Surprising, isn't it?
It turns out that your grandfather's killer
has been by your side all along.
What's so funny?
Because that's a big, fat lie.
When my grandfather died,
Feng Baobao would've been eight years old at most.
The Feng Baobao in this memory is in her twenties.
Try harder next time.
Go now.
Or I'll start shouting.
Think before you lie to me next time.
Why don't you find out yourself
if I'm lying to you or not?
Grandpa!
ADAPTED FROM THE WEBCOMIC YI REN ZHI XIA
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION
ALL ACTIONS AND ABILITIES PERFORMED SHOULD NOT BE IMITATED
I don't care whose face you borrowed.
Tell me now.
What does Sinister Pleasure want?
You must have
made a deal with Shen Chong.
Do you know
what usually happens to Shen Chong's clients?
To keep their power, they keep murdering people.
But the more they kill,
the more qi they lose.
Eventually, they lose their humanity.
They will then kill their parents,
loved ones,
children,
and even their brother.
You killed Hu Sheng,
didn't you?
Shut up!
I did not kill anyone.
I am Hu Sheng!
It will never happen between me and Hu Jie.
My brother
has always been an introvert.
But deep down,
he still loves me.
I am Hu Jie.
I killed my brother.
I killed my brother with my own hands!
No!
Sinister Pleasure did!
They killed Hu Sheng!
They did it!
Sinister Pleasure.
Can you tell me
what they want?
Sinister Pleasure.
It's time to collect what is due.
No qi?
Then pay with your life!
Shen Chong drained his qi remotely.
He's gone.
Yu Huadu disguised Hu Jie
as Hu Sheng.
Gao Ning and Shen Chong
must be behind their deaths.
Xu Si, release an arrest warrant.
Xu San, bring Chulan here.
Don't tell him anything yet. Just say I need him.
Where is Feng Baobao?
I just woke up.
I don't know when she left.
You…
Zhang Chulan!
Do you know who Feng Baobao is?
Several years ago,
to perfect Flowing Rainbow,
I traveled around
to collect the qi of various people for my analysis.
I've been to this country
where the punishment for felons
is the removal of their frontal lobe's white matter.
They will forget who they are,
what they did,
and even the fact that they are human.
For those criminals,
their qi turns transparent and colorless
after the procedure.
They essentially remove their primordial spirit,
dignity, and pride.
They are robbed of what makes them humans.
And Feng Baobao is in this state now.
Her primordial spirit was purged.
Zhang Chulan,
do you really know
who Feng Baobao is?
Chulan.
I've been looking for you.
My dad wants to see you.
Good.
I have questions too.
Mr. Xu, you asked for me?
Chulan, you're here.
Tell me.
Has anyone contacted you lately?
Who do you mean?
Sinister Pleasure.
Now that you bring it up,
I think a foreign number texted me once.
What did it say?
Let me show it to you.
Chulan, you…
Dad?
Stay right there!
Move!
Fatty, stop him!
Stop him!
-Two Zhang Chulans? -You idiot!
Don't stop me! Stop him!
Stop him, Lian!
Why are there two Zhang Chulans?
Who are you?
YU HUADU MURDERED XU XIANG AND VIOLATED OUTSIDER REGULATIONS
HE HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND IS AWAITING TRIAL
How is Mr. Xu?
The doctor said that he lost a lot of blood
and might not survive the night.
However, he refuses to go to the hospital.
I know my body.
There is no need to admit me to the hospital.
I need
to tell all of you something.
Coincidentally,
I have some questions too.
Feng Baobao,
did you kill my grandfather?
What are you saying, Chulan? Why would she have?
I'm asking her, not you!
Feng Baobao, I'll ask you again.
Did you kill my grandfather?
Your grandfather.
Yes, I killed him.
Chulan,
calm down.
Mr. Xu,
when Feng Baobao killed my grandfather,
you were there, weren't you?
Take a seat.
It's about time that I tell you
what I know about Wu.
You two will stay.
Don't worry.
If we wanted to kill you,
anyone here could have done it anytime.
And you know
we are capable of doing that.
Who is Wu?
Wu is Baobao.
It has been many years,
but this habit of mine won't go away.
When I first met Wu,
it was in the Year of Jiashen.
YEAR OF JIASHEN
I'm afraid of the mountain.
If we don't forage, what do we eat?
You're right.
Miss, why are you here all alone?
It's getting dark.
It will be dangerous.
You don't look like a local.
This girl
is quite beautiful, isn't she?
What are you doing?
Don't do this!
This isn't right!
She doesn't mind.
Stop it. Stop!
-You two! -What are you doing?
Chase them!
Perverts! How dare you!
Don't come back!
Miss, are you all right?
Miss.
What is your name?
Let us see you home.
Come inside.
I'll get you some warm water.
Come in.
Come.
Doggy.
XU XIANG, EIGHT YEARS OLD
This is our son.
His name is Xu Xiang.
You can call him Doggy.
Come.
-I have warm water here. -Sit here.
Come on.
Have something warm.
Warm water.
What a poor girl.
She seems to have lost her memory.
And she is mute.
She is dressed
like a young lady from a wealthy family.
Let's head into town tomorrow
to check which family lost a daughter.
Okay.
I'll get her some food.
Maybe she's starving.
Miss.
Go to bed.
Tomorrow, my husband will head to the town
to find your family.
You're safe now.
If you need something, let us know.
We'll protect you.
Come on.
One, two, three.
Enough.
It's too tough.
Then don't chop it. Come inside.
After you.
Hurry up. Come on.
Close the door.
Did you go to the town?
Yes. No one lost a daughter.
The town hall did ask me
to bring her to them tomorrow.
The town hall?
Can they take her in?
I have no idea.
That place is for official business.
If her family doesn't show up,
she'll be bounced around like a ball.
The poor girl.
But we can't let her stay here for long.
People will talk.
Besides, that's one more mouth to feed.
So what?
I don't care. Give me a solution.
What can I do?
Just forget it.
I'll send her to the town hall tomorrow.
Wow! Do it again!
Hurry.
Again! Wow!
Again! That's amazing!
Do it again. Come on.
Hurry.
Chop one more.
Wow!
Again! Hurry.
Again. Wow!
-Amazing! -Your back is acting up.
Should we keep her?
My dad
even visited the neighboring towns
to ask around.
He heard nothing about this woman.
And so,
she stayed at my house.
Back then, it wasn't uncommon
for people to seek refuge in the woods.
Since she refused to speak
or answer our questions,
we called her Wu.
Before my family fell from grace,
they were a literate bunch.
And so, teaching Wu how to speak
became my mom's task.
That is a dog.
"Dog"?
Stop chasing him.
You're scaring him.
My mom said
that Wu might have forgotten everything
due to trauma.
She even had proof.
Xu!
Doggy.
This is…
What did she write?
FENG BAOBAO
"Feng Baobao"?
Feng Baobao.
This is the only thing that came to my mind.
I think this is my name.
I knew it.
A pretty woman like you
definitely can speak.
She can write too.
My mom became enthused.
She began to teach Wu and me
how to read and write.
She gave up once before
because she deemed me
too stupid for it.
Doggy, look at Wu.
Then look at yourself.
Mom, you know my noggin doesn't work.
Besides, Wu already knew how to write.
She just forgot about it.
But now, she recalled it.
Wu,
other than your name,
do you recall anything about your past?
Your past.
Wu? Are you okay?
-Wu! -What's wrong?
Go get Mr. Xu.
He used to be a physician.
Wu, are you okay? Wu!
Mom, Mr. Xu is here!
-Here we are. -Slow down.
Mom, what is Wu doing?
I don't know.
She got up
and sat down like that.
Her palms face Heaven.
Perhaps she is cultivating qi.
-Cultivating qi? -Qi?
Cultivating qi
is what mystics do.
When I was younger,
I wanted to cultivate qi under a mentor.
I knelt before his abode for three days.
He took me in as his disciple in the end.
But regrettably,
I didn't have the talent for it.
That was my first time
getting to know qi.
At that moment,
I could only feel
a revitalizing breeze
around Wu.
Ms. Zhao.
Don't tell anyone
about this girl.
You wouldn't want any trouble.
This woman
has a much more complicated history
than you imagined.
Wu, what happened to you during the day?
No idea.
My head felt like bursting,
like something wanted to come out.
And then?
And then I meditated.
I felt better after a while.
Who taught you that?
That qi thing.
I don't know.
I guess I learned it in the past.
It allows me
to stir everything inside me.
Once it flows smoothly,
the pain goes away.
It feels good.
No wonder.
You have it inside you too.
I can feel it.
Me?
Do you not believe me? Do it with me.
There's nothing.
I've been sitting like this for a while,
and I feel nothing.
How odd.
I can feel it when I sit like this.
Meditate. Let me see.
I see it now. Your thoughts are all over the place.
Your mind needs to be calm.
Come on! How can you tell that my thoughts are all over the place?
Of course, I can.
I don't know what you're thinking about,
but I can feel that you're not calm.
That thing is like water.
Distractions will scatter it.
When you're calm,
it starts to gather and assemble inside you.
Gather and assemble.
It then settles in your tummy.
That was my first time
cultivating qi.
Under Wu's guidance,
cultivating qi
became my daily task.
Fearing that my parents would reproach me,
I kept my training with Wu
a secret.
I think I have become stronger.
Mr. Xu is so dumb.
This is such a simple trick,
yet he couldn't do it after years.
The first step in cultivating qi
is to find the qi.
It's the hardest step
and also the most perilous one.
Without Wu's help,
even if I followed all the right steps
and trained myself,
I would end up dead
or crippled for life.
But of course, I only knew that
much later.
The Huangyang shoulder pole Is soft and flexible
Sisters and brothers
Ms. Zhao, what are you singing?
It's quite catchy.
"Huangyang Shoulder Pole".
Do you like it?
If so, I can teach you.
The Huangyang shoulder pole Is soft and flexible
The Huangyang shoulder pole
Is soft and flexible
The Huangyang shoulder pole Is soft and flexible
Sisters and brothers
Carrying the rice grains to Liuzhou
Come on, sisters
Looking back,
those were
the happiest days of my life.
If only time would cease ticking away.
JIASHEN
FIVE YEARS LATER, YEAR OF JICHOU
Tonight, they'll have to make do with sweet potatoes.
They are not pigs, mind you.
Wu, come.
I bought you a duck.
Take it.
Take a seat, ma'am.
Here.
Ms. Zhao,
don't you find it odd?
She came here
when she was around 18.
It has been five years,
and she still looks the same.
Anyway, forget about this.
I have something to tell you.
Wu can't possibly stay in your house forever.
What do you mean?
Wu.
I have good news for you.
We agreed
that you should be my daughter-in-law.
What does it mean?
Look.
I already brought you a duck.
Well,
consider this a bride price.
Ma'am, we've already agreed on this.
My goodness.
Come on.
You know my situation very well.
You have much to gain
if Wu marries my son.
I quite agree with her.
I disagree!
XU XIANG, 13 YEARS OLD
Does your drooling son
want Wu as his wife?
In his dreams!
Mind your words!
Is Wu very bright now?
She is just as dull.
She's perfect for my son.
No means no.
-Enough. -Wait.
Doggy,
do you fancy her now?
Your son is--
Goodness.
Sit down.
Stop shouting.
We'll let Wu pick.
All right, ma'am?
Ma'am.
You should give up on Wu.
Her noggin isn't good enough
to understand you.
I can decide for her.
We have a lot of ducks here.
But we only have one Wu.
This doesn't make sense.
Wu isn't even your daughter.
How can you decide for her?
Wu isn't my daughter,
so I can't marry her off to just anybody.
Ma'am,
what if one day
her parents show up?
Imagine that.
How am I supposed to face them?
Nonsense!
You just want to keep her for your son!
Ma'am, I don't know about that.
But I do know that she isn't
going to be your daughter-in-law.
Have fun raising those two idiots
all your life, then!
Unbelievable!
Curse it!
This is getting on my nerves!
Come inside.
Listen, just now, you were--
Are you stupid?
Her son is dull.
And so is she.
No one in their right mind
would marry their daughter to her son.
Are you trying to ruin Wu's life?
But Wu can't stay with us forever.
She's an adult now.
It's not right.
When I'm free tomorrow,
I'll take her to the town.
I'll find her family. All right?
I guess that's the only option we have.
Dad, Mom,
even if we can't find her family,
we can't throw her away.
Can we
adopt her, then?
She is right!
You do fancy her!
Perhaps I can adopt her as my goddaughter.
You'll have a sister.
Mom!
I've been thinking.
If we cannot find her family,
we can only accept her
as our family.
What do you mean?
Are you saying that she's stupid
or that our son isn't good enough for her?
No, I don't think she's stupid at all.
I just think that she's so distant.
She's so cold.
Even a dog
will show gratitude.
Do you think
she treats us as her family?
You're quite emotional.
No, I'm not.
Wu.
Do you like us?
Do you like Doggy?
Like?
What is "like"?
See? She doesn't know what affection is.
-I was just joking. -What is "like"?
I like…
Like…
-Wu? -Like.
-Wu! -Like.
-Okay. Forget it. -Does your head hurt again?
-Like. -Don't think about it.
-Stop thinking. -Like.
Like!
Like.
-What is "like"? -All right.
Wu.
Stop thinking about it.
I didn't mean it.
All right, now.
The Huangyang shoulder pole
Is soft and flexible
Sisters and brothers
Carrying the rice grains to Liuzhou
Come on, brothers
Let's go to Liuzhou
Oh, brothers
Three, two, one.
I'll send the photo here in a few days.
Is that all?
Thank you!
Thank you.
Wu.
We'll get to see the family photo
in a few days.
Family photo?
What is that?
It's a photo of all of us together.
-Dig in. -Wu.
You have been here for five years now.
We don't know when your birthday is.
I was thinking.
We should use the date of your arrival
as your birthday.
Wu, happy birthday.
What is a birthday?
Birthday is the day
you get to eat many good things.
On my last birthday,
Mom boiled two eggs for me.
Two eggs.
Have some more.
So is all this food for me?
Well, yes. It's yours!
Eat.
Mine.
Doggy,
I left one last slice of meat for you.
Is it delicious?
Say thank you, then.
Thanks, Wu!
Wu
became our fondest family member.
But the blissful days
were soon interrupted
by a tragedy.
Don't resist!
Move it!
Take all food and valuables.
Hurry up!
Don't resist! Stay there!
That's our lamb!
Sit back down!
Gather these villagers later
and burn them alive.
Leave no survivors, lest they expose us.
-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!
The Huangyang shoulder pole Is soft and flexible
-Sisters and brothers -Hurry up.
They say Liuzhou--
This woman is…
Show me your smile.
Boss!
Come.
Sir! Mercy, please. Take everything away.
But not her!
She's still young.
Don't take her away.
I'm begging you. Please!
She's young. Spare her--
I'll kill you!
Doggy!
Boss, what do you think of her?
Stay right there!
Doggy!
What a cruel world!
This is not fair!
Ms. Zhao.
For some reason, when I see you cry,
I feel sad.
This place hurts.
I don't want to see you cry.
I don't want to see Mr. Xu and Doggy
getting hurt.
I want to see you smile.
I want to hear you sing.
Does this mean I like all of you?
Ms. Zhao, I like you.
I like Mr. Xu.
I like Doggy.
Wu.
I envy you at times.
You can stay ignorant.
Ms. Zhao, I don't want you to cry.
I want you to be happy.
How can I make you happy?
My husband is dead.
What do you think can make me happy?
Ms. Zhao.
All right.
I want all of them dead!
That woman
is feisty.
I like that.
All right, Ms. Zhao.
I'll kill all of them.
You pack a punch, lass.
Are you trained?
My mom thought that bloodbath
would traumatize me.
Little did she know
that for someone like me
who has one foot in the Outsiders' world,
what I saw was something
that defied all common sense.