Tracing Shadow

In the moonlit wasteland of the Ming Dynasty, Yehe Changgong duels Nalan and deliberately loses to relinquish his title. He chooses a peaceful retirement in the sleepy Sideroad Town and plans to spend his days playing the erhu. The duel marks the end of his active martial career.

Changgong withdraws from the martial world and moves to Sideroad Town, seeking quiet life. He adopts a musical routine, practicing the erhu and enjoying simple days with those around him. The town becomes the stage for a new kind of duel: a serene, artistic one.

Mingyue Xin catches Changgong’s eye, and the two begin a seductively musical duel that doubles as a standoff. They agree to finish their sonata on the Royal Palace rooftop at the next full moon. The encounter bridges their destinies and sets up the future confrontation.

That night, three masked thieves try to steal a rumored treasure map from the Palace. Xin intervenes, and a rooftop chase ensues, ending at Lanruo Temple. The thieves are beaten to the punch by Xin’s skill and cunning.

Changgong tracks the thieves, rescues Xin from danger, and in the scuffle the treasure map is lost. All five participants are injured and must retreat to nurse their wounds as they plan to pursue the treasure later. The incident fractures their paths but binds their fates.

Half a decade passes with no progress on the treasure. Changgong and Xin operate the Dragon Inn with their adopted daughter Xiaowei, while the three thieves disguise themselves as a shopkeeper, singer, and monk. The group remains under the thumb of Lord Xu, a spoiled landowner with a soft spot for Xiaowei.

Lord Xu, eager for respect, bumbles toward power and eventually slips that he is the custodian of the treasure map. The revelation recontextualizes the thieves and the couple, turning the villagers' routine into a potential expedition for riches. Tension brews as Xu courts Xiaowei.

Mayor Gu Yuejin inadvertently dispatches a pigeon bearing news of the treasure allegedly in the Imperial City. The message triggers a cascade of military mobilization, drawing in a second army and other forces. The town becomes a powder keg as everyone contends for the rumored prize.

A large force, including the second army led by Nalan, descends on the town. The villagers and treasure-seekers brace for confrontation as martial power converges on their simple community. Old rivalries flare as the hunt intensifies.

Xin, Xiaowei, and Xu pursue the treasure with the others close behind while Changgong and Nalan clash in a renewed duel. The group threads through the town toward the treasure’s location, each driven by personal motives and alliances.

When they converge, the treasure is revealed to be nothing more than a spade. The revelation shifts the players’ motives from greed to pride, and the atmosphere becomes charged with irony and fate. The characters confront the emptiness of their quest.

Nalan throws the spade aside but then accidentally or fatally falls onto it, dying in the ensuing chaos. The loss punctuates the cost of the treasure hunt and reshapes the power dynamics among the survivors. Xin and Changgong confront their rival in the aftermath.

With the treasure legend extinguished, the citizens of Sideroad Town hold a final party to celebrate their community. The event marks a peaceful end where ordinary life resumes amid the memories of the quest. The community’s unity stands as the last image of the story.