"It's written in the Buddhist Cannon." "The flags are still, no wind blows..." "It's the heart of men that's tumult!" "Ashes of time" "In the years to come..." "I'll be given the nickname:" "Malicious West." "Well, everyone can be very malicious, if you've ever been jealous of someone." "I don't care what others think of me." "It's just that I don't want others to be happier than me." "But there are some people, who're just too proud to be jealous." "In the early days of my martial adventures I came to know a man." "He usually makes his appearance in the east." "Maybe that's why in the years to come people will call him Evil East." "The Five Goldens meet Star Jupitar this year." "There are famines everywhere." "Whenever there are famines, people will have problems." "Problems means business for me." "I'm a native of White Camel Mountain." "My name's Ouyang Feng." "I specialise in solving problems for others." "Buddy, you must be around forty." "In forty years, you must have come to hate someone someone who'd wronged you." "someone you wanted... to kill" "...yet didn't care or you just didn't bother." "Well, murder can be a very simple matter." "I have this friend who's skilled in martial arts." "He's been a little low on money lately." "Pay a reasonable fee and he'll kill for you!" "Think about it." "In fact, murder's no easy job." "One only risks it, because ones survival depends on it." "Having left White Camel Mountain" "I came to this desert and started this killing business." ""Day 6, Insects awaken."" "Every year around this time, someone comes to drink with me." "He's called Huang Yaoushi." "A strange fellow." "He always comes from the east." "He's been coming here for several years." "He brought me a gift this time." "A new acquaintance, recently gave me a bottle of wine." "The wine's called "A Happy Go-Lucky Life"." "She said it takes away your memory of the past." "Sounded weird to me..." "What on earth is this wine?" "She also said that mans biggest problem is that he remembers." "How wonderful it'd be to forget the past." "Everyday would be a new beginning." "Isn't that great?" "Well, this wine was meant for you." "You wouldn't mind sharing it, would you?" "I couldn't bring myself to drink the magic wine." "I didn't have a single drop of it." "But it did seem to work on Huang." "After drinking half a cup, he started to lose his memory." "Do you recall our first meeting?" "No." "Well, why are you here then?" "I don't remember." "Why are you staring at the cage?" "Looks familiar to me." "He was very drunk." "He left very early next morning." "I could see that he was upset." "Maybe it had something to do with a woman." "A month later, Huang went into the mountain, where one of his best friends lived." "He once stayed there for quite some time, following his friends wedding." "Then one day, his friend suddenly left home and never returned." "Since then, Huang also left and hadn't returned until this time." "May I buy you a drink?" "I just want water tonight." "Have we met before?" "More that that..." "You've been my very best friend." "But not anymore now." "What are you doing here?" "A new acquaintance recently gave me a bottle of wine." "She said it takes away your memory of the past." "I had some and found it really worked." "Want to try some?" "Do you know the difference between drinking wine and water?" "The more wine you drink, the warmer you'll get." "Water will only make you feel cold." "Will I find you here again?" "No." "I've sworn that, if I ever run into this person again, I'll kill him." "I failed to do that, because the last time I met him, I had almost gone blind." "Are you a man or a woman?" "I'm the first daughter of the famous Murong Clan." "How dare you talk to me like that?" "I'll kill you just for that." "You're drunk." "Huang had an unbridled personality when he was young." "He always made others fall for him and hurt them as easily." "That night, Huang almost lost his life because of this." "Every year there are certain periods in which no one wants to die." "After insects awakened, business has been awful." "Only one customer came to me." "I want you to kill someone for me." "Huang Yaoshi is his name." "He's one of the best swordsman around." "It won't be an easy job." "I'm willing to pay any price." "There's only one condition." "I must deliver the final blow." "I want him to die an excruciating death." "What did he do to you?" "Because he dumped my sister." "He's called Murong Yang." "He claimed he belonged to the famous Murong Clan." "He befriended Huang at Peach Blossom Wood outside Gusu City a year ago." "Day 4, First day of Spring That is what the almanac says of that day:" ""The eastern breeze is no longer cold" This implies a fresh start." "One night Huang played a joke on him." "If you have a sister, I promise to marry her." "Good..." "Let's make this a promise." "I'll kill you if you don't keep your word." "They made an appointment to meet his sister later." "But Huang failed to turn up..." "Did my brother come to you?" "Your brother?" "Who is he?" "He's called Murong Yang." "The name rings a bell." "Did he ask you to kill for him?" "I don't recall that." "Mark my words!" "I'll kill you if you accept his offer." "Your brother is very dangerous." "I can't afford to turn him down." "There's very few customers like him these days." "If you reject him, I'll pay you double to compensate for your loss." "Under one condition..." "I want you to kill someone for me... my brother, Yang!" "Sibling rivalry?" "Very interesting!" "Your sure you hate your brother that much?" "Yes." "He won't let me be with Huang Yaoshi!" "He thinks I belong to him." "Therefore he must die!" "Has my sister been here?" "Yes." "If you so much as lay a hand on her, I'll kill you." "You seem to care for her a lot." "She's my only sibling." "I must protect her." "What did she want from you?" "To kill someone for her..." "It's you!" "Huang Yaoshi must be behind this." "I reckon that even without Huang, she still wants you dead." "She wants to get away from you." "I'll never allow that, as long as I live!" "Did you talk to my brother?" "He told you so?" "Why didn't you kill him?" "I want the money up front." "It's easy to kill your brother..." "because he has a weak spot." "Do you know what it is?" "It's you." "I told him you want to kill him to test his reaction." "Why is he against you and Huang?" "Is it because he loves you?" "And if he does, how deeply?" "He wants me to be with him forever." "He loves you very much then." "I know." "But I don't love him." "I love Huang." "He must be broken-hearted." "Who cares?" "I'm unhappy, too." "Why should I be alone in my misery?" "I want him to know what it's like to lose the one you love." "How cruel!" "He may commit suicide." "Serve him right!" "Why should I tell you all this?" "Yang once asked what's the cruelest way to kill." "It took me a long time to figure out the answer." "The cruelest way to kill a person is to kill the person he loves most first." "But I won't do that." "If you die, no one pays me." "Right?" "Someone is after my life." "Why do they have to kill you?" "Because I'm the women Huang Yaoshi loves." "Don't let them kill me." "Yin refused to leave that evening." "To calm her down, I treated her to a few drinks." "Afterwards she fell asleep." "Where are you hiding my sister?" "What makes you think that?" "I know she was here." "You're the last person she saw before she disappeared." "She came one evening, said someone was after her life and asked for shelter." "But she left the next morning." "I thought she must have gone home." "My sister doesn't have any enemies." "Why should people be after her?" "She said... it's because she's Huang Yaoshi's beloved." "Bullshit!" "If Huang loves her, why did he leave her alone?" "Sometimes you won't realise how deeply you're in love... with someone until you're separated from her." "Maybe that's the case with Huang and Yin." "No!" "Why are you so sure?" "Because he's in love with another woman." "One always finds an excuse for failure." "I finally reckoned that." "Yin and Yang are actually two persons in one." "Behind these two identities was hidden someone with a wounded soul." "You're drunk, Mr. Murong." "Mister?" "You've made a mistake." "I'm not Mr. Murong, but the first daughter of the famous Murong clan." "My name is Yin." "Who are you anyway?" "Don't you remember me?" "You once promised to marry me." "Of course I remember you!" "Did I?" "You passed by Gosu City the other day." "We drank together." "You touched my face..." "And said you'd marry my sister if I had one." "You knew I'm a woman in disguise." "Why did you still say that?" "A man can't be serious when he's drunk." "Because of your promise, I've been waiting for you." "I asked you to take me along..." "but you refused." "You said you couldn't love two persons at the same time." "Surely you loved Yin." "Why did you fall in love with another woman?" "Do you know I went to look for that woman?" "Someone told me that you loved her most." "I had wanted to kill her!" "But I didn't in the end." "Because I didn't want to prove that she's..." "I asked you if I was the woman you loved most..." "I don't want to know the answer anymore!" "If I ever ask you the same question again..." "Please don't tell me the truth." "Although it may not be the truth..." "Please tell me you love me." "Time passed very slowly that night." "I seemed to be talking to two persons simultaneously." "In the end..." "I couldn't tell Yin from Yang." "Yin?" "Yang?" "Tell me..." "Who do you love most?" "Is it you?" "Someone once asked me the same question." "I didn't answer." "Acting as Huang Yaoshi, however..." "I found it's not so hard to utter those three words." "That night..." "I felt someone touch me in my sleep." "I knew very well I wasn't the person she wanted to touch." "She was just imagining I was someone else." "It's the same for me." "Her hands were very soft..." "Just like those of my brother's wife..." "From that day onwards, no one had ever seen Yin or Yang." "A few years later, a legend about a swordsman with a mysterious history..." "Started to spread in the martial arts world." "People said he likes to practise his swordplay on his own reflection." "He called himself the "Defeat-Seeking Loner"." "What do you want?" "I want to avenge my younger brother." "What happened to him?" "A group of swordsmen passed by a few days ago." "My brother unknowingly offended one of them." "They slaughtered him." "You can go to the local magistrate." "They're in the militia." "The magistrate wouldn't dare do a thing." "How much money do you have?" "We are a poor family." "All I got are these eggs and my mule." "I'll give it to anyone who'd avenge my brother." "If you're serious..." "you must pay." "No one is going to take on those swordsmen for a mule." "There's a price for vengeance." "If you weren't attractive, I'd have told you to forget it." "Don't get me wrong." "I'm not implying anything." "You should know..." "That you're worth much more then a mule." "I hope you'll understand." "I'll never do that." "If money's all you want..." "I'll wait here until someone who'll help me comes." "I don't know if she really wanted to avenge her brother... or that she had nothing better to do." "Everyone holds onto something special, which may look like a waste to other people." "But it's life and death to her." "Looking down from here, she reminds me of another person." "In the following nights," "I had the same dream." "I dreamed I saw the peach blossoms in my hometown." "I suddenly remembered," "I hadn't been back for a long time." "Something wrong with your eyes?" "I've had bad eyesight ever since I was small." "The doctor said that I'd turn blind after 30." "How old are you?" "Almost 30." "What do you want?" "The peach blossoms bloom beautifully every spring in my home town." "I want to see them once more before I go blind." "But I'm almost penniless now." "They said you specialise in solving problems for others." "Could you lend me a hand?" "One of my friends killed some horse thieves a few months ago." "Their gang will soon be here to avenge them." "My friend has left." "The villagers here are ready to put up a fee." "To hire some swordsman to fight them." "They say there's a samurai around here famous for his swordplay." "Where is he?" "Why?" "I want to find out how good he is." "I shouldn't fight you at all." "It's too late for regrets." "How about saving an arm?" "No." "I want your life." "You've mistaken me." "I shouldn't fight you because you're not worthy of being my opponent." "I wanted to save you an arm, but you didn't even want your life." "Can you help me?" "Although down-and-out, he leads a very regular life." "Everyday he'd come here to drink and eat his meals... and he'd live at sunset." "Why are you staring at the girl?" "She reminds me of another woman." "Your wife?" "Why don't you stay at her side if you love her that much?" "Because she's in love with my best friend." "Wonder when those horse thieves will be here?" "Must be within the next few days." "The sooner the better." "Don't want to be late for the peach blossoms." "There's a time for flowers to bloom." "But nobody knows when those thieves will arrive." "He waited at the village's entrance every day." "The wait lasted longer and longer." "Though he lit a lamp every night..." "I knew he couldn't see anymore at night." "You don't like me, do you?" "You really want to go home?" "Yes." "Are you married?" "Why?" "You must love you wife very much." "I suppose you could say that." "Then why did you leave her alone?" "Do you mind treating me to another drink?" "You seem to be in a good mood tonight." "I'm afraid, I won't be able to drink here tomorrow." "They may be here..." "just before dawn." "Do you want me to get you a lantern?" "It doesn't matter to me anymore." "You can't see anymore, can you?" "I can still see in the sunlight." "I hope tomorrow will be a fine day." "If I don't return by sunset, please take a message to someone for me." "He is called Huang Yaoshi." "Tell him a woman is waiting for him in my hometown." "I had no idea why I did that." "I couldn't control myself." "As I left, I felt the tears of the girl on my face." "I wonder if my woman would shed any tears for me." "People say that if you're stricken by a really fast sword, you'd hear a soft hissing sound of the squirting blood, like that of a breeze." "I never imagined the first time I heard such a sound was when I was about to die." "Ever since that night my friend never returned." "I came here to look for him." "But he wouldn't forgive me until his death." "This young man is called Hong Qi, he's very quick with his sword." "But he doesn't like wearing shoes." "I could tell, he'd make a lot of money for me." "But I must say, I don't like him much." "A fortune-teller once warned me:" ""Avoid the number seven (*Qi in chinese) It'll bring death"." "The first time I met him, he had just left his hometown." "Do you know why I treated you to this meal?" "No." "Because I know you're hungry." "I've noticed you for some time." "You've been sitting there by that wall for a long time." "Didn't even move your finger." "I've seen young men like you." "Think you're invincible with your martial arts skill." "It's no fun to survive in the martial arts world." "Being a swordsman gives you many restrictions." "Certainly you don't want to be a farmer you won't be a robber, nor do you want to be a street performer." "How will you survive?" "Even the best swordsman has to make a living." "I've got a job for you." "You can make a lot of money." "And it's righteous." "What do you say?" "Yes, think about it..." "Gotta be quick, though." "You know... you'll get hungry again very soon." "Soon after Hong Qi was here, those horse thieves returned to the village again." "Before I took him to the villagers," "I bought him a pair of shoes." "Because there's quite a difference in the fee paid to a shoeless swordsman and one with shoes." "So you think ten taels of silver is too much?" "Well, you can always hire some cheaper guys." "There are a few of them sitting outside." "Pay them a few bucks and they'll jump on the offer." "But can you trust some poor chap... who can't even afford shoes?" "What if the horse thieves give him a pounding and come after you?" "What will happened then?" "My friend may not be a better fighter." "What I'm telling about..." "But you're whole family is at stake." "Should you put their fate in the hands of someone with no shoes?" "To avoid making the same mistake..." "I brought Hong Qi to see something." " Why the corpse?" " He'll tell you how he died." "He attacked the horse thieves two days ago." "He wanted to kill them..." "And lost his life." "See this slash?" "It's the fatal blow." "Unlike other slashes made by swords, this one was the only one made from right to left." "It's unique." "That means the one who struck the fatal blow only struck once." "When you fight these horse thieves you must watch out for the left handed one." "If I'm killed please don't do this to me." "I don't want to be a speaking corpse." "Day 15, Sunny and windy." "The day of judgement approaches." "A gleam of blood." "Do not travel far." "Chant the scriptures and avoid catastrophe." "Those who don't bother counting their money," "Are the big spenders." "Not Hong Qi." "He counted every cent." "I knew he wouldn't stay here long." "Day 10, Autumn begins." "Sunny." "The breeze turns cool." "Favourable for travel and socialising." "Avoid going into the water." "You're looking for Hong Qi?" "He's been gone a long time." "He won't come back." "Look elsewhere." "Do you hear me?" "It ain't easy to cheat women, simple-minded women are the most determined." "She knew her husband had never left this place." "It's simple:" "Hong Qi would never abandon his camel." "I told you to wait for me at home." "What are you doing here?" "Go home!" "Go!" "No." "I won't." "Go home." "Go!" "Go!" "She's been waiting outside for several days now." "What can I do?" "No one drags his wife along in the martial arts world." "Nothing is impossible." "It's not a rule, is it?" "I was like you, thought my sweetheart would wait for me, while I was making my name as a swordsman." "When I returned..." "She had married my brother." "I've told you it's useless to be here." "I can't help you, if you haven't got any money." "Go home." "Think of something else." "Please help me!" "I beg you!" "It's no use." "I'm just an agent." "You must solve your own problems." "Day 15, Rainy." "The King of Earth makes troubles." "The Star of Talent presides." "Good for baths, but bad for outdoor activities." "Malignance in the north." "If I was those swordsman from the militia," "I'd have refused to die." "All their lives were worth only the values of an egg!" "Losing a finger over the price of an egg?" "You think it's worth it?" "No." "But I felt great!" "This is me." "I should have been unharmed." "But I've become slower with my sword lately." "I never used to have any second thoughts." "For me, a strike was a strike." "I never gave much thoughts to values." "I thought I'd remain like this, until this girl came to me." "I didn't realise I had become so heartless I could turn her down." "But that's because I knew you'd never agree." "I hated myself for refusing her." "I've become another person since I've been around you." "I've lost my real self." "No, I don't want to be like you." "Because I know that you'd never..." "NEVER risk your life for the price of an egg!" "That's the difference between us." "Please help Hong Qi!" "He's very ill, isn't he?" "Please get a doctor." "A doctor costs money." "Pity that I haven't got any eggs." "Otherwise I'd have given you a few." "You're good at manipulating people with eggs, aren't you?" "No, I won't help Hong Qi, because he didn't obey me." "You're responsible for his finger." "You save him!" "I know you've only come to me because you're helpless." "I've been waiting for this." "I recall you once told me you'd never sacrifice yourself for anyone." "Well, let's see if you can keep your word." "What are you thinking?" "Nothing." "Don't sacrifice yourself for me." "I'm happy to die, if I must." "You paid me more than enough with your egg." "I've eaten it." "You don't owe me anything." "Don't do anything stupid." "Remember: there's always someone waiting for you." "Since then, I've never seen the girl again." "I don't think I'll be any good with my sword." "You don't need a sword." "You still have your fist." "That lost finger gives you extra credibility" "You can even raise your fee." "What?" "Want to go home?" "Why did you leave... in the first place?" "Wondered what's lying beyond that desert." "Another desert." "I thought the same thing." "Seeing a mountain, I'd wonder what lay behind it." "But after I crossed it, I found nothing special." "Looking back, I realised that life over there wasn't so bad." "I knew he'd never take my advice; being a stubborn person, he had already decided to take his own path." "Where do you plan to go?" "Places I've never been to." "I want to be famous." "If, in the future, you hear about some nine-fingered hero... that will be me." "What about her?" "I'll take her with me, like you said, there's no rule about that." "Having a wife doesn't stop me from my martial adventures." "Right?" "Go!" "At last I can see why the woman loves Hong Qi." "It may be because Hong's a simple man." "I couldn't help feeling jealous, as I saw them off." "Once I could have been like Hong Qi, but I failed to grasp at the chance." "The day they left, a westerly was blowing." "They chose to walk in the opposite direction." "It was the middle of the month." "The almanac has this to say: "The Chamber Star presides." "Extremely favourable for the north"" "Hong Qi joined the Clan of Beggars three years later and soon... became the Head of the Clan, and was known as the Northern Beggar." "He duelled with Ouyang Feng on Snow Mountain in the last year of his life." "Both died in the duel." "Ever since Hong Qi left, it has been raining." "Every time it rains, I think of her." "She once loved me very much." "One thing always bewilders me." "Every time I left for my adventures, it would rain." "She said it's because she was unhappy." "She later married my elder brother." "On her wedding day, I left White Camel Mountain." "My answer will always be the same:" "I won't go with you." "There're some words that I'll never say after tonight." "Will you come with me?" "You will regret it too." "I won't go with you." "Remember!" "Listen, I'll be your brother's wife from today." "There's only one person who can hold me." "And that's your elder brother." "No one else can do that." "Why are you staring at my scarf?" "It belongs to my husband." "Why is it with you?" "Is he dead?" "Having missed peach blossoms for a long time..." "I visited the blind swordsman's hometown the following spring." "I didn't find any peach blossoms there." "This scarf has no use for me now." "It was only when I left that I found out that this place never had any peach blossoms." "Peach blossoms turns out to be a woman's name." "As I was leaving, I seemed to hear her weep." "I suddenly understood why Huang visited me every year." "Strange kid, isn't he?" "He never speaks... nor smiles." "Stares at you if you don't talk to him." "Wonder what's on his mind?" "He would never tell you the truth, even if he desires something." "You'll have to offer it to him." "At first I'd just let him have his way, but gradually I've learnt I mustn't allow this." "I never told her that I love her." "Because I know the untasted fruit is the sweetest." "She seems to care a lot for the kid." "But I knew she was thinking of someone else." "Ouyang Feng, you've made me very jealous." "How I've longed to be loved." "Yet all I do is hurt other people." "I had thought that you two would be together." "Why didn't you marry him?" "Because he never said he loved me." "There are things you don't need to say." "But it's what I needed to hear." "He was too sure of himself." "He thought he was the only person I'd marry." "He'd never imagined I'd marry his brother." "He asked me to elope with him on my wedding night." "I turned him down." "It was too late for him to win back my love." "I had decided, that I'd never give in again." "Love is like a contest." "I can't say if she's the winner... but I know very well, that I've been a loser from the start." "I like peach blossoms only because of this woman." "I saw her every year at the peach blossom season, after my visit to Ouyang Feng." "But that's because she'd want to learn the latest news of Ouyang Feng from me." "Thanks to Ouyang," "I had the excuse to see her every year!" "Do you know what the most important thing is in my life?" "Your son?" "I thought so too." "But as he grows up," "I know he'll be leaving me one day." "Nothing is important to me now." "I thought the words "I love you" really mattered." "I thought they meant a lifetime commitment." "But looking back nothing matters, because everything changes." "I thought I was the winner, until one day I looked into the mirror and saw the face of a loser." "I failed to have the person I loved most to be with me in my best years." "How wonderful if we could go back to the past." "You're his close friend." "6:4" "I thought you'd have told him I'm here." "I had promised you." "So I didn't say anything in the end." "You're so honest..." "She died soon afterwards." "Before she died, she gave me a pot of wine to take to him." "She hoped Ouyang would forger her." "It's said that memory is the fount of worry." "Ever since that year, I started to erase a lot of thing from my memory." "All I can remember is my fondness for peach blossoms." "Huang Yaoshi led a hermit's life in Peach Blossom Island six years later, and call himself Master of Peach Blossom Island - also known as the Evil East." "Insects awaken soon after the first day of spring." "Every year around this time a friend would come to see me." "But he didn't turn up this year." "Soon afterwards I received a letter from "White Camel Mountain"" "It said my brother's wife had died from illness two years ago." "I know Huang won't come again." "But I still waited." "I sat at the doors for two days watching the changing clouds." "I suddenly realised although I've been here for several years." "I've never really looked at the desert." "A long time ago seeing a mountain," "I'd always wonder what lay behind it." "I don't want to know now." "It was predicted that I'd be an orphan." "So my parents died when I was young." "My elder brother brought me up." "Being an orphan, I learnt to protect myself from an early age." "I learnt the best way to avoid rejection is to reject others first." "For this same reason," "I never returned to "White Camel Mountain."" "I had such happy times then!" "But I can no longer return to my old days!" "The Book of Fortune predicts that I'll never get married." "I never did marry her." "How true is the book!" "I suddenly wanted to have a drink that night." "I drank the remaining magic wine." "I carry on with my business as usual." "Buddy, you must be around forty." "In forty years you must have come to hate someone?" "Someone who'd wronged you?" "someone you wanted... to kill." "Yet didn't dare?" "Well, murder can be very simple." "I have this friend who's skilled in martial arts." "He's been a little low on money lately." "Pay a reasonable fee and he'll kill for you." "Think about it." "But be quick." "Otherwise..." "When I'm free I'll look at the direction of "White Camel Mountain"" "I remember very well a woman's waiting for me back there." "That magic wine was just a joke she played on me." "The harder you try to forget something, the more it'll stick in your memory." "Once I heard people say..." ""If you have to lose something, the best way to keep it... is to keep it in your memory."" "For inexplicable reasons," "I always had the same dream that following spring." "Soon afterwards I left the desert." "The day I left, it is written in the almanac" ""The Fire forces the Gold to move." "Extremely favourable for going west"" "Ouyang Feng returned to "White Camel Mountain" the following year and became Lord of the region." "Subtitles taken and edited from a hard-subbed version." "Done by islord."