Evil's Return (判妖邪)

You gods and Buddhas of clay and wood!

You've feasted on the mortal world's offerings,

yet you still dare to take

the child I raised with my very soul!

What a lousy place!

My legs are cramping from searching for it.

Too many eyes and ears in the village.

How long has she been dead?

Ten days.

Xiao Zhou!

Quit dawdling!

Your eyes are practically falling out.

Hurry in and get to work.

Xiao Zhou!

Xiao Zhou's features...

She looks just like my daughter.

Same old routine.

Prepare the thick and thin gold threads.

Bless the five fingers,

guide the corpse, stabilize the soul.

You gather your tears

Let her pass peacefully.

I'll take care of this side.

Don't worry.

I'll make sure your daughter has a proper burial.

Rest easy.

She was a good girl.

She helped beggars by the river,

even those frozen stiff at the alley entrance.

Master! Master!

This looks good.

So vibrant and alive.

Just like when she was with us.

You're busy.

Go about your work.

I won't bother you.

Truly, I won't.

Finished stitching yet?

Get up, damn you!

Spare me, sir!

Where am I?

How did I get here?

You bastard must have tricked me!

Speak!

What's your motive?

I am Yang Zhizhi, Vice Minister of Revenue.

I was resting in my mansion last night.

How...

How did I wake up here?

Who kidnapped me?

Show yourself!

Do you know who I am?

Let me go at once!

Otherwise,

I'll tear down this lousy temple!

Come out!

Stop your shouting.

If you're in such a hurry to die,

don't drag others down with you.

Who's there?

Show yourself!

Did you

imprison us here?

Calm down, both of you.

Before you woke up,

I've been awake for quite some time.

And we're all unharmed so far.

Whoever did this must have a motive.

General Tian!

Am I right?

You know me?

A year ago, when the natural disaster first struck,

the Divine Strategy Army did much for Huazhou.

Of course I recognize you,

General Tian Jinxiao.

Magistrate of Huazhou,

Chen Weishan.

Magistrate Chen!

It really is you, Magistrate Chen!

Mr. Chen

General Tian!

What on earth is going on here?

Last night, Ruzhou fell.

The rebels there

are spreading rumors that Maitreya has descended.

I was about to order my men to flog the ringleaders,

when suddenly the world spun around me.

When I opened my eyes again,

I found myself abducted here by traitors.

Both of you,

do you remember

what happened right before you fainted?

Perhaps

we can find some clues from that.

Could it be...

Am I hallucinating?

Last night, your subordinate

seemed to see something strange.

Who are you?

Wu Shuang.

I was just wondering

if my eyes were deceiving me.

Suddenly, everything went black,

and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up,

I was already in this desolate temple.

Minister Yang, you weren't hallucinating.

Because

I encountered that woman too.

Last night, at the third watch,

I had just led my elite troops

to secretly arrest the rebel leader in Yongping Fang.

You all return to the camp to report.

I'll go report to the Right Army myself.

Yes, sir!

Who's there?

I am Tian Jinxiao, Protector of the Divine Strategy Army.

Her name was clearly written

on the back of that warrant.

Wu Shuang.

That's exactly the name.

Absurd!

Utterly absurd!

Impossible!

That witch Wu Shuang

was executed under my supervision

in Huazhou a year ago.

Beheaded with a ghost headed saber,

her body displayed on the city wall for three days.

In the end, her corpse was burned to ashes.

How could she

come back to life?

Witch!

Magistrate Chen!

Don't scare me like this!

A year ago...

That was

when the strange illness first broke out.

That strange illness...

Everyone said it was caused by evil spirits.

Magistrate Chen,

you're the Magistrate of Huazhou.

What's really going on here?

You never imagined,

a year ago,

the source of Huazhou's natural disaster

wasn't some evil spirit.

It was that witch, even more sinister than any evil spirit.

Old Zhou!

What's wrong with you, Old Zhou?

Get up!

What's wrong, Old Zhou?

Old Man Zhou!

You're now in Huazhou's government office.

No one dares to harm you.

Tell the truth quickly.

What really happened?

Your Honor!

There are ghosts haunting the neighborhood!

Nonsense!

Ridiculous!

I dare not lie, Your Honor!

If that wasn't a ghost,

then what on earth

is that thing

in my neighborhood?

Enough!

Just tell the whole truth in detail.

If you dare to hide anything,

I'll not spare you!

It all started yesterday,

at the ninth hour of the night.

What terrible weather!

The beans ground tomorrow

won't be any good.

The previous emperor just suppressed Buddhism,

and now this young emperor wants to promote it again.

Who knows,

he might destroy it again soon.

Boss,

what's the point of copying these Buddhist scriptures?

In troubled times, you have to believe in something.

Old man!

Can you let me stay here for the night?

Young lady,

who are you?

It's the middle of the night, and it just finished raining.

How did you get here all alone?

I...

My name is Wu Shuang.

I'm from Wujia Gou.

I'm looking for my elder brother Wu Ling.

He works in the city.

I've been searching for him for a long time,

but I can't find him.

I'm cold

and scared.

Young lady,

hurry, come inside!

There's firewood in the stove.