The uninvited guest is not willing to attack, even in his own defense. So a one-sided battle ensues. It is only natural that the side resigned to only evading will eventually lose.
Facao: Surrender, and dispel your arcane skill. Turn the victims back to who they were.
At this moment, Bessmert and Yenisei rush to the edge of the encirclement. The communication arcane skill that Gětiān cast on them earlier is quietly translating the words for people.
Facao: We will put an end to it before the Shuòrì.
Getian: But I don't possess the power to transform people from one shape to another, and thus, cannot turn them back.
Getian: You're asking the wrong one.
Gětiān struggles to hold on and rests on the eaves, still looking directly at Jiǔ Niángzǐ with some hidden meaning.
But Jiǔ Niángzǐ shows no hint of understanding, simply looking back with a placid anger. Her look is so forceful that it is almost a glare.
Jiu Niangzi: Why do you have to blame this on me? I've never met those missing people. And I have no idea what you're talking about!
Jiu Niangzi: Is-is this because ... Did you have a grudge against me or something?
Getian: Nothing of that sort. I'm here only to prevent an unwanted escalation.
Getian: I could have just walked away, and there's nothing you can do. I could have gone to other mountains, and life would have continued as it has always been. But for those who have been turned into half Lùshǔs ...
Getian: No one can get them out of this trouble.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ stands stunned before him. After a moment, she struggles out an accusatory remark, but her voice trembles slightly.
Jiu Niangzi: "Been turned into half Lùshǔs"? Are you saying that the animals in my backyard, and those in the Zhící ...
Jiu Niangzi: Are they all the missing people?
Jiu Niangzi: But, but I thought they were just Lùshǔs. The first time I saw them, it was clear that we were alike. We're just some ...
Jiu Niangzi: ... half divine beasts.
The crowd is thrown into a commotion. She turns a deaf ear to them and once again stares blankly at Gětiān.
Jiu Niangzi: So they must not be humans! I've done nothing to-to transform them!
Jiu Niangzi: I'm just taking good care of them, so that they can tell me where they're from, and if they can ... take me home.
Her trembling words usher in a silence. Gětiān, who knows she has already begun to waver, can only sigh. It seems he is starting to see the whole picture for what it is.
Getian: ...
Getian: "The Niǔyáng Mountain shelters the beasts. The beasts have white heads, red tails, the bodies of horses, and the markings of tigers. When they neigh, the sound becomes music. The name is Lùshǔ."
Getian: The "striped horses" you keep in the yard are half Lùshǔs. They look like what's told in the tales, and they cry like humming songs in the moonlight.
Getian: And the wooden dolls infuse your arcane skill, The Shape of Will, into the liquor, which turns people into Lùshǔs, or, half Lùshǔs. As for the dolls, they were once soaked in the water of Pèilín River, were they not?
Jiu Niangzi: The stream runs through the backyard ...
Jiu Niangzi: No, no way! They went there just for fun or a bath! They should not ... should not ...
Beyond the encirclement formed by patrolling troops, Bessmert judges the course of events through the sound of people's voices.
Jiǔ Niángzǐ falls silent. The seeds of suspicion have been planted, and it is now time for witnesses to take the stand.
Striped Horse?: neighs
Hidden in the crowd, Yenisei crashes into the soldiers on both sides of her.
Sharp swords and spears brush over her Lùshǔ skin, but she seems completely unfazed, charging straight toward the direction of the water jar.
Facao: What ... Who let it in?
Facao: Catch it!
The water leaking from the jar creates puddles in the crevices of the courtyard. Although it isn't much, it is still enough to buy some time.
Yenisei: Wait!
Lizheng: It's you?!
Lǐzhèng immediately looks up at Gětiān, as though wishing to catch a glimpse of the arcane skill cast from his still figure, only to find nothing there.
Facao: The markings of a tiger and a red mane ... Exactly what the feather man said. But its reflection is a woman.
A gasp sounds out from the crowd.
Citizen I: Oh my, that reflection. Is that the foreign lady from the street earlier?
Jiǔ Niángzǐ also casts a bewildered gaze toward Yenisei.
Jiu Niangzi: You-you are a Lùshǔ. You're a real Lùshǔ now. This ... is what a Lùshǔ should be.
Jiu Niangzi: But, but why are you still here?
Yenisei: I don't see what you mean, Ms. Jiǔ Niángzǐ.
Jiu Niangzi: You're hurt. And you shouldn't be here. It's not right.
She lightly taps the pool of water with her hand, as if soothing the invisible reflection of herself.
Jiu Niangzi: I thought you were able to recognize your teammates and had already left here.
Yenisei: Wait, what ... GOSH!
Yenisei: I ... I get it!
Even Yenisei's reflection in the water ripples in response to this sudden realization.
Yenisei: Jiǔ Niángzǐ, you turned me into a Lùshǔ because you thought that would help me find my teammates, didn't you? Last night, you said you would help me, so this is how you ...
Yenisei: But I was not asking for help! I was only being emotional or pouring out my troubles. Anyway, I was not asking for anything from you.
Yenisei: From the talk, I could feel the sincerity from the bottom of your heart. It was too real to be fake.
Yenisei: I understand you were trying to help, and that was enough.
Jiu Niangzi: But-but I don't understand!
Jiu Niangzi: The Daoist said, "The one who can protect and benefit the people shall be a Xiángruì." If you can, but you don't, that would be wrong.
Jiu Niangzi: I've done a terrible job. I'm not that majestic, nor do I look like any Xiángruìs in the book ... I can't even turn into a real Lùshǔ! How is that enough?
She shakes her head and takes two steps back, until she can retreat no longer and collides with a motionless patrol guard.
Lizheng: Jiǔ Niángzǐ, I think you need to tell us everything.
Lǐzhèng, who has been standing nearby, now speaks, his tone intensifying as he goes on.
Lizheng: Have you ever transformed people into Lùshǔs?
Jiǔ Niángzǐ turns her head, only to find that everyone's gaze has now shifted toward her, needling her with probing eyes.
Lizheng: Answer us!
Jiu Niangzi: I-I swear, I was trying to help ...
Jiu Niangzi: ... to help everyone get what they want. Just like the former Zhílǐ—she wanted to go back to her hometown, so I offered her a drink and sent her back.
Facao: Jiǔ Niángzǐ, do you understand what you are saying?
Jiu Niangzi: I understand every word I say!!
Her reaction says more than any confession.
Every sentence. Every sentence is a declaration—every sentence is an interrogation.
Lizheng: Jiǔ Niángzǐ, what have you done?
Getian: You should have asked this a lot earlier.
Lizheng: What did you do to the Zhílǐ?!
Jiu Niangzi: I ...
With Lǐzhèng, who had always trusted her, turning on her in anger, Jiǔ Niángzǐ's reaction is to grab her own arm tightly as if for protection.
She wants to step back again, to keep herself away from the intense emotion, but there is nowhere left for her to go.
All she can do now is answer.
Jiu Niangzi: She-she came to my tavern and complained that you didn't understand her at all, and that she was considering going back to her hometown.
Jiu Niangzi: But it seemed far away from Pèi City. She looked sad and tired, and didn't know what to do.
Lizheng: So, so you ...
Jiu Niangzi: I must grant her wish, mustn't I?
Jiu Niangzi: The Daoist said, a Lùshǔ can easily go a thousand miles within a day. If they start running, go faster, that will be over ten thousand miles.
Jiu Niangzi: If that's how I can help her, I should definitely do that!
Lizheng: You ...
Jiǔ Niángzǐ lowers her eyes, trying to find more suitable words for her confession, but in the end, only a knot of confused sadness fills her throat.
Jiu Niangzi: Just like-like now. If the Pèilín River dries out, you have nowhere to go ...
Jiu Niangzi: Just turn into Lùshǔs, and then you won't suffer. Lùshǔs can go anywhere they want. To the north, to the south, wherever they want.
Jiu Niangzi: I can grant your wish differently, even if I can't recover the river from drought. I was thinking going away freely might be a good choice. But, in the end ...
Jiu Niangzi: But, in the end, in the end, what I'm doing is ... wrong?
For a moment, almost everyone is at a loss for how to deal with this revelation. Every sentence seems to them to be absurdly wrong, but the tone with which she speaks is completely sincere.
Yet no matter what explanation she might offer, it only reveals that the true culprit of the disappearances was in fact Jiǔ Niángzǐ herself.
Lizheng: Jiǔ Niángzǐ, you ...
No one familiar with Jiǔ Niángzǐ anticipated this moment. That on the eve of the festival, a time of joy and reunion, they had to come to grips with a colossal disaster caused by such a simple act of childishness.
Jiu Niangzi: But if not by doing this, then ... what else can I do?
This matter is too chilling and heartbreaking for an early spring night.
Yenisei, who has remained silent for a long time, takes a step forward.
Yenisei: Jiǔ Niángzǐ, remember what you said to me last night?
Yenisei: Liquor has many different names, but they are still "liquor."
Yenisei: You can put on many different clothes, but you will still be the same Jiǔ Niángzǐ.
Yenisei: Likewise, whether you turn me into a horse, a donkey, or a Lùshǔ, I will still be the same Yenisei.
Yenisei: You don't have to force yourself to become the people's Xiángruì. I think it's only an unreachable symbol.
Yenisei: What matters is that the Jiǔ Niángzǐ I know would do whatever she could to help others. That's just what a Xiángruì does, as far as I know. Even though some results turned out to be not so satisfying, your sincerity is as valuable as the Xiángruì itself.
Yenisei: So now, you just need to turn us all back.
Getian: Yes. So turn back, when no path lies before you. It's never too late to return.
Seeing Lǐzhèng, who has been silent for a while now, nodding, Jiǔ Niángzǐ's worried expression begins to stifle a few beams of hope.
Jiu Niangzi: I-I will. I will do my best!
Jiǔ Niángzǐ turns around and whistles. Immediately after, the sound of wooden footsteps follows and gradually echoes around the courtyard. They circle in and silently jump around her.
Jiu Niangzi: Alright! You can talk now. It's okay ...
Wooden Doll: They, trapped you.
Wooden Doll: We, save you.
Jiu Niangzi: What?
Lizheng: These handicrafts are able to talk ...
Lizheng: How could you be manipulated by them, Jiǔ Niángzǐ.
Wooden Dolls: Save you. Save you!
Jiu Niangzi: No-no! You're getting it wrong! Don't save me!
Jiu Niangzi: Lǐzhèng, I'm not manipulated! They're just wood! Well, they're indeed my friends ... No, no, no, that's not for now ...
Jiu Niangzi: They just talk like that! That's not what they mean!
The elder's patience teeters now on the verge of exhaustion, yet his responsibilities force him to stay calm and wait patiently for the end of this farce.
Lizheng: This shall be the last time I put my trust in you. Ask them how to transform people back.
Lizheng: But if you can't ...
Jiǔ Niángzǐ knows that there can be no "can't" allowed at this juncture.
She turns her head to look at the patrolmen surrounding the entire courtyard, and the locals with their fearful faces. Finally, she shakes her head to clear her mind of any unnecessary emotions and focuses on just one thing.
Jiu Niangzi: You-you heard him. Now, please tell me how to turn them back into humans, will you?
Jiu Niangzi: If it requires liquor, I'll get it for you ...
Wooden Doll: Way. No way. Once turned, no turning back.
Wooden Doll: The white-haired Daoist. The yellow drawing, on forehead. You forgot.
Jiu Niangzi: The Daoist? I didn't forget anything! And you ...
Jiu Niangzi: I see. You must be messing with me, because I treated you badly this morning. This is your revenge, right? It's not the time for it. I really need you to ...
Wooden Doll: No way.
Jiu Niangzi: No, no! There must be a way! I must-I must be able to dispel my own craft ...
At the end of her somewhat lackluster speech, her voice weakens to a whimper—an acknowledgment that there is no way out.
Facao: You must come to the Zhící with me, Jiǔ Niángzǐ. We'll see what we can do.
He signals to the patrol soldiers to come forward and take her away. At this moment, Jiǔ Niángzǐ no longer seems willing to cooperate and instead takes another step back.
Jiu Niangzi: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But I must fix it. I can fix it! This is all because of me. I need to ...
She makes a ritual gesture, attempting one final desperate act of self-salvation.
Jiu Niangzi: I, um, I will think carefully, think of what I did before ...
Jiu Niangzi: I can do it. I can do it without them ...
Wooden Doll: No. It hurts. Very. Writhing pain.
Jiu Niangzi: Urgh!!
A dim light emanates from her forehead, like moonlight or the silver stripes on the Lùshǔ's skin in the dead of night.
Wooden Dolls: Save you! We save you!
Wooden Dolls: SAVE YOU!
The sound of more wooden dolls leaping wildly rings out. They emerge from various corners of the courtyard, breaking through the encirclement of patrol soldiers and locals with unexpected force, heading straight toward Jiǔ Niángzǐ.
The miniature wooden creations begin to grow rapidly in a twisted transformation before Jiǔ Niángzǐ, who is now overwhelmed by a sudden burst of pain.
They shift from a human form into strange, enormous beasts. To this point, everything has proceeded almost exactly like the prophecy.
COMBAT
Jiǔ Niángzǐ sits slumped in the debris of the wooden dolls smashed through everyone's joint efforts, the pain fading from her face leaves only a desperate look of despair.
She holds the fragments of wood, helpless—as though she were that weak and panicked girl in the bustling marketplace once more.
Jiu Niangzi: Seems what they said is true. I can't do it.
Jiu Niangzi: I just want everything to be back to normal. Is that too much?
Getian: There should have been ways to undo it. But now even I am confounded.
Getian: Your pain is real. Then ...
Bessmert: ...
Beside the broken water jar, Yenisei looks toward Bessmert, who seems to feel something and gently breaks free from the stupefied patrol soldiers.
This static courtyard is like a frozen scene, and Bessmert is the only actor walking freely on stage.
Not being able to see the danger gives her an unworldly calm.
Bessmert: You said you "can't do it," not that you "don't want to." Right?
Bessmert: The arcane skill with conditions cannot be taken back once it is cast.
Bessmert: Just like the irretrievable curses and vows in Siberian shamanism.
Getian: I can see some markings on this girl's skull, like an unknown seal. I've been speculating about what caused the limitation of her power.
Getian: This may be the reason why she is in pain. A seal powerful enough to change one's marking on the bones is not to be easily broken.
Jiu Niangzi: Skull ...?
Jiǔ Niángzǐ raises her hand and touches her forehead.
The yellow drawing upon it should have been swept away by this sudden movement, forming a colorful mark, or something else, but it doesn't.
Jiu Niangzi: I don't know what you're talking about ...
Her exploration bearing no fruit, Jiǔ Niángzǐ wearily withdraws her hand and gives up her investigation.
Jiu Niangzi: I can't. I can turn them into Lùshǔs, but not the opposite way.
Jiu Niangzi: Maybe-maybe I can't be a Xiángruì at all. I'm not qualified.
At this point, the story has entered an unsolvable impasse.
Bessmert: Alright. There's one more question that seems to be overlooked by us all.
Bessmert: How many people have drunk Jiǔ Niángzǐ's liquor ...
Bessmert: ... in the merry festival spirit?