A step into the past - 寻秦记 - by Huang Yi

[kohchun]

I won't be able to sleep and eat, until someone can answer asitp fan question. Because the answer to that could change the whole story, and determine whether the rest of the story is worth reading or not.

So, was LBW a "premier mentor" or "Imperial uncle"?

Eh balikpapan, damn drama lah you

[wuxiacrazy]

So, was LBW a "premier mentor" or "Imperial uncle"?

Could it be a mental slip by the author Huang Yi himself where he forgot to explain the change in title/honorific for LBW in this story? Or could it be that LBW is addressed as "Imperial uncle" in his own Qin court and as "Imperial uncle" when he is a visiting dignitary to other states?

[xlandhenry]

Thanks for the insight. But the title for LBW was "Premier mentor". "Imperial uncle" did not appear until LBW is in Lin Zhi.
I'm still confused.

Well, they are just different translations of one title: "仲父"

Can't tell which is closer to the original meaning though, if I were to translate, probably "Premier Uncle"

[balikpapan]

Haha, you're just loitering around to be 1st to post after Justin's updates.

It's 5 am now in the States, and guess what I'm doing now?

Eh balikpapan, damn drama lah you

Mind your own business, you poster of translation thief thread (aka Unabridged)

[balikpapan]

Well, they are just different translations of one title: "仲父"

Can't tell which is closer to the original meaning though, if I were to translate, probably "Premier Uncle"

Strongly disagree. It means "Calmemaybe Uncle"

[Justin13]

Book 24 Chapter 05 Unexpected Gains

Shan Rou wailed: “I quit!” Withdrawing her sword, she retreated.

Resting the back of the sabre on his shoulder, Xiang Shaolong chuckled: “Despite raising two kids, Madam Xie can still pack a punch.”

Staring curiously at him, Shan Rou was amazed: “Stop bluffing. Why have you improved so much compared to yesterday? Every sabre stroke is beyond my anticipation.”

Xiang Shaolong is conscious that due to motivation from his predicament and hurt from his friends’ betrayal, he is now brimming with immense willpower and fighting spirit for the sake of his family and his own survival. He has decided to fully commit himself and discarded all non-related considerations. Treating this duel as a final showdown where he would be staring at the face of death, he managed to unleash his hidden potential.

As per his instructions, the huge crowd that was present yesterday is absent today. Exchanging blows with this beauty who used to be intimate with him, Xiang Shaolong is exceedingly alert.

Since his return last night, he surprisingly slept all the way till dawn. Before Shan Rou arrived, he had already practiced a round of Hundred Battle Sabre Play, explaining his remarkable familiarity.

He is no longer worried about Cao Cuidao’s duel that is taking place two nights later. As long as this opponent keeps his promise of limiting the fight to ten strokes, he is confident that he will emerge unscathed.

Now that he is aware of Zongsun Long, Li Yuan and the others who are plotting against him, he is mentally prepared and knows what to expect in the future, increasing his conviction level.

Perhaps now that he has finally determined his friends and foes, and admitting that Xiao Pan’s identity crisis cannot be solved by pure luck, all his doubts are cleared and the days of wild speculation are over, allowing him to sleep in peace.

It does not mean that he has found a way to counter Lu Buwei and Lao Ai but his gut feel tells him that history will not be altered and Xiao Pan will certainly become Qin Shihuang. There is no documentation of him, Xiang Shaolong, as a historical figure and naturally no record of him creating a fake Yingzheng. This clearly illustrates the ability of Xiao Pan to protect his legacy but there is no indication if he, Xiang Shaolong can preserve his life in this incoming onslaught.

Somehow, the more Xiang Shaolong thought about it, the more fearful he felt. Luckily, Little Ping’er came by at this juncture, announcing that Feng Fei has invited the two of them to her main building for breakfast. Feng Fei is still unable to comprehend the relationship between Shan Rou and Xiang Shaolong. By right, they should be newly acquainted but their mannerism is too friendly for her to stomach. To her, Shan Rou’s lack of respect towards Xiang Shaolong is something exceptionally baffling. After all, Xiang Shaolong is currently a powerful and popular Qin Great General.

Without Xiao Yuetan and Zongsun Xuanhua around, Shan Rou is even less inhibited. Squinting her eyes at Xiang Shaolong first, she then peeped at Feng Fei before enquiring from her: “This fella is very good at seducing ladies; have you become one of his women?”

Feng Fei was so embarrassed that even the root of her ears turned red in an instant, wishing that she could find a hole in the ground to hide her face.

Xiang Shaolong was mortified at Shan Rou’s broaching of this taboo subject. He chided: “How can Madam Xie ask such a question?”

With a ‘Pu Ci’, Shan Rou giggled: “Why is everyone afraid of telling the simple truth? Just answer Yes or No!” With her innocent schoolgirl laughter, it is truly impossible to get angry with her.

Enduring her bashfulness, Feng Fei resumed her well-versed calm demeanor and replied in a low voice: “The relationship between Feng Fei and Great General is prim and proper and we are definitely not an item. Madam Xie has wronged Great General; He is a true gentleman.” Pausing for a while, she inquired in return: “Are Madam Xie and Great General previously acquainted? It is rumoured that Madam Xie’s swordsmanship is comparable to Young Master Zongsun, gaining much glory for us females.”

Shan Rou was not the least flattered and asserted: “I am who I am, why must I compare myself against men for glory? Hng! I have to go, I have some errands to run in the palace.” Raising her sleeve and using it to wipe her mouth, she left without even looking back.

Xiang Shaolong and Feng Fei stared at each other with a stunned expression before smiling with amusement.

Feng Fei state in a low voice: “I heard Madam Xie’s original surname is Shan and her family was destroyed by Tian Dan. However, she has now gained the affections of the concubines of the King and Princes who are all begging her to impart sword skills to them. In addition, Xie Ziyuan is highly regarded by the Court of Qi. Faced with her constant and direct insults, even Tian Dan has to bear with her.”

Xiang Shaolong finally learned about Shan Rou’s status in Lin Zi and understood why Zongsun Xuanhua is so accommodating towards her.

Feng Fei continued: “Are we leaving here the night after tomorrow? I am getting tired of Han Jie’s harassment and desire to leave this place as soon as possible.”

Xiang Shaolong wavered on the spot, unable to determine if Feng Fei can be trusted. The fluctuation of a woman’s affections is hard to grasp. Today, she can say that she hates Han Jie but tomorrow, she can leap back into his bosom. If she reveals his secrets, he would have to return to Xianyang as a blind man.

Noticing the change in his expression, Feng Fei had a shock and questioned: “Is there something wrong with our plans?”

Xiang Shaolong nodded: “Does Mistress wish to leave Lin Zi after the Qixia College performance?”

After a short daze, Feng Fei responded: “Since we are leaving, why do we need to wait another five days?”

Xiang Shaolong intentionally answered: “The main reason is for Second Mistress and the others. I would feel more at ease if we leave as a group.”

Feng Fei is truly sharp. Sighing with a breath, she observed: “Looking at you hesitating and carefully choosing your words, you must be withholding some grievances in your heart.”

Xiang Shaolong is conscious that if he chooses to deny, it would arouse her suspicions. Nodding his head, he professed: “I am concerned about Guo Kai. This man is a devil. If we successfully make our getaway, he may vent his frustration on Shuzen and the others.”

Feng Fei was astounded: “With Zongsun Long protecting Shuzen and the others, what is there to fear?”

At his wit’s end, Xiang Shaolong firmly concluded: “Stop asking any more questions. To avoid any unwelcomed surprises, we will only leave together as a group after the Qixia College performance. Aren’t you concerned about their welfare?”

Feng Fei kept quiet and mounted a silent protest.

Xiang Shaolong realized that his tone is too harsh. Shifting forward and hugging her fragrant shoulder, he gently apologized: “It is my fault. I beg Mistress’s pardon.”

Feng Fei softly exhaled: “Why is Great General is such a bad mood today? This is the first time Feng Fei has seen you getting upset for no rhyme or reason.”

Xiang Shaolong thought: How can I be in excellent spirits now? How I wish I could embark on a killing spree to vent the anger in my heart. He was about to utter a reply when Feng Fei admitted with a tinge of guilt: “Feng Fei knows that you no longer trust me because I went to meet Han Jie in secret yesterday. But since we are breaking up, we should at least formally communicate about it!”

Xiang Shaolong did not expect this amazing and accidental side effect from his moody temperament, coincidently getting Feng Fei to make a spontaneous confession about her meeting with Han Jie. Based on her words, she had initially wanted to hide it from him.

Staring at him with a melancholic expression, Feng Fei slowly hinted: “Does Great General want to know what did he and Feng Fei talk about?”

Xiang Shaolong plainly state: “Of course he would say things like you would meet a terrible ending if you choose to side with me!”

Her petite frame trembling violently, Feng Fei was horrified: “How did you know?” Observing her shyness, Xiang Shaolong decided to trick her: “Not only did I overhear your conversation, I even heard the two of you sharing a kiss.”

Feng Fei was embarrassed to the max. She protested: “He forced himself on me and I was the unwilling party. But it is daytime, where were you hiding?”

Xiang Shaolong continued fabricating: “Don’t you know that a human can easily conceal himself under a carriage?”

Assuming that he is telling the truth, Feng Fei pitifully wailed: “You should understand that I was only trying my best to appease him. Most of time, I was lying to him.”

Hit by a brainwave, Xiang Shaolong recollected Lu Buwei’s visit to Zongsun Long last night and connected it to Han Jie who had lifted the information off Feng Fei. He frowned: “But it is wrong of you to tell Han Jie that we are leaving Lin Zi in two days and are depending on Zongsun Long’s assistance. Doesn’t Mistress know that Han Jie and Lu Buwei are partners in crime?”

With these words from Xiang Shaolong, Feng Fei no longer has any doubts about him spying on her meeting with Han Jie. She explained: “Han Jie belongs to Lao Ai’s camp and he came all the way to Lin Zi because of me. Although he was not upfront with me about his liaisons with Zongsun Xuanhua, my heart did once belonged to him and we even planned a secret rendezvous. It is very agonizing for me to sever this relationship so abruptly.” Shooting Xiang Shaolong a dejected look, she added: “Feng Fei had wanted to borrow Great General as a temporary substitute to forget him but Great General is reluctant to grant this favour.”

Acknowledging that Feng Fei will be an important factor in this tussle between him and his enemies, Xiang Shaolong is determined to win her to his side. He icily laughed: “Do you know that after Han Jie learnt about our relationship with Zongsun Long father and son, Lu Buwei and Han Jie visited them last night and persuaded them to work together?”

Her face whitening, Feng Fei stammered: “Is that so?”

Xiang Shaolong solemnly declared: “Believe it or not. If Mistress continues to feed information to Han Jie, not only would I, Xiang Shaolong, die without a burial place but even Mistress would not be able to escape a dreadful consequence. Han Jie’s feelings towards you may be true but a man like him who prioritizes benefits over everything else may painfully sacrifice you. It is impossible to find a magnanimous man among the followers of Lu Buwei and Lao Ai.”

A guilty Feng Fei admitted: “Feng Fei is not considered a magnanimous person too. What should we do now?”

Xiang Shaolong resolved: “It is better for us to leave as a group after the Qixia College performance. At Xianyang, you can fall in love with whoever you want but for the time being, you must never reveal any of our secrets.”

Feng Fei swore: “I understand. From this minute onwards, Feng Fei will only trust Great General and nobody else.”

At this interval, Xiang Shaolong could not think of any use for Feng Fei yet. After dispensing further instructions, he stood up and left.

This can be considered an unexpected gain for Xiang Shaolong. He finally learned about Han Jie being a double-headed snake, in cahoots with both Lu Buwei and the Zongsun Family. If his estimate is accurate, Han Jie may be officially working as Lao Ai’s right hand man but has been bribed by Lu Buwei a long time ago.

Additionally, his fidelity to Lu Buwei is not all-embracing. At the very least, he has been hiding his relationship with Feng Fei from this traitor.

How would Han Jie resettle Feng Fei in Xianyang without leaking her presence? He probably has no idea too.

Once a man and a woman are romantically involved, the complication between them are unfathomable and a clean break is often more tedious than it looks. His own relationship with Zhao Ya is a shining example.

Tomorrow is the day of the birthday banquet as well as the first performance. The courtyards are remarkably tranquil and the days of rehearsals have come to an end.

Despite being weighed down by several issues, Xiang Shaolong has to act casual and even engaged Fei Chun, Lei Yun’er and other friendly family warriors in idle chatter. From them, he learnt that Feng Fei had personally disbursed a generous amount of money to each of them as troupe disbandment benefits. However, the majority of them would stay behind and continue to support Dong Shuzen, who is considered more accommodating and approachable than Feng Fei.

Among the courtesans, only Xinyue has chosen to retire back to her hometown. Yunniang has not made up her mind and she is probably waiting for Xiao Yuetan’s input.

One of them even hinted at the possibility of throwing their lot in with Xiang Shaolong but was flatly declined by him.

He can barely protect himself and does not wish for others to risk their lives with him. In addition, he would not want to weaken the protective forces of the Song & Dance Troupe. They may be powerless when it comes to behemoths like Zongsun Long but dealing with common thieves and robbers is a piece of cake to them.

[Jaran.Saga]

First....
Thanks, Justin!!

[Justin13]

I won't be able to sleep and eat, until someone can answer asitp fan question. Because the answer to that could change the whole story, and determine whether the rest of the story is worth reading or not.

So, was LBW a "premier mentor" or "Imperial uncle"?

Thanks for waiting. My granddad anniversary today so could only post now.

If my memory served me correctly, Lu Buwei was 'promoted' to premier mentor after some power consolidation event.
Upon the Black Dragon incident when Xiao Pan announced the new political administration, Lu Buwei was 'demoted' to Imperial Uncle with a nice name but no real authority.
So far, his powers lies mainly with his management of Zhengguo canal, giving him control of the Qin treasury and military.

[ycb5959]

Thanks Justin!

[wuxiacrazy]

Thank you again Justin

[kohchun]

Mind your own business, you poster of translation thief thread (aka Unabridged) [/QUOTE]

[smurf120]

The pace of the story has not slowed down one bit! With only 8 chapters to go, we still have to witness:

- birthday celebration
- dance performances
- The Duel
- presuming there is some kind of settlement between all the politicians - Lord Longyang, Li Yuan, Xiao Yuetan, etc.
- arranging for the courtesans/dancers
- trip back to Xianyang
- showdown between Lao Ai/Lu Buwei/Xiao Pan
- resolution between Xiao Pan and XSL

[ChronoReverse]

Is there only 8 chapters left in the story? Wow, it's going to be a breakneck finish!

[smurf120]

I posted up a new thread in the wuxia discussion forum about ASTIP!

http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthre...i#.Uht70xs6PLU

because I'm sick of thousands of threads of Jin Yong stories but mostly because I wanted to recognize the hard work of the translators!

[Ahoxan]

Is there only 8 chapters left in the story? Wow, it's going to be a breakneck finish!

Total of 21 chapters left in the whole book "A Step Into The Past"
Book 24 - 12 chapters (so the 8 chapters to go is for book 24)
Book 25 - 13 chapters

"A Step Into The Past"
Total of 25 "books".
Each "book" has 12 chapters, plus or minus 1.

[Jeren of all Trades]

On the surface, Xiang Shaolong naturally put on a leisurely appearance, concealing the horror within his heart. He replied with a tinge of surprise: “This matter has long been concluded. Years ago, to satisfy Lu Gong’s suspicions, a blood test was administered and it is proven that Crown Prince Zheng and Lu Buwei are not related in any way.”

Zongsun Xuanhua laughed mysteriously: “I heard the blood of Crown Prince was personally drawn by Great General!”

I am really bothered by this... How does Lu Buwei and "the enemies" know about this test? Maybe i missed it somewhere, but i thought only XSL and his allies knows about this test. Who leaked it? Could there be another spy/betrayal with XSL and his allies?

[ycb5959]

There was a general with LBW who was tasked to kill XSL but later switched to his side.
IIRC: At the point when the general was deciding whether to kill XSL, he brought up with XSL the subject of Yingzhen being not the son of LBW (from the needle test,- and thus the general's logic that LBW has no ulterior motive of doing what he did, and hence should be supported) - so it seems obvious at that time that LBW may already know about it ...

[Anh Nam]

Thanks Justin

[Jaran.Saga]

Since Justin back... here is the highest point of the Stalker Grand Prix up to now (FIRST earns 3 points, SECOND = 2 points, and THIRD = 1 point)... and still 22 chapters to go for Stalker Champion....

NO	STALKER	POINT
1	ycb5959	61
2	wuxiacrazy	29
3	Gubrak	27
4	Anh Nam	23
5	Sunterjo	22
6	hirzy	19
7	ChronoReverse	18
8	Jaran.Saga	17
9	dragonsense	17
10	crydee	17
11	kohchun	16
12	szfong	14
13	r_aribawono	13
14	sunn	12
15	deepbleu	11
16	Disbol	10
17	tweety365	10
18	geraldsaw	8
19	chowbeng	7
20	smurf120	7
21	Clown Prince	6
22	Pho lover	5
23	Icefrog	5
24	Eagle	5
25	CNProf	5
26	balikpapan	4
27	Anok Cukai	4
28	Tenku	3
29	bchin22	3
30	bsarwono	3
31	lorrycai	3
32	sauki	3
33	bakaten	3
34	teteq	3
35	didilung	3
36	aliderhamy	3
37	yongbifan	3
38	Jeren of all Trades	2
39	ROI	2
40	yeancheant	2
41	nexus	2
42	efflix	1
43	fyre_fyre	1
44	oo_TLD_oo	1
45	harihari	1
46	9Dragons	1
47	hoangd	1

[sunn]

I post this right after yours Jaran.Saga .... so I guess I am entitled to extra point no ??? :P