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Thread: The History of the Tang Dynasty Two Dragons (大唐双龙传) - Huang Yi

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    this story is getting hot every thread update,

    thanks to the translators and editors..you're all doing a fine job..
    waiting..waiting..waiting..

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    A new chapter
    =================================
    Book One Chapter 10 Continuing the Journey

    For the following 8 days, they cultivated according to respective figures. Sometimes they even skipped hunting and filled their stomachs with fruits instead.

    The picture that Kou Zhong took shows a walking human figure. The acupoints and channels on the figure are marked by some red dots and lines, the same as the other one, but the way of Qi flows that it illustrates is just the opposite. It starts with a bold black arrow pointing straight at the head's Tianling acupoint, then it goes downward, splitting into seven lines of seven different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, each depicting a set of paths for cultivating Qi. These paths varies greatly from one another in the acupoints and channels they passed through. Some of the acupoints were never mentioned by Fu Junchuo, or were clearly stated as irrelevant to cultivation.

    Xu Ziling's picture shows a lying human figure. Unlike Kou Zhong's, the bold black arrow points to Yongquan acupoint of the right foot while the seven colored lines converge at the left foot. However, the complexity of both figures was comparable to each other.

    They desired nothing at the moment and had a lot of spare time to spend, so they followed Fu Junchuo's instructions, concentrated on their mind, and when they did so, their mind naturally guided them through acupoints and channels according to the directions of the pictures, which were already deep in their memories. Though it posed no apparent effects, yet they continued to do it anyway.

    Later on, it happened that Kou Zhong suddenly began to walk in the valley when he was meditating, like awake; whereas Xu Ziling only felt comfortable when he lied down in meditation.

    On the ninth night since they began their cultivation, it was raining and thundering. They could not sleep and were forced to stay up and meditate. Kou Zhong walked like usual, while Xu Ziling simply submerged himself in the stream, with only his mouth and nose above water surface.

    Soon, they became immersive in meditation, entering a mystic state that is neither asleep nor awake. The familiar visions of the figures in Secrets of Immortallity simultaneously came up in their mind, yet their mind no longer followed the lined paths and arrows, resting in a misty, indescribable mental level.

    At this moment came the wonderful things.
    First Xu Ziling's feet suddenly heated up like burning, then the searing energy surged upwards, splitting into tens of thousands of threads entering every acupoint and channel.
    The feeling itself is so unbearable that one would rather suicide than suffer from it. Fortunately the cool stream water and rain could lessened this pain by a little bit. Xu Ziling realized that this is the sparkling, so he shook off the pain and pay no attention to the surging Qi inside his body, clearing his mind of all thoughts.

    It was lucky that Fu Junchuo hadn't told them what the sparkling actually feels like.

    The normal sparkling in Stance of Nine Mysteries would begin with warming at the lower end of one's spine, then the energy flows upwards in Du Channel, breaking through Yuzhen, Niwan acupoints, turns into Ren Channel and starts all over again in cycles. Only after 36 cycles will this stage be finished. This level is what any ordinary martial practitioner would crave for, because from here one has finally started the journey towards a master of internal energy.

    Never before had anyone experienced the situation that Xu Ziling was in, most people would think it's an energy backfiring accident which would result in paralysis at best, and in worst scenarios, death from explosion of one's channels.

    When Shi Long was cultivating according to the figures, he had the common knowledge so he immediately felt wrong at the beginning and dare not continue. Whereas Xu Ziling had no idea about what should be "right" but just followed his own understanding thus he got the true essence of the pictures.

    What Kou Zhong had was a different experience. A stream of frosty Qi entered his head and flowed into every channel, almost freezing him to death. He could do nothing but keep running in order to prevent his blood from freezing.

    For four hours they struggled like this until dawn, when Kou Zhong finally collapsed in fatigue, channels inside his body felt like exploding and he fainted.

    On the other hand, Xu Ziling found the searing energy in his body quickly dissipated like falling tides. He felt a sense of emptiness and also fell unconscious.

    At noon when the rain stopped and sunlight had finally broken through the clouds, Kou Zhong first came to his senses. Under the burning sun, he only felt cool inside and comfortable.

    Kou Zhong was not sure what actually happened, recalling the experience last night he was still scared. Feeling lost, he sat up and looked around, then he was struck dumb in awe.
    The world in his eyes became much clearer, not only more colorful but some small details that he might skip previously had become vivid. Even the minor differences of the wind's blowing sound cannot escape his sense.

    The most strange feeling is that the sky and earth, everything - even a little stone or a grass - was no longer separated from him, seemingly connected to him as living things, and that he himself became one among them.

    Kou Zhong was surprised that he would see such a brand new world after the sparkling, uncontrollably a surge of joy welled up in his heart, making him bounce up in delights.
    Kou Zhong immediately thought of Xu Ziling. He yelled:"Xiao Ling! I've gained the first level! Look, my body is so light, I can turn somersaults!"

    After making two somersaults in a row, Kou Zhong hurried to find his good pal.

    In fact even if the greatest martial master in this time were here to see for himself, he couldn't figure out what they had actually cultivated. Maybe the author of Secrets of Immortality would drop his jaw knowing their current status.

    Speaking of an actual fight, even a ordinarily trained fighter can defeat them easily and make them beg for mercy, yet they had permanently altered their physiques, no one could possibly foresee how formidable their internal energy would become.

    Hearing Kou Zhong's call, Xu Ziling slowly woke up from his slumber. He was still floating in the water, his body comfortably warm. He quickly crawled up the bank and looking at this unbelievably beautiful world, he fell to his knees in excitement.

    On that day, they thought they had reached the first level of Stance of Nine Mysteries, however the terrifying experience they had the other night was still lingering on their mind, so they dare not meditate any more. As usual, they went on hunting in the morning and returned to the valley at night, no matter how tired they had become, after a sleep their tiredness all went away.

    This morning, Kou Zhong dragged Xu Ziling along to Fu Junchuo’s tomb and said, “Mum won't be happy if we continue to live like this, she wanted us to get married, to become successful and extraordinary people.”

    Xu Ziling remained silent for a while before he nodded in agreement, “I would also like to go outside, but we are still far from being martial experts yet. Neither do I want to be just an ordinary foot soldier. Mum was so formidable, we mustn’t lose her face.”

    Kou Zhong giggled, "Of course we mustn't. As mum said, Yuwen Huaji would stop at nothing for the Secrets of Immortality, he might have made our portraits and offered bounties for us, so we still need to be careful; but staying here, we will soon become savages."

    "So what've you planned?"Xu Ziling asked.
    "First let's bury the Secrets of Immortality somewhere and travel south, then we shall find a job in town, and when we're ready we shall join a rebel army." Kou Zhong answered confidently.

    Xu Ziling had no better idea, and as much as Kou Zhong, he wanted to achieve something great too, so they mourned briefly at Fu Junchuo's tomb, buried the book and got back their clothes, money etc, and left this heart-sinking place which they will remember eternally.

    It was already autumn by that time and the weather was cool.

    Young kids they were after all, they gradually recovered from the pain brought by Fu Junchuo's death and were talking and laughing again. They also felt more confident, having peeked at the very first secrets of martial art.

    After traveling south for seven days, they came to a village. There were about ten houses, of which only two or three had lights on, implying that these families had suffered from the wars so that they had to live poor lives.

    Walking into the village, they both had a feeling of returning to normal life again. At this moment they heard a dog barking, followed by a gang of dog barks echoing. A few big dogs rounded them up and were slowly closing in.

    They were alerted and prepared for a fight, luckily some villagers came out to dismiss the dogs and one of the villagers let them rest in his house.

    The next morning they paid the lodging fee, and after asking for directions, they set off again.

    For another ten odd days they travelled, until they came to a large town named Cuishan, which lies west of Zhe river and south of Xin'an County. This town is located next to Lake Boyang, has about two thousand households and is rather prosperous. Stone bridges and tile-roofed houses are all around, a typical Jiangnan waterside town. Although it is only a quarter the size of Danyang and there are no grand-looking walls and city gates, yet they decided on first sight that this is the place they were going to stay.

    What attracts them most was the dressings of women in the town. The fine cutting and sewing all presented the delicate crafts and mind of Jiangnan women. Moreover, the embroidered bracers and shoes, as well as their plaited skirts made the girls much more alluring as they paraded on the streets in groups, and as the beholders, the boys’ hearts couldn’t help but itch a bit.

    Unlike before, they have some money in their pockets, so their mood is certainly better and their confidence grew too.

    They booked a room in a not-so-expensive inn before sneaking towards the town hall, if they found their portraits on any wanted posters there, they would have no choice but to leave immediately.

    There they only saw soldier recruiting posters but not a single wanted poster. Delighted, they cheered loudly and went marching down the streets.

    As they walked, a band of young girls came head-on at them. Peeling at their strong physiques and extraordinary looks, the girls’ all threw flirty eyes at them, making the two boys laughed secretly.

    It's the first time since they were born had they received such admiration from girls, naturally their confidence grew a lot.

    In fact, during the seclusion in the valley this summer, being in their adolescence, and because of their constant exercises and cultivation taken, the boys had grown not only a little taller but also stronger, their appearance emitting some kind of indescribable charisma.

    They quickly became enchanted with the simple life-style of this town, thinking that even if they were to stay here and get married, it is not a bad thing.

    The reason why they were always dreaming about becoming rich and powerful is because back in Yangzhou, they were not content at all with the fact that they were poor and often bullied by people. Here they saw a lovely place with friendly people, so they immediately changed their idea, abandoning the thought of joining an army.

    Kou Zhong caught sight of a board which reads "Liuchun Brothel", he grabbed Xu Ziling’s broad shoulder and said, "Xiao Ling, there are those who get married at 14, now you're almost 16 and I'm 17, yet we're still virgins, "

    Xu Ziling was annoyed and said, "I know what you mean. With some money around you’re itching all over. I’m not saying that we couldn't spent money to get rid of our virginity, just that we shouldn't until we find a job and settle down. The money were left by mum, and she wanted us to use wisely, it's enough for us to run a store, we should not use up so soon."

    Kou Zhong was happy that he didn't directly object the idea, "Of course. Let's have a big meal and see if there are any job vacancies."

    They stopped by a restaurant and when they were about to enter, a bulk man swept out with his bag quickly like a gust of wind, then turned left and went away. Another short and thin old man chased out, yelling his name, yet the previous man didn't look back at all.

    The old man sat down with an upset face, leaning against the door frame, rumbling.

    Bewildered, they stepped inside anyway, while the old man yelled, "It's closed, and will never open again!"

    Now they realized he was the owner of this restaurant, and judging from his oily clothes, one would assume he's also the chef.

    Kou Zhong curiously asked, "Why?"
    The old man gave them a glimpse and grunted, "That lazy son has gone, my wife just died last month, how can I run such a big restaurant myself?" he sighed and added, "Speaking of cooking, I Lao Zhang is second to none. Glutinous oil rice, fragrant-breeze rice, lotus-seed rice, all these are my special expertise, yet that wastrel was unwilling to learn, always boasting about joining the army. See? Some day he will return, penniless, and I’m not going to feed him then. Humph, I shall go back to countryside instead, he will never find me!”

    They exchanged a few glances, then bent themselves down. Kou Zhong said, “What a pity that such a large restaurant is closing down, how about hiring us as your apprentices? We can help, and your expertise will find nice successors. We ask for less than others, only 200 pennies a month.”

    Lao Zhang was startled. He sized them up for a while and asked, “Who are you?” After Kou Zhong gave him their identities that he had just made up, Lao Zhang asked, “Is it 20 strings per month in total for two of you?”

    At that time, 10 pennies makes one string, so 20 strings is 200 pennies. This is a very low salary, even for one person, let alone two. Such mean person, no wonder his own son was unwilling to work for him.

    Kou Zhong was not very interested in the salary but his cooking skill, on which they could make a living in the future; He was also good at bargains, so he blurted without a second thought, “In that case you must provide us food and shelter.”

    Lao Zhang squinted with his sly eyes, saying, “Okay, but you must do all the cleaning and general stuff.”

    Kou Zhong laughed, “Deal! Now we’re very hungry, of course Mister Zhang will treat us well, will you?”

    Hence, they settled down in the room upstairs which was left empty by Lao Zhang's son. Every day they had to get up before dawn, after lunchtime they went to market for general purchase, and when the restaurant closed at night, they still had to wash the dishes and do the cleaning, while Lao Zhang had already gone to sleep. Busy like that, they hardly had enough time to sleep, let alone visiting the brothel.

    Lao Zhang was famed for his excellent cooking around the local area, many travelers and merchants came here from near and afar for his food. The restaurant only sells those three kinds of rice mentioned by Lao Zhang before, but his skill was more than that.

    With Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling as apprentices, sometimes Lao Zhang would even accept requests for holding banquets on premise.

    Lao Zhang was getting old and relied more and more on the two kids, and with their eagerness to learn, Lao Zhang gradually imparted his excellent cooking skills to them.

    After three months, they were already confident with their cooking. On the other hand, they also grew tired of this business.

    However they were hesitant to leave, for fear that Lao Zhang could not endure their sudden departure.

    On this evening, after they closed the restaurant and Lao Zhang had gone upstairs, they
    took the opportunity to discuss their plan.

    "Did you really make up your mind to stay here, and never to join the rebel army or become a martial expert?"Kou Zhong asked.

    Xu Ziling, who was lying in the chair exhaled, "We are too busy to have any spare time to spend, which is not fun at all."

    "Well, let's stay for another three months and after the new year, when it gets warmer we shall go." Kou Zhong proposed.

    "But still I felt rather reluctant to leave..."Xu Ziling said in a dilemma.
    "I felt the same, but I have an idea. The goal of an ambitious man lies far away, let's go to Song Clan in Hu Nan province. That Song Lu did treat us well, if he becomes our mentor, our dreams could come true." Gritting his teeth he added, "If we do become martial experts, the first one I gonna kill is Yuwen Huaji that bastard."

    "Last night I dreamt of mum again, she said we are cowards who dare not revenge her death."Xu Ziling said.

    Kou Zhong let out a long sigh and said, "Yes, we are not real men but cowards. What do we have besides our lives to lose? These days we even stopped cultivating because we are so scared. How could we live up to mum's expectations like that? I've made up my mind, from tommorow on I will begin to cultivate again, I will not stop until Yuwen Huaji is slain."

    A look of determination never seen before shot past Xu Ziling's eyes, he held Kou Zhong's hands tight and said, "I am relieved that you have made this decision. Back in Yangzhou, we were ambitious, why have we changed? Let's go, tomorrow!"

    "Why is it that your eyes just lit up, same light that I saw in mum's eyes?" Kou Zhong asked.

    Xu Ziling pondered for a while, then said, "To tell you the truth, although I had no intents to cultivate, yet every night when I lie down, that picture comes into my mind and I start cultivating automaticaly. "

    "If only I had the diligence like you. I must practice harder from now on. Ok, it's decided then, let's move on tomorrow."

    Xu Ziling muttered, "But now who is to tell Lao Zhang about this, you or me?"
    Kou Zhong smiled wryly, "Let's go together, that stingy man deserves a lesson after all."
    Last edited by xlandhenry; 07-02-11 at 05:22 AM.

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    thanks xlandhenry for the effort translating this...
    i'll wait for the updates and read them as they come!!
    btw..the translation is excellent

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    nice translation by the way how much time you spend to translatre a chapter when i try to translate i think i took 12 hours to finis a chapter at least but still my translation is very rough not like youu btw great job thank u

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    Quote Originally Posted by Icefrog View Post
    thanks xlandhenry for the effort translating this...
    i'll wait for the updates and read them as they come!!
    btw..the translation is excellent
    Thank you for your support

    @dragonsense
    I spent roughly 2 hrs per day on average translating, depending on the spare time I have. The last two chapters were kinda short actually, probably took me 10 hrs for each, but the next one is much longer

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    wow thank you for your dedication xlandhenry

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    I'm going on vacation in the next few days, so I shall post the first half of chapter 10. Enjoy! Will update the rest when I'm back
    =======================================
    Book1 Chapter 10 Regardless of their own
    The next day, they packed up their luggage and left before it’s dawn.

    It was this decision that will change the fate of themselves, and one day the fate of the whole martial realm and the world.

    Their first destination is the eastern capital of Sui Dynasty – Luoyang.
    Song Lu had mentioned that once their business in Sichuan is done, they will go to Luoyang to look for the legendary Jade of He. That was about half a year ago, but since this matter might take a long time, so the two boys still wanted to try their luck to see if they could meet Song Lu there.

    As they travelled closer to Changjiang River, they felt more tension of the constant wars. They came across refugees on their way from time to time, but when they asked, none of them could tell which faction, whether is the Sui army or the rebel army that they were running away from.

    This day they arrived at a small town and lodged inside a little inn. They slept till midnight, when all of a sudden they heard noisy crowds in the streets outside and it was completely chaotic.

    The two boys immediately realized something was wrong. They quickly packed their luggage and hurried out, pulling aside one man who was leaving to ask what had happened.

    “Du Fuwei’s army vanquished the Sui army around Dongling and occupied Liyang, no one expected his army to advance so fast.” The man answered and hurriedly walked away.

    They were also surprised that Liyang had fallen so quickly, which disrupted their plan to take a ship at Liyang. In the streets, people and carriages were rushing their way through, running southwards, and crying and cursing could be heard all along. They were brave but young, in this chaotic situation where everyone was terrified of an impending doom, they couldn’t help being influenced and blindly followed the crowds to leave the town.

    Clothes and shoes, furniture and containers were so dumped everywhere along the street, that one could imagine how chaotic the situation was. The two boys held each other tightly, afraid of being separated by the crowd of people.

    Outside the town, torch lights carried by the refugees could be seen all over the hills, which is much to their surprise, thinking that a small town that normally had few people on its streets suddenly seemed to magic out so many.

    Kou Zhong dragged Xu Ziling aside and together they turned into a forked path, leaving the crowd of people. He said in a low voice, “We have to continue going north, though not via Liyang of course.”

    “You’re right, but we should be extra careful.”Xu Ziling agreed.
    So they turned around and continue to venture north.

    This is the first time they travelled at night since leaving Cuishan, and strangely they could even see the path under the dim light of the stars.

    After an hour’s walk, they saw the sky ahead had been illuminated by fire, and distant sounds of crying and killing could be heard. They were so frightened that they took another path around.

    This change had completely disoriented them.

    At dawn, they came to a small village. Just as they were about to find someone to ask for directions, when loud hoof beats sounded and they saw a large band of horsemen riding down a hill. The two boys were caught by surprise and swiftly hid themselves in the bushes nearby.

    There were about 60 of them who were clad in different warrior clothes and a green band around their arms , from which one could tell they were a troop of the rebellion. Shortly after entering the village, the riders had shot down several dogs that were rushing out to attack them. They also broke into houses one by one, driving out the people inside, no matter old or young, men or women, numbering about a hundred. In a time, there was dogs barking, children and women crying, so pathetic that the two boys wanted to turn their gaze off.

    If they had invincible martial skills, then they could stand out to bring justice.

    Yet they were also aware that, without proper and advantageous conditions, even a mighty man like Xiang Yu still ended up killing himself by Wujiang River.

    In this unresting age, the power of a single man is nothing that matters.
    These green-band soldiers lined the villagers into two rows, seperated by gender and spread out to round them up in case anyone tried to run away.

    Only until now did the two boys understand why everyone in the other town took refuge on hearing the news about the coming of the rebel army.

    Unfortunate for these ill-informed villagers, who still had no idea of what happened when the army arrived.

    The two boys had never seen such scenes, where all the green-band soldiers were arm with sabres and lances, acting like butchers without remorse. They held their breath and dare not make any sound. The most dangerous thing was, the closest soldier was just about 50 feet away from them.

    One man who seemed to be their head rode towards the row of male villagers, under the escort of four bodyguards. He selected those stronger ones and ordered them to be tied up in a string, his looks extremely rude and brutal.

    Anyone who dared fight back will be terribly whipped.

    The two boys paled at the sight, and were enraged at the same time.

    Those mothers and wives, watching their husbands and sons were forced to be laborers, wept in sadness.
    The soldiers, however, kept their brutal looks on the face, showing no mercy at all.

    The head man had inspected all the men and rode past the group of women. Suddenly he stopped and pointed his horsewhip at one of the village girl, yelling: “You, come over!”

    A riot immediately broke out in the group of villagers, but was stopped quickly, inevitably there were several injuries.

    The two boys could only watch in anger, knowing there will be no difference even if they go all out to help. Now they realized that their idea of joining a rebel army was but a very nave one.

    The village girl was dragged out. She looked quite beautiful and plump; no wonder the head man was aroused.

    As the head man was smiling lasciviously, a young soldier standing by coldly commented:”Boss Qi, Governor Du[1] had prohibited raping, it’s still not too late to stop your misbehavior.”

    This man’s words are righteous, and he was brave to offend his senior. To see such a man in the army was quite out of their expectations, so they couldn’t help but secretly praise him inside.

    Boss Qi made a cold snort.“Li Jing, you should definitely stay out my business. Are you accusing me of raping? Let me tell you, I’m gonna take her home and marry her. She will be my wife! Haha, is Governor Du going to meddle with my own family business?”

    Li Jing was about to protest when the village girl instantly took a bite on the hand of the men who was grabbing her. Just as the man released his grasp because of pain, the village girl took the opportunity and ran as fast as she could out of the encirclement, sprinting towards the two boys’ direction.

    Four green-band soldiers immediately rode after her in pursuit, laughing.

    Seeing the desperate look on the village girl’s beautiful face, Kou and Xu jumped out of their hiding in righteous fury, completely regardless of their own. They picked up some stones and threw at the 4 soldiers who had already caught up with the girl.

    When they were in Yangzhou, their best Kungfu was throwing stones. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. This time their stones were thrown with extra accuracy. Two men were hit on the chest, actually falling down from their horses.

    At this point the village girl had finally used up her strength and fell onto the ground.
    Meanwhile, Kou Zhong felt he was full of strength with Qi surging throughout his body, to the point he believed he could even slay two tigers easily, and the stones he threw were extra-powerful. He called out in excitement, “Xiao Ling, seize their horses and secure the girl!”

    Several stones were thrown in succension, hitting the other two men on the cheek before they could pull out their bow and arrows, knocking them down in pathetic cry.

    Noticing the situation here, all the other green-band soldiers immediately rode towards them with thundering hoof beats.

    Xu Ziling had just grabbed the girl and was wondering how to get on the horse. As the soldiers were closing in, he grew extremely anxious and forgot that he doesn’t know any levitation technique. He hurriedly ran over to catch up the horse that was galloping forward, and tried to leap onto it with the light body of the village girl. To his surprise, he landed straight on the horse back easily.

    Kou Zhong had got onto another horse, but when he closed his feet on the horse belly, the warhorse suddenly stood on its rear legs and threw Kou Zhong off the ground.

    Xu Ziling’s horse was also turning in circles, unwilling to run as he commanded.

    Some soldiers had already come to within 20 feet from them. Several were ready to shoot but eventually hold back, not wanting to harm the horses.

    Xu Ziling shouted, “Zhong Shao, hurry on!”
    Kou Zhong was bewildered at the point, on hearing the call he jumped up and surprisingly landed on Xu Ziling’s horse back. Clutching on Xu Ziling’s waist, he yelled, “Go! “

    At this critical moment, the village girl took over the whip and kicked on the horse belly.

    The warhorse hissed loudly in return. Carrying the three, it shot forward towards the woods like an arrow. The moment it seemed they would certainly crash into the trees, a mud path appeared right before them. The horse followed the path that wound around in the woods, and quickly pulled away from the soldiers who were not familiar with this place.

    Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling both cheered in excitement, only until then did the latter realize that he was still hugging the girl’s fragrant body tightly.

    The girl was not only good at riding, but also knew this place well. They rode past woods and grasslands, across mounds and streams. Finally the sound of the enemy riders behind quieted down.

    As they were secretly happy, the horse suddenly stumbled over something and threw them into a bush nearby.

    When they got up, the village girl exclaimed in surprise and used her hands to cover her bosom. It turned out that her clothes was ripped open, revealing a large area of her white skin.

    The two boys immediately turned their backs at her, afraid to look.

    Kou Zhong knew tha she was just a few inches shorter, so he threw their parcel to her and said, “The clothes are clean, just pick one and get changed, we will not peek at you.”

    After a short moment the village girl called bashfully, “I’m ready!”

    They turned around, and instantly they were struck idle. Both of them were amazed that she was actually so pretty.

    The village girl is about twenty, has black eyes and a fair skin. After dressing in men’s clothes, she gave out a special kind of charisma.

    The girl waved at them, calling in a low voice. “Come with me.”

    The two boys turned back and spared one last glance at the dying horse before going with the girl, secretly lamenting. About an hour later, they were led into a shady cave on the hill. After telling them to sit down, the girl said, lowering her head. “I owe you my gratitude, two brave heroes. “

    Being respected as heroes, they were so pleased that it felt like being high in the clouds. But they were also curious, as from her appearance and the way she talked, she doesn’t seem like a village girl at all.

    The beautiful girl caught notice of their staring eyes and weird expression, realizing that despite being tall and strong, they are still childish kids younger than herself, so her shyness lessen a bit. “My name is Susu. I do not come from Pujia Village. I fled here after I was separated from my mistress, the kind villagers offered to took me in and let me stay there.”

    “Beautiful as Sister Susu, everyone would try to take you in!”Kou Zhong said.
    Susu’s face turned red, “No, that’s not true!”She said.

    Noticing Kou Zhong had started to flirt, Xu Ziling shot him a look then turned to the girl, “How long have you been in the village, you seem to be very familiar with this place.”He asked.

    Kou Zhong smiled and added, “Sister’s riding skill is really formidable.”

    They were always looked down upon by others people, so if someone is nice to them, they will be easily moved. Now this beautiful sister is treating them like heroes, no wonder they were so excited.

    Somehow Susu blushed even more. “I’ve stayed in the village for only a month, but I came here with the villagers several times for hunting. As for riding, I learned it from my mistress. Haven’t you ever been on a horse before?” She said in a soft voice.

    The two boys were embarrassed, thinking how is it possible that a hero had never ridden a horse.

    Kou Zhong made a dry cough and changed their topic, “Where does sister’s mistress come from?”

    Being referred to as their sister, Susu was also pleased. “My mistress is Zhai Wuxia, the only daughter of master Zhai Rang. That day our carriage was attacked, in the chaos we were separated from each other. My mistress is quite good at martial arts so she should be fine, she might have already returned to Xingyang now.”

    Their countenance changed instantly.

    During the time they worked in the restaurant, everyday they got a lot of information and rumors from various travelers and merchants, Zhai Rang and his prime general Li Mi were among the people they talked about most.

    Zhai Rang, also known as “The Big Brother”, is the leader of Wagang rebel army. Six years ago, he initiated an uprising together with another general Xu Shiji in Wagang Village and claimed the land as his own. Since then he had defeated the Sui army multiple times. However his army was then throttled by Sui General Zhang Xutuo and was unable to expand his territory further more.

    Last year his forces grew even more powerful after Li Mi joined in, who vanquished Sui army at the Dahai Monastery of Xingyang and slain Zhang Xutuo. After this great victory, the reputation of Wagang army soared and was sometimes considered as the leading power of all rebel armies. They were quite surprised that their beautiful sister is a serving maid of Zhai Rang’s daughter.

    Kou Zhong was surprised. “Isn’t Xingyang about a hundred miles east from Luoyang? Why did you travel so far to this place?”

    “My mistress wanted to watch the show by the famous learned lady Sang Xiufang in Liyang. But this information was leaked to somebody and we were attacked before we set our feet in Liyang. If not for my horse I won’t be able to meet you here.”She answered.

    At this moment, a slight cough came from the cave entrance.


    -------------------------------------------------------------To be continued
    [1]Governor Du is the title of Du Fuwei, who is also leader of a rebel army. He was mentioned by Song Shidao in Chapter 5, I hope you guys haven't forgotten yet :P
    Last edited by xlandhenry; 07-07-11 at 10:46 PM.

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    thanks xlandhenry!

    the story is getting more and more interesting... enjoy your holiday!

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    I'm bacK! And the rest of chapter 10
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    They looked towards the entrance in shock.

    A tall and strong man, aged around 23, stepped into the cave.

    Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling immediately leapt forward and fended before Susu.

    Kou Zhong took a more careful look and was surprised, “Aren’t you the man called Li Jing?”He asked.

    It was indeed the Li Jing who had rebuked the leader of the troop. He has tough facial features, though not very handsome, his straight nose, broad forehead and a pair of gleaming eyes give others the impression that he’s a man of great composure and wisdom.

    Li Jing smiled and nodded, showing his white teeth, which displayed a high contrast with his tan skin. “You’re right. This little friend must have excellent eyesight, as you were at least 150 feet from me at that time, yet you could still recognize my face. However you don’t seem to have practiced martial arts, that's rather strange.”

    They were secretly alerted that Li Jing could figure out so much just from what Kou Zhong said. This man is really full of wisdom.

    Susu's trembling voice came from behind, “I'll go with you, please don't harm them.”

    Li Jing laughed and said, “Just for the chivalrous words of yours, I'm willing to protect you with my life. Don’t worry, I came on my own. Boss Qi had been shot down by me secretly, a evil man like him will do no good if left alive.

    Judging from his physiques and appearance, Kou Zhong knew even the two of them join hands, they would not be able to defeat this man. Besides, he had carried sabre and bow with him. Since he said he had killed Boss Qi and willing to sacrifice himself to protect them, he had no reason to lie, so Kou Zhong let down his guard and said, "Brother Li, please sit.”

    Li Jing untied and laid down his bow and sabre, then came to sit down with them. After everyone was seated, he smiled and began: "I could've got here much earlier, but I had to cover the footprints you left. It took me quite some time.”

    Xu Ziling exchanged a look with Kou Zhong, then said with embarrassment, "Well, actually we haven't thought of that point."

    Li Jing gladly slap him on his shoulder, giving a thumb up, "To save someone in need and challenge a powerful enemy is indeed heroic deeds. What makes it more commendable is that you were not fully grown up yet. You will definitely become extraordinary people in the future.”

    Then he turned to Susu and continued, “And lady, your horse riding skill is remarkable.”

    Praised by Li Jing, the three of them blushed immediately and at the same time grew fond of him. Susu asked, "Will those soldiers made things hard for the villagers?”

    Li Jing answered indifferently. "This is the second reason why it delayed me so much. I had to release those villagers. Killing the lapdogs of Boss Qi only took me the time of a few cups of tea.”
    Susu was happy that he had released the villagers but also shocked at his indifference when he talked of killing.

    Li Jing said nonchalantly, "I had to kill them to seize their horses. But I had only brought two here, because I though you are from Pujia village. Now that I know, we need one more horse."

    Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling was secretly admiring this wise and brave man, but also a little afraid of him.

    Li Jing sized them up carefully before he spoke seriously, "In the time of wars and conflicts, it’s either your death or mine. People who are too merciful will be eliminated. So long as we have set our goals and principles, knowing what’s right and what’s wrong, we have no regrets to our conscience."

    The two boys nodded in acknowledgement.

    Susu asked, "Those you didn’t kill, are they still looking for us?”

    Li Jing answered with a smile, "Looking for me, actually. Although Du Fuwei is very famous, he’s not the type of man who could unite the nation. He let his subordinates run rampant, and he is also short-sighted to force people into labor, causing a very bad fame and blames among the people, that's not gonna last long. I had thought of him highly before, but now I know his true colors.”

    Kou Zhong always likes to talk about rebel armies, yet he couldn't find someone to talk to, as Xu Ziling was not interested at all. Now here's Li Jing the insider, he was more than happy to ask, "Which rebel army do you think is the most promising one?"

    Considering that Susu might be on Zhai Rang's side, Xu Ziling quickly gave him a warning. "Zhong Shao, stop your nonsense!"He said.

    Noticing that Xu Ziling kept signaling Kou Zhong while making eye contacts with Susu, Li Jing was surprised and asked. "So which side is lady on?”

    Susu hurriedly explained her background. "Don't worry, I’m just a servant girl and I know nothing about politics and warfare, just talk freely as you like."She said.

    Apparently Li Jing had high regards of them. He put up a serious expression and then said, "Analyzing the current situation, we can see that rebel armies are rising everywhere, but not many of them can be considered excellent. The most renowned one is Zhai Rang's, but his subordinate Li Mi has even higher reputation than him. If this trend continues, sooner or later something will go wrong.”

    Susu was scared. "What can I do?

    Li Jing said camly, "If lady has faith in my words, you should break out of Zhai's family to escape the dire fate that is to come."

    "I was sold into Zhai's household since I was a kid, at that time master Zhai was still a court officer. He was later sentenced to death because he killed a childe of a noble family and that’s why he was forced to rebel. My mistress treated me well, how can I leave her now?”

    Kou Zhong was amazed and asked more, "So Zhai Rang is still not the best, but is Li Mi the most promising one?"

    Li Jing was amused. "Most promising? Your wording is very funny. You’re right, Li Mi is not only one of the best martial experts around but also a great tactician who can direct his army with marvelous strategies, and above all, he has the charisma of a leader, which makes him a powerful candidate to the throne. However, he has too many rivals, first being the four great clans with many able men. They will not stand and watch a commoner usurping the throne. The prejudice towards outsiders and commoners roots deep in their family traditions and is hard to change. The four clans have held high positions at court for generations, their men excels in politics and governing the country, which can hardly be matched by other rebel leaders. Du Fuwei is a good example, he is great in martial arts, but not promising at all."

    They simultaneously remembered Yuwen Huaji when he mentioned the great clans, revealing looks of hatred.

    Li Jing was surprised at their reaction. "I have not known your names yet?" He asked.

    Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling knew that he saw through their expression and was wondering about their identities.

    Xu Ziling told him their names without hesitation and explained, "Yuwen Huaji killed our mum, we want to avenge her."

    After further explanation, Li Jing understand the whole thing. "You two are still inexpierenced. You know, there is a idiom saying 'Tell the truth but part of it'. Many people who seem to be reliable friends become enemies under certain circumstances, then everything you have told them may possibly be your undoing."

    The two boys nodded in acknowledgement.

    "Brother Li is really nice to them."Susu was moved and said.

    Li Jing casually said, "I've met too many people who are even unworthy for a talk, but few who can be considered friends. A lot of seemingly impossible feats in this world, all have been accomplished by ambitious people. Commoners can become premiers and dukes and even emperors, a penniless man can also become the richest, there are plenty of examples that you two can follow."

    Greatly encouraged by his words, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling cannot hide their excitement on faces.
    The talk with Li Jing is like a beacon in the darkest night, giving them hope and courage and helping them to finally recover their ambitions after Fu Junchuo's death.

    Li Jing continued on the previous topic, "Besides Zhai Rang and Li Mi, the most renowned - Well, the most promising three rebel armies are Wang Bo, Dou Jiande and Du Fuwei."

    Even Li Jing uses the phrase he invented. Kou Zhong could not help but feel delighted and said, "You've already commented on Du Fuwei, but what about Wang Bo and Dou Jiande? Who are these two dudes?"

    Susu laughed happily, saying, "You actually call them dudes?"

    Li Jing also felt very funny and said, "Little Kou is still a child! Wang Bo is the No.1 expert of Changbai faction, often refered to as 'Whiplord'. He also composed a song named 'Don't go Liaodong and die in vein'[1] which is very popular. He knows how to manipulate the public opinions and thus he is supported by majorities in Shandong province. Much better than Du Fuwei in this aspect."

    He paused for a second and added, "If Zhai Rang and Li Mi start to fight internally, then this Dou Jiande from Qinghe will certainly take their place. He was a gang leader in Hebei province, after his whole family being eradicated by Yang Guang's men, he joined Gao Shida's rebel. Later when Gao Shida died in battle, he seized the leadership of his army. This man's martial art has already reached a nearly perfect level. He had claimed the Gaojipo area as his operational base, he has about 10,000 men and his power reaches beyond Huanghe River, which is not to be underestimated."

    "One single comment of yours is much worthier than all those bullshit I heard during three months in that restaurant. Yang Xuangan, Song Zixian, Wang Xuba, Wei Daoer, Li Zitong, Lu Mingyue etc, those huge bunch of names really drove me crazy. Now I know, only these few men are competent."

    Li Jing took out some food and shared with them. "We should stay here until midnight, those pursuing men will be exhausted by then so no problem even if we encounter them."He said.

    The two boys already look on him as an all-knowing god, so they immediately nodded non-stop.

    "Brother Li, you have betrayed Du Fuwei now. Do you have a plan on where to go?"Susu asked.

    Li Jing asked in turn without answering, "Where do you three want to go?"

    Susu said with her head lowered, "I have to return Xingyang and ask my mistress to warn her dad about Li Mi."

    Kou Zhong answered, "We're going to Luoyang to see a friend."

    Li Jing nodded. "And I'd like to witness the doom of Sui. Anyway, I'm also going north, just let me be accompanied, and by the way, I can teach you two some basic martial techniques, as well as riding and archery."

    Hearing this, they immediately cried out in excitement: "Master!"

    Li Jing was amused. "Don't call me master, we are equal. Moreover, your mum had laid the foundation of your internal energy, which even I cannot fathom, and you are really rare talents with bright and creative minds. You may not believe it now, but you will become peerless martial experts some day. Time will prove it."

    As the two boys looked into each other's eyes in unbelief, Li Jing stood up and said. "Let me teach you riding first, then my sabreplay. My sabreplay only has 10 odd moves, very effective when you are chopping and charging in crowds of people. This is not enough for you to get famous in martial realm, but it will be powerful on battlefield, even if in situations when you're outnumbered. As for archery, I learned it from the northern barbarians so I'm quite confident."

    How could the two boys imagine to have such wonderful opportunities? Both of them knelt down at once to give their thanks.

    Li Jing laughed and led them out.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    [2]无向辽东浪死歌 The song was written under the background that Sui Emporer Yang Guang had ordered several expeditions to invade Gaoli(Ancient Korea), which resulted in deaths of many men and poverty of countless families. Liaodong refered to the area which is bordering Gaoli, hence the name of the song. Wang Bo used this for his propagenda, gathering up many people who are dissatisfied with the tyranny under his banner.
    Last edited by xlandhenry; 07-17-11 at 02:56 AM.

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    Thanks for the update, welcome back.

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    yes, welcome back!!
    always waiting to read any update to this wonderful translation..

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    thanx for the update
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    Thanks for the translations.

    Is there a complete list of the characters for this novel somewhere?

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    Been very busy working overtime during the last two weeks so no updates, just sign in to say hi and to let you know that I'm still around, will be back later when everything is settled XD

    Quote Originally Posted by Liling View Post
    Thanks for the translations.

    Is there a complete list of the characters for this novel somewhere?
    No i'm afraid, until I make one I think it's a good idea though, because this novel has hundreds of named characters.

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    I thought I would lend a helping hand, enjoy.

    -----------------------------

    Chapter 11 - The Chasing Soldiers Suddenly Arrive

    As the sky began to darken and night approached, there were two people awkwardly riding, and a total of four people divided between two horses, leaving one horse empty just in case they needed to make a quick escape.

    Li Jing and Xu Ziling shared one horse, while Kou Zhong and Susu rode the other one.

    Kou Zhong hung on to Susu’s waist tightly and pressed up against the pink robe clothing her back. He could smell her fragrant body and wished that he could continue like this forever.

    Susu still felt nervous because even though she saw Kou Zhong as a little brother, with such intimate contact she couldn’t help having some feelings, even if they weren’t strong. Because of that Kou Zhong was lost in his enjoyment.

    Li Jing was really an extraordinary person as he frequently dismounted from the horse to place his ear on the ground and listen to make sure their weren’t soldiers waiting to ambush them. He also knew how to use the surrounding terrain to conceal their movement making sure they didn’t aimlessly rush forward from their anxiety.

    By dawn the four had left the wilderness behind and entered into the outskirts of Danyang.

    Jiangdu was the last great city the Changjiang River flowed past before it poured into the ocean. Directly West of it lies Danyang, the next large city along the banks of the river.

    Since Li Yang fell into the hands of Du Fuwei, traffic along the Changjiang river had been immediately cut off and Danyang was quickly plunged into a state of emergency.

    However, Li Jing pointed out that it wasn’t easy for Du Fuwei to take Li Yang and now he barely had sufficient strength to pacify the resistance from the surrounding towns. For the time being he would be lucky to stabilize the situation in Li Yang. It wasn’t even worth mentioning a possible invasion of Danyang.

    Secondly Yang Guang was still in control of the capital Daxing. East of the capital was Luoyang and together with the coastal city of Jiangdu these three cities were the country’s most important strategic locations.

    There were also the three great canals that gave a great boost to economic and agricultural aide, joining the North and South together. The canals also made the three great cities inseparably knit together which allowed the Sui government to send their armies to the South in order to quickly suppress any rebellions.

    It was assumed that the Emperor’s capital Luoyang in the East, and the two Southern cities Jiangdu and Yangzhou were vital. The emperor would have to struggle at all costs to hold on to them as well as control the surrounding land.

    Therefore the Sui soldiers would not hesitate in going to defend Danyang in order to avoid a disaster at Jiangdu.

    Based on this it can be seen that when Du Fuwei took control of Li Yang, the conflict between his rebel army and the Sui army reached a turning point.

    The closer they got to Danyang the more tense the situation became.

    Warships were continually passing by, moving from Jiangdu towards Danyang. There were also more Sui army checkpoints and those skilled in Martial Arts were banned from Danyang, so they had to constantly retrace their steps. It was also rumored that Danyang was already closed up tight.

    Fortunately they weren’t planning on going to Danyang, only to a nearby county so they sold the three war-horses and made a small fortune.

    Li Jing took the silver and divided it into four and urged each one of them to conceal it well on their body saying, “The retreating soldiers are still in disarray so anything can happen. Right now the three rebel armies have the largest force. Dou Jiande occupies Heibei, Du Fuwei controls the Huai River, and the situation with Zhai Rang in the Central Plains is gradually becoming more clear. The Sui army has also been fragmented into many pieces, so using the name of the rebel armies four false tyrants have begun looting. As if intending to divide up a bowl of thick soup the underworld has also become much more common. If we encounter something on the way and become separated, then we will meet up in Gaoyou at the northern docks along the canal that leads to Luoyang.”

    Looking back at Susu he could tell her clothes were thin as she huddled against the cold weather he continued, “Tonight we will stop here to find a hotel and get some rest. You two go with Susu and buy some cold weather clothing so that when it snows your bodies won’t freeze. When you are done we can meet here again.”

    Kou Zhong asked, “Where is big brother Li going?”

    Li Jing examined the shops lining both sides of the street, but didn’t seem to find what he was looking for saying, “I am going to look for a weapon shop to buy you two a long knife so that you can protect yourselves. I just hope the price isn’t too high! Right now owning a sword shop is the best business to be in.”

    Overjoyed Kou Zhong exclaimed, “In that case we should separate and take care of our errands!”

    After breaking up Kou Zhong and Xu Zi Ling accompanied Susu along the streets packed with people as they looked for a clothing shop.

    This suburb of Danyang was especially thriving because of the many people that had escaped and come from Li Yang. It was also very lively, but the people also displayed an unutterable nervous anxiety just beneath the surface.

    Most of the shops had already closed their doors. Xu Zi Ling said, “Why don’t we go to the central city market and see if they don’t have some shopping stalls?”[1]

    The three then turned and began to squeeze their way through the crowd towards the city market.

    Because it was so packed with people, Susu reached out and hooked arms with both boys, so that they would not get separated. It increased their warmth, but also served to further intoxicate and enchant the two confused boys.

    Kou Zong leaned close to Susu’s ear and whispered, “Elder sister shouldn’t buy men’s clothing to wear. If you wear a hat it will cover up your beautiful hair, and then people won’t be able to see just how beautiful elder sister really is.”

    Susu happily nodded when she heard his praise.

    At that moment the three arrived at the city market and just as expected there were many vendors selling all kinds of goods, especially warm clothing for cold weather.

    Xu Zi Ling also moved to whisper in Susu’s delicate ear, “You shouldn’t trim your long hair, when we were boys we learned a foolproof method for tying up long hair in a bun, and it is a more effective method.”

    Susu replied with joy, “You would be willing to do that for me?”

    Both boys boasted at once, “Of course, we’re the best!”

    Susu dragged them to halt before one of the stalls and excitedly began to select clothes for cold weather, and durable boots. She was completely caught up in it.

    Kou Zhong and Xu Zi Ling were both greatly amused and were brimming with a warm feeling.

    Suddenly they both noticed that there were several large muscular gangster looking men squatting on the ground and staring lecherously at Susu while whispering between themselves.

    Both of them felt the same reaction, cursing them in their hearts.

    Kou Zhong rushed over and hastily helped Susu pick the proper assortment of clothing. Without even haggling the price he reluctantly paid more than twice the normal price before quickly turning around and leaving.

    When they finally left the city market both of them heaved a sigh of relief.

    “Bang!”

    Just as they arrived to the main street a man unexpectedly appeared and ruthlessly struck his shoulder against Xu Zi Ling’s shoulder.

    Xu Zi Ling was caught off guard but his shoulder naturally fell back before the collision, while at the same time he felt his feet become hot as if steam were flowing to his shoulder

    “Ya!”

    The man let out a miserable groan as he staggered away barely avoiding falling to the ground.

    Shocked all three of them came to a halt as six men rushed to block their path, and a loud shout rang out, “Bring them here!”

    As the two boys got a closer look they noticed that four of the men were the same fierce men who had been staring at Susu and they immediately realized what was going on.

    In a flurry the other people on the street disappeared so they could avoid bringing disaster upon themselves.

    ---------------------
    [1] A shopping stall would be like a moveable kiosk with goods instead of a stationary store front.

    To Be Continued...
    --=={Grundle}==--

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    Yaaaaayyyyy!!!!! Thanks Grundle!
    Man is glue. You are man. How then can you step away from glue?

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    thanks...been waiting for an update...

    i never did fully watch the tvb version of this book...but so far the book is really good...
    might need to dig up my dvd and watch it.
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    Wow, Grundle is back! I'm glad that I had not started translating chapter 11 yet
    So if you don't mind, shall I go on with Book 2 chapter 1?

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    Quote Originally Posted by xlandhenry View Post
    Wow, Grundle is back! I'm glad that I had not started translating chapter 11 yet
    So if you don't mind, shall I go on with Book 2 chapter 1?
    Yep, that is a great idea We can go so much faster that way
    --=={Grundle}==--

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    Susu’s face went pale as Xu Zi Ling protectively pushed her behind them and Kou Zhong laughed as he said, “Brothers across the entire world, through the trials of a long journey. The Bamboo Blossom Society second hall master is our grandfather, but I don’t know why these people are addressing big brother.” He finished by making a Bamboo Blossom Society hand signal.

    The seven lowlifes exchanged looks and appeared to be a little panicked. [2]

    In the Yangzhou region the Bamboo Blossom Society had considerable influence, otherwise Kou Zhong wouldn’t be able to invent such a wild story about them.

    One of the men in the group was clearly the leader as he took a step forward saying, “We are the ones looking after you, that’s who we are. You bumped into us brothers so how are you going to compensate for it?”

    Since he was young Kou Zhong grew up running through an orderly city so he didn’t know just how precarious the situation was. The gaze of the men had all dropped to Susu’s ample bosom. Even if he was apprehensive, he also knew they had no way to escape so Kou Zhong hardened his heart and said with a smile, “We don’t have any money, just a couple of lives, maybe you will be able to come and take them.”

    The sound of wind was heard when the leader launched a foot sweep.

    Kou Zhong thought it was strange that this guy’s kick was so slow, it didn’t make any sense at all.

    From the right side another person rushed forward with a punch at his face.

    When they were in Yangzhou both of them grew up fighting and enduring beatings so they already had unparalleled experience. They were also used to cooperating ,so as soon as the fight started Xu Zi Ling already pulled Susu back another two paces and was just about to go forward to help when Kou Zhong shouted back, “You take care of elder sister!”

    Kou Zhong sidestepped to avoid the leg sweep while at the same time he crouched down and let out a ferocious punch at the man who came from the right, hitting him square in the abdomen. Xu Zi Ling stared in amazement at Kou Zhong’s agility.

    Something even more wonderful happened when Kou Zhong moved. His whole body felt like it was immersed in an unspeakably cool pleasant sensation while a cold spiraling stream from his head flowed through his Jing Mai acupoint to his arm that rushed forward as a punch. “Bang!”

    The man struck by his fist let out a miserable cry as his body flew through the air, hitting another one of the large men behind him and they both tumbled to the ground battered and exhausted.

    Kou Zhong couldn’t believe it as he stared stupidly at his own fist, but he heard Susu and Xu Zi Ling cry out in alarm and knew it wasn’t good. Another man kneed him in the back.

    Kou Zhong was painfully knocked forward to the ground.

    The lowlife that launched the sneak attack was about to take advantage of his momentum and press the advantage when he suddenly felt a cold stream rush violently from his knee and enter into his entire body as if he were plunged into an ice cellar. He was greatly shocked and still didn’t know what happened when he found himself on the ground staring upwards. He was not able to get up again.

    As soon as Kou Zhong touched the ground he rolled to the side to avoid any kicks and was surprised when he noticed the pain in his back had already healed without any medicine or treatment.

    It wasn’t until Kou Zhong quickly jumped to his feet that he noticed Xu Zi Ling had bravely rushed forward to fight. Peng, peng, peng, there were only five of the evil fiends left.

    The one who was punched and the guy who launched the sneak attack still couldn’t get back up.

    Xu Zi Ling was like a wild devil as he totally ignored the punches and kicks coming at him. Instead he was easily able to dodge out of the way and immediately afterward he would ruthlessly strike back. Blood spurted out of the mouth of each person he struck while they crumbled to the ground.

    Kou Zhong still didn’t understand what was going on.

    By now they were surrounded by hundreds of people who were all applauding them while at the same time some government officials appeared shouting and pushing their way through the crowd. Kou Zhong yelled, “Little Ling, it’s the heat, pull out!”

    Frightened Xu Zi Ling jumped away from the last opponent and Kou Zhong grabbed Susu as they disappeared in a flash.

    All three continued to run until they found a place to change into their new clothes. When they came out of the alley back on to the main street they appeared to be nothing more than three ordinary young men.

    Susu was still slightly afraid but she had an expression full of joy because she knew they had been fighting for her.

    As they walked towards the place they agreed to meet Li Jing, they were affected by the excitement on Susu’s pretty face as she recounted everything that had just happened to them. Kou Zhong proudly said, “When that unlucky guy hit me in the back it hurt so bad I thought I was going to vomit blood, but in a flash I suddenly felt a comfortable cool feeling rush through my body and the pain completely disappeared. Instead that guy strongly rebounded off his father’s body. How was it that egg lost instead?” [3]

    When Susu heard his foul language, instead of being upset she was delighted and held on even tighter to their arms.

    Xu Zi Ling laughed as he said, “You’re cool and I’m hot. I never knew fighting like this could be so fun, knocking out their teeth with one punch. It didn’t matter if I got hit because my counterattack made them bleed. If the first level of the Stance of the Nine Mysteries is this fierce, then if we reached the ninth level we could even boil that egg Yuwen Huagu!”

    Kou Zhong moved his head closer to smell Susu’s hair as he shook his head and exclaimed, “Our elder sister sure is fragrant, no wonder she attracts trouble like waves of butterflies.”

    Susu couldn’t resist the urge to pull her head away while she angrily said, “Little Zhong is being mischevious again, I am going to tell elder brother Li.”

    Xu Zi Ling also moved closer and took a big sniff saying, “If you get one sniff, I get one too. It is only fair.”

    Laughing, Susu looked like a flowering branch that was shaking as she constantly dodged left and right. The three young “men” in the road were thrown into disorder irritating the others on the street and catching their attention.

    Susu suddenly pulled them to a stop saying, “Finally, we are here!”

    ----------------------------
    [2] Huang Yi is taking liberties here. Six men surrounded them plus the one guy that smashed shoulders. It can be confusing if you forgot about that first guy.
    [3] “His father” - I am guessing that calling yourself someone elses ancestor puts you above them and becomes an insult. Kind of like an old-school your mom joke.
    “that egg” - another slang term also referring to ancestry. I don’t understand it, but I know it is a slang.
    --=={Grundle}==--

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