Nicky. Nicky? Nicky!
What happened?
Evan? Oh.
Oh, God. I saw you leave.
When you didn't come back, I went looking.
Who did this to you?
Zhilan.
Zhilan? She was here? How...
I was tracking one of the weapons.
It was in the museum basement.
That's why you were here tonight.
Yeah.
We need to get you checked out.
No. I'll be okay.
- We're going to the hospital. - No.
At least let me call Ryan.
No. He can't see me like this.
No one can.
Nicky, you are hurt.
It wasn't supposed to happen this way.
I was supposed to beat her.
I failed.
Please just get me out of here.
Nicky?
Nicky!
_
Pei-Ling murdered our father.
You believe you are the only one
with a difficult family.
Zhilan said Pei-Ling killed their father.
- Do you believe her? - I don't know.
But Pei-Ling had her secrets.
I feel like... maybe she wasn't
who I thought she was.
Maybe I didn't know her at all.
Are you taking me to the...
Yeah.
Put a lot of work into it since you left.
Good place to rest and heal.
Wow.
I remember when that wall
still had a tree growing through it.
Roots shot through the pipes.
Had to rip them out, start from scratch. Here.
Okay. Let me get you some ice.
You can stay here as long as you want.
There's a mountain of old clothes.
There's plenty of food. It's mostly canned stuff.
You don't need to sell me
on the Hartley family cabin.
Seems to be the only place
we could ever get away from my parents.
Ha. Mine, too. They had no idea
how many times we snuck out here.
Okay. Here we go.
Sorry.
I just need some time.
I'll text Althea to cover for me
so my parents don't worry and...
I'll see Ryan tomorrow.
I promise.
You haven't replaced the bed.
Still squeaky as hell?
Oh, yeah.
I should, uh, get back to Sabine.
Yeah. Is she still at the museum?
Um, no. She, um, left early.
I got it.
Um... I'll check on you later.
Hey, thank you. For letting me crash.
Uh, no worries. Good night.
Good night.
Doubt is a poison, Nicky.
No, shifu.
Do not succumb to doubt.
You're still on the right path.
Please, just... I can't hear it right now.
Not from you.
All I want are answers.
Answers you can't give me.
Why not, my child?
Because you're not real!
Is what Zhilan said true?
Did you murder your father?
For 3 years, I trusted you.
I confided in you. I believed you.
Even now, I'm fighting your battles,
trying to track these weapons
to stop Zhilan.
I'm not doing it anymore.
Zhilan, the sword... I'm done.
You're in pain.
I wish I could help you.
You can.
Leave me alone.
- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -
_
Okay. Good news.
Your ribs aren't broken.
Bad news... they're bruised, like, hella bad.
Is "hella" a medical term?
Nicky, don't joke.
Is she gonna be okay?
You'll need to restrict movement for a week,
maybe two.
No exercises, no training,
- no kung fu. - Mm.
If you do that, she'll be fully healed in a month.
I mean, physically.
So, what's that supposed to mean?
It means I'm worried.
We both are.
- Nicky, everything that... - I told you...
- I'm fine. - Well, if you're not gonna open up
to family, you should at least talk to Henry.
He's been asking about you.
I know.
He cares about you.
You haven't talked to him since last night.
- Nicky. - Hey.
You're hurt.
It... it's fine. I'm fine. Um.
I mean, it feels like I got
hit by a truck, and I lost us the dagger, but...
I'm just glad you're alive.
I've been worried.
I know. I should've called.
It's okay.
We've got a lot to talk about.
Zhilan, what happened, but, um...
I've gotta meet someone right now.
Oh... yeah... we'll just talk later.
Actually, I was thinking you could come along.
An old friend of mine. He's got a problem.
He could use our help.
The guy on the flyer, that's Master Drake.
My sister Phoebe joined his New American School last year.
She sold everything she had. Cashed out her bank account.
Two months ago, she moved into
the training center full-time.
Last week, she cut ties with my family.
Won't even answer my calls.
Phoebe's always had a tough relationship
with our parents, but...
We were always close.
Did she say why?
Apparently, Drake wants his disciples
to put kung fu above all else.
Last time I saw her, she looked roughed up.
Big bruise on her cheek.
I've been asking around the local
martial arts communities.
Rumor is, Drake's students
have been ending up in the E.R...
concussions, broken bones.
Whatever's going on at that school,
he's driving his students hard.
It's like Phoebe takes whatever Drake says as law.
He's filling her head with lies.
I mean, he's her shifu.
She trusts him completely,
no matter how dangerous things get.
There's an open training session at the school tonight.
We were thinking you'd be a good person to feel her out,
try to get through to her,
but if you're not feeling up to it...
I'll do it. It's a Shaolin school.
It should be me.
Zhilan? Zhilan!
It's been too long, uncle.
I saw your car outside.
I couldn't believe you took time
from your busy Hong Kong life.
What brings you back home?
Well, I've been thinking about father,
and... I missed this place.
Well, we will catch up.
You will tell me everything about
your big, fancy life. Now, sit!
It's cold in here. I'll start a fire.
_
- Aah! - Uhh!
Pei-Ling.
Oh!
_
Baba!
Baba.
Mama, hey.
Hey. Where'd you go last night?
Didn't Althea tell you I crashed at her place?
- What's that? - Nothing.
No... no...
Face-planted in Althea's heels last night.
She insisted I try on outfits for the rehearsal dinner.
Nicky, that is not nothing.
Mama, please, it's fine. I'm fine.
But I'm running late.
Althea needs me to pick up party favors.
So, I'll talk to you later.
Hey, if you turn your hips,
you'll have more power.
You try.
Uhh!
Thanks for the tip.
- Yeah. - You're new here.
Where do you normally train?
China. I spent 3 years
at a Shaolin monastery in Yunnan.
- I'm Nicky. - Phoebe.
Are you looking for a place to train or instruct?
Actually, I'm here to see you.
Your brother's worried about you.
My brother needs to mind his own business.
He said you cut off
all connection with him, your family.
Yeah, my family's made clear they don't
support my training.
It seems intense.
How'd you get that bruise on your face?
You lose focus, you come unprepared,
you get knocked down.
Heard that happens a lot here.
People getting hurt.
Training's intense, but it's legit.
Master Drake saved me.
After I was discharged from the army,
I had nothing.
I was lost.
He gave me a second chance.
Okay, look, I'm not here to pass judgment.
But kung fu should be about
following your own path, not someone else's,
even if that person is your shifu.
Sometimes I wish I would've asked more questions
instead of blindly following my teacher.
For me, there is only one path.
If I don't stay focused,
I will never master tsoi-hung.
Tsoi-hung?
Once a student completes the trials,
they attain tsoi-hung.
It's the highest tier of Master Drake's training.
Few students make it but... I'm close.
Reaching this tier... how much does it cost?
It's worth it.
Where is Master Drake?
I'd love to speak with him.
Master Drake, this is Nicky Shen.
She trained with the shaolins in China.
Welcome to the New American School, Nicky Shen.
Thanks.
She's interested in learning about tsoi-hung.
Yeah. 3 years at a Shaolin monastery
and I've never heard of it.
The source of my wisdom
is a secret not for the uninitiated.
No freebies, huh?
What can I say? Tsoi-hung is the culmination
of a series of trials
to prepare the students
for the deepest secrets of kung fu.
Each one of my students determines
what steps and sacrifices
are necessary to attain their goals.
Phoebe is one of my strongest students.
Her focus, her discipline,
and the rapid development of her gifts
is a testament to the choices
that she has made.
Well, call me impressed.
Um, I'm willing to keep an open mind
if you're willing to show me.
I'd love to learn more.
As an experienced Shaolin,
I'll waive your initiation fee
and you can participate in the first trial.
That way, you will get to experience directly
just how hard my disciples train.
It would be my honor.
Perfect.
We'll see you tomorrow night at 8.
I missed you.
Last time you were home,
you left in such a hurry.
I apologize, uncle.
After I saw you at the festival,
I came back here and I had
an unexpected visitor.
_
Any luck? Henry said it's the only reference
to tsoi-hung he could find online.
Do you know how many laws I'm breaking right now?
No backseat driving.
So, you talked to Henry.
How'd he feel about you sleeping over
at Evan's last night?
It didn't come up.
We're both kind of busy right now,
trying to help this girl.
The perfect distraction.
Oh! Found it.
It's some sort of livestream site.
Let's see.
There's over 50,000 subscribers.
Pay to view.
Site goes live a few times a week.
What are those?
Links to old streams.
Okay.
That's a ring at the school.
Drake's profiting off these fights.
No protection, no refs, no rules.
That's why his students get hurt.
Uhh. From the angle, I guess they don't even
know they're being filmed.
They want to impress him, achieve some
made-up reward he calls tsoi-hung.
Wait, that's Phoebe.
Ohh.
We gotta get her outta there
before it's too late.
The tsoi-hung trials are a scam.
They're just bait to get bodies in the ring.
Looks like they're making huge profits.
Guess there's a real market on the dark web
for watching people beat the crap out of each other.
That's illegal, right?
- I mean, there have got to be laws. - About a dozen.
California has some of the strictest
fight regulations in the country,
not to mention the illegal gambling aspect.
The video source code is mega encrypted.
Oh, and no way the school has
the bandwidth to run things from there.
There's gotta be some sort of remote HQ.
The trials happen at the school, but
it's being broadcast from another location?
Yup. Someone's running this thing
from some sort of off-site server.
Drake's keeping his hands clean.
We want to bring this guy down,
that's where we hit him... in the server, the site.
There's a case to be built.
I could kick it up the chain in my office.
No. Drake's got Phoebe
and the rest of his students under his spell.
Phoebe, any of the others,
could get hurt, or worse.
- We're not waiting. - Okay.
Then Althea's gonna have to trace the servers,
in real time, while the site is live.
That's your smoking gun.
You said the source code was mega encrypted,
but mega doesn't mean impossible.
Those hidden cameras are connected
to local Wi-Fi, so, in theory,
I could hack into the network
and backtrace the location of the servers.
Sick. Do that.
Only catch,
someone needs to be close enough to the router
so I can use their phone to hack it
during the transmission.
Is ringside close enough?
Got a standing invite from Master Drake himself.
An invite? To participate in the trial?
He's gonna throw you in the ring.
Whoa. Wait. You're gonna fight?
Nicky, your injuries. I've told you.
I know, but hopefully,
Althea can do her little Wi-Fi thingie
before I even have to fight.
Judging by the encryption,
I'll need about 10 minutes to trace it.
Guys, it's okay. I got this.
Master Drake's been lying to his students,
exploiting them.
That ends tomorrow.
One more drink.
Ha! No, no, no. Uncle...
uncle, please, please.
I came here for a reason.
I'm looking for something.
Before he died,
father kept a notebook
and a scroll written in some ancient text.
Do you know where it is?
Let's not speak of such silly things.
Why not?
Uncle.
You're usually so chatty.
Why so quiet now?
I made a promise years ago
to protect you from all that.
A promise? A promise to whom?
Your sister.
The night Pei-Ling ran away,
she called me,
pleaded with me to take you in.
To look after you.
I was still angry about Yibo's death, but...
I couldn't say no to her.
She's family, too.
You... you betrayed me.
All those years behind my back,
speaking to her.
Not often.
She sent money sometimes.
She wanted you to have a good life.
Lies! She used you!
She used you to clear her guilty conscience.
- What are you doing? - You want to protect me
from all this? You're far too late!
- Zhilan. - I killed Pei-Ling.
And if I have to, I will kill you, too.
Zhilan, what have you become? Ooh!
Where are they?
Under the floorboard.
What is it?
The scroll belonged to your mother.
Some sort of guide
for the sword's guardian.
The notebook...
your father was trying to translate it.
He didn't get far, but
he believed the scroll held secrets
to all 8 weapons.
Where is the scroll?
Where is it?
The night Yibo died, I sold it...
To Mr. Tan.
Meet me outside the school.
Drake's not expecting you, so,
we should walk in together.
Thanks, Henry.
Nicky, where are you going?
Althea. More errands. Bye!
_
There she is. Come on.
Welcome, Nicky Shen.
Are you ready to put your skills to the test?
Tsoi-hung is a cage fight?
No better way to take stock of one's abilities
than in true combat.
- Who am I fighting? - Master Drake,
it would be my honor
to face a true Shaolin fighter.
Phoebe, I admire your commitment
and your determination.
Phoebe has the true heart of a warrior,
but Nicky Shen has trained with the Shaolin
and I believe she deserves an opponent
worthy of that rank.
So, let us see how she fares
against a full tsoi-hung warrior.
Tonight, you... will fight me.
I don't get it.
What the hell's Drake's play here?
I threatened his authority
over his star pupil.
He thinks he can reclaim it by
crushing me in the ring.
Yeah, well, he might be a bad teacher
and an awful person, but that doesn't mean
he's not a powerful fighter.
How are we on time?
At least another 8 minutes or so,
give or take.
Nicky Shen, please
take your position.
You know, as much as I'd love to see you
wipe the floor with that jackass,
are you sure you're in any condition
to take him on right now?
- I mean, Ryan said... - Look, I'm fine.
I can do this. The only way to
stop Drake's hold on Phoebe, on everyone,
is to expose him as the fraud he is.
How's it going over there?
Going as fast as I can.
- What the... - What's she doing?
Isn't that Master Drake?
She's going to get herself killed.
Nicky Shen.
Master Drake.
Uhh! The ribs, Nicky, come on!
Are you ready to quit now?
Few people can stand
the full force of tsoi-hung.
_
They say masters need to be
an example of peace and virtue
in the eyes of their students.
I have tried to be that for you.
But I am like anyone else.
I have made mistakes. I have deep regrets.
I hope those mistakes do not prevent me
from providing the training and guidance
to those who count on me.
Shifu, you're a great teacher.
You've taught me so much.
To determine whether or not
I am a good teacher,
do not look to my teachings.
Or to my skill.
Then what?
Look to yourself.
Have you grown past the young girl
who climbed into my truck?
Are you still running,
or are you facing your fears?
That is how I wish to be judged...
how you grow, who you become.
All I can do... is hope
I have taught you well.
Althea, how much longer?
Got it. They're running the servers
out of a residence near the airport.
- I'll call it in. - I'll call Henry,
tell him to get out there.
You should call your brother.
Althea says the cops just raided the server.
New American School's going down.
Only a matter of time before the law
brings Drake in.
Good.
Kevin's taking Phoebe home.
Told me to say thanks.
I hope she finds her way.
What is it?
I've been struggling.
What Zhilan said, it got to me.
There's still so much I don't know about Pei-Ling.
About her past.
It made me start doubting everything.
And maybe I won't ever know the whole truth,
but I... I know Pei-Ling taught me well.
I know she was a good shifu.
She had her secrets, but...
her mission is still my mission.
And I think I'm ready to start again,
if you are.
Yeah, of course.
How about now? I mean,
ribs still hurt, but I'm feeling pretty good
after this fight.
Could be just you and me.
Nicky... I'm here for you.
I am, but, uh...
What?
I saw you
leave the gala with Evan.
I know it was a crazy situation.
You were hurt. He was there.
But you didn't even tell me where you went,
and I've been starting to think that
maybe... you're not completely over him.
If you have feelings for him...
any feelings at all,
that's okay, but...
I'm just gonna have to put a pause on... this.
Yeah. Okay.
Good night, Nicky.
Night.
_
Nicky.
Hey, Mama.
Althea ran me ragged,
so, I'm just gonna
head upstairs and crash.
Is everything okay?
I saw you.
At the New American School.
Fighting that man.
How did you...
I knew you were hiding something.
I just had to make sure.
So you followed me.
I shouldn't have been so surprised.
I've seen glimpses of it,
ever since you've come home, but
tonight, that fight.
- Mama, you know I've been training. - No.
There is a difference between
training and what I saw.
You are a warrior, Nicky.
A warrior by birth.
I've been trying to shield you from it
your whole life,
trying to change your destiny.
My destiny?
It was the last thing I wanted for you.
I suppose I was a fool
to think I could stop it.
It's in your blood.
What are you saying?
You are a descendant of Liang Daiyu.
The first woman warrior.
_
Oh. Hello.
I think you're in the wrong car.
Not that I'd ask you to leave.
Well, that's very generous of you,
Kerwin Tan.
If you're here to make a pitch to the Tans,
you're better off speaking to my father.
And what if I want to be friends?
Friends. What a charmingly
middle-class concept.
What's your angle?
Biange.
I assume you've heard of it.
It is your father's lifelong goal,
his animating passion.
In the past few years, it has become mine, too.
Your family has something I want...
an ancient scroll,
purchased from my family decades ago.
Your father, I imagine he has had
no luck in translating it.
It's probably collecting dust on one of your
many estates as we speak.
I need it.
And luckily for you,
I have the means to translate it.
So... you need me.
So, why come to me?
Why, indeed?
I am perfectly happy approaching
one of your siblings
if you're not interested in what I have to offer.
Let's get out of here.
We know the lineage is real. Traceable.
But only a few believed
in what that really meant.
Our family's legacy.
Legacy?
As descendants of Liang Daiyu,
we are the rightful owners of her sword.
It's been lost for generations,
held by a guardian,
but it is said that when the time is right,
it would be ours to reclaim.
Our birthright.
It was said that one member of
every generation... a woman...
would be chosen to wield the sword.
And you believed this growing up?
That's why you kept it from us?
I... I never really understood any of it,
but my sister, she did.
She believed the stories.
Auntie Mei-Xue?
You said she died
when she was a teenager. Tuberculosis.
Lied. It's less painful than the truth.
She believed she had the right to wield the sword,
that she was the chosen one
of our generation.
That it was calling out to her.
And she was obsessed.
I begged her to stay
but she ran away,
abandoning me, our family.
We haven't seen her since.
All these years... you lied.
I wanted to shield my family
from all of this.
To not feel the pain I felt,
to forget about our bloodline.
But then I had you.
I kept seeing it in you...
flashes of Mei-Xue.
You would scrape your knee... no tears.
Always standing up to the bullies in school,
fighting for what is right.
Althea would choose ballet, you... karate.
And you stopped me.
That's where it started.
You controlling me.
Steering me towards what you want me to be.
Yes.
I have tried my whole life
to understand
what my true path is,
and you've known this all along?
My whole life,
you've kept me in the dark.
You lied to me. Manipulated me.
I wanted to keep you safe.
I wanted to stop you from making
the same mistakes Mei-Xue...
That was my choice to make.
And you stole it from me.
Nicky.
Baba, the car keys.
I need to get out of here.
Here.
What have you done?
Greg, move your head.
- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -