Heroes Shed No Tears - Gu Long

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade

[deathblade]

Wow - blazing speed! Thanks!

Edit (errors):

The whole street knows you life here
Should be "live"

He hard returned her back
Not sure I understand this statement

It seemed that two or three days had passed. Little Gao felt dirty and tired, but he felt to regret
Should be "no"

PS: on your footnote on relationship - I think the English is "we are not related to each other" (something to this effect, ie we don't know each other)

Thanks for the catches. I realized later that I uploaded this one without proofreading >__<

I'll go back later and proofread.

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, deathblade.

[deathblade]

Chapter 5: Extraordinary meetings, extraordinary adventures

Part 5

A silent, cold night. A silent, long street.

They walked hand in hand down the snow-covered street. They found a small food stall underneath the eaves of the street, and ate a bowl of meat and bread soup, hot, fragrant, and spicy. (1)

They didn’t drink any wine.

They didn’t need wine to arouse their feelings.

Afterwards, they walked hand in hand back to the cheap inn. Little Gao still had some things there he wished to collect.

As soon as they rounded the street corner, they saw something very strange.

Her hand, which was clasped by his warm palm, grew ice cold.

**

The inn was closed, but standing in the faint lantern light outside the door was a person.

He stood there like wood, unmoving in the cold, night wind. His face was purple from the cold, but he stood there very calmly.

Little Gao clasped her cold hand, and quietly said, “Don’t worry. He’s here for me.”

“How do you know?”

“He’s from the Great Protection Agency. I saw him once on the fifteen day of the first lunar month.”

“If you see someone once, you never forget them?”

“Pretty much.”

They still hadn’t walked forward, but the man bowed respectfully toward Little Gao and saluted him.

“Your servant Sun Da is here to pay respects to Hero Gao.”

“How do you know who I am?”

“On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, your servant saw Hero Gao,” said Sun Da steadily. “I saw you in the room where Yang Jian was killed.”

“Don’t tell me that once you see someone you never forget them?”

“Correct.”

Little Gao laughed. “I remember you too. You’re the one person who I didn’t knock down that day.”

“Hero Gao was showing mercy.”

“What are you standing there for? Are you waiting for me?”

“Yes,” said Sun Da. “Your servant has already been waiting here two days and one night.”

“You’ve been standing there the whole time waiting?”

“These past two days, Hero Gao's whereabouts were uncertain. Your servant was worried he would miss Hero Gao, and wasn’t willing to take a step away.”

“What if I didn’t return just now?”

“Then your servant would keep waiting.”

“What if I didn’t return for three days and three nights. Would you wait keep waiting for me for three days and three nights?”

“Even if Hero Gao didn’t return for three months, your servant would still stand here waiting.” Sun Da was very calm as he spoke.

“Who sent you here?” asked Little Gao. “Was it Zhuo Donglai?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Would you really do anything he asked you to do?”

“Mr. Zhuo’s orders are like a mountain. Down to this day, no one has ever dared disobey.”

“Why do you all obey him like this?”

“Your servant doesn’t know. I only know how to obey orders, I’ve never thought about why.”

Gao Jianfei sighed. “He really is amazing. Not only does he have courage, resourcefulness and foresight, he has the ability to be a general. I’ve always wondered, why isn’t he the chief of the Great Protection Agency?”

Sun Da had no reaction. It seemed as if he hadn’t heard at all. From within his garment he produced a large red invitation envelope. He handed it forward respectfully with two hands.

“This is what Mr. Zhuo asked your servant to deliver to Hero Gao.”

“You waited here for two days and one night just to deliver an invitation to me?”

“Yes.”

“Did you ever think that leaving it at the front desk would be the same as delivering it yourself?”

“Your servant never thought of this. There are a lot of things your servant has never considered. Thinking about things too much isn’t always a good thing."

Little Gao laughed again.

“True. That’s true.” He took the envelope. “I should learn from you.”

**

Gao Jianfei didn’t need to open the envelope to know that it wasn’t an invitation to pay a friendly visit, but rather a letter of challenge.

A simple and clear challenge.

“The first day of the second lunar month. Before dawn.
Li Village, The Temple of Maternal Grace, Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
Sima Chaoqun.” (2)

**

“The first day of the second lunar month. What day is today?” asked Little Gao of Sun Da.

“Today is the thirtieth day of the first lunar month.”

“The day he picked is tomorrow?”

“Correct.”

Sun Da gave another respectful salute. “Your servant takes his leave.”

He turned around and walked away. He had walked a ways when Little Gao suddenly called for him to stop.

“You’re called Sun Da?” he asked the staid young man. “Are you Sun Tong’s brother?”

“I am.” Sun Da stopped for a moment, but he didn’t turn his head. “Your servant is Sun Tong’s brother.”

**

Cold night. As cold as the edge of a knife.

As he watched Sun Da’s reflection on the snow slowly disappear into the distance, Little Gao suddenly asked a question of the woman who had been standing at his side this whole time. “Did you notice something?”

“Notice what?”

“You’re a very good-looking woman. From birth, men want to see a woman like you. But from beginning to end, Sun Da didn’t look at you even once.”

“Why would I want him to look at me? Why would you want him to look?” It seemed she was a little upset. “Don’t tell me you need other men to stare at me for you to be happy? Is that what you mean?”

Little Gao hadn't made her upset. When a woman is being held by her lover, she can’t really be mad at anything.

"Actually, I knew all along what you meant," she said softly. "I just wanted to tell you, Sun Da is a complicated person." Her voice became even softer. "But I didn't want you to tell me that other thing. I don't want to know about that kind of thing."

"What things do you want to know about?"

"I want to know why Sima Chaoqun invited you to meet him tomorrow at the Wild Goose Pagoda."

"Actually, he didn't invite me," said Little Gao, "it was me who invited him. On the fifteenth of the first lunar month, I invited him."

"Why?"

"Because I thought of something. I've always wanted to know, is the forever invincible Sima Chaoqun really undefeatable?"

Before he finished speaking, he found that her hand was once again suddenly ice cold.

He thought she was going to plead with him, plead for him not to go tomorrow, so that she wouldn't be scared and worried.

He never would have thought that she would actually tell him, "You must go tomorrow. And you must defeat him. But you must promise me one thing."

"What thing?"

"Don't touch me tonight. Starting right now, don't touch me." She had already pushed Little Gao away. "I want you to go back with me now and get a good rest."

Part 6

Little Gao couldn't sleep. It wasn't because of the two long, beautiful legs next to him. And it wasn't because he was nervous or anxious about tomorrow's early morning battle.

He'd fallen asleep at first.

He was confident in himself, and confident in the woman next to him.

"I know you'll wait for me to return," he told her. "Maybe by the time you wake up, I'll already be back."

"Why do I have to wait for you to come back? Why can't I come with you?"

"Because you're a woman, and women usually get nervous easily. When I'm going up against Sima Chaoqun, life and death, victory and defeat, could all be decided in an instant. If you're watching, you'll get nervous. If you're nervous, I'll get nervous. And if I'm nervous, I'll be dead."

"Can you find someone to go with you who won't make you nervous, but that can watch out for you?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I couldn't find one."

"Don't tell me you have no friends?"

"I used to have no friends at all, now I have one. But unfortunately he's in Luoyang."

"Luoyang?"

"If you ever end up in Luoyang, you'll definitely hear of him. His surname is Zhu. He's called Zhu Meng."

She said nothing, not even a single word. And Little Gao didn't notice how the expression on her face changed.

He had started to practice his strange and unusual movements again.

These drills could not only make his muscles flexible, and fill him with vigor, they could also clear his thinking and stabilize his mood.

Therefore, he went to sleep quickly, and deeply. Usually he would be able to sleep until daylight.

But this night he woke up half way through the night, awakened by a strange feeling.

It was a time when heaven and earth were peaceful. It was so quiet than only the sound of snowflakes gently falling onto the eaves could be heard.

That noise wouldn't wake anyone.

At first, Little Gao felt very strange, and didn't understand why he had suddenly woken up.

But then he understood.

--There was only one person left in the room. The person sleeping next to him was gone.

**

When a person is on the top of a topless building, and then falls off, what feeling do they have?

That was the exact feeling in Little Gao's heart right now.

He suddenly felt a wave of dizziness in his head, and his body collapsed. He bent over uncontrollably and vomited.

Because in that instant, he knew that she would never again return to his side again.

**

Why did she leave?

Why did she go so quietly, without a sentence, without a word left behind?

Little Gao didn't understand, because he couldn't think.

In his silent, freezing night, at this most frigid of hours, he could only think of one thing.

--He didn't even know her name.

**

(1) This is 羊肉泡馍 yang rou pao mo, a Shaanxi specialty
(2) This temple and pagoda are both famous landmarks in modern-day Xi’an. http://goo.gl/WV66S http://goo.gl/FCWYv6

[deathblade]

In case anyone has watched any of the various TV shows and knows where the story is going, no spoilers! Haha

I'm having various connection and browser problems, so I will go back later to edit today's earlier post. I posted it without proof-reading so I know it's full of errors....

By the way, this is the end of chapter 5, as of now we are officially 1/3 of the way through the story (as far as chapters go. there are 18 chapters total)

[ycb5959]

Thanks for another fast one.
Yup- keeping mum on the adaptation version...
...and 1/3 way thro already!!!

[LuDongBin]

Thks deathblade. Life has many twists and turns ....

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade for another quick turn-around

[ycb5959]

A minor error:

“What if didn’t return just now?”

Should be "“What if I didn’t return just now?”

[deathblade]

A minor error:

“What if didn’t return just now?”

Should be "“What if I didn’t return just now?”

Thanks, I'll fix it!

[deathblade]

Chapter 6: Seven Story Buddhist Pagoda

Part 1

The 1st day of the second month of the lunar calendar.

Li Village, the Temple of Maternal Grace.

Early morning.

It had started snowing in the middle of the night, and hadn’t stopped. The courtyard of the temple had just been swept clean, but it was already covered with a layer of silvery white.

The morning bell had already been sounded. The cold wind carried with it the indistinct sound of Buddhist chants as it entered a meditation room on the right hand side of the courtyard.

Sima Chaoqun sat silently on a prayer mat, listening, quietly drinking from a cold bottle of alcohol that he’d brought last night.

It was as cold as ice, but as he drank the baijiu, it felt like a scorching fire. (1)

Zhuo Donglai had entered the room, and was staring at him coldly.

Sima Chaoqun pretended not to notice.

Zhuo Donglai finally spoke. “Isn’t a too early to be drinking?” he asked coldly. “If you want to drink today, shouldn’t you wait until a little bit later?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re about to face a very formidable opponent. It’s very possible that he’s more powerful than either of us imagine.”

“Oh?”

“So if you want to drink, you should at least wait until after the duel.”

Sima Chaoqun suddenly laughed.

“Why should I wait until then? Have you forgotten that I am the forever invincible Sima Chaoqun?” His laughter was filled with an indescribable derision. “In any case, I won’t lose. Even if I drink a whole jug, I still won’t lose. Because you’ve definitely arranged everything ahead of time, arranged every detail.” Sima Chaoqun laughed loudly. “That kid Gao Jianfei can’t get away with losing, and can’t get away without dying.”

Zhuo Donglai didn’t laugh, but he didn’t admit to what Sima Chaoqun was saying. Neither did he deny it. His face was completely expressionless.

Sima Chaoqun looked at him. “This time can you tell me what you arranged?”

Zhuo Donglai was silent for a long time. “Some things just happen,” he said indifferently. “There’s no need to arrange anything.”

“So you let Gao Jianfei by chance encounter some things like that.”

“Every person will eventually encounter things like that. Whatever people encounter them, they will all be equally helpless.”

He suddenly walked over and grabbed the bottle of baijiu from the short table next to the prayer mat, and poured a bit into a glass of clear water.

The alcohol and the water mixed together instantly.

“This is a very natural thing, isn’t it?” asked Zhuo Donglai of Sima Chaoqun.

“Yes.”

“Some people are just like this,” said Zhuo Donglai. “When they meet, they will mix together like alcohol and water.”

“But after they mix together, the alcohol becomes diluted, and the quality of the water also changes.”

“People are the same. Exactly the same.”

“Oh?”

“Some people change after they meet. If they meet a certain person, they will become weaker.”

“Just like the alcohol mixed into the water.”

“Correct. Chance meetings. Chance partings. Anyone would be helpless.” His voice was still completely indifferent. “There are many situations like this in heaven and on earth.

Sima laughed again.

“Why do you treat me so well?” he asked. “Why do you arrange everything so carefully for me?”

“Because you are Sima Chaoqun.” Zhuo Donglai’s answer was simple. “And because Sima Chaoqun can never be defeated."

[ycb5959]

Thanks again!

[Anh Nam]

Thanks deathblade

[LuDongBin]

Quick short bites .. I like that ...

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade

[deathblade]

Chapter 6: Seven Story Buddhist Pagoda

Part 2

During the Tang Dynasty, Gao Zong had the Great Wild Goose Pagoda built for his late mother, the Empress Wende(1). The preeminent monk Xuan Zang translated Buddhist sutras there(2). It originally had five stories, and was a Buddhist place of worship for the western regions. Later it was built up to seven stories, and became a Seven Story Buddhist Pagoda.

**

Gao Jianfei was standing at the bottom of the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.

The pagoda cast no shadow, because it was too cloudy, and there was no sunlight to cast a shadow.

There was no shadow in Little Gao’s heart either. His heart was a blank space, with nothing in it at all.

But in his hand was a sword. A sword wrapped in coarse cloth, a sword that few people had ever seen. There was only a sword, no box.

She had not taken the box with her. She shouldn’t have gone, and yet she left. She should have taken the box with her, and yet she didn’t.

Little Gao left the box in the small room.

What should have stay behind didn’t, and what shouldn’t have been left behind was still there?

He didn’t know how long he had been there, and he didn’t know when he had arrived.

He only knew that he was there, because he had already caught sight of Zhuo Donglai and Sima Chaoqun.

**

He wore a set of sharply contrasting black and white clothes (3). His eyes were also sharply contrasting black and white. Snow white, pitch black. Whenever Sima Chaoqun made an appearance, this was the impression he made on people.

—Open, powerful, knowing the difference between right and wrong.

At this moment, in this silvery white world, all of the radiant glory and honor belonged to this person. Zhuo Donglai was only a shadow cast by his brilliance.

Zhuo Donglai seemed to know this, and so would always stand to the side, so as not to obstruct the brightness.

The first thing that Little Gao looked at was Sima Chaoqun’s shining white eyes and black pupils.

If he walked a bit closer, and looked carefully, he might be able to see the traces of red in the whites of his eyes, strands of blood that seemed to be kindled by the burning fire of his heart.

But sadly, Gao Jianfei couldn’t see.

Other than Zhuo Donglai, there was no one accompanying Sima Chaoqun.

“You are Gao Jianfei?”

“I am.”

Sima Chaoqun looked at Little Gao. Looked at his eyes, his facial expression, his appearance. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda did not cast a shadow, and yet it seemed as if his entire person were enveloped by darkness.

Sima Chaoqun looked at him quietly for a long time, then suddenly turned around and began to leave.

Zhuo Donglai didn’t obstruct his way, didn’t move, didn’t even blink.

Gao Jianfei rushed forward to bar his way.

“Why are you leaving?”

“Because I don’t want to kill you. Beneath my sword, defeat is death.” In his coldness, he did not seem at all as if he had been drinking. “Actually, you should know already that you have been defeated. Because you are an empty person, as empty as a rice sack without a grain of rice in it.”

Neither an empty person nor an empty rice sack can stand up. Without standing up how could one win a victory?

Anyone could understand this truth.

Except for Gao Jianfei.

Because he was already empty, and how can an empty person understand truth?

And so he started to unwrap his cloth bundle. The cloth bundle was not empty.

The sword inside the cloth bundle could take a person’s life in an instant. And just the same, it could give another person justification to take his life in an instant.

Siima Chaoqun had stopped walking, and was looking off into the distance.

He wasn’t looking at Gao Jianfei, because he knew that the young man was drawing his sword, and that there was no way to stop him.

He also didn’t look at Zhuo Donglai, because he knew Zhuo Donglai would have no reaction to what was happening.

But in his eyes could be seen a faint look of sorrow.

—How could such a worthy life become so meaningless after encountering such circumstances?

His hand gripped his sword, because in a situation like this, he had no other choice.

**

A click sounded out as the sword was freed from the scabbard, but Sima Chaoqun did not draw it.

Because at that exact moment, the shadow of a person flitted down like a meteor from the top of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.

What dropped down from the top of the pagoda wasn’t just a shadow, it was a person. But the speed was incredible, so fast that Sima Chaoqun couldn’t see the person clearly. He could only see a murky gray shadow that grabbed Gao Jianfei.

Then Gao Jianfei flew up, not gradually, but as fast as a bird.(4) In an instant, he was already at the third story of the pagoda.

In the blink of an eye, the shadows of both people had already reached the seventh story of the Buddhist pagoda.

And then they disappeared from sight completely.

Sima Chaoqun was going to pursue, but then he heard Zhuo Donglai speak. “You didn’t want to kill him,” he said coolly. “Why are you going to chase him?”

**

(1) Gao Zong was of course an emperor of the Tang dynasty. He built the pagoda when he was emperor. But his mother’s posthumous title was Empress Wendeshunsheng (literally "the civil, virtuous, serene, and holy empress) or Empress Wende. http://goo.gl/LfZHBS http://goo.gl/X2P8HO
(2) Xuan Zang is of course the famous monk who’s journey was the inspiration for the Chinese Classic “Journey to the West.” http://goo.gl/6TCO25
(3) The word used here to describe his clothes as black and white is an idiom that can also imply knowing the difference between right and wrong.
(4) Here is a little play on words, since his name “Jianfei” means to fly up gradually.

[lawwoo]

Thank you deathblade

[ycb5959]

Thanks!
This Z Donglai is one h*ll of a cold, calculating guy.
He'll make a great UN Gen-Sec, and probably is be able to maintain world peace too

[Anh Nam]

Thanks deathblade

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade