Legend of the White Haired Maiden

[UltraRob]

Aw ... Han, you are not supposed to announce it yet. Now the cat is out the bag and I am doomed ...

And if Han agree to let me, I am not going to post it until LXF Book 4 is finished. Just to buy me some time.

Quite reasonable. We wouldn't want you to burn yourself out when you're doing such a great job with LXF 4!

Rob

[missouri.slim]

Set your pace and do what you need. We waited this long, we can wait more. It is just nice to have something else to look forward to.

I am sure it is good anyway.

Missouri.slim

[foxs]

When Faire Queenie stopped at the end of 2005, she left a big shoe to fill, not to mention a big gap in wuxia translation world. I have never had any intention to fill her shoe, I fully realize I am not qualified to be a Chinese to English translator, but I do want to fill the gap. Personally, I want to know what will happen next, and since I am going to read it, why not share it with you? I keep hoping that one of those big name translators would come back to take it over, but until they do, I am afraid you are stuck with me.

This is my first Liang Yusheng’s work. His style is completely different than both Jin Yong and Gu Long. To me, LYS’s sentences are a lot harder to translate, they are longer with lots of commas (much like Jin Yong), but each sub-sentence is short and choppy (much like Gu Long). I am not too happy with the end result, so I do hope you will bear with me on this.

I receive help from Han Solo, but all error, inaccuracy, and grammatical mistake remaining are all mine.

I try to keep all names consistent with Faire Queenie’s, but I do change the term of address from generic English words (brother, sister, uncle, aunt, etc.) to their original Chinese counterparts. The reason I am doing this is because from the way Chinese address each other we can deduce the relationship between the people. Also, from time to time I will make reference to Faire Queenie’s notes. (FYI, I do have her work, unabridged in MS-Word document, complete with footnotes, minus the rants … J I will be glad to share it with anybody who wants it. If you are interested, PM me with your email, please.)

Respectfully,
Foxs

[foxs]

Chapter 15
Divine Sword displays might,
Chilled courage, stilled technique,
Poisonous bead thrown across,
Cold heart restrains edge.
(Translated by Foxs, Edited by Han Solo)

Red Flower Demon Matriarch sneered menacingly.

Tie Feilong said, "Mother Gongsun, your behavior is inappropriate."

Red Flower Demon Matriarch rolled her strange-looking eyes, "What do you mean inappropriate?" she asked.

Tie Feilong replied, "Jin Duyi repeatedly commits crimes; right now he is under the order of the enemy's envoy to assassin a loyal officer. Why are you 'sticking your neck out' for him?"

With a cold laugh Red Flower Demon Matriarch said, "That Old Rascal of mine is making a mistake, do we need you to discipline him?"

Tie Feilong also had a strong temperament; with a cold laugh he said, "So you are saying that I should just leave you, husband and wife, alone? Mother Gongsun, oh Mother Gongsun! You, being an expert lady of the present generation are a joke; you are such a muddle-head, you fail to understand virtuous cause."

Red Flower Demon Matriarch stomped her walking stick and called out, "Tie Feilong, shut up! Today, I am here to ask for your advice in 'Thunderclap Eight-Trigram Palm'!"

Tie Feilong laughed aloud and flew into the rock formation. "All right," he said, "Turns out you are determined to test me, Old Tie?" His shadow swayed, he already positioned himself behind a pile of rocks.

Red Flower Demon Matriarch tossed her walking stick aside. "Do you wish to compare palm strength with my 'Boulder Shattering Palm'?" she asked.

"Exactly!" Tie Feilong replied. Raising his palms, pieces of rocks flew up.

Red Flower Demon Matriarch slapped her palm and a pile of rocks also fluttered in the air. The rocks collided randomly in the air. Two combatants used their palm power to stir up the rocks, while at the same time jumping around to evade the flying stones.

Tie Feilong's footwork followed the Eight Trigrams' [Ba Gua] position; each time he launched a palm strike, he would move to another pile of rocks. Each time he jumped to evade, it was precisely to the corner where the rock would not reach.

"Old thief Tie, you are very slippery!" Red Flower Demon Matriarch said. Raising both palms, she struck two piles of rocks simultaneously, attacking Tie Feilong from left and right. Tie Feilong flipped his body, leaping from the 'kan men' [water gate] to 'dui men' [marsh gate] position, while simultaneously launched a counterattack with his palm. Red Flower Demon Matriarch also hastily leaped from the 'qian men' [heaven gate] to 'gen men' [mountain gate]. The two people advanced and retreated, weaving through the rock formation. Each palm strike caused the rocks to fly toward the enemy. The sand rose up as a billowing sandstorm below the Mimo Cliff. Pieces of rocks flew randomly, but the movement of the two in advancing and retreating, offense and defense, all followed a certain rule. The air was full of fluttering rocks, but not a single stone hit either one of them. Standing on the side, Yu Luocha was very happy watching this battle; she was eager to jump in herself.

Tie Feilong's 'Thunderclap Eight-Trigram Palm' was based on the footwork according to 'eight gates five steps' [Traditional Taichi Practice (http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/powers13.htm)], in which hard and stiff is working together with soft and flexible to subdue the enemy. Tie Feilong was a seasoned fighter, plus he possessed an extraordinary intelligence. He knew that the Red Flower Demon Matriarch's level of martial art skill was above his, therefore, he resolved to use a tactic by challenging her palm power in of the rock formation she arranged.

But this kind of formation was precisely Tie Feilong's specialty. To score a victory in palm power competition in this kind of rock formation would not only dependent upon the palm's strength, but also dependent upon proper footwork, each evasive step taken must be exactly on the blind corner where the rocks would not reach because the Red Flower Demon Matriarch's rock formation was arranged according to Five-Element and Eight-Trigram position. Thereupon with each palm strike and each step of leap, he must carefully calculate the next possible step.

Tie Feilong's palm technique was originally based on the 'eight gates five steps'; hence his understanding was far superior to that of the Red Flower Demon Matriarch's. The way he soared and skated sideways was within a hair-width of perfection. Although his palm strength was a notch inferior to Red Flower Demon Matriarch, by patching up his inadequacy, after battling for an hour he still managed to fight her evenly.

On the other hand, Red Flower Demon Matriarch was in a rage because after struggling for an hour she had not succeeded in flattening the enemy. What angered her the most was that while she could clearly see that Tie Feilong's palm power was beneath hers, she could not defeat him despise fighting in her own rock formation.

Seeing she was bubbling over, Tie Feilong deliberately sent out a palm, and then laughed aloud three times to incite Red Flower Demon Matriarch's anger even more. Consecutively he raised his palms, sending out the internal energy of his own school. All of a sudden, the dust flew upward, rocks fell down like rain, while the palms created strong gusts of wind and shadows flitted back and forth.

Amidst Tie Feilong's loud laughter, suddenly Yu Luocha called out, "Stop!"

Tie Feilong flipped backward and leaped out of the arena.

"Where are you going?" Red Flower Demon Matriarch bellowed.

With a cold laugh Yu Luocha said, "Your rock formation has been completely destroyed. This competition has come to an end."

Red Flower Demon Matriarch's shadow stopped; she stood on the disarrayed rock and looked around. Only then did she realize that due to an hour of all-out battle and her own fierce strength, more than a hundred piles of rocks had collapsed completely; many stones were still rolling, falling down the hill.

The Red Flower Demon Matriarch's fury had not subsided; picking up her dragon-head walking stick from among the rubble, she stood above a large rock and with a resounding voice said, "Old Thief Tie, consider this round a draw. I want to continue real skill competition with you."

Yu Luocha smiled charmingly and said, "Red Flower Demon Matriarch, you are being unfair!"

"What do you mean unfair?" the Red Flower Demon Matriarch retorted angrily.

"You have a weapon in your hand, my Father does not carry any," Yu Luocha replied.

"Competing palm power again is also fine!" Red Flower Demon Matriarch indignantly said.

Yu Luocha said, "The two of you have just competed palm power evenly; what else there is to compete?"

Red Flower Demon Matriarch was taken aback. Although Tie Feilong was taking advantage of the rock formation just now, she could not say that they were not competing palm power. Besides, the rock formation was arranged by her, so it was inappropriate for her to say that he took advantage of the formation. All famous experts of the Wulin world have their own specialty. Some people dominated by the power of their palms, some depended on their weapons to score a victory. Red Flower Demon Matriarch had a remarkable skill in using fists, palms, or weapons; on the other hand, Tie Feilong was a warrior who only used his palms, he had never used any weapon in all his life. Therefore, if in a true skill competition against Tie Feilong the Red Flower Demon Matriarch used her dragon-head walking stick against his pair of palms, it could not be said that she was being unfair. It was just that she was unable to deny Yu Luocha's one-sided assertion that their palm power competition had ended evenly, and by competing in weaponry Tie Feilong was not then able to accompany her.

She stomped her stick heavily and said hatefully, "I will not put today's matter at rest!" But Red Flower Demon Matriarch was unable to say how they were going to compete in the future!

Seeing the Red Flower Demon Matriarch's anger had reached the heavens, Yu Luocha maintained her composure. Calmly she took several threads of red bands from her hair and tied down the cuff of her sleeve. "Red Flower Demon Matriarch," she unhurriedly said, "You need not be angry; if you want to fight, isn't very easy? There is someone who will accompany you!"

Red Flower Demon Matriarch was startled. "A baby doll like you wants to compete with me?"

Yu Luocha was grinning from ear to ear. "Ha! You guessed it right!"

[SkyWalker]

Thank you Foxs for taking over the translation and sharing it with us. I truly appreciate all your hard work. Looking forward to the next update of this great novel.

[sainuu]

waited so long. thank you. keep going.

[Han Solo]

Thanks foxs.

For those that might not know, Liang Yusheng died earlier this year in Australia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang_Yusheng

Han Solo

[foxs]

Although Yu Luocha's name had shaken the Jianghu these past several years, Red Flower Demon Matriarch had been living in seclusion for a long time; she had never heard about her reputation. At Beijing, her husband, the closest person to her, had mentioned Yu Luocha's martial art to her, but as she saw Yu Luocha to be a young woman in the mere twenties, she could not help but look down on her. It should be known that the Red Flower Demon Matriarch had enjoyed great reputation since more than thirty years ago; naturally she was unwilling to compete with a 'junior'.

Pointing with her walking stick, she laughed and nastily said, "You need to train for ten more years!"

With a 'whoosh' Yu Luocha drew out her sword and said with a laugh, "Red Flower Demon Matriarch, are you saying that you are much stronger than me?"

Red Flower Demon Matriarch squinted her eyes in disdain; refusing to give her any answer.

Yu Luocha laughed again, "Too bad you are only a big oaf."

Red Flower Demon Matriarch was angry. "Nonsense!" she scolded.

Yu Luocha was still smiling. "If you are not a big oaf, why haven't you heard, 'Learning has neither beginning nor end, those who attain are the master.'?"

Actually, Yu Luocha was an uneducated country girl; she heard that phrase from Zhuo Yihang, and she intentionally quoted it to infuriate Red Flower Demon Matriarch as part of her tactics.

Indeed the Red Flower Demon Matriarch was provoked, and her anger was not light. Pointing her walking stick, she angrily said, "If you can beat me, I will bow to you as my master!"

Yu Luocha laughed, "That, I do not dare! Let's do it this way: if you can beat me, we, father and daughter, two people, will be at your mercy. But if I can defeat you, you must let that stinky old husband of yours to be at my mercy. If I want to kill him or pick him out, you must not help him."

The Red Flower Demon Matriarch's anger simply went through the roof. "If you can fight me evenly, I will live in seclusion for thirty more years!"

Yu Luocha smiled. "All right, you said it and you must mean it. Go ahead!"

Red Flower Demon Matriarch said, "In all my life, I have always fought everybody one on one. I have never attacked first!"

Yu Luocha raised her eyebrows and smiled. She slowly drew an arc with her sword in front of the Red Flower Demon Matriarch.

"What trick are you playing?" Red Flower Demon Matriarch roared, "Are you or are you not going to fight?" Before she even finished speaking, Yu Luocha flipped her palm, and the extremely slow sword suddenly moved lightning fast. A bluish ray flashed and the sword had already reached her face!

Turned out Yu Luocha was playing a malicious trick against her. She had seen earlier the palm technique of Red Flower Demon Matriarch, and knew her martial art skill was extraordinary. Therefore, she deliberately provoked her to be angry to disturb her concentration, and moving her sword slowly like an actor of the opera, so that she would lower her guard. Only then did she abruptly launch her school's unique sword technique with its swift and unpredictable stances.

Red Flower Demon Matriarch was greatly shocked; she moved the head of her stick slightly upward. Yu Luocha's sword tip turned around and stabbed towards her throat. Red Flower Demon Matriarch shrunk her shoulder while raising her left hand with the intention of snatching Yu Luocha's sword. Unexpectedly, Yu Luocha's sword seemed to threaten her throat, but as she evaded the snatch, the tip of the sword suddenly stabbed to the left and then to the right. Red Flower Demon Matriarch leaped back, only to feel cold wind whooshing, sweeping very close to her temple. The big red flower on her temple was slashed down by the sword, while Yu Luocha laughed aloud.

She knew she would not be able to stab the Red Flower Demon Matriarch; therefore, taking advantage of her strange, cunning and swift sword technique, she aimed her vital point while actually launching a sneak attack to slash the red flower on her temple, and hence dampened her spirit.

"Humph," Red Flower Demon Matriarch snorted, "Although your swordsmanship is good, it is not a real skill!" Although those words came from her mouth, the arrogant air had been greatly reduced.

Yu Luocha laughed. "All right," she said, "I'll show you my real skill!"

'Swish, swish, swish!' Her sword appeared like a rainbow, it seemed real, yet also seemed empty, with multiple variations concealed within each move. Red Flower Demon Matriarch had never seen this kind of sword technique, so that she was forced to draw back repeatedly.

Watching from the sideline, Zhuo Yihang was delighted to the point that his Shishu's heavy injury was temporarily forgotten. Tie Feilong's full attention was absorbed at the battle, but inwardly he was anxious.

Zhuo Yihang happily said, "Lian Jiejie's victory is within her grasp. This old witch is not her match."

With a slight smile Tie Feilong replied, "It's too early to tell!"

Zhuo Yihang looked at the battleground again. The situation suddenly changed, Red Flower Demon Matriarch's iron crutch spin in the air, forming a tight defense while providing an opportunity to attack. Her left palm moved forcefully, creating whooshing gusts of wind. Like a hurricane, the tip of Yu Luocha's sword stormed in; but each attack was shaken askew.

Moments later, circles of white light danced in the middle of the battle arena. Red Flower Demon Matriarch's iron crutch seemed to multiply into dozens of iron crutches. The shadow of the iron crutch towered over the white light, just like dragons fighting over a pearl, rolling in and out.

Another moment later, the shadow of the iron crutch blended with the shadow of the sword, so much so that it became difficult to distinguish Yu Luocha from Red Flower Demon Matriarch!

Zhuo Yihang became dizzy with a shaken spirit, he sucked in a mouthful of cold air. By this time, Tie Feilong was both anxious and somewhat ashamed of his inadequacy. "Although that witch's strength is superb, she won't be able to deal with her!" he gave direction.

Actually, with her unique sword technique Yu Luocha was able to seize the upper hand position by moving lightning fast; but Red Flower Demon Matriarch was greater than Tie Feilong by one notch, hence, compared to Yu Luocha, she was definitely stronger. Not only that, her battle experience was vast. As soon as she realized she was being tricked, immediately she suppressed her anger and calmed her spirit, focusing her attention to the battle at hand. After thirty stances, she started to launch counterattacks. Her palm worked seamlessly with her crutch, so that Yu Luocha's figure was soon enveloped by her palm power, while her strange sword movements were gradually curbed by the dragon-head walking stick which appeared and disappeared unpredictably, making it hard for Yu Luocha to take a breather.

Red Flower Demon Matriarch was just thinking that she had the situation under control; who would have thought that Yu Luocha still had some tricks up her sleeve. Although she was at a disadvantage situation, she was boldly unyielding. Each time she was in danger, she would turn the table over by escaping at the last moment! Red Flower Demon Matriarch was secretly impressed, her iron crutch pressed on tighter and tighter, placing Yu Luocha in a seemingly unavoidable danger, but Yu Luocha's sword suddenly reached out and pressed on the crutch's dragon head. Borrowing the momentum of this slight impact, her body soared high. She turned her sword midair and unexpectedly launched a counterattack!

The two combatants attacked and counterattacked swiftly in the middle of scattered piles of rocks. Although 70% of the time Red Flower Demon Matriarch was in the offensive, she was powerless to bring the battle to its conclusion.

Yu Luocha was raised by a mother wolf, she had been playing on Huashan's peak since her childhood. Her qinggong skill was incomparably high. Even Tie Feilong, Red Flower Demon Matriarch, Yue Mingke and other qinggong experts were still a notch inferior to her. She knew Red Flower Demon Matriarch's internal energy was fierce, definitely superior to her own; therefore, whether it was offensive or defensive, she was unwilling to meet Red Flower Demon Matriarch's power head-on. Whether she was soaring, evading, dodging, or retreating, she would always try to find the opportunity to strike back. Therefore, even after fighting for more than three hundred stances, victory or defeat had not yet determined.

Tie Feilong started to relax. It was then did he remember Priest White Stone's injury. "Let's look at your Shishu!" he said to Zhuo Yihang.

Zhuo Yihang suddenly remembered; he quickly went over toward Priest White Stone. He saw he was sitting cross-legged on the ground with closed eyes, he was in the process of circulating his energy to treat his injury.

[foxs]

Tie Feilong called out. Priest White Stone opened his eyes slightly, with an angry look on his face. Tie Feilong took out two pills from his pocket; he said, "These are the panacea to cure injury and detoxify your wound."

Priest White Stone shook his head without replying. He had taken his own Wudang medication, and was unwilling to receive the enemy's kindness. He had regarded Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha as 'the enemies'.

Tie Feilong was both angered and amused. He said close to his ear, "I don't want to see an expert die like this. Your own medication only provides temporary relief, my medication is for healing. If you are not happy about it, take my medicine first, after you are healed, we can deal with each other later."

Priest White Stone shut his eyes and paid him no more attention. Tie Feilong was angered; suddenly he reached out and pinched above his mouth. "Ah!' Priest White Stone cried out. Tie Feilong quickly stuffed the two pills into his mouth. Priest White Stone was so weak that he was unable to spit it out. The pills slid down his throat into his belly. A moment later, a whiff of warm chi slowly rose up from his dantian, and he felt a lot more comfortable; but he still did not want to talk.

Tie Feilong said with a laugh, "Your Shishu is so senselessly stubborn." Pulling Zhuo Yihang aside, he untied the clothes covering his chest and quietly said, "Look." Zhuo Yihang saw an array of bronze mirrors covering his chest. If the pieces were not tied together with steel wire, they would have fallen down early on.

Tie Feilong laughed while tying his clothes back. He said, "If I didn't have this bronze mirror shield, I would have injured as well. Your Shishu is injured by Red Flower Demon Matriarch's internal energy; although after taking the medication his life is not in danger, I am afraid he would still need another month to completely recover."

Zhuo Yihang was unable to restrain his amazement. He recalled how Red Flower Demon Matriarch struck his Shishu and himself just now, where his Shishu received an internal injury, while he himself was practically unharmed. This clearly showed that Red Flower Demon Matriarch was being lenient to him. Thinking of this, he unconsciously started to worry about Yu Luocha again. He was afraid that if Yu Luocha kept taking Red Flower Demon Matriarch's palm power, she would eventually suffer serious injury just like his Shishu.

With a heavy heart Zhuo Yihang looked at the battle ground again, only to see the battle situation had changed. Red Flower Demon Matriarch's iron crutch pointing to the east and striking to the west, but it was as if her hand was pulling a thousand catties load; her movement was a lot slower than before, but not only Yu Luocha's sword seemed unable to penetrate her defense, she seemed to be unable to withdraw as well. In the midst of scattered piles of rocks, two people seemed to have sealed each other's escape route. Each stance and each style, each offense and each defense, was very clear; as if those two people were good friends who were sparring against each other. But both people's expressions were extremely serious; even Yu Luocha, who always loved to laugh and play, maintained a serious face and did not divert her eyes from following Red Flower Demon Matriarch iron crutch, sword move by sword move, doing everything she could to parry.

What happened was: when Red Flower Demon Matriarch saw the perfection of Yu Luocha's qinggong, in which she failed to reach victory even after an all-out battle for more than 300 stances, she grew impatient. Thus she utilized her ultimate skill, which normally she would not display easily, the 'Tai Yi Xuan Gong' [great winding (or coil) black/mysterious skill/power]. This kind of skill enabled the user to transfer his/her entire power to an inanimate object such as a leaf or a flower to injure or even kill the opponent. Red Flower Demon Matriarch transferred her power to the iron crutch, so that as the blade of Yu Luocha's sword came near to it, she would suddenly feel a strong attracting force as if her sword was entering a strong magnetic field. The stronger she tried to pull, the stronger the opposing force was. This way, Yu Luocha was unable to launch her incomparably strange sword stances. Not only that, but although Red Flower Demon Matriarch's crutch movements were exceptionally slow, each movement was threatening Yu Luocha's vital acupoints. If she was being negligent ever so slightly, the opponent would definitely penetrate her defense line. Therefore, Yu Luocha had no other choice but to fend off the attacks while at the same time trying to avoid a head-on real strength competition with her!

Even keep running away was impossible, because as soon as her sword parried and her body drew back, Yu Luocha's defense would reveal a weak point, so that her vital acupoint would be under attack.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Zhuo Yihang told Tie Feilong, “Tell her to get away!” Zhuo Yihang thought that based on his martial art skill, Tie Feilong would not be able to beat the Red Flower Demon Matriarch; however, it was still possible for him to cover Yu Luocha while she escaped.

Tie Feilong sighed. He shook his head and said sadly, “A moment ago it might be possible for her to get away, but now it is impossible! Furthermore, unless Priest Purple Sun came back to life, or perhaps Heavenly warriors came down, I am afraid there will not be a third person capable of prying them apart.”

Zhuo Yihang was even more shocked. While talking, he suddenly saw Red Flower Demon Matriarch raised her crutch and slammed down onto Yu Luocha’s head. Yu Luocha’s sword was pointing sideways; her defense line was wide open. In his shock he was about to cry out when Tie Feilong suddenly reached out to cover his mouth and whispered in his ear, “Don’t make any noise to disturb her concentration!”

When Zhuo Yihang looked again, he thought that Red Flower Demon Matriarch’s crutch would certainly hack down on Yu Luocha’s skull and smash it to pieces, but it suddenly slanted sideways and slipped to her side. Not knowing what really happened, he was greatly confused.

Tie Feilong smiled and said, "Nichang's swordsmanship is truly the most amazing in the world; the move just now was very well executed! Even I would not have thought of using it." While saying that, he raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Seeing he was sweating profusely, Zhuo Yihang realized that Tie Feilong's anxiety was clearly not below his own.

Although Red Flower Demon Matriarch's crutch just now could have smashed Yu Luocha's skull, Yu Luocha took her chances by a counterattack. Her sword threatened the 'zhang men' vital acupoint on the Red Flower Demon Matriarch's side. If Red Flower Demon Matriarch did not avoid the attack, both of them would perish together. Therefore, although the iron crutch was only less than five cun [approx. 5 inches] away from the crown of Yu Luocha's head, she had no choice but moved the crutch sideways to evade the blade of Yu Luocha's sword.

After this dangerous exchange, Red Flower Demon Matriarch thought, "This baby girl's power is not as strong as mine; why should I risk perishing together with her? I'd better let her die of exhaustion." By using the Tai Yi Xuan Gong, she transferred her internal energy to her crutch, confining Yu Luocha to an area about a zhang in diameter; she could neither attack nor retreat!

Tie Feilong was a Jianghu veteran; the more he watched the battle, the more anxious he got. He mused, "Red Flower Demon Matriarch is very stable; by fighting like this, even if Chang'er's swordsmanship is more superb, she cannot hold on for too long." But based on his own skill, he could not simply step forward and break up the fight. Without any better option, he had to watch anxiously from the side.

Although Zhuo Yihang did not understand the subtlety of the battle, seeing Tie Feilong was drenched in sweat and Yu Luocha on the battle ground looking increasingly grim, he knew the situation was far from good. But if Tie Feilong was helpless to do anything, he was even more clueless on what to do, other than sharing his anxiety.

After thinking for a while, Tie Feilong suddenly remembered something; he clapped his hands forcefully. Zhuo Yihang was confused, he thought, "Has this old man gone mad?" He was even more anxious.

[SkyWalker]

Thanks for the update Foxs.

Can't wait for the next update and see how TFL will save YLC. The battle is intense!

[sainuu]

thanks. very good transltion.

[foxs]

Actually, if the two men watching from the side were crazy with anxiety, the two women fighting in the arena were also inwardly anxious. By using the Tai Yi Xuan Gong, Red Flower Demon Matriarch believed that she should achieve victory within fifty stances. Who would have thought that after staking everything she had for more than a hundred stances, despite she gaining the upper hand, Yu Luocha was still able to hold her ground. Fighting this kind of internal energy battle was most nerve-racking; Red Flower Demon Matriarch could not help but secretly feeling very upset. Even if she obtained a complete victory, she might also suffer a major setback.

After fighting for a long time, Yu Luocha was also feeling very nervous. Red Flower Demon Matriarch had constrained her from either attacking or retreating. She groaned inwardly, "Will I have to wait for death with hands and feet tied like this?" It was at this moment when she suddenly saw Tie Feilong clapping his palms. Yu Luocha's heart was stirred. She knew Red Flower Demon Matriarch's internal energy was very deep, so she did not dare to challenge her strength head-on. This time, to escape from mortal danger, she clenched her teeth and secretly unleashed her internal energy and pressed on. As soon as Red Flower Demon Matriarch's crutch struck, Yu Luocha swept her sword horizontally to parry. Sword and crutch collided; sparks flew everywhere. Yu Luocha was shaken and was pushed three steps back. Red Flower Demon Matriarch's stance was also shaken and she staggered two steps. She could not help but was extremely shocked!

After this one exchange, Yu Luocha's spirit was aroused! Red Flower Demon Matriarch's internal energy was not as abundant as she had imagined before. Immediately her sword's ray fluttered in the air, she was not afraid to crash into her iron crutch anymore. Red Flower Demon Matriarch was greatly surprised; she did not expect Yu Luocha's internal energy to be this deep!

This time Red Flower Demon Matriarch suffered a major defeat. Actually, Red Flower Demon Matriarch's power was indeed a lot stronger than Yu Luocha's. But she had fought Priest White Stone for more than 300 stances, and then having a palm strength contest with Tie Feilong. Because she was provoked to anger, she had used excessive strength, the level of her internal energy had decreased considerably. Otherwise, without even using the Tai Yi Xuan Gong, she would have been able to strike Yu Luocha's sword flying from her hand. Yu Luocha had gained a tremendous advantage without her even realizing it!

Only now did Tie Feilong finally let out a deep breath, while laughing inwardly. Turned out he went into the arena first, infuriated Red Flower Demon Matriarch, and destroyed the rock formation first before letting Yu Luocha took over, were all parts of his pre-arranged strategy. Yu Luocha did not understand Bagua formation, but she was extremely skilled in qinggong, therefore, after the rock formation was destroyed, she was able to fight Red Flower Demon Matriarch evenly.

Tie Feilong understood the significance of this battle, and also understood Yu Luocha’s tendency to always try to outdo others; thereupon he did not tell his plan to her beforehand so that her frame of mind would not be disturbed and she could devote her complete attention to the battle at hand. However, although Tie Feilong had planned everything thoroughly, when watching the battle between Yu Luocha and Red Flower Demon Matriarch, he could not help but feeling deep anxiety and heavy heart, for fear that Yu Luocha’s internal energy differed too far from Red Flower Demon Matriarch’s. It was not until he saw Yu Luocha risked a counterattack, the sword and the crutch crashed each other, and both sides were shaken that they staggered back, that Tie Feilong finally felt relieved.

In addition, Yu Luocha was able to defeat Red Flower Demon Matriarch’s entangle tactic. Her sword kept striking with exceptional ferociousness. Red Flower Demon Matriarch’s power had not yet diminished, her palm created strong gusts of wind, her iron crutch swept randomly, but she was always able to block Yu Luocha’s sword. The two of them using their internal energy in a staking-it-all battle; only the crutch’s shadow and the sword’s ray were visible, going back and forth, ‘Ding, ding, dang, dang!’ They fought an evenly matched battle.

The Red Flower Demon Matriarch had never imagined that with the prestige she had as a famous fighter of the present age, she was forced to fight evenly with this young girl. Amidst the intense battle they parted a little bit, suddenly she moved her left palm to protect her chest, while the iron crutch dragged down, opening up a hole in her defense line, as she jumped out of the arena.

Yu Luocha laughed tenderly, her foot kicked the ground and she flew up to strike down from above. Tie Feilong called out, “Chang’er, be careful!”

Red Flower Demon Matriarch waved her hand, three scarlet rays flashed, like a lightning the rays flew up. Yu Luocha had anticipated this attack, she somersaulted midair to evade while saying with a laugh, “What kind of cheap trick are you playing?” She had not finished speaking, her laughter had not subsided, the scarlet ray in front of her flashed, one round object suddenly slipped away and flew towards her mouth.

With her head down and her feet up, Yu Luocha quickly dropped down. Red Flower Demon Matriarch swept her crutch backhandedly. With the ‘sparrowhawk flips over the cloud’ Yu Luocha flipped in the air, her sword touched the crutch and she flew more than three zhang away. She landed on the ground and staggered a few steps back.

Zhuo Yihang was shocked, but Tie Feilong maintained his composure; he even showed a faint smile.

With full confidence Red Flower Demon Matriarch swept with her crutch again and again while step-by-step she pressed forward, trying to strike Yu Luocha’s chest. “You, this baby girl, have not admitted defeat yet,” she called out, “Are you waiting for your death?”

Yu Luocha’s shadow swayed and she escaped the strike. Again, Red Flower Demon Matriarch called out harshly, “You have been hit by my poisonous pearl, you will not live pass two hours. If you surrender immediately, I might save your life.”

Yu Luocha was still dodging here and there without paying her any attention. Red Flower Demon Matriarch mused, "This baby girl is so stubborn!" As she was about to grab, Yu Luocha suddenly spat out, a scarlet pear, as red as blood, flew out, followed by a sweep of her sword. Red Flower Demon Matriarch believed Yu Luocha was injured, hence she did not expect her movement was still this agile. 'Rip!' When she was hurriedly evading the attack, a piece of her sleeve was cut by the sword.

Yu Luocha laughed, "“You, this old witch, have not admitted defeat yet,” she called out, “Are you waiting for your death?”

What happened was: The red-blood pearl was actually a secret projectile unique to Red Flower Demon Matriarch's school, it was called the Scarlet Poisonous Pearl [chi du zhu]. The pearls were soaked in viper's blood until they absorbed the poison and the white pearls turned into as red as blood before they were taken out of the blood bath. The toxicity was matchless. Normally she would not use it easily. Luckily, the previous night Mu Jiuniang had used three red-blood pearls to warn Tie Feilong so that he was prepared. He told Yu Luocha to brew realgar [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realgar] and the others, and made some pills, which they put inside their mouths. Yu Luocha intentionally sucked one, and then at the least expected moment she spat it out to disturb Red Flower Demon Matriarch's concentration, while attacking her with her sword.

Red Flower Demon Matriarch was greatly angered, her iron crutch swept to shake Yu Luocha's sword. "Red Flower Demon Matriarch!" Tie Feilong called out, "Don't you have any face?"

Red Flower Demon Matriarch did not say anything; her iron crutch kept sweeping. "Old Witch," Yu Luocha said with a cold laugh, "What other trick are you playing?" Brandishing her sword like a storm, like a tiger leaping or an eagle soaring, ‘swish, swish, swish!’ her entire body, from head to toe, was shrouded in cold rays of the sword.

As Red Flower Demon Matriarch retreated several steps, she suddenly leaped up while shaking her dragonhead crutch forcefully. Yu Luocha’s left hand pinched the tip of her sword, which was held horizontally by her right hand. ‘Dang!’ Red Flower Demon Matriarch’s dragonhead crutch changed its direction. Suddenly the head of the staff ejected a shining sharp blade, at least one foot long.

In a battle between the masters, every single movement was calculated carefully so that each step was a hundred percent accurate. Actually, Yu Luocha was in the position where the crutch would not be able to reach, unexpectedly a blade suddenly appeared on the head of enemy's crutch. Yu Luocha's sword was extended out and there was no way that she could pull back. Red Flower Demon Matriarch movement was extremely swift, as the crutch reached out, the chilling cold blade had already reached the pit of Yu Luocha's stomach!

[foxs]

From the side, Tie Feilong could see everything clearly; he suddenly recalled the blade scar on the pit of Priest White Stone's stomach. With cold sweat gushing out of his body he flew into the arena, shouted loudly, "Don't you have any shame dealing with a younger generation in such a despicable manner?"

Red Flower Demon Matriarch's heart was shaken, but her movement was as fast as lightning or a spark of fire, she could not stop her hand, even if she wanted to. As soon as Tie Feilong's shadow arrived, he heard a blood-curling scream from the arena. When he had steadied his footing, he saw that Yu Luocha and Red Flower Demon Matriarch had already separated from each other. Yu Luocha looked at ease. With a cold laugh she said, "Come, come, come! Let us fight for another three hundred stances."

Tie Feilong was greatly amazed; not even in his wildest dream would he expect Yu Luocha to have such a superior ability, so much so that she was able to escape alive from this mortal danger!

Actually, it was not due to Yu Luocha's superb ability at all, but because of the superiority of Yue Mingke's gloves. When Red Flower Demon Matriarch's poisonous blade clearly about to pierce her chest, Yu Luocha, for lack of time to think or consider another course of action, dropped her left hand, which was originally pinching the tip of her sword, which was held horizontally in front of her chest. Red Flower Demon Matriarch blade pierced the center of her palm; the blade was bent, but was not able to penetrate the glove! Yu Luocha's sword was quick and nimble; while Red Flower Demon Matriarch was startled, Yu Luocha's arm circled up and flipped the sword in her hand to pierce Red Flower Demon Matriarch's shoulder blade!

"Very well!" Red Flower Demon Matriarch said with a bitter smile, "The latter waves of the Changjiang [Yangtze River] push the former waves. From now on, there will be no more a person with the name Red Flower Demon Matriarch in the Jianghu!" Stomping her crutch, she disappeared in flash!

With a chuckle Yu Luocha said, "These gloves are a real treasure!" Untying the robe covering her torso, the array of copper mirrors protecting her chest fell off to the ground, broken into countless small pieces. After taking two pills, Yu Luocha circulated her chi and laughed, "Fortunately there is no internal injury."

"Lian Jiejie! [older sister]" Zhuo Yihang called out with an alarmed look on his face.

Yu Luocha nodded. "Your Wudang Pai and I still have an account to be settled," she said, and she walked toward Priest White Stone.

After taking the medication, Priest White Stone felt considerably better. He stood up loftily, waiting for Yu Luocha to come near. As soon as Yu Luocha raised her sword, Zhuo Yihang called out, "What are you doing?"

With eyes open wide, Priest White Stone's hand also touched the hilt of his sword. Yu Luocha said, "Priest White Stone, you have been seriously injured, let us not have sword competition right now!"

Zhuo Yihang said, "Why must you have a sword competition?"

"Very well," Priest White Stone said, "I am going to wait for you on Mount Wudang in three years!"

With a cold laugh Yu Luocha replied, "I will definitely not disappoint you!"

While they were still talking, suddenly they heard voices from below the Mimo Cliff. Tie Feilong leaped down over the rock. He saw several people, a group of Eastern Faction Guards, surrounding a man, while a young woman was tied to a horseback, crying out until her voice was hoarse.

Priest White Stone's countenance suddenly changed. "Yihang, listen," with a trembling voice he said, "Isn't that E-Hua calling for me?"

"I can't hear clearly," Zhuo Yihang replied.

The mountain breeze carried the sound, which was getting closer and closer. Priest White Stone called out, "It's E-Hua, E-Hua!" Shaking his arm he jumped atop a large rock.

"Do you want to die?" Tie Feilong warned him.

After sustaining an injury, Priest White Stone's strength had not returned to its original level. Suddenly his legs went weak and he almost fell down from the cliff.

Tie Feilong quickly reached out with one hand and pulled him up. "Yihang," he called, "Take your Shishu back."

From underneath the cliff, more than a dozen guards climbed up the cliff, holding on to hanging rattan and dangling roots. Tie Feilong let out a long whistle, lifted up a few rocks and threw them down like rain. The men climbing up the cliff cried out in alarm and scattered to evade.

Tie Feilong waved his hand and said, "Quickly go!"

Zhuo Yihang carried his Shishu on his back, followed Yu Luocha down from the other side of the cliff. A moment later Tie Feilong also caught up with them, saying, "Old Freak Jin is really not a man; he provoked his stinky wife to entangle us, while secretly brought the Eastern Faction Guards to arrest people."

Yu Luocha hatefully said, "His stinky wife won't help him anymore. If he ever fall into my hand, I am going to teach him a lesson that he won't escape alive."

Three people traveled quickly that by twilight they had returned inside the city.

Zhuo Yihang said, "Tie Lao Qianbei [senior, elder], please come with us to the Martial Art Instructor Liu's residence." Priest White Stone had stayed at Liu Ximing's house.

Yu Luocha laughed, "Since we are doing good deeds, we might as well do it until the end. Your Shishu has suffered a serious injury; we are going to escort him home, safe and sound." Priest White Stone shot her a disdainful look, he was so angry that he could not speak.

Seeing Priest White Stone sustained a heavy injury with Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha escorting him back, Liu Ximing was very shocked. The Wudang disciples were itching for a fight; they stood up one after another.

Yu Luocha laughed and said, "It has nothing to do with me."

Tie Feilong immediately narrated how Priest White Stone was injured by the Red Flower Demon Matriarch, and added, "Fortunately I have prepared the antidote, which he had already taken. His foundation in internal strength is quite good, after three days he may be able to walk again, and after a month he might recover completely."

Listening to Tie Feilong reasonable explanation, some Wudang disciples came forward to express their gratitude. Priest White Stone looked extremely awkward. "Yihang, take me inside," he said.

Two disciples came forward to report, "Shimei [younger martial art sister] and Li Shixiong [older martial art brother] went out to observe the battle, didn't they meet Shishu?"

Priest White Stone waved his hand, "Let's talk inside." Turning to Tie Feilong he said, "I was forced to take your antidote."

Tie Feilong only smiled faintly. Priest White Stone continued, "But I have received your kindness nonetheless. Our Wudang Pai always distinguishes gratitude and grudges clearly. Your great kindness will be repaid."

Yu Luocha said with a smile, "I don't have any kindness toward you. After you are recovered, you can challenge me for a sword competition anytime."

Zhuo Yihang and his martial brothers took their Shishu inside to rest. Liu Ximing laughed and said, "This Taoist Priest is very proud, he is not willing to lose face no matter what. His Shixiong Purple Sun was modest, frank and simple, he was totally unlike him."

Tie Feilong only smiled without saying anything. Liu Ximing continued, "We have heard two days ago that Red Flower Demon Matriarch has entered the capital, but we did not know for what reason. Turned out she was looking to settle her account with you."

Something was stirring in Tie Feilong’s heart, he opened his mouth, but in the end he swallowed the words. After all, Liu Ximing and Tie Feilong were only casual acquaintance, they had not made good friends yet, so it was inconvenient for him to ask anything.

After a moment, Zhuo Yihang came out and said, “Shishu is not able to move freely, he asked me to send the guests off.”

Tie Feilong laughed out loud, “Even if you don’t send me off, I will still leave.”

Liu Ximing was rather displeased; he was hoping he could take this opportunity to make friends with Tie Feilong, yet Priest White Stone had robbed his pleasure of being the host. However, he was obliged to guard Wudang Pai’s sentiment and face, besides, Priest White Stone was his old friend; therefore, he felt it was inappropriate for him to interject. He raised his cupped fists and bade Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha goodbye.

Zhuo Yihang walked them out the door and said, “My Shishu is being unreasonable, I wish Tie Lao Qianbei would excuse his behavior.”

“Well said, well said,” Tie Feilong replied, “Your Shishu must have instructed you to convey his message to us.”

[missouri.slim]

I am in seven day work weeks and my son is sick so I don't get to check in very often to say thank you, so here it is

Thanks Foxs, Han Solo, and of course Faerie Queenie.

Just because I am not following it right now doesn't mean I am not eagerly awaiting the chance to read it later.

Keep it up and I will thank you more when things calm down here in Ohio.

Missouri.slim

[foxs]

Thank you, SkyWalker, Sainuu and Slim. I have been very busy lately and did not spend much time on this forum. Don't worry, Slim. I will not think less of you even if you did not stop by to say thanks . Hope your son is well.
----------------------------------------------

Zhuo Yihang’s face suddenly turned red. Turned out in front of all disciples, his Shishu had said that although Tie Feilong had shown him kindness, Yu Luocha was their school’s archenemy; therefore, every Wudang Pai disciple was forbidden to associate with Yu Luocha. Although he said this as a general admonition for everybody, Zhuo Yihang understood that the warning was directed to him alone. The idea behind asking Zhuo Yihang to send off the guests was so that he could bid Yu Luocha farewell.

Yu Luocha laughed softly and said, “Although you don’t say it, I understand. In short he does not allow you to get close to me. I am not scared of him, are you scare of being close to me?”

Zhuo Yihang blushed from ear to ear. "Chang'er," Tie Feilong said with a laugh, "Your mouth has no restriction whatsoever; you embarrass him like that."

Zhuo Yihang hesitated a moment before he suddenly said, "Lian Jiejie, I have something I'd like to talk with you."

Tie Feilong moved several steps away. Yu Luocha replied, "Please speak."

Zhuo Yihang said, "My Shishu has a daughter, who was captured by the Eastern Faction Guards. My Shishu is seriously injured, and we can't find people with particularly superior ability in Beijing ..."

Yu Luocha laughed, "Therefore, you want us to find a way on your behalf."

"Exactly," Zhuo Yihang said, "If you can rescue his daughter, this enmity can be forgotten."

Yu Luocha said, "Your Wudang Pai's elders, although they are not bad, their appearances are disgusting. They don't like me, and I want to challenge them."

Zhuo Yihang was silent. Yu Luocha suddenly said, "That daughter of your Shishu, is she pretty?"

Zhuo Yihang replied, "Of course she can't be compared to Lian Jiejie."

Yu Luocha smiled, "She is not bad, is she?" she pressed.

Zhuo Yihang replied, "Compared to most women, she can be considered good-looking."

Yu Luocha seemed to think, suddenly her countenance sank, "Tell me the truth: Isn't your Shishu thinking of betrothing his daughter to you?"

"He has not said anything," Zhuo Yihang stammered.

"You are not a dummy," Yu Luocha said, "Don't tell me you cannot see through his real intention?"

Zhuo Yihang did not have any choice but said, "I think ... perhaps there is such wish on his part."

Yu Luocha laughed coldly. Zhuo Yihang said in low voice, "I will never forget Jiejie."

Yu Luocha's heart jumped. It was the first time Zhuo Yihang had ever expressed his feeling toward her. Zhuo Yihang continued, "But our Wudang Pai has a very strict rule ..."

With raised eyebrows Yu Luocha said, "What? Are you scared?"

Zhuo Yihang said, "Even if we cannot be together, I will never forget you even to the corner of the ocean or the end of the earth. I, I will never marry for the rest of my life." Toward the end of his speech, he was so downcast that his voice became unintelligible.

Yu Luocha was disappointed, she thought, "Totally useless. He deals with problem with such timidity and indecisiveness, being afraid of the head, afraid of the tail; totally neither bold nor swift."

Seeing the change in Yu Luocha's face, Zhuo Yihang sighed and said, "I know I am being presumptuous. My Shishu has offended you, yet I am asking you to save his daughter."

Yu Luocha turned her gaze toward the sunset glow with a tumultuous heart. On one hand, she hated Zhuo Yihang's wishy-washiness, but on the other hand she thought: 'he likes me'. So she was a little bit comforted.

After he spoke, Zhuo Yihang stole a glance toward her face. Yu Luocha raised her eyebrows. "We have come across each other in vain ..." she said suddenly. Zhuo Yihang heart was shaken. "Bad! Really bad!" he mused.

Yu Luocha continued, "Practically you do not understand me at all." How could Zhuo Yihang guess whether she was happy or mad? He chose to stay silent.

Yu Luocha continued, "I don't want to curry Priest White Stone's favor, but I can promise you this: I will definitely rescue your Shimei for you."

Zhuo Yihang was delighted; he bowed and cupped his fists to express his gratitude. But suddenly he quietly said, "If you are successful in rescuing her, please don't say that I ask you to do it. My Shishu ..."

"I know, I know," Yu Luocha was indignant, "Your Wudang Pai has never asked anybody any favor. You are afraid of violating your school's rule! All right, you may go back!"

In her anger Yu Luocha sent Zhuo Yihang away, but looking at his back as he walked into the vermillion door, she inwardly regretted.

Tie Feilong came over and asked, “What did he say?”

“Nothing,” Yu Luocha’s laughed was hollow. Two people hurried back to West Mountain where they stayed.

Yu Luocha was quiet the whole journey. It was not until they arrived at the Ling Guang Temple [Temple of Divine Light] did Yu Luocha finally said, “Father, I need a favor from you.”

“Tell me,” Tie Feilong said.

Yu Luocha said, “We, father and daughter, must rescue Priest White Stone’s daughter.”

Knitting his eyebrows, Tie Feilong said, “You and Yue Mingke have made disturbance and turned the palace upside-down, and now you want to walk into a trap again?”

Yu Luocha said, “I gave my words to someone.”

Tie Feilong sat quietly, lost in thought. After quite a while he suddenly exclaimed, “I got it. We don’t have to enter the palace to save her.”

Yu Luocha delightfully said, “Father is so smart.”

Tie Feilong said, “I also do not have full confidence, but we just have to try. Tomorrow, you and I are going to visit Long Dasan.”

Let us now return to He E-Hua. She wanted to come with her father, but her father harshly forbade her; she was very upset. After Priest White Stone left, He E-Hua quietly found Li Feng and persuaded him to come with her to Mimo Cliff. Li Feng was the leader of Wudang disciples in Beijing. He actually did want to go, but because of Priest White Stone’s order, he did not dare to disobey. He E-Hua’s invitation was exactly what he was expecting. Thereupon the two of them sneaked out the city wall, and walked for an hour toward the West Mountain.

Suddenly Li Feng said, “There seem to be two men following us.”

He E-Hua quickly turned around to look, and sure enough, she saw two men. The first was a middle-aged man, over forty years of age, the other was a young man around twenty, his face was quite handsome; she seemed to have seen him somewhere else. They were talking and laughing, as if they were talking about Li Feng and her.

He E-Hua’s heart was stirred, “Are you familiar with the roads around here?” she asked Li Feng.

Li Feng laughed. “I grew up in Beijing, why would I not familiar?” he said.

He E-Hua said, “Then, let’s take another road to shake them off.” Not too long afterwards they had arrived at the West Mountain.

The West Mountain had three beautiful peaks: Cui Wei Peak (http://photo.cts2008.com/Photo/119462), Lu Shi Peak (http://beijing.d0086.com/slm/shijingshan/tkm/jdms/jq100.shtml) and Ping Po Peak (http://big5.ctrip.com/community/PhotoUpload/ShowPhoto.asp?ID=7398&pID=7398). To go to the Mimo Cliff, actually they should head north from the Bao Zhu Cave [precious pearl] of the Ping Po Peak. But Li Feng took a detour over the foot of the Cui Wei Peak.

They unleashed their qinggong around the woods and over mountain streams. After walking for a while, the two men behind were no longer in their sight. Li Feng said, “Probably I was overly suspicious, those two men are not following us.”

They slowed down their pace, but suddenly they heard voices talking and laughing again. He E-Hua turned around to look again and saw those two men were climbing the hillside.

“Shimei,” Li Feng said, “Those two fellows are intentionally following us.” His hand groped the hilt of his sword.

He E-Hua said, “Don’t fight yet, let us wait a moment.”

At the peak, again they made a detour via a narrow mountain path. The two men following behind were sometime fast, sometime slow, sometimes they seemed to be pursuing, another time they seemed to be walking leisurely. In a short time they had covered about three, four li. Those two men were still following close behind.

Li Feng was angry. "Let them taste a bit of me!" He suddenly halted his steps.

Those two men were quite fast; when Li Feng suddenly stopped, he felt a gust of wind very close to his body. He quickly ducked and 'whoosh!' they flew over his head.

"Hey!" the middle-aged man turned around and said, "Where are you going?"

Li Feng was indignant. "Why are you following us?"

The man smiled. "So you can take this road but we cannot? Young fellow, why are you so impatient?"

Taking a step forward, he reached out to pat Li Feng's shoulder. Li Feng's arms were shaken. "Go away!" he bellowed. Who would have thought that as soon as he touched the man's body, a burst of strong force bounced back to him.

In his anger, Li Feng drew out his sword. He E-Hua anxiously said, "Don't fight." She asked, "Where are you two going?"

"We are just going to ask you!" the man replied.

Such is: the West Mountain visitors ran into each other at the expense of the seemingly familiar suspicion.

[Han Solo]

Hi all,

Need some help with certain phrases.

书接前文 - What is the best translation for this phrase?

[SkyWalker]

Thank you for the update. You're doing a great job of continuing this translation!

Yu Luocha was disappointed, she thought, "Totally useless. He deals with problem with such timidity and indecisiveness, being afraid of the head, afraid of the tail; totally neither bold nor swift."

Zhuo Yihang is such a weak man and even YLC acknowledges that yet she still loves him. I guess this is what one would call blind love. She totally deserves someone better. She wouldn't be so disappointed if she liked YMK instead. For a such a great woman to fall in love with such an undeserving man as ZYH, it's no wonder her life ended on such sad terms.

[foxs]

Chapter 16
Father and son in joyful reunion,
Retiring commander,
Loyal man and traitor cannot coexist,
Returned secret manual.
(Translated by Foxs, Edited by Han Solo)

Li Feng indignantly held his sword horizontally across his chest. He Ehua quickly replied truthfully, “We are going to Mimo Cliff. What about you?”

When He Ehua was talking to the middle-aged man, the younger man looked at her closely. “Are you by any chance Ehua Meimei?” he called out suddenly.

He Ehua turned her head and exclaimed delightedly, “Are you Shenshi Gege(1)?”

The young man jumped up happily. Forgetting propriety, he pulled Ehua’s hand and said, “I’ve never thought you would grow this tall.”

“Well, what about you?” He Ehua replied, “You and I were almost the same, but now you are half a head taller than me.”

The middle-aged man laughed aloud. The young man suddenly brought back to the present situation and realized that they were not children anymore, so he hastily released her hand.

Li Feng returned his sword into its sheath. "Ha," he said, "So you two knew each other?"

"Not only know," He Ehua said, "We grew up together. He is my cousin(2)."

The young man was called Li Shenshi, he was Priest White Stone's little sister, He Qixia's (3) son, born to her before she left home to become a Buddhist nun, from her marriage with Li Tianyang.

Li Tianyang coveted riches and honor, and therefore he divorced his wife to remarry another woman. He Qixia then went to Taishi Mountain to become a nun. Priest White Stone sent his two daughters to her, who by this time had changed her name to Ci Hui(4), to be raised. Li Shenshi and He Ehua were of the same age, so they were indeed childhood sweethearts(5).

Because of her failed marriage, unavoidably Ci Hui Shitai poured a bit more love on her only son than she should, therefore, although since their childhood, Li Shenshi and He Ehua trained martial arts together, Li Shenshi’s advancement always fell behind that of He Ehua. Ci Hui Shitai too became aware of the ancient principle of teaching. Hence, when Li Shenshi was twelve years old, she sent him to her old friend, Long Xiaoyun to be his disciple.

This Long Xiaoyun was Emei Pai’s secular disciple, who more than twenty years ago, along with his rival Li Tianyang, proposed to He Qixia. Following his defeat, he went far away and did not return to see He Qixia until she had become a nun, when he finally went to Mount Taishi to look for her.

Actually, by trusting her son to him, Ci Hui Shitai had another deep meaning. At that time Ci Hui Shitai told him, “When my son finishes his study, you may bring him back here and see me.”

Long Xiaoyun readily agreed, and thus he took Li Shenshi going up the Emei Mountain, and painstakingly trained him for seven years. During these seven years, although he sent news to her every once in a while, but he and Ci Hui Shitai had never seen each other.

The pair of children, He Ehua and Li Shenshi, was childhood sweethearts; they were innocent, and had always been good to each other. Ci Hui Shitai also had the intention of after he was done with his study, to bring up the subject of marriage to her older brother.

Unfortunately Priest White Stone had a different idea. When he was little, Li Shenshi’s advancement in martial art training was slow; apparently he was not a smart kid. Besides, not only Zhuo Yihang was the best among the second generation Wudang disciples, Zhuo Yihang also came from an aristocratic family, with prominent moral standing and good mannerism, highly skilled in both the pen and the sword, which was even harder to come by. On top of all those superior qualifications, Priest Purple Sun had appointed him as his successor, as the Wudang Pai’s future Sect Leader. It should be noted that Wudang Pai was the most prestigious school of the present age; so if he became the Wudang Pai’s Sect Leader, he could be considered as the de facto leader of the Wulin world.

Therefore, when Priest White Stone wanted to choose a fine son-in-law for his beloved daughter, naturally he thought about Zhuo Yihang. Without thinking whether the two people’s temperaments compatible or not, he pushed the two of them to be close to each other, so much so that it had given birth to many incidents.

Returning to He Ehua and Li Shenshi, they were very happy to see each other again, and immediately chatted for a while before remembering about the middle-aged man. “We have not consulted this Qianbei(6),” she said.

Long Xiaoyun laughed out loud. “He is my Shifu,” Li Shenshi said.

“Turns out it’s Uncle(7) Long,” He Ehua said, “Please forgive your niece’s memory for being too short.”

Long Xiaoyun said, “Seven years ago, when I met your Aunt(8), you were only a child. No wonder you do not remember.” Mentioning He Ehua’s aunt, Long Xiaoyun became unconsciously low-spirited.

“Auntie often speaks about both of you,” He Ehua said.

“Is your Auntie well?” Long Xiaoyun asked.

“Very well,” He Ehua replied. Seeing he was downcast, she promptly changed the subject, “Where are you going?” she asked.

“Same as you,” Li Shenshi replied, “We are also going to the Mimo Cliff.”

Long Xiaoyun said, “We heard your father is having a sword duel with Yu Luocha, thereupon we are trying to catch up with him.”

“We arrived a couple of days ago,” Li Shenshi explained, “and want to go sight-seeing for several days before heading to Taishi Mountain to see you. Yesterday, Uncle Long came across a Wulin friend, an escort from Chang’an(9), who told us that Uncle(10), along with you and some Zhuo Yihang, have also arrived at the capital. He also said that Uncle is going to have a sword duel with some female demon head called Yu Luocha today at noon at Mimo Cliff. I suspected that you would certainly come, and sure enough, we run into you here. Is this Zhuo Xiong(11)?”

When mentioning ‘Zhuo Yihang’, Li Shenshi’s heart was sour, hence the reason he called him ‘some Zhuo Yihang’; but after he did, he realized he was being very disrespectful. He mistook Li Feng for the ‘some Zhuo Yihang’, and thus his face was burning with embarrassment, therefore, he hastily consulted his identity.

He Ehua laughed and said, “This is my Shixiong Li Feng, the leader of Wudang Pai disciples in Beijing.” And so Li Shenshi was relieved.

The four of them traveled together turning around from Cui Wei Peak going down. Li Feng said, “In a little bit we will reach the Lu Shi Peak; Mimo Cliff is on the Lu Shi Peak.”

Long Xiaoyun looked up and saw the sun was right above their heads; he said anxiously, “By this time, they must have started the duel.”

“What kind of character is that Yu Luocha?” Li Shenshi asked, “I don’t believe her swordsmanship is superior to my Jiujiu’s!”

“I heard she is only twenty something young woman,” Long Xiaoyun replied, “Her swordsmanship is vicious beyond compare, but I have never seen it myself.”

He Ehua said, “Zhuo Shixiong is very familiar with her, that’s the reason my father did not allow me to come and took him along instead.”

After walking a bit longer, they saw magnificent peaks towered ahead, some looked like tigers, some looked like lions. The four of them walked into a valley. Li Feng pointed toward a peak that looked like a lion ahead of them and said, “That is Mimo Cliff. You see below that peak there is a piece of flat land, like it is extending out from the mouth of the lion. I am sure they are having the sword duel on that place.”

He had just finished speaking when from among the scattered heaps of rocks suddenly jumped out four men and shouted, “Who’s going to the Mimo Cliff?”

“Ah!” He Ehua suddenly cried out while looking at the shouting man, who was about forty-some years old with a rather impressive appearance. It was the man who the other day went up the Taishi Mountain, looking for her Auntie. Later on He Ehua found out that this man was her Auntie’s former husband, the commander of the Beijing’s Imperial Bodyguards(12), Li Tianyang.

1. From the way they addressed each other, it can be deduced that their relationship was more than casual acquaintances. For this reason, I decided to keep it as Meimei and Gege, rather than following Faerie Queenie's approach of Sister and Brother.
2. Orig. Biaoge - maternal cousin.
3. Lit. 'beautiful red cloud'.
4. See also note 1 of Chapter 9.
5. Literal translation: 'green plum and bamboo (toy) horse'.
6. Senior, older generation.
7. Orig. bobo - father’s elder brother.
8. Orig. gugu – father’s younger sister.
9. Modern day Xi’an, the capital of China during the Tang Dynasty.
10. Orig. jiujiu – maternal uncle.
11. 'Brother', general term.
12. Orig. Jin Yi Wei - ‘Brocade Clothes Guard’. See also note 14 of Chapter 1.

[Fighting_Wind]

I LOVE YOU FOX! <3333333333333333333333 THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! *bows dow

It has come at last! YAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Btw Thank you XD

[foxs]

You are welcome. Glad somebody is excited about it.
------------------------------------------------------------

While Li Tianyang was also startled; Long Xiaoyun had already said coldly, “Official Li (13), you must be very busy with official matters, why do you care whether we are going to Mimo Cliff of not?”

“Long Xiong,” Li Tianyang replied, “It’s been twenty years, I have repeatedly inquired about you, but did not hear anything, truly I was very concerned.”

Long Xiaoyun laughed with his face toward the sky and then said, “A man of mountain and fields unexpectedly has caused Official Li to be concerned, truly a crime deserving ten thousand deaths.”

While they were still talking, from either side of the hill the ambushing Eastern and Western Faction Guards appeared one after another. Turned out after inciting his wife to battle Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha at the Mimo Cliff, Jin Duyi was thinking of deploying his people to the battle scene to render their assistance. However, Red Flower Demon Matriarch’s temperament was peculiar, she had stated that if some people help her in battle, she would withdraw without giving it another thought. Therefore, Jin Duyi did not dare to go up the Mimo Cliff. However, he was swayed by his personal gain or losses; in one hand, he believed his wife’s martial art skill was far above Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha’s, on the other hand, he was afraid left on her own, she did not have enough will-power and thus might let the enemies escape. Thereupon he consulted Murong Chong.

Murong Chong was the captain of the Eastern Faction Guards, he was precisely Wei Zhongxian’s diehard crony. As he listened to Jin Duyi’s plea, he knitted his brows and said, “That your worthy wife is willing to leave the mountain to render her assistance; naturally nothing can be better. However, Yu Luocha and Tie Feilong obviously belong to Xiong Tingbi’s party. That day at the Yang Lian household we have suffered a humiliating defeat, could it be that Lao Xiong(14) has forgotten about it?”

“They are all Wulin world’s famous characters,” Jin Duyi replied, “During battle, neither side would allow third party’s intervention. With his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the border defense, it’s impossible for Xiong Manzi(15) to appear personally and join the battle.”

Murong Chong laughed coldly, “I did not expect you are such an honest and considerate person. Naturally Xiong Manzi won’t come, but since Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha are Xiong Tingbi’s henchmen, their companions must be many. Who can guarantee that Tie Feilong won’t prepare an ambush himself?”

“What would you suggest, then?” Jin Duyi said, “That stinky wife of mine’s temperament is peculiar, if we show up to help, she would indeed wash her hands and leave.”

Murong Chong said, “Among the Xiong Tingbi’s henchmen, only Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha are the fiercest and most difficult to be dealt with, and your wife is going to handle them. The rest is easy. We also have many masters, which we will place in the vicinity of Mimo Cliff in ambush. I expect Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha are not your wife’s match, but they are two against your wife one; although they might not score victory, it is still possible for them to escape. We prepare the ambush outside, as soon as they come out, we are going to capture them alive. By that time they must already be exhausted and weary; if your wife would wash her hands and pay no more attention, we can also deal with that. This is number one.”

Jin Duyi laughed and added, “If they also have some helpers, then we scoop them in a net of ambush. This is number two, is it not?”

Actually, Jin Duyi was fully aware of Tie Feilong’s temperament; he knew Tie Feilong would never have any helpers. He offered that view because one, he simply followed the tone Murong Chong’s voice, and two, Jin Duyi hated Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha very much, so if Murong Chong’s plan worked, it would also be very advantageous to him. Murong Chong was in the process of rising in power, he still had lowly people’s mentality in a noblemen’s capacity; furthermore, because he suffered a major defeat at Yang Lian’s house, he mistook Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha as Xiong Tingbi’s henchmen. Therefore, he wanted to wholeheartedly be a ‘worthy loyalist’ for his master Wei Zhongxian by eliminating this big trouble of his rival’s trusted aides.

Jin Duyi also asked, "If there are Wudang Pai people come to meddle, what shall we do?"

Murong Chong replied, "Last time we failed within sight of success. Other than Tie Feilong and Yu Luocha, whom we are not able to match, that thief Taoist White Stone also came to help, leading a large group of Wudang disciples, which brought about our defeat. Although Wudang Pai is an orthodox school of the Wulin world with vast network of friends, if they do not know good from bad, we will not care too much about them. In short, we capture whoever comes."

After pausing for a moment, he continued, "This time we are going to add several more masters. We may want to also invite Imperial Guards' commander Li Tianyang, Shi Hao, the Western Faction Guards' commander Lian Chenghu, and the others, to come along."

The Special Agents of the Ming Dynasty were organized into Eastern Faction, Western Faction, and Imperial Guards, three autonomous units. During the latter years of Shen Zong, because Wei Zhongxian took control of the Eastern Faction Guards, it enjoyed the greatest power among the three. Officially, Murong Chong was "inviting" Li Tianyang and the others; but because they wanted to curry Wei Zhongxian's favor, naturally nobody refused.

The book meets the forewords. Returning to Li Tianyang: while he was still talking to Long Xiaoyun, Murong Chong and Jin Duyi appeared, leading their troops. Murong Chong shouted, "No matter who, arrest everybody who is going to the Mimo Cliff, we'll talk about it later!"

Being over-zealous in front of the newly rising commander, plus because he wanted to curry Wei Zhongxian's favor to secure his position, Li Tianyang's face changed instantly and he said, "Forgive me Long Xiong, please follow Xiao Di(16) to the Imperial Guards Headquarters!"

Long Xiaoyun angrily scolded, "What a shameless lackey, truly Qixia has married the wrong man!"

Since Li Tianyang already had animosity toward Long Xiaoyun, he dropped his facade immediately and with a cold laugh thrust his sword toward Long Xiaoyun. Two swords collided, 'Bang!' His hand was shaken that his palm was hot.

For many years on Mount Emei Long Xiaoyun diligently cultivating and painstakingly training his martial art skill, which was by now quite considerable. Twenty years ago, Li Tianyang's martial art skill was higher, yet by now it was already pale in comparison. Shi Hao rushed forward to help, but Li Shenshi drew his sword to block him.

Seeing this youngster, Li Tianyang had a vague feeling that he had seen this face before. Somehow, a chill pierced straight into his heart. When he was about to shout to inquire, Murong Chong and Jin Duyi's shadows very swiftly shot in from the hillside! Li Tianyang turned his body sideways to evade the sword and then dashed away to let Murong Chong face the enemy.

Li Shenshi and He Ehua had also fought the Guards. Li Tianyang mused, "This baby girl is Priest White Stone's daughter, she must not be killed." He also thought, "Priest White Stone and I are in-laws; but it is inconvenient for me to let Murong Chong know."

He Ehua sword was swift and fierce; ‘shua, shua!’ it went straight toward a Guard. Li Tianyang shouted, “Let me have her!” while brandishing his sword toward He Ehua. She did not know his intention, but she hated him for making her aunt suffer. Therefore, disregarding family relationship, she launched her best move, the Jade Maiden Throws the Shuttle(17), the sword pierced his shoulder and pared his wrist. It was a vicious and swift move.

Li Tianyang was taken by surprise and was almost hit, but after all, his martial art skill was a lot higher compared to He Ehua's. With a horizontal sweep of his sword, he blocked He Ehua's sword and smoothly pulled it back. He Ehua was pulled forward by her own momentum, while Li Tianyang leaped several steps backward. Before she was able to steady her footing, he leaped forward to catch her and sealed her acupoint. Li Shenshi was greatly shocked to see this, he fought furiously to push away the Guard in front of him, and then hastily pursued over trying to rescue her.

When Li Tianyang divorced his wife and married another woman, Li Shenshi was not even three years old yet. He Qixia did not want him to receive mistreatment from his stepmother, so two years after the divorce, she asked her brother to fetch his nephew and bring him to Mount Song. After fifteen years of separation, both father and son did not recognize each other.

13. Orig. Da Ren – ‘big/great man’, a term usually used by common people to address government officials.
14. 'old chap' – a form of address between male friends.
15. Lit. ‘Southern Barbarian’, an insulting term for south Chinese.
16. Little brother - referring to self.
17. The weaving-machine (loom) shuttle.