Wu Lin Wai Shi

[Hoju!]

Thanks for the replies, and I'll continue along then. Hope everyone doesn't mind the slow pace. I'm striving for ~ once per week updates. Cheers!

[Ren Wo Xing]

Definitely interested!

[missouri.slim]

We realize it is a big task. We will be patient. If we weren't patient it would not help, anyway. You are in charge on this one. We look forward to the day when you complete it. Until then we look forward to the next update.

Thanks
MO Slim

[davidY]

Cool! 1 > 0 by an infinite amount so that means I am infinitely grateful!

[Hoju!]

Chapter 6 continued.....
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It turns out that Li Changqing and the others had heard rumors of the strange occurrences that had taken place in Qinyang and had hurried there through the night. They happened to run into that one who stirs trouble out of nothing, Jin Buhuan. Right then, even though Li Changqing was managing to maintain his composure, a look of fury had overcome Lian Tianyun’s face as he barked, “No wonder my brothers were not able to guess the origins of the one surnamed Shen. So it turns out he is one of Happy King’s lackeys [lit. ‘running dog’]. Leng San, this time we must not let him escape.”

The half-scarred, beautiful woman had not been able to determine whether Jin Buhuan’s words were true or not, but now as she heard even the masters of Virtue Manor saying the same, there was no longer any doubt in her heart. She clenched her teeth together and, without speaking a word, a pair of slender, jade-like hands struck out at Shen Lang’s chest. The momentum of this palm was so rapid and the strike so unpredictable that it was at least a hundredfold more ingenious than “Mountain Shaking Palm” Huangfu Song.

Although Shen Lang was carrying a person, with a quick dodge, he was able to narrowly evade the attack. He fully understood that right at that moment, he would never be able to explain the situation clearly to them, so he did not say anything in defense of his himself.

Jin Buhuan was gloating even more as he yelled out, “Look how that b**tard is still not willing to admit anything. Tie Dasao, do not hold onto any compassion in your attacks…. Lian Laoqianbei [(respectful) Senior Lian; lit. ‘lao’ means ‘old’ and ‘qianbei’ means ‘previous generation], you should hurry in and strike also.”

Lian Tianyun snapped indignantly, “I am not one who will take advantage of greater numbers in order to win.”

Jin Buhuan’s smirk was cold. “When dealing with people like him, why do we need to worry about the codes of morality and justice of wulin? Lian Laoqianbei, why don’t you look and see who that is sitting on the snow over there?”

As Lian Tianyun’s gaze fell on Hua Ruixian, his eyes seemed to glow red in fury. With a violent shout, he threw himself in her direction. All of a sudden, though, a gray-robed man with a fierce-looking face barred his way with his body. Lian Tianyun demanded angrily, “Who are you who dares to block my way?”

Jin Wuwang stared coolly back at him, not speaking. Lian Tianyun struck straight at his face with a fist, but with a wave of his palm, Jin Wuwang had dissipated the momentum of the punch.

Another five punches were released in succession by Lian Tianyun. Jin Wuwang’s palms danced around, aiming specifically to slash down on the opponent’s meridians, but his feet did not give even half a step. Enraged, Lian Tianyun shouted, “What relations does Hua Ruixian have with you?”

“There is absolutely no connection of any sort between Hua and myself,” Jin Wuwang answered coldly, “but since Shen Xianggong has entrusted her to me, then no one will be allowed to harm her.” Sitting there on the snowy ground, Hua Ruixian’s entire body ached from being dragged along, but right then, she could not restrain the look of gratitude on her face and in her eyes.

Lian Tianyun was infuriated by this, but even still, within an instant, he was able to let loose as many as nine punches. Although “Angry Enough to Swallow a Charging Bull” Lian Tianyun had lost half of his martial art ability during the battle on HengShan, as he executed his fist attacks right then, they were still fiercely hard with a mighty power that was incomparable. Fist wind gusted. All around, snow and ice swirled up. Jin Wuwang, however, still stood tall and unmoving in that same spot.

On the other side, Li Changqing was becoming more astonished the longer he watched. He was surprised at how profound Jin Wuwang’s martial art actually was, but he was even more amazed at how swiftly Shen Lang moved and how high his lightness kung fu skill was. Even though he was holding a person in his arms, as his body skimmed over the snowy ground, his feet did not leave even the tiniest of imprints. The half-scarred, beautiful woman’s palm attacks were rapid, but they had no hopes of even grazing his sleeve.

Jin Buhuan was watching in utter glee. The more intense the fighting was with these people, the more delighted he became. He could not help goading, “Leng Da, Leng San, you two should go help out. Do you…” Before he could finish, there was a sudden strong, piercing wind sound that came soaring directly at his face and then the black iron hook on Leng San’s right wrist was already right before him. Panicked, Jin Buhuan did a diagonal flip into the air and only scarcely managed to dodge away. “What was that for?” he cried angrily.

Leng San answered, “You are worthy enough to order me?” After saying these seven words, as if he felt he had spoken too much already, he turned and spat forcefully onto the ground. Jin Wuwang stared wide-eyed and speechless in anger, yet was not able to do anything to him.

By now, on the snow-covered ground, the two people had already met with dozens of blows from their opponents. Shen Lang and Jin Wuwang were still only dodging and not striking back. Fortunately, although Shen Lang carried a burden, the half-scarred, beautiful woman was also holding a person in her arms, so his movements were still able to flow freely.

Over on the other end, however, Jin Wuwang was beginning to have some difficulties handling Lian Tianyun’s hard, fierce fists because a purely defensive fighting strategy with no offense is simply too draining of energy. Unless the martial art of the opponent is significantly lower, this way of fighting will surely lead to a match of certain defeat.

Li Changqing’s eyes took in everything. He murmured to himself, “This young wife must be Liu Banfeng, the daughter of ‘Beyond the Pass Divine Dragon’. [Note - this relationship was mentioned in post 136 in Gott’s translation.] I did not know that her martial art is not inferior to that of ‘HuaShan Yu Nu’ [Jade Girl of HuaShan (Mt. Hua)]. Her husband, Tie Huahe’s martial skill must be remarkable also. Just from this, we can see that there must be many nameless heroes in jianghu… But this husband and wife couple is still descendants of famous martial experts. Who, though, is this youth? That is indeed something that is difficult to speculate.” One must know that, up until this point, Shen Lang still had not executed a single stance, and so naturally, others would not be able to observe his martial arts. Li Changqing turned his gaze to Jin Wuwang, and after watching for quite a while, his brows knit together even more tightly.

All of a sudden, the half-scarred, beautiful woman, Liu Banfeng retreated a few steps. She had been soaked in fragrant perspiration from the exertion of the fight for quite some time now and her chest was heaving continuously as she breathed heavily, but she was still unable to so much as even brush the corner of his sleeve. Pointing her finger at him, she cried, “You… why are you not retaliating?”

“There has never been any grievance or enmity between Madam and myself,” Shen Lang answered. “Why would I retaliate?”

“Nonsense!” she snapped. “If you did not do this, then where did the people go? If you are not able to clearly explain this…”

Shen Lang chuckled, “Even I am perplexed by all this. How can I explain it?”

Liu Banfeng stomped her foot. “Fine. You… you…” Gritting her teeth together, she put the child down. Tingting had been frightened past the point of tears long ago, and only now, as her two feet touched the ground, did she begin wailing again. Liu Banfeng looked at her child, then over at Shen Lang, her eyes were brimming with large beads of tears. Suddenly, she bent over, picked up her daughter again, and began sobbing lightly.

Lifting his head to the sky, Shen Lang sighed, “The truth is difficult to discern; right and wrong is hard to differentiate. Madam, if you are willing to give me a half a month’s time, I will be able to uncover Tie Daxia’s whereabouts.”

Liu Banfeng’s head whipped up and she looked intently at him. On the other side, Jin Buhuan wanted to speak again, but Leng Da and Leng San’s cold, piercing stares silenced him so that he did not dare say a word. They watched as Liu Banfeng gazed unblinkingly until, after a long time passed, she suddenly stated, “Alright! I will wait for you in Qinyang.”

[zhouyu]

amazing fight, that is why Shen Lang is the man!!!

[Gravitzz]

Thanks Hoju.

[Hoju!]

Chapter 6 continued.....
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Shen Lang turned to Li Changqing. “Li Qianbei [Senior (previous generation) Li], what do you think?”

Li Changqing hesitated for a long moment. Smiling faintly, he responded, “I can see that the Leng brothers have a rather favourable impression of you, and I would think that they are not really willing to fight you. But my third [younger] brother… Ai! Only if you leave Hua Ruixian behind.”

“I am willing to guarantee that she is not the murderer of Jin Zhenyu’s entire family,” Shen Lang told him.**

Although Lian Tianyun was still engaged in a fight, his ears had not been idle, and as he heard this statement, he yelled angrily, “Bull****! I [orig Laofu; literally ‘old man’] saw with my own eyes…”

Shen Lang interjected, “Is Qianbei aware that many martial arts techniques that were thought to have been lost have now reappeared in jianghu? Do you know that the Anyang Five Righteous died by the Purple Demon Hand, yet Tie Huahe definitely did not strike out at them? There is no harm if I leave Hua Ruixian with you today, but before the truth becomes known, Qianbei, you must promise that you will not hurt her.”

Stroking his long beard, Li Changqing pondered over this for another long while before deciding, “Fine. I [Laofu] will give you a deadline of half a month. In half a month, you will make a trip to Virtue Manor. Madam Tie may also wait for you in our humble manor.” Liu Banfeng wiped away the tears on her face with her hand and gave a brief nod in agreement. Li Changqing scolded lightly, “Third Brother, why have you not stopped?”

Lian Tianyun unleashed another three ferocious punches, then withdrew back six steps, but he still could not restrain himself from glaring hatefully at Jin Wuwang. Jin Wuwang turned his face towards the sky and acted as if he did not see anything.

Jin Buhuan could not help yelling, “Shen Lang may leave, but that fiend is Happy King’s minion and he must not be allowed to go.”

“Are you able to keep him here?” Shen Lang asked in return.

Jin Buhuan was taken aback. “This… this…”

Speaking each word clearly, Shen Lang stated, “Regardless of whether he is Happy King’s subordinate or not, since you, sirs, are letting me go, then you must not make things difficult for him either. Without his help, it will be hard for me to uncover the truth behind all of this.”

Li Changqing sighed, “If that friend there wishes to leave, no one would be able to stop him anyway…” With a sudden wave of his sleeve, he said, “It has been decided. No need to say anymore. May I trouble Madam Tie to help Madam Hua up? Let us go.”

Shen Lang smiled lightly at the Leng brothers and cupped one of his fists with the other hand. Brief smiles seemed to flash across the detached faces of Leng Da and Leng San’s, but as soon as their eyes took in Jin Buhuan, those smiles immediately disappeared. Jin Buhuan gave a dry cough and moved far off to the side, not daring to allow his gaze to come in contact with anyone else’s. Li Changqing glanced over at him and could not help shaking his head and sighing.

Once the group had departed, A’Du held up one thumb and praised loudly, “Shen Xianggong is a true friend. In times of adversity, you still won’t leave my shifu [teacher, master] behind. No wonder Shifu willingly shows so much respect to Shen Xianggong.”

With a slight chuckle, Shen Lang answered, “Good child, you must realize that only in times of difficulty can friendship be demonstrated.”

“But A’Du still does not understand. Xianggong, why would you let that… that surnamed Jin off so easily?”

Shen Lang sighed, “If I was to make any move against him, Second Hero Li would certainly defend him.” A’Du nodded in agreement. Shen Lang suddenly added, “I still have one thing that I would like to ask Jin Xiong about. Did...”

Jin Wuwang did not wait for him to ask his question and was already answering, “Of the Four Happy Heralds, only I have come first to the Central Plains, but I did not pretend to be Hua Ruixian and attack anyone in her name. I do not know who killed that Jin Zhenyu either.”

That he could guess the question beforehand was not surprising to Shen Lang, but the answer he gave was startling. Shen Lang was stunned for quite some time before he finally murmured, “If that is the case, then who killed Jin Zhenyu and the other people? Besides those within the faction of the Happy King, could there be others in jianghu who have also somehow stolen and learned other people’s secret arts?”

“It must be,” Jin Wuwang mulled. “Also… Purple Demon Hand, the secret art of ‘Beyond the Pass Divine Dragon’ that is not taught to outsiders, has only ever been practiced by one person amongst the followers of the Happy King. That person, though, still resides far away beyond YuMenGuan [Jade Door Pass] and so, even if the Anyang Five Righteous had died by the Purple Demon Hand, I, too, am completely without a clue as to what happened.”

The shock that Shen Lang felt as he heard this was even greater, and he said in amazement, “I have always considered myself to be rather good at being able to accurately deduce and anticipate things, but yet everything today has been outside of what I would have expected. However… however, the Anyang Five Righteous had been injured inside the tomb before they came out. If it was not Jin Xiong, you who had struck at them, could it be that someone else was in the tomb also? Who could that be? And how could he have learned someone else’s secret, exclusive art?”

Jin Wuwang sighed, “The situation is becoming more and more complex. It appears that turbulence in jianghu is imminent.”

Shen Lang’s said gloomily, “Fire Child’s whereabouts is unknown. Tie Huahe and those several dozen other martial masters have vanished without a trace. The murderer of Jin Zhenyu and the rest of the people is going to be challenging to find. Someone else in jianghu besides Happy King also knows the secret, exclusive skills of others…… Each one of these things is certain to have a big secret behind it. Right now, though, each one seems to be shrouded in fog, without even the slightest bit of a clue. How am I going to find out the truth in half a month?” If it had been anyone else, by now, he would have been at a point where he wanted to cry but was unable to. Shen Lang, though, only sighed for some time before his brows immediately unfurled again. Throwing his head back, he laughed, “There is still another fifteen days until the deadline, a total of 180 shichen [1 shichen = 2 hours]. Here I am already starting to worry. Jin Xiong is going to laugh at me for that.” Laughing loudly, he waved his hand and started walking ahead, but after taking a few steps, he noticed that Jin Wuwang was still standing there staring blankly. Taking a step backward, he called out with a smile, “Jin Xiong, why bother……” Before his voice had died out, something flashed across his mind. He hurriedly doubled back a few steps and looked over at Jin Wuwang.

A glance passed between the two of them, expressions of exultation covering both their faces. Without saying another word, they headed back in the direction of the ancient tomb in large strides.



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**This murder was referred to in post #115 in pokit's translation. Based on my copy of the story, though, the "Yujin family" that pokit translated is actually "Jin Zhenyu's family."

Shen Lang grimaced. "If she really hasn't left the Zhu family's stronghold in the last eleven years, then who killed those one hundred and forty people seven years ago?"

Zhu Qiqi again sighed. "I also find it strange. Not only those one hundred people were Hua Ruixian's enemies, the method used to kill them was also very similar to Hua Ruixian's palm skill. Also after that night when the seventeen people from the Cangzhou's Yujin family were killed, Lian Tianyun and Leng San went back a few times to the house to investigate and decided that the murderer is Hua Ruixian. When they said this, of course everyone in Wulin believed them. But on that night, Hua Ruixian was actually with us. So it's impossible for her to be in Cangzhou to kill those people."

[Hoju!]

Chapter 6 continued.....
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Alarmed and bewildered, A’Du could not help asking, “What are you doing?”

Shen Lang explained, “Since the people walking are not able to fly up into the sky or burrow into the ground but their footsteps still abruptly end here, what other explanation could there be aside from the one where they reached this point and then decided to go back?”

Suddenly enlightened, A’Du exclaimed, “That’s right! If they had stepped backwards through their original footprints, of course no one would be able to tell the difference… No wonder those footprints were so deep and messy-looking. It turns out that each footprint had actually been stepped into twice.” One must know that a footprint that had been stepped in two times would naturally be deeper than normal and in much more disarray.

“There is only one thing I do not understand now,” Jin Wuwang said. “Obviously, they did that because they wanted confuse people, but who is it that they are trying to deceive?”

“The ones they are trying to deceive, naturally, are you and me,” Shen Lang replied. “What I do not understand is why Tie Huahe would want to fool his wife and daughter also. Unless…”

Realization flashed across Jin Wuwang’s eyes. “Unless these people were all being held under duress. That person must have made them do it in order to abduct all several dozen martial experts away from here. He created this illusion so that other people would become fearful and start suspecting the works of gods and ghosts, and then they would be unable to guess his whereabouts. But… but… but this person was actually able to make all these top-tier fighters listen to his orders obediently so that not only did they follow him away but also went so far as to walk backwards. That is simply too inconceivable.”

“Let’s not even mention the other people,” Shen Lang added. “The fact that this person could actually make Tie Huahe forget about his own wife and daughter is already unbelievable. Unless… unless he has some unusual way to hypnotize someone’s mind.”

Jin Wuwang clapped his hands together. “That must be it,” he agreed. “Otherwise, even if he possessed martial arts as great as Heaven and had the power to control whether people live or die, I still cannot see how these proud wulin men and heroes would all listen to his orders.”

All the while as the two had been speaking, their eyes had been sweeping over the snowy ground. They saw that they were about to reach the ancient tomb and, exchanging a glance, the two of them halted their steps at the same time. Over on one side, the white snow was in a state of disarray. Further up ahead, the disorderly footprints suddenly became much shallower and ordered.

Jin Wuwang observed, “Those people must have walked backwards up until this point, then climbed into a carriage on the side of the road. The carriage must have had many dead branches tied to the back of it so that, as the horses and carriage moved forward, the branches would sweep away any tracks that they left behind.” The two of them had suddenly managed to unravel something that had previously been unexplainable and their hearts felt lifted, but after some time had passed, Jin Wuwang could not help frowning again. “This person carries things out very meticulously and he was able to hypnotize dozens of top-tier fighters. I really cannot think of anyone in jianghu who could possibly be such a formidable character.”

Shen Lang pondered, “Jin Xiong, do you know who in the wulin world is most adept at that ‘Soul-Bewitching, Mind-Absorbing Art’?”

Without even needing to think, Jin Wuwang answered, “Cloud Dream Deity.”

“Correct.” Shen Lang elaborated, “In the past, using the most deadly concealed weapon in the world, ‘Heavenly Cloud Five Flowers Ceaseless’, and ‘Mi Hun She Xin Cui Meng Dafa’ [Soul-Bewitching, Mind-Absorbing Dream Hastening Art], Cloud Dream Deity’s name shook jianghu. Even the top martial masters in wulin, when they encountered Cloud Dream, could only bow their heads and profess allegiance. It’s just that her ‘Heavenly Cloud Five Flowers Ceaseless’ truly was extremely deadly and powerful, and thus, the heroes of jianghu only remember the ‘Cloud’ in her name and forget about the character, ‘Dream.’ ”

Jin Wuwang responded, “But… but Cloud Dream Deity has already passed away for many years…”

Shen Lang’s voice was grave. “Cai Yuguan could fake his own death. Why couldn’t Cloud Dream Deity?” As he spoke, he reached into the front of his garments and pulled out an iron tablet, then continued, “Jin Xiong, do you recognize what this is?”

Jin Wuwang glanced at it from the corner of his eye. Immediately, his expression changed as he cried alarmingly, “Heavenly Cloud Symbol.”

“Correct. This is precisely the same ‘Heavenly Cloud Symbol’ that Cloud Dream Deity used to command all the demons [i.e. evil people].”

“Xianggong, where did you get this?” Jin Wuwang asked.

“On top of the stone table near the entrance of the ancient tomb,” Shen Lang answered. “At first, I thought this tablet must belong to you, but now, it would appear that whoever put it on the stone table must also be the one who used Purple Demon Hand to kill the Anyang Five Righteous. The one who abducted away Fang Qianli and the other wulin experts should certainly be this person also.”

His complexion changing, Jin Wuwang exclaimed, “This person had been in the tomb the whole time, yet I was completely oblivious to it. I bet, though, that my every action and movement did not escape her ears and eyes…… Who could this person be? Could it really be Cloud Dream Deity?” As he thought about the idea that inside the tomb, there had been a wraithlike, invisible, shadowless enemy spying on him at any time, a chill rose up in him from the soles of his feet, and he could not stop all the pores on his body from seeming to tremble in fright.

Shen Lang’s voice was low. “Is this person Cloud Dream Deity? Has Cloud Dream Deity really reappeared in jianghu now? What cunning scheme could she have in abducting Tie Huahe and everyone else? Where has Tie Huahe and the rest been taken to by her? Is she also the murderer of Jin Zhenyu and those others?...... Oh, all these mysteries I must solve within the next half a month. Would Jin Xiong be willing to lend a helping hand to me?”

Jin Wuwang answered, “Every one of these things that you are questioning has something to do with me. For each day that these mysteries are not solved, that will be one day that I cannot sleep in peace.”

“If that is the case, then Jin Xiong, come with me. Good or bad, we will first investigate this until the truth is known. As for whether we shall be friends or enemies in the future, there is no harm in setting that aside for the moment.”

“Precisely so,” Jin Wuwang agreed in a tone full of respect.

The two of them gave pursuit along the marks in the snow created by the sweeping from the dead branches. All along the way, there were some tiny traces [orig. zhu si ma ji; literally, spider threads and horse tracks] of clues that they were able to find. As Jin Wuwang’s gaze took in every direction, he could not help giving a faint sigh. “Fortunately, there is thick layer of snow everywhere. It looks like they have headed west.”

[Ren Wo Xing]

Thanks for continuing, Hoju! Stupendous effort in translating two great novels at once. I have to admit though, I'm wondering if my having read 'Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword' will have spoiled the big secret of who the big bad guy is...I'm starting to think it has

[Gravitzz]

Thank you Hoju! Much appreciated.

[Hoju!]

Thank you for reading.



Chapter 6 continued.....
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Shen Lang frowned, “If these people go to highly populated places, they are bound to attract a lot of attention. Travelling west, though, will bring them to the Taihang Mountains [bordering Hebei and Shanxi] and all along that route, it is rather deserted.”

“There are many of them,” Jin Wuwang added, “so with that heavy load on the horses and carriages, they must not be able to travel very quickly. If you and I hurry up our pace, perhaps we may actually be able to catch up to them today.”

Yet even though they continued to pursue until sunset, they still did not notice any suspicious carriages. Whenever they encountered anyone on the road, Jin Wuwang would move far off to the side and allow Shen Lang to do the inquiring for they feared that Jin Wuwang’s strange appearance would scare people and they would be too afraid to talk. However, along the way, Shen Lang was not able gain anything from his inquiries. Some people did not even notice anything. Some people saw a stretch of carriages pass by, but when they were further asked how many carriages, how many horses, what did the carriages look like, or what did the driver look like, they would just stare back wide-eyed and not know how to answer.

As dusk fell, snowflakes began drifting down from the sky again. The group stopped to rest at an inn outside the city of Luoyang. The effects of the drug had passed now and Zhu Qiqi had awakened. Of course, sorrowful weeping and loud wails directed at Shen Lang were unavoidable, but when Shen Lang explained all the mysteries and twists of everything to her, Zhu Qiqi’s eyes also grew round and her lips became still. She, too, could not help shuddering even though she was not cold.

That village inn was very simple and basic. Only after Jin Wuwang had tossed out an ingot of silver did the innkeeper bring out a warm bed [orig. kang; a heatable brick bed] for them. Each of them ate a bowl with steamed bread soaked in beef, and then, Shen Lang laid his head down and abruptly fell asleep. A’Du had also curled himself up and fallen asleep in a corner.

But Zhu Qiqi sat cross-legged on that bed, staring at the rough blanket and kapok-made pillow and thinking about the fact that what was burning beneath the bed was a pile of horse dung. How could this high and respected, wealthy young lady still be expected to close her eyes? However, if she did not close her eyes, Jin Wuwang’s creepy face would be right before them, and even if she did not want to look at it, it would be hard to avoid.

Zhu Qiqi looked over at Shen Lang, and the deeper he fell into sleep, the more annoyed she became so that even her tooth itched. She fumed silently, “Insensitive guy! How could you sleep?” Maddened, she threw on some garments over her shoulders as she got up, pushed open the door, and went out.

Her body was dreadfully cold, but the white snowflakes that floated down lightly were almost like real plum blossoms, and they evoked a rather poetic feeling. From far away, the lazy sound of the watchman’s drum could be heard. It was already midnight.

All of a sudden, from within the wind and snow, the sounds of carriage bells and horses neighing were carried over. Zhu Qiqi’s mind perked up. “Is it possible it’s that group of people,” she thought. “I should go wake up Shen Lang.” The thought had not yet completely formulated in her head, though, when suddenly, there was a “whoosh!” A shadowy figure had darted out from the door and already swept past her. It was Shen Lang. The one who had been in the deepest sleep turned out to be the quickest one out. Zhu Qiqi could not figure out whether it was out of hate or love as she cursed silently, “Fine! So you were pretending to sleep…” As if waiting for summons, another shadow soared past her body. It was actually Jin Wuwang.

These two people’s motions were so rapid that, in the blink of an eye, they had already brushed over the outer wall and had not even said anything to Zhu Qiqi in acknowledgement. By the time Zhu Qiqi hurried after in pursuit and dashed past the wall, their two outlines had long disappeared. Zhu Qiqi was both anxious and angry. “Fine. You guys won’t bring me along; I’ll give chase by myself.”

By now, however, the sounds of the carriage bells could no longer be heard, and Zhu Qiqi had not clearly distinguished from what direction those carriage sounds had come from a moment ago. She ground her teeth and stomped her feet. Abruptly, she pulled out a gold hairpin from her head and tossed it onto the ground. Seeing that the head of the hairpin was pointing towards the east, she threw herself in motion and sped eastward.

But all along the way, she did not even see a phantom’s shadow, much less carriages or horses. The landscape was becoming more and more desolate, and in the chilly night, the bare trees standing amid the wind and snow looked like flickering ghosts that had positioned themselves to strike. If it had been anyone else, she should have looked for the route back, but Zhu Qiqi had a very stubborn temperament. The more she could not find something, the more she had to continue searching.

Nevertheless, in the end, she still had not found anything, yet Zhu Qiqi’s body was already frozen from the cold. She had always been pampered since childhood, and one shout of hers would bring hundreds of responses. When had she ever had to endure such hardship? All of a sudden, a thread of cold seemed to pierce straight to her bone. A hole had been worn into her shoe and melted snow had soaked through her sock. That feeling was even worse than being cut by a sharp knife.

Zhu Qiqi looked around to her left and right. The more she looked, the lonelier she felt. She thought over everything, and the more she brooded, the more miserable she was. At last, she could bear it no longer. Leaning herself against a tree, she hugged her legs and began weeping softly. Tears fell onto her clothing and in an instant, transformed into beads of ice. With tears flowing, Zhu Qiqi cried, “Who did I do this for? You little heartless! Do you even know?......”

Before she had finished what she was saying, an unexpected rustling sound of footsteps was heard from outside the barren forest. In this windy, snowy, cold night, hearing these sudden strange noises, Zhu Qiqi was absolutely terrified so that even her tears were scared away. Hobbling, she retreated back behind the tree, and with clenched teeth, peeped out with her eyes only.

She could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer. And then, two white-dressed shadows darted in past the trees. From the light reflecting off the snow, she could make out that these two people were dressed in gowns that touched the ground, with long hair spilling past their shoulders. Each carried a two-foot long, black thread whip in her hands. They looked like two spirits as they floated over, but after looking closely, you could see they were actually two beautiful young girls. Their expressions seemed to carry a creepy, ghostly feeling, but they were nevertheless two young girls, and Zhu Qiqi was able to calm her heart slightly, although she still kept her breathing quiet and did not dare to budge.

She watched as the two young girls looked around and gradually brought their footsteps to a halt. The girl on the left puckered her lips and gave an unexpected sharp whistle. The whistle was like the wailing cry of a ghost or the howl of a wolf, and Zhu Qiqi was given another abrupt scare. Suddenly, from a dozen or so zhang away, another whistle rose up in response. Then, the sound of footsteps could be heard again, gradually getting closer…

[zhouyu]

thanks again for the translation

[Gravitzz]

Yaaay! Another update. Thanks.

[Hoju!]

Chapter 6 continued.....
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All of a sudden, eleven or twelve men divided into two single file lines came walking, one after another, into the woods. There were old and young, tall and short in this dozen or so people, but all their faces appeared wooden and their expressions blank, like walking corpses. Behind them, two white-dressed young girls, also carrying long whips, followed closely. As soon as someone stepped out of line from their procession, they would promptly snap their whips and, “smack!”, lash that person. The person would immediately fall obediently back in place, without a single trace of expression on his face, as if he had not felt any pain at all.

Zhu Qiqi had only just managed to regain control of her panicked state, but now, as she saw this extremely strange, extremely terrifying occurrence, her heart unconsciously leapt back up into her throat again. In her life, she had only heard of herding cows, herding sheep, or herding horses and had never before even dreamed that there was actually instances of “herding people.”

“Herding corpses!” Zhu Qiqi suddenly thought of the stories of herding corpses in Xiangxi and felt a chill in her heart. “Could this be what they call herding corpses?”

But this place was not Xiangxi and even though these people’s faces were stiff and wooden, they still definitely were not dead – if they were not dead, though, why would they willingly allow people to whip and herd them?

She saw two of the white-dressed young girls wave their whips, and then the ten or so people halted their steps. A tall, slender white-dressed young girl sighed, “So tired from all this walking. Let’s have a rest here.”

Another white-dressed girl whose face was round like a full moon also exhaled, “This people herding is not pleasant. You cannot rest and you are scared that people will see you. Grand Miss [orig Da Xiao Jie; addressing their young female master], though, had to give us such a pretty and nice-sounding title – ‘White Cloud Shepherd Girls’……” She gave a soft giggle and added, “ ‘Shepherd Girls.’ If other people hear this name, they must think we herd cows or sheep. Who would be able to guess that we actually herd people?”

The tall, slender shepherd girl laughed, “Herding people is better than being herded. Did you know that there are quite a few famous heroes among this group? For example, him…” Her long whip pointed toward the middle of the line and she continued, “Isn’t he one of the most well-known head escorts around the Hexi area?”

Zhu Qiqi allowed her eyes to follow along the direction the whip was pointing in. In the middle of the row, one person stood there woodenly. His build was tall and his face was covered with a beard. If he was not Zhan Yingsong, who else could he be? And if Zhan Yingsong was here, the others there must have been ones who had come out from the tomb also.

Zhu Qiqi never would have thought that she would accidentally discover this secret. The surprise and delight she was feeling in her heart were indescribable, and she gloated quietly, “Shen Lang may be exceptionally smart, but even he may not have thought that there would be such a thing as ‘people herding.’ He had only believed that, since these people’s minds are entranced, they would need to ride in carriages…… Alas, ‘off by one-thousandth, astray by one thousand li [1000 li = 500 km]. He is focusing all his efforts on pursuing carriages, and others are quietly herding the people away in the cold night. How could he possibly track them?”

Even though Zhan Yingsong was her enemy, as she saw now the ice that had formed in his hair and beard and the terribly wretched look he had, she could not help having feelings of pity for him rise up in her heart. With a silent sigh, she mulled, “In any case, I should warn Shen Lang about this so he can devise a way to rescue them.”

Her thoughts shifted. Immediately, she thought to herself, “That won’t do. Shen Lang has always viewed me as a useless person. Well then, I am going to do something astonishing for him to see. This is a perfect opportunity. How can I let it pass? After I have investigated this whole issue thoroughly, I will go back and tell him. At that time, the expression on his face will definitely be very pleasant to see.” As her thoughts reached this point, it was as if she could see before her eyes Shen Lang’s expression of amazement and praise, and as a result, she could not stop a smug smile from showing on her face.

Another petite White Cloud Shepherd Girl could be heard saying, “The time is not early. We should go. Don’t forget that we have to bring all these people there before daybreak; otherwise we are all going to endure some suffering.”

The round-faced shepherd girl protested, “What’s the hurry? There are four groups in total. Even if we get there early, there’s still no use.”

Sighing, the tall, slender shepherd girl advised, “Getting there early is better than getting there late. We should go now.”

With a flourish of her whip, she took the lead and began walking. Sure enough, Zhan Yingsong and the others followed obediently behind. At the back, the two other shepherd girls wielded their whips, striking away all the footprints on the snowy ground. Snowflakes fluttered everywhere as one behind the other, the line of people walked out of the forest.

“So they are actually ‘breaking up the whole into parts’ and have split up into four groups,” Zhu Qiqi realized suddenly. “But I only have to follow behind this one group back to their lair. None of them will be able to escape then.” By now, her mind was filled with great ambitions and lofty goals. Her blood was pumping furiously, and her feet were not cold anymore. Hiding herself and her tracks and breathing silently, she snuck quietly after them.

She did not dare follow too closely, but luckily the “swish swish” rustling of their footsteps helped to guide her way the whole time. It was evident that the White Cloud Shepherd Girls had not thought that anyone would be able to discover their trail in this night of cold, wind and snow, so they were actually moving rather carelessly and did not even turn around for a look.

Besides the soft sound of their footsteps, this row of people did not emit any other sound. If one wanted to transport several dozen people to a certain destination without even gods or ghosts knowing, there truly was no better means than this “people herding” one. The more Zhu Qiqi thought about it, the more she thought this idea was brilliant until she could not help sighing silently, “Such an ingenious method, how come no one ever thought of it before?...... But the person who was able to conceive such a weirdly bizarre method must be a freak too.” So, all along the way, she tried to guess, who was this “freak”? What did he look like?

Unaware, she had actually walked for over two hours [orig. shi chen; 1 shi chen = 2 hours]. She estimated that it was already past the fifth geng [3 – 5 a.m.] already. In these cold times, though, days were short and nights were long. All around, it was still deep darkness; not even a trace of dawn’s light could be seen.

Zhu Qiqi had assumed that these people’s destination would surely be an extremely remote place, but who would have thought that, besides the one ice-cold river they had crossed, the topography was actually becoming flatter the longer they walked. Later, from the reflecting light off of the layers of snow, she could actually vaguely see the outline of a huge city up ahead. This, too, was outside of Zhu Qiqi’s expectations, and she wondered, “These shepherd girls cannot be entering the city, could they? That’s impossible.”

[Gravitzz]

Great stuff Hoju! Many thanks.

[Hoju!]

Chapter 6 continued.....
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But those White Cloud Shepherd Girls really were herding the people to the base of the city. The city gate opened, and two magnificent looking horse-drawn carriages hurriedly drove out from inside the city. On all four sides of these carriages, brilliant beaded lamps were hung. They appeared to be vehicles that a senior official or a millionaire would ride. Both the horses and the carriages were extremely eye-catching.

Zhu Qiqi thought to herself, “Even if they want to take the opportunity to go into the city, they still would not ride carriages that are so conspicuous. This is even more out unfeasible.”

However, the horse-drawn carriages were dashing directly towards the White Cloud Shepherd Girls. The round-faced shepherd girl cried out lightly, “Hey!” The carriages came to a stop, and the twelve men and four White Cloud Shepherd Girls divided up and got into the carriages.

Zhu Qiqi was watching them, dumbstruck and filled with amazement in her heart. She actually did not realize that these people’s actions were precisely meant to be outside one’s expectations. If people could guess what was in the carriages, how could their great deeds be accomplished?

By now, the carriages were readying to set out again. Zhu Qiqi bit down on her lip and decided silently, “Either I don’t do it or else I continue to the end. Even if it is a dragon’s pool or a tiger’s den, I’ll still follow them there first and think later.” And so, she soared over and slipped under a carriage. Her body was pressed against the bottom of the carriage and moved along with it. If it had been anyone else in her place, they would have first evaluated the idea, but Zhu Qiqi naturally had a personality that considered only what was in front of her and not the consequences that followed. Otherwise, how else could she have brought about so many troubles?

The carriage had entered the city. All Zhu Qiqi could feel was the snow and ice brushing up against her back often and waves of cold air that seemed to bore into her heart, but she could not discern where the carriage actually was.

Gradually, from all around, there were the sounds of people, and she could vaguely hear what was being said:

“This rose is a rare breed grown indoors in the warmth. It truly is one that is hard to come across in a thousand years.”

“The wintersweet is in season right now. After some time, you won’t be able to buy it anymore.”

“Still, the daffodil is simple and elegant. When a vase of daffodils is placed on the table, even the person will become elegant.”

As these voices drifted into Zhu Qiqi’s ear and her nose smelled the fragrance of flowers, she was naturally able to deduce that she must be at the early morning flower market. The carriage and horses were stopped there for a long time, and it seemed as if the White Cloud Shepherd Girls had actually bought quite a few flowers. Zhu Qiqi could not help finding this unusual. “What are they doing buying flowers?” she mused.

She heard the flower vendors speaking again. "Guniang [Miss], just take it back with you. Why worry about paying?”

“Tomorrow there are going to be some uncommon types of peonies on the market. Guniang, please come earlier.”

Zhu Qiqi was even more puzzled. “From the looks of things, they actually come here regularly to buy flowers in order to be so familiar with the vendors. Such strange and mysterious people, yet they frequently come buy flowers. Isn’t that something unusual?”

Right then, though, the carriages were setting off again, allowing her no more time to contemplate. After passing through the flower market, the street became much windier as the horses and carriages curved left and turned right. When approximately the time required to prepare a meal had elapsed, she heard someone from within the carriage speak up: “Is the front door open?”

“It is open. I’m afraid other people have arrived first.”

“See. I told you to come back earlier, but you insisted on resting.”

“What are you still complaining about now? Hurry up and go in.”

Amid the sounds of dialogue, the horses and carriages suddenly began moving upwards. Zhu Qiqi had originally thought that it was a hill, but she realized a little later that it was actually just a row of stone steps, except two smooth lanes spaced the width of a carriage apart had been built along the side of the stairs. At the top of those ten or more steps was a very wide door. After crossing through the doorway, there was still another flagstone path made of bluestone, and the snow on the pathway had all been cleared away already. Although Zhu Qiqi could not see the sights surrounding her, just from gauging the feel and atmosphere, she was able to guess that this house not only had a grand aura, but the courtyard was also very deep. They walked and walked and actually continued going for another ten minutes [orig ‘zhan cha shi’; 1 zhan cha shi = ten minutes] before she heard someone shout, “The horses and carriages are to stop at number seven stable. People in the carriages are to get out first.”

Stealing a glance out, Zhu Qiqi saw on both sides of the carriage several dozen legs walking around back and forth. Some of these people wore long leather boots while others wore brocaded shoes; some wore trousers while others were in skirts. The footsteps were light but firm, but their faces could not be seen.

Only now did Zhu Qiqi start to feel anxious. She was now in the tiger’s den, but she could not think of any plan to escape from there, but these other people only needed to bend down and glance upwards, and they would immediately discover her presence. Then, even if she had three heads or six arms, it was unlikely that she would be able to charge out of there alive. Not only was she worried, she was also regretful, regretting that she should not have gone into the dangers alone. Right now, even if she died for Shen Lang in this place, he still would not even know how she had died.

The bustling sounds of people were noisy, and the neighing of the horses was incessant. Several people had led the horses and carriages into the stable. The ones who should clean the carriages were cleaning the carriages, and the ones who should wash the horses were washing the horses. Fortunately, no one had bent down and looked up yet.

By now, though, Zhu Qiqi’s was frozen stiff, and there was an aching soreness in her arms that was unbearable, as if there were thousands and tens of thousands of sharp needles piercing her all over her shoulder. She wished she could just yell and then rush out, except she did not want to die yet. Therefore, she could only bite down and, with all her might and try to bear it. She only hoped that these people would wash the horses and carriages speedily and leave there quickly. However, those people did not hurry up and, instead, they actually began chatting as they were washing. Out of every ten sentences spoken, nine of them were just casual, flippant remarks. Zhu Qiqi was grinding her teeth together now as she secretly cursed them non-stop and just wishing that these people would die sooner.

Then, all of a sudden, the ringing of a bell could be heard, and someone shouted, “Breakfast is ready. Whoever wants hot congee should come quickly.”

The people in the stable whooped loudly. The ones washing the horses tossed down their brushes, and the ones washing the carriages threw down their rags. In the blink of an eye, they had all left. Not a single person remained.

Zhu Qiqi quietly breathed out in relief. Suddenly, feeling as if she could hold on no longer, she fell flat onto the ground. The bones in her whole body felt as if they were going to break apart from that fall. At the present, though, she was still in a dangerous situation, so all she could do was grit her teeth and bear the pain. Crawling out slowly, she hid herself behind a carriage first before peeking her eyes out to assess what was going on outside.

She saw that outside the stables, there were several dozen green pine trees growing in a row. Their branches were lush and dense, and the layers of snow were like a blanket covering them. Beyond that was row upon row of houses, with thousands of rafters and ten thousands of roof tiles that were simply innumerable.

Zhu Qiqi’s brow was knit together in a frown. She really was not able to guess where this place was. From its appearance, it was equal to the manors of nobilities, but logically it could not be any nobility or aristocrat’s mansion……

Just when her mind was preoccupied with speculations, from behind her, she heard a flippant laugh, and then someone unexpectedly kissed the back of her neck. In shock and indignation, she spun around. However, her whole body was stiff, worn, and sore, so her movements were clumsy. By the time she had turned around, there was not even a human shadow behind her.

[zhouyu]

thanks again for the translation

[spyro]

Yay! Another update.. Thanks Hoju..

[Hoju!]

Chapter 6 continued.....
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Right at that moment, someone kissed her again on the back of her neck, and then an extremely frivolous-sounding voice chuckled beside her ear, “So fragrant, oh, so fragrant.” Zhu Qiqi threw her fist out in that direction, but her punch merely struck air. When she turned around, though, that person had already moved behind her and kissed her neck again before chuckling, “Girls should be softer and gentler. How could you go hit people?” This time, the voice sounded very old, like a completely different person from the one a moment ago.

Zhu Qiqi was shocked, frightened, and angry. She whirled herself around again and was still unable even to see that person’s shadow, but another kiss was planted on her neck.

She heard someone from behind her chortle, “Even if you turn around faster, you still won’t be able to see me.” The voice was now flirtatious and silvery, like that of a young maiden. Zhu Qiqi clenched her teeth and did four, five consecutive flips. Her muscles were loosened up now, so her body was moving faster and faster, but that person’s motions were like a ghost and were always just one step ahead of hers as he darted behind her. What’s more, that voice was endlessly changing, sometimes old, sometimes young, sometimes male, sometimes female, and it was as if there were seven or eight people behind her. No matter how brave Zhu Qiqi was, right then, she still could not stop her arms from going weak and her heart from thumping in fright. “Are you… are you a person or a ghost?” her voice quivered.

The person cackled, “A ghost… a ‘se’ ghost [‘se’ literally means color, but a ‘se gui’ (literally ‘color ghost) is a ‘lecher’].” And then, he followed up with another kiss.

All Zhu Qiqi could sense was that his lips were icy and cold. Being kissed on the neck by those lips felt one hundred times worse than being bit by a poisonous snake.

She could neither dodge from him nor hide from him, but she was a sharp, clever girl. Her eyes shifted, and she suddenly laughed seductively, “Since you are a lecher, then why don’t you dare kiss me on the face?”

The person laughed in response, “If I kiss your face, then won’t that allow you to see me?”

“I will close my eyes then,” Zhu Qiqi replied.

“Though a woman’s words may not be trusted, for you…… Ai! Good or bad, I should believe you this once.”

Zhu Qiqi concentrated her chi onto her palms. Her eyes were opened wide, but her lips were smiling alluringly. “Come then.”

There was a blur before her eyes, and then a crimson-clothed outline was in front of her. Using all her power, her palms struck forward simultaneously.

But at that same instant, before her palms were able to reach out, that person had already seized ahold of her. The person laughed loudly, “Indeed, a woman’s word cannot be trusted. Fortunately, I have fallen for the trick many times, and I have learned to be quite a bit wiser.” He was garbed in clothing of crimson, and on his feet were a pair of white-bottomed official’s boots. He was dressed up so that he looked completely like a lewd lecher. However, his nose looked caved-in, his eyes were small, his eyebrows were short, and his lips were thick. He was incomparably ugly.

Zhu Qiqi sucked in a cold breath of air. He had ensnared her palms, and she was not able to throw him off. Anxiously, she cried, “You… just kill me. I am a spy who secretly snuck in here. Hurry and take me to the master of this place to give me my harsh punishment.” She was thinking that being captured and punished was still much better than falling into the hands of this young man, whose movements were like a phantom but whose face was like a pig.

The person, though, unexpectedly chortled, “The master of this place is neither my father nor my son. You go be a spy. What would that have to do with me? Why would I need to take you away?”

Zhu Qiqi blurted, “So you snuck in here too?”

“Otherwise, why would I be coming in from outside the stables?” the crimson-dressed young man answered.

Zhu Qiqi’s eyes sparkled, and her will to live rose again. “Such martial arts skills he has,” she thought silently. “If he is willing to help me, I will definitely be able to immediately escape from this place.” Except, the more she looked at this person, the more disgusted she felt, and she really could not bear to make herself plead for help and ask for mercy from him. Just looking another time at the young man’s lecherous eyes made Zhu Qiqi want to throw up even more, and she could no longer even get any words that begged for mercy off of her lips.

But yet, those lecherous eyes of the young man insisted on fixing themselves unwaveringly on her. Staring at her for a long time, he laughed suddenly, “Are you wanting to ask me to help you escape?”

“Are… you able?”

The crimson-dressed young man grinned, “Other people view this place as a dragon’s pool or a tiger’s den, but if I want to come here, I’ll come, and if I want to leave, I’ll leave. Really, I come and go as I please like I am going into an uninhabited place.”

“I think you’re just over-exaggerating,” she deliberately goaded.

The crimson-dressed young man laughed, “You provoking me in this way is not going to be any use. If you want me to help you escape, you must first be dutiful and let me kiss you on your face.”

Zhu Qiqi contemplated to herself, “Closing my eyes and letting him kiss me is better than dying here. If I die in this place, I will not even be able to see Shen Lang one last time.” As her mind turned to Shen Lang, she immediately did not concern herself with anything else. So long as she was able to see Shen Lang, even if she needed to allow pigs or dogs to kiss her, she would still do so willingly. Therefore, she closed her lids and said, “Alright. Go ahead…”

Before even half her sentence was finished, a heavy kiss was already planted on her face. The crimson-dressed young man was heard saying, “A real man keeps his word. Come with me.”