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Thread: ROCH Chapter 26 onwards...

  1. #81
    Senior Member rayon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bangs
    I think chewing food for the baby is not hazardous. I mean how are they supposed to feed the baby since milk is not available, the baby has no teeth yet so they chewed the food for her. Although it is unsanitary for today's standard, its practical during those days though. And if I was in their own situation I would have done the same for the baby. ^^
    True. Heck, in some parts of my country, I hear it's still practiced.
    "It's good to know what you don't know." - The Twit

    Xiao Shiyi Lang Book 2 - plodding thru Chap 27

  2. #82
    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hanky Panky

    Btw, did you use the First Edition? As I've noticed missing lines from some sections that includes this one:



    YG's supposed to say he will not give them back their baby as a consolation for the loss of his arm. And he asked himself whether it was his "Feng Liu" nature that brought himself to spare Guo Fu. I'm just a little curious, if you know what I mean...
    *
    I probably got mixed up

    I'll correct it as soon as possible, thx for the wink.

  3. #83
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
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    Default 30-1

    Chapter 30 – Strange Encounters [p.1-35]

    Again this quiet and peaceful moment didn’t last very long. Just a little while after Guo Xiang fell asleep, from the east came the distant “ca-ca-ca” sounds of someone walking on the snow in quick steps. Yang Guo stood up and gazed out from the east side window. Then he saw that on the snowy ground were two old men walking side by side. One was fat, and the other was thin. And with their ragged clothes, they looked just like people from the beggar clan. Stranded in the snow, they had to be looking for a place to rest their feet. At this time Yang Guo didn’t want to meet any people and specially detested those from Wulin [the martial world]. He turned around and said, “There are people outside. You should go sleep in the bedroom, pretending to be sick.” Xiao Longnu picked up Guo Xiang and went into the bedroom to lie down in bed as suggested. Then she pulled up a tattered wolf skin from the edge of the bed to cover her body.

    Yang Guo scooped up some firewood ash and wiped it all over his face and neck. He pulled the hat lower over his face and hid his black iron sword inside a room. Then he heard the two people coming close and knocking on the door. He randomly smeared deer grease on his gown to make him look like a hunter and then went to open the door.

    That fat old beggar said, “The snow is coming down heavily in the mountain. It is really miserable out here. May we ask the gentleman to let us beggars stay in your house tonight?” Yang Guo replied, “We are just a hunting family. How could senior call me a gentleman? You may stay here for the night.“ That fat old beggar then thanked him profusely. Yang Guo recalled how he once displayed himself at a hero meeting and didn’t want to be recognized by them. So he ripped two strips of meat from the roasted deer leg, handed them to the two people, and said, “There are so many things to do to survive in the snow. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow to catch a fox. I’m afraid I can’t keep you two company.” The fat old beggar replied, “Please do as you please, little gentleman.”

    Then in a coarse tone Yang Guo said, “Old wife, how’s your cough?” Xiao Longnu replied, “It’s the weather change. My chest hurts.” While saying that, she let out a loud cough and her hand gently shook Guo Xiang to wake her up.The sound of a coughing woman was mixed with that of a crying baby and so the three of them really presented a perfect picture of a hunting household.

    Yang Guo walked into the bedroom and banged the door shut after him. He lied down in bed next to Xiao Longnu and thought to himself, “This fat beggar looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?” But still he couldn’t remember.

    The fat and thin beggars thought that Yang Guo was really a poor hunter living on a wild mountain and didn’t suspect anything at all. While eating the deer leg, they started talking. The thin beggar said, “Today Mount Zhongnan was blasted to the sky. That was well done.” With a laugh the fat beggar added, “The Mongolian royal army is attacking from east to west and defeating all the enemies under the sky. Wiping out those little Quan Zhen taoists was as easy as crushing an ant nest.” The thin beggar said, “But just recently Jinlun Fawang suffered quite a loss. That was difficult enough.” The fat beggar laughingly said, “That's even better. It will let the prince know that he must depend on the Chinese to conquer the beautiful homeland of China. Using only the Mongolians and the Western warriors isn't enough.” The thin beggar then said, “Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng], when this business of establishing the southern beggar clan is all done, how is the Mongolian emperor going to reward you?”

    Having heard this, Yang Guo suddenly remembered something. He'd seen this old fat beggar at the Dashengguan hero banquet but at that time the beggar was dressed in Mongolian attire with a fur coat, and he was whispering advice to Jinlun Fawang. It was this person. So he thought to himself, “These two fellows are actually the country’s traitors. I will just quickly get rid of them to avoid causing any disturbance here.”

    This fat old beggar was precisely one of the four big elders of the beggar clan, Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng], who had earlier fallen to the Mongols. Yang Guo heard him continue, “The emperor will bestow on me the position of “Chief General of the Southern Province” but, you know, they say ‘Beg for three years and the emperor still might not see it.’ We are members of the beggar clan. Why would we still want to be a government official?” But while saying this, his tone actually revealed a fervent desire for the position. The thin beggar said, “Let me congratulate you in advance.” Peng Zhanglao chuckled and said, “Your accomplishments during these many years are not lacking. Naturally, your own reward won’t be small either.”

    That thin beggar said, “I don’t wish to become a public official. Only that you’ve promised to teach me the great soul absorbing technique. When will you pass it on to me?” Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] replied, “Wait until the southern beggar clan is established and I become the chief of the clan. Both of us will have a lot of free time. Then I will definitely pass it on to you.” The thin beggar said, “By then you’ll be the chief of the southern beggar clan and also the Mongolian chief general of the southern province. You would only be even busier. How would you have any free time?” With a laugh Peng Zhanglao said, “Laodi [Old little brother], is that to say you still don’t trust your big brother?” That thin beggar said nothing and snorted, showing that he didn’t believe him. Yang Guo thought to himself, “There’s only one beggar clan in the world and it’s never been divided into northern and southern sects. His planning to set up this southern beggar clan must be a devious scheme to help the Mongols.”

    The thin beggar continued, “Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng], you’ve promised someone something. Sooner or later you’ve got to do it. You senior keep putting it off, disappointing other people. Peng Zhanglao blandly asked, “What would you do then?” The thin beggar retorted, “What would I do? My martial skills are low. My courage is small. I don’t have any great skills. But I’ve been accompanying you, helping you deceiving numerous sect brothers. Later on when Chief Huang and Chief Lu come to investigate, I think I’ll tremble with fear and spill out everything to wash my hands from this mud. Yang Guo thought, “The thin beggar doesn’t want to live. How could he dare say such thing? That Peng Zhanglao has a lofty aspiration and an evil and cold-blooded nature. You’re really both venomous and foolish.” Peng Zhanglao let out a ‘ha-ha’ laugh and said, “We’ll discuss this over time. You don’t have to worry.” The thin beggar didn’t say a word. But after a while he said, “One tiny deer leg is not filling. I’ll go out and get more food.” While saying that he took down the arrow from the wall and pushed the door open.

    Yang Guo looked through a crack in the wall and saw that as soon as that thin beggar went out the door, Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] straightened up his body, drawing out a short knife and hiding it behind the door. He then heard the sounds of footsteps moving towards the west and disappearing out of the door. With a chuckle Yang Guo told Xiao Longnu, “This pair of beggars are about to kill each other, saving us a lot of trouble. That fat beggar is very dangerous. That thin one is definitely not his match. Xiao Longnu said, “It’ll be best if the two of them don’t come back. This house is quite peaceful. I don’t want people to come and disturb us. “Right,” said Yang Guo. Suddenly he lowered his voice, “I hear the sounds of footsteps.” They then heard someone making a detour around the mountain side and come back behind the house.

    With a faint smile Yang Guo said, “That thin old man’s come back to sneak attack.” He pushed the window open and gently leapt out. Then he saw that thin beggar crouching down to peep through a crack in the wall. He didn’t see a trace of Peng Zhanglao, as if that beggar hadn’t yet come up with a plan. Yang Guo walked up behind the thin man and said with a laugh,“Hey!”

    Taken by surprise, the thin beggar snapped his head back, thinking that it was Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] sneaking up behind him. His face looked alarmed and terrified. “Don’t fear. Don’t fear.” Yang Guo said and reached out to press the three pressure points -- on his chest, below his ribs, and on his leg. Then he moved the thin beggar to the front door. Before his eyes was a vast field of white deep snow. A child in him sprang up and so he called out, “Long Er, quickly come help me build a snowman.” He scooped up the white snow on the ground and started piling it onto that thin beggar’s body. Xiao Longnu came out of the house to help. Merrily, the two of them worked on the snowman and a short while later that beggar was thoroughly covered with the white snow. Except the pair of eyeballs that could still move, the thin beggar turned into an extremely fat and heavy snowman.

    With a laugh Yang Guo said, “This thin decrepit old man’s become both fat and white in a flash.” Xiao Longnu giggled and said, “And that originally fat and white old man.. what would you change him into?” Yang Guo had yet to reply when he heard the sounds of footsteps from the distance. He lowered his voice, “That fat old beggar’s back. Let’s hide.” The two people returned to the house and shut the door. Xiao Longnu shook Guo Xiang, making her cry out. At the same time she coaxed, “Hush, hush, don’t cry.” In her whole life, she'd never pretended to do anything but this situation was so strange that she didn’t even think about it. She saw that Yang Guo was having fun so she just played along with him.

    As Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] returned, he examined footprints on the snow. He saw the thin old beggar’s footprints going out and coming back again, showing that he was planning for an ambush by the left side of the house. He followed the footprints to the back of the house and then came out to the front again. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were about to open the door but then saw his short body bending over to peep into the house through the window, his right hand holding firm a knife, and his whole body alert.

    The thin old beggar was freezing to the bone. He saw that Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] was unsuspectingly standing right in front of him. If only he could move his hand, he would have been able to strike him dead. But the three pressure points on his body had been sealed, making him unable to move.

    Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] saw that there was nobody in the house and felt it was really strange. He pushed open the door, expecting the thin beggar to come out. But suddenly he heard the sounds of footsteps coming from the distance. Peng Zhanglao’s expression changed, and he went to hide behind the door panel, waiting for the thin beggar to return.

    Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu were all puzzled. That thin beggar had apparently become a snowman. How could there be people coming? While still hesitating, they heard that it was two people coming and knew that they had guests again. Peng Zhanglao’s aural sense was far inferior to theirs. As the two people were approaching, he looked alarmed.

    Then someone from outside the house said, “Amituofo, we needy monks are stuck here in the mountain snow. May we ask patrons to let us stay here overnight.” Peng Zhanglao turned his body around and saw two old monks standing in the snow. One had long white eyebrows, with a benign face. The other was a small-built man with a gray beard, dressed in black. And even in this cold winter month, the two people were wearing thin clothes.

    Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] was still in a trance when Yang Guo came out of the room and said, “Please come in. Why are you two still standing in the doorway?” By this time Peng Zhanglao saw that snowman. And after an observation, he eventually recognized the thin beggar. Seeing this strange transformation, he was greatly surprised and turned around to look at Yang Guo. But Yang Guo looked to be normal, as if he didn’t know anything about it at all.

    Having invited the two old monks in, Yang Guo thought to himself, “Looks like these two old monks aren’t just ordinary people, especially that wicked-looking monk dressed in black. With that strange glow in his eyes, I’m afraid he’ll turn out to be like this Peng Zhanglao.” Then he said, “Big monks, you’ve stopped to rest here. We are poor mountain people and can’t provide beds for you to sleep in. Do the two of you eat game?” The white-eyebrowed monk put his two palms together (he shi = joining ten fingers to pay respect) and said, “That’s wrong. That’s wrong. We’ve brought our own food. We dare not burden our patrons.” Yang Guo said, “That’s great.” Then he came back into the bedroom and whispered into Xiao Longnu’s ear, “The two old monks looked to be very powerful masters.” Xiao Longnu creased her brows and said in a low voice, “There are really many evil people in the world. Deep in the mountain like this, people still won’t leave us alone in peace.”

    Yang Guo bent down to look through a crack in the wall and saw that the white-eyebrowed monk took out four lumps of fried noodles from his rucksack. He gave two of them to the monk dressed in black and slowly ate the other two himself. Yang Guo thought, “The white-eyebrowed monk looks kind and composed, really like an esteemed monk. But there are just so many evil people who look good on the outside. Isn’t this Peng Zhanglao always laughing and looking very friendly? Still, how come that monk in black looks murderously evil like that?”

    While contemplating this, he suddenly heard two ‘lang-lang’ sounds. That monk in black took out black shiny iron objects out of his chest. Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng], who were originally sitting on a bench, immediately jumped up and drew out his knife. The monk in black paid him no attention. Instead, he chained his own feet with one of those black objects, which turned out to be an iron manacle, and did the same thing to both of his hands. Yang Guo and Peng Zhanglao were stunned, unable to figure out why he shackled his own hands and feet. But having seen this, they could somewhat let down their guard against him.

    The face of that white-eyebrowed monk was filled with concern. He asked in a low voice, “It’s acting up again?” The monk in black replied, “On the way here I didn’t feel very well. I’m afraid that it’ll happen again.” Suddenly he knelt down on the floor, putting his two palms together and pleading, “May Lord Buddha show mercy.” Having said that, he crouched down and stayed motionless in a kneeling position. After a while, he started to shiver and gasp for air, making wheezing noises. Then he unexpectedly let out a bull-like roar, so loud that it shook the wooden walls and sent the snow on the rooftop down to the ground. Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] was so frightened that his heart was thumping wildly. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu also gaped at each other in astonishment, not knowing what this monk was doing. Judging from the roar, his body had to be in great distress. Although Yang Guo had been holding hostility towards him from the beginning, this time he actually couldn’t help pity the man. He mused, “Don’t know what strange disease has struck him. Why hasn’t that white-eyebrowed monk done something about it?”

    After a while, the roar from that monk in black accelerated, as if he was becoming out of breath. The white-eyebrowed monk soothingly said, “What should not be done will be done; what should be done will be rejected; repent for burning anger and hatred; from now on start anew…” These few sentences were spoken gently. But even amid the loud roar, one could still hear them very clearly. Yang Guo was alarmed and thought, “This old monk’s internal energy was this profound. Who in the world would be able to match him?” Then he heard the white-eyebrowed monk continue the Buddhist verse, “He who repents for his crime will not be sad but become peaceful. He who repents for his misdeeds will not do evil.”

    After the verse was recited, the monk in black stopped panting. He thought dully and croaked, “He who repents for his crime will not be sad.. Shifu [master], I know full well I had done all sorts of things, all of them evil and full of hatred. I couldn’t control myself. I was thinking about ‘He who repents for his misdeeds will not do evil.’ But in my heart I couldn’t find peace. How could that be good?” The white-eyebrowed monk replied, “Being able to repent for past sins is really difficult. We humans are not saints. Who has never erred? Only to know that we

    As Yang Guo heard this, he vividly remembered something, “Guo Bobo [Uncle Guo] named me ‘Guo,’ meaning to change. He said it came from ‘knowing that we can change is the greatest virtue.’ Can it be that this old monk is a saint, coming today to change me?”

    That monk in black said, “My evil is really difficult to expel. Ten years ago, even after I’d already followed master for a long time, I still injured three people. Today, it’s as if my blood is boiling, and it’s been very difficult to control myself. I’m afraid that I’m going to commit a hideous crime. I beg for master’s mercy. Please cut off both of my hands.” The white-eyebrowed monk replied, “Good, very good! I could chop off your hands for you. But for all the evil thoughts in your heart, you’d have to eliminate them yourself. If your evil thoughts wouldn’t go away, how would my cutting off all your hands and feet help?” The monk in black shook violently and suddenly choked in tears. He said, “Shifu [master] has enlightened me. All this time I haven’t been able to get rid of my evil thoughts.”

    The white-eyebrowed monk let out a deep sigh and said, “Although you know what’s right and wrong, your heart is filled with hatred. When you don’t know how to love, evil thoughts are always difficult to eliminate. Let me tell you a Buddhist tale of a mother deer.” The monk in black replied, “I’m listening.” Then he sat down cross-legged. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu on the other side of the wall were also listening in silence.

    The white-eyebrowed monk said, “Long time ago, there were a mother deer and two small fawns. The mother deer was careless and was captured by a hunter, who wanted to kill her. The mother deer kowtowed to him and begged, ‘I just gave birth to two fawns. They are young and innocent, not knowing how to find water and grass. May I ask you for some time so I can teach them to find food for themselves. After that, I’ll come back to die.’ The hunter wouldn’t listen. But after the mother deer begged and begged (with her sad doe eyes), he was moved and then let her go.”

    “The mother deer searched for her two babies. Then she lowered her head and cried, licking her children’s bodies. In her heart was a mixture of happiness and sadness. She told the two fawns, ‘A love relationship is all predestined. Meetings have to end, and we rarely have much time. Today I’m your mother. I’m afraid I can’t protect myself. Life and death are everywhere. And danger came too early.’ The two fawns were small and didn’t understand her meaning. And so the mother deer pointed them to a beautiful place with water and grass, tears flowing from her eyes. Then she said, ‘Our time has ended. I fell into a hunter’s hand by accident and was about to be killed. I begged the hunter so I could come back to see you, and today I’ll die. I pity you, having to be motherless so young and living by yourself.’”

    Having heard this, Xiao Longnu recalled how her own life would also be cut short. She thought about these few sentences -- ‘Life and death are everywhere, and danger came too early’ and ‘I pity you, having to be motherless so young and living by yourself.’ She couldn’t bear it, and tears were flowing from her eyes. Yang Guo knew perfectly well that the white-eyebrowed monk was only telling a Buddhist tale but the tale of the mother deer and her children was very sad, and so he also was moved.

    The white-eyebrowed monk continued the story, “Having finished saying this, the mother deer left her two fawns. The two of them cried out, weeping in sorrow and following her closely behind. The babies were small and couldn’t run fast but they scrambled, tumbling down and getting up, to follow their mother, not willing to let her go. The mother deer paused. She turned around and said, ‘Babies! You can’t come along. If the hunter sees you, we mother and babies will all be finished. I’m ready to die, only fearing that you two are still weak. Nothing is permanent in the world. Everybody has to leave. I am ill-fated, causing you to lose your mother when you are still small.’ And then she fled to the hunter. The two fawns didn’t fear the hunter’s arrows and arrived after her.”

    “The hunter saw that the mother deer was trustworthy, giving up her life to keep her words, and that her determination surpassed that of humans. Besides, he saw that the three deer were not willing to leave one another. He felt pity and decided not to kill her. The three of them shouted out in happiness, thanking the hunter. The hunter then told this story to the king, and the whole nation applauded and stopped evil killings.”

    The monk in black listened to this story, tears streaming down his face. He said, “The deer were righteous. The mother deer was compassionate, and her offsprings were filial. In no way can I compare to them.” The white-eyebrowed monk said, “If there is compassion, any killing intention will disappear.” While saying this, he looked at Peng Zhanglao [Elder Peng] who was nearby, as if he was also explaining all this to him. The monk in black responded, “Right!” The white-eyebrowed monk continued, “If one wants to make amends, that also is virtuous. It’s better than repenting and doing nothing. From today on, we should do good deeds.” Then he let out a small sigh, “Even I, in my life, have done many bad things.” Having said this, he shut his eyes and was deep in thought.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Last edited by BeeDreamer; 07-18-05 at 06:32 PM.

  4. #84
    Senior Member eliza bennet's Avatar
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    This couple obviously is not going to find peace soon!!!

    But the guest are very interesting, I'm intrigued. Thank you very much Bee Dreamer, for translating so quickly

  5. #85
    Senior Member Bangs's Avatar
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    Thx for the translation beedreamer . I wonder what crimes that black robed monk has committed.

  6. #86
    Member gobie2920's Avatar
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    Interesting character indeed. Could he be the Iron Palm master that has turned new leaf? TQ BD

  7. #87
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    I think so.. he's one of the bad guys in LOCH if I remember correctly. This chapter reads a little slow and I was distracted by my side project. Will come back to work on some more paragraphs tonight.

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    Default 30-2

    30-2 [p. 36-71]

    Even though the monk in black understood his master’s teaching, he was still troubled, finding it difficult to control himself. He lifted his head, only to see that Elder Peng was staring at him with a cat-like smile, his eyes looking as if they were shining lights. The monk in black was startled, feeling like he’d seen such a person somewhere before. He felt very uncomfortable with this meaningful look, and so he immediately turned his head away to avoid the gaze. But after a short while, he couldn’t bear it and turned back to meet those eyes. With a smile Elder Peng said, “The snow has been coming down hard, don’t you think?” The monk in black replied, “Right, it’s been coming down hard.” Elder Peng then said, “Come. Let’s go look at the snow.” Having said this, he pushed the door open. The monk in black repeated, “Good, let’s go look at the snow.” Then he got up to go stand side by side with Elder Peng at the door. At this time even though Yang Guo was behind the wall, he could sense that Elder Peng’s eyes were really strange and secretly felt ominous.

    Elder Peng said, “What your master said is right. Murder is wrong in any case. But the power in your body is overflowing. If you don’t let it out, your heart feels very difficult. Is that right?” In a daze, the monk in black replied, “Right!” Elder Peng said, “You might as well strike this snow man. Hit him, and you won’t sin.” The monk in black looked at the snowman and lifted both arms, eager to try. By now the two monks had been here for about half an hour, and the thin beggar’s body was thoroughly covered with white snow, even his eyes couldn’t been seen. Elder Peng urged, “Use your palms. Hit this snowman. Hit! Hit! Hit!” His words were soft, filled with encouragement. The monk in black channeled energy to his arms and said, “Good, I’ll hit!”

    The white-eyebrowed monk lifted his head and let out a long sigh. In a low voice he said, “Where there is a murderous intention, there is sin.”

    But then he heard a crashing sound. The monk in black shot out both of his palms, sending the white snow flying. The thin beggar’s body was struck, his pressure points unsealed, and so he let out a loud miserable ‘ah’ cry, which echoed into the distance. Xiao Longnu softly cried out, her hands grabbing Yang Guo’s.

    The monk in black was shocked. He yelled, “There was someone in the snow!” The white-eyebrowed monk quickly came out and bent down to examine the body. The thin beggar was struck by the extremely powerful palms of the monk in black, and thus he was killed violently. The monk in black was all confused and became dully still.

    Elder Peng acted like he was frightened and said, “This person was really strange. Why did he hide in the snow?” Eh, why was he holding a knife?” Elder Peng had used his soul absobring technique, urging the monk in black to kill the thin beggar. He was very pleased with himself. Still, he couldn’t help being puzzled and thought to himself, “Surprisingly this servant got endurance, hiding very still in the snow. Could it be that the snow was blocking his ears and so he didn’t hear me urging that man to hit him?”

    With a dull look in his eyes the monk in black could only cry out, “Master!” The white-eyebrowed monk said, “Such a pity. It wasn’t you who killed this person, yet it was you who did it.” The monk in black crouched down on the snow and his voice trembled, “I don’t understand.” The white-eyebrowed monk said, “You only knew that this was a snowman so you originally didn’t mean to hurt people. But your palms were wickedly powerful, without a restraint. How can it be said that you didn’t have a murderous intention? The monk in black said, “I certainly had a murderous intention.”

    The white-eyebrowed monk looked at Elder Peng with a long steady gaze. His eyes were gentle, yet filled with grief. Simply with just this look, Elder Peng’s great soul absorbing spell vanished. The monk in black suddenly cried out, “You are one of the beggar clan’s elders. It now came to my mind!” The cat-like smile on Elder Peng’s face disappeared in an instant. He creased his brows and shrewdly said, “And you are Iron Palms Chief Qiu. How did you become a monk?”

    This monk in black was precisely Iron Palms Qiu Qianren. Years ago on Mount Hua, he suddenly regreted what he’d done and became a monk under Reverend Yi Deng’s tutelage. And this white-eyebrowed, old monk was Reverend Yi Deng, who was in the same leage as Wang Chongyang, Huang Yaoshi, Ouyang Feng, and Hong Qigong. Qiu Qianren shaved his head and became a monk named Ci’en, following a Bhuddist path and diligently mending his way. But he’d done many despicable things in the past, making it very difficult to eliminate the monster in his heart. Facing the many temptations in the world, he couldn’t resist hurting people. And so he'd made a pair of strong manacles so that whenever his mind became troubled, he could shackle his hands and feet, keeping his evilness in check. This time Reverend Yi Deng, who usually secluded himself in Hunan, had received a letter asking for help from his disciple Zhu Ziliu. So he and Ci’en were now on their way to the Passionless Valley. Nobody could have expected that they would run into Elder Peng on this remote mountain. Ci’en actually had no intention to hurt people.

    In over ten years since becoming a monk, although Ci'en had violated some rules, this was actually the first time he took someone’s life. His mind was greatly disturbed, only feeling that over ten years of his Buddhist study was all for nothing. He gave Elder Peng a vicious stare, with raging fires in his eyes.

    Reverend Yi Deng knew that this was a critical moment. If using force to stop him from getting into a fight, his evilness would multiply. Like a bursting flood, once released, there would be no redemption. Having thought this, he only looked at Ci’en with kindness, hoping that his evil thoughts would just melt away when he came to his sense. He kindly stood by him and gently chanted, “Amituofu, Amituofu!” He repeated this several times until Ci’en stopped staring at Elder Peng and came back to sit in the house, breathing heavily.

    Elder Peng had known earlier that Qiu Qianren’s martial skills were weighty but he didn’t recognize Reverend Yi Deng. Seeing the snow-white eyebrows, he mistook Reverend Yi Deng as a weak monk on the verge of death and paid him no attention. He only thought to use his soul absorbing skill to control Qiu Qianren and achieve his goal. Who would have thought that as soon as Reverend Yi Deng looked at him, he felt as if his heart was crushed by a thousand-catty weight, not being able to use his magical skill. By this time he almost peed his pants. He wanted to flee but this Qiu Qianren was also nicknamed “Iron Palms Floating on Water.” His lightness skills were strange; he didn’t even leave footprints on the snow. It looked like he wouldn’t be able to escape so he only hoped that Qiu Qianren would listen to the words of the white-eyebrowed monk, who was persuading Qiu Qianren not to harm him. He shrank himself in the corner of the room, frightened. And as Ci’en’s pants grew more heavily, his heart also thumped wildly.

    Yang Guo had listened to Yi Deng telling the three-deer story. Now he thought about how no living things could escape death. Even though that thin beggar was wicked and deserved to be damned, his sudden encounter with this disaster was actually quite shocking. And more than that, he saw that Ci’en’s palm strength was strangely fierce. Who was this monk with such powerful martial skills?

    Then he heard Ci’en panting for air and loudly crying out, “Master, I was born an evil person. Heaven wouldn’t let me repent. Although I didn’t mean to kill people, I finally couldn’t avoid taking somebody’s life. I’m not a monk anymore!” Yi Deng said, “Sin, sin! Let me tell you another buddhist tale.” Ci’en rudely retorted, “Why should I still listen to your buddhist tale? You’ve been deceiving me for more than ten years. I don’t believe you anymore.” With two ‘ge-la’ ‘ge-la’ sounds, the chains on his hands and feet snapped broken. Yi Deng gently said, “Ci’en, what’s done is done. You don’t have to get angry.”

    Ci’en stood up. Facing Yi Deng, he shook his head. Then he turned his body around and struck Elder Peng’s chest with both palms. With a loud crashing sound, Elder Peng collided into a wall and flew out into open space. Having been struck by these iron palms, his muscles and bones all shattered. Even if he had ten lives, he would still be dead.

    Hearing this loud crash, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu jumped in fright and, side by side, came out of the room. They saw Ci’en raising his hands up high, with his eyes shining murderous lights. He loudly shouted, “What are you looking at? Once started, I might as well go all the way. Today this old man will start killing.” Having said this, he channeled energy to his arms and were about to use his iron palms again.

    Reverend Yi Deng walked to the door entrance, shielding Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu’s bodies. He sat down cross-legged and recited Buddhist verses. Then he said, “You haven’t gone too far on the wrong path. You can still return. Ci’en, do you really want to sink beyond redemption?” Ci’en’s face turned blue and then red. His mind was extremely chaotic, with good and evil battling it out. Today his mind had been troubled since they were in the snow, and it was also stirred up by the soul absorbing technique. More than that, he’d killed two people, making it very difficult to control himself. One minute Reverend Yi Deng was his gracious master who had been helping him, and the next he actually became his biggest personal enemy.

    For a moment he stood there stiffly. Then his evil thought became stronger and stronger. Suddenly he gave a loud shout and attacked Reverend Yi Deng with his palm. Reverend Yi Deng brought his hand up to his chest, his body slightly swaying as he blocked that palm strike. Ci’en angrily said, “You surely won’t be able to defeat me!” Then his left palm struck again. Reverend Yi Deng raised his hand, yet he didn’t counterstrike. Ci’ en shouted, “Aren’t you clever? You don’t hit back. Then you’ll die in vain. Don’t blame me!”

    Even though his mind was disturbed, his words actually made sense. His iron palms and Reverend Yi Deng’s one Yang finger both claimed victories in battles, and years ago they were ranked equal in the martial world. Yi Deng’s Buddhist study was the basis of their master-disciple relationship. But speaking of martial skills, even if Yi Deng used one Yang finger with his whole strength to counterstrike, he might only win by a small margin as the iron palms skill was actually somewhat inferior. But in a one-way attack like this, as time went by, Yi Deng would eventually be killed or severely injured. Anyhow, bravely, Yi Deng was willing to sacrifice himself, receiving Ci’en’s palm strikes without hitting back. He only hoped that Ci’en would realize his mistakes and repent. This act of not using force against force was actually a battle between good and evil.

    Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu witnessed how each of Ci’en’s iron palms was like an axe striking Reverend Yi Deng. Coming to the fourteenth strike, Yi Deng let out a ‘wa’ sound and coughed up blood. Startled, Ci’en said, “Aren't you going to fight back?” Yi Deng gently responded, “Why should I fight back? What good is it if I win? What good is it if you win? We must fight with ourselves, restrain ourselves!” Ci’en was confused, muttering, “Must fight with ourselves, restrain ourselves!”

    Reverend Yi Deng’s words were like thunders rumbling in Yang Guo’s mind. He thought to himself, “Must fight with our own nature, must restrain our foolish thoughts. It’s certainly much more difficult than defeating powerful enemies. The words of this esteemed monk are really the truth.” He saw that Ci’en’s palms paused slightly in midair but, with a shout, they eventually struck down again. Yi Deng’s body shook, and he threw up another pool of blood, dyeing all his white beard and monk robe.

    Having seen Yi Deng’s defense techniques and endurance, Yang Guo knew that his martial skills were in no way inferior to those of the monk in black. But this was a one-sided attack, and even a body of iron and stone could eventually be destroyed. By now, he’d already admired Yi Deng to no end, knowing full well that he wanted to sacrifice himself to change that evil person. Anyway, he couldn’t bear to see Reverend Yi Deng perish away like this. He thought about how he himself, if using only palm strength, wouldn’t be able to block the iron palms of that monk in black. He turned around to grab his black iron sword and wielded it, shielding Yi Deng’s body. He waited for Ci’en to strike with his iron palms again and then thrust forward his sword.

    The wind stirred up by the black iron sword clashed with the palm wind. Their bodies trembled.

    Ci’en let out a surprised sound. Never would he expect that there would be a young hunter with such marvelous martial skills living on a wild mountain. Reverend Yi Deng also looked at Yang Guo in great surprise. Ci’en sharply shouted, “Who are you? What are you doing?” Yang Guo said, “The great reverend has given you great advice, how come you don’t realize that? Not listening to the precious words is bad enough, but you have to be hateful, harming him. Acting like this, how would you not be worse than an animal?” Ci’en furiously shouted, “Are you from the beggar clan too? Do you want to accompany that evil elder of the clan?” Yang Guo laughed and said, “Those two people were scums of the beggar clan. Your getting rid of those evil people was actually a good deed. Why must you beat yourself over it?” Ci’en was startled, mumbling to himself, “Getting rid of those evil people was actually a good deed.. getting rid of those evil people was actually a good deed..”

    Yang Guo had been behind the wall listening to their master-disciple verbal exchange, and so he understood Ci’en’s concerns, knowing that remorse caused him to hate and strired up his evil thoughts. He continued, “Those people were traitorous disciples of the beggar clan, like a wolf hiding in our homeland of China. Your killing such two people was really a great thing. If they hadn’t been killed, I don’t know how many of our fellow buddhists might have had to die. Lord Buddha is merciful but, meeting with such demons, how could benevolence still be used to expel evil spirits?

    Yang Guo’s knowledge of Buddhist doctrines was very shallow but to Ci’en’s ears what he said actually made sense. He slowly put down his hands but then he changed his mind, vividly recalling that in the past he himself had allied with the Jins, helping them invading the great Song country. And so it was like Yang Guo was actually derogating him. He suddenly raised his palm to hack down at Yang Guo and said, “Little animal, what nonsense are you jabbering?”

    This palm was fast and furious. Yang Guo was busy trying to persuade him with words and didn’t expect Ci’en to suddenly launch an attack. By the time the wind from his palm arrived, it was too dangerous to counterstrike with his own force. And so he went along with that palm strength, his body leaping backward. There came two ‘ge-la’ crashing sounds as he crashed into a wooden wall, and his body was thrown of the house. Reverend Yi Deng was startled and thought to himself, “Would this young man have to die like this? Looked like his martial skills were good! Alas, how would I be able to save his life?” His mind was greatly troubled.

    The fire in the room was suddenly blown out by a gust of wind rushing through that hole in the wall. Yang Guo came in with the wind, his sword pointing at Ci’en. He shouted, “Good, today you and I will fight.” Ci’en shot out his left palm, aiming to strike Yang Guo’s sword tip with his palm strength. But Yang Guo’s swordplay was really a testimony of Dugu Qiu Bai’s ingenuity. Even though their ages were far apart and he shouldn’t have been able to match this old master, with his sword practice under the mountain streams, the snake gallbladders that boosted his energy, and the divine condor’s help, Yang Guo’s sword skills were very similar to those of the unparalleled demonic swordmaster of the past era. As Ci’en’s palm arrived, Yang Guo’s sword tip was only nudged a few inches aside, and it was still pointing at Ci’en’s left arm. Horrified, Ci’en dodged to the right to escape the sword and quickly sent out another palm strike. With the two people’s marvelous skills, the palms and the sword were battling violently.

    Yi Deng watched the fight in wonder. This youth was only twenty years old something but surprisingly could fight a draw with master Qiu’s iron palms. His own knowledge was vast, yet he couldn’t recognize where Yang Guo’s martial skills came from. Also, his heavy sword was marvellously strange. Then he turned his head back and saw Xiao Longnu with a baby in her arms, standing by the door. She appeared to be a beautiful woman, with an elegant look. Surprisingly she didn’t seem to be frightened by the two people’s wicked fight at all. He thought to himself, “This young lady isn’t a common character either.” But then he noticed a dark cloud between her eyebrows and couldn’t help letting out an ‘ayo’ cry. Xiao Longnu faintly smiled and thought, “You’ve figured it out.”

    By now the fight between the two people, a sword and two palms, became even fiercer. Yang Guo had the advantage of using a weapon but Ci’en had one more arm, and so they were about even. There came a loud crashing sound as a wooden plank was shaken loose, flying. More ‘ge-la’ sounds were heard as a pillar also snapped broken. This wooden house was small and not very secure. Really, it was no place for the two great masters to fight a battle. Wherever the sword edge and the palm wind went, the wooden boards on the four walls would all fly in chaos. Finally they heard another loud ‘ge-la-la’ sounds as another pillar snapped, causing the whole house to collapse. With Guo Xiang in her arms, Xiao Longnu dove out through the window. Yi Deng guarded their back, using his gown sleeve to brush away the flying debris.

    In the howling wind and storming snow, the two people’s wicked fight continued on. In over ten years, Ci’en had never got into a fight like this. He gave out a loud cry, his iron palms flitting and flying everywhere. Over a hundred moves passed, but his opponent’s sword strength was even more powerful. With his declining age, he’d gradually lose the fight. Yang Guo thrust his sword straight out. Seeing Ci’en dodging the blow, he quickly swept his sword around, and the fierce wind sent the snow swirling. Blinded by the snow, Ci’en quickly lifted his hand to wipe it off. Suddenly the black iron sword made contact with his right shoulder, and he felt as if his body was crushed by a thousand-catty weight. Not being able to keep his balance, he tumbled down with Yang Guo’s sword tip on his chest. Although the sword was blunt, its force was strangely fierce. With its tip pressing against his chest bone, he could only breathe out but couldn’t breathe in enough air.

    At this time the word ‘die’ flashed in the mind of Ci’en. Since the time he’d learned his marvelous martial skills, he’d roamed Jianghu, knowing only to kill and injure others. Extremely rarely had he run into any setback. He’d been defeated by Zhou Botong, and he’d run away to the West region. Later on he’d depended on clever tricks to get away from the old urchin. This time death was nearing as it’d never been before. He thought that death itself wasn’t a big deal but he felt that if his life was cut short like this, he wouldn’t be able to make amends for all sorts of evil things he’d done in the past. Reverend Yi Deng’s thousands and thousands of words couldn’t get though to him but Yang Guo’s one sword made him realize that, “Killing brings misery. I only knew how to kill people. Being killed is actually miserable like this.”

    Having seen Yang Guo defeating Ci’en, Reverend Yi Deng thought to himself, “Such a young hero is really very rare.” Then he stepped forward and touched the sword blade with his finger. Heat shot through Yang Guo’s left arm, and his black iron sword was immediately brushed aside.

    Ci’en stood up and then threw himself down on the ground. He cried out, “Master, I deserve to die a terrible death. I deserve to die a terrible death!” With a faint smile, Yi Deng patted him on the back and said, “Change is not easy. Why haven’t you thanked this young hero for the lesson?”

    Yang Guo had earlier suspected that this old monk was Reverend Yi Deng. Having seen this monk brushing aside his sword blade with one finger, he thought that this 'one Yang finger' and Island Master Huang’s ‘divine flicking finger’ were equally exquisite, and there was no third person in the world who could match their finger strength. He immediately kowtowed and said, “Disciple Yang Guo pay respect to Reverend.” He saw Ci’en kneeling down before him so he quickly said, “Senior, please don’t do that. I’m younger than you. Just now I’ve offended you enough.” Then he pointed at Xiao Longnu and said, “This is my wife, named Long. Quickly come kowtow to Reverend.” With Guo Xiang in her arms, Xiao Longnu stepped forward to greet him.

    Ci’en said, “Master, just now I've gone mad. Is your injury very severe?” Yi Deng chuckled and asked, “Do you feel better now?” Ci’en felt sorry to no end, not knowing what to say.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Last edited by BeeDreamer; 07-28-05 at 06:33 AM.

  9. #89
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    You're faster than before Bee. Thank God. It seems you'll finish the remaining chapters in no time

  10. #90
    Senior Member rayon's Avatar
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    This is so cool. And Qiu Qianren, if they make it to Passionless Valley, will meet with his sister...oohh, I wonder what will happen. By the way, are Qiu Qianren and his sister on good terms?
    "It's good to know what you don't know." - The Twit

    Xiao Shiyi Lang Book 2 - plodding thru Chap 27

  11. #91
    Senior Member Bangs's Avatar
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    Wow that was fast bee . I'll start reading now . Thx for all your hard work!

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    Thanks BD. So, that's how Yi Deng met YG. But, I still couldn't figure out what did he saw in XLN in this paragraph ...

    Quote Originally Posted by BeeDreamer
    More from ch. 30

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    But then he noticed a dark cloud between her eyebrows and couldn’t help letting out an ‘ayo’ cry. Xiao Longnu faintly smiled and thought, “You’ve figured it out.”

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Keep it up BD

  13. #93
    Senior Member rayon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gobie2920
    Thanks BD. So, that's how Yi Deng met YG. But, I still couldn't figure out what did he saw in XLN in this paragraph ...



    Keep it up BD
    I think it's the poison
    "It's good to know what you don't know." - The Twit

    Xiao Shiyi Lang Book 2 - plodding thru Chap 27

  14. #94
    Senior Member eliza bennet's Avatar
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    Bee Dreamer, you are an angel. Thank you so much for translating this wonderful section.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rayon
    This is so cool. And Qiu Qianren, if they make it to Passionless Valley, will meet with his sister...oohh, I wonder what will happen. By the way, are Qiu Qianren and his sister on good terms?
    well he goes beserk again thx to GF, and yes they are on fairly good terms

  16. #96
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    Qui Qianren needs a psychologist..... he's crazy!

  17. #97
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    Quote Originally Posted by shen long
    well he goes beserk again thx to GF, and yes they are on fairly good terms
    You gotta love Guo Fu. Without her, there wouldn't be any conflict and the story would be so boring. Still, I think someone should hit her with a frying pan or something.
    "It's good to know what you don't know." - The Twit

    Xiao Shiyi Lang Book 2 - plodding thru Chap 27

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    Quote Originally Posted by shen long
    well he goes beserk again thx to GF, and yes they are on fairly good terms
    I thought that Qiu QianQi has a better relationship with the older brother, and don't like the second brother that much. But I may have mistaken.

  19. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by carpediem
    I thought that Qiu QianQi has a better relationship with the older brother, and don't like the second brother that much. But I may have mistaken.
    I think so, too. Wasn't Qiu Qianren the reason she left Iron Palm and married that Gongsun freak?
    "It's good to know what you don't know." - The Twit

    Xiao Shiyi Lang Book 2 - plodding thru Chap 27

  20. #100
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    Quote Originally Posted by rayon
    I think so, too. Wasn't Qiu Qianren the reason she left Iron Palm and married that Gongsun freak?
    They have a quarrel over their elder brother I think and she left but they still keep in contact with each other.
    Last edited by shen long; 07-17-05 at 03:40 AM.

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