大唐双龙传 [Da Tang Shuang Long Zhuan] by Huang Yi

[SkyWalker]

Thanks foxs!

They really need to leave Susu somewhere else, she is weighing them down.

Drak, you can forget about this. Foxs said she'll be around for awhile yet. Just ignore her I do.

XYS is lucky that the boys are helping him, but I still have a bad feeling about all of this. He better not betray them!

[Drak17]

@Skywalker, oh nooessss D:. I guess the two dragons will have to endure it for now!

[徐中銳]

Xu Xiong, impossible for ... what?

Whether « impossible for » Susu and Li Jing to be a couple, readers should know (almost immediately) when they meet up again.

Xu Ziling was certain, “I have no doubt that Su Jie’s real sweetheart is still Li Dage. I just don’t know what had actually happened between the two of them that made Su Jie’s heart seems to be dead to him. No way! We must not let Su Jie fall in love with this fellow with dirty past.”

Xu Ziling is really rather young and naïve to bandy around « dirty past. »

Plus, given his and Kou Zhong's reservations about Xiang Yushan, what's with :

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other; and then both of them burst out laughing at the same time, “Kid!” they said, “You are saved!”

Save him ? Why oh why...

After asking what had happened, Susu said, “If you want to save someone, you have to save him to the end! Today you ought to sit in meditation to cultivate your internal energy, once your spirit is restored, you ought to send streams of qi to cure Xiang Gongzi’s injury.”

They made her the boss ?!

[Anh Nam]

Thanks foxs

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, foxs.

[HPC7595]

Thanks foxs

[Laoren]

Thanks foxs. I pity the boys; after so many trips to the brothels with high hopes; they are still unable to experience manhood.

[Komeng]

Thanks Foxs

[9Dragons]

XYS is lucky that the boys are helping him, but I still have a bad feeling about all of this. He better not betray them!

Go reread the first paragraph. A surprise will surely develop, whether good or bad.

[chualot]

thanks foxs, I'll be following for as long as your are translating.

[徐中銳]

As for the last cabin, Xiang Yushan did not reveal the occupant’s identity to them.

Revealing... Another love interest ?

Of which, « a short animation about the aberrations and confusions of love » :


And of Susu, in this historical time-setting, would men mind that she has been deflowered ? Perhaps Li Jing himself has moved on to loving another (so Xu and Kuo can just give up on this particular match-making) ?

[foxs]

Drak, Sky, I can confirm at at least Susu will stay for a few more chapters, not much screen time, but at least she is around. 9Dragons, thanks, I fixed 'some' you will see it in the unabridged thread, I am too lazy to come back and edit my older posts. Xu Xiong, not a problem in modern (western) culture, but I don't know about other cultures. Jaya, Anh, HPC, Komeng, you are welcome. Laoqianbei, LOL ... perhaps they will stay virgin until the very end. Chua, thanks for the support. Hopefully I can finish this one. In the meantime, we finished Book 5. Yay!

---

Xu Ziling asked, “Right now, who is from the Dugu Clan serving as a government official in the imperial court?”

Xiang Yushan replied, “The one most trusted by Yang Guang is actually the second figure of the Dugu Clan, Dugu Sheng. He is Yang Guang’s personal bodyguard; wherever Yang Guang is, he will also be there.”

Kou Zhong seized this opportunity to ask, “How’s this person’s martial art skill compared to Dugu Ba?”

“Speaking about martial art skill,” Xiang Yushan replied, “Naturally You Chuhong ranks first. Compared to her Clan Leader son Dugu Feng, she is still far more superior. After these two are Dugu Sheng and Dugu Ba. In my opinion, Dugu Sheng is a bit more experienced and careful than Dugu Ba.”

“Nowadays, are there other people who are close to Yang Guang?” Xu Ziling asked.

Xiang Yushan replied, “These days, the most popular two people by Yang Guang’s side are the Interior Minister Yu Shiji and Imperial Censor Fei Yun, two crafty and fawning vile characters. What Yang Guang likes the most about them is that they report only the good news, not the bad news, by blocking all documents and reports of urgent matters and emergencies from reaching him.”

Xiang Yushan sighed and went on, “This time Yang Guang flees to Jiangdu. From the up to 150,000 soldiers and generals who came with him, other than handing down imperial edict to indict people to get their money as their only morale booster, they cannot do anything. It’s a pity that he is still as licentious as before, becoming someone who refuses to face reality, which is really hard for us to understand.”

“Yu Shiji and Fei Yun must be civil officials,” Kou Zhong said, “What about other people? Is there anybody with strong martial art skill?”

Xiang Yushan replied, “Dugu Clan has Dugu Sheng, which I have just mentioned. Yuwen Clan has Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Shiji, two brothers. And then there is the Imperial Guard Commanding Officer Sima Dekan, a martial art master who is equally famous to Wang Shiyun, who, for the time being, is stationed in Luoyang. Were it not for these four men, that muddleheaded ruler Yang Guang would have been assassinated early on.”

“There is one thing we don’t understand,” Xu Ziling said, “On the surface, they still maintain a good relationship with Baling Bang; why did as a member of the royal household the ‘Shadow Assassin’ Yang Xuyan obey Yuwen Clan’s order to assassinate your precious gang’s Bangzhu?”

Xiang Yushan sighed. He said, “Not to conceal anything from you, but in the struggle between the Dugu and Yuwen Clans, our late Bangzhu was leaning toward the Dugu Clan, hence he earned the hatred of the Yuwen Clan and was thus eradicated.”

Kou Zhong was even more confused; frowning, he asked, “But how did Yang Xuyan involve himself in this struggle?”

“Until today, the reason Yang Xuyan aligned himself with the Yuwen Clan remains a mystery,” Xiang Yushan explained, “But according to our secret information, Yang Guang was kept in the dark concerning Yang Xuyan’s assassination of our late Bangzhu; which is definitely thought-provoking.”

Susu said, “When we get to Yangzhou, what exactly can Xiao Zhong and Xiao Ling do to help you to deal with the Yuwen Clan?”

Xiang Yushan’s spirit rose. “Good question,” he said, “I will make arrangement for Kou Xiong and Xu Xiong to see that muddleheaded ruler.”

The three were shocked. “What?!?” their voice cracked.

Big Sister Xiao’s laughter came from the cabin’s door, “That is the most brilliant deployment,” she said.

Like a wisp of smoke, this charming beauty whose looseness penetrated the bones, sauntered lithely into the cabin, carrying with her a whiff of fragrance. Stopping behind Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, she intimately reached out and put her hands on the two boys’ shoulders. Bending over, she laughed next to the two boys’ ears and said, “Right now Yuwen Huaji put the blame on the ‘Secret to Long Life’ affair entirely on the two gentlemen. We might as well beat them at their own game by the two gentlemen personally present a memorial to that muddleheaded ruler that Yuwen Huaji had hidden the ‘Secret to Long Life’ for personal gain. With the account book on top of that, it would be strange indeed if the muddleheaded ruler did not suspect the Yuwen Clan.”

Kou Zhong exhaled a mouthful of cold air, “Yang Guang is well-known for committing murder without blinking an eye; what if something goes wrong and he get rid of the two of us immediately?”

Xu Ziling added, “We must never let that fatuous ruler to see Su Jie; otherwise the outcome will be difficult to predict.”

Xiang Yushan hastily said, “Gentlemen, please be assured that we have prepared a meticulous plan; from the two imperial concubines Yang Guang most doted on, Zhu Fei [fei means imperial concubine] is our people. She has already sweet talk Yang Guang [orig. pouring confusing soup], indicating that there is another story within the ‘Secret to Long Life’ matter; as a result, now the muddleheaded ruler has issued an imperial decree to summon the two of you, because he wants to find out the facts. Nothing ventured, nothing gain [orig. how do you catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger’s lair?], the risk is worth it.”

Big Sister Shaw took her hands off the two boys and sat on Kou Zhong’s left; she cheerfully said, “With Dugu Sheng speaking up by your side, how could Yang Guang not believe you? I can guarantee that there won’t be any surprise and danger to the two Gongzi.”

“But our relationship with the Dugu Clan is not so good,” Kou Zhong stammered, “Just a few days ago Xiao Ling injured Dugu Ba due to ambush.”

Xiang Yushan and Big Sister Xiao stared at Xu Ziling with that ‘hard to believe’ expression on their faces, so Xu Ziling told them what happened.

“That should be no problem,” Big Sister Xiao said, “Besides, Dugu Ba won’t be in Yangzhou very soon. Even if he were, with them facing a powerful enemy, who would be foolish enough to bother about personal gratitude and grudges?”

Xu Ziling’s scalp went numb as he said, “After we enter the Palace, won’t we lose our freedom?”

Xiang Yushan said, “Gentlemen are not thinking of going everywhere, are you?”

Big Sister Xiao said, “It depends on the development of the situation. We have had a discussion with Dugu Sheng before, in the future he might pretend that he loves talent and takes you as his disciples in Yang Guang’s present. After two Gongzi obtain some status, the situation will be utterly different!”

Kou Zhong nodded; he said, “Turns out this mission is rather fascinating. This time we will definitely have Yuwen Huaji bag his food and leave before he finish eating.”

Susu anxiously said, “But that muddleheaded ruler is so temperamental; are you sure it’s going to be okay?”

“Nobody knows that muddleheaded ruler’s character better than Zhu Guifei [imperial consort],” Xiang Yushan said, “That’s why she has prepared a bunch of arguments that Kou Xiong and Xu Xiong could deliver to the muddleheaded ruler. As long as you could cajole him that he is in a good mood, he might even bestow you official position to do part-time job. Miss Susu please set your heart at ease.”

Kou Zhong glowered at him for a moment and said, “No wonder you, this fellow, are so insistent in cooperating with us; turns out you already prepared this scheme.”

Xiang Yushan protested for the injustice, “Gentlemen are my great benefactors who are like a second parent to me; how could I harm you? If any calamity befalls you, I, Xiang Yushan, will commit suicide to apologize to you. Let the Heaven be my witness in this matter, if I ever renege my promise, let me not have a good end.”

By this time Big Sister Xiao has already noticed the vast improvement in Xiang Yushan’s countenance. After some inquiries she found out what happened; she was astonished. “Secret to Long Life is indeed a rare martial art manual, this is really unbelievable.”

Kou Zhong was wary. “Is Dajie being tempted by the ‘Secret to Long Life’?” he asked.

Big Sister Xiao was cross, “Unless I am willing to discard the martial art I already trained, even if I obtain the ‘Secret to Long Life’, what good will it bring? Training randomly will only cause fire deviation. You look down on me like that, I demand an apology.”

Kou Zhong giggled and said, “I was just blurting out without thinking, why would Dajie take it seriously? You want apology, then I apologize.”

Big Sister Xiao cast him a sidelong glance filled with ten thousand amorous feelings; she cursed in low voice, “Truly without half a shred of conscience; I wonder how many poor girls will be swindled by you in the future.”

After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, Xu Ziling stood up to excuse himself, “Just continue your chat! Last night I did not sleep a wink, I want to go back to bed and sleep.”

Kou Zhong seized this opportunity to leave the banquet table. After excusing himself, he followed Xu Ziling going back to their room.

Along the way, Kou Zhong said, “One mistake from us, we will become the chess piece of Baling Bang and the Dugu Clan’s effort to frame the Yuwen Clan. Even though we will also benefit from it, but whether it will be a blessing or a curse, it is still difficult to predict.”

Xu Ziling said, “How are we going to take Su Jie with us? Particularly that muddleheaded ruler must not see her; otherwise, if something went wrong, we can’t even slip away. Baling Bang people must agree to this first.”

Kou Zhong said, “Right now it’s they who came to ask for our help, how could they not agree? After Xiang kid’s countenance improves, he appears a lot healthier. Yin Gui Pai’s martial art is really heretical, unexpectedly it could make people appear to be completely under evil influence.”

By this time they were stepping into the corridor leading to their rooms; suddenly they heard creaking noise, as if someone was opening and closing the door to one of the sleeping compartments, and slipped inside.

The two boys exchanged glances; they both felt something was amiss.

Kou Zhong whispered, “Let’s see who it is.”

Xu Ziling quickly walked over to the door, raised his hand to knock and said, “We saw you! Quickly open the door!”

Actually, he did not see anybody, but since that person hid like that, he must be someone that they knew, so Xu Ziling was bluffing to swindle the opponent.

The room was quiet. Only after a long time did the cabin door finally creaking open.

Both parties were coming face-to-face, and the two boys cried out in surprise.

The person inside the room was surprisingly the Beautiful Shifu who taught them the Bird Crossing Technique, Yun Yuzhen.

This beauty looked a bit thinner, but her smile was still coy, her attractive bearing was even better than ever. This moment, with a smile that was as beautiful as a flower, she looked at the two boys up and down; her beautiful eyes lit up as she said, “My two good disciples finally grew up to be adults. Looking at your imposing, formidable appearance, your master is very pleased.”

Suddenly the two boys realized that they were at a loss.

Kou Zhong was the first to recover; giggling, he said, “Where in the world would you find a master who is afraid to see his disciples? Even rarer, where could you find a Shifu who harms his disciples?”

And then, craning out his neck to look inside the room, he pretended to be astonished as he said, “Why can’t I see Shifu’s boyfriend Dugu Ce?”

Yun Yuzhen sighed and said, “Just consider your Shifu is wrong! Afterwards I regretted it so much that I wanted to kill myself, plus because I thought that you were buried at the bottom of the cliff, I cried for so many days; can you not settle old scores with me?”

Xu Ziling said, “Then why were you being evasive just now?”

Yun Yuzhen reached out to grab the two boys’ hands and dragged them inside. After shutting the door, she leaned against the door and closed her eyes. “Because of guilty conscience, naturally I did not dare to face you!” she said softly, “But now that we are good, there is no need to hide anymore.”

The two boys had no way of pressing her. Kou Zhong said, “Let bygone be bygone. What kind of game are you playing now?”

Xu Ziling angrily said, “That Xiang kid has the cheek to hide you from us, I am going to break our partnership right away!”

Yun Yuzhen opened her beautiful eyes; she said with a wry smile, “Don’t blame Xiang Gongzi, it was me who asked him to keep this matter a secret. Just now I wanted to slip out to see you, but when I heard your footsteps, for some reason I sneaked back into my room.”

Kou Zhong spread out his arms and said, “All right! You are our Beautiful Shifu after all, past events can be disregarded, just one kiss and we’ll call it even.”

Yun Yuzhen’s almond eyes grew big. “What did you say?” she angrily said, “How can a disciple kiss his master?”

Kou Zhong put an act by pulling up his sleeves; striding over, he said, “You think you are our real Shifu? It was just a nickname we, two brothers, gave you.”

Yun Yuzhen recovered her countenance; smiling coquettishly, she said, “You want a kiss, then so be it! Good disciple, you think your Shifu is afraid of you?” Spreading her jade arms wide, she was ready to take Kou Zhong into her fragrant embrace.

Now it was Kou Zhong’s turn to be so scared that he took several steps back. With a charming laugh Yun Yuzhen opened the door and slipped out.

The two boys looked at each other, and then they both roared in laughter together.

Unexpectedly life could be so much fun.

[George Harris]

Wow, those last fe conversation lines made me think "Save my watch the BS is getting deep" ... Sounds like Susu will be hidden for the next book, maybe a hostage? The troublesome fake master is back (can't say my real thoughts there but death is involved) and they have to learn how to KA real quick ... sounds like it's getting fun again! Nice work Author and Foxs!

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks foxs

[Laoren]

Thanks foxs when you finish your drink, you can start the next chapter.

[HPC7595]

Thanks foxs

[BocahTuaNakal]

yeay! into book 6!

[徐中銳]

Xu Xiong, not a problem in modern (western) culture, but I don't know about other cultures.

It's just something about Susu... The prim way she carries herself... No ? For example, we mind less about Yun Yuzhen's overt lasciviousness together with Dugu Ce ?

But of sad and pitiful stories, whether in fictional Tang times or recent... Do you speak Cantonese ? Follow Hong Kong news ? Know of how Gillian Chung fell from public opinion ? I was reminded when I saw :


And some of you are now thinking Edison Chen for Xiang Yushan ?

[Komeng]

Thanks foxs

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, foxs.