Xia Ke Xing Chapter 10 Continued

[spyro]

Hi guys, before starting, I'd like to say that I'm doing this for the 1st time and my knowledge of chinese language and culture is very limited. Since I can't read chinese, I'm using translating tools like google,babelfish and online dictionaries. So, I apologize in advance if there are inaccuracies or mistakes. I'm open for any suggestion or correction.
I dont know which edition of the novel my source is. I got the chinese texts from www.shuku.net.
Enjoy

[spyro]

In panic, Shi Potian said, "No, not him! Snow Mountain School people have come to the island. Very dangerous!" Granny Shi and A'xiu face changed. "Who are they?” Granny Shi asked.
Shi Potian answered: "Bai Wanjian and a dozen or so disciples. They are… They are looking for me... Once I got to Lingxiao City, I'm as good as dead!"
Granny Shi: "Have they seen you?"
Shi Potian: "Fortunately, not yet. But I saw Master Bai and Ding.. Ding fourth Grandpa."
Granny Shi raised an eyebrow and asked: "Ding Busi? Not Ding Busan?"
Shi Potian: "Yes, Ding Busi said, no one in the Yangtze River is to set foot on the island. They are going find me. Oh my,.. this.. this is bad!" He became anxious and sweating profusely.
A'Xiu comforted him: “Master Bai wrongly accused you, didn't he? Since you are not a bad guy, you don't need to worry."
Shi Potian replied: "They won’t understand no matter how I explain!"
Granny Shi rebuked, "Won’t understand? Then… just beat them up! In this world, you are not the only one being misunderstood!”
Shi Potian: "Master Bai is the top swordsman in Snow Mountain Sect. His sword art is very good. How can I beat him?"
Granny Shi sneered: "Snow Mountain Sect's sword art is good? To me, it is sloppy and ordinary!"
Shaking his head, Shi Potian said: "No, no! This master Bai's sword art is really good. One cannot really tell how formidable his swordplay is. With a shake of his hand, he can make six marks on a pillar or a person, believe it or not!" He pulled up his pants and showed the six sword marks on his thigh. Although this kind of act was considered indecent, as a boy grew up in the wild, he failed to notice it.
Granny Shi let out a “humph” and said: "I don’t believe what?" Apparently angry, "What great power Snow Mountain Sect has! In the eyes of Shi Xiao Cui, it doesn’t worth a cent. The old ghost in the Lingxiao City is as arrogant as a king. Not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth (tian gao di hou, literally, how high the sky, how deep the earth), he thinks that the swordplay of Snow Mountain School is number one under the heaven. Pei, my Golden Phoenix School’s saber art is more than a match for his Snow Mountain School sword art. Big Dumpling, you know why?"
Shi Potian said: "No.. I dont know."
Granny Shi: "Phoenix represents the sun. Once the sun comes out, what will happen to the snow?"
Shi Potian: "Of course, the snow will melt."
He laughed and said: "Right, the sun will make the snow melt into water. The snow is Snow Mountain School. The Golden Phoenix School's martial art is Snow Mountain School's great adversary. This is so true. When their Snow Mountain School's disciples meet our Golden Phoenix School's disciples, they will have to kowtow and beg for mercy."
Shi Potian had witnessed Snow Mountain School’s wonderful sword art before, but never even heard of how fierce Granny Shi's Golden Phoenix School sword art is. Naturally, he was in half belief and half doubt. And his face revealed it immediately.
Granny Shi: "You don't believe it?"
Shi Potian: "When I was captured in the temple by Master Bai, I saw his fellow apprentice brothers practicing. I still remember some of their moves. I think Snow Mountain School's sword art is really... really…"
Granny Shi angrily asked: "Really what?"
"... Is good… Really!” said Shi Potian.
Granny Shi said: "You only see others fellow apprentices moves, how much one can learn by just watching for a night? How do you know whether their sword art is good or bad? Come, show it me to have a look."
Shi Potian muttered: "I just learnt the sword art, how can I be as good as Master Bai."
Granny Shi laughed and A'xiu couldn't help but give out a sweet smile.
Granny Shi: “This kid Bai Wanjian is talented and bright. He's been practicing the sword art diligently for more than 20 years already. You only had one night and want to suppress him? People may laugh till their mouths twisted. Ha ha ha..."
A'Xiu said: "Grandma, This big brother originally said that Master Bai is not that powerful."
Granny Shi gave her a stare and turned back to Shi Potian, "Alright, quickly show me the moves. Let me see if they really are powerful."

[oldhat9]

Great, thanks for continuing this translation. This is one of the funnier stories I've read by Jin Yong and probably one of 3 all time favorites.

[atlantean0208]

Thanx for continuing. It's good that you do this in a different thread out of respect for the original translator - HYS.

You don't have to worry about the flow or anything, most translators here getting help from a volunteer editor (other SPCNET members). You should also try to do that.

Anyway for me it's better reading this in english than trying to understand the indonesian translation (at serialsilat) which is very hard to comprehend if one is not native speaker. Thanx again for the hard work.

[spyro]

Thanks for the support.
It will be great to have an editor. If anyone wants to do it, pls drop me a PM with email address.

Cheers!

[Gravitzz]

Spyro, I think you did great. I cannot read Chinese and have tried Babelfish, online Chinese dictionaries and even commercial Chinese translation software. And I don't even come close to what you have achieved. I love to know how you did it!

[Icefrog]

spyro, you just made my day!!! i have been waiting for this translation to continue.... you have done a great number of readers a great favor man!!! keep it up, hope you have more time translate and find a real good editor, but for now...your work is superb!!!

[spyro]

Gravitzz, I chop the text into small phrases, put them into both babelfish and google and compare the results. Some words can easily get the meaning, but some have to guess. Once you get used to it, you will remember the names and common words. Leaving those words out will greatly help.

[spyro]

Shi Potian knew she was mocking him. Blushing with embarrassment, he picked up a tree branch on the ground and removed the leaves to turn it into a stick. Illuminating a fierce "Hu" sound, a "sword" was shot out.

Grandma Shi shouted: "Even the first move is not right!" Shi Potian face turned red and his hand began to lose steadiness.

Grandma Shi jeered: "Go on. Keep on practicing! I have to take a good look at your 'formidable' sword art of Snow Mountain School."

Shi Potian felt ashamed and thought of throwing away the branch in his hand. But at that instant, he caught a glimpse of Ah Xiu, her face gleaming with eagerness, her eyes glowing without slightest ridicule. His morale greatly surged back and he immediately shot out one sword move after another.

Fearing that he might perform incorrectly again and get mocked by the granny, he tried to employ his 'sword' carefully. But with such worry clouding his mind, his moves failed to flow out smoothly.

After performing seven or eight moves, he recalled the night in the old temple where Madame Shi and he fought to practice the sword art. His mind began to calm down, his sword grew stronger and the air around him started to make a blowing sound.

This development put happy expressions on Grandma Shi and Ah Xiu's faces. Originally one had to hold back a ridiculing jeer and the other, a polite smile, as they noticed that Shi Potian's sword moves incurred speciousness with full of holes. But the more they looked, the more it became complex with various changes. Their disappointment gradually lessened and their admiration began to grow.

After a while, Shi Potian finished executing Snow Mountain School's sword art (although it had a total of 72 moves, he only remembered 63 of them and left out 9 moves). Granny Shi and Ah Xiu could see that his Snow Mountain School sword art was incomplete and obliviously learnt without a proper teaching. But being reinforced by great inner strength, his moves were powerful and unusual.

As Shi Potian found the two women keeping quiet, he threw aside the tree branch in embarrassment, and said "I've made myself a laughing stock. I’m too stupid. It's been only over 10 days and I can't remember the whole swordplay anymore."

Granny Shi asked: "You said, you only saw the Snow Mountain School disciples practicing sword art in the temple, that means you learnt it without permission?"

Shi Potian blushed and said: "I know it's stealing other people's martial art, I really shouldn't have done it. The old grandpa who brought me to the mountain once told me, if I take other people's things, I'm a small thief. I stole the sword art of the Snow Mountain School, I'm afraid... I've become a small thief. But at that time, I only knew their sword art look really good. I ended up memorizing the moves."

Granny Shi said: "You studied their sword art for only one night and watched only the external moves. That's already very intelligent of you. Maybe, you can learn my Golden Phoenix saber art too. Alright, you take me as your master."

Ah Xiu jerked: "Grandma, that's not good!"

Granny Shi said; "Why is it not good?"

Ah Xiu's face glowed red with embarrassment and said, "Not only I'll have to call him Martial Uncle, I'll be one generation lower than him. That's… that's… ".

As long as Granny heard it, her expression sank. She said; "Martial Uncle is Martial Uncle. What's so great about that? Ding Busi will find us here sooner or later, he will force us to leave this Azure Conch island. Then we jump into the river and get ourselves drowned again? If I teach this Big Rice Dumpling my martial art, we may be able to resist his attack. This is an urgent matter of life and death. How can you still worry about seniority? Big Rice Dumpling, I, Granny Shi will let you join my Golden Phoenix School today and accept you as my first apprentice, do you agree?"

Shi Potian was very amiable by nature. Originally, if Granny Shi wanted to take him as her apprentice, he would immediately agree, but after learning that Ah Xiu was not willing to call him Martial Uncle, he couldn't help but had a hesitation.

Granny Shi said: "You quickly kowtow, and become my Golden Phoenix School's first disciple at once! I'm Golden Phoenix School founder. You are the senior disciple of the second generation."

[Shi-Potian]

Thank you so much for restarti8ng this series i have been dying to read this ever since it stopped this has got to be one of my all time favorite wuxia novels you just cant help but love potian in all his goofyness and i applaud the tremendous efforts it must take you to use an online translator and a dictionary to get out such concise and fluuid writing of the story the effort you have put in is highly appreciated please keep up the good work ! Edit: wow my 100th post

[nisachar]

finally update of XKX.

Keep up the good work

[Gravitzz]

Thank you Spyro. Maybe I will try again one day. Great job with the translation.

[atlantean0208]

SPT one step further into greatness and a martial-art that complement each other. Thank a million for the translations.

[spyro]

Ah Xiu remembered suddenly, showing a faint smile, she said; "Grandma, Congratulations on opening a new school. This big brother, you better take Grandma as master. I'm not a disciple of Golden Phoenix School. We are from different school. So I don’t need to call you Martial Uncle."

Granny Shi was very happy to find such an apprentice and said; "Quickly, give me eight kowtows."

Seeing no more objections from Ah Xiu, Shi Potian gladly performed the kowtows. He used so much force that the kowtows made loud wind breaking sounds.
Beaming with joy as she really fond of him, Granny Shi said; "Finally! Good child. From now on, you and I are one family. This kind of feeling is really different. You must study my martial art attentively. In the future, how the reputation of Golden Phoenix School would fair in Jianghu, must rely on you. Big Rice Dumpling..."

Ah Xiu purses the lips to say with a smile, "Golden Phoenix School founder Grandma, this kind of name is not very suitable for a senior disciple young hero of your honorable School."

Granny Shi said; "Yeah, that’s right. What is your real name? In front of master, don’t need to hide your identity!"

Shi Potian said; "Yes! Yes! My mom called me Gouzazhong. People from Chang-Le Clan (Clan of Eternal Happiness) called me their clan leader, but actually I'm not. But... But I don't even know my own surname or given name."

Granny Shi let out a "Hei" sound, "What bastard? It's just nonsense. Your mother must be insane. Ok, let's do this way. You take my surname, Shi. As for the given name, my Golden Phoenix School's second generation disciple should have what kind of given name? Hmm, Snow Mountain School's senior disciples are called Bai Wanjian, Feng Wanli and Geng Wan Zhong. My disciple is definitely better than his many times. Their generation name is 'Wan' (ten thousand), so ours should be 'Yi' (hundred million). The guy with surname Bai is called Bai Wanjian (ten thousand swords). I'll give you a name, Shi Yidao (hundred million sabers)."

(Note: Grandma Shi’s surname and Shi Potian’s surname are not the same. Grandma Shi’s Shi means History and Shi Potian’s Shi means Stone.)

In his life, Shi Potian never had a real name, people called him Gouzazhong, Shi Potian or Big Rice Dumpling, he didn't mind. Granny Shi named him Shi Yidao, to him it didn't matter Wan or Yi, he just gladly agreed without even thinking.

Granny Shi was very happy, in great mood she said; "I learned Golden Phoenix School's saber art 56 years ago. This saber art needs great internal strength. Otherwise the true power of the saber art will never come out. The other day, we ran into the weirdo Ding Busi in the Yangtze River. He wanted to invite me to his Azure Conch Island. He would challenge me in a fight and I won’t be able to decline. Immediately, Ah Xiu and I started to practice the 'wu wang shan zhou'(god’s curse without absurdness?). If we can combine my Golden Phoenix saber art and her Jade Rabbit sword art properly, let alone an old heretical monster like Ding Busi, the so-called wulin's ‘shang shan fa e’ (reward good deeds and punish the evil?) emissary or whatever, all will have to disappear into the wind. As for Snow Mountain School's conceited disciples, they would have no choice but have to beg for mercy. Ah… who would expect Ah Xiu to practice anxiously and cause her inner breathing go the wrong way. I added in extra effort to help her out, but ended up both of us being fire deviated together, and couldn’t move anymore." She already taken Shi Potian as her apprentice, so she explained him everything, why and how they fire deviated without feeling embarrassed.

Granny Shi said; "Luckily, your internal strength is naturally strong; it means you are a good material to learn my Golden Phoenix saber art. Remember… Saber art is different from sword art, sword focus on swiftness and movement, saber focus on steadiness and power. Hmm… This branch is a bit too light. Go and look for a heavier one."

Shi Potian complied and went into the wood to look for another branch, after looking around for a while, he saw a rusted knife used for cutting firewood under a tree. He quickly bent down to pick it up to find out that the hilt had already decayed and the blade had many chips. It seemed to pretty old and a bit heavy too. Holding the knife, he told himself; "This black knife is rusty, but it's still better than those tree branches." He pulled out what's left of the old handle, picked up a tree branch nearby, squeezed it into the hilt to get a makeshift grip and walked back in high spirit.

[spyro]

Sorry about the slow update. I've been pretty busy lately. My landlord kicked me out, so gotta find a new place and move.. Hopefully I will be able to settle down after next week and focus on this..
Cheers!

[atlantean0208]

Sorry about the slow update. I've been pretty busy lately. My landlord kicked me out, so gotta find a new place and move.. Hopefully I will be able to settle down after next week and focus on this..
Cheers!

thanx a bunch spyro, I always anticipate your translations, as I need to clarify lots of names and kungfu moves with the Indonesian book that I read based on Gan KL translation (to BI) of JY book.

[Gravitzz]

Thanks Spyro. Great job. Your landlord kicked you out??????Hope you didn't trash the place....heh-heh.

[King_Kong_1981]

thnx for doing such a good job so far on this translation and i really hope you continue translating...this is one of my fav stories

[sainuu]

many many thanks. can't wait the next update. please keep translating.

[King_Kong_1981]

spyro if possibl please give us a update on the status of the translation is it still going to be translated...thnx for the work you have already done...i just finished rereading the already translated parts and i think shi potien is definatly one of the most likable characters jin yong has ever written