Xiaotian.
Don't be afraid.
It'll be over quickly.
I'll pull on three.
One.
Where's the tooth?
Xiaotian, you tricked me!
I want to keep my tooth.
Xiaotian!
You tricked me!
I'll get you.
Father.
What is it, son?
My tooth hurts.
Your tooth hurts.
Let me have a look.
Which one hurts?
Open wider.
This one?
Show me.
Zhigen's wife visited the paper mill yesterday
to chastise the people who didn't go
to the celebration for her newborn.
I was busy with an order,
so I ran.
Really?
Judging from her body, she's pregnant again.
She is?
Mother.
When will you have another child?
Why do you ask?
He talks too much.
Let's replace him.
No.
Yes, we will.
No.
Yes.
No.
Jinxi.
Would you like some
five spice stew?
That's alright.
I already ate.
Oh, that's right...
I almost forgot, you're a vegetarian.
This village has prospered since the paper mill opened.
More and more visitors come here to buy paper.
Welcome, gentlemen.
You sell wine?
You're lucky.
We make our own wine, "Thousand Springs".
It may be rustic.
But it is as good as old wine.
Give me four pints.
Yes, sir.
Wait.
Give me eight.
Eight pints of "Thousand Springs".
Are you martial artists?
On your way to the county town?
I must tell you
a few months ago,
a father and daughter duo of your trade
passed through here.
They sold me some "Mighty Pills".
I can attest that
they were very potent!
Sir, your wine...
This wine
is also called "Fragrant Bottle".
or "Drop at the Door".
It tastes horrible.
Waiter?
Does this village have a general store?
Yes...
It's across that way.
We're here for money.
Are you here to buy paper?
We're here for money.
Do you have a letter of credit?
We're here
for the money.
Understand?
Where's the money?
You cut me, idiot.
Help...
Father!
Father, are you alright?
Toes, no fatal wound.
Chest, no fatal wound.
Lower back, no fatal wound.
Genitals, no fatal wound.
Shoulders, no fatal wound.
Fangzheng!
Watch your children.
Knees, no fatal wound.
Palms, no fatal wound.
Soles, no fatal wound.
These herbs will kill the smell.
Ankles, no fatal wound.
Insteps, no fatal wound.
"Robbery convict - Yan Dongsheng"
Your honor.
Xu, you seem flustered.
What's the matter?
I discovered that
one of the dead men was one of the top ten wanted criminals.
Yan Dongsheng.
Your honor must remember that,
Yan was the mastermind
behind countless heinous crimes.
We brought him to justice.
After being held for three days, he overpowered us
and escaped.
You're saying that this Liu Jinxi
accidentally captured Yan Dongsheng?
Yes.
Not only captured
but killed the criminal.
Yes.
It means the case was solved in "my" jurisdiction.
Good. Excellent!
Make arrangements for me to meet this hero.
Not only meet
but also thank him on behalf of the people
and the county government.
Let's go.
Who is Liu Jinxi?
Here, sir. Coming.
Countymen.
We've solved the case.
The dead man is
Yan Dongsheng.
He's the notorious criminal
responsible for countless murders.
Thanks to our hero,
Liu Jinxi,
Yan was brought to justice.
This is a blessing.
Jinxi wants to eat pears.
To the market he hurries, here and there.
Time to core and pare the pears.
Quickly Jinxi, eat the pears.
He fights the thief, and peels his skin.
Ayu can't believe what she sees.
Tonight she will reward Jinxi.
Reward Jinxi.
July 1917, the 11th fortnight...
I was sent to Liu Village.
Crime Scene: General Store
People involved: a papermaker, two fugitives.
How could an unarmed paper maker
defeat a trained killer like Yan Dongsheng?
Do you know Liu Jinxi?
Everyone knows everyone in this village.
Has he always lived here?
Well, no.
No.
He moved here when he married Ayu,
he adopted the clan name, Liu.
His real family name was Gong.
Gong?
Fangzheng was only a few years old.
When his father left,
Ayu married Jinxi and gave birth to Xiaotian.
I once asked Jinxi.
Where are you from?
He said, Gong Village.
He said he came from a family of butchers.
Butchers?
Bloodshot eyes
indicate a brain hemorrhage.
Yan received a heavy blow to the temple
below which the vagus...
...nerve serves a key function:
It regulates the heartbeat.
Traumatizing it can stop the heart.
To damage the Vagus Nerve...
...with a single blow to the temple
requires extraordinary skills.
Only three fugitives killers are capable of such a thing:
Fang Rishou.
He was once a war hero...
but was later discharged for violent behavior.
Became a gambling addict...
he squandered his fortune.
He set fire to the gambling den.
Dozens were killed.
He vanished afterwards.
Zhao Yiguang, also known as The Eye Collector.
He ambushed the Tai Fen Convoy.
The victims had their eyes gouged...
...and tongues removed.
It took them three days to die.
Bu Yuan...
a psychopath famous for his knife skills.
He slit his victims' veins and drained their blood.
He even threw their heads into boiling soup pots.
He arrived just after the Spring festival.
One afternoon,
he came to the tavern.
Wine, please.
Yes, sir.
Sir, what are these?
What?
You don't know?
They're amulets.
On the first day of spring,
men wear them on the left arm
and women wear them on the right
to ward off ghosts.
He claimed that,
his village didn't practice the same ritual.
His home village was in Lianzhou.
It left a deep impression on me.
Lianzhou...
Lianzhou have amulets too.
They do.
I hope there's not a problem.
Jinxi is a good man.
Leave it.
I don't like the smell of fish bladder.
Mrs. Tung said there's a potion
I can take to prevent pregnancy.
It's mercury; it's poison.
It will harm your body.
What if I get pregnant?
Then we'll have another baby.
You...
seem upset?
No, I was just thinking
about the two men that died.
But they were bad men.
Officials said they were going to rob a supply convoy nearby.
They were just passing through.
So...
Jinxi, you did good.
The detective may be a bit eccentric
but he doesn't accept bribes
so he must be a good man.
We should offer him a meal on the house.
Men are just sacks of stinking fluids
with no redeeming qualities.
A good man?
Good or bad, it's determined by our physiology.
The Ren-ying meridian controls hunger.
His Ren-ying appears to be overdeveloped.
The short man was a born glutton.
Give me four pints...
Wait...Give me eight.
Wine impaired his Qi, a contributing factor to his cardiac arrest.
He died because his Ren-ying meridian betrayed him.
As for me,
my weakness is my Shanzhong meridian.
It controls emotions and gives us empathy.
My Shanzhong meridian is overdeveloped.
It makes me too empathetic; it almost cost me my life once.
I caught a young man
who stole from his adoptive parents.
But I sent him home.
I put humanity above the law.
I never imagined that he would poison our food.
Both his parents died.
I sustained internal injuries.
That's why I use two needles:
one in the Shanzhong,
to suppress my empathy;
the other in the Tientu,
to control the poison.
I treat my body
and my personality flaws at the same time.
Since then
"he" follows me around.
He says:
You can't trust humanity.
Only physiology and the law don't lie.
It's you.
There's no door.
No need for doors here.
Looking for Jinxi?
He's not home.
No.
I've come to see you.
I'll make you congee for your cough.
Please don't bother.
It's no trouble at all.
No trouble at all.
Last night, the tavern keeper told me that
Jinxi only joined the clan a few years ago.
His last name
wasn't Liu originally?
It was five years ago.
At that time...
I was pregnant with Xiaotian.
I asked for his name to be added in the clan records.
That's all.
Well then...
how did you two meet?
It was a long time ago. I can barely remember.
On that day he was just passing through.
He told me he had a fight with his family.
And he'd run away.
He never talks about his family.
Unresolved conflicts?
They can be resolved.
Did Jinxi know your former husband?
No.
Did I...
say something wrong?
That man abandoned us
just like that.
He said, "I'll see you tonight".
It turned out...
he'd been planning to leave.
He even took his favorite pillow with him.
He abandoned his wife and child.
Jinxi doesn't need to know...
such a man.
Sometimes,
Jinxi says to me,
I'll see you tonight.
I tell him not to use those words.
Not to say them...
On the subject of his family, I'm afraid if I asked
he might just disappear too.
First interrogation of the suspect; July, 12th fortnight
Describe your fight with Yan Dongsheng.
I think...
it was like this...
I grabbed him like this.
Continue.
I held onto him.
I refused to let go
then he spun me around.
You used leverage
against Yan's brutal force.
No wonder Yan couldn't shake you.
How did Yan lose his ear?
It was chaos.
I think...
the short man came at me...
...from behind with a sword.
I ducked of course
then I heard a scream.
I didn't know what was happening.
Are you saying...
that they wounded each other?
Yes!
They cut one another.
Just like that.
How odd.
How did the short man die?
I know!
I saw it.
He ran from here to there.
He flew up there and BANG - he fell.
Then he died.
You let him throw you.
You used your hands to bounce back up
then summoned Qi energy.
You were ready to kill.
You hit his Yunmen meridian.
It caused a blood clot...
blocking the blood flow to the coronary arteries
resulting in cardiac arrest.
The tall man broke the door
and dragged me out here.
He pushed me into the pond
and tried to drown me.
I fought for my life.
But I couldn't breathe underwater.
How did Yan die?
It was you who dragged him into the pond.
Water resistance
blunted the force of Yan's blows.
A direct blow to the Vagus Nerves
would either kill the victim
or leave him paralyzed for life.
It was a vicious blow;
you must have wanted Yan dead.
Liu Jinxi.
What kind of man are you?
I was lucky.
Thank you for everything.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Tomorrow?
You have more questions?
I'll know very soon.
In recognition of Jinxi's heroism
and contribution to the village,
the village has decided to
sponsor Fangzheng's college studies
and county examination fees.
If he does well in the examination
we'll host a celebration ceremony
and make all the arrangements.
Ayu.
Will Fangzheng be an adult this year?
Yes, he's twelve.
After the rites,
he will receive new clothes
and be considered an adult.
You and your husband have worked hard
to raise your children.
When they grow up and succeed
you will be proud parents.
It's the dream of all parents.
Thank you.
The House of Jinxi is surrounded by a water of jade.
I foresee a man of prominence.
Impossible!
You're breathing more heavily than me.
For a martial artist like you,
each breath should last at least ten counts.
How else could you collect Qi
in your body's core?
Two counts.
This can't be.
Let me help you,
it's heavy, sir!
No need, really.
It's alright.
It's heavy, sir.
Help!
Jinxi, hang on! Don't move!
Help!
Given his weight and the height he fell,
the branches should have broken
by the force of the impact.
Density could also be a factor.
If he could counter
the momentum of the fall with an equal upward force,
he might stop the fall.
But his body is 800 times denser than air.
Unless he can shift his body density at will?
He defied gravity with "Qinggong".
Are you alright?
If you hadn't come today,
I wouldn't have fallen.
It's karma.
It was an accident.
No.
What I meant to say is:
The fabric of existence
is composed of a myriad of karmic threads.
Nothing exists in and of itself;
everything is connected.
For example,
if I hadn't come to this village,
I wouldn't have met Ayu.
If her husband hadn't left,
I wouldn’t have married her.
If I hadn't gone to the store,
I wouldn't have seen the criminals
and they wouldn't have died.
Then you wouldn't have come here.
No one truly has free will.
When one man sins
we all share his sin.
We are all accomplices.
Are you saying that a killer
doesn't have free will when he kills?
He was conditioned to the act.
And when he kills...
Because we're all part of that sin
we're all accomplices?
I wasn't thinking of the killers.
I found no proof.
Then leave him alone.
He's a reformed man.
We're not here to reform criminals.
Then what's our purpose?
To serve the law.
If the law doesn't help reform people,
what good is it?
A true martial artist can control
the flow of his Qi and his mental state.
He may appear to be a good man
but he's still a killer.
Go to Lianzhou and dig around.
Once you get the information
report back to me.
Baijiu.
Take care of yourself.
Don't forget your condition.
You can't actually fight.
What are you saying?
He might be a trained killer, you said so yourself.
You think...
he's going to silence me?
Just be careful.
Have some more.
Where're your manners? We have a guest.
Have some more.
Have more.
Xu Baijiu.
Where are you from?
Fucheng, Chaozhou.
It's not far.
I hear your hometown is in Lianzhou?
It's so far away.
What brought you out here?
You either love it here
or hate where you come from.
Yes, I like it here.
Fucheng is close.
You must go home often?
I hear the weather there is nice.
Well...
Since my father died
and my mother remarried.
I seldom visit.
But I sometimes get homesick.
I heard that you left home ten years ago.
Don't you ever miss it?
Ever thought about going back?
No, I haven't.
Are you telling me that
Xiaotian's never met his grandfather?
Eat up, the food is getting cold.
Fangzheng said...
that you owned a horse before.
It's rare for most families to own horses.
Don't you think?
What kind of horse?
Yes...
I had a horse once.
But my father killed it.
My father saw that I loved my horse
so he killed it
and fed me its flesh.
I ate it without knowing.
Then he said
if I could stomach eating my horse
I could face anything.
Nothing could defeat me.
Would you go back to a place like that?
Did it taste good?
Not at all.
It's late.
Yes, it's late.
I could...
have a shower first.
Am I sleeping upstairs?
I'll find my own way.
Please continue.
After years of killing
the murderer's face becomes pale,
the eyes turn green,
even the air around the body grows cold.
Why aren't your eyes green?
Thirsty?
I'm thirsty.
Sons of the clan,
you've reached the age of adulthood.
From this day forth,
you must dress and conduct yourself as men.
Protect and serve the emperor.
Liu Kaitai.
Liu Fangzheng.
Liu Tianxiang.
With these clothes, you become a man.
Bow.
And again.
Offer incense.
You looked quite moved.
Were you?
I've always wondered
why you left home and changed your name.
What happened ten years ago?
I needed a change.
I caught a young thief once.
I thought he would reform...
...and let him go home.
I never imagined that
he would poison his own parents.
Tell me.
If he had run away and changed his name
could he really have changed?
I don't think so.
You want to arrest me.
I was a convicted murderer.
I was in Lianzhou prison for ten years.
I was originally from Gong Village.
My father was a butcher.
Another butcher borrowed money from us...
...but never paid us back.
My father said,
men are no different from animals.
But this man is lower than an animal
because he's greedy.
My father handed me his cleaver.
I hacked the man to death.
I felt nothing.
I suddenly froze.
I heard the man's son crying.
The child was still alive.
He was staring at me.
My father was wrong.
Humans are not animals.
A murder sentence should be more than ten years.
There was an amnesty ten years ago.
I knew I had to change.
I had to leave my hometown to live a new life.
I needed to be Liu Jinxi.
I almost succeeded.
Father, the market is open.
Please leave us alone.
Please!
Father! We need to hurry!
Xu Baijiu, you should come too!
I'll be right there.
Hurry!
Alright.
Let's go.
He's surrounded by an energy field?
He's radiating Qi energy,
repelling even the flies.
He lied to you.
How could a common butcher develop...
...such powerful Qi?
Take this, I guarantee it won't cut him.
You told me it wouldn't cut?
Pine trees are prickly.
Whoever dares to bully Liu Jinxi?
Now you have to deal with me!
You frown when you've done wrong.
Each new moon has two prongs.
Xu Baijiu, go away!
No boat will ferry you along.
Your letters will have no name.
Have you no shame?
I've verified the facts.
There's no Gong Village in Lianzhou.
There were no butchers in Lianzhou
with a last name Gong.
But ten years ago...
a butcher's family was massacred.
A butcher named Zhang
borrowed money but didn't repay the loan.
Their flesh was used for savory bun filling
and distributed to unsuspecting villagers.
The villagers said
they had never tasted anything so delicious.
You must be familiar with the case.
Are you alright?
I'm fine, Captain.
You'll get used to it in time.
Listen.
The 72 Demons are the last surviving Tanguts.
They used to be civilized, like us.
But after the massacre of 800,000 Tanguts,
the survivors became savages.
They ate raw meat and left their dead unburied.
Hunger for revenge
is what keeps them alive.
I guess it's karma.
After this killing...
Tang Long, the second in command, went missing.
Liu Jinxi has lived here
for exactly...
ten years, hasn't he?
So he is Tang Long.
You disappeared for 10 years
but you were never imprisoned.
You killed the butcher's family.
You're not a butcher's son.
You were the 72 Demons' second in command.
I must return to the county to get a warrant for his arrest!
Xu Baijiu, where are you going?
Are you leaving?
Yes.
I suppose your work here is done?
You healed quickly.
The doctor said
you nearly cut a major artery.
That would have killed me.
You were lucky.
Maybe you're lucky?
I know a shortcut.
Let me lead the way.
Otherwise, you won't make it to Feng County by nightfall.
That would be a shame.
Few people know about this path.
I came across it by accident.
Will you close the case after you leave here?
Yes.
I will.
You don't believe me?
We part ways here.
Keep going straight.
After an hour...
you'll reach the main road.
Keep walking...
and you'll find Feng County.
What are you waiting for?
Goodbye, then.
That road did lead to Feng County.
Why didn't he kill me?
Xu Baijiu.
You've worked for me for ten years and still so naive?
Captain, it's different this time.
I could lend you the men under my command,
but they're just a bunch of cowards and bums.
Hire some outlaws,
but using criminals to stop a criminal...
is playing with fire.
Xu Baijiu.
Just let it go.
Tang Long is not a wanted criminal,
why do you want a warrant?
The 72 Demons are notorious outlaws.
And Tang Long is their second in command.
Where's the proof?
Even if you bribe the judge for a warrant,
you're risking your life.
I'll report to the judge!
Nonsense!
How much do you want?
20 taels of silver.
What?
Where will I find that?
I only receive 4 taels a year!
Business hours are over.
Come back to me
when you have the money.
I never expected to need help from this person:
My wife.
I'll pay you back.
Is business good?
I'll burn incense for your father.
Don't bother.
I'm afraid father wouldn't like it.
Before he's passed away...
he made it clear.
What about you?
You still blame me?
Does it matter?
Father was wrong to sell fake medicine.
But the medicine...
didn't cost any lives.
He got on his knees
and begged for your mercy.
You wouldn't let go.
What did it feel like?
It wasn't up to me.
It's the law.
He was only guilty of selling fake medicine,
he didn't need to kill himself.
I know.
You said it before.
You'll never forgive me.
You still don't understand
Not forgiving...
you'd have to still care.
Is the law really more important than humanity?
Captain,
what has the world come to?
Whatever the world has become...
you have no choice but to be part of it.
Tsu Kun, where're you taking me?
Where's my reward?
Whatever you have to say, tell Master yourself.
Are you saying
Tang Long is in the village that you mentioned?
Yes.
And...
he has two sons?
Yes.
One is his.
One is from his wife's previous marriage.
Are you telling me this...
because you think I want information about Tang Long?
Tsu Kun, what's going on?
Answer me.
You didn't go to the 36 Constellations.
You didn't go to the Black Dragon Gang.
Instead, you came here.
Because you know...
we have a connection with Tang Long.
True?
No.
Master...it's not...
It's not what you think.
Tsu Kun, help me.
Tell him
who Tang Long is.
Tang Long...
is the son of our Master.
You came here with the information
so that I would kill my own son.
You...
How dare you!
Tell me.
Should I kill Tang Long?
Well?
Should I kill him?
None of you can match him.
None of you can match Tang Long!
Master wants to...
bring Tang Long back!
Oma-miba-mihon...
Did you ever work the land?
I did.
What are they reciting?
They're praying for souls
to be released from purgatory.
You see
when you till the earth,
you can't avoid harming the small creatures in it.
Jinxi performed a brave deed by killing two criminals.
We make a record of Jinxi's great deed.
Jinxi is a man of integrity.
His bravery and kindness
are a blessing to us
and an example for our youth.
We will remember
and be inspired...
Go down on your knees.
Kneel!
I am Liu Jinxi.
Liu Jinxi?
I am Liu Jinxi.
Tell the truth!
Father!
Who are you?
This is a family matter,
so shut up!
Shut up!
Be quiet!
You deny you're Tang Long.
My house is on fire.
Help!
I'm not going back.
You know that "he" wants you back.
He won't give up.
You are Tang Long.
You still are.
I'll get you some water.
The chief told us to shelter in the fortress.
That's why I'm packing.
I've already packed your belongings.
Good.
What do you mean?
I can't go with you.
So we're not going either.
We should...
we should leave
and start a new life somewhere else.
It's useless...
How can you say that?
Have some water.
Don't say that.
It's too late, do you understand?
Thank you for letting me be Liu Jinxi.
But I'm not Liu Jinxi.
Jinxi.
That day by the pond,
if the woman you met hadn't been me.
Would you have stayed?
Sir, spare my children.
Kill me if you must! They're innocent.
Sir, I beg you.
Sir...
Please don't...
Sir...
I'm sorry.
What happened?
It must be the 72 Demons.
It doesn't look good.
Even if we capture Tang Long,
the Demons might still ambush us.
Nothing will stop them,
we should just let them kill each other
and return later.
What for, if he's dead?
He'll receive a death sentence anyway.
Xu Baijiu, what do you really want?
I must bring him to justice.
You promised never to return?
Is this Tang Long?
Tang Long of the 72 Demons.
They will come back.
Let's wait nearby,
let them kill each other.
No, we should all stay.
Stay if you want to.
We're leaving.
We'll return for the corpses.
The other day in the forest...
why didn't you kill me?
You promised never to return.
And you believed me?
I did.
Ayu told me something.
She said:
Xu Baijiu is a good man.
He just doesn't know it.
There is no such thing.
Good men don't exist.
The human body is amazing, it can trick you.
I want to use your body to trick them.
Tang Long.
You must die.
There are three stages of death:
The brink, the degeneration and the final death.
In the first stage, we appear to be dead.
Most people will be fooled.
I want you to enter this first stage.
You'll be in a coma.
Most people can't tell the difference.
He's dead?
But to trick the 72 demons,
you need to enter
the more dangerous second stage.
When the demons arrive,
I'll press the Vagus Nerve in your neck
to induce the degeneration stage,
your breathing and pulse will stop,
you'll show no signs of life,
you'll lose all sensation.
You can stay in this condition up to 15 minutes.
If I fail to revive you in time
you will truly be dead!
We're taking Tang Long's body to the court.
Step aside!
You drove Tang Long to his death!
Duo-a...
nuo-zi-die
The dead will not return.
Come back.
The soul will return...
Which one of you is Tang Long's son?
Tell me, which one of you is Tang Long's son?
His name is Xiaotian.
He's four years old.
Tang Long used this hand to kill.
I'm returning this murderous arm to the clan.
I 'm done with the 72 Demons.
You choose a woman and a child
over your own home?
Our brother Tang Long...
is dead.
Our brother Tang Long is dead!
You still need to tell the Master.
He's waiting for you at home.
Very nice...
Sing again, grandfather loves it.
Altogether, the thumb, index and middle finger,
sing an opera for the little sister.
Grandfather loves to hear children sing.
Middle finger, sing an opera for the little sister.
Very nice...
You should sing for grandfather every day.
Father.
What happened?
I'm no longer with the 72 Demons.
Everyone has arrived.
Everyone is here.
Let's eat.
When your father was little,
he looked just like me,
especially when he was angry.
My splitting image.
Even if he got lost
people would send him back to me.
Don't you agree?
Why do you nod?
Look at him now.
He doesn't look like me anymore.
But my grandson does,
much more than he ever did.
The beans are good.
Xiaotian.
Have some beans.
Beanie beanie, yummy yummy.
Eat beanie or be skinny.
I didn't tell you to sing.
Beanie beanie, yummy yummy.
Eat beanie or be skinny.
I didn't tell you to sing.
Beanie beanie, yummy yummy.
Eat beanie or be skinny.
I didn't tell you to sing.
I beg you, please.
Please stop, I beg you...
Stop.
Children must do as they're told.
When your father was little
he hated it when I was away.
Once he stripped the leaves...
...from the tree in front of the house.
I asked him what happened.
He said:
I once promised him
when all the leaves had fallen
I would return.
That's why he stripped all the leaves off.
Then he said:
The leaves were long gone
but why were you still not back?
In the end, I burned the tree down.
I hated it...
for disappointing my son.
Bastard!
After that...
Everytime I go out
my son made me take him with me.
He said:
Now the tree is gone
how will you come home?
I've cut off my arm for you.
We're not related anymore.
I will let you go.
I'm a fair man.
When one leaves...
another takes his place.
Your blood is mine.
His blood is mine too.
Your blood...
It is not the blood of a Tangut anymore!
Your blood is vile!
The world has abandoned us Tanguts.
How could you forget?
How could you raise a family like you're one of them?
You are a traitor.
There's a needle in his heel...
We need another one!
You were given to me by God.
But He let you betray me.
Don't blame me...
For killing you!
This investigation is now closed.
October 1917, 18th fortnight.
Xiaotian.
More rice or more soup?
Soup.
Eat slowly.
Jinxi.
I'll see you tonight.