【Multi | FULL】EP26 Qingxi is missing | 唐朝诡事录之西行 | iQIYI
[English subtitles are available] [Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty II To the West] [Episode 26] Get down. Get down. Get down. Get down. Stop. I confess. I confess. -I confess.
-I’ll go first. You just saw a small part of the files. There were many other files in the file room. It was on fire 3 days ago. -All those files were burned.
-All those files were burned. Wait. They said what I wanted to say. We didn’t mean to lie to you. We were just afraid of being held accountable. Where were the burned files kept before the fire? A big cabinet used to be here. All the files were in it. But somehow, it caught fire. Where is the cabinet? It was burned. Nothing left. How many files were in it? More than 100. What? 214 files. What were the cases? All kinds of cases. I don’t remember exactly. No one knows about them better than Sheriff Sima. Case files were burned in a fire. It’s a big deal. I want to know how Sima Liang was punished. He wasn’t punished. Unbelievable! Sheriff Lu, calm down. I remember at that time, the magistrate said… I didn’t say I won’t punish you. I just think of your hard work all these years and decide to let you off. That’s it? How should I put it? Sima Liang should have resigned long ago. It’s because you didn’t show up that he took your place for the time being. When an accident happened during this period, it was not proper to punish him. Then what about the responsible personnel? We have night shifts, but no one specifically watches the file room. So no one at all was punished? Mr. Song, do you know what cases those files were about? I have no idea. Here. But you definitely remember the murder cases among them. No murder cases. Just a few missing persons… cases. I was on night duty 3 days ago. Around midnight, someone sneaked in and set fire to the Back and Western Offices and the file room at the same time. Naturally, we hurried to the Back Office first. By the time we put out the fire in the file room, the cabinet had been burned to ashes. That night, the magistrate and I were also in the county office. What he said is true. Suo Long. Since you were on duty that night, I can punish you for negligence of duty. But how and when you’ll be punished depends on your performance. Thank you, Sheriff Lu. Mr. Song said there were disappearances. Can you find those who reported them? It’s hard to find them. No problem. I’ll get on it right away. Sheriff Lu, you’re working too hard on your first day in office. Solving crimes is the duty of a sheriff. Whether it’s my first day or not, I must be worth my salt. Mr. Song. I’m going back to the Western Office. Go. Yes! Sheriff Lu. I’ve sent them out to look for those who reported the cases. Sheriff. I want to ask if the Wolf Tendon really can detect lies. I feel it’s the smoke… Sheriff. Sheriff. A new case is reported. Sheriff. Please find her for me. Calm down. Take your time. Qing Xi is missing. Who is Qing Xi? Qing Xi is my neighbor. And who are you? I’m Wang Qiu. Wang as in Wang Bo. Qiu means a loach. Doesn’t Qing Xi have any family? Why are you reporting her missing? She has a husband called Bao Kang. He can’t come himself because he broke his legs. Let’s go. Lead the way. This way. Sheriff Lu. I can see that you’re very capable. I truly admire a sheriff like you. From now on, I’m at your disposal. No need for that. Just work hard. Okay. Here we are. This is Bao Kang’s house. Sheriff, please. Shoo, shoo, shoo. Bao Kang. The constables are here! Forget it. It’s a waste of time. He broke both his legs and can’t come down. He got angry when neighbors visited him. I’m Lu Lingfeng, the new sheriff. Sheriff? Are you here to help me find my wife? Tell me what happened. I made a living by collecting herbs. Two months ago, in the mountains, I accidentally fell off a cliff and broke both my legs. Yesterday, at dusk, Qing Xi brought my dinner upstairs and went to the bookstore to return a book, but she didn’t come back. Where is the bookstore? Ruyu Bookstore, at the night market. The night market? So Qing Xi disappeared at night? Bao Kang, right? How is your relationship with your wife? Pretty good. Then why do you sleep in separate beds? It’s because I’m injured. That only makes you need taking care of, doesn’t it? Let me ask you again. How is your relationship with your wife? Bad. They fought a lot. Now tell me, did Qing Xi act unusually before she disappeared? Or, was there anything that seemed odd to you? No. Wang Qiu. Yes. You’re young but quite smart. Before we find Qing Xi, you’ll take care of him. I don’t need to be taken care of, especially not by him! Do you think I want to take care of you? The county government will pay you for it. -Then I’d love to take care of him.
-But you need to be attentive. He’s a patient. If anything happens to him, you won’t get paid and will have to answer to me! Rest assured, Sheriff. Take care, Sheriff. Bao Kang. Did you hear what the sheriff said? Now, you have to listen to me. He asked you to look after me. What’s the difference? You have to do whatever I say. You can’t yell at me as you did with Qing Xi. Otherwise, I-I’ll beat you up. You… Don’t be smug, you despicable brat! I may be childish like Qing Xi said, but I’m not despicable! It’s your fault that Qing Xi is missing! You should have been nicer to her! I need to teach you a lesson for Qing Xi. Take this! Brat! What are you doing? -How dare you bully Qing Xi!
-Get off me! Take this! A girl is missing. It’s a serious matter. You two, return to the county office and have the scribe draft a missing person notice. Offer a reward for any leads. Send all available personnel out to look for that girl. -Yes!
-Yes! Suo Long. Yes. Take me to Ruyu Bookstore. Yes. [Ruyu Bookstore] That girl named Qing Xi did come to return a book last night. I’d like to return it. You finished it so soon? Is The Immortal’s Cave worth reading? The rent. Your deposit. A new book has arrived recently. It’s called The Tale of Sass. It’s even more interesting than The Immortal’s Cave. She left right after returning the book. Was there anything unusual when she was here? She seemed downhearted. Oh right. She smelled of alcohol. Besides… You see her? That girl read The Immortal’s Cave. How surprising. She’s definitely a charming little wench. We met again. Isn’t it fate? I saw Wu Cai go after her. Who is Wu Cai? I know that guy. Many people in Yunding know him. He’s a notorious scoundrel. He lives right ahead. A scoundrel visited a bookstore? That guy is a scoundrel, but he’s not illiterate. But the books he borrowed were all erotic ones. Like The Tale of Sass. In Yunding, books like The Tale of Sass can be rented and sold freely? The Tale of Sass in my store has two volumes. The first volume does have erotic content. But the second volume is about the story of a guy called Lu Lingfeng and a guy called Su Wuming who joined hands to kill Sass and uphold justice. They’re legends. Sounds like it’s a nice book. But many people, especially those like Wu Cai, only borrow the first volume. Let’s go. Wu Cai. S-Sheriff Lu. Get the coroner here. We don’t have a coroner. How is that possible? It’s true. We had an old coroner, but he died long ago. How were murder cases solved before? Sheriff Sima is versatile. He examined the bodies himself. Sheriff Lu. Can’t you do an autopsy? I don’t know much. I thought all sheriffs could do an autopsy. There are two opposing arcs on the side of his neck. Bleeding can be seen. It’s obviously a bite, a forceful one. On the back of his head, near his neck, his scalp splits from the bottom up, likely due to blunt force trauma. From his neck to his back, there are multiple slashes. Got that. What a dusty room. Looks like a very sloppy guy lived here. Yes. Wu Cai is a slob. Sheriff Lu, your butler is so capable. Su Wuming. Since when have you become Lu Lingfeng’s butler? Hold on. Su Wuming? I just heard this name in the bookstore. You two are from Chang’an. The second volume of The Tale of Sass is about your story, right? You talk too much. Sorry, Sheriff Lu. The bite was from Qing Xi, right? If Qing Xi bit him, it must be for self-defense. I just checked around. No murder weapon in this house. Qing Xi went out to return a book. It’s not likely that she’d bring a knife with her. You mean the murderer is someone else? Just a mahogany wood sword. Look. Brown fabric. Officer Suo. Yes. Check his bedroom, see if he has any brown clothes. Okay. Su Wuming. That Wolf Tendon you gave me came in handy. The lazy constables and the defiant Officer Suo are all working hard now. What’s great is not the Wolf Tendon but the way you used it. I checked all of his clothes. No brown ones. [Anda Inn] Give it to me. Someone died? A murder case on his first day in office. What a rough start. Get out! Get out! Get out! What made you think we abducted him? He did stay here, but we didn’t tie him up and couldn’t stop him from going out. What if he was money-obsessed and went to Yunding Immortal Steps? How is that my fault? My nephew is a timid boy. He wouldn’t possibly go there! If you don’t return him to me, I’ll go to the government to sue you! Go ahead! You threw baseless accusations at me. I should sue you! You… Zhuan, where on earth did you go? Sir, what happened? Someone said, right in this inn, he saw my nephew Zhuan. I waited for him for days, but he didn’t show up. So I came to this inn to look for him. However, he’s missing. Don’t worry. Could it be that he moved to another inn? Impossible. Look, his luggage is still here. Zhuan used to live in Shazhou. He’s good at Sogdian Whirl. In his letter, he said there was no curfew in Yunding, so he wanted to come to me and dance here to make some more money. Sir, you just mentioned a place called Yunding Immortal Steps. What is that place? Go away. Find it out yourself. Like I care. Yunding Immortal Steps? Sheriff Lu. You want to see me? Take me to Sima Liang’s house. What do you want to do? Pay a visit to my predecessor. It’s common courtesy. Lead the way. Mr. Sima, I… This is Sheriff Lu. I’ve just arrived in Yunding. I’m here to pay you a visit. Although I’m senior to you, you don’t need to be so polite. I’ve come to visit you and also to ask you something. Can I have a word with you inside? My house is shabby. Just ask your question here. Before you left office, the file room caught fire. 214 case files were burned to ashes. I want to know what kind of cases those files were about. All kinds of cases. Fist fights. Burglaries. Robberies. Frauds. Several homicides and missing persons. How many missing persons cases were there? Half, I guess. What? Half. Why are you so surprised? In a place like Yunding, people come and go every day. It’s quite normal for some people to leave with caravans. So reported disappearances don’t mean people have really gone missing. Then do you think those cases are the result of lifting the curfew? The lifting of the curfew was proposed and implemented by me. What? You think it was a mistake? Your words, not mine. Do you mean to go against me? Without any evidence, you try to accuse your predecessor. Lu, being as inept as you are, how did you get the court to replace me with you? You’re quite good-looking. Did you pull strings to be an informal official? Don’t fight! Don’t fight! Mr. Sima, Sheriff Lu. I look up to both of you. Please don’t fight. Don’t fight. Don’t fight. Don’t fight. Please. Su Wuming. We’re supposed to do this together. As the butler, how can you slack off? Uncle Fed. I’ll do his part. You… I wish someone could care for me like this. Fed. Come here. Take a look. What is this model? It’s indeed a model. Right. The person who lived here was a market supervisor. Could this be the model of Yunding City? No way. Yingtao and I walked around Yunding yesterday. It’s on a plain. But this is obviously upon a hill. What is a market supervisor? Every market has four sections: east, west, south, and north. Shops are categorized based on these sections. A market supervisor is someone who oversees different trades. Despite working for the government, they aren’t considered government officials. Am I right, Brother? Yes. The Yunding government is so stingy. Can’t they rent a new house for us? Why do we have to live here? That old man surnamed Lyu has been missing for half a month. Maybe he’s already dead. If that’s the case, this place is very likely haunted, isn’t it? Chicken Fed. Don’t scare me. What’s scary about a haunted house? Didn’t we stay in one back in Hanzhou? Besides, with Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng around, even if we don’t stay in a haunted house, creepy things will still happen. There’s no avoiding them. You have a point. Enough. Hurry up and clean the house. Sheriff Lu will be back soon. Sima Liang was the sheriff for many years. He worked hard and contributed a lot. Why did you have to mess with him on your first day in office? Indeed. You don’t know it, Sheriff Lu. Sima Liang is a much-loved official in Yunding. If you want to gain a foothold here, making an enemy of him is not a wise move. I work for the court and the people. I’m not afraid of making enemies. By contribution, do you mean the lifting of the curfew? Yunding’s businesses are flourishing. The wine here is renowned all over the country. Sima Liang did contribute a lot. Sima Liang admitted himself that half of the 214 case files were missing persons cases! That’s over 100 lives. What kind of contribution can make up for that mistake? That many? I don’t know the exact number, but it shouldn’t be that many. A guy called Zhao Yu came here from Qinzhou. Mr. Song, have you met him? What? He went to you too? His brother Zhao Lei was indeed my classmate, but he never came to Yunding to see me. When I passed Hanzhou, I saw a mute slave with distorted features. He had the same red string as Zhao Yu. I think he was your classmate, Zhao Lei. No way. A slave? A mute slave? What’s going on? Zhao Yu came to you but didn’t file a report. In other words, people who went missing in Yunding are more than just a hundred. You two said Lyu Xianke, the market supervisor, disappeared half a month ago. What did that mean? It meant he went missing. Did anyone report it? The case files were all burned. Magistrate Huangfu, you’re in charge of Yunding. Mr. Song, you’re the magistrate’s assistant. So many people went missing. Aren’t you responsible at all? Well… Song Shang! What’s your problem? You failed to perform your duty! Sorry, sorry. I failed to perform my duty. Sheriff Lu, do you have the confidence to solve these missing persons cases? I only have a guess now. I suspect that there’s a secret organization here that kidnaps people and uses unknown methods to make them mute and disfigure them before selling them as slaves in other places. How horrifying! Is it sorcery? Lu Lingfeng, are you exaggerating things to make a mark? If I’m proven right, will you take the responsibility? Well… Mr. Lu, you lived in the capital and never worked in a county before. There are things you may not know. Actually, since ancient times, every place has had missing people every year. People go missing now and then. It’s quite common. You’re a descendant of Grand Commandant Huangfu. If I’m proven right, with all the incidents that happened under your administration, you’ll bring disgrace on your family. That doesn’t happen now and then. It’s not common at all. You… It’s… [Yunding County Government] Wait, Mr. Lu. Mr. Song? I’ll make it short. You’re righteous and eloquent. No wonder His Majesty trusts you more than anyone else. I really admire you. Sheriff Lu. You’re finally back. You must be tired. Yingtao and I prepared this. Don’t hold back on your compliments. We can take them. What? You’ve all eaten already? Well, there’s chicken and wine at the night market. I can smell them even from here. I really don’t want to eat at home. Yingtao said the three myrobalan decoction there is very delicious. I want to try it. Why are you all so into drinking after coming to Yunding? Not just drinks. There are also delicacies and local specialties. Oh right. There’s also camel meat. I’ve never tried it before. Actually, I didn’t plan to cook tonight. I thought we could all eat at the night market. But Su Wuming said you definitely wouldn’t go with us, so we prepared dinner for you. We all eat at the night market? Are we rich? We’re running out of money, aren’t we? It’s still a while before the payday. In the coming days, what will we eat? You all have a silver ingot? How did you get them? Nothing illegal. I gave it to them. You just came to Yunding. How could you get silver ingots? Can’t they be a reward? From whom? You don’t need to know. Huangfu Tan is so wealthy. It’s not the magistrate. Then is it his assistant? Why do you have to get to the bottom of it? Since you have money, go eat at the night market if you want. I’m not going anyway. Let’s go. Let’s go. Su Wuming has to stay. Why do I have to stay? You’re my personal secretary. Huangfu Tan asked me to call you my butler. If your employer chooses to stay home, what should you do? I should… I should stay and serve you. Then, I… Let’s go. [Nan’s Tavern] [Three myrobalan decoction] Will they fight? Fight? Su Wuming is no match for Lu Lingfeng. Lu Lingfeng appears arrogant, but deep down, he respects Su Wuming very much. Su Wuming taught him a lot. They’re friends and also teacher and student. Lu Lingfeng relies on Su Wuming a lot. So don’t worry. They won’t fight. Your drink. Here. Please enjoy. Your cup. Your cup. Cheers. Cheers. It tastes great. A bit sweeter than Yunding Red. I wonder what Eternal Drunkenness tastes like. You mean, in Yunding, there’s an organization that sells slaves? Yes. They use sorcery to make people mute and disfigure them. Did you tell your guess to Huangfu Tan and Song Shang? Yes. Normal people were turned into mute slaves. That may be Zhao Lei’s case, but the missing market supervisor is over 70 years old. How can he be of any worth as a slave? I forgot about him. Missing people are common in Yunding. We met one too during the day. By the way, we heard of a place called Yunding Immortal Steps. Very mysterious. We said we were going to the night market but actually planned to go to that Yunding Immortal Steps to try to find some clues for you. Why didn’t you say so? After I finish, we’ll go together. Give me one. I can’t go with you on an empty stomach. You haven’t eaten either? I forgot. If I had known I’d eat at home, I’d have prepared something nice. Sheriff Lu. Mr. Su. Are you two going out? Then shall we talk about it in the county office tomorrow? Have you found something? Just now, a woman came to the county office, claiming to be Qing Xi’s neighbor. Where is she? Greetings, Sheriff. My surname is Sun. [Ms. Sun, Qing Xi’s neighbor] Everyone calls me Ms. Sun. Ms. Sun. I’m a widow and live alone. With nothing to do, I pay close attention to what’s happening in my neighborhood. I usually report to the district chief, but this time, I heard that Qing Xi was murdered, so I came straight to the county office. No one said Qing Xi was murdered. She’s just missing. What’s the difference? Sheriff, come closer. Stay back. Just say it. Alright. I’m just not used to it. Here’s the thing. The day before yesterday, at dusk, I saw the little brat Wang Qiu come out of Bao Kang’s house with a kitchen knife in his hand. Qing Xi. Bao Kang is badly injured. I don’t think he can stand up again. Without you looking after him, he’d starve to death. Instead of being grateful, he scolded and insulted you and threw things around. It’s infuriating. Qing Xi. Should I go up and teach him a lesson? Just say the word. I can even kill him for you! You’re so bold. Don’t say such crazy things again. I have even crazier things to say. Qing Xi. You’re my dream girl. For you, I’m willing to do anything. I’m willing to kill Bao Kang for you. You’re really crazy. That’s so cheesy. Alright, kiddo. I know you want to help me, but you can’t joke about killing someone. Don’t even think about it. Qing Xi. I know you think I’m too young, but I’ll do something big for you. That little brat brazenly harassed Qing Xi. If you ask me, I’d say Wang Qiu saw Bao Kang bedridden and kidnapped Qing Xi. Qing Xi fought back and was killed. That brat sneaks around and steals. There’s nothing he won’t… Look at me. I’m doing it again. It’s a habit of mine. I happened to witness such a serious matter. I heard everything they said loud and clear. I have to report it to you. As for the reward, I’ve never thought about it. Is there anything else? That’s all. Do you recall the color of the clothes Wang Qiu was wearing that day? Gray? No. I remember. It was brown. Suo Long. I’m not doing this for the reward. Thank you. Wang Qiu. I forgot to ask you last time. What do you do for a living? I’m jobless. Yet you kept a pig? That’s not my pig. One day, I came back from the night market and saw it wandering outside my house. It looked so pitiful, so I took it in. I didn’t expect it to eat even more than me. I had no choice but to kill it for meat. Wang Qiu. Your neighbor said you harassed Qing Xi. Is that true? Neighbor? You mean Feng Er? Well, Feng Er didn’t snitch on you. I don’t care who said it. I do like Qing Xi. It’s not a crime, is it? Besides, I reported her missing. You asked me to look after Bao Kang, and I did my best. I even carried him to the toilet once. Oh right. One man is suspicious. I heard Bao Kang argue with Qing Xi over that man. Don’t give me that. Now that I’m a cripple, you look down on me and don’t want to stay at home anymore. Go to Jin Bao if you want. He’s able-bodied and strong. I already know. You’ve shamelessly hooked up with him! All you think about is Jin Bao now, right? Jin Bao? Who is he? A huntsman. He often went hunting with Bao Kang and ate at his house. After you met Qing Xi, what did you do? Did you kill the pig? No. I heard Bao Kang humiliate Qing Xi and felt so sorry for her. I wasn’t in the mood for that. So I went home and slept. Last night, you wore this coat, right? Yes… Yes. On the right sleeve. Yunding doesn’t have a curfew. It’s normal to go out at night. Why are you lying? I-I’m not lying. Then why is there a hole here? A hole? What hole? I remember. Half a year ago, I drank too much and tripped. The scissors in my hand poked a hole in it. First of all, this hole shouldn’t be from half a year ago. Secondly, if it was left by something sharp, the hole shouldn’t be in that shape. This hole is a triangle. It should be something like a nail that tore a hole in the worn sleeve. I don’t understand what you’re talking about. This was found on a nail in Wu Cai’s house from which a mahogany wood sword was hung. Wu Cai is already dead. The murderer is very likely the owner of this strip of cloth. Tell the truth! I confess. That day, I was worried about Qing Xi, so I followed her. But before I realized it, I lost her. Wang Qiu? What are you doing here? Nothing. Just hanging out. You’re not telling the truth. Which house is the target? Count me in. What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person? Then who was the one who did those things with me? That’s water under the bridge. I’ve turned over a new leaf. Turned over a new leaf? It’s worth celebrating. I came into a windfall yesterday. Let’s go. I’ll buy you drinks. Suit yourself. Dear, let’s go over there. Okay. Don’t go. Have another drink. No. I can’t drink anymore. Another time. After you lost Qing Xi, how long was it before you saw her come out of Ruyu Bookstore? An hour. Go on. I could tell that man was up to no good, so I caught up in a hurry. How could I let anyone hurt Qing Xi? Beautiful. Don’t you remember me? We met once at Flying Fairy Body Art Store. What do you want? We meet again. Don’t you think it’s fate? Since you love The Immortal’s Cave, come to my place to read it. Scoundrel. -How do you know my nickname?
-Let go of me! Help! Come on, girl. Let go of me! Let go of me!