Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Page #9

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It's raining. Inside an old factory, Fox heats some medicine

paste and then dips a needle in the paste. She burns the

needle point, causing a blue smoke. She lights some incense

and puts it in a burner near Jen, who is barely conscious.

FOX:

Sooner or later, they'd drag you

back to Peking. Your parents will

never accept you again. But why go

home? We've gone this far, we

won't stop now. You'll always be

my lady. At last, we'll be our own

masters. We'll be happy. That's

the most important thing. All we

have left is each other, right?

Lie down and rest.

Jen is too weak to respond.

Fox leaves Jen clutching the Green Destiny.

EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY

Fox scurries ahead in the rain. Her eyes catch something,

but she keeps moving.

INT. YUAN COMPOUND - DAY

Aunt Wu finishes bandaging Yu.

AUNT WU:

She's crazy. You should have

killed her.

YU:

I didn't have the heart.

AUNT WU:

Well, Li Mu Bai can do it.

Yu senses movement at the window. Looking out, she sees

Jade Fox in the distance.

INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY

Jen wakes up, flushed from fever. She takes a sip from a

cup of water -- it's empty. She tosses the cup, gets up,

and walks into the rain.

EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY

Jen walks out, raises her face into the rain, and drinks the

raindrops. Thirst quenched, she turns around and finds Li

standing there. Jen limps towards him while mumbling.

JEN:

Is it me or the sword you want?

Jen falls into Li, who checks her pulse and looks at her eyes.

LI:

You've been drugged!

Li carries her inside, kicking away the incense burner.

INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY

Li lays his hands on Jen's back; she slowly comes to.

LI:

Where is Jade Fox?

Jen gestures that she doesn't know. Yu and Bo enter. Yu

looks at Jen.

YU:

What happened?

LI:

Jade Fox drugged her. How did you

get here?

YU:

We followed Jade Fox.

Instantaneously, a flurry of darts flies directly in Jen's

direction. Li and Yu swipe miraculously at them all,

sending them flinging hither and thither.

Fox shows herself. Li attacks her. She falls back, bleeding

to death.

LI:

And so you die.

Li touches his neck.

FOX:

And so shall you!

Li pulls a single needle from his neck.

YU:

A poisoned needle!

FOX:

You deserve to die, but the life I

was hoping to take... was Jen's.

Ten years I devoted to you. But

you deceived me! You hid the

manual's true meaning. I never

improved... but your progress was

limitless! You know what poison is?

An eight-year-old girl, full of

deceit. That's poison! Jen! My

only family... my only enemy...

Jade Fox dies.

YU:

You can't die! Tell us what poison

you used! You can't die! Tell us

the antidote! You can't let Li Mu

Bai die!

JEN:

She used Purple Yin... Purple Yin

poison. It goes straight to the

heart.

LI:

My blood will soon reverse its flow.

It's the same poison she used to

kill my master. There is no

antidote.

YU:

That can't be! Everything has an

antithesis! Why not this?

JEN:

The antidote exists. She taught it

to me. The formula is simple, but

it takes time to prepare. Trust me.

As you have helped me, let me help

you.

LI:

All right. Hurry. I will hold on

as long as I can.

YU:

(takes the comb from

her hair)

Take my horse and go to the compound.

Give this to Mrs. Wu. She'll help

you. Hurry!

JEN:

Spare your energy. I'll be back!

EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - NIGHT

Bo is burying Fox in the rain.

EXT. YUAN COMPOUND - NIGHT

The guards surround Jen. She pushes past them.

JEN:

Where is Mrs. Wu?

Aunt Wu comes running out.

AUNT WU:

Stop it!

Jen pulls out Yu's comb.

JEN:

Shu Lien told me to show you this.

AUNT WU:

Let her in.

INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - NIGHT

Yu sits across from Li, whose pose is almost meditational,

eerily calm.

YU:

Mu Bai, hold on. Give me some

hope...

LI:

Shu Lien...

YU:

Save your strength.

LI:

My life is departing. I've only

one breath left.

YU:

Use it to meditate. Free yourself

from this world as you have been

taught. Let your soul rise to

eternity with your last breath. Do

not waste it... for me.

LI:

I've already wasted my whole life.

I want to tell you with my last

breath... I have always loved you.

I would rather be a ghost, drifting

by your side... as a condemned

soul... than enter heaven without

you. Because of your love... I

will never be a lonely spirit.

Yu cries.

She kisses him lightly. He closes his eyes.

EXT. PATH - DAY

As the sun rises, Jen rides speedily, clutching the medicine

in her hands.

INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY

Li is in Yu's arms. They're holding hands. The sun shines

in. Yu slowly releases Li's stiff fingers -- he is dead.

Jen is at the door.

JEN:

He's gone?

Bo peeks over Jen's shoulder.

Yu rises and picks up Green Destiny. Jen kneels. Yu raises

the sword, but doesn't kill her.

YU:

Bo... please take this sword back

to Sir Te.

He takes the sword from her.

YU:

(to Jen)

Now you must go to Wudan Mountain.

Lo awaits you there. Promise me

one thing, whatever path you take

in this life... be true to yourself.

EXT. WU TAN TEMPLE - DAY

Jen climbs up toward the temple, finally reaching the temple

gate, and sees Lo standing there.

He runs to her. She greets him.

INT. WU TAN TEMPLE - MAGIC

Jen and Lo make love.

INT. WU TAN TEMPLE - DAY

Lo wakes up to find the jade comb on the pillow beside him,

Jen gone.

EXT. WU TAN MOUNTAIN - DAY

Lo catches up to Jen, who stands on a bridge. The gorges

below are shrouded in clouds. She looks back at him.

JEN:

Do you remember the legend of the

young man?

LO:

"A faithful heart makes wishes come

true."

JEN:

Make a wish, Lo.

Lo pauses.

LO:

(closing his eyes)

To be back in the desert, together

again.

Jen smiles, turns, and leaps into the clouds. They seem to

catch her gently, before she disappears into them.

Lo remains standing, a smile on his face, tears rolling down

his cheeks.

THE END.

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