"It's the heart of man that's in tumult!" "Ashes of time" "In the years to come..." "I will be given the nickname:" "Malicious West." "Well, everyone can be malicious..." "If you ever been jealous of someone." "I dont care how others think of me." "Its just that I dont want others to be happier than I." "But there are some people..." "Who are just too proud to be jealous." "In the early days of my martial arts adventures..." "I came to know a man." "He usually makes his appearance in the east." "Maybe thats 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'll have problems." "Problems mean business for me." "I'm a native of "White Camel Mountain"." "My name is Ouyang Feng." "I specialize 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 dare." "Or you just didn't bother." "Well, murder can be a very simple matter." "I've this friend who is skilled in martial arts." "He's been a little low on money lately." "Pay a reasonable fee and he will kill for you." "Think about it!" "In fact, murder's no easy job." "One only risks it, because one's 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 about this time, someone comes to drink with me." "He's called Hunag Yaoshi." "A strange fellow." "He always comes from the east." "He's been coming here for several years." "He bought 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 man's biggest problem is that he remembers." "How wonderful it would 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 pot, 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 cave?" "Looks familiar to me..." "He was very drunk." "He left very early the next morning." "I could see that he was upset." "Maybe it has somethinf 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 friend's 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 but you a drink?" "I just want water tonight." "Have we met before?" "More than that..." "You have been my very best friend." "But not anymore now." "What are you doing here?" "A new acquintance 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'll drink, the warmer you'll get." "Water'll 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 lasty time I met him, I has 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 this?" "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 awakening, business has been awful." "Only one customer came to me." "I want you to kill someone for me." "Huang Yaoshi is his name." "He is one of the best swordsmen around." "It won't be an easy job." "I'm willing to pay any price." "There is only one condition:" "I must deliver the final blow." "I want him to die an excruciating death." "What did he done to you?" "Because he dumped my sister." "He's called Murong Yang." "He claimed he belonged to the famous Murong Clan." "He beriended Huang at Peach Blossom Wood outside Gusu City a year ago." "Day 4." "First day of spring." "This 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 is 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 generous." "I can't afford to turn him down." "There are very few customers like him these days." "If you reject him, I pay you double to compensate for your loss." "There is only one condition..." "I want you to kill somebody for me..." "My brother, Yang!" "Sibling rivalry?" "Very interesting!" "You 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 is 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'm alive!" "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 heart broken." "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 cruellest way to kill." "It took me a long time to figure out the answer." "The curellest 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 woman 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 are 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 tought 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 don't realize 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 is 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 identites was hidden someone with a wounded soul." "You're drunk, Mr. Murong." "Mr?" "You have 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 Gusu 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 is..." "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 the truth." "Although it may not 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 hand 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 practice 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 in the militia." "The magistrate woulnd't dare to do a thing." "How much money do you have?" "We are a poor family." "All I've 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's going to take on those swordsmen for a mule." "There is a price for vengeance." "If you weren't attractive, I'd have told you to forget it." "Don't mistake me." "I'm not hinting anything." "You should know..." "That you're worth much more than a mule." "I hope you'll understand." "I'll never do that." "If money is all you want..." "I'll wait here until someone who'd help me comes." "I don't know is she really wanted to avenge her brother..." "Or that she'd nothing better to do." "Everybody 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." "I the following nights..." "I had the same dream." "I dreamed I saw the peach blossoms in my hometown." "I suddenly remembered..." "That I hadn't been back for a long time." "Something wrong with your eyes?" "I've 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 hometown." "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." "Can 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 was left." "The villagers here are ready to put up a fee to hire some swordsmen to fight them." "They said 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." "Every day he'd come here to drink and eat his meals... and he'd leave 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 is 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 entrace 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 your 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." "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's waiting for him in my hometown." "I'd 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 said that if you're striken by a really fast sword, you'd hear a soft hissing sound of the spurting blood, like a breeze." "I never imagined the first time I heard such 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 till his death." "This young man's 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 7 (Qi), It will bring you death."" "The first time I met him, he'd 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 have been sitting there by that wall for a long time." "Didn't even move your finger." "I've seen young men like you." "Though you're invincible with your martial arts skill," "It's no fun to survive in the martial arts world." "Beign a swordsman gives you many restrictions." "Certainly you don't want to be a farmer." "You won't be a robber, nor you want to be a street performer." "How do you survive?" "Even the best swordsman has to make a living." "I've got a job here for you." "You can make a lot of money..." "And it's righteous." "What do you say?" "Think about it." "Gotta be quick though..." "You know, you'll get hungry again very soon." "Soon after Hong Qi was here, those thieves returned to the village again." "Before I took him to the villagers..." "I bought him a pair of shoes." "It's 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 will lump on the offer." "But can you trust a poor chan..." "Who can't even afford shoes?" "What if the horse thieves give him... a poundig and come after you?" "What will happen then?" "My friend may not be a better fighter." "What I'm telling about..." "... But your whole family is at stake." "Shouldn't 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 flash?" "It's the fatal blow." "Unlike others slashes by swords, this one... was the only one made from right to left." "It's unique." "It 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 qleam 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." "Favouable for travel and socializing." "Avoid goind 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 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 problem." "Day 15." "Rainy." "The King of Earth makes troubles." "The star of talend presides." "Good for baths, but bad for outdoor activities." "Malignance in the North." "If I were those swordsmen from the militia..." "I'd have refused to die." "All their lives were worth only the value of an egg!" "Losing a finger over a price of an egg!" "You think it's worth it?" "No." "But I felt great." "This is me." "I should've 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 have 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 became another person since I've been aroung with you." "I've lost my real self." "No." "I don't want to be like you." "Because I know that you would 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 with 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 come to me only because you're helpless." "I have 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've still got your fist." "That lost finger gives you extra cred!" "You can even raise your fee." "What?" "Want to go home?" "Why did you leave in the first place?" "Wonder what's lying beyond the desert." "Another desert." "I had thought the same thing." "Seeing a mountanin, I'd wonder what lay behind it." "But on crossing 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'd already decided." "To take his own path." " Where do you plan to go?" "Places I'd have never been to." "I want to be famous." "If, in the future, you hear about some nine-fingered hero, that'll be me." "What about her?" "I'll take her with me." "Like you said, there is 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've been like Hong Qi... but I failed to grasp 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." "Extremly favourable for the north." "Hong Qi joined the Clan of Beggars three years later and soon... became 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'd think of her." "She once loved very much." "One thing always bewilders me..." "Every time I left her for my adventures... it'd 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'll always be the same:" "I won't go with you." "There're some words I'd never say after tonight." "Will you come with me?" "You'll regret it, too." "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 blossom." "Peach blossom 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'd 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 musn'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 tought 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 have 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 wanmt to learn the latest news of Ouyang 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." "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 forget her." "It's said the memory is the fount of worry." "Ever since that year, I started to erase a lot of things from my memory." "All I can remember is my fondness for peach blossoms." "Huang Yaoshi led a hermit's life on Peach Blossom Island six years later." "And called himself Master of Peach Blossom Island." "Also known as the Evil East." "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 knew Huang won't come again." "But I still waited." "I sat at the doors for two days watching the changing clouds." "I suddenly realised altought I've been here for several years..." "I have 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 have never returned to White Camel Mountain." "I had such a happy time 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!" "Be quick..." "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 want to lose something, the best way... is to keep it in your memory. "" "For inevolicable reasons..." "I always had the same dream that following spring." "Soon afterwards I left the desert." "The day I left it's 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 become Lord of the region."