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Thread: Little Sword of the Third Master -Gu Long (Translation)

  1. #21
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    Wow, been away for a few days, it is already translated up to ch 9.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kara
    <Here the site says that are missing FOUR pages. Yes, FOUR pages. This really wrecks my mood. I hate it when this happens. True it has only happened two times. But that’s two times too many. Argh….. I’m really really annoyed. Luckily this chapter doesn’t have many pages left- well I wonder why - so I’ll continue to translate it. Otherwise I would probably throw down my keyboard in disgust. If anyone has found a better site please please please tell me. >
    here is a site for the missing four pages

    http://vnthuquan.net/truyen/truyen.a...3237n4n&cochu=

    This site contain a different translation from the other one, but it is still the same chapter and story. The website I gave you before will also begin to use this translation also beginning ch 9, as you notice ch 9 have a different format than the previous chapters. oh yea, don't look back for the previous missing pages, because the 1st 7 chapter are the same.


    Quote Originally Posted by kara
    Weird. As the story gets more interesting I am losing my interest to translate. Possibly because I want to just read it and not be hindered by this translating. But if I do that I know that I will never go back and read it again to translate it. Damn.
    I gald you got interested, now you don't have to hunt me down.

  2. #22
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    Wow you're really fast! And I mean that in a good way
    Thanks again!

  3. #23
    Senior Member xJadedx's Avatar
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    Uhmmm ... The proper translation of the book's title is actually "Third (Little) Master's Sword" or "Sword of the Third (Little) Master." In the Chinese version, the book was called "San Shao Ye De Jian," and no where in that title did Gu Long refer to the sword as being little.
    Because I'm somewhere in between,
    My love and my agony.

  4. #24
    Junior Member rikku's Avatar
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    Default Thank you

    Thank you Kara for ur translation.. such a good story

  5. #25
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    Default Thnx

    Gee!

    thank for translations. hope it will keep coming

  6. #26
    Senior Member JigSta's Avatar
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    Thanks for the translation Kara, I'm really enjoying reading it.
    I really like this line

    "I am but an ordinary person…”

    In this world, how many can achieve that level of ‘ordinary’?"

    its really poetic.
    All that's needed to say have been said, why say anything more? The man is drunk, why stay any longer?....
    Quote Originally Posted by Question
    if CarMAN Lee hair is green, then am sure carMAN #$%@ a dog to give birth to you.

  7. #27
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    I've just added the missing pages in chapter eight so do reread it. We didn't really miss alot anyway. This is all thanks to Tai Han -thank you thank you.

    Another thing is that i've corrected the title. This is thanks to Jaded WenEr. In vietnamese the title is actually Yen Thap Tam [main character's name] which is not related to the chinese title whatsoever so i had no way of knowing. But thank you thank you for pointing it out for me.

    Thanks for all your nice comments. I'm going to start translating Chapter Ten now. I'll put it up as soon as i finish. Until then, see you all.

    As a side note i really hope that Hieu Phong is not dead cos he was interesting. But we'll see.

  8. #28
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    Default Chapter Ten

    Chapter Nine Recap:

    Yen Thap Tam did not say a word.

    Even though now he understood a lot of things, he still did not say anything. He had learnt how to be silent.

    Ta Vuong Ton just casually said one sentence:

    “It is late. You should go now.”

    Yen Thap Tam:

    “Yes.”

    Chapter Ten: If there is the sword, there will be the person.

    I actually translated a title –Hooray! Hooray!

    And so he went. The night grew darker. Ta Vuong Ton crossed the dark grounds slowly and went up some small stairs at the back of the manor.

    On the landing on the top of the stairs the light was very muted. An old and weary woman was waiting beside the small candle.

    What sort of person was this woman?

    When Ta Vuong Ton saw her, his eyes filled with love. Anyone who saw him would have realised that he cared very deeply for her. The pair were a husband and wife that had faced many sorrows of the human life together.

    Old Woman:

    “Ah Cat still hasn’t returned yet?”

    Ta Vuong Ton shook his head.

    In her tired, aged eyes thousands of tears threatened to spill but her voice overflowed with confidence.

    “I know sooner or later he will return. Right?”

    Ta Vuong Ton:

    “Right.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    When a person has a little hope, they still value their lives. This hope can help them live forever.

    ************************************************** ***************

    The night was very dark. The lake’s waters were very dark and only a small patch of light was visible. The light was coming from the window of a small boat on the lake. Manager Ta was sitting near the lamp.

    Yen Thap Tam boarded the boat slowly. He listlessly sat opposite the manager and listlessly poured out some wine.

    Manager Ta looked at Yen Thap Tam. In his eyes there was a listless laugh.

    The boat left the jetty and slowly swam into the still darkness of the lake. Yen Thap Tam drank three bowls of wine before he suddenly asked:

    “Did you know that I was going to be coming back?”

    Manager Ta laughed and looked at him intently.

    “If I didn’t then why would I have waited?”

    Yen Thap Tam tilted his head and looked at Manager Ta.

    “What else do you know?”

    Manager Ta clinked his bowl against Yen Thap Tam.

    “I know that this wine is not bad. You can drink heaps if you want.”

    Yen Thap Tam laughed.

    “Fair enough.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    The boat was light upon the lake.

    Manager Ta seemed to be slightly drunk.

    “Did you see the sword?”

    Yen Thap Tam nodded.

    Manager Ta:

    “As long as there is the godly sword, the Godly Sword Mountain Manor will still exist.”

    He sighed softly and said slowly:

    “Even if the person is no longer here, the sword will continue to exist forever!”

    In Yen Thap Tam’s hand there was a sword. He was looking at his sword intently. He suddenly stood up and went to the nose of the boat. Upon the lake there was an area of impenetrable darkness. He suddenly carved the word “ten” [in this case just a cross] on the tip of the boat and without a thought he threw his sword overboard; the sword that had followed him for twenty years and had killed countless of people.

    The lake waters churned before returning back to its previous peaceful self. Only the sword had sunken.

    Manager Ta looked at Yen Thap Tam in shock. He could not help but ask:

    “Why don’t you need that sword anymore?”

    Yen Thap Tam:

    “Maybe I will need the sword. When that time comes then I will return.”

    Manager Ta:

    “Do you know how stupid that is?”

    Yen Thap Tam:

    “I know.”

    Manager Ta:

    “If you know then why did you do it?”

    Yen Thap Tam laughed:

    “Because I suddenly realised that in this lifetime, you should do a few stupids things. Moreover….”

    In his laugh, there was a hidden meaning.

    “If you think about it, there some things in life that seem stupid. But are they really stupid or not? No one can be sure about these things.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    The waters of the lake were as still as the night sky. The person was still here but the sword had sunk.

    ************************************************** ***************

    ‘Tonight where will you wake from your drunken state?
    The moon wanes, the wind is early, the willowed shore.’


    ************************************************** ***************

    Autumn wanes. Winter is here. Bitingly cold.
    The cold wind is like a knife, the face of the earth is lonely, the blue sky is without compassion.
    The Wanderer is dry of tears.


    ************************************************** ***************

    Ah Cat walked towards the cold wind that blew into his face. He tightened his coat as he walked away from Han’s Corner. Simply, he had nowhere to go home to.

    He only had 23 pennies left but he had to leave this place. He had to leave anything that was remotely nice to him.

    He had not cried yet.

    He was a wanderer so he had no tears, only blood. But even his blood had been sealed away.

    ************************************************** ***************

    The most famous thing at Han’s corner was Mistress Han. Mistress Han of the Han Palace. Han Palace was a brothel.

    The first time Ah Cat saw Mistress Han was when he was lying on a cold bed drenched in some kind of liquid. Everywhere upon the cold, hard surface of the bed were disgusting ‘marks’ of Ah Cat [I think it means vomit etc]. His state was not too different from that of the bed. He had been drunk for five days straight and when he awoke his mouth was painfully dry and he had a hammering headache.

    Mistress Han, hands on her hips, was standing at the head of the bed looking down at him. She was seven foot or taller, her hips were as round as a circle and her dry, fat fingers were covered in precious cold and jade rings. The fat on her round face lifted away some her wrinkles making her look a little younger than she really was. When she was happy, in her eyes there was a mischievous, childish laugh. But at that moment, her face held no trace of happiness whatsoever.

    Ah Cat used all his strength to rub his eyes and forced them wide open as if to see if the person standing at the head of the bed was really a man or a woman.

    A woman like this was not easily to meet normally.

    Ah Cat clumsily crawled upright and the drunken nights he had soared through his memory like thousands of piercing needles. He sighed and mumbled:

    “For the past two nights I’ve probably been drinking like a drunken cat.”

    Mistress Han:

    “Not a drunken cat but a dead dog.”

    She looked at Ah Cat coldly:

    “You’re not from around here right?”

    Ah Cat nodded. He was not from around here. He was from a far away place. A place so far away that he had forgotten about it entirely.

    Mistress Han:

    “Do you have any money?”

    Ah Cat shook his head. This he remembered. He had used his last penny to buy alcohol. What province had he awakened in this time? He had forgotten.

    Mistress Han:

    “I know you don’t have any money. We have checked your entire body. You’re even poorer than a dead dog.”

    Ah Cat closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep some more.

    The effect of alcohol on his brain had dispersed any further intellectual thought. He only wanted to know:

    “Do you have anything else to ask me?”

    Mistress Han:

    “One more thing!”

    Ah Cat:

    “I’m listening.”

    Mistress Han:

    “How are we going to settle this with someone who has no money?”

    Ah Cat:

    “Settle?”

    Mistress Han:

    “In the past five days you have drunk a total of seven nine silver taels worth of alcohol.”

    Ah Cat breathed deeply.

    “That’s not a lot.”

    Mistress Han:

    “When dealing with people who have no money to pay their debts we have two methods.”

    Ah Cat listened.

    Mistress Han:

    “Do you want to have one leg broken for life or have three reels of intestines taken out?”

    Ah Cat:

    “It’s up to you.”

    Mistress Han:

    “You don’t care?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I just want you to do it quickly. After you finish I still have to go.”

    Mistress Han stared at Ah Cat. Her eyes shone with curiosity.

    What kind of person is this youngster? For what reason did he become so uncaring and so messed up? Was it because he had an unsolvable emotional problem or was it because he could not forget something painful that had happened?

    Mistress Han could not suppress her curiosity.

    “Where are you in such a hurry to go?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I don’t know.”

    Mistress Han:

    “You don’t know?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I go where I go.”

    Mistress Han looked at Ah Cat for a very long time before saying:

    “You are still young. Why don’t you work to pay off your debts?”

    Her eyes grew more gentle.

    “Here I have a slave position for you, every day is five parts of a silver tael. You want it?”

    Ah Cat:

    “It’s up to you.”

    Mistress Han:

    “You’re not going to ask what kind of place this is? And what we’re going to ask you to do?”

    Ah Cat:

    “It’s up to you. I’ll do anything.”

    Mistress Han laughed and forcefully squeezed his shoulders.

    “Firstly go to the kitchen and get a hot tub of water to wash yourself. You look like a dead dog and smell like rotten fish.”

    Her eyes showed laughter.

    “Working here you won’t be treated like a human being. But it seems like you have the shape of a human there.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    The kitchen was filled with the smell of white rice and delicious dishes. When coming into the kitchen from the cold wind outside, how warm and comfortable the kitchen must feel!

    The people working in the kitchen were a married couple. The husband was tall and strong but he was dumb and like a plank of wood. The woman was small and shrivelled and very thin. Besides the two, there were five other people in there.

    The five women wore ruffled, revealing clothes. Their hair was messy and upon their tired, indescribably uncaring faces was the traces of makeup from last nights work. The eldest had a large pair of breasts like melons and her eyes shone with lust. Later Ah Cat knew her to be the bunch’s ‘elder sister’ and whom customers playfully referred to as the ‘male elephant’.

    The youngest seemed like a mere child. She had a flat chest and small arms and legs but she was the person who had the most ‘customers’. Were these customer’s not lustful, barbaric animals with no compassion for human kind?

    Seeing Ah Cat step in, the five expressed curiosity and surprise but as Mistress Han stepped in after him, all five lowered their heads.

    Mistress Han:

    “There are many things that only a man can do. The men here are not planks of woods but are old turtles. I’ve decided to bring a young one who looks more like a human here.”

    She shoved Ah Cat forward.

    “Tell these female dogs your name.”

    Ah Cat.

    “I am Ah Cat.”

    Mistress Han:

    “Don’t you have a surname?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I am Ah Cat.”

    Mistress Han whacked him on the head forcefully and laughed.

    “You don’t have a surname but you have a good quality there!”

    Mistress Han laughed delightedly.

    “You don’t speak needlessly.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    Your mouth was used to eat and drink wine not to speak nonsense. Ah Cat never spoke needlessly. He slowly poured hot water into a tub and then sat down to wash his face. Suddenly a foot kicked out and the tub was overturned.

    It was a fat pair of legs in a pair of red, embroidered shoes.

    Ah Cat looked up to a fat, very round face. The rest of the women were laughing but the sound seemed very far away. He heard the ‘male elephant’ say loudly:

    “You made my feet wet! Wipe them quickly.”

    Ah Cat did not say anything. He sat down and used the towel that the dumb man gave him earlier to wipe the pair of fat feet before him.

    The ‘male elephant’ laughed.

    “You are very obedient. At night if there are no customers in my room then you can sneak in. I won’t charge you anything.”

    Ah Cat:

    “I don’t dare to.”

    ‘Male elephant’:

    “You don’t even have a little bit of courage to do this?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I am a useless man. I only need to work to pay off my debt.”

    From then on he was given the nickname of ‘Useless Ah Cat’ but he didn’t seem to care at all.

    ************************************************** ***************

    As soon as the lantern’s were lit, the crowd of women would put on their most revealing and flashiest clothes. There faces were smeared in a layer of thick make up.

    “Useless Ah Cat! Hurry and pour tea for the customers.”

    “Useless Ah Cat! Hurry and go get some alcohol.”

    This endless train of orders continued until late at night. This was when he hid himself in the kitchen to rest a little. At that time, the dumb man would give him a bowl of white rice littered with bits of meat and sit and watch him eat. Always, his eyes were filled with compassion and understanding towards Ah Cat. But Ah Cat never looked up. Some people do not want to show others their emotions. Ah Cat was this type of person.

    It seemed like he had no courage and was useless. It was only until two young men with sabres came in to eat and ‘play’ for free that the ‘male elephant’ discovered another side of Ah Cat. He was not afraid of pain.

    The man with the sabre was walking disconcertingly out of the door and only Useless Ah Cat was brave enough to stop him.

    The man said coldly:

    “Do you want to die?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I don’t want to die. But I don’t want to die of hunger either. If you leave without paying then you are smashing by bowl of rice.”

    As soon as his sentence finished, two sabres flashed and headed towards Ah Cat. But he did not dodge. Even his eyelashes did not flutter. He stayed like this for seven or eight sabres wounds.

    The two men looked at him in fear and obediently took out their money and paid.

    Everyone looked at him in surprise and wanted to rush in and help him but he turned around and left. It was only when he got into the backyard that he fell onto his bed, sweating and clenching his teeth as he rolled around in silent agony. He didn’t want people to see him as a hero and he didn’t want people to see his agony.

    But the door of his room opened. A person crept in and locked the door behind them, looking at Ah Cat with pit in their eyes.

    She had a pair of large eyes and a very clever pair of hands. Her name was Tieu Le. Customers liked to call her the “Little Demon” and now she was using those pretty hands to wipe the sweat off Ah Cat.

    “Why did you do that?”

    “Because that’s what I have to do!”

    His answer was very fierce.

    “I have to do my job.”

    “But you are young. There are many other jobs you can do.”

    She was clearly worried about him. But Ah Cat did not even bother to look at her. He said coldly.

    “Why aren’t you doing your job? Go and do it.”

    She refused to leave and said:

    “I know that in your heart you have a lot of sorrows.”

    Ah Cat:

    “No I don’t.”

    Tieu Le:

    “Before there must have been a woman that made you sad.”

    Ah Cat:

    “Did you ask a ghost this?”

    Tieu Le:

    “If you have never been sorrowful then why are you like this now?”

    Ah Cat:

    “Because I am lazy and I am a drunk.”

    Tieu Le:

    “You like women as well?”

    Ah Cat did not deny it.

    Tieu Le:

    “But it’s been a long while since you’ve been with a woman. I know…”

    Her voice became strange and very gentle. She reached out and took Ah Cat’s hand and lay it on her stomach.

    He could feel her body underneath that thin piece of silk and he felt a hotness flow from her.

    Seeing the many cuts from the sabres, Tieu Le’s eyes seemed to shine.

    “I know that those cuts must hurt. But if you, with me…then I promise you that you will forget all the pain.”

    As she spoke she moved Ah Cat’s hand over her body. Her breasts were small but firm.

    Ah Cat answer was monosyllabic.

    “Scram!”

    A word that was accompanied by a slap.

    Her eyes looked upwards as she fell, her face filled with victory. She had wanted him to do that!

    “You are really strong!”

    Ah Cat closed his mouth. The cuts along his body were on fire and it seemed that inside he was on fire too. Ah Cat had to fight for control.

    But it seemed like Tieu Le was determined to stay. She grabbed Ah Cat’s legs and grabbed at his clothes.

    At that moment a hand reached out and grabbed her hair. A fat hand upon which were many precious rings.

    ************************************************** ***************

    When she entered Mistress Han was drunk but her hand had more wine in it.

    “That *****. She was born rubbish.”

    Her drunken eyes looked at Ah Cat.

    “She liked to be beaten by men. She’s happy to be beaten badly.”

    Ah Cat closed his eyes tightly. He suddenly realised that in this fat woman’s eyes there was lust, a lust similar to that of Tieu Le’s. He didn’t want to look anymore.

    “Now drink some! I know you are dying to.”

    She laughed and shoved the bottle into Ah Cat’s mouth.

    Ah Cat didn’t move and had no reaction.

    Mistress Han arched her eyebrows:

    “Are you really a useless man?”

    Ah Cat:

    “Yes, that’s what I am.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    When Ah Cat opened his eyes Mistress Han had left. Before she left she put a tael of silver on the head of the bed.

    “This is your reward money. Anyone who takes seven or eight sabre slashes cannot do it for free.”

    When you think about it, she was like a little girl.

    “I know that you can never forget what happened earlier.”

    Ah Cat heard her footsteps outside and he began to vomit. How could he ever forget!

    After he finished, he decided to leave. He left that tael of silver in the frying pan for the dumb man. He faced the bitter wind as he left Han’s Corner. He knew he could no longer stay there.

    End Chapter Ten

    I still think Chapter Nine is the most beautiful chapter. The character of Ah Cat is interesting. Who is he? Could he be Ta Hieu Phong? Or Hieu Phong’s little brother that no one knows about? We know he’s related to the Ta Family though. Interesting.

    Those women make me sick. Honestly. Gu Long rarely portrays admirable women in his books. Always these type of women. That’s probably why characters like Sun Xiao Hong are so lovable because they are so damn rare.

  9. #29
    Member jotaro's Avatar
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    Default translation

    Hi,
    Wow you are fast. I am thoroughly enjoying your tanslation. I hope you enjoy your holidays.
    j

  10. #30
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    Default Chapter Eleven

    Jotaro: Thanks for reading and commenting.

    Chapter Ten Recap:

    When Ah Cat opened his eyes Mistress Han had left. Before she left she put a tael of silver on the head of the bed.

    “This is your reward money. Anyone who takes seven or eight sabre slashes cannot do it for free.”

    When you think about it, she was like a little girl.

    “I know that you can never forget what happened earlier.”

    Ah Cat heard her footsteps outside and he began to vomit. How could he ever forget!

    After he finished, he decided to leave. He left that tael of silver in the frying pan for the dumb man. He faced the bitter wind as he left Han’s Corner. He knew he could no longer stay there.

    Chapter Eleven: The Wanderer with an Unfortunate Soul

    The sky was very bright.

    The teashop was filled tight with people. There were many different people waiting outside to be served.

    Ah Cat picked up the hot teacup with both hands and sipped it. This teashop also sold soups and buns. Ah Cat was very hungry but he could only drink tea. He only had 23 pennies and he was hoping that he would find some work to earn money.

    He had to keep living.

    It was only in the past few days that he had realised that it was not easy to keep on living. The work and pain that was needed to keep on living was something he could have never imagined. A person who sold their honesty and strength still needed to know how the right people to succeed.

    Bricklayers had their own union and so did carpenters. Everyone, even the 90000 labourers had their own union. If you did not belong to these unions, then it was impossible to find work.

    Ah Cat had starved for two days. On the third day, he did not even have 7 pennies to buy a hot cup of tea to warm his stomach. He could only sit outside the teashop and breath in the warm air waffling from the shop. It was only when he was about to faint from hunger that someone came up and whacked him on the shoulder.

    “Do you want to be a dung-remover? 5 parts of a silver tael a day.”

    Ah Cat looked at him, but he could not say a word. He could only nod his head. He nodded his head frantically. It was only a very long time afterwards that he was able to give his thanks. It was genuine gratitude. Because this person did not just give him a job and money but a chance to live. He was allowed to live on.

    This person was Lao Mieu Tu [Tree Seeds]

    ************************************************** ***************
    This person was really like the seeds of a tree.

    He was tall, very strong, ugly and steady. Every time he laughed, he revealed all of the teeth and gums in his mouth. His left ear hung down longer than his right and on the lobe there was a piercing but no earring.

    He had been noticing Ah Cat for a while. When it was time for lunch, he suddenly asked Ah Cat:

    “How many days have you been starving?”

    Ah Cat:

    “You can tell that I’m hungry?”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Today you almost fainted three times.”

    Ah Cat looked down at his feet, which had many traces of dung.

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “This is tiresome work. I’m afraid you might not be able to stand it.”

    Ah Cat:

    “Why did you ask me?”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Because when I first came here I was like you, I could not find work even removing dung.”

    He had two buns with him, both with no filling and a salted vegetable. He divided it in half and gave it to Ah Cat.

    Lao Mieu Tu looked at Ah Cat, his eyes held a trace of laughter.

    “Where do you plan to sleep tonight?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I don’t know.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “I have a house. My house has wide rooms. Why don’t you come to my house and stay there?”

    Ah Cat:

    “If you say so I’ll come.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    The ‘big’ room of Lao Mieu Tu cannot be called ‘small’. At least it was a little bigger than a pigeonhole. When they arrived, an old lady with white hair was cooking in the kitchen.

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “This is my mother. She’s a great cook.”

    Ah Cat looked into the pot and saw that vegetables and rice had been cooked into a thick congee.

    “I smelled it a mile away.”

    The old lady laughed and filled two bowls with the congee and some tofu. Ah Cat took it and ate, forgetting to even say thank you.

    Lao Mieu Tu looked pleased.

    “His name is Ah Cat. He’s a good fellow.”

    The old lady took the wooden spoon and tapped him on his head.

    “If I couldn’t see that then I wouldn’t have let him eat.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Can he sleep here tonight mother?”

    The old lady looked at Ah Cat through half closed eyes:

    “I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the same bed with my son.”

    Ah Cat:

    “He doesn’t smell.”

    The old lady laughed loudly.

    “You are a man. Any man could see that my Mieu Tu is very smelly.”

    Ah Cat:

    “I am a man. I’m even more smelly than he is!”

    The old lady laughed louder and she used the wooden spoon to tap Ah Cat on the head just as she did with her son.

    “Eat it quickly while it’s still hot and then go to sleep. You need to build up strength to work tomorrow.”

    Ah Cat was eating, eating very fast. The old lady:

    “But before you go to bed you have to do something.”

    Ah Cat:

    “What?”

    Old Lady:

    “You have to wash your feet thoroughly or the girl will complain.”

    Ah Cat:

    “Who’s the girl?”

    Old Lady:

    “My daughter, his younger sister.” She pointed at Lao Mieu Tu.

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “She should have been a princess. I swear she was born to be a princess.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    The back room had three beds. The cleanest and most comfortable bed was the princess’s.

    Ah Cat really wanted to meet the princess, but after he ate the bowl of congee his eyes were too heavy to open. To sleep together with a man as big as Lao Mieu Tu wasn’t a very comfortable thing but Ah Cat fell asleep straight away.

    In the middle of the night he awoke only once. In his dream-like state it seemed to him like there was a girl with very long hair by the window. But when he looked again she had crawled under the blankets. The next morning, they awoke very early but the girl was still asleep. She was wrapped up completely in her blanket, as if hiding from something unknown. Ah Cat only saw the mass of long, silky hair across the pillow.

    ************************************************** ***************

    The day was not light yet and the morning mist had not lifted. They were walking opposite the cold wind.

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Have you seen the girl?”

    Ah Cat shook his head. All he saw was that mass of hair!

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “She helps with work at a very important official’s house. She has to wait until they are asleep before she can go home.”

    He laughed.

    “People with money sure sleep late!”

    Ah Cat:

    “I know.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “But sooner or later you’ll meet her.”

    Ah Cat had seen this. He felt that this girl must be a true princess.

    ************************************************** ***************

    When lunchtime came, Ah Cat was sitting down and eating a bun that the old lady had given him when three people appeared. They were wearing worn clothes but they were wearing misfit hats and had sabres on their backs.

    The sabre marks on Ah Cat had not fully healed yet. They still hurt.

    The eldest one of the group stared at Ah Cat with his triangular eyes and stretched out his hand:

    “Give it here!”

    Ah Cat:

    “Give what?”

    Triangle eyes:

    “Even though you are new you should still know the rules here.”

    Ah Cat:

    “Which rules?”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “Your wages are divided into three. Give me one month’s worth first!”

    Ah Cat:

    “I only have three pennies.”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “You only have three pennies but you’re eating buns made from white flour?”

    He whacked the bun from Ah Cat’s hand and it rolled onto the watery dung on the ground.

    Ah Cat picked up the bun and peeled off the outer layer. He had to eat this bun. If not, where would he find the strength to carry dung away?

    Triangle eyes laughed:

    “I wonder how your dung flavoured bun tastes?”

    Ah Cat did not open his mouth.

    Triangle Eyes:

    “Are you really eating this stuff? What are you? A dog or a human?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I’m what you say I am.”

    He bit into the bun.

    “I only have three pennies. Do you want it?”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “Do you know who I am?”

    Ah Cat:

    “No.”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “Have you never heard of the name ‘Phu Xe’?”

    Ah Cat shook his head.

    Triangle Eyes:

    “‘Phu Xe’ is the right hand man of Big Brother Dau Sat, Iron Head Big Brother who is the right hand man of the Big Boss.”

    He knocked on Ah Cat’s nose.

    “I am one of ‘Phu Xe’s’ men. Do I look like I need your three pennies?”

    Ah Cat:

    “If you don’t need it then I am keeping it.”

    Triangle Eyes laughed coldly and suddenly kicked at Ah Cat’s legs. It hurt so much that Ah Cat bent over in pain.

    Triangle Eyes:

    “If I don’t teach you a lesson then how will you respect your elders?”

    The three moved forward to attack but someone suddenly ran in and stood in front of them. This person was taller than them by a whole head.

    Triangle Eyes took half a step back and shouted:

    “Lao Mieu Tu don’t interfere with things that don’t concern you!”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “This does concern me.”

    He helped Ah Cat up.

    “He is my friend.”

    Triangle Eyes looked at Lao Mieu Tu’s large fists and suddenly laughed.

    “If he is your friend can you guarantee that he will give us his wages?”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Yes.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    At sunset, the two brought their tired, sweaty and incredibly smelly bodies home. Ah Cat’s face was still soaked in sweat. That kick had not been gentle at all.

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “When people hit you don’t you retaliate?”

    Ah Cat thought for a very long while before answering placidly:

    “I have once worked in a brothel and the people there gave me a nickname.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “What was it?”

    Ah Cat:

    “Useless Ah Cat.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    The kitchen was warm and dry. When the two arrived they heard the happy voice of the old lady:

    “Today the princess is eating dinner with us. We can eat meat today!”

    Old Lady laughed like a child.

    “Everyone gets a piece. Quite a large piece too!”

    The old lady’s laugh was enough to make Ah Cat feel warm inside. But this time was different. This time he would get to meet the princess! The kitchen was small and crowded and when they sat down to eat they always had to sit very close to each other. But there was always a chair left empty. That chair was left for the princess and now she was sitting in that chair opposite Ah Cat.

    She had a pair of large eyes and pair of clever hands. Her long, silky hair flowed down her back. She had a gentle, calm and elegant disposition just like a real princess. If this was the first time that Ah Cat saw her, he would be like the others. He would admire and respect her.

    It was a pity that this was not the first time!

    The first time he saw her was next to the ‘male elephant’ in Mistress Han’s kitchen. She had raised her legs to reveal her pretty feet. At that time Ah Cat did not even look at her but she was secretly watching him. Afterwards, he knew her to be the youngest and the most successful of the girls in Mistress Han’s ‘business’. At that place her name was Tieu Le but everyone liked to call her the ‘Little Demon’. The second time, Ah Cat faced her was in his room when he had been stabbed seven or eight times by sabres.

    He could never forget the soft, smooth body under that piece of silk. He had used a lot of strength to say the word “Scram!”. He thought that that would be the last time that he would ever see her but now she was here, in her house in the house that he was living it! How could this promiscuous, abnormal woman be ‘the girl’ of this house; the princess; the house’s only hope?

    They were Ah Cat’s friends. They gave him food and house and turned him into an inseparable part of their family.

    Ah Cat looked down, his heart in pain. It was a pain that spread deep into his bones and organs. The old lady pulled at his arms and laughed.

    “Come. Come meet the princess!”

    Ah Cat could only walk forward and say:

    “Nice to meet you.”

    She looked at Ah Cat, her eyes giving no indication that she had met him before. She only said:

    “Sit down and eat some meat.”

    Ah Cat sat down and seemingly heard his voice say:

    “Thankyou princess.”

    Lao Mieu Tu laughed.

    “You don’t need to call her princess. You can call her like we call her. ‘The girl’.”

    He picked up the biggest and thickest piece of meat for Ah Cat:

    “Eat your meat. If you are full then you can sleep well.”

    It was very late at night. Lying beside him, Lao Mieu Tu was snoring very loudly. On the nearby bed, ‘the girl’ seemed to be asleep as well. Only Ah Cat was lying on the bed, eyes wide open, cold sweat on his face. It was not only the pain in his heart but also the pain from the sabre slashes on his body.

    Carrying dung from place to place was not light work. His wounds had not fully healed. Ah Cat never looked at his wounds and even when he felt that his load was pressing onto his shoulder and opening his wounds, he would clench his teeth and continue working.

    He was not worried about skin deep pain. The problem was that it was not just the pain from the wounds. This afternoon he discovered that the wounds had begun to be infected. Lying on the bed he felt that his whole body was in pain, cold sweat continued to cover his body and he felt feverish everywhere. It seemed as if every wound was on fire.

    Ah Cat wanted to control himself. He wanted to be able to get up but it seemed as if his whole body was frozen. It felt as if he was sinking, sinking in the depths of a bottomless pit. In his dream like state it seemed as if someone was calling his name. Calling his name ever so gently…ever so far away. But he seemed to hear it clearly…

    ************************************************** ***************

    He was a young person with no hopes, a wanderer who had no more tears. He was like a dry leaf in the wind, like a branch on a flowing river. He had not roots and no home. Could it be that there was someone far away who still missed him and was still worried about him?

    Even though he heard that person calling him, how come he did not return to them? What kind of sorrowful tale would he tell them?

    ************************************************** ***************

    The sky was bright and beautiful.

    Ah Cat was not in a continuous dream-like state. He had many bouts of awaking. Each time he awoke it seemed like there was someone at the foot of his bed but before he could see clearly, he fell back unconscious.

    When he finally saw the person clearly it was late afternoon and the afternoon sun was shining on her smooth and silky hair.

    Her eyes held worry and sorrow.

    Ah Cat closed his eyes but he heard her voice clearly.

    “I know you don’t care about me but I don’t find that strange.”

    It seemed as if she had awakened for she was controlling herself.

    “I know you have many sorrows in your heart but you should not torture yourself because of that.”

    Inside the room it was very empty. He could not hear anybody else. Lao Mieu Tu had naturally gone to work. He could not just take a day off because he knew that he needed the job to put food on the table.

    Ah Cat suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked straight at her. He coldly said:

    “You know I won’t die easily.”

    She understood.

    “If you wanted to die then you would have died many times before.”

    Ah Cat:

    “If you know then why don’t you go do what you do?”

    “I won’t go and do that anymore.” She said.

    The voice of ‘the girl’ was very steady and cold:

    “From now on I won’t go back.”

    Ah Cat could not help but ask:

    “Why?”

    ‘The girl’ suddenly laughed coldly and said:

    “Do you think that I was born to like to do those types of things?”

    Ah Cat stared at her intently, as if to see through to her heart.

    “When did you decide never to go back?”

    ‘The girl’:

    “Today.”

    End Chapter Eleven.

    Damn. I thought the princess would be Ah Cat’s romantic interest- a good, sweet, ugly one. But no, it’s her. You’re probably all thinking that she’s changed her ways but I don’t think so. Why? Because she is a beautiful Gu Long woman. That’s the only reason we need. I love the old lady and Lao Mieu Tu- so kind and sweet to a perfect, penniless (well, almost) stranger like Ah Cat. I’m actually quite disappointed in Ah Cat. He’s from the Ta Family right? No martial arts? No fair! I thought he was hiding his martial arts but he’s suffering from wounds and everything. Oh man. I want him to know martial arts. What’s the good of coming from the famous Ta family and having no martial arts? And come to think of it, there are four families but we’ve only met three- Ta, Ha Hau and Mo Dung. Wonder who the last one is?

    Anyways, this is probably the last chapter before I go overseas so it’s the last one for two months. I wanted to finish twelve chapters before I left so that I would finish one seventh of the book but it seems like I can’t. Oh wells. This was close enough. I hope you enjoyed it.

  11. #31
    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jaded WenEr
    Uhmmm ... The proper translation of the book's title is actually "Third (Little) Master's Sword" or "Sword of the Third (Little) Master." In the Chinese version, the book was called "San Shao Ye De Jian," and no where in that title did Gu Long refer to the sword as being little.

    Hmmmm,

    "Third (Little) Master's Sword" meant: there are at least three 'Little Masters', the 3rd one is meant.

    IMO it should be translated as 'Little/Young Third Master' - there are at least 'three masters', the 3rd one is meant (he is young/little)

  12. #32
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    yeah, i know but while i thought that i changed the title i actually didn't. I only changed the title of my first post. I actually don't know how to change my thread title. Can anyone teach me?

  13. #33
    Member UltraRob's Avatar
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    Actually, I am fairly certain Ah Cat knows Martial Arts extremely well, it's how he survived the sword blows. But, he's so lost he effectively has forgotten what he knows, he's just too depressed to use them or care to use them. Remember that using Martial Arts for these guys requires Qi and focus, and Ah Cat has less than none of these two things right now.

    I am sad to hear you're off, but I hope you have a great time overseas. You really got me addicted to this story!

    Rob

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    I know I said 11 was the last one but I had a bit of time for 12 so yeah! Goal reached!

    Ultra Rob: glad you are addicted.

    Chapter Eleven Recap:

    The voice of ‘the girl’ was very steady and cold:

    “From now on I won’t go back.”

    Ah Cat could not help but ask:

    “Why?”

    ‘The girl’ suddenly laughed coldly and said:

    “Do you think that I was born to like to do those types of things?”

    Ah Cat stared at her intently, as if to see through to her heart.

    “When did you decide never to go back?”

    ‘The girl’:

    “Today.”

    Chapter Twelve: Love as deep as the ocean

    Oh my god another title. This is good stuff!

    Ah Cat closed his mouth and stopped speaking. He felt that a pain growing inside of him.

    Who wanted to be born to do that? But as humans, they needed to eat, they needed to live. She was the only hope in the eyes of her mother and her elder brother. She had made it possible for them to have meat to eat. She could not disappoint them! But now she decided to not go anymore because she didn’t want him to not care about her.

    If Ah Cat had any tears left he would probably be crying now. But he was a wanderer. A heartless wanderer, a wanderer without tears.

    Because of that he had to leave. Even if he had to crawl out of here he had to leave. Because he realised the love she felt towards her. But he could not accept this love and he did not want to hurt her.

    This family did not only give him a second chance to live but they also gave him a feeling that made him warm inside; a feeling that he had never felt before. He could not hurt them.

    She looked at him, as though she could see his thoughts:

    “Do you want to leave?”

    Ah Cat did not answer but used his hand to stand up. He used all his strength to stand up and take a step forward. She did not stop him. She did not even stand up. But in her eyes there was a shine of tears.

    Ah Cat did not look back. His strength did not allow him to go far, his wounds had already begun to hurt again. But he had to go. Even if he died like a mouse in a rut he didn’t care. But before he could take another step, the old lady had entered carrying a tray of food. In her kind eyes there was a sign of displeasure.

    “You shouldn’t be getting up. Mother has gone and bought a piece of meat to make soup for you. When you finish drinking it you’ll feel stronger. Get back into bed and wait for me to cook it.”

    Ah Cat closed his eyes. Was it really true that wanderers have no emotions, that wanderers have no tears?

    Suddenly he used all of his strength to side step the old lady and exit the door. There are some thinks that are unexplainable so why try to explain it?

    ************************************************** ***************

    It was a dark alley that had never seen the sun. Ah Cat clenched his teeth and suppressed his pain, walking opposite the direction of wind. Suddenly, a person tumbled into the alley, walking unsteadily.

    A person who was soaked in blood, on his face a white bone was showing.

    “Lao Mieu Tu.”

    Ah Cat yelled in shock and rushed forward. Lao Mieu Tu also fell forward. They both held onto each other’s arms.

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Your wounds have not healed. Why did you come out?”

    His body was covered in deep wounds but he did not care about them, he only cared about his friend.

    Ah Cat clenched his teeth:

    “I….I….”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Don’t tell me you want to leave?”

    Ah Cat hugged his friend tightly.

    “I’ll never leave. Even if you kill me I’ll never leave.”

    When the old lady saw her son her eyes filled with tears. But Lao Mieu Tu kept laughing loudly and saying:

    “Just a few scratches can’t hurt me! I’ll be all better after a good night’s sleep.”

    Old Lady:

    “How did you get hurt?”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “I slipped from the top of the stairs and tumbled down.”

    Even if it was an old lady that could not see the words of a large sign, she could still tell that these were not wounds from falling. Even if he really did fall from 7 or 8 feets worth of stairs, he would not be wounded so badly.

    But this old lady was not like other old women. Seeing that these were not wounds from a fall she was more worried more her son than anyone. Tears just fell from her eyes as she said:

    “The next time you go up stairs, be a thousand times more careful not to fall.”

    After she finished, she left immediately to make her meat soup.

    That was the duty of a mother. Being a woman she knew that men did not like women to interfere with their affairs. Even thought Lao Mieu Tu was her son, it was the same.

    ************************************************** ***************

    Looking after her as she left, even though he did not shed any tears Ah Cat’s eyes became red.

    What a wonderful mother. What a wonderful woman. Because there were women like her that human kind still continued to live. He waited until she was well into the kitchen before looking at Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Who beat you up?”

    Lao Mieu Tu laughed.

    “Who hit me? Who dares to hit me?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I know you definitely don’t want to tell me but do you really want me to go and ask around?”

    Lao Mieu Tu’s laugh froze and his eyes flew wide open:

    “If someone hits me then it’s my problem, why would you go and ask around?”

    At this time ‘the girl’ was sitting further away by the window. Now she suddenly said.

    “Because he’s afraid that if you go then you’ll be beaten too.”

    Ah Cat:

    “I…”

    ‘The girl’ interrupted him and laughed coldly.

    “But there was something that he didn’t consider. Even if he was beaten because of you then you wouldn’t go and get revenge for him.”

    Ah Cat felt his heart sink. His head also sunk.

    Now he realised for whom did his friend get a beating. He did not forget the evil in those triangular eyes.

    And he realised that even though those words from ‘the girl’ were sharper than a knife, her eyes were filled with tears as she said them.

    He was angry at himself. He hated himself. Suddenly he heard a cold voice say:

    “It’s not that he doesn’t want to fight but because he’s too scared to fight.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    It was the voice of triangular eyes. He did not come alone. He had two young men with sabres on their back with him. There was a man with a long face and long legs. He was standing with his hands on his hips behind the men. His clothes were shiny.

    “This our big brother ‘Phu Xe’. If you sell these two words at any store, you’ll get at least many hundred silver taels.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “What do you guys want?”

    Triangular Eyes laughed evilly.

    “Don’t worry, we haven’t come to find a weak vegetable like you.”

    He squeezed Ah Cat’s shoulders.

    “I haven’t even come to find a bastard like you either.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “Then who are you looking for?”

    Triangular Eyes:

    “Your little sister!”

    He turned around and looked at ‘the girl’, his eyes very evil.

    “Hey you girl, come on.”

    ‘The girl’s’ face changed.

    “Where…where do you want me to go?”

    Triangle Eyes laughed.

    “Where going where you need to go. Stop pretending there.”

    ‘The girl’ shrank back and she said shakily.

    “Can’t I rest for a day?”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “You are popular at Mistress Han’s. If you rest for a few days then do you know how much business we lose? What would we eat?”

    ‘The girl’:

    “But Mistress Han gave me permission…”

    “The words of Mistress Han are nothing! If it wasn’t for us she’d still be a fat ****. Once a **** you’ll have to see your ‘customers’ everyday…”

    ‘The girl’ did not wait for him to finish and said loudly.

    “Please, please let me rest for two days. These two are wounded and the wounds are not light!”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “These two? Which two? Given that one’s your brother what’s the other one to you?”

    The two who were wearing sabres rushed forward.

    “We know this one! He worked at Mistress Han’s as an ‘old turtle’. He probably has something going on with this ****.”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “Good. Good!”

    He turned around and slapped Ah Cat right and left.

    “I can’t believe a **** like you would like a guy like this. If you don’t obediently come with us then we’ll turn this guy into a eunuch first!”

    He turned and was about to kick Ah Cat between the legs when ‘the girl’ rushed in and pushed him away and stood in front of Ah Cat.

    “I’ll die before I follow you anymore. Just kill me first!”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “You bloody *****! Do you really want to die?”

    This time he did not even kick before Lao Mieu Tu grabbed hold of his head.

    “What did you call my sister?”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “A *****! A bloody *****!”

    Lao Mieu Tu didn’t need anything else, he punched the guy’s face. Despite this, he suffered two kicks from the guy’s buddies and fell onto the ground sweating in pain.

    The old lady rushed from the kitchen carrying a knife used to cut vegetables.

    “You thieves! I’ll risk my life with you!”

    The knife headed towards the face of triangle eyes. Obviously the strike did not hit. Her knife was taken by triangle eyes and she was kicked aside.

    ‘The girl’ rushed forward to hug the old lady, crying with genuine pain. How could an old lady who had suffered all of her life and now like a candle in the breeze cope with that kick?

    Triangle Eyes:

    “You asked for death.”

    At the word ‘death’, Lao Mieu Tu yelled crazily and rushed forward. Half his body was wounded badly and he could barely stand but he was determined to risk his life.

    Triangle Eyes voice turned serious.

    “So you want to die too?”

    His hand still held the knife he had snatched from the old lady. Any knife can kill. He wasn’t afraid of killing someone. He raised the knife and prepared to stab Lao Mieu Tu in the chest.

    Lao Mieu Tu’s eyes were red. He did not think about dodging but the knife had hit empty space! As the knife approached he had been pushed: Ah Cat had pushed him away!

    Ah Cat could still not stand steadily. But he still had the courage to stand and face triangle eyes.

    “You people…you people…have gone too far.”

    His voice was dry and he was unable to speak.

    Triangle eyes looked at him coldly.

    “So what are you going to do about it? Are you going to take revenge for them?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I…I…”

    Triangle Eyes:

    “If you have the courage then come and kill me. Here’s the knife.”

    He really did hold out the knife.

    “If you have the courage to kill someone then I’ll respect you.”

    Ah Cat did not take the knife. His hands were trembling. His whole body was trembling.

    Triangle eyes laughed coldly and reached out and grabbed ‘the girl’s’ hair and pulled.

    “Let’s go!”

    ‘The girl’ refused to go with him. His arm was suddenly stopped by another hand, a hand that was healthy and so strong that he felt like his arm was about to be broken.

    It was Ah Cat’s hand!

    Triangle Eyes was shocked. He looked at Ah Cat wide eyed:

    “You…you dare to touch me?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I don’t dare. I’m no good. I don’t dare to kill. I don’t want to kill!”

    He loosened his hand slowly.

    Triangle Eyes roared:

    “Then I’ll kill you!”

    He aimed his knife for Ah Cat’s throat. Ah Cat did not move, only his hand moved gently, forming a punch. Even though the knife strike was launched first, Ah Cat’s punch hit triangle eyes before his knife could hit Ah Cat.

    Triangle eye’s body flew backwards, smashing into the window and then into the wall behind it. He sunk onto the ground, his body as soft as a pile of dirt. Everyone looked at Ah Cat in shock. Ah Cat did not look at them. His eyes seemed empty of emotion and soul and it seemed as if his heart of filled with sorrow.

    ‘Phu Xe’ who was standing by the door up until now suddenly yelled:

    “Get him!”

    The two men with sabres stood still, but in the end they took out their sabres. These two sabres had once given Ah Cat eight slashes but now even though they simultaneously were aimed at his critical points they still hit empty air.

    The two strong men suddenly fell onto the ground without a sound for Ah Cat’s punch had hit their critical point.

    ‘Phu Xe’s’ face changed colour and he slowly moved backwards out of the door.

    Ah Cat did not even bother to look at him. He only said:

    “Stay.”

    Phu Xe seemed to suddenly be obedient for he did stay.

    Ah Cat:

    “I didn’t want to kill you people but why did you have to force me to?”

    He bent down and looked at his hands, his eyes overflowing with sorrow for these two hands were now covered in blood!

    Phu Xe suddenly puffed up his chest.

    “Even if you want to kill me don’t think you can get away with it!”

    Ah Cat:

    “I’m not leaving.”

    His face showed pain as he articulated the next few words slowly.

    “Because I have no where else to go.”

    Phu Xe saw that he had let his guard down and immediately attacked. A flying dagger immediately flew straight to Ah Cat’s chest. But the dagger suddenly flew back and sunk deep into the bone of his right shoulder. This arm of his could no longer kill.

    Ah Cat:

    “I didn’t kill you because I want you to go back and report to your big brother Iron Head and your Big Boss that I was the one that killed these three and that they should come and find me and no one else.”

    Phu Xe bent his head, big sweat drops fell from his head as he clenched his teeth.

    “Good! Seems like you’re human after all.”

    He turned around and flew out the door but he suddenly turned back.

    “If you’re human then give me your name!”

    Ah Cat:

    “I am Ah Cat. Useless Ah Cat.”

    ************************************************** ***************

    The night was dark and the candles were muted.

    The light from the candle shone on the corpse of the old woman on the bed and onto the white faces of Lao Mieu Tu and ‘the girl’.

    This was their mother. She had sacrificed everything to make sure they grew up healthy. How could they ever repay her?

    Ah Cat stood in the darkest corner of the room his head lowered as if unable to face the brother and sister. Because the woman should not have died. If he had had the courage to face reality one more time then she would not have died.

    Lao Mieu Tu suddenly looked at Ah Cat:

    “You should go.”

    Because his eyes were so pained they had shrunk.

    “You have taken revenge for our mother and we should be very grateful but…but we can no longer keep you here.”

    Ah Cat did not move and he did not speak. He knew Lao Mieu Tu too well. He wanted Ah Cat to leave because he did not want Ah Cat to be involved in any of this. But Ah Cat would never leave!

    Lao Mieu Tu suddenly shouted:

    “So just think of it as you have repaid our debt and now you don’t owe us anything. Now go!”

    Ah Cat:

    “If you really want me to go then there is only one way.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “What?”

    Ah Cat:

    “Kill me and carry my body away.”

    Lao Mieu Tu looked at him and hot tears flowed from his eyes.

    “I know you have good martial arts to deal with them but do you really know what kind of people they are?”

    Ah Cat:

    “I don’t know.”

    Lao Mieu Tu:

    “They have money and power! Their Big Boss has at least 500 men under his command, all fighters. The most powerful amongst them are three men called Iron Head, Iron Arm and Iron Tiger. I hear that these were once thieves who roamed jiang hu and killed people without a blinking. To hide from government officials they changed their names and work here now. Even if you have good martial arts, if you meet them then you only have one road. Death.”

    Ah Cat:

    “But I have no other road to go on.”

    He lowered his head, his face hidden in the darkness. Lao Mieu Tu could not see the expression on Ah Cat’s face but he heard that in his voice their was sorrow and determination.

    Sorrow was also a strength that could help people do things that they normally can’t do.

    Finally Lao Mieu Tu said:

    “Fine. If you want to die them we will all die together.”

    Suddenly they heard a cold voice outside say:

    “Good! Excellent!”

    ************************************************** ***************

    With a ‘smash’ the nearby wall had a large hole in it. How hard was this person’s punch!

    Ah Cat moved from within the shadows to the door and opened it wide. Outside there was a large group of people. In the middle was a tall, nicely dressed man grinding a rock in his hand. He looked at Ah Cat.

    “Are you Useless Ah Cat?”

    “Yes.”

    “I am Iron Arm Ah Dung.”

    Ah Cat:

    “Whatever name you choose it’s all the same.”

    Iron Arm Ah Dung said coldly:

    “But my iron arm is not just the same.”

    Ah Cat:

    “Oh?”

    Iron Arm Ah Dung:

    “I hear you are very like a human. If you are really like a human then let me punch you. If you do then I’ll acknowledge that you’re human.”

    Ah Cat:

    “Please.”

    Lao Mieu Tu’s face changed colour. ‘The girl’ forcefully grabbed Ah Cat’s arm. Both their arms were cold. They both thought that Ah Cat did not want to live anymore. Why else would he agree to accept a punch from an arm that smashed a wall? What of it? If you die you die.

    Lao Mieu Tu suddenly moved forward and yelled:

    “If you have the courage then punch me first!”

    Iron Arm Ah Dung said:

    “Ok.”

    He said he would and he did. A punch flew straight at Lao Mieu Tu’s face. Everyone heard the sound of bones splitting but it was Lao Mieu Tu’s face but it was the iron arm of Ah Dung! Ah Cat had attacked and had flung his fist towards Ah Dung’s incoming punch before sending a hard punch into Iron Arm’s stomach. Ah Dung’s arm was so painful that he could not take it. He curled up and rolled onto the floor in pain.

    Ah Cat looked at the group behind Iron Arm Ah Dung. The men were all holding sabres but not one of them dared to move an inch.

    Ah Cat:

    “Go home and tell your Big Boss that if he wants to kill Ah Cat then he better send someone skilled. Trash like that can’t do anything to me.”

    End Chapter Twelve

    Wow! This is way cool. I know it took a lot but the martial arts machine is finally here. Yeah! Gu Long always makes his main character have cool fight scenes. I know jin yong’s are more detailed but when it comes to gu long fights they are just way cool beyond words. Maybe because you get the sense that the hero is all powerful and you really just don’t care why.

    Anyways this is definately the last chapter because i'm leaving tmw so bye and see you all when i get back!

  15. #35
    Moderator CrazyT's Avatar
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    Your speed amazes me Kara. I haven't had the time to read the translation yet but at this rate, you'll be finish by the time I start.
    I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code.

  16. #36
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    Wow, a new chapter! I thought you were leaving already.

    The good thing about you (on top of your speed) is that you do not give us false hope. It's nice to get a pleasant surprise chapter like this.

    Some people are CONSTANTLY saying I'm gonna translate this, I'm gonna translate that, and when they don't deliver it's annoying as hell.

    I can understand if a person does not give the reader any expectations at all and stops translating forever. But giving people false hope is not necessary. Once is OK with me, but some do it over and over again and never deliver.
    Last edited by Wellesley; 12-01-04 at 12:21 PM.

  17. #37
    Junior Member rikku's Avatar
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    Default I wonder..

    I wonder what the conection is between Ah Cat and Yen Thap Tam.. maybe they are the same people.. thanks so much Kara for translating..

  18. #38
    Senior Member xJadedx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wellesley
    Wow, a new chapter! I thought you were leaving already.
    Some people are CONSTANTLY saying I'm gonna translate this, I'm gonna translate that, and when they don't deliver it's annoying as hell.
    You know, personally, I'm just grateful that the translators actually try to translate, even if their pace is a bit slow. I mean, face it, most of the translators have college and university, so it's not fair to say that they're giving "false hope" because they pause during their translations.

    Besides, if it bothers you that much, go learn Chinese and read it yourself.
    Because I'm somewhere in between,
    My love and my agony.

  19. #39
    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kara

    Wow! This is way cool. I know it took a lot but the martial arts machine is finally here. Yeah! Gu Long always makes his main character have cool fight scenes. I know jin yong’s are more detailed but when it comes to gu long fights they are just way cool beyond words. Maybe because you get the sense that the hero is all powerful and you really just don’t care why.

    Anyways this is definately the last chapter because i'm leaving tmw so bye and see you all when i get back!

    *
    I'm pretty sure the Viets have computers or laptops. You should progress with the translations there, to make sure you won't forget your English after two months
    Last edited by Du Gu seeking a win; 12-02-04 at 02:59 PM.

  20. #40
    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jaded WenEr
    You know, personally, I'm just grateful that the translators actually try to translate, even if their pace is a bit slow. I mean, face it, most of the translators have college and university, so it's not fair to say that they're giving "false hope" because they pause during their translations.

    Besides, if it bothers you that much, go learn Chinese and read it yourself.

    *
    Don't get mad, I don't think Wellesley means you

    I think he meant Trini, since three years she said she wants to translate, but she always finds an excuse not to begin with it, I think she wouldn't ever translate anything in her life.

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