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

[Anh Nam]

Thanks foxs

[Sweetstrawberry]

Great translation as always foxs! Go HAWKS!!! Tomorrow is the big day, so nervous....

[foxs]

Jaya, Anh, you are welcome. DongBin, thanks. Strawberry, we are going to the Super Bowl ...

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Xu Ziling’s spirit was greatly aroused, “I have not thought about that. Come! Let us find some fish and learn from them.”

And that was how they spent their days. The two boys integrated frolicking and training martial art, while rising and lying down, working and resting. Gradually they returned to the lifestyle of when they lived in that small valley; they talked less and less.

When Kou Zhong trained internal strength, he would walk back and forth on the beach, while Xu Ziling would lie down unmoving.

One moving, the other still; each one had his own interest.

One day more than two months later, the two boys were chasing a big black carp when Kou Zhong slashed with his sword. The slash plainly missed, but to his surprise, the black carp was jolted, turned belly up, and died. There was no scar on the outside, but when they cut it open, unexpectedly its internal organs were ruptured.

At first the two boys were startled, and then their shock turned into great delight; henceforth they trained more diligently.

It’s just that Xu Ziling preferred to emulate the birds; he loved to watch eagles hunting the seagulls, and learned from their flying posture. Kou Zhong, on the other hand, observed and learned from all kinds of fish; he also watched how the crabs moved sideways to dodge, and their tactics in attack and defense. It could be said that the two boys were addicted to what they were doing.

Even while eating, they exchanged what they had learned, as well as sparred against each other. They also modified Li Jing’s ‘Bloody Battle Ten Styles’ to fit their own style better. However, all along they still failed to attain the thunderous strike Xu Ziling previously produced. Nevertheless, the two boys were very happy, since they were much closer to achieve the ‘what the heart wishes, the hand accomplishes’ level.

One day they woke up and walked to the beach, to their amazement they found two baskets sitting side by side on the sand. Inside they found two sets of clothes, and a couple of warm, thick, winter clothing.

They found written on the sand: ‘When the moon rise tonight, we’ll meet here. Don’t forget to put on clothes. Shifu.’

It was only then did the two boys realize that their clothes were tattered beyond repair. They looked at each other with a mixed feeling of delight and worry.

What did she want?

That night Yun Yuzhen indeed came. She wore a snow white warrior suite with yellow golden trim, her hair was rolled up in a bun on top of her head like a man, tied with yellow warrior band. All in all, her appearance cried out heroic, straightforward, melancholy, but there was also a beauty in it that dazzled and stunned others. Just like last time, she also carried an exquisite wind lantern in her hand, and the long copper flute on her back.

She had the two boys to sit cross-legged first, and placed the wind lantern between them. After scrutinizing them, she said in great astonishment, “We have not seen each other for only two months, how come not only you look taller, you also grew a bit of dignified, masculine look? The strangest thing is that your bearing is totally different. Just by looking at your eyes, I can tell that you have made great progress in your internal energy cultivation.”

Kou Zhong stroked his thick beard and said with a laugh, “Just by relying on this guy, I look a lot more bold and powerful naturally.”

Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong saw each other every day, naturally they did not pay particular attention to the changes in the other’s appearance; but in Yun Yuzhen’s eyes, the changes indeed cause her to have a whole new level of respect for them.

Moreover, the two boys’ temperament and demeanor were distinctly different.

Xu Ziling appeared to be more aloof and outstandingly talented, he had the refined, scholarly yet unrestrained temperament that Kou Zhong lacked. But he did not have the brutish, wild and lazy impression, which made Kou Zhong looked boorish, but heroic and relaxed.

Speaking about their statures, although Kou Zhong was about a cun shorter than Xu Ziling, his shoulders were broader and his back thicker, giving him an imposing physique, and made him look more heroic and ferocious.

Another reason was that Xu Ziling had delicate features; he looked a bit more like an elegant scholar. On the other hand, Kou Zhong had thick eyebrows, square face and big ears, which stood in stark contrast against Xu Ziling’s comparatively slimmer and handsome face, giving people the impression that he was the more rough and wild one.

Two boys, each with his distinct features, each with his own attractiveness.

Yun Yuzhen was wondering in her heart, why was it that last time she saw them, she did not pay attention to their outward appearance, but this time she could not help noticing their physical characteristics?

Thinking about this, her pretty face could not help turning warm; busily she tried to cover up her embarrassment by saying, “I sent people to monitor you a few times, each time they report back to me to you were enjoying yourself either on the beach or in the water. How did your internal energy improve then?”

Xu Ziling shrugged his shoulders and said, “We are playing, but never forget to study hard. But after playing for two whole months, we got bored playing, and are thinking of going out there. Beautiful Shifu, do you have any good advice?”

Yun Yuzhen did not know whether she should laugh or cry; but in her heart she was happy, “Finally you are willing to recognize me as your Shifu,” she said.

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “Yun Bangzhu, please don’t misunderstand. A Shifu is a Shifu. But by calling you ‘Beautiful Shifu’, we, two brothers are simply giving you a nickname, just like Yuwen Huagu and Han Pudi; it is a unique name we are giving you.”

Yun Yuzhen did not know whether she should be angry or she should feel amused; she wanted to put on a cold expression and scare them a bit with a couple of harsh words [orig. tiger’s roar], but in the end, “Pfft!” she could not help giggling and said coquettishly, “You two big-headed ghosts, do you think I really want to take you, two little demons as my disciples? It’s just that I see some benefit in you, hence I took a good care of you.”

The two boys looked at each other with an ‘I knew it’ smile on their face.

Yun Yuzhen was irritated; she angrily said, “Believe it or not, I could put your martial art skill to waste, so that the two of you would return to your original shape; it’s much better than seeing you annoying like this.”

Kou Zhong leaned forward and laughed, “Beautiful Shifu mustn’t be that cruel, hee! Remembering that your treatment to us is actually not bad, why don’t you tell us your difficulties and needs! As long as there is enough reward, and it is a small thing that is easy to do, perhaps we will be willing to help you!”

Yun Yuzhen did not stop smiling; she cast a malicious sidelong glance at him and said with a sigh, “You, two little demons, don’t even know that your death is at hand. Right now you have become the target of hunt-and-capture competition of several powerhouses. If even one of them managed to catch you, based on lesson learned from their previous mistakes, you may forget about escaping. If you knew what’s best for you, you’d better curry favor from this Bangzhu right away!”

And then she quickly added, “If I want to harm you, it will be as easy as turning my hand over. I only need to let out the news, I guarantee you won’t find a place where you can fit in.”

Xu Ziling was puzzled, “Your martial art skill far surpasses ours, and you have countless subordinates; why do you have to entangle us and insist that we’ll have to do it?”

Yun Yuzhen indifferently said, “Have you heard about Dong Ming Pai?”

The two boys stared blankly for half a day, and then they nodded together.

Yun Yuzhen laughed and said, “I merely test you out, to see if you are really honest. The fact is, you have come in contact with them, and you jumped from their ship to the sea, and that night you spoiled Haisha Bang’s plot to attack them sneakily. Is my information wrong?”

The two boys listened with their eyes open wide and their tongue tied.

Kou Zhong let out a mouthful of cold air and said, “Turns out you also have spies inside Haisha Bang.”

Yun Yuzhen said tenderly, “The truth is, every single clan and society in Jianghu needs huge expenditure. Take Haisha Bang and Shuilong Bang for example, their principal income is from smuggling salt; hence they, along with our Jukun Bang, can be numbered among the eight Clans and ten Societies. Among the eight Clans, the most despicable, no-good at all, is Baling Bang, whose base of operations is Dongting Lake [northeast Hunan province]. They specialized in trafficking women, supplying the brothels across the world [tian xia], their profit is also the biggest.”

Xu Ziling’s voice cracked, “Isn’t there anybody in Wulin? Why would they let this kind of gang exist?”

Yun Yuzhen was unhappy, “Right now the world is in chaos, every gang has to have strong backing, otherwise they will be consumed by others. Behind Haisha Bang there is Yuwen Clan, Shuilong Bang has become Song Clan’s guard dog, Baling Bang’s backstage boss has even greater power, because he is the present old man the Emperor.”

The two boys were speechless. It’s no wonder that everyone wanted to crusade against the old man Emperor.

Kou Zhong sucked in a mouthful of air and said, “In that case, Beautiful Shifu, which strong hand is your backing?”

A hint of proud smile escaped from the corner of Yun Yuzhen’s mouth; she casually said, “I am just I am, there is no need to rely on anybody else to survive. Besides, everything I sell is first-hand intelligence. Don’t think that I only recognize money and don’t recognize people; unless it’s people whom I, Yun Yuzhen, can’t look at them with my eyes. I don’t care how much money they offer, don’t even think that this Bangzhu would sell them half a word of information.”

Xu Ziling said in hoarse voice, “Intelligence can be sold for money like other commodities?”

Kou Zhong sighed and said, “No wonder you know everything about us in great details. Turn out this is what you do for a living [orig. the rice you eat].”

“Know yourself, know the enemy, then you will come unscathed through a hundred battles [from Sunzi’s ‘The Art of War’],” Yun Yuzhen said impatiently, “Right now the world is in chaos to the level that is unprecedented throughout history; those who can control the enemy troops’ deployment, their strength and weaknesses, and the actual condition of the soldiers, will have the chance to dominate the world. My business actually emerged to meet a historic destiny. Were it not for this, I am afraid we’d have been taken over by others long ago.”

“In that case Beautiful Shifu,” Xu Ziling wondered, “You ought to want to know about the ‘Secret to Long Life’ and Duke Yang’s treasure trove.”

Yun Yuzhen calmly replied, “Those are different matters altogether. ‘Secret to Long Life’ is the treasure of the Taoists; even in their dreams those who practice Taoism yearn to obtain this heavenly book. But it has nothing to do whatsoever with the struggle to dominate the world. As for Duke Yang’s treasure trove, basically that female Luocha did not tell you anything; otherwise, you, two little demons who are dying to get rich, would not have gone to Yuhang to steal salt. Ha! Duke Yang’s treasure trove in Yangzhou? Only idiots like that Han Pudi would believe it.”

Kou Zhong was astounded, “Beautiful Shifu, you are so formidable, it would be better if you marry the two of us … Ah!”

Yun Yuzhen moved her jade hand to reward him with a slap on the face; she coldly said, “Even if I don’t have any sweetheart, I won’t even consider you, two kids whose smell of your mother’s milk has not yet dried.”

Stroking his cheek, Kou Zhong giggled, “In that case, Beautiful Shifu already has a sweetheart.”

“What business of yours is that?” Yun Yuzhen bluntly said.

Xu Ziling suddenly said, “This is called ‘relying on force to maltreat the weak’. When we master the martial art in the future, you will know how it feels.”

Yun Yuzhen smiled and said, “I am looking forward to that day! Alright! Let’s talk business: the two of you accomplish something for me, this Bangzhu will let you off. Otherwise, no matter where you go, I only need to broadcast the information, and when you come across Yuwen Huagu, Han Pudi, Du Fuwei, or what have you, what will the consequences be?”

“It’s a threat,” Kou Zhong said with a wry smile.

Yun Yuzhen said softly, “Other than coercion, there are incentives as well, to guarantee that you won’t refuse. I will pass on to you some kind of lightness skill first, so that when you flee to the end of the world in the future, you have some asset to run away. Ay! It must be that I, Yun Yuzhen, owed you something in the past life that I am most willing to pass on my most outstanding skill to you, yet I don’t even have a real status as your Shifu.”

The two boys were greatly touched; if they could really fly on and off the roof, they would be willing to give up three years of their lives.

Kou Zhong quickly smiled apologetically and said, “Albeit a bit reluctantly, we are willing to admit that you are our Beautiful Shifu; how’s that?”

Xu Ziling was a bit more principled than he; he probed further, “We simply won’t do anything to offend Heaven and reason; much less murder and arson.”

Yun Yuzhen was peeved, “You think you have that ability?” she said, “Little thief is just little thief; if I don’t want you to steal something, what do you think I want?”

The two boys were greatly baffled; speaking about stealing, wouldn’t she be more competent and well-suited?

Yun Yuzhen looked at the sky to determine the time; she said, “Don’t ask too much, of course there is a reason behind it. After you steal that thing, I will also give each of you ten taels of gold. If you are afraid of death, that should be enough for you to live incognito and live the rest of your life in peace. Right now I am going to pass on the key theory of the lightness skill to you, one month later I am coming back to catch you, a pair of dead little demons. At that time I am going to tell you what object to steal.”

Subjected to such a formidable coercion and bribery, naturally Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling ‘readily’ agreed.

Yun Yuzhen’s lucid and elegant beautiful face revealed a sweet smile; she gave the two boys several glances first, and then, after they were intoxicated by her charms, she turned serious as she said, “My lightness skill was created as the convergence of different schools’ chief skills; it is called ‘Wu Du Shu’ [crossing/passing-through crow technique]. In Wulin it is revered as ‘amazing skill pinnacle art’; it is extremely famous. So don’t think that I simply pick some random low-grade martial art skill to cajole you.”

Xu Ziling was puzzled, “What is ‘amazing skill pinnacle art’?” he wondered aloud.

Yun Yuzhen said, “I don’t have time to explain to you, but Du Fuwei’s ‘Xiu Li Qiankun’ [universe in his sleeve] and Yuwen Huaji’s ‘Bing Xuan Jin’ [mysterious ice energy] are two of those.”

After a short pause, she continued, “The so-called lightness skill is just like fish swimming freely in the water; it’s just that you replace the water with the air and wind filling the space above the earth. The most crucial point is, first and foremost, how to reduce body weight and how to breathe in the air. My ‘Bird[1] Crossing Technique’ put emphasis on the trajectory of gliding through the air. Because your internal energy already has good foundation, with only one month training according to my technique, you will see small progress.”

The two boys did not dare to interrupt; they listened attentively, while the excitement in their heart felt like blazing fire.

Yun Yuzhen asked them how they circulate their energy. Finished listening, she pondered for half a day and then said with disappointment in her voice, “Practically I have never seen internal energy like yours; I am afraid I don’t understand and cannot give you any directions.”

The two boys were greatly anxious. Xu Ziling said, “Why don’t you tell us your secret technique first, and then we’ll find a way to train it.”

Yun Yuzhen sighed and said, “You don’t seem to know there is something called fire deviation.”

Kou Zhong sneered and said, “Our internal energy cultivation is called ‘capable person is not capable of achieving’. Beautiful Shifu, please tell us quickly! At most when your sweetheart does not want you anymore in the future, you will have us as the replacement.”

Yun Yuzhen stared angrily at him. When the scared Kou Zhong rolled away to evade, she said in a grim voice, “If anything bad happened to you, don’t blame me for not giving you forewarning.”

“The first step of ‘Crow Crossing Technique’ is to understand what favorable and adverse qi is. The so-called favorable qi is when an object is thrown upward, it must fall down as soon as the momentum is exhausted. The adverse qi is when the momentum is exhausted, this is the qi being generated so that the upward momentum can continue. Only those with true qi inside their body can accomplish this.”

Subsequently she spoke a string of secret keys, telling the two boys to memorize everything, as well as giving the boys some instructions on how to jump and the technique to take a breath. Finally she sighed and said, “If during training you feel something is not right, you must not force yourself to continue. Ay! I have to go!”

Lifting up the wind lantern, she infused the lantern with her internal energy; the wind lantern immediately flickered randomly. Soon afterwards from a distant place on the surface of the sea came the responding flashing of lantern light. It was only then did the two boys find out that the lantern was actually a communication device.

The two boys were rather reluctant to part.

Yun Yuzhen looked at them, and then with a slight sigh she said, “I hope when I come again next time, you will still be alive and kicking [orig. lively dragon and animated tiger]!”

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[1] FYI, previously, the text says ‘crow’ 烏; here, it changes to ‘bird’ 鳥. My guess is the OCR, but since I don’t have the book, I can’t tell which one is the correct one.

[BocahTuaNakal]

many thanks foxs

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, foxs.

My guess is that these two can master easily this lightness skill since KZ had studied the fish movements while XZL had studied the bird movements and this skill is the combination of the two movements. Is it coincidence or they are just damned lucky. Just my one cent...

Great update!

[Zlack]

Thanks, foxs!

[Sweetstrawberry]

I am so happy foxs! We're going back to the Super Bowl!!! It was such a miraculous come back...

[HPC7595]

Thanks foxs

[yan 16]

All the characters are unique and I just love the interaction between them! Look forward to seeing more.

[SkyWalker]

Thanks foxs.

[Anh Nam]

Thanks foxs

[foxs]

Bocah, Zlack, HPC, Sky, Anh, you are welcome. Jaya, there is a special word for that ... what was it? Oh, I remember: plot. Strawberry, as soon as the game was over, I remembered you. Yan, too bad none of them stay for more than a few chapters.

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Book 2 Chapter 10 – Classified Account Book

Kou Zhong jumped down from a giant rock about three zhang high. ‘Whump!’ he landed hard on the beach; dizzy, and could not tell one object from another.

On the side, Xu Ziling squatted and looked down; with a bitter laugh he said, “Our Beautiful Shifu was right. Her ‘Bird Crossing Technique’ is basically unleashing the way of circulating qi and taking a breath; with our so-called peerless divine skill it is a totally different thing, as if the two will never be mixed together. Looks like our qinggong is just a sweet dream, from now on we can just knock it off and lay it down to rest.”

Kou Zhong turned over to look up to him and said, “Can you not concede that quickly? Remember our great theory! We can unleash the true qi within our body, and the only way to unite the inner and outer into one entity is by forgetting ourselves.”

Distressed, Xu Ziling said, “The problem is that were just common folks, we can’t to reach the state where we are able to jump high or leap low every time. Hey! I have a very stupid idea.”

Kou Zhong suddenly sat up and said, “Since you can think of an idea for such a difficult problem like this, it must not be a stupid idea.”

“Do you remember that strange encounter when we jumped from Dong Ming Pai ship into the sea?” Xu Ziling asked.

“I can’t forget it even in my dreams!” Kou Zhong replied, “We were nearly drowned to death.”

With a serious face Xu Ziling said, “But not only we did not die, we also acquired the ability to breathe under water. It is clear that when we are in some kind of desperate situation, we can naturally, like Niang said, bring out the innate quality that is buried deep within us. This hidden treasure has been opened by the fantastic skill of the ‘Secret to Long Life’, but only in life and death crisis this hidden treasure can be forced to come out.”

Kou Zhong looked up to the boulder from which he had just jumped down; his countenance changed as he said, “You are not suggesting that we jump down together from a hundred zhang cliff, are you?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Xu Ziling said, “What are we afraid of? If underneath is the ocean, we won’t fall to our death.”

Kou Zhong shook his head, “No, can’t do,” he said, “Only if there is a risk of our body torn and our bones crushed will our true qi be forced to come out.”

This time Xu Ziling’s countenance changed. “Are you serious?” he asked.

With solemn expression Kou Zhong said, “A hundred zhang cliff is just an exaggeration. I am afraid even our Beautiful Shifu will fall until her jade body perishes and her fragrance vanishes; ten or so zhang should be enough. Ay! Xiao Ling! Let Laoge [old brother, referring to self] try it first! If I really fall to my death, just cremate me, and then bring my ashes back to that small valley where Niang is buried. If your heart to become Wulin’s martial art expert is dead, you can be a good chef quietly; and if you have a son in the future, just change his name to Xu Zhong, to commemorate your great brother!”

Xu Ziling’s voice cracked, “Tell me you are joking!”

Kou Zhong shook his head, “After seeing Yuwen Huagu, Du Fuwei, that kind of people, you will no longer be willing to live a dull life. After coming across beautiful women like Niang or our Beautiful Shifu, it will be very difficult to take an ordinary woman as my wife. I really want to fight this challenge; if I win, it’s very possible that I will master an exceptional qinggong, but if I lose, I will go down the Yellow Springs[1] to find Niang and show a bit of filial piety. Do you understand? My good brother.”

Xu Ziling sat down dejectedly; but suddenly he burst in laughter, “You are always greatly persuasive; if you want to die, let’s die together.”

The two boys stood at the edge of a high cliff. Looking down at the underbrush and scattered rocks dozen or so zhang below, they hesitated.

“Seems to be a bit high,” Kou Zhong said in a low voice, “We are really stupid; we forgot to ask Beautiful Shifu how many zhang a beginner martial art master can jump.”

Xu Ziling looked up toward the magnificent starry sky. “Shall we go back to sleep?” he asked with a wry smile.

Kou Zhong took a deep breath, closed his eyes and said, “We’ll count to three, and then we jump together. Just remember to … ay, don’t try to think about anything, let the nature take its course.”

“One!” Xu Ziling shouted.

“Two!” Kou Zhong caught on.

And then the two of them screamed together, “Three!”

Four legs kicked the ground, like a bullet the two boys left the edge of the cliff to enter the empty air outside the cliff.

In that split second, all kinds of profound, unforgettable memories, such as: they were playing and swimming in the stream and met Fu Junchuo, her death, they were being carried by Du Fuwei as he rushed across the open field, strolling along the street with Susu, being treated in a cold manner by Qingqing at the brothel, the stunning beauty of Yun Yuzhen when they first met her; were flitting through their mind like flashes of lightning, or like the flying sparks of a flint, followed by a blank. And then they started to sense that they were falling, fast.

In the instant they were hovering between life and death, suddenly they were completely without any access to external qi, however, their internal breathing was like a torch. ‘Bang!’ It lit up with an explosion.

Just like a dream.

All of a sudden, they understood the secret to speed up the movement of true qi within their body. They must first sever the outer physical breathing before unleashing the true qi inside the body. This is precisely what the Taoist School said about innate breathing.

The two boys’ body was like ant marching, the true qi went back and forth endlessly. Xu Ziling’s started from Yong Quan going up, Kou Zhong’s from Tian Ling passing down.

At the same time they remembered Beautiful Shifu’s Bird Crossing Technique, quickly they raised a mouthful of true qi, their palms pushed down, and applied the ‘adverse power’. Immediately there was an opposing force in vertical direction; unexpectedly their descending speed experienced substantially reduction, and there was still enough force left over to push them back about half a chi up. Turning a somersault in the air, ‘wham’ they landed on a pile of thick underbrush so hard that all they saw in their eyes were stars.

Kou Zhong was the first to crawl up. “Niang!” he shouted loudly, “We succeed!”

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling finally made an incomparable step in their martial art journey, a crucial breakthrough. Although there was still a considerable distance from the level of true martial art experts, but it was an important step in the right direction.

One day Xu Ziling suddenly had a weird idea; he pulled Kou Zhong along to train martial art at the bottom of the sea. Trouble is, they could not get a stable footing. Thereupon they each tied a big rock on their leg, and this seemed to improve their situation.

Gradually they discovered that they could channel their qi and focused it in their legs, so much so that they were able to withstand the attack of the undercurrent, hence they did not need to rely on the rocks anymore.

With this discovery, they began to experiment rising up and sinking down in the water, which made their training more delightful.

Back to the dry ground, after the underwater experience, they were able to train the Bird Crossing Technique until the ‘what the heart wishes, the hand accomplishes’ level. They could easily leap over ordinary a zhang, or perhaps two zhang tall trees, and on the way down, they could even show off a variety of poses and fancy postures.

When they sparred against each other with weapons, they followed the same steps to gradually able to channel their qi onto the weapons.

Tonight was the big night, the appointed day for them to meet Yun Yuzhen. The two boys dressed neatly and waited at the beach.

After sitting down, Kou Zhong thought for a moment and said, “We must guard against the people’s heart. I forgot who said that; was it Niang, or Du Fuwei?”

“I think it was Niang,” Xu Ziling replied, “You don’t seem to trust our Beautiful Shifu.”

Kou Zhong said, “Wulin’s martial art masters are always enigmatic, we can’t let people see through how much weight we carry [i.e. importance]; therefore, it would be best if we hide our true power, don’t let Beautiful Shifu find out we have mastered her Bird Crossing Technique. Supposing she really wants to harm us, we still have a bit of asset to flee.”

Xu Ziling nodded his agreement; he turned his eyes toward the ocean and said, “Look! Look!”

A dot of light appeared on the surface of the ocean; the dot rapidly growing bigger. A fast boat passed to the left and swerved to the right among the reefs and came to the shallow water.

The two boys focused their eyes. Very soon they could see the boat clearly. Four men were rowing the boat, on the bow stood a young woman wearing white warrior outfit, but she was not Yun Yuzhen.

The girl soared to the air; in just two leaps she already arrived in front the two boys, and spoke respectfully, “Xiao Bi [little maid servant] Yun Zhi, on Bangzhu Miss Yun Yuzhen’s order to invite two Gongzi to get on the boat.”

They did not anticipate this move from Yun Yuzhen. After exchanging glances, they followed Yun Zhi to board the small boat.

Aboard the three-mast ship, Yun Zhi led the two boys into the main cabin to see Yun Yuzhen, who was sitting in a plush chair. The two boys sat up straight in the chairs to her left and right, and Yun Zhi withdrew, leaving only the three people in the cabin.

Yun Yuzhen smiled, “How’s your training?” she asked.

Assuming an ashamed look, Kou Zhong shook his head. Catching on, Xu Ziling flawlessly sighed and said, “As soon as we started, the qi and blood in our body surged; how could we dare to continue?”

Yun Yuzhen found it hard to conceal her disappointment; bowing her head, she was lost in thought for a long time before finally managed to say, “Since you can’t train it, we have to make another plan.”

The two boys immediately understood, although Yun Yuzhen said all those good things, the fact was that teaching them qinggong was part of her plan so that they could use it to accomplish their mission. They could not help rejoicing inwardly for not telling her the truth.

Yun Yuzhen sighed again before asking, “Do you know why Dong Ming Pai let them come aboard their ship that day?”

---

[1] Yellow Springs, underworld in Chinese mythology, equivalent to Hades in Greek mythology.

[Anh Nam]

Thanks foxs

[LuDongBin]

Thks foxs. Good read.

[HPC7595]

Thanks foxs

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, foxs.

[weed1]

Thanks foxs

[foxs]

Anh, DongBin, HPC, Jaya, Weed, you are welcome.

---

Kou Zhong replied, “Every year they come to the Central Earth to select some young men with natural endowments to be brought back with them; needless to say, those men are to be the women’s husbands, is that right?”

Yun Yuzhen said, “Tell me everything that happened after you came onboard, don’t omit anything.”

Kou Zhong only needed several sentences to explain everything; because the chain of events that day only happened in the time needed to drink half a cup of hot tea.

Listening to him, Yun Yuzhen’s pretty eyebrows were knitted; it was quite some time later that she finally said, “This is strange, why did Madame Dong Ming ask you those strange questions?”

Xu Ziling replied, “Do we need to tell you that? Since they are selecting son-in-law, naturally they are looking for some guys with aspiration and ambition. Realizing that we are just two boys who are crazy about riches, they chased us out of the ship in anger.”

“You are not asking us to steal their stuff, are you?” Kou Zhong wondered, “If that’s the case, won’t it be better for you to make the move yourself? They only need to remove the rope ladder, and we won’t be able to climb up.”

Yun Yuzhen was impatient, “If I have a choice, why would I want to rely on you, these two little demons?” she said, “Right now, only you can stroll and swagger into their ‘Floating Fragrance Flagship’.”

The two boys were stunned. “Beautiful Shifu must be mistaken,” Kou Zhong said, “I am afraid you and us are not on Madame Dong Ming’s welcomed guest list.”

Yun Yuzhen said, “This time and that time are two different things. Right now you have rendered great merit to Dong Ming Pai, Madame Dong Ming even dispatched her subordinate, the four law protector fairies to go everywhere to look for you; it’s just that they have not found you!”

The two boys’ spirit was immediately aroused; remembering that pretty young maid, their hearts warmed up instantly.

Yun Yuzhen smiled, “You understand it now?” she asked, “I could arrange that they coincidentally find you, and thus you will have a good chance of going into the ‘Floating Fragrance Flagship’.”

Xu Ziling said, “Actually, you have not even told us what is it that you want us to steal!”

Yun Yuzhen nonchalantly said, “Do you remember I told you that every clan and sect has their own way of earning a fortune? Dong Ming Pai’s expertise is in manufacturing high-quality weapons; this fact is extremely well known in Jianghu. Out of ten divine arms and sharp weapons, at least three were forged in their Ryukyu factory.”

Xu Ziling suddenly came to a realization, “So you want us to steal weapons.”

Yun Yuzhen was irritated, “Other than divine arms and sharp weapons like Gan Jiang and Mo Xie[2], there is nothing good to be stolen. What I want you to steal an account book of a great importance.”

The two boys looked at each other in incredulity.

Yun Yuzhen’s pretty eyes flickered. “This account book records all Dong Ming Pai’s weapon transaction in the last few years; both the seller and the buyer must sign and affix their seals, and it also lists the quantity as well as the type of weapons being sold. Yuwen Huaji ordered Haisha Bang to attack the ‘Floating Fragrance Flagship’, it was precisely for the sake of this account book.”

Listening to this, the two boys were totally confused and were at a loss.

Yun Yuzhen continued, “It also involves the power struggle within the imperial court. For instance, certain high-ranking minister secretly purchased a large quantity of weapons from Dong Ming Pai, this account book becomes irrefutable evidence that will allow Yuwen Huaji to submit a memorial to the Emperor and thus drag his opponent down. Do you understand it now?”

Kou Zhong said, “But Beautiful Shifu is not Yuwen Huaji; why do you want to obtain this account book?”

“You don’t need to mind my business,” Yun Yuzhen replied, “In short, just get me the book, in turn I will set you free and give you the promised gold. If you are willing to try, while there are still ten days or so time, I will have my people teaching you first-class technique in stealing. Are you clear?”

There was a knock on the door, Yun Zhi came to report, “There is a small boat coming to us from behind; it’s probably Li Gongzi.”

Yun Yuzhen’s powdered face turned slightly red from annoyance; she said, “That shameful, annoying @$$hole keeps entangling me; let him come aboard.”

After a short pause, she added, “Take these two little demons go see Grandpa Chen.”

Seeing how happy she was at the prospect of seeing that Li Gongzi, the two boys were already upset. Now that she wanted to get rid of them, the two little demons, their ego took a hard beating. With anger and resentment they followed Yun Zhi out.

Following Yun Yuzhen’s order, Yun Zhi took them along the hallway of the upper deck and came to a door. Knocking the door, she said, “Grandpa Chen! Two Gongzi are here.”

An old-sounding voice came from inside, “Have them come in!”

Yun Zhi pushed the door open and tell them to come in on their own.

The two boys stepped into the room, and discovered that the room was surprisingly very big. Spread all over the room were all kinds of padlocks, scaled building models, and some tools of unknown purpose. The walls were covered with a lot of architectural drawings. Unexpectedly they were inside the ship’s main workshop.

A decrepit, hunchback, old man with long beard was taking apart a padlock and examining it carefully by the window. Without even casting a glance to the boys, he said with his hoarse voice, “Shut the door!”

Xu Ziling pushed the door closed.

The old man put down the lock and went over to them. Because he was shorter by more than half a head than the two boys, he had to look up to them. After seeing clearly the two boys’ faces, he let out a hollow laugh and said, “I heard that you two have been stealing and swindling since childhood. Ha! Put out your hands first, let me take a look.”

The old man reached out to the two boys’ four hands, grabbing and pinching left and right for a while, he expressed his astonishment, “I have never seen hands better than yours. Apparently very soon we will have two better pairs. Ha! I, the Ol’ Chen will have my successors.”

With hands behind his back, he walked away and only stopped at the window. Staring out the window, he said, “Trying to steal things, apart from a pair of dexterous hands, one must be quick witted and able to change according to the situation, plus having excellent understanding of the building, its construction, mechanism, and so on.”

And then he strolled back and beckoned the two boys to come over to a building model on the table. “This building complex is made of ten courtyard houses of different sizes. If I want you to steal a piece of precious jade, how would you find where the jade is?”

Noticing the two boys only return blank stares, he seemed to be immensely proud of himself as he moved to another model and said, “Do you recognize this one?”

Kou Zhong’s voice was hoarse, “Isn’t this Yangzhou Zongguan’s mansion?”

“Precisely Yuchi Sheng’s doghouse,” Ol’ Chen replied, “Actually, stealing is not too difficult. If I want you to steal a classified dossier, after reading all that stuff you must memorize everything written inside in your brains, and then return the dossier to its original place, the owner will not know that the flies have been seen by others, now that would require not only outstanding skill, you must also have photographic memory. Oh! Do you know how to read?”

Kou Zhong was already suspicious of Yun Yuzhen, naturally he would not tell him the truth. Pretending to be ashamed, he said, “How could we have the opportunity to go to school?”

“I won’t blame you,” Ol’ Chen spoke sympathetically, “Luckily this time the mission does not require you to read.”

Taking the two boys to a drawing hanging on the wall to their left, he said, “This is the ‘Floating Fragrance Flagship’, which you have been to. The blackened parts are places where we are not yet clear.”

The diagram showed ‘Floating Fragrance Flagship’ in stereoscopic perspective, but the main cabin section below the deck had been blackened.

Like an unceasing torrent the Ol’ Chen explained everything, but the two boys found it fascinating, hence they listened attentively, while asking questions from time to time.

By daybreak, Yun Zhi came to take them to the room at the end of a long hallway toward to bow to rest. The two boys put down their heads and slept peacefully and did not wake up until evening.

Two pretty maids came to wait on them as they took a bath, changed their clothes, shaved their beards and combed their hair into a bun. When Yun Zhi returned to take them into the main cabin, her elegant eyes lit up as soon as she saw them; she said in astonishment, “Turns out two Gongzi are so handsome; indeed I failed to admire that.”

Seeing she was so pretty and pleasant, Kou Zhong leaned over and said, “How old is Jiejie this year? You seem to be almost at the same age as we are?”

Yun Zhi crossly said, “Definitely your senior. Come!” She turned around and walked away.

The two boys realized she was looking down on them; after exchanging frustrated expression and eye contact with each other, they followed her.

Arriving at the main cabin, they saw a dinner table was already prepared with food and wine, but there were only three seats, and one of them was already occupied by a big man in embroidered robe. His face looked ugly, with an approximately two cun long saber scar on his left cheek, giving out the impression that he was a cruel man; but his pair of eyes was flickering lively, so with one look people could tell that this was a martial art master with exquisite inner power.

The man was actually very polite. He stood up to welcome them and said, “Jukun Bang Fu Bangzhu [Deputy Clan Leader] Bu Tianzhi at your service. Yun Bangzhu has a business to attend to and has left for the shore, assigning the Ol’ Bu to take up the responsibility to greet the two Xiao Xiongdi.”

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[2] Gan Jiang and Mo Xie: the following is from Faerie Queene’s work, Legend of the White Haired Maiden (Liang Yusheng). I thought I repeat it here for reference:

This pair of swords was said to be created by a pair of husband and wife sword smiths who lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn era (722BC-481BC) and were said to be apprentices coming out from the same school as the master sword-maker Ou YeZi who crafted the Dragon Springs Sword. Having crafted two of the finest swords of their career, they named these two swords after themselves Gan Jiang (literal translation: Competent General), Mo Xie (literal translation: Do not be/commit evil).

There appears to be various stories and legends surrounding these two sword-makers. It was said that though they worked for the Lord of the state of Wu (He Lu), yet Gan Jiang was also unjustly executed by the Lord of Wu because he did not want Gan Jiang crafting equally superb swords for the other states. Another story posits that it was Gan Jiang who crafted the pair of swords and named them after his wife and himself. He worked for the Lord of Chu and having anticipated that his lord would kill him immediately upon receiving this sword, he voiced these fears to his pregnant wife and left behind one sword buried under a large tree so that his unborn child may one day take revenge for him. Indeed, upon presenting the Gan Jiang sword to the Lord of Chu, Gan Jiang was executed.

When their son Chi Bi (literal translation: Scarlet Nose) grew up, he dug up the sword and swore revenge for his father. But unable to approach the Lord of Chu, he narrated his story to a noble warrior from the Chu state, who having been touched by his story promised to seek revenge for him. According to legend, it was this warrior who by presenting the Lord of Chu with the Mo Xie sword as a decoy, beheaded the Lord of Chu with this very sword and knowing that being surrounded by numerous soldiers he would be unable to escape, this warrior beheaded himself with the very same sword. There was yet another legend which posits that Gan Jiang collected together the essence of the highest grades of gold and metals belonging to the five mountains (probably: SongShan, TaiShan, HuaShan, Northern HengShan, Southern HengShan) and combined them together within a forge. But the heat of the forge was not enough to melt the metals and since the metals were unable to merge together, his sword was unable to be completed.

Gan Jiang knew that his failure to finish the sword according to his deadline would lead to his execution by the Lord of Wu and as a result was filled with despair. Suddenly, during one night, his wife smiled at him, causing Gan Jiang to be greatly worried as he pleaded for her to not commit what he feared she would do. But she only smiled and by the time Gan Jiang woke up, he found that she had already disappeared. He ran to the place where they crafted the swords and saw his wife standing by the forge smiling at him. But before he could reach her, she had already thrown herself into the fire. Her last words to him were that of reassuring her husband that she has not died yet and that they would eventually reunite. The metals finally melted and combined together to finally complete the pair of Gan Jiang, Mo Xie swords. Gan Jiang only presented the Gan Jiang sword to the Lord of Wu and secretly kept the Mo Xie sword by his side. But the Lord of Wu eventually discovered this news and had his men surround Gan Jiang.

At that time, Gan Jiang opened up the box, which contained the Mo Xie sword and asked the Mo Xie sword how he could ever be reunited with his wife. But the sword instantaneously transformed into a great white dragon, which suddenly disappeared along with Gan Jiang himself. Similarly, the Gan Jiang sword, which was by the Lord of Wu’s side all this time mysteriously disappeared as well. Meanwhile, in a district called the Pin (destitute/impoverish) Cheng (City) located a thousand miles away appeared a young white dragon that suddenly emerged in their YanPingJin lake.

This majestic dragon was not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted and by calling upon the power of rainfall and the force of wind, it enabled the destitute city to benefit from the weather and prosper in its agriculture. As a result, the city was also renamed as Feng (Prosperity) Cheng. But the inhabitants found that the white dragon seemed always to be very unhappy as it looked towards the shores as if forever waiting for or pining away for someone with eyes filled with tears. After six hundred years, a young man named Lei Huan suddenly discovered a box buried within the ground. Upon opening the box, he discovered that it concealed the legendary Gan Jiang sword.

Pleased with his finding, he hung the sword by his side and one day, when he past by the YanPingJin lake, the sword that hung by his waist suddenly leaped up into the air and dived into the lake. There was a great commotion in the waters when suddenly two dragons leaped out, one white dragon and one black dragon. These two dragons danced together in joyful happiness before returning to the bottom of the lake, only to disappear forever. The next day, a husband and wife moved into the town. They were merely an ordinary couple and although the husband was a very skilled blacksmith, yet he only crafted the ordinary tools used in everyday agricultural life while his wife stood by his side, fanning him with a little fan and wiping away his sweat.

[SleepyPrince]

Thank you for the grand work.

[HPC7595]

Thanks foxs