Ruoye! Grab onto something solid!
I didn't mean San Lang!
Oh no!
Xie Lian, here you are.
-Don't fly away again. -Thank you, San Lang.
Gather!
You know such useful magic.
San Lang, don't panic.
I'm sorry.
It's safer this way.
It'll be over soon.
Again! Don't grab onto a person!
Get away from me!
That's disgusting!
Go away!
Why are you both here?
You should ask your stupid white silk!
I told you not to grab onto people. Deputy Gods are people too!
Please hang in there too.
-You... -Ruoye, don't make the same mistake again.
Go!
Don't count on it!
Let's think of something else!
Hold on tight!
Give it another shot!
Give me a break!
It held on to something firm!
Pull!
It's really the Heavenly Official's blessing.
Hurry! Let's take cover!
ADAPTED FROM HEAVEN OFFICIAL'S BLESSING, A NOVEL BY MO XIANG TONG XIU,
PUBLISHED ON JINJIANG LITERATURE CITY
Those two scoundrels.
If I ever get them,
-I would-- -What would you do?
Swallow more sand?
Shut up!
Xie Lian,
what's on your mind?
The two women's gait was unique. They can't be ordinary people.
The one in white should be the Imperial Preceptor.
Who was the woman in black then?
Is she
the other evil Imperial Preceptor, Fang Xin?
That's impossible.
Fang Xin was the Imperial Preceptor of Yong'an Kingdom.
The two of them have an age difference of 100 years.
How do you know so much about Yong'an?
To tell you the truth,
I used to collect scraps there.
Anyway,
if stopping us here was the Half-Moon Imperial Preceptor's intention,
then she did it.
We're going to stay here until the sandstorm stops?
That's all we can do.
By the way, Nan Feng,
why didn't you use the Thousand-pound Fall in the storm?
We used it. It didn't work!
Since this place
is far to the northwest,
there aren't any Xuan Zhen Temples around.
My general is in charge of the southeast while his in charge of the southwest.
Beyond our turf, our spiritual powers are restricted.
That's odd.
How could anyone dig a hole
through such a hard rock?
Like master, like servant.
You make a fuss over everything.
The Half-Moon people herd livestock for a living.
To take shelter from the sandstorm at night,
they would dig down into the rocks.
Sometimes, they would even use dynamite.
Who's there?
Who are you?
We're just merchants passing by,
taking shelter from the sandstorm here.
If you're what you claim to be,
then why are you sneaking around?
We were fine in this shelter until you stormed in.
You conjured fire out of your hands.
Who knows if you're humans or ghosts? We wouldn't dare to make a sound!
You brat!
Tian Sheng, watch your mouth.
Mr. Zheng, to be fair,
they're the suspicious ones!
It's a misunderstanding.
I'm the head priest of a Taoist shrine
and these people are from my shrine.
What they performed
was just Taoist magic.
He is so powerful?
-He is powerful. -In conclusion,
you're just some merchants
and we're just some Taoists.
We're all seeking shelter in the same cave by accident.
I see.
Since we're all common folks--
Half of the people passing this place went missing,
but you still dare to come here.
How can you be "common folks" ?
The rumor is exaggerated.
If you find a reliable guide and don't go into the Half-Moon Kingdom,
you can still pass through safely.
Yes.
We have a local guide
who helps us avoid quicksands.
He took us here
as soon as the storm started.
Isn't that right, Zhao?
I was just doing my job.
I hope the camels and goods will be fine when the storm is over.
-Everything will be fine. -Priest, that's why...
It's just a misunderstanding.
I apologize for the fuss.
Xie Lian.
What?
There seem to be some characters on the rock you are sitting on.
These are...
Half-Moon's characters?
You can read it?
Actually,
before the Evil Priest was born,
I used to collect scraps in the Half-Moon Kingdom.
Are there any places that you haven't collected scraps?
Ignore him.
What does the stone tablet say?
General...
What?
This is a tombstone of a general.
San Lang, you can read Half-Moon's characters too?
I learned some out of interest.
Great.
Come over here. Let's read it together.
General...
This is about the life of a general.
A Half-Moon Kingdom's general?
He was from the Central Plain.
Why did the Half-Moon people honor a Central Plain's general
when they were constantly at war?
That is because this general is unusual.
Although in the inscription he is a general,
he was actually a lieutenant.
When the war between the two nations raged on,
he led the soldiers at the front line.
So he was promoted to general because he won the battle?
No.
At first, there were 100 soldiers at his command.
Then it was reduced to 70 soldiers.
And later, there were only 50 soldiers.
He kept getting demoted.
How could his career be so miserable?
If he didn't make mistakes,
he could at least keep his position, right?
Is there such a pathetic loser in this world?
Little boy,
there are all sorts of people in this world.
Let's go on.
This lieutenant got demoted
because he kept getting in the way on the battlefield.
What does that mean?
He prevented Half-Moon soldiers from killing Central Plain commoners
and vice versa.
Every time he did so, he got demoted.
In the end, he had nothing to lose.
He saved lives by preventing soldiers from killing the innocent.
What's wrong with that?
-Indeed. He didn't hurt anyone. -I agree. What's wrong with that?
It's terribly wrong!
One should carry out his duties.
As a soldier,
he should remember his responsibilities.
Casualties in war are inevitable.
His attempt to save lives
only made his allies hate him and he became a joke to the enemy.
He ended up with nothing.
But he saved lives! They even put up a memorial for him!
The memorial just proved
that he ended up dead anyway.
According to history,
the Half-Moon Kingdom was still conquered.
So did his efforts pay off?
But...
Little boy,
you are too naive.
Priest,
am I right?
But this lieutenant was trying to save lives.
You're right.
He is dead.
He was killed by his men, right?
Not exactly.
It said here
that in the midst
of the battle,
his shoelaces got loose and he tripped over it.
He fell
and was slashed to death
by the crazy soldiers.
Is that hilarious?
Not really.
But the way he died was quite...
Though the lieutenant was discredited in the military,
some people were grateful for his help.
So they addressed him as "General"
and erected this memorial.
Later, people found this stone tablet to be magical.
As long as you knelt to it three times, you would be blessed in this desert.
Really?
Yes.
-Protect us, General. -Protect us, General.
Was that on the stone tablet?
I made it up.
They made fun of him.
Let's have fun too.
-You are naughty. -What is this?
A snake!
-Where did it come from? -A snake?
-Run! -Run!
Is there anything unusual about a snake in the desert?
Watch out for its tail!
San Lang!
What an interesting tail.
Look at this, Xie Lian.
So it is the Scorpion-tailed Snake.
The Scorpion-tailed Snake?
It's a creature from the Half-Moon Kingdom,
with snake-shaped bodies and scorpion-shaped tails.
It's highly venomous.
The Evil Priest became the Imperial Preceptor
because she could control the snakes.
Control?
There are more of them! Everyone, get out!
-Snakes! -There are many of them!
There are some here!
Snakes.
Get out!
-Leave now! -Run!
Run!
-Hurry up! -Let's go!
Why did worshiping the stone tablet bring us bad luck?
Yes. Our luck turned bad after worshiping it,
just like the Scrap-collecting God!
What's going on?
Mr. Zheng!
-Mr. Zheng! -What's wrong?
The venom is potent.
Well done.
Zhao,
will he die?
Anyone stung by the Scorpion-tailed Snake will die in four hours.
What should we do?
Is this the antidote?
This can keep him alive a bit longer. At most is 24 hours.
-So he'll just wait for death? -Isn't there a cure?
There is.
There is a herb called the Shanyue Fern.
It's an antidote to venom.
Zhao,
why didn't you say anything about the antidote?
To save the person who was stung,
others have to risk their lives.
That's why he withheld the info.
What?
You can only find
the Shanyue Fern in Half-Moon Kingdom.
No wonder so many people risked their lives to get there.
That's true.
-How... -How can we deal with it?
-How can we cure him? -Indeed.
The Scorpion-tailed Snake's venom...
Is that the Imperial Preceptor's plan?
Ling Wen, I have something to ask you.
Ling Wen?
Can you get into the Spiritual Communication Array?
I can't.
Me neither.
Same here.
Even the Spiritual Communication Array was blocked?
What on earth...
Watch out!
-Priest! -Be careful!
-There might be more snakes around. -More snakes?
-Is he all right? -Indeed.
-Priest, are you all right? -San Lang?
-This -It looks painful.
Don't worry.
It's not that serious.
Hang in there, Xie Lian.
Don't do it. The venom is potent.
You'll be poisoned by it.
He might not have been stung.
Why did you make a fuss and grab the snake?
My goodness.
But what if he got hurt...
It's all right, San Lang.
It doesn't hurt anymore.
I mean it.
Thank you.
Please check yourselves.
Bandage your wounds if you need to.
Priest,
-your hand... -I'm all right.
What nonsense.
You were stung by a venomous snake! We'd better go back to the--
Just go back.
What? You are leaving?
What about us?
Priests, please don't abandon us.
Since the Spiritual Communication Array is blocked,
we have to report on it.
The top priority is to save lives. Don't worry.
We'll find the Shanyue Fern now
and bring it back to you
in 24 hours.
However,
we need him to be our guide.
But if he leaves...
Fu Yao will stay and protect you.
-How about that? -What?
-As long as Zhao agrees to it. -I agree.
The Half-Moon Kingdom is easy to find
as long as we go this way.
-It's all up to you, Zhao. -We'll trust you with this.
Let's set off then.
Are you suspicious of Zhao?
Perhaps I was just being paranoid.
But now that he is here,
let's keep an eye on him.
How long has it been since they left?
Zhao said the Half-Moon Kingdom is not far,
so they should be there soon.
I'm afraid that Mr. Zheng can't last until they're back.
Me too.
-I need to pee. -Me too.
Me too.
Here we are.
This is the Half-Moon Kingdom?
Though the wall is high,
it looks more like a small city.
It shouldn't take long to conquer it, right?
Don't underestimate this desert kingdom.
Though only having a population of 10,000 people,
they had many gallant and combative soldiers.
So it was hard to conquer.
You know a lot, Priest.
-I'm just... -Hold on.
Someone is here.
How did they suddenly disappear?
Do you want me to hunt them out one by one?
It's the Half-Moon's Imperial Preceptor.
Seek help from your friends.
No.
I prefer your help.
Don't you like that?
Why would I?
Hurry up!
Should we strike the first blow, Xie Lian?
Let's wait until they leave.
Time is ticking away. Our priority is to find the herb.
If we fight now,
it would be troublesome if they summon the legendary Half-Moon soldiers.
What's wrong?
Subtitle translation by: Li Xue and Yin Xiaowen