THE LEGENDARY SIBLINGS by Gu Long

[byelnats]

Yup, enjoy your new life Athena. Hopefully you will be able to continue in the future. Thank you for all of your translation so far.

[freak]

OMG such a captivating translation.....
i spent the whole day at it....
'how many chapters are there altogether??
btw athena,great work,hope u will continue soon...

[Wubbles]

Hey all,

Would like to thank Athena for her great efforts in translation...I loved the Sword and the Exquisiteness. Good luck with your pursuits, and Mr. Right!

Just for fun, and also to gain a new appreciation of how hard our translators work, I went to the Qiqi site and tried one single chapter of the Legendary Siblings. I'll post it here, if I may. My Chinese is bad, and my simplified Chinese, even worse, but here goes...it was Chapter 23 on the Qiqi site, right after where Athena left off...some priest was trying to pierce somebody's throat. I tried to keep names as similar as possible and I left (?) where I really had no clue what was being said.

Man, it's hard work! Kudos to all you translators- what a gift of your time!

[Wubbles]

In his anger, this stroke contained the strength of years of training, and was truly as fast as lightning, as powerful as thunder; everyone was stunned.

The young girl was, after all, still inexperienced and, faced with such a stroke, did not dare to counter his blade. She repeated the [jaded flower stealth substitution?], and avoided him.

But now the Emei disciples drew their swords and attacked. The girls could not hope to escape.

Tie Xinlan suddenly released Xiao Yu’er’s hand, and said, “Stay here and don’t move. I …”

Xiao Yu’er stared at her and asked, “What are you going to do?”

Tie Xinlan said, “When I was lost in the wilderness, fortunately they took care of me. When you were in danger, again they intervened. Now that they are being attacked, I cannot stand by and do nothing.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed, saying, “Well, if people of the Floral Palace are in danger, do they really need other people to save them?”

He had hardly finished speaking, when behind him a voice declared: “Well spoken!”

The sound of the voice was loud and clear, but died away quickly; as soon as the voice registered in their ears, someone stepped out from Xiao Yu’er’s side. In the firelight, Xiao Yu’er could not see if the person was male, female, or even what they looked like. Even the colour of the speaker’s clothes was not clearly discernible.

In his life, Xiao Yu’er had never seen someone move so rapidly, nor could he have imagined such a lightning attack. A silhouette flashed by him, into the light cast by the swordplay.

It happened in a split second- clashing swords ringing in his ears, then a dozen blades landed on the ground as one. Although none among the onlookers could see clearly how the swords had been wrenched free, the Emei disciples themselves had felt a sudden irresistible force on their weapons. Each person’s sword, still in his grip, clashed against the clenched sword of a fellow disciple. Each person in each pair felt a terrifying strength from the opposing sword. Their wrists went numb, and the blades fell from their shocked hands. The disciples cried out in alarm as they stumbled backwards. They held their injured arms, their thoughts wild and confused, as if in a waking nightmare(?).

Although his hand still gripped his weapon, Reverend Shenxi had also been caught off guard and retreated a pace. He swept his gaze in all directions, but no one was there except for the two girls in white. And though all was visible by the firelight, and no one moved, still, the dozen blades lay, horrifyingly, on the ground.

Reverend Shenxi stopped short and gritted his teeth. He finally raised his eyes heavenward and sighed. “It’s over.” With a flick of his wrist, he slashed his sword across his own neck. Under the amazing power of this mysterious attacker, the reputation of the Emei sect was now ruined. The only thing left to do was to end his own life.

At that moment a hand snaked out from behind him to gently grasp his arm. Another hand reached around to lightly seize his weapon.

Reverend Shenxi always carried this sword with him. It had accompanied him through countless trials and dangers and never left his side. Now to find it so easily taken from him, was something he would never have dreamed of.

[Wubbles]

Reverend Shenxi was startled at this, and angry. A youth clothed in white, slowly came out from behind him and stepped forward. He held the Reverend’s sword in both hands. His demeanor was respectful; he smiled and said, “May the Reverend forgive my discourtesy. Had your esteemed sect not attempted to use force on women, I would never have dared to intervene.”

Under the torchlight, you could see that the youth was no more than 13 or 14 years of age. Yet his abilities clearly surpassed even the dreams of the various assembled experts in martial arts. He was only clothed in a plain white robe, but his air of nobility could not be matched by most men clad in brocade.

Until this moment, he had only spoken a few sentences, yet his charisma and charm were apparent. Even the Snow Sabre Liu Ruyu, whose eyes had appraised many men, felt her heart racing. Seventh Master Qiu Qingpo, who had been much admired and sought after in his younger days, felt a twinge of inadequacy, having met this young man.

Without being aware of it, everyone had fallen silent just staring at him.

Although Reverend Shenxi was furious, somehow he seemed to be intimidated by this person’s demeanour, and he found himself returning the young man’s salute. He asked, “Would you be from the Floral Palace?”

The white-robed youth replied, “My name is Hua Wuque, I am indeed from the Floral Palace. It has been many years since my people have roamed abroad, and thus we are unfamiliar with some of the formal courtesies. We beg forgiveness for any offence we may have given.”

His words were humble and polite, and yet somehow the situation resembled that of a master gently extending a courtesy to his servant. Although the master was being sincere, the servant would still feel uneasy. Some people are naturally born to be proud and noble. Although such a man would try to put the pride behind him and feel that it is wrong to be proud, others would see it and feel that he should be as he should be.

The smile on his face was peaceful and warm, yet the others still felt somehow that he was above them. Although his actions were courteous and friendly, they still found it hard to accept.

Reverend Shenxi, Buddhist monk Huangji, Wang Yizhua, Qiu Qingpo, Sun Tiannan, Feng Tianyu, Zhao Quanhai and the others were all leaders of their respective sects. But for some reason, in front of this youth, none of them could find any proper response to give.

Helu rolled her eyes and couldn’t help laughing. She said in a loud voice: “Now that my master is here, I take it we may view the contents of the coffins?”

[Wubbles]

Reverend Shenxi’s expression darkened. Before he could say a word, Hua Wuque said slowly: “The matter of the treasure will (?)… I just hope that no-one is deceived by the evil intentions of others. From now on we will never mention this day’s events again.”

The Buddhist monk Huangji murmured, “Amitaba, the young master is gracious.”

Wang Yizhua said loudly: “Whoever wanted to continue fighting would wind up being the laughingstock of everyone. Only a fool would be that stupid.”

Qiu Qingpo, Sun Tiannan and the others said in unison: “Young master, you have spoken wisely. We will take our leave now.”

Reverend Shenxi said: “Thank you young master!” What should have resulted in a bloodbath, this Hua Wuque had, with merely a few words, brought to a peaceful resolution.

Throughout all this, Liu Ruyu’s eyes had never left his face. As Tie Xinlan watched him, the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously in a smile of admiration.

With a “hmph”, Xiao Yu’er abruptly turned and ran towards the entrance of the cave. Tie Xinlan was startled, paused briefly, then eventually ran outside and followed him.

Xiao Yu’er heard Zhao Quanhai call out to him from behind: “Hero Yu, Hero Yu…” [[ I think earlier Xiao Yu’er had told Zhao Quanhai that his name was Yu Wangzi…the long nick name starting with…Saint of 10 000 serpents etc.]]

Helu also called out: “Hey, young lady, where did you go?”

Reverend Shenxi called to him: “Young man, please stay behind and have some tea with me.”

Xiao Yu’er could not understand what they were shouting, and even if he did, he would not turn back. He ran straight outside of the cave.

Outside, there was a thin fog, yet the bright moon in the sky lit the ground; the evening was beautiful.

Xiao Yu’er had no eyes for any of this; he only stared straight ahead and kept running. After a while, he stopped, found a big stone and sat down.

Tie Xinlan took a deep breath, and said, “Who knew that the treasure hunting would turn out like this, I could never have guessed.” Xiao Yu’er said, “As if you could ever guess anything.”

Tie Xinlan was startled. She lowered her head and said quietly, “For this worthless treasure I have endured so many dangers and nearly lost my life. This is really not worth it.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “You’ll live.” (?)

Tie Xinlan bit her lips, her head even lower, and said, “At the Murong Manor, I know it was only because you were in a lot of danger, that’s why you left me behind. I don’t blame you, but you…”

Xiao Yu’er cut in: “And so what if you did blame me?”

Tie Xinlan suddenly raised her head in surprise: “You…you…why are you saying such things…”

Xiao Yu’er said, “I’ve always talked like this. If you don’t like it, then don’t listen…hmph, someone else’s words are much nicer, why don’t you go and listen to him?”

Tie Xinlan’s eyes were now red. After a brief silence, she mustered up a smile and asked, “When did you arrive at Mount Emei?”

“Hmph!” was the only response.

Tie Xinlan coaxed gently, “How did you get so many snakes on your body?”

Xiao Yu’er ignored her again.

Tie Xinlan stamped her foot, then also sat down. The two of them sat back to back and ignored each other. No one moved and no one spoke.

After a short while, Xiao Yu’er couldn’t stand it any more. He spat loudly and said: “Ha, that little rascal(?) really has an arrogant air(?) about him!”

Tie Xinlan didn’t respond, as if she hadn’t heard him at all.

Xiao Yu’er kept quiet for a bit but then couldn’t restrain himself. He nudged her with his back and said, “Hey, are you deaf? Didn’t you hear what I said?”

Tie Xinlan replied: “How could a deaf person hear someone talking?”

Xiao Yu’er was confused: “But…you answered me; you clearly heard what I just said. If you couldn’t hear someone talking, then how did you hear me…that means you aren’t…deaf…” His words became muddled, he couldn’t stop himself and laughed out loud.

Tie Xinlan had already been giggling secretly; at this point she let out a big “ha ha” and started laughing even harder.

In the midst of their laughter, the two of them unconsciously wound up sitting side by side. Neither could tell; was it Tie Xinlan who came closer first, or was it Xiao Yu’er who moved over?

After laughing some more, Xiao Yu’er abruptly said again: “That rascal really is too proud(?)!”

Tie Xinlan said softly, “Actually he’s not the proud one, it’s just the reactions of people around him that make him seem so.”

Xiao Yu’er sneered: “Of course he’s proud, look at him-what an actor. Others think he’s so humble and courteous, but he actually- Hmph, what dog crap!”

Tie Xinlan laughed: “One could say that the Floral palace is one of the meccas of wulin. Since he is the only descendant of the Floral Palace, if he is proud, that is only natural.”

Xiao Yu’er merely said: “Hmph.” “Hmph hmph…..hmph. Hmph.”

Tie Xinlan smiled charmingly and lightly touched his hand. She saw the snakes on his wrist and quickly drew back. Winking at Xiao Yu’er, she said, “Did you notice, his eyes, they really look like yours, they’re practically identical. A stranger would have thought you were brothers.”

Xiao Yu’er retorted: “If I was born looking like that sissy(?), I’d rather die.”

Tie Xinlan held back her laughter and stared at his eyes, without a word.

Xiao Yu’er cocked his head to one side, and laughed coldly: “The funny thing is, someone actually likes this pretentious, sissy man.”

Tie Xinlan said, “I…who likes him?”

“You.”

Tie Xinlan broke into stunned laughter: “I, like him? You’re crazy!”

Xiao Yu’er said, “If you didn’t like him, why would you stare at him with those bright eyes of yours? If you didn’t like him, why would you hang on his every word?”

Tie Xinlan’s face was flushed with anger; she gritted her teeth and said, “Fine. So what if I like him? It’s none of your business, we’re neither friends nor family, remember?”

She stamped her foot and turned her back on him again.

Xiao Yu’er sat down on the ground, and mumbled, “Pretentious, overacting like an old man(?), that’s the most annoying type.”

Tie Xinlan said without turning around: “Didn’t you just call him a sissy? Now he’s like an old man?”

Xiao Yu’er said, “I…I meant to say he’s like…an old sissy.”

Tie Xinlan suddenly burst out laughing.

Xiao Yu’er raised his eyes questioningly: “Why are you laughing?”

Tie Xinlan slowly and clearly pronounced each word: “You are jealous.”

Xiao Yu’er jumped up and cried out: “I, am jealous?.....What a joke….give me a break…”

Suddenly he sat back down and sighed, “That’s right. I do seem to be getting a little jealous…”

Tie Xinlan smiled sweetly and was about to snuggle into his arms, but suddenly jumped up and screamed: “Snakes….why don’t you get rid of these poisonous snakes?”

Xiao Yu’er said sadly, “If only I could.”

Tie Xinlan exclaimed in surprise: “Even you can’t get rid of them yourself?”

Xiao Yu’er sighed: “Now that the Azure Serpent Lord is dead, I’m not sure that anyone can get rid of them. They’ll bite whoever touches them.”

Tie Xinlan said anxiously, “Then…then what are we going to do? You can’t carry them around for the rest of your life.”

Xiao Yu’er said nothing for a while, discouraged. Then suddenly he made a face, smiled and said, “It’s not so bad. With the snakes all over me, girls won’t dare to touch me.”

Tie Xinlan stamped her foot and shouted: “I’m being serious, and you’re still joking around.”

She turned her back in a huff, but then turned around instantly, smiling: “I have an idea.”

Xiao Yu’er asked happily, “What idea?”

Tie Xinlan said, “Starve them to death. Once they’re dead, they’ll fall off.”

Xiao Yu’er appeared to think it over, then nodded his head: “Not bad, not bad. That is a pretty good idea.”

Tie Xinlan said, “Thank you, thank you.”

Xiao Yu’er winked at her: “Only you forgot one thing.”

“What?”

Xiao Yu’er said, “Although these snakes are hairless, it doesn’t mean they’re monks.”

Tie Xinlan was confused: “What is that supposed to mean?”

Xiao Yu’er said, holding back his laughter: “If they’re not monks, they eat meat…”

Tie Xinlan was still confused, then suddenly she jumped up and cried out: “They….if they really get hungry, they’ll eat your flesh and drink your blood.”

Xiao Yu’er sighed: “You really are a brainchild. You didn’t get it till now.”

Tie Xinlan was so worried that she wanted to weep. She stamped her foot and said: “So what do we do? What do we do? The only way is…the only way…”

As for what “the only way” was, she couldn’t say. She was so anxious, she was turning in circles. By about the seventh or eighth circle, she heard voices approaching.

Someone said, “How did that girl disappear so suddenly. That is really strange.”

Someone else chimed in coldly: “She can escape today, but can she escape tomorrow?”

As soon as they heard these two voices, Xiao Yu’er and Tie Xinlan’s expressions changed.

Tie Xinlan whispered, “Zhang Qing!” Xiao Yu’er said: “And Murong Jiumei!”

Tie Xinlan said, “Let’s escape.”

It was only at this point that they noticed they were at a dead end. They were surrounded on three sides by mountain slopes(?), and the only way out was the direction from which Zhang Qing and Murong Jiumei had come.

Tie Xinlan’s feet and hands were icy cold. She said, “This…this…”

Xiao Yu’er said, “Let’s just hide for a bit and see.”

They had just settled in their hiding places when the two girls arrived.

Zhang Qing said, “Mount Emei is a really strange place. Aside from the caves where monkeys live, the only shelter we’ve found is this place.”

Murong Jiumei said, “There’s no point in searching the entire mountain randomly. Why don’t we rest here tonight and start again tomorrow.”

Zhang Qing had sat down already, on the exact same stone that Xiao Yu’er had previously occupied. The two of them relaxed and closed their eyes.

Xiao Yu’er and Tie Xinlan suffered in silence; at this rate, who knew how long they would have to wait before being able to escape?

After a while, Zhang Qing opened her eyes and asked, “Are you cold?”

Murong Jiumei said mockingly, “You are quite the spoiled princess. Even if we were in an icy snowstorm I wouldn’t complain of cold.”

Zhang Qing shrugged, and closed her eyes again.

Xiao Yu’er thought inwardly: “Of course you’re not cold. Consider the type of martial arts you’re practicing. Even if you were naked as a dog’s butt and sleeping on ice, you wouldn’t mind. Other people however, haven’t practiced such witchcraft.”

After another pause, Zhang Qing suddenly stood up and said, “You’re not cold, good for you. But I can’t take it.”

Murong Jiumei replied, “Even if you can’t handle it, you must still endure.”

Zhang Qing smiled and said: “Please Jiu Guniang, come with me to find firewood.”

Murong Jiumei stood up slowly. They glanced in all directions, but finally decided, of all places, to approach the spot where Xiao Yu’er and Tie Xinlan were hiding.

Xiao Yu’er thought to himself: “Why did I have to pick this spot of all places? And why did this spot have to have firewood, of all places! This is really the worst luck.” Who could have guessed that they would choose to hide behind some dried rattan wood (?). And this type of wood just happened to be the best type to start a fire. Coincidence upon coincidence, this was not Xiao Yu’er’s lucky day.

Tie Xinlan’s palms were already drenched in cold sweat. Her body began to tremble.

Zhang Qing and Murong Jiumei came closer. The closer they got, the more Tie Xinlan shook. The firewood began to shake from her trembling.

Zhang Qing suddenly stopped moving and said, “Listen, what’s making that noise?”

Murong Jiumei said coldly, “Don’t worry, there are no ghosts here.” Xiao Yu’er, suddenly inspired, messed up his hair, and secretly laughed to himself, who knows what he was laughing at?

Tie Xinlan, seeing him laughing at a time like this, was both furious and frightened.

Zhang Qing approached a little further, mumbling, “Even if there were no ghosts, even snakes would be enough to scare me out of my wits.”

Murong Jiumei said coldly, “I’m here, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Before her words were finished, a monster suddenly sprung out from the darkness.

Zhang Qing jumped and screamed, cold sweat pouring down.

Murong Jiumei calmly said, “Who’s playing at monsters and ghosts?”

The monster shrieked: “Murong Jiumei… Murong Jiumei, you made me die a horrible death. Murong Jiumei…I want you to pay with your life!”

End of Chapter 23

[fastclock]

Thanks.
It's a pretty good translation... and not bad at all
I would welcome more translations hehe...

So Hua Wuque has shown up
Things are becoming more and more interesting.

[Honam426]

The torch has been passed...

[atlantean0208]

thanx for the translation, hope I also can contribute but I can't neither speak or read chinese. Its good that translations in this forum become a round robin task. It doesn't matter with inconsistency between translator as long as the essence of the story still the same. At least its better than using the crappy Babel Fish

[rikku]

thanks so much for the translation.. thanks athena also for doing it this far.. thanks wubbles for the translation and if you can continue it would be awesome..

[Wubbles]

Hey all,

Whew...managed to squeeze in another chapter before the end of my March Break. The translating is actually quite interesting- Gu Long sometimes has reams of dialogue where it's just : and then he said...then she said...next he said...

And sometimes the same adjectives keep getting reused, over and over. So it's actually at the translator's discretion to kind of vary it a little. I think I kind of see what people mean when they say Gu Long's style is a little simpler vs. Jin Yong.

btw, anyone, feel free to jump in and translate, if you wish. =)

[Wubbles]

Chapter 24

Under the moonlight, Murong Jiumei could clearly see the face of the monster, who else could it be but Xiao Yu’er? And wasn’t it the very same Xiao Yu’er whom she had indeed caused to die a horrible death?

In the deep night and the mountain wilderness, the dark wind blew in gusts. In such a place, and so unexpectedly meeting a freak with wild hair and snakes slithering all over his body, whom she recognized as a victim murdered by her own cruel hand.

No matter how brave Murong Jiumei was, this was something she could not handle.

She pointed a trembling finger at Xiao Yu’er, her voice quavered: “You…you…”

Upon speaking the second “you”, she had already fainted dead away from fright.

Zhang Qing, although she didn’t understand the underlying details behind Murong Jiumei’s reaction, she could certainly see the many snakes writhing around Xiao Yu’er. Seeing Murong Jiumei in a frightened swoon on the ground, she herself was scared out of her wits. With a scream of fear, she turned and ran. In a moment she was out of sight.

Xiao Yu’er laughed loudly and said, “My snake brothers, no matter if you harm me in the future or not, I still have to thank you. After all, you have saved my life at least twice now.”

Tie Xinlan was the most bewildered of all. She sprang out from the darkness and stared at Xiao Yu’er. She couldn’t help asking, “When were you killed by Murong Jiumei? I don’t get it, you’re confusing me.”

Xiao Yu’er said, laughing, “It’s better when girls are a bit confused; the more they know, the more troubles occur. All you need to know is that I’m damn good.”

Tie Xinlan paused, then sighed: “You are good…you even scared Murong Jiumei into a faint, and frightened Zhang Qing away. Even if we told other people about this, no one would believe us.”

Looking down at the unconscious Murong Jiumei, Xiao Yu’er mused: “What do you think, how should I deal with her?”

Tie Xinlan thought for a bit, then said, “Just let her lie here, and we’ll leave.” She looked at Xiao Yu’er’s expression, then continued: “Or perhaps, perhaps you could use the rattan reeds(?) to tie her up. Wait till she comes around, then beat her a few times to get even.”

Xiao Yu’er said coldly: “Women are really too soft-hearted.”(?) Tie Xinlan asked, “Even this method is not cruel enough?”

“Of course not.”

Tie Xinlan’s voice shook: “Unless…unless you mean to kill her?”

Xiao Yu’er said, “So you’d rather I let her live to return and kill me instead?” Tie Xinlan stamped her foot: “I never thought you…. You are really cruel-hearted.”

“Well, now you know,” Xiao Yu’er retorted. “Just go somewhere far off if you don’t want to watch me kill her.”

Tie Xinlan stamped her foot once more and ran off.

Xiao Yu’er ignored her, his gaze still focused on Murong Jiumei. He murmured, “You evil woman, if I don’t kill you, how could I face myself.” Then he laughed coldly: “I should get my snakes to bite you, then we’ll see who’s more poisonous, you or the snakes.” He grasped Murong Jiumei’s hand as if to feed the snakes on his wrists.

At this moment the moonlight in the skies happened to shine down on her face. He saw her thin and pale face, her long eyelashes. Although she was still in a swoon, her appearance would make anyone feel pity. Her hands were cold and soft. To feed such hands to the snakes, would take a very ruthless person.

Xiao Yu’er’s hands also softened slightly, but then he thought of himself imprisoned in the ice cellar, Murong Jiumei leaving him to freeze and starve to death. His anger flared up again, and he gave a sinister laugh: “Whatever happens, you can’t blame me. If you hadn’t tried to kill me, I wouldn’t be avenging myself.”

Suddenly he heard someone slowly criticizing: “Using this kind of tactics to threaten a girl? You should be ashamed to call yourself a man.”

Xiao Yu’er’s head snapped up in surprise: “Who’s there?”

On the word “who”, he could already see a person standing before him. It was the elegant and refined Hua Wuque. Three people stood behind him. Two were the girls in white, and the third was Tie Xinlan. The three girls stared at Xiao Yu’er with huge eyes, as if wanting to devour him whole.

Xiao Yu’er was furious, but he merely smiled and kept his grip on Murong Jiumei’s hand: “You mean I can’t kill her?”

“A man should be more courteous when dealing with girls,” Hua Wuque responded evenly. “No matter how she may have wronged you, you should still be gentle, because she is a woman.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed out loud: “What a perfect gentleman! A man like you is truly the good fortune of women everywhere, they should make you an embroidered flag.(?)”

Hua Wuque smiled faintly and said, “Well said.”(?)

Xiao Yu’er went on: “But say the women wish to kill you, what should you do then? Should you close your eyes and await your death by their hands? You wouldn’t even return a single blow?”

“If I have wronged a woman,” Hua Wuque slowly said, “even if she wished to kill me, I would have no complaints.”

Xiao Yu’er persisted: “And if the woman wronged you? Would you kill her?” Hua Wuque said, “Men should always be gentle with women.”

“Where did you learn such a strange way of thinking?” Xiao Yu’er laughed bitterly. “According to you, all men everywhere deserve to die, we should all just drown ourselves in the Yellow River.”

“Not necessarily.”

Xiao Yu’er stared at him, torn between anger and amusement. Xiao Yu’er could not tell if Hua Wuque honestly didn’t understand him, or was merely pretending not to. He couldn’t decide if Hua Wuque was intelligent or an idiot.

Hua Wuque looked at him, smiling, without a trace of anger or anxiety. If he had truly been the gentle scholar type he seemed, Xiao Yu’er would have given him a beating a long time ago.

But his martial arts were truly shocking, as Xiao Yu’er knew. He could only sigh, and say: “What you want is for me to release her?”

Hua Wuque smiled and said, “Even to release her would be a deed worthy of a hero.”

Xiao Yu’er retorted, “If I release her today, and in future she returns to kill me, what then?”

Hua Wuque paused, then said, “Who can predict what will happen in the future?”

“Fine. If I want to kill her, I’m not a hero, nor a man, and I deserve to die. But if she wants to kill me, this is her natural right, and I should obviously let her murder me, is that it?”

Hua Wuque laughed, “That’s not what I meant to say. It’s just that…”

Xiao Yu’er shouted at him: “I don’t care what you meant. Today I am not your match. Even if you farted I’d have to pay attention. But, if ever I gain the upper hand, I swear I will slaughter some women in cold blood for your viewing pleasure.”

He heavily slapped away Murong Jiumei’s hand, saying, “Take her away.”

Hua Wuque was not angry at all; in fact he smiled slightly and said: “Thank you.”

The girls in white darted over like swallows and lifted Murong Jiumei into their arms.

The round-faced girl stared at Xiao Yu’er and gave a cold laugh: “If my master weren’t here, I would have killed you, to teach you a lesson about respecting women.”

Xiao Yu’er sneered, “Go ahead. Scold me as you wish. You’re a woman, you have a natural right to scold men, isn’t that right, young master Hua?”

Hua Wuque smiled: “A man who is scolded by a woman is actually lucky. Certain types of men, are not even worth a scolding.”

Xiao Yu’er barked out a mirthless laugh. “Ha ha…ha, so then, I must be really lucky. To make you feel better, some day I’ll have to find some women to give you loads of luck.”

“At that time, I’ll certainly be all ears,” Hua Wuque said, laughing.

Xiao Yu’er rolled his eyes; he felt as if he would explode with frustration.

He saw Helu tugging at Tie Xinlan’s hand, urging her: “Young lady, come with us.”

Tie Xinlan murmured, head bowed, “But I….I…”

Although her head was lowered, her gaze had never left Xiao Yu’er.

The round-faced girl said harshly, “Why should you care about this kind of man? Come with us.”

Helu smiled and added, “My master wishes to speak with you.”

Xiao Yu’er hollered: “Go, go! Leave with them then. I’m having a bad day already- with you around, my luck will get worse.”

Tie Xinlan’s head lowered still further, tears already brimming at the corners of her eyes.

The round-faced girl pulled at her hand, saying, “Ignore him, let’s go.”

Hua Wuque smiled and bowed, then turned to leave. Murong Jiumei, in Helu’s arms, suddenly moved and mumbled woozily, “Xiao Yu’er….Jiang Yu, let me go…let me go.”

Hua Wuque’s expression changed slightly. He swiftly turned to stare at Xiao Yu’er, and said, each word distinct: “You are Jiang Yu, and you are also Xiao Yu’er?”

Quite unconsciously, Xiao Yu’er began to grow alarmed, but he only said: “Why, is my name famous or something?”

Hua Wuque still stared at him for a brief moment, then lightly sighed and said, “I am very sorry.”

Xiao Yu’er opened his eyes in surprise: “Sorry? For what?”

Hua Wuque slowly said: “Because I’m going to kill you!”

These words shocked everyone.

“Is your head messed or something?” Xiao Yu’er cried out. “Why do you want to kill me all of a sudden?”

Hua Wuque answered, “Because you are Jiang Yu. In the entire world there is only one person I must kill. That person is Jiang Yu, and that means you.”

Xiao Yu’er sat in stunned silence. Then he sighed, “I see. But there must be someone who sent you to kill me.” Hua Wuque replied: “It was an order from my master.”

Tie Xinlan screamed, “Why would your master want you to kill him? Why?”

She tried to rush to Xiao Yu’er’s side, but the round-faced girl held her tightly.

Xiao Yu’er and Hua Wuque faced each other. Neither cast even a glance at Tie Xinlan.

A pause. Xiao Yu’er suddenly laughed aloud: “Very well. I had wanted to kill you already, but I only held back because my martial arts were inferior. But now…”

He raised his arms and rushed toward Hua Wuque. He was certainly not Hua Wuque’s match but as long as he could get near him, then his snakes would deal with him. No one could escape his snakes. They would not only take Hua Wuque’s life, but also his own.

But suddenly his arms shook. His chi(?) suddenly went awry, and both his wrists went numb. Before he had even reached Hua Wuque, the world turned to black.

Xiao Yu’er awoke. In front of him was an incense burner(?). The scented smoke permeated throughout and wafted towards Xiao Yu’er’s nose. He could not identify the scent. He sniffed…perhaps it was the fragrance of flowers, but no, now it smelled like herbs, maybe. He sniffed carefully a third time and thought maybe it was the scent of a lady’s cosmetics.

He didn’t care what it was, as long as it smelled wonderful, that was good enough for him.

Then he saw a knife.

It was a short dagger, with a jewel-encrusted handle. It was hung above the head of the bed. Its sheath appeared to be made of sharkskin; this was probably an ornamental blade.

These were the only decorations. The rest of the room was very plain, but neat and tidy(?), and meant to make its occupants comfortable.

Xiao Yu’er could not figure out where he was. He thought perhaps this was a bamboo hut built for Hua Wuque’s temporary use while on Mount Emei.

But how did he get here?

Had he not just been bitten by those lethal snakes? Why had he not succumbed to the poison? Unless it was Hua Wuque who had saved him. But why would he, didn’t he want to kill Xiao Yu’er?

He turned his head. His eyes instantly met Hua Wuque’s.

Sunlight streamed through the window. Under the light, Xiao Yu’er saw his eyes, his face, his elegant and refined demeanour, his clothes white as snow. He had to admit, Hua Wuque was a rare example of an extremely handsome young man.

Hua Wuque seemed to have been sitting there for quite some time. But he did not appear at all impatient or annoyed. Indeed, he seemed prepared to go on sitting there quietly, for a long while yet.

Xiao Yu’er could not help but admire this. He himself would not have been able to sit still for even fifteen minutes. Xiao Yu’er secretly tried a few movements and found that he was not in any pain. Furthermore, the lethal snakes on his body were entirely gone.

He inwardly relaxed. “Hey,” he called out, “was it you who saved me?”

Hua Wuque calmly replied, “It was me.”

Xiao Yu’er continued: “And it was you who cured me of the snake poison?”

Hua Wuque explained, “The Fairy Incense (?) and the Lady Pill (?) that you took, they are strong antidotes to many poisons.”

“But weren’t you trying to kill me just now?” Xiao Yu’er asked.

Slowly, Hua Wuque said: “I am still going to kill you. But I must do it myself; I can’t allow you to die from other causes.”

Xiao Yu’er blinked. “Why must you personally kill me?”

“Those were my orders.”

Xiao Yu’er was silent for a bit. Then: “I must die by your hand, and I must not be killed by anyone or anything else? So…Don’t you think that’s odd? You’ve never asked why?”

Hua Wuque said, “I don’t need to ask.” Xiao Yu’er deadpanned: “Looks like you’re quite obedient.”

“No one may disobey the decrees of the Floral Palace.”

“Seems like you’re quite honest too,” Xiao Yu’er mused. “Whatever questions I ask, you answer.”

Hua Wuque said, “No matter who asks me anything, I will always answer truthfully. I still must kill you. But killing you and answering your questions are two utterly unrelated matters.”

“You must kill me yourself?” Xiao Yu’er repeated. “What if I kill you?”

“You won’t be able to kill me,” said Hua Wuque. “You dare to fight to the death?” challenged Xiao Yu’er.

Hua Wuque declared, “I will take your life fairly and honestly!”

“Fine then, “Xiao Yu’er said. “Just move back a bit first, let me get up.”

Hua Wuque stood up and retreated eight or nine steps accordingly.

Xiao Yu’er slowly got up, and mumbled to himself: “You’re too honest a man, but I’m not sure if you’re really honest, or just so confident that you don’t care what I do.”

While he was speaking, he abruptly drew out the ornamental dagger from its sheath, and dropped to the ground.

Hua Wuque calmly watched him. His peaceful and noble air was enough to shame many who called themselves martial arts experts.

Xiao Yu’er suddenly burst into loud laughter: “It’s a simple thing if you merely want me dead. But to kill me yourself, that will never happen.”

Swiftly he flipped the blade around to point at his own heart.

Hua Wuque’s expression changed slightly. He asked: “What…what are you doing?”

Laughing, Xiao Yu’er made a face at him: “You make one move towards me, and I’ll stab myself. Then you’ll never get to kill me.”

Hua Wuque stood there stunned. He didn’t move. He never could have imagined that Xiao Yu’er would use such a strategy.

In martial arts, of course Hua Wuque was superior by far. But as for improvisation and adapting to danger, how could he even compare to the unpredictable and wily Xiao Yu’er?

This disparity, of course, was due to the two men being raised in entirely different environments. The lofty Fairies of the Floral Palace (?) could not hope to match the denizens of the Valley of Evil in craftiness. As for this trick of Xiao Yu’er’s, Hua Wuque would never have been able to execute it, even in his dreams.

Xiao Yu’er laughed like crazy: “If you still want to kill me, show a little patience. Don’t move…Not even one little move.”

His eyes were fixed on Hua Wuque, and he retreated step by step. Hua Wuque had no idea how to deal with such a situation, and could only stand still, helplessly watching Xiao Yu’er back out the door.

Xiao Yu’er did not dare to make a single mistake; although he had exited the door, still his eyes stared at Hua Wuque without blinking. He did not dare to relax even a bit.

Outside the door, the morning mist surrounded nameless flowers on the mountain. Although the sun had already risen, its light still had not yet dispersed the early morning fog on Mount Emei.

Step by backward step. He backed across a small path strewn with mountain flowers.(?) Unless he made sure Hua Wuque would not pursue him, Xiao Yu’er could not turn his head around. His steps were slow and his footfalls firm…

Hua Wuque was suddenly reminded of something, and called out: “Jiang Yu, don’t move!” As he shouted, he began to run out the door.

Xiao Yu’er threatened: “Stop right there! If you step one foot outside the door, I’ll immediately…”

Hua Wuque stopped dead at the threshold, beads of anxious, cold sweat on his forehead. He shouted loudly: “I said don’t move, you can’t go any further. Behind you…”

His warning was in vain; Xiao Yu’er’s left foot stepped backward onto thin air. By the time his shout of surprise could be heard, he had already fallen off the path. Behind him was a precipice; the fog and clouds made it hard to judge its depth. Hua Wuque saw Xiao Yu’er disappear over the edge, and could not reach him in time to pull him back.

Xiao Yu’er’s shout was sharp and brief; yet its echoes from the surrounding mountains continued to ring. Hua Wuque’s body seemed drained of strength- he clung to the door, slumped against it. He stared into the fog, sweat rolling down drop by drop.

By now Tie Xinlan had dashed outside, followed by four or five white-robed girls. She ran up to Hua Wuque and demanded, “Who was screaming just now? Was it him…tell me, was it him?!”

Hua Wuque nodded.

“Where…where is he?”

Hua Wuque sighed and shook his head.

Tie Xinlan saw his expression and stumbled backwards, her voice shaking: “You- you killed him…you killed him!”

She suddenly flung herself onto Hua Wuque and started hitting him with her fists. Her blows fell like rain upon him.

Hua Wuque still had not moved. He neither dodged nor defended himself. Tie Xinlan kept hitting him with all her strength, yet it was as if he didn’t even feel it.

The white-robed girls all cried out in surprise and anger, and simultaneously advanced on Tie Xinlan. Hua Wuque, unexpectedly, shielded her from their attacks, and said gently, “I did not kill him. He actually tripped himself and fell off the cliff edge.”

Tie Xinlan’s body shook. She drew back, and asked, “You…you really didn’t kill him?”

Hua Wuque said, “I have never lied in my life.”

“Then why did you not defend yourself?” she cried out.

Hua Wuque gazed at her with gentle eyes, and sighed: “I knew that right now you must be suffering greatly in your heart. Even if you hurt me, I wouldn’t blame you.”

Tie Xinlan was stunned by his words. Emotions clashed in her heart so that she no longer knew what she felt: tenderness, sorrow, bitterness, and anger. Hua Wuque was truly a kind and gentle man. But Xiao Yu’er…that rough and sly Xiao Yu’er, why was he the one who had left a deeper impression on her heart? He, above the other, was the one she always missed, the one she could neither forget nor leave behind. (1)

Hua Wuque looked at her kindly, and said: “Tie Guniang, you should rest now.”

Tie Xinlan agreed: “You’re right…I should go to rest…I should go…”

She suddenly made a mad dash towards the cliff edge, crying out hoarsely: “Xiao Yu’er, wait for me! I’m coming, to rest together with you…”

But before she reached the edge, Hua Wuque grabbed her hand and stopped her short. Tie Xinlan struggled furiously with all her might, but could not break free.

Tears flowed freely down her face. She screamed: “Let go of me…let go, why won’t you let me join him? He’s dead, down there by himself, he must be so lonely…”

They heard someone calmly say: “Who’s dead down there? He must be so lucky, to be left alone to rest forever in peace and quiet.”

In the milky white fog, they saw a feminine(?) silhouette slowly step out and approach them. It was Murong Jiumei.

Her face was even paler than the fog. Her once beautiful and lively(?) eyes had lost their brightness. In fact, they now seemed a little crazed.

Tie Xinlan gritted her teeth and shouted: “Xiao Yu’er is dead now, are you satisfied? He fell off the cliff, why don’t you go down and see how he’s doing?”

Murong Jiumei lightly shook her head back and forth. She said slowly, “He would not have died here. The dead person here could not be him!”

Suddenly she laughed out loud a few times. She said, still laughing, “He already died at the Murong Manor, by my hand…One person cannot die twice. What…are you talking about…?”

Her long hair, unbound, danced and flew about in the wind, just as wild as her crazed giggles.

Hua Wuque looked at her, sympathy in his eyes. He said softly, “Helu, this young lady must not have yet recovered from fright. Please help her back to the house to rest.”

Helu grasped Murong Jiumei’s hand, but Murong Jiumei continued to laugh: “I killed him myself, I saw his ghost with my own eyes! Ha, ha! Have you ever seen a ghost? How could you have killed him(?)?”

A fierce laughter suddenly joined her giggles. Tie Xinlan declared: “None of you could ever kill him. The only person who could do that…is himself.”

Her laughter dissolved into tears, as her voice cracked and she sobbed, “He has finally died by his own hand…he has destroyed himself. Why do clever people always destroy themselves?”

Tie Xinlan spoke truly. Clever people will sometimes place too much faith in their own intelligence. Intending to harm others, they wind up hurting themselves.

Xiao Yu’er, of course, had much more sense than that. That critical moment, when he stepped backward into thin air, had been staged for the benefit of Hua Wuque.

He had actually already assessed his surroundings and the situation to the smallest detail, even down to the strength he would need to break his fall(?). As his body plummeted, he stabbed his dagger into the cliff face with his right hand. The left immediately grasped onto some reeds(?) growing on the side of the mountain, plastering his body to the cliff wall.

This stunt alone would naturally demand a fast pair of eyes, an attentive, sharp mind and a brave heart. But in order to actually fool an onlooker, especially one of Hua Wuque’s caliber, the risk would be far greater, would it not?

Throughout the anguished cries of Tie Xinlan, the wild screams and laughter of Murong Jiumei, and Hua Wuque’s soft and gentle words, Xiao Yu’er had remained pressed against the cliff face. As he heard their speech, thoughts and emotions mixed in his mind to produce an indescribable feeling. But he managed to restrain himself and did not react, as if not a single syllable had reached his ears.

Finally, as the voices of the onlookers faded away and receded, Xiao Yu’er was able to relax. After a while, he quietly climbed upwards, his eyes turning from the cliff face to look outward. Just as he thought. No one there. He was just about to start upwards again, when, from beside him, someone spoke!

End of Chapter 24



(1) I really enjoy sometimes reading the expressions which are used in Chinese. It’s unfortunate that somehow there maybe a loss of meaning in the translation.

For example, here, to describe the emotions Tie Xinlan is feeling, the Chinese version actually uses a sort of taste metaphor(?). The original is more like:

[Tie Xinlan was stunned by his words. In her heart, there was sour, sweet, bitter and spicy, and she could not tell what flavour it was.]

Likewise, in Chapter 23, when Tie Xinlan claims that Xiao Yu’er is jealous, and he admits it, the term used for “jealous” is more like “eating/tasting vinegar”.



And interestingly enough, there is also an…anatomical (?) metaphor going on for her feelings in this paragraph. To describe her feelings of longing and affection for Xiao Yu’er, the original actually goes more like:

[He, above the other, left a deeper impression, engraved into her bones and inscribed onto her heart. More than the other, she could neither forget nor leave him behind; her yearning burned in her stomach and ate through her entrails.

=) It’s very visual/literal eh? I suppose it’s because I didn’t grow up literate in Chinese, that these expressions are very fresh and arresting to me.

[atlantean0208]

thousands of thanx, wubbles

[Honam426]

Two thumbs up! Keep up the excellent work.

[eliza bennet]

Thank you so much for this story, first Athena (I hope you will be very happy with your Mr.Right) and then Wubbles.

Really, this story should continue, don't you all think so?

[Anatman]

Uh... Okay.
As much as this story is kind of insane, it is pretty cool. It manages to suprise me, even though I did read a comic adaptation long ago... (Kind of wish I hadn't )

Glad that people are still translating it. Thanks to both Athena and Wubbles.

[Wubbles]

Hey all,

Both because I translate slowly, and also because my school work has been more laborious than usual, I was moving really slow on this. Half hoping maybe someone else would pick up the next chapter, but oh well....I guess it means my half chapter here is not in vain.

By the way, if anyone else has actually read or is reading The Legendary Siblings in Chinese, would you be able to give a suggestion/explanation?

This guy shows up in this chapter 25, in Chinese his name is 献果神君 ...but I couldn't translate it really... in the dictionary it was like... "offering...fruit..." But I couldn't think of how to include "fruit" in a name without it sounding...well...fruity. Does the name actually mean something else, and I'm just baffled by a literal translation? I think so...cuz' later I think Xiao Yu'er actually makes a joke about how "献果" is another name for "monkey".

Anyway, I've left the name as The Lord of Monkeys for now...if that sounds weird, I'd love to hear your suggestion.

[Wubbles]

The Legendary Siblings translation Ch. 25

In surprise, Xiao Yu’er whipped his head around. He found himself staring at some monkeys. Dozens of monkeys, who knows where they came from. They began aping his expression and movements, bodies pressed to the cliff wall, heads turning to look outwards. Xiao Yu’er had heard of these Mount Emei monkeys, that they were numerous, and they loved to mimic people.

But now, upon his first real-life encounter with them, he couldn’t help feeling both angry and amused. He wasn’t sure quite how to get rid of them; he pursed his lips: “Hey…get out of here…”

The monkeys made faces at him, and copied his lip movements, screaming and yammering. Some of them had really red cheeks, making their expressions quite scary. Xiao Yu’er worried that these monkeys would draw the attention of Hua Wuque, and he began to get nervous. Without thinking, he put out a hand to hit and shoo them away. At once he realized his mistake.

The monkeys suddenly surrounded him like a nest of angry bees. Together they thrust out their paws.

Normally Xiao Yu’er wouldn’t even be concerned. But right now his body hung from the cliff wall and his arms were not free to exert any sort of strength. As the monkeys swarmed him, he could only tumble straight down.

He was fearful, and anxious, and he did not even dare to call out. His arms scratched and grasped wildly at the cliff face. His knife fell from his grasp and also plunged downward. Only after a long interval did he hear a “pok” sound. The cliff wall happened to slope inward(?) and thus the blade was able to fall straight to the bottom. The echo took a long time to reach his ears; the precipice must be terrifyingly deep.

Xiao Yu’er’s entire body was slippery with sweat. His hands could no longer grip properly. At the point where the cliff face began to slope inward(?), he would also plummet straight to the bottom, where inevitably his body would shatter to pieces.

The most intelligent man in the world, succumbing to a troop of monkeys…at this thought, Xiao Yu’er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The monkeys were also falling downward, but unexpectedly, as they chattered away, each one grabbed the hand of another. Dozens of monkeys, hand in hand, used their feet to climb the slope. They hung in a chain down the side of the cliff, like a string of gourds(?). Not a single one fell off.

Xiao Yu’er, unfortunately, did fall, and his hands couldn’t grasp anything!

He could only close his eyes tightly, and laugh bitterly: “It’s over, Xiao Yu’er dies at the hands of apes…”

At this moment, unexpectedly, a hairy monkey’s paw flew out from nowhere and grabbed his shirt at his chest. This monkey’s grip was frighteningly strong, but the pull of gravity was stronger. Although the paw still clenched the shirt, it ripped, and Xiao Yu’er continued to fall. Without warning, another monkey paw snatched out like lightning, and seized his hair.

Although the pain made tears stream from his eyes, Xiao Yu’er’s body had finally stopped. He saw the chain of monkeys still there, watching him, making faces and shrieking. And then he saw that the pair of paws grasping him had reached out from a small cave within the cliff face.

Xiao Yu’er thought to himself, “Probably the one who saved me is the monkey king, otherwise how could it be so strong? Monkeys most likely bear no good will toward humans; surely this one wants to torture me once it has pulled me up into the cave.”

Xiao Yu’er was indeed a rapidly decisive man. Upon this thought, at once he secretly gathered his chi(?) and prepared to immediately ascend and secure himself to the cave entrance. Then he could deal with the monkey.

Before he could even make a move, a person’s voice issued from the cave. Its thin and shrill tones warned him: “Don’t move – a single movement and I’ll let you fall!” This voice sounded seven tenths ape-like, but clearly it spoke human language. Was it possible that on Mount Emei, monkeys could converse with words?

As Xiao Yu’er listened, his body grew clammy with perspiration. In a trembling voice he asked, “Who…what are you?”

The voice cackled, “Whatever you are, so am I.”

“You…you are human then?” Xiao Yu’er demanded.

The voice teased: “Take a guess.”

Xiao Yu’er sucked in a breath before asking: “What do you want?”

“Lower your hands and don’t move.”

Xiao Yu’er could only let his hands fall accordingly. His body was tugged straight up through the air, like riding clouds or floating through fog. All of a sudden the monkey’s paw tapped once on each of his shoulders, squarely on his acupoints. Xiao Yu’er could no longer lift his arms.

Consequently, as he was pulled into the cave, Xiao Yu’er did indeed resemble a fish.

The mouth of the cave was not big, yet its interior could not be considered small. Xiao Yu’er’s entire body was sore and hurting from the dragging. His head felt dizzy and close to fainting. He opened his eyes to find a monkey looking at him, its mouth split wide in laughter.

The monkey was quite large, not much shorter than Xiao Yu’er himself. Upon further inspection, the monkey was actually dressed in material which, although ragged and tattered, was indeed human clothing. Certainly, the monkey’s body was covered in long hair. Undeniably, its bottom was also sprouting long hair. But those eyes, that nose, definitely resembled a man’s. The strangest thing was, the monkey not only had long body hair, he also had a lengthy beard.

The monkey screeched with laughter: “Do you see now? Which do I resemble?”

Xiao Yu’er swallowed hard, then said: “You seem three tenths human.”

The monkey finished for him, “But still I look seven tenths an ape, right?”

“If it weren’t for hearing you speak words with my own ears, you wouldn’t seem human at all,” Xiao Yu’er admitted. In such a weird situation, it never occurred to him not to be honest- thoughts of life and death were entirely forgotten. Consequently he did not worry about what this creature might do to him.

Oddly enough, the monkey was not angry at all and instead laughed loudly: “Let me tell you, I am an ape among people, but yet, among the apes, I am the most human. If you called me a man you would be correct, but to label me a monkey would not be wrong either.”

Xiao Yu’er cried out, stunned: “An ape among humans, but a human among apes. Could it be…you are…”

Abruptly someone’s voice said coldly, “Don’t listen to him, of course he is a man. It’s just that he was born looking like a monkey, and after having spent so much time living among them, he seems even less like a human.”

The cave was huge. Sunlight streamed through the small entrance, leaving the back of the cave largely dark and poorly visible. The voice came from this area, and it sounded entirely human(?). Xiao Yu’er jumped again: “And what are you?”

A person stepped out slowly from the shadows. Thin and withered, his entire head covered in hair and fur, at first glance he also appeared barely human. But his eyes were very clear(?), and seemed to be full of intelligence. Other than man, there was no other animal with eyes like these.

Xiao Yu’er released his breath. “That’s right. You are a man…but who are you exactly? And exactly how did you wind up here? And how did you become like this?"

This man let out a long sigh: “You’d better ask him.”

Before he had finished speaking, the monkey jumped up and started yelling: “Ask me? If it wasn’t for you, why would I be trapped in this place like a living ghost? And how would I have become like this, not even recognizable as a human?”

The man sneered, “Did you ever look human from the day you were born? Of the Twelve Zodiacs, who even resembled a human?”

Xiao Yu’er’s eyes had been darting back and forth between the two speakers. Although he had felt frightened, this was also mixed with amusement and curiosity. Upon hearing these last words, however, he stared in shock and fear at the monkey: “You…you really are one of the Twelve Zodiacs?”

The monkey straightened his back and proudly declared: “That is correct. I am the Lord of Monkeys(?)….of the Twelve Zodiacs!”

Xiao Yu’er unconsciously recoiled , his back against the wall. Turning to the man, he said, “And…you are?”

The man smiled bitterly: “At your young age, of course you’ve never heard of my name…” He, too, drew himself up straight. From his eyes shone a sudden light, and he thundered, “But fourteen years ago, if you mentioned the name “Countless blossoms in the sky, soundlessly descending(?)”, who wouldn’t know you meant Shen Qinghong?”

The Lord of Monkeys barked out a sarcastic laugh: “Dog crap, you were never more than a mere protection agency guard. Upon hearing the name of the Twelve Zodiacs, you would have been cowering in fear.”

Shen Qinghong laughed mockingly: “Is that so? If the Twelve Zodiacs were really that powerful, why weren’t you able to take a single penny from me? And how did I trap you in here fully fourteen years?”

As the two ridiculed and jeered at each other, Xiao Yu’er listened in astonishment; only thus did he know that these companions of fourteen years were hardly friends and in fact were bitter enemies. He could not imagine how they had passed all this time, and still survived.

The monkey and the man glared at each other. Both tensed up like arrows on the drawn bow, ready to go off at the slightest touch. But before either made a move, the Lord of Monkeys burst into ferocious laughter: “But you forget, now this little pipsqueak is here, I’m not afraid of being alone anymore. I could care less if I killed you right now.”

Shen Qinghong snapped coldly: “It’s only because you loathe me, you resent me so much that you couldn’t bear to let me die first. That’s why you’ve lasted so long. If I really died, heh, you’d be following me soon after.”

Before he could stop himself, Xiao Yu’er blurted out: “You mean that it was only the mutual hatred that has sustained you for so long? That you even had to compete at living the longest?”

The Lord of Monkeys growled through gritted teeth: “How could the Twelve Zodiacs allow this lowly guard to die first?”

Xiao Yu’er repeated, “And these long fourteen years, you have spent bickering and fighting with each other all the while?”

“Without that, how could we have endured the passage of time?” Shen Qinghong retorted.

“Otherwise, I would have slaughtered him a long, long time ago!” the Lord of Monkeys agreed.

Xiao Yu’er asked, incredulous: “But why didn’t you both try to think of a way to escape out of here?”

The Lord of Monkeys explained, “If I could think of a plan, wouldn’t I have left a long time ago, instead of waiting here for this pipsqueak to suggest it?”

“But if you can’t leave,” Xiao Yu’er persisted, “then how did you get here in the first place?”

The Lord of Monkeys said fiercely: “Only because those goods(?) were hidden here, I forced him to bring me here! At the time I almost didn’t believe it, so I made him enter first. I then followed…obviously we came down by rope.”

Most likely it was due to his long abstinence from normal conversation, or perhaps it was hatred that had made him overly emotional. In any case, his words made no sense.

He blinked his eyes, thinking to himself, then slowly continued: “He originally was a guard assigned to escort a pile of goods. I knew this and tried to steal it. But who could have guessed, he pulled the “cicada shedding its husk” strategy, first hiding the goods here.(1) If I had tried to make my move, I would have stolen a whole lot of nothing!”

The Lord of Monkeys ground his teeth again and muttered: “His mother must be a real b*tch for sure.”

Xiao Yu’er said, barely containing his laughter, “I think it was only because your martial arts were too strong for him, so he had no choice, yet he was smarter than you and eventually trapped you in here.”

“Yes, although there were certain other twists and turns, in general you have the story right, “admitted Shen Qinghong.

Xiao Yu’er, continuing to think through the tale, said to the Lord of Monkeys, “The two of you descended on a rope together. Of course he would have been in front, and you behind, since you would be afraid of him cutting the rope.”

The Lord of Monkeys concurred: “That treacherous protection agency mongrel, I wouldn’t put it past him to do anything. Of course I had my guard up.”

“But what happened to that piece of rope?” Xiao Yu’er demanded curiously.

The Lord of Monkeys ground his teeth –scrunch, scrunch- and snarled: “I was so happy to see the pile of goods that I forgot to keep my eye on him. How would I know that the scoundrel would set fire to that rope?”

Xiao Yu’er sighed, “Of course you wouldn’t know. This plan was too clever for you to figure out; he must have already planned for you to die trapped in here. And he must have prepared himself beforehand to die with you, otherwise why would he bring you to the treasure’s true hiding place?”

Shen Qinghong sighed as well: “Amazing, that at such a tender age, you could know me inside and out. At the time, I kept thinking and thinking, and could only settle on this method to ensnare him. Otherwise I’d rather die than lead him here.”

Xiao Yu’er was still puzzled on one point: “But during all this time, what food did the two of you live on?”

The Lord of Monkeys boasted loudly: “Of course, that all depended on me…”

Unexpectedly bursting into laughter, Xiao Yu’er said, “Yes, yes of course it would. You are the Lord of Monkeys, of course you would have ways to make the monkeys bring food to you.” (2)

His words were sarcastic, perhaps even scornful, but the Lord of Monkeys, was paradoxically pleased and laughed, “The temperament of monkeys, no one understands better than I. I just need to throw a stone from the cave; when it hits them, they will try to hit me back, and wind up pelting fruit into the cave…”

“And what if they cast stones instead, and not fruit?” Xiao Yu’er interrupted.

The Lord of Monkeys cackled twice before replying: “Outside, the steep precipice is so deep, where could they conveniently find stones?”

Xiao Yu’er smiled and nodded in agreement: “That makes sense, it would be a lot easier for the monkeys to pick fruit rather than searching for stones. But…but, are such small amounts of fruit enough to sustain you?”

“Whatever the monkeys eat, is good enough for us,” the Lord of Monkeys declared. “Although the monkeys don’t eat a lot, then again, we don’t need to eat that much either.”

Xiao Yu’er glanced at their thin and withered bodies. Suppressing his laughter, he said: “Indeed, I can certainly see that.”

The Lord of Monkeys bared his teeth in a grin: “Don’t get smug yet, little pipsqueak- from now on you’ll be eating like this too. But don’t worry! You’re the first new person I’ve seen in years, I won’t let you starve.”

Shen Qinghong said, “I’m so sick of looking at that monkey’s face, even if he wanted to starve you to death, I wouldn’t permit it.”

Xiao Yu’er paid no attention to him; instead he stared out of the cave, lost in thought.

The Lord of Monkeys laughed: “From now on we’ll be family. Who knows, we could be living together thirty, fifty years. Hey, what’s your name? You should tell us that first.”

“Jiang Yu,” Xiao Yu’er answered automatically. After a pause, he asked, “Where is the pile of treasure now?”

Shen Qinghong said, “You want to look at it?”

“After all, it’s treasure, who wouldn’t want to?” replied Xiao Yu’er.

“Very well. Follow me…” Shen Qinghong started to say, but was cut off by the Lord of Monkeys: “The treasure is mine- you touch it, you die!”

He glared at them for a while, but eventually relaxed. With a smile, he said, “But perhaps we’ll let this little fish see it, and let him see the might of the Twelve Zodiacs.”

As he spoke, he pulled out two chests from a corner in the darkness.

Although the dark metal(?) chests were covered in rust, their contents shone with the light of jewels and treasure. Their brightness stung the eyes; the Lord of Monkeys was so dazzled that his eyes had become slits in the dark. With mad glee he giggled: “Do you see now, Xiao Yu’er?(3) All this is mine; I would only need to bestow a thousandth of it on you for you to live comfortably the rest of your life.”

Xiao Yu’er took no notice of him. He ruminated, his eyes fixed on the gleaming hoard. A long pause. Unexpectedly he gave a deep sigh and lamented, “What a pity. A pity, I say!”

He spoke again slowly and wistfully: “It’s a shame that you two have only met me now, a bit late.”

“And so what if we had met you earlier?” the Lord of Monkeys asked, startled.

“If you had met me one year earlier, “ Xiao Yu’er stated, “at this moment you would have savoured one year’s worth of freedom in the wide, wide world. Had you met me a decade before now, you would have escaped for ten years already.”

The Lord of Monkeys, just like a real monkey, blinked over and over while saying, “You mean…”

Xiao Yu’er chimed in, “I mean that the sooner you met me, the earlier I would have rescued you.”

The Lord of Monkeys stepped backward three paces. He stopped blinking. He stared open-eyed at Xiao Yu’er, as if flowers had suddenly started sprouting on Xiao Yu’er’s nose.

Recovering himself, he hooted loudly: “You crazy nut, you madman, how could you get us out?”

He grabbed Shen Qinghong, he was laughing so hard that he could hardly catch his breath. He went on, “Did you hear that? This buffoon said he could get us out of here! Who does he think he is, a god?”

Shen Qinghong focused his gaze on Xiao Yu’er. He saw the other man’s clear, bright eyes. He saw the smile playing at the corners of his mouth. The words fell one by one from Shen Qinghong’s lips: “He might just have a way. It is possible.”

Disbelievingly the Lord of Monkeys cried out: “You…you actually believe the words of this little runt?”

Xiao Yu’er smiled slightly: “It is only because my brain was built just the tiniest bit different from yours.”

Infuriated, the Lord of Monkeys shouted: “What, you’re saying your brain is more useful than mine?”

“Not at all. My brain might not be too much superior to yours, only about ten or twenty times,” Xiao Yu’er smiled soothingly.

The Lord of Monkeys jumped: “Bull sh*t.”

“But there’s no need to get upset,” Xiao Yu’er continued. “Your type of brain probably isn’t bad at all. As for my kind of brain, you probably couldn’t find a second one like it on this earth.”

Emitting a strange screech, the Lord of Monkeys yelled, “All right, in that case, if you don’t come up with an idea, I’ll murder you.”

Xiao Yu’er wagered: “If I can’t get you out of this godforsaken place within three months, my head is forfeit.”

The Lord of Monkeys echoed, “Three months…ha, ha ha! I think your head must be deranged, even three years…”

“Three years won’t be necessary,” Xiao Yu’er cut in. “I only need three months. And if in three months time, I really do manage to lead you away from here, how will you repay me?”

The Lord of Monkeys said, “I wouldn’t care if I lost my head to you.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed, “Well, your head is too cumbersome to carry, and even Li Dazhui wouldn’t want to scavenge it. Even one head would be too much; if there were eight, I’d be crushed under all the dead weight.”

He held up a hand to prevent another outburst from the Lord of Monkeys. Smiling, he said, “If you lose, I just want you to turn a few cartwheels(?) for me to see, that will be enough.”

The Lord of Monkeys sprang up, his face like thunder. “You dare insult me…fine. If I lose, I will do as you wish. But if you lose, I must have your head.”

“You have my word,” Xiao Yu’er agreed. “But, as long as I can get you out, you can’t object to any method I may use.”

The Lord of Monkeys replied, “Whatever, you could use your mother, it’s entirely up to you.”

“All right then,” Xiao Yu’er declared, “three months. We will commence our wager now.”

Without warning, he snatched up the largest piece of deep green jade, and flung it out of the cave.

End of Chapter 25


(1) I’m guessing that this strategy goes something like this: The cicada sheds its skin and steps out. Its predator probably thinks the shed skin is its prey, and goes for the skin, while the cicada has time to escape. Likewise, as the Lord of Monkeys explains, the guard hid the goods somewhere else and then pretended to escort some fake props. If the Lord of Monkeys tried to rob the “goods”, the guard would have been able to escape with the real treasure.

(2) The original actually went something more like this:

[Unexpectedly bursting into laughter, Xiao Yu’er said: “Yes, yes of course it would. Monkeys are also nicknamed “those who offer fruit”. If you are called “The Lord of Fruit Offerings(?), then naturally you would have a way to get those monkeys to bring fruit to us.”]

(3) I have no idea how he knew the “Xiao Yu’er” nickname, since Xiao Yu’er introduced himself as “Jiang Yu”, but hey, that’s a minor thing.

(4) I think yveseng has a good point, thanks! The big monkey guy I agree is actually the golden monkey constellation who fights with Shen Qinghong at the beginning of the book. Although, he was called 金猿星 before and now the name is 献果神君, so I will just leave the name as the Lord of Monkeys…it kind of makes more sense given Xiao Yu’er’s joke (2).

And now Athena’s previous comments make sense:

[Anyway I will also change some strange typos Gu Long made....for instance, how is possible people who have their eyes removed can see again after 15 years.....(referring to the monkey) And wasn't he the one was captive? Most strange.......]

[Felipe]

Man... another strage character and another crazy situation... I enjoy so much reading Gu Long's story ... huahuha

[yveseng]

Thanks alot wubbles for continuing the translation.

I believe athena uses golden monkey constellation for your lord of the monkeys.
Hope this helps.