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Thread: Legend of the White Haired Maiden

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    Default Legend of the White Haired Maiden

    Care for another translation, people? This one is by Faerie Queene of the JY forum. I got her permission to post this so here it is. However, don't expect daily updates. She'll keep translating this book till the story's over, but she's too busy to update it on a daily basis.

    Queenie's analysis of the story and the author.

    Translation of LYS's Legend of the White Haired Maiden
    Yu Luo Sha was once asked why she didn¡¯t disguise herself as a man in order to keep a low profile during one of her journeys. But she laughed and replied that she wanted to bring glory to all those who wear dresses, therefore did not want to dress up as a man. That is undoubtedly the reason why I decided to translate Liang Yu Sheng¡¯s ¡°Bai Fa Mo Nu Zhuan¡± or ¡°The Legend of the White Haired Maiden.¡± Like Yu Luo Sha (and I believe, also like Liang Yu Sheng), I hope to bring glory to female characters in Wuxia and give readers an opportunity to enjoy a female character that is so strong and colourful, she overshadows everyone else including the male characters. Unlike the typical beauty in wuxia, Yu Luo Sa does not need protection or help from anybody else. Nor is she a sweet, pacified or innocent little girl. While being noble and heroic, she is also wild and vicious, beautiful and terrifying. To top it all off, she is a female bandit who is extremely well trained in martial arts, but not at all very well trained in the literary arts. To put it simply, Yu Luo Sha is definitely very different.

    However, I don¡¯t want to make it sound like ¡°Bai Fa¡± is chick-wuxia. It just happens to be centred around a strong female lead, but that doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s centred around sappy romance plotlines. That is another important point to keep in mind about the story. The television serials and movies always emphasizes the romance plotlines of the novel, always playing up the tragedy of Yu Luo Sha and Zhou Yi Hang¡¯s romance. Perhaps LYS himself had originally intended to elaborate more on the tragically-romantic themes as alluded to in the poem that begins the story. But Zhou Yi Hang fails miserably as a male lead (and believe me, I intend to retain every ounce of his nerdiness in my translation) and the novel is not about the romance between Yu Luo Sha and Zhou Yi Hang. But rather, as the very title suggests, it is about the legend of a woman: her story, her legend, but also most importantly, her tragedy.

    It should also be understood that ¡°Bai Fa¡± is not some kind of angry male-bashing feminist novel either, although there are a great number of very engaging females in the novel and an alarming number of pathetic men as well. But writing about strong and noble females is characteristic of LYS¡¯s stories and ¡°Bai Fa¡± is undoubtedly a story which privileges and supports feministic issues that bears a sophistication which is well ahead of Liang¡¯s era. Furthermore, there are very engaging men in the novel as well, such as the very admirable Yu Ming Ke, the impressive Wang Zhao Xi, the very adorable Bai Min and the very likeable Tie Fei Long. Furthermore, this novel is a pretty good place to start in terms of LYS¡¯s ¡°Tian Shan¡± series. LYS wrote about the history and outcome of this sect in 22 out of his 35 novels, allowing for much inter-textual referencing and links, further allowing the characters to become more three-dimensional and the stories to be more authentic, as if there really was such a history of heroes in the past. Although ¡°Bai Fa¡¯s¡± Yue Ming Ke perhaps technically cannot be considered as the founder of the ¡°Tian Shan¡± sect, but he was the person who officially established the sect¡¯s eminence and therefore is considered as the founder of the sect.

    For me personally, this novel was particularly special because of Yu Luo Sha¡¯s character ¨C which was different and particularly colourful even when compared to the LYS¡¯s other strong female characters. However, that is not to say that the novel is flawless or that it is LYS¡¯s best work. It is definitely a very good work ¨C incredibly sophisticated in many aspects and very entertaining as well. It is definitely one of his most famous works. However, there are many problems with certain plotlines and pacing, especially near the bottom half of the story. I personally think that the story could have benefited had he excised about 4 or 5 chapters. Therefore I don¡¯t plan to do a full translation of every chapter. The chapters or parts of chapters that I decide to not translate will be instead detailed in point-form notes. If I am ever lucky enough to finish the story, I¡¯ll go back to fill in the missing parts. But at this time, I will only translate the parts that I feel would be the most engaging for others to read. Hopefully this way, I can make it to the end.

    Lastly, I would like to make a note about the title of my translation. The common translated title of the book is ¡°The Legend of the White Haired Maiden¡± (or as T.V serials and movies would translate in hopes of playing up the romance element: ¡°Romance of the White Haired Maiden¡± or ¡°The Bride with White Hair¡±). But I feel that none of these titles can truly capture the themes of the novel. Firstly, the title ¡°Legend of the White Haired Maiden¡± leaves out the word ¡°Mo¡± (demonic) which exists in the original Chinese title. This is particularly important as ¡°Bai Fa¡± is in large part a tragedy about the character Yu Luo Sha. It is important to recognize the stigmatism that she receives and to tease out the irony in such labels as ¡°good¡± and ¡°evil.¡± As Liang points out in his introductory poem: Who is really the demonic one? He asks the readers to judge for themselves. Therefore, in my translation, I¡¯ve opted for the title ¡°Legend of the White Haired Demoness¡± in order to remain closer to the novel¡¯s original title and intent.

    I hope you will enjoy this novel as much as I did. Perhaps you will fall in love with the characters as I did, and hopefully Yu Luo Sha can be as memorable a character for you, as it was for me. You perhaps may not even like somebody such as Yu Luo Sha very much (and in all honesty, she is a very flawed person), but I¡¯m sure that you can¡¯t deny the fact that she is as Wang Zhao Xi says, ¡°an extraordinary woman

    Legend of the White Hair Demoness translated by faerie queene

    Chapter 1: METAL ARROW, DIVINE BOW
    YOUTH ASSISTING WEALTHY GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIAL
    GOLD SADDLE, NOBLE HORSE
    GREAT BAMDOT SHAKES UP MASQUERADE


    A solitary sword emerges from the West, amongst thousands of adjacent crags, the demonic shadow roams freely; they say that the mirror of clarity reflects not the stand, the Bodhi is achieved not by the tree(1) , the conclusion arises from the heart, how is one to judge? Those who are demonic are not so? Those who are not demonic are indeed so? Let time be the judge! Let us now digress, and converse about the young and the heroic, while we are gathered together here.

    Amongst tumultuous wars of leaden clouds and thunderous storms, exquisite elegance springs forth from the wintry frost. Pity the beauty of an era, a cloud of white hair hanging above her youthful face, still the sole vow that lasts a century does not yet disappoint the heart’s promise. The short shovel cultivates the flower, while long poems accompanies the wine. Memories of poems and swords are renewed by the mind year after year. On the summit of Tian Shan, watching the dance of dragons and serpents(2) appear under the pen, the ink is tossed towards the Southern Seas.

    (Written under the form of Qin Yuan Chun(3) )
    ************************************************** *****
    It was a chilly autumn during the ninth month of the lunar year. Over the Northern grass plains trekked an assembly of people and their horses. They travailed along the undulating roads of the Dai Ba mountains near the Chuan-Shaan(4) border. A few robust and steely looking martial art fighters were leading the crowd. In the midst of the crowd was a mule carriage with an open front. Looking through the open front and inside the carriage, a gentleman who looked to be approaching his sixties can be observed. He was draped with a leather cape and possessed a manner that is both elegant and poised. A youngster with brows shaped like swords and eyes as fierce as a tiger rode on top of a tall horse that was trotting beside the mule carriage. The charms tied to his sword emanating noises as they clanged against the sword sheath.

    The gentleman sitting within the carriage was the currently retired Supreme Commander of Yun Nan and Gui Zhou Provinces(5). His name was Zhou Zhong Lian and even though he resided in a high governmental position, his character was as his name would suggest still relatively honest and scrupulous. Yet the common saying phrases it well, “Three years residing in the scrupulous office reaps tens of thousands in gold and silver.” Besides, Zhou was the Supreme Commander, he need not be a particularly avaricious corruptor and already the discounts given to him on his daily expenses and the presents delivered to him by his attendants will naturally amount to substantial proportions. Therefore even though he has already resigned his position to return to his native homeland, he had to hire a number of famous escorts to protect him along the way.

    However, the youngster with the pronounced eyebrows and fierce eyes was not a bodyguard. His participation in this trip was a result of something else. Zhou Zhong Lian originated from Northern-Shaan(6) area and was borne of a wealthy family that had served the government for generations. Yet although the Zhou family was abundant in their wealth, they were not abundant in successors and many generations of their lineage were succeeded by only one male descendant. Zhou Zhong Lian had only one son and one grandson. His son was named Zhou Ji Xian, and he worked as a governmental official within the imperial city, residing in the position of the Vice-Minister of the Department of Revenue. Zhou Zhong Lian’s grandson Zhou Yi Hang had accompanied his father to the imperial capital from a very young age. By now, he should be around eighteen or nineteen years of age. Zhou Yi Hang has always been a very intelligent kid, far excelling his peers and hence his grandfather particularly misses him. Thus when he retired his position to return home, he simultaneously sent a letter to his son asking him to also send Zhou Yi Hang back to his ancestral home. Never would he have guessed that not only did his grandson not arrive, but instead a Geng Shao Nan would come in his place bearing with him a letter from Zhou’s son. The letter said that Zhou’s grandson was currently in the midst of his studies, preparing to write his exams and therefore could not return with his grandfather at present. This Geng Shao Nan was his grandson’s classmate and was well versed in martial arts. Coincidently, he also had something to attend to in Shaan Xi area, therefore Zhou Ji Xian asked Zhou Zhong Lian to kindly bring him along with him, benefiting both sides in the process.

    When Zhou Zhong Lian engaged in casual conversation with Geng Shao Nan, he discovered that he was not at all well versed or well acquainted with the literary arts. Zhou thought to himself that a scholar who practices martial arts is unlikely to be very skilled. Thus he silently mused to himself that this Geng Shao Nan must be one of those youngsters who are of average potential, unable to excel in his studies and yet also failing to excel in his sword skills. But surprisingly, the famous escorts that Zhou had hired for the trip treated this youngster with supreme respect and courtesy, leaving Zhou Zhong Lian in a state of puzzled mystification.

    It was the forty-third year of the Ming Emperor Wan Li’s(7) reign and the Manchurians were uprising in the Northeast sphere, often invading into the country. Shen Zong (8) had already increased the amount of “military support(9),” a total sum that was now approaching more than half of what the annual taxes yielded and a sum that was being completely sustained by the farmers’ taxes. Furthermore, upon the emancipated soil of the Northwest plains, the inhabitants were burdened by poverty and bandits ran rampant. Therefore even though Zhou Zong Lian already had a crowd of famous bodyguards as well as his own trusted troops accompanying him on this trip, he couldn’t help but be in a constant state of fear and paranoia.

    That day they had just past through the Ba Yu Pass when suddenly a pair of extremely fast horses trampled by them. The countenance of the bodyguards who were leading the crowd all underwent a change of colour.

    In a flash, Geng Shao Nan had already rushed to the front with his horse asking in a soft voice, “What is it?” The old head escort replied, “It was the Xi Chuan Twin Terrors.” Geng Shao Nan acknowledges, “Oh, so it’s the Pang brothers. They’ve spent a few years’ time on their iron-palms, we should be on our guards.”
    The Twin Terrors’ pair of swift horses rushed past the crowd without even looking back. The old head escort said, “It doesn’t look like they’re preparing to commit a crime.” Geng Shao Nan smiled and pulled on his reins to halt his horse, waiting as the mule coach approached, and said to Zhou Zhong Lian in an offhanded manner, “Please be at ease old master. There is nothing to be alarmed of. It was merely two small crooks.” After a while, behind them approached three more riders with rapid horses, kicking up clouds of dust as they soared past the Zhou crowd without even batting an eye at the trunks of luggage belonging to the Zhou family. The old escort wondered, “Why would all 3 faction-leaders of the Dragon-gate clan all take action simultaneously? Can it be that within the Underground world(10) , there arose some kind of emergency or important incident?” Geng Shao Nan said arrogantly, “Who cares about the so-called Underground world? If they dare to approach us and stir trouble, I need not budge the weapon in my hand as just this single arrow(11) is already enough to send them crawling back to where they came from.” The various bodyguards all grudgingly mumbled amongst each other while continuing to heap words of exaltation upon Geng Shao Nan. However, Zhou Zhong Lian observing Geng Shao Nan’s arrogant demeanour became secretly very displeased as he thought to himself this youngster was simply too conceited.

    The group continued their journey towards the west, and by the time the sun was starting to set they have almost arrived near the Qiang Ling town’s Qi Pan Pass. The mountain passageways were narrow and cramped as the Qi Pan Pass was Chuan-Shaan’s hazardous area. It reclines against the mountains and faces the river, the two cliffs reaching heights of over 1000 feet(12). Below, the river currents were constrained by the walls of the mountain crags as it is compressed into a fast rapid that spans a width of about 50 or 60 feet. Once the rapids gushes out of the valley, its force resembles the galloping stampede of a million horses, and its spray becomes a misty haze of vapour. Once the crowd of people exited out of the mountain’s entrance, they saw that slowly trotting about half a mile in front of them was a white horse. The person sitting on top of the horse was dressed in white, which when contrasting against the whiteness of the horse further accentuates his elegant serenity. Zhou Zhong Lian remarks, “That person looks liked a scholar. He seems to be travelling by himself – that is much too dangerous. Why don’t we run forward and offer to have him join us?” Geng Shao Nan shook his head, when suddenly the sounds of bell chimes rang crisply in the air as a horde of six or seven fast horses came rushing up from behind them, speeding past Zhou’s vehicle. The youngster walking ahead on the white horse had almost arrived at the opening of the mountain’s narrow entrance. The old escort said with alarm, “Hey! Quick! Get out of the way! They’re going to crash into you!” However, before he could finish his words, another huge gust of dirt and dust erupted from the mountain entranceway as another crowd of about 10 or so strong horses were rushing towards Zhou Zhong Lian’s direction. The two crowds of horses were both stampeding towards the youngster who was being flanked in the middle. There was no doubt that they were going to be crashing into each other. Zhou Zhong Lian opened his mouth to scream although no sound could come out, when suddenly the youngster also gave out a loud shout and the white horse jumped up high into the air. With the speed of a shooting comet, the youngster and his horse actually leapt over a fast rapid that spanned fifty or sixty feet, flying over the face of the river to land on the adjacent valley facing them. The riding skills of the two groups of horsemen were indeed extremely excellent as in the midst of their fast galloping, they suddenly halted their horses with force. The two groups of horsemen then mingled together to form one group and turned the heads of their horses around to block off the entranceway of the mountain.

    Geng Shao Nan charged forward on his horse and brought his hands together to form a fist, addressing the man, “I’d like to ask you fellows to please step out of our way.” The man with a very long and lustrous beard shouts back, “And why should we move out of your way? A corrupt official’s dishonest money should be made available to anyone.” Geng Shao Nan replies, “But he is not a corrupt official.” Another ruffian shouts, “For us to move out of your way is not a problem. Just leave behind the trunks and you can go!” Geng Shao Nan did not even bother with uttering a single word in reply but instead brought the metal bow down from his back and shot out a succession of bullets, shooting down the people who came forward. The man with the lustrous beard just released a loud laugh. Geng Shao Nan exchanged the bullets for allows, and with a loud whoosh, shot an arrow towards the bandit’s black flag, snapping the handle into two pieces. Seeing this, the man with the long beard underwent a change of colour. He immediately charged forward a few dozen feet and shouted loudly, “Do you know what the rules of the Underground world are?” Geng Shao Nan did not reply and instead starts to shoot his bullets with the speed of a shooting star, and with the force of ice pellets they were hurtled towards the direction of the man.

    The man with the beautiful beard moved with the speed of the soaring wind as he took out a thick copper sabre and started waving it around, blocking and deflecting the fleeting bullets that were speeding towards him, causing the bullets to ricochet off the blade and bounce off into all directions as if it was raining a storm of bullets. Geng Shao Nan gradually accelerated the speed of which he fired his bullets, as each bullet flashed by at a speed swifter than the last. The man with the beard was finding himself to be in an increasingly disadvantageous situation as he was gradually becoming inept at warding off the bullets. Amongst the crowd of bandits was a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes who sarcastically shouted, “Now allow us to return the favour!” as he also took out an arrow and discharged a few crossballs of blue flames, shooting them towards Geng Shao Nan in a crisscross fashion. Geng Shao Nan had only a solitary bow which could not be use for two purposes, thus even though he was able to strike down the “Blazing Serpent Arrow” flying towards him, he was unable to impede the arrows from impacting upon the luggage of the Zhou family. A “poom” sound could be heard as the thick sackcloth bag that was lying on top of the vehicle actually caught on fire and a cluster of silver nuggets came pouring out as the bag tore open. The man with the long beard shook his head and surprisingly, a look of disappointment came over his face. Geng Shao Nan executed his divine shooting skill called the “Hurricane from Eight Directions” where the bullets were catapulted at such an intense and tight speed that they were like a string of pearls, arriving one after another. Eventually, the man with the beard was unable to withstand the bullets anymore and a popping sound was heard as a bullet impacted against a joint on his left hand. Moving with the speed of a shooting star, the man stepped out of the circle of fighters and suddenly forming his fists in an act of reverence he said, “Wu tang sect’s divine shooting skills is most definitely a remarkable skill. My brothers and I were blind, please forgive us for daring to be a nuisance to you.” The man who fired the Blazing Serpent Arrow jumped up onto his horse and loudly exclaimed, “Please give our regards to Priest Purple Sun, and please tell him that ‘the Fire-Spirit Monkey’ and ‘Mountain-Roaming Tiger’ thanks elder him for not killing us many years ago.” After saying this, he gave out a whistle and his companions picked up their wounded members and then retreated out of the valley.

    Geng Shao Nan put down his arrow and released a loud laugh when suddenly somebody said from behind him, “A very excellent shooting skill indeed!” Geng Shao Nan whipped his head around and discovered with surprise that it was the youngster with the white horse who had addressed him. During the chaos of the fight, nobody had noticed exactly when the youngster had jumped from the adjacent valley back to this valley. Geng Shao Nan replied, “It’s mere child’s play. I’m afraid it will only be the laughing stock of the elite class.” The youngster with the white horse laughed and said, “Elite? I am no elite class. Luckily this horse of mine can still be of some use, otherwise it would have been impossible for me to escape the danger.” Zhou Zhong Lian got off the horse cart and took a long and careful better look at the youngster. He noticed that there was no luggage whatsoever on his horse and the youngster’s manner of speech indicates that he has been well educated. From head to toe, this youngster very obviously looks the part of a young scholar. Therefore, Zhou asked, “May I ask whether you are engaged in an educational retreat? Please allow me to utter a word of caution though – in these times travelling long distances is much too risky.” The youngster bowed and replied, “Elder, I am a student from the Yan-An City(13), currently I am hastening home to take my examinations. Please forgive me for being rude, but may I ask how I should address elder you?” Zhou Zhong Lian smiles slightly and told him his name. Alarmed, the youngster exclaims, “Elder Zhou?! But you are the revered inhabitant of our town! Please excuse my poor manners!” The youngster then revealed to Zhou his name – it was Wang Zhao Xi.

    The two fell into easy conversation, getting along very well. Wang Zhao Xi then says, “Since I am travelling alone by myself, I was hoping elder you would be so kind as to allow me to trail along with your party, under your guardianship. Geng Shao Nan quickly winked his eyes at Zhou a few times, but Zhou Zhong Lian was old and had a compassionate heart thus he immediately replied, “Travelling together can in no way cause any detriment to us, you need not express any gratitude.” Geng Shao Nan said coldly, “I find it strange for you to be riding such a powerful steed considering the fact that you are a scholar. That’s really quite remarkable.” Wang Zhao Xi replied, “This horse is of Turkestan breed and is named “Radiating Lion of the Night” and even though it is tough and sturdy, yet it is still relatively gentle.” The Northwest area was famous for their powerful horses and it is well known that even the common inhabitant is infused with great riding skills. Therefore although Zhou Zhong Lian felt this horse to be extraordinary to the point of disbelief, yet he nevertheless did not question nor suspect anything.

    All throughout the trip, the group of famous escorts that were hired by the Zhou family had stayed close to the mule coach, guarding over it. But at this time, they suddenly gathered around Geng Shao Nan and waited until Zhou Zhong Lian finished his words before they started bowing down to Geng Shao Nan. The old head escort was particularly respectful as he kneels down on one knee and gave a bow of respect before saying, “Please forgive this useless old man for being so blind. I had already guessed that Hero Geng you are a grand master, but I never knew that Hero Geng you are actually a prized disciple of the Wu Tang sect. Hero Geng, will you be so kind as to allow this old bag of useless bones to treat you a meal?” Hearing the old escort’s words, Zhou Zhong Lian was baffled.

    Geng Shao Nan smiles and helped the old head escort up on his feet before saying, “It’s all my fault. I started the fight and since the fight has been started, I might as well finish it. My mission on this trip is not to escort the trunks, I just wanted to do a favour for a friend and to help him I would gladly run the risk of having knives pierce both sides of my chest. Old escort, there’s no need for alarm.” Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhong Lian became even more perplexed.

    Geng Shao Nan was not a scholar. He was actually a second-generation disciple of the Wu Tang Sect. The Wu Tang sect’s status of power was immense and they were analogous to the big dipper of the martial arts world. The head master of the Wu Tang sect was the Taoist Priest Zi Yang (Purple Sun). He has four apprentice brothers: Taoist Priest Huang Ye (Yellow Leaf), Priest Bai Shi (White Stone), Priest Hong Yun (Red Cloud), and Qing Suo (Green Palm). As a group, they were known as the “Five Elders of Wu Tang,” and the disciples under their sect reaches hundreds in numbers. Geng Shao Nan was the head disciple of Taoist Priest White Stone, and among the second-generation disciples he was an outstanding figure.

    The man with the lustrous beard who had just blocked their way and started a fight with them was called Zhou Tong, also known as “Mountain-Roaming Tiger.” The man with the bushy eyebrows and big eyes was known as “Fire-Spirit Monkey,” his real name was Zhu Bao Chun. They were both bandits of the Chuan-Shaan area, and in terms of martial arts, they were above the likes of the Xi Chuan Twin Terrors. The Wu Tang sect was famed for being the divine centre of the martial arts world, therefore the sect established two rules: one being that all disciples must not become thieves or robbers. The second rule being that all disciples should not become escorts or bodyguards. Geng Shao Nan was a Wu Tang disciple, and a Wu Tang disciple escorting a big official with their luggage is not something that is commonly seen. The old head escort showered Geng Shao Nan with such praises because he was first of all afraid that the Fire Spirit Monkey and this group would come back to seek revenge and secondly, he was not sure what Geng Shao Nan’s purpose for coming on this trip was.

    It was only at this moment that Zhou Zhong Lian realized this Geng Shao Nan was a skilled martial artist. He couldn’t understand why his grandson would make acquaintances with such an unusual person, so he could only express his gratitude to him once again. Geng Shao Nan’s face clearly expressed his pleasure and satisfaction at hearing these words and this attitude towards Zhou Zhong Lian was somewhat haughty and arrogant. While Zhou Zhong Lian continued to inquire about Geng’s relationship with his grandson, Geng would only change the topic or laugh, ignoring Zhou’s questions.

    The white horse youngster Wang Zhao Xi was extremely quiet and reserved, but during the journey he was very respectful and courteous towards Zhou Zhong Lian and Geng Shao Nan. After two days, they had just past Qiang Ning and were approaching the Yang Ping Pass. All along the journey, there consistently appeared suspicious looking people appearing in crowds, horseback, as well as mule coaches. With just a glance and the old head escort knew that these were secret scouts from the underground world that were being sent over to keep an eye on them. Therefore during the last two days the escorts were all particularly fretful and anxious, yet luckily nothing happened. After they had passed the Yang-Ping Pass, those suspicious looking people suddenly disappeared without a trace. That night as they arrived in Dai An Yi, Zhou Zhong Lian said, “Tomorrow after we pass Ding Jun Mountain, the road ahead of us will be levelled and smooth.” Hearing this, the escorts all breathed a sigh of relief yet Geng Shao Nan became particularly uneasy, a completely different attitude compared to the cool composure and nonchalance that he bore throughout the journey.
    No longer walking amongst the living...

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    The crowd of people all went to the town’s most luxurious inn to spend the night. Suddenly, the white horse youngster Wang Zhao Xi turned to Zhou Zhong Lian, gave a low bow with his hands folded in front of him and said in a clear voice, “Elder, I am much indebted to you for taking care of me during these past few days and I don’t want to conceal the truth from you anymore. I am currently being pursued by some very powerful enemies. If I can pass this night in peace, everything will be fine. But if there are indeed any traces of disturbances tonight, please do not be alarmed elder. As long as you hang up the lanterns that has the title Supreme Commander of the Yun Gui provinces emblazoned on it, and you should be not disturbed.” Zhou Zhong Lian almost jumped out of his seat when he heard this and suddenly remembered the old escort’s repeated warnings. He told Zhou that along their journey, he should only pretend to be a businessman of some kind but must never reveal that he is a government official for the reason that the Underground bandits enjoys robbing retired officials the most. Zhou had always thought that this youngster was just an ordinary scholar, how could he have known that this scholar was also part of the Jianghu crowd? This youngster was neither a friend nor family member of his and he couldn’t understand what this scholar wanted with him. As Zhou was fidgeting and faltering, Geng Shao Nan batted his eyes and rushed to say, “Since this is the case, why don’t we share each other’s dilemma and help each other through this predicament. Tonight if we support each other we will survive, but if we separate from each other we will both be exterminated. Master, you must listen and act accordingly to Wang Zhao Xi’s words. Let’s make a pact that tonight we should work as a team and help each other through tonight’s threats.”

    Wang Zhao Xi smiles slightly and said, “Certainly.” He took over the inn’s banquet hall and sat down at a purple sandalwood table before telling the innkeeper to bring him two jugs of aged Hua Diao wine. Two oil wick candles burned brightly on the table, illuminating Wang Zhao Xi as he tossed his saddle and stirrups to the corner of a wall and then turned to Geng Shao Nan to say, “Take your crowd and hide within the two rooms behind me. If I don’t tell you to, do not come out.” The old escort and Geng Shao Nan had always thought this youngster’s appearance to be very unusual, and yet little could they have guessed that he would also turn out to be so knowledgeable and experienced. They became even more mystified by him.

    The wind howls wildly while the stars and constellations shifts and realigns as the night gradually deepens and all becomes quieter, stiller. The solitary figure of Wang Zhao Xi sits within the room, concentrating all this attention to the entranceway, not moving, not stirring. Nobody from Zhou’s group, including Zhou Zhong Lian himself dared to go to sleep. The old escort asked, “Is he really going to sit like that until the morning?” Geng Shao Nan suddenly hisses, “Shut up! Someone’s coming.”

    Continuing to sit upright, Wang Zhao Xi lifts up the wine jug and says loudly, “Welcome. You have all travelled far.” Four burly men stepped in through the front entrance. The one leading the crowd had sharp piercing eyes with a nonchalant gaze that projects the impression of cool indifference. He said with authoritative command. “Kid, stay out of any business that doesn’t concern you. Now Scram!” Wang Zhao Xi smiles and says, “What’s wrong?” The face of the steely man clouded over and just when his anger was about to erupt, he suddenly saw the Supreme Commander’s lanterns hanging above. Shocked he said, “What are you here for? Are you not …” Wang Zhao Xi continued to say, “I’m here to escort a patron. Can I ask you to please take pity on the fact that this is my first escorting trip and spare us? Please don’t make me lose my job brothers, why don’t you guys go somewhere else to make a fortune?” The burly man released an angry “humph” and shouted, “You’ve taken us for the wrong kind of people” and with a flex of his arms, he charged into the direction of the bedrooms.

    Zhou Zhong Lian was hiding within the room and could barely croak out the words, “that man is an Imperial bodyguard!” Imperial bodyguards were actually special agents that worked for the imperial palace(14). The burly man’s name was Shi Hao and he was a commander of the Imperial bodyguards. When Zhou Zhong Lian was still residing in the position of the Supreme Commander over the Yun and Gui provinces, an official under his command had committed a felony, the imperial palace sent out imperial bodyguards to transport the offender back to the capital. It was Shi Hao who was in charge of the mission at that time, which was why Zhou knew who he was.

    Words are often slower than actions, for in a moment’s time Shi Hao has already dashed like a shooting arrow into the bedroom. Geng Shao Nan came out and blocked the way with his right arm shouting, “Who are you? How dare you disturb the revered official?” As their two arms impacted against each other, both sides were knocked back a few steps. Zhou Zhong Lian quickly sputtered out the words, “Commander Shi, it is I, the revered Emperor’s unworthy servant. Has the Emperor brought an imperial edict detailing an order for his humble servant?” The Ming era was known for their Emperors’ tendency to inflict brutal torture and vindictive punishment on their officials. Often, they would over a very small offence use the method of “execution through measured lacerations”(15) to execute their officials. Although Zhou Zhong Lian had just resigned his position, yet he is still worried that the Emperor would for some reason want to bring him back to the capital in order to convict him. He was so terrified that even his voice was trembling. Shi Hao concentrated his gaze and seemed to vaguely recognize Zhou Zhong Lian, therefore he said, “So it is indeed our revered officer who rests here. Your humble servant I am in the midst of chasing after a dangerous criminal, please excuse me if I have disturbed you master.” He then smiled and continued, “Our revered Emperor misses you very much. He constantly mentions your name, saying how revered officer you are a very good official.” Only upon hearing this could Zhou Zhong Lian’s terrified spirits settle down a little, as he hurriedly bowed and invited Shi Hao to sit down and take a drink. Shi Hao said, “Master Zhou you are much too kind, I am not worthy. Besides, your humble servant I have a mission to complete so I dare not stay too long. Please excuse us for our bad manners Master.” Upon saying this, he signalled to the other three imperial bodyguards and retreated out of the room. Before he left, he took a good long look at Geng Shao Nan and Wang Zhao Xi, and said with a loud snicker, “Master Zhou, these two bodyguards that you have hired are indeed very tough!”

    After Shi Hao left, Geng Shao Nan noticed that had Shi Hao left behind on the floor a number of footprints that were half an inch deep. Geng Shao Nan coldly snickered, “That lowly servant really likes to show off. How could he possibly compare with Brother Wang’s ability to put on appearances and conceal his true abilities?” Zhou Zhong Lian calls from inside his room, “Come inside quickly lad!”

    Zhou Zhong Lian was an experienced veteran in the sphere of governmental politics and as soon as his terror passed, he immediately realized that if the imperial bodyguards had pursued an offender from the imperial palace to here, this white horse youngster must be some kind of violent criminal. Zhou realizes now that he’s been used as a shield by this youngster and if the Emperor was to find out about this in the future, his whole family will be in great trouble. Therefore, at this point he could no longer care about what degree or level their friendship was at, but quickly called in Geng Shao Nan and softly whispered this to him. Geng Shao Nan gave out a cold laugh and said, “This I had already realized” and before Zhou Zhong Lian could go on any further, Geng had already rushed outside.

    Within the empty room the candles flickered around, casting shadows around the room. Wang Zhao Xi was sitting there, drinking cup after cup of wine. Geng Shao Nan’s face clouded over, as he suddenly laughed sarcastically, “Brother you really are an experienced professional of Jianghu world, your brother I can’t tell you how much admiration I have for you.” Wang Zhao Xi replied, “Brother Geng, please do not be angry. I really had no other choice.” Geng Shao Nan’s eyes flashed briefly as he suddenly struck out with his arms while saying in a low voice, “How dare you mess around with a Wu Tang disciple?” Wang Zhao Xi’s leans his shoulder slightly to the side as Geng Shao Nan reaches out his hand to impact on Wang’s chest. Wang Zhao Xi smiles slightly as his muscles immediately contracts causing Geng Shao Nan’s palm to suddenly slip over to one side. Wang Zhao Xi was still sitting calmly in his chair as if nothing had happened at all. Geng Shao Nan couldn’t help himself from becoming extremely alarmed. He had just executed one stance from the Wu Tang sect’s thirty-six formations of the grappling technique. Not only does this stance embody incredible force, but it can also be divided into two different uses by using the left hand to grasp opponents in a dead lock and then using the right hand to seal opponents’ acupoint. Wang Zhao Xi was sitting on the chair and it was unlikely that there could have been a way for him to escape. Yet how could anybody have guessed that as Geng Shao Nan’s left hand approached him, Wang’s elbow sweep it away and with the speed of lightning he dismantled Geng’s formation of the grappling technique. Wang’s right hand followed to lift up Geng Shao Nan’s right elbow, before saying in a soft whisper, “Brother Geng, let us stop fighting for the time being. A powerful opponent had already arrived. Remember: if we support each other we can survive, but if we separate from each other we will both be exterminated.” Geng Shao Nan concentrated his attention and heard that there were indeed traces of whistling sounds coming from afar. Geng’s face underwent a change of colour as he hissed, “What is this monkey business? One group just left and already another group is coming again?” Wang Zhao Xi smiled and said, “This group really will be bandits. I don’t want to conceal anything from you, the five most powerful clans of bandits in the Chuan-Shaan area will be coming here tonight.” Geng Shao Nan said angrily, “Elder Zhou does not have much money. There’s no need for you to create such a spectacle and play the undercover agent.” Wang Zhao Xi laughed, “you think I’m a spy? They want to rob me, and not your elder Zhou. But who knows? Maybe after they rob me they may rob you too just for the sake of it.” Geng Shao Nan could not decide whether he should believe him or not as he was thinking to himself: you have absolutely no luggage whatsoever and there’s nothing in your bare hands. What can they possibly rob from you? Wang Zhao Xi again spoke in a soft voice, “Hurry and returned to the bedrooms, immediately take down the Supreme Commander lanterns and maybe this incident won’t impinge upon your group.” Geng Shao Nan hesitated for a moment before Wang Zhao Xi stood up and whispered a few words in Geng’s ears. After hearing this, Geng automatically nodded his head and hurriedly retreated.

    After a while, the whistling noises came closer and closer. Wang Zhao Xi opened the front doors and more than ten men immediately rushed into the room. The room suddenly filled up with a crowd of tall and sturdy men. Geng Shao Nan snuck a peak and found that the three faction leaders of the Dragon-Gate Clan were also within the crowd. The old head escort was scared beyond words, his face and lips completely drained of colour as he whispered, “Sh*it! Those are the three most dangerous groups of bandits. Aside from the Dragon-Gate clan, there’s also the Fang Brothers from Dai Ba Mountain’s Black Tiger Rock and the Mai Trio from the Ding Jun Mountain!” Geng Shao Nan said dryly, “There’s still two more groups that has yet to come. Just wait around and you’ll see.”

    The head leader of Ding Jun Mountain’s Mai Trio was a man named Mai Feng Chun. He swept his eyes around the room and then cackled, “You really have a way. Now where did you hide the treasures? Did you hide them in the crooked official’s luggage? Get it out right now!” Wang Zhao Xi said loudly, “Now old bandit Mai, you’re considered a veteran in the Jianghu world, yet can you really not figure out where I put the treasures? I see you’re really not much despite whatever your fame may say about you. You need not fight and already you’ve lost a stance.” After saying this, Wang rips out into loud laughter.

    Tu Jing Xiong, the head faction-leader of the Dragon Gate Clan laughed loudly and raised a thumb in praise before saying, “My boy, you really are something. Take it out so we can all have a look and then we can be good friends.” Wang Zhao Xi slowly stood up and lifted onto the table the horse saddle that was resting along the wall corner. Rattling sounds emanated from the wooden table. Wang took out a sword and lightly swiped the saddle with it. The horse saddle was originally a very ordinary black saddle, anybody laying eyes on it would have thought that it was just a lacquer wood saddle. Who would have guessed that with that one swipe of a sword, the glow of gold would suddenly come pouring out from within? Hidden within the black metal exterior was actually hard, solid gold. On the very top of the pile was about ten round emerald-coloured diamonds commonly known as “Cats Eye.” The heap of treasures emanated a strange and beautiful glow. The Mai brothers looked at each other and couldn’t utter a single sound.

    All experienced bandits of the Underground world were known to be have the ability of ascertaining the amount of treasures hidden within a piece of luggage with just one look, and never would their guess misfire on them. The Chuan-Shaan area’s five major clans of bandits had already followed Wang Zhao Xi for several days and they observed how the dust flew out wildly wherever his horse trod, clearly indicating that it must be the result of a small but heavy cargo of treasures that Wang was carrying. Yet nobody could figure out exactly where he was hiding it because no one would have guessed that it was actually hidden within the horse saddle.

    Wang Zhao Xi laughs loudly and lifting up a stirrup, he says loudly, “We are all in the same business. I don’t want to make any enemies. Please take this stirrup as my small gift to the brothers of the Chuan-Shaan area.” The fighters of the Underground world all turned to look at each other as Mai Feng Chun growled, “You are something kid. This time we admit to defeat. Let’s go guys!” They turned around and left without taking the stirrup.

    Geng Shao Nan was watching all of this from within the room. When he heard Mai Feng Chun’s words, he let out a sigh of relief. Just as he watched Mai Feng Chun step out of the door, a strange cackling laughter coming from outside suddenly pierced the air. A shadow flashed by briefly and suddenly a pudgy old man appeared in the middle of the room, smoking on a long pipe that is releasing a trail of green smoke into the air. In a very strange voice he said, “What’s this? I haven’t even come yet and already you’re splitting the money?” Mai Feng Chun replied “Brother Shao, we’ve been defeated.” The pudgy old man pointed with his pipe and said, “Who said we were defeated? I knew all along that there was something inside his saddle. I heard everything you guys just said. I’m not a beggar, you think you can get rid of us by giving us that stirrup as if we were a charity case?! In your dreams kid!”

    From within the room Geng Shao Nan was able to observe everything very clearly. Even though he has never met this pudgy old man before, yet he could tell from his fierce intenseness that this man was the Southern Shaan area’s famed bandit(16) Shao Xuan Yang. His pipe was a very rare and unorthodox weapon. Not only can it seal a person’s pressure points but it can also serve as a Five-Element Sword. Nevertheless, Shao Xuan Yang was still considered as a famed figure within the JiangHu world. Who knew that he would also be such a shameless scoundrel?

    Wang Zhao Xi smiles lightly and said, “Old Shao, you’re considered as my elder and to present this horse saddle as a gift to you really shouldn’t be much of a problem. But unfortunately I have a friend here who won’t let me do that.” Shao Xuan Yang said, “Who is your friend? Ask him to come out and let us meet his acquaintance.” Before he could even finish his sentence, a person rushed out from the room and said, “Wu Tang’s Geng Shao Nan is please to meet the acquaintance of elders.”

    Shao Xuan Yang’s eyes slid over to look at Geng Shao Nan and said, “You’re from the Wu Tang sect? It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Shao Xuan Yang then approached Geng Shao Nan while reaching out with his hands to greet him. He suddenly tugged on Geng’s hands using only three fingers to lock Geng Shao Nan’s hand in a deadly grasp. This was an extremely deadly move that has the power to separate tendons and crush bones. Geng Shao Nan pushed upwards with his palm, and with a twist of his wrist he executed one stance in the Wu Tang sect’s palm formations called the “Three rings covering the Moon” to dismantle Shao Xuan Yang’s move. Shao Xuan Yang’s left hand suddenly pushed on Geng’s shoulders and said, “Excellent!” Geng Shao Nan took a step back and with a pat to his Elixir Field,(17) his energy pulsed through in all directions as he wrapped his arms and lifted up his elbows, executing the stance, “Fisherman spreading his nets” blocking off Shao Xuan Yang’s grappling technique. Shao Xuan Yang laughed loudly and said, “You are indeed a Wu Tang disciple!”

    Geng Shao Nan had to perform two famed stances of the Wu Tang sect in order to momentarily subjugate Shao Xuan Yang. However, in terms of martial arts Shao Xuan Yang was actually more skilled than Geng Shao Nan. It was just that at this time, the Wu Tang sect was considered as the central divinity of the martial arts world, its eminence spreading afar and there was nobody within the Underground world that did not take heed of their power. Shao Xuan Yang jumped back a step and said, “I don’t understand why you would also want to a share of this muddy mess?” Geng Shao Nan replied, “ I don’t know what you’re referring to. This young man and I belong to the same team. The gold means nothing, but Wu Tang sect’s name absolutely cannot be dishonoured.” Shao Xuan Yang dryly laughed twice and said, “Wu Tang’s disciples cannot take the job of an escort, and they are not allowed to become bandits. How is it that you ended up on the same side as him?” Geng Shao Nan replied, “All business of the JiangHu world can be anybody’s business. You’re ganging up upon a man to rob him. I’m acting out because I detest the way you act!” Shao Xuan Yang laughed and said, “Did your ShiFu tell you to come here and stick your nose into other people’s business? Why did he only send you?” Geng Shao Nan said, “If I happen to encounter injustice, I will naturally act out in order to help. Why would I need my teacher’s permission?” Wang Zhao Xi hastily batted his eyes at Geng Shao Nan before Geng finally understood and quickly added, “All second generation disciples of the Wu Tang sect have gathered here in Shaan-Xi, we were hoping to get the chance to meet such famed figures of the martial arts world such as yourself.” Shao Xuan Yang was alarmed, he originally thought that if Geng Shao Nan was by himself, he would just finish him off and thus eradicate all evidence right now and start worrying about the consequences later. But now hearing that the second generation of the Wu Tang disciples had all gathered together here, he imagined that there must be a big crowd of people. No matter how steely Shao Xuan Yang’s guts may be, he would never dare meddle with the heroes of Wu Tang. Therefore, he quickly retracted his pipe and said with a big smile, “There’s no need to be so upset. Since this man is your friend, how can we not do you this favour?”

    Geng Shao Nan’s expression visibly relaxed as he unconsciously used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off from his forehead. After exchanging only two stances with this man, Geng already knew that he could not defeat him. It was only through using the prominent fame of the Wu Tang sect was Geng able to scare this man off. However, he was not completely lying when he said that the Wu Tang disciples had all planned to gather together here, as the Taoist Priest Purple Sun had indeed sent four disciples to Shaan-Xi area to complete various missions and including him there would be five people. The only problem was, they did not intend to meet up together.

    Shao Xuan Yang caught Geng in the act of wiping his forehead with his sleeve and immediately stopped in his tracks as his eyes flared up. Wang Zhao Xi silently uttered a cry of dismay to himself. Shao Xuan Yang suddenly released three loud laughs and said loudly, “Brother Gui, you have come just at the right time. Listen to this kid’s words and tell me, do you think he’s lying?” Suddenly a gust of strong wind came into the room and left the room’s candles flickering wildly, threatening to be extinguished. A tall and sturdy red-faced old man suddenly appeared outside, descending from above and loudly laughed, “There are indeed four men who were captured by somebody else. Since others have the guts to mess with Wu Tang, why can’t we? This kid’s here by himself, if we kill him all we need to do is to just throw him out to the crowd of hungry wolves in the mountains. Even if the Wu Tang Five Elders come and find his corpse, this murder will still not be linked to us. There would be someone else to take the blame for us.” Geng Shao Nan couldn’t stop himself from being secretly alarmed as judging from this old man’s appearance, he must be Eastern Chuan(18) ’s famed bandit the Eagle Clawed King, Gui You Zhang. But how did he know that Wu Tang’s four men had arrived here and who could have had the ability to capture them all?

    Shao Xuan Yang was simultaneously alarmed as he exclaims with bewilderment, “Brother Gui, are you saying that it was the Demoness’s work? Is this also her territory as well?” Gui You Zhang replied, “What are you being so chicken for? We are the clan of bandits that rules over the Chuan-Shaan area. How can we allow not only a youngster, but a young girl to squash us?” Even though he was speaking, his movements were not at all impeded and with a slight twitch of his shoulder he extended his hands that were as large as a quill-fan to execute a deadly grasp. Geng Shao Nan observed how red his palms were and dared not intercept this move. He moved back a step and kicked off with his right feet aiming for the “white-cloth” acupoint on Gui’s legs. Gui You Zhang emanated a strange cackle and dashed off to the side before extending the five fingers on his right hand that now glinted menacingly like hooks, grasping in the direction of Geng Shao Nan’s ankle.

    Geng Shao Nan’s body flitted to a side, yet Gui You Zhang’s pair of large hands continues to execute his moves one after the other. Geng Shao Nan can only continually retreat, silently cursing Wang Zhao Xi for not lending out a helping hand. The force of power that emanated from Gui You Zhang’s palms were extremely forceful and Geng Shao Nan had already been forced into the corner of the wall with no place to go. Just as Gui You Zhang was about to execute his final obliterating move on Geng, Wang Zhao Xi’s voice was suddenly heard as he coldly remarks, “If you guys want my horse saddle, that’s not a problem. But have you men asked for Yu Luo Sha’s(19) permission yet?” Shao Xuan Yang, the Feng Brothers and the Mai Trio presently had Wang surrounded, but when they heard these words, they suddenly became terrified. Shao Xuan Yang jumped out of the circle and approached Wang asking, “What do you mean by Yu Luo Sha?” Wang Zhao Xi replies, “The clans of the underground world would rather rob a thousand families rather than steal somebody else’s small gift. This pile of treasures is somebody else’s present to Yu Luo Sha. Do you really want one Black societal clan to demolish another clan?” Shao Xuan Yang’s face blanched a pale white as he shrilly shouts, “Brother! Stop now!” With a twist of his body, Gui You Zhang had returned to the centre and angrily shouted, “Kid, do you think you can scare us by bringing out Yu Luo Sha’s name?” Wang Zhao Xi replied, “Who’s scaring you?” and flipped over the horse saddle. Etched on the back were the words, “Presented to Madam Lian Ni Shang with our utmost respects.” Wang Zhao Xi said, “You all know that I didn’t etch these words onto the saddle just now.” Shao Xuan Yang pulled Gui You Zhang to the side and whispered, “Brother Gui, it’s safer to believe rather than to question his words. Your worthless brother I would like to make a suggestion, why don’t we just let the kid go?” Gui You Zhang gave out a snort of disgust and thought silently to himself for a while. The Mai trio and Dragon-Gate’s three faction leaders all gathered around Gui You Zhang as well. Only the Feng brothers were left in the middle of the room to watch over Wang.

    Geng Shao Nan was standing amongst the middle of the room, shocked and baffled. He thought to himself silently, “Who is Yu Lou Sha? I’ve never heard this name before, why would this clan of bandits be so terrified of her?”

    After a while, Gui You Zhang suddenly lifted his hand and with a flash of his eyes, he said with hard determination, “So what if it is Yu Luo Sha’s? Even if it is Yu Luo Sha’s, we will still take it!” Shao Xuan Yang jumped up and stuttered, “Brother … Brother …” Gui You Zhang brought his hand down on the sandalwood table, chipping off the corner of the table and said loudly, “During the last year we have taken enough of this little doll’s crap. We might as well take this opportunity to go out to have a good battle with her.” Shao Xuan Yang stepped back and trembled, “But … But …” Gui You Zhang severed reprimanded him, “And you call yourself a man? Look at how terrified you look. They say she’s powerful, but we’ve only heard of her powers and have never witnessed them with our own eyes. Hey! If you guys have any guts, then follow me. Today I am determined to take this kid’s horse saddle.” The Mai Trio and the Dragon-Gate’s three Faction leaders all stepped back and did not dare to stir. Only the Feng brothers said, “We are willing to follow Brother Gui’s commands.” Gui You Zhang diverted his eyes to Shao Xuan Yang and bitterly said, “I can’t believe that a few decades of brotherhood bond can only be this strong. Fine! Forget that we’ve ever met!” Shao Xuan Yang smiled sadly, “If Brother you are determined to go, your unworthy brother can only listen to you and be at your command.” Gui You Zhang unleashed a lion-like roar and extended his grasp towards Wang despite the table situated between them. Wang Zhao Xi’s body flitted to one side, escaping his attack. The Feng brothers flanked him from the left and right sides, yet Wang Zhao Xi’s body glides around as he executes the stance “Left-Right Extending the bow” and blocked off the Feng brothers. Gui You Zhang flicked his wrist and raised his middle and index fingers to suddenly strike out at Wang Zhao Xi’s eyes. Wang Zhao Xi warded off the stab with a “Phoenix Dipping her Head” and jumped off to a side, laughing coldly, “Old Gui, you’ve fallen into my “attack hindrance” trap! If you want to take the saddle you better hurry up and take it now, otherwise it’ll be too late! Listen! What sound do you hear outside?” Gui You Zhang concentrated his attention to the noises of the time gong clanging five times, announcing the time. The long night passes by quickly. It was already the fifth hour. Wang Zhao Xi laughed and said, “Do you hear the time? It’s Five! Yu Luo Sha will be here momentarily. Old Gui, if you don’t stop now you’ll die without even a decent burial spot!” Gui You Zhang angrily shouted, “You’re just trying to kill more time. Let me send you to hell first!” and with a forceful palm, he brought it down upon Wang’s head.

    Wang Zhao Xi moved with the speed of thunder while laughing heartily all the while, and with two sweeping movements he extinguished the oil-wick lamp that was lighting up the room. The room suddenly becomes a mass of darkness. Geng Shao Nan backed up and hugged the walls, not daring to even breathe. Even though the large crowd of bandits far outnumbered Wang and Geng, yet during this moment of darkness nobody dared to move. Gui You Zhang listened silently, concentrating, and just at the moment when he decided to attack he suddenly heard a sound of crystal clear laughter. The laughter originally sounded very far, but in the split of a second it has already arrived outside the door. Suddenly everyone’s eyes lighted up as a troop of beautiful young women entered in the room. There were four girls leading the pack, each carrying lanterns made of jade coloured silk. There were four more girls standing at the rear of the crowd, four girls in total were on the left and four stood on the right side, surrounding a girl in the middle. This young girl was as beautiful as a heavenly immortal, wearing an almond coloured dress with a white sash tied to her waist. Her expression invoked the aura of the autumn springs, her eyebrows were so long and elegant, they extended into her hairline. Bearing an astounding smile, she entered into the room one step at a time. The clan of bandits within the room all froze over as if they had suddenly been transformed into wooden dolls, a few of them changed the colour of aged dust, shrinking against one side not daring to move a single muscle.
    No longer walking amongst the living...

  3. #3
    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    Wang Zhao Xi exclaimed with delight, “Heroine Lian, my father delivers his utmost respects, asking that elder you are well.” The young girl nods her head slightly and replied, “That is kind of him.” Wang Zhao Xi said, “Father told me to bring this horse saddle to you, but they …” The young girl lowered her brow as she smiled and said, “I already knew about the purpose of your trip. Are these men interested in the horse saddle?” She surveyed the room with the eye of a phoenix, Shao Xuan Yang hurriedly exclaimed, “I didn’t know this saddle belonged to you elder.” Geng Shao Nan laughed to himself silently, thinking that judging from looks this girl was merely around twenty years of age whereas Shao Xuan Yang was already an old man. He found it pure ludicrousness to see Shao actually call a young girl “elder”.

    The young girl raised her eyebrows and said with a chilling laugh, “Those who didn’t know cannot be blamed. Leave this mountain now.” She paused for a while before saying with a laugh, “Old Gui, you’re here as well? I still haven’t received any tributes from you this month. Have you forgotten about it?” Gui You Zhang slowed his breathing and calmed down a little before suddenly shrieking out, “Yu Luo Sha, others may be scared of you. But I’m not. This isn’t your territory! That horse saddle is mine! What are you going to do about it?” With the speed of an arrow, he rushed towards her. The young girl whom they called Yu Luo Sha calmly asked, “Is there anybody else who wants a share of this horse saddle?” The Mai Trio and the three faction leaders from the Dragon-Gate clan all shrivelled up against a corner and stammered, “We dare not!” Shao Xuan Yang was as pale as a ghost and just stood there trembling, unable to utter a single sound. The Fang brothers were standing behind Gui You Zhang, they remained silent. Yu Luo Sha gave out a long laugh and said, “Old Gui, Who needs you to be afraid of me?” Gui You Zhang had just arrived in front of Yu Luo Sha as he extended those quill-fan sized hands of his into a grasp. Yu Luo Sha did not even seem to acknowledge his presence, and by the time Gui You Zhang clamped down she had already disappeared. Before Gui You Zhang can even begin to retreat, it had already become too late. A searing pain erupted in his back and he fell to the floor. The Fang brothers weren’t even able to register anything before Yu Luo Sha also sent out a palm to each one of them. They fell to the floor, rolling back and forth, screaming wildly in pain.

    Yu Luo Sha had consecutively executed three deadly moves with the speed of a lighting bolt. Yet despite having just sent three powerful bandits sprawling across the floor, she remains composed and unruffled, smiling all the while as if nothing had happened. All of the bandits in the room were dumbfounded into a complete state of respect and submission. Yu Luo Sha turns to the Mai Trio and the faction leaders of the Dragon-Gate Clan saying, “This has nothing to do with all of you. Now get up!” Shao Xuan Yang continues to beg for mercy, but Yu Luo Sha only continues to wear her chilling smile and does not reply.

    Among the three people lying on the floor, Gui Yao Zhang’s martial arts was the most proficient. Therefore when he was hit, he generated his inner energy to withstand the pain, which was why initially he wasn’t shrieking in pain like the Fang brothers. But little did he know that as soon as he started generating his inner energies, it was like millions of poisonous snakes were coursing through his body and biting chunks out of his flesh. All his vital organs were shaken up and traumatized. Even though he wanted to scream out in pain, he couldn’t. The bystanders watched how emissions of heat waves started to radiate from the top of his head and sweat beads the size of beans emanated one drop after another. The muscles of his face were severely contorting with pain, completely warping his face. It was indeed a most excruciating method of torment.

    The Fang brothers pleaded, “We beg of you elder. Please have mercy on us and kill us quickly!” Gui You Zhang’s widened his eyes in agreement although he wasn’t unable to utter a single sound. Yu Luo Sha smiles and said, “Fang brothers, since you guys were just accomplices, I can therefore lighten your sentence and relieve you of your suffering.” She jumped up and with a flex of her slender legs unleashed a flying kick to each man. They both screamed out in pain and then laid unmoving on the ground. Geng Shao Nan was horrified. He couldn’t believe that such a beautiful young girl could actually turn out to be such a cruel killer.

    After Yu Luo Sha had finished off the Fang brothers, she turned to Shao Xuan Yang and beckoned with her hands saying, “Come over here!” Shao Xuan Yang held on to the wall for support with both his hands and approached Yu Luo Sha one step at time, his body trembling all over during every step of the way. Yu Lou Sha says to him gently, “You and Old Gui have been friends for more than ten years now and are as close as brothers right?” Shao Xuan Yang’s heart was pounding so hard he thought it was going to burst as he hurriedly said, “Heroine! You are a most fair judge. You must know that this has nothing to do with me.” Yu Luo Sha’s face suddenly clouded over as she said in a severe tone, “And you call yourself an experienced veteran bandit. You don’t even know about the taboos of being a bandit! And you have absolutely no observational ability. I can’t believe you still hang around the Underground world and dare to crown yourself ruler and lord. Look at him, he’s a solitary youngster carrying a bunch of precious jewels, do you think he would dare to do such a thing if he did not have a powerful backup? I’ll be honest with you, if he didn’t offer these jewels to me as a gift, even I wouldn’t dare rob him. How much do you know about his background? You don’t even check him out carefully and already you listen to other people’s commands to gather around together and rob him en masse? You are absolutely blind!” As Shao Xuan Yang listened Yu Luo Sha’s scolding words become more and more severe and her attitude becoming more and more angry, his heart actually became more and more calm. After she finished her angry lecture, he had already completely calmed down. He knows what Yu Luo Sha’s temper was like, if she treats you in a sweet and gentle manner after something significant has happened, her next step would undoubtedly be to execute some kind of malicious and lethal move. But if she very severely lectures you, then she most likely won’t do much to you. After she finishes scolding him, Shao Xuan Yang spreads open his left and right arms and slapped himself hard twice before saying loudly, “I am blind! I have no right to be a bandit anymore. I await elder’s lecture and reprimanding.” Yu Lou Sha crossly says, “Since you admit to your wrong doings, I will relieve you of your punishments. Come over here now and kill your brother.” Shao Xuan Yang’s face paled. Gui You Zhang was nevertheless his good brother for many years, how could he possibly execute the act? Gui You Zhang was still rolling around on the floor, gradually rolling over to Shao Xuan Yang’s side. There was a painful look in his pleading eyes that seems to be begging Shao to kill him off right away.

    Geng Shao Nan couldn’t stand it any more as he suddenly stepped out and said in a loud voice, “Gui You Zhang is indeed a malevolent villain, you can kill him and nobody would say that you are doing the wrong thing because you would only be eradicating a bully in the Underground world. But telling the brothers to kill each other – that is not the style of the good orthodox sects.” Yu Luo Sha’s face suddenly changed colour as she continued to smile and say, “Which sect are you from?” Geng Shao Nan said arrogantly, “I am the second generation disciple of the Wu Tang sect!” Yu Luo Sha said, “Oh … so it’s the Wu Tang sect. A honour indeed.” An expression like the waves of the autumn springs passed over her face as she suddenly said, “Shao Xuan Yang, I was just testing the nature of your conscience and character. Though you are part of Gui You Zhang’s group, yet you’re not as riotous and unruly as he is. When I told you to kill him, you didn’t just follow my orders and killed a friend in order to protect yourself. Alright, because of these two things, I will spare you from any punishment” and in the space between uttering these words, she kicked out with her slim legs and with a light tap, ended Gui You Zhang’s life.

    During the midst of Yu Luo Sha’s light conversation and dazzling smiles, she had already annihilated three powerful bandits. She signalled with her hands and said, “All of you, go and wait for me at the Ding Jun mountain.” With a smile she pointed to Geng Shao Nan and said, “Where are you going? Wanted to go back and protect your Master Zhou? Take your Master Zhou and his luggage, then follow me to the mountain as well.”

    Geng Shao Nan was taken back as he thought to himself, who does this Yu Luo Sha think she is? How dare she hassle our Wu Tang sect as well? It should be known that the Wu Tang sect was claimed as the centre divinity of the martial arts world therefore many disciples within the sect would undoubtedly cultivate a very arrogant and haughty attitude, especially Geng Shao Nan. But observing at how incredibly vicious Yu Luo Sha’s methods were, he was afraid that he would not be her match. Yet though he knew that he must obey her orders, he wasn’t able to forsake his pride. Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly saw Wang Zhao Xi gave him a look as he said, “Brother Geng also holds Heroine Lian you in extreme reverence. All along the journey he said to me that he hopes he could get the chance to show reverence to senior you!” Geng Shao Nan knew that Wang Zhao Xi was worried that he will act impetuously and thus get himself into great trouble, which was why he was trying to say a few good words on his behalf. Though Geng was displeased about this, yet he was nevertheless grateful for Wang’s efforts as he thought to himself: a true man should not allow himself to fall into an evident trap. I’ll follow her for now and see what she dares to do. If I don’t give her some face this time, she might then rob the Zhou family and I would then have done a disservice to my fellow martial art brother. Fighting with her will at least allow me to pay back tonight’s humiliation.

    Geng Shao Nan then returned to the bedroom and told Zhou Zhong Lian about Yu Luo Sha’s orders. The old head escort had been observing through the crack in the door all along, scared out of his wits. While still shaking, he hurriedly tried to convince Zhou Zhong Lian to abide by her words. Zhou Zhong Lian was a relatively forgiving and magnanimous person, therefore he only sighed and said “as long as she spares our lives, then let them take these materialistic things.”

    After a whole night of commotion, traces of the dawn’s early morning rays were already beginning to appear in the skies. Yu Luo Sha along with the eight young girls commanded the crowd of bandits to bring the Zhou family’s luggage up to Ding Jun Mountain, a branch belonging to the Dai Ba Mountain. The watch stations on the mountain were all equipped with tight security. All along the trail, from the foot of the mountain to the very peak, Yu Luo Sha’s female bandits were there to welcome them. Women of the South typically carries a sort of masculine flair to them and after being trained by Yu Luo Sha, they even more greatly exemplified an ideal balance between masculine toughness and curvaceous femininity. They truly epitomized a powerful and orderly Female Troop. Wang Zhao Xi couldn’t help himself from being truly impressed by them as he thought to himself, “these women are much more stronger than my father’s troops.”

    As they arrived at the mountain fortress, Yu Luo Sha commanded her servants to direct the Zhou family to the biggest guest room and bring their luggage towards the back of the fortress. Wang Zhao Xi was shown to another guest inn. After Yu Luo Sha left, Geng Shao Nan asked the head escort softly, “Old escort, you have been an escort within the Southwest area for a long time, exactly who is this Yu Luo Sha?” The old escort replied, “This Yu Luo Sha is a female bandit that has become a powerful figure during the last two years. Her name is Lian Ni Shang. Nobody knows about her history, where she came from and where she learned her incredible martial art skills. Legend has it that she made her first appearance two years ago and used her two palms and the solitary sword in her hand to consecutively beat 18 powerful bandits. When she was battling these bandits, Li Er Fu, the famed fighter of the Western Shaan area was there watching the fight and he said afterwards that Yu Luo Sha’s sword and palm skills belonged to a completely different realm than the style of the other major sects. The mystifying and malicious nature of her skills was nothing like he has ever seen before. He also said that within ten years, the world’s number one fighter would have to give way to this young doll.” Geng Shao Nan gave a snort of disgust and the old escort immediately stopped talking as he realized that his words were out of place. During the last ten years, everybody knew that it was Wu Tang’s sect’s Purple Sun Taoist Priest who was the number one fighter in the martial arts world. If Li Er Fu’s words were correct, then that would mean that Wu Tang’s leader status within the martial arts world would be unstable? Thus the old escort nervously laughed and immediately said, “Though old hero Li is a much respected and famed figure with worldly experience, but it is obvious that he has exaggerated Yu Luo Sha’s abilities. Your Wu Tang sect’s Nine Palace Heavenly Palms and the 72 styles of the Sequential Chain-linking Swords are the epitome of the authentic and orthodox martial arts. How can these debauched and unorthodox palm or sword tricks ever compare?” Hearing these words Geng Shao Nan finally gave out a laugh of relief, his discontent having been greatly mitigated.

    Geng Shao Nan and the rest of his group remained in their rooms for the whole day, nobody daring to take a single unauthorized step. When night came around, two female bandits suddenly came in and said, “Our fortress master would like to invite Master Zhou and Hero Geng to come and attend the banquet.”

    The mountain fortress was brightly lit and there were two tables filled with food and drinks. Aside from the young girl called Yu Luo Sha who was sitting uprightly and looking as beautiful as the heavenly immortals, the rest of the guests were all rough and masculine looking men, all were great bandits of the Underground world. The bandits that the Zhou crowd encountered along the road such as the “Xi-Chuan Two Terrors”, “Mountain Roaming Tiger” Zhou Tong and “Fire Spirit Monkey” Zhu Bao Chun were also included in the feast. Around the tables stood 12 young female attendants pouring wine, presenting the dishes and keeping watch – they were all female bandits that belonged to the fortress. Amongst the crowd of coarse and burly men there interspersed smartly groomed, elegant and tidy females. The two genders facing and contrasting against each other presented an amusing sight indeed. The Underground bandits were all as still as winter cicadas, acting terrified and nervous like a timid girl. Whereas the group of young women were all brave, self-assured, distinguished and outstanding. As they surveyed the crowd of bandits with an amused smile playing around their lips, it further brought out their noble beauty. Geng Shao Nan thought to himself: the women were commanding, the men were effeminate. This was indeed the strangest banquet in the world. Yet nevertheless, secretly within his heart he couldn’t help but be truly impressed by Yu Luo Sha.

    After three round of drinks, Yu Luo Sha stood up and made a sweeping motion with her hands before commanding, “bring out lord Wang’s presents!” Immediately female attendants brought up five basins made of gold, each one covered with a red cloth. Yu Luo Sha revealed the contents within the two basins on her left hand side. Zhou Zhong Lian unleashed a scream of terror when he saw that sitting within the basins were two severed human heads, dripping with blood. Yu Luo Sha smiles slightly and turns to Wang Zhao Xi to say, “This is what your father wants.” Then she unveiled the remaining three basins to reveal that within them were also three bloody heads. Yu Luo Sha took out each one of the heads and displayed them around for all to see, smiling faintly once again and said, “These three people dared to show disrespect to lord Wang you, therefore I decided to take their heads and present them to you as a small gift. There was still one more accomplice who has been severely punished, I’m sure that he would not dare to bother young master you again.” Zhou Zhong Lian having seen the last three decapitated heads became even more terrified as the three heads were actually last night’s three imperial bodyguards that were commanded by Shi Hao. Never could he have guessed that within the span of a night, they would have all have died under Yu Luo Sha’s hands.

    Wang Zhao Xi also stood up and with a bow he said, “I am most grateful for such valued gifts. However, at the present moment I have no intentions of returning home.” Yu Luo Sha replied, “I know that you must have other things to attend to and will have a long journey ahead of you. Naturally I would not bother you with such a small gift, I will command someone to deliver it to your father along with the alliance treaty,” Wang Zhao Xi expressed his gratitude in reply. Yu Luo Sha turned to the crowd of bandits and smiled, “You guys can be said to have become acquaintances through a good fight. Let me now resolve this conflict for you guys. His father is Northern Shaan’s Wang Jia Yin.” The crowd of bandits all gave out forced laughter and said, “Oh! Then it was truly stupid of us! It’s like the river that floods the Dragon-King’s temple!(20) We were fighting our own people! If we knew that this was Brother Wang, we most definitely would not have dared to trail and touch him!”

    Wang Jia Yin was actually the renowned head of the bandits in the Northern Shaan area. Under his command was a crowd of famed bandits, including Gao Ying Xiang, Wang Zuo Gua, Mountain-Soaring Tiger(21) , Crimson Wolf and the likes. Although Wang’s power was securely backed up and his name was renowned and feared, yet he was never able to extend his power beyond Southern Shaan area. During the Ming dynasty’s Wan Li era of reign, there were thirteen major clans of bandits belonging to the Western Shaan area and they were all rivalling against each other. This Wang Jia Yin had quite ambitious goals and ideals, therefore after he became sworn brothers with Northern Shaan’s famed bandit Gao Ying Xiang, within ten years of time he has already become the master of bandits within the Northern Shaan area. He strategized to unite all the bandits within the whole Shaan area hoping that together, they can do something truly shocking. But the bandits of the Mid-Shaan and Southern Shaan areas would not listen to his commands. During the last two years Yu Luo Sha established her name amongst the bandits in the Southern Shaan area and two big rivals of Wang Jia Yin were also active in Southern Shaan. Therefore Wang Jia Yin gathered together valuable presents and told his son Wang Zhao Xi to personally travel to the Southern Shaan area to contact Yu Luo Sha. According to the rules of the Underground world, the boundaries of territories have to be strictly respected. Therefore Wang Zhao Xi must not take too many people along with him on this mission and could only travel into the dangerous zones by himself. Yet little could he have guessed that the imperial bodyguards dispersed throughout the various provinces were actually very competent, for as soon as Wang Zhao Xi took off they immediately sent out Shi Hao and his troop, these four skilled fighters to secretly trail after him. At the same time, the Chuan-Shaan area’s five major clans of bandits were all after the treasures Wang was carrying and therefore they also secretly trailed along.

    After Geng Shao Nan heard about Wang Zhao Xi’s background, he started to silently curse to himself: This scoundrel has actually set a meeting with Yu Luo Sha all along. How dare he use my Wu Tang sect’s great name to help him ward off the pursuers until Yu Luo Sha arrives? Now it’s caused both me and the Zhou family to become this wench’s prisoners.

    Yu Luo Sha paused briefly before raising her cup of wine and saying, “From now on, the whole of the Underground clans will be like a big family. I have already made an alliance pact with Brother Wang. We hope that you can all join us, and from now on we will all look out for each other. If nobody has any objections to this, then empty your glasses with me” and with a big gulp, Yu Luo Sha emptied her whole glass. How could any of the bandits at the banquet dare not to follow her orders? They all got up and lifted their glasses to each other. Yu Luo Sha gave out a hearty laugh before gesturing to a female attendant and spoke a few words to her. The female bandit went inside and after a while she brought out four people. Geng Shao Nan was startled when he saw them, for the four men were his four fellow martial art brothers who were in the Shaan area to complete their missions as according to the command of their elder. Why would they suddenly appear here in the fortress? Can it really be as Gui You Zhang said, that they were abducted by Yu Luo Sha? Yet the situation does not seem to be so. Yu Luo Sha made a motion with her hands and a table set up with a whole feast was brought out from inside. Yu Luo Sha asked the four men to sit down then took up a cup of wine and approached Geng Shao Nan with a dazzling smile and graciously said, “Why don’t we go sit over at that table so that I can get a chance to make a closer acquaintance with Wu Tang sect’s distinguished masters?” A pang of fear suddenly struck Geng Shao Nan’s heart, yet he still couldn’t help but notice how charming her smile was. He thought to himself that considering Wu Tang sect’s great fame and status, it is only natural that everybody will respect and admire them. Although this female bandit was indeed cruel and vicious, yet undoubtedly she must hold our sect’s disciples in great respect and fear. Now she’s purposely venerating us in order to express her desire to make acquaintances with us. Having thought of this, he noticed how Yu Luo Sha’s smile was becoming sweeter and sweeter by the moment, and couldn’t stop himself from being completely dazzled and struck by it, increasingly believing that his predictions must be absolutely correct.

    Having sat awhile, Geng Shao Nan started to greet his fellow sect members, but he found them all to be extremely cautious. Not only did they not dare to freely converse, but there was even one or two who continued to wear a bitter and forced smile on their faces. Geng Shao Nan had absolutely no idea why they were acting so strange. After a while, Yu Luo Sha commanded another female bandit to come forward as she spoke a few words to her. Geng Shao Nan didn’t know what she was up to now and could therefore only hold his breath in anticipation. Yu Luo Sha after having toasted the crowd a few more times have already started to feel the effects of the alcohol. Her almond shaped face flushed a most beautiful shade, much resembling the clouds that are composed of the various hues of radiance, making her even more beautiful and stunning. Suddenly from the back of the fortress came noises of vehicles’ moving. A few dozen attendants brought out the Zhou family’s carts of luggage then lined them all up. Yu Luo Sha suddenly got up and said in a clear voice, “Official Zhou, I’d like to settle some scores with you.” Struck with terror, Zhou Zhong Lian immediately sputtered out, “I would like to beg fortress master to please accept these meagre coins as my gift to you. There are still some humble property left in my family and we need not rely on this governmental salary.” Yu Luo Sha’s countenance clouded over as she loudly said, “I, Lian Ni Shang may be a bandit, but I have my own principles. You can ask the people here tonight whether Lian Ni Shang has ever taken anybody’s money without good reason. If they are good officials, I will never touch their money. But if they are corrupt officials? Ha! Then I’m afraid I’ll have to be a nuisance to them as not only will I take their money, but I will take their heads as well. Do you hear what I’m saying?” Zhou Zhong Lian was so terrified that a sweat broke out all over a body that was already shaking uncontrollably as he thought to himself, “It’s over, it’s all over. I can’t believe that my old life would be ending here.”

    After Yu Luo Sha finished reprimanding Zhou, she then slowly said, “Listen Zhou Zhong Lian, you have been an official for more than ten years. During this time you have received a total of seventy-six thousand and seven hundred taels from your attendants and the various wealthy lords of different areas. This is considered as unmerited and unearned wealth, I will take it all away from you. As for the discounts you got from your daily expenses, they add up to thirty two thousand and five hundred taels. Although this sum is a result of the governmental regulations, yet it is still taken from the ordinary citizen, I will also be deducting his sum away from you and will return it to the common people on your behalf. Finally, you also have sixteen thousand and eight hundred taels remaining. This is your deserved earnings so I will return this to you. You have been an official for more than ten years now and have amassed an unmerited fortune of more than tens of thousands of taels. You can’t be considered as a just or honest official, yet you don’t necessarily qualify as a corrupt official. You can only be considered as a high official who conventionally follows the rules. I’ve finished with you now, do you think you’ve been wronged in any way?” Zhou Zhong Lian was still shaken, but nevertheless, he was still very glad. Surprisingly, Yu Luo Sha was able to calculate the wealth of governmental officials with such an alarming accuracy that it was as if she was merely counting her own wealth. Nobody could figure out exactly where she could have procured this information. After Yu Luo Sha had finished taking care of business, she sat down next to Geng Shao Nan and flashed yet another dazzling smile, saying “My most respected senior of the Wu Tang sect, if this little girl did not handle that incident very well due to her young age and lack of experience, please do tell me.” Geng Shao Nan was indeed very impressed by her actions as he raised his thumb and said “No wonder Heroine Lian can command and dominate the Underground world. You are indeed very just – punishing and rewarding with impartial objectivity, it indeed gives everyone good cause for true respect.”

    Yu Luo Sha brought out a fresh round of warm wine and engaged in light conversation with Geng Shao Nan, her smile still as pretty was ever. By that time, Geng Shao Nan was already beginning to feel the effects of the wine, and he only felt that Yu Luo Sha seems to be exhaling gusts of sweet aroma, striking to the core of one’s heart. He couldn’t help but think to himself: this Yu Luo Sha is really very likeable, it’s too bad that despite being the beauty of her era, she is actually willing to become a bandit. If she could only change her ways and return to the good path, the number of young heroes and swordsmen who would fall under her charms would be un-calculable. His ears were warming up from the sweet wine as he suddenly asked, “Heroine Lian’s martial arts far exceeds the ability of the crowds, may I ask who your teacher is? If Geng Shao Nan can ever have the chance to exchange a few tips with heroine you, that would be most wonderful indeed. It is too bad that though red flowers and green leaves both originate from one class, yet a spoiled tangerine and fresh tangerine are nevertheless at two completely different poles, sweet and sour will always be different(22) . I’m afraid that there wouldn’t be such a chance in the future!” His words expressed two messages – one being his intentions of confessing admiration for Yu Luo Sha, and on another hand he was also expressing feelings of disappointment and pity by pointing to Yu Luo Sha as the “spoiled tangerine of the foreign land.” What was originally a pretty good idea suddenly turned incredibly and terribly bad. Upon hearing Geng’s offensive words, Wang Zhao Xi immediately spoke out saying, “Brother Geng must have drank too much. Don’t drink any more brother.” Geng Shao Nan shook his head, slightly swaggering and insisted, “I’m not drunk! Who said I was drunk?” Yu Luo Sha’s face had already undergone a change of colour, yet her smile continued to be as beautiful as the blooming flowers. She raises her cup and said, “Hero Geng’s words are too kind. I am a father-less and mother-less wild child, these few stances of unremarkable abilities is just something I learned by myself. How could it possibly compare with the disciples of the great famed sects and their orthodox martial arts?” She ran her exquisite hand lightly through her beautiful hair before continuing, “I would also like to find a chance to ask Hero Geng for some advice on martial arts, but there will be plenty of chances. There’s no need to be impatient Hero Geng.” After saying this, she sat down and swept her eyes over Geng Shao Nan, her smile becoming sweeter and sweeter by the moment. Goosebumps erupted all over Wang Zhao Xi’s body as he secret condemned Geng Shao Nan not only because he was such an idiot, but because he didn’t even realize that he was acting like such an idiot. Wang quickly stood up and said, “Thank you very much fortress master for this wonderful banquet. Brother Geng is drunk and I myself not being a very good drinker am also starting to feel its effects. We would like to retreat, please kindly excuse us fortress master.” Yu Luo Sha’s face clouded over with an expression of discontent as she said coldly, “You really are very kind towards him.” Wang Zhao Xi gathered his courage and softly replied, “Brother Geng and I are merely strangers, but along the trip he has helped me ward off a crowd of enemies and treated me as a friend. Therefore I also want to treat him as a friend.” Yu Luo Sha murmured an “oh” in acknowledgement and then waved her hands announcing, “the banquet is over” before whispering to Geng Shao Nan, “Tomorrow at sunrise, please meet me at canyon near the foot of the mountain. Hero Geng, I hope you will not forget this.” Geng Shao Nan’s face filled with delighted elation and his eyebrows were raised so high, they almost reached the top of his forehead as he excitingly repeats, “How can I possibly dare to forget fortress master’s orders?” Yu Luo Sha ordered her attendants to clear away the tables and to personally see Geng Shao Nan, Wang Zhao Xi and the other four Wu Tang disciples to their separate rooms. Therefore, although Wang Zhao Xi wanted to say a few more words to Geng in secret, he was in the end prevented.

    During daybreak of the second day, Geng Shao Nan was still not over the effects of the alcohol. A female attendant came to wake him up and said, “Hero Geng, our fortress master has a meeting with you.” Geng Shao Nan quickly got up and hastily cleaned himself up before following the female attendant down the mountain, entering into the narrow valley that lies at the bottom of the two peaks. He was surprised to see that his four fellow sect members were also waiting there. Wang Zhao Xi was sitting on one side and even Zhou Zhong Lian was there, sitting on the top of a gigantic boulder and accompanied by two female attendants. Yu Luo Sha appeared from behind a cluster of rocks. She was wearing her dazzling smile again. Her hair was tied by golden rings and a long sword was tied to her waist, fully emphasizing her elegance that exceeds the mortal crowd. Observing such a strange situation, Geng Shao Nan was perplexed and baffled.

    Geng Shao Nan was full of questions as he had originally thought that Yu Luo Sha was intending to meet with him on a private basis, but never could he have guessed that she would ask a whole crowd to come as well. Yu Luo Sha approached with light steps, her clothes lightly billowing in the wind as she slowly said, “Good morning Hero Geng. Did you sleep very well last night?” The tone of her voice seemed to be incredibly concerned. Geng Shao Nan blushed and shyly said, “Yes.” Yu Luo Sha laughed and said, “I was so worried that you didn’t get a good night’s sleep last night, because tonight you won’t be getting a good sleep and so if you didn’t sleep well last night either, then you poor thing that would really be a shame.” Geng Shao Nan was confused as he thought to himself: how can she possibly ascertain whether I will be getting a good night’s sleep tonight? Isn’t this crazy talk?” Yu Luo Sha continued, “If you suffer some kind of serious injury or if you happen to somehow loose a body part, then how can you possibly sleep well tonight?” Geng Shao Nan gave a nervous chortle as he replied, “Just as the rains and storms are unpredictable, so will life’s calamities and providence come unannounced. If I really am destined for a sudden misfortune, what can I do about it? But that would only be so if fortress master you intend to give me a hard time, otherwise why would I suddenly experienced any calamities?” Yu Luo Sha suddenly replied, “You really are an easygoing and good-natured fellow. How could I possibly dare to give you a hard time? I was only hoping to pick up a few tips from you. I heard that Wu Tang sect has the world’s most powerful sword skill, I really hope I can have the opportunity to witness a bit of its brilliance with my own eyes.” Geng Shao Nan couldn’t help himself from flaring up in anger as he loudly shouted, “Oh! So fortress master wants to test my martial arts skills? Fine! A true man would rather die than yield. I’ll stake the chances and even if I have to sustain three slashes and six gougings, or even if you break every bone in my body and sever all of my limbs, I will never allow the name of my Wu Tang sect to lose its distinction!” Yu Luo Sha smiles gaily and said, “Alright, then you better pay attention because here I come.” Taking out her sword, she nimbly approaches. Geng Shao Nan noticed that her sword was approaching at an incredibly slow pace and her attitude was not at all serious. It was almost as if she was just goofing around. Geng Shao Nan could not be sure whether she really was serious or whether she was just playing around with him. Nevertheless, he raised his sword to counterattack. Surprisingly, with just a light twist of her wrist, the tip of Yu Luo Sha’s sword had already arrived at Geng Shao Nan’s throat, as she released a charming laugh and said, “I’m afraid that your stance isn’t good enough. Come, try again!” Instead of killing with the sword, Yu Luo Sha uses her cruel teasing insults to wound him instead. To Geng Shao Nan, that was even more tortuous than having to suffer a painful sword wound. With a twist of his body, Geng Shao Nan executed the three steps of the sequential chain-linking swords, the first stance being “Threading the Gold Needle” where the tip of the sword lightly pierces out and with a quick turn of the body, the stance suddenly turns into the “Sequential Slashing” stance to pierce towards the opponent’s throat and drape across the two arms, a movement that is as fast as the gusting wind. How could he have guessed that as soon as he executed these two stances, he would feel the cool and chilling air emanated from the cold metal of Yu Luo Sha’s sword arriving at the back of his heart? He did not even get the chance to execute the third successive stance. The three stances were unable to be carried out sequentially, therefore he could only suddenly change stances to hastily execute “Plucking the Scallion in Dry Land” in order to lift himself up from the ground. Suddenly the light breeze glided over the tip of his head as Yu Luo Sha’s sword grazed over it lightly, snipping off a strand of his hair. After Geng Shao Nan’s feet landed on the floor, Yu Luo Sha was already smiling sweetly saying, “I told you to pay attention, now why didn’t you listen to me?” as she hugs her sword and gestures with her hands saying, “So, Wu Tang’s other masters, are you just going to stand there and watch your fellow sect member make a fool of himself?” How could Geng Shao Nan’s four other martial art brothers possibly tolerate this ridicule any longer? Four swords appeared at the same time, grouping together to form a straight line to simultaneously execute their attack. Yu Luo Sha smiled and said, “That’s much better.” In the midst of all the swords’ reflection and under the surrounding attack of the Wu Tang’s five swords, swords were appearing from the north, south, east and west. Seeing that the situation was not optimistic for the Wu Tang disciples, Wang Zhao Xi immediately jumped up to say, “Heroine Lian, please have mercy!” However, before he could even finish these words, he heard a loud bang that resembles the sound of gold shattering and jade fracturing, followed by a series of anguished screams. The swords of the five Wu Tang disciples had all been broken. Geng Shao Nan had lost his left hand’s two fingers while the other four disciples had each lost one finger. Yu Luo Sha’s expression was as cold as the wintry frost as she fiercely says, “This is to show you that there will always be another level of heaven beyond this one, and to never think that you can depend solely on your sect’s fame! Geng Shao Nan, last night you were extremely offensive and I had originally intended to chop off your arm and take out your two eyes. But seeing that you still have a few ounces of manly courage, I’ll lessen your punishment by three ranks, now immediately get out of my sight!”

    Hearing Yu Luo Sha start her angry scolding, Wang Zhao Xi’s anxiety was immediately relieved. Wang jumped forward and saw that Geng Shao Nan’s face was as pale as a ghost. Geng remained silent and did not say a single word before he turned around and ran off. The other four Wu Tang disciples wrapped up their fists in an act of reverence and said, “Thank you fortress master for showing mercy. Such a kind act of grace, we will never dare to forget!” Yu Luo Sha just gave a cool sneer and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting for you here when you come back and seek your revenge.” Wang Zhao Xi immediately flashed them a look with his eyes warning them to not say any more. Amongst them was a middle age man who seemed to be their leader, he suddenly turned towards to Wang Zhao Xi and raised his joined hands in an act of greeting before saying, “Young master Wang, thank you for taking care of our martial brother along the journey. It is too bad we were not able to encounter you earlier. I have a letter that is addressed to you from Master Meng, now I can finally transfer it to you.” The man took out a letter that was tightly sealed with hot wax. Wang Zhao Xi was suddenly taken back as he quickly took a sneak peak at Yu Luo Sha to observe her reaction. Yu Luo Sha said with curiosity, “They travelled thousands of miles to bring you this letter, the least you can do is to thank them.” Having observed that she did not at all seem angry or displeased, Wang Zhao Xi immediately took the letter and expressed his gratitude. The four Wu Tang disciples all wore a cold sneer on their faces, and without even bothering to reply to Wang’s expression of gratitude, they retreated immediately with quick steps. Wang Zhao Xi couldn’t help but feel sad and dejected within his heart as he felt that he has really done the Wu Tang sect a great disservice.

    After the last traces of the Wu Tang disciples had finally disappeared from view, Yu Luo Sha turned to Wang Zhao Xi and coolly said, “Brother Wang, I’m afraid that you’re reproaching me for being overly harsh on them.” Wang Zhao Xi replied, “I dare not” though inwardly he was indeed reprimanding her. Yu Luo Sha slowly said, “My temper is such that I can’t stand it when some people expect the right to dominate others based solely on their name and fame. Wu Tang sect may have many disciples, but there are numerous incompetent and unruly disciples in their sect. Many of them rely on their sect’s fame and develop such a haughty attitude that in their eyes, they belittle everything and everyone else. Amongst the Wu Tang five elders, aside for Taoist Priest Purple Sun, the other four people all have the bad habit of covering up their weaknesses and ineptness, therefore spoiling their disciples to be extremely egotistical and conceited. Even though they won’t commit any acts of vice, yet just their attitudes are repulsive to behold. Today I purposely made a fool of them in order to suppress their arrogance and teach them a lesson.” Wang Zhao Xi did not dare to say anything else. Yu Luo Sha paused a while before finally asking, “I’ve heard that the Martial art master Meng Can of the Imperial City is the sworn brother of your father, is that true?” Wang Zhao Xi replied, “He is also my father in law.” Yu Luo Sha said, “Oh! So they are also in-laws, that is indeed a very wonderful and beneficial thing. I once had the chance to meet young Miss Meng, her martial arts and character is of an extremely top grade. Has she married into your household yet?” Wang Zhao Xi blushed and replied, “Not yet. My father said that after I come to pay my respects to Heroine you, I was to immediately travel to the imperial city to bring Master Meng and his daughter home.” Yu Luo Sha replied, “Yes, you should bring them to your home. What’s so great about being a Martial arts instructor and serving the aristocrats? Oh. I’ve always been blunt with my words, please don’t mind me Brother Wang.” Wang Zhao Xi replies, “Not at all. My father also shares your sentiments.” Yu Luo Sha said, “If I didn’t see Master Meng’s letter, I’m afraid those four people will have to experience some more hardships. They were all dressed as fur merchants and caught the attention of Fire Spirit Monkey, Zhu Bao Chun’s men who then attempted to rob them along the journey. Actually, the Wu tang disciples only had to reveal their identity and they would have had no more problems. But they refused to do so and continued to show off instead, injuring Fire Spirit Monkey’s four men. I couldn’t stand their ways so I chased after them on horse by myself and then used my soft palms to obliterate rocks into dust in order to silence and intimidate them. Then I invited them to come up to the mountain and exchange tips on sword skills with me.” Wang Zhao Xi secretly gave out a cry of distress as he thought to himself: I’m afraid this method of “exchanging tips” will bring about a great storm of turmoil within the martial arts world in the future.”

    Wang Zhao Xi originally wanted to offer a few more words of warning but he was cut off as Yu Luo Sha suddenly said, “Hey! Where is that Official Zhou?” She called out twice but having received no response, she started to search around. Zhou Zhong Lian was forced by Yu Luo Sha to come here and witness the fight, but when he was watching the fight he became so terrified that he fainted amongst the cluster of stones.

    Such is: Smilingly conversing with gentle words amidst deadly execution, roadside lies a fainted Marquis of Jincheng(23)
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    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    Endnotes by Queenie

    (1)Liang Yu Sheng is referring here to the famous parable spoken by the Buddhist monk Hui Neng who later became known as the gliu zuh (6th founder). The parable talks of how Hui Neng refuted a previous affirmation spoken by someone else by saying: g•ì’ñ–{–³Ž÷, –¾‹¾–’”ñ‘ä, –{˜Ò–³ˆê•¨, ‰½™|Žäošºh commonly translated as: gThere is no Bodhi-tree, nor stand of a mirror bright, Originally all is void, where can the dust alight?h

    (2)gdragons and serpentsh is a term commonly used to reference a fine quality of Chinese Calligraphy where the words that arises from the pen would not only be as lithe as dragons and serpents, but there should also be a certain panache of grandiosity to it as well.

    (3) gQin Yuan Chunh should be a structural form of which poems are composed in. It may have something to do with the number of words in each sentence/stanza.

    (4) gChuan-Shaanh : gchuanh is in reference to Si Chuan Province, gShaanh is in reference to Shaan Xi. Sichuan (literally meaning gfour riversh) is located in the Southwest portion of China and is the province of where the Yangtze River and Three Gorges are located. Shaanxi province is located around the centre of China and includes most of the Yellow River as well as the Mountain Huashan. Chuan-Shaan are neighbouring provinces to each other.

    (5)gSupreme Commander of Yun Nan and Gui Zhou Provincesh Supreme Commander is a special duty assignment for a Minsiter or Vice-Minister of the Ministry of War and has jurisdiction and power over more than 1 province. Most books translate it as Governor General as it appeared that they had some power over the military forces in the province compared to a Governor. Yunan and Guizhou are both provinces next to each other.

    (6)gNorthern Shaanh: The Northern area of Shaanxi province.

    (7)gWan Lih: Emperor Wan-Li was also known as Shen-Zong, and reigned during the Ming dynasty from 1573-1619

    (8)gShen Zongh is another name of Emperor Wan Li

    (9)gMilitary supporth: the actual term in the novel is gliao xiangh which was a term that was used specifically to reference the funds that was used to support military during their defence against the Manchurians.

    (10)gUnderground worldh The term used in the novel was actually gLu Linh which is usually in reference to the underworld fraternity of thieves, bandits, outlaws and smugglers. The term sometimes carries undertones of the bandits robbing for good and charitable causes. LuLin should be differentiated from the term gWu Linh which is usually translated as the gmartial arts worldh referring to the world of martial art sects and masters. Another commonly used term gjiang huh is in reference to both the underground and martial arts world as well as other secret societies/associations/clans etc.

    (11)gArrowh The term used in the novel was gdan gongh which should and could very well be in reference to a slingshot. I decided to use garrowh in the end but LYS could very possibly be referring to a slingshot- like weapon.

    (12)g1000 feeth The term used in the novel was g100 Zhang,h and each gZhangh converts to roughly 10 feet.

    (13)gYan An Cityh: The novel actually says gYan An Fu,h where gFuh during the Ming dynasty refers to a large city that was not governed by their province, but was rather directly governed by the governmental state. Such a term indicates that the city is relatively large and important in status, thus granting them the right to not be governed by their province, but rather like a province deals solely with the state government instead.

    (14)gImperial Bodyguardsh: the most prestigious and influential of the Imperial Guards during Ming dynasty, functioned as the personal bodyguard of the Emperor while also performing enforcer roles. Although their official job title was the Emperorfs bodyguards, but they actually served the dual role of being the Emperorfs secret spy force in charge of secret services and special operations. During the Ming dynasty, the Emperor set up a personal spy network in order to spy on government officials and weed out any disloyal officials. It turned out to be a force of brutality and corruption, a political tool for the spy force to gain political power.

    (15) gExecution through measured lacerationsh: A very cruel and torturous method used during the ancient times to execute offenders. The executioner was to inflict a certain premeditated number of cuts or lacerations onto the offenderfs body before the man was to die. The criminal absolutely had to remain alive during this time until the executioner had finished inflicting the very last wound. Once the very last wound was inflicted, only then can the offender be killed with a clean thrust through the heart. Originally when this method was first used, the number of wounds that were to be inflicted was somewhere near 2000 in number. But since the number was simply too high and was unsustainable by the offender, the eventual number was reduced to around 500 or so lacerations.

    (16) gFamed Bandith: To translate the term used in the book, it should really be gsolitary footed bandith but gfamed bandith was used here to avoid awkwardness and confusion. An endnote in another LYS book posits the term gsingle footed bandith as a reference to bandits who does a solo act, doing all their robbing by themselves only and not relying on others. It implies that the bandit must be very skilled and powerful in order for them to rely only on themselves.

    (17) gElixir Fieldh: commonly known as gDantienh which is usually conceived as serving as an energy reservoir or primary bio-energy warehouse of the human body. Located four fingers below the navel in the middle of the torso, this center has the ability to store vast amounts of energy (qi/chi).

    (18) gEastern Chuanh: The Eastern end of the Sichuan province.

    (19) gYu Luo Shah: The nickname of Lian Ni Shang. Chen Mo wrote in his essay that gLuo Shah means gDemonh or gFemale Demon.h LYS can very possibly be punning off the term gLuo SA,h a certain class of being that are similar to the gYechah which are a race of supernatural beings that functions as demonic servants of the gods. gLuo Sah may also be similar to the Hindu demons gRaksha.h The gShah in gLuo Shah is a term meaning gto killh and the term gYuh means gJadeh which is a reference to a womanfs beauty. Thus Yu Luo Sha is a name that refers to someone who is as vicious and demonic as the Luosa demons, but who is also as beautiful as a piece of jade.

    (20)gThe river that floods the Dragon-Kingfs templeh: according to folklore and mythology, the King who ruled the seas were known as glong wangh (Dragon-King). Therefore the river that floods the temple that worships and pays reverence to their very own master is an analogy that is used to illustrate the idea of fighting your very own people.

    (21) gMountain Soaring Tigerh: Not to be confused with gMountain-Roaming Tigerh Zhou Tong.

    (22) gA spoiled tangerine and a fresh tangerine are nevertheless at two completely different poles, sweet and sour will always be differenth: In reference to a common saying that is linked to the story about a man who bought tangerines at the out of town marketplace having tasted one and found them to be very sweet. He then brought a whole barrel of tangerines back to his own native homeland (the distance between the two places should have been no larger than a riverfs span). But when he got home, he found the tangerines to have become spoiled and no longer sweet, but instead was sour. When he return to the merchant who sold him the tangerines, the merchant then said that it had nothing to do with the quality of the tangerines themselves, but rather it was the climate and atmosphere of the buyerfs own hometown which caused the tangerine to change. Though the merchantfs words may have been dishonest, yet the idea behind the phrase is that often a personfs surrounding and background can have a significant effect on how they turn out. The very same thing being brought up in different surroundings will yield two completely different results. Hence Geng Shao Nan had insulted Yu Luo Sha without even realizing it when he likened Yu Luo Sha to the spoiled tangerine because she was part of the Underground world and not part of the Orthodox sects.

    (23) gMarquis of Jinchengh: Should be in reference to Zhou Zhong Lian
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    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    Queenie's translation rant Hey, why not? haha. Btw, I've posted the smilies for you Queenie. Oh yeah, just for those of you who don't know, FaQ never comes to this forum. Or, she might, but she doesn't post. She's probably not a member either.

    By Queenie

    Frankly, I am already very tired. But I thought I'll engage in a little post-trans rant to detail some of my thoughts when I read the novel and additional thoughts that came into my head when I translated. I figured that this would be a good way to tease out comments and thoughts from other readers.

    First of all, I would really appreciate it if you guys can point on any problems w/ the translation. I'm very open to constructive criticism (but you can spare me the insults).

    Sorry about the funky numbers in brackets thing going on ... I just realized that the forum doesn't take the endnotes numbers in MS WORD.

    Okay ... about the novel ...

    My first impressions of this chapter was that Yu Luo Sha was a pretty cool character. But there was something about her that faintly annoyed me which I couldn't really pinpoint until recently when I was translating. LYS may write a lot of strong and noble females who are often just as strong as the male protagonists, but in general, the women that LYS likes to write about are still relatively sweet, innocent, kind and well-educated women (though they still have a PERSONALITY). YLS's Mo Nu type is not that common within LYS's (and wuxia's) world, which is why she also stands out greatly. Which is why I think that in a way, when LYS first started writing WHD, he wasn't sure exactly how to fully grasp YLS's colours. I kind of had that feeling that he still had a urge to make YLS's character more likeable, but also remaining very demonic. Therefore, I feel that the impression YLS gives in ch.1 is rather a little too demonic (as she does have "xia" qualities to her), as well as caring a little too much about what others think of her. You will see that YLS as the novel develops, is a woman who doesn't give a sh*it about what others think about her ... which is why I originally found her a little annoying in ch.1 where she seems somewhat concerned with coming through to others as being "fair." I understand LYS was trying to get the point across to viewers that though YLS had demonic qualities to her, she was not in any way a bad or unjust person. But I think it would have been better if he had written that in as a mental thought of YLS or the narrator's note to the audience, rather than having YLS actually play up the role of the "punisher/judge" (which makes me think, can that perhaps be a reference to the role played by the buddhist figure "Luo SA"?)

    Anyways, in general, all the characters were well written even in the first chapter. I particularly like Wang Zhao Xi who will return with us in Chapter 2. When you look at WZX, he is somewhat of a "prototype" of the kind of characters that LYS's heroes ... they tend to be "scholar" types (well educated), good looking, smart, w/ white horses etc ... but though on appearance, they seem to be the weak "bookish" types, they usually possess immense power and intellect, every bit a manly man WZX fulfills these qualities in many ways although his martial arts is nowhere considered great. Zhou Yi Hang, YLS's main love interest is definitely this type (but w/o the power, intellect and manliness ). Yue Ming Ke is the gem of the male characters in this story ... though he's not the "scholar" type either.

    Anyways, I think the best character in chp.1 is Geng Shao Nan ... b/c he's just such a loser You just have to love how LYS details what an idiot he is, as well as how he writes about Geng's arrogance, selfishness and desire to "show off" ... e.g: when WZX says that he has a friend who won't let Shao Xuan Yang take his treasures, Shao Xuan Yang didn't finish asking who this person was, and already GSN couldn't wait to run out from behind and start flaunting around the name "wu tang."

    Geng is a particularly interesting character b/c along w/ Priest Whtie Stone (who won't come for a while) are examples of how "good" and "evil" are not terms that are easily defined by one's sects/background ... definitely the "who is the demonic one" concept. Though White Stone and Geng cant' be considered "mo" (or demonic), yet their "xin mo" definitely arises from their arrogance in their own martial abilities and the fame of their sect.

    Geng will come back briefly, but later, he will play a somewhat crucial role near the latter portion of the book. Try to pay attention to him, his character was beautiful and subtly constructed.

    Okay, that's all for tonight. I'll see if I can think of something more to say tomorrow after I get some sleep
    No longer walking amongst the living...

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    Senior Member BluLotus's Avatar
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    Pretty interesting. YLS's attitude is pretty , hehe . Can't wait for more!

    Thanks someguy44 for posting this translating, and Queenie for translating(maybe she'll stop by and see, hehe ) .
    AKA: Frantasy

    Translating: Ni Tian Xie Shen (逆天邪神) – Against the Gods by Mars Gravity @ https://alyschu.wordpress.com/

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    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    Originally posted by BluLotus
    Pretty interesting. YLS's attitude is pretty , hehe . Can't wait for more!

    Thanks someguy44 for posting this translating, and Queenie for translating(maybe she'll stop by and see, hehe ) .
    Oh, you'll get more alright. Queenie said she'll be done with chapter 2 next week. I'll post it up here then.
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    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Post Demoness

    Thanks to Fairie Queene for the translation and to Some Guy to post it at spcnet.

    As FQ corrected herself in the JY Forum: 'bamdot' should be 'bandit'.

    Another thing: There is no such a word like 'demoness' since 'demon' means 'evil spirit', not necessarily of male gender.

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    Senior Member dan J's Avatar
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    Default Re: Demoness

    Originally posted by Du Gu seeking a win
    Another thing: There is no such a word like 'demoness' since 'demon' means 'evil spirit', not necessarily of male gender.
    dictionary.com seems to think otherwise

    demoness \De"mon*ess\, n. A female demon.
    It means you got eyes like apostrophes, you dress white, talk black, and drive Jew. So how am I supposed to know what kind of zipperhead dog-munching dink you are if you don't?

  10. #10
    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    Default Re: Demoness

    Originally posted by Du Gu seeking a win
    Thanks to Fairie Queene for the translation and to Some Guy to post it at spcnet.

    As FQ corrected herself in the JY Forum: 'bamdot' should be 'bandit'.

    Another thing: There is no such a word like 'demoness' since 'demon' means 'evil spirit', not necessarily of male gender.
    I really don't have anything to say, except I've been meaning to ask you this for some time. Why are you Du Gu seeking a win instead of seeking a loss???

    Are you trying to be sarcastic here?
    No longer walking amongst the living...

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    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Hmmmmm, 'Du Gu seeking-a-loss' is in fact my apprentice brother, he always wins, that's why he is desperately seeking a loss. I can't say that in my case

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    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    seeking a loss - in that case, "see hing" here greets "see day"

    Chapter 2:
    Shocking the Imperial Capital
    Scandal of the Club Assaulting Case,
    Chaos in the palace,
    Chance Encounter With a Night Traveler


    Yu Luo Sa reproached, “Can’t believe he actually calls himself a commander of a province, the size of his guts is even smaller than a mustard seed” as she patted Zhou Zhong Lian twice before he gradually awakened. Yu Luo Sa took out a command flag that represents a symbol of her domination and gave it to Zhou Zhong Lian saying, “I scared away your bodyguards, now I’ll give a bodyguard back to you in return.” Zhou Zhong Lian was still bewildered, causing Yu Luo Sa to scold impatiently, “Take this flag and display it on your vehicle. I guarantee you that within the Shaan Xi area, nobody would dare to touch a single hair on your body. It’s definitely much more useful than that so-called Wu Tang bodyguard.” Hearing this, Zhou Zhong Lian became incredibly relieved and thankful as he immediately took the flag without any further hesitation. However, before he could even utter a word of gratitude Yu Luo Sa and Wang Zhao Xi had already disappeared.

    Wang Zhao Xi opened his future father-in-law’s letter and started reading it. The first part was pressing Wang Zhao Xi to expedite to the capital in order to conduct the marriage ceremonies. The second half of the letter was saying, “The martial art instructors within the capital city are all secretly engaged in tumultuous conflicts with each other. Particularly so is the situation within the imperial palace where the dangers are immense and incessant. I am highly anticipating my dear son-in-law’s swift arrival. This old man hopes to consult with you in regards to some matters.” Wang Zhao Xi’s father Wang Jia Yin was once an unsuccessful Xiu Cai (1) and more than twenty years ago he encountered Beijing’s famous martial arts instructor Meng Can with which he became sworn brothers with. They even went so far as to appoint the marriages vows of their unborn children, thus becoming in-laws in the process as well.

    When Wang Zhao Xi was seven years old, he followed his father back to Shaan Xi and thus the two families have not seen each other since then. Five or six years ago, Meng Can was appointed as the primary martial arts trainer within the Palace of Compassion and Celebration. (2) At around the same time, Wang Jia Yin also became the leading force of the Underground world in the Shaan Xi area. After Wang Jia Yin heard about the news about his in-law, he felt incredibly disappointed. Meng Can had always been a gutsy and noble hero, very much a respected figure within the JiangHu world. Wang Jin Yin could not understand why Meng Can would be willing to abide by the Emperor’s ordainment and accept a position within the palace. After Men Can became the primary martial arts trainer within the palace, each year there would be at least one or two times when Meng would solicit the help of a person from the JiangHu world to bring a letter to Wang Jia Yin. This time, Meng Can had enlisted the help of a Wu Tang disciple. Wang Zhao Xi had already found out more than ten days ago that his father-in-law had enlisted a Wu Tang disciple to bring a letter to him. He originally thought that this messenger was Geng Shao Nan which is why he purposely made acquaintances with him. Yet ironically, the messenger actually turned out to be Geng Shao Nan’s older martial arts brother.

    After Wang Zhao Xi finished reading the letter, he departed from Yu Luo Sha and hurriedly traveled to the capital city. After journeying for a few months, he finally arrived at the capital. By that time, spring was already starting to come around the corner. That day there happened to be a huge snowstorm blowing fiercely outside. Wang Zhao Xi entered the city from the Xuan-Wu (3) gates and immediately found the place to be swarming with hordes of people crowding around and running into each other in a state of turmoil. From afar, could be heard the sounds of someone shouting and clanging on a metal gong. Curious, Wang Zhao Xi began to enquire about what was happening. A person beside him asked, “You don’t know what happened sir? During the past few days within the city there’s been a huge incidence, a lot of governmental officials have been mixed up in the case. Today, even Zhou Ji Xian, the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was taken out to the Meridian Gate (4) and executed. As people would say, ‘Accompanying the Master is like accompanying a tiger,’ how true that is indeed. I hear that Zhou Ji Xian is a good and honest official too.” Wang Zhao Xi was shocked when he heard this piece of news. That Vice-Minister Zhou was Zhou Zhong Lian’s son! Geng Shao Nan was asked by this Vice-Minister Zhou to act as the bodyguard of Zhou Zhong Lian. How is it that he was suddenly taken out to the Meridian Gate to be executed?

    Wang Zhao Xi was an incredibly quick-thinking youngster as he immediately went to a nearby restaurant and listened in on other people’s conversations. After just a short while he had already figured out the details of the case. Emperor Ming Shen Zong (5) Zhu Yi Jun had too sons, the older son Chang Luo was borne by the empress, the second son Chang Xun was borne by the favoured concubine, the Honoured Consort (6) Zheng This Honoured Consort Zheng conspired to acquire the title of the “Crowned Prince” (7) for her own son, which was why Shen Zong continually hesitated to crowned a prince. Afterwards, the party of high officials requested to have Chang Luo established as the crowned prince and for Chang Xun to be established as the Prince of Luo Yang. (8). Chang Xun refused leave the imperial capital in order to accept this title and was repeatedly ushered by the high officials to embark on his journey out of the capital city.

    After Chang Xun had left the city for a year, (9) there suddenly came someone who entered into the Palace of Compassion and Celebration wielding a stick made of Jujube wood to attack the imperial guards, and then entered straight into front palace hall before finally being captured by the guards. This incident was a famous case within history known as one of the “Ming dynasty’s Three Bizarre Incidents,” it was called the “The Case of the Clubbing Assault” and was an incident which caused great deal of turmoil to the whole capital, shaking up the whole nation.

    Although the crowned prince wasn’t hurt, yet the fact that someone would dare to enter the palace under broad daylight and attack an imperial guard is most definitely something that has never happened before. What was especially strange was that the offender who stole into the palace with the stick called himself the “Great Zheng Scoundrel” and his every gesture and word seemed to indicate insanity. Even when the Imperial Doctor treated him, he couldn’t be sure whether the offender could be diagnosed as being ill or not.

    ***************
    (1) “Xiu Cai”: the lowest degree conferred upon successful candidates under the former civil service examination system. Scholars who passed the first-grade government examination earns the title of “Xiu –Cai”
    (2) “Palace of Compassion and Celebration”: where the Crowned prince slept
    (3) “Xuan-Wu”: XuanWu is one of the four central districts in Beijing, located in the southwest corner.
    (4) “Meridian Gate”: Also known as the WuMen, spans 117 feet in height. Being one of the four gates located at each corner of the palace walls, the Meridian gate is located in the south.
    (5) “Ming Shen Zong”: Book’s footnote: also Emperor WanLi
    (6) A highly honoured Imperial Concubine, generally the highest ranking female in the palace after the Empress.
    (7) “Honoured Consort”: The chosen successor to the throne. Most commonly the eldest son borne by the principal wife (Empress) though not necessarily the king’s first born son.
    (8) “Luo Yang”: One of the ancient capitals, replaced Xi-An as the ancient capital in the Eastern Zhou dynasty, serving as the capital for 13 dynasties and 1592 years. Situated in the west of HeNan province, Luo Yang is also the starting point of "the Silk Road" while also bearing the title of the “Ancient Capital of Nine Dynasties.”
    (9) “After Chang Xun had left the city for a year”: Book’s footnote: Also the time of Emperor WanLi’s forty-third year of reign.
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    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    A joint trial with considerations from the three provincial offices (10) was conducted, ordering the man to confess and reveal all conspirators. But the man continued to mutter a string of crazy babble, listing out a whole string of high officials and eunuchs’ names. Nobody could differentiate exactly which name was truly guilty and which ones were actually innocent, resulting to all the officials and eunuchs within the palace to hastily segregate into their own cliques as they all started to incriminate and point their fingers at each other. Emperor Shen Zong happened to be an incompetent and inept emperor without an ounce of decision-making ability. He would listen to the words of one official on one day, but would then follow the advice of an eunuch on another day, causing everyone in the palace to be in a state of paranoia and fear, where nobody felt safe as everyone was looking out only for themselves. Even Zhou Ji Xian, an official who doesn’t usually stick his nose into things that doesn’t concern him was dragged into this muddled mess as well, and was taken out to the Meridian Gates to be executed without even getting so much as a court hearing.

    After Wang Zhao Xi had comprehended the details and background of the story, he silently commiserated to himself at how during these crazy times, the Manchurians were uprising in the Northeast while Japanese bandits were terrorizing in the Southeast. Yet during these tumultuous times, the emperor was incompetent and dim-witted, causing the whole imperial palace to be in a state of chaos and antagonism. The future of the Ming dynasty will most likely not last very long. But on the other hand, Wang thought to himself, that may indeed be a good thing. Since the Zhu family is so incompetent, then let my Wang family give it a try.

    Descending down the stairs of the restaurant Wang followed the directions on the map of the capital city that his father had given him and traveled all the way to Bai Zi HuTong. (11) He vaguely remembered the lanes of the Mengs’ household but never could he have guessed that as soon as he entered into the alleyway and lifted up his head he would be greeted with a startling site. The doors of the Meng’s household have been heavily locked up. Taped on the door in crisscross fashion were two barricade stamps that were sealed by the imperial bodyguards, while outside the door stood two tall and muscular watchmen who were most likely imperial guards. Wang Zhao Xi didn’t dare to stop or even pause slightly, but hastily sneaked out of the Hutong instead, his alarmed heart in a state of turmoil. He walked all the way to Bridge of Heaven (12) with what continued to be a very unsettled heartbeat and paid a visit to an old acquaintance of his father, another fairly well known martial arts master within the capital city called Liu Xi Ming.

    Luckily, he was easily found and as soon as Liu Xi Ming saw that it was Wang Zhao Xi, he was startled as he hurriedly ushered Wang in and immediately locked up the house. He dragged Wang into the inner rooms and said in a low voice, “You really are gutsy. Your father is a wanted criminal and your father-in-law has been seized and locked up in prison. Nobody even knows if he’s dead or alive now. If anyone knew about your identity, then what would you do?” Wang Zhao Xi flashed a quick smile and said, “All the attention of the palace has been centred on this strange incident. I doubt the imperial bodyguards will have time to bother with me. I was hoping to ask you uncle, my father-in-law is the Crowned Prince’s Primary Martial Arts Trainer, how did it come about that he would be taken into prison? Could it be that he has been dragged into this ‘Case of the Clubbing Assault’ as well?” Liu Xi Ming sighed and said, “I’m in a state of complete confusion as well. That Great Zheng Scoundrel was captured by your father-in-law himself. Even if they don’t reward your father-in-law, according to logic he shouldn’t be charged with any crimes. Who would have known that amidst the confusion they would seize him as well?” Wang Zhao Xi immediately began to analyze over the situation, remaining silent all the while.

    After two days, the guards that were watching over the Mengs’ household had already left. One night after Wang Zhao Xi finished his dinner, he immediately changed into a black coloured night-trekker’s outfit and then went to Liu Xi Ming to say, “Uncle, tonight I want to go to my father in law’s house and do some investigation.” Liu Xi Ming fearfully said, “Its not wise to do such a thing!” Wang Zhao Xi replied, “I can guarantee you that I won’t be causing you any trouble uncle.” Liu Xi Ming shook his head and sighed, figuring that since he couldn’t convince him, he might as well just let him go.

    The residential buildings in Beijing are typically very short in height. Even the large mansions will only span a large width and never be taller than three stories in height. (13) Wang Zhao Xi’s levitation skill was quite skillful, and with just a light jump he had already arrived at the top of the buildings. He took out two copper coins and inserted them between his index and middle finger. First, he tossed only one coin into the air, and then right away he flung out the second coin as well. As the two coins collided in the air, a clear ring emanated upon their impact.

    There was a title given for this action, it was called “Copper Water Beetle Messenger” (14) which was a messaging device commonly used amongst night-travelers. After the two coins impacted against each other in the air, they rolled into the courtyard. Wang Zhao Xi was hiding on the roof, not moving a single muscle. After a while, there indeed came out two guards dressed in black. They both took a look around and then one of them mumbled, “What noise was that? You don’t even see a shadow around here.” The other person said, “This is the exalted capital, nobody would be so gutsy as to stir any trouble. Commander Li was being much too cautious.” The two people looked around a little more, giving the impression of being very confused and dim-witted before returning inside. Wang Zhao Xi had been secretly fingering some darts as he originally intended to wait for the two men to jump up onto the roof before he would projected his darts to eradicate them. He silently thought to himself, “What idiots. They’re not even acquainted with the basic customs of the JiangHu world.”

    Wang’s silhouette flashed over the rooftop as he glided over the tiles, moving ahead of the two guards and entering into the garden. Then with a twist of his body, he sprung up onto the flight of stairs that led into the Study. This was the place where his father-in-law usually came to relax and rest. Observing that the door was left slightly ajar, Wang Zhao Xi looked inside and made sure that there was nobody inside the room before he stealthily entered. Little could he have guessed that as soon as he stepped foot inside, one side of the door would suddenly come crashing down followed directly by the sharp, glinting edge of a blade that came from behind the door, heading straight for the side of Wang Zhao Xi’s face and bringing along with it a cold breeze. Yet despite the eminent danger, the impressive Wang Zhao Xi did not panic but instead dived to the ground and with a quick roll, he then used his left hand to thrust the door board into the direction of the blade. As the blade entered into the door board, Wang Zhao Xi executed the “Carp Flexing Body” and with that twist, he was already standing upright, sword in his hands. A person’s laughter could be heard as a voice then said, “Little crook, you’ve swum straight into my trap!” Wang Zhao Xi flickered his long sword and was just about to execute his moves when suddenly the two side doors of the study flew open and projectiles pierced through the air, showering into the room. Wang Zhao Xi gracefully glided around as his long sword drew up a silver streak of radiance, lighting up in the darkness. In the midst of all the projectiles that were rapidly spraying into the room, Wang Zhao Xi swung out with his sword and pierced it towards the guard standing behind the door.

    ***************************

    (10) “Joint trial with considerations from the three provincial offices”: Sometimes to try an imported case that involves a high ranked official, the emperor will order secretaries from three different departments/ministries to try it together.
    (11) “HuTong”: HuTongs were ancient city alleys or lanes that can typically be found in Beijing. Many surrounded the forbidden city which formed its centre. Hutongs were typically passageways comprised of a few closely arranged houses surrounding a quadrangular courtyard.
    (12) “Bridge of Heaven”: known as the “Tian Qiao,” was the bridge that spanned over the Dragon Beard Ditch, which emperors had to cross when they wanted to reach the temple of Heaven to perform their monthly rituals of worship, which is how the bridge got its name
    (13) “The residential buildings in Beijing are typically very short in height. Even the large mansions will only span a large width and never be taller than three stories in height.”: Book’s footnote: This was a result of a rule established by all past emperors that all residential buildings of peasants must not be taller than five flights of stairs in order that people within the palace can easily surveillance the whole city while never permitting the people in the city to observe into the palace.
    (14) “Copper Water Beetle Messenger”: the character translated as “water beetle” was “fu.” The character “fu” can mean both “water beetle” and “money.” What Liang is most likely doing here is punning off the words. As some water beetles like to glide across the water (some at very fast speeds) in search of food, resembling a messenger of sorts. Many will also be copper in colour, furthering their resemblance to the coins. Although there is also a water beetle called “Water Penny Beetle,” but since this beetle is most common in North America and not a glider, Liang most likely was not referring to this type.
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  14. #14
    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    A twinkle briefly sparkled in Meng Qiu Xia’s eyes, a pair of eyes that were filled with gratitude. Wang Zhao Xi lowered his head, not daring to look straight into her eyes. Meng Qiu Xia was nevertheless very poised and gracious as she openly said, “Two days after the occurrence of the Case of the Clubbing Assault, two very peculiar looking guests suddenly arrived at our household. They were talking to my father in this very room. I was hiding with Bai Min in one of the inner rooms, listening to their conversation. However, their voices gradually became softer and softer, until after a while we couldn’t even hear anything at all. Only intermittently was I able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, as the guests were saying something along the lines of criminal, testimony, and conspiracy while my father continually repeated a few times, “I don’t know.” After a while, the guests left but father immediately told us to leave home right away. However, when he went stepped outside to take a look, he suddenly ran back into the study and pushed us into the secret compartment within the walls, while also throwing in two sacks of food. By the time we were able to properly conceal ourselves, the imperial bodyguards had arrived. Brother Min and I took turns going to sleeping, and only by listening to the words of the guards outside as they changed shifts were we able to realize that three days had already past. We were growing very impatient hiding inside the wall and were just about to force our way out when you came.” A suspicious thought filled Wang Zhao Xi’s head when he heard her admit that she was hiding within the secret compartment with Bai Min without a shred of unease or embarrassment. Meng Qiu Xia suddenly said, “I remember now. I remember hearing them mention the two names State Uncle (17) Zheng and Eunuch Wei.”

    Wang Zhao Xi had accompanied and assisted his father in dealing with all sorts of incidents and situations before, thus his examination skills and knowledge was all far above the likes of his peers. He lowered his head after hearing Meng Qiu Xia’s words, lost in deep thought. He remained in such a position for a while before he slowly said, “There must be a big conspiracy behind this Case of the Clubbing Assault. Someone must have paid off the offender in order to frame another group of people. Your father was the first person to come into contact with the offender, which was why he was dragged into the case. The mastermind behind the conspiracy must be worried that your father knows about the details or maybe they’re trying to investigate into what the offender might have said, which is why they took your father away. Judging from the situation, the mastermind must be a powerful force within the imperial palace, it may very well be this State Uncle Zheng or perhaps the Eunuch Wei. My guess is that your father is still alive.” Meng Qiu Xia asked, “How do you know?” Wang Zhao Xi smiled and replied, “Unless your father really does know something and confessed all that he knew, otherwise they will remain suspicious and would take their time to slowly interrogate him.” Meng Qiu Xia’s eyes lighted up as she said with awe, “Your perception and understanding of things is truly very lucid and thorough.” She became very impressed with the youngster in front of her as she thought to herself: I wonder what my fiancé is like? If he could be anything like this youngster in front of me, then that would truly be wonderful. Coincidently, they both share the same surname of Wang. When she thought of this, a red blush passed over her face as she hurriedly lowered her graceful neck. Wang Zhao Xi was silently perplexed as he thought to himself: she was so sophisticated and extroverted just a short while ago, why is she suddenly displaying the shy behaviours of a stereotypical girl?

    Meng Qiu Xia was aware herself that her manners were very ungracious and out of character, thus she hurriedly calmed herself down and lifted her head. She was just about to say something when a whole patter of footsteps came from outside the door, signaling Bai Min’s return.

    Bringing with him two jugs of aged wine, Bai Min bounded up the stairs with joyful excitement, barging through the door and said, “Brother Wang, come and have a few sips of wine to energize yourself. You must be so tired from all that fighting.” But when he observed the spirited colours in Wang Zhao Xi’s expression, Bai Min’s expression changed from excitement to delight as he grinned and said: “Brother Wang, your energy really does revive very quickly. When I saw the colour of your face a while ago, I was so worried that you were sick!”

    Wang Zhao Xi was truly touched as he thought to himself: this kid was really foolish to the point of being adorable. Thinking over the fact that he has separated from his fiancé for sixteen years now, he felt that he really couldn’t blame her even if she has fallen in love with someone else. Having thought of this point, a great weight was suddenly lifted off his chest, as he actually felt somewhat apologetic towards Bai Min.

    Meng Qiu Xia smiled and said, “This silly boy really does know how to act solicitously.” With a silly grin, Bai Min poured out three cups of wine and said: “Shi Mei, you should have a drink as well.” Meng Qiu Xia stepped out of the room and looked up to the sky for a while before returning and said: “We can’t just sit here and drink, the sun is rising and the guards will be changing shifts. We had better think of some plan.” Wang Zhao Xi pushed aside his cup of wine and said, “Let’s leave.”

    Wang Zhao Xi took both Meng and Bai to Liu Xi Ming’s abode. Liu Xi Ming’s could not fall asleep and waited up the whole night instead, anxious with anticipation. Wang Zhao Xi told Meng and Bai to wait in the yard as he took Liu Xi Ming into an inner room to converse in private. Wang Zhao Xi described to Liu the occurrences of the night and then added, “I would like to ask uncle Liu you to please conceal my identity for me. Miss Meng is not aware of the fact that I am her fiancé, and I think it is better that she doesn’t know about this.” Liu stroked his beard with a faint smile while lifting up his head and asked, “Why?” Wang Zhao Xi blushed momentarily and quietly muttered, “I think it is better that she doesn’t know about this.” Liu Xi Ming smiled faintly and said, “It really isn’t easy trying to figure out what you youngsters are thinking. Fine, I will do as you say.” He then stepped out into the yard and arranged the accommodations for Meng Qiu Xia and Bai Min.

    After a few days, the tumultuous atmosphere gradually showed signs of subsiding. Liu Xi Ming was sociable and knew many people, thus through the an acquaintance that works within the palace, he was able to learn that Emperor Shen Zhong had not only ordered the two eunuchs Pang Bao and Liu Cheng to be executed, but has also promoted another eunuch called Wei Zhong Xian to the position of Supreme Head of the Eunuchs. Hearing this, Wang Zhao Xi’s immediately thought: this Wei Zhong Xian (18) must be that “Eunuch Wei.”

    Terribly concerned about her father, Meng Qiu Xia felt each passing day to last like a whole year. However, during the duration of these past few days she has already made close acquaintances with Wang Zhao Xi, more than once imploring him to try and come up with some plan. That night, Wang asked Meng Qiu Xia and Bai Min to come into his room as he suddenly asked, “Miss Meng, are you willing to undergo another huge risk?” Meng Qiu Xia replied with slight displeasure, “Brother Wang, what do you mean by these words? The fact that I have been unable to help my very own father has already made me feel incredibly ashamed and guilt-ridden. Would I ask Brother Wang you to take on the troubles of my very own family all by yourself?” Wang Zhao Xi laughed and said, “My words were out of place, I certainly deserve a good beating.” Bai Min also said, “Hurry and tell us your plans. No matter what risks are involved, include a share for me. I’m not much good for anything, but one thing that’s good thing about me is that I’m not afraid to die. If I can save ShiFu, I would gladly and without hesitation dive into boiling water and walk over burning coals.” Wang Zhao Xi looked at him and said, “Tonight I will be going into the imperial palace to investigate the situation. I’ve already discovered that the Honoured Consort Zheng lives in the Palace of Celestial Purity and have even obtained a map of the palace from Uncle Liu.” Bai Min slapped his hands and said, “That’s great!” Wang Zhao Xi immediately added, “But in order to steal into the palace at night, one’s levitations skills must be incredibly competent. I am very confident with Miss Meng’s levitation skills and martial arts.” This time, Bai Min was actually not at all dense as he immediately thought to himself that his levitation skills were indeed far behind that of his Shi Mei’s, if he went along not only would he be of no help, but he would undoubtedly also be a burden.” Therefore he said, “Since that is the case. I won’t go.” There were no other extraneous thoughts in his heart as he was saying these words, thus allowing his attitude to be perfectly straightforward and frank.

    That night after Wang and Meng heard the time-gong strike the third hour, they then changed into dark coloured night-traveler’s outfits and arrived outside the forbidden palace. Under the pale moon and sparsely dispersed stars, all was a mass of complete stillness. Meng Qiu Xia tapped her toes on the floor and was just about to leap over the walls when Wang Zhao Xi suddenly held her down and made a motion with his hands before crouching down to pick up two pieces of stone. He then threw the stones into the Imperial River that surrounded the palace. Two plunking sounds was heard and although the volume was quite light, yet it had already alerted the guards who were surveilling on the rooftops. Four shadows were seen to descend from the rooftop and run towards the bridge that extends over the imperial river. Words are often slower than actions, for in just that moment’s time the bodies of Wang Zhao Xi and Meng Qiu Xia had already soared high into the air, flying over the palace walls as if they were merely exchanging shifts with the guards.

    Wang Zhao Xi had already closely examined the map of the Imperial Palace, and taking Meng Qiu Xia they stole past the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Perfect Harmony and Hall of Preserving Harmony, thus passing through the three Halls in order to enter the inner palace courtyard. The levitation skills of both people were of a high grade and therefore by the time the watch guards had return to their post, they had already entered into a small garden within the Palace of Celestial Purity.

    The surface area of the imperial palace was incredibly vast, as it could almost be characterized by the description of extending into the heavens and joining the clouds, while expanding into the infinite beyond. The three manmade lakes BeiHai, (19) BaiHai and ShiChaHai were also considered as part of the palace’s property, where the flickering lights reflecting off the river’s surface can be seen shimmering from afar.

    ***************************

    (17) “State Uncle”: known in Chinese as “guo jiu,” is in reference to the maternal uncle or brother-in-law of an emperor
    (18) “Wei Zhong Xian”: considered as one of the most infamous figures in the Ming dynasty as well as the most famous eunuch in Chinese history.
    (19) “BeiHai”: the biggest lake in Beijing
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  15. #15
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    Wang Zhao Xi and Meng Qiu Xia quickly hid in a dark corner when they suddenly observed the side doors at the corner of the garden to unexpectedly fly open as five or six guards accompanying a man concealed in a cloak entered in a very sneaky manner. The face of the mysterious person was completely obscured by the cloak’s hood. Wang Zhao Xi watched him enter into the palace and was just about to risk the danger of following him in order to investigate further when suddenly out of the corner of his eye, the shadow of a person was seen fleeting over the glazed tiles of the palace rooftop. Like a trail of smoke, the shadow entered into the palace rooms. Wang Zhao Xi was severely taken back. That person’s levitation skill was far above the caliber of his own. If that man was a guard within the palace, then without a doubt all chances of them being able to escape the palace alive tonight would be abolished.

    Meng Qiu Xia softly whispered, “If one does not venture into the tiger’s lair, how is one to capture the tiger’s cub?” Wang Zhao Xi replied, “Let us wait a little longer” and it was during this brief moment that they heard the alarmed cries of someone shouting, “There’s an assassin!” coming out from within the Palace of Celestial Purity. There were five or six guards keeping watching outside the palace, and they immediately dashed inside when they heard the cries. Wang Zhao Xi concentrated his attention on the very last guard that was about to enter into the palace before suddenly bounding up and with the speed of a lightning bolt, sealed the guard’s slumber acupoint in that brief split of a second. Wang immediately dragged him into a dark corner behind the fake mountain to take off the guard’s clothes and put them on himself before saying to Meng Qiu Xia, “Stay here and don’t run around. I’m going inside the palace to have a look.” He then jumped out into the open and took out his sword while screaming, “Catch the assassins!” before running inside the Palace of Celestial Purity.

    The fighting within the palace was just in the midst of becoming intense. Wang Zhao Xi only noticed that there was a tall and good-looking youngster warding off the attack of ten guards, branding a sword with a blade that glinted with cold beams. The light of the sword flashed menacingly as the slashing blade was emanating thunderous roars in the wind. When the momentum of the fight had increased to an intense pace, the flourishing sword further blazed with vivacious radiance, much like cold lightning that violently storms throughout the skies and pierces the eyes. The sword skill that was being executed by this person was the Wu Tang sect’s 72 styles of the Sequential Chain-linking Swords, yet the power of this person’s execution was at an incalculable number of levels above that likes of Geng Shao Nan. Wang Zhao Xi was awestruck with silent amazement, as he couldn’t believe that though this man was of such a young age, he could actually be so capable!

    There were many guards within the palace, and though the youngster was powerful, he was nevertheless being surrounded by more than 10 people and was thus gradually showing signs of being unable to withstand the impending attacks. Wang Zhao Xi was completely transfixed by the fight when he suddenly heard someone ask from behind him, “Hey! Why aren’t you fighting?” The person who spoke was a commander of the imperial bodyguards. It was already too late for Wang Zhao Xi to try and hide when he ran smacked into him. The guard having seen that he was looking at an unfamiliar face was even more startled than having discovered an assassin, as he loudly shouted, “Someone’s masquerading as an imperial guard!” while simultaneously bring down the iron ruler (20) in his hand. Wang Zhao Xi quickly executed a few slashes with his sword, and although he wounded the guard he had also caused himself to fall into the battle sphere.

    The tall and elegant youngster was the grandson of Zhou Zhong Lian. His name was Zhou Yi Hang. When Zhou Yi Hang was seven years old, he had accompanied his father Zhou Ji Xian to the imperial city. Coincidently Wu tang’s sect leader, the Taoist Priest Purple Sun had also arrived at the city to solicit alms. Purple Sun Priest was known as the world’s number one swordsman and was just in the midst of searching for a youngster with a solid background and foundation to inherit his legacy. That day, he arrived at the Zhou mansion and found Zhou Yi Hang to harbour an aura of strength and supremacy while the bone structure of his forehead was also illustriously distinguished, thus suddenly inspiring him to take a disciple. Zhou Ji Xian was once positioned as an official in the HuBei area where he once had the opportunity to encounter Priest Purple Sun. He was thus very aware that Priest Purple Sun’s martial art skills were incredibly complex and mystifying, reaching the pinnacle of unfathomable heights. Zhou Ji Xian also hoped that his son can indeed become a complete man who excels in both the literary and martial arts, therefore he immediately agreed to Purple Sun’s request.

    Taoist Priest Purple Sun brought Zhou Yi Hang back with him to the mountains and taught him his martial arts with utmost devotion, as well as employing medicinal means to cultivate and advance his central energies while also training him in his physical stamina and endurance. Therefore over the course of twelve years Zhou Yi Hang had finally understood the intricacies and essence of the 72 styles of the Sequential Chain-linking Swords and Nine Palace Heavenly Palms. Now, amoung the second-generation disciples, Zhou Yi Hang’s abilities were ranked as being number one. In fact, his abilities were even stronger than some of his ShiFu’s martial art brothers.

    Throughout these twelve years, Priest Purple Sun will bring Zhou back to the imperial capital once every three years, with each visit lasting a whole month. During the span of this month, Zhou Yi Hang will stay at his home and pursue his literary studies. Zhou Ji Xian will hire the most famous literary masters and scholars to explain and analyze over the intricacies and significances of the Analects and history books for Zhou Yi Hang. Then after that one month’s duration, he will let Zhou Yi Hang take all the books back to the mountain in order to read and study over. Because of all this, Zhou Yi Hang was well trained in both his literary and martial arts, giving good cause for both his father and ShiFu to be very pleased.

    The year that Zhou Yi Hang turned nineteen, Priest Purple Sun having seen that he had already completed his martial art studies and being aware that Zhou Ji Xian was also desirous to see his son returned to the capital to write his civil examinations, he thus brought Zhou Yi Hang back to his home while also bestowing him with a Ice Ray Sword. Before they departed from each other, Priest Purple Sun said, “I truly hope that you will not loose yourself in the sphere of officialdom and politics, the position of Wu Tang’s sect-leader will still be counting for you to fill in the future.” Zhou Yi Hang having received his ShiFu’s commands then turned back towards his house. After departing for three years, Zhou Yi Hang found that he had already grown more than a head taller than his father.

    The whole family was rejoicing over the reunion of father and son, yet who could have guessed that a storm of troubles would suddenly erupt out of nowhere and come blowing straight into their path? Father and son had reunited for not even three months when Zhou Ji Xian became snared within the tumultuous wars of the “Case of the Clubbing Assault.” One day he left for the imperial palace to attend the daily conference that discusses over the state’s affairs, and was never able to return home again. Zhou Yi Hang was incredibly devastated, but through his father’s governmental acquaintance he was able to discover that his father was framed by someone titled State Uncle Zheng, and that this State Uncle Zheng was acting out on the orders of his sister the Honoured Consort Zheng. In a fit of anger, Zhou Yi Hang no longer cared about how the number of master fighters within the palace were as vast as the clouds, and actually went barging into the palace in the middle of the still night with just a sword to accompanying his solitary self.

    Returning to the present situation of Wang Zhao Xi who had just stepped into the combat ring -- Wang Zhao Xi immediately started to execute his Cloud-Chasing sword skill which was as swift and volatile as the wind, with every attack aiming for the weakest parts of his opponents’ body. After a while, he actually moved closer to Zhou Yi Hang who had also sequentially executed a few stances to break out an opening, allowing him to bring Wang Zhao Xi near beside him. The two of them cooperated together, fighting back to back with their swords joined together, causing their overall force to increase dramatically. In the midst of their intense battle with the imperial guards, not only were they able to attack, but they were also able to defend and thus making it very clear that they will very soon be able to break out of their entrapment.

    At that moment, the bedroom door within the Palace of Celestial Purity suddenly opened as the Honoured Consort Zheng, her brother and the mystery man concealed in the cloak were all leaning against the doors as they observed the fight under the accompaniment of five or six guards. The Honoured Consort Zheng laughed and said, “Chang Xun, tell your men to flaunt a few moves. These useless guards can’t even capture a few petty thieves! If this isn’t taken care of quickly, then once the outer palaces becomes aware of this, there will be trouble.” The man wearing the cloak gave a wave with his hands and immediately two other guards rushed out and joined the battle. One of them was using twin hooked swords and was heading straight for Zhou Yi Hang. The other one had absolutely nothing in his two bare hands, but relied solely on a pair of palms made out of flesh and blood as he forcefully attempted to snatch Wang Zhao Xi’s long sword. Wang Zhao Xi slashed out with his sword, but with a low squat the guard actually popped up to attack from the side. Wang Zhao Xi’s Cloud Chasing Sword skill excels in its agile speed, thus when he wasn’t able to wound with that one stab, he immediately changed his stances to cut off his opponent at the wrists and then directing the tip of his sword towards the opponent’s kneecaps. The guard exclaimed a “hey!” as he immediately retracted his hands in defence while also retreating a few steps.

    This man was a practitioner of the Eagle Claws, and was actually very skilled in this form of martial art that specializes in the art of using “Empty Hands to Grasp Sharp Blade.” Yet he was caught off guard with Wang Zhao Xi whose family legacy was a sword skill that was exceptionally agile and potent. Although the man had consecutively attacked a few times, yet his efforts remained to be futile.

    The guard on the other side who was using the hooks thought that by using the twin hooks he would be able to overpower any sabers and swords. Which was why the moment that he stepped forward, he immediately used the “Large Eagle Spreading its Wings” stance to bring the two hooks together, and then draw them out again in order to hook the long sword in Zhou Yi Hang’s hands. Little could he have guessed that Zhou Yi Hang’s sword skills would be even more ingenious, as with a flip of his sword, a wave of green light showered over the earth. Although Zhou began to execute his move after the guard had executed his, yet it was Zhou’s sword that reached its mark first. The pair of twin hooks was not even able to hook together yet and already Zhou’s long sword and already used the “Tornado Tearing Through Leaves” stance to slash towards his opponent’s lower body, causing the man using the hooks to uncontrollably retreat a few steps. Seeing that his two prized martial art fighters fail in their attempts, Chang Xun couldn’t refrain from feeling quite disappointed.

    ********************

    (20) “iron ruler”: an ancient Chinese weapon mainly used for self protection
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    However, the martial art skills of these two guards were nevertheless much stronger than the other guards. Thus once they entered into the battle, their force when compounded with the other ten guards was able to force Zhou and Wang to be tightly surrounded again, further delaying more time. Wang Zhao Xi couldn’t help himself from starting to feel uneasy and apprehensive. Suddenly he heard Meng Qiu Xia’s sharp screams coming from outside, followed by a number of cries screaming for guards to capture the female assassin. Wang Zhao Xi became even more anxious and impatient as he lashed out with his swords a few times and forcefully rushed forward trying to barge his way out, thus gradually separating from Zhou Yi Hang. The guards immediately took advantage of the situation and intercepted between the two, thus separating them in the process.

    In the midst of his anxiety, Wang Zhao Xi’s sword stances became very unsystematic and chaotic, yet he continued to charge forward dynamically, killing two guards. However Wang’s shoulder suddenly burned with searing pain as he has also sustained a wound as well. Episodes upon episodes of danger followed one after the other in sequential fashion, with Wang being barely able to escape the danger each time. Wang hurriedly focused his attentions and refrained from any hasty actions. He flourished his sword around, with each stance being so tight that neither wind nor rain can infiltrate through, thus shrinking the size of the battle ring and allowing Wang to concentrate on defending while waiting for help.

    In the midst of this intense battle, the gate of the outer side garden in the Palace of Celestial Purity suddenly burst open as a troop of guards came running in. The face of the Honoured Consort Zheng immediately changed colours as she hastily dragged the man wearing the cloak inside. Words are often slower than actions, as the troop of guards had already arrived to the front of the palace. However, they did not participate in the fight. There was a man within the crowd of troops who loudly shouted, “Stop fighting! Search the palace!” The guards who were surrounding Zhou and Wang were all so shocked that they immediately stopped fighting and jumped out of the combat circle. The Honoured Consort Zheng shrilly shrieked, “Crowned Prince, What am I being charged as guilty of?” The man who just uttered the command was actually the Crowned Prince as he retorted with a loud command, “Search the palace!” The guards that he brought with him immediately rushed towards the steps of the palace. With a toss of her hair, the Honoured Consort Zheng severely said, “If you don’t have our reverend Lord of Million Years’ (21) holy permission, then I’d like to see who would dare to enter this place.” The guards stopped cold in their tracks, but the Crowned Prince just laughed coldly and said, “There’s already been someone who’s entered through these doors without any permission, we need not wait for our reverend emperor’s imperial edict. No matter what happens, I will take full responsibility for everything!” The guards gave a loud shout as they then charged into the palace. The Honoured Consort Zheng then shrieked, “Stop these rioters for me. I’m going to take him with me to the Lord of Million Years’ himself and reason with him. No matter what happens, I will take full responsibility for everything!” Like the ends of two sharp needles that were pointing towards each other, each guard had their own master, as in a flash of a moment a great carnage erupted.

    Zhou Yi Hang’s body suddenly leapt forward as he consecutively branded his sword with the speed of wind while shouting, “Crowned Prince, I’ll capture the rebels for you!” All that can be seen is how Zhou gave a twist of his body and attacked with his sword, barging through the crowd of fighters. The guards from the Palace of Celestial Purity were all engaged in battle and could in no way find the chance to stop him. The few guards who came out of the palace to obstruct him were all met with the force of Zhou’s sword. Like the fury of raging winds, the execution of all his stances linked up with each other sequentially, causing the guards to fall and trip all over the place.

    The man with the cloak ran in front of the Honoured Consort Zheng and was just about to enter the inner palace when Zhou Yi Hang with a tap of his toes, soared up high above the ground, shooting across the sky like a flying arrow. While being high in the air he suddenly dived down to seize the mystery man, clasping him by the cloak and then tugging him up to wield his body as a weapon. Like the wild dance of a tornado, Zhou spun the man around in a full circle, and although there were still five or seven guards within the palace at that time, yet who would dare to approach him? At that moment, Wang Zhao Xi also came barging in with his sword while the Crowned Prince and his two guards had also arrived into the Palace Hall.

    Zhou Yi Hang moved like the ferocious flurry of a tornado as he hurled the captured man to one side, where the Crowned Prince’s guards were already waiting to catch him. They took off the cloak’s hood to reveal the true identity of the man. The guards were all shocked as they blurted out, “It’s the second son of the Emperor!” The Crowned Prince laughed coldly and said, “Lock him up! Continue to search the palace!” Zhou Yi Hang flex his two arms and with a loud bang, blew open the doors to Palace of Celestial Purity’s inner forum before darting inside.

    ******************

    (21) “Lord of Million Years”: referring to the emperor.
    No longer walking amongst the living...

  17. #17
    Senior Member someguy44's Avatar
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    Post Translation Rant of Queenie's

    Ah ... finally finished chapter 2

    Sorry Beast, I really did want to post this on the weekend, but was doing something else instead and didn't get to throw myself into the translation over the weekend as I had originally intended But I did spend some of Sunday, most of Monday and then much of today slaving away at this. I'm just so glad it's done. Whew.



    Alright, so I had changed the format of posting this time in order that the endnotes may be easier to read. I've also incorporated Anonymous's suggestion to alter the paragraph structure slightly in order to facilitate easier reading. If there's any further problems, please tell me people

    Hehe ... so Zhou Yi Hang has finally appeared. First impression folks? Not bad right? Seriously, Zhou Yi Hang is not a very good character in many dimensions. In many ways, he doesn't come to life as his motivations and struggles don't really seem to make much sense, or rather they change dramatically. He's cool now, but he goes downhill very quickly.

    What about impressions on Wang Zhao Xi, Bai Min & Meng Qiu Xia? I quite like these minor characters although they appear so briefly. I first started to read WHD last Xmas, and since it was the first Liang work that I read, I remembered quite liking Meng Qiu Xia's character. Liang described her as being "dai fang" which is a characteristic in people that I particularly like and appreciate (I used words ranging from gracious, sophisticated, extroverted, poised to describe "dai fang" ... but other words such as classy, graceful, magnanimous, mature, cultured, composed can also be used to describe the word's intent ).

    Now, translating over this chapter, I've noticed that in many ways, Meng's character is still nonetheless very traditional in many respects, in that she expects her man to think of the plan, save her day etc. Still, she's a nice, unpretentious and sweet girl -- while being brave and smart as well. And when you compare her w/ the personalities of the other female characters in this novel, it provides a nice contrast and a good examples of the many different types of girls.

    Anyways, I feel that Meng & Wang's characters are well matched for each other.

    Loved Bai Min's character. Imagining him while both reading and translating, and just loved him. Such a sweet kid.

    What are people's feelings towards Wang Zhao Xi? I quite liked him, perhaps b/c his jealousies seem to make him appear more human and three-dimensional.

    Okay, well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm personally not that interested in the imperial palace stuff. But I thought that fights in this chapter were entertaining and characters likeable.

    There is actually about a page and a half left in this chapter which I decided not to translate b/c it mainly dealt with the imperial politics that I just wasn't particularly interested in. I don't know how you guys fell about it. But anyways, I will detail it in point form in the next update. For chapter three, I plan to translate about 5 or 6 pages, and since the rest of the stuff again dealt w/ the palace stuff, I decide to skip it for now and put it in point form. I'm going to take a break from translating for the next few days, but I don't think that chapter 3 will take me very long. Hopefully you'll see it over the weekend?
    No longer walking amongst the living...

  18. #18
    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Post Corrections (from JY Forum)

    Corrections (from JY Forum):

    - Laviathan: ZHUO Yihang, not Zhou. The whole Zhou family should be the Zhuo family.


    - Laviathan: Footnotes corrections, it should be:
    (6) ¡°Honoured Consort¡±: A highly honoured Imperial Concubine, generally the highest ranking female in the palace after the Empress.
    (7) Crown Prince: The chosen successor to the throne. Most commonly the eldest son borne by the principal wife (Empress) though not necessarily the king¡¯s first born son.


    - There's a missing part between:



    Wang¡¯s silhouette flashed over the rooftop as he glided over the tiles, moving ahead of the two guards and entering into the garden. Then with a twist of his body, he sprung up onto the flight of stairs that led into the Study. This was the place where his father-in-law usually came to relax and rest. Observing that the door was left slightly ajar, Wang Zhao Xi looked inside and made sure that there was nobody inside the room before he stealthily entered. Little could he have guessed that as soon as he stepped foot inside, one side of the door would suddenly come crashing down followed directly by the sharp, glinting edge of a blade that came from behind the door, heading straight for the side of Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s face and bringing along with it a cold breeze. Yet despite the eminent danger, the impressive Wang Zhao Xi did not panic but instead dived to the ground and with a quick roll, he then used his left hand to thrust the door board into the direction of the blade. As the blade entered into the door board, Wang Zhao Xi executed the ¡°Carp Flexing Body¡± and with that twist, he was already standing upright, sword in his hands. A person¡¯s laughter could be heard as a voice then said, ¡°Little crook, you¡¯ve swum straight into my trap!¡± Wang Zhao Xi flickered his long sword and was just about to execute his moves when suddenly the two side doors of the study flew open and projectiles pierced through the air, showering into the room. Wang Zhao Xi gracefully glided around as his long sword drew up a silver streak of radiance, lighting up in the darkness. In the midst of all the projectiles that were rapidly spraying into the room, Wang Zhao Xi swung out with his sword and pierced it towards the guard standing behind the door.
    ***************************
    Footnotes (10) - (14)



    * missing part *



    A twinkle briefly sparkled in Meng Qiu Xia¡¯s eyes, a pair of eyes that were filled with gratitude. Wang Zhao Xi lowered his head, not daring to look straight into her eyes. Meng Qiu Xia was nevertheless very poised and gracious as she openly said, ¡°Two days after the occurrence of the Case of the Clubbing Assault, two very peculiar looking guests suddenly arrived at our household. They were talking to my father in this very room.

    etc.




    - *missing part*:

    The three guards who were keeping watch that night were actually very skilled veterans of the JiangHu world. They were ordered to capture anybody who dared to come snooping around here, which was why they purposely pretended to be incautious and careless in order to lure Wang inside and attacked him from three directions. Luckily Wang Zhao Xi was skilled in martial arts, otherwise he very likely would have fallen prey to the furtive attack.

    The guard hiding behind the door board seemed to be the leader, as by using just a solitary saber, he swiped, slashed, swung and sliced, emitting swooshing sounds in the wind. What he was executing was actually the skillful stances of ¡°Five Tigers Ravaging Door¡± Saber skill. Amongst the two other guards, one was using a Copper Spiked Club, the other was using a Seven-Joint Iron Whip, with every stance heading towards Wang Zhao Xi being vigorous and forceful. Wang Zhao Xi lashed out with his sword, exerting his full concentration in battle, swaying to the left and striking to the right, consecutively sweeping and soaring in one movement.

    After battling for a while, the guard who used the copper spiked club was wounded by Wang¡¯s sword and thus immediately jumped out of the combat sphere. Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s sword was laced with the chilling wind as he took full advantage of having prevailed over once stance to immediately execute an obliterating move to finish the man off. Little could he have guessed that the stances of the guard who practices the Ravaging Door Saber would be so lithe and swift, for he took advantage of Wang Zhao Xi diving forward with his body and sword to suddenly sweep his saber into Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s direction, executing the stance ¡°Phoenix Spreading her Wings¡± to fiercely slash at his opponent¡¯s upper body. Wang Zhao Xi was forced to abort his attack on the guard using the copper spiked club as he twisted his body around to redirect his sword, forcing the Ravaging Door Saber that was attacking to fly out the door. But after this brief hesitation the guard using the seven-joint iron whip had already rushed back towards Wang while the guard using the copper spiked club had re-entered the battle despite his injuries.

    Although Wang Zhao Xi was taking on three opponents by just his solitary self, yet he continued to remain calm and fearless. The cold beam from his long sword glinted menacingly as the vitality of his blade glistened like the rainbows. Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s father Wang Jia Yin was a skilled authority with the sword, having obtained the true legacy of the Shi family¡¯s Cloud-Chasing sword skill. Wang Zhao Xi was quite an impressive youngster trained in both the literary and martial arts, practiced in both external and internal skills. After battling for a while, the guard using the seven-joint iron whip sustained a wound from Wang¡¯s sword, causing him to scream out in pain. Wang Zhao Xi swept his sword around with the speed of gusting wind, constraining the guard with his every attack. The guard using the copper spiked club was already forced against the wall without even being aware of it, Wang Zhao Xi pierced out with his sword and the guard took another step back smacking right into the wall, no longer able to escape. Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s stances were as fast as lighting, and through one final stab with his sword, Wang nailed the guard onto the wall.

    Suddenly a huge ¡°poom¡± sound was heard as a large hole suddenly erupted in the wall! The guard¡¯s dead corpse fell into the large hole, causing Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s balance to falter as he staggered briefly and almost fell prey to the seven-joint iron whip¡¯s attack before he could hastily withdraw his sword and retreat. It was at this moment that from within the wall there sounded a strange holler as someone suddenly came scuttling out. Wang Zhao Xi hesitated briefly, not yet having differentiated whether it was a friend or foe when suddenly his eyes were greeted to a beautiful sight. From within the wall jumped out a young girl dressed in white, her clothes sashaying lightly in the breeze. In the midst of everyone¡¯s startled confusion, the girl gave a light twist of her body and rushed to the front doors, extending her sword sideways to block the entrance. She then quickly shouted, ¡°Brother Min, attack the guard who¡¯s wielding the saber.¡±

    The youngster who came out first started to attack wildly with his saber in a very idiotic and yet boorish manner. As the two sabers impacted, both parties felt their wrist to cramp with numbness. Wang Zhao Xi composed himself and then concentrated his attentions on the young girl while thinking to himself: could this be my fianc¨¦? He continued to closely examine her, vaguely recognizing her facial features. His heart was struck with a sudden pang of bitter jealousy as a most unpleasant and indescribable feeling washed over him. In a dazed state, he continued to watch the two people engage in battle while remaining completely absorbed in thought.

    The other guard having detected that the situation was looking increasingly disastrous immediately tried to escape with haste. The young girl who was standing by the doorway released a sweet sounding shout as with just a flick of her hands, three daggers were released consecutively, projecting out in three paths as it hurtled straight towards the top, middle and bottom directions. The guard gave out a scream of pain as his body was suddenly pierced with three holes. While the white clothed female was discharging her projectiles, she was simultaneously speaking in her lovely voice: ¡°Hey, young man! Why are you just standing there and staring at me? Why not lend out a helping hand?¡±

    Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s face changed colours as he observed how the other youngster was continuing to struggle with the guard. He leapt forward and used his left elbow to knock him aside while saying, ¡°Move away!¡± Startled, the youngster asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Wang Zhao Xi was filled with feelings of anger and resentment that was looking for a channel to be released, therefore with a twist of his sword he exerted his full force. The guard with the saber was not an amateur, yet how could he possibly withstand the strength that comes from Wang¡¯s inner Qi? Only a fracturing sound could be heard as the ¡°Ravaging Door Saber¡± truly became ¡°ravaged,¡± as it splintered into pieces. With a writhe of the sword¡¯s blade, Wang Zhao Xi had already sliced the guard into two halves.

    Wang then returned his sword to its sheath and was just about to leave when he suddenly heard the young girl laugh charmingly and said: ¡°Your sword skills are truly excellent! Only, it seems to be a little reckless and uncouth.¡± Within his heart, Wang Zhao Xi was alarmed and secretly ashamed of his lack of sophistication and class. How could a person who holds the affairs of the world as his own personal vocation and duty allow himself to throw these silly tempers over something as petty as romance? This characterization of being ¡°reckless and uncouth¡± truly gave him ample cause to flush a shade of deep red. The young girl came forward and sincerely gave a low bow with her hands folded in front of her before saying, ¡°Thank you hero for taking such a big risk for my father. May I ask how I should address you?¡±

    Wang Zhao Xi had separated from his fianc¨¦ for more almost sixteen years now, and since Meng Can never did tell his daughter that he had ushered Wang Zhao Xi to come to Beijing and receive his bride, thus she never would have guessed that her fianc¨¦ would travel a thousand miles to arrive at the capital. Therefore, even though she found this person somewhat familiar looking, yet she didn¡¯t feel it proper to mention anything about it. Wang Zhao Xi replied, ¡°My unworthy name is Wang Ri Zhao. May I ask whether young madam is Master Meng¡¯s treasured daughter, Meng Qiu Xia?¡± Meng Qiu Xia asked with curiosity, ¡°How did you know my name?¡± Wang Zhao Xi asked instead, ¡°And this young brother is¡_¡± The youngster gave a goofy smile and replied, ¡°My name is Bai Min, and I am Master Meng¡¯s disciple. Brother Wang, your martial arts are truly excellent. You needed only one stance to beat that thug. Even though you slammed into me, yet I¡¯m not at all angry with you.¡± Wang Zhao Xi thought to himself: this youngster¡¯s name is ¡°Bai Min,¡± yet he is not at all alert or quick-witted.

    His heart filled with bitter jealousy, Wang Zhao Xi purposely refused to reveal his true identity and instead made up a whole past, insisting that Man Can had once performed a great act of goodwill towards him, which was why he risked his life tonight in order to investigate into this incident. Meng Can was indeed a very sociable person with many friends and acquaintances, thus Meng Qiu Xia will very naturally believe Wang¡¯s words as she once again she expresses her gratitude. Wang Zhao Xi suddenly asked, ¡°How long have you hidden within that wall?¡± Bai Min replied, ¡°From the day old master was arrested, it¡¯s been three days already.¡± Wang Zhao Xi became increasingly uncomfortable as his face unconsciously blanched into an ashen colour of gray.

    Meng Qiu Xia concentrated her gaze on Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s expression, her beautiful eyes sparkling like the autumn springs. She asked with concern, ¡°Brother Wang, are you tired? Why don¡¯t you rest for a moment?¡± Bai Min immediately said, ¡°You must be tired from all that fighting. Let me go find you a jug of good wine to wake you up.¡± Although Wang Zhao Xi was angry, yet he was also amused. The silly boy had already galloped down the stairs and dashed off to the wine cellar in search for some good aged wine.

    Wang Zhao Xi was left alone with his fiance within the study, remaining silent as they stared at each other. From outside the window, the pale moonlight shone into the room. Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s fluttering heartbeat was palpitating in irregular waves as Meng Qiu Xia lighted two candles, causing the wan glow cast from the candles to further accentuated her beauty. Wang Zhao Xi then said, ¡°Miss Meng, forgive me for being too brash or forward, but I would like to inquire about the details and conditions concerning your father¡¯s arrest as well as his current situation in order that it may further aid me in rescuing him.¡±

    ********************

    ¡°Wang Ri Zhao¡±: the words ¡°ÈÕ¡± (Ri) and ¡°ÕÙ¡± (Zhao) combine to form the word ¡°ÕÑ¡± (Zhao), which has the same sound and approximately the same form as the ¡°ÕÕ¡± (Zhao) in Wang Zhao Xi¡¯s name. Thus Wang Zhao Xi roughly took apart a character in his real name to form this alias.
    ¡°this youngster¡¯s name is ¡°Bai Min,¡± yet he is not at all alert or quick-witted¡±: the ¡°Min¡± in Bai Min¡¯s name forms part of the word ¡®Ž×Ãô¡¯ (Ji Min) which approximately translates as ¡®alertness and quick thinking resourcefulness¡¯.

  19. #19
    Senior Member Du Gu seeking a win's Avatar
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    Post Yu Luo Cha

    To faerie queene : One minor detail about translation
    Posted By: Laviathan
    Date: Friday, 11 July 2003, at 3:27 a.m.

    Hi Queenie,

    Moinllieon pointed out a small detail which I completely overlooked in your translation.

    Lian Nichang's nickname is actually Yu Luo CHA in correct Hanyu Pinyin. The last word in this case should be pronounced as Cha, not Sha, for it is a Hindu term.

    But this doesn't mean you "strike again with crappy pinyin", a lot of people make the same mistake, native speakers also, not just you! Because normally speaking, this character should be pronounced as Sha, only when it is a Buddhist or Hindu term is there a change in pronounciation.

    Hope this helps,

    Rene

  20. #20
    Senior Member BluLotus's Avatar
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    Ooo, good stuff. Waiting for Chapter 3 now, hehe .

    Thanks to Queene(for translating), someguy(for posting), and Du Gu(for filling in the missing part) .
    AKA: Frantasy

    Translating: Ni Tian Xie Shen (逆天邪神) – Against the Gods by Mars Gravity @ https://alyschu.wordpress.com/

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