ADAPTED FROM QING LINGYUE'S NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME
Lanxi, are you trying to come clean to Father now?
If Father knows you're the owner of Fountain Abode,
will he still care that you're his son?
You don't have any proof.
Why should I turn myself in?
You're just trying to give me a scare.
Haven't you received news
that people in House of Jade will be executed soon?
Unless you don't care about them.
Right.
You look all virtuous from the surface,
but deep down, you couldn't care less about others.
I wonder how despair
your followers will feel.
Father gave you three days
to identify the owner of Fountain Abode.
I will give him three days too.
In your opinion,
between the power Fountain Abode holds
and the life of Yongzhou's Third Prince,
which one does he cherish more?
Are you going to kill me?
No.
I won't do anything to you.
I just want to see how Father
will make his decision in the end.
Have you thought about the consequences of your actions?
You're declaring war against Yongzhou.
Fountain Abode will no longer be able to maintain its foothold
in the martial arts world after that.
I established it.
I can choose to abandon it.
Even without that identity,
I can still enjoy my life
as the Second Prince of Yongzhou.
Run!
Are you forcing Father to make a decision
because
you've always hated me?
Were you jealous that he favored me more than you?
I hope Father favors you
more than he favors power.
This way,
I can save the people of House of Jade.
Actually, I always knew
that your men were in my residence.
That's why I divulged the information on purpose.
Fountain Abode doesn't have many weak points.
I can't find anything useful to use against you.
That's why I can only depend on Father
as he wages war against you.
I had great expectations of you.
However, now,
I think you're too softhearted.
That's why this time,
I'll side with Father.
That's why I'm dragging you into this.
You're one of my bargaining chips.
Lanxi,
stop pretending to be ignorant.
Those trying to rescue the prisoners will never win
against the Royal Army.
Wait, didn't you hear about the jailbreak?
Don't move!
You should all surrender immediately.
Send them to the dungeon.
Take them away.
-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!
This morning, I received news
that someone would attempt a jailbreak.
That's why I was daring enough to get on your carriage.
So you had no idea?
First, the House of Jade.
Now, the Tianshuang Sect?
Lanxi,
it seems like
you're finally going to lose this time.
ROOM OF SERENITY
Since it all started because of me,
I should be the one who ends it.
I have run out of choices.
I will sacrifice myself
to save everyone else.
Traitorous son!
He actually delivered a memorial to me himself,
telling me that he's Hei Fengxi!
And the dates and statements match all the records!
Your Lordship,
in my opinion,
Prince Lanxi did so
because of bitter reasons.
Don't speak up for him!
This son of mine,
this traitorous son of mine,
he did surprise me indeed.
Hei Fengxi? Feng Lanxi?
I should've figured it out long ago.
He's exceptional
and crafty.
MEMORIAL BY PRINCE YONGPING, FENG LANXI
ROYAL STUDY
Your Lordship, in my opinion,
Prince Yongping is here to apologize to you with sincerity.
You're speaking up for him.
Could it be that you're a member
of Fountain Abode as well?
Your Lordship!
I've always been loyal to you!
No matter if he has the intention to usurp the throne or not,
it no longer matters now.
Go.
Tell him to go back.
Regarding this matter,
I will make the decision myself.
Yes, Your Lordship.
ROYAL STUDY
Father!
ROYAL STUDY
Your Highness, His Lordship said
that he would make the decision himself.
Your Highness, you should return first.
Father! Since I'm confessing my crime today,
that means I have let everything go.
Even if you want to take my life,
I have no regrets about it!
ROYAL STUDY
Since you want to clarify yourself,
I will give you a chance.
Royal Guards!
You and I are but tens of steps away.
However, I do not know how many secrets
you're hiding from me.
If you wish to tell me about them,
you may walk over here.
Thank you, Father.
In front of you
isn't Prince Yongping of Yongzhou.
He's the respectable Hei Fengxi who has shaken up the martial arts world.
Don't belittle a hero like him.
Your Highness, please return!
I beg you, please return!
Someone once told me
that I must never give up
no matter what obstacles I face.
I, Feng Lanxi,
request an audience with you, Father.
You may come in.
Your Highness.
Greetings,
Father.
Long live Father.
So is the person in front of me
Prince Yongping, Feng Lanxi?
Or is he Hei Fengxi from Fountain Abode?
I cannot be sure
about the intention you're hiding
under your appearance.
I cannot see through you.
Tell me.
Why did you establish Fountain Abode?
Initially, I did it to protect myself.
After that,
I did it to protect more people.
To protect more people?
I guess this reason is dignified enough.
This is but an excuse!
Ask yourself this question!
Could you even trust your own excuse?
What I have said
is fair and true.
In order to protect myself,
I had no choice
but to feign sickness,
practice martial arts in secret,
and establish Fountain Abode.
After that,
I made great contributions to the martial arts world.
That's how Fountain Abode grew stronger day by day.
I was thinking
I could use the organization to protect more people
and use the profits I had made
for our people
so that I could bless the world
with your grace, Father.
If that's the case,
does that mean I have to thank you?
Thank you for deceiving everyone,
creating your own faction,
and attempting to stage a rebellion?
Or do I have to thank you
for showing me and your brothers mercy?
Father, I just wanted
to explain myself to you.
Explain yourself to me?
You will never be able to explain yourself!
Do you think you can still do that
ever since you started hiding things from me?
Do you know
after what you've done is revealed to the world,
no matter if you have the intention to stage a rebellion,
to the people, you're a traitor!
It doesn't matter
whether I believe in you
or whether you have committed those deeds.
I know that.
I came here today
so that you can give the people
an explanation.
MEMORIAL BY PRINCE YONGPING, FENG LANXI
This is the list of branches
Fountain Abode has in all regions
and the business accounts of House of Jade for the past few years.
Please take a look.
What do you mean by this?
Fountain Abode
was originally established under your order.
I was just sharing your burden with you.
Wasn't this what you wanted all along?
Someone!
Bring it here.
Fountain Abode is not the only thing I want.
I also understand
that Fountain Abode
will cease to function without Hei Fengxi.
If so, why would I take over a piece of junk like that?
This liquor is called Grief.
It is not poison.
However, it will dispel your inner force.
Haven't you always shown people that you were weak and studious?
If so, you should be true to them for once.
I…
I only have one question.
Father, since when
did you prepare this for me?
Ever since I found out you were Hei Fengxi.
Father,
I alone will withstand all the punishments!
Since that's the case,
I will treat it
as if you had established Fountain Abode for my sake.
Yuan Lu, write an edict for me.
Prince Yongping, Feng Lanxi,
has shared my burden and contributed to his nation.
From now on,
he shall be known as Marquis Yongping.
Yes, Your Lordship.
Currently, the Princess of Youzhou, Hua Chunran,
is looking for a suitor.
Feng Lanxi is to attend the selection as Yongzhou's representative.
As for your friends from the martial arts world,
I shall keep them within the dungeon for now.
The day you marry Hua Chunran
will be the day I release them.
Ms. Feng.
It has been three days since you've rested.
Why don't you take a break?
If His Highness wakes up
and finds you in such a state,
he'll be heartbroken.
Just let me stay by his side.
All right.
Black Fox.
Won't you please talk to me?
Fine, I'll talk to you.
You know this too.
I hate it when you're all emotionless like this.
It makes me feel distant from you.
That's why
you should wake up as soon as possible.
You should open your eyes and look at me.
I would rather you scold me
than for you to remain in this state.
You're pretty confident, aren't you?
However,
you do have plenty of flaws too.
You have a huge temper. You're prideful.
And you don't get along well with other people.
In conclusion,
you're a cunning old fox.
But Qiwu said
that I smiled whenever I talked
about your flaws.
I felt especially at ease
because you were by my side, stupid fox.
Didn't you say you have plenty of words to tell me?
I will be furious if you don't finish your words.
I'll hate you forever.
But it's useless even if you tell me.
I would reject you anyway.
Not for any other reason.
I just want to see your face when you're upset.
However, if you wake up today,
I'll say yes to anything you say.
All right?
You're hugging me too tightly.
I can't breathe.
I'm sorry.
How do you feel?
I've been feigning sickness for so many years
and pretending to be weak.
Now, I finally understand what it truly feels like
to be weak.
I have no inner force now.
Although it's a pity,
I do feel more relaxed.
All these years, I've been practicing martial arts in secret.
I had to hide it from the people around me.
Now, I no longer need to.
So what if you had lost your inner force?
Hei Fengxi didn't make a name for himself
with his martial arts.
He depended on his intelligence.
How long have I been unconscious?
Three days.
It must've been tough on you.
So you were the one
who took care of me for the past three days?
Did you hear me while you were unconscious?
No.
But I can tell
from the way you look.
Your Highness! You're finally awake!
Thank you.
How's the situation?
I've moved our main forces away
from our branches in secret,
except those in the name list.
Fountain Abode may look like it has submitted to His Lordship,
but the main forces are retained as usual.
That's great to hear.
The palace has sent an edict for you to head to Youzhou immediately.
I shall take my leave.
Regarding the marriage proposal in Youzhou--
I understand.
You have no choice but to join it
to protect Master and the rest.
I also know
that it's not of your own accord.
I'll follow you to Youzhou.
Since it has come to this,
I will protect you
and keep you company.
Besides, I wish to see what the beauty
of the Dadong Empire looks like.
YOUZHOU
Sir, thank you for escorting me.
I will surely repay the favor one day.
It's fine.
Since we've already arrived at Youzhou,
you are free to go.
It's her, right?
I thought you knew long ago.
What did you think about my acting?
You didn't try to please her on purpose.
Yet you showed her the right amount of flair.
At least her impression of you won't be terrible.
If that's the case,
I guess I'm closer to winning now.
Your Highness, please rest.
I'll inquire about how others are doing.
Thank you for your effort.
Sir.
I received the news.
Lord of Yongzhou gained control of Fountain Abode.
Rumor has it that Feng Lanxi was seriously injured
and has lost all of his powers.
He sacrificed a lot to survive.
I wanted to use this opportunity to make them turn against each other.
With Feng Lanxi's temper,
it could stir up civil unrest in Yongzhou.
Who would've thought
he was willing to sacrifice Fountain Abode and his powers for this?
But it doesn't matter now.
Now that I've broken one of his wings,
it will be difficult for him to become the heir.
And
he's representing Yongzhou
for the marriage proposal.
We must use this opportunity to kill him in Youzhou.
The murder of Prince of Yongzhou in Youzhou?
That would be interesting.
I will arrange for that immediately.
Fools!
A bunch of useless fools!
Why did I raise a bunch of useless fools like you guys?
If something does happen to Chunran,
all of you will be beheaded immediately!
I will send my men to search again.
All of you, scram!
Father,
now the princes
and heroes from all states have already gathered here.
If we still can't locate Chunran,
I'm sure something huge will happen.
In my opinion, we should prepare for the worst.
On one hand, we should hasten the search for Chunran.
On the other hand,
I suggest replacing Chunran with Chunning.
Although Chunning isn't as beautiful…
Chunyuan.
So
you'd go this far for the sake of your younger sister?
Do you only think
that Chunning is your only younger sister?
Don't you want Chunran to come back?
Father! That was never my intention!
I'm just afraid the princes and gentries might be upset
and turn against Youzhou instead!
I'm doing this for Youzhou!
Heaven is my witness, Father!
-You! -Your Lordship!
Your Lordship, Princess Chunran has returned.
Summon her immediately!
Yes, Your Lordship!
-Get up! -Thank you, Father.
-Greetings, Father-- -Hurry and get up!
Are you hurt anywhere?
Father, I'm fine.
But I've made you worried for the past few days.
Please punish me!
What crime have you committed?
Chunyuan, hurry and order the Royal Kitchen
to prepare some food for her!
Yes, Father.
Chun'er, tell me.
Tell me what happened on your way here.
Father, what should we do now?
Don't worry.
Bai Fengxi and Prince Yongping
will surely come and rescue us.
But now, Prince Yongping can't even fend for himself.
Lord of Yongzhou captured us
to threaten Prince Yongping.
At least we're safe for now.
We were here to save the people,
but we fell into a trap.
Now, we've implicated Prince Yongping instead.
Time to eat.
Come, your food is here.
Come and take your food.
All right.
Where did you get this jade pendant?
Can I have a look?
Have you seen this jade pendant before?
Yes, I have.
I was the one who created this jade pendant.
I was once
Dadong's number one jade carver.
After that, Lord of Yongzhou invited me here
to carve a huge Buddha statue.
After I was done,
he locked me up in here.
What's your relationship with Yu family?
Yu family?
The Yu family of the Imperial City
requested me to make this jade pendant
long ago.
However, the people of the Empyrean Yu family
all have short lives.
I don't know
if they're still alive by now.
Are you sure about this?
Naturally.
I am the only person
who knows how to do such engravings.
The Yu family of the Imperial City
and the Empyrean Yu family?
Could it be him?