Wu Lin Wai Shi

[Shi-Potian]

My God This Is An Awesome Novel Picked It Up And Couldn't Stop Notice More Then A Few Translators On This Piece Of Work Highly Appreciated Everyone! Thank You Thank You Thank You It's Always Great To Have Some Wuxia Novel To Read Even If It Is Only Bit's And Chunks Every Now And Then. Loving It And Loving You Translators Thank You For Making My Day's A Bit More Enjoyable All Around!!!

[overjoy71]

Oh man.. this story is starting to really get interesting..

Thank you so much for translating it

[Hoju!]

I found that when I get a mental block at work, translating a few sentences helps clear my mind, so I've been doing that with WLWS. Since I had completed a little chunk, I thought I might as well post it, and I may do so infrequently if I do more. I am by no means committing to this project, since I already have one that is keeping me occupied. Maybe this will spur someone else's interest in translating this story?





Only now did Zhu Qiqi recall that when she had entered the cave, a long time had passed before Fire Child finally caught up to her. Also, there had been a startled cry that had echoed from outside the cave entrance. That must have been when Hua Ruixian had made her move. Even though she had noticed that “Fire Child’s” voice was a little different after they had gone into the tomb, she had merely assumed that his voice was hoarse because he had been overly frightened and perhaps had also caught a cold, and so, she had not paid much attention.

Feelings of shock and fury collided within her as she discovered that Hua Ruixian had deceived her. Stamping her feet, she sputtered, “You… why did you do that to him? Have you gone crazy?” Hua Ruixian’s head hung even lower. Zhu Qiqi raged, “Say something, you! Say something! I want to hear, why did you use such a scheme on me?”

Shen Lang spoke up in a low tone, “You are not the only one she was scheming against. The flash of green fire that was previously seen outside the door was her doing also. When everyone’s gaze had been drawn in that direction, she hid the iron tablet that had been on the table. Then, she snuck over and punched Mo Xi. Everyone thought that she was only a child and therefore, did not even suspect her. As for her yelling out in the dark that someone had pinched her, that naturally was just her deliberately trying to confuse everyone…” His words stopped for a brief moment before he chuckled and continued, “Yet it was because of this last trick that allowed me to see through her error. Think about it: she is wearing a mask, so who could possibly give a pinch to her face?”

As Zhu Qiqi listened to all this, her eyes were still and her mouth frozen. She was dazed for a long while before she finally exhaled a long breath. “So it was her. Everything was her doing. She nearly scared me to death.”

With a faint smile, Shen Lang consoled, “You are not the only one who was nearly scared to death.”

Zhu Qiqi said, “Our whole family has never treated her poorly. Why would she help the monster of this ancient tomb frighten us? And she subdued Laoba too.” The more she spoke, the angrier she got. With a sudden backhand swipe, she slapped Hua Ruixian across the face. “Tell me. Why? Why? Why?”

All of a sudden, Hua Ruixian raised her head and stared intently at Zhu Qiqi. Her gaze emitted a certain glow that was filled with hatred and resentment, but her lips still remained tightly pressed together and she refused to speak even one word. Zhu Qiqi had spent many years with her but had never before seen such a malicious expression in those eyes. She could not suppress the chill that suddenly gripped her heart. Then, without warning, Hua Ruixian let out a howl and with all the strength she could muster, sent two kicks flying towards Shen Lang’s lower abdomen.

Shifting lightly, Shen Lang evaded the attack. Zhu Qiqi’s slap seemed to have aroused Hua Ruixian’s ferocious nature. She was like a mad beast, punching and kicking wildly, yet still, before she was even able to graze the corner of Shen Lang’s clothes, he had grasped ahold of the meridian on her wrist. Hua Ruixian opened her mouth, revealing a row of white teeth, and she lunged forward to bite the back of Shen Lang’s hand. With a turn of his hand and an upwards lifting motion, Shen Lang had twisted her arm behind her back. Even if Hua Ruixian had extraordinary abilities, there was no possible way that she could resist anymore. However, the cruel and vicious expression that remained on her face could still freeze people’s hearts.

In a gentle tone, Shen Lang addressed her, “I know that you deliberately tried to create a horrifying atmosphere in the tomb in order to make us leave this place faster. But for what reason? Could it be that there is some secret in this tomb that you do not want us to know about? Do you have something to do with this tomb? As long as you reveal everything, we will not make things difficult for you.”

Hua Ruixian cried out, “If you let me go, I will tell you.”

Shen Lang gave a faint smile. “If I let you go, it will be difficult to catch you again.”

Hua Ruixian let out a low howl. She suddenly flipped her body upside down, her legs kicking backwards from where her head had just been, aiming straight for Shen Lang’s chest. But with only a quiver of his palm, Shen Lang had already thrown her feet back to the ground. Grinding her teeth, she hissed, “Fine. Go ahead and torture me. I will see to it that you will have no burial ground in your death. I will yank out your tongue and gorge out your eyes. I am going to knock your teeth, one by one, into pieces, and one at a time I will pull out your hairs…”

Terrified, Zhu Qiqi gave a frightened cry and stammered, “Shut up…stop… stop what you are saying.”

With a fierce-looking grin on her face, Hua Ruixian said, “You are already so frightened from just my words. Wait until I actually do it; how will you react then? Hurry and tell him to release me, or else…”

Zhu Qiqi stomped her foot. “When you were injured, my family took you in. You were wrongly accused, and I thought of ways to help you vent your vengeance. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, you would have nightmares because you had committed too many sins in the past, and I would stay with you through the night. Who knew… who knew that what I would get in return for all that would be this outcome.” As she spoke, her voice gradually grew more and more choked until finally, two clear streams of tears spilled out of her eyes.

Hu Ruixian paused a moment, startled. Her head was lowered. A hint of shame showed through the bitterness on her face. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she did not speak a word.

Shen Lang again asked gently, “Why did you do this? Why, even now, are you unwilling to tell us? Could it be that there is some person in this tomb, someone that you must protect? Could this person be your sister or brother?”

In a sharp voice, Hua Ruixian exclaimed, “How did you know?” The words had just escaped her mouth before she realized that she had divulged too much. Enraged, she cursed him, “You little animal! You… you just give up any hope of tricking one more word out from my lips.”

The look on Shen Lang’s face changed slightly but was still calm and composed as he softly coaxed, “I never knew that Madame Hua, you, had brothers and sisters that were still alive. For them, you should tell us everything. Once you have told us, perhaps I can help you think of a plan. Otherwise, even if you manage to trick us out of here, this ancient tomb’s secret has already leaked out. Sooner or later, there will be a day when the heroes and figures of jianghu will have thoroughly investigated it, but by then, it will be too late for your regrets.” Though his voice was calm, it carried a peculiarly intimidating strength in it.

From the light of the fire, tears could suddenly be seen flowing out of Hua Ruixian’s eyes as well. Her voice shaky, she asked, “If I tell you, you will help me?”

[Han Solo]

Thanks Hoju for this wonderful excellent translation.

SL is pretty calm and formidable.

Han Solo

[overjoy71]

Hoju! Thank you so much.
I have been waiting so long to find out what it happening here.
Hoju! Another great work and translation.

[Hoju!]

Another little chunk. I hope I didn't mangle all those names.



Chapter 4 continued.....
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Shen Lang replied, “If I was not helping you, why did I not just expose your secret in front of everyone else just now? You are an intelligent person. Should you not understand this logic?”

Hua Ruixian ground her teeth together. “Alright. I will tell you. Twenty years ago, we already knew that there was an ancient tomb here that held a treasure. During that time, even though we, the ‘Shi San Tian Mo’ [Thirteen Heavenly Demons], were rampaging wulin, at every moment we still needed to be on our guard for fear that our enemies would track us down. Therefore, we had no time to spare for digging up the treasure. Then, after the battle on HengShan, nearly all of the Thirteen Demons died, so I had no choice but to bury this secret in my heart forever. Who knew that this secret would still eventually be discovered?”

Zhu Qiqi’s expression changed. “You employed all these schemes in order to protect this ancient tomb’s secret and not allow others to dip their fingers in it?”

Hua Ruixian’s aged and weathered face started to twitch. “No.”

Astounded with this, Zhu Qiqi exclaimed, “Then for what reason?”

Hua Ruixian hesitated, “Because… because I found out that the people who had died of poisoning in this tomb had all been killed by the poison, ‘Li Di Xiao Hun Xan’ [Upright Soul Melting Powder].’ But this ‘Upright Soul Melting Powder’ is a secret formula of my Hua family and in the entire world, only my eldest brother, ‘Xiao Hun Tian Mo’ [Soul Melting Heavenly Demon] Hua Gengxian knows how to concoct it.”

The looks on Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi’s face suddenly changed to ones of shock. In astonishment, Zhu Qiqi asked her, “Didn’t ‘Soul Melting Heavenly Demon' Hua Gengxian lose his life long ago in the battle of HengShan?”

Hua Ruixian explained, “Five days into that battle on HengShan, the situation had already turned chaotic. Everyday, many different rumors would circulate, but nobody actually knew what the facts were. That was a time when people’s hearts were stricken with anxiety, and everyone more or less exhibited some symptoms of insanity. We Thirteen Heavenly Demons had originally split up into two groups to search for a way up the mountain but we ended up scattered in all different directions. I only heard that Dage [* eldest brother] Hua Gengxian had died in LuanYun Jian [Clouds of Chaos Ravine], yet I never saw his corpse.”

Zhu Qiqi speculated, “If that is the case, then the news of your dage’s death may have been false.”

Hua Ruixian mulled, “As I think more about it, I believe it must be false.”

Zhu Qiqi stuttered, “If … if that is so, could it be that your dage is in this ancient tomb at this very moment?”

Her facial expression controlled, Hua Ruixian answered coolly, “I think it must be as such. Since ‘Upright Soul Melting Powder’ has shown up in this tomb, then clearly, ‘Soul Melting Heavenly Demon' is here as well.”

A smile suddenly touched Shen Lang’s lips as he remarked, “It could be that perhaps this ‘Upright Soul Melting Powder’ was concocted in the tomb by your dage’s ghost.”

Hua Ruixian’s body trembled when she heard this, but a moment later, she responded with a vicious smirk, “Even if it is my dage’s ghost that is in this ancient tomb, I still will help him. I absolutely will not allow outsiders to come here and disturb him.” Her left hand reached unexpectedly into her garment by her bosom and pulled out an iron tablet. “Do you recognize what this is?”

Using the light of the fire tube[1] in Zhu Qiqi’s hand, Shen Lang looked intently at it. Ripples of smoke appeared to be flowing on the surface of that black tablet. As one examined it more carefully, the feeling would arise that this small iron tablet seemed to hold within it dark dangers from the vault of heaven, the potential to open and close the clouds and air, the ability for countless changes. It was incomparable to any other thing. Shen Lang could not help showing a slight change of expression on his face. “Is this the ‘Tian Yun Ling’ [Heavenly Cloud Symbol] that belonged to ‘Yun Meng Xianzi’ [Cloud Dream Deity], who was the owner of what was once the world’s number one hidden weapon of poison, ‘Tian Yun Wu Hua Mian’ [Ceaseless Heavenly Clouds Five Flowers]?

Hua Ruixian complimented him, “Your eyesight is quite acute.”

In fright, Zhu Qiqi cried, “‘The ‘Heavenly Cloud Symbol’ that is so formidably renowned in this world has suddenly reappeared. Could it mean that the witch, Cloud Dream Diety is not dead either?”

Hua Ruixian answered emotionlessly, “I am not able to make any conclusions on whether other people are alive or dead, but I saw with my own eyes when Cloud Dream Deity died years ago by 'Jiu Zhou Wang' [King of the Nine Provinces] Shen Tianjun’s ‘Qian Kun Di Yi Zhi’ [Number One Finger of the Universe].”

The look on Zhu Qiqi’s face changed. “Why… why is a dead person’s possession here?”

Hua Ruixian pointed out coldly, “ ‘Purple Demon Hand,’ ‘Upright Soul Melting Powder,’ ‘Heavenly Cloud Symbol’ – which ones of these does not belong to a dead person? The fact that they have all surfaced now in this ancient tomb shows that there is not just one ghost here. I am their comrade in life and their friend in death, and I will not allow their place of spiritual rest to be disturbed. You had better leave this place quickly or else your fate will be the same as Yixiaofo and Tie Huahe.”

Alarmed, Shen Lang demanded, “What fate will they have?” The sound of his voice had not yet died away when he suddenly noticed that the door Yixiaofo, Tie Huahe, and the others had passed through had, at some unknown time, mysteriously closed without a sound. Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi had been focusing their attention on Hua Ruixian and had not noticed anything.

Unable to contain her terror, Zhu Qiqi shrieked, “The… the door…”

Hua Ruixian threw her head back and cackled, “Only now have you noticed? A few more ghosts have been added to this ancient tomb. How could I be lonely if I were to stay here? However, taking into account the relationship we had in the past, I advise that you leave this place hurriedly…” That piercing laughter sent chills up the spine.


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[1] Huo zhe zi 火摺子. For translation purposes, it will be called a “fire tube.” A device that was easy to carry around and that could be used to illuminate things or start a fire. Constructed of reed, vine, cotton with sulfur and various other combustible materials that were rolled together into a tube shape and often stored in a bamboo tube after it had been lit. Usually, it appeared as if there wasn’t a flame but it would light up and burn when shaken.

[bharata]

great translation! tq hoju. can't wait too loong

[Hoju!]

LOL. You didn't have to wait long this time. Lots of mental blocks at work this week it seemed so more translating!

Chapter 4 continued.....
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Shen Lang’s eyes were moving as he took in the situation. He deduced that those eight doors were constructed and positioned according to the principles of the Eight Trigrams [ba gua]. His brow was puckered as he pondered, “The door that they entered was a ‘life door.’ How did it all of a sudden become an ending place for them?” Pulling Hua Ruixian with him, he leapt over towards that door, and with all his strength, struck it with his palm. A deafening “peng!” reverberated out. The stone door did not so much as move even a sliver, indicative of how heavy it actually was. Human strength would not be able to open it.

The booming noise from the stone door; the shrill, mournful echoes of the mad laughter. From all directions, like the roar of thunder, these resonated back at them.

Out of nowhere, more than ten men, torches raised in their hands and sharp blades at their waists, came rushing in through the entrance. The loud echoes had drowned out the sound of their footsteps so that Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi had not been aware of their presence until they had passed through the entrance. Stunned, they both turned around to look and saw that two of the men amongst this group were Peng Liren and Wan Shitong. Shen Lang called to them, “Peng Xiong [Brother Peng], you really have come. I have been…”

Before he could finish what he had been saying, several people who had been behind Peng Liren unexpectedly barked, “You little witch! So you are here! Ye [referring to himself; literally master, elder] has had a miserable chase trying to track you down.” These individuals were none other than “Chuan Yun Yan” [Cloud Crossing Albatross] Yi Rufeng, “Pu Tian Diao” [Sky Sweeping Condor] Li Ting, “Shen Yan Ying” [Godly-Eyed Eagle] Fang Qianli, and the head escort of Wei Wu Escort Agency, Zhan Yingsong.

These men had given chase all the way to Qinyang, and though they had not caught up to Zhu Qiqi, they came across Peng Liren. Peng Liren was already acquaintances with them, so the instant he saw them, he hurriedly told them the secret of the tomb and, in fact, insisted that they go to the tomb themselves to see. Fang Qianli, Zhan Yingsong, and the others were meddlesome people to begin with, and after a little encouragement from Peng Liren and Wan Shitong, they all went together.

Zhu Qiqi’s eyes darted around as she hissed, “This is not good. The enemy has come knocking on the door…” Without warning, her body was flying up at an angle and in a flash, she had dashed into another one of the doorways. She still turned around, though, and smiled enchantingly as she welcomed, “It is completely filled with vicious ghosts in here. Do you dare come over?” Intentionally or maybe unintentionally, the corner of her eye seemed to be casting glances over at Shen Lang. With a hidden stomp of his foot in frustration, Shen Lang had no choice but to go in with her as he towed Hua Ruixian with him.

Sky Sweeping Condor, Li Ting shouted out in rage, “Even if you fled to the gates of hell, I would still pursue you.” His saber had left its sheath and his body abruptly stretched forward, but Fang Qianli grabbed him and held him back.

All that could be seen was a fluttering of white garments. Zhu Qiqi had already vanished into the blackness. As Shen Lang caught up to her, he reprimanded, “You certainly had a lot of nerve. How could you so heedlessly come charging in here?”

Zhu Qiqi giggled lightly. “I either don’t do anything or else I go the whole way. The more terrifying Hua Ruixian describes it, the more I want to see it. In any event, we have her here to accompany us. For that reason, regardless of whether her older brother is human or a ghost, he would have to give us a bit of face. Besides, rather than falling into the hands Fang Qianli and that band of men, it would be better off simply being killed by a ghost.”

Shen Lang sighed, “With a temperament like yours, I’m afraid even ghosts that come across you will get a headache.”

A light thud was heard suddenly. The stone door behind them had closed and was tightly sealed once again, cutting off the voices and torchlight on the other side. The fire tube that Zhu Qiqi held had already extinguished, and all the surroundings were now swallowed by the darkness.

[overjoy71]

kowtow!! Thank Hoju!!
This is so awesome!

[aliderhamy]

Thanks hojo.

I was reading this thread earlyer and was really pissed off to see it end as they enter the mysterios cave.

But this is the kind of noval that u want to read all in one go.
im gona wait for it to b a bit more compleated, then read it all from the begining.

There are to many names and mysterious charecters to keep up with when u read it a little at a time.

[Hoju!]

LOL. I have troubles keeping up with all the characters myself sometimes.



Chapter 4 continued.....
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Outside the door, “Sky Sweeping Condor” Li Ting was barking loudly at Fang Qianli. “Dage, why did you not let me chase after her? Are we going to have to watch as that little **tch escapes again?”

In a cool tone, Fang Qianli explained, “The route they took is through a ‘death door.’ Whatever happens, they have no hope of returning alive. What would we be chasing?” Before he had completed his explanation, a stone gate had come crashing down, partitioning off the doorway.

Shaken, Li Ting cried, “Very dangerous! If Dage did not understand the principles of ‘qi men ba gua,’ xiaodi [referring to himself; literally 'little brother'] would have been trapped inside there at this instant.”

Fang Qianli rolled his eyes. “If it is a person that is hiding in this tomb, then the art of ‘qi men ba gua’ naturally would be useful. On the other hand, if it is a ghost or spirit that is hidden here … heh heh,” he sniggered coolly, “I am afraid even if Zhuge Wuhou [i.e. the famed strategist of the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang] himself was restored to life, he too would be trapped within the dead end of this place.”

“Cloud Crossing Albatross” Yi Rufeng proposed in a low voice, “The girl has already been forced into a dead end. That breath of resentment we held can be considered released. Why don’t we retreat now unharmed and prevent stirring up of more troubles?”

Zhan Yingsong and the others were silent. It was obvious that their hearts had been moved by this suggestion. These men were all bold and daring individuals, but upon witnessing the sinister ghostly air in the tomb, they could not help feeling a chill come over their hearts.

A furtive glance was exchanged between Wan Shitong and Peng Liren. Peng Liren shouted out unexpectedly, “The riches that are stored in this tomb are unmatched in the world. We have entered into a mountain of treasures and we cannot return empty-handed. Regardless of whether a human or ghost has hidden itself in this place, our assembly here should have no fear of them.”

In a casual tone, Wan Shitong remarked, “If you are all afraid, there is no harm in retreating, but Peng Xiong [Brother Peng] and I … Hmph! Good or bad, we will still take a charge at it.”

Zhan Yingsong bellowed angrily, “Who are you saying is afraid? In my Wei Wu Escort Agency, there has never been anyone who fled before the start of a battle. We will charge in!” Immediately, there was a resounding roar from seven or eight people as they rushed forward together.

Godly-Eyed Eagle, Fang Qianli sneered coldly, “We ‘FengLin’s Three Birds’ are not necessarily ones who fear trouble, but neither are we the foolhardy who only know how to act on ignorant bravery. Even if we should we go storming in, we must still have a comprehensive plan of attack. Zhan zong biao tou [Head Escort Zhan], in your opinion, is yu xiong [humble way of referring to yourself; literally stupid brother] being reasonable?”

Zhan Yingsong inquired, “In Fang Xiong’s [Brother Fang] opinion, what should be done?”

Fang Qianli replied, “We should split into two contingents: one will go in and find the route; the other will remain here and be ready to provide assistance if necessary. At the same time, the two will be connected by a long rope to prevent the chance that the ones exploring the course will lose their way and not be able to return.”

Clapping, Zhan Yingsong praised, “Fang Xiong has truly calculated everything thoroughly. However, who will be the ones to search for the route?”

Fang Qianli suggested, “Let us, Head Escort Zhan, you and I, engage in a game of guessing. The one who loses shall explore the way.”

Zhan Yingsong agreed, “Let it be as you say.”

Fang Qianli hid one hand behind his back. “Head Escort, please guess whether the number of fingers I am holding up is odd or even.”

Zhan Yingsong brooded over it for a long while before finally guessing, “Odd.”

With a slight smile, Fang Qianli revealed two fingers. “Even.”

“Alright. We will go investigate the route.” Zhan Yingsong commanded brusquely, “Those belonging to Wei Wu, follow me.”

Peng Liren thought to himself, “This Fang Qianli is a sly, old fox. His palm was hidden behind his back. If Zhan Yingsong wagered on odd, he would raise two fingers. If Zhan Yingsong had bet even, he would show five fingers instead. Using such a way to gamble, even if they continued until next year, Zhan Yingsong still would have no hopes of winning a single match. However… … now that you have all entered this ancient tomb, you should give up on any ideas that you may have of even a single one of you walking out of here. So, what meaning does winning or losing have anyway?” With that thought, he at once said in a loud voice, “Xiaodi will accompany Zhan Xiong to search out the route together.”

Fang Qianli pulled out a large coil of rope and gave the head to Zhan Yingsong. “Head Escort, you should fasten this end around your body. When this long rope has reached the end of its length, no matter where you may be, you still must return here. All along the way, you must also leave markings. Should anything arise midway, Head Escort only needs to jerk on the rope and we will immediately come to your assistance.”

“I understand,” Zhan Yingsong tied the rope around his waist as he ordered loudly, “Come with me.” Raising the torch up high, he took the lead and with large strides, walked into one of the doorways

Amongst the escorts that had accompanied him, one of them suddenly quavered, “If this door also comes down, will we not also become trapped inside?”

Li Ting reassured, “This should not be a concern. If a stone gate also comes crashing down in front of this doorway, Yi Sandi [Third (younger) brother Yi] and I will be able to hold it up for a period. At that time, Zhan Dage [Big Brother Zhan] will pull on the rope, and all of you will rush back out.”

Zhan Yingsong gave a booming laugh. “People say that ‘Sky Sweeping Condor’ Li Ting not only has outstanding lightness kung fu, he also possesses an extraordinary strength. It seems that these rumors are not without substance… If that is the case, I shall depend on Li Xiong then.” He finished speaking, and, together with Peng Liren and the escorts he commanded, nine people filed in. Nine torches illuminated everything in the stone passageway beyond the door.

When the nine outlines were far away, Li Ting exclaimed, “Zhan Yingsong can be considered a real man.”

“It is unfortunate that he is a little too dense,” Fang Qianli responded coldly.

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

Zhan Yingsong was in the lead, his footsteps extremely steady. However, the roof of this secret passageway was two zhang [1 zhang = 3 1/3 metres] high. Formed of stone in all directions, it was winding and long and appeared to have no end. On both sides of the passage, there were doors, but they were all closed and would not open when pushed.

Peng Liren trailed far behind the group, his hands grasping a pair of sabers. His face had a slight smile and carried a manner that seemed to indicate he felt at ease and justified, as if he believed resolutely that even if all these people here died, in no way would any perils fall upon him. After walking a fair ways, Peng Liren’s long saber slashed out swiftly, severing the rope. Naturally, nobody up ahead had seen what had happened. Only then did Peng Liren hurry up to the front and ask in a low tone, “Zhan Xiong, any observations?”

Shaking his head, Zhan Yingsong sighed, “I never thought that this tomb was so immense…” They all of a sudden saw that up ahead, a door was half opened and inside, there seemed to be the faint flickering from the light of flames. Zhan Yingsong’s heart gave a shudder and he cried out in alarm, “Can it be possible that there are still people in this place?” In one leap, he had swept over to the door and was stretching his head forward to look inside.

Behind the door was a hexagonal-shaped stone chamber. Six copper coffins, one in each corner, had been placed inside, and in the center was a copper lamp, emitting a glow that looked like ghost light. There was no trace of people. It was unknown who had lit the lamp or when it had been lit. The gloomy, green light shone upon the gloomy green coffins, creating a mysterious and terrifying atmosphere that felt suffocating.

There was a long wheezing gasp from Zhan Yingsong. “Enter or not?”

With a contemplative look, Peng Liren answered, “How about we shake the rope so that Fang Xiong and the others will come in and we can discuss it further?”

“Yes.” Zhan Yingsong turned his hand over and tugged on the rope. He pulled for a short period and then noticed that the rope felt light, without any sort of resistance on it. Zhan Yingsong’s expression shifted slightly and he began to vigorously heave the rope back in. The other end abruptly came into view; only then did he discover that the rope had been cut. Cries of panic arose from every person and someone yelled, “Let us retreat quickly.”

Peng Liren stomped his foot. “This… who did this? Right now, an unforeseen circumstance has already occurred. It is too late to retreat. We should just charge ahead into the room now. That way, good or bad, we have at least thoroughly investigated everything.”

Zhan Yingsong mulled over this for a long time. At last, stomping his foot forcefully and gritting his teeth, he resolved, “Life and death are ruled by fate; riches and honor are determined by Heaven. If Zhan Yingsong must die today in this place… Ai! Then let him die! Charge!” In a flash, his body had darted into the stone chamber.

Peng Liren directed them, “I will defend this doorway. Everyone, please enter.” The men’s faces were white, their steps hesitant. Peng Liren’s eyes glinted as he added, “Those copper coffins possibly could be where the treasures are located.” He had not completed his sentence before everyone was swarming into the chamber. The trace of a cruel smile floated onto the corner of his lips. He stepped backwards, then unexpectedly gave the stone door a shove. A locking mechanism was concealed in that door. With a thudding sound, the door had shut and was securely locked. By the time those standing near the door realized something was wrong and let out frightened cries, the stone door was already sealed. In an instant, the echoes of those cries were cut off.

At this moment, a gray silhouette suddenly darted out into the stone passageway, its movements noiseless. Peng Liren had not detected anything. He leered fiendishly as he murmured, “Zhan Yingsong, do not blame me. This…”

All of a sudden, an icy voice rang out from behind him, its tone eerie and succinct. “You have handled this matter rather acceptably. Now, hurry; go back and pull on that severed rope so that Fang Qianli and the others will come in and deliver themselves to death.” Peng Liren ascertained that the words had been spoken from that gray-robed figure. Both his knees grew weak from fear, but, trembling, he still managed to raise his legs and walk forward. All he could hear was the wraithlike voice ordering him, “Keep walking. Do not turn around. This is for your benefit. If you even think about turning your head to sneak a look, you will have the same fate as them.”

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

[Hoju!]

Chapter 4 continued.....
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Outside, Fang Qianli’s eyes were fixated on that long rope. Li Ting and Yi Rufeng stood close to either side of the doorway that Zhan Yingsong had gone through. The rope slowly unwound towards its end, then suddenly stopped moving. Fang Qianli did not know the rope had been cut. His brow was knit together as he wondered, “Why is Zhan Yingsong not proceeding forward? Could he have discovered something…?”

Holding their breath, everyone there waited for something to happen. This period of time seemed to pass at an incomparably slow speed. Their hands and feet felt icy cold; their breathing gradually grew heavy. It was unknown how much time had elapsed……

And then the rope suddenly jerked three times. After a little while, it jerked another three times. Li Ting yelled excitedly, “Something is happening inside. Let us go aid them.”

His tone cold, Fang Qianli scoffed, “Are you really going to go in to aid them? Do you want to accompany them into death?”

Li Ting stood dumbfounded for a moment. “This…”

Wan Shitong’s eyes flitted shrewdly. He broke in, “It may be that Zhan Yingsong has found the riches inside. You may not want to go, but I am going inside.” He leapt through the doorway.

The crafty expression on Fang Qianli’s face shifted. He was silent for quite a while until he declared loudly, “Though we do not hold relations or friendship with Zhan, we must observe the honor and righteousness of jianghu. Let us proceed inside to provide a hand of assistance.” Leading his subordinates, they flocked into the passage also. Li Ting and Yi Rufeng brought up the rear together.

Wan Shitong laughed secretly to himself as he thought, “You old fox. Your belly is filled with treachery, but your mouth still speaks of goodwill and uprightness. You obviously covet the treasures, yet your lips still need to say the right words. This time, though, I will ensure that you, old fox, can enter but you will not exit.”

The group had only walked the distance of an arrowshot before the door behind them had sealed tightly. Yi Rufeng was the first to notice and he shouted out, “Not good! We have fallen into a trap!”

Fang Qianli was greatly startled and immediately turned back around. However, even with the combined strength of everyone there, they had no hope of getting that stone door to budge even a hair. Alarmed, he said, “Today, you and I can only proceed, not exit. We might as well forge our way in now.”

They continued onward for two arrowshot lengths before distressingly finding the end of the sliced rope. Terror showed on everyone’s faces now. Li Ting stammered, “Zhan… Zhan Yingsong… where have they gone? Could they have already met their death through murderous treachery?”

Fang Qianli’s face was cold as steel. He pressed his lips together and did not answer. His eyes were fixed on the path in front of him as, one step at a time, he walked in deeper. Though everyone’s hearts were cold and faint from fear, the situation had already progressed to this point and they had no choice but to follow behind him.

Then, in front of a tightly sealed stone door, an already extinguished torch was seen. Even though its flame had been put out, it was still giving off a residual warmth. Clearly, it had not been extinguished for long. Fang Qianli picked up the torch. His expression had grown even more frightened as he said slowly, “This was brought in here by them. It appears…” His voice cut off abruptly, and he started walking forward again. Though he may not have finished what he was saying, everyone there knew the implied meaning was that Zhan Yingsong likely had encountered ill rather than good. Besides the fear they felt in their hearts, a sense of sorrow had been added into it as well. But now, words were useless. They could only close their mouths and force themselves to continue walking onward.

Suddenly, they noticed the passageway in front of them diverging off into three separate directions. At the junction of the branches, they saw a chilling sight: a severed arm, dripping with blood that had not yet coagulated. The hand was clenched into a fist with only the index finger protruding out, pointing at the branch on the left. In the right passage, everywhere that their torchlight could reach illuminated a path covered in skeletons. Some were intact, some scattered apart; some skeleton hands were still gripping onto sabers and swords. Glinting cold light from the blades contrasted against the terrible white bones, creating a blurry and hauntingly strange picture, like a scene from a nightmare. Li Ting inhaled sharply a breath of cold air. “Do we still… still keep walking forward?”

Fang Qianli questioned, “What choice do we have if we do not walk?”

“But, ahead of us only seems to be a… death… deathtrap.”

In a cool tone, Fang Qianli stated, “It was a deathtrap from the very beginning.”

Li Ting rasped, “The person in this tomb, why must he force all of us into the place of death?”

Fang Qianli’s voice lowered as he speculated, “The people who were lured into the tomb on this occasion all have different backgrounds, and there is no mutual connection between them, yet the person of this tomb still wants to kill all of them. Based on this, it is evident that it cannot be for reasons of hatred or revenge.”

Yi Rufeng asked, “But then, what reasons could it be?”

“In my opinion, this ancient tomb must contain some sort of evil plot or conspiracy, and this plot is simply the prelude of the turbulence that is about to strike wulin,” Fang Qianli predicted. “You and I have somehow become a sacrificial offering for this plot.”

Wan Shitong asked him, “Fang Xiong, you now believe that it is a person, not a ghost, here?’’

There was a sneer on Fang Qianli’s face. “There are no such things as ghosts or spirits in this world, unless…”

From behind them, they heard the sound of a chilling laugh. The hairs on Fang Qianli’s body stood up in fear. Everyone turned simultaneously to look. The stone passage behind them, however, was empty. They did not even see a shadow. But as they turned their heads forward again, they saw the blood-covered arm had changed its direction. It was now pointing down the middle route. Those in the group could contain themselves no longer and began shouting out in panic. It was uncertain who cried in a quivering voice, “If this… this… this is not a ghost, then what else could it be?”

[tape]

Both this and a Happy Hero are left on such cliff hanger endings! But to be honest, this one is more compelling. I think I'll die of suspense if this little story arc doesn't get concluded soon

[Hoju!]

WLWS is fast becoming one of my favorite wuxia novels out there. The update this time is short. I hope it satisfies for a bit.



Chapter 4 continued.....
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Fang Qianli’s leg flew up, kicking away the severed arm as he roared, “Even if it is a ghost, I will still put up a fight.” Throwing his body into motion, he charged towards the middle passage.

A cunning smile touched Wan Shitong’s face. He quietly bent down and wiped away some spots of blood on the tip of his foot. These blood splatters were left behind when he had secretly kicked the severed arm to change the direction it was pointing. He watched as “FengLin’s Three Birds” and their disciples plunged into that central passageway. Only then did he pick up his steps and follow after them.

All of a sudden, an arm reached out and grabbed the corner of his garments. A gray clothed figure had stepped out from a crack in the stone wall and was now standing behind him. With a sinister laugh, the figure asked, “Do you want to follow them into death?”

Wan Shitong’s entire body was quivering. “Xiao… xiao ren [* referring to himself; literally, little or lowly person]…”

“You still have some use to me. Why would I want you to die?” The gray-clothed figure directed him, “Remember this: take the path on the right that is covered in skeletons. Your friend, Peng Liren, will be there and will meet you.”

Wan Shitong stammered a response, “I… I understand….”

Suddenly, cries of alarm from “FengLin’s Three Birds” and their comrades resounded from the direction of the middle passage. But those horrible cries had just rung out before they were all simultaneously cut short.

Wan Shitong’s body continued to shake for a full zhan cha shi [1 zhan cha shi = ten minutes] before it slowly subsided. All four directions surrounding him were as quiet as death. Underneath the light of flickering flames, the bloody arm appeared even more ominous and terrifying. Wan Shitong could not help stealing a quick glance to his back. There was no one behind him. The gray-clothed figure had materialized like a phantom, and now, like a phantom, it had disappeared again.

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

“FengLin’s Three Birds” and their disciples rushed down the center route. They had only gotten past a couple of bends in the passage when a stone chamber suddenly appeared before them. Through its open doorway, the splendor of jewels could faintly be seen. With renewed energy, Fang Qianli exclaimed in delight, “It appears we have chosen the right path!” He was the first to dart into the room. Inside, there were four stone coffins placed in a row. The covers of the coffins were open and each one was filled with piles of priceless treasures that gave off an astounding radiance. Even though “FengLin’s Three Birds” were wulin masters who would ‘divide their gold using large scales,’ in their life, they had never before seen so many riches. As their eyes took in the sight, they could not hold back a shout of astonishment. The disciples of FengLin were even more shocked, their eyes still and their mouths gaping as they stood motionless for a long while. Then, they gave a simultaneous cry of glee and threw themselves at the coffins, reaching forward and seizing handfuls of treasures.

But, the instant the treasures were in their hands, they immediately burst. A succession of multi-colored beads of liquid flew out from within, splattering onto the FengLin disciples’ bodies, hands, and faces. Pain like searing fire exploded on every point of the body that the liquid came in contact with. Crying out in anguish, they threw themselves backwards onto the floor. In only an instant, regardless of whether it was flesh, hair, or clothing, anything that the liquid splashed onto was eaten away to the bone. And in that same instant, the FengLin disciples experienced so much agony that they were rolling all over the floor, their entire bodies convulsing. The sight of them like this was too horrible to watch.

The hearts of FengLin’s Three Birds were filled with terror, but they did not dare reach out and touch any of their disciples for fear that the venomous liquid would get transmitted onto them also. They watched as the disciplines’ thrashing gradually died down and their cries grew weaker until finally, after a violent spasm racked their bodies, they stopped moving. But that decay of the flesh to the bone continued to spread. They saw that, in the blink of an eye, these burly and fierce young men were going to transform into a pile of bones. Fang Qianli was both horrified and pained as he rasped, “Too cruel… too cruel…”

The quiet sound of someone exhaling was suddenly heard. They turned their heads to look and saw that the stone door behind them had closed.

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

[tape]

How much longer is this story arc?

[Hoju!]

The mystery of the tomb will be revealed in about a third to halfway through Ch. 5 (not that the action ceases, though). Chapter 5 does not seem quite as long as Ch. 4.

My apologies that the updates are so slow. WLWS has been a part time translation, but give me a couple of days (it will be a longer update) and I will work to finish off Ch. 4.

[tape]

Don't apologize man, we all appreciate this a lot! I was just trying to estimate how long it would be before my curiousity gets satisfied

[rati4u]

Don't apologize man, we all appreciate this a lot! I was just trying to estimate how long it would be before my curiousity gets satisfied

hehehe....Hoju is a girl....may be as pretty as a GL heroine

thanks for a great work Hoju....falling in love slowly..

[tape]

Hah oops! Call me Guo Dalu

[King_Kong_1981]

can somoene tell me how many chapters this story is...and i want to thank the translators for doing such a good job on this story