Legend of the White Haired Maiden

[Fighting_Wind]

Thank you foxs for the translation. Wow, you have a baby, poor you! (I hate kids and babies) =) Hope the mass of trouble is cute and brings you joy none the less. I can't believe you can do that AND translate this regularly at the same time.

XD ZYH only had 2 friends in his life.

[foxs]

Is your baby a boy or a girl foxs?

It's another boy. Fighting_Wind, I used to think the same (well, maybe not 'hate', but certainly not 'love' either), but it is quite different if the kids are yours.

Again, sorry for the delay folks. The good news is: I managed to accumulate some materials, so it looks like I will be able to post regular updates for the next several weeks.

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Restraining his anger, Wang Zhaoxi talked to them, but the more they talked, the more they realized the meeting had reached a deadlock. Wang Zhaoxi said, "Actually, we should cooperate to reach the common goal, together we attempt to achieve the important matter, it doesn't matter who will be the leader. However, since you wish to work separately, you should not seize any opportunity trying to gain the power. More importantly, we should not massacre one another! Since this is what you want, I have no choice but ask the heroes to make a joint decision the day after tomorrow."

Shen Dayuan rolled his strange-looking eyes, with a loud laughter he said, "Do you still think that you will be alive the day after tomorrow?"

Wang Zhaoxi indignantly said, "What do you think?"

Shen Dayuan said, "Little kid, when your father was still alive, he did not dare to criticize us like this. Since you dare to be rude, we'll invite you to go together with the Night Owl and Eagle-shooting-to-the-sky, just go happily and peacefully!"

"Do you dare?" Wang Zhaoxi shouted harshly.

Shen Dayuan let out a loud wild laughter and shouted back, "What makes you think I wouldn’t dare?" With a forward leap he swung his arm to grab Wang Zhaoxi's body. But Wang Zhaoxi was not an unskilled person, he dodged slightly and pulled out his sword. Shen Dayuan's palm chopped down, Wang Zhaoxi flipped his sword and pared away. Shen Dayuan laughed and said, "Little kid, what else can you do? Just show me all!" With a sudden and unexpected movement his body charged straight in, his left palm pushed the sword’s body sideways with his internal strength, his right palm went down to cut Wang Zhaoxi's knee followed by horizontal strike of his left palm toward his lower abdomen.

It was a stance from the Three-Style Wild Fox Fist. Shen Dayuan thought: 'Wang Jiayin's martial art skill is almost on par with mine, how high could his son's skills be? He definitely won't escape from this stance.' He did not know that Wang Zhaoxi was 'blue comes from indigo, but blue surpasses indigo'; he saw the sword in Wang Zhaoxi's right hand dropped down to intercept the attack on his knee, while his left hand formed a hook to catch the enemy's wrist. Simultaneously he launched two stances, one offensive the other defensive, with near perfect execution; it was exactly the stance to break Shen Dayuan's unique skill!

Shen Dayuan was slightly shocked, he no longer dared to underestimate the enemy. His hand, as big as a cattail fan, pushed aside, while like a halberd his left hand finger reached around Wang Zhaoxi's head to seal the dashing-to-the-sky acupoint on the back of his head. Hearing the gust of wind behind his head, Wang Zhaoxi ducked down, rotating his sword from the wrist, he went straight into Shen Dayuan’s line of defense, changing the stance to Black Tiger Rotates Its Tail, coiling and sweeping down at the same time.

“Good!” Shen Dayuan exclaimed, like a pinwheel his body turned, his hands turned into fists and palms indeterminately, with occasional finger poking to seal acupoints. All his stances were meant to kill, giving Wang Zhaoxi such a hard pressure that he was not able to take a breather.

These two men’s fierce combat had frightened the bats, squeaking noisily they flew out of the temple randomly; the dust rose up everywhere. On top of that, with the Shen brothers strange appearance, the situation appeared to be more dreadful, frightening to the eyes. Zhuo Yihang watched the fight for a moment, and saw that although Wang Zhaoxi's swordsmanship was very refined, in the end he still had to concentrate more in defense and less in offense. Shen Dayuan's palm technique was very strange, obviously his strike was not going to reach certain direction, but suddenly his attack changed toward that direction. Moreover, it was difficult to predict whether it was a real strike or a fake one, even Zhuo Yihang was not able to decipher the logic behind it.

After fighting for a while, Shen Dayuan intensified his offense, Wang Zhaoxi reduced the circle, his sword's ray danced like a long rainbow, protecting his body. Shen Yiyuan called out, "Gege, don't waste time, just finish him up!"

"Alright," Shen Dayuan said, "Use a heavy hand to strike his back."

These two brothers' martial art skills were identical. Normally, when they met a powerful enemy, they would always fight together. Tonight, however, since Wang Zhaoxi was a junior, only one of them fought. Who would have thought that although Shen Dayuan had spent considerable effort, although he gained the upper hand, he was involved in a long battle.

As soon as Shen Yiyuan joined the fight, immediately Wang Zhaoxi faced enemies in front of him and at his back; danger sprang up all around him. Wang Zhaoxi fought with everything he had, blocking the front and parrying the back, while striving to escape. Shen Dayuan laughed aloud and said, "Unless the mountain deity of this temple comes down to save you, don't even think of running away!" Sending his internal strength into his palm, he forced Wang Zhaoxi to retreat step by step, slowly toward the temple idol.

Shen Yiyuan's palm hacked down, when the wind of the palm arrived, the curtain behind the idol flew up, a streak of bluish light suddenly struck out like a lightning. Shen Dayuan found it was too late to resist, his ankle was cut by the sword. He only heard someone was laughing and saying, "The mountain deity has arrived!"

"Ah, Zhuo Xiong," Wang Zhaoxi exclaimed, "How come you are here?"

"Let's finish these two evil thieves first, then we can talk," Zhuo Yihang replied. His sword went straight toward Shen Yiyuan. Wang Zhaoxi also turned around and fought again, he stormed toward Shen Dayuan.

Shen Yiyuan recognized Zhuo Yihang, but he did not consider him worthy to be his adversary. Brandishing his left arm, he attempted to snatch Zhuo Yihang's sword; his right palm went straight in, followed by his left hand sweeping Zhuo Yihang's knee. Zhuo Yihang spun his body on his heel; although Shen Yiyuan's palm was unbelievably fast the fact that his chop missed shocked his heart. Right that instant Zhuo Yihang unleashed his sword technique, a bluish ray flashed, with the stance Riding the Dragon Leading the Phoenix, he seized the opportunity to counterattack. 'Shua! Rip!' a piece of Shen Yiyuan's sleeve was cut down. Luckily Shen Yiyuan's movements were very quick, otherwise the sword would have cut his wrist and bore through his abdomen.

Shen Yiyuan was furious, he waved his arm and all the joints of his bones were cracking, unexpectedly his arm lengthened by about two cun[14], his open palm turned into a spear hand, threatening the 'time-gate' acupoint on the side of Zhuo Yihang's body. It was the Shen Brothers' unique skill, it was strange beyond belief!

Actually, when martial art masters fight, oftentimes the difference between victory or defeat was only a hairbreadth; this attack should have been difficult for Zhuo Yihang to evade, luckily he had the benefit of being the spectator when he was watching the battle a moment ago. He knew the Shen Brothers possess such a strange martial art skill, therefore, he was completely on-guard early on, even when he gained an advantage, he did not pursue and attack. As soon as Shen Yiyuan launched this stance, like a tiger he sprung to the left to evade, while his sword pared down to neutralize the incoming force.

Over the past year Zhuo Yihang's martial art skill had advanced tremendously, his mastery of the Wudang's 72-Style of the Sequential-Linking Life-snatching Sword Skill had reached an unprecedented level, he was able to move the sword at will, just like it was an extension of his arm or hand, attacking or defending at his heart's desire, truly like flowing water or floating cloud, soaring and moving nimbly. Although Shen Yiyuan's martial art was strange, he was under so much pressure that very soon he was at a disadvantageous position.

On the other side, Shen Dayuan and Wang Zhaoxi were also entangled in a fierce battle. Shen Dayuan's power was very strong, his skill was also above Wang Zhaoxi's; however, his ankle was injured by Zhuo Yihang's sword just now, he was not able to step, shift, dodge, leap, as agile as he used to. As a result, Wang Zhaoxi was able to fight him evenly; not only that, he was also slowly pushed into a disadvantageous position.

After fighting for more than a hundred stances, the Shen Brothers realized tonight it would be difficult for them to prevail, hence a moment later they called to each other to turn around and flee. However, Wang Zhaoxi hated them for committing outrageous crimes, for destroying the Roaming King's project of paramount importance; he did not want to let them go, thereupon he charged two steps forward to guard the temple's gate, while increasing the power of his sword.

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[14] About 2 inches or 5 cm.

[SkyWalker]

Thanks for the update foxs! I've been waiting for it. Good to hear you'll be posting regularly now. Looking forward to it.

[foxs]

I am hoping some Chinese scholars will read this and will be willing to help me:

What exactly is 居士 (ju shi, 'ju – resident', 'shi' - scholar)? I did a bit of research and here is what I found:

In the earlier chapter (Chapter 4), Faerie Queenie translated it as 'Philosopher'.

In Ode to Gallantry, Huang Yushi translated it as 'Resident' (as in 'Resident of the Skyscrapping Cliff').

Interestingly, Bushido in Japanese is translated as 'the way of the warrior'. Bu - pinyin 'wu' (martial art), same Shi character as above, Do - pinyin 'dao' - way, as in Taoism.

So, what is the best translation of 'Ju Shi'?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

[Han Solo]

1. Congrats foxs

2. 居士 may mean scholar.

"Li Bai: Biography from Answers.com
He also may be known by the pseudonym Qinglianjushi (青莲居士), meaning Retired Scholar of the Azure Lotus. Furthermore, he has the nicknames Poet ..."

3. With the unabridged text, would you be filling in the bits that FaQ thought was too boring to translate?

Han Solo

[junny]

I am hoping some Chinese scholars will read this and will be willing to help me:

What exactly is 居士 (ju shi, 'ju – resident', 'shi' - scholar)? I did a bit of research and here is what I found:

In the earlier chapter (Chapter 4), Faerie Queenie translated it as 'Philosopher'.

In Ode to Gallantry, Huang Yushi translated it as 'Resident' (as in 'Resident of the Skyscrapping Cliff').

Interestingly, Bushido in Japanese is translated as 'the way of the warrior'. Bu - pinyin 'wu' (martial art), same Shi character as above, Do - pinyin 'dao' - way, as in Taoism.

So, what is the best translation of 'Ju Shi'?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

居士 - a lay Buddhist or hermit. As mentioned, also has scholarly connotations. See here.

As for bushido (武士道), the kanji for warrior or armsman is 武士 (bushi). This was a name given to ancient Japanese soldiers from traditional warrior families. The bushi class developed and formed powerful clans in the 12th century. Bushi is also a term preferred by samurai of the Kuge aristocratic class to refer to themselves, and bushido derived from that term.

I won't go into the etymology.

[foxs]

1. Thanks, Han.

2. Han and Junny: again, thanks. I was tempted to use literal translation of 'resident scholar', since either 'resident' or 'scholar' miss the other character. But 'a lay Buddhist' or 'hermit' makes a better sense. Yue Mingke became a Buddhist monk and not a Taoist priest, I am assuming it was because he followed his Shifu's lead. Moreover, his Shifu, Tian Du, was definitely a hermit. But the question remains: how to best convey the meaning of this 'ju shi' into English? Hermit Tian Du? (I feel 'Lay Buddhist Tian Du' does not sound too good )

3. That's the plan, Han. But don't hold your breath in waiting, it might takes a while.

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Shen Dayuan was quite inconvenienced by his injury, he could not jump, he could not charge out; he could only grit his teeth and fight fiercely. As for Shen Yiyuan, his situation was worse, he was enshrouded by Zhuo Yihang’s sword. The sword’s ray curled up, the sword’s shadow danced around, with Shen Yiyuan trapped in the middle, unable to escape at all!

While the Shen Brothers’s situation became more serious, suddenly they heard a flock of horses neighing outside the temple, followed by noisy chatter of people; apparently a group of people were dismounting their horses and rushing up the mountain slope.

Shen Dayuan angrily said, “Wang Zhaoxi, you are a junior; why don’t you keep your words and have people come here to ambush your old man?”

But Wang Zhaoxi was also thinking that those incoming people were sent by the Shen Brothers; hearing Shen Dayuan, he was stunned and shouted, “Aren’t they here to help you? Let’s stop fighting now, they must be the imperial army!” With a loud bang the temple gate shattered into smithereens, a dozen or more soldiers rushed in; their leader were unexpectedly Lian Chenghu and Jin Qianyan.

Actually, in Murong Chong’s absence, Lian Chenghu was promoted to be the Chief of the East Faction Guards. It was because of an urgent military situation that he was dispatched to the front, in his capacity as the inspector-general of the ‘raid-the-bandits army’. Jin Qianyan was Jin Duyi’s nephew. He did not dare to return home after Jin Duyi was killed by Yue Mingke, because Jin Qianyan was afraid of the Red Flower Demon Matriarch. Relying on his connections with the officers, he became a captain in the West Faction Guards. After Red Flower Demon Matriarch’s death, he was even more out of control. This time he also received the assignment to aid Lian Chenghu, who was supervising and directing Chen Qiyu’s operation in monitoring Wang Zhaoxi’s activities in the two provinces, thereupon he asked to be personally involved in the hunting and capturing of the criminal.

Lian Chenghu’s original intention was to capture Wang Zhaoxi only, hence he was pleasantly surprised to also see the Shen Brothers and Zhuo Yihang in the temple. He knew that the Shen Brothers were renowned bandits of the north; to be able to find them while hunting for Wang Zhaoxi was really an unexpected bonus for him. He also knew that Zhuo Yihang was the Sect Leader Disciple of Wudang Pai, therefore, although he knew that Zhuo Yihang was Wang Zhaoxi’s good friend, he was unwilling to sow enmity with Wudang Pai whose strength he knew so well. And thus as Wang and Zhuo had just stopped fighting with the two Shen brothers while the imperial soldiers rushed in, with a loud voice Lian Chenghu shouted, “This Zhuo Gongzi[15] is a good friend, don’t harm him. Seize those three evil thieves! Zhuo Gongzi, you’d better withdraw from the battlefield and go away quickly!”

Zhuo Yihang was furious, launching the stance Sword in the midst of Wind and Thunder, 'whoosh!' his sword cut horizontally in a powerful and swift motion. Lian Chenghu was caught off guard, his fingers were almost cut. "You don't want to listen to good advice, you will regret it!" he angrily said. Turning his pair of hooks around, he wrapped it around the blade of the sword.

In the meantime, Jin Qianyan led the soldiers to attack. "What should we do?" Shen Dayuan called out. Wang Zhaoxi replied, "Crossing the river in the same boat, we set aside our differences!" Brandishing his sword, he made the first move by attacking Jin Qianyan.

The Shen Brothers let out strange laughter and suddenly made their move; two captains of the East Faction Guards were grabbed and flung away, while they dashed toward the gate in an attempt to escape. There were quite a number of martial art masters among the incoming soldiers, seeing the Shen Brothers' vicious wolf-like power, they hastily blocked the exit.

Swords and halberds like a forest, sabers and spears danced in the air, immediately the four men were surrounded in the middle. Lian Chenghu's martial art skill was not weak at all, his pair of hooks turned, soared and revolved everywhere like a furious dragon or a frightened python; if Zhuo Yihang's martial art skill did not advance greatly, he would be hard-pressed just to keep up. Even with his current skill level, he could only ward off the attacks without any strength left to counterattack. Fortunately Lian Chenghu was interested in Wang Zhaoxi and not in Zhuo Yihang; in the tangled battle, oftentimes he would leave Zhuo Yihang to attack Wang Zhaoxi. But Zhuo Yihang stayed close to Wang Zhaoxi, they fought side-by-side, so even though Lian Chenghu continually launched killer attacks, he was not able to harm Wang Zhaoxi the least bit.

Wang, Zhuo, and the two Shen Brothers fought hard from midnight to almost dawn, they fought bravely with everything they had. However, with the prolonged battle, Shen Dayuan's injury was getting worse, he found it harder and harder to move around, so gradually he showed the sign of weariness. Lian Chenghu could see this and delightedly said, "Finish this evil thief first!" Leaving Wang and Zhuo, his pair of hooks reached out like a pair of scissors to cut Shen Dayuan's neck. Shen Dayuan roared, his right arm swept. 'Bang!' Lian Chenghu was hit on the shoulder by Shen Dayuan's unique skill, his shoulder blade broke in two sections, but Shen Dayuan was also hit by his hooks, a large piece of Shen Dayuan's skin and flesh was torn. Wang Zhaoxi was greatly shocked, 'shua! shua!' his sword cut across, followed by a straight thrust, and only then he was barely able to save Shen Dayuan from danger!

Receiving this additional injury, Shen Dayuan was getting weaker. Actually, among the four people, his martial art skill was the strongest, but now he had to rely on the other three to keep him safe. The crowd of soldiers could also see this situation, realizing they had gained the upper hand, the soldiers tightened their siege.

While the battle was raging, dawn had already come; suddenly there was a long and loud whistle from afar coming near, the whistle was deep and low, everybody was able to hear it clearly. Hearing the whistle, Wang Zhaoxi and Zhuo Yihang were delighted, they called out together, "Senior Tie is here!" Wang Zhaoxi added, "Shen Laoda, don't be discouraged, the one coming over is Tie Feilong, whose prestige has shaken the northwest region, we may be able to break through!" Wang Zhaoxi did not know that the Shen Brothers once had an enmity with Tie Feilong, they had suffered a major defeat under Tie Feilong's palms.

As soon as he heard the whistle, Lian Chenghu's countenance changed; he called out, "Quickly finish these few little thieves then we'll deal with the old thief together!" With strong gusts of wind his pair of hooks attacked ruthlessly!

Jin Qianyan's Venomous Palms of the Yin Winds was actually similar to the Shen Brothers' Wild Fox Fist, they were both heretical sects' martial art skill; just like fighting poison with poison, neither side gained an upper hand against the other. By this time Jin Qianyan was pressing Shen Yiyuan. The rest of the soldiers also intensified their attack; it appeared that very soon they would be able to kill Wang, Zhuo and the two Shen Brothers, four people.

The whistle was getting nearer, the Shen Brothers were identical twins, they shared the same thought, without consulting each other, they both thought, "Facing great calamity, it's only natural Wang Zhaoxi wanted to join hands with us to fight the enemy, but after the siege is over, who can tell if he won't change his mind? If he joins hands with the old thief Tie to deal with us, we, two brothers, would die without burial ground!"

These two Shen Brothers had the heart of lowly people in their gentlemen's bellies. They signaled each other with their eyes, and in the blink of an eye they both turned around and grabbed; Shen Dayuan grabbed Wang Zhaoxi, Shen Yiyuan grabbed Zhuo Yihang, while shouting loudly, "We help you! Quickly capture these men!"

This turn of events was beyond anybody's expectation. Lian Chenghu was stunned, and then he called out, "Good, good!"

In two big strides Shen Dayuan walked toward Jin Qianyan. Jin Qianyan thought the Shen Brothers had surrendered by betraying their friends to seek personal glory, and thus they were now on the same side, hence he did not guard against them at all. Who would have thought Shen Dayuan suddenly bellowed and stretched out his arm and managed to grab Jin Qianyan at the back of his neck. He lifted Jin Qianyan's body and used it as a weapon, turning it around like a whirlwind, while laughing aloud and said, "Your old men never surrender to anybody; brother, let's go!" And they broke through the encirclement!

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[15] Son of an official, a young nobility, young master.

[SkyWalker]

Thanks for the update foxs.

[foxs]

You are welcome!
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This chain of events occurred in the twinkling of an eye, the soldiers were cautious about attacking them for fear of harming their companion, so they stepped out of the way. By the time Lian Chenghu realized what had happened, the Shen Brothers had already outside the temple gate. Lian Chenghu was enraged, he lifted his pair of hooks up and struck it down toward Wang and Zhuo, two people. Wang and Zhuo were injured by the Shen Brothers's grab earlier, they were unable to move swiftly. Seeing the pair of hooks went down, they were powerless to evade.

In this instant, Zhuo Yihang suddenly leaned sideways, staggering as if he was about to fall, but the sword in his hand suddenly went up. On the surface it looked like a desperate attempt without any technique, who would have thought that as soon as Lian Chenghu's hook arrived, it was shaken and flew to the air, while the momentum of Zhuo Yihang's sword did not diminish, it continued moving from the direction Lian Chenghu did not anticipate. 'Stab!' the sword penetrated Lian Chenghu's left arm to the bone!

Lian Chenghu screamed in pain and hastily withdrew several steps back; the pain penetrated deep into his bones and marrow, immediately his left arm limped down. Not even in his wildest dream would he expect Zhuo Yihang's swordsmanship to be this exquisite, he could not help but feeling discouraged.

What happened was that the stance Zhuo Yihang was forced to launch in the dire circumstance was one of several sword techniques left behind by Dharma ancestor. The elders of Wudang Pai thought that the techniques were fragmented and appeared random, lacking any methodicalness; they had always thought that these techniques were impractical in a real battle. Yet Zhuo Yihang had spent considerable effort in practicing the moves to near perfection. Brazenly he tried the move and the result was beyond his expectation; indeed it was astonishingly amazing, the power was great, high above his imagination.

As his sword move was successful, Zhuo Yihang's courage increased suddenly. 'Shua! Shua!' he launched several stances, pointing to the east striking to the west, aiming to the south attacking to the north; in an instant he injured several more soldiers. Lian Chenghu was both shocked and angered, moving his pair of hooks, he protected his own chest with the left hook and blocked the enemy's attack with the right hook, carefully entering the battleground again.

Zhuo Yihang, after all, only knew several strange moves; several stances later, he was again forced to draw back. Although Lian Chenghu was injured, his martial art skill was still above Zhuo Yihang's, besides, Wang and Zhuo, two men, had also sustained some injuries; furthermore, they were heavily outnumbered, by relying on several strange moves, in the end it was difficult for them to stand. And so their situation became critical once more.

The sound of whistle outside the door rose up. Zhuo Yihang was greatly delighted, he stood his ground with all his might, thinking that Tie Feilong would arrive shortly. To his surprise, however, the whistle suddenly stopped, it vanished into the thin air. Leading his warriors, Lian Chenghu intensified their attack. Amidst the tangled battle, Zhuo Yihang's inner thigh was hit by a saber that he cried out in pain. Wang Zhaoxi anxiously called out, "Old Hero Tie, why aren't you here yet?" Lian Chenghu raised his double hooks like a pair of scissors to shear Wang Zhaoxi's wrists!

Back to Tie Feilong. He was a seasoned Jianghu warrior. Bai Min told him that Wang Zhaoxi would arrive two, three days before the meeting on Mount Zhongtiao, and possibly would come directly to his house. However, when Wang Zhaoxi did not arrive by the appointed time, he knew something was amiss; thereupon taking Bai Min and Ke Pingting along, they hastened for a day and a night, riding three stallions, taking only short breaks along the way, toward Mount Zhongtiao. Suddenly they saw a dozen or so horses grazing on the hillside. Tie Feilong dismounted and crouched down with his ear on the ground, he could hear the faint noise of battle on the hill. He said to Bai Min, "Wang Zhaoxi must have fallen into an ambush, we have come just in time!" Thereupon he let out a loud whistle to let Wang Zhaoxi know they were coming so that he would fight courageously.

The three of them left their horses and climbed up the hill, and saw the desolate temple in the wilderness; the battle noise came precisely from this temple. With a silly looking grin Bai Min said, "They do pick a good place to fight; the wilderness is wide open yet they do not fight outside, but chose to fight in the temple? Perhaps they want to scare the mountain spirits?" Ke Pingting blurted out a laughter. Bai Min asked, "Miss Ke, did I say something wrong?"

While still talking, they suddenly saw two men rushing out of the temple. "Let me stop them!" Tie Feilong called out. When he focused his attention, he recognized those two as the two freaks from the Shen family. Shen Dayuan even carried on his shoulder Jin Duyi's nephew, Jin Qianyan. Tie Feilong was indeed taken by surprise. With a harsh voice he asked, "Is Wang Zhaoxi inside?"

"What Wang Zhaoxi?" Shen Dayuan replied, "I don't know. We, two brothers were taking a shelter from the snow inside the temple and fell into an ambush; we had a hard fighting with a dozen captains of the East Faction Guards and the warriors sent by Chen Qiyu. We captured this man and were able to escape. Old Tie, right now are exhausted and weary, this is the best time for you to capture us to offer a meritorious deed to the government."

Tie Feilong was angry, "Rubbish!" he bellowed, "Do you think Old Tie is that kind of person? Who else is inside? How come the imperial troops did not come out to pursue you?"

With a big grin Shen Dayuan said, "Old Tie, do you think we, two brothers, are juniors who are easy to be dealt with? Although I received injury, we have also wounded a dozen or so of them. Right now they are tending to their dead and injured, even Jin Qianyan is captured by us, how can they dare to pursue us?"

Tie Feilong noticed that his ankle was bleeding and he was limping, plus they had indeed captured Jin Qianyan; he thought that these two brothers' martial art skill was not bad, so they seemed to be telling the truth. Since Wang Zhaoxi was not inside the temple, why would he give those wounded soldiers more trouble? Thereupon he halted his steps.

Shen Dayuan said, "Old Tie, since you are not going to capture us to offer a meritorious deed to the government, then, please excuse us, we want to go!"

"If you want to go, just go! No need to talk too much!" Tie Feilong said.

The Shen brothers swiftly run down the mountain. "Wait a moment!" suddenly Tie Feilong called out.

"What?" Shen Dayuan turned around and asked, "You change your mind?"

Tie Feilong said, "Leave Jin Qianyan to me!"

Exerting his strength, Shen Dayuan threw Jin Qianyan away. Jin Qianyan screamed miserably in the air, and by the time he landed on Tie Feilong's arms, he was already motionless. Tie Feilong looked down and saw that Jin Qianyan's throat was crushed by Shen Dayuan's palm power.

Tie Feilong said, "This man was the murderer of Priest Zhenqian, he also had a part in harming my daughter, his death is not worth to be regretted! Let's just feed him to the hungry wolves!" Swinging his arm, he tossed Jin Qianyan's body into the valley below.

Suddenly he remembered, "Why did Shen Dayuan have to kill him first before throwing him to me?" Tie Feilong was a veteran of the Jianghu, he knew all kinds of tricks and dirty ways of the underworld; suddenly he realized, 'Could it be that he killed to shut his mouth? What does Shen Dayuan hide that he does not want me to know?'

Right that moment, Zhuo Yihang's miserable cry was heard from the temple, followed by Wang Zhaoxi's shout, calling on Tie Feilong's name. "Not good!" Tie Feilong cried out, "I have fallen into Shen Dayuan's trick! He was stalling me, he wanted to commit murder by borrowing someone else's blade, by letting the government troops to get rid of Wang Zhaoxi before I arrive!"

Seeing through the sinister plot, Tie Feilong flew into a rage; by now it was too late to pursue the Shen brothers, like a tiger he roared and leaped up the hill and dashed into the temple, only to see with a flickering pair of hooks Lian Chenghu was about to kill Wang Zhaoxi! With eyes open wide Tie Feilong bellowed and without too much trouble grabbed the warrior who was coming to stop him, and threw him toward Lian Chenghu.

Lian Chenghu dodged sideways, his double hooks stabbed the warrior's body. Taking this opportunity, Wang Zhaoxi raised his sword and dashed forward. Zhuo Yihang's spirit was also greatly roused, successively he launched three attacks and injured three enemies, and then he also dashed forward.

[SkyWalker]

Thank you foxs!

This battle is great! Thank god TFL came in time to save WZX. Wonder how he's going to react to ZYH being there. Can't wait till the next post.

[Fighting_Wind]

Thank you Foxs for the update! Sorry I replied so slow. Man, I wish the Shen brothers die but I don't think they do. If I was TFL I would be very angry at ZYH, murderous. I don't like how the story is no longer following LNC =(

[ken2004]

Actually, I really given up on the character of ZYH after this battle. It seems like the kungfu of the Wudang section is not up to the reputation at all as the leader of the wulin world. After so much hard work on practicing on his martial arts, he is still no where near any expert of his era at all and hardly able to defeat any senior expert in the wulin world.

I think the author really bias on developing this character at all. Throughout reading this novel until now, on all of his battle, he is been looking down by his opponent whereby mainly he just barely been able to fight on par with them and usually will need help to been able to survive. I really doubting Taiost Purple Sun's martial art as the No.1's swordman of the wulin world after looking at the martial art of his sole heir,ZYH. Where is Taiost Purple Sun's secret sword manual and his legendary swordplay that help him obtain the title of the best swordman of the wulin world?

[foxs]

SkyWalker, Fighting_Wind, you are welcome. No apology needed. I am just glad you are here. ken2004, looks like Liang Yusheng took different approach, in his story, Wudang was not the 'best' in the martial art world. You'll see later on that ZYH will improve. By how much? Stay tuned ... Anyway, five more chapters to go ... !!!

Side note: I was out of town for most of last week, had time for the regular updates, but not enough for the unabridged thread. Will try to catch up this week.
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"Zhuo Yihang, you are here too?" Tie Feilong called out.

Like a tornado Lian Chenghu stormed toward Tie Feilong. Tie Feilong roared again and struck with both of his palms. Lian Chenghu blocked with his pair of hooks. After being injured, his left arm lost its strength, as soon as it collided with Tie Feilong's palm power, the left hook was jolted, it flew to the air and pierce the rafter of the temple. Not daring to fight, he hastily ran out of the temple. Tie Feilong ran after him. Coincidentally, Ke Pingting and Bai Min were just entering the temple. Lian Chenghu brandished his single hook to meet them, he pulled Bai Min's flexible whip and threw it away, he also locked up Ke Pingting's sword. The two of them were pushed aside, and just happened to block Tie Feilong's way. Lian Chenghu dashed out the temple door and desperately ran away as fast as he could.

"Ah, Wang Gege," Bai Min called out, "You are injured!" Picking up a warrior's saber from the floor, he charged toward the enemies recklessly. Seeing that their leader has bailed out, the soldiers also cried out and scampered away.

"Don't attack randomly!" Ke Pingting called out. Bai Min was very obedient, he stopped immediately. In an instant the soldiers had all fled outside the temple.

Tie Feilong examined the two men's injuries and said, "These are from the Shen Brothers' claw!"

"Exactly!" Zhuo Yihang said.

"Those two are very vicious!" Tie Feilong angrily said.

Wang Zhaoxi said, "They were unwilling to surrender to the imperial troops, at least they still have some guts. But their conduct is preposterous, they will bring big trouble in the end if we let them stay by Zhang Xianzhong's side." And then he narrated what had happened to them.

Tie Feilong said, "Just wait till I see Zhang Xianzhong, I will definitely ask him to punish those two evil thieves."

Luckily Wang and Zhuo, two men's injuries were not serious, it was just that they had fought for half the night that right now they were totally exhausted. Tie Feilong applied his wondrous metal-cut wound medicine on them and told them to circulate their chi to restore their strength.

Secretly pointing her finger toward Zhuo Yihang, Ke Pingting asked Bai Min quietly, "Is that pale-faced scholar Zhuo Yihang?"

"That's right," Bai Min replied, "Don't you know him? He is my good friend!"

"Humph," Ke Pingting snorted, "Such a good friend!"

Bai Min was extremely unhappy, raising his voice he asked, "What's not good about him?"

"Shush!" Tie Feilong signaled them to be quiet.

Lowering her voice, Ke Pingting said, "If he is good, why did he break my Lian Jiejie's heart?"

Bai Min was stunned, "What Lian Jiejie?"

"It's Yu Luocha!" Ke Pingting exlained.

Although Bai Min did not have any ill intention toward Yu Luocha, he did not have any good impression either. "That Demoness can also be heart-broken?" he asked.

Pouting her lips, Ke Pingting said, "You have become a Lulin character in vain; Yu Luocha hates the evildoers as her personal enemies, she's just a strong-willed woman, why do you call her a demoness?"

"Fine," Bai Min said, "Just consider me speaking incorrectly, she is not a demoness. But breaking her heart is not a big deal!"

"Idiot!" Ke Pingting angrily said, "Let me ask you: if, for example, you break my heart, can you still be considered a good person?"

Bai Min pondered for a moment and then said, "You have saved me, you have treated me very well; if I break your heart, then I am the son of a turtle!"

Ke Pingting blurted out a laughter, she said, "Alright, so be it. Do you understand now?"

Although Ke Pingting was whispering, Zhuo Yihang was meditating with full attention, so he heard everything. His countenance alternated between red and white; he could not bear this sorrow of his being mentioned! Without waiting for his strength to be restored, he sprang up.

Bai Min panicked! "Zhuo Gege, I said if I break Miss Ke's heart, I am the son of a turtle. I did not mean you, please don't be angry with me!"

Zhuo Yihang cupped his fists toward Ke Pingting and said, "Miss, you blame rightly!" His voice choked. He walked toward Tie Feilong and bowed with cupped fists and asked, "Where is Lian Jiejie? Why didn't she come with you? Is she not at Senior's home?"

Tie Feilong coldly said, "She did come."

"And now?" Zhuo Yihang hastily asked.

"She left!" Tie Feilong replied.

"Where is she going?" Zhuo Yihang asked.

Tie Feilong shook his head, "I don't know," he said.

Zhuo Yihang anxiously said, "You must know, if you don't, nobody does. If I cannot see her again, I will not die with my eyes closed!"

Tie Feilong looked up to the sky filled with red clouds, the morning sun shone on his face. Ke Pingting hatefully said, "She is at the end of the earth."

Zhuo Yihang said, "Even if she is at the end of the earth, I still have to see her!"

Tie Feilong was silent for a moment before he finally said, "Although she is not at the end of the earth she is not too far away from the end of the earth. I think she is going to Tianshan. If you want to find her, you must go far away beyond the Great Wall. The desert wind is cold and bitter, you are a child of an upper-class family; can you endure the hardship?"

Zhuo Yihang said, "Even crossing deep water and scorching fire I must go, let alone only a cold desert!"

Tie Feilong said, "Tianshan mountain range stretches for more than three thousand li, you may not necessarily able to find her!"

"And she does not necessarily want to see you!" Ke Pingting interrupted.

Zhuo Yihang felt a deep pain in his heart, he hung his head with tears streaming down his eyes; he said, “She doesn’t want to see me, I still want to see her. Even if in the end I cannot see her, I will be content just to live closer to her.”

Tie Feilong said, “Since you are this sincere, you may go now!”

Ke Pingting said, “But her hair already turned white, she is not the same Lian Nichang you knew, if you see her, you might be disappointed!”

“What?” Zhuo Yihang said, “Her hair has turned white, it must be because I broke her heart, because of her extreme grief.”

“It’s good that you know it,” Ke Pingting said.

Zhuo Yihang was in an extreme state of grief, but he no longer had any tears. With a resolution in his voice he said, “I will not cease to be faithful even if her skin is like a chicken’s and her hair like a crane’s, let alone only her hair is turning white. The ocean dries up, the rock rots, the sky turns desolate, the earth grows old, my feelings will not change. Heaven and Earth is my witness.”

Ke Pingting said, “You should save those words for Lian Jiejie.”

Tie Feilong stroked his beard and smiled. “Pingting,” he said, “Don’t tease him. Alright, sincerity can split metal and break open rocks. You may go as soon as you feel better.”

“I feel better already,” Zhuo Yihang said.

After completing a round of chi circulation, Wang Zhaoxi sprang up and asked, “Zhuo Xiong, are you leaving now?”

“Yes,” Zhuo Yihang replied, “Right now!”

Wang Zhaoxi said, “Although family matter is important, the matter of our country ought to be considered as well. I advise you: if you cannot see her, you’d better come back.”

Zhuo Yihang said, “We have you to mind the matter of the country, I do not need to worry. If I cannot see her, I will stay on Tianshan for a long time. We may not see each other in the indefinite future, I wish you will succeed in your great undertaking. I wish to hear the news about you in the future, I will pray on your behalf from the distant Tianshan.”

Tie Feilong said, “When you return from the border, you may perform your knightly duty to uphold justice. The people over there are pure and simple, perhaps in the future you will also have some good achievements.”

Zhuo Yihang said, “Performing knightly duty to uphold justice is our responsibility; Senior’s instruction, I will keep it firmly in my heart.” Thereupon he bid his farewell with Tie Feilong and Wang Zhaoxi.

Wang Zhaoxi gazed at Zhuo Yihang ‘s back as he went down the mountain. He shook his head but did not say anything for a long time. Afterwards he discussed the meeting on Mount Zhongtiao with Tie Feilong and Bai Min, and no longer mentioned Zhuo Yihang.

Such is: A son of nobility felt remorse and regret to no avail, a hero put utmost importance in dedicating himself to the service of his country.

[SkyWalker]

Thanks foxs.

Did I miss something? How do TFL & KPT know that YLC is going to Tianshan? Is YLC looking for YMK for a duel?

[Fighting_Wind]

THANK YOU FOXS FOR THE UPDATE!!! Many thanks.

I think it was a bit of a jump. Man, I hate guys like ZYH, all talk. If he did this from the start her hair would have never turned white. It's like I'll feel happy just living closer to you but the truth is I'm too chicken to try and make it up to you everyday.

O.o I was hoping TFL would be more "spiteful." Bai Min and his son of a turtle, XD too cute. And how easily KPT persuaded him. "My Lian Jiejie" I love how KPT is so defensive about YLC, ahh if only she was a guy. lol Pouting, she reminds me so much of Shan Hu =3

@Ken2004: Yeah I have doubts about Purple Sun as well. If he was as good as he is why are his martial brothers so crap in comparison, plus having ZYH as an heir thinking wise he must not have been the smartest guy around anyways.

[foxs]

Chapter 28
Accepting disciple beyond the Great Wall,
Engrossed in teaching swordsmanship.
To the end of the earth seeking for a friend,
With complete devotion searching for a loved one.
(Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)

Upon his arrival on Tianshan, Yue Mingke shaved his head and became a Buddhist monk, he changed his name to Reverend Hui Ming[1], and lived in seclusion for more than four years. The second year after he arrived at Tianshan, Luo Tiebi, taking Yang Lian's son, Yang Yuncong, went up the mountain. He explained that he came on Yu Luocha's recommendation, asking Reverend Hui Ming to take Yang Yuncong as his disciple.

"Why does she have to be this meddlesome?" Reverend Hui Ming said, "She has just added a burden to me." Nevertheless, although he spoke like that, seeing that Yang Yuncong was exceptionally smart, with extraordinary spirit, his heart was won over. Not only that, he was a descendant of a loyal minister, thereupon he promptly agreed. Immediately they performed the ritual to become master-disciple. Henceforth while diligently training his own swordsmanship, Reverend Hui Ming also devoted his time to teach Yang Yuncong.

Yang Yuncong had a somewhat predestined relationship with martial art training, he was able to absorb whatever Reverend Hui Ming cared to teach him. When he arrived, he had just turned seven, but within three years, his foundation was already solid, he was able to hunt tiger or leopard with bare hands.

Reverend Hui Ming was very happy, he gathered the essence of the five metals[2] around Tianshan to refine further the two treasured swords his Shifu had left behind. With heart and soul he taught Yang Yuncong, and had not descended the mountain for quite a long time, and thus he was completely oblivious of the worldly affair outside. Only every now and then, when he practiced sword at night, he would look up to the moon and remember the people dear to his heart. When he remembered Xiong Tingbi and Tie Shanhu's tragic deaths, he could not refrain from heaving a deep sigh toward the moon.

By the third year, all of a sudden he started to receive visits from famous characters from beyond the desert. Some of them were asking if he had known about a certain woman.

Actually, although Reverend Hui Ming's swordsmanship was peerless and his martial art skill had reached perfection, he was never an arrogant person; therefore, during the several years he was serving on the border, he had won the respect of others. The heroes north and south of Tianshan knew he had come from the Central Plains, hence whenever they came across a difficult matter, they would oftentimes come to him to ask for his advice.

Listening to these people, he learned that about half a year ago, a certain woman had come to the border; her hair was white, but her countenance was actually tender. Looking at her hair, she seemed to be fifty, sixty years old granny, but looking at her face, she seemed to be a young woman about twenty some years of age. Nobody could guess how old she really was.

This woman mysteriously appeared and disappeared, the depth of her martial art skill was unfathomable. Soon after she arrived, she went on the rampage by expelling the Three Demons of the Sang family from southern road of Tianshan to outside the border. Each one of the Three Demons of the Sang family had his own unique martial art skill. The first demon, Sang Gan, was trained in Seven Soul-exterminating Sword Technique, there was a virulent poison on the blade of his sword, which would close up the air passage of the throat as soon as it contacted the blood. The second demon, Sang Hu, was adept in using the heavy steel rod, his specialty was external type of martial art, which he trained to near perfection. The third demon, Sang Ren, practiced yin-yang Air-splitting Palm; when someone was hit by his palm power, his five internal organs[3] would be shattered. Because the martial arts they practiced were vicious and cruel, they earned the nickname ‘the Three Demons’.

These three demons had run amuck for quite a long time, seeing the white-haired woman with mysterious origin, they harassed her with obscenity. With just a sword, the woman single-handedly beat them really bad that they almost lost their lives. The three brothers could no longer set their feet inside the border, so they fled to Tibet.

Expelling these three demons was only one of many deeds the woman accomplished. The three demons had caused trouble within the border, the woman banished them, the people were grateful, nobody could say that the woman had done a bad thing. However, this white-haired woman’s temperament was very unusual, as soon as she heard anything that did not conform to her heart’s desire, she would immediately resort to violence. Not only that, she loved to challenge famous Wulin characters for a duel. Oftentimes she would defeat the opponent in just several stances. Sometimes she would let out a long laugh as she leaves, another times she would look up to the sky and sigh deeply. It could be said that ever since she arrived at the border, she was unable to find her match, why would she stay at the border?

The famous personalities north and south of Tianshan were all very afraid of her. Because of her white hair, everybody called her the White Haired Demoness. Later on some people were ashamed of spreading falsehoods, so they said that her surname was Bai[4].

Some suspected that she was a female bandit from the Central Plains, and so they came to Reverend Hui Ming to inquire about her origin. Some even suggested that Reverend Hui Ming would challenge her for a duel. As soon as Reverend Hui Ming heard this story, he had a fairly good idea of who she was. ‘That must be Yu Luocha,’ he mused, ‘But I wonder how did her hair turn white? She crossed a great distance coming to the border, must be because of some heart-breaking, frustrating matters. I can’t believe her temper, her hot temper and her love to pick a fight have not changed.'

Reverend Hui Ming suspected that Yu Luocha and Tie Feilong had come together, so he asked those people, "Does that White Haired Demoness have any companion?"

The man replied, "Just one person is so difficult to deal with, let alone if she has a companion! She appears and disappears like a spirit, always comes and goes alone, floating in and out, nobody knows where she lives."

Reverend Hui Ming thought, 'Yu Luocha came to the border alone, it must be because she does not want anybody to know her origin.' Thereupon he told those people, "I don't know her name, surname or origin either. Since people say she is surnamed Bai, let us also call her Bai. Name is no more than a symbol, there is no need to investigate further."

The man also asked him if he knew any renowned female bandit of the Central Plains. Reverend Hui Ming replied, "Before I shaved my head, I was serving under Military Commissioner Xiong patrolling the border, I am very unfamiliar with the Lulin world of the Central Plains. Perhaps she is an independent bandit who always acts alone."

Some people urged him to go down the mountain and challenge the White Haired Demoness for a sword duel. Reverend Hui Ming clasped his palms and said with a laugh, "I am a man who has left home to see through the world of mortals. Buddhist teaching will not allow me to have the intention of vying for supremacy against others."

"So there is nothing we can do?" the man asked.

Reverend Hui Ming explained patiently, "Although she is ruthless, other than killing evildoers, did she also kill upright people?"

The man said, "Not that I heard of."

Reverend Hui Ming said with a laugh, "So then she does not have any enmity with you, actually. Some people are addicted to something and do not have control over themselves. For instance, someone who is heavily addicted to playing chess, if he sees others playing chess, although the chess board has a warning, something like: 'A real gentleman watches chess game without giving out commentary', but he is unable to bear not to speak, so much so that from passive observer he would become an active player, by trying to move the chess pieces himself. Being able to watch a chess game without saying anything is indeed an excellent trait, but watching a chess game and giving out commentary is not a big crime either. I am guessing that this White Haired Demoness is so addicted to martial art that whenever she sees a famous martial art master, she is like a chess addict meeting a chess master, she would itch to join the game by throwing the dice. As long as she does not deliberately use her strength to oppress the weak, but observe and emulate each other, this is also a good thing. Why must we anger her?"

--------------------------------------------
[1]Hui – dark/night/unlucky, Ming – clear/bright.

[2]Gold, silver, copper, iron and tin.

[3]Five viscera of traditional Chinese medicine: heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys.

[4]Meaning: White.

[foxs]

Did I miss something? How do TFL & KPT know that YLC is going to Tianshan? Is YLC looking for YMK for a duel?

No, you did not miss anything. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 26:

The white shadow turned toward him and kowtowed again twice, "Father," she said, "You must take care of yourself. I still haven't fulfilled my Shifu's wish, I have to keep my appointment with Yue Mingke!"

Tie Feilong sighed. "Zhuo Yihang must've had a change of heart," he said, "Wu Zixu's hair also turned white in just one night, sorrow can harm people, it has happened. Your Jiejie usually cherished her looks, listening to the way she talked, she must be going to some wilderness and remote place to practice the sword with full concentration, she will no longer mind worldly matters."

YLC did not explicitly say she was going to Tianshan, but TFL was an intelligent man, plus he knew that YLC and YMK were from Tianshan (at least both of their Shifu were), so it is safe to say that he was able to guess where she was going.

[SkyWalker]

Thank you foxs for the update and the passage.

OMG, I'm soooo excited to see YMK again!!! He's so awesome!!!! I love the fact that he understands YLC so well. Can't wait till they meet up and have a sword duel.

[Fighting_Wind]

Yeah, LNC and YMK are pretty awesome as comrades. I wish that both their masters never separated, I think they would a hilarious sibling relationship.

When YLC said she needed to fulfil her master's duty it was the hint. I hope she reunites and lives with TFL and KPT, it would be too sad if she lived alone. But wow, so much time has passed, LNC is like close to 30 whilst YMK should be close to 40 O.o

Man, I have no idea how this story is gonna unfold, I always thought it would end with YLC's hair turning white. Maybe YMK vs LNC =D, but it'd be hard considering they're allies.

[foxs]

I don't know the ending either ... I am finishing Chapter 28, and seems to me the ending is not even close ...

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Some of those people were sighing with admiration over Reverend Hui Ming's broadmindedness, but some others thought he ought not have that kind of opinion. Yet since Reverend Hui Ming was unwilling to go down the mountain, those people did not have any way to force him.

Another half a year passed, gradually nobody heard about the White Haired Demoness challenging other people anymore. Reverend Hui Ming thought, 'Must be because she cannot find her match, thinking that even the most famous character with great reputation is nothing out of the ordinary, therefore, she is disinclined to have any duel anymore.'

After Yang Yuncong joined him on the mountain, Reverend Hui Ming had gathered pure five metals and using Shaolin’s secret method, he re-cast the treasured swords his Shifu left behind. By this time the process had been going on for three full years, the result was two swords, one was long, the other short, the long one was called Gliding Dragon[5], the short one was called Jade Fracturing. Although these two swords differ in length, they both could cut iron like a piece of mud, and would cut a strand of hair blown onto their sharp blades. They were truly a pair of divine objects of mortal world, quite surpassed their previous state.

One particular day, Reverend Hui Ming was deep in thought: before winter this year he had to go down the mountain to purchase several winter supplies. Thereupon he gave the Jade Cutter sword to Yang Yuncong and told him to guard their abode, while he himself took the Gliding Dragon for self-defense as he left for the big city of Bole[6] in northern Xinjiang to purchase the supplies, while inquiring about the White Haired Demoness at the same time.

A month later, Reverend Hui Ming returned from Bole; it was already late autumn, the area beyond the Great Wall was bitter cold, the kind of weather that will freeze a drop of water into ice. That day Reverend Hui Ming was passing through the Kada prairie, suddenly he saw a man who looked like a tribal chief, leading a large number of soldiers, driving away a herd of cattle and sheep across the prairie. Behind them were a large group of herdsmen crying and wailing loudly. Reverend Hui Ming could not bear to see this scene, he stepped forward to inquire. The herdsmen said, "We owe Chief Meng Sasi some money, so he is taking our herds away."

There was a tattered tent nearby, with two dead bodies outside the tent. A child was weeping bitterly by the bodies. Reverend Hui Ming asked about the child, and he was told, "Their herds were taken away, so his father and mother committed suicide. Ay, our fate is cruel, but this child is even more pitiful!"

Reverend Hui Ming looked at the child, he was about six, seven years old; although his body was only skin over bones, he looked sharp, his eyes were jet-black, round and bright. Reverend Hui Ming turned his attention to him and asked, "Are you a Han?"

The child replied, "My surname is Chu, others call me manzi[7], my father said that we moved here from Hunan. I don't know if Hunan is a Han people's place. Father once said that over there the government officials are more ominous than wolves and tigers, so we escaped to this place to make a living."

An old man nearby said, "Chief Meng Sasi here is about the same as Han people's government officials." Apparently, he also escaped from within the Great Wall to this place.

The child cried again and said, "Father, mother, you are dead, who will look after me?"

Reverend Hui Ming's heart was moved with compassion; he stroked the child's head while thinking, "Yuncong does not have other children as his playmates, I'd better take another disciple, let them keep each other company. This child's bone structure is not bad, he also seems to be smart, looks like he is a good candidate to learn martial arts." Thereupon he said, "Don't cry. Do you want to come with me? I'll take you as my disciple."

The child wiped his tears and knelt down immediately. He kowtowed three times and called out, "Shifu."

Reverend Hui Ming was very happy. He was about to carry the child when suddenly someone called out, "Chief Meng is back." In a flash the herdsmen scattered in all directions.

Two soldiers with plumes stuck on their hats ran over and called out, "You, the wandering monk, what are you doing here?"

Reverend Hui Ming said, "This child is very pitiful, please don't frighten him."

"Humph," the soldier said, "We'll do whatever we want to do, you dare to talk too much? Our Chief says this child's parents are dead, he is all alone with nobody to give him shelter, so he told us to come back and take him home. You see, our Chief is very merciful."

The child cried and said, "Chief is very bad, I don't want to come with him."

From the distant the Chief called out, "Who is that monk? What are you talking about? Hurry up and get that child. We still have other places to collect debts." Turned out the Chief wanted to snatch the child to be his son's servant.

Reverend Hui Ming quickly carried the child and said, "This child is my apprentice, please let him go!"

"What a nerve!" the two soldiers shouted, "You dare to take the child from our Chief? Are you or are you not going to let him go?"

Reverend Hui Ming hung his head down and said, "Amituofo!"

Seeing Reverend Hui Ming was ignoring them, the two soldiers flew into rage. One from the left the other from the right, they punched and kicked. Reverend Hui Ming carried the child on the crook of his left elbow. Uttering another 'Amituofo!' he let the two soldiers' fists and kicks to land on his body as if he was merely a leather punch-sack. 'Bang! Bang!' the two sturdy looking soldiers were thrown more than a zhang away like bullets. Fortunately Reverend Hui Ming was showing mercy, otherwise these two men's hand and leg would be broken.

This turn of events was beyond Chief Meng Sasi's expectation. After recovering from his shock, he shouted, "Seize him!"

There was a Lama wearing red kasaya standing next to Meng Sasi, he was talking to a companion wearing Han people's attire. Suddenly the Lama called out, "Hold on, Chief! Let me ask this monk's origin first?" In an instant he dashed out and stood in front of the soldiers, and with a loud voice he said, "Hey, Monk! Where are you coming from? Quickly tell me your name!"

Reverend Hui Ming said, "I am just a wandering monk, no name, no surname. Dashi[8], please forgive my inadequacy!"

The Lama in red suddenly let out a strange laughter and said in a loud and clear voice, "You think I don't know you? You are Yue Mingke, are you not?"

Reverend Hui Ming was stunned. He took a second look at the Lama in red, but he could not recognize him, thereupon he said, "Dashi, please don't make fun of me, the air is cold, the ground is frozen, this child is cold and hungry, I must quickly return to my mountain."

The Lama in red harshly shouted, "Don't tell a lie in front of a holy man, don't think that you can escape by becoming a Buddhist monk. Quickly hand over Xiong Manzi's book on military strategy, otherwise the Buddha will release you from suffering today!"

Hearing this, Reverend Hui Ming was even more shocked; he said in his heart, 'How could this ominous monk know about the Military Commissioner Xiong's book on military strategy he had entrusted to me? But you only know one and do not know two, I have given the book to Yu Luocha long time ago. Since this monk is inquiring about the military book, he must belong to the clique of traitors. Looks like I will have to violate Buddha's commandment of not taking life!'

The Lama in red shouted again, "Yue Mingke, are you or are you not going to tell me?"

Reverend Hui Ming read another prayer, "Amituofo!" and then he said, "The impoverished monk only knows how to abide by Buddha's commandments, he loathes and has given up murder, how can he have any book on military strategy?"

"Fine," the Lama in red called out, "Before reaching the Yellow River you do not lose hope, before witnessing the Buddha's fierceness you won't want to submit!" Taking a pair of copper cymbals from his waist, he struck the cymbals against each other, creating a harsh crashing noise. Suddenly he sprang up like a clump of red cloud and struck down on Reverend Hui Ming's head.

Reverend Hui Ming protected the child with his left hand, while stretching out his right hand. 'Bang!' he blocked Lama in red's cymbals. It appeared Reverend Hui Ming's palm would be crushed by the cymbals, who would have thought that Reverend Hui Ming's palm slipped out like a fish. Suddenly the palm turned into fingers, poking toward the Lama's eyeballs.

---------------------------------
[5]Orig. 'You Long' - swimming or wandering dragon. See also footnote 15 of Chapter 9.

[6]Modern day Bortala Shehiri, a county level city in Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture, Xinjiang.

[7]Southern barbarian, an insulting term for southern Chinese.

[8]Lit. Great Master, reverend.