I decided to give a shot at translating this one. I am still rather familar with it as I had only read it a couple of months back and I had the book at hand.
I would also do some minor editing on the first three chapters. Although the previous translator, metwin1 had done an excellent job, the online source he translated from had some missing lines and mistakes. So much for completeness's sake.
bliss had also previously indicated his willingness to translate this one after he had finished with Bordertown Wanderer, so there is a safety net if I messed up this one. (touch wood)
Introduction
This novel is part of the Flying Dagger Series. Following the story after Bordertown Wanderer (边城浪子) and Flying Eagle in the Ninth Month(九月鹰飞). Interestingly, it was written by Gu Long in 1975 after Flying Eagle in the Ninth Month (1974) but before Bordertown Wanderer (1976). It seems that Gulong had first developed the two main characters Ye Kai and Fu Hongxue respectively before interweaving them together in Bordertown Wanderer.
Several had remarked that this is perhaps Gu Long's greatest work(I agree!) as it is the most emotionally touching and unforgetable. Gulong said that he wrote this novel during the period of his greatest personal pain and suffering, during the period of his greatest emotional stress. Maybe it is for this reason, the novel is so outstanding. To have a better understanding of Gu Long's approach to wuxia novels, I had included a small excerpt.
~an excerpt from the introduction of this novel by Gulong himself~
Looking at the same storyline from different angles, the novel would turned out to be totally different. Human beings' feelings and views are something that are forever changing, forever changing with the times! Although wuxia novels are about the old times, it could be injected with the new feelings and views of the author. For novels are but all in the imagination.
Writing a novel is not writing a history book. The biggest goal of writing novels is to draw the reader in, to emotionally touch the reader. If storylines of wuxia novel already could not be changed, why not changed the way of writing human emotions. Using the human's feelings, using the emotional feelings to create the climax, to create the "action".
How to write "action" is one of the wuxia novel's greatest challenge.
I always believe that "action" is not necessarily "fight".
The action in novels and movies can give peope a kind of sharp excitment and thrill. However, the action in novels are far less vivid and fresh than the action in movies.
Thus, the action in novels should be kept simple, short and sweet, lively and never a dull moment. The action in novels should first create conflict, emotional conflicts, situational conflicts. And using the various conflicts to push the story into a climax. Then you can create the atmosphere, the tense atmosphere, the chilling atmosphere. Using the atmoshpere to fan the flames of excitement.
Writing wuxia novel is not writing a country's history.
Writing wuxia novel is also not teaching how to fight or kill!
Although blood and violence would always have their attraction, but too much blood and violence would turn people off.
~end~
I would sincerely try to follow Gu Long's ideas as closely as possible while translating this novel.
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Horzion, Bright Moon, Sabre - 天涯, 明月, 刀 - Gu Long
Prologue
Chapter 01: Man at the Horizon
Chapter 02: Wild rose at the Horizon
Chapter 03: Bright Moon at High Mansion
Chapter 04: The Thumb of the Blackhand
Chapter 05: Peacock
Chapter 06: Before the Duel
Chapter 07: The Duel
Translation by Ren Wo Xing
Chapter 8: Peacock Manor
Chapter 9: Betting One’s Life on a Single Sabre
Chapter 10: Changes
Chapter 11: Where Did the Bright Moon Go?
Chapter 12: Between Life and Death
Chapter 13: Demon Decapitating Sabre of Heaven’s Monarch
Chapter 14: First Pay, Then Kill
Chapter 15: The Ancient Monastery of the Celestial Dragon
Chapter 16: Funeral Bell
Chapter 17: Despair
Chapter 18: When Affection Begins to Thicken, Affection Turns Flimsy
Chapter 19: Executioner
Chapter 20: The Grandmaster and the Zither-Playing Servant
Chapter 21: Emerging From the Cage
Chapter 22: Gongzi Yu
Chapter 23: Mysterious Old Man
Chapter 24: The Last Battle (END)