Page 1 of 6 123456 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 119

Thread: Righteous Blood Cleansing Silver Spear - Shen Hongye' s excerpt

  1. #1
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    150

    Default Righteous Blood Cleansing Silver Spear - Shen Hongye's Story

    Here's my little side project - Shen Hongye's story

    Who's Shen Hongye? He's Ah Fei's descendant.

    Who's Ah Fei? How could one not know? (Haha, GL has this effect on people)

    Anyway, this Ah Fei's descendent appears at the begining of this book - Righteous Blood Cleansing Silver Spear. And the first bit is ridiculously funny. GL had to be drunk when he wrote this [the conversation between two drunkards in particular!]

    I thought I'd share it with you guys. And no, I'm not planning to translate the entire book. I don't know if the whole story is good anyway.

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

    Righteous Blood Cleansing Silver Spear

    Prologue

    It was said that in about three hundred years the luckiest person in Jianghu was the eldest son of the Duan family in Jintan, Duan Yu. In Jintan, the Duans were a prominent family. In Jianghu, the Duan family was also a well-renowned aristocratic family of the martial realm.

    Although the dagger skills that were passed down in the family were gentle and harmonious, without any poisonous or devious technique, their internal energy was refined and profound. That in itself was extraordinary. And thus, just like the dagger man Duan Yu himself, their dagger skills didn’t inspire fear in people, but commanded respect.

    Their hand-down family weapon, the ‘jasper dagger,’ was also a treasured weapon. It had its own magnificent story in the history. But the story we are telling right now certainly is not the story of the jasper dagger.

    In Jianghu, there was also a treasure called “the jasper hairpin.” While the jasper dagger led its owners to good luck and prosperity, this jasper hairpin actually brought about misfortune and disaster.

    It was said that whoever had this jasper hairpin in possession, a calamity would immediately befall on him.

    It was also said that its every owner all died a tragic death, with no exception.

    In Jianghu, there were many tales related to the jasper hairpin. Some were more like myths, full of supernatural and evil fantasies. But our story today is not the story of the jasper hairpin either.

    The story we are going to tell now is the story of ‘the jasper stone.’

    What was this jasper stone? Was it a person? A type of weapon? A treasure? Or some kind of a mysterious medicine?

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

    Chapter 1 Four young masters

    It was mid-winter, and bitter cold. The valley was covered in snow.

    Thousands of miles were ice-bound, and the earth was silvery white. In this snowy ground, one man was digging a hole, three feet wide, five feet deep, and seven feet long.

    He was young, strong, tall, and handsome. And more than that, his manner was elegant like someone who was well-bred. His clothes looked expensive, with mink fur that cost a thousand gold nuggets. He was holding a shiny silver spear in his hand, and the spear shaft was made of pure silver.

    Five characters were engraved on it, “Feng Cheng, Silver Spear, Qiu.”

    Such a person normally wasn’t one who would dig holes in the ground. Such a pair of silver spears shouldn’t be used to dig holes either.

    This place was a beautiful valley under a clear, blue sky. The accumulated snow was silvery white. The plum blossoms were crimson red.

    He came here by a horse, riding from a far away place. This horse was a purebred famous colt, highly valuable.

    A divine horse. A beautiful saddle and rein. Even its strirrups were made of pure silver.

    Why would such a person ride such a good horse all the way here to use such a weapon to dig this hole?

    The hole was dug. He then lay down inside as if he was assessing its size, whether or not it would be comfortable enough for him to lie in there. Could it be that he’d dug this hole for himself?

    Only a dead person would make use of this kind of hole. He was young and healthy, looking absolutely like he still had good several decades ahead of him. Why would he dig this hole for himself? Did he want to die? This person lived very well. Why would he want to die? And why would it have to exactly this place?

    The snowfall stopped last night, and the weather was crisp and cold. He unfastened the horse saddle and gently patted him on the neck. He said, “Go. Go find a good master.” The strong horse softly neighed and ran out into the snow-covered valley. He sat down on the saddle and looked up at the blue sky. He was lost in thought, his eyes revealing unspeakable pains and grief.

    By this time more people appeared in the snow. Some were carrying boxes of food. Others were hauling tables and chairs. There was also someone bringing two jugs of wine. They all came here from outside the valley. The person walking in the front looked like a waiter in a restaurant. He came over and asked with a smile, “Excuse me, young master. Is this place the Winter Plum valley?”

    The hole digging youth nodded. He didn’t even look at them.

    That person asked again, “Did young master Du invite you here?”

    The hole digging youth paid him no attention.

    That person let out a sigh. He ridiculed himself, “I don’t get it. Why did young master Du have us deliver food and wine here?”

    Another person laughed and said, “These rich young masters are all strange. Poor people like us of course can’t understand them.”

    The group of people set up the tables and chairs under a plum tree, arranged plates and cups, and left.

    A long while passed, and suddenly from outside the valley a beautiful voice hummed,

    “The sky is clear after the snow. The plum plossoms give out their fragrance everywhere. Ride a donkey across the bridge. The bells are making ding-dang sounds.”

    The bells were really ringing. One person on a black donkey and another on a white horse rode into the valley. The donkey rider had a blueish pale complexion, looking as if he was sickly. But he actually had a warm smile and a graceful disposition. The other person dressed extravagantly, with a long sword hanging from his waist, a silver fox fur hat on his head, and a silver fox fur coat. Riding on a large handsome white horse, he looked all silvery white. He seemed very arrogant. Of course, he had a reason to be arrogant. There weren’t many men who were this handsome.

    It appeared that all the three youths were young masters from wealthy families, gathering here without prior appointment. But obviously their goals were different. The two late comers had been taking a walk in the snow, admiring the plum blossoms, and drinking wine. The hole digging youth was actually waiting for his death.

    There was wine beneath plum blossoms. The smiling youth poured a cup and drank up. He said, “Good wine.”

    There were plum blossoms in front of wine, and they were blooming. He drank another cup and said, “Good flowers!” The flower color was reflected in the snow, bright red. He downed another cup and said, “Good snow.” With three cups of wine in his stomach, his pale face turned red. He looked as if he could fly – highly spirited.

    Although his body was weak, stricken by illness, he could appreciate all the good things in life. It looked like he was interested in everything, and so he had a very interesting life.

    The handsome youth with a white horse, fur clothes, and a long sword had an aloof and indifferent expression on his face, as if nothing could interest him.

    With a faint smile, the sickly-looking, gentle young master asked, “Good snow, good flowers, good wine. Why don’t you have a cup?

    “I don't drink,” replied the handsome young man.

    That gentle young master said, “We’ve come all the way here, and you don’t drink. You are a letdown to the valley of beautiful snow and thousands of plum blossoms. He let out a sigh and mumbled, “This person is really unrefined. How disappointing. How could I have this kind of friend?”

    The hole digging youth was still in a trance. The gentle young master suddenly stood up, going over and circling around that hole a couple of times. He said, “Good hole.”

    The hole digging youth ignored him.

    The gentle young master continued, “This hole is very well dug.”

    The hole digging youth paid him no attention.

    Bluntly, the gentle young master walked to his front and asked, “Did you dig this hole?”

    The hole digging youth could no longer ignore him. He only said, “Yes.”

    The gentle young master asked, “I’ve been saying that this hole is well dug. Do you know what I mean?”

    “You want me to drink with you,” replied the hole digging youth.

    With a laugh the gentle young master said, “Not only can you dig holes, but you can also recognize people’s intention.”

    “Too bad, I can’t drink,” said the hole digging youth.

    The gentle young master chuckled and asked, “You don't drink either?”

    The hole digging youth replied. “If it’s ‘good time’ drinking, I do. If it’s not, I don’t.”

    The gentle young master asked, “And right now, why don’t you drink?”

    “Because right now it wouldn’ t be ‘good time’ drinking,” replied the hole digging youth.

    Instead of being upset by him, the gentle young master laughed and said, “Now I know who you are. I’ve often heard people say that the temperament of the silver spear master Qiu Fengcheng is just like his spears, straight and stubborn. You certainly must be Qiu Fengcheng.”

    The hole digging youth ignored him again.

    The gentle young master said, “My last name is Du, my given name Qinglian [green lotus].”

    Qiu Fengcheng still paid him no mind, acting as if he hadn’t heard his name.

    In fact he recognized the name. Among people who roamed Jianghu, there were very few people who wouldn’t.

    In the martial realm, of this generation there was certainly nobody that would surpass the four young masters – Silver Spear, White Horse, Red Leaf, and Green Lotus. He also knew that the handsome youth, with a white horse, fur clothes and a long sword, was the white horse master Ma Rulong. Yet, he pretended not to recognize him.

    Du Qinglian sighed and said, “Looks like you’ve decided not to drink today.”

    Suddenly, a loud voice came from outside the valley, “They won’t drink. I will.”

    The man who wanted to drink arrived. After the snow had stopped, it was even colder than before. They were wearing fur garments, and it was still cold. This person was actually wearing a thin gown, and even though the material was good, it was not the type of clothes to wear in this kind of weather. So he was trembling. But even when it was freezing cold like this, to everyone’s surprise he had a folding fan in his hand.

    The wine jugs were on a table, and so were the cups. They saw him walking there and lifted a jug with both hands. Then he took a big gulp right from the jug. With a sigh he said, “Good wine.”

    Du Qinglian laughed.

    Then this person took another big gulp and said, “Not only are the wine and flowers good, but the snow is also good. After the three gulps, he stopped trembling. His face became alive.

    Alhough this person was poor, he didn’t look repulsive. He was actually a very likable person. His long eyebrows and bright eyes were pleasing. When smiling, the corners of his mouth would raise, revealing two dimples. Du Qinglian had already started to like him.

    This person was extremely adorable.

    This person also said, “With a feeling like this, a view like this, a moment like this, those who don’t drink really should.. ..”

    Du Qinglian said, “Should.. what?”

    “Should be spanked in the butt,” replied that person.

    Du Qinglian roared a laugh. That hole digging youth still played deaf and mute, but inside he was making an exception for this person and for this matter. For other people, he acted like he didn’t see them. For other matters, he wouldn’t put his mind at ease.

    Although Ma Rulong was frowning with anger, he didn’t snap. It wasn’t that he didn’t dare to. He merely didn’t want to stoop to this person’s level.

    But this person actually sought him out. Tapping the wine jug, he said, “Come. Have a cup too.”

    “You’re not worthy,” said Ma Rulong coldly.

    This person asked, “What kind of persons would be worthy enough to drink with you?”

    “What kind are you?,” said Ma Rulong.

    This person didn’t reply. Instead, with a ‘shua’ sound he snapped the fan in his hand open. On the fan were seven characters. The writing was very beautiful, very refined, just like himself.

    “Autumn leaves are redder than February flowers.”

    Although this person was poor, the fan was actually of high quality. Besides, the seven characters on the fan were no doubt written by a renowned calligrapher.

    Du Qinglian downed another cup and said, “Good characters.”

    This person lifted the wine jug and took a big gulp. He said, “Your perception isn’t bad either.”

    Du Qinglian asked, “Who wrote these characters?”

    This person replied, “Except me one person, who else could write such good characters?

    “Now I also know who you are,” said Du Qinglian with a hearty laugh.

    This person exclaimed, “Oh, is that so?”

    Du Qinglian continued, “Except Shen Hongye, who else would be as crazy as you?”

    Among the four young masters of the martial realm, the most arrogant person was the ‘White Horse’ Ma Rulong. The most just person was the ‘Silver Spear.’ Du Qinglian was certainly the most warm-hearted. And the craziest was Shen Hongye.

    The first three -- Ma, Qiu, and Du -- were all from a prominent family. White Horse, Silver Spear, and Green Lotus were young masters with famous and good upbringing. However, the life story of Shen Hongye was actually mysterious.

    It was said that he was a descendent of the world’s number one hero of the past, Shen Lang.

    It was also said that Little Li tanhua’s lifelong best friend -- and the world’s fastest swordman-- Ah Fei, was his ancestor.

    Ah Fei’s history was a puzzle, and therefore Hongye’s life was just the same. He’d never said anything about his own origin. People included him in the ‘four young masters’ category just because he’d grown up in the Ye family. That Ye family was of course Ye Kai’s. And Ye Kai was Little Li Flying Dagger’s disciple. – Who was Little Li Flying Dagger? How could one not know?

    At the moment, the four young masters of the martial realm all came together. However, it was not quite their own intention to meet here. This place was several thousand miles away from their homes. Du Qinglian had high aesthetic interests and also couldn’t rush forward for thousands of miles to go home, so he came here to appreciate the beauty of plum blossoms and to drink.

    Qiu Fengcheng couldn’t rush forward for a great distance either, and so he just came here to wait for his death. If one wanted to die, any place would be just as good. Why the hell did they all have to come here? To do what?

    Frostily, Ma Rulong sat there, acting as if hearing Shen Hongye’s name didn’t change a thing. Yet, his hand had already inched toward his sword handle. He gave Shen Hongye a cold glare and suddenly said, “Very good.”

    Shen Hongye asked, “What’s very good?”

    “You are Shen Hongye. That’s very good,” replied Ma Rulong.

    Shen Hongye asked, “Why is that?”

    “I originally thought you were not worthy, not enough for me to draw my sword. My sword isn’t meant to injure a clown,” replied Ma Rulong.

    Shen Hongye continued, “And now?”

    Ma Rulong said, “Shen Hongye is not a clown. So right now if you so much as spout a bit of anything vulgar, between you and me two people, there would be a bloodshed and a corpse.”

    With a bitter smile, Shen Hongye sighed and said, “I only asked you to drink with me, and you had to be so angry!”

    Du Qinglian butted in, “He doesn’t want to drink. I do.” Then he took the wine jug from Shen Hongye’s hand, putting his mouth on it and swallowing several big gulps. With a cough he said, “Good wine.”

    Shen Hongye snatched the jug back from his hand and took a big gulp. With a sigh he said, “Wine like this, even if it was poisoned, I’d still drink to death.”

    Du Qinglian chuckled and said, “That’s exactly right. If we could die here right now, it would be our good fortune.”

    Shen Hongye asked, “Why is that?”

    “Because.. there is someone here who’s dug a hole,” replied Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye asked again, “His hole is well dug?”

    “Extremely well,” replied Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye suddenly stood up, holding the wine jug with his two hands and circling the hole in the ground a couple of times. He muttered, “Sure enough, this is a very good hole. If one dies and is buried in such a good hole like this, he’s really lucky.”

    “It’s a pity that he didn't dig this hole for us,” said Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye said, “Only a dead person could use a hole like this. Are you saying that he wanted to die?”

    “Apparently so,” replied Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye appeared to be appalled and said, “And this person, why did he want to die?”

    “Because, just like the rest of us, he received a letter, inviting him to come here today,” explained Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye asked, “Was it the letter sent by Madame Jasper?”

    Du Qinglian replied, “Certainly.”

    Shen Hongye said, “Madame Jasper invited us all to come here. Was it because she wanted one of us to be her son-in-law?”

    “Correct,” replied Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye continued, “Madame Jasper is the most famous merchant in the world. In the Jasper mountain village, everybody is heavenly beautiful. When I got that letter, I was so happy I couldn’t sleep.”

    “I can see that,” responded Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye said, “If she chooses me to be her son-in-law, I think I might go crazy with happiness.”

    “You’d better not go crazy. Madame Jasper wouldn’t want a lunatic as her son-in-law,” said Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye questioned, “Could she pick a dead person to be her son-in-law?”

    “Definitely not,” replied Du Qinglian.

    Shen Hongye asked again, “In that case, why out of a sudden did our young master Qiu here want to die?”

    Du Qinglian said, “Because he was a sentimental fool. Besides, he's already sworn an oath with a beautiful young miss, to be faithful to each other in life or in death.” He let out a sigh and continued, “If Madame Jasper chooses him to be her son-in-law, he won’t be able to grow old together with that young lady.”

    “So only if Madame Jasper picks him to be her son-in-law, then he will come here to die,” speculated Shen Hongye.

    “That’s exactly right,” replied Du Qinglian.

    “This matter can be viewed from another perspective,” said Shen Hongye after giving it a thought.

    Du Qinglian asked, “What perspective?”

    Shen Hongye said, “Do you think Madame Jasper can see this hole?”

    Du Qinglian chuckled and said, “This is such a big hole. Even one doesn’t want to see it, I’m afraid it will be difficult to avoid.”

    “If she sees this hole, she will realize that young master Qiu’s already had his mind set on dying. Maybe she’ll let him off the hook and choose me as the in-law of the Jasper mountain village instead,” said Shen Hongye.

    With a sigh, Du Qinglian replied, “You are really a smart person. A smart person’s view is always different from other people’s, and even more different from the mind of a sentimental fool.

    “A sentimental fool is not necessarily a not-smart person,” said Shen Hongye with a hearty laugh.

    Qiu Fengcheng’s face expression changed. He suddenly stood up, staring at Du Qinglian. He asked, “How did you know all this?” This was a secret, and originally only two people knew about it. But what he said had just confirmed that Du Qinglian was right on the money.

    With a sigh Du Qinglian said, “You didn’t think I’d know this, did you?”

    “I actually didn’t know it. Only pity that the beautiful miss.. ..”

    He hadn’t even finished his speech. Instead, suddenly there was a strange expression on his face. With his sickly pale face turning dark as if he was fearing death, he looked at Shen Hongye and opened his mouth to say something, but no sound could come out.

    Shen Hongye said, “Did you.. ..” His voice suddenly trailed out after these few words.

    He also had a strange expression on his face. The two people stood there facing each other in a you-look-at-me-and-I-look-at-you manner, their eyes reflecting their worst fear.

    With a ‘bo’ sound, Shen Hongye’s wine jug slipped from his grasp and dropped into the hole, shattering into pieces.

    Suddenly, with a sad and mysterious smile on his face, he hoarsely choked out word-by-word, “Looks like my luck is better than yours. I’m standing here by this hole.. ..” This was his last speech. And even before it was finished, he toppled into the hole. Although this hole wasn’t prepared for him, he’d already fallen in there. No living person would dare fight with a dead person over a grave.


    [END OF CH.1]

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

    Chapter 2 The Murderers

    Du Qinglian also collapsed. As he was falling down, blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. But he struggled to pull himself up. On the table there was still some wine left in the other jug. He crawled overthere and drank up the wine. With a loud laugh he said, “Good wine. Good wine.” His laugh sounded both shrilling and sorrowful.

    “This is such a good wine. Even if I’d known it was poisoned, I’d still have drunk it. You two see, today am I not drinking to death?” As his laugh died out, he tumbled into the hole. He was not willing to let Shen Hongye enjoy this alone. The sky suddenly turned dark, cold wind cutting like a knife, but the two of them would forever never feel cold again.


    [END OF SHEN HONGYE'S STORY]

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Last edited by BeeDreamer; 07-23-05 at 08:16 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Temujin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Wuxialand
    Posts
    2,383

    Default

    Poor guy, he just showed up like that as a crazy, happy go lucky drunken fella and got poisoned right away.

    Is he the only decendent of Ah Fei ? So, the bloodline of the Number #1 Hero in GL world, ShenLang ended here
    Last edited by Temujin; 07-12-05 at 06:02 PM.
    - WuxiaSociety.org (formerly known as wuxiamania forum) -

    ----- the society of global wuxia fans ----

  3. #3
    Moderator CrazyT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,946

    Default

    Nice translation BeeDreamer. Now you got me all curious on the story.
    I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code.

  4. #4
    Senior Member ccsakura's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    QLD, Australia
    Posts
    545

    Default

    wow you translate really well! LOl I thought this was weird but good though! thanks!

  5. #5
    Senior Member fastclock's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    580

    Default

    Hahaha....
    Good one. I can imagine a drunk Gu Long imagining a hole as a very interesting object. Maybe we should ask Bliss or TigerWong whether the whole book is good.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Yang Guo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Posts
    1,307

    Default

    ... that was some short screentime he got xD

  7. #7
    Junior Member toe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Posts
    9

    Default

    BeeDreamer is evil...
    Go on with the translation pls..

  8. #8
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    150

    Default

    I'm glad you like the excerpt! I think [to the best of my pitiful Wuxia knowledge] Shen Hongye is the only Ah Fei's descendant that ever appears.. I'd like to think Ah Fei has more children but they are too busy doing something else to show themselves in other books. Maybe Shen Lang has more children? I'll make it my goal to find out!

    I'm crawling my way through the book. If it's any good I'll make it my big project!

    Evil Bee

  9. #9
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Thanks for this translation. I wouldn't mind seeing other short excerpts like this. They could be of fight scenes, important encounters, or just generally interesting sections. Something to think about.

  10. #10
    Senior Member TigerWong's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    1,262

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BeeDreamer
    I'm glad you like the excerpt! I think [to the best of my pitiful Wuxia knowledge] Shen Hongye is the only Ah Fei's descendant that ever appears.. I'd like to think Ah Fei has more children but they are too busy doing something else to show themselves in other books. Maybe Shen Lang has more children? I'll make it my goal to find out!

    I'm crawling my way through the book. If it's any good I'll make it my big project!

    Evil Bee
    Ah Fei's descendants are also mentioned in "Full Moon, Curved Sabre", although they don't actually appear.

    "Righteous Blood Cleansing the Silver Spear" is a good story. Very dark. Laviathan has often recommended as well.

  11. #11
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    150

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TigerWong
    Ah Fei's descendants are also mentioned in "Full Moon, Curved Sabre", although they don't actually appear.
    Thanks, tigerwong. I've made it my mission to find out anything Ah-fei related.. Call me crazy LOL

  12. #12
    Senior Member kyss of the sword's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    currently in malaysia
    Posts
    1,772

    Default

    he can't die in the beginning unless this is going to be a flashback story. and i doubht that.
    THE KYSS OF THE SWORD IS DEADLY BUT EXQUSITE
    he's the strongest in history but he's the disciple.
    http://www.mangafox.com/manga/histor...ciple_kenichi/

  13. #13
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    150

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kyss of the sword
    he can't die in the beginning unless this is going to be a flashback story. and i doubht that.
    Umm, sadly I don't think it's his story.. he just strolled into the scene to die.. LOL
    (The main hero is prolly that silver spear or the white horse.. or neither )

  14. #14
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    150

    Default Ch.2

    Chapter 2 The Murderers

    Du Qinglian also collapsed. As he was falling down, blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. Still, he struggled to pull himself up. On the table there was still some wine left in the other jug. He crawled there and drank up the wine. With a loud laugh he said, “Good wine. Good wine.” His laugh sounded both shrilling and sorrowful.

    “This is such a good wine. Even if I’d known it was poisoned, I’d still have drunk it. You see, today am I not drinking to death?” As his laugh died out, he tumbled into the hole. He was not willing to let Shen Hongye enjoy this alone. The sky suddenly turned dark, cold wind cutting like a knife, but the two of them would forever never feel cold again.

    Qiu Fengcheng and Ma Rulong watched the two of them drop dead in fright, feeling as if they themselves would also collapse. This change was really too sudden, too mindboggling, and too horrifying.

    After a long while, Qiu Fengcheng slowly lifted his head and looked at Ma Rulong. His stare was colder than the wind. His eyes were sharp as knife blades, looking as if he wanted to hack open Ma Rulong’s chest and rip out his heart. Why was he looking at Ma Rulong like this? Ma Rulong had already regained his composure. Du Qinglian was his friend, who had just died a sudden death right in front of him. Yet, he didn’t appear to be very sad. Du Qinglian’s death was this strange. Yet, he didn’t appear to be in shock either.

    He looked like he didn’t give a damn whether other people lived or died or how they died for that matter. That was because he was still alive. Because he was still Ma Rulong, that forever revered ‘White Horse Master’ Ma Rulong.

    Qiu Fengcheng stared at him. Suddenly he asked, “Do you really never drink?”

    Ma Rulong did not reply. Rarely would he answer people’s questions. He was usually one who asked questions and gave orders.

    “I know you drink. I’ve seen you drink, and drink a lot,” said Qiu Fengcheng.

    Ma Rulong didn’t confirm, nor did he deny it.

    Qiu Fengcheng said, “Not only do you drink, but you also drink often. You even get drunk. Once at the Zhenzhu restaurant in Hangzhou, you drank day and night for three days, non-stop. You threw out all the guests of the Zhenzhu restaurant because they were all vulgar, not worthy to drink with you.” He paused and then continued, “It is said that once you drank all the Red Lady that the Zhenzhu restaurant had. Twenty catties of aged wine in a jug. Altogether you drank four jugs. As of today nobody has yet to break your record.”

    Ma Rulong coldly said, “The last jug wasn’t the Red Lady. The Zhenzhu restaurant only had three jugs of the genuine Red Lady.”

    “After sixty catties of aged wine, you could still tell that the last jug was fake. Your alcohol tolerance was really good.

    “My alcohol tolerance was good,” said Ma Rulong.

    Qiu Fengcheng said, “But.. today you didn’t touch a drop of wine.” His eyes became even chillier. “Why didn’t you drink today? You knew there was poison in the wine, didn’t you?” Again, Ma Rulong kept his mouth shut. Qiu Fengcheng continued, “You came here together with Du Qinglian. You had to know where he would order food and wine. You bribed someone to poison the wine. It was really very easy.”

    Although Ma Rulong didn’t verify it, surprisingly he didn’t deny it either.

    Qiu Fengcheng said, “I’ve decided that I’d rather die than enter the Jasper Mountain Village. Now that Du Qinglian and Shen Hongye have dropped dead like this, Madame Jasper won’t have to choose anymore. Your excellency here will of course become her son-in-law.” Then he sneered and said, “This is really rejoicing.”

    Ma Rulong became silent. Only after a long while, he frostily said, “Now I understand what you mean.”

    “You should understand.” Qiu Fengcheng said, with a silver spear already in his hand.

    Ma Rulong no longer bothered to say a word. He slowly walked over to face Qiu Fengcheng.

    Suddenly a person appeared and said, “Qiu Fengcheng is mine. This is not your turn.”

    Nobody knew when this person had arrived. It was most probably when Du Qinglian and Shen Hongye were killed violently. Nobody could possibly pay attention to any other matter at that time.

    This person was tall and lanky, with high pronounced cheekbones. Both of his hands were extraordinary large, holding a pair of golden spears. These spears were four feet and nine inches long, and they were shining bright. Even if they weren’t made of pure gold, they looked very much like it.

    This person also dressed in gold. His clothes looked expensive and tailored to fit his body. This was his trademark so when people in Jianghu saw him, they would immediately recognize him as the ‘Golden Spear’ Jin Zhenlin.

    In Jianghu, the most famous spear used to be this golden spear -- Jin Zhenlin’s golden spear. However, the situation all changed because the ‘Silver Spear Master’ had defeated this golden spear three years earlier. From then on, between them there was only hatred that nobody could dissolve.

    Jin Zhenlin said, “We’ve got unfinished business. The old debt must be settled first.”

    He pointed his golden spear at Qiu Fengcheng and said, “And we’ll do it today.”

    Qiu Fengcheng sneered and said, “Your timing is just perfect.”

    Jin Zhenlin sneered back. He suddenly twisted his body, moving forward a step and viciously thrusting the golden spear forward. As a golden light flashed, Ma Rulong stretched out his hand but he stepped back. This was Wulin’s custom when settling an old debt.

    The golden spear was wicked, fast, and powerful. Besides, it was longer than the silver spear. The longer, the stronger. Anyhow, the silver spear was much lighter and faster, and the technique used was far better than that of the golden spear. No doubt the golden spear would be defeated again. Qiu Fengcheng obviously wanted to end this quickly. As he extended his hand, he was ready to use all his strength. But just when he was about to deal with Jin Zhenlin, someone suddenly emerged from behind a snow-covered plum tree.

    A person in black. With black clothes and a black mask, this person’s whole body was all black. He was taller and thinner than Jin Zhenlin, looking like a black arrow. He moved quickly, also like an arrow.

    He had a saber in his hand, a thin and sharp goose-feather saber. That saber flashed, coming fast towards Qiu Fengcheng’s neck. This was absolutely a lethal saber.

    Qiu Fengcheng dodged the saber, but his chest was widely exposed. Jin Zhenlin’s golden spear, flashing like a lightning bolt, punctured his heart.

    This spear was also a lethal weapon! After the attack, Jin Zhenlin didn’t pause. His body flew up in the air and fell forty feet away.

    Qiu Fengcheng’s blood gushed out. By the time he collapsed on the ground, Jin Zhenlin had already moved a hundred feet away. The man in black retreated even faster than him.

    Ma Rulong didn’t pursue. Instead, he rushed to Qiu Fengcheng’s body. He didn’t give a damn about other people’s life. But right now if didn’t go check, he would miss a chance to see if Qiu Fengcheng was actually dead. And he had miscalculated something – something that nobody could have expected!

    Jin Zhenlin caught up with the man in black, and the two people then fled side by side. The man in black gradually fell behind. Suddenly, with a lightning flash, the goose-feather saber in his palm slashed the left side of Jin Zhenlin’s neck. This strike, compared to the one he’d launched earlier, was even faster and fiercer.

    Jin Zhenlin let out a miserable cry, blood spurting out. He wanted to turn his head back to attack the man in black. But as soon as his body moved, he fell to the ground.

    After the attack, the man in black didn’t linger either. His body rose and fell, fleeing out of the valley. His killing technique was clean, smooth, and extremely effective. Obviously he was very experienced. After he killed people, he left without looking back. What a pity he didn’t move a little slower.

    Suddenly he ran into people who were blocking his way. He killed to eliminate witnesses, and so he immediately thought that other people would do the same. He didn’t wait for his opponents to launch an attack. He struck first. His knife was even more venomous than a poisonous snake. When he killed, he rarely made a mistake. What a pity this time he chose the wrong target.

    Standing side by side outside the valley and blocking his way were three people -- one looked huge and powerful; another was extremely fat; and the third was a monk. The huge brute was a white-haired, red-faced old man with a solemn expression and a majestic air. As for the monk, anybody who roamed Jianghu certainly knew that ‘beggars, women, and monks’ were the three types of characters most difficult to deal with.

    Being a professional killer, he of course would choose the weakest. He chose one that looked to be not only extremely fat -- but also fat and very slow.

    Not even in his dream would he expect that this fat person would be Peng Tianba, who was most famous for his family’s Five Tigers Door Breaking Saber technique. At present, this was the fastest, most ruthless, and most famous saber technique in Jianghu.

    Peng Tianba of course had a saber at his waist, sheathed. But out of a sudden it reached the throat of that man in black. The man in black had launched an attack, only to see a saber flash, slashing his own throat.

    That huge old man cried out, “Spare the witness.. ..” What a pity that by the time these words came out, the head of that man in black had almost been cleanly separated from his neck.

    “You were way too late!” Peng Tianba said with a sigh.

    The huge old man let out a sigh too. He said, “Really, I should have known. There’s never been a living witness under your saber.”

    The monk blandly said, “Even though Hero Peng killed many many people, they all deserved to die. This person took five lives in a flash, his death surely is nothing to grieve over.

    The huge old man said, “I just wanted to question him about the five waiters and young servant from the Jufeng restaurant. They were not people in Jianghu and had no enemies. Why did he have to set a deathtrap for them?”

    Peng Tianba said, “Although this man is now dead, it’s not like we wouldn’t figure all this out sooner or later.”

    The old man quipped, “Who are we going to ask? Except him, who knows about it?”

    Suddenly a loud voice said, “I do.”

    Surprisingly Qiu Fengcheng wasn’t dead. He struggled to get up, shoving Ma Rulong out of the way. Breathing heavily he said, “Luckily, I know what’s going on.”

    Since the reign of the Floral Palace princesses, the most magical and mysterious woman in the martial realm was Madame Jasper, and the world’s most secretive place was the Jasper Mountain village. Nobody in Jianghu knew much about the Jasper Mountain village or its whereabout. This was because, just like the Floral Palace, the Jasper Mountain village was the world of women, where men were not allowed inside.

    It was said that not only were the women there very beautiful, they all practised extremely mysterious martial arts. Anyhow, even though they were competent women, there were times when men were needed. If they wanted to procreate, they couldn’t do without them.

    Madame Jasper’s daughter had become of age, and Madame Jasper herself of course didn’t want her to be single. Just like any other mother, she searched for the right son-in-law. At present, the most eligible men in Jianghu, who were qualified to be her son-in-law, were no doubt the four young masters.

    What a pity that she only had one daughter and could only choose one out of the four. She’d invited the four of them to this Winter Plum Valley. When Madame Jasper invited someone, nobody could say no. Nobody would dare to.

    Therefore, the four famous young masters -- Qiu Fengcheng, Ma Rulong, Du Qinglian, and Shen Hongye – all came here. Madame Jasper of course didn’t intend to keep this a secret but the young masters themselves didn’t bring forth the issue. This was because only one in four would be chosen, and ones who didn’t get chosen would definitely lose a lot of face. The four young masters were all famous. Being rejected was unthinkable.

    Nobody could have expected that the poisoned wine would kill Du Qinglian and Shen Hongye and that Qiu Fengcheng’s mortal enemy – the Golden Spear Jin Zhenlin – would show up here. On top of that, there was this professional assassin. Except the four young masters themselves, nobody knew Qiu Fengcheng would be here today. How did Jin Zhenlin know about it?

    Of course there was someone who told him to come here. This person also hired a professional assassin because he knew that Jin Zhenlin might not be Qiu Fengcheng’s match.

    Of course this person also poisoned the wine. Then to silence the potential witnesses, he had Jin Zhenlin and the assassin ambush all the five waiters and young servant from the Jufeng restaurant.

    This person also ordered the assassin to kill Jin Zhenlin to eliminate another witness. He did not fear that the assassin would divulge his secret because the assassin was a professional killer. Not only did he have a black heart, cruel hands, and a fast dagger, his lips were also sealed. So even if this assassin had lived, he wouldn’t have leaked his employer’s secret.

    Qiu Fengcheng finally concluded, “According to the plan, I should have died by Jin Zhenlin’s golden spear, and the three of you shouldn’t have been here either. This person’s scheme should have been completed beautifully, and no one would have been the wiser. Madame Jasper wouldn’t have to make a decision. Of course, this person would become the son-in-law of the Jasper Mountain village.”

    Qiu Fengcheng hadn’t said who this person was, and he didn’t need to. Everybody clearly understood. Everybody was looking coldly at Ma Rulong.

    Ma Rulong didn’t respond. No matter how others looked at him, no matter how they thought of him, he just didn’t care.

    Peng Tianba paced back and forth. Despite being fat, he was extremely active. He stopped by Jin Zhenlin’s body, picking up the golden spear. He weighed it in his palm and muttered, “This spear isn’t heavy.”

    “He practised his family’s flower spear technique. It was originally a light spear skill,” explained Qiu Fengcheng.

    Peng Tianba said, “It is said that someone once threw seven copper coins in front of him. In one stance, his spear pierced through all of them.

    “His spear was extremely accurate,” commented Qiu Fengcheng.

    With a sigh Peng Tianba said, “He certainly wouldn’t think so. This time he missed.”

    Qiu Fengcheng said, “He didn’t.”

    Peng Tianba asked dryly, “Since he didn’t miss the target, how come you are still alive?”

    Qiu Fengcheng didn’t give a direct answer. Instead, he struggled to undress himself. His outer garment was a mink fur coat. There were three more layers inside. The layer next to his skin had a pocket, precisely over his heart. Hidden inside that pocket was a purse.

    On the purse were embroidered flowers. The needlework was extremely fine, obviously done by a dedicated female hand. Right now the embroidered purse was pierced. There was a jade pendant in the purse, and it was also smashed.

    Of course, that spear of Jin Zhenlin didn’t miss. The spear absolutely should have gone through Qiu Fengcheng’s mink coat and then punctured his heart. But Jin Zhenlin couldn’t have expected that there would be a piece of jade hidden right next to his skin, over his heart.

    Qiu Fengcheng said, “This is what Xiaowan gave me. She wanted me to wear it next to my skin. She didn’t want me to forget her because of others.”

    Suddenly his eyes became soft. He said, “I haven’t forgetten her, and so I’m still alive.” No doubt Xiaowan was his sweetheart. He’d rather die than abandon his sweetheart.

    Peng Tianba let out a sigh. With laughter in his eyes, he said, “Looks like being a sentimental fool has its advantage.”

    That huge old man suddenly said, “Young master Qiu, even though I don’t know you, I do recognize this pair of silver spears.

    Qiu Fengcheng said, “They’ve been handed down in my family. I (junior) wouldn’t dare to flaunt myself.”

    The old man said, “I know.” With a warm expression he continued, “Years ago your father used this pair of silver spears to fight a battle with the Changbai Bears. I was there.”

    The ‘Changbai Bears’ brothers had been powerful and wicked bandits, occupying Liaodong for many years. People in Jianghu had known not to violate their territory.

    Qiu Fengcheng’s father and ‘Hero Feng’ Feng Chaofan stormed into the Changbai mountain. With a pair of silver spears and a pair of pure steel Hunyuan Pai -- plaques that are named after Feng Chaofan’s raw strength, they demolished the nest of these Changbai Bears. The battle not only shook the world at that time, until today people still talked about it.

    Qiu Fengcheng asked, “Could it be possible that you (senior) are Hero Feng?”

    “Correct, I am Feng Chaofan,” replied the old man.

    With a faint smile the old man continued, “You saw him using that saber just now. You should know who that is.”

    Except the Five Tigers Door Breaking saber, under this sky there really was no other blade that could ‘cut’ like this. A saber cut -- emotion was cut, man was cut, and life was cut! On top of that, once the saber killed, forever there would be no witness.

    With a sigh Qiu Fengcheng said, “This person certainly did all kinds of evil things. He deserved to die under the Five Tigers Door Breaking saber.”

    Peng Tianba laughed heartily and said, “A moment ago if it had been the monk’s doing, I’m afraid his death would have been only quicker.”

    Could it be that this monk’s kungfu was even more ruthless than the Five Tigers Door Breaking saber?

    “Could it be possible that this senior is the Merciless Monk of Shaolin?” Qiu Fengcheng speculated.

    “That’s right. He is Monk Jue,” replied Peng Tianba.

    The Merciless Monk of Shaolin was indeed ruthless, devoid of any emotion. All evil under the sky was his personal enemy. Any wrongdoer falling into his clutch would immediately go straight to hell.

    Qiu Fengcheng sighed and said, “Nobody would have thought that heaven would send you three seniors here.”

    “If we weren’t meant to be here, then we couldn’t have come,” said Peng Tianba.

    Feng Chaofan added, “Actually we only wanted to drink at the Jufeng restaurant.” He was a frequent customer of the Jufeng restaurant.

    At this restaurant, frequent customers had their own waiters to serve them because only these waiters knew the customers’ preferences. No matter what they wanted to eat or drink, there would be no need to order. But today when Feng Chaofan was there, his own waiter was sent to deliver food and wine to the Winter Plum valley.

    It was this cold but someone actually wanted to look at the plum blossoms and drink in the valley. This had to be someone with an elegant taste.

    Peng Tianba continued, “After three cups of wine, we three old men had this bright idea, wanting to see this elegant person.

    Feng Chaofan added, “We didn’t expect that, only halfway to this valley, we would run into the bodies of people from the restaurant.”

    “Everybody was killed by a knife. Each cut was clean and very fast!” Peng Tianba said.

    Feng Chaofan continued, “He was a saber man himself. Of course he couldn’t bear not to come see who had such a fast blade!”

    Peng Tianba concluded, “That’s why the three of us, who shouldn’t have come in the first place, are here right now.”

    This really was fate. Qiu Fengcheng looked up at the sky and muttered, “Merciful god, you are not blind. He who kills will be killed!” He suddenly stood up, facing Ma Rulong. Then he stressed every word, “You keep this in mind and never forget.”

    By this time the sky had turned dark. Winter nights always came too early.

    [END OF CH.2]
    Last edited by BeeDreamer; 07-26-05 at 01:51 AM.

  15. #15
    Moderator CrazyT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,946

    Default

    Wow. Thanks BeeDreamer for finishing the chapter. It's surprise like these that I check for forum everyday.
    I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code.

  16. #16
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    1,202

    Default

    Nice work Bee ... your translations are capturing the effect and mood of Gu Long's writing very well! My condolences however, for you have now comitted yourself to finishing this novel.
    明月心跳起來,又回頭,嫣然道,“你還要不要我帶上那面具?”
    傅紅雪冷道,“現在你臉上豈非已經戴上了個面具?”

  17. #17
    Senior Member CC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    5,497

    Default

    So very Gu Long. Character A is world famous and feared through the martial arts world, B appears and skewers A in 1/2 a stroke, C appears to behead B in 1/4 stroke and D smacks C into next week.

  18. #18
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    150

    Default

    It's surprise like these that I check for forum everyday
    I surprised myself too.. Wasn't gonna do it but couldn't stop myself
    your translations are capturing the effect and mood of Gu Long's writing very well! My condolences however, for you have now comitted yourself to finishing this novel
    Ouchhhh.. But now now that you've resurfaced....
    So very Gu Long
    hah.. my favorite is when GL says sth like.. a man in black.. black clothes black mask.. he's all in black .. he does that everytime he introduces someone
    Last edited by BeeDreamer; 07-18-05 at 09:01 PM.

  19. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    332

    Default

    Great translation and very interesting story. I liked chapter 2 very much.

  20. #20
    Senior Member Yang Guo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Posts
    1,307

    Default

    Nice bee!

    too bad about Shen Hong Ye though XD

    hm... so... Amazing Twins, then WuLing Ai Shi, then Flying Daggers, then BorderTown Wanderer, then Silver Spear

Similar Threads

  1. The Righteous Guards (I, II, and III)
    By Pharaoh in forum ATV TV Series
    Replies: 38
    Last Post: 04-24-16, 08:19 PM
  2. H7G, an assassin or a righteous man?
    By Ken Tran in forum Wuxia Fiction
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 06-12-07, 10:04 PM
  3. Jiu Xiang Shen Shen[酒巷深深][Ma Yili,Zhu Yuanyuan,Shao Bin]
    By LiuYiFei in forum Mainland China TV Series
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 09-18-06, 09:27 AM
  4. Spear and Spear Users
    By kidd in forum Wuxia Fiction
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 07-15-06, 03:11 AM
  5. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-09-06, 05:55 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •