
Hou Zhao did everything alone.
He admitted to his crimes, and his primordial spirit was destroyed.
There will be eternal sins upon him,
and his soul has vanished in the Six Realms.
The criminal, Hou Zhao, stated
that he used the Sunken Abyss to make medicine for personal gain.
But he lacked a portion of Bo's Medical Classics,
so he only made the long-lost poison, Heavenly Grief.
However, he failed to make the antidote, Golden Millet Dream.
According to the law, Hou Zhao's primordial spirit has been destroyed.
All Heavenly Griefs are destroyed
to cleanse the Sunken Abyss.
-Well done! -Something as evil as Heavenly Grief
should not be allowed to exist in this world.
Yesterday, in the hall, Hou Zhao wanted to reveal the mastermind.
Suddenly, he confessed to his crimes
and said he was the only one involved.
It wasn't convincing.
He is dead, anyway.
It's best for the case to end
with a dead criminal.
Immortal Ji, do you not trust the result?
I do.
Lord Hanfeng, if you believe it, so do I.
I believe it.
The chief is absolutely fair in judging a case.
Immortal Ji, if you are interested in the truth,
you may investigate it yourself.
I dare not. I don't know how to investigate cases.
I only know where pretty fairies can be found.
I wouldn't have even asked about it
if it weren't for Ming Yi.
We searched Sunken Abyss and found 326 doses of Heavenly Grief.
There were also poisonous substances like Blood Pearl Bloom left behind.
All of them have been destroyed.
How are the innocent people
who were wrongly brought to the Sunken Abyss
as criminals?
Lord Hanfeng, all of them have been safely released.
This is all thanks to you, Immortal Ji.
Forgive my oversight.
Immortal Ji, why don't you come with me?
My boat is very comfortable.
We can sit and chat. It's true. Listen to me.
Immortal Ji, get on my boat.
Let me send you back.
I've always wanted to visit Wugui Sea.
Sun Liao, everyone knows
that you are always talking behind Immortal Ji's back.
-He will never get on your boat. -I'm sure Immortal Ji will take my boat.
I'm good at Divine Craft.
The boat I built is very comfortable.
How is your Divine Craft better than mine?
Immortal Ji, come with me.
We can talk about your past in the Sunken Abyss.
All of you are trying to flatter me.
Are you trying to make friends with me
or find out if I used Golden Millet Dream to grow my spiritual veins?
Or are you
curious about
whether I possess the Golden Millet Dream?
Does he have it?
Ji,
if you won't make it clear,
all of us will be curious and discuss it behind your back.
Hou Zhao said he failed to make the Golden Millet Dream.
Why don't you just tell us honestly
and not leave us hanging?
Do you have the Golden Millet Dream?
-That's right. -Do you have it?
Do you have it?
To be honest,
I…
Crooked.
My Lord!
That's… I can't stand him.
This…
This is inappropriate.
They are doing this in public?
Why is he carrying her?
Why are you here?
I brewed a lot of Golden Millet Dream and brought a jar for you.
This is brewed from Fortuniana Rose.
You'll drift into a cozy dream after a whiff.
It fits the name of Golden Millet Dream.
So, this is the Golden Millet Dream you speak of?
Of course.
What else do you think it is?
You think you can take the Golden Millet Dream before me?
Immortal Sun Liao,
you usually call my lord a criminal.
You were so vocal behind his back.
To my surprise, you are also very vocal when flattering him.
Immortal Tai.
Your Divine Craft is good.
However, you are even better at hypocrisy.
-Lun… -Lun'an.
Immortal Lun'an.
Your boat is good.
However, you used to say that my lord could only walk
as he didn't deserve a boat.
Why have you changed your opinion today?
Even now, you still won't leave.
Are you all cultivating to be shameless?
You…
Let's go.
There's no point in staying here.
Let's go.
No wonder you want Fairy Ming Yi by your side.
She is smart
and knows how to get you out of trouble.
Get me out of trouble?
Was someone trying to give me a hard time?
Are you sure it's not you, Yan?
I dare not.
Don't pull me away. I want to try it.
Why are you dragging me?
Take your Golden Millet Dream.
Who is that?
I don't recognize him.
And that
is also why I know who he is.
My Lord, did you only leave after I fell asleep last night?
Are you still going to sleep with me in the future?
Why do you call this wine Golden Millet Dream?
Are you also curious about whether I possess it or not?
Are you a fool, My Lord? Who wants that thing?
I heard them annoying you
and trying to coddle you.
It was as if they all wanted a share of that Golden Millet Dream.
Therefore, I called this wine Golden Millet Dream.
Otherwise, no one would use that as a name.
It sounds terrible.
What is the name of this wine then?
It's called My Heart's Delight.
It's for you, My Lord.
I only drink the wine I brew.
I appreciate your goodwill.
I'll accept it then. Thanks.
Ji Bozai is very cautious.
I'm sure he won't drink the wine you give him.
It's all right. He might not drink it now,
but he might in the future.
Sorry, Ji Bozai. You used me once,
so I'll return the favor too.
What's wrong?
It's nothing.
Your smile is beautiful. It's like you have no trouble at all.
Is that so?
My Lord, are these for me?
Isn't this everything you won from the tournaments?
There's more than that. Just take them.
Why?
You were tortured yesterday.
These are your reward.
It seems like you still care about me, My Lord.
He's truly feeling sorry about that.
Indeed. I wouldn't have to suffer that if it weren't for you.
Who are you?
Why are you so afraid?
Didn't you summon me here?
Are you new here? You don't recognize me.
That's enough.
Shao Qun has never seen you in this form. Spare him.
XUN MING, GENERAL OF JIXING ABYSS
General Xun Ming.
-Leave us alone. -Yes.
You still look the same.
I'm not using my former appearance.
I wouldn't have summoned you if it weren't for an emergency.
Is there still nothing you can do about Ji Bozai, Lord Hanfeng?
That day, in the hall, I controlled the emperor forcefully
and suppressed Hou Zhao's case.
That's why he couldn't reveal the mastermind.
However, there were many loose ends.
Are you worried
that the emperor might connect you to the Sunken Abyss case?
The most important thing now is to get rid of Ji Bozai.
I'm sure he's the one behind everything.
Perhaps he is trying to avenge Bo Yulan.
Don't forget. You were involved in this as well.
Ji Bozai has never told us
whether he possesses the Golden Millet Dream or not.
Silence amounts
to an admission.
If Ji Bozai was the one who planned all this,
he would surely think of something to get rid of us later,
since he failed to get Hou Zhao to reveal our identities.
You must be careful.
I'm from the Yousu Fox Tribe.
No one in the Six Realms can find my primordial spirit.
Trying to kill me?
Let's see if he has the means to do it.
I'll go and take Ji Bozai's life instead.
Ji Bozai didn't drink the wine you brewed for him.
You helped him steal the painting back then.
He treated you
and bought you scallion pancakes.
I thought he fell in love with you.
In the end, he did something so incredible during the warrior selection.
Do your ways of charming him actually work?
It might work on others,
but for Ji Bozai…
He is too cunning. It's difficult to judge.
At least, we know that he went to Moonlit Blossoms
to cover his true objective of meeting Ruo Shui.
His persona as a philanderer might also be a ruse, then.
He tricks other people
to find out the real murderer of his master, Bo Yulan,
before he can avenge her.
If I want to marry a man like him,
I need to be smart, considerate,
and a good bit of silliness.
The most important thing is understanding him.
I've achieved all of that.
Based on what you said,
isn't Princess Tianji the best candidate?
She is even in charge of Shouhua Academy, which helps Ji Bozai more.
She is not a suitable candidate.
That place is complicated.
Who knows how many dangers lurk there?
You are right.
We've finally moved
a step closer towards the Golden Millet Dream.
Twenty-Seven,
we've had a tough journey.
Master and Mother are waiting for us to go back.
Especially Old Man She. He believes that I will return.
We escaped from Yaoguang Mountain
and fell into the depths of the valley.
Do you still remember?
When we first arrived at Jixing Abyss, we couldn't even afford any food,
so we had to gather fruits to survive.
You had no idea that I was so hungry
that I planned to make a stew out of you.
After leaving Freezing Hot Waters,
we tried everything to approach Ji Bozai and failed.
You found out that he often visited Moonlit Blossoms,
so I sold myself to the place
to approach Ji Bozai
while helping the people of Freezing Hot Waters.
Can we talk about how you were going to make a stew out of me?
To my surprise, Lady Fuyue was evil.
She hit me when I danced badly and wouldn't give me food.
I used to be a Warrior God, but I ended up being so miserable.
That's enough. I still have things to do.
Help me investigate Xun Ming.
He is probably Ji Bozai's next target.
I must assist him
to capture his heart.
You haven't given me an explanation!
Were you really going to make stew out of me?
Ming Yi!
Authorized personnel only.
Please wait here. el only.