A translation blog about The Untamed - 陈情令 @wilddaydreamingcat - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
A translation blog about The Untamed - 陈情令
@wilddaydreamingcat
This blog is going to be an attempt to improve the subtitles of the web series The Untamed. It’s also an attempt for me to improve my long neglected Chinese language.
The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling 陈情令)- Chinese to English Subtitles
So a few months ago, I finally gave in to the hype and watched The Untamed. At that time, all I knew about the series was that it’s adapted from a BL novel. As expected, I fell down the rabbit hole and have been unable to climb out ever since. There’s just one problem: The English subtitles on Netflix were...not good. I grew up on a steady diet of Jin Yong wuxia and various xianxia series, and I just wished that the biggest international hit from China had subs that didn’t seem like such a rushed job, and looked like no one has ever proofread them. Unfortunately, I did not have the time then to sit through Viki’s version of the subtitles, which I heard was much better.
I hope that this translation and the accompanying notes can clear up some confusion for the non-Chinese speaking fans as well (that is, if anyone wishes to read this!).
If there are any Chinese speaking Untamed fans reading this, do feel free to provide feedback. This is my very first attempt at translating.
I have read the translated MDZS novel and listened to some of the audio drama. However, I will not be making any comparisons between the versions.
*Update 21 Feb 21
Episode 10 is finally up!
Translations will probably be slower from now on due to real life issues.
Links to the Episode Translations below:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10*
Links to Episode Thoughts, Impressions & Other Stuff - rewatch
hello op!! i don't know if you still do the translations for CQL, but may i ask if i can ever use them for transcripting? i'm a fanfic writer and find your translations useful whenever i'm watching the netflix version lol. currently, i'm writing a fic, but won't plan to publish it online :)
Hi Anon, it's nice to know that my translations are useful ☺. Feel free to use them for transcripting as long as you credit me. As for future translations, I'll see if my rl schedule gets better. I might get back to this end of this year.
I’ve been thinking for a while that I should make this as a starting place for people just learning about the situation. Please let me know if you have any corrections or anything you would like me to add.
I started researching deepfake detection method after IG video published, an approach that can objectively examine a clip without any bias. After researching published deepfake detection papers, I started to build the code based on one of the published deepfake detection models. It took me 2 days to have the first result generated without fine-tuning. The result was published on Weibo and banned 6 hours after posting. Based on the feedback from other experts, I refined the model to have the second version published here, with a detailed explanation of the method.
I retrained the model with raw/uncompressed video, and increased the training samples. The final output reduced false negative rate, leading to a more accurate reading.
The algorithm classifies each frame of video along with confidence values. The green box with 90% value, means the model classified this frame as real with 90% confidence. If the box shows red with 90% value, it means the model classified this frame as fake with 90% confidence.
I compared the IG video with zzh’s previous real-person interviews. The video showing my results are below and includes the ZZH IG video first and then two confirmed real interview clips with him. The confirmed real-person interviews were included to show what the model outputs when the video is real. After running the videos through the model, the results showed that where more facial expression was present, more fake frames were detected.
The below chart shows the detection result with confidence value within a video. When the algorithm detects the frame as being “real”, there will be a positive confidence value. When it detects the frame as being “fake”, there will be a negative confidence value.
This is the chart of the confidence values detected for the IG video. Note that the results fluctuate with high volatility between -100 to 100
This is the chart of the confidence values for the first confirmed real interview video used in the video clip. The results are between 90-92 with minor volatility
As comparison, I run the model through two known deep fake videos. Result is shows in a separate post.
As comparison, here is what happens when you run the model through two known deep fake videos. The first part of this video shows part of a
Explanation of the Model Used
The model used in this simulation is called “Xception”. The paper describing the model can be found here: https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.08971
The model was trained via Faceforensics++ data which is collected by the Visual Computing Group. I downloaded 800 raw videos (200 real + 600 fake) covering 3 state-of-art video manipulation techniques such as deepfakes, faceswap and face2face.
Data are divided into training, testing, and cross-validation group. Then I took 101 face images from each video and pre-processed every image by applying a face tracker algorithm that detects face area pixels. Based on those classified videos, the AI model will learn how to distinguish between a manipulated video and a real video. It is similar to the process of a baby learning the difference between an apple and orange, the model will classify fake and real along with confidence values on each frame of the video.
At present, Deepfake and Deepfake detection technology is progressing simultaneously. A good model can detect a modified video made by a less trained/outdated deepfake model, but a better deepfake model can also fool a good trained detection model. No technology is perfect and it is possible for a very good modified video to escape detection given current Deepfake detection technology.
Post from Li Xuezheng with a document from the NRTA attached (according to the stamp the doc was from yesterday, Dec 22 2021)
rough tl of the doc:
The application for information disclosure you submitted has been received, and the reply is as follows: In accordance with the fourth item of Article 36 of the Regulations of the PRC on Information Disclosure, I would like to inform you that:
"The NRTA defines Zhang Zhehan as an inferior or unethical artist, and required social media platforms to take down his accounts, required streaming platforms to take down his works, implemented an industry-wide boycott of said artist and instructed the China Performing Arts Association to issue a statement denouncing him,"
This information does not exist because our bureau has not produced or obtained relevant information. Thank you for your attention to our work. If you are not satisfied with this reply, you may file an application for administrative reconsideration with our bureau within 60 days from the date of service of this reply, or file an administrative lawsuit with a people's court within 6 months from the date of service of this reply," [end]
Basically:
So his social media accounts being taken down and all his works being taken down were not done under the orders of the NRTA. The NRTA has not defined him as an immoral artist, nor did they ask CAPA to release that statement against him. So for those doubting what was already obvious since August, this whole thing was initiated by people within the industry.
Hope this clears up at least part of the misinfo propagated by AvenueX on her platform. No, CAPA was not acting under the orders of the government, nor are they a government body.
Also this one:
Ngl I'm a little pissed that there are people who actually bought into this. This is so goddamn stupid. She said she has "multiple sources" that confimed NRTA had a meeting and ZZH's ban was decided. She has multiple sources. Giving her intel from the NRTA. The NRTA.
@avenuex123 Does NRTA hold their meetings at your nearest Starbucks?
I humbly present a meta series on the Zhang Zhehan (張哲瀚) Incident, based on what has transpired up to 2021/08/22. I hope it provides the answers to the Asks I’ve got.
I must apologise for the length of the series, and the time I took to finish them. Given the gravity and complexity of its historical background, I thought the incident deserves a more detailed write-up (I learned a lot as well). For those from Zhang’s related fandoms who wish to read the backgrounds without reminders of the incident: Parts 1 to 3 are written with you in mind.
Under the cut is Part 1 of the five-part meta series:
1) The 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) & the Yasukuni Shrine
2) Post-War Sino-Japanese Relations; “Every Chinese should visit the Yasukuni Shrine”
3) The Summer of 2021: The Brewing Storms for One
4) My Thoughts on Zhang’s Incident, Part A
5) My Thoughts on Zhang’s Incident, Part B
I don't really post much on this blog, other than my translations. But, it has been a very, very bad 2 days. I suffer from depression & anxiety, and Word of Honor had been my happy place for a while. The events for the past few days has left a very sour taste in my mouth, so much so that I don't think I want to watch another c-drama again. At least, not till the c-entertainment industry & netizens show some common sense, compassion & empathy. That's probably not going to ever happen.
I'm not excusing what he did. His ignorance is not an excuse. He deserved punishment, but the punishment should fit the mistake. He did not deserve this. The entire Word of Honor team did not deserve to have their hard work wiped out.
It's strange that 2 most popular c-dramas, The Untamed & Word of Honor, have important themes of redemption, forgiving mistakes, and letting go of hatred; but I see none of it in the vitriol that has been thrown around and how it was handled. It just looks so utterly hypocritical to me. It seems to me these themes flew right over their heads.
I'm going to finish off this blog post with some quotes from Word of Honor that seem relevant to what has happened:
坏人放下屠刀可立地成佛
好人做了坏事
难道就永世不得超生?
没这个道理
If a bad person puts down his killing tools, he may ascend to heaven.
If a good person does something wrong,
Does that mean that he must descend to hell for an eternity?
It makes no sense.
Zhou Zishu - Word of Honor
有个人教会了我一个道理
仇恨和贪婪一样
都是在给自己画地为牢
A person taught me something.
Hatred and vengeance is the same as greed.
All it does is to limit yourself within a cage.
Wen Kexing - Word of Honor
If anyone's wondering, I am Chinese. My grandmother lived through the Japanese occupation. I've lost 3 uncles who starved to death & never lived to grow up, as well as a granduncle who got taken away by the Japanese & never seen again. However, I have no intention of perpetuating that anger down to the next generation.
The Untamed 陈情令 - Translation of Chinese Subs - Episode 10
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thanks!
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly. Scene changes are denoted by a ruler:
=============================================
The Untamed - Episode 10
I am skipping the recap.
Wei Wuxian:
Who on earth murdered these people?
Xue Yang:
You’ve arrived?
[Xiao Xingchen]
Xiao Xingchen:
Xue Yang,
I will not let you escape any further.
Xue Yang:
Xiao Xingchen, you really are persistent.
After pursuing me for so long,
you still managed to find me.
Jiang Cheng:
Who are you?
Why did you kill innocent people?
Xue Yang:
It’s been more than ten days,
I’ve gotten bored of fooling around.
It’s finally getting livelier.
Xiao Xingchen:
Xue Yang, ever since you have left Qishan,
you have destroyed countless clan houses.
I have pursued you for more than half a month,
only for you to escape each time.
Now you have even tormented and killed scores of people from the Chang Clan.
Today, I must have you admit to your guilt and executed.
Xue Yang:
My friend, regarding the crime, I’ll admit my guilt freely!
However, regarding the execution...
That depends on whether you have the ability to capture me!
Jiang Cheng:
What’s that?
Xue Yang:
That’s fun.
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s wait and see first.
This cultivator friend’s spiritual power is pure and rich.
It is perhaps many times stronger than the boy’s,
so we’ll observe first.
Lan Zhan, do you still feel bored?
How is it, little friend? Having fun?
Xue Yang:
What spell is this? It’s so powerful.
Wei Wuxian:
This is called ‘Wuyi’(No Clothes).*
It’s also called ‘Tongpao’(Robe Sharing).*
However, to use it against someone like you,
that’s really overdoing it.
I have to think of a different name for it.
*Translation Note: Please see episode 8 for a full translation of these spell names.
Xue Yang:
Why not call it ‘Tongsi’ (Dying Together)?
Lan Wangji:
The Qiankun* sleeve?
*Translation Note: I guess an English translation for this would be ‘Cosmic Sleeve’? However, using the literal translation just looks weird, so I’m sticking to the Chinese pinyin.
Wei Wuxian:
Be careful!
[Song Lan, courtesy name - Zichen]
Song Lan:
Xingchen.
Xiao Xingchen:
Zichen.
Xue Yang, do you plead guilty?
Xue Yang:
Of course!
Xiao Xingchen:
So, the three young masters are cultivation clan disciples.
That is why you have such refined bearing
and extraordinary skills.
My name is Xiao Xingchen.
This is my friend,
Song Lan.
Lan Wangji:
The Bright Moon and Gentle Breeze, Xiao Xingchen.
The Unyielding Snow and Cold Frost, Song Zichen.
We have long heard of your elegant names.
Song Lan:
You accord us with too much honour, Second Young Master Lan.
We are undeserving of it.
By coincidence, I was night-hunting nearby today.
I saw the message Xingchen left for me and hurried here.
Jiang Cheng:
Your life’s purpose in aiding the people of the world
is known everywhere on this earth.
I did not expect to be so fortunate to meet you.
Wei Wuxian:
Little friend.
What are you laughing at?
Xue Yang:
Nothing much.
Just watching your so-called famed cultivation clan disciples exchanging pleasantries,
looking so fake and hypocritical that it makes me want to puke.
Jiang Cheng:
You...
Xiao Xingchen:
This Xue Yang...
may be young in years,
but he is notorious for his evil deeds,
and absolutely cunning.
Recently, several small cultivation clans have been massacred, one after another.
He is the culprit in every one of them.
He may have allowed himself to be tied-up now,
but once he has a chance,
he will definitely find a way to escape.
We must not allow him to throw us into disarray.
Wei Wuxian:
That’s interesting.
I actually want to see how he’ll escape this.
Lan Wangji:
Hand it over.
Xue Yang:
Hand what over?
Lan Wangji:
The Yin Iron.
Xue Yang:
I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
I just kill people, I don’t steal from others.
No matter what kind of ‘iron’,
or whatever ‘gold’ you’re saying,
I’ve not laid a finger on any of those.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, why are you wasting so much time with him?
Just search him directly.
Hold this for me.
...I’ll hold it myself.
Xue Yang:
Hey! A young master from a respected clan like you
is laying hands on a grown man like me.
Aren’t you afraid of the rumours spreading and affecting your reputation?
Wei Wuxian:
I beg your pardon.
Among all the cultivation clans,
in the contest for the one with the thickest skin*,
I am ranked second.
Absolutely no one would dare rank themselves as the first.
*Translation Note: ‘Having a thick skin’ (or more literally: ‘thick face skin’) in Chinese means having no sense of embarrassment.
Xue Yang:
You’re actually quite an interesting person.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, do you want to give it a try with your piece of Yin Iron
to see if there’s any reaction?
Lan Wangji:
It’s not necessary. Ever since we entered the ancestral hall, there has been no reaction.
He must be planning something.
Wei Wuxian:
He allowed himself to be captured so calmly without putting up a fight;
It must be because he’s already planned the hiding place of the Yin Iron well in advance.
Jiang Cheng:
In your opinion, where would he hide the Yin Iron?
Wei Wuxian:
Regarding this...
the most dangerous place will also be safest.
=============================================
Song Lan:
Let’s go.
Wei Wuxian:
Xue Yang, let me ask you.
Were you sent by the Wen Clan?
Xue Yang:
You really think too highly of me.
I’m just a lowly rogue from Kuizhou,
a nobody.
How could one like me ever be associated with
a great cultivation clan like the Qishan Wen?
Wei Wuxian:
You deem yourself unworthy to be associated with great cultivation clans,
yet you have no mercy on these small clans,
and murdered everyone.
Xue Yang:
Right.
I did massacre a few small cultivation clans.
But I’ve already told you earlier,
it has nothing to do with this Wen Clan.
It’s a completely personal grievance.
Wei Wuxian:
A personal grievance?
What kind of personal grievance
would cause you to act so viciously?
Lan Wangji:
This place does not seem like it has been used to suppress the Yin Iron.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei, Brother Lan, Brother Jiang!
Wei Wuxian:
Brother Nie?
Nie Huaisang:
Just now, I immediately rushed over with haste after I met up with Meng Yao at the inn.
Everyone...
What happened here?
How did it turn into such a disaster?
Meng Yao:
Clan Leader Nie was concerned for the safety of the young masters
and sent me to greet you.
Clan Leader Nie has received a private message from Clan Leader Lan,
hence, I request the young masters to go to Qinghe to report.
Lan Wangji:
Elder Brother has sent a letter?
Is it because something has happened in Cloud Recesses?
Meng Yao:
Nothing has happened.
But I must request the young masters to come with me to Qinghe.
Clan Leader Nie awaits to welcome you in the Unclean Realm.
Wei Wuxian:
Brother Xiao,
the matter of Xue Yang hiding the Yin Iron is of great importance.
I wonder if Brother Xiao could
trust us and hand over that person to us,
to take him back to the Unclean Realm and receive punishment from Clan Leader Nie.
Ah right! This is Clan Leader Nie’s younger brother.
Xiao Xingchen:
Clan Leader Nie has always been known for his heroic deeds,
and differentiates between good and evil.
I am sure he will decide on a just punishment.
Nie Huaisang:
Absolutely.
Xiao Xingchen:
Xue Yang is extremely cunning.
To avoid trouble
and any possible complications,
it is better for everyone to set out immediately.
Jiang Cheng:
Are both of you not coming with us?
Xiao Xingchen:
We must bid everyone farewell now.
Meng Yao:
Great heroes,
since both of you aided in apprehending Xue Yang,
why not travel with us to Qinghe?
We should discuss what punishment to mete out to him,
as well as to plan the strategies to counter the Wen Clan.
Xiao Xingchen:
I am not familiar with the matters involving the Yin Iron.
Also, Brother Song had merely passed by coincidentally.
Neither Brother Song nor I are part of the prominent clans,
hence, we are less concerned about lineage and inheritance,
but more focused on having the same ideals.
We have no desire to attach ourselves to any cultivator household.
Now that Xue Yang has been arrested,
I believe that you will sentence him in accordance to the law.
As for the dispute among the great cultivation clans,
we truly do not wish to involve ourselves.
Song Lan:
That is indeed the case.
If, someday,
should any of you have need of us,
both of us will aid you with what little strength we have,
and put in all our effort.
Wei Wuxian:
To be truly unconcerned about lineage and inheritance,
and to have the same ideals!
Lan Zhan and I also decided to go night hunting together
because we had the same ideals!
Isn’t that right, Lan Zhan?
Jiang Cheng:
What night hunting together?
If you’re so great, don’t return to Lotus Pier then!
You...!
Lan Wangji:
May I know who your cultivation masters are?
How may we find you?
Song Lan:
My honoured master cultivates at White Snow Pavilion.
Xiao Xingchen:
My honoured master is Baoshan Sanren.
Wei Wuxian:
Baoshan Sanren?
==============================================
Xiao Xingchen:
My sincere apologies, Young Master Wei.
Although I was a disciple of Baoshan Sanren,
I was the last to be accepted.
Hence, I only knew that Cangse Sanren
was my master’s favoured student,
but I have never met her.
I did not expect
that you would be my Senior Sister’s son, Young Master Wei.
Wei Wuxian:
Yes, indeed.
Even though we are similar in age,
but you can still be regarded
as my Junior Uncle*.
I wonder when
I can meet my Grand Master.
*Translation Note: Just like how Wei Wuxian calls Yanli ‘Senior Sister’(师姐)(literal translation: Senior Martial Sister). Xiao Xingchen is Wei Wuxian’s ‘Junior Martial Uncle’(师叔) because both Xiao Xingchen and his mother had the same master. Xiao Xingchen would be considered as Cangse Sanren’s ‘Junior Martial Brother’.
Xiao Xingchen:
Master is unfettered by worldly concerns,
and has no fixed residence.
Also, disciples who have left her tutelage cannot return.
This is the rule of our sect.
However, if Master ever has the chance to meet Young Master Wei,
her heart would indeed be filled with joy.
Everyone:
May we meet again.
Song Lan:
Let’s go.
Xue Yang:
Xiao Xingchen!
Don’t you dare forget me!
Let’s wait and see!
Nie Huaisang:
What refined gentlemen they are!
They are indeed awe-inspiring, incorruptible,
and their bearing is truly extraordinary!
Great! Let’s set off for Qinghe quickly.
Oh right, Meng Yao,
you must watch over Xue Yang carefully!
Meng Yao:
Rest assured, Young Master.
Nie Huaisang:
Let’s go!
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s go.
===============================================
[Unclean Realm]
Nie Huaisang:
Welcome.
Captain:
One!
Two!
Three!
Meng Yao:
These are your elder brother’s newly hired guards.
Ever since the Qishan Wen Clan dispatched hirelings to send us a message
The Clan Leader has sent people to strengthen the guard.
Nie Huaisang:
A message?
Meng Yao:
You are still unaware of this, Second Young Master,
but recently, Clan Leader Wen has sent his people to give us a message,
saying that all great cultivation clans must
choose as least one main clan disciple of direct lineage
to go to Qishan to be instructed.
There cannot be any refusals.
Otherwise...
Nie Huaisang:
Otherwise, what?
Meng Yao:
The Wen Clan will send someone to take him.
Jiang Cheng:
All the great cultivation clans?
This means that we’re also included.
The Lan Clan has instructional lectures*;
these will be more like punishments.
Wei Wuxian:
All disciples of the cultivation clans fight to go to
the Lan Clan lectures.
On the contrary, they are capturing people for these (Wen Clan) lectures*.
How are these even considered lectures?
They’re evidently just taking hostages.
*Translation Note: Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are using similar phrases to describe the Lan Clan and Wen Clan lectures with subtle differences:
Lan Clan - 听学 (tīng xué)
Wen Clan - 听训 (tīng xùn)
Both of them have a meaning of ‘lecture’. However, 听学(tīng xué) implies a gentle teaching so that the student could learn something, while 听训(tīng xùn) is stronger and implies the student is being scolded or punished. The difference is in attending a university ‘lecture’ and receiving a ‘lecture’ by an authority figure for doing something wrong.
Nie Huaisang:
A main clan disciple of direct lineage?
No way!
The only main clan disciple of direct lineage in the Nie Clan is me!
How can this be good?
No way, I have to go ask my brother.
[Unclean Realm]
[Nie Mingjue, Qinghe Nie Clan]
Nie Mingjue:
Ask what?
Everyone:
Clan Leader.
Jiang Cheng:
Chifeng-zun definitely lives up to his name and reputation.
Wei Wuxian:
I don’t blame Huaisang for fearing his brother the most.
Nie Mingjue:
Huaisang,
what did you want to ask me just now?
Nie Huaisang:
Nothing.
Nie Mingjue:
Young Master Jiang.
Young Master Wei.
I have long heard from Xichen,
that the two young masters from Yunmeng are great young heroes.
Now that I have seen for myself, your reputations are indeed well deserved.
Wangji, how is your elder brother?
Lan Wangji:
Thank you, Chifeng-zun, for your regard.
My elder brother is well.
Nie Mingjue:
Is that him?
Meng Yao:
It is.
Nie Mingjue:
Bring him in.
Nie Guards:
Move!
Nie Mingjue:
Please enter.
[Unclean Realm]
Nie Mingjue:
Xue Yang, you scoundrel!
You have shown such viciousness and cruelty,
and truly deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces!
Even if the Yin Iron cannot be found on you,
then you must still be executed as a criminal!
Wei Wuxian:
Wait a moment!
Nie Mingjue:
Why?
Are you going to plead for this unpardonable criminal?
Wei Wuxian:
We do not have a clear understanding of the situation right now.
It is not too late to investigate further before executing him.
Nie Mingjue:
Hasn’t the situation already been made clear earlier?
Nie Huaisang:
Elder brother!
Xue Yang:
Clan Leader Nie,
If I were truly in cahoots with the Qishan Wen Clan;
once you strike me down with your blade,
I’m afraid that the entire Nie Residence
will meet the same end as the Yueyang Chang Clan!
Nie Mingjue:
The Wen Clan is vicious in nature,
and disobeyed the natural law.
I, Nie Mingjue, have an indomitable spirit.
Against a violent and treacherous criminal such as you,
do you think I would have any fear?
Meng Yao:
Please do not be angry, Clan Leader.
Although Xue Yang is not worthy of the trouble,
the matter of the Yin Iron affects the safety of the great cultivation clans in general.
Also, Xue Yang is already Clan Leader’s prisoner.
It is a matter of time before he is executed.
Why not take this opportunity
to make him reveal the whereabouts of the Yin Iron?
Only, since Wen Ruohan
does not yet know that Xue Yang is in our hands,
it would be better not to disclose this.
If we can get one step ahead
and successfully obtain the information of the Yin Iron from Xue Yang,
then it is as good as cutting off one of Qishan’s arms.
Jiang Cheng:
This Meng Yao is really not a simple-minded person.
The words he said have absolutely no loopholes.
He is truly experienced in the ways of the world.
Nie Huaisang:
I totally agree!
My brother values him highly indeed!
Wei Wuxian:
It looks like Jin Guangshan really does not recognise his talent.
Nie Mingjue:
Meng Yao.
Bring him down to the dungeon.
Increase the guards, and watch him closely.
Meng Yao:
Yes.
Guards.
Nie Guards:
Move!
Move!
Captain:
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Meng Yao:
Greetings, everyone.
Captain:
Cease!
Meng Yao:
Clan Leader Nie has given orders.
The guards in the dungeon must be increased for the next few days.
May I request everyone present
to come along with me and take this criminal there now?
Captain:
Yes. Fine.
Meng Yao:
Sir, can you accompany me now?
This is the Clan Leader’s order.
Captain:
Fine, fine, Meng Yao.
You should just be responsible for guest accommodations,
cleaning, sanitation, and various lowly clan issues.
It is not your place to interfere in
matters like troop deployment!
Meng Yao:
I am aware.
All the troop dispatches of the Nie Clan
should only be ordered by you, Captain.
Only,
the instructions regarding the dungeon are extremely important.
I hope that Captain will not create difficulties for me,
otherwise, when Chifeng-zun lays the blame,
I cannot bear the responsibility.
Captain:
Then you can just look for Chifeng-zun, right?
Continue!
You’re merely the son of a whore.
Just think for yourself what kind of status you’re from.
Nie Mingjue:
Now that I think of it,
there are four pieces of Yin Iron in total.
Now, all of them have appeared.
Wei Wuxian:
To be more accurate,
only three pieces appeared.
No one has seen
Xue Yang’s fragment.
Nie Mingjue:
Does anyone know the origins of Xue Yang and where he came from?
Wei Wuxian:
But...
His surname is also ‘Xue’.
Nie Mingjue:
You’re saying...
Xue Chonghai?
Jiang Cheng:
Xue Chonghai?
Wei Wuxian:
I’ll explain it to you later.
Jiang Cheng:
And you know about that too?
Nie Mingjue:
Regardless of how Xue Yang acts,
the Wen Clan has already gathered two pieces of Yin Iron.
Wen Chao did not succeed in his attack,
and revealed his intentions.
Knowing Wen Ruohan’s temperament,
he will not give up so easily.
Jiang Cheng:
There will probably be a tough battle ahead against the Wen Clan.
Wei Wuxian:
Actually,
if we could refine the Yin Iron we have into a spiritual tool,
and use it to counter the Wen Clan’s Yin Iron,
wouldn’t that be easier?
Jiang Cheng:
As if it were so simple!
Nie Mingjue:
A thousand years ago, the State Preceptor from the Blessed Mountain
could not suppress the Yin Iron.
Even the supremely gifted family head of the Lan Clan, Lan Yi, could not.
As cultivation clan members,
I would advise you, not to think of using such evil and unorthodox methods.
Nie Huaisang:
Then, how should we deal with the piece of Yin Iron?
Oh right! Does the Wen Clan know that you’re in the Unclean Realm?
Wei Wuxian:
Wen Chao has been following us like a sticky medicated bandage
all along the way.
Do you think they would know about
us capturing Xue Yang?
Nie Huaisang:
Then, wouldn’t the Unclean Realm be in danger?
Nie Mingjue:
Wangji, Xichen wrote me a letter to say
that he has found records of the Yin Iron in the Forbidden Library.
And the current plan
is still for you to bring the Yin Iron back to Gusu
to see if there are any methods to put an end to this calamity.
Lan Wangji:
Yes.
==============================================
Nie soldier:
Captain.
Meng Yao:
Captain.
Captain:
Son of a whore!
Meng Yao:
Young Master Wei, why are you here?
Wei Wuxian:
Ah, I just went to get myself a flask of liquor.
I didn’t expect myself to get lost on the way back.
Assistant Meng, why haven’t you joined the banquet?
Meng Yao:
I’m following orders to watch over Xue Yang.
Wei Wuxian:
Then, thank you for your hard work, Assistant Meng.
Meng Yao:
This way.
==========================================
[Jing Shan Hall]
Wei Wuxian:
The roof tiles in Qinghe seem to be coarser compared to Gusu.
It cuts against me really badly.
With heaven and earth surrounding me,
the sky will be my blanket,
the earth will be my bed.
Lan Zhan!
I’m borrowing your roof to sleep for a night!
Lan Wangji:
Wei Ying,
I’m leaving.
==========================================
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian!
This person!
Where the hell did he go now?
Where did you go last night?
Wei Wuxian:
Don’t know, probably went drinking.
Jiang Cheng:
No time to talk. Come with me right now, something’s happened outside.
Wei Wuxian:
What happened?
Jiang Cheng:
What else do you think happened?
The Wen Clan is attacking the gates!
Let’s go!
Nie Mingjue:
Second Young Master Wen, why are you here?
Wen Chao:
Clan Leader Nie,
The Chief Cultivator is extremely angry
after hearing of the incidents of the Yin Iron and the massacre of the Chang Clan
Important events like these should be handled by the Chief Cultivator himself.
How could he let these rabble clans
who don’t even know their place meddle as they please?
Clan Leader Nie,
I am here today to give you a message,
and also to offer you a chance.
Hand over the Yin Iron and the criminal Xue Yang.
I will take it that you will stop your interference
and not pursue you for the crime of meddling in our affairs.
Nie Mingjue:
I refuse to comply with this!
Wen Chao:
Nie Mingjue,
you shouldn’t forfeit this chance, or you will pay for it later!*
*Translation Note: 敬酒不吃，吃罚酒 (jìng jiǔ bù chī, chī fá jiǔ): literally – to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit later.
Nie Huaisang:
Great skills!
Great skills!
Wen Chao:
Great indeed.
It seems like you people of the Qinghe Nie Clan want to wallow in the mud with the Gusu Lan Clan!
You truly are trash that do not know your place!
Since that’s the case,
let me purge this clan on the behalf of the Chief Cultivator today!
Meng Yao:
Huaisang,
I’ll go and keep watch on Xue Yang.
Nie Huaisang:
Meng Yao...
Wen Chao:
Kill!
===========================================
Nie Soldier:
Get the comrades from the dungeon over here to help!
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng, go to the dungeon to find Xue Yang, quickly!
I’ll find Chifeng-zun!
Nie Soldier:
Oh no! Xue Yang has escaped!
Nie Mingjue:
What!
Meng Yao!
Meng Yao:
It’s not me!
It’s not me!
It really isn’t me!
It really isn’t me!
It’s Xue Yang who killed him!
Be careful!
Nie Mingjue:
Meng Yao...
Wen Chao:
Stop.
Clan Leader Nie,
Qinghe is at the foot of Qishan.
And right now, you are beneath my feet.
Wei Wuxian:
Clan Leader Nie!
Nie Huaisang:
Brother!
Wei Wuxian:
Wen Chao,
this is still the territory of the Qinghe Nie Clan.
I would advise you not to be so arrogant.
Wen Chao:
Wei Wuxian...
you really do like to interfere in other people business.
Didn’t you like meddling in Gusu Lan’s affairs as well?
Fine, I’ll tell you right now.
My elder brother, Wen Xu, has already led his troops to Gusu.
Even if Lan Wangji could, by luck, return to Gusu,
what do you think he would see?
The Cloud Recesses in ruins!
Meng Yao:
(Clan Leader Lan!)
Wen Clan:
The three pieces of Yin Iron will belong to the Wen House eventually.
Nie Mingjue:
Despicable bastard!
Wen Chao:
Nie Mingjue,
Today, you aided these little brats who concealed the Yin Iron and defied us, the Wen Clan.
It looks like we have not asserted our authority for far too long,
and your clans no longer show us any respect.
I will let you off for now.
If this happens again,
your Qinghe’s Unclean Realm will be the next Cloud Recesses!
As for you,
Wei Wuxian,
my father has already ordered you cultivation clan members to go to Qishan for lectures.
I’ll have my fun with you then.
Let’s go!
Nie Huaisang:
Brother!
Nie Mingjue:
Huaisang,
bring Meng Yao along to see me.
Let’s go.
============================================
[Xianyun House]
Meng Yao:
Clan Leader!
Please wait!
Please listen to my explanation!
Nie Mingjue:
What do you want to explain?
Meng Yao:
I had no choice.
Nie Mingjue:
What do you mean by “You had no choice”!
Meng Yao:
Clan Leader!
Clan Leader, you promoted me to the position of Deputy General,
but the Captain had always looked down on me,
often insulting and humiliating me.
Nie Mingjue:
So that’s why you killed him?
Meng Yao:
No! It’s not because of that!
He’d looked down on me,
insulted me. I could put up with it!
It was simply...
simply because each time, he’d take credit for all my work!
Just once was fine!
Just now...
Just now, I saw him set Xue Yang free with my own eyes,
and I went up to confront him.
It was always like this.
And he said my mother, my mother was...
Nie Mingjue:
You’re lying!
Meng Yao:
What I said was the truth!
Every word was true!
Nie Mingjue:
For just a little credit...
and you would care this much for a little bit of vain glory?
Meng Yao:
To have known Chifeng-zun in this lifetime,
I, Meng Yao, have no regrets!
Nie Mingjue:
You saved my life today.
I will not kill you.
Leave.
Even if you go to the Jin Clan or anywhere else, it’s fine.
Just never come back again.
Meng Yao:
Clan Leader!
I, Meng Yao, thank Clan Leader for your care and recognition.
The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling 陈情令)- Chinese to English Subtitles
So a few months ago, I finally gave in to the hype and watched The Untamed. At that time, all I knew about the series was that it’s adapted from a BL novel. As expected, I fell down the rabbit hole and have been unable to climb out ever since. There’s just one problem: The English subtitles on Netflix were…not good. I grew up on a steady diet of Jin Yong wuxia and various xianxia series, and I just wished that the biggest international hit from China had subs that didn’t seem like such a rushed job, and looked like no one has ever proofread them. Unfortunately, I did not have the time then to sit through Viki’s version of the subtitles, which I heard was much better.
I hope that this translation and the accompanying notes can clear up some confusion for the non-Chinese speaking fans as well (that is, if anyone wishes to read this!).
If there are any Chinese speaking Untamed fans reading this, do feel free to provide feedback. This is my very first attempt at translating.
I have read the translated MDZS novel and listened to some of the audio drama. However, I will not be making any comparisons between the versions.
*Update 31 Oct 2020
Episode 9 is up!
Translations will probably be slower from now on due to real life issues.
Links to the Episode Translations below:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9*
Links to Episode Thoughts, Impressions & Other Stuff - rewatch
The Untamed 陈情令 - Translation of Chinese Subs - Episode 9
The Untamed – Episode 9
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly.
I’ve decided to re-translate the female address of 姑娘 (gū niang) as ‘Young Lady’ (for example ‘Young Lady Wen’ instead of Miss Wen) as I felt that this would suit the ancient time period better. This will be adjusted in the previous episodes that I’ve translated.
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thank you.
I am skipping the recap.
Nie Huaisang:
Save me! Brother Wei! Brother Lan!
Why am I always the unlucky one?
Wei Wuxian:
Be careful!
Lan Wangji:
Stop.
They are not dead.
Did you forget? You said so yourself.
Look at their pupils.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan,
do you have a better plan?
Lan Wangji:
Charge out.
Nie Huaisang:
Wait, wait! Brother Lan, Brother Wei.
Isn’t it rather rash for us to go out like that?
Shouldn’t we have a good discussion on what our next move is?
We’re courting death by going out like this, right?
Brother Wei, I don’t want to die yet! My golden sparrow...*
* Translation Note: In case anyone has forgotten, it’s the bird that Huaisang caught in episode 4.
Wei Wuxian:
Listen to me, Brother Nie.
When we go out,
you must follow me closely.
Don’t ever let go, understand?
================================================
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s go.
Jiang Cheng:
Stop there.
Stop there.
Nie Huaisang:
Why is she attacking again?
Jiang Cheng:
You ignorant little brats trespassed on the Goddess Temple. Do you plead guilty?
Nie Huaisang:
Spare us!
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian!
You left on your own without permission! Do you accept punishment?
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng!
If you don’t come out right now, Lan Zhan will get really pissed.
Jiang Cheng, why are you here?
Jiang Cheng,
Since you’re here, why can’t I?
You’ve been travelling all over, how carefree!
Wei Wuxian:
Without you nagging at my ears,
I’m naturally feeling more carefree.
Jiang Cheng:
How dare you say that!
Leaving us a note and just disappearing!
Did you know how much I...
...my sister worried for you?
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Jiang!
It’s enough for you to just give Brother Wei a fright!
Why are you dragging in Brother Wangji and me as well?
Both of us are...
Oh, the silence spell has been removed.
Jiang Cheng:
I don’t know who got dragged in this time round.
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng, that’s enough.
I was the one who wanted to follow Lan Zhan.
Even if you wanted to blame someone, don’t blame him.
Jiang Cheng:
I haven’t finished lecturing you, and you’re already speaking up for him!
I really don’t know what on earth you guys are up to!
All of you could see how dangerous it was!
If you didn’t have Young Lady Wen...
Wei Wuxian:
Young Lady Wen!
Wen Qing is here too?
Jiang Cheng:
Oh no!
How long has the flute music stopped?
I’m afraid Young Lady Wen has run into danger!
Wei Wuxian:
Where is she?
How did both of you come together?
===============================================
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen!
Nie Huaisang:
That owl again!
Is Wen Chao nearby as well?
Why is he trying to harm us?
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen, are you all right?
Wen Qing:
Young Master Jiang,
didn’t I tell you that once you save them...
Wei Wuxian:
Young Lady Wen,
why are you here as well?
Nie Huaisang:
They’re coming again!
Wen Qing:
All of you, hurry up and leave!
Wei Wuxian:
We’ll leave together!
Wen Qing:
I can’t leave.
Young Master Jiang, you promised me
that while you were here, you would follow my orders,
so take them away quickly.
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen, you can’t save them.
Soon, it'll be too late!
Lan Wangji:
You do know how to save them.
Nie Huaisang:
Isn’t this caused by the Dancing Goddess’s soul absorption?
Can they still be saved?
Wei Wuxian:
Wen Qing,
I don’t care why you appeared here,
but now, we’re all trapped here.
We must work as one if we want to leave,
If you know how to restore them to their senses,
I hope that you can tell me now.
Wen Qing:
All right.
I’ll tell all of you.
The power that is controlling them now is not strong.
Wen Chao is merely borrowing the power of the Yin Iron that Wen Ruohan sealed within the owl
to manipulate them.
If you really want to help them,
you must first kill the owl.
Wei Wuxian:
You should have told us earlier.
Lan Wangji:
Wei Ying, cast the Golden Net Barrier to protect them.
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian, what are you doing?
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei, this spell of yours will not last long.
Isn’t this going to end up harming us?
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng, you’re highly skilled,
so protect them well.
Jiang Cheng:
You...
Wei Wuxian:
If you can no longer hold on, then add a layer of protection to it.
Aren’t you really good at this?
You must protect them well!
I’ve wanted to kill that owl for a long time!
Wait for my return!
Wait for us!
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian!
You idiot!
================================================
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, where are you?
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, where are you?
Lan Zhan?
Lan Zhan.
What’s going on?
Lan Wangji:
Listen.
Wei Wuxian:
What is this bird reincarnated from?
It’s smarter than me.
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, where are you?
Oh no!
Lan Zhan hasn’t been caught by the owl, has he?
Lan Wangji:
I’m beside you.
Wei Wuxian:
Ah! You should have said something!
Lan Wangji:
The owl created these illusionary sounds and summoned the disorienting fog.
Wei Wuxian:
No problem.
I’ll use my flittering light spell to break it.
Lan Wangji:
The illusionary sounds not only causes one to lose their sense of direction,
it can also disrupt one’s mental state.
We will be unable to focus on summoning spells right now.
Wei Wuxian:
That’s not right.
Why are you not affected?
Lan Wangji:
With the illusionary sounds made by the owl,
the more thoughts a person has, the more easily the person is disrupted.
Wei Wuxian:
Isn’t it obviously bullying me because of my intelligence?
Lan Zhan,
are you all right?
Lan Wangji:
I’m fine.
Wei Wuxian:
Did you see who was it?
Lan Wangji:
No.
Wei Ying,
close your five senses.
Use the Crimson Rending Talisman.
==============================================
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian, that bastard!
Why isn’t he back yet?
Nie Huaisang:
Thank goodness my fan is made of black iron.
Otherwise...
Go away! Brother Jiang, help me mend this!
They almost grabbed the netting
Jiang Cheng:
Mend it yourself!
Nie Huaisang:
How do I mend it?
Young Lady Wen! Hurry!
Help me mend this!
Young Lady Wen!
Young Lady Wen,
don’t go too close!
They might capture you!
Wen Qing:
Granny...
=============================================
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
This move of yours is indeed effective!
Lan Wangji:
Keep silent.
Wei Wuxian:
Can your quick wit ever beat mine?
That was close.
Lan Zhan, thank goodness you came on time.
Did you see who it was?
Lan Wangji:
Whoever it was only sent part of their spiritual senses. They did not come here personally.
Wei Wuxian:
That person got off too lightly.
Lan Wangji:
The villagers should have regained their senses. Let’s go.
Wei Wuxian:
Hey, wait for me!
Wen Chao:
Useless thing!
Wei Wuxian:
Sir,
where are those three people just now?
Villager:
What?
Where am I?
================================================
Granny Wen:
I’m too ashamed to face the family head.
I nearly caused harm to Young Lady Qing.*
This old lady is so useless!
*Translation Note: There has been some confusion with viewers thinking that Granny Wen is Wen Qing’s grandmother, but she’s not. Granny Wen actually addresses Wen Qing as 情姑娘 (qíng gū niang), literally ‘Young Lady Qing’, which is extremely deferential and polite, and not how a grandmother would address a granddaughter. If Granny Wen was her grandmother, she would be calling Wen Qing: ‘A-Qing’, ‘Qingqing’ or ‘Qing-er’ (For example, see how Yanli addresses Wei Wuxian as ‘Xianxian’ or ‘A-Xian’ without honorifics to demonstrate their close relationship). The deferential address is because Wen Qing is the leader of her branch clan. Wen Qing calls her ‘Granny’ out of respect and probably because they are relatives.
Wen Qing:
Please get up.
Granny, please get up.
Granny Wen:
Young Lady Qing,
I’ve let you down.
I’m old and useless.
Wen Qing:
Granny.
Everyone, please get up.
Granny,
please don’t ever say that.
I’m the one who has let everybody down.
All of you should leave here as soon as possible.
Go wherever you want,
but don’t go to Qishan,
and don’t ever return to this place.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Jiang,
how do they know Young Lady Wen?
Also,
why did she bring us to this graveyard?
Jiang Cheng:
How would I know?
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng!
Young Lady Wen!
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei! We’re over here!
Brother Wei, I knew you would definitely defeat that owl.
You are certainly full of battle spirit.
Wei Wuxian:
However,
why are all of you here?
Young Lady Wen,
what is this place?
Wen Qing:
This is the place where the people of my clan are buried.
Wei Wuxian:
So, that temple...
Wen Qing:
You’re right.
That was the Wen Clan’s ancestral hall.
We are the bloodline of a branch of the Qishan Wen Clan,
specialising in medicine.
After we left Qishan, the clan lived in this place for generations.
We didn’t expect
a disaster to suddenly happen here.
===========================================
Young Wen Qing:
Father!
Wen Qing’s Father:
A-Qing, run away!
===========================================
Wen Qing:
We are the only survivors
of this branch of the Wen Clan.
Wei Wuxian:
It’s because of the Dancing Goddess’s soul absorption?
Wen Qing:
Yes.
From that day onwards,
Wen Ning and I were taken in by the Chief Cultivator,
and returned to Qishan.
Wei Wuxian:
But why would the Dancing Goddess suddenly harm people?
Wen Qing:
I don’t know either.
============================================
Wen Chao:
Father,
we could have defeated Wei Wuxian and the others in one fell swoop,
but that ill-raised trash, Wen Qing,
actually dared to obstruct me behind my back!
Wen Ruohan:
You fool!
The Wen Clan’s bloodline at Dafan Mountain are Wen Qing’s clans people.
If you hadn’t used the power of the Yin Iron that I sealed within the owl
to turn them into puppets,
would Wen Qing have reason to go against you?
Moreover, I ordered you to assist Xue Yang.
Who told you to act without permission and intercept them?
Wen Chao:
I deserve your admonishment, Father.
I was wrong.
Wen Ruohan:
Find the Yin Iron and bring it back.
This time, there had better not be any mistakes.
Wen Chao:
Yes, Father.
==============================================
Nie Huaisang:
Please don’t let there be any trouble again.
Wei Wuxian:
As long as you’re with me,
I guarantee that you won’t even lose a hair.
Jiang Cheng:
Stop boasting already.
If Young Lady Wen hadn’t come to rescue you at Dafan Mountain,
would you be frolicking here right now?
I’ll get eight generations of bad luck
following you around.
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng,
if you actually feel that following me around brings bad luck,
why are you still coming with me?
Jiang Cheng:
I...
Who says I’m following you?
To get through Dafan Mountain,
this is the only road.
I’d say you’re the one following me!
Nie Huaisang:
A reed flower chicken!
Look!
Over there!
Wei Wuxian:
How did it know that I was hungry?
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei,
we’ll surround it, one of us in front and the other behind. Let’s go.
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng!
Help me block it from there.
Jiang Cheng:
I’m not going!
Wei Wuxian:
Quick! Brother Nie has already gone far ahead!
Brother Nie!
Lan Wangji:
Young Lady Wen,
twenty years ago,
do you truly not know why the Dancing Goddess went out of control?
Jiang Cheng:
Where’s Wei Wuxian?
Nie Huaisang:
He was saying something about needing to relieve himself just now.
I guess he went to look for the latrine.
Wen Qing:
Second Young Master Lan,
I said so just now.
I was still a child then,
and couldn’t understand anything.
Wei Wuxian:
Then, does Young Lady Wen know
what was the thing missing from the Dancing Goddess’s heart?
Since we left the Cloud Recesses,
Wen Chao has been following our every step.
Do you also not know the reason why?
Young Lady Wen,
if you really do not know anything,
why did you suddenly come to assist us?
Wen Qing:
Wei Wuxian,
you saved A-Ning’s life once,
and I’ve saved you once.
Both of us are even.
The motto of the Wen family is “Every debt of gratitude must be repaid.”
I don’t know anything else,
so you shouldn’t ask me again.
Wei Wuxian:
The thing that is missing from the Dancing Goddess’s heart
is the Yin Iron, right?
Young Lady Wen,
we were deliberately lured to this place.
The old lady brought us to the Goddess Temple once we entered the village.
The Dancing Goddess was awakened,
but only attacked Lan Zhan,
not us.
If not because of the Yin Iron,
then I guess there can only be one other reason:
She must be attracted to Lan Zhan!
Lan Wangji:
Shut your mouth.
Wei Wuxian:
Young Lady Wen,
Dafan Mountain resembles the shape of a Buddha,
and has excellent feng shui.
Due to this reason, this should be a place rich in spiritual energy.
But while we were on the way here,
we saw, very strangely, that the spiritual energy had been depleted.
Even though the Dancing Goddess had been a naturally formed spiritual object from the earth,
if she had wanted to transform into the shape of a human,
she would still have to use the energy absorbed from other creatures.
Everything had been peaceful for a hundred years,
so why is it that in these twenty years,
she changed suddenly and began consuming spiritual senses from human beings?
The only reason I can deduce is
because of the piece of Yin Iron that was in her heart.
The power from the Yin Iron was enough for her to transform into the shape of a human,
similar to those water spirits.
And ten years ago,
someone took away the piece of Yin Iron from her heart.
Because she could not absorb spiritual energy,
she turned to consuming spiritual senses from humans.
Was what I said correct?
Also, the person who took away the Yin Iron
was Wen Ruohan.
Lan Wangji:
Young Lady Wen,
Twenty years ago, Wen Ruohan released the seal
and removed the Yin Iron,
causing your clans people to lose their lives.
Now, Wen Ruohan is pursuing the other pieces of Yin Iron.
Because of him, the people who will die will only increase.
Wen Qing:
Wei Wuxian,
Second Young Master Lan,
I cannot help you.
There’s also no point in saying such things to me.
Lan Wangji:
Young Lady Wen,
the Yin Iron is being suppressed in four different places.
Now that three pieces have appeared,
where is the last piece?
Wen Qing:
Wen Ruohan took in my younger brother and I.
We owe him a debt of gratitude.
I don’t know anything else,
and I do not want to know.
I, Wen Qing, cannot help you.
Farewell.
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen, wait!
Young Lady Wen.
Young Lady Wen,
It’s too dangerous for you to leave by yourself now.
Previously, you had revealed yourself at Dafan Mountain.
How will you explain yourself after returning to the Wen Clan?
Wen Qing:
Young Master Jiang, thank you for your concern.
I will take the utmost care.
Jiang Cheng:
Why don’t you come with us for now,
before deciding later?
Wen Qing:
I must return.
My little brother is still in Nightless City.
Jiang Cheng:
But...
Wen Qing:
Young Master Jiang, you need not persuade me.
I acted in Dafan Mountain to help my clans people,
not to save others.
Wen Ruohan needs my medical expertise,
he will not give me much trouble.
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen!
Wei Wuxian:
Let her go.
She has her own plans.
Besides,
I believe we will meet again very soon.
===============================================
Liquor Seller:
Yueyang City’s Changshan Red Liquor! Try for free!
Young Sir!
Try our Changshan Red Liquor from Yueyang City!
Young Sir, just give it a try. No need for payment.
Come and try our Yueyang City’s Changshan Red Liquor!
Wei Wuxian:
Ah!
Where are you going?
Lan Wangji:
I’m searching for any cultivation clans in residence here.
Wei Wuxian:
Why are you looking for them for?
Like I said, you really can’t do without me
when you’re out on business, can you?
There’s no way you can find out anything
by looking for them.
Lan Wangji:
Then how should we inquire?
Wei Wuxian:
Of course, we should go to... that place.
Jiang Cheng:
You’re just thinking of drinking liquor!
Wei Wuxian:
Wrong!
I, Wei Wuxian, have always made a clear distinction between work and my private life.
Think of it clearly.
This place has many customers every day. Scores of people exchange information here.
If there is anything strange happening around here,
it will definitely not escape their ears.
Jiang Cheng:
You can say whatever you want
with that mouth of yours.
Nie Huaisang:
Hey! Brother Wei, Brother Jiang.
Wei Wuxian:
How is it, Brother Nie?
Nie Huaisang:
Meng Yao and the others have not arrived yet.
Let’s find a place to rest first.
Wei Wuxian:
That’s excellent.
Let’s go!
Nie Huaisang:
Let’s go.
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s go!
Come along!
==========================================
Wei Wuxian:
Three flasks of liquor!
Jiang Cheng:
Have you gone mad?
Waiter:
That’s excellent, Young Sir!
Once you’ve drunk our Yueyang City’s Changshan Red Liquor,
you’ll be full of vigour!
Only a person of your calibre could withstand it!
Please wait a moment!
Wei Wuxian:
We’ll spend some money to coax some information out of him.
Jiang Cheng:
Don’t come to me when you’ve spent all your money.
Waiter:
Liquor is served!
Young Sir, here’s the liquor you wanted.
Lan Wangji:
Ask your questions quickly.
Wei Wuxian:
Waiter,
we’re visiting Yueyang for the first time.
In Yueyang,
can you tell us of anything interesting that has happened here?
Waiter:
What kind of interesting news do you want to know?
Wei Wuxian:
I’m referring to the kind of news
where the weirder it is, the better.
So, has anything strange happened?
Waiter:
Strange things?
Wei Wuxian:
Strange things like
where can we find haunted residences, deserted graves and dismembered corpses.
Or perhaps places where strange activity has happened...
if anyone has had their soul eaten...
things like that.
Waiter:
Young Sir, you really have some extreme tastes.
Lan Wangji:
What’s located in the south-east of Yueyang?
Waiter:
In the south-east...there is...
the Chang Cultivator Clan’s residence?
Young Sir, now that you’ve said it,
I remembered that something strange had happened recently.
Jiang Cheng:
Speak quickly!
Waiter:
If the Young Masters follow this road out of the city
and walk a few li, (one li is about half a kilometre)
you will see a beautifully constructed house.
That’s the Chang Clan residence.
Nie Huaisang:
Yueyang’s Chang Clan?
Is that the cultivation clan that is defending this area?
Waiter:
That’s right. They’re one of the cultivation clans.
Although the members of the Chang Clan are few in number,
there are still more than ten of them staying in Yueyang.
But I don’t know what happened recently.
Every one of them has disappeared.
Wei Wuxian:
They’ve gone missing?
Waiter:
I guess so.
But,
I suppose it’s not either.
Jiang Cheng:
What do you mean?
Waiter:
When I said they disappeared, it’s because the ten or so members of the Chang Clan
suddenly stopped being seen in Yueyang.
But once the night fell,
we could hear “dong, dong, dong” sounds knocking on the door of the Chang residence.
Wei Wuxian:
Knocking sounds on the door?
Waiter:
That’s right. The sounds have been going on for more than ten days already.
There will be loud, deafening knocking sounds every day.
And in there, they’re crying and wailing,
as though everyone has been trapped in there with no way out.
Jiang Cheng:
Did no one go in to have a look?
Waiter:
They did,
but it was absolutely empty during the day!
The knocking starts once it’s night time.
Don’t all of you think that it’s scary?
Look, it’s about to be night soon.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, keep calm and focus!
Lan Zhan, concentrate!
Jiang Cheng:
It’s the Yin Iron!
Nie Huaisang:
What? Something’s going to happen again?
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Wangji:
Let’s go.
To the Chang Clan.
Nie Huaisang:
I’m not going.
I’ll wait here for Meng Yao.
===========================================
Jiang Cheng:
There are no knocking sounds.
Maybe that waiter was talking nonsense?
Lan Wangji:
Someone used the Yin Iron here.
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s go.
Jiang Cheng:
The sounds of knocking.
Wei Wuxian:
Open!
Blood is flowing like a river.
The entire clan has been massacred?
The bodies have turned blue.
Their eyes have changed colour.
There are red cracks on their necks.
Before these people died,
they were all turned into puppets.
The Untamed 陈情令 - Translation of Chinese Subs - Episode 8
The Untamed – Episode 8
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly.
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thank you.
Wei Wuxian:
Wen Ning!
Wen Ning?
Wen Ning!
I’m coming in.
They left just like that?
Little rabbit,
Cloud Recesses doesn’t allow pets.
So I have no choice but to hide you here.
Are you happy living here?
Happy!
Great!
If you’re happy living here, I can stop worrying.
You reckon
should I bring you back to Lotus Pier?
That’s no good.
If Lan Zhan is ever bored and wants to find all of you,
and is unable to...
But...
Lan Xichen:
(Wangji, be careful along the way.)
Wei Wuxian:
You reckon
where is he going off to alone?
He’s not going to search for the Yin Iron by himself, right?
You think so too, right?
Lan Zhan, this scoundrel!
That day, all of you were there,
and all of you saw her.
Your honoured great ancestor!
That Yin Iron
was discovered by both of us!
But now, he’s gone to look for it by himself
and he didn’t even take me along.
You should all be the judge.
Isn’t he a little ungrateful?
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian.
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister.
Jiang Yanli:
The rabbits are so adorable!
Jiang Cheng:
What are you doing sneaking around here?
As a stoic, valiant gentleman, is it proper behavior to be cuddling a rabbit?
Wei Wuxian:
That’s true.
A stoic, valiant gentleman like me,
cuddling a rabbit? How improper is that!
Jiang Cheng:
What are you doing?
Wei Wuxian:
Little rabbit!
Jiang Cheng:
Say, why are you rearing these little animals?
You’re not...
Are you thinking of eating rabbit meat?
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng, what are you saying?
These little rabbits should not hear such words!
I just found them by chance.
Jiang Cheng:
The Cloud Recesses does not allow pets.
Where did you find them then?
Wei Wuxian:
None of your business.
Senior Sister,
If you like them,
we’ll take one home.
Jiang Yanli:
If we bring one home,
then won’t it be
separated from its family and loved ones?
How will it be happy after going to Yunmeng?
Wei Wuxian:
You’re right.
Jiang Yanli:
All right. It’s getting late, let’s go back.
Wei Wuxian:
All right.
Little rabbit,
we’re going off.
Jiang Yanli:
Let’s go.
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s go.
Wait for me!
Lan Wangji:
I’ll see you again.
=========================================
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wen,
since you’re here, you may enter.
Wen Chao:
Clan Leader Lan has excellent hearing.
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wen has graced us with a late night visit.
What do you want, I wonder?
Wen Chao:
I heard from Wen Qing and the others that the back mountains of the Lan Clan are being watched closely.
Is some kind of treasure hidden there?
Lan Xichen:
The back mountains are merely the burial grounds of my ancestors of the Lan Clan.
We simply worry that outsiders would barge in and disturb their spirits.
Wen Chao:
So, in that case,
I should make some offerings for the Lan Clan ancestors.
Would Clan Leader Lan let me take a look?
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wen,
please leave.
Wen Chao:
Lan Xichen,
don’t assume that I can’t do anything with you
just because of your high spiritual powers!
Perhaps I can’t do anything to you right now.
But you’d better not forget,
Lan Wangji has just left the mountains today by himself.
Lan Xichen!
Hand the Yin Iron over to the Chief Cultivator as soon as possible,
and I would let the Gusu Lan Clan live!
Lan Xichen:
Wangji...
you must be careful.
==========================================
Wei Wuxian:
(Gone for a night hunt!)
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian! You bastard!
That scoundrel!
He actually left without telling us?
Jiang Fengmian:
What’s wrong?
Jiang Cheng:
Father, look at this.
Father, I’ll go and bring him back!
Jiang Fengmian:
There’s no need.
We’ll return to Yunmeng first.
Jiang Cheng:
Why?
Are we just letting him off like this?
Jiang Yanli:
Don’t worry.
A-Xian is aware of his priorities.
To leave without saying goodbye,
he must have something important to do.
Jiang Cheng:
How would he have anything important?
Jiang Fengmian:
Get ready.
We’ll leave first.
==========================================
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Wangji:
Boring.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan,
how can you be like this?
Both of us promised to do our duty.
How could you ditch me and go off by yourself?
Can it be that
you were afraid I would steal the limelight in banishing evil and aiding the weak from you?
I didn’t think that you Lan Clan disciples
would be so petty.
Lan Wangji:
How senseless.
Wei Wuxian:
Hey, you’d better tell me clearly,
who’s being senseless?
======================================
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, wait for me.
Lan Zhan!
This is a spell that I created.
It makes a person unable to go further than two zhang* away from me.
How is it? Is it fun?
What name should I give it?
How about “Robe Sharing”*? Or is “No Clothes”* better?
Looks like neither of them are good.
Otherwise, I’ll call it...
*Translation note: One 丈 (zhàng) is about 3.33 metres, so the spell’s distance is about 6.6 metres. Old unit of measurement in China.
*同袍 (tóng páo) – lit: Robe sharing. Can also mean intimate friend. 无衣 (wú yī) – lit: No clothes. Both are from the same poem in Classic of Poetry, or Book of Songs. The collection comprises of 300 poems collected from the 11th to 7th centuries B.C. This poem is about a new army recruit about to fight a war for his king, but who has nothing suitable to wear, so his comrade offers to share his clothes and underwear. A translation of the entire poem is found here: https://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/chin/chtxts/ShyJing.html#mau133
Lan Wangji:
How boring.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, wait for me!
Lan Wangji:
The Yin Iron is reacting.
Wei Wuxian:
Perhaps it sensed something?
Lan Wangji:
There might be another piece of Yin Iron nearby.
Wei Wuxian:
You’re saying it’s somewhere here?
Lan Wangji:
What is it?
Wei Wuxian:
Nothing.
======================================
(On the signboard: Tanzhou)*
*The signboard is read from right to left
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
You got frightened!
Nie Huaisang:
Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian:
Nie Huaisang!
It’s you?
Nie Huaisang:
I knew that it was definitely Brother Wei
the moment I heard your laughter.
Wei Wuxian:
Brother Nie,
didn’t you inform your Clan Leader Nie
that you would return to Qinghe once the lectures ended?
Nie Huaisang:
Same to you, Brother Wei.
Aren’t you also supposed to return to Lotus Pier
with Clan Leader Jiang?
Wei Wuxian & Nie Huaisang:
You are so brazen!
Nie Huaisang:
This...
Wei Wuxian:
Don’t be nervous.
Nie Huaisang:
No...
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s talk as we walk.
==============================================
[Lotus Pier]
Jiang Yanli:
A-Cheng.
Be careful.
==============================================
Nie Huaisang:
I say, Brother Wei,
why are you with the Second Young Master Lan?
Haven’t both of you always been unable to get along with each other?
Wei Wuxian:
It’s a long story.
Nie Huaisang:
I know!
It must be Old Master Lan punishing you again.
Which house rule of theirs did you break now?
Wei Wuxian:
Our relationship is really great, all right?
Crowd:
What’s written there?
Don’t push!
Nie Huaisang:
What’s over there?
Wei Wuxian:
Let’s go and see.
Nie Huaisang:
Let’s go!
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, why aren’t you coming along?
Lan Wangji:
It’s crowded. I’m not going.
Wei Wuxian:
It’s not that packed.
Come and have a look with us.
Let’s go!
Come on!
Nie Huaisang:
Young Sir,
what are all of you looking at? What happened?
Stranger:
Young Master, you may not know it,
but this is an invitation.
Recently,
the Lady Cultivator of Flowers, who has always lived in seclusion,
suddenly gave an open invitation to all the cultivators in the world
to come to her residence for a poetry conference.
I heard that the Lady of Flowers would personally entertain the guest
as long as they are refined and have literary talent.
Wei Wuxian:
Lady Cultivator of Flowers?
Nie Huaisang:
I remember reading this
in the story <Soul of the Flower Lady>:
“In Tanzhou, there exists a flower garden.
In that garden, a lady resides. Under the moon, recite
an exceptional poem, to receive from her a single flower.
It does not wither for three years, and its fragrance will last forever.”
Wei Wuxian:
I say, Brother Nie,
you are really too great.
You can’t remember a single word of
Old Master Lan’s assigned homework.
But such frivolous knowledge, you have it right at your fingertips.
Nie Huaisang:
Same to you, Brother Wei.
Crowd:
So beautiful!
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei, look!
The Second Young Master Lan
is truly unequalled in elegance and refinement.
What a gorgeous gentleman he is.
Wei Wuxian:
But really...
he dresses like he’s in mourning.
Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji:
The Yin Iron!
==============================================
Wei Wuxian:
It looks like we arrived one step behind.
Nie Huaisang:
An owl?
Wei Wuxian:
Wen Chao?
Nie Huaisang:
Wen Chao was here.
====================================
Nie Huaisang:
So this was what happened.
This Yin Iron
caused the peony flowers to mutate
and eventually imprisoned the real Lady of Flowers.
The invitation to all the cultivators in the world
was to find the other pieces of the Yin Iron?
Wei Wuxian:
Correct.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei,
is the Yin Iron really that powerful?
Wei Wuxian:
Of course it is.
Otherwise,
let Second Young Master Lan get his Yin Iron out for you to look at.
Nie Huaisang:
No way.
Then Brother Wei,
isn’t it dangerous
for us to be holding the piece of Yin Iron?
Wei Wuxian:
It’s not ‘us’,
It’s ‘me’ and ‘him’.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei!
Wei Wuxian:
‘Me’ and ‘him’.
Nie Huaisang:
In any case, just come back to Qinghe with me, all right?
Look, the road ahead is so dangerous.
By myself...
Brother Wei!
Wei Wuxian:
The owl!
Nie Huaisang:
That creature again!
Lan Wangji:
Let’s move quickly.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei!
Are both of you going to Qinghe or not?
Brother Wei, wait for me!
================================================
Wen Qing:
Young Master,
the Chief Cultivator has sent orders.
As there has been no news regarding Yueyang for several days,
he has ordered us to go to Yueyang as soon as possible,
to assist Xue Yang.
Wen Chao:
Assist?
What kind of person is Xue Yang,
to be worthy of assistance from me, the Young Master?
Wen Qing:
I am merely following my orders.
Wen Chao:
Stop putting up a false front.
You think that I don’t know?
You just didn’t want to let me
cause trouble for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.
What?
A few months of lectures actually invoked genuine emotions in you?
I’ll give you a warning:
Do not use the Chief Cultivator to pressure me.
I only want to get the piece of Yin Iron from Lan Wangji.
With the one I obtained from the Lady of Flowers,
I will have made great contributions to the Chief Cultivator’s cause.
Can Xue Yang’s single piece ever compare to mine?
I would almost have forgotten if you didn’t come.
Dafan Mountain...
is where you were born, right?
Wen Qing:
What are you planning to do?
Wen Chao:
I’m not thinking of doing anything.
It’s simply because Wei Wuxian and the others are on the road to Qinghe,
and will definitely pass through there.
Wen Qing:
The Chief Cultivator promised me
never to harm any of my clans people again.
Wen Chao,
Not to worry.
As long as you listen to me obediently,
there will be no trouble for anyone.
I’ll go and take care of that man eating monster.
================================================
Customer:
It’s not bad, the flavour’s quite good.
Customer:
I agree.
Here, eat.
Wen disciple:
Young Lady Qing,
the liquor is overflowing.
Jiang Cheng:
Waiter, are there any good rooms? I would like one.
Waiter:
Sure.
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen,
it’s you?
Waiter:
Please have a seat.
Jiang Cheng:
Waiter, bring me two steamed buns.
Waiter:
Sure, please wait a little.
Wen Qing:
Waiter! We want two steamed buns also.
Waiter:
All right, please wait a moment!
Jiang Cheng:
Waiter! Bring me a pot of pear blossom liquor too.
Waiter:
Sure, please wait a moment.
Wen Qing:
Waiter, we want a pot of pear blossom liquor as well.
Waiter:
Sure.
Jiang Cheng:
Waiter, hurry up with my order.
Wen Qing:
Fulfill our orders first.
Jiang Cheng;
Waiter, give it to them first.
Waiter:
This...
Wen Qing:
We don’t want it anymore. Throw them away.
Jiang Cheng:
What is the meaning of this? Using me as your entertainment on purpose?
Waiter:
Boss, look at them.
Wen Qing;
Even if the Qishan Wen Clan is deliberately making fun of you,
what can you do?
Stop there!
Dafan Mountain... Wei Wuxian is in trouble.
Jiang Cheng:
Thank you.
Wen Qing:
Let him go!
================================================
Granny Wen:
The goddess brings disaster. Souls are taken and lost.
Wei Wuxian:
Look, everyone, there’s an old granny there.
Let’s go and ask her.
Perhaps we can stay here overnight.
Granny Wen:
The goddess brings disaster. Souls are taken and lost.
Wei Wuxian:
Granny.
[Granny Wen]
We’re passing by here, and have nowhere to stay.
May we stay here for a night?
Granny?
Granny,
we wish to...
find a place here to sleep.
Sleep!
Sleep, do you understand me?
Sleep.
Granny?
Granny.
Let’s go.
Lan Wangji:
What is it?
Wei Wuxian:
I can’t tell.
I just feel that this place...
is very strange.
Granny!
Granny.
Granny Wen:
The goddess brings disaster.
Souls are taken and lost.
Spirit absorption.
Exacting souls.
Spirit absorption.
Exacting souls.
Nie Huaisang:
What is she talking about?
Wei Wuxian:
Something about a goddess bringing disaster.
Lost souls...
Spirit absorption?
Granny Wen:
Exacting souls.
Exacting souls.
Wei Wuxian:
She is the Dancing Goddess?
Nie Huaisang:
Isn’t this just an ordinary sculpture?
Other than its smile, which is just a bit ugly,
it seems like there’s nothing special.
Can she really extract and absorb souls?
Old Man:
This matter of spirit absorption,
no one has ever witnessed it.
Nie Huaisang:
Who are you?
When did you come in here?
Old Man:
I have always been here.
My turn to ask:
Who are all of you?
Wei Wuxian:
Old Sir,
we were on the way to Qinghe to visit relatives and passed by this place,
so we thought to stay here for a night.
Old Man:
Leave this place quickly
if you’re just passing by.
Wei Wuxian:
Old Sir,
when was this Goddess Statue erected?
Old Man:
This Dancing Goddess,
was originally a remarkable piece of stone filled naturally with earth’s spiritual essence.
I don’t know how it happened,
but it gradually took on the appearance of a goddess,
and constantly received the prayers and worship from the people here.
But unexpectedly, 20 years ago,
the dancing goddess actually began to commit evil.
It started absorbing people’s spiritual senses.
Although a great clan leader managed to suppress it,
too many people had died.
This place eventually fell into ruin.
Wei Wuxian:
A great clan leader?
Old Sir,
who was this great clan leader?
Old Man:
I’m old.
My mind can no longer remember.
(The old man is holding a Wen Clan Memorial Tablet)
Wei Wuxian:
Old Sir,
this great clan leader is not from the Qishan Wen Clan, by any chance?
Old Man:
If I can’t remember, then so be it.
Didn’t the Young Master want a place to stay overnight?
Sleep here, then.
Perhaps you’ll understand everything afterwards.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei,
I keep having a bad feeling.
The smile of this Dancing Goddess gives me gooseflesh.
Do you think she’s really able to absorb souls?
Wei Wuxian:
Don’t worry.
Even if she is the greatest immortal*, I...
*Translation Note: 大罗神仙 (dà luó shén xiān) – according to baidu.com, this is supposed to be the highest level of immortality that Taoist practitioners can reach.
The Untamed 陈情令 - Translation of Chinese Subs - Episode 7
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thanks!
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly.
The Untamed Episode 7
Lan Yi:
For many years,
my spirit has been guarding this place –
the Lan Clan’s forbidden ground.
No one can set foot into this place since.
Wei Wuxian:
Then what happened to my Grand Master afterwards?
Lan Yi:
Your Grand Master?
Wei Wuxian:
To tell you the truth,
my name is Wei Wuxian.
Although I was taken in by the Jiang Clan when I was a child,
but Cangse Sanren is my mother,
and Baoshan Sanren is indeed my Grand Master.
Lan Yi:
So many years have passed by.
That year,
Baoshan Sanren hadn’t taken in any disciples yet.
I didn’t expect that
she even has a grand disciple now,
and he is standing right in front of me.
It’s a pity.
Ever since I caused this catastrophe,
she went into retreat and never reappeared.
I was too ashamed to seek her out again.
Lan Wangji:
Elder,
I have a question to ask.
Did Elder summon both of us into this place?
Lan Yi:
No.
For a hundred years, my spiritual powers was being used to suppress the Yin Iron,
and to maintain the barrier surrounding the back mountains.
But for the past decade,
the Yin iron has been showing signs of restless movement.
My spiritual senses have also been weakening.
I fear that
the resentful energy from the Yin iron has infested the water.
Wei Wuxian:
Why were there sudden movements from the Yin Iron for the past 20 years?
Lan Yi:
If my conjectures are correct,
it is because the other pieces of the Yin Iron have appeared.
Wei Wuxian:
It looks like
the cultivator who had his soul snatched
that we saw previously,
was because of someone imitating Xue Chonghai’s methods
to create a puppet.
Lan Wangji:
They are experimenting.
Lan Yi:
Ever since I released the seal,
the fragments of Yin Iron have began to sense each other again.
It was a stroke of luck that I could exist peacefully for a hundred years.
I will never escape from
the day that I worry about.
Wei Wuxian:
Elder,
is there nothing we can do
to stop the Yin Iron from causing disaster among mankind?
Lan Yi:
The Yin Iron is a naturally formed object with spiritual awareness; it cannot be completely eliminated.
Also, since it was broken into pieces, the resentful energy has flowed out.
Evil creatures will definitely appear in the places where they are hidden.
The only way is to find the other fragments
and submerge them forever within the Cold Pond.
It is a pity
that I cannot personally make amends for my wrongdoings.
Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji:
Elder!
Lan Yi:
Do not be worried.
My life is ending.
My stealing of a hundred years of life was only so that I could repay my debt.
Now that both of you have come,
I no longer need to endure.
Lan Wangji:
I, Wangji, as a descendent of the Lan Clan, will do my duty
to definitely fulfill Elder’s last wishes.
I will find the Yin Iron, and submerge it within the Cold Pond forever.
Wei Wuxian:
I will do my duty as well!
Lan Wangji:
These are the affairs of the Lan Clan. It is not your business.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, you cannot stop me.
Although I, Wei Ying, grew up among the Jiang Clan,
I am never confused between the principles of right and wrong.
Also, because of the Yin Iron, my Grand Master went into retreat for a hundred years.
For whatever emotion or reason, I cannot sit by and ignore this.
Lan Yi:
As the grand disciple of Baoshan, this should be the case.
Remember,
the business of the Yin Iron
is full of difficulties.
No matter what,
I hope you will not repeat my path.
Wei Wuxian:
Elder may rest assured.
I, Wei Ying, will put in all my effort.
Elder!
You haven’t yet told us
the location of the other Yin Iron fragments!
=============================================
Wen Qing:
The barrier set up at the back mountains of the Cloud Recesses;
Is it just to protect this mountainside?
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen!
Wen Qing:
Young Master Jiang.
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen,
are you also searching for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji?
Wen Qing:
Umm...
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, I didn’t do that on purpose!
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian!
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng.
Lan Wangji:
Get up!
Wei Wuxian:
Right...getting up.
Wen Qing, Jiang Cheng.
Why are both of you here?
Jiang Cheng:
I should be the one asking you!
Wei Wuxian,
where have you run off to for the entire day and night?
Did you know that my sister was so worried that
she couldn’t eat or sleep?
If I still couldn’t find you,
I would have to send a letter to Lotus Pier to inform my father!
Lan Wangji:
It has been a day and a night.
Jiang Cheng:
Yes.
Zewu-jun has also been searching for you both
without any rest or sleep.
Did you realise how anxious everyone was?
Where on earth did both of you go?
Wei Wuxian:
Oh, I’ll tell you after we return.
I can’t speak clearly in such a short moment.
Wen Qing:
Wait.
An aura of extreme cold energy is emanating from both of your foreheads.
What kind of place is it
in there?
Wei Wuxian:
We were originally treating our wounds at the cold spring,
but a current of water inexplicably carried us away
and washed us into a place of extreme cold.
Jiang Cheng:
What place?
How can such a thing happen in Cloud Recesses?
Wei Wuxian:
We were trapped in that place
and swam for a very long time.
We used up all our energy
before finally finding the cave entrance and got out.
Wen Qing:
What’s inside there?
Lan Wangji:
There’s...
Wei Wuxian:
What else can there be
besides ice and water?
Let me tell you both,
I was nearly frozen to death in there.
Jiang Cheng:
All right.
We can talk about it after getting back, and spare others from worrying.
Wei Wuxian:
Yes, you’re right.
Let’s go back and talk.
Come on.
============================================
Lan Qiren:
In the end, we still cannot escape this calamity.
Lan Wangji:
Uncle, Elder Brother.
You were aware of this?
Lan Xichen:
Ever since Elder Lan Yi damaged the barrier,
the Lan Clan sealed off the back mountains,
for fear that the resentful energy from the Yin Iron would infest all living creatures.
That’s why among the five great clans, only the Lan family head knows of the Yin Iron.
The knowledge is passed down with each generation.
Wei Wuxian:
So you already knew that
the cultivator who had been soul-snatched, and the disaster of the waterbourne abyss,
was related to the Yin Iron?
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wei is extremely quick-witted.
During the incident at Bi Ling Lake,
you had already guessed most of it.
Wangji,
you had questioned me previously.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell you the truth.
Wei Wuxian:
Confidants, eh!
Lan Xichen:
After all these incidents happening,
Uncle deduced that this was all related to the Yin Iron.
So he told me to check the barrier at the forbidden grounds;
It was indeed weakening.
Because to this, Uncle also travelled to Qinghe
to meet with Clan Leader Nie and discuss this matter.
We did not expect that
both of you would enter the Cold Pond Cave so quickly,
and also did not expect the Yin Iron to reappear.
Wei Wuxian:
The Qishan Wen Clan again!
Lan Xichen:
There’s no need to chase it.
Lan Wangji:
It seems that the Wen Clan attended the lectures
also because of the Yin Iron.
Wei Wuxian:
Elder Lan Yi said,
the fragment of Yin Iron had shown signs of movement for the last decade,
due to the reappearance of the other pieces.
Lan Xichen:
It looks like our deduction was correct.
Wen Ruohan already has a piece of Yin Iron,
and he is very much aware that Cloud Recesses has another piece.
That is why he sent people to investigate.
Lan Wangji:
How did Wen Ruohan find out
that there is a fragment in Gusu?
Lan Qiren:
The Yin Iron is suppressed from four directions,
but, after a hundred years,
there is no longer anyone who knows where they have been kept and suppressed.
However, Wen Ruohan
could even obtain a piece of Yin Iron;
I suppose there may be someone assisting him.
Wei Wuxian:
Elder Lan Yi also said that,
the pieces of Yin Iron could sense one another.
Since we already have one piece,
why not use it to track down the others?
Lan Wangji:
Uncle, Elder Brother, what should we do now?
Lan Qiren:
With the appearance of the Yin Iron;
If it falls into the hands of one with ill intentions,
it will cause much terror and bloodshed.
The only thing we can do now,
is to seal it again, return it to the Cold Pond,
re-erect the barrier, and allow no one to approach it.
Lan Wangji:
Uncle,
Wen Ruohan already has a piece of Yin Iron;
With the connection between the fragments,
I fear that it would be useless
if we return the piece to the Cold Pond again.
Also,
Wen Ruohan greatly covets the Yin Iron.
I am afraid that we cannot hide it even if we attempt to.
Lan Qiren:
We will discuss this later.
Lan Wangji:
Uncle!
Lan Qiren:
Cease mentioning this matter now.
Today’s incident
concerns the secrets of the cultivation clans...
Wei Wuxian:
Ah...that! Teacher, you may rest assured!
I promise never to tell anyone else!
==========================================
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei!
Brother Wei!
Second Young Master Lan.
Brother Wei,
I knew you would definitely return alive!
Where have you been?
Why was Zewu-jun looking for you?
It’s not another beating?
Wei Wuxian:
You can stop worrying; there won’t be a beating this time.
It’s just that the Cloud Recesses is way too big.
Even Second Young Master Lan almost got lost.
Nie Huaisang:
You got lost just by soaking in the cold spring?
Both of you disappeared for a whole night.
Did you encounter anything strange?
Wei Wuxian:
Strange encounters?
I suppose there’s one.
Do you want to hear it?
Nie Huaisang:
Tell me about it.
Wei Wuxian:
Right.
Yesterday night, in the black darkness and howling wind;
A pair of tentacles suddenly burst out from the bottom of the cold spring,
and pulled me and Lan Zhan underwater.
Can you guess what those tentacles were?
Nie Huaisang:
Wh...What?
Wei Wuxian:
Snake monsters!
Don’t run away!
Do you want to know what those snake monsters looked like?
Nie Huaisang:
No...don’t say anymore. I’m most terrified of snakes.
Strange encounters like this,
I’ll leave it for you to think it over slowly.
I’ll go off first!
Oh right! Don’t forget about lighting the lanterns tonight!
Wei Wuxian:
Off you go!
Jiang Cheng?
Jiang Cheng!
Why are you walking so fast?
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian,
you’re pretty friendly with Lan Wangji now.
I guess you might as well change clans and join the Lan House.
Don’t go back to Lotus Pier.
Wei Wuxian:
What are you thinking?
How can Cloud Recesses be better than Lotus Pier?
Just the 3000 clan rules
will kill me.
Stop thinking crazy things. Let’s go.
Wen Chao:
Father!
The Yin Iron at the Cloud Recesses has appeared.
Congratulations, Father.
Wen Ruohan:
You congratulate me?
Did you obtain it?
Xue Yang.
Xue Yang:
Chief Cultivator.
Wen Ruohan:
Yueyang. Go there.
Xue Yang:
Then the Yueyang Chang Clan...
Wen Ruohan:
You can do whatever you wish.
I only desire the Yin Iron.
Xue Yang:
Thank you, Chief Cultivator!
Wen Ruohan:
Xue Yang, there are some words that need not be said.
Xue Yang:
Chief Cultivator may rest assured.
I have no interest in the Yin Iron.
Moreover,
I’m just an unimportant little cultivator.
How could I ever escape from the Chief Cultivator’s hands?
Wen Chao:
Father!
How could you agree with that scoundrel and allow him to go to Yueyang?
Wen Ruohan:
Then should I let you go instead?
Wen Chao:
But Father,
if Xue Yang has an ulterior motive,
then...
Wen Ruohan:
That is why your mission
is to bring people to coordinate with him.
If Xue Yang has any motives,
you know what to do.
Wen Chao:
Then what of the Yin Iron in Cloud Recesses?
Is Father just going to let that go?
Wen Ruohan:
The Gusu Lan Clan will not escape this.
While they plot against us, we will attack them unawares.*
*Translator Note:
螳螂捕蝉, 黄雀在后 (táng láng bǔ chán huáng què zài hòu) – Chinese idiom, lit: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Wen Chao:
But...
Not letting me go?
You think I don’t have a plan?
==============================================
Student:
That’s wrong. It won’t be stable like this.
You can watch while I fix this.
Student:
That’s not very sturdy.
It’s better doing it this way.
Get this part bound up first.
Student:
You’re too stupid.
Give it to me.
Student:
As if you’re really smart!
Student:
Is it really like this?
How do I fix it?
Student:
Look, this piece needs to be coiled in first.
If you bind it like this, it will fly even higher.
Student:
That’s right. Binding it this way is correct. It will fly higher.
Tie it tight.
Student:
Yeah, right.
Go and make one by yourself.
Student:
That’s not bad.
Student:
This...
got tied into a dead knot.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan,
on account of us having shared the perils of life and death,
let’s light a lantern together to celebrate.
Lan Wangji:
I am used to being alone.
Wei Wuxian:
Habits can be changed.
Also, my lantern
is made especially for you, Second Young Master Lan.
Look.
You smiled!
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei!
This lantern of mine is the most finely made among all lanterns!
It wasn’t easy to make it!
How could you just burn it like this!
Wei Wuxian:
Brother Nie, I’ll compensate you with a lantern, all right?
Nie Huaisang:
This paper is produced from the workshops of Qinghe,
thin as the wings of a cicada, yet smooth as jade, and worth its weight in gold.
It can’t be compensated just because you, Brother Wei, said so.
==============================================
Mianmian:
Look, quickly!
Nie Huaisang:
I, Nie Huaisang, wish that my studies can be smoothly completed,
and that I will never need to return to Cloud Recesses in the coming year.
Wen Qing:
I, lady of the Wen Clan, beseech the heavens,
to protect my little brother, A-Ning, for him to be safe and sound,
and be free of all hardships for his entire lifetime.
Wei Wuxian:
I, Wei Wuxian wish to
live my life eliminating evil and aiding the weak, to have no regrets within my heart.
Jin disciple:
Young Master.
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister,
what wish did you make?
Jiang Yanli:
I wished that A-Xian would grow up faster, and not be so playful.
Wei Wuxian:
Liar.
You must have wished for a good marriage.
Mianmian:
Young Lady Jiang’s marriage has already been decided.
What else is there to wish for?
Student:
Her husband-to-be is right there.
How could Young Lady Jiang light the lantern alone?
Didn’t they build the lantern together just now?
Student:
I heard that Young Master Jin and Young Lady Jiang
are going to get married very soon.
Why not light the lantern together and pray for a long and happy marriage?
Mianmian:
That’s right, Young Master.
The Cowherd star and the Weaver star* only meet once each year,
they will surely bless both of you with a long and happy marriage.
Translation Note:
The Cowherd (the star Altair) and Weaver (the star Vega) is a Chinese folktale. Their love was forbidden by the heavens, as the Cowherd was a mere mortal, and the Weaver was a celestial being. They were eventually banished to the opposite sides of the Heavenly River (the Milky Way). The lovers meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, when a flock of magpies form a bridge between them to reunite them for a day.
Jin Zixuan:
Mianmian, it’s getting late. Let’s go.
Jiang Cheng:
What are you doing? Wei Wuxian!
Mianmian:
Young Master, what’s wrong?
Aren’t we going to light the lanterns with Jiang...with them?
Jin Zixuan:
That’s enough. Don’t ask about it again.
Mianmian:
Young Master, forgive me for speaking out of turn.
You and Young Lady Jiang are already engaged.
Isn’t this going to let other people ridicule us?
Young Master!
Jin Zixuan:
Mianmian, listen,
this marriage arrangement was not my idea.
Don’t mention it again.
Wei Wuxian:
Wait!
What do you mean by “Don’t mention it again”!
Jin Zixuan:
Wei Wuxian.
Does this have anything to do with you?
Mianmian:
Young Master Wei!
Wei Wuxian:
What do you mean by “Don’t mention it again”!
Jin Zixuan:
Is it so hard to understand
the four words “Don’t mention it again”?
Wei Wuxian:
You...
Mianmian:
Young Lady Jiang!
Young Lady Jiang!
Something’s happened!
Young Master Wei...
Young Master Wei...
Young Master Wei and our Young Master have gotten into a fight!
Wei Wuxian:
I’ll going to beat you death!
Don’t stop me!
Jin Zixuan:
Come get me!
Wei Wuxian:
I’ll beat you to death!
Don’t stop me!
Come on!
Jin Zixuan:
Wei Wuxian!
Wei Wuxian:
Don’t stop me!
Lan Wangji:
Wei Ying, stop.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, don’t you stop me!
Jin Zixuan:
Let me go!
Wei Wuxian:
Stop holding me back!
Mianmian:
Let us through!
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian!
Wei Wuxian:
Come at me!
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian!
Jin Zixuan:
Come and get me!
Wei Wuxian:
Don’t stop me!
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian!
Student:
We heard that it was Jin Zixuan who looked down on Young Lady Jiang,
and wanted to break off the engagement.
Wei Wuxian was outraged on his Senior Sister’s behalf.
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian,
let’s go home.
================================================
Lan Wangji:
Wei Ying,
since you know how to regret, why commit the mistake in the first place?
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, look!
So many ants, like a stain of black lacquer!
Lan Wangji:
You were to kneel and ponder over your wrongdoings as a punishment.
Yet you had the mood to play with ants?
You are indeed hopeless.*
Translation Note:
朽木不可雕 (xiǔ mù bù kě diāo), Chinese idiom – lit: Rotten wood cannot be carved.
Wei Wuxian:
But the ants are really...
These ants are really cute!
Uncle Jiang! Why are you here?
[Jiang Fengmian, Yunmeng Jiang Clan]
Jiang Fengmian:
Kneel down!
Jiang Cheng:
You can actually kneel obediently!
Wei Wuxian:
I kneel often. It’s not like you didn’t know that!
As for that flower peacock Jin Zixuan,
I bet he’s been pampered and spoiled rotten, and never kneeled before.
If I don’t make him kneel down till he’s screaming for his parents today,
my surname is not “Wei”!
Jiang Cheng:
You still have the face to say that?
Father travelled thousands of li for several nights to get to Gusu on your behalf!
Later,
get ready to be punished by old Master Lan.
Wei Wuxian:
Jin Zixuan, you’re so dead!
[Jin Guangshan, Lanling Jin Clan]
Jin Guangshan:
Master Lan.
Brother Jiang.
Lan Qiren:
Both of you must be tired from the long journey.
Please have a seat.
This incident happened all of a sudden.
Although it is merely the mischief of the young generation,
it affects the marriage arrangement between both the Jin and Jiang Clans.
As a mere elderly man, I dare not make a decision without any consultation.
Hence, I can only request both Clan Leaders
to come here personally for a discussion.
Jiang Fengmian:
I am already aware of how this incident came about.
Wei Ying is stubborn and unruly by nature,
and caused much trouble for you.
I, Fengmian, did not instruct him well.
Please accept my apologies, Master Lan.
Jin Guangshan:
Brother Jiang,
that is not at all necessary.
I know just a little about this incident.
Once I return, I will definitely give A-Xuan a good scolding.
Lan Qiren:
For fighting without permission,
I have already punished them in accordance with the house rules.
Both Clan Leaders need not worry any further.
But this marriage arrangement
is not a trifling matter.
Jin Guangshan:
Master Lan spoke correctly.
Marriage is definitely not a trifling matter.
Jiang Fengmian:
Brother Jin, I have a request to make.
Jin Guangshan:
I would be honoured to hear it.
Brother Jiang, please speak.
Jiang Fengmian:
The Yunmeng Jiang Clan
has always emphasised on being true to oneself and having pure intentions.
I will never force my children to do what they do not like to do.
Although A-Li and your son have long been engaged,
this was originally insisted upon by A-Li’s mother.
It now looks to me
that both sides are rather unhappy with it.
It would be better not to force this.
Jiang Cheng:
Father!
Jin Guangshan:
Brother Jiang,
the children are too young to understand.
This is merely a misunderstanding.
You and I need not pay any attention to this.
Jiang Fengmian:
Brother Jin,
we can help them arrange the marriage,
but we cannot perform the marriage for them.
Eventually, they themselves are the ones
who must spend a lifetime together.
I have already sent a letter to A-Li’s mother.
It is better to call off the engagement.
Jin Guangshan:
Brother Jiang,
the blame rests on my son’s rash behavior,
ruining what had been a perfect arrangement.
Since Brother Jiang has already decided,
then I will do as you requested.
Only, this incident
must not affect the friendship between our houses.
Jiang Fengmian:
Of course not.
=========================================
Jiang Cheng:
It’s not good! Wei Wuxian!
Sis and Jin Zixuan’s marriage engagement is going to be called off!
Wei Wuxian:
What?
Jin Zixuan! Has he not been punched enough?
He really called it off?
Jiang Cheng:
It wasn’t! It was Father who mentioned it!
Wei Wuxian:
Uncle Jiang said it?
Where’s Senior Sister?
Jiang Cheng:
She should still be in the house.
============================================
Jiang Fengmian:
Young Master Lan.
Lan Xichen:
Clan Leader Jiang.
Lan Qiren:
Clan Leader Jiang, I will not hide it from you;
This time, I requested for you to come
also because I had an important issue to discuss with you.
Jiang Fengmian:
Master, please speak.
Lan Qiren:
Please do not be alarmed, Clan Leader Jiang.
It is simply because this matter is of great importance.
We have no choice but to be extremely careful.
Lan Xichen:
I am not sure if Clan Leader Jiang has heard of
the strange incidents that have happened recently?
Jiang Fengmian:
I have indeed heard of it.
The cases of cultivators having their souls snatched,
have even happened in Yunmeng.
I wonder what is the cause of this?
I hope you can enlighten me.
Lan Xichen:
The cause of these incidents
is due to the reappearance of
a spiritual object that existed some hundred years ago,
Jiang Fengmian:
What object is it?
Lan Xichen:
The Yin Iron.
============================================
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian,
I know it’s you.
A-Xian!
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister, I...
Jiang Yanli:
You knelt for a long time, are you all right?
How are your knees? Let me have a look.
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister!
It’s all my fault.
Why don’t you give me a scolding?
I’ll feel better this way.
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian,
this doesn’t have anything to do with you.
Don’t think too much about it.
One’s fate
cannot be forced.
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister,
in the future, you will definitely marry
an ideal husband who is a hundred times; ten thousand times stronger than him.
Jiang Yanli:
Then A-Xian will definitely marry a talented and beautiful lady
as well in the future.
Wei Wuxian:
No way.
I only want to stay at Lotus Pier and accompany Senior Sister.
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian,
the lectures have ended.
We will be returning to Lotus Pier in a day or two.
Wei Wuxian:
It’s ending just like that?
Jiang Yanli:
You haven’t played enough?
Father said,
when A-Cheng comes back,
we will go to the Elegant Room together to bid farewell to Master Lan.
=============================================
Jiang Fengmian:
I did not expect there would be such a reason behind this.
Lan Xichen:
I will not hide this from you, Clan Leader Jiang.
What we are most worried about now
is the piece of Yin Iron that appeared first.
If it was used by one with bad intentions,
events will repeat itself,
and there will be endless suffering.
Lan Qiren:
The Qishan Wen Clan
is concealing much evil from us.
Jiang Fengmian:
Speaking of which,
I also heard of a strange incident on the way here.
Recently, at Yueyang,
a few small cultivation clans have been massacred, one after another.
No one was left alive.
I wonder who the mastermind behind this is.
However, it seems that the murderer
is a young retainer of the Wen Clan, surnamed Xue.
Lan Qiren:
Something like this happened?
Lan Xichen:
It looks like the Wen Clan are revealing their ill intentions.
We must act fast.
Come in.
Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli:
We students bid farewell to Master Lan and Clan Leader Lan.
Lan Xichen:
Accomplishments must be rewarded, and wrongdoings must be punished.
Young Master Wei,
you have been punished
for the mistakes that you committed in Cloud Recesses.
As for your accomplishments,
I believe Clan Leader Jiang will have his own reward.
Jiang Cheng:
What accomplishments does he have?
Lan Qiren:
Clan Leader Jiang,
Wei Ying really needs to be disciplined more.
Originally, if he had not come here,
none of the disciples of this clan would dare to be so bold.
But, ever since Wei Ying arrived,
the young weaklings who had mischief in their hearts
were influenced and instigated by him,
wandering around at night and drinking liquor wantonly.
Jiang Fengmian:
Ying has always been so.
I have given Master Lan much trouble with his discipline.
Lan Xichen:
Come in.
Wangji, what is it?
Jiang Fengmian:
Clan Leader Lan,
I, Fengmian, bid you farewell.
Lan Xichen:
Clan Leader Jiang.
Jiang Fengmian:
Clan Leader Lan may rest assured.
I am aware of the pros and cons of the situation.
If the Lan Clan has any orders,
the Yunmeng Jiang Clan will fulfil our obligations.
Young Master Lan.
Master Lan.
Second Young Master Lan.
I will take my leave now.
Lan Xichen:
Clan Leader Jiang, take care.
Jiang Fengmian:
All right.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, about the Yin Iron...
Lan Zhan...
Jiang Cheng:
Let’s go.
Lan Xichen:
Wangji,
be careful along the way.
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian, did you grow hair in your ears?
Lan Wangji hates you so much,
why are you always provoking him?
Wei Wuxian:
What?
We were classmates for six months. Why can’t I say farewell to him?
Jiang Cheng:
You’re asking for a beating.
When Lan Wangji heard that you were leaving,
he must have been happy beyond words.
Wei Wuxian:
Rubbish!
I’ll tell you this,
the disciples from the various clans like me very much.
None of them can bear to see me leave.
Senior Sister,
do you agree?
Jiang Yanli:
Yes,
our A-Xian is adored by everyone.
Jiang Cheng:
Then I’ll ask you,
Among so many disciples from various clans,
why is Lan Wangji the only person you bid farewell to?
Wei Wuxian:
I appreciate him, all right?
Isn’t it because all of you are unable to defeat me?
I’m a lone wanderer asking for defeat.*
It’s not easy for me
to meet my match in battle.
Translation Note:
This is a reference to 独孤求败 (Dú gū Qiú bài), a fictional character in Jin Yong (Louis Cha)’s wuxia novels. He was a legendary master of martial arts who was so powerful that he was undefeatable, and wandered the world looking for someone to defeat him. His name literally means “Loner asking for defeat”.
Jiang Cheng:
You’re so shameless!
Wei Wuxian:
Who’s shameless? The one trying to hit me is shameless!
How about it? I’m talking about you!
Jiang Yanli:
Stop it, both of you.
Cloud Recesses does not allow fighting.
It’s not too late to play after returning to Lotus Pier.
Wei Wuxian:
All right, Senior Sister. I know, Senior Sister.
You can rest assured. I’ll definitely not hit him!
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian! You...
You...
Stand right there!
You stop right now!
How dare you hit me!
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister, look!
Jiang Fengmian:
All right. Stop playing.
Wei Wuxian:
Stop!
Cloud Recesses forbids loud disturbances.
Jiang Cheng, what are you doing?
Jiang Cheng:
Sis, look at him!
Lan Xichen:
Now that Young Master Wei has left,
Cloud Recesses will become peaceful like before.
Wangji,
should you tell Young Master Wei
of your journey to find the Yin Iron?
Lan Wangji:
There’s no need.
Wei Wuxian:
Little rabbit,
Cloud Recesses does not allow pets,
so I can only hide all of you here.
Are you happy living here?
Happy!
That’s great!
If you’re living happily, then I don’t need to worry.
You reckon
should I bring all of you back to Lotus Pier?
I’d better not.
If Lan Zhan is ever bored one day and wishes to find you,
he won’t be able to...
But...
Lan Xichen:
(Wangji, be careful along the way)
Wei Wuxian:
You reckon
where do you think he is setting off to by himself?
He’s not looking for the Yin Iron by himself, right?
The Untamed 陈情令 - Translation of Chinese Subs - Episode 6
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thanks!
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly.
The Untamed Episode 6
Wei Wuxian:
Why are you so late?
Nie Huaisang:
I went to get some peanuts.
Brother Wei,
this liquor of yours is really not bad.
Wei Wuxian:
Of course it is!
In Gusu, one must drink the Emperor’s Smile.
The scent is mild; yet each mouthful is rich in flavour.
Gentle, yet not chilly; mellow, yet with no harshness.
Jiang Cheng:
If you are drinking liquor, just drink.
It sounds like you’re describing a person.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Jiang,
in my opinion, I actually think that Brother Wei spoke really well.
It is said that rich liquor has been compared with beautiful women
since time immemorial.
Wei Wuxian:
Cheers.
Jiang Cheng:
According to what you said,
both of you should just follow the scent of the liquor to find your cultivation partners.
Wei Wuxian:
If liquor is available,
that’s fine too.
Jiang Cheng:
How would the people of the Gusu Lan Clan put up with you?
Wei Wuxian:
What’s wrong with me?
With standards like yours,
it’s more likely that no one can put up with you.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei, what standards?
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian, don’t you dare say it!
Wei Wuxian:
A beauty! A natural beauty!
Jiang Cheng:
You...!
Wei Wuxian!
Wei Wuxian:
Gentle and understanding! Must be industrious and thrifty!
Also...
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian!
Wei Wuxian:
...also be of a good family background!
Jiang Cheng:
You dare say that again!
Wei Wuxian:
...mustn’t be too talkative!
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian, stop running!
Wei Wuxian:
...voice mustn’t be too loud!
Nie Huaisang:
Careful!
Jiang Cheng:
You’re still running! Wei Wuxian!
Wei Wuxian:
...and cultivation mustn’t be too high!
...and...
mustn’t be too extravagant!
Jiang Cheng:
You dare to say more!
Nie Hiaisang:
No!
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian!
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Jiang, you get up!
Lan Wangji:
What are all of you doing?
Wei Wuxian:
It is said that arriving coincidentally is better than arriving early.
Since Brother Wangji is here,
how about you take a seat and have a drink with all of us?
Let’s have a nice chat.
Lan Wangji:
The Cloud Recesses forbids liquor.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan,
don’t be so inflexible.
Today, all of us defeated the waterbourne abyss,
and obtained an achievement.
Let’s celebrate a little...
Lan Wangji:
All of you, go to the Discipline Hall to confess your wrongdoings.
Wei Wuxian:
What hall?
Jiang Cheng:
What hall?
Nie Huaisang:
What...?
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, look,
they’re so drunk.
They’re definitely unable to walk.
How about this,
you can sit down with me,
both of us can have a drink
and a nice chat.
Lan Zhan!
Lan Wangji:
If you are not going,
I will find someone to take you.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan...
Lan Zhan?
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, come here.
Sit down, and drink up this cup of liquor.
I didn’t lie to you, right?
It’s good, right?
Lan Zhan?
Lan Zhan,why do you have such thick skin?
It’s so thick that your face won’t even blush.
Lan Zhan...
can you go back to your room to sleep?
Don’t sleep here!
To think that the normally aloof and distant Second Young Master Lan
would fall into my hands.
Lan-er, call me Elder Brother Wei.*
*Translation note: Wei Wuxian calls him 蓝二 (Lán èr), which literally means “Second Lan”. This a shortened form of his title “Second Young Master Lan” 蓝二公子 (Lán èr gōng zǐ). Wei Wuxian is using a very, very casual form of address, which, in normal circumstances, would have sounded very rude. Shortening the names/address like this is usually done if a) one is very close or intimate with the other person; or b) you are trying to be rude to the other person.
哥哥 (gē ge) is a casual, intimate way of addressing an elder brother. The way that Lan Wangji addresses Xichen: “兄长(xiōng zhǎng)”, which also means “Elder Brother”, is much more formal.
Lan Wangji:
Elder Brother Wei.
What is it?
Wei Wuxian:
You finally have a reaction.
Your headband is crooked.
Lan Wangji:
Crooked?
Wei Wuxian:
Let me help.
Lan Wangji:
Go away!
Wei Wuxian:
Ah, it’s crooked.
It’s still crooked.
Lan Wangji:
What are you doing?
Wei Wuxian:
I’m just helping you to adjust the headband.
Why are you so anxious?
Lan Wangji:
The headband is an important object.
How can those who are not my parents, wife or child touch it?
Wei Wuxian:
Wife?
Lan Wangji:
What are you laughing at?
Wei Wuxian:
I’m laughing at your Lan Clan.
So many rules, and so unreasonable.
What woman would dare to marry you?
You’re going to be single your whole life.
Lan Wangji:
That’s fine.
Wei Wuxian:
I say, are you people of the Lan Clan,
all so humourless?
Your father must be as humourless as you.
If so, isn’t your mother really bored?
Lan Wangji:
I don’t have a mother.
Wei Wuxian:
How can you not have a mother?
Did you pop out from a stone fissure?
When I was four, both my parents passed away.
According to logic, I should at least start to remember things by that age.
But thinking back now,
I only remember the situations where I was chased by wild dogs.
I don’t even remember
how my parents looked like anymore.
I only remember one scene;
my mother, holding onto me as I rode on a donkey.
My father was walking in front.
It seemed like my mother told us a joke,
and Father laughed.
Lan Zhan, come,
I offer you this liquor as a toast!
Ah no, it should be a toast to both of us!
In this world, all of us are people of misfortune.
We should live every day as if it were our last.*
Here! Cheers!
*Translation note: Wei Wuxian is quoting lines from two different poems:
1) 同是天涯沦落人(tóng shì tiān yá lún luò rén) – lit: together in this world’s end, all are unfortunate. From ‘Song of the Pipa Player’, by Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi:
2) 今朝有酒今朝醉 (jīn zhāo yǒu jiǔ jīn zhāo zuì) – lit: If there is wine today, then today is the day to get drunk. From ‘Self Consolation’, by Tang Dynasty poet Luo Yin.
============================================
Lan Xichen:
Uncle must be tired from travelling for so many days.
How was the Discussion Conference?
Lan Qiren:
I met with Clan Leader Nie this time.
It was definitely according to our expectations;
similar incidents have happened in Qinghe.
There were also red cracks
on the necks of those people.
Lan Xichen:
Then, have they uncovered any clues?
Lan Qiren:
Clan Leader Nie is currently investigating.
Is everything well in Cloud Recesses?
Lan Xichen,
These days, the people of the Wen Clan have been quiet.
However, there was an incident of water spirits mutating
in Bi Ling Lake.
Lan Qiren:
Tell me the details.
Lan Xichen:
I was about to inform you explicitly.
A few days ago, I brought a few students
to Bi Ling Lake to exterminate spirits.
We discovered that the water sprites in the lake
had mutated and formed into a waterbourne abyss.
Such a thing has never happened before.
At that time, Young Master Wei deduced that
this could have some relation to the spirit-snatching incident.
Lan Qiren:
Young Master Wei?
Wei Wuxian?
Lan Xichen:
Precisely. Clan Leader Jiang’s head disciple.
Lan Qiren:
This...Wei Wuxian,
is he Cangse Sanren’s...
Lan Xichen:
He is indeed the son of Master Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren*.
*Translation Note: 散人 (sǎn rén) – lit: scattered people. This is an ancient title for a person who is idle or has no use for the world, or perhaps one who wanders freely. One historical figure who has the title ‘散人’ is Lu Guimeng (Jianghu Sanren), a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
Lan Qiren:
That explains why this Wei Wuxian is always full of cunning trickery.
He is exactly the same as his mother.
Lan disciple:
Reporting.
Master Lan.
Zewu-jun.
Lan Xichen:
What is it?
Lan disciple:
Wei Wuxian instigated a few students
into drinking liquor secretly, and got caught.
Second Young Master was included with them.
Lan Xichen:
Wangji was with them too?
Lan Qiren:
Preposterous!
===============================================
Lan Wangji:
I, Wangji, have done wrong.
I request Uncle, and Elder Brother to punish me severely.
Wei Wuxian:
Teacher! Zewu-jun!
We did break the Lan Clan rules by drinking liquor secretly,
but Lan Zhan, he...
He is...
Lan Qiren:
You troublemaker!
Wei Wuxian!
Your confinement is not yet completed,
and you are again causing trouble!
What kind of mess will you create in Cloud Recesses
before you are satisfied?
Do not assume that just because your mother is Cangse...
Wei Wuxian:
Teacher!
You knew my mother?
Teacher!
Lan Qiren:
Shut your mouth!
Lan Xichen:
Wangji,
Young Master Wei is not from the Lan Clan.
But you are, and yet you disobeyed the rules despite it.
Lan Wangji:
I am aware of my wrongdoing.
Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-jun!
It was me. I was the one who dragged Lan Zhan into drinking.
He wasn’t willing.
Lan Wangji:
I am aware of my wrongdoing. I am willing to receive heavy punishment.
Wei Wuxian:
Why on earth are you trying to get yourself punished?
Lan Qiren:
The ringleader Wei Ying;
you shall be beaten with the disciplinary ruler 300 times as punishment.
Lan Zhan shall receive the same punishment as Wei Ying.
As for everyone else,
each of them shall be beaten 50 times with the disciplinary ruler,
When we get back to Yunmeng, please don’t tell Father and Mother
that I got beaten 50 times with the disciplinary ruler.
Wei Wuxian:
Then don’t mention that
I got hit 300 times either.
Jiang Cheng:
Wasn’t this incident caused by you?
Wei Wuxian:
Nobody forced you to drink the Emperor’s Smile!
Jiang Cheng:
I...
Jiang Yanli:
All right, are both of you still going to argue?
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister,
I’m hurting everywhere.
Jiang Yanli:
This time, let it be a lesson for you.
Bear with it for a while.
I’ll cook danggui* soup for you
after the lessons.
*Translation note: Danggui 当归 (dāng guī) - Angelica sinensis is a well-known herb in traditional Chinese medicine.
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister,
with my injuries,
I’ll need to eat more meat to recover.
Jiang Cheng:
If it is danggui stewed with lamb meat, that’ll be even better.
Jiang Yanli:
Both of you...
Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-jun.
Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-jun, did I break another Clan rule?
Lan Xichen:
Yesterday, all of you did go overboard a little.
However, Uncle was in a fit of anger,
and was rather harsh with his punishment.
That disciplinary ruler is extremely heavy.
The injuries on your back
will not recover without resting for ten to fifteen days.
Wei Wuxian:
My injuries need ten to fifteen days to recover?
Lan Xichen:
I’ll tell you of a place to treat your injuries.
It will aid you in recovering faster, so as to avoid affecting your studies.
Jiang Yanli:
Thank you, Zewu-jun, for your concern.
Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-jun,
my mother...
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wei,
Cangse Sanren was a classmate of my uncle years ago.
My uncle’s conduct was extremely stern and proper,
but your esteemed mother was...
I can only say that
she behaved in exactly the same way as Young Master Wei.
So Young Master Wei should not begrudge
my uncle for being more harsh with you.
In fact...
At that time, it was truly difficult
for my uncle to maintain his beard.
===============================================
Wen Qing:
(Bi Ling Lake.
Waterbourne Abyss.
White pupils appear.)
Wen Ruohan:
So, that’s how it is.
Wen Qing:
The Yin Iron is within the water.
================================================
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, why didn’t you tell me of
such a great place?
How unfriendly of you.
Lan Wangji:
How did you come in here?
Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-jun let me in.
Oh, it’s so cold!
It really is cold.
So cold!
It’s freezing!
Lan Wangji:
Stop flailing.
Wei Wuxian:
I know that.
But the water is too cold.
If I don’t keep moving,
my blood will coagulate,
and I’ll freeze to death!
Lan Zhan.
Hey, Lan Zhan,
you, seriously...
Fine. Although you’re usually
somewhat inflexible, pedantic, dreary,
and a little boring;
Actually, I really couldn’t stand you at the beginning.
But, after we’ve duelled twice
and fought to a draw,
I, Wei Wuxian, to a person I acknowledge,
would really like to be friends with you.
Lan Wangji:
There’s no need.
Wei Wuxian:
There’s no point in being like this.
Let me tell you this.
There are many advantages in being friends with me.
Lan Wangji:
What are you doing?
Wei Wuxian:
Taking my clothes off to treat my injuries.
Hey, don’t go!
I...
I won’t disrobe, all right?
Lan Zhan, have you been to Yunmeng?
Yunmeng is really fun.
Yunmeng also has lots of good things to eat.
How about this,
if you come to Lotus Pier,
I’ll help you pick...
I’ll pick lotus seedpods for you, and water chestnuts, all right?
Lan Wangji:
I’m not going.
Wei Wuxian:
All right, fine.
Then I can only let you into an earth shattering secret:
Yunmeng has a lot of beautiful ladies.
Lan Zhan,
do you sense anything strange?
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, what is this place?
Why is there a vortex to a secret passage under the cold spring?
What is this place? It’s so strange.
The water is so cold, yet it’s not frozen into ice.
Lan Zhan, wait for me!
What is this thing?
Lan Wangji:
The Chord Assassination Technique.
Wei Wuxian:
Chord Assassination Technique?
Isn’t this the specialised technique passed down by your Lan Clan ancestors?
What is this thing?
Why does it only come after me?
Lan Wangji:
(The zither has the forbidden seal of the Lan Clan on it.
It does not attack me,
probably because it can sense that I am a member of the Lan Clan.)
Why are the rabbits wearing the Lan headband on their heads?
Wei Wuxian:
(I heard that starting from their childhood,
all Lan Clan members must wear the headband.
The headband recognises its master, and it has some powers.
Why do even the rabbits wear the headband?)
Powers...
Headband...
Lan Zhan! The headband! Give me your headband!
Hurry!
I must see for myself what kind of treasure this is,
that doesn’t allow outsiders to approach it.
Lan Wangji:
Do not touch it recklessly.
This zither is a rare item,
imbued with powers,
which uses the Chord Assassination Technique to attack outsiders.
This might be the instrument of a Lan Clan ancestor who has passed on.
Wei Wuxian:
I’m just looking. I’m definitely not touching it.
Lan Wangji:
Put your hand down.
My ancestor’s instrument
should not be treated without proper respect.
Wei Wuxian:
How can I examine it thoroughly if I don’t pick it up?
Lan Wangji:
I have my own methods.
Wei Wuxian:
Inquiring the spirit?
I’ve heard previously that the people of the Gusu Lan Clan
have a special technique passed down
that allows one to communicate with the deceased by playing the zither.
Lan Wangji:
It’s her?
Wei Wuxian:
Who?
Cave Echo:
Qishan Wen Clan!
Cave Echo:
Gusu Lan Clan!
Cave Echo:
Yunmeng Jiang Clan!
Cave Echo:
Lanling Jin Clan!
Cave Echo:
Qinghe Nie Clan!
Cave Echo:
Kill the immortal abode! Destroy the Yin Iron!
Kill the immortal abode! Destroy the Yin Iron!
Kill the immortal abode*! Destroy the Yin Iron!
*Translation Note: 仙山 (xiān shān) literally means ‘immortal mountain’, but can also be taken as ‘the place where immortals live’. Therefore, I’m translating it as ‘immortal abode’.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan, what are these voices?
Lan Wangji:
I do not know. Be careful and take precautions.
Cave Echo:
Kill the immortal abode! Destroy the Yin Iron!
Xue Chonghai, hand over the Yin Iron!
Wei Wuxian:
It sounds like the Five Great Clans
are purging another clan.
What on earth is the Yin Iron?
Lan Wangji:
I have not heard of it before.
Lan Yi:
The Yin Iron is inauspicious, it is better to not mention it.
[Lan Yi, Gusu Lan Clan]
============================================
Lan Xichen:
Uncle,
Wangji and Young Master Wei
may not have met with anything unfortunate.
I have already sent out people to search for them.
Lan Qiren:
Wangji has been attentive and diligent since childhood.
He will definitely not fool around like Wei Ying.
Since both of them went missing at the cold spring,
I’m afraid that...
Lan Xichen:
Uncle is worried that...
Lan Qiren:
A storm is approaching.*
*Translation Note: 山雨欲来 (shān yǔ yù lái): This is part of an idiom 山雨欲来风满楼 (shān yǔ yù lái fēng mǎn lóu), lit meaning: The rising wind forebodes the coming storm. It indicates a feeling of foreboding that something terrible is about to happen.
================================================
Search Party:
Second Young Master Lan!
Young Master Wei!
Young Master Wei!
Young Master Wei!
Second Young Master Lan!
Young Master Wei! Second Young Master Lan!
Young Master Wei! Second Young Master Lan!
Second Young Master Lan! Young Master Wei!
Second Young Master Lan! Young Master Wei!
Young Master Wei! Second Young Master Lan!
Young Master Wei! Second Young Master Lan!
Jiang Cheng:
Sis!
Sis,
stay here and rest a while.
I’ll bring along some people to search over there.
Search Party:
Young Master Wei!
Second Young Master Lan!
Second Young Master Lan!
Young Master Wei!
Young Master Wei!
Second Young Master Lan!
Second Young Master Lan!
Young Master Wei!
Jiang Yanli:
A-Cheng,
you must find them!
Jiang Cheng:
Rest assured, Sis!
I’ll definitely find him
and break his legs!
Jin Zixuan:
Young Lady Jiang, be careful.
=================================================
Lan Wangji:
I, Lan Zhan, junior member of the Gusu Lan Clan,
pay my respects to Elder Lan Yi.
Wei Wuxian:
So she is...
the sole female family head of the Gusu Lan Clan?
The one who created the Chord Assassination Technique,
Lan Yi?
I, Wei Ying, junior member of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan,
pay my respects to Elder.
Elder, so these rabbits that are wearing the headband
are reared by you.
Lan Yi:
These rabbits were actually reared to keep me company in the Cold Pond Cave.
These past few years, my spiritual powers have gradually weakened;
being playful, they often run outside.
Lan Wangji:
Elder,
it was rumoured that you* had passed on* years ago.
Why...
*Translation Note:
Lan Wangji is using 您 (nín), which is a formal version of ‘you’. It is usually used to address someone who is well-respected and is of higher status.
仙去 (xiān qù) can mean ‘to become an immortal’ or ‘to die’
Wei Wuxian:
It must have something to do with the Yin Iron.
Lan Yi:
This incident
was the greatest mistake I committed in my lifetime.
And because of that,
I have also paid the price by using all my spiritual powers,
to suppress the Yin Iron.
Wei Wuxian:
Elder,
what on earth happened regarding the Yin Iron?
Also,
those battle cries just now, where did they come from?
Lan Yi:
Now that the power of the seal is disintegrating with each passing day,
My spiritual senses are also gradually weakening.
And now, both of you are here.
Perhaps this is the will of heaven?
Wei Wuxian:
Elder?
Lan Yi:
A few hundred years ago,
This piece of Yin Iron was not yet in fragments.
(The Yiling Burial Mounds of the past was an immortal abode.
And Xue Chonghai
was, at the time, a State Perceptor whose power was the greatest.
Incidents that happened hundreds of years ago can no longer be verified.
So, no one knew why
Xue Chonghai, whose name was famous during that time,
[Xue Chonghai]
would use the Yin Iron to absorb resentful energy,
sacrificing living people to it.
He controlled an ancient demonic beast, the Tortoise of Slaughter,
and massacred other cultivation clans without restraint.
In an instant, he plunged people into an abyss of misery.
It was a difficult situation to resolve.)
Wei Wuxian:
So, that was why the Five Great Clans gathered together
to kill Xue Chonghai.
Lan Yi:
Young Master Wei is indeed intelligent.
Xue Chonghai was killed and the Tortoise of Slaughter suppressed,
but corpses were strewn everywhere in an instant.
And the immortal abode of Yiling
eventually turned into a burial wasteland.
Lan Wangji:
Elder,
then where was the Yin Iron located after that?
Lan Yi:
As the Yin Iron had snatched away too much spiritual senses from living people,
its resentful energy was difficult to dissipate.
Wei Wuxian:
Spirit-snatching?
Lan Yi:
That is correct.
The Yin Iron was a treasure of nature.
It absorbed energy from the heaven and earth.
Later, because Xue Chonghai sacrificed living humans to it,
it began stealing spiritual senses from the living,
even spiritual energy from cultivators.
This caused the Yin Iron to overflow with resentful energy,
with no possibility of recovering.
================================================
Wen Mao:
Hand over the Yin Iron!
Xue Chonghai:
Wen Mao!
Your fate,
will be the same as mine!
===============================================
Lan Yi:
Later, the Five Great Clans
decided to suppress the Yin Iron.
They broke it into fragments,
placing them in locations that had abundant spiritual veins in four directions.
To prevent a repeat of this tragedy,
the Five Great Clans made an agreement,
to never mention the existence of the Yin Iron to their descendants.
Wei Wuxian:
Elder, please forgive me for speaking plainly.
If this Yin Iron
could really absorb the energy from heaven and earth;
if we are able to make use of it,
why couldn’t...
Lan Wangji:
Wei Ying!
Lan Yi:
I didn’t expect that
what I thought of at that time to be exactly the same as
what Young Master Wei just said.
I was born a woman.
Once I inherited the position as the family head of the Lan Clan,
I was made to suffer constant criticism.
There were hundreds of things that needed to be done at that time.
For many years, I strived to break from the old norms and customs,
seeking more innovative paths.
I dedicated my lifetime for the sake of rejuvenating the Lan Clan,
yet I encountered countless hindrances.
Later, while my close friend, Baosan Sanren, and I were having a long talk,
I heard her mention the Yin Iron by chance.
Wei Wuxian:
Baoshan?
Elder, you were acquainted with Baoshan Sanren?
Lan Yi:
Baoshan was my one and only confidant in my lifetime.
However, I...
eventually disappointed her.
Wei Wuxian:
What do you mean?
Lan Yi:
After I gained knowledge of the Yin Iron,
I could not sleep at night.
I examined the Lan Clan’s hidden records dating back for hundreds of years.
Finally, from the phrases and scripts left behind by my predecessors,
I deduced the place where my Lan Clan ancestors
had hidden the fragment of Yin Iron,
after bringing it back.
The Cold Pond Cave is abundant with spiritual veins.
Cold energy from four directions are gathered here,
condensing into a pool of extreme cold that will never be frozen.
Not only is this the source of the cold spring,
it is also the ideal place to seal the Yin Iron.
Wei Wuxian:
That’s how Elder discovered
a fragment of Yin Iron in here.
Lan Wangji:
The Yin Iron can never be purified.
Why does Elder wish to find it?
Lan Yi:
At that time, I had the same thoughts as Young Master Wei.
I was young and arrogant back then.
Why would I have listened to the advice of other people?
Lan Wangji:
I fear the purification would be unsuccessful; on the contrary, you would be controlled.
Lan Yi:
Baoshan also warned me of it at that time.
But for my entire life, I had always persisted in doing things my way.
I only asked to have a clear conscience in my actions.
All I thought of was the need to override all dissenting views,
to develop and spread the knowledge of the Lan Clan.
And so, I ignored her advice.
I went personally to the forbidden grounds.
I didn’t expect...
In the end, I was wrong on this matter.
Wei Wuxian:
What happened after that?
Does Elder Baoshan know of this matter?
===============================================
[Baoshan Sanren]
Baoshan:
Lan Yi,
you know what the consequences will be
once you go there?
Lan Yi:
I am not doing this out of my own selfish desires,
but only for the sake of the Lan Clan.
Why are you stopping me?
Baoshan:
The power of resentment in the Yin Iron is extremely dangerous.
Even your predecessors were unable to purify it.
Did you even consider,
once you release the seal and if you cannot control it,
then...
Lan Yi:
I am the family head of the Lan Clan,
creator of the Cloud Assassination Technique.
The things my predecessors could not do,
does not mean that my generation cannot accomplish it!
The Untamed 陈情令 - Translation of Chinese Subs - Episode 5
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thanks!
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly.
The Untamed – Episode 5
Wei Wuxian:
Does the back mountains of Cloud Recesses really have a secret?
Brother Ji, it’s you!
Oh, Brother Ji, I didn’t do that on purpose just now.
Seriously, you too,
were so silent and didn’t say a word,
you made me so unprepared.
Brother Ji,
I’ll tell you a secret.
I heard something in the back mountains just now.
I suspect that someone sneaked into the back mountains.
Do you think all this has anything to do with the soul-snatching...
Hey, what are you doing?
Dragging me like this, isn’t it improper behavior?
It hurts!
==============================================
[Book Pavilion]
Wei Wuxian:
Wow, beautiful handwriting.
It’s really beyond the highest grade.
Brother Wangji.
Lan Wangji.
Lan Zhan!
There’s really no need to look at me like that!
It’s because you didn’t answer when I called you “Wangji”,
that’s why I called your name.
If you’re not happy,
you can address me in the same way.
Lan Wangji:
Put your leg down.
Wei Wuxian:
Sure... putting it down.
Oh right, Brother Wangji,
I want to ask you a question.
Why do you dislike me so much?
Second Young Master Lan,
don’t ignore me after saying a couple of sentences!
I’m specially apologising to you,
and admitting my wrongs.
Yes, that night,
I shouldn’t have climbed over the wall,
shouldn’t have drunk liquor,
and shouldn’t have fought with you.
But I swear,
I really have no knowledge
of the rules of your clan.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have drunk that jug of liquor
right in front of you.
(I would have hidden it, brought it back to my room and drank it secretly.)
Also, let talk reasonably.
Who struck first?
It was you.
If you hadn’t attacked first,
we could have had a good chat.
With my temperament,
if someone else strikes first,
I will absolutely retaliate.
So this incident
cannot be totally blamed on me, right?
Second Young Master Lan, are you listening?
Second Young Master Lan, bestow a glance at me, please?
Lan Wangji:
Transcribe one more time.
Wei Wuxian:
Oh no, please,
I’ve already apologised to you.
Lan Wangji:
You have absolutely no sense of remorse.
Wei Wuxian:
I do.
I’m sorry.
I can apologise as many times as you want.
If not, I can even kneel down and say it.
==============================================
Wen Ning:
Sister.
Sister, where have you been?
Sister?
Ever since you arrived at Gusu,
you are often not around.
Are you...
really searching for something?
Wen Ruohan:
(Remember this,
the fragment of Yin Iron
is exactly the same as the piece from Dafan Mountain.
So you should not forget this.
Find it,
and bring it back.)
Wen Ning:
Sister,
I’ll stop asking.
Don’t exhaust yourself.
Wen Qing:
A-Ning,
ever since you came to Cloud Recesses,
have you sensed anything unusual?
Wen Ning:
N...No.
Sister, I have eaten all the medicine that you gave me.
Wen Qing:
Those of our bloodline have practiced medicine for generations,
Yet, I cannot heal my own brother of his illness.
If not for that year...
Wen Ning:
Sis...
Don’t mention it anymore.
Wen Qing:
A-Ning,
one day, I will definitely take you
and leave Nightless City.
===========================================
Lan Wangji:
You have finished transcribing?
Wei Wuxian:
It’s done.
I won’t be coming tomorrow.
This...
is for you.
Oh right!
I forgot to add something.
Finished!
“Boring”, right?
I knew you were going to say “boring”.
Can you change the phrase
or add a couple of words?
Lan Wangji:
Extremely boring.
Wei Wuxian:
You really did add some words.
Thank you.
Lan Wangji:
Wei Ying!
Wei Wuxian:
I’m present!
Lan Zhan!
Pay attention to your bearing!
I also brought my sword today.
Do you want your Clan’s Book Pavilion to be destroyed?
Lan Wangji:
You have no sense of shame.
Wei Wuxian:
Why should we be embarrassed by this?
Don’t tell me you haven’t seen such things?
I don’t believe it.
Lan Wangji:
You! Go outside.
We’ll fight again.
Wei Wuxian:
No way!
The Cloud Recesses forbids fighting. Don’t you know that?
Lan Zhan!
No!
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan...
What a reckless waste! Seriously, you...
Lan Wangji:
Get lost!
Wei Wuxian:
Fine. Lan Zhan, you...
Everyone says that you are the perfect gentleman,
the pearl of benevolence,
and courteous beyond comparison.
I’ve seen for myself today that you’re just average.
Cloud Recesses forbids loud disturbances.
You actually dared to tell me to get lost?
Right, I’ll get lost right now.
I’m really good at it.
No need to see me off.
================================================
Nie Huaisang:
He actually told you to get lost?
Brother Wei,
You are really too brazen.
It’s my first time hearing Lan Wangji telling someone to get lost.
How did you manage to do that, Brother Wei?
Wei Wuxian:
It’s worthy of celebration.
I must let everyone know
that I am the first person
to help him break this rule today.
Jiang Cheng:
Why are you so pleased with yourself?
What’s there to be proud of?
Is being told to “Get lost” something to feel honoured about?
The face of our clan has been totally lost by you.
Wei Wuxian:
I even apologised to him nicely.
Not only did he not accept it, he cast the Silence spell on me for so many days.
Why can’t I tease him in return?
But it’s a pity about that “Collection of Great Beauties” Brother Nie lent me.
I haven’t managed to read it yet.
On the contrary, he wasn’t happy when I let him look at it.
It was really wasted on him.
Nie Huaisang:
It’s not a pity.
I can give you as many as you want.
Oh right,
I hope you didn’t tell on me?
Wei Wuxian:
Am I the kind of person who betrays a friend?
Jiang Cheng:
Now that you’ve thoroughly offended Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren,
just wait for death tomorrow then.
No one will collect your corpse for you.
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng,
why are you so bothered by it?
Let’s tease them first and worry about it later.
After all,
you’ve collected my corpse so many times,
so you won’t mind if it’s just this one more time, right?
Jiang Cheng:
Next time, if something like this happens again,
don’t let me know,
and don’t let me witness it.
Get lost.
Nie Huaisang:
Isn’t that the owl reared by the Qishan Wen Clan?
What is it doing here?
Wei Wuxian:
Qishan Wen Clan?
How do you know that it’s reared by them?
Nie Huaisang:
Qinghe is situated at the foot of Qishan,
so we often observe these birds flying around.
According to rumours,
the Qishan Wen Clan use these birds for surveillance.
Jiang Cheng:
Then why have these birds flown to Cloud Recesses?
Nie Huaisang:
I don’t know either.
Perhaps the Wen Clan want to keep control of everything,
Young Master Wei, Young Master Jiang, all of you...
Jiang Cheng:
We heard that recently, Bi Ling Lake was being disturbed by water spirits.
Since we do not need to attend lectures these few days,
we wanted to accompany Zewu-Jun to obtain some experience.
Wei Wuxian:
Right! Please let us come with you.
Lan Wangji:
It is not in accordance with the rules.
Wei Wuxian:
Why is it not in accordance with the rules?
Yunmeng is full of water and lakes.
Jiang Cheng and I have played along the lake banks since young and are accustomed to it.
Water spirits are nothing but small fry to us.
Also, we won’t need to attend lectures for a few days.
Jiang Cheng:
That’s right, Zewu-Jun.
Yunmeng has abundant lakes and water.
I’m sure that we can help.
Lan Wangji:
There’s no need.
Lan Xichen:
Then, I request both young masters to accompany us down the mountain.
Wen Qing:
Clan Leader Lan,
I would also like to gain some experience.
Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-Jun,
Young Lady Wen has excellent medical skills.
Exterminating water spirits may be a small issue,
but if the villagers
have met with any accidents,
she can still assist with treatment.
Lan Xichen:
If so, I request Young Lady Wen to accompany us down the mountain as well.
Wen Ning:
Sis! Wait for me!
Wei Wuxian:
Wen Ning?
Wen Qing:
Why have you come?
Didn’t I tell you, I...
Wen Ning:
Sis, I heard that
you were going to exterminate evil spirits.
I want to come along with you too,
to gain experience.
Wen Qing:
A-Ning,
this trip may be extremely dangerous.
I asked you to stay in your room. Why didn’t you listen to me?
Wen Ning:
I...
Wei Wuxian:
Young Lady Wen,
your brother is naturally gifted,
and has superb archery skills.
There should not be any problems if he accompanies us this time.
Also,
I’ll be there to protect him.
I’m sure nothing will happen.
A small thing like exterminating water spirits
shouldn’t have any issues.
Wen Qing:
Clan Leader Lan,
my brother is young and does not understand the gravity of things.
Because Qishan is mountainous and has little water,
he feels that purging water spirits is fun, and rushed here without thinking.
However, Clan Leader Lan may rest assured,
A-Ning and I will definitely not participate in the extermination.
I hope that Clan Leader Lan can make an exception,
and let my brother come along with us.
Lan Xichen:
Young Lady Wen is overstating it*.
Since that’s the case, let us all go together.
*Translation Note: 言重了(yán zhòng le) is a very polite, gentle way of saying that the other person is making a big deal out of things/exaggerating her words.
Lan Wangji:
Elder brother, why are you bringing them along?
This is not a small matter.
It is not advisable to take it lightly.
Lan Xichen:
I just saw your expression,
and it seemed like you wanted both young masters of the Jiang Clan to come along.
That’s why I agreed to bring them.
Is that not so?
Waiter:
Honoured guests, please come in.
Wei Wuxian:
I say, this place of yours,
is there no one cleaning it?
Waiter:
Sir, please bear with it for a while.
To be honest,
ever since the lake started eating people,
this inn
has never received an overnight guest staying here.
You honoured guests are the first.
So I’ll have to trouble you to clean by yourselves.
Wei Wuxian:
Eat people?
Aren’t these water spirits just water plants causing mischief?
How can they eat people?
Waiter:
I have no idea what’s in the lake.
The Bi Ling Lake
has been peaceful and calm these few years.
I don’t know why,
but two months ago some foreign merchants came here,
and their boat sank.
At first, we didn’t take it seriously.
But after that, it happened more and more often.
Many local boatmen have even had their vessels sunk.
Nothing like that has ever happened before in the past few years.
Wei Wuxian:
How about the people in the boats?
Waiter:
Eaten! Those people were eaten!
Lan Wangji:
Has anyone seen what is eating the people?
Waiter:
This...no one has.
Wei Wuxian:
Then how can you be sure
that it was done by the creatures in the lake?
Waiter:
Of course those people were eaten.
So many have fallen in but no one has ever surfaced after that.
Even the bodies are missing.
Wei Wuxian:
Brother Wangji,
do you think that the creatures in Bi Ling Lake
are water spirits?
Lan Wangji:
We do not yet know the whole picture, it is better not to speculate.
Wei Wuxian:
But I don’t think they are.
You reckon
if the creatures in the lake
are not water spirits, what would they be?
How about this,
let’s make a bet.
We’ll see if both of us are thinking in the same way.
Lan Wangji:
Boring.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan!
So humourless.
=============================================
Wei Wuxian:
I heard that a fisherman died last night.
Jiang Cheng:
I would definitely like to battle those little creatures
to see how long they’ll last.
Normally these water spirits only play tricks on people.
Now they even dare to eat people.
Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-Jun,
Regardless of what the villagers were thinking of yesterday,
has anyone seen what kind of creature
is causing trouble in the lake?
Lan Xichen:
Those creatures are extremely cunning.
Once a person has been pulled into the water,
there is little chance of surviving.
No one has actually seen what the creature looks like.
Wei Wuxian:
Then, Zewu-Jun,
is there any progress on the spirit-snatching case?
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wei, why are you asking this?
Wei Wuxian:
The spiritual veins in Cloud Recesses
has flowed endlessly with energy since the ancient times.
But now
all at once, cultivators have had their spirit snatched,
and after that, water spirits appeared to cause trouble.
Do you think that these two incidents are connected?
Lan Xichen:
The Lan Clan are still investigating the spirit-snatching incident.
However, one is a spirit-snatching and the other is caused by water creatures,
I do not think that they are related.
Wei Wuxian:
But...
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wei,
purging the water spirits is more urgent right now.
Jiang Cheng:
What Zewu-Jun said was correct.
Let’s stop wasting time.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan.
Do you want a drink?
Lan Zhan,
let me ask you.
Is there any progress on the soul-snatching incident?
Lan Wangji:
Not yet.
Wei Wuxian:
But I still feel that
your brother is hiding something from us?
You think so too, right?
You also think that your brother knows something that he’s not telling us.
And I also feel that
this is definitely not a small incident.
Otherwise, how can it...
Lan Wangji:
Liquor is forbidden
when night hunting.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
How come I didn’t know of such a rule?
I haven’t even drunk a drop yet!
Return my liquor to me!
[Bi Ling Lake]
Translation Note: 碧灵湖(bì ling hú) lit – Jade Spirit Lake
Lan Xichen:
Everyone, be careful.
The area ahead is where the hauntings are.
Wei Wuxian:
Zewu-Jun,
these water spirits are so intelligent.
If they
continue to hide under our boats,
must we still keep searching for them?
If we can’t find them, what should we do?
Lan Wangji:
This is our duty.
We must find them.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Look at me!
Lan Wangji:
How senseless.
Wei Wuxian:
What is that thing?
Jiang Cheng:
I’ve never seen water spirits like that!
Wen Qing:
Perhaps
they have been mutated by something?
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wei,
how did you know that they were under the boat?
Wei Wuxian:
That’s easy!
The waterline was strange.
Wen Qing:
How was it strange?
Wei Wuxian:
There was only one person’s weight
on his boat just now.
However, the waterline
was much heavier than that of two people.
So there must have been water spirits hanging below his boat.
Lan Xichen:
You are truly experienced with this.
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan,
I didn’t splash water on you on purpose.
Only, those water spirits are too cunning.
If I spoke out loud,
they would have all fled.
Hey, Second Young Master Lan,
when you snatched away my liquor just now,
I didn’t say anything much.
Let’s treat it as we’re both even, all right?
Lan Wangji:
Stay further away from me.
Jiang Cheng:
They’ve appeared!
Capture it, quick!
Wen Qing:
There’s another on the right side!
Lan Wangji:
What is the name of this sword?
Wei Wuxian:
Suibian. (Whatever)
Sui-bian. (What-ever)
Lan Wangji:
The sword has a spirit.
It is disrespectful to call it whatever you want.
Wei Wuxian:
I’m not asking you to call it ‘whatever’ you want.
But its name really is “Whatever”.
Ah, read it yourself.
There’s no need to say anything, I know
you are definitely thinking why I gave it this name
and would there be any special meaning to it.
Actually, there’s no special meaning.
It’s because when Uncle Jiang gave me the sword,
he asked me what name I wanted to give it.
I thought of more than 20 names,
but I wasn’t satisfied with any of it.
So I just casually answered “Whatever”.
Now that I think of it,
The name “Suibian” is not too bad.
Lan Wangji:
Ridiculous.*
*Translation Note: Unfortunately this joke really does not translate well from Chinese to English.
Wei Wuxian’s sword is called “Suibian” 随便 (suí biàn), which in English literally means: whatever / do as you wish. So when he tells Lan Wangji that his sword’s name is 随便, Lan Wangji misunderstands and thinks that Wei Wuxian told him to call it whatever he wishes. Lan Wangji thus replies “it is disrespectful to the sword to call it whatever he wants”. Hence, Wei Wuxian goes on to explain the origin of the name, which Lan Wangji finds to be ridiculous.
Wei Wuxian:
I think that it’s all right.
Lan Xichen:
The fog is getting heavier.
Everyone, be careful.
Wei Wuxian:
Jiang Cheng! Are you all right?
Jiang Cheng, where are you?
Jiang Cheng:
I’m fine!
Wen Qing:
Young Master Jiang.
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen.
Wen Qing:
You’re wounded.
Jiang Cheng:
Young Lady Wen,
I’m all right.
Wei Wuxian:
How on earth are you?
Jiang Cheng:
I’m fine!
Wen Qing:
Fortunately, it’s just a flesh wound.
It should heal after 2 or 3 days.
Wen Ning:
The colour of the water...
Lan Wangji:
Go back at once!
The creatures in the water
deliberately lured the boats to the centre of Bi Ling Lake.
Leave, quickly!
Su She:
What’s happening?
Jiang Cheng:
Look! They are gathering together.
Wei Wuxian:
A waterbourne abyss!*
It’s a waterbourne abyss!
The water spirits mutated, and gathered together
to form an abyss!
They want to consume all of us!
*Translation note: 水行渊 (shuǐ xíng yuān) lit:
水 water
行 current
渊 deep pool
I’m using the translation that Exiled Rebels Scanlations provided in the source novel because the Netflix subtitle “Aqua Demon” is just wrong. I guess it can be translated as water vortex or whirlpool but ‘waterbourne abyss’ just sounds cooler.
Wen Ning:
Young Master Wei! What should we do now?
Lan Wangji:
Ride our swords!
Wen Qing:
A-Ning!
Wei Wuxian:
Lan Zhan!
Lan Zhan, thank goodness you acted on time!
But why did you grab me by the collar?
Couldn’t you just hold onto me?
It’s really uncomfortable with you like this!
How about this,
I’ll hold out my hand,
you can grab it!
Lan Wangji:
I do not touch strangers.
Wei Wuxian:
We’re so familiar with each other,
how can we be considered as strangers?
Lan Wangji:
We’re not familiar!
Wei Wuxian:
How can you be like this!
Jiang Cheng:
How can you be like that?
When you’re being held up by the collar in midair,
can you talk less?
Wei Wuxian:
Shut up!
Jiang Cheng:
You...
==============================================
[Jinzhenhe Inn]
Wen Qing:
Wei Wuxian!
What are you doing here?
Wei Wuxian:
I’m here to visit Wen Ning.
The door wasn’t locked.
But what’s wrong with him?
Why is he still unconscious?
Wen Qing:
Young Master Wei,
A-Ning needs to rest.
If there’s nothing else, please go back.
Wei Wuxian:
This is for you.
Wen Qing:
This is...
Wei Wuxian:
It’s for Wen Ning’s protection.
Wen Qing:
Protection?
Wei Wuxian:
Although my medical skills cannot be compared to yours,
but when it comes to spells,
I’m pretty good at it.
Wen Ning is a cultivator.
He should not be so weak as to be unconscious once he enters the water.
Young Lady Wen, don’t you think that it’s strange?
Wen Qing:
Wei Wuxian,
what on earth are you trying to say?
Wei Wuxian:
Did Wen Ning
have some kind of unusual experience before?
That should be why it resulted in
him being so easily affected by evil spirits.
Young Lady Wen,
I don’t care why you are here at Cloud Recesses.
But I hope that you will let him carry this protection charm.
I also hope that this protective charm can help him.
Of course, you can choose not to believe me.
If you think that this protective charm is useless,
The Untamed Episode 4- translation of Chinese subs
This episode took much longer than expected to translate due to the dialogue-heavy stuff. It was also the most difficult because most of it took place in the class, which had a whole lot of archaic Chinese language. Digging through the dictionary for each line of Lan Clan rules was...not fun.
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thanks!
The Untamed – Episode 4
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly.
Wei Wuxian:
Oh no!
The greeting ceremony is about to begin!
Lan disciple:
The natural world
encompasses all creation.*
The esteemed teachings of the Lan Clan
are set down clearly from the beginning:
To know your roots, to query and investigate, to be bold in speech, and to strive for diligence.
These four principles
are the foundations of philosophical teachings.
*Translation Note: I’m honestly not sure how to translate “方殊之大宗”( fāng shū zhī dà zōng). After some digging on the internet, I found that the original saying is by Ge Hong (葛洪) 283—343 C.E., an Eastern Jin Dynasty scholar and philosopher, in the book 抱朴子 (Bào pǔ zǐ), which provides discourse on on alchemy, immortality, legalism, society etc. I’ve linked an article here for those who wish to find out more:
https://www.iep.utm.edu/gehong/
Students:
We obey your teachings, respected Teacher.
Lan Disciple:
These are the 3500 house rules of the Lan Clan:
Do not practise the evil path.
Do not use concealed weapons.
Do not take in disciples excessively.
Do not pass your knowledge to unknown persons.
Do not hide sharp weaponry.
One must change your clothing after a bath.
Wear a headband to discipline oneself.
Do not touch another’s headband without permission.
The headband must not be used for other purposes.
Do not wear bell strings or other objects that cause noise.
Do not have more than three accessories around the waist.
Do not alter your clothing without permission.
Do not touch another person’s possessions.
Do not raise...
Wei Wuxian:
More than 3000 house rules...
Lan disciple:
...avaricious thoughts; Do not have...
Wei Wuxian:
It will take several hours to recite this.
Lan disciple:
...covetous heart; Do not harbour thoughts of jealousy.
Regulate your words and actions; Do not be judgemental of others.
Do not slander others.
Do not speak in a vulgar manner.
Do not display unreasonable behavior.
Do not speak words of discord against others.
Do not fail to keep promises.
Honour the teacher and revere his teachings; Respect and venerate your elders.
While your elders are standing, one must not sit without permission,
One can sit only when your elders have sat down.
The teacher is the epitome of knowledge and integrity that one must aspire towards.
Cultivate one’s moral character in stillness and quiet.
Wei Wuxian:
Hey, are you hiding something fun?
Lan disciple:
...Cultivate frugality as a virtue.
Do not lose yourself in luxury and extravagance.
Do not covet a life of pleasure and comfort.
Do not seek connections with those in power.
Do not flatter or seek favour from those in power.
Be of good intentions and follow the righteous path.
Wei Wuxian:
What’s this?
Lan disciple:
...Do not enter the path of evil.
Nie Huaisang:
I found a golden sparrow on my way here.
Lan disciple:
...Do not cultivate evil skills.
Nie Huaisang:
I chased it for a full three days!
Wei Wuxian:
How is it? Is it awesome?
Lan disciple:
...Do not associate with evil beings.
Do not tolerate the ways of deceit and cunning.
Wei Wuxian:
Awesome! Looks fun.
It has golden feathers!
Nie Huaisang:
Indeed.
Lan disciple:
...Hold fast to righteousness.
Nie Huaisang:
Let me tell you,
they are even more fun than you’d think.
Lan disciple:
...Do not behave in an unreasonably rude manner.
Wei Wuxian:
For example?
Lan disciple:
...Do not behave in a supercilious manner.
Do not be aggressively competitive.
Do not belittle the poor and weak.
Do not bully the small and weak.
Be respectful and practice caution as a virtue.
Give support to those that are lower in rank.
Conceal your wisdom within oneself; do not show your skills to others.
Wei Wuxian:
Why is this little antique harbouring so much grudges?
Lan disciple:
Do not pursue petty pleasures and undermine one’s ideals.
Do not neglect one’s studies.
[Orchid Room]
Lan disciple:
The Lanling Jin Clan shall begin the greeting ceremony.
Jin Zixuan:
I, Jin Zixuan of the Lanling Jin Clan, pay my respects to Teacher.
Master Lan has encompassing knowledge of the universe,
and is disdainful of the vulgar and uncouth.
My father has specially scoured the world to gather scriptures for you
to compile this set of ‘Heluo Book of Statecraft’,
made with golden thread.
I hope Teacher does not disdain it.
Wei Wuxian:
He’s being elegant and stately.*
Translation Note: 雍容华贵(yōng róng huá guì) – idiom meaning elegant, poised and luxurious. Wei Wuxian seems to be giving a double-edged compliment, because this idiom is usually used to describe women. He seems to like using such idioms to describe Jin Zixuan as he said something similar in episode 2.
Jiang Cheng:
Flashy but with no substance.
Jiang Yanli:
Stop it.
Lan disciple:
The Qinghe Nie Clan shall begin the greeting ceremony.
[Nie Huaisang, Qinghe Nie Clan]
Nie Huaisang:
I, Nie Huaisang of the Qinghe Nie Clan, pay my respects to Teacher.
On behalf of the Nie Clan, I
respectfully offer Master Lan a vessel of fine Zisha* porcelain.
Meng Yao.
*Translation Note: 紫砂 (zǐ shā) – lit ‘purple clay’ is a type of reddish clay from the city of Yixing in Jiangsu Province, used in Chinese pottery in ancient China.
Meng Yao:
I, Meng Yao, deputy of the Nie Clan,
respectfully present to you the vessel of Zisha porcelain on behalf of the Clan.
[Meng Yao]
Zisha is unsophisticated, yet solemn;
simple, yet robust.
It perfectly describes Master Lan’s way of imparting knowledge.
Student:
Who’s he?
Meng Yao:
May the Master kindly accept our gift.
Student:
That’s Meng Yao.
Student:
Isn’t this Meng Yao the illegitimate son of Clan Leader Jin?
I heard that he once went to the Jin House to acknowledge his father,
but he was eventually kicked off Carp Tower.
He joined the Nie Clan afterwards.
Both of them are sons of Clan Leader Jin,
but the manner of treatment is truly as different as heaven
and earth.
Lan Qiren:
Quiet.
Lan Xichen:
I have heard that Clan Leader Nie has a capable deputy among his assistants.
Now that I have seen for myself, the elegance of your speech
I, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Wanyin of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan,
on the orders of my father...
Wen Chao:
In my entire adult life,
I finally find out today that
gaining entry through the doors of the Gusu Lan Clan is such a hassle.
Lan Xichen:
I did not know that Young Master Wen made this journey here.
Please excuse the Lan Clan for not going out to greet you.
For a hundred years,
the Wen Clan has never attended the lectures of the Lan Clan.
Is Young Master Wen here this time,
to provide instructions from the Chief Cultivator?
Wen Chao:
Clan Leader Lan,
you’re wrong.
I am not here to attend the lectures,
but to escort someone here.
In addition,
the Qishan Wen Clan has always been providing education to everyone.
Naturally, we wouldn’t need to go to the Lan Clan for lectures.
Nie Huaisang:
He’s seriously arrogant.
Wei Wuxian:
If that’s the case,
why did Young Master Wen come here specially?
Wen Chao:
Who is this scoundrel?
Wei Wuxian:
I’m undeserving of the title ‘scoundrel’.*
I’m Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng Jiang Clan.
Translation Note: Wei Wuxian is being sarcastic with his words here. However, the sarcasm doesn’t translate well into English. The keyword is ‘不敢当’ (bù gǎn dāng), which is usually a humble reply to someone who has just praised you, meaning ‘undeserving of your praise’.
‘鼠辈’ (shǔ bèi) = scoundrel. I’m not sure why Netflix chose to use the word ‘hangdog’.
Wen Chao:
How dare a brat like you interrupt me.
Wei Wuxian:
My junior brother Jiang Cheng was greeting the teacher just now.
Why should we tolerate the fuss that you’re causing?
Is that what the Qishan Wen Clan
teaches to everyone?
Wen Chao:
Fine.
Today, I’ll let you observe how the Qishan Wen Clan
punishes such disobedient brats!
Jiang Cheng:
Young Master Wen!
It’s just a minor disagreement.
Is there a need to be so overbearing?
Wen Chao:
The Yunmeng Jiang Clan does not recognise proper etiquette.
If I don’t teach you a lesson,
people might say that I am lacking in principles.
Nie Huaisang:
The Twin Jades of Lan
truly live up to their reputation.
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wen,
Today, the Cloud Recesses is holding the greeting ceremony, to pay our respects to the Teacher.
I would ask Young Master Wen to restrain yourself.
Wen Qing:
I, Wen Qing of Qishan Wen Clan,
am ordered by the Chief Cultivator to attend the lectures here.
My brother Wen Ning and I
are here at Cloud Recesses for the first time.
There are some rules that we are not aware of.
I hope for Master Lan and Clan Leader Lan’s magnanimity in forgiving our shortcomings.
Lan Qiren:
If that’s the case,
we shall accept it.
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wen,
the greeting ceremony is completed.
You may proceed to your room to rest.
Please come to the Orchid Room on time
for tomorrow’s lectures.
==============================================
Lan disciple:
The Wen Clan actually sent someone to attend the lectures this time.
What a rarity.
And they were even escorted personally by that Second Young Master Wen Chao.
Wen Chao is said to be rude, arrogant and extremely overbearing.
Now that I’ve seen for myself, he’s worse than I thought.
Nie Huaisang:
That’s why,
Brother Wei, you’re seriously awesome,
daring to confront and argue with Wen Chao.
Besides you,
I’m afraid there won’t be a second person.
Wei Wuxian:
Why would I be scared of him?
It is an absolute joy to
pit myself against such evil men.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei,
it would be good if I could just have your level of courage.
Jiang Cheng:
His ‘courage’
cannot be measured and compared with the average person.
Wei Wuxian:
Let me tell you.
If you want to train your courage,
you must first learn how to play.
Nie Huaisang:
Play?
How?
Wei Wuxian:
I can teach you.
We can use the entire Cloud Recesses
as a playground. How about it?
There’s a stream at the back mountains.
We can go and catch some fish.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei, are you being serious?
Wei Wuxian:
Of course I am.
Jiang Cheng:
Enough. Stop being a bad influence to others.
Wei Wuxian,
the actual lessons start tomorrow.
Don’t you dare forget
that you still have another 260 copies of the Clan rules to transcribe as punishment.
Wei Wuxian:
Not again.
Can you just not mention this again?
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei, I heard that the Lan Clan...
Wei Wuxian:
Brother Ji! Brother Ji!*
It’s me!
I’m sure he didn’t hear me.
His ears are not good.
*Translation Note: Wei Wuxian calls Lan Wangji ‘机兄 Ji-xiong’ (Brother Ji), which is a homophone for 鸡胸 (jī xiōng) = chicken breast :)
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei,
you actually dared to provoke the world famous Lan Zhan,
the Second Young Master?
I’ve been here for so long,
yet I can only go out of my way to avoid him whenever I see him.
Wei Wuxian:
What’s the big deal?
I’ll tell you this.
Last night, I actually had a fight with him.
Nie Huaisang:
You fought Lan Wangji last night?
Brother Wei, you are seriously brazen.
Wei Wuxian:
Let me tell you.
Both of you wouldn’t know
how exciting the situation was last night.
The night was dark and windy, and I climbed over that wall,
carrying a jar of Emperor’s Smile.
And then Lan Zhan...
==========================================
Lan Xichen:
Uncle,
ever since the Lan Clan began conducting lectures,
the Wen Clan has never sent any of its disciples.
This time, they have only sent
a pair of sister-brother siblings from a branch clan.
I’m afraid that they have ulterior motives.
Lan Qiren:
Xichen, they came here as guests.
No matter what their motives are,
we only have to treat them with proper courtesy and etiquette,
and be wary against them.
Lan Xichen:
Uncle, what you said just now...
Lan Qiren:
Xichen,
do you still have misgivings?
Lan Xichen:
Yes, Uncle.
I was thinking,
the Wen Clan specialise in fire spells,
and those puppets...
I wonder if there’s a connection between them?
Lan Qiren:
Ever since the Wen Clan ascended to the rank of Chief Cultivator,
their movements have been increasingly aggressive.
Their residence at Nightless City resembles a sprawling town,
filled with countless retainers within its doors.
And for the past few years,
they have run amok, abusing their power against the weak.
If the soul-snatching incident
is truly related to the Chief Cultivator,
I fear that this is not something that just two of us
can act upon.
==============================================
Meng Yao:
Zewu-Jun.
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Meng.
Young Master Meng, the greeting ceremony is over,
why have you not gone to take a rest?
Meng Yao:
I have specially come to bid you farewell.
Lan Xichen:
Bid me farewell?
Young Master Meng, why not stay for a few more days before leaving?
Meng Yao:
I am merely a retainer of the Nie Clan.
It is better if I leave earlier.
Lan Xichen:
If that is the case,
I will not inconvenience you.
Young Master Meng,
Clan Leader Nie is moral and upright,
and is clear on when to punish or reward.
As long as one has rendered great service,
he will never be unfair.
Meng Yao:
I will remember your words.
Regarding the greeting ceremony just now, I offer you my thanks for your mediation.
Lan Xichen:
You flatter me.
You and I are peers,
there’s no need to stand on ceremony.
Meng Yao:
I bid you farewell.
Lan disciple:
Today was an interesting day.
Lan disciple:
Indeed.
================================================
Wei Wuxian:
See how I...
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei!
Wei Wuxian:
You scared off the fish!
Nie Huaisang:
You go ahead...
Give it to me!
Throw it to me!
Give it to me!
Wei Wuxian:
Brother Nie...
It’s fine if you don’t help.
I caught you a fish with so much difficulty
and you just let it go free.
Nie Huaisang:
I say, Brother Wei,
Qinghe has a great many mountains and little water,
and it’s totally unlike Yunmeng,
which is full of rivers and lakes.
Furthermore,
we have spells.
Why would we need to enter the water ourselves to catch fish?
Wei Wuxian:
You actually use spells to catch fish?
That’s meaningless.
You asked me to bring you around Gusu to have fun,
What fun can we have besides the delights of climbing mountains and exploring the rivers?
Nie Huaisang:
Now that you’ve said it,
that actually makes sense.
Let’s continue.
Wei Wuxian:
Shhh... quiet.
Brother Nie, there’s so many fish here...
Nie Huaisang:
Save me!
Save me! Brother Wei, save me!
Save...
Wei Wuxian! I...
Wei Wuxian:
Hey! A fish!
Look! Be...behind you!
Behind you!
Behind you! Look! Fish!
To your left, beside you.
Nie Huaisang:
Brother Wei.
Brother Wei?
Brother Wei?
=============================================
Wei Wuxian:
Young Lady Wen?
Young Lady Wen,
what are you doing here?
Your silver needle looks interesting.
Wen Qing:
Don’t touch it.
Has no one ever told you
not to touch a doctor’s silver needle?
Wei Wuxian:
People have only told me
that the Wen Clan has a female doctor
who is ruthless and brutal.
No one can approach her.
Young Lady Wen,
you haven’t told me
what were you doing here?
No one is allowed to enter the back mountains of Cloud Recesses.
If you have no important matters to attend to,
are you here for a walk then?
Wen Qing:
What business brings you here to the back mountains then?
Wei Wuxian:
My...my business is very important.
Catching fish.
================================================
Jiang Yanli:
A-Cheng, don’t overtire yourself.
From tomorrow onwards, we will be having the proper lectures.
Jiang Cheng:
Since we arrived at Gusu,
Wei Wuxian has caused only worry and never once given us any peace!
Jiang Yanli:
A day of leisure on this last day is hard to come by.
Let him be.
Jiang Cheng:
When will he ever give any consideration to the Yunmeng Jiang Clan?
Jiang Yanli:
A-Cheng,
our ancestors of the Jiang Clan
were originally wandering swordsmen.
They advocated being free, to be open and upright,
to be magnanimous and unrestrained.
Doesn’t A-Xian have such a temperament?
So, there’s no need for you to worry so much.
Jiang Cheng:
That’s what
Father has always favoured about him.
Jiang Yanli:
A-Cheng,
Among the disciples of the Jiang Clan,
has father ever disliked anybody
as long as one is moral and upright?
Furthermore,
aren’t you the same as well?
Your mouth might nag at him,
but you care for him dearly in your heart.
Jiang Cheng:
I do not.
Wei Wuxian:
Oh, you’re both here.
Jiang Cheng:
Again, you...
Wei Wuxian:
Lower your voice.
Jiang Cheng:
Sis, look...
Wei Wuxian:
I...
Senior Sister,
this freshly roasted fish being paired with the vegetable soup,
it’s absolutely delicious.
Not eating?
Then I’ll eat it all.
Here,
you dead duck.
This is your last chance.
If you don’t eat, there won’t be any more.
Jiang Cheng:
Who are you calling a dead duck!
Wei Wuxian:
Whoever has a stubborn mouth is a dead duck.
Jiang Cheng:
You...!
Jiang Yanli:
All right, both of you.
A-Cheng.
A-Xian,
when lectures begin tomorrow,
you are not allowed to fool around.
Wei Wuxian:
I promise.
Just like what Madam Yu said,
I’ll definitely stop causing trouble.
Jiang Yanli:
Drink your soup.
===============================================
Wei Wuxian:
Young Master Jin!
After you.
Jiang Cheng:
Get in, you!
Lan Qiren:
Number six: One must accumulate good deeds to cultivate moral character.
Be kind towards all things.
Be loyal, filial and respectful as one brotherhood; Transform others through one’s righteousness.
Give sympathy to the orphaned and widowed; Respect the aged and cherish the young.
Do not cause harm even to insects and plant life.
Sympathise with the misfortune of the people, and rejoice in their success.
Help those in need, and save those in danger.
Regard the gains of others as though it were your own.
Regard the losses of others as though it were your own.
Do not make known the failings of others, and do not boast of the capabilities of oneself.
Resist evil, and spread goodness; Give more, and take less.
Have no resentment when receiving insults; Rejoice greatly when receiving a favour.
Do not expect repayment after bestowing a favour; Do not regret upon granting one.
One who is virtuous is respected by all.
The natural law blesses, good fortune follows.
Vanquish spirits and monsters,
purge ghosts and evil beings,
so as to gain enlightenment.
What are you laughing at?
No laughing allowed!
Eliminate evil spirits and establish the proper ways.
Those who enter the Lan Clan
must respect and follow the rules of the house.
Do not sit in an improper manner.
Do not run.
Do not cause loud disturbances.
Do not bully the weak and tease others.
Do not ignore others,
or be reckless and undisciplined.
Do not borrow money and valuables from others.
Being late for lessons...
Wei Ying!
Wei Wuxian:
Present!
Lan Qiren:
Since you have no need to listen to my lecture,
let me test you then.
Sprites, demons, ghosts and fiends,*
are they the same thing?
*Translation Note: 妖魔鬼怪 (yāo mó guǐ guài)
Generally, this phrase 妖魔鬼怪 is used as an idiom to collectively describe evil ghosts and monsters of all description. 妖 (yāo) can refer to evil spirits, ghouls, demons, etc. 魔 (mó) can also refer to demons, devils, monsters, etc. 鬼 (guǐ) can refer to ghosts, spirits, etc. 怪 (guài) can refer to monsters, fiends, strange beings, etc. But in this instance, each character refers to a specific supernatural category. Hence, I have translated here as:
妖 (yāo) – sprites
魔 (mó) – demons
鬼 (guǐ) – ghosts
怪 (guài) - fiends
Wei Wuxian:
No.
Lan Qiren:
Why are they not? How would you differentiate?
Wei Wuxian:
Sprites are formed from non-human living creatures.
Demons are formed from living humans.
Ghosts are formed from dead humans.
Fiends are formed from non-human dead creatures.
Lan Qiren:
Sprites and fiends are very easily confused.
Provide an example to differentiate them.
Wei Wuxian:
No problem.
Consider the living tree behind you,
tainted with literary essence for hundreds of years.
It transforms into a human image, and gains awareness,
making mischief and harassing people.
These are sprites.
If I take a broad axe,
chop down the tree at its trunk, leaving just the dead tree stump,
and it cultivates into a spirit,
this is a fiend.
Lan Qiren:
What did the ancestors of Qinghe Nie Clan do as their occupation?
Wei Wuxian:
Butchers.
Lan Qiren:
The emblem of the Lanling Jin Clan is the white peony.
Which type of white peony is it?
Wei Wuxian:
Golden star amidst snowy waves.*
*Translation Note: 金星雪浪 jīn xīng xuě làng (lit – gold star snow wave) is a type of tree peony in China, probably Paeonia suffruticosa
Lan Qiren:
In the cultivation world, the first person who founded a household clan and abandoned sect doctrines –
who was it?
Wei Wuxian:
The ancestor of the Qishan Wen Clan,
Wen Mao.
Lan Qiren:
As a disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan,
you should be so familiar with such things that you could repeat them by heart.
Even if you have answered correctly, there is no need to be so pleased with yourself.
I’ll ask you again.
There is an executioner
with his parents, wife and children still living.
While alive, he had beheaded over a hundred people in total.
He died violently in the marketplace,
and his corpse was exposed for seven days.
As his resentment was repressed,
his spirit began to haunt and kill.
How should this be resolved?
Do not refer to your books!
Think about it yourselves!
Wangji.
Tell him
how to resolve this.
Lan Wangji:
There are three methods:
First, to enlighten; Second, to suppress;
Third, to eliminate.
Firstly, invoke thoughts of gratitude and yearning for his wife and children.
Fulfill his last wishes to resolve his grievances.
If this is unsuccessful, suppression follows.
If he is guilty of heinous crimes, and his resentment does not dissipate,
the rule is to eradicate him completely, with no chance of surviving.
The cultivation clans carefully follow this sequence when dealing with such matters.
There must be no error.
Lan Qiren:
Not one word wrong!
Regardless of cultivation or character,
you should always have this level of practicality and reliability.
If one has merely vanquished a few minor spirits and fiends
on behalf of your clan,
thus showing conceit after earning an undeserved reputation,
such wilful neglect
will eventually bring dishonour to oneself.
Wei Wuxian:
Teacher,
I have a question.
Lan Qiren:
Speak!
Wei Wuxian:
Even though enlightenment is the first step,
it is often impossible to accomplish.
Fulfilling one’s dying wish to resolve one’s grievances,
is easy to say.
If the last wish
is to obtain a new set of clothes, that will be no problem;
but if it is to destroy an entire clan to take revenge,
what should we do?
Lan Wangji:
For this reason, enlightenment comes first,
followed by suppression.
If unsuccessful, the rule is to eliminate.
Wei Wuxian:
That’s a reckless waste of nature’s gifts.
In fact, it’s not that I didn’t know the answer just now.
Only... I was thinking of a fourth method.
Lan Qiren:
I have never heard of a fourth method.
Tell us then!
Wei Wuxian:
This executioner died violently.
It’s inevitable that he would transform into a vengeful spirit.
Since he’d executed over a hundred people when he was alive,
why not dig up the numerous graves of these people,
incite their resentment,
and have the hundred heads battle the vengeful spirit?
Lan Qiren:
You do not even know the level of your arrogance!
The reason for vanquishing demons and destroying evil spirits
is the enlightenment of the soul!
Not only do you not understand the path of enlightenment,
you even want to incite resentful energy!
You are reversing the proper order,
and ignoring human ethics!
Wei Wuxian:
Teacher,
some things can never be enlightened anyway,
why not make use of it?
Da Yu* was also aware when he tamed the floods;
damming the water was unwise, redirecting the water was wise.
Spirit suppression as a method of damming,
isn’t that an unwise plan?
Teacher,
spiritual essence is an energy, resentment is also an energy.
The spiritual essence stored within your core,
when it’s being used,
it can transform nature itself,
so can resentment!
Then why can’t we make use of it?
*Translation Note: Da Yu (大禹 Dà Yǔ) was a mythological ruler in ancient Xia Dynasty China. His greatest achievement was in finding a way to resolve the frequent flooding of China’s heartlands. By dredging the riverbeds to create a system of irrigation, he redirected the flood waters into fields of crops.
Lan Qiren:
Then let me ask you again!
How would you guarantee that the resentful energy...
Jiang Cheng:
Wei Wuxian!
Lan Qiren:
...is being harnessed by yourself and not harming others?
Wei Wuxian:
I haven’t thought of that yet!
Lan Qiren:
If you ever thought of it,
none of the cultivation clans will ever tolerate you!
Get out!
Go to the Book Pavilion and copy the ‘Record of Regulations’ 1000 times!
Jiang Yanli:
Xianxian...
Lan Qiren:
Wangji, you go.
Take him to the Book Pavilion.
He is not allowed to leave till he’s copied it 1000 times!
Lan Wangji:
Yes.
===============================================
Wei Wuxian:
Young Master Wen, great archery skills!
My apologies, I’ve startled you.
Brother Wen, you have such excellent skills in archery,
Why have I never seen you at the Discussion Conference before?
Wen Ning:
Young Master, you flatter me.
I am dull and untalented.
Even more, I may request Young Master for advice.
Wei Wuxian:
“Requesting for advice” is overstating it.
I can see that you are naturally talented, no ordinary person can compare with you.
We can exchange pointers, learn from each other,
and discuss our strengths and weaknesses.
Oh right, Brother Wen,
why aren’t you attending the lectures?
Instead, why are you here in this deserted place
practicing by yourself?
Wen Ning:
I...I am too young,
I do not have the right to attend the lectures yet.
Young Master Wei,
why are you here as well?
Wei Wuxian:
Ah, this...
I’ll tell you the truth.
I’ve just been thrown out of class by Master Lan.
It’s a long story.
Let’s not talk about it.
I saw you shoot an arrow just now.
Your strength was sufficient, but your posture was slightly incorrect.
How about this?
Let me help you adjust it.
Wen Ning:
All right.
Wei Wuxian:
Here,
lower your hand a little.
Straighten your forearm. Widen your shoulders.
Bend your leg.
Aim at your target.
A little lower.
A little higher.
Right! Aim carefully!
Wen Qing:
Wen Ning!
Wen Ning:
Sis!
Wen Qing:
Why are you with him?
Wen Ning:
Young Master Wei
is a very good person.
He is guiding me on my archery.
Wei Wuxian:
Young Lady Wen,
I haven’t asked you,
why do I always see you
at the back mountains?
Are you always following me secretly,
or perhaps,
are you at the back mountains of the Lan Clan
to find something?
Wen Qing:
Wei Wuxian!
Stop talking rubbish!
Wei Wuxian:
Do the back mountains of Cloud Recesses really have a secret?
Hello! First of all, thank you so much for all you do! I had a blast going, "wait there's meta for this" at my friend who was watching the show for the first time, and of course each time, it was your posts, and we screamed/cried over them a lot. So, I had a question: how would you interpret the scene in episode 50 (time stamp 30:12), in which WWX goes "let's go" and asks LWJ where they should go, then turns and starts walking back. (1/2)
oh oh OH THANK YOU you just handed me the last piece of a puzzle I’ve been trying to solve for a while!
so, if my theory holds water, the moment you’re asking about is the third in a series of moments in the show where a similar exchange happens between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. These moments usually have the following beats:
one of them is lost in thought/emotions
the other picks up on said thoughts/emotions, and says 走吧 zouba / let’s go
the first one snaps out of whatever thought/emotional rabbit hole he went down, looks at the one who spoke, and nods
they continue onwards
The first time this happens is in episode 10, right after they bid farewell to songxiao:
Lan Wangji gazes longingly after songxiao; Wei Wuxian turns, notices, and says let’s go in an unusually somber manner for him (again, this is episode 10 Wei Wuxian; so far, he’s been all sunshine, no shadows).
Lan Wangji comes out of his reverie, blinks, and looks at Wei Wuxian, who nods at him. Lan Wangji responds with a tiny chin-tuck of his own, and the two of them turn and walk off together, so that we--
-- get this lovely 背影 beiying / turned-back shot of them walking away (yes, the songxiao echoes are powerful).
The next time we get a similar sequence (if my memory serves me better than Wei Wuxian’s) is in episode 40, as they stand on the top of the stairs at Jinlintai.
Wei Wuxian gets a little overwhelmed by emotion -- understandable, since this is 1) his first time showing up at a major cultivational event post-resurrection, where he can be very confident that most people in attendance would kill him if they knew it was him under the mask, and 2) the last time he came to Lanling, he had just accidentally brought about the death of Jin Zixuan, and was trying to get a glimpse of Jiang Yanli before he fled the tower.
Lan Wangji picks up on Wei Wuxian’s distress, and looks at him with concern. Let’s go, he says, snapping Wei Wuxian out of the moment, a steady anchor in a riptide of memory.
Wei Wuxian comes out of his reverie, blinks, and nods at Lan Wangji, and the two of them follow Lan Xichen into Jinlintai proper.
So here, we have an established pattern, one that quietly highlights how in-tune the two of them are. Both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are difficult to read, for different reasons -- Lan Wangji because he rarely shows expression, Wei Wuxian because he is so overexaggerated in his emotiveness that he can often use that to conceal how he’s truly feeling (see: every time he has an injury and downplays it). And yet, wangxian continue to identify each other’s emotional states and respond to them without fail, offering each other a mental-emotional touchstone in the truly wild, wild rollercoaster of their lives.
Which makes the moment in episode 50 that much weightier with meaning, because it’s the first time we see a deviation from this pattern:
First, there’s the fact that the words are a little off -- Wei Wuxian says, Lan Zhan, let’s go too... hm, where to?
And without checking in/making eye contact with Lan Wangji, laughs and turns away.
Wei Wuxian gets quite far from Lan Wangji before he realizes that Lan Wangji isn’t coming; the smile slides off his face as he slows, stops, turns around to look at Lan Wangji, who still hasn’t moved.
Lan Wangji has been deep in thought since Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui bid farewell to them; and honestly, it’s anybody’s guess what he’s thinking about in this moment (my money is on Lan Xichen because the Twin Jades continue to own my heart and soul, and given that Lan Sizhui just left, he’s probably thinking about family atm)
Wei Wuxian asks -- Lan Zhan... are you no longer coming?
Something about this line is really difficult to translate -- what I’ve been translating all along as let’s go is 走吧 zou ba, which is literally the verb for ‘walk/run/travel/move,’ followed by the -ba sentence-ending suggestion particle. So what Wei Wuxian says here is 蓝湛，你...不走了吗? Lan Zhan, ni...buzoulema? which maintains the use of the verb 走 zou, but expands it beyond simply the negative form of ‘let’s go.’ There’s a subtle difference between 你不走吗 nibuzouma and 你不走了吗 nibuzoulema that I’m not going to be able to articulate well, because the day has not yet dawned that I can confidently state that I understand the grammatical function of 了 le, but essentially:
你不走吗 nibuzouma would be “are you not walking?” / “are you not going?” in the present, immediate sense
你不走了吗 nibuzoulema takes the action of 走 zou and generalizes it -- not just walking/going in the present moment, but in general. To a certain extent, Wei Wuxian is asking if Lan Wangji is no longer walking with him, like, for good
Wei Wuxian isn’t just asking are you not coming with me? for now, he’s asking are you no longer coming with me, at all?
(That’s taking the translation for 走 zou as, specifically, ‘going with Wei Wuxian,’ but from a non-wangxian lens, it’s also a more abstract asking of if Lan Wangji is no longer going to walk this path, whatever this path may be -- a path of wandering heroism, of appearing where the chaos is, of journeying under a vast sky)
(there is also a pretty hefty chance that I am way over-reading connotations into the role 了 le plays in this sentence, but hey, individual interpretation, right?)
Lan Wangji finally turns around, and meets Wei Wuxian’s eyes.
You're absolutely right in that there is an Entire Wordless Conversation Happening Right Now, In Front of My Salad, which more or less consists of:
eye contact
Lan Wangji looks away first
Wei Wuxian gives the tiniest, tearful nod and also looks briefly down
Wei Wuxian seems to come to a conclusion, nods more firmly, then looks back at Lan Wangji
Lan Wangji looks back up again
Wei Wuxian smiles and nods
(zoom out, fade to black)
At least for me, I’ve read this conversation as such:
Wei Wuxian, verbally -- Lan Zhan... are you no longer coming with me?
eye contact -- there are no words here, just a confirmation that the two of them really, really care about each other
Lan Wangji looks away first -- not this time and I’m sorry.
Wei Wuxian gives the tiniest, tearful nod and also looks briefly down -- okay. that’s okay
Wei Wuxian seems to come to a conclusion, nods more firmly, then looks back at Lan Wangji -- this moment is hard for me to parse, because it could be anything from ah, everyone leaves me eventually to that’s actually okay, I can use some time on my own to that’s okay, I know you have important things to do and I don’t hold it against you or heck, all of the above. This necromantic beanpole can and has embodied legions
Lan Wangji looks back up again -- it’s really okay?
Wei Wuxian smiles and nods -- it really is
Basically, this moment is where wangxian do all the emotional work of the parting that will happen later on a picturesque cliff. This is the moment when the two of them come to terms with what it means to go their separate ways, at least for a while, and crucially, both of them accept it.
This isn’t to downplay the significance of the clifftop scene or anything, but at least to me, this moment right after Guanyin Temple always felt much more emotionally raw and vulnerable between the two of them. Clifftop scene gets poetry, and my favorite track from the CQL soundtrack, but forest farewell gets me right where it hurts.
The Untamed Episode 3- translation of Chinese subs
The Untamed – Episode 3
Notes:
The line breaks mostly correspond to each line of mandarin subtitles within the episode. However, I have switched some around so that the English translation can make more sense and flow more smoothly.
Please do not post this outside Tumblr, thank you.
[Jin Zhen He Inn]
Translation Note: I guess a literal translation of the name of this inn would be “Rest Stop River Inn”
Jiang Cheng:
Waiter, what happened?
Why did you suddenly tell us there’re no rooms available?
Waiter:
Sirs, there’s nothing we can do either.
An extremely extravagant customer arrived today
and booked the entire inn.
Those that are not part of their retinue must leave.
That’s why,
it’s better for you guests
to find another inn to rest in.
Mianmian:
Waiter!
Waiter:
Welcome, guests!
I followed your instructions and prepared the rooms.
The other guests have already been sent away.
Mianmian:
Please place these scented pouches
in Young Master Jin’s room.
There are sliced medicinal herbs within
that keep mosquitoes away.
Jin Disciple:
Mianmian, you really are considerate.
No wonder Young Master Jin likes you so much.
Mianmian:
What are you talking about?
Jin Disciple:
You’d better be careful with your task,
our Young Master is not just someone from a common clan .
Waiter:
You can rest assured.
Mianmian:
Let’s go up and have a look at Young Master’s room.
Waiter:
Ladies, this way please.
Jiang Cheng:
So, it’s the Lanling Jin Clan.
I guess they’re here to attend the lectures
and decided to rest here while passing by Caiyi Town.
Jiang Disciple:
Senior Brother*, the Jin Clan members are so few in number,
yet they booked the entire inn
and sent us off even though we arrived first.
All the other inns in this town are full,
we have nowhere else to go.
*Translation Note: The same problem with episode 2. The Jiang Clan disciple addresses Jiang Cheng as 师兄 (shī xiōng), which is the senior male fellow student of a martial clan/sect, but in the Netflix subtitles, it is simply ‘Jiang Cheng’.
Wei Wuxian:
Young Lady Mianmian,
can you give me one of your scented pouches?
Mianmian:
Who are you?
Who gave you permission to call me Mianmian?
Wei Wuxian:
It’s her!
She called you Mianmian,
so why can’t I?
Mianmian:
Who are you?
You’re not allowed to call me by that name!
Wei Wuxian:
It’s fine if I’m not allowed.
Why not tell me your real name, then?
I will stop calling you Mianmian.
Mianmian:
Why should I tell you just because you asked?
Before asking for someone’s name,
please introduce yourself first.
Wei Wuxian:
Of course! Once I say my name, you must remember it.
I’m called ‘Yuan Dao’.
Jin Clan ladies:
‘Yuan Dao’?
Jin disciple:
Mianmian,
I don’t remember which clan’s Young Master has this name.
But, looking at his appearance and bearing,
he doesn’t seem like someone from a common clan.
Mianmian:
You...
You’re making fun of me!
Jin disciple:
What’s wrong?
Mianmian:
Think for a moment, what’s the next line after “Green, green, grass by the river”?
Jin disciple:
“Green, green, grass by the river,
Mianmian misses Yuandao.”
Translation Note: It’s difficult to express the wordplay in the subtitles:
Green, green, grass by the river (青青河边草), long, long, missing the far road (绵绵思远道).
Since the lady’s name is Mianmian (绵绵), and 思 (sī) can mean “to miss/yearn”, 绵绵思远道 can be interpreted as “Mianmian misses Yuandao.”
青 = green
河边 = river bank
草 = grass
绵绵 = continuous / an uninterrupted period of time, 绵 can also mean soft.
思 = to think / miss / yearn
远道 = far road
Mianmian:
How can you say that out loud?
Who would ‘miss’ you?
How shameless.
Wei Wuxian:
Looks like Young Lady Mianmian is from the Lanling Jin Clan.
It is said that the ladies from the Lanling Jin Clan are as beautiful as celestial beings.
Now that I’ve seen with my own eyes,
you are truly extraordinary.
Mianmian:
Such a glib-tongue.
Wei Wuxian:
I am Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian of the Yumeng Jiang Clan,
We are stopping by Caiyi Town for a rest while
going to the Gusu Lan Clan to attend the lectures.
As fellow cultivators,
I’m sure Young Lady Mianmian cannot bear to see us sleep on the streets, right?
Mianmian:
Oh, so this Young Master ‘Yuan Dao’
has another, more pleasant sounding name.
However, regarding the rooms...
Jin disciple:
Mianmian,
the Young Master won’t be able to bring so many people anyway.
These rooms will just remain empty.
Also, they did arrive first.
Mianmian:
If that’s the case,
there’s no harm in letting Young Master Wei stay here.
I will also not inform the Young Master of this.
Wei Wuxian:
Please accept my thanks, ladies.
============================================
Jiang Cheng:
Only the actions of a frivolous loafer like you
could succeed in getting a few rooms from those ladies.
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister,
did you hear what he said?
Jiang Cheng, I somewhat believe that this is due to your jealousy and envy of me.
Jiang Yanli:
Why don’t both of you just have a fight right here?
Wei Wuxian:
But, Senior Sister,
who was the Young Master Jin that Mianmian spoke of?
Jiang Cheng:
Who else can it be?
Among our peers
from the Lanling Jin Clan,
besides the youngest master of the Jin Clan, Jin Zixuan,
who else would it be?
Wei Wuxian:
I wonder if the Young Master Jin
is still as fancifully dressed*
as the time when he was a child.
*Translation Note: 花枝招展 (huā zhī zhāo zhǎn) – Wei Wuxian uses an idiom that’s usually for describing women being beautifully dressed.
Waiter:
Master Cultivators, my apologies.
There are not enough rooms in my humble inn,
so I will have to trouble you to vacate these rooms as well.
================================================
Jin disciples:
Young Master Jin!
Jin Zixuan:
Is this the best inn in Caiyi Town?
Jin disciple:
Yes, Young Master.
Jin disciple:
Even the best inn will never compare to the Carp Tower.
This chair is one of Jin Clan’s, and is made from black ebony wood.
The teacups we use are of peacock green glazed porcelain.
Jin Zixuan:
This tea is stale.
[Jin Zixuan – Lanling Jin Clan]
Let us look at the room.
Mianmian:
Young Master, this way.
Jin Zixuan:
I see, it is the Yunmeng Jiang Clan.
Jiang Cheng:
I suppose the Youngest Master Jin
is also here to attend lectures at the Gusu Lan Clan.
Jin disciple:
Mind your words!
This is our Young Master Jin,
not Youngest Master Jin*.
Translation Note: 金小公子 (Jīn xiǎo gōng zǐ) - Jiang Cheng adds a ‘小’ (xiǎo) to the title of “Young Master” (公子gōng zǐ). ‘小’ xiǎo can mean “little / small” and somewhat demeans the status of Jin Zixuan, implying that his status is beneath Jiang Cheng, who is of the same age and status. This is why the Jin disciple got offended.
Jin Zixuan:
Young Master Jiang is also passing by?
Jiang Cheng:
We intended to have a rest here.
Jin disciple:
That’s really unfortunate,
as we, the Lanling Jin Clan have booked
all the rooms in this inn.
You should all find another place to stay.
Wei Wuxian:
Hey, we were here first.
Jin disciple:
So what if you were here first?
You can complain to the innkeeper.
Anyway, we’ve booked the entire inn,
as our Young Master does not want
to squeeze in with a bunch of common rabble.
Wei Wuxian:
Each cultivation clan member can only bring a few people
to attend the lectures at the Lan Clan.
Young Master Jin ostentatiously
brought so many people with you,
for what purpose?
Jin disciple:
We’re all part of Young Master’s Jin’s retinue. So what?
Wei Wuxian:
The Lanling Jin Clan are really full of extravagance.
I’ve heard that the rules of the Gusu Lan Clan are very strict and they lead austere lives.
Young Master Jin made a grandiose display,
bringing so many people as part of your retinue.
I’m so worried
that Young Master Jin won’t be unable to take the hardship.
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian.
Wei Wuxian:
Senior Sister,
I’m just giving him giving him some friendly advice.
Jin disciple:
How dare you speak insolently to our Young Master!
Where are the manners of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan?
Wei Wuxian:
Which parts of my words are insolent?
Speak out.
Also, if you want to criticise me, go ahead,
but don’t drag the Yunmeng Jiang Clan into this.
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian, A-Cheng,
pack up your things,
we’ll find somewhere else to stay.
Young Master Jin, farewell.
Jin disciple:
Young Master, your bedroom is the one next door.
Jin Zixuan:
I beg your pardon, Miss Jiang.
I entered the wrong room, apologies for the offence.
Wei Wuxian:
Is there any need to say that?
Aren’t all the rooms in this inn yours?
I’ve long heard that the Lanling Jin Clan places great importance on bearing and etiquette,
Now that I’ve seen for myself, it’s barely acceptable.
=================================================
(Gusu Lan Clan)
Jiang Cheng:
This Jin Zixuan
is arrogant to the extreme!
Wei Wuxian:
I agree.
He flaunts around like a flowery peacock!
It’s just a pity,
I couldn’t get my hands on a jar of Emperor’s Smile.
Jiang Cheng,
You’re still thinking of liquor during such a moment?
Didn’t you see the expression on Sister’s face?
Wei Wuxian:
I don’t know what on earth Uncle Jiang is thinking.
Why did he insist on arranging Senior Sister’s marriage engagement with that flower peacock?
===============================================
[Cloud Recesses]
Lan disciple:
This is the rule of the Gusu Lan Clan, students who are here to attend lectures
are not allowed entry without the invitation.
Wei Wuxian:
Little brother, I’ve already told you many times.
We lost our invitation by accident; it was definitely not done on purpose.
Also, we are all standing right here,
how can we be faking?
Lan disciple:
Young sir, I am unable to verify everyone’s identity
without the invitation.
Wei Wuxian:
Look, the sun is about to set.
You’re can’t just watch us sleep out in the open, right?
How about this? Please request your Clan Leader to come over.
He has met our Senior Sister before.
Once he sees her, you’ll know that what we said was the truth.
Lan disciple:
Then I ask for everyone to wait here,
until my shift changes at 5.45pm*
to inform...
Translation Note: 酉时 (yǒu shí) is the period of the day from 5pm-7pm. 三刻 (sān kè) is three quarters of an hour.
Wei Wuxian:
5.45pm?
But the sun is about to set!
Jiang Yanli:
A-Xian, you must not be rude.
Wei Wuxian:
But, Senior Sister...
Jiang Yanli:
Father instructed us
no matter what, we must not lose our sense of propriety.
Let’s leave the mountain entrance before deciding what to do.
[Lan Zhan, courtesy name – Wangji]
Lan disciple:
Second Young Master, you’ve returned.
Lan Wangji:
Who is causing a scene here?
Lan disciple:
They said they were the Yunmeng Jiang Clan...
Jiang Cheng:
This Second Young Master Lan...
Lan disciple:
...here for the lectures, but they do not have the invitation.
Jiang Cheng:
...I suppose he is one of the Lan Clan Twin Jades, Lan Wangji,
Clan Leader Lan Xichen’s younger brother.
Wei Wuxian:
Then I’m sure he can let us in.
Lan disciple:
This is...
Lan Wangji:
Carry him inside first.
Jiang Cheng:
How did he die so horribly?
Wei Wuxian:
Dead? I don’t think so.
He’s more likely hit by some evil spell.
Jiang Cheng:
Evil spell?
Second Young Master Lan? I am Jiang Cheng,
son of Clan Leader Jiang Fengmian of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan.
This is my sister Jiang Yanli,
and my Senior Brother Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian.
We have long heard of your name, Second Young Master Lan.
Lan Wangji:
You flatter me.
Jiang Cheng:
Second Young Master Lan, we misplaced our invitation by accident.
The sky is getting dark, and it is inconvenient to sleep in the open.
May we trouble Second Young Master Lan to make an exception for us?
Lan Wangji:
Visitors without the invitation are not allowed entry.
Wei Wuxian:
Second Young Master Lan, we’ve travelled from Yunmeng
without stopping, and are tired and travel-worn.
We’ve finally arrived and hurried to the Cloud Recesses before sunset.
Yet you refuse us entry because of an invitation,
that’s way too inflexible.
Lan Wangji:
Visitors without the invitation are not allowed entry.
Wei Wuxian:
Second Young Master Lan, we lost it by accident.
It was definitely not on purpose.
Please make an exception this once.
Lan Wangji:
Find it and return.
Wei Wuxian:
Second Young Master Lan, the sun is about to set,
and the distance to Caiyi Town from Cloud Recesses is more than 20 li (10 kilometres).
To tell us to find it during this hour,
you’re forcing us to do an impossible task.
Second Young Master Lan, if it’s impossible, we can...
Lan disciple:
Second Young Master Lan has put a silence spell on you.
It cannot be removed by those not of the Lan Clan.
How can this Second Young Master Lan be so unsympathetic?
Jiang disciple:
I agree.
There are so many rules here at Cloud Recesses,
Yunmeng is better.
Jiang disciple:
That’s right.
I didn’t want to come here.
Jiang Cheng:
Sis, don’t worry.
He’s just gone back to the inn to find the invitation,
nothing will happen to him.
Jiang Yanli:
I’m just worried...
Jiang Cheng:
Sis, Jin Zixuan...
that’s just the way he is.
Don’t take it to heart.
Jiang Yanli:
I haven’t taken it to heart.
However, with A-Xian’s character,
I’m worried that Young Master Jin will make things difficult.
Jiang Cheng:
So long as he doesn’t provoke anyone,
will other people cause trouble for him?
He’s probably with some ‘Mianmian’,
or some ‘Yuandao’ right now.
Translation Note: Jiang Cheng is referencing the line of poetry spoken previously in the inn: 绵绵思远道 (mián mián sī yuǎn dào). ‘Mianmian refers to a female, ‘Yuandao’ refers to a male. Jiang Cheng is implying that Wei Wuxian flirts equally with both men and women. :)
Jiang Yanli:
A-Cheng,
you know that A-Xian never fools around when he has important matters to deal with.
Magical barriers like this are meant to be broken.
What a coincidence! We meet again!
Second Young Master Lan, you’re out this late at night...
to admire the moon?
Second Young Master Lan, I’m here to find my Senior Sister and everyone else.
Oh right, I found the invitation. It’s right here in my robes. I’ll show you.
Lan Wangji:
Breaking through the barrier is a violation of the Lan Clan house rules.
Late night visitors are refused entry before 5am. This is a violation of the Lan Clan house rules.
Bringing liquor into the premises is a violation of the Lan Clan house rules.
Translation note: 卯时(mǎo shí) = 5-7am in the morning: an ancient system of telling time in China. The time system in ancient China is separated into 2 hour intervals.
Wei Wuxian:
Second Young Master Lan,
I, er...
This is my first time here at the Gusu Lan Clan.
I’m definitely not familiar with a lot of your rules.
But I swear, I will never ever break them again.
Also, I’m just anxious
to find Jiang Cheng, Senior Sister and everyone else, right?
How about this, you can let me in to take a look.
I’ll just have a look.
How about...
The Emperor’s Smile, I give you a jar.
Can you pretend that you never saw me?
Lan Wangji:
Bribing the person enforcing the rules
is the most serious violation.
Wei Wuxian:
Second Young Master Lan,
you cannot be this unreasonable, right?
Just now, at the mountain entrance,
you put a silence spell on me indiscriminately.
No matter what, you should still bear some responsibility.
(I didn’t expect this little antiquated stiff to have such good martial arts skills.)
I still have things to do today,
I’m not playing with you anymore!
Lan Zhan! Pay for my Emperor’s Smile!
Lan Zhan:
Turn around.
Wei Wuxian:
What’s this?
Lan Zhan:
The Gusu Lan Clan rules.
Wei Wuxian:
That many?
Lan Zhan:
Put down the liquor.
Now that you are here to study,
count how many Lan Clan rules you have violated tonight.
Wei Wuxian:
Seriously, I’m glad that I don’t belong to
this antiquated and fearsome Gusu Lan Clan.
Since Cloud Recesses bans liquor,
then I won’t enter.
I’ll sit here and drink.
That’s not considered breaking the rules, right?
Lan Wangji:
Impenetrable thickhead.
Wei Wuxian:
Among the female cultivators in every clan,
who doesn’t admire the famous Second Young Master Lan?
It’s a pity.
Lan Wangji:
What pity?
Wei Wuxian:
It’s a pity they don’t know
that the person they admire
is a cold-hearted, unreasonable,
inflexible and pedantic man!
It doesn’t matter. Once I’m back home at Yunmeng, I will definitely...
Recently, the clans around Gusu have come to report,
saying that many cultivators have gone missing.
So I requested Wangji to go and investigate.
This person was
formerly one of Gusu Lan Clan’s guest disciples*.
*Translation Note: 外性门生(wài xìng mén shēng) literally means ‘other surname disciple’, meaning that he was a student of the Lan Clan but was not surnamed ‘Lan’. I am translating this as ‘guest disciple’. Most clans in this series have two types of disciples: 1) those that are directly related to the family, with the surname and are therefore part of the main clan, and 2) various outsiders that the main family take in to teach as apprentices.
Lan Qiren:
An evil spell.
Lan Xichen:
Uncle.
Who is outside making noise?
Lan Wangji:
Elder brother.
Translation Note: The Netflix subtitles translate this as ‘Xichen’, but Wangji is addressing Xichen as ‘兄长’ (xiōng zhǎng), which is a respectful way of addressing an elder brother. At no point in the series does Wangji ever call Xichen by his name.
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wei,
the Cloud Recesses is not comparable to Lotus Pier.
There might be a lot more rules,
but this is your first time here,
so we do not blame you for not knowing.
However, you cannot, for this reason, violate the rules in Cloud Recesses.
You will still need to be punished.
As for what the punishment is,
Wangji, you decide.
Lan Wangji:
Transcribe the house rules 300 times.
Lan Xichen:
Wangji,
release the silence spell from Young Master Wei for now.
Wei Wuxian:
You little antique stiff!
Zewu-Jun, listen to me.
What Lan Zhan said was not correct at all!
Lan Zhan, this little antiquated stiff,
will never speak a full sentence as long as he could say it in three words. I’ll tell you!
This was what happened – this evening, all of us
arrived at the mountain entrance of Cloud Recesses,
and discovered that we forgot the invitation.
But, reasonably speaking, you really can’t blame us.
If anything, the only person to blame is that flower peacock, Jin Zixuan!
Anyway, everyone reached the mountain entrance,
but we were refused entry.
There was no other option,
so I went to look for the invitation by myself.
The Gusu Emperor’s Smile is well-known around the world,
It’s not unreasonable of me to buy two jars, right?
Who would have known that before I could take a sip,
Lan Zhan had broken one of them.
I haven’t gotten him to pay for the Emperor’s Smile yet.
On the contrary,
he put a silence spell on me.
Lan Xichen:
Young Master Wei, regardless of what happened,
you have still violated the rules of the Lan Clan.
You also cannot blame Wangji for breaking one your liquor jars.
Besides, Wangji has clarified the details with me
regarding Young Lady Jiang and Young Master Jiang, and...
Lan Wangji:
Elder Brother.
Wei Wuxian:
My Senior Sister and everyone else have been let in?
He let them in?
Look like you’re not so distant...
Hey, Lan Zhan, seriously?
I’ll apologise to you, all right?
Lan Xichen:
All right, Young Master Wei.
Since this was just a misunderstanding, you may go back and rest.
