The Assassin Page #3

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and not stood on ceremony to meet me.

Why, may I ask, is that?

I have heard back in the state of Han

that your sword and courage have no match,

and that you are a true hero of the age.

If so, I fear you heard wrong.

From what I saw for myself yesterday,

you defended the weak-

that was righteous;

with your bare hands,

you fought off several

...armed opponents - that was brave;

and you stopped at your mother's word -

that was filial piety.

With one who's righteous,

brave and filial,

I wouldn't dare claim any privilege

of office.

Commoners of the streets

...have no lack of courage that

defends the weak,

or filial piety towards their parents.

I am nothing extraordinary.

Master Nie, why hide behind such humility?

Have you forgotten the hopes and dreams

...you had as a student under Master Wu?

Those are all things of the past.

I have accomplished nothing.

All I did was cause my aged mother

...to suffer a fright for nothing.

My only wish now is to know my place

...and take care of my mother.

I desire nothing else.

But you are still young.

To let all your abilities and passion

...dwindle away like this,

is it not a shame?

Master Yen, what would you have me do?

Please come out with it.

Friendship is based on sincerity.

If I say I've traveled all this way

...only to drink and chat with Master Nie,

I would obviously be lying.

But the matter is one of great import;

it is better to discuss it at length

another time.

Today, though, I have a different request.

What is it, Master Yen?

I may have served as an official of Han,

but I too am now a fugitive.

If you do not fear to be associated

with me,

I would like us to become bonded

as brothers.

I would not dare to elevate myself so,

but I know that friendship knows

no depths,

and to accomplish great deeds takes unity;

and so I shall not stand on ceremony.

Indeed you have a hero's spirit!

Attendants!

Here.

Bring what I told you to prepare earlier.

Yes sir.

Please.

Brother.

Mother is asleep?

She knows I went with Yen Chung-Tzu?

Yes. I told her.

What did she say?

She said you shouldn't have gone with him.

For a high official to consort with us

like this

cannot presage anything good.

I realize that.

I know mother's way of thinking.

For Yen Chung-Tzu to condescend

...and take up with a butcher

like yourself

must mean he has something to ask of you.

That I realize too.

But what can you possibly offer him?

You have nothing, except...

One man, one life.

Brother, if you realize all this,

then why...?

I've been wondering myself.

Is it better for me to live like this,

toiling so hard and so inconsequentially?

Or is it better to die a glorious death?

Or perhaps, is both life and

death the same?

But to mother and I,

whether you live or die is not the same.

And there's still Xia Ying. Remember her?

I've not forgotten her for a single day.

At present, I cannot get into trouble.

It would affect mother and you.

But the day will come

...when I'll be able to cast life

and death aside;

that's when I'll o look for her.

What did that Yen Chung-Tzu say?

He didn't say anything.

He only wanted to be brothers with me.

And did you bond with him?

He wouldn't be at ease with me otherwise.

He said now that he and I are brothers,

my mother is also his mother;

he'll come pay his respects tomorrow.

Brother.

Don't worry. As long as mother's alive

and you remain unmarried,

I won't promise to do anything for him.

I said to Brother Zheng last night,

now that we're brothers,

madam is also a mother to me.

Here is a hundred in gold for you.

Brother, we cannot accept such a gift!

Brother.

The only reason I've descended myself so

...to work as a mere street butcher

is in order to provide for my mother.

I am fortunate enough to be able to do so;

I would not dare accept such largesse.

Now that we are brothers,

what is mine is also yours.

I have done nothing to deserve this.

You see how bare my our walls are;

with what can I possibly repay you?

All I can repay you with

...is myself as a person;

this mortal shell is all I have to give.

Brother, don't take it so seriously!

With my mother still living,

I'm yet unable to render up my life.

Please forgive me, brother.

I became brothers with you

...precisely because I admire

these qualities in you.

Whatever requests I may have to

make of you

...can wait till more leisurely

discussion;

there is no hurry.

The gold is for madam.

Please accept it.

Chung-Tzu.

Madam.

He is the only son I have.

If I lose him,

what good would any amount of gold do me?

It's because you know he's a man

of passion

...that you condescended to

consort with him so.

Whatever use you have of him

...does not require you to put it

in words;

he'll go to his doom without your asking.

This hundred in gold

...is really to purchase my son's life.

How can I bear to enjoy its use?

Please hurry and take it away!

Madam's words

...have shamed me beyond measure.

Take it away!

Yes...

I have bonded with Brother Zheng.

I seek no more than to enjoy this day;

tomorrow I shall depart for Pu Yang.

Zheng.

Drink with Chung-Tzu. I'm going to rest.

Madam.

Brother.

A toast.

May we have occasion to be together again.

A young man requests an audience

with master.

Did you ask him his name?

He said his surname was Nie.

Nie Zheng.

Brother.

Brother.

You... Please, sit down.

Brother, it's been several years. You...

Mother passed away last year,

and this year my sister got married.

I have no more attachments now.

I didn't think...

Brother.

Although I never promised you anything,

in my heart I already said yes.

What is it you wanted me to do for you?

You can tell me now.

You came all this way,

how can we rush things like this?

I'll give you a welcoming banquet tonight.

The rest we can talk about later.

Brother, I've had enough wine.

Let us have a quiet talk,

brother to brother.

You all may leave.

Brother, what I've kept hidden for

a long time

can now be revealed to you.

Please do, brother.

Qin is the greatest calamity upon

the land;

this is something every

astute person knows.

I heard when you became

Master Wu's student

...it was your ambition to fight Qin, too.

Now to preserve themselves,

all the kingdoms

do not look to the welfare of

their subjects,

but rather consider subservience to Qin

...as their means of lingering on.

If this situation continues,

the entire Realm will be destroyed by Qin!

To kill one as an example to many...

You want me to kill the Han Premier,

Han Kui?

You've guessed it already.

The circumstances of your departure

from Han

...are not totally unknown to me.

It's public justice,

but also private vengeance.

I had an only son,

and you, a good friend Du Po.

Du Po?

It was from him that I heard of you.

Du Po and my son

...were both killed by Han Kui's

assassins.

Then... how do you propose to do it?

Although I'm no longer an official of Han,

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