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