Ycb, Anh, Clown, you are welcome. Yan, thanks for stopping by then. You, the readers, are the only reward we, the translators, receive. So thanks for letting me know ...
Ycb, I saw your post in ASTIP thread. I need to clarify that the reason I do not read the original Chinese is because my Chinese is not up to par, not because I am as nice as you said I was ... I rely heavily on dictionary, so it will take me twice, three times longer if I have to read the original Chinese text. Even if I wanted to re-read Condor Trilogy, for example, I would re-read my own translation.
Justin, I do hope you read this thread too, because we are talking about Lu Xiaofeng, I thought it be better to talk it here and not confuse your readers. The Lord's willing, I will attempt to finish Book 7 as well. However, Junny is still working on Book 5, so I do not have any plan on taking it over, unless Junny decided not to continue, in which case I will try to finish what he/she started.
Chapter 15 Saving people for the sake of loyalty
(Translated by Foxs)
She was cursing loudly, but Lu Xiaofeng did not hear her, not even one word.
Honest Monk wiped his sweats; he sighed and said with a bitter laugh, Apparently, this is called the natural treatment.
Boom! suddenly the wave crashed onto the small boat, the stars in the sky disappeared rapidly behind black clouds. Was there a storm coming in?
The sea was getting darker, the small boat rocked more violently. When the stars disappeared completely, they could not even distinguish direction.
Honest Monk gripped the edge of the boat tightly with both hands, blood has been drained from his face; he did not stop mumbling, What should we do? Monk is afraid to even look at the water in the bath tub, I dont even dare to take a bath.
Xiao Yu chuckled. Turns out she started. But before she could finish, the crashing wave hit her heavily, throwing her to the floor of the boat.
Lu Xiaofeng rushed to hold the rudder; but even if he could control the rudder, what good would it do, since he could not even tell direction?
Honest Monk sighed. With a bitter laugh he said, Now Monk finally understands.
Understand what? Lu Xiaofeng asked.
Honest Monk replied, Understand why Gong Jiu readily agreed to your conditions. He sighed again before continuing, That kid must have figured out early on that there would be a storm at the sea; he already knew that we wont pass this hurdle.
Lu Xiaofeng said, Dont forget that his little sister is also on a small boat; her boat is no bigger than ours.
Honest Monk said, Dont forget that that girl is a fox-spirit, while we are a bunch of land-dwellers.
Lu Xiaofeng was silent. He could not help sighing as well, If the Old Fox is here, that would be nice, he said.
Who is the Old Fox? Honest Monk asked.
Lu Xiaofeng said, He cant be considered anybody special, but if in this world there were 300 ways to prevent a boat from capsizing, he would know at least 299 of them.
Suddenly they heard someone said, I know all 300 ways.
One of the plank of the small boat suddenly raised up, a head appeared from below; a head full of ash grey hair, but his eyes were deep blue like the seawater.
The Old Fox! Lu Xiaofeng cried out, How come you are not dead yet?
The Old Fox winked and said, Have you seen a fish drowned in the water?
No, Lu Xiaofeng replied.
Fish may die in the water, but definitely not from drowning.
The Old Fox laughed and said, On land, I am an old fox; in the water, I am a fish.
What kind of fish? Xiao Yu asked.
Lu Xiaofeng laughed. An old turtle, of course! he said. [Orig. 甲鱼 jia yu, lit. shell/shield/armor fish.]
The storm was over.
No matter how small the boat, no matter how big the storm, with an expert at the helms, surely it would go over it.
Old Foxs hand was as steady as a rock.
These days, where did you hide?
In the water, of course, the Old Fox replied.
If one can hide under water, it was indeed the safest place.
What did you eat? Lu Xiaofeng asked.
Big fish eats small fish, old fish eats big fish.
The nutrition of raw fish far surpasses simmer-fried fish, steamed fish or deep-fried fish. Therefore, his hand was still very steady, his physical strength had not disappeared.
How did you get to this boat?
I saw this boat is loaded with fresh water, so I knew it was going to sail away. He laughed, a very proud laugh, I also knew that if it was not an emergency, nobody would move the lifeboat.
Xiao Yu had been listening all along. Now she could not help sighing and said, Apparently this man is indeed an old fox.
Honest Monk also could not help sighing and said, There will come a day, you will also turn into an old fox.
Xiao Yu stared at him. She suddenly asked, You really never take a bath?
Who said that? Honest Monk asked.
You said it yourself just now, Xiao Yu said, You said you are afraid to look at water, how can you take a bath?
I am clean, Honest Monk said.
The setting sun faded away.
The Old Foxs eyes were just as exciting as the sunset.
Where are we heading?
Naturally the Old Fox is returning to the Fox Den.
He laughed even more delightedly, because he knew that with him on the helm, even if other people did not want to go, they simply could not refuse.
What kind of place is the Fox Den?
Its the kind of place where, if you have been there once, you will want to go back.
Have you been there?
Lu Xiaofeng nodded. His eyes were also shining.
In that low and dark building, there were always rooms lost in boundless mists of smoke; with rough and blunt men, downing cup after cup of strong wine, strong enough to make them shed their tears; and then there were those bathrooms, with wooden partition full of holes
For an unknown reason, when he thought about those things, there was an unspeakable warmth in his heart.
Narrowing his eyes, the Old Fox stared at him. Is your heart the same as mine, you want to come back? he asked.
Lu Xiaofeng could not deny. A little bit, he said.
The Old Fox said, Only a little bit, or you are dying to come back?
Lu Xiaofeng sighed. I am dying to come back, he said.
The Old Fox chuckled. Casually he pointed forward and said, Do you know what that is?
Lu Xiaofeng turned his head around. He saw land. Great and lovely land, finally they were back.
There is no doubt that they would be back, because their faith and courage had not disappeared.
The Old Fox was as excited as a little child.
This coast, the sandy beach, even that piece of rock, he was very familiar with.
No matter where he was, as long as he closed his eyes, he could see everything clearly.
Yet as soon as he came ashore, he was stunned. The coast, the sandy beach, the rock, had not changed. But his Fox Den had.
The low, shabby single-story building has changed beyond recognition. The windows have snow-white paper covering, there was no more rough and blunt laughter coming from the inside. His Fox Den has unexpectedly turned into a tomb.
Lu Xiaofeng was also taken by surprise. He could not help asking, Are you sure you did not land on the wrong place?
Actually, he should have known that the Old Fox cant possibly land on the wrong place. In the world, there has never been any fox who cannot find its way back to its den.
But then, in the world there is nothing that cannot change; including a fox den.
Lu Xiaofeng continued, When you left, who was in charge of the Fox Den?
Xiao Yu interrupted, When the old fox is out, the mother fox is naturally in charge of the fox den.
Lu Xiaofeng sighed. I get it, he said.
You get what? the Old Fox asked.
Lu Xiaofeng said, That mother fox of yours must be a fox-spirit too. Fox-spirits do not like to be a widow too long, she must have thought that you were buried at the bottom of the sea, so most likely your Fox Den now has a new master.
With a cold laugh the Old Fox said, Whoever dare to take that fox-spirit, I really admire his guts.
They were standing behind the big rock, and were able to see the Fox Dens newly painted front door.
The door suddenly opened, a man swaggered out. He had hawk nose and high cheekbones, his eyes like eagle.
Lu Xiaofeng sighed and said, Other people perhaps wont dare, but this man definitely dare.
You know him? the Old Fox asked.
Not only I know him, Lu Xiaofeng replied, I also know that there are very few things in the world that he does not dare to do.
Who is he? the Old Fox asked.
Ying Yan Laoqi, the Zongpiaobazi [see chapter 1] of the Twelve-Dock Alliance, Lu Xiaofeng replied.
The Old Foxs countenance changed a little.
Lu Xiaofeng said, I wont be surprised if he seized anybodys den, but I am surprised that he came here.