When the world was young, between a sea of sky and a land of snow,
lay a kingdom where gods and men lived side by side.
Love blossomed and withered, battles were won and lost,
yet always two men vied for power -
General Guangming, favorite of the King, hero of the people,
and Duke of the North, Wuhuan, forever in his shadow.
Above all, it was the Goddess Manshen who held the threads of life,
allowing each man to choose his destiny from the palm of her hand.
But our story begins twenty years earlier under a cherry tree
with a little girl called Qingcheng...
Give me back my food!
Little thief, stealing from the dead?
I have been watching you for some time
Give it back to me!
Alive they were my father's soldiers
Dead, my father's ghosts
Steal from them and you steal from me!
Give it back to me!
I will give you the bread
if you promise to be my slave
Let me down and I will be your slave
I don't believe you
Let me down and you'll see
Fine, if you promise
Kneel and it's yours. You are now my slave!
What a beautiful helmet you have!
May I touch it?
Really? You think it's beautiful?
Alright then. You can touch it
Go ahead
I trusted you! I shall never forget this!
Don't cry, Qingcheng
Do you know who I am? I am the Goddess Manshen
Stretch out your hand
Your food is still there, isn't it?
Eat up
I am saving this for my mother
Your mother has passed away
She will not need this any more
but Qingcheng must not die, she must go on living
Do you always want to have to steal food from the dead?
And you don't want to be a slave to others
My child,
the Eye of Infinity contains each individual's destiny
every contour of their fate, their every smile, every tear
yours... is also included
You can have the most delicious food
the prettiest clothes
and everyone will adore you
All the riches of the world will be yours
in return for a small sacrifice -
You will lose everyone you love
Any happiness they bring will be fleeting
Are you willing to accept this?
Yes I am
Once you have agreed this will become your destiny for life
It can never be changed
Unless time flows backwards
winter falls in the spring and the dead come back to life
Remember, all the riches of the world will be yours in return for this promise...
Commander Yeli, what was that noise?
Barbarians
Barbarians? Where?
They are hiding from us
How many are they?
Twenty thousand
Twenty thousand? Twenty thousand against three thousand?
You should say three thousand against twenty thousand
Be proud to be one of the three thousand
Our enemies are the ones to quake in terror
as they are about to face our Great General
How many slaves have you brought?
132! Great General
I'll take them all
For this price you can't even buy dead bodies!
I am buying dead bodies -
None of them will survive the battle
But Commander you said...
Here are 133o pieces of silver
Count it!
Thank you for the extra 1o
There is no extra, 132 slaves plus you is 133
Tell them to stand up
Sir, slaves do not know how to stand
They only know how to kneel or crawl
I shouldn't really give you this piece of meat
I earned it, not you
The alarm!
Where are we going?
Into the valley, to lure the enemy towards us
When they think they have destroyed our army
We shall ride down and attack
Cavalry to the fore!
Archers prepare!
What is it?
Listen...
Run!
Flee?
They have bought our lives. They'll kill us if we turn back!
Remember, Kunlun
I am still your master and you have to protect me with your life
Yes, Master
Kunlun, up the hill!
Shoot
These slaves have been ordered to deflect the first attack
Don't let them escape!
Great General
Those stupid barbarians don't know
this valley is shaped like a horseshoe!
Great General! That slave is overtaking them and guiding them straight back!
Charge!
To the death!
Do not look back! Keep going!
Look, one of them is still alive!
How come our bulls are coming back? Run!
Victory!
Master of the Crimson Armor!
Long live the General!
Our Great General Guangming!
Victory!
He is long dead, Why did you bother to carry him all this way?
He was my master
What is your name?
The Slave Kunlun
Where are you from?
I don't know
Family?
No family
How long have you been a slave?
For as long as I can remember
Would you like to be my slave?
Yes
Why?
If I serve you, I get to eat every day
From now on I am your master
Yes, Master
From today
I don't want you to kneel
I want you to run for me
The Duke of the North, Wuhuan, has invaded the lmperial City
Where is the King?
He is trapped inside the Palace
His Majesty commands you to come to his rescue at once!
We shall go on ahead. Follow with the rest of the men
There's that blasted tree again! We are lost
Let's split up
Whoever finds the way out will light a flare
Yes, Master
Don't be frightened
General Guangming never kills the innocent
You lie
How did your slaves die?
And you say you do not kill the innocent!
If you killed me, who is going to show you the way?
Who said I was going anywhere?
It is best if you are not
It would have been a wasted journey
Oh really?
Listen - There is no battle I cannot win
Nobody I cannot rescue
I heard about what happened at Horseshoe Valley -
Three thousand men destroyed twenty thousand - a handsome victory!
But without that slave,
would you have had the same success?
I am afraid you cannot win forever
unless you accept a wager -
If you win this
I shall grant you victory in every battle you shall ever fight
What is the wager?
Let us bet on the outcome of your hundred-league race to save the King
Then you have already lost
The moment I show my face at the lmperial City
that weakling Wuhuan will submit without question
Let me show you what will happen to the King and his princess Qingcheng
Would anyone like to know
what I am wearing under this garment?
You have shamed me, I shall kill you!
You?
Your Majesty!
Are you saying I am going to kill the King?
The King will be killed by the Master of the Crimson Armor
That is his destiny, which nobody can change
Say you are right and I lose the bet? What will you want from me?
A bitter tear shed because of your broken heart
Hadn't you better ask for something I possess?
One day your heart will be shattered and bitter tears will be shed
Remember
When you find love... you will also find death
And if I rescue the King and win the bet?
You won't
The Battle of Horseshoe Valley was your last success
By the way
the road to the lmperial City lies to the east
My master, the Duke of the North, has commanded me to kill you
He also requests your armor
Take it off!
Master!
I have found the way out!
What happened to you?
Who are you?
Give me the helmet
Don't give it to him!
You move fast
Did you once live in the Land of Snow?
I will not kill you
What lightning speed he had!
You saved my life
and served me well
Kunlun, I want you to go to the lmperial city
and rescue the King
Wear my armor
As long as you keep silent
nobody will dare block your way
How will I recognize the King?
He will be the only one without a weapon
Your Majesty! May I ask where Princess Qingcheng is?
Wuhuan, I thought you wanted my throne
But you only wanted my woman
Need you have gone to such lengths?
Gathering an entire army? Surrounding the lmperial City?
All you had to do was ask!
Wuhuan, you underestimate me
Did you think I would choose a woman over my throne?
It is no wonder that compared to General Guangming
you are always second rate in the eyes of the people
Don't you have anything new to say?
Did I forget to tell you?
The General is on his way and will be arriving any minute
Someone told you Guangming is coming?
If he were about to arrive
do you think I would still be sitting here
exchanging pleasantries with you?
I sacrificed my cherished desire to kill your favorite general myself
and sent the swiftest assassin in the world
Were you hoping to be rescued?
The people's hero is a dead man as we speak!
Let me through!
Would anyone like to know what I am wearing underneath this garment?
If so, put down your weapons
It's working! Strip!
Keep stripping!
Would you like to know
what is underneath this layer?
If so, pick up your weapons again and aim them at that heartless man!
What are you all doing?
You betray me?
My rescuer comes!
My great General Guangming is here!
You have shamed me, I shall kill you!
I shall kill you!
You?
He has killed the King!
Keep Going!
General Guangming
Don't think that because you saved my life
I shall be obliged to stay with you
From the moment the King turned against me
My mind was made up -
I shall never again let a man possess me
I have had enough
If you take one more step I shall jump
You must not die, you must go on living
Great General, I do admire you
It took me
a year's planning
to get to the Princess
Yet you managed to abduct her in a matter of minutes!
It never occurred to me to kill the King
But you did it without batting an eyelid
What imagination, Great General!
The King's favourite becomes his murderer!
You have always known how to reach for the stars
You are utterly ruthless
As long as you are alive
I can only be second best
not just on the battlefield, but in the hearts of the people
What will they think of you now -
the King's assassin?
Here's a proposal - if you are willing tojump off the cliff
I shall let Qingcheng live
Not that you would ever die for another -
Because you... You are even more ruthless than I am
Keep your word and I'll jump
I, Wuhuan, am not usually a man of my word
but I'll make an exception this once
General!
Remember Qingcheng, every man you ever love
you will lose...
Welcome! Welcome!
How do you like my golden birdcage?
Is this where we are going to spend the night?
Did you think I brought you here to be my consort?
You cannot seduce me
No?
I thought you would be grateful
If it weren't for me
you would never have tasted such true and exquisite love
Pity it was only for an instant
Where is your beloved now?
Because of you, He is dead!
Put it on, my caged bird!
Traitor! Assassin!
Let's go!
Hang him up, let him die here!
Think you could hide from us in the forest?
If you hadn't been our general
we would have killed you ten times over!
Leave him here to feed the wolves
General
In order to claim victory
you sacrificed 133 innocent slaves
This, I understand
But to kill the King for a woman?
This, I cannot fathom
Yeli, it wasn't me who killed the King
You are the only man in the world who would dare do such a thing
If this is your opinion
why don't you just deliver me to Wuhuan?
Go ahead!
You have lost everything because of your recklessness
Who says I have lost everything?
I have lost nothing!
You have lost your bet. It wasn't me who killed the King
I never said it was you
All I said was -
The Master of the Crimson Armor would kill the King
I am the Master of the Crimson Armor
Not anymore
You don't have to believe me, but your destiny will not be altered
You are innocent
yet you have been forced to bear the blame for the King's death
Fate works in mysterious ways
There are more losses to come
and there is nothing you can do to stop them
Soon you will lose even your cherished armor and be left with nothing
There will be a new Master of the Crimson Armor
He alone will be the authentic "god of war"
And he alone will be loved by Princess Qingcheng, beauty of beauties
When all the blossoms of the cherry tree have fallen
When the sun and moon appear side by side
Qingcheng's true love will come to her
I want to have another wager with you
I say I will retain my armor
And I shall win the love of this Qingcheng!
General, I love your confidence
Such a shame...
Master, it was me who killed the King
Why did you do it?
I saw a man with a sword about to kill a woman
Because of a woman
You disobeyed my order?
You deserve to die
but not just yet
Go find this Qingcheng and bring her to me
I will find her, Master
Give me back my armor
Yes, Master
Kunlun! What are you waiting for?
Through that door and we'll be free!
Who is he?
I also want to know
He must be from the Land of Snow...
Wait!
He is mad!
Are you saying that Guangming deceived me
with nothing more than a switch of armor?
And the one who pretended to be him was his slave?
And I was outwitted by this slave?
So you are the true assassin!
What is that in your hand?
My Lord, please examine this
The feather is mine!
Yours?
As a slave
even your life is not your own
They have stained my fan
Take him away!
You do understand why they had to die don't you?
Now that they are gone
nobody will know who really killed the King
Still, you had better deal with the slave as well
When he is dead
the people will condemn Guangming as the assassin
You were the only one who could have killed the general
But you failed me in that mission
If now you refuse to kill your countryman
I shall have to take back my cloak
and you will simply vanish into thin air
Yes, Master
I managed to untie myself but there is no exit
Will you help me find a way out?
Come back up here
and I will show you the way
You said I came from the Land of Snow
You said you would not kill me
If I don't kill you, I will be killed!
Don't kill me. I'll help you escape
Aren't you worried I'll try to kill you again?
You won't
You have great trust. You really are from the Land of Snow
We found a piece of his cloak
Where is he?
He has disappeared with the slave
Traitor!
Why did you kill the King for me?
Why did you jump off the cliff?
Why are you so kind to me?
Because I want you to fall in love with me
I cannot fall in love with anybody
But you already have, with me
Who are you really?
He is my slave
Master, I am back
He saved our lives
He is my slave. That is his duty
There?
Kiss me
Are you afraid I would push you away again?
Sleep well
Wait!
You... Where do you think you are going?
Where are you going?
I must leave you
Why?
It's my destiny to lose every man I love -
a foolish promise I made as a child
I cannot change it unless time flows backwards
winter falls in the spring
and the dead come back to life
Let what passed between us stay in our memory
Let you, let me savor the fleeting kiss that we shared. Isn't that best?
You deceived me!
Kunlun!
Kill her!
I cannot change my destiny, Kunlun
But you can learn to make up your own mind
When you know whether or not
you should strike
come and find me
Go then!
But I can promise you -
when the last of the cherry blossoms have fallen that very day before the sun sets
You will come back to my side
Kunlun!
Bring my horse!
Yes, Master!
My horse will speed your return to me!
She won't come back, Master
You have lost her
Because of this woman, you have disobeyed me a second time
I no longer want you with me!
Master
I have nowhere to go
Go home, back to wherever you came from
Kunlun
I will take you home where the snow will restore your strength
and you will learn who you are -
You are not a slave
You are a man from the most noble land of all
Where there was only
light and trust and clarity
Where we ran like
the wind, and flew
I will show you the land of your ancestors...
the Land of Snow
Mama?
I saw my mother with a little girl
Who was she? Was I dreaming?
Where was that place?
This was your home - the Land of Snow
I had to travel backwards in time
to show you who you are
The Land of Snow? Where is it now?
You were only two years old
when you were taken away as a slave
The girl was your sister
Five years ago it was destroyed by a cruel and heartless duke
Who are you?
The one who is cursed to wear the black cloak
The only man who can run faster than time
I want to see my mother and sister again
Learn to run then!
If you run with purpose
you will be able to see them again
I know how to run!
That is not running
That is fleeing
To achieve real speed
You must discover your heart's desire
What does it mean - desire?
That is something you must find for yourself
This is as far as I can take you
I have taught you everything I know
Remember, real speed is imperceptible -
like the swell of a breeze, the gathering of clouds
The sunset and the moonrise
Just as you cannot tell when the leaves have turned
or when the first tooth of a baby has emerged
Just as you cannot tell
when you have fallen in love with someone
Thank you, my friend
The one who should return is not here...
The one who shouldn't has arrived!
Master, you have lost your bet with Qingcheng
Huh? I certainly have not - The sun has not set
Master, I have learnt to run faster than time itself
I have learnt that real speed cannot be perceived
Who taught you this nonsense?
Carry on!
Real speed is like the swelling of a breeze, the gathering of clouds
the sunset, the moonrise
or the leaves turning red
Like a baby's first tooth emerging
or when we fall in love with somebody...
The sun is setting!
Master, let me take you back in time to the day she left!
How dare you leave me!
I am not afraid to love anymore
even if I lose you, I want to love you!
With you, I feel that I can trust again
Have I really got you now?
I was yours a long time ago
The moment you saved me from the King
was the moment I fell in love with you
When the last of the cherry blossoms have fallen
When the sun and the moon appear side by side
Qingcheng's true love will come to her
She is not mine yet but she will be
Qingcheng
I have learned to make up my own mind -
I could never harm you
Now I must go home...
Do you remember
what you said by the waterfalls?
You said, you must not die, you must go on living
I want to see my mother... my sister...
It's useless -
What you see has already happened
Your desire has carried you back five years
I am going to kill Wuhuan right now!
But you cannot penetrate the wall of time
you cannot save your family
I am the Duke of the North, your conqueror
Since I was a child,
I had wanted to run like the wind, the way you do
As your new ruler I have brought you a special present -
A cloak with magical powers
which will allow you to run faster than anyone, faster than time
You will traverse heaven and earth in the blink of an eye
My people, one of you may receive this gift
and have the honor of being my slave
Who would like this privilege?
Little girl
Why don't your persuade one of your clan to come forward?
What does he want with my little sister?!
We should go
Leave me alone!
Is there not a single person amongst you
who will accept my offer?
You are a cruel and heartless race, of no use to me!
Mama!
I will be your slave!
Let me be your slave!
Then let's see if you are a fast enough runner!
Don't run! You'll fan the flames!
Now I believe you are a native of the Land of Snow
But one who is afraid of death
Still, only a man who fears death can be a good slave
Put this on, and you will live
But you have to wear it always
If you ever remove it
you will become a wisp of air -
vanished forever...
From now on
you will serve as my swiftest assassin
When I'm ready you will eliminate my greatest enemy
You betrayed your own people!
I never hurt anyone
I did not betray anybody
All I wanted was to live
Do not go looking for Wuhuan
Like me, you will not be able to kill him
I am nothing like you
Wait!
Great General, we have captured Wuhuan
He awaits yourjustice
Weren't you ready to feed me to the wolves?
Great General. We made a terrible mistake
We gave our allegiance to Wuhuan, but he is half the man you are
Without you we are as children without a father
We should never have turned our backs on you
We have wronged you profoundly
We have missed you
I will not go
My life is here
Great General I know that you too have missed us
Commander Yeli
The General you once knew is dead
Take this armor and find it a new master
He would never have parted from his armor, even for a second
Our Great General... is truly no more
Go ahead and cry
Stop crying!
Stand up!
If you don't come with us I shall never stand up
Why don't you come with me?
Forget them!
Being a warrior is behind you now!
What if I really wished to go?
Don't leave me! Don't!
Then come with me!
Let's go!
Are you looking for the General? He is not here
He's gone
Kunlun! Wait!
Find him and make sure he is safe
I'll wait for him here
Please enter
I knew I could make you come back
Such beautiful clothes you have!
Did Qingcheng make them herself?
I was told that the Great General Guangming
was happily living with a woman
without his armor and in domestic bliss
Am I right?
Arrest the assassin
The Crimson Armor, My Lord
Thank you, Yeli
Move!
You are an imposter!
You think I don't know your secret?
Qingcheng!
What a perfect pair
Pity you are in love with the wrong man
Stop!
Do you think I took you to see her
just so that you can break her heart?
She is waiting for you
You know where to find her
Yes I do... She is in Wuhuan's cage
We have to work together with snow wolf now
We must kill Wuhuan
and rescue Qingcheng
I have no appetite to fight
I have lost to Wuhuan
He has taken away my only happiness
You should kill me
the way you would kill a defeated soldier
who refuses to die
Have you forgotten?
You are the mighty general who wiped out twenty thousand invaders
with three thousand soldiers!
The Great General Guangming is finished
Where is the Crimson Armor?
What do you want with it?
You are no longer worthy of being its master
I am going to put on the armor and confess my true identity to Qingcheng
This has been my heart's dearest desire
You will find the armor in Wuhuan's sanctuary
Go and get it yourself
At my trial tomorrow
I shall have a chance to see Qingcheng again
I shall wait for her here
It's been a while
my old friend
Give me the armor!
I imagine you have come on behalf of your countryman, the young slave
You will have to forgive me
I cannot give it to you
Not because of any of this god-of-war nonsense
but because I am now
the commander of the army!
It is mine - a symbol of my power!
Give it to me!
Anyone can take anything from anybody
as long as they are cunning enough
Unfortunately...
you are not
Give me back my cloak!
I have found someone
far more satisfying to command
I gave you life to bring about Guangming's death
Now that he is in my hands I have no more use for you
Give me the cloak!
Out you come, you coward
Otherwise hurry up and run
It's over
All I need to do is give this a little tug
It's your choice
Let Snow Wolf go and give me the armor...
Or die
Need you ask?
Of course you may have it
Wait!
Snow Wolf, return my cloak
and I'll let your friend leave with the armor
Otherwise... I shall have to kill you both
Once, you betrayed your own people
And now you are betraying me - me,
your benefactor, who saved your life
A traitor is always a traitor
If you are no longer willing to kill for me
you should return the cloak
Give me back the cloak!
I'll kill you!
My Lord
Let go!
Let go of me!
Listen to me!
Let go of me!
Listen to me!
You have not answered -
The armor, or the cloak, Snow Wolf?
I told you once that
the day Wuhuan came and massacred our people
I did not wrong anyone
Nor did I betray anyone
But now I realize I was mistaken
I have wronged somebody and betrayed somebody -
myself
I have to thank Wuhuan
for showing me the futility of a life without honor
It makes me realize
that death is not as terrifying as I had imagined
This is for you, my friend
Go and prove to Qingcheng that you are the one she should love
Snow Wolf!
You are free to go, Kunlun
But you must stay within the City walls
Kunlun, you are here!
Quickly, go and save the General!
I cannot do that now
Then he will die tomorrow!
If you tell the court it was I who killed the King
The General will be acquitted
But you didn't kill the King
You can tell them...
that night the General was seriously wounded
and he asked me to put on his armor
Guangming!
Everything you possess was bestowed on you by the King
And yet you murdered him - why?
Because I fell in love with his Princess, Qingcheng
Is there a better reason?
I really don't want to see you
throw your life away for a woman
The assassin Guangming is sentenced to be beheaded in public
Let the people see his true face!
This is my final and most glorious victory
You liar!
He did not kill the King
It was his slave who did it
Who is this?
I am the slave who killed the King
Does anyone believe that a slave could kill the King?
Never!
I believe him!
Why would a mere slave kill the King?
Because I asked him to
He is my lover
Absurd!
That night... the General was heavily wounded
he asked me to put on his armor...
The moment he killed the King was the moment I fell in love with him
I leapt onto his horse
And we rode all the way to the waterfalls
You took my hand, and you said
If we must die, let us die together...
That was not what I said
I said - you must not die,
You must go on living
The King was truly killed by me
Execute him! Execute him!
What you just told the court is true
Afterwards you leapt into the ravine for this woman
Did I not tell you?
You have been in love with the wrong man
Wuhuan
I am going to kill you!
You have good reason to
I made a terrible mistake
Of course you would never have killed the King for a woman
You are still my idol
Thank you for clearing the Great General's name
You are free to go
Guangming, freedom is not for you all three?
Tied them up!
I have waited years to have the satisfaction of today
but you are not going to die so easily
You will have the pleasure of witnessing each other's death, one by one
What use is your speed now, Kunlun?
Here is food and drink
But you cannot reach it
Just as love is out of your reach
When the last of the cherry blossoms have withered
You too will cease to exist -
Like petals falling from a branch
you too will return to the earth
You were the first person in the world to lie to me
Have you forgotten?
Let me down and I will be your slave
You took the bread and ran away
Fine, if you promise!
You were the one
Who first made me lose trust in the world
Even in myself
Now look at me - neither trusting nor to be trusted
And always in the shadow of a greater man
But you, beautiful Princess
You have the adoration of everyone!
You fool, you have lost everything - and you laugh at me?
I am laughing at myself
I allowed a woman who is in love with somebody else to suffer for me
I too am a liar
Why are you crying?
I find this very moving
Why?
Because you never give up!
I have long dreamt of the day -
that the people's hero would put this on for me
Should I give up this dream?
Give me the cloak!
Why should I believe you?
You should believe that nobody wants to die
Why don't you come down and try it on?
Kill him!
Before you can strangle me, she will be already dead
Drop your dagger!
You let go and I will drop the dagger!
He's lying!
Drop the dagger and I'll let go
Since neither of us trusts the other...
Why don't we both let go at the same time?
Fine
let us trust each other this once
Your time has come!
He's got another dagger!
Neither of us is trustworthy
Let them go
Truly a man from the Land of Snow...
They're dying...
Go and say goodbye
Love is forever out of your reach...
Quick, go to him!
He is waiting for you
You must not die -
Let us go home together
You must not die
You must go on living
I want to give you another chance to choose
Destiny can be changed, Qingcheng
Time sometimes flows backwards
Snow can fall in the Spring
and even a frozen heart can come back to life...