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Thread: RoCH Chap 33 Onwards

  1. #81
    Senior Member Da Bao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fox-s
    Da Bao and Jin_Yong_Fan:

    Just imagine you are in the arena, a ball field. I am sitting close, and am holding a big banner:

    Go Da Bao! Go Jin_Yong_Fan!

    and probably I'll have some cheerleaders chanting your names ...

    But seriously, good luck!

    Take the book with you during vacation. Try to imagine what would you say for any particular sentence. By the time you are back, we will have the complete chapter ... yay!
    Thanks... *really nervous* Luckly for me I'm going on vacation to California. With the side of the family that can read and write Chinese. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help. Ahem... Since I'm very slow... I think I should translate one of the last few chapters... (like 38, 39, OR 40) That way... by the time you guys have finished translating the chapters I'll be justly finished...

    Reply to my post as soon as possible... I go on vacation tomorrow... at 5 in the morning... I don't think I should translate chapter 34... I'm toooooooooooooooo nervous... *sweating profusely*
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  2. #82
    Senior Member Bangs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Da Bao
    Thanks... *really nervous* Luckly for me I'm going on vacation to California. With the side of the family that can read and write Chinese. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help. Ahem... Since I'm very slow... I think I should translate one of the last few chapters... (like 38, 39, OR 40) That way... by the time you guys have finished translating the chapters I'll be justly finished...

    Reply to my post as soon as possible... I go on vacation tomorrow... at 5 in the morning... I don't think I should translate chapter 34... I'm toooooooooooooooo nervous... *sweating profusely*
    LOL! You worry too much. Just give it a go and everything will work out just fine.

    HAPPY VACATION!

  3. #83
    Senior Member IcyFox's Avatar
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    I'm almost half finished with Chap 35... at this rate it should be completed by next Tuesday or Wednesday... No forseen delays just yet and I hope to keep it so until Chap 35 is done.

    Anyway it seems like Chap 34 won't be completed by that time... or maybe it won't even be started yet...

    Oh no... what to do, what to do???

  4. #84
    Senior Member Bangs's Avatar
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    Hmmmm why not translate chapter 34 if you finish 35. Then post them together after finishing ch 34. That is if 34s not started by anyone yet.

  5. #85
    Senior Member IcyFox's Avatar
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    Return of the Condor Heroes

    Translations To Date :

    Chapters 1-30
    http://www.wuxiapedia.com/novels/jin...gallant_knight
    (Note : Chap 25 is still being translated by Crayon.)

    Chapter 31
    http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showpost...&postcount=555

    Chapter 32
    http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showpost...&postcount=622

    Chapter 33
    http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showpost...4&postcount=49

    Chapters 34-40
    Under translation. Please come again. We appologize for any inconvenience caused. Thank you.
    Last edited by IcyFox; 12-20-05 at 05:55 AM.

  6. #86
    Senior Member Da Bao's Avatar
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    Santuary!! I'm finally able to get onto a computer!! I'm on vacation and I haven't been able to get on a computer for the past 2 days... and starting tomorrow... I won't be able to get to a computer at all... for the next 2 weeks...

    I'm really sorry I haven't been able to translate... *worried* I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'ms orry!! (I'm doing it all by hand to punish myself) I'm sorry!! I'm sorry... I feel like I let all of you down... *heart has a sinking feeling* I'll TRY to translate as soon as I can, but I wasn't lying... I'm actually on vacation and haven't had the time to start... I'll ask and see if my relatives can help... I don't know if I can get to a computer anytime within the next 2 weeks...
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  7. #87
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    you need not be so harsh on yourself, we can wait, he he!
    take all the time u need.

  8. #88
    Member fox-s's Avatar
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    Yes Da Bao, just enjoy your vacation. We are not going anywhere. Well ... we can't even if we want to .. we are so hooked up to this novel.
    foxs

  9. #89
    Senior Member IcyFox's Avatar
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    Chapter 35 is almost ready. Should be completed by today or tomorrow.

    Should I post it when it's done or should I wait till Chap 34 is finished?

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    post it! post it! post it!

    post it as soon as it is finished.
    can't wait till chapter 34 is done.
    besides it may as well take long till ch34 is finished.

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    Post it please.

  12. #92
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    Quote Originally Posted by IcyFox
    Chapter 35 is almost ready. Should be completed by today or tomorrow.

    Should I post it when it's done or should I wait till Chap 34 is finished?
    Noooooooooo! Wait for CH 34 first pls.

  13. #93
    Senior Member eliza bennet's Avatar
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    Icy Fox - thank you so much for your wonderful translation and taking care of us this way.

    It would be really great if you could translate Chapter 34 and then post 34 & 35 when 34 is finished. Meanwhile people who want to go on translating can start Chapter 36 (I'm hoping fox-s to give it a try)


    Da Bao, no need to apologize I'm sure you'd do your best if you has more computer access. And maybe you can start on a new novel or give the unfinished Gu Long novels a go... They seem to be easier to translate and suitable for a beginner.


    I like Guo Xiang already. She is nice and has developed a sense of right and wrong already. Guo Fu is still the same I guess, full of spite and jelaousy.

    I wonder how Guo Jing is doing...

    YG is someone I can be friends with but he is too complicated to go into a relationship with. I certainly love his heroic deeds though and hope he will not be disloyal to XLN.

    Guo Xiang is experiencing love at first sight I guess. YG must be very charismatic to affect a person with his eyes.

  14. #94
    Member fox-s's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 34 anyone?

    Since Eliza mentioned me ...

    IcyFox, do you want me to tackle Chapter 34? If so, could you pm me the first paragraph of chapter 35? My book does not have any chapter markings.

    I will try my best to work on it during this coming Christmas Break, and I am confident I can post something right after that.
    foxs

  15. #95
    Senior Member IcyFox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fox-s
    Since Eliza mentioned me ...

    IcyFox, do you want me to tackle Chapter 34? If so, could you pm me the first paragraph of chapter 35? My book does not have any chapter markings.

    I will try my best to work on it during this coming Christmas Break, and I am confident I can post something right after that.

    Er wait a bit... see if there're any other volunteers first.
    If there are then you can jump to Chap 36 while I do Chap 37.

  16. #96
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    Quote Originally Posted by IcyFox
    Er wait a bit... see if there're any other volunteers first.
    If there are then you can jump to Chap 36 while I do Chap 37.
    I've just finished editing 5 1/2 chapters and I'm being driven nuts by the inconsistencies in the characters names. Zhou Bo Tong is Zhou Botong in some translations (and both in some cases), Xiao Long Nu is Xiao Longnu or Xiao Long Nuu in some translations. Yin Zhi Pin is Yin Zhiping in some etc.
    Sorry, just had to spout some steam!
    Back to work.

  17. #97
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    Default Chapter 35 - The Three Golden Needles

    This is Chapter 35. If you're the sort who just don't want to miss anything in between, you can skip this first and wait till Chapter 34 is ready. Decided against shifting this chapter - would become pretty messy if I did.


    Enjoy.



    CHAPTER 35 - THE THREE GOLDEN NEEDLES



    Yang Guo brought about the reunion of Zhou Bo Tong and Ying Gu, allowed Ci-en to die peacefully and managed to obtain the 9-tailed fox. Through his efforts he performed 3 good deeds in a row and was very happy and he went back to the beastly mountain village with Guo Xiang and the Divine Condor.

    The Shi brothers saw Yang Guo carrying 2 foxes in his hands and were very happy and grateful, immediately slitting a fox’s leg to draw its blood. Shi Shugang consumed the blood and excerised his internal energy to recuperate.

    That night the beastly mountain village threw a banquet and invited Yang Guo to be the guest-of-honour, serving him dozens of exotic dishes like bears’ paws which outsiders could never have the chance to taste. They also took out a big plate and piled it up with delicious food for the Divine Condor to eat.

    The Shi brothers and the Xishan Ghosts never mentioned their gratitude to Yang Guo anymore as they already promised themselves in their mind that since Yang Guo spared their lives, should he have any problem they would gladly give up their lives to help him. During the banquet they talked loudly, discussing the latest news in Jianghu.

    Ever since Guo Xiang met Yang Guo, she was extremely delighted, but now she did not utter a single word, silently listening to their conversation. Yang Guo occasionally glanced at her and saw that her face was troubled, but he assured himself that it was because they had just rushed about continuously for the past few days, so it was natural that she was tired, so he never expected Guo Xiang to be troubled over their impending departure after such a short meeting and hence was frowning with depression.

    After drinking a few bowls of wine suddenly an ape outside screeched loudly, causing many other apes to shriek out together. The Shi brothers’ faces all became rather grave. Shi Mengjie said, “Brother Yang, Xishan guests, please remain seated, I’ll go check it out.” He then hurriedly ran outside.

    They all knew a strong foe have come to their forrest, but seeing the many exponents gathered here, they need not be afraid even if the foe is very highly skilled. The Fairy Ghost said, “It’d be best if that Prince Hou Du is here, we can all fight him together to help Third Brother Shi get back at him.”

    Before he finished saying, they heard Shi Mengjie say, “Who is this visiting our village in the middle of the night? Please stop there.” Then a female voice was heard, saying, “Is there a big-headed shortie around here? I want to ask him where on Earth has he taken my sister?”

    When Guo Xiang heard that it was her sister who was here, she was shocked and happy, but she saw Yang Guo’s penetrating gaze and strange expression, she felt strange and swallowed back the “Sister!” she wanted to call out.

    Then they heard Shi Mengjie angrily said, “You are a rude woman, why are you not answering my question but causing trouble here instead?” Guo Fu shouted, “Get lost!” Then came the clash of weapons as the 2 broke into a fight with Guo Fu trying to force her way in and Shi Mengjie trying to keep her out.

    Yang Guo had last seen Guo Fu at the Pasionless Valley (Jue Qing Gu) more than 10 years ago, now when he heard her again he felt a hundred emotions surge through him, then the clashing of weapons got further and further as Shi Mengjie managed to draw her away.

    The big-headed ghost said, “She’s heading in my direction. I’ll go meet her.” He then dashed out of the hall, followed by Shi Jiqiang and Feng Yi Weng.

    Guo Xiang stood up and said, “Big Brother, my sister is here to find me, I’ve got to go.” Yang Guo was shocked and said, “That… that is your sister?” Guo Xiang said, “Yeah. I wanted to meet the Condor Hero, so that big-headed uncle brought me here. I… am very happy…” She did not finish saying this and lowered her head and quickly stepped outside.

    Yang Guo saw her tear drop fall into the wine cup and thought, “So she was that baby, she has grown so big now. She came to find me in the middle of the night, she must have some problem, but why doesn’t she say it? She looks kind of troubled, I must not ignore it.” He swiftly moved out of the hall and chased her. She was about to enter the forest so he strided several large steps and caught up with her, saying, “Little Sister, if you have any problems, just say it.”

    Guo Xiang smiled, “No nothing. I’m OK.” The pale moonlight was shining on her fair and refine face and Yang Guo saw clearly the tear drops in her eyes, so he soothingly said, “So you are Hero Guo and Madam Guo’s lady. Did your sister bully you?” He thought since Guo Jing and Huang Rong were very capable and their name was well-known throughout the Central Plains, they should have no difficulty solving her problems, most probably it was Guo Fu being overbearing and obnoxious and bullied her little sister.

    Guo Xiang laughed, “Even if my sister bullies me, I’m not afraid. If she scolds me, I would argue with her, and anyway she wouldn’t dare lay her hands on me.” Yang Guo said, “Then why did you come to find me? Just tell me.” Guo Xiang said, “At Fenglingdu I heard the people talk of your heroic deeds, so I was full of admiration and wanted to meet you; I’ve got no other intentions. Tonight during the banquet I remembered the phrase ‘Tian Xia Wu Bu Shan Zi Yan Xi’ (there’s no meeting without a parting) and my heart became heavy. Who knew before the banquet is over I… already have to go.” Her voice was now cracking.

    Yang Guo’s heart shook, remembering that on the very day she was born he already carried her and fought fiercely with the Golden-Wheel Monk (Jing Lun Fa Wang) and Li Mo Chou, then he remembered how he caught the leopard to feed her with milk, then he took her into the Ancient Tomb and took care of her for a while, never expecting that when he met her again, she would be a graceful young lady already. As he reminisced about the past, he could not help but feel strongly about the matter.

    After a while, Guo Xiang said, “Big Brother, I have to go now! I need to trouble you for a favour.” Yang Guo said, “Just say it.” Guo Xiang said, “When will you and your wife be reunited?” Yang Guo said, “The start of winter this year.” Guo Xiang said, “When you meet her, please send a message to Xiang Yang to let me share your joy.”

    Yang Guo was very grateful, thinking that this lady and Guo Fu both have the same mother, but their characters were worlds apart and he asked, “How are your parents?” Guo Xiang replied, “They’re fine.” She suddenly thought of a wish and said, “Big Brother, when you meet your wife, please come to Xiang Yang and visit me, OK? My parents and you are heroes of the time, they will surely want to meet you.”

    Yang Guo said, “When the time comes we shall see. Little Sister, about our meeting – please don’t mention it to your sister… hmm, don’t mention it to your parents either.” Guo Xiang was curious and asked, “Why?” Then she remembered that when the people were talking about the Condor Hero at Fenglingdu her sister slighted him, so perhaps they must have some grudges, so she said, “OK I won’t say it.”

    Guo Xiang smiled sweetly and said, “You treat me very well. Sister often tells people that she’s Hero Guo and Madam Guo’s daughter, I feel embarassed for her. Although our parents are famous, we don’t have to keep on saying it all the time. But if I say the Condor Hero is my big brother, my sister can’t imitate me.”

    Yang Guo smiled, “Why do you look up to me so highly?” He paused for a while then said, “You’re sixteen years old this year. September… October… 22nd… 23rd… 24th… Your birthday is on the 24th of the tenth month, right?” Guo Xiang was very surprised and exclaimed “Ah!” then said, “Yeah, how did you know?” Yang Guo did not answer and continued, “You were born in Xiang Yang, so your last name is ‘Xiang’, right?” Guo Xiang said, “So you know everything, yet you pretended not to know me. The day I was born you carried me already, correct?”

    Yang Guo began day-dreaming and did not answer her, he lowered his head and mumbled, “16 years ago, on the 24th of the tenth month, we were fighting with Fa Wang (Golden-wheel Monk), Long-er was holding that baby…”

    Guo Xiang did not understand what he was talking about, but she heard the fight in the forest becoming more intense and feared her sister would injure Shi Mengjie, so she said, “Big Brother, I really have to go now.”

    Yang Guo was still mumbling, “On the 24th of the tenth month, time flies, it’s almost 16 years already.” Suddenly he woke up and said, “Ah… you’re going… on the 24th of the tenth month this year you’re going to burn joss-sticks to ask for 3 wishes.” He remembered she said that when she asked for her wishes, she would pray for he and Xiao Long Nu’s reunion.

    Guo Xiang said, “Big Brother, if in future I request 3 wishes from you, will you agree?” Yang Guo said, “I will definitely try my best to fufill your wishes.” He took out a small box from his bosom and flipped open the lid. Then he took out 3 golden needles which Xiao Long Nu used as projectiles and gave them to Guo Xiang, saying, “When I see these needles, it’s like seeing you. If you can’t meet me, get someone to send the needles here and I’ll carry out your requests.”

    Guo Xiang said, “Thanks a lot!” She took the needles and said, “I’ll say my first wish now.” She then returned a needle to Yang Guo and said, “I want you to take this mask off and let me see you with my own eyes.” (Exactly what Darth Vader told Luke Skywalker…) Yang Guo laughed and said, “This is really too easy. It’s just that I don’t want to meet my old aquaintances so I put this mask on. You use one needle so casually, won’t it be a waste?” Guo Xiang said, “I’ve never even seen your face, how can I claim that I know you? This is not a small matter.” Yang Guo said, “Fine!” He reached out for his face and tore the mask off.

    Guo Xiang saw a suave and handsome face, with sword-like eyebrows and bright and sparkling eyes, but was slightly pale, and rather slender. Yang Guo saw her closely examining his face and smiled, “What?” Guo Xiang felt her face go red. She softly said, “Nothing.” But she was thinking, “I never knew you would be so good-looking.”

    Guo Xiang pulled herself together and returned another needle to Yang Guo, saying, “I’ll tell you my second wish.” Yang Guo smiled, “Telling me a few years later makes no difference, young lady, you’re having childish wishes.” He did not stretch out his hand to receive the needle. Guo Xiang stuffed the needle in his shirt and said, “My second wish is that on the 24th of the tenth month which is my birthday, I want you to come down to Xiang Yang to have a chat with me.” This wish required more effort to complete, but was still rather childish. Yang Guo said, “I promise, what’s so difficult about this? But I will only meet you alone, I won’t see your parents or your sister.” Guo Xiang smiled, “That’s alright with me.”

    Her smooth white hand clutched the 3rd needle and waved it in the moonlight and said, “My third wish is…” Yang Guo shook his head, thinking, “I, Yang Guo, grant wishes so easily? This young lady is naďve and treats this as a game.” He saw her face turned red and she laughed, “I can’t think of the 3rd wish now. I’ll tell you some other day.” She then rushed into the forest calling, “Sister, sister!”

    Guo Xiang ran towards the clashing sounds and she saw Guo Fu fighting fiercely with Shi Mengjie and the big-headed ghost, while Feng Yi Weng and Shi Jiqiang watching the fight with their weapons on standby. Guo Xiang shouted, “Sister, I’m here, these are good friends.”

    Guo Fu trained had her parents’ guidiance in martial arts, while her husband Yelu Qi was a highly-skilled exponent, so in the past few years her skills have improved greatly, but she was inattentive and impatient, so she did not train hard, therefore although her parents and husband were well-known exponents, her wugong was only slightly above average, hence she found it difficult with the two’s continuous onslaught and was becoming listless. Then suddenly she heard her sister calling out, so she shouted, “Sister, come here.”

    Shi Mengjie heard Guo Xiang call Yang Guo “Big Brother”, then now Guo Fu called her “sister”, so he was surprised and thought, “Can it be that this woman is the Condor Hero’s wife or sister?” He had just sent out a strike so he quickly withdrew it and leapt backwards.

    Guo Fu clearly knew her opponent had given way to her, but she was angry so she pierced her sword forwards fiercely and slashed Shi Mengjie’s chest. The big-headed ghost was shocked and shouted, “Hey, what…” Guo Fu made turned the sword with a bright flash and the big-headed ghost’s back suffered a long slit. She felt proud of herself and said, “Now you know my great prowess!”

    Guo Xiang shouted, “Sister, I said these are friends!” Guo Fu angrily said, “Quickly follow me back! Who are friends with these scoundrels?” Shi Mengjie’s chest injury was not light. He staggered a few steps backwards and collasped onto the ground. Guo Xiang hurried forwards, and bent down to pick him up, asking, “Uncle Shi, how are you?” Shi Mengjie’s chest was bleeding profusely, staining her dress. Guo Xiang quickly tore of a strip of cloth from her dress and dressed his wound.

    Guo Fu held her sword and stood at the side, nagging, “Hurry up, let’s go! I’ll go back and tell Father and Mother and see if they beat you!” Guo Xiang angrily said, “You rashly injured people, I’ll tell Father and Mother too!” Shi Mengjie saw her face turning red with fury and tears forming in her eyes so he said, “Lady, please don’t worry. I won’t die from it.” Shi Jiqiang held the horn to his mouth and breathed heavily, but he could not decide if he should fight all out with Guo Fu or attend to his brother’s injuries.

    Suddenly Guo Fu screamed “Ah!” Two fierce tigers appeared out of the blue silently, then she turned away to evade them and she saw 2 lions squatting in front of her, with 4 leopards waiting by the side. It was Shi Zhongmeng who led the animals here and surrounded her. Guo Fu became white as sheet and she almost fainted. Then from within the forest someone shouted, “Fifth brother, how are your wounds?” Shi Mengjie said, “I’m still OK.” Then that person said, “The Condor Hero has instructed us to allow these 2 ladies to leave.” Shi Jiqiang made a few whistles and the animals turned around and disappeared into the darkness.

    Guo Xiang said, “Uncle Shi, I appologize on behalf of my sister.” Shi Mengjie’s wound was hurting badly, so he laughed bitterly and said, “On account of the Condor Hero, even if your sister killed me it would be nothing.” Guo Xiang anxiously asked, “Your injuries… are really not serious?” Guo Fu grabbed her hand and said, “Are you still not going?” She pulled her hard and dragged her out of the forest.
    (Hell, I’d bribe Jin Yong to let me kick her to Africa.)

    When the Shi brothers and Xishan Ghosts saw the sisters leave they all came out together to check Shi Mengjie and the big-headed ghost’s injuries. The people all started talking and all said Guo Fu was in the wrong, but they did not know what her relationship was with the Condor Hero, so they did not dare be rude to her. Shi Jiqiang furiously said, “That young lady is such a nice girl, but her sister so overbearing. Fifth brother clearly gave way to her and she knew it, yet she did such a despicable thing. If the sword pierced 2 inches deeper, how could he survive?” The big-headed ghost said, “Let’s ask the Condor Hero about this woman. At Fenglingdu she kept despising the Condor Hero, so I guess he wouldn’t protect her.”

    Someone stepped out from behind a big tree, saying, “Thank God Brother Shi’s injuries are not serious. This woman has always been rash, My right arm was actually cut off by her.” That person was Yang Guo.

    When they heard this, they felt very angry and could only stare at him wordlessly. They all wanted to know more, but did not dare to ask.

    Guo Fu dragged her sister all the way to Fenglingdu, and at that time Huang He (Yellow River) has already melted, so they crossed the river and headed back to Xiang Yang. All along the way Guo Fu nagged like an old woman, continuously chiding Guo Xiang, telling her not to mix with such uncouth people. Guo Xiang pretended to be deaf and largely ignored her, but she could not stop talking about the Condor Hero.

    When they reached Xiang Yang, Guo Fu handed over the Everlasting Spring Priest Qui Chu Ji’s letter to her parents, which said that he was old and sick in bed, so he has sent the Quen Zhen Sect’s new leader Li Zhichang together with the top Quen Zhen diciples to help. After this was done, the first thing Guo Fu said was, “Father, Mother, sister was disobedient along the way and caused a lot of troubles.” Guo Jing was shocked and asked about the matter. Guo Fu then told of how Guo Xiang followed someone they did not know at Fenglingdu and went missing for two days and nights, exaggerating the events as she went along.

    At that time Guo Jing was handling some urgent military matters and was quite worried over the situation, so when he heard what Guo Fu said, he got very angry and asked, “Xiang-er, your sister is right, isn’t she?” Guo Xiang laughed happily, saying, “Sister is making a mountain out of a molehill, I went with a friend to see what’s going on, what’s the big fuss about that!” Guo Jing knitted his brows and said, “What friend? What’s the name?” Guo Xiang stuck out her tongue and said, “Ah, I never asked his name, but his nickname is ‘Big Head Ghost’.” Guo Fu said, “He’s one of the whatever Xishan Ghosts.” Guo Jing heard of the Xishan Ghosts, and although they did not commit any evil acts, they were not gentlemen either, so when he heard his daughter mixing with such people, he got more angry. But he remained silent, only making a “Hey” sound and saying no more. Huang Rong however rebuked Guo Xiang sternly.

    That night Guo Jing organized a family feast and arranged the seating plan for Guo Fu and Guo Puolu, but left Guo Xiang out. Yelu Qi tried to persuade his father- and mother-in-law otherwise. Guo Jing said, “If that girl is not firmly taken in hand, it would only harm herself. Xiang-er has been strange since small, making me worry for her. Since you’re her brother-in-law, you should help me worry for her too.” Yelu Qi did not dare say more.

    The Guo couple spoilt Guo Fu too much, thus allowing her to create so much troubles. So now they were more strict with Guo Xiang and Guo Puolu. Guo Puolu is quiet and serious, just like his father, but Guo Xiang usually agreed on the outside, yet she was usually dissatisfied inside. That night when she heard the maid say that Master and Mistress organized a family feast but intentionally did not invite Guo Xiang. Guo Xiang got angry and went on hunger strike and starved for 2 whole days. On the 3rd day, Huang Rong’s heart softened and without informing Guo Jing she personally cooked several dishes and cajoled her daughter, finally making her smile. Huang Rong’s cooking skills were the best in the world, even though she has not cooked for a long time she was still able to cook delicious food for Guo Xiang. But in doing so all the efforts to discipline her had gone right down the drain.
    (Wow she must be Ghandi’s idol – the mother of all hunger strikes.)

    Now the Mongols had already conquered Dali and sent the troops north, with another division heading south, meeting at Xiang Fan, aiming to destroy the Song Dynasty in one fell swoop. The Mongols have been planning for this campaign for many years, and the north division was led by the Great Khan’s brother Kublai while the south division was led by the Great Khan Mengge himself, together with all their valliant and capable generals. The large number of troops involved was unprecedented in Mongol history. The troops looked grand and unyielding, showing the Mongols’ might.

    Before the Mongols have arrived, Xiang Yang was already shell-shocked. However the useless Song Premier Ding Da Quan was a traitor and dismissed this matter totally. Xiang Yang dispatched numerous urgent messages, but the traitorous premier just said, “The Mogolians have been attacking Xiang Yang for many decades and have never succeeded, they may just go back empty-handed this time. This is just a small matter, why should we bother ourselves with it?”

    When the Mongols’ south division conquered Dali, Guo Jing immediately knew the urgency of this matter and sent letters to all the heroes in Jiang Hu, inviting them to meet at Xiang Yang and assist with the defence. The Mongols’ troops were swift and deadly and were able to destroy Dali in just a short time. The King of Dali was young and ignorant, being the great-grandson of Yi Deng, he has only ruled for 2 years when Dali was conquered and was rescued by Zhu Zhi Liu, Wu San Tong and the Fisherman at the final hour.

    The Mongolian troops were steadily advancing closer and closer. The Heroes’ Meet was scheduled on the 15th of the tenth month and was to last 10 days. Today was the 13th, 2 days away from the Meet, and all the heroes from all over Jiang Hu gathered at Xiang Yang. Guo Jing and Huang Rong were concentrating on military affairs and gave the responsibility of welcoming the guests to Lu You Jiao and Yelu Qi, with the Wu brothers and their wives Yelu Yan and Wanyan Ping to assist them.

    On this day Zhu Zhi Liu, the Fisherman, Wu San Tong, Quen Zhen Sect’s leader Li Zhi Chang and his fellow sect diciples, the Beggars’ Sect elders and 7th and 8th grade members, Lu Guan Ying and Cheng Yaojia have all arrived… Xiang Yang was now filled with many well-known exponents. Many old heroes who rarely appeared in Jianghu were also present, as this time the Heroes’ Meet may decide the fate of Xiang Yang, and they also respected the Guo couple, so all of them rushed to Xiang Yang upon receiving the invitation. This Meet was more grand than the one at Da Sheng many years ago.

    On that night, Guo Jing had a private banquet with his old friends, inviting more than 10 people to dine with him, including Zhu Zhi Liu and Wu San Tong. They drank past the 3rd watch but the Beggars’ Sect chief still did not turn up, but they thought he must have been busy with the Beggars’ Sect affairs and so did not find anything amiss. They ate and drank, discussing Jianghu events of the past 10 years. Yelu Qi, Guo Fu and the Wu brothers etc. had a table to themselves and they chatted animatedly.

    Suddenly an 8th grade member of the Beggars’ Sect burst in and whispered something to Huang Rong. Huang Rong’s face became grave and stood up, saying loudly, “What?” The people all got shocked and all turned to stare at her. Huang Rong said, “There’re no outsiders here. Just say it. How did this happen?” They saw tears well up in her eyes as she spoke, so it must be something terrible, then the beggar said, “This afternoon Sect Leader Lu brought two 7th grade sect members to patrol outside the city but they didn’t return. I could not let the matter rest and went to investigate, we went to the Yang Tai Fu Temple down the hill and found Sect Leader Lu’s corpse there…” The people all gave a cry of “Ah!” when they heard this.

    The beggar’s voice cracked as he said this, as he knew Lu You Jiao’s martial arts were not excellent, but he was responsible and caring and earned the respect of the beggars. The beggar continued, “The two 7th grade members are not dead yet. They said the 3 of them were ambushed by the Mongolian prince Hou Du who killed the Sect Leader. The two 7th grade members fought with him and were severely injured by his palms.”

    Guo Jing was angry till his face turned white and only said, “Hey, Hou Du!” He thought that if he knew this would happen, he would not have spared him at Chong Yang Palace years ago.

    Huang Rong said, “Did Hou Du leave any message?” The beggar said, “I dare not say.” Huang Rong said, “Why not? He wants Guo Jing and Huang Rong to surrender to the Mongols, or they will end up like Lu You Jiao, right?” The beggar said, “The chief is brilliant. The scoundrel Hou Du said exactly that.” According to tradition, Huang Rong was no longer the Beggars’ Sect leader, but the beggars all still addressed her as “chief”. Huang Rong creased her brows and said, “Lu You Jiao’s Dog Beating Rod has been snatched by Hou Du, right?” The beggar said, “Yes.”

    The guests all left the banquet and went to see Lu You Jiao’s body, and they observed a steel fan’s mark on Lu You Jiao’s back and his rib bone was broken, showing that Hou Du sneaked an attack with his fan from behind, then killed him with his palm. The people all felt deeply grieved when they saw this.

    At that time thousands of beggars in Xiang Yang were gathered in Xiang Yang. When they heard that Lu You Jiao was killed, the city fell into a gloomy slience.

    Guo Xiang was on good terms with Lu You Jiao, often pulling him out into the wilderness to drink wine and chat about Jianghu affairs, usually chatting for half a day, and the two were very friendly. The Yang Tai Fu Temple was not far from Xiang Yang, so Guo Xiang and Lu You Jiao often went there. She heard her old friend was killed there and was greatly hurt and grieved, so she took a pot of wine and took it to the temple like usual.

    Late that night, Guo Xiang put down 2 cups and filled them with wine, saying, “Uncle Lu, half a month ago when we were merrily chatting here, who knew such a hero would have such a tragedy, let me offer you a toast.” She took up a cup and poured the wine onto the ground in a sweeping motion, remembering their past friendship, and felt overwhelmed by sadness and tears welled up in her eyes. She said, “Uncle Lu, bottoms up.” She held the cup forwards with both hands and drank the wine.

    Her tolerance for liquor was not very good, but she was open-minded and friendly with heroes of Jianghu and often drank with them. When she drank 2 cups of wine she felt giddy and slightly hot.

    In the darkness a shadow suddenly flashed past, so she thought it must be Lu You Jiao’s spirit who had come and said, “Is that Uncle Lu? Please come here.” Although her heart was beating rapidly, she still wanted to meet Lu You Jiao’s spirit. However a female voice was heard saying, “Why are you fooling around here in the middle of the night? Mother wants you to go back quickly.” The person came into the temple in a flash – it was Guo Fu.

    Guo Xiang was very disappointed and said, “I’ll wait here for Uncle Lu’s spirit. You come barging in like this, how would he show up? Sister, you return first, I’ll be following you shortly.” Guo Fu said, “Stop talking rubbish. You’re just imagining things. Why would Lu You Jiao’s spirit want to see you?” Guo Xiang said, “He was very friendly with me, moreover I promised to share my private thoughts with him. I said I would tell him on my birthday. Who knew he couldn’t wait.” She became depressed as she said this.

    Guo Fu said, “Mother saw that you had disappeared and predicted you’d be here. You monkey, you’re getting more naughty, but you can’t escape from Mother’s palm. Mother is scolding you for being more daring – who knows, that Hou Du might be lurking around here somewhere; won’t that be dangerous?” Guo Xiang sighed and said, “I was thinking about Uncle Lu and forgot about the danger. Good sister, please accompany me for a while, maybe Uncle Lu’s spirit might still come and see me. But you shouldn’t talk, lest you scare him away.”

    Guo Fu has never really respected Lu You Jiao and felt that him becoming the Beggars’ Sect Leader was all due to her mother’s grooming and reccomendations. She thought that even if his spirit came, she would not be afraid. She also knew her sister’s character – since she wanted to wait there, unless their parents personally came to stop her, she would not budge no matter what Guo Fu says. So she sat down and sighed, “Sister, you’re getting older, yet you are still so childish. You’re sixteen this year, in 2 or 3 years you’d be getting married, don’t tell me even when you move into your in-laws’ place, you’d still act so crazily?”

    Guo Xiang said, “What’s the difference? When you married brother-in-law, you are still as carefree as a single woman.” Guo Fu said, “Hey! How can others compare to your brother-in-law? He’s a hero of the time and is very broad-minded, he won’t restrict my movements. He’s talented in martial arts and literature. Among the younger generation, who can compete with him? If your future husband is half as good as him, Father and Mother would be very satisfied.”

    Guo Xiang heard that she was so boastful and said, “Brother-in-law is of course talented, but I don’t believe there’s none in this world who can compare with him.” She felt proud of herself as she said that. Guo Xiang said, “I know someone who’s ten times better than brother-in-law.” Guo Fu got angry, saying, “Who? Tell me.” Guo Xiang said, “Why must I say it? It’s good enough for me to know.” Guo Fu laughed coldly, asking, “Is it Brother Zhu? Wang Jian Ming?” She named a few young heroes. Guo Xiang kept shaking her head, saying, “They can’t even compete with brother-in-law, how can they be ten times better?” Guo Fu said, “Unless you’re talking about these older heroes like Grandfather, Father, Mother, Uncle Zhu.”

    Guo Xiang said, “No! The person I mentioned is younger than brother-in-law, but he’s more handsome and his martial arts are very much better, the difference is as great as night and day, you can’t even compare them…” As she said this, Guo Fu continuously spitted, “Pui pui pui pui...”

    Guo Xiang ignored her and continued, “If you don’t believe me that’s up to you. He has a good character. If anyone is in trouble, he’d lend a hand whether he know them or not.” She lifted her head and started day-dreaming.

    Guo Fu angrily said, “You’re just making things up. Lu You Jiao’s dead, now the Beggars’ Sect doesn’t have a leader. Mother said, since so many heroes are here for the heroes’ Meet, there will be a martial arts contest to pick a highly-skilled exponent to lead the Beggars’ Sect and prevent it from splitting up into the Dirty Faction and Clean Faction again. You said this man is so powerful, tell him to spar with your brother-in-law and see who will be the next Beggars’ Sect Leader.”

    Guo Xiang laughed, “He doesn’t want to be the Beggars’ Sect Leader.” Guo Fu scolded, “You dare to look down on the Leader’s status? Elder Hong was the leader, Mother was the leader; you dare to look down on Elder Hong and Mother?” Guo Xiang said, “When did I say I looked down on the Leader? You knew Uncle Lu and I were good friends.”

    Guo Fu said, “OK! Tell your grand hero to spar with your brother-in-law, then we shall clearly see who’s the hero and who’s the useless bum.” Guo Xiang said, “Sister, you always talk unreasonably. When did I say brother-in-law was a useless bum? If he’s one, then that makes you an animal. We have the same mother, so I’d be ashamed too.”

    Guo Fu heard this and did not know whether to laugh or flare up, so she stood up and said, “I don’t have the energy to talk nonsense with you. If you still don’t go back, I’d get a scolding too.” Guo Xiang had a razor-sharp tounge and liked to argue with her sister, so she said, “Even when you’re married, Father and Mother dotes on you the most. If you’re the next Leader’s wife, who would have the guts to scold you?” Guo Fu heard her sister address as the ‘next Leader’s wife’, she became smug and said, “There are so many heroes here, he’s not the Leader yet; don’t say such things, you’ll only make people laugh.”

    Guo Xiang woke up from her day-dream and saw that the pale moon was almost full, then she sighed and said, “It looks like Uncle Lu’s spirit won’t be coming. Sister, why the hurry to choose a new Leader? Why can’t we mourn Uncle Lu a little longer?” Guo Fu said, “You’re being childish again. The Beggars’ Sect is the number one sect in Jianghu, how can it go without a leader for a day?” Guo Xiang said, “Which day did Mother say the Leader would be chosen?” Guo Fu said, “The Heroes’ Meet will start on the 15th, the most important issue is to discuss how to locate all the heroes in Jianghu to resist the Mongolians. This should take about 5 to 9 days, so the new leader should be chosen on the 23rd or 24th.” Guo Xiang exclaimed, “Ah.”

    Guo Fu asked, “What?” Guo Xiang said, “Nothing. The 24th happens to be my birthday. Everyone must be busy preparing for this, so Mother wouldn’t be celebrating my birthday for me.” Guo Fu laughed, “Ha ha, you’re a little doll, what significance is your birthday? How can you put in on the same level as the Leader’s selection? People would laugh their teeth off. Ah, there can only 1 such person like you on this Earth, remembering such trivial matters.”

    Guo Xiang’s face turned red, saying, “Father may not remember, but Mother will surely remember. You say it’s a small matter, but I think otherwise. I’m going to be 16, you know?” Guo Fu laughed even louder and needled her, “On that day all the heroes will congratulate our Miss Guo on her sixteenth birthday, she’s no longer a doll, she’s a lady now! Ha ha ha!”

    Guo Xiang shook her head and said, “Others might not care, but there will be at least one hero who will remember my birthday. He promised that he will come to see me.” She felt very happy as she said this.

    Guo Fu said, “What hero? Ah, is he the one who is superior to your brother-in-law? Let me tell you – Number 1, there’s no such person, you’re just fantasizing; Number 2, even if there’s such a person, he must have many things to do, how would he have the time to celebrate your birthday? Unless he’s attending the Heroes’ Meet, then he would come to Xiangyang.” Guo Xiang heard this and was almost moved to tears. She stamped her feet and said, “He promised, he promised. He won’t attend the Heroes’ Meet, he won’t vie to be the Leader.” Guo Fu said, “If he’s not a hero, our parents would not invite him. Even if he comes, he may not be fit to attend.”

    Guo Xiang took out her handkerchief to dab her tears and said, “If that’s the case, I won’t attend the Heroes’ Meet either, nor will I even look in at the Leader’s selection.”

    Guo Fu coldly laughed, “Ah, Miss Guo’s not attending the Heroes’ Feast, all the grandeur is gone. Where’s the glory of being the new Leader? Face it, nobody would miss you.”

    Guo Xiang covered her ears and dashed out of the temple.

    Suddenly a black shadow flashed across and stood silently at the temple’s entrance, blocking it. Guo Xiang was shocked and leapt back, preventing herself from knocking into him. The tall person stood under the moon light, exhibiting his dark face, but his upper body was rather short. Looking closely, she noticed that he had two legs missing, his arms supporting his body with 6-feet long crutches. His pants were very long, dangling on the ground, making him look like a giant. Guo Fu was shocked and said, “You’re Ni Mo Xing?”
    (I think the Indian name is Nimor Singh or something like that.)

    That person was indeed Ni Mo Xing. This time the Khan was commanding the campaign himself, so all the brave warriors followed him south. The warriors all tried to prove themselves to win glory for their names. Although Ni Mo Xing’s legs were gone, he did not lose his martial skills, in fact he trained harder and he was better than before he lost his legs. The Mongols were still a hundred miles from Xiang Yang, but the warriors were sent down to Xiang Yang to scout first, so Ni Mo Xing reached Xiang Yang earlier. On this night he was wandering around the temple and he overheard the Guo sisters’ conversation, then he got very excited, thinking since Guo Jing was leading Xiang Yang’s defence, if he captured the Guo sisters he could force him to surrender or at least demoralise him, thus contributing greatly to the Mongols’ war effort. He heard that Guo Fu knew him, so he said, “Miss Guo is very sharp, I’ve not seen you for so many years and you have grown even more pretty. Don’t cause any trouble and just be good and follow me!”

    Guo Fu was shocked and angry. She knew his martial arts were very high, even if she and Guo Xiang attacked him together, they would still lose, so she could not help but glare at Guo Xiang, thinking, “It’s all your fault, how are we going to get out of this mess?”

    Guo Xiang asked Ni Mo Xing, “Why are your two legs so strange? Were they very long before you lost them?”

    Ni Mo Xing snorted and ignored her, telling Guo Fu, “You two walk in front. Don’t try any tricks!” He treated them as his prisoners as he said that. Guo Xiang said, “You’re talking very strangely. Where do you want to bring us to in the middle of the night?” Ni Mo Xing angrily said, “Little doll, just shut up and follow me.” He was afraid that there might be strong exponents from Xiang Yang coming to help, so he wanted to leave quickly.

    Guo Fu whispered, “Sister, this black guy is a Mongolian warrior, his martial arts are very great, you attack his right while I attack his left.” She drew out her sword and pierced towards Ni Mo Xing’s waist.

    Guo Xiang did not bring any weapons out of the city and thought that he had lost his legs and was using his crutches to fight, how could he fight her sister? So she said, “Sister, this person is pitiful, don’t hurt him!”

    As she said this, Ni Mo Xing balanced his left crutch on the ground and defended himself with his right crutch, then struck Guo Fu’s sword, causing sparks to fly and Guo Fu’s sword to fly out of her hands. She felt her hand go numb and her chest hurting, then she used a special stance to follow the sword and retrieve it with her left hand, striking forward with the ‘Chao Nu Jian Fa’ (Superwoman’s Sword Strokes) and fought with Ni Mo Xing. This ‘Chao Nu Jian Fa’ was taught to Guo Jing by Han Xiaoying of the Jiangnan Seven Freaks, so when she died, Guo Jing taught this skill to his 2 daughters out of gratitude for her. This sword skill was smooth and contained subtle changes and was a powerful skill. If Guo Jing executed this skill, it would be strong and powerful and would not be overcomed easily, but Guo Fu was not very strong, although the strokes were good, they were not good enough to defend against Ni Mo Xing’s crutches.

    Guo Xiang saw how Ni Mo Xing was using his crutches. The left and right crutches were swopping roles intermittently and were very swift, besides that the crutches were long, so her sister was losing to her fierce attacks. She then became more anxious. Guo Fu felt the pressure from his crutches getting stronger and stronger, hitting her sword with great force, causing her strokes to be unsteady. Guo Xiang was worried over her sister but was unarmed so she sent out her palms and struck towards Ni Mo Xing.

    Ni Mo Xing shouted and poked his left crutch on the ground and leapt into the air, attacking with both crutches at great speed. The crutches hit Guo Xiang in the shoulder and Guo Fu in the chest. Guo Xiang stumbled and retreated several steps. Guo Fu was hit quite hard and could not withstand the pain so she sat down heavily.

    Ni Mo Xing was feeling proud of himself and swaggered towards Guo Fu, laughing coldly, “I told you to be good and follow me…” Guo Fu jumped up and said, “Let’s escape from the back of the temple!” Ni Mo Xing was shocked. He had obviously hit her “Shen Cang” (Hiding Deity) Accupoint, how could she still move? He did not know about Guo Fu’s soft armour and thought she must have learnt some great skills from the Guo family and prevented her accupoint from being sealed. Actually Guo Fu’s accupoint was not sealed, but she was injured by that strike and could not use her sword. Guo Xiang then unleashed the ‘Luo Ying Zhang Fa’ (Decending Hero’s Palm Skill) to protect her sister and shouted, “Sister, you go first!”

    Ni Mo Xing raised his left crutch and sent it towards Guo Xiang, stopping 3 inches in front of her nose, but the wind generated was so great that her face hurt. He shouted, “Don’t move!” Guo Xiang angrily said, “At first I pitied you, so you’re such an evil person!” Ni Mo Xing laughed, “Little doll, if you don’t suffer you won’t know my strength.” His crutch hit the ground, his face was firece and ugly, he opened his mouth, exposing his white teeth and charged forwards screeming like he wanted to bite someone.

    Suddenly someone behind said, “Don’t be scared! Use secret projectiles on him.” This was a dangerous moment and Guo Xiang did not care who that was and felt around her body and urgently said, “I don’t have any.” She saw Ni Mo Xing getting closer and was at her wits’ end and tried to use a palm stance called the “Shan Hua Shi” (Flower-spreading Stance) to protect herself. She stretched her palms out and felt a breeze suddenly blew across, then her hands trembled slightly and two thin golden bangles flew out, striking Ni Mo Xing’s crutches.

    Although the sound made on impact was not very loud, Ni Mo Xing knew he could not withstand it and his crutches flew backwards, hitting the wall, causing the dust and mud to fly on impact. Ni Mo Xing lost his crutches and fell down. He hit his back on the ground and jumped up, screaming angrily and struck his palms out, sending his whole body forwards with his palms aiming at Guo Xiang.

    Guo Xiang did not think and reacted by taking a hair pin off her hair and tried to hit Ni Mo Xing, then she heard the breeze behind her again and sent the pin flying forwards. Ni Mo Xing suddenly saw the pin flying towards him and quickly tried to use both hands to block, then he cried, “Strange!” and fell onto the ground, not moving anymore.

    Guo Xiang feared that he was up to no good, so she jumped to Guo Fu and said, “Sister, let’s go!” The 2 sisters were standing next to a deity’s statue in the temple and saw that Ni Mo Xing did not move at all, so Guo Fu said, “Did he suddenly get a stroke and die?” She raised her voice and said, “Ni Mo Xing, what are you doing?” She thought since he lost his crutches, it would not be convenient for him to move, so she was not afraid and advanced to him and saw his eyes staring blankly upwards, his face without colour and his mouth widely open; he was dead.

    Guo Fu was very surprised and lit the candles in the temple, wanting to investigate further when she heard someone outside the temple saying, “Fu, Second Sister, are you in the temple?” It was Yelu Qi. Guo Fu happily said, “Brother Qi, come quickly. Strange… this is strange!”

    Guo Fu went to find her sister and did not return for quite some time, Yelu Qi remembered that Lu You Jiao was ambushed and killed and the enemy was just outside Xiang Yang, so he got worried and went to find the 2 sisters. He brought two 6th grade Beggars’ Sect members and hurried there only to find Ni Mo Xing dead on the ground, so he was shocked. He knew this short person’s martial arts were good, even he could not handle this person himself, so he was surprised that his wife had killed Ni Mo Xing. He took the candle from Guo Fu’s hand and looked closely.

    He saw 2 holes on Ni Mo Xing’s palms and a hair pin stuck on the Shen Ting (Deity’s Hall) Accupoint. This pin hit with great force but did not break and instead was able to penetrate this highly-skilled exponent’s palms and kill him, showing such a powerful skill that is unthinkable. He turned to Guo Fu and said, “Is Grandfather here (refering to Huang Yao Shi), quickly lead me to greet him.”

    Guo Fu curiously said, “Who said Grandfather was here?” Yelu Qi said, “It’s not Grandfather?” He swept the place with his eyes and said excitedly, “So it must be Master.” He looked around but could not find Zhou Bo Tong. He knew his master was mischevious, so he must have hid himself to scare them. He went out of the temple and jumped onto the roof, but he saw no one. Guo Fu said, “Hey! Why are you saying such silly things? What Grandfather, what master?”

    Yelu Qi then went down and asked how they met Ni Mo Xing and how he met his end. Guo Fu told him, but she completely could not explain how her sister’s hair pin could kill him. Yelu Qi said, “Some powerful hero must be helping Sister secretly. The only people I know with such martial arts are Father-in-law, Grandfather, Master, Reverend Yi Deng and the Golden Wheel Monk (Jin Lun Fa Wang). Fa Wang is the Mongolian Guo Shi (Spiritual Leader), he wouldn’t kill Ni Mo Xing, while Reverend Yi Deng won’t kill anyone, so I thought since it’s not Grandfather, it must be Master. Sister, who do you think helped you?”

    After Guo Xiang’s hair pin killed Ni Mo Xing, she immediately turned around but saw no one, and kept repeating “Don’t be scared! Use secret projectiles on him” to herself and found the voice familiar, wondering if it could be Yang Guo. But as she thought of him, she said to herself, “That’s impossible! It must be because I was thinking of him, so I mistook that voice for his.” Yelu Qi saw that she seemed to be day-dreaming and might not have heard him.

    Guo Fu saw that her sister’s eyes were red and tears were streaming down her face and she was looking lost, Guo Fu thought she must be in a shock and held her hand, asking, “Sister, what’s up with you?” Guo Xiang trembled and her face turned red, saying, “Nothing.” Guo Xiang said, “Brother-in-law was asking you who saved you just now, didn’t you hear?” Guo Xiang said, “Who saved me? It must be him! Who else whould have such excellent skills?” Guo Fu saked, “Him? Who’s he? Is he the whatever hero you were talking about?” Guo Xiang felt her heart beating heavily and quickly said, “No, no! I’m talking about Uncle Lu’s spirit.” Guo Fu spat “Pui” and threw down her hand. Guo Xiang said, “I didn’t even see a shadow just now, it must be Uncle Lu secretly helping me. You know we were good friends when he was still alive.”

    Guo Fu half-believed what she said and was wondering if Lu You Jiao’s spirit refused to go away. But if it was not a spirit, how could a person kill someone without even showing himself?

    Yelu Qi took up Ni Mo Xing’s crutches and sighed, “This level of martial arts really commands admiration.” Guo Fu and Guo Xiang looked carefully, observing that both crutches had a golden bangle lodged deep into them, as though they were made that way. This person actually used his internal energy (nei gong) to hit Ni Mo Xing’s crutches out of his hands, so it was no wonder Yelu Qi praised him like that.

    Guo Fu said, “Let’s bring it to Mother, she should know who did this.”

    The two beggars carried the body and the crutches and followed Yelu Qi and the 2 sisters back into the city. Guo Jing and Huang Rong heard Guo Fu’s narration and thought about the matter, causing them to be shocked.

    Guo Xiang thought she would surely be scolded by her parents for getting into such trouble again. However Guo Jing liked his daughter’s deep loyalty so he consoled her instead. Huang Rong saw that he was not angry so she hugged her and comforted her. She saw Ni Mo Xing’s body and crutches and said to Guo Jing, “Brother Jing, who do you think it is?” Guo Jing shook his head and said, “This internal energy is so fierce and powerful, from what I know, only 2 people are capable of it.” Huang Rong said, “But Master Hong Qi Gong has passed away long ago and it is not yourself.” She asked for the details but could not think of an explaination.

    After taking Guo Fu and Guo Xiang back to their rooms to rest, she said, “Brother Jing, our second lady is hiding something from us, do you know?” Guo Jing curiously asked, “Hiding what?” Huang Rong said, “Ever since she returned from sending the Heroes’ Meet invitations, she has been day-dreaming alone very often. Tonight she was speaking even more strangely.” Guo Jing said, “She has suffered a shock, so she’s not thinking clearly.”

    Huang Rong said, “No. Sometimes she would be shy, sometimes she would smile to herself, this is obviously not symptoms of suffering a shock. She actually has a joy in her heart which she can’t say.” Guo Jing said, “When a child suddenly fights an expert, she would be shocked and happy, there’s nothing strange about that.” Huang Rong smiled and thought, “Regarding matters concerning a girl’s heart, you didn’t understand when you were young, now that you’re old, what do you know?” They changed the topic, discussing strategies to defeat the enemy, how to welcome the guests to the Heroes’ Meet, how to arrange the seating etc. before resting.

    Huang Rong lay on her bed and thought of Guo Xiang’s affairs and found it hard to sleep, so she thought, “This girl met with much hardship and troubles when born, I’m worried her life may be rather troubled. She has fortunately lived the past 16 years peacefully, don’t tell me she would meet with some serious disaster now?” She thought about the strong enemy’s imminent attack and the impending hardship for the people, if she had some prior intelligence, it would greatly aid them. Yet her daughter has been very stange since birth and if she did not want to say something, she would never say it no matter how her parents forced or scolded her, instead her face would turn red but not revealing a single word, causing her parents to get angry yet find it funny.

    The more Huang Rong thought of it, the more worried she was, so she stood up and went to the city wall, ordering the guards to open the gate and she went to the Yang Tai Temple.

    The sky was cloudy, blocking the Moon and the stars. Huang Rong took a white candle and used her qinggong (lightness skill) to accend Mt. Xian. Suddenly, she heard voices dozens of metres away near “Dropping Tears Tablet”. She crouched down and crept forward and hid behind a tree several metres away, not moving any closer.

    Someone said, “Brother Sun, Benefactor told us to wait behind the Dropping Tears Tablet, but why does this place have such a unique name?” The one named Sun said, “Benefactor must have some some problematic affairs of the heart. So whenever he sees any place named Duan Chang (Severed Intestine), You Chou (Worries) or Duo Lei (Dropping Tears), he remembers them easily.” The first person said, “With Benefactor’s great skills, he should be able to solve any problem, but whenever I see his expression or hear his tone of voice, it seems like he has indeed some unhappy problems. I think he actually named this place Dropping Tears Tablet himself.”

    The one named Sun said, “No. I’ve ever heard Master Gu Er Shu say that during the Three Kingdoms Period, Xiang Yang belonged to the Wei kingdom, the general in charge Yang Hu had great merit in administrating the city and protecting the people. He usually comes to tour this mountain; when he was dead the people remembered his contributions and built the Yang Tai Fu Temple on this mountain and this tablet to remember him. When the people remembered what he had done for them, they would be moved to tears, so this place is called the ‘Dropping Tears Tablet’. Brother Chen, someone who has done as much as Grand Elder Yang is really a great man.” The one named Chen said, “Benefactor has done many heroic deeds and helped countless people around the world. If he’s the general of Xiang Yang, he may even be better than Yang Hu.” The one named Sun smiled, “Xiang Yang’s Hero Guo is defending the people and does many heroic deeds, so he must be on the same level as Grand Elder Yang and Benefactor.”

    Huang Rong heard them praise her husband and was secretly pleased, but thought, “Who is the Benefactor they’re refering to? Is he the one who secretly helped Xiang-Er?”

    Then Mr. Sun said, “Long ago we were Benefactor’s enemies, then Benefactor saved our lives; Benefactor’s kind personality of treating his enemies as his friends might be comparable with Grand Elder Yang Hu. About that story during the Three Kingdoms Period, that master also mentioned that when Yang Hu was protecting Xiang Yang, the enemy opposing him was General Lu Xun’s son Lu Kang of the Wu Kingdom. Yang Hu sent troops into Wu territory to fight the enemy, whenever he harvested the people’s rice for his military provisions he would compensate them. When Lu Kang was sick, Yang Hu sent medicine to him and Lu Kang took it without any suspicions. His lieutanants advised him to be careful, but he said, “There’s really someone like Uncle Yang who <Zhen De Mu Pang Huan Xi Pang> (My friend told me it should mean not resorting to dispicable tactics). Uncle Yang is Yang Hu. His character was above question and the enemy respected him. When he died, even the Wu Kingdom generals mourned him. The way he treated others really made him deserve to be a hero.”

    (Some background information : the 3 countries of the Three Kingdom Period were Wu, Shu and Wei. Wei was controlled by Cao Cao and Wu by Sun Quan. When Shu’s Liu Bei attacked Wu in retaliation for killing Guan Yu, Lu Xun defended Wu and managed to destroy Lui Bei’s 700,000 strong army with 50,000 troops because Liu Bei did not listen to his advisor Zhuge Liang’s advice. This Zhuge Liang of Xiang Yang was mentioned in earlier chapters by Guo Jing.)

    Mr. Chen kept sighing as he touched the stone tablet, then after a while he said, “Benefactor told us to meet here, is it also to admire Grand Elder Yang’s character?” Mr. Sun said, “I heard Benefactor mention before that when Yang Hu was alive there was a sentence that he always remembered.” Mr. Chen asked, “What was that? Say it slowly, I must memorize this. Even Benefactor admired that, this sentence must be something great.”

    Mr. Sun said, “After Lu Kang died, the Lord of Wu Kingdom said that Yang Hu treated Wu Kingdom sincerely and saved many Wu Kingdom citizens, but he was serving the traitors of the imperial court, so Yang Hu sighed, ‘Tian Xia Bu Ru Yi Si, Shi Chang Ju Qi Ba’ (Under the heavens, things that are not auspicious - out of ten, there are often seven or eight). Benefactor praised these words.” That Mr. Chen never expected it to be such a sentence and was slightly disappointed and sighed, then suddenly said loudly, “Brother Sun, Yang Hu – this name sounds the same…” Mr. Sun said, “Hush! Someone’s here.”

    Huang Rong was slightly surprised, then she heard someone running round the mountain, then she thought, “Sounds the same as ‘Yang Hu’ but uses different characters? Could it be ‘Yang Guo’? No, no way. Even if Guo Er’s martial arts have improved, it can’t have reached such an unimaginable level. This person couldn’t be saying that it sounds the same but uses different characters.”

    After a short while, the person assending the mountain clapped lightly trice and Mr. Sun returned 3 claps. That person walked to the Dropping Tears Tablet and said, “Brothers Sun and Chen, Benefactor told you not to wait for him, here are 2 invitations from Benefactor, please help him deliver them. Brother Sun, this invitation is for Old Master Zhao of Henan’s Xing Yang Mansion on Crows Mountain; Brother Chen, this invitation is for the deaf-mute Tou Tuo of Hu Nan’s Chang De Mansion. Please tell them that they are requested to meet here within 10 days.” Mr. Chen and Mr. Sun respectfully agreed, they took the invitations and placed them in their inner pockets.

    When Huang Rong heard this, she was greatly surprised. Old Master Zhao of Xing Yang was working for the imperial court, his Thrity-two Long Punches and Eighteen Rod Stances were the special skills of his family and were passed from generation to generation within his family; he was a nobleman and never bothered about Jiang Hu affairs. The Tou Tuo of Crows Mountain was a famous elder in Wulin, his martial arts were very good, but because he was a deaf-mute, he seldom mixed with outsiders. For this Heroes’ Meet at Xiang Yang, Guo Jing and Huang Rong knew these 2 people liked seclusion and would not attend the meet, but they still respected their reputation and sent them invitations. Obviously they replied and declined. Could it be that this whatever ‘Benefactor’ has such a great influence on them and are able to draw them out of seclusion and hurry here based on an invitation alone?

    Then Huang Rong thought again, “The Heroes Meet would start tomorrow, this person has summoned all the experts in Jiang Hu to Xiang Yang, what is his motive? Could he actually be helping the Mongols? That’d be unfavourable for us.” Then she felt that although Old Master Zhao and Deaf-Mute Tou Tuo were loners, they were not traitors, that ‘Benefactor’ secretly helped Xiang-Er Kill Ni Mo Xing, so he must be helping the Hans.

    As she was talking to herself, she heard the 3 people talking softly but she could not hear clearly as she was too far away, then she heard Mr Chen say, “Benefactor has never entrusted us with such an important assignment, this assignment will… it would be a grand event… our present… ” She missed several words in between. Mr. Sun said, “OK! Let’s do it. Rest assured, we will not mess up Benefactor’s plans.” When he said that, the three people decended the mountain.

    Huang Rong could not guess the origin of that ‘Benefactor’ but she did not want to blow things up by capturing the three people to ask about the matter. When they have gone far, she went into the temple and looked around but did not see anything amiss. When the enemy attacked the area, all the worshippers and caretakers at the temple fled into the city so there was no one there. When she went back, it was already dawn.

    When she was near the city’s west gate, 2 horses charged along the road and she had to leap aside to avoid them. She saw 2 big and strong men riding the horses. The 2 horses went to the intersection and separated, with one heading west and the other heading south. She heard one of them say, “You must remember to tell Fat Zhang, he must bring the musical instruments and the show’s costumes himself. And don’t forget to bring decorations experts.” The other laughed, “Don’t nag at me, if you’re late by one day in inviting Master Chuan Chai, even if Benefactor forgives you, we won’t.” The first man laughed, “Hey, that’s alright. If I’m late by 1 day, cut off my head to feed the pigs.” The 2 men saluted each other and rode off.

    As Huang Rong entered the city, she mumbled to herself, “I heard Fat Zhang is a tyrant, even chivalrous outlaws respected him, how could this ‘Benefactor’ get him here with one word? They talked about flags and drums, what could they be used for?” Suddenly she thought of something and said, “Yes, yes! It must be so.”

    She went into the government office and asked Guo Jing, “Brother Jing, did we miss out any invitation?” Guo Jing curiously said, “How could we have missed anything? We checked for many days, it couldn’t have happened.” Huang Rong said, “I think so too; we must have offended a great hero who’s not that famous, so he sent invitations to those who obviously won’t come. Yet from what it seems, it must be a great man who’s dissatisfied with us, so he also wants to host another Heroes’ Meet to compete with us.”
    (It seems like Huang Rong is always suspicious and wary of everything. Guo Jing either didn’t care or didn’t know he should care.)

    Guo Jing happily said, “This hero has the same motives as us, nothing could be better. We will invite him to chair the Heroes’ Meet and get him to command the heroes to defend against the Mongolians; it’s alright for the both of us to listen to him.” Huang Rong creased her brows and said, “But from what I see of him, he might not be here to defend the city. He sent invitations to Xing Yang’s Old Master Zhao, Deaf-Mute Tou Tuo of Crows Mountain and Han Kou’s Fat Zhang etc.” Guo Jing was surprised and happy, he clapped and said, “If this man can invite such great people here, Xiang Yang would be strenghtened. Rong-Er, we must definitely meet such a man.”

    Huang Rong became quiet. She knew that the beggars from Jiang Nan would arrive, so Guo Jing and Huang Rong went forth to welcome them. On that day heroes from all around Jiang Hu arrived and Huang Rong was so busy entertaining the guests that she almost could not breathe and of course forgot the events of the previous night.

    The next day was the banquet of the Heroes’ Meet, and the heroes sat around 400-odd tables, with Xiang Yang’s Commander General Lu Wen De and Defence Official General Wang Jian offering toasts to the heroes. The people in the banquet hall talked about the Mongols’ cruelty and how they invaded Song’s territory and killed its citizens and all the heroes expressed their indignation and their will to fight the invaders. That night everyone unanimously elected Guo Jing to chair the Meet and they swore to kill the invaders.

    Guo Xiang and her sister argued at the temple the other night and she said she would not attend the Heroes’ Meet, and so of course she was absent and was instead dining in her own room alone. She told the servant, “Sister is attending the Heroes’ Meet while I’m here comfortably drinking wine, but she may not be as happy as I am.” Guo Jing and Huang Rong were occupied with discussing strategies to defeat the enemy, how could they care about what on Earth their daughter was doing? Guo Jing did not even know her whereabouts or bothered to find out. Huang Rong asked around and knew her daughter’s strange character so she could only laugh.

    Many of the heroes present had great capicity for liquor and felt that the wine was excellent, so their spirits were boosted and they displayed their martial skills. Huang Rong missed her daughter and told Guo Fu, “Go get your sister here to join in the fun. This kind of grand occasions occur usually only ince a lifetime.” Guo Fu said, “No way I’m going. Sister is unhappy now and is waiting for any oppurtunity to argue with me, I’m not going to bang my head against the wall.” Guo Po Lu said, “I’ll get her here.” He hurriedly left and walked towards her room.

    After a short while, Guo Po Lu returned alone, before he could say anything Guo Fu said, “Didn’t I say she wouldn’t come?” Huang Rong saw her son’s face was deviod of colour and asked, “What did she say?” Guo Po Lu said, “She said she’s hosting a mini Heroes’ Meet in her room, so she won’t be attending the major Heroes’ Meet.” Huang Rong smiled, “Only your sister can think of such crazy things, leave her alone.” Guo Po Lu said, “But she has guests. 5 males and 2 females drinking inside Sister’s room.”

    Huang Rong knitted her brows and thought that this girl was getting more and more out of hand. How could a young girl invite men to her room to dine? Her ‘Little Eastern Heretic’ nickname was indeed fully deserved, but today there were many guests so she could not be punished and deflate the atmosphere. So she told Guo Fu, “Your brother is young and doesn’t know how to entertain guests, you go. Invite your sister’s friends to the banquet as well, so that we can get to know each other.”

    Guo Fu was curious to find out what sort of guests did her sister have. She knew her sister did not bother about the ethics between males and females enjoyed making friends with all kinds of people, so she thought these people must be some thugs or similar characters. When she heard her mother instruct her to do so, she immediately got up and went to Guo Xiang’s room.

    As she stood near the door, she heard Guo Xiang say, “Little Wooden Head, tell the kitchen to send another 2 pots of wine.” ‘Little Wooden Head’ was a maid and Guo Xiang gave her such an unusual nickname. The maid acknowledged the order. Then she heard Guo Xiang say again, “Tell the kitchen to cook another 2 goats’ legs and 20 jin of beef.” The maid replied affirmatively and exited the room. Then from the room came a rough voice saying, “Miss Guo is frank and straightforward, too bad I, Ren Chu Zi, didn’t know that before or I’d be friends with you long ago.” Guo Xiang laughed, “Becoming friends now it still not too late.”

    Guo Fu creased her brows and looked through the window slit. She saw a short table in her sister’s room and there were many wine cups on the table. The 8 people were sitting on the floor and drinking merrily. There was a fat man facing her with his shirt exposing half his chest, showing his thick and black chest hair. On his left was a scholar with neat clothes and he was fanning himself lightly with his fan, appearing to be refined. His fan had a drawing of a ghost stretching out the tounge. On his left was a woman around 40 years old with a delicate face, but her face had around 10 sword scars. Sitting opposite her was a tall and skinny camel-like man with a shiny golden head-dress and his mouth was biting half a chicken, eating deliciously. There were 3 of them whose backs were facing the window, so Guo Fu could not see their faces. She saw that 2 of them were white haired men while the other was a black-clad nun. Guo Xiang was sitting in between them and her face was red like an apple and her eyes showed signs of her consuming liquor and she was talking merrily. Guo Fu thought they were so happy here, so if she invited them to the banquet they look like they would not go.

    Then one of the white-haired men stood up and said, “Today’s feast is almost over, on this lady’s birthday, we shall come and drink again. This old man has a small gift, it might make the lady laugh.” As he sad that he took out a box and placed it on the table. The other old man said, “Bai Chao Xian, what are you giving, let me see.” He then flipped open the box and could not help but draw in his breath sharply, saying, “Ah, this is a thousand-year-old snow Ginseng, did you get it from the bottom of the river?” He placed it in his palm.

    Guo Fu saw him holding a foot-long snowy white Ginseng, with its ‘head’, ‘body’ ‘hands’ and ‘feet’ all in place and had a slight trace of red, showing that it was a rare and exclusive Ginseng root.

    The people all praised it and that old man was very proud, then he said, “This snow Ginseng can cure terminal deseases, neutralize hundreds of poisons, it’s even said to be able to resurrect a person. This lady will live to a hundred, so she doesn’t have to use it. But on her 100th birthday, she just need to take it and she can live for another 100 years.” The people all clapped and praised him.

    The fat Ren Chu Zi took out a money box from his bosom and laughed, “This is a small toy, hope it can amuse the lady.” He opened the box and took out 2 metal-cast monks around 7 inches tall and activated a mechanism, causing the monks to exchange punches and kicks. The people all laughed as they watched this. The monks displayed strokes from Shaolin’s Luo Han Boxing, and exchanged dozens of moves before stopping, then standing at attention, which was the style of highly-skilled Shaolin monks.

    The people all stopped laughing when they saw this and their faces changed colour. The scar-faced woman said, “Ren Chu Zi, don’t bring trouble to Miss Guo! This is the metal Luo Han from Shaolin Temple, how could you steal them?” Ren Chi Zi laughed, “Heh heh, even if I’m not afraid of the sky or the Earth, I wouldn’t dare steal anything from Shaolin Temple. This was given to me by Reverend Wuse of Shaolin Temple’s Luo Han Hall. (More of this Wuse in HSDS Chapters 1 & 2.) The elder said, when this lady celebrates her birthday, he would quickly come down to Xiang Yang to wish her a happy birthday. Eh, this is my gift.” He took off the inner lid from the box and took out a black jade bangle.

    The black bangle looked dull and nothing special. Ren Chi Zi then drew a thick-backed ghost-headed knife from his waist and chopped down on the bangle. The knife hit the bangle with a ‘dang’ sound and flew upwards, not even leaving a scratch on the bangle. The people all cheered, then the scholar, nun, Tou Tuo and the woman all presented their gifts to Guo Xiang, all high-lighting how unique their gifts were. Guo Xiang smiled happily as she received the gifts.

    Guo Fu was more and more curious and surprised, so she headed back to the banquet hall and told everything to Huang Rong.

    When Huang Rong heard this, she was even more surprised than Guo Fu, so she waved to Zhu Zi Liu and the 3 people went to Guo Xiang’s room. Huang Rong told her daughter to repeat the story. Zhu Zi Liu was equally surprised and said, “Ren Chu Zi and Bai Chao Xian actually came to Xiang Yang? That black-robed nun should be the merciless killer Priestess Shen Ying. The scholar’s fan has a drawing of a ghost, hmm, he should be the Turning Wheel King Zhang Yi Mang.” As he said this, Huang Rong nodded her head. Zhu Zi Liu kept shaking his head instead, saying, “There’s nothing much to this. Miss Guo has never went beyond 10 miles of Xiang Yang except for once recently, how could she get to know such strange people? Moreover, I heard Shaolin Temple’s Reverend Wuse has never shown his face in recent years, even eminent people of Wulin who visit Shaolin Temple don’t get to see him, how would he come to Xiang Yang to wish a girl happy birthday? Hmm, maybe she just wants to fool around with her sister by coming up with this.”

    Huang Rong said lowly, “But we seldom mention people like Priestess Shen Ying and Zhang Yi Mang, even if Xiang-Er knew, she couldn’t have thought of this.” Zhu Zi Liu said, “Then this must be true. Let’s go take a look and meet them. Since they’re her friends, they wouldn’t have any bad intentions by coming to Xiang Yang.” Huang Rong said, “I think so too, but people like Priestess Shen Ying and Turning Wheel King Zhang Yi Mang are hard to be classified as good or bad. Although this is not a big problem, but this is enough to cause a headache. Here we are defending against the enemy and now we don’t know how to deal with such weird people…”

    Suddenly someone outside the window laughed, saying, “Madam Guo, this group of people are visiting Xiang Yang only to convey our birthday wishes, we have no other intentions, why the headache?" When the last few words were heard, the voice was already far away. Huang Rong, Zhu Zi Liu and Guo Fu went to the window together and saw black shadows flashing and disappearing behind the wall. Guo Fu wanted to give chase but was held back by Huang Rong, who said, “Don’t bother, you can’t catch up with them!” Then they saw a white fan hanging from a tree branch outside.

    That fan was about 4 yards away, Guo Fu knew she couldn’t reach it and called, “Mother!” Huang Rong nodded her head, and lightly leapt forwards and grabbed a branch with her left hand, then flipped around and grapped the branch with her right hand. She caught the fan and lightly jumped to the ground.

    The 3 people went back indoors and saw the drawing of a ghost sticking out the tounge with a silly grin and both hands clutched together under the candle light. On the side was several words, “Wishing Miss Guo many happy returns and living to a ripe old age.” Huang Rong flipped over the fan and the words said, “Black-robed nun Shen Ying, Bai Chao Xian, Jiu Si Sen, Dog-meat Tou Tuo, Han Wu Gou and Zhang Yi Mang greet Hero Guo and Madam Guo. We celebrated your daughter’s birthday without permission, we appologize for the offence.”

    Zhu Zi Liu was an expert in calligraphy, so he praised, “Good, good calligraphy!” Huang Rong said, “Let’s go see Xiang-Er.”

    Zhu Zi Liu was already quite old and was not suspicious of a girl so they all went into Guo Xiang’s room. They saw Little Wooden Head and another servant clearing the dishes. Guo Xiang said, “Uncle Zhu, Mother, Sister, look at the birthday gifts my guests have given me.” When Huang Rong and Zhu Zi Liu saw the snow Ginseng, twin iron Luo Han statues, black jade bangle and the other presents, they both praised and marveled at them. Guo Xiang activated the mechanism and the 2 Luo Han statues started to spar, making her feel really proud. Huang Rong watched the Luo Han perform the Luo Han Boxing. When they had finished she gently asked, “Xiang-Er, what’s going on? Tell Mother.”

    Guo Xiang laughed and said, “A few new friends knew my birthday is approaching, so they gave me these amusing things.” Huang Rong asked, “How did you get to know these people?”

    Guo Xiang said, “I got to know them only today. I was alone in the room drinking wine, then Sister Han Wugou stood outside the window and asked, ‘Little lady, we’ll come in and drink with you, OK?’ I said, ‘Nothing could be better, please come in!’ All of them jumped in through the window then said that on the 24th itself they would come and celebrate my birthday. How do they know my birthday? Mother, they are yours and Father’s friends, right? Or else how would they give me such wonderful things?”

    Huang Rong said, “Your Father and I don’t know them. You met some strange friends by appointment, right?” Guo Xiang laughed, “I don’t have any strange friends, unless it’s Brother-in-law.” Guo Fu angrily said, “Rubbish! How can your brother-in-law be a strange man?” Guo Xiang stuck out her tounge and laughed, “After he married you, how can he not be strange?” Guo Fu stretched out her hand to hit her but Guo Xiang laughed and evaded to the side.

    Huang Rong said, “You two stop it. Xiang-Er, let me ask you, did the Turning Wheel King, Bai Chao Xian (Hundred Plants Deity) and the others say anything about attending the Heroes’ Meet?” Guo Xiang said, “No, but they said they admire and respect Father.” She asked a few more questions and felt that Guo Xiang was not hiding anything so she said, “OK! Go to sleep.” Then she, Zhu Zi Liu and Guo Fu went out.

    Guo Xiang ran to the door and said, “Mother, this snow Ginseng seems to be rather useful, you take half and Father can take the other half.” Huang Rong said, “But this was given to you as a birthday present!” Guo Xiang said, “After I was born I didn’t do anything much, but you have suffered.” Huang Rong did not want to reject her daughter’s filial wishes so she took the Ginseng and thought back to Guo Xiang’s hardships when she was born and sighed.

    The Heroes’ Feast dispersed happily. Guo Jing returned to his room and told his wife about the heroes’ determination to drive out the enemy and expressed his joy. Huang Rong then told him about Priestess Shen Ying, Bai Chao Xian etc. visiting Guo Xiang. Gua Jing was surprised, saying, “There’s such a thing?” Then he looked at the snow Ginseng and saw that it was a rare and precious gift. Huang Rong laughed, “Looks like our precious lady’s influence far surpasses her parents’.” Guo Jing remained silent and bowed his head, thinking about the people she mentioned.

    Huang Rong said, “Brother Jing, maybe we should host the Beggar’s Sect Leader’s Selection earlier and not postpone till Guo Xiang’s birthday. If those people actually come, we might not be able to deal with them while we’re busy with the Leader’s Selection.” Guo Jing said, “I have another idea. Let’s hold it on her birthday itself instead. Then if they actually turn up we can invite them to battle the enemy with us, won’t that be great?”

    Huang Rong creased her brows and said, “I’m afraid they’re only using Guo Xiang’s birthday as an excuse to come, but they’re actually here to cause trouble. Just think what could their relationship with Xiang-Er be? Could they be here just to celebrate her birthday? A big tree will catch more wind, there might be many people in Wulin who’re not willing to let you be the Chancellor of Wulin.”

    Guo Jing stood up and laughed, saying, “Rong-Er, let's not worry about this. In regards to fighting the enemy, the more people the better. Anyone being the Chancellor of Wulin would be the same. Moreover, evil cannot triumph over good, if they’re really here to create trouble, we’ll entertain them. Your Dog-Beating skill and my 18 Dragon Subduing Palms have not seen action for several years but they may not be rusty yet.”

    Huang Rong saw that he was in good spirits so she laughed, “OK! We’ll do as you say. You take this snow Ginseng, I think it’s worth 3-5 years of training.” Guo Jing said, “No! You had 3 children, your internal strength is weakened, so you should take it.”

    The husband and wife were very loving and kept pushing the Ginseng to each other for half a day. Guo Jing finally said, “There will be fierce and brutal battles in the coming days and many of our friends will be injured. This snow Ginseng can save many lives, so let’s keep it first.”


    END OF CHAPTER
    Last edited by IcyFox; 01-26-06 at 12:16 AM.

  18. #98
    Senior Member IcyFox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by IcyFox

    Guo Xiang saw a suave and handsome face, with sword-like eyebrows and bright and sparkling eyes, but was slightly pale, and rather slender. Yang Guo saw her closely examining his face and smiled, “What?” Guo Xiang felt her face go red. She softly said, “Nothing.” But she was thinking, “I never knew you would be so good-looking.”

    And Yang Guo was thinking, "Oh yes! Another frag!"
    Or maybe he was thinking, "Oh no! Not another girl! XLN's going to kill me!"



    Anyway, jokes aside, for this chapter I made it sound more fluent in English but some words or phrases may have lost some of their accuracy. Hope nobody notices this...


    OK for Chap 34 I think all available translators can work on it together - Xiao_Long_Nu, Jin_Yong_Fan, Da Bao etc. (Maybe even Crayon and BeeDreamer) Then maybe Foxs can do Chap 36 while I bang out Chap 37. That way 3 chapters can be translated at the same time.
    Last edited by IcyFox; 12-23-05 at 03:45 AM.

  19. #99
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    Woohoo! getting close to all the fun. Thanx a bunch for the translation, makes much more sense than my sister attempting to tell the story after she read it in chinese, but then i was never a good listener but a good, appreciative reader. Keep it rolling out!

  20. #100
    Senior Member Bangs's Avatar
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    Wooooooooooo! Thank you thank you thank you! Mr.IcyFoxy!

    Uhm, we missed chapter 34!! ZOMG!

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