The King of Pei is enraged after discovering that Ziyu has challenged Yang Cang to a rematch without authorization.

The King demands Ziyu and his wife, Xiao Ai, give him a performance on the guzheng (a Chinese plucked zither).

The King decides to punish "Ziyu" and demotes him to commoner status despite the objection of other military officials.

"Ziyu" replies that the original wound has healed and this was a fresh cut to remind himself of the shame in the loss.

Jingzhou, using a metal umbrella weapon, is repeatedly unsuccessful in his practice duels against Ziyu, who mimics Yang Cang's halberd technique.

Xiao Ai suggests that Jingzhou fight using feminine moves and embrace the umbrella's representation of yin (the concept of yin in Chinese philosophy is associated with darkness, water, and femininity), which would serve as a more effective counter to Yang Cang's spear, which represents yang (associated with light, fire, and masculinity).

Ziyu reveals to Tian that he plans to use his shadow to recapture Jingzhou by keeping Yang Cang occupied for three rounds.

Tian and the convicts secretly swim under the storm gates and enter the city while Yang Cang and other officials are preoccupied with the duel.

Using the new umbrella weapons, Tian and the convicts drive back Yang Ping and his soldiers, though both sides suffer heavy losses.

Yang Ping asks her why a woman would fight and when he goes closer to hear her she kills him with his wedding gift dagger.

A masked assassin enters the hall, carrying a box assumed to contain Ziyu's head, to the horror of Xiao Ai.

The movie ends with Xiao Ai running to the doors of the hall in apparent shock and looking out through an opening, undecided whether to expose Jingzhou or accept the new status quo.

This style of ink painting was something Zhang Yimou wanted to try years ago before "Shadow"[7] Well Go USA released the film on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD in North America on 13 August 2019, and in the UK in September 2019.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Beautifully filmed and inventively choreographed, Shadow is a thrilling and visually sumptuous wuxia epic that finds director Zhang Yimou near peak form.