Wu Lin Wai Shi

[Han Solo]

ZQQ is so naive

thank you for translation

[9Dragons]

Wow, I would never have imagined Xiong Mao'er to be tricked. If he had hesitated, then wouldn't he already be on guard, rather than caught unawares? Did he intentionally allow himself to be deceived in order to get sympathy points?

[balikpapan]

I guess, if you are pretty, you can almost do anything and act anyway you want.

[Hoju!]

Chapter 14 continued.....
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By this time, it was late in the day. In the gloomy, dusky light, she could see this person was wearing a large, cotton coat and an earflap hat on “his” head, dressed completely like an ordinary merchant who was travelling in the deep of winter.

Zhu Qiqi’s had just recovered from her panicked state and then she was shrieking angrily, “You scoundrel! Give me back my Xiong Mao’er’s life!” In the midst of her yells, she was already throwing herself forward.

That person, however, did not try to evade and only laughed, “Good child, you would dare fight me?” That voice was indescribably kind, indescribably gentle.

But when this kind, gentle voice reached Zhu Qiqi’s ears, she felt as if a whip had just cracked down wickedly on her body, which jumped up and then came back down, unable to move anymore.

The mountain wind was biting. The earth was bitterly cold.

On Zhu Qiqi’s face, though, beads of sweat were bursting forth, each one the size of a pearl. Her body was unable to move, but her hands and feet were shaking incessantly. The person grinned, “Good child, how surprising that you still remember me.”

Zhu Qiqi quavered, “You… you are…” Her throat seemed as if it had been sealed, and her tongue seemed frozen. Despite using the strength of her entire body, all that could be seen was her lips moving but not another word would come out.

The person laughed, “That’s right. I am your auntie. The weather is cold and the ground is frozen. With Auntie wearing this big cotton coat, my appearance has changed a little bit, yes?”

“You… you…”

That person continued in that soothing voice, “Auntie was so good to you, dressing you, feeding you, but yet you still ran away. You’re a heartless one.” While “he” spoke, “his” feet moved toward her.

“Please… please…”

“After you left, do you know how heartbroken Auntie was and how much Auntie missed you?” the person smiled. “I’ve finally run into you again today. Why are you not hurrying over to let Auntie kiss you…”

In extreme fright, Zhu Qiqi screamed, “You, get away… get away!”

That person still smiled. “How could you tell Auntie to go away? Auntie was just about to take you away and help you put on some nice clothes and feed you some delicious foods…” By the time the last word was spoken, “he” was in front of Zhu Qiqi.

Zhu Qiqi cried hoarsely, “If you come over, I’ll kill you.” She raised her arm and her palm came chopping down at that person.

However, all her strength had been frightened away somewhere. Although this chopping palm had struck out, its motions were soft and limp and would not even be able to kill a fly. With a casual lift of the arm, that person grabbed Zhu Qiqi’s hand and chuckled, “You should just be a good now…”

Only these six words reached Zhu Qiqi’s ears, and then her head started spinning and her body became weak. What came after, she was unable to hear.

The mountain wind was fierce, and in a moment, it had blown her awake again. She had just opened her eyes when she realized that her entire body was in that demon’s arms. This feeling was even more difficult to bear and more terrible than death. Even though they were separated by two layers of clothing, she felt as if a cold, slimy snake was wrapped around her naked body… Shaking, she shrilled, “Let me go… let me go…”

The person laughed, “Little precious, how could I bear to let you go?”

Zhu Qiqi tried to raise her hand to shove him away but discovered that her body was limp and immobile again. That experience of the past, she had regarded as a terrible nightmare and never dared let herself think about it. But now she had fallen into that same nightmare again. Right then, the feelings she had were no longer dread, fear, or horror—these words could still be used to describe something, but what she was feeling was something no words in the world could describe.

She could not resist, could not struggle. Pained tears gushed into her eyes. She could only plead in a quivering voice, “I beg you, I beg you. Let me go. There are no hatreds or grievances between us. Why must you harm me like this? Why must you harm me like this?......”

The person grinned, “I am holding you so tenderly. How could you say that this is harming you? If this is harming you, then you come hug me and harm me.”

Zhu Qiqi’s voice was scratchy. “If you won’t let me go, then, I beg you, kill me. If you will kill me, I… I will be grateful to you, even if I become a ghost.”

Laughing, the person replied, “If I kill you, how could you possibly be grateful to me? You must be kidding.”

Zhu Qiqi insisted, “It’s true… It’s true… It’s true…”


End of Chapter 14

[Hoju!]

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Chapter 15 – Imprisoned Together
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That person did not answer Zhu Qiqi anymore. Still carrying her, “he” walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down briefly. Suddenly, “he” chuckled, “That besotted cat of yours does indeed have some abilities. He was actually able to use his cat claws to grab onto something and, even up until now, has not fallen all the way down yet.”

In elated surprise, Zhu Qiqi blurted, “He’s not dead yet?”

“Mm hmm. Not dead yet. He’s still struggling and hoping to climb up. Too bad he won’t ever be able to get back up…… Do you want to take a look at him?”

All the while, Zhu Qiqi had not dared to look at that person, had not dared to open her eyes. Now, she felt “him” lift up her body and suspend her out in midair. Trembling, she opened her eyes. Mist swirled below the cliff edge, and it was so deep the bottom could not be seen. There, on the cliff face that seemed as if it had been carved with a knife, sure enough, a figure could be seen struggling and writhing…

After only a single glance, Zhu Qiqi’s head felt dizzy, and she hurriedly shut her eyes again. “Please! Save him!” she beseeched.

“Save him? Why should I save him?” the person countered.

“He… he only fell over because he was trying to save you.”

The person laughed, “I had been following the two of you the whole way, and it was only when we reached this place that I suddenly thought of this brilliant plan to send him to his death. Don’t tell me you still think I had truly been asking for help?”

“You… you demon. Animal,” Zhu Qiqi spat.

“That’s right,” the person grinned. “I am a demon. But why hadn’t you considered that, in a place like this, why would there be someone crying for help? Why did you insist that he come save me? Doesn’t that mean you were actually the one who did this to him?”

Zhu Qiqi thought about the situation a while ago, how Xiong Mao’er had several times tried to say something but had been stopped by her—her heart felt even more as if it was being sliced by a knife. She cried wretchedly, “Xiong Mao’er, Xiong Mao’er… I did this to you… I did this to you…”

From down in the deep chasm, Xiong Mao’er’s call suddenly echoed back up. “Qiqi… Zhu Qiqi… Where are you?...... Are you okay?” This call was filled with despairing anxiousness and concern—this anxiousness and concern was not for himself but for Zhu Qiqi. How great and strong a love it is when a person is struggling at the edge of life and death and yet he is still concerned for someone else.

Zhu Qiqi’s heart was ripped apart—ripped apart and dripping with blood. Her voice hoarse, she shouted, “Mao’er, I’m here……. Mao’er…” She struggled desperately, not caring about anything, wanting to jump down there. Right at that moment, there was only one thought in her mind, a very simplistic and pure thought: jump down there and die together with that man. She had long ceased to care about anything else; she had forgotten about everything else long ago.

But that demon’s hands were like steel claws holding onto her. How could she throw him off? How could she possibly jump? She screamed, “Let go… Let go of me.”

The person cackled, “Precious, I will not let go. I worked so hard just to get you into my hands. How could I so easily let you die? From now on, it’s best if you don’t even let the thought of dying cross your mind.”

At last, Zhu Qiqi began to sob. “Oh Heaven, can I not even die?”

“This thing called death is most peculiar,” that person told her. “It’s true that some people want to die, but it is extremely difficult for them to do so, but for some other people, it is indescribably easy…” As “he” said this, “he” suddenly raised his foot and kicked a boulder over the edge of the cliff. With a rumbling sound that could frighten a person’s soul, the boulder rolled down. Then, from down below, a wretched cry that also pierced fear into the soul resonated back up.

Zhu Qiqi’s scream had already sounded out—but it abruptly cut off, like someone was suddenly strangling her throat, because that wretched cry down over the edge of the cliff had also abruptly cut short.

And then, there was a deathly silence. Even the wind seemed as if it had stopped. That low, dim sky. Ash-colored rocks. Snow-covered deadwood. Everything between heaven and earth seemed to have suddenly frozen in this deathlike stillness, all frozen into a stifling, pale picture.

But what Zhu Qiqi saw before her tear-filled eyes was another picture—a living, bloody picture. She seemed to see Xiong Mao’er get struck by that boulder and plummet down. And so, that vibrant man in an instant turned into a mash of fleshy pulp.

Every feeling in her body went numb in that instant. An unknown amount of time passed before she was able to sense that the “demon” who was holding her was walking. As to where “he” was heading or where they were now, she did not know, nor did she care. This was because, no matter where he went, it made no difference to her. She had fallen into the demon’s hand already, and regardless of which route they took, it would still lead to hell.

This hell, though, was at the mountain summit. That person was carrying her up the mountain.

The mountain path was rugged and tortuous, and sometimes, a path could not even be found. This demon, however, walked easily. “He” was surprisingly familiar with the winding route on the mountain. Could this person have walked this route many times? And where did this path lead?

Up on the forlorn mountaintop, there was a pine forest, and peering through the snowy trees of the forest, walls and a roofline could vaguely be made out.

Zhu Qiqi shouted suddenly, “Stop.”

The person repeated in surprise, “Stop?”

“That’s right. Stop. I have things I want to ask you.”

The person was even more taken aback. “Things you want to ask me?” “He” saw Zhu Qiqi’s pale complexion had unexpectedly flushed red with excitement. Her hopeless eyes had suddenly become emotional, smug, and a little angry. This scenario was similar to a person who had been about to drown in the ruthless sea suddenly finding and grabbing onto a wood plank. But what had Zhu Qiqi grabbed onto? Could she have thought of something?

She commanded loudly, “When I tell you to stop, you have to stop. When I have questions for you, you answer them, understood?”

The person could not help breaking out into laughter. “Little precious, when did things change so that you all of a sudden start ordering me around? What weird ideas are you tossing around in your head?”

“Do you think I still don’t know who you are?” Zhu Qiqi smirked.

“And what if you do?”

“You work for Happy King. You’re surnamed Shitu. You are that [sexual] predator who specifically goes out to find beautiful women for Happy King, and now, you want to take me back to him to be his… his consort.”

The person chortled again. “That’s right. So what?”

“If you don’t listen to me now, after I become his consort, I will use every possible method to… to win his favour…” It had obviously taken a lot of effort and she had to grit her teeth before she could say these words, but they still came out with some slight stammering. She took a deep breath and managed to give a laugh. “If I become someone he dotes on, then he would certainly listen and agree to what I say. Even if I wanted him to kill you, I’m sure it would be a very easy thing to do.”

Sure enough, the person was taken aback by this.

Smirking, Zhu Qiqi added, “I’m sure you know these words weren’t said just to scare you. If I can say it, I can certainly do it. Think about it carefully again. You should be afraid…”

“Yes, I am very scared,” the person said.

“If you’re scared, right now, you should…”

The person suddenly began roaring in laughter. “Little precious, kudos to you that you could think of that. You are indeed a clever little one. I really have to give you a kiss.” And sure enough, he lowered his head and planted a firm kiss on Zhu Qiqi.

The blood drained out of Zhu Qiqi’s face again as she faltered, “You… you… you… you don’t… you don’t care?”

The person did not speak anymore and only laughed loudly again as “he” strode into the pine forest.

The manor inside the forest was surprisingly grand. Its red walls towered high, and there were row upon row of roofs. The snow-blanketed curved eaves of the roofline were like dragons and phoenixes and exemplified the magnificence of the manor even more.

There was no one, only stillness, before the black door. The demon pushed open the door and stepped right in as if “he” was returning home. Although Zhu Qiqi had completely lost hope again, she could not help feeling secretly astonished by this and thought, “Could this be a secret hideout Happy King set-up beforehand here in the Central Plains?...”

In the space of this thought, she felt a wave of warm air hit her, and the warmth enveloped her entire body. They had entered an elegant room and were facing a basin filled with a roaring flame. The fire was burning intensely, but still, there was no one in sight in that room.

The person placed set Zhu Qiqi down on a soft bed [translator’s note: actually, more like a lounge-style couch]. Immediately, Zhu Qiqi felt his gaze, filled with evil intent, rest on her curled-up body. Her heart was beating hard, “thump thump.” She shut her eyes, not daring to make contact with those two eyes. In this little room that was warm as spring, she did not dare imagine what would happen.

[Han Solo]

Thanks for translation.

How many chapters are there in total?

Han Solo

[rati4u]

Whats this SL is dng? Isnt he the one ZQQ ends up with?

[zhouyu]

Shen Lang is starting to piss me off

where is he!!!

[edwin0823]

Hi Hoju, thanks for the translations..i always love to read this novel...more power and hope to see other translations from you..also with fox..where is he now..? anyone can tell me the thread for the complete translations of Sword of the third young master and/or Swordsman Journey..thanks lot..have a great day to all of us readers...

[Ren Wo Xing]

I am working on the translation of 三少爷的剑, the Sword of the Third Young Master.

http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=19070

[tape]

Oh man I read the whole translation today since I didn't have work and boy did I have some funny dreams. Had dreams about moaning girls and my closest friends betraying me in a weird house where nothing was as it seemed =/

[Hoju!]

Han, there are 44 chapters in total. And they're loooong chapters.
tape, this segment may add to your weird dreams!



Chapter 15 continued....
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Even up to this moment, she still could not establish whether this demon was a man or a woman, but she had that continual feeling that the demon she saw in “his” eyes was lewd. This time, in particular, she seemed to feel that the lewdness in “his” eyes was even more noticeable than last time. Even though they should have been the same pair of eyes, the difference between this time and the previous time was quite significant. Why would this be? There must be some sort of unrevealed reason behind this.

Right now, however, how could she be in the mood to think about these questions and reasons? She closed her eyes and waited for all the worst possible scenarios to happen. In this cruel time of waiting, she only wished that this body did not belong to her. Surprisingly, even after a long time, that demon still did not do anything. Her teeth were clenched as she waited patiently. Every hair on her body seemed to be standing on end. In this elegant room filled with the atmosphere of spring, she actually felt colder than out in the ice and snow.

All of a sudden, she could sense “him” turning around. “He” seemed to be walking slowly out the room. Not believing this, she could not refrain from opening her eyes for a peek. She saw the back of “his” silhouette, which had already stepped outside the door. He really had left. Nothing had actually happened. This nearly made her want to shout out loud, but she could also not help feeling astounded as well.

“Why would ‘he’ let me off so easily?

“Oh, right. I’ve already fallen into ‘his’ clutches anyhow, so ‘he’ can do what ‘he’ wants whenever ‘he’ wants. What’s the hurry?

“Ah! Could it be, on the surface ‘he’ pretended to not care, but inside, ‘he’ was scared off by what I said a while ago and doesn’t dare treat me indecently?

“But, how could I scare a demon like ‘him’? ‘He’ may have left now, but just wait a little while and who knows what sort of evil methods ‘he’ may use on me?”

In this short moment, she went from feeling suddenly shocked to happy to worried to frightened.

Also, in that same instant, she suddenly felt as if “his” back seemed to look peculiar, as if there was something a little different from last time. She thought, “Could it be ‘he’ is not the same person as last time?”

But she quickly refuted this question and answered herself, “Zhu Qiqi, oh Zhu Qiqi. It is obviously the same person. What are you doing letting your imagination run wild?”

She allowed her eyes to move about. She saw that, in this room, regardless of whether it was a table or side table, vase or bowl, everything was arranged very beautifully and elegantly. Again, she could not contain her surprise as she said silently, “I never would have thought that Happy King would secretly arrange such an extraordinary dwelling in the Central Plains. He hasn’t come into the Central Plains yet, so who set this up for him?” She guessed, “That demon wouldn’t have such an artistic mind. There is absolute no way he could arrange such a refined and not tacky place.

“Well then, could it have been Jin Wuwang? Ah, he does somewhat fit the bill, but… but if he was the one who set it up, why has he never mentioned it before?

“Oh, also, Reverend Tianfa’s and the other people’s footprints led to this mountain. The footprints suddenly vanished at that pavilion halfway up the mountain because that pavilion must contain a secret passage that leads to this place. If they walked into the secret passage, then of course their footprints would disappear. They may not have flown into the sky, but they did go into the ground.

“But… but that isn’t right either. With Jin Wuwang’s temperament, even though he was captured, he would not bring them here and he would certainly not reveal the location of the secret passage to them.

“Ah. Could it be they were not able to subdue Jin Wuwang, and in fact, were captured by instead? Thim at’s why Jin Wuwang would bring them here.

“If Jin Wuwang is here, then I will be saved… saved. But… but how could Jin Wuwang possibly defeat those four people? That’s simply impossible.”

Even though she had told herself not to let her thoughts run wild, she still could not help herself and was doing it. The more she thought, the more confused her mind felt and the more she didn’t know whether she should be worried, happy, or scared.

Suddenly, outside the door, a shadow seemed to flit by. Although she only caught a brief glimpse, Zhu Qiqi felt the build seemed very familiar. “Who? Who is that? Who has that silhouette?” She fought desperately to catch that memory amid the multitude of chaotic thoughts in her mind… Then all of a sudden, something flashed across her mind, and she exclaimed, “It’s Li Changqing.” That tall and elegant build, that long beard that had hurriedly brushed by through the corner of her eye. There was no mistaking. It looked like Li Changqing.

If he had been captured here by Jin Wuwang, though, how could his movements be so unhindered? If he had forced Jin Wuwang to bring him here, then he should have exchanged blows with that demon earlier. No matter who won or lost, some noise should have been made. How come not the slightest sound had been heard? Could he be working in cahoots with that demon?

No, with his reputation, that would not be possible.

But if that was not the case, why did his actions need to be so furtive?

Zhu Qiqi still could not decipher any of this, and the more she thought about them, the more confused she became. This whole situation was full of suspense, contradictions, and questions that just did not make sense.

At this time, two people marched in, interrupting her thoughts. The person in front had a small build. His long gown dragged on the floor, his head was covered by a black cloth mask, and even his hands were pulled back into his sleeves. Not only could Zhu Qiqi not make out what his appearance was, she could not even discern whether “he” was a man or a woman.

The person in the back was tall and thick, like half an iron pagoda. His brows were thick, his eyes wide, and his face was dark like the bottom of a cooking pot. Anyone could tell in one glance that this was a boor who only possessed brute strength.

Even though Zhu Qiqi knew that their intentions for coming must not be good, besides the “demon,” she did not even bother with anyone else. “Who are you two? What did you come here for?” she snapped loudly.

The person in the long gown answered, “Who I am, you have no business knowing. I am here right now to ask you only one question…” The voice was sharp, terse, and piercing, and it seemed as if it was deliberately forced to sound that way, but at the same time, also sounded natural.

“If you don’t remove your mask, no matter what you ask, I won’t answer,” Zhu Qiqi retorted loudly. Her entire body may have been limp and immobile, but her voice was still not small.

The long-gowned person said, “Must you be like this?”

“Whether you believe me or not is up to you. If you don’t believe me…”

The long-gowned person suddenly let out a cold laugh and ordered, “Big Huang, go.”

The big man’s lips parted into a grin, revealing two dense rows of white teeth like those of a wolfhound. And like a wolfhound he darted over to Zhu Qiqi and grabbed the front of her clothes. Zhu Qiqi was lifted up into the air like a little chick as she squealed, “What… what do you want to do?”

Baring his teeth, the big man told her, “When he asks you a question, you answer, understood?”

“I… I won’t…”

The big man sneered, “You won’t?” He exerted a force through his five fingers, and immediately, Zhu Qiqi’s clothes tore at the chest. If he were to use force another time, Zhu Qiqi’s bosom would be revealed.

Zhu Qiqi longed to kick this wolfhound-like man dead, but right now… Ai! Right now, she could only hold back her tears, grit her teeth, and in a trembling voice, give in, “You… you… you… ask.”

The long-gowned person laughed coolly, “That’s it now. Why make it hard for yourself? Let me ask you: are you willing to become our Royal Highness’s twenty-seventh concubine?”

Enraged, Zhu Qiqi snapped, “Bull****! Bull—”

The big man roared at her, “You dare?”

Zhu Qiqi shot back in a shrill voice, “Zhu Guniang has fallen into your hands already. Kill or flay, it’s all up to you. But if you want Zhu Guniang to answer, ‘Willing,’ then you are dreaming.”

“You truly are not willing?” the long-gowned person asked.

Zhu Qiqi glared viciously at him and did not open her mouth to speak again.

The long-gowned person’s voice was cold. “Big Huang…”

The big man cracked another grin. A “rip” sound was heard. The clothing in front of Zhu Qiqi’s chest had been completely torn open, and her white bosom immediately was revealed.

She fell back, her face toward heaven, onto the soft bed and cursed with a hoarse voice, “Scoundrel! Vicious dog! You…”

The big man’s hands reached down and grabbed onto the shoulders of Zhu Qiqi’s clothes. Now, all he needed to do was pull his arms in opposite directions, and Zhu Qiqi would be naked.

The long-gowned man asked again. “Are you willing?”

With all her might, Zhu Qiqi tried to keep her head lowered to block the big man’s wolfhound-like eyes that were roving over her chest, for she no longer had any strength to raise her arms to cover her breasts. Tears spilling over, she shot back defiantly, “I am already an object in your hands anyway. No matter what you want to do, I am unable to resist. What difference does it make, then, whether I am willing or not?”

“Of course there is a difference,” the long-gowned man said.

Zhu Qiqi stammered, “I… I…”

”You what?”

Zhu Qiqi steeled her will and shouted, “I am not willing! Even if I die, I won’t be willing. You can tell this vicious dog to rip off all my clothes and humiliate me, but I still won’t be willing. You… whatever you want to do to me, so be it. This body does not belong to me anymore anyways. My heart, though… You pack of vicious dogs, don’t even try thinking about touching it.” She was screaming in a loud voice while her tears had started falling like rain already.

The long-gowned person fell silent for a long moment, seeming somewhat stunned by her intense and fierce temperament. And before he had given any orders, the big man did not dare make a move either. After much time had passed, the long-gowned person finally instructed, “Big Huang, take her to the dungeon and let her think carefully about it.”

A dungeon. Imprisonment again. Despair again. Bad luck seemed to have a soft spot for Zhu Qiqi, always seeming, time and again, to take special care of her. Every dungeon in the world is gloomy, damp, and dark. This particular dungeon in the mountaintop mansion was even gloomier and wetter than other dungeons.

That big man certainly did not hold a tender spot for beauties in his heart. From the entrance of the dungeon, he tossed Zhu Qiqi down, and she dropped onto hard, cold stone floor. This fall made Zhu Qiqi feel as if all her bones had fallen apart. Her pained cry had not had a chance to escape from her lips before she immediately fainted.

It was not known how much time had passed. In her semi-consciousness, she could sense a close and familiar voice beside her ear gently calling… calling. “Qiqi… Qiqi…Wake up.”

The voice was faintly discernible, as if clouded in mist, and seemed to be coming from far off in the distance. Even though this voice was a little raspy due to long term suffering and torture, in Zhu Qiqi’s ears, it was still so familiar. Her heart gave a jolt, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a face. Those arching brows and that tall, graceful nose––if that was not Shen Lang, who else could it be?

[zhouyu]

wow, was Shen Lang captured and tortued?

[rati4u]

SL is captured????????? humph....he is not that capable after all!!!

[foxs]

I should probably visit other stories more often, did not realize you have progressed this far. Thanks Hoju!

[LuDongBin]

Wow Fox, I visited your JingYong website on an impulse. That was impressive; much thanks for putting all three Condor novels in one place.

Hoju, thanks for those updates. Keep them coming!

[Hoju!]

Chapter 15 continued.....
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Zhu Qiqi’s heart felt as if it wanted to jump out of her chest. Using all the strength she could muster, she raised her arms and hooked them around Shen Lang’s neck as she exclaimed in a quivering voice, “Shen Lang, it’s you. It’s you.”

Shen Lang assured her, “Qiqi, it’s me. It’s me.”

Zhu Qiqi’s tears had spilled out of her eyes long ago. These were tears of surprise and bewilderment and also tears of joy. Tear streaks covered her face as she quavered, “Is… is this real? It’s not a dream?” She hugged Shen Lang with all her might, as if she was afraid she would suddenly awaken from this beautiful dream.

“It’s real. It’s not a dream.”

“I knew all along that you would come rescue me,” Zhu Qiqi said. “I honestly knew all along… You would never let me be bullied by those evil people. You would definitely rescue me.”

Shen Lang was silent for a long time before at last sighing sadly, “But I haven’t rescued you…”

Zhu Qiqi gave a start and cried, “What? You haven’t rescued me? Then… then why am I seeing you now? Does… does that mean you have been locked up in this dungeon too?” The question did not need an answer from Shen Lang for she could see now a prison wall built of rock—Shen Lang had actually been imprisoned in this dungeon before her. This discovery was like a dagger stabbing swiftly into her heart—no blood, no tears, because her veins and tear ducts had been severed. Her entire being was stunned and unable to move from where she was.

The corner of Shen Lang’s lips had lost his customary casual smile. With his head bowed dejectedly, he sighed, “I am so incompetent. I… I am so useless. You must be really disappointed with me too. If I had known… ai! I should have just died; things would actually have been better…”

Zhu Qiqi’s tears suddenly gushed out again, and she shouted in a trembling voice, “No, no, no! You cannot die! You will not die! I only need to see you, and then I will be perfectly content. How could I be disappointed with you?”

“But… but here…” Shen Lang started to say.

“Don’t say anymore. I beg you, please don’t speak. Hold me tight. Just hold me tight. As long as you hold me tight, I… I don’t care about anything else.” This was true. In Shen Lang’s embrace, she could forget about anything. Jin Wuwang’s considerateness, Xiong Mao’er’s fervent love, she really had completely forgotten about them. She had even forgotten that, just a little while ago, she had wanted to die with Xiong Mao’er. She was a passionate and emotional person. If someone was good to her, she would return the kindness with everything she had in her, but that was just a spur of the moment response spurred on by her passionate personality. However, her feelings for Shen Lang were like a thread of silk, wrapped hundreds and thousand times tightly around her, entangling her into her core while etching into her bones and leaving an imprint on her heart. She could not struggle free of it or cut herself out of it.

In that deep, dim dungeon, the lighting was as dark as in a grave. The eerily moist and cold air floated around ruthlessly, eating away at people’s lives.

But in Shen Lang’s embrace, Zhu Qiqi felt as if she was up in the heavens. She chattered on to him about her experiences, her sufferings, and how she missed him. It was as if as long as she could tell everything to Shen Lang, everything she had gone through was already compensated. Shen Lang, though, only sighed incessantly with his head hanging low, not saying anything. Right now, right this moment, what could he say?

Zhu Qiqi lifted her head to look at him. Gazing at him in that autumn fog-like light, so gloomy and hazy, several times, her lips started to move to speak but then several times, she stopped herself. In the end, she could not help but ask, “How… how did you… get here?”

“Tranquilizing drug,” Shen Lang answered dejectedly. “It never even occurred to me that the bowl of soy milk from that little store in that forest would have a tranquilizing drug in it. Ai! One miscalculation becomes a big mistake. By the time I woke up, I was here already.”

Tears falling, Zhu Qiqi sympathized, “You must have suffered a lot. Look. Even your voice is like this because you have been tortured by that demon. I hate… I really hate…”

Sadly, Shen Lang said, “Hate… hate… Ai. What good is there to hate?”

Zhu Qiqi choked, “Tell me, what methods did that demon use to torture you? What pains did you have to endure? Tell me, I beg you.”

Shen Lang clenched his jaws together and did not reply.

“I know no matter what you had to suffer through, you still won’t tell me. You are a person who will never complain to others. But I… but you won’t even tell me?”

Shen Lang murmured, “Tell… what will be accomplished by telling?”

In a shrill voice, Zhu Qiqi declared, “Whatever they did to you, I will use the same methods on them. I will add on ten times more than what they did to you so they know that I…” Her voice abruptly cut off, and she stared off in a daze for a while before dissolving into sobs again. “I cannot even die now, and here I am talking about punishing them and getting revenge. I am such an idiot, a lunatic…… I… I really hate myself!”

Shen Lang comforted, “Qiqi, don’t cry. Revenge will eventually be taken.”

Zhu Qiqi gave a start. Her crying stopped and she raised her head to ask shakily, “You can…”

Shen Lang replied slowly, “Opportunity. I only need an opportunity…”

Suddenly, a beam of light shone straight down from somewhere above. Shen Lang grabbed Zhu Qiqi into his arms and with quick motions, had moved out of the way by several feet. The wolfhound-like man’s head could be seen poking out over a hole. This hole was at least five zhang above the ground, and looking up at him from below, he looked even less like a human being.

“What are you looking at?” Zhu Qiqi screamed at him.

The big man chortled, “Are you two hungry?”

“It’ll be best if we starve to death. Get out of here!” Zhu Qiqi snapped.

The big man laughed again. He raised his hand and waved it in front of the opening. “This is the steamed buns [orig. mantou] we feed to the dogs. Whether you want it or not is up to you.”

Zhu Qiqi fumed, “You’re the one who’s a vicious dog. You…”

Before she had finished, her mouth was covered by Shen Lang. Shen Lang tilted his head up and said, “If so, then we shall trouble dage to throw the buns down.”

“There’s no point to not eating. You’re the smart one,” the big man laughed loudly. His palm gave a wave, and several buns were tossed down. As they hit the ground, they actually made “thunk, thunk” sounds. One could guess how hard those buns were.

The dungeon’s opening shut again, and Shen Lang also released the hand he had been using to cover Zhu Qiqi’s mouth.

Zhu Qiqi was annoyed, anxious, and scared. “You… you’re really going to eat these buns?”

“Even if I don’t eat them, there’s still a use for them,” Shen Lang answered lightly.

“What use?”

“When opportunity comes, they will have a use.” He picked up the buns and tucked them all away in his garments.

Zhu Qiqi gaped blankly at him for a long time. “Your strength isn’t gone?” she suddenly realized.

“Still good,” Shen Lang answered.

Elation could be seen in Zhu Qiqi’s eyes. “No wonder you said we could get our revenge. As long as you still have your strength, even if you were locked up in the eighteenth level of hell, you would still be able to escape just the same.”

“You really believe so greatly in me?”

“Really, really…” Zhu Qiqi told him resolutely. With great effort, she managed to crawl one step and fell into Shen Lang’s arms. After quite some time passed, she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh right! See how silly I am. I really am just too happy to see you, and I actually forgot to tell you something very important.”

“What is so important?” Shen Lang asked.

“Even though Jin Wuwang safely escorted Zhan Yingsong and those people into Virtue Manor, the instant they stepped inside, they all died of poisoning. Li Changqing and others think that you set that up, and they are looking all over for you.”

“Oh?” Shen Lang said in surprise.

“This is something said straight from their own mouths, so it shouldn’t be fake.” Before the sound of this sentence had died out, she was already asking, “Are you able to deduce what happened?”

Shen Lang sighed, “For the moment, I really cannot say with certainty…”

Zhu Qiqi jumped in, “Well, I can say with certainty that it must be Wang Lianhua stirring up trouble. I really don’t get it. You know he is a bad person, so why are you still being so friendly with him?”

Shen Lang smiled wryly, “There’s a great disparity between my strength and the adversary’s. I already have a great foe in Happy King. I dare not make enemies with Wang Lianhua as well. In any case, he is not the same as Happy King.”

“Hmph. In my view, he is much worse than the Happy King,” Zhu Qiqi huffed. “It’d be better if you let Happy King go for the time being than let him and his mother work so freely and unhindered.”

Shen Lang was quiet for quite some time. “My chances of winning really aren’t high if I was to challenge this mother and son,” he said slowly.

“Why build-up the other persons’ strength and put down your on power? What is there about you that is not stronger than Wang Lianhua? What does Wang Lianhua even have that could best you?”

Shen Lang sighed, “Let’s not even mention other things. Just in terms of finances and material resources, the difference between us is too great. Ai… I only realize now, when two sides are engaged in battle, the power of money can decide the outcome…… Ai! I just regret that in the past, I looked down on and belittled those copper-smelling objects [i.e. money].

“What is the big deal about money? I have it,” Zhu Qiqi told him.

“And what if you have it?” he asked.

“What’s mine is yours. I…”

Shen Lang’s tone became slightly riled as he cut her off, “I am not a person that will accept your money.”

“But… but if I have it, it is the same as…”

In anger, Shen Lang rebuked, “Don’t say anymore.”

Zhu Qiqi fell into silence for a while before saying quietly, “It may be that you cannot accept something that is mine, but I have a part in this battle too. The saying is right: those with money contribute money, those with strength contribute strength. Am I not allowed to contribute a little bit of effort to this battle?”

“But how could I take your…”

Zhu Qiqi interrupted him, “People who accomplish big things cannot be so rigid about trivial matters. If you cannot even understand this point, you would be better just going off into the mountains and becoming a monk. Don’t bother talking about anything else.”

“This… this…” Shen Lang faltered.

With a “pfft,” Zhu Qiqi giggled, “What are you still saying ‘this’ for? This time, I finally managed to talk you over… Let me tell you, even though my daddy is stingy, he realloy is quite good to me. Because my Eldest Brother, Second Sister, Third Sister, Fourth Sister, Fifth Brother, and Sixth Sister all have their own ways of building their wealth, and I am only someone who knows how to spend money and not earn money…”

Shen Lang chuckled, “That statement is indeed correct.”

“You listen to me,” Zhu Qiqi pouted cutely at him. “That’s why my daddy took the family wealth that should have been divided amongst seven people and gave it all to me. The total value is not that small at all.”

“No wonder people of jianghu all say Seventh Miss Zhu is a female Deng Tong[13] ,” Shen Lang laughed.

“Look at you. You’re mocking me again. I’ve been kind and have good intentions, but you…”

“Alright, alright,” Shen Lang conceded. “Keep talking.”

Zhu Qiqi’s sulking turned into pleasure again. “That’s more like it. Let me tell you, from the time I was twelve years old, I could already use this sum of money however I wanted to. Keeping it there with Daddy, though, still made it an inconvenience for me to draw from it so I kept pestering Daddy until he finally just gave all the money to me. I then took the money and stored it all with my Third Brother-In-Law [orig: ‘jie fu’; husband of older sister].” She gave a charming giggle before continuing, “My Third Brother-In-Law is from Shanxi and his abacus goes ‘clack clack’ all the time [shrewd businessman who brings in lots of money], but the person he fears most is me. I made it clear to him from the beginning that I would not collect interest from him on the money, but if I needed money to spend and I asked for it during the day, he could not wait until nighttime to give it to me. If I wanted 100,000 liang, he could not give me 99,000.”

“Your Third Brother-in-Law, is he Fan Fenyang, the one known as ‘Tao Zhu[14] of the Land’?

Zhu Qiqi responded, “Strange, strange. You actually know of him as well?”

Shen Lang smiled, “Which famous person of jianghu do I not know? Plus, not only does Fan Fenyang have the money and power that can accomplish nearly anything easily, the moves from the iron folding fan he holds are not weak either.”

Zhu Qiqi giggled back at him. “Fine. You are good…… Let me tell you then.
For my convenience, I also arranged with him that when my agreed upon object arrived, I could withdraw gold and silver from any of his 37 banks spread throughout 4 provinces. He would acknowledge the object only, not the person...”

Shaking his head, Shen Lang commented, “Why would he trust you so much?”

“He he. The amount of money he has may not be small, but what I have is even more than him. Why wouldn’t he trust me?”

“If that’s the case, your authenticating object should be carefully stored away.”

Giggling again, she told him, “People will not be able to guess what this authenticating object of mine is in their wildest dreams, much less come steal it from me. I carry this object on me day in and day out, and it has not been taken by anyone yet.”

“It is carried on you?” Shen Lang exclaimed in astonishment. He knew that Zhu Qiqi’s outer and undergarments had been changed for her by people. If such a precious object was being carried on her body somewhere, how could it not have been taken away?

But Zhu Qiqi was grinning as she said, “That’s right. It is on me. It is the…”

“Do not tell me,” Shen Lang cut her short.

“Not only am I going to tell you, I’m going to give it to you too.”

“I don’t…” Shen Lang started to say.

“Hmph. Don’t forget, you already promised just a moment ago. What concerns would there be to have this object with you then? Don’t tell me you’re going to get all stubborn again.”

Shen Lang heaved a long sigh and did not say anything else.

Zhu Qiqi’s voice suddenly dropped and she whispered, “The two earrings I am wearing are the authenticating object. Those two little pearls may not seem very extraordinary, but if you take the pearls out, where the earrings had been set, there are engravings. The left one has the character ‘Zhu’ etched into it while the right one has the two characters ‘Zhu Zhu’ cut in using relief engraving. With these two earrings, any person could get approximately 700,000 liang… that is 700,000 liang of gold, not silver. This amount should surely be able to accomplish something, yes?” This amount, no matter where or when you heard it, was enough to shock a person. Even Shen Lang could not help being amazed by this and he could not hold back the surprised gasp from his lips. Zhu Qiqi grinned, “I carried such a precious item with me all the time, but what’s funny is, all those people who had captured me never took notice of it.”

One must know that, during those times, all girls pierced their ears, so a girl wearing a pair of pearl earrings on her ears was just as common and not worth getting excited about as a head with ears on it. That was because, regardless of whether one was poor or rich, everyone wore a pair.

Shen Lang finally could resist Zhu Qiqi no longer and removed the earrings from her. Zhu Qiqi beamed, “That’s a good boy. But earrings carried by you men will attract people’s attention. You must be careful.”

“You don’t trust me?”

In a gentle tone, Zhu Qiqi replied, “Of course I trust you. Let’s not even mention the earrings. Even if… even if I was to give all of me to you, I would not have any worries about it.” She nestled up tightly against Shen Lang, wishing she could melt her entire body into his. Right now, she actually felt slightly grateful to that “demon.” If it were not for ‘him,” how could she be in Shen Lang’s embrace now?

Some time passed again. Shen Lang suddenly shouted, “Water… water…” Although Zhu Qiqi was taken aback by this, she figured he must have a reason for doing it. Shen Lang continued yelling for quite a long while until at last, the dungeon door was opened.

The wolfhound-like man stuck his head out again and barked angrily, “B**tard, what are you shouting about?”

This scoundrel would dare call Shen Lang a b**tard. Zhu Qiqi was so mad she was going to go berserk. Just as she was about to forget about everything else and burst out into curses, her mouth was covered silently by Shen Lang.

Shen Lang not only did not get upset, though, he in fact smiled apologetically and said, “I am so very thirsty and wish I did not have to trouble brother to pour a cup of water for me. I would be most grateful.”

The big man roared in laughter. “You want water? That’s easy. But too bad, you can’t have water that humans drink. I can give you a little bit of the water in the pig trough. What do you say about that?”

“As long as it’s water, anything will be fine,” Shen Lang answered.

The big man laughed loudly again. “Fine. You wait then.” He was being extremely cautious and closed up the dungeon entrance again before leaving.

The instant Shen Lang loosened his hand, Zhu Qiqi could not help asking in a shaking voice, “How… how could you take this type of insult?”

“Have patience a little longer. Just wait and see...”

He had not finished what he was saying before the hole over the dungeon was opened again, and the big man extended a bamboo pole down. Tied to the pole was an iron pot. The big man grinned maliciously, “If you wannna drink water, then lean over that pot. That’s how we feed the pigs.”

Shen Lang stood up nonchalantly. All of a sudden, he gave a wave of his palm. A wind sound flew straight out, and with a “thunk,” struck the big man’s head that had been sticking out over the opening. The big man let out a loud howl and toppled down head first. The “projectile weapon” that had knocked him over also fell next to him––it was a cold and hard bun.

Zhu Qiqi was surprised and delighted by this. She watched as Shen Lang casually sealed the man’s acupoints and picked up the bamboo pole. From above, someone suddenly yelled, “What’s going on?”

Shen Lang gave another flick of his hand. There was another cold bun, and then another person fell down there. Shen Lang clasped Zhu Qiqi under his left arm and with his right, he gave a shove with the bamboo pole. All Zhu Qiqi could sense was the whooshing sound of wind by her ears, and she instinctively closed her eyes. By the time she opened them again, they were already standing on the ground outside the dungeon.



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[13] Deng Tong was a famous rich man in Chinese history. He was favoured by Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wen bestowed to him a major copper mineand permitted him to mint money. References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Wen_of_Han , http://primaltrek.com/charmcoins.html
[14] In reference to a historical figure. 范蠡 Fan Li was a politician, military strategist, and economist, but later retired, settled in Tao, and changed his name to “Zhu Gong.” The people called him “Tao Zhu Gong.” He soon showed exceptional business talent and is known as one of the rich men in Chinese history as well as a model example of a businessman.

[Hoju!]

Most have probably guessed that some time during my last month long absence from translation, my baby arrived. She was born on June 19 and her name is Gabrielle. I've posted a pic on my profile. http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/album.ph...pictureid=2625.

The above is the last bit of translation that I had done before she was born. I didn't have time to go through and edit before I posted, so sorry if it seems a little raw.

I'll probably be taking a break from translating as the little one is occupying 110% of my time and energy now. So, thank you to everyone who has read along and commented! It really kept me going.

Anyone who wants to take over this translation, please feel free to jump right in.

Cheers!

[trevor_sh]

Congratulation Hoju! She is lovely.

[aliderhamy]

Congratulation Hoju! She is lovely.

she looks like a fighter

make sure you teach her some martial arts