THE LEGENDARY SIBLINGS by Gu Long

[Wubbles]

The Legendary Siblings Chapter 31

The torchlight flickered before Xiao Yu’er’s eyes. Instantly he shifted and parried Jiang Yulang’s palm. Both of them were flung against the earthen wall from the shock.

Xiao Yu’er cried out with bulging eyes: “You…you want to kill me?”

“Of course.”

“If you’re going to die anyway,” Xiao Yu’er protested, “why bother…”

Jiang Yulang explained, “These supplies would only last me a month. With you, I have one less half month to live. By killing you, I save half a month.”

Incredulously Xiao Yu’er sputtered: “You would kill me for one more day of life?”

“I would kill you for one hour’s worth!” hooted Jiang Yulang.

Xiao Yu’er snickered: “I knew you were a bad one, but I had no idea just how evil. You have got to be number one when it comes to being evil.”

“And you?” Jiang Yulang retorted.

“Compared with you,” Xiao Yu’er asserted, “I’m like an old granny on a vegetarian diet.”

He had hardly finished speaking, when his hands flashed before Jiang Yulang. Because this cave was so small, he hardly needed to move before he had reached Jiang Yulang’s face.

Perhaps Xiao Yu’er had struck out too quickly, or maybe Jiang Yulang had not anticipated an offensive move from him. In any case, Jiang Yulang had no time to dodge at all before he was soundly smacked. With a “pak” sound, half of Jiang Yulang’s face turned crimson, and he crumpled to the floor.

Xiao Yu’er laughingly mocked him: “You might seem quite scrawny, but your cheeks are rather well padded. If I hadn’t seen clearly that I had slapped your face, I might have thought I was spanking a cheek from a woman’s ***.”

His hand on his injured cheek, Jiang Yulang’s voice quivered: “You…what are you going to do?”

“Since you want to kill me, can’t I kill you?” Xiao Yu’er barked. With the back of his hand, he slapped Jiang Yulang again.

Jiang Yulang’s face was now beginning to resemble the underbelly of a dead fish. He trembled: “You and I, we’re going to die anyway, why are you…”

Xiao Yu’er laughed out loud. “You’re right, but you just reminded me, if I kill you, I’ve got an extra half month to live.”

Jiang Yulang lowered his head, whimpering: “I…I deserve to die…it’s all my fault…” Without warning he lashed out like a morningstar and launched his head toward Xiao Yu’er’s abdomen. Although his head might not be that hard, it certainly had to be a lot harder than a stomach.

Although Xiao Yu’er had been tracking Jiang Yulang’s hand and leg movements all along, it was true that he had not been keeping an eye on that little ball of a head. He was knocked into a corner, rather like a baby shrimp, with a curved out middle(?). Clutching his stomach, he could not catch his breath for a few minutes.

Laughing coldly, Jiang Yulang sneered, “I think you know now who deserves to die.” He used his full strength to smash his foot onto Xiao Yu’er’s chin.

Xiao Yu’er lay there as if unable to raise his head. But when Jiang Yulang Jiang Yulang’s foot had just reached his face, Xiao Yu’er’s hand which had been clutching his own tummy, flew up. Together his hands reached, as if they were snatching at the embroidered silk ball flung into the air by the minister’s daughter. (1) He grabbed Jiang Yulang’s right foot, and wrenched it sharply to the left.

Jiang Yulang shrieked in pain, and flipped over his entire body like a fish. He collapsed on the floor, blood pouring out from his nostrils.

Xiao Yu’er immediately jumped on his back and laughed: “Now I really do know who deserves to die.”

Wheezing and puffing, Jiang Yulang dragged himself on the floor, panting: “All right, you win, you are stronger than me in all things. But I know you won’t kill me. If you had really wanted to, you didn’t need to wait until now.”

The little rascal was actually trying for pity, trying to flatter Xiao Yu’er. Although this should have been easy to do, Xiao Yu’er was not pleased at all and in fact felt uneasy(?). He knew that Jiang Yulang would love nothing more than to plunge a sharp dagger into his throat, or some other place, some other more vulnerable place. But at this moment he had no dagger, and even if he did it would be useless. When someone else is riding on your back, it’s impossible to stab them in the throat.

He was merely waiting for an opportunity, when he could take his time to stab slowly, over and over.

You might not be able to consider Xiao Yu’er the most evil and ruthless person. But at least you could say he was extremely clever. He knew exactly how Jiang Yulang felt. And yet, although he knew Jiang Yulang wanted to kill him, he would still give the rascal chances to kill him. He wanted to see just how Jiang Yulang would try it.

This would certainly be a fun thing to see. And with regard to curious and interesting things, Xiao Yu’er would never pass up an opportunity. Especially when he didn’t have long to live.

As he pondered in fascination, he seemed to have forgotten his imminent danger of dying.

Just as he was getting really excited, Jiang Yulang vaulted his body back into an upright position, and flung Xiao Yu’er off his back. Normally, this would hardly be a problem at all, but such a confined space now made it dangerous.

With a “dong” sound, like a drum being struck, Xiao Yu’er’s head hit the roof of the cave. Then his body fell to the floor.

Jiang Yulang took a long while to get up. He grabbed Xiao Yu’er’s neck and sneered coldly: “I know you won’t really try to kill me, but I am really going to kill you.”

His fingers dug in forcefully, but Xiao Yu’er did not react.

Jiang Yulang’s grip relaxed. He did not wish to kill Xiao Yu’er while he was unconscious. He wanted to see him struggle, wanted to see his expression while he was unable to breathe.

Xiao Yu’er, irritatingly, refused to regain consciousness. Jiang Yulang reached out one hand and grabbed the wine jar which had rolled off to one side. He dumped all of the leftover wine straight onto Xiao Yu’er’s head.

Before he was done, Xiao Yu’er’s hands suddenly reached in between Jiang Yulang’s arms. One fist sailed into Jiang Yulang’s throat. Jiang Yulang’s face contorted in pain, but he still managed to remember to smash the wine jar on Xiao Yu’er’s head.

Of course Xiao Yu’er had predicted this maneuver. He rolled his body to one side, then his foot lashed out and kicked Jiang Yulang in his private parts. The wine jar was smashed to bits. Jiang Yulang was curled up in exquisite agony, unable to move or breathe.

This kick was certainly effective, but also clearly not sportsmanlike. In fact you couldn’t really consider it a real martial arts move. Indeed, from beginning to end, neither of them had used proper techniques. Because they were confined in this rat’s nest-sized cave, they were unable to use proper martial arts at all. Luckily they weren’t fighting for other people to watch, nor were there any spectators.

The torchlight appeared to gradually dim down.

Xiao Yu’er suddenly sprang up, and said, “Oh no.”

Jiang Yulang snarled, “What, we aren’t in enough trouble, that something more could go wrong?”

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er explained, “Even before we starved to death, we would die from suffocation in here.”

Since the tunnel entrance was blocked up, the oxygen in the air was slowly thinning out. The light from the torches would soon extinguish. He felt that his breaths were become stifled, that his eyelids were growing heavy.

Jiang Yulang said in a trembling voice, “I thought of everything, except this…”

Xiao Yu’er said, “Now even if you killed me, at most you would only gain an extra half hour.”

Jiang Yulang mumbled repetitively, “Half an hour, half an hour…” His teeth began to chatter. Xiao Yu’er’s expression was also despairing, he mumbled to himself: “Suffocating…I wonder how it feels?”

“I’ve heard that suffocating is the worst,” moaned Jiang Yulang. “Before suffocating, people go crazy, they even claw out their own faces!” The only reason why he was going into such detail, was because he didn’t like being scared alone, he wanted Xiao Yu’er to share in his misery.

Xiao Yu’er was silent for a bit, then broke into a laugh: “It’s all right! I only fear dying too ordinary a death, now at last I have found a unique way! The number of people in this world who have suffocated to death must not be many.”

Jiang Yulang disagreed, saying slowly, “It might not be many, but it’s also not a small number! The builders of this place, were also buried alive.”

Xiao Yu’er winked at him: “Even at this point, you are still thinking of ways to upset me?”

“You are far too calm and happy, I want to see how long your happiness can last,” snarled Jiang Yulang.

“You really hate me that much?” Xiao Yu’er asked in surprise. “Hmph!” retorted Jiang Yulang.

“You hate me, because I am better than you in every way, isn’t that right?” Xiao Yu’er said.

Jiang Yulang said, “Perhaps you and I were born to be enemies!” When he said this, he had no idea how accurate his words were.

The firelight had weakened still further. Xiao Yu’er saw it grow dim, and mumbled, “Wine! That d*mn wine, was wasted by that d*mn fool.” He glanced about. The smashed pieces of the wine jar were quickly drying out on the floor. The odd thing was, the spilled wine itself was not seeping into the earth.

The ground was uneven, of course the wine would flow towards the lowest level. Xiao Yu’er suddenly jumped up, and spilled a tub of water on the floor. The water also followed the wine. He screamed wildly: “Wai, look…look!”

Jiang Yulang mumbled, “What’s there to look at.”

Xiao Yu’er said: “The water…it’s flowing…”

“Of course water flows, and it flows downward,” Jiang Yulang said.

Xiao Yu’er jabbed his finger at a corner of the cave, so excited that he could not speak properly. He stuttered, “Look. The water is flowing in that direction, yet it is not pooling in here.”

He continued excitedly: “The water is not pooling here! That means it’s flowing outside, where there must be a hole. But we are already underground, how could there be another exit for water to flow outside?”

He stopped talking and snatched up a broken piece of wine jar. He started digging at the corner as though his life depended on it. Jiang Yulang watched him in a daze, his hands shaking.

It was getting even harder for the two of them to breathe. The weak light suddenly went out. They were surrounded by blackness, so complete that you could not see your fingers in front of your face. Jiang Yulang could not see what kind of progress Xiao Yu’er was making, he could only hear him panting for breath. He himself was also panting.

Unexpectedly, there was a “ping” sound, as if a wooden board had split apart. Then Xiao Yu’er cried: “I’ve dug a hole…it’s empty out there!”

His voice trembling, Jiang Yulang said, “You…you’re sure?”

Xiao Yu’er ordered: “A flint, light a torch. In the name of heaven, don’t tell me you don’t have a flint.”

But what use was a flint? Xiao Yu’er looked as though he would faint.

However, the torch was lit. Xiao Yu’er’s body could not be seen, and in the cave there was suddenly a gaping hole.

Gusts of a damp, stinking breeze was blowing out from the hole.

Jiang Yulang felt his breathing relax and become more easy. He cried out in delight: “Jiang…young master Jiang, brother Jiang.”

Xiao Yu’er’s voice echoed through the hole: “Quickly, get over here.” His voice sounded surprised and wildly happy. Jiang Yulang half rolled, half dived into the hole. Then, he stood there stunned.

They stood in an octagonal room. The eight walls were constructed differently; one of steel, another of bronze, one was stone, and there was even a wall of solid gold.

Thank heaven that the wall they had been facing was made of wood. Otherwise they would most likely have suffocated to death.

In this octagonal room, there were no tables or cupboards. Because they were underground, there were also no spiderwebs. The air came from an unknown source.

The room only contained a collection of knobs(?). Large and small, or different designs. Some were made of metal, others of stone, and of course, some were made of solid gold.

Jiang Yulang could hardly catch his breath. He wailed: “Oh heaven! Heaven…what is this kind of place. You could kill me and I wouldn’t come in! And…”

Xiao Yu’er had made several circuits around the room, and was still unsure of what to do next. Indeed, what kind of a place was this? And for what purpose were those knobs intended? He looked and looked, but could not figure out any special purpose. The knobs were lined up one after another, and who knows how much work it took to make them.

Jiang Yulang moaned, “Have you figured it out yet? What kind of a place is this?”

Xiao Yu’er laughed bitterly: “I think the only ones who know are ghosts now.”

Jiang Yulang dashed over and wiped at a wall with his sleeve. After a while, he cried out: “Oh my, this wall really is made of gold.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “That’s not too surprising. What’s strange is, this place is ventilated somehow. Unless the maker were crazy, there must be a purpose behind this.”

“What purpose?” Jiang Yulang repeated.

Heaving a long sigh, Xiao Yu’er said, “This purpose may be the biggest secret you and I have ever encountered.” With one hand he pressed down on a knob.

Jiang Yulang said, “You’re going to move it?”

“Could you bear not to?” Xiao Yu’er retorted. He winked at Jiang Yulang, joking: “Maybe this is the gateway to hell, if I twist this knob, I may release its demons.”

Gritting his teeth, Jiang Yulang said, “What a good joke, this joke is very funny indeed.”

Together they shivered, as with a “jee!” sound, the knob twisted. The stone wall suddenly turned and a door was revealed.

Xiao Yu’er chuckled: “Look, the gateway to hell appears.” His chuckles sounded shrill and full of fear, and he knew it.

Jiang Yulang returned to their cave and grabbed a lantern. Xiao Yu’er went ahead with the torch. As they advanced, gusts of a rotting stench floated towards them. Xiao Yu’er had never smelled such decay, and never wanted to again.

Bravely, they continued on. Corpses, inside the doorway dead bodies lay everywhere! Jiang Yulang’s hands began to tremble and wouldn’t stop. The way they died, and the way they looked, this writer would rather not say. Besides, I don’t think I could properly express it, and neither could anyone else.

On closer examination, these were skeletons covered in clothes. Xiao Yu’er trembled and sneezed- before him, a skeleton’s clothing had suddenly crumbled to dust.

Xiao Yu’er felt a chill creep through his back. He said, “I’m afraid these people have been dead here for more than ten years.”

Jiang Yulang stammered, “I think they…starved to death. Look at them, they must have gone crazy before they died, look at their hands.”

Xiao Yu’er thought he would go crazy himself. He looked, and suddenly could not resist the urge to vomit. He threw up all the wine and meat he had eaten earlier.

“I wonder what kind of people these were?” Jiang Yulang mused.

Xiao Yu’er coughed up a final mouthful of spit before he panted: “It seems their clothing was quite rough and common, they must have been the construction workers.”

Jiang Yulang sneered, “What a pack of idiots.” “Idiots?” Xiao Yu’er echoed.

“If they weren’t idiots, why would they build such a secret place? They must have known that after they built it, their lives would be in danger.”

Xiao Yu’er asked in disbelief, “You see these people and the horrible deaths they died, and you feel not one bit of pity?”

“Who will pity me if I die?” Jiang Yulang retorted.

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er said, “Wow, I’m really impressed. I have been raised and taught in a gathering place for the villains of this earth, and I can’t even compare to you. In fact I think I need to learn from you.”

Jiang Yulang ignored him and said, “The strange thing is, Xiao…”

Before he had finished speaking, footsteps sounded from above. They were very slow, yet heavy, as if carrying a huge load.

The hairs shot up on Xiao Yu’er’s skin. Even if he were the bravest man alive, at this moment, he could not help being afraid.

Jiang Yulang’s hands, of course, were shaking. He said, “This…this…” Although he was spiteful and vicious, his courage was lacking, and he was speechless with fear. With a “dong” sound, the lantern in his hand hit the floor. The footsteps came nearer and nearer.

Xiao Yu’er felt his arms and legs weaken. His torch had also fallen to the ground. Everywhere was darkness, all this d*mned darkness.

The heavy footsteps seemed to crush their courage. They wanted to escape, but could not lift their legs!

Suddenly, an opening appeared from above, and a thread of yellow light shone through. The two of them held their breaths and did not dare to move.

They saw a pair of feet. The feet were small and delicate, and were encased in a pair of embroidered shoes. Above the feet was a green dress. Above that no more could be seen.

They stole a look at each other- almost unable to keep from crying out: “Xiao Mimi!”

This was not a female ghost, but indeed was Xiao Mimi.

They heard her mutter: “You can rest a bit here, this place is not bad, but a bit quiet…”

A person fell down into the room. Who else was that monster trying to kill?

With a chill, they realized this person was already a dead body. One by one, bodies were dropped in.

Xiao Mimi continued speaking: “To be able to rest in such a luxurious grave, I don’t think you could have any complaints. Farewell, all of you…I will think of you sometimes.”

With a “peng” sound, the opening closed, and once again all was blackness.

Jiang Yulang and Xiao Yu’er stayed motionless for a long time, before they relaxed and took a deep breath. Xiao Yu’er suddenly laughed out loud: “Jiang Yulang, these bodies belong to the people you killed. Aren’t you afraid they’ll seek revenge?”

Jiang Yulang shot back: “I never feared them when they were alive, why would I start now!”

Xiao Yu’er felt around and found the flint and torch by his feet. He struck up a light. Jiang Yulang’s face hardly seemed human. Xiao Yu’er giggled: “If you’re not afraid, why does your face look so funny?”

Jiang Yulang snatched up the lantern and dashed back into the cave. Xiao Yu’er hurriedly followed, he did not want Jiang Yulang to seal him inside the octagonal room.

What Xiao Mimi had labeled as a “luxurious” place, Jiang Yulang could not tolerate. He stood off to one side and began to vomit. Mouthful after mouthful.

Xiao Yu’er reflected: “I suspected from the beginning that this place was not made by Xiao Mimi. Women, how could their designs be so grand…now we know that my suspicions were correct.”

Jiang Yulang could only say, “Hmph.”

Xiao Yu’er went on, “By some odd chance, she stumbled onto this place. But upon seeing all the dead bodies, she did not dare to explore further. She did not know that she had only discovered a part of this underground palace. It could have been the worst part, in fact. The best part may be yet to come.”

He sighed, then added: “But then who did construct this place? Who could have been this ambitious?”

Laughing coldly, Jiang Yulang sneered, “At the very least, it wouldn’t be you.”

Xiao Yu’er made a face at him, and said: “Don’t forget, my martial arts are better than yours, I could kill you at any time.”

Jiang Yulang sprang backwards a step. His expression changed. “You…you…”

Xiao Yu’er laughed merrily, teasing: “But you don’t need to get quite so worried, I just want you to have some manners when speaking.”

Jiang Yulang stared at him for a while. With his head lowered, he said, “I’m young and I don’t know anything. If I have offended you, please forgive me, I…in my heart, I see you as my older brother.”

Laughing, Xiao Yu’er said, “Fortunately you aren’t really my younger brother.”

Carrying the torch, he made another circuit around the octagonal room. With one hand, he touched here and knocked about there, his eyes darting back and forth. He said, “Of these eight walls, only one is made of earth. Seven left, and two are stone and wood. That leaves gold, silver, bronze, steel, and tin.”

Jiang Yulang commented, “To use eight different kinds of material to construct eight walls, there must be some kind of meaning.”

“Precisely,” Xiao Yu’er agreed. “And what kind of meaning would that be?”

Smiling, Jiang Yulang said, “I’m sure I don’t know, that’s why I’m deferring to you, big brother.”

Xiao Yu’er looked at him for a while. Slowly he said, “Listen to me, I want to tell you two things.”

“Your wish is my command.”

With a fixed stare, Xiao Yu’er declared: “First, never call me big brother again. I find it disturbing.”

Surprised, Jiang Yulang lowered his head, and said, “Yes.”

“Second,” Xiao Yu’er continued, “you will never again play dumb in front of me. I know you are an intelligent person, very clever, there’s no point in pretending to be stupid.”

“Yes.” Jiang Yulang obediently nodded.

With a smile, Xiao Yu’er spoke again, “Now, what were you saying about the maker’s intent?”

Jiang Yulang said falteringly: “I’m not sure if my guess is right…in making these walls, one reason would be to signify that there is something different behind each wall.”

“Not bad,” Xiao Yu’er said. “And another reason?”

“Another reason,” Jiang Yulang added, “would be related to the knobs. The stone knob was made to control the stone wall. Therefore the golden knob must control the gold wall.”

“Excellent,” Xiao Yu’er smiled. “Go on.”

Jiang Yulang continued: “The wall of wood was where we came from, so there’s nothing special behind it. Behind the stone wall was a mass grave, we don’t need to go there again. As for the earthen wall, it seems to be solid, so probably there’s nothing of interest there. The only remaining choices are the walls made of gold, silver, bronze, steel and tin.”

“Just so,” agreed Xiao Yu’er. “There must be something interesting behind these five walls.” He winked and added, “Here, you choose, which wall shall we explore first?”

“Gold,” Jiang Yulang replied at once.

“Very good,” Xiao Yu’er approved. “This time you were honest. I also wanted to try to the gold wall first. Who wouldn’t?”

He reached towards the gold knob.

End of Chapter 31


(1) Hmm…this must be some famous story, a reference is also made in Chapter 27 of Little Li’s Flying Dagger. Not sure what the story was, but I believe the concept, in general, is that sometimes when a girl is looking for a husband, her family will organize a competition in which she tosses a silk ball from a balcony or high place. Suitors will fight to catch it, and the man who does wind up catching it also wins the girl’s hand in marriage.

So basically the point in usually this analogy is: Xiao Yu’er is clutching as desperately at Jiang Yulang’s foot, as an ardent suitor would grab at the silk ball.

[Wubbles]

The Legendary Siblings Chapter 32

The gold knob began to turn. The golden wall began to shift, and indeed revealed a doorway. Before they had even started to enter, a sliver of glittering brilliance was already visible. Behind this golden wall, naturally there must be all sorts of treasure, countless precious items, beyond anyone’s dreams!

Jiang Yulang stood there, stunned. On his sheet-white face suddenly there appeared a flush of crimson. His fingertips betrayed a fine tremor.

Xiao Yu’er’s eyes, on the other hand, merely swept a casual glance across the hoard. His gaze came to rest on Jiang Yulang’s face which was trembling with emotion. With a slight smile Xiao Yu’er asked him, “You like all this?”

“I…I…” was all Jiang Yulang could get out. His Adam’s apple began to move up and down(?), and he forced a casual laugh: “I mean, who wouldn’t, in all the world?”

Xiao Yu’er snorted, “If you want it, go ahead, it’s yours!”

Jiang Yulang stared at him in surprised delight, then abruptly lowered his head. He smiled, “Well, you found this treasure first, of course it should be yours, I…I…even if I could have a little share, I would be most grateful.”

“I don’t want it,” Xiao Yu’er stated flatly.

Jiang Yulang’s head snapped up, his voice cracked: “You don’t want it?” But then he lowered his head again, and laughed: “My life is already a gift from you, even if you didn’t want to share the treasure, I have no complaints.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed. He said, “You think I’m trying to test you, trick you? You can’t eat these objects, they’re no good to drink. They’re heavy and tiresome to carry, and you always have to worry about them being stolen. Why would I want them?”

Jiang Yulang was shocked into silence and could find no words to reply.

Xiao Yu’er paid no further attention to him, and instead began circling the room. He sighed and murmured, “Another dead end, the exit surely would not be here.”

Suddenly Jiang Yulang’s laughter broke into his thoughts. He kept giggling and giggling.

“What, did you see a ghost?” Xiao Yu’er said.

Still laughing, Jiang Yulang said, “All these things, I don’t want them either.”

In surprise, Xiao Yu’er asked, “Oh, that’s strange, why not?”

Jiang Yulang pointed out, “I don’t even know if I can make it out alive, why should I bother with them?”

Xiao Yu’er applauded him, saying: “I guess you’re not so hopeless, after all. You are a clever person. I have seen others who have lost their lives because they could not bear to forsake these riches. Don’t you think they must be a little sick in the head?”

They left. Next, Xiao Yu’er tackled the bronze knob.

In this way, he was able to see more weapons than he had viewed before in his lifetime. Every kind and every type of weapon, and even many styles of hidden projectiles. Some specimens were definitely familiar to Xiao Yu’er. But there were yet some types of weapons that he had never seen before, and he did not even know their names.

The air of steel, so cold it seeped into the bones…the weapons threw off a chilling light, and reflected off their faces so that they had a metallic glow about them(?). Despite himself, Xiao Yu’er could not help drawing his neck into his shoulders.

They looked at the spears. The longest exceeded four metres(?), and the shortest did not reach three feet in length. Next the swords. The longest span resembled that of a tree branch, and the shortest were like chopsticks(?). Long spears and short swords, were all arranged neatly in rows. Although these were not living beings, they all exuded an aura of death, and urged a man to kill(?).

It really did seem as if all the different types of weapons and instruments of violence in the world, were all gathered in this room.

Xiao Yu’er chose a sword at random, and drew it out. It sounded with a sharp ring and its deathly air caused him to flinch involuntarily(?). He cried aloud: “This is a good sword!”

Jiang Yulang said glumly, “It is a good weapon, but in this room, it’s nothing special.” He grasped another weapon, and said, “Do you know what this is?”

At first glance, this appeared to be a golden dragon. Its horns(?) stretched out to the right and left, and its mouth was open, revealing a brilliant green tongue.

“Hmm…I’d say it was a Gold Dragon whip,” Xiao Yu’er surmised.

“Correct,” Jiang Yulang said. “It is a Gold Dragon whip. But this Gold Dragon whip, is different from ordinary whips. It is also called ‘The divine dragon takes nine forms, bane of the spirits’ (?). This one weapon has nine different uses.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “Sounds interesting, tell me about it.”

Jiang Yulang went on, “The whip is covered in barbed dragon scales(?), which can attach to an attacker’s weapon and pull it out of their hands. It can also grip onto hidden projectiles as well.

The forked horns can neutralize all sorts of soft weapons (1). The outstretched tongue of the dragon is used to seal acupoints. The open mouth bites down on an enemy’s sword easily. Furthermore, the pair of dragon’s eyes contains explosives and flammable materials(?). From within the dragon’s mouth, the user can fire thirteen ‘Heart Withers at Noon’ darts (?). Once you see the blood bubbling from the throat, the person will not live another twelve hours(?). And, if needed, the dragon scales can also be fired as projectiles.

If you didn’t know all the background of this weapon, even a god would not be able to escape unscathed.”

The words came fluently from his lips, as if he were describing a familiar family heirloom.

Xiao Yu’er sighed, “Aptly named, Bane of the Spirits, what a weapon.”

Jiang Yulang went on, “Alas that in the entire world, there are only two copies of this weapon. I wonder how this one ended up here.”

“There is another replica?” Xiao Yu’er asked.

“This weapon has vanished from wulin for so long, that the whereabouts of the other one are unknown…if it appeared in wulin once again, who knows how many people would lose their lives to it!” Jiang Yulang said.

Smiling faintly, Xiao Yu’er remarked, “Despite your young age, you seem to be quite familiar with ancient, long-vanished weapons.”

Jiang Yulang’s eyes darted back and forth, as if he suddenly realized that he had said too much. With a false laugh he said, “Oh, I was just repeating the words of others. You know how my father had many social contacts, among them were some savants and wise men.”

Still Xiao Yu’er looked at him with a slight smile. Slowly he said, “Well then, I suppose you would know how to use this weapon properly!”

Jiang Yulang laughed along and protested, “If…if only I knew.”

His entire attitude seemed to be indifferent, and he casually laid down the weapon. But in reality, his eyes were staring at Xiao Yu’er’s hands without blinking. Xiao Yu’er also seemed to be laughing and chatting in a carefree manner, but he too was ceaselessly watching the Bane of Spirits in Jiang Yulang’s grasp.

Although you could still consider these two to be children, but their craftiness and caution went well beyond that of three hundred and eighty seventy year old men put together(?).

Xiao Yu’er spoke again, “According to you then, no matter what weapon I chose from this room, I could instantly make a name for myself in wulin. Especially this Bane of Spirits. Ai, I wouldn’t even know how to use it, you may as well take it.”

Jiang Yulang hadn’t even waited for him to finish speaking before he quickly distanced himself from the weapon. Laughing, Jiang Yulang said, “Such a vicious weapon, I wouldn’t want it.”

Xiao Yu’er smiled, “Actually, weapons are dead, while men are alive. As long as you are strong, it doesn’t matter which weapon you use. It’s probably better not to use this type of weapon.”

Suddenly he drew out a sharp sword, so keenly forged that you could blow a hair onto its edge and the hair would be severed. Light shimmered down its length, and in a flash, the Bane of Spirits, most vicious of unorthodox weapons, broke asunder into useless fragments (?).

Of course Jiang Yulang was smiling. He said, “Wonderful, it’s best to destroy it, we wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands and harm people…” As he spoke, he turned his head, and his eyes flashed as though he could spit fire.

Xiao Yu’er gently stroked the sword in his hand, and smiling he murmured, “Sword, good sword, I originally intended to bring you out of here by my side, but on second thought, I’d better leave you here. People like me, even empty-handed, could…”

“Look!” Jiang Yulang’s shrill cry cut him off. “Over there…”

Under the cold glow of the metal weapons, a skeleton could be seen bobbling gently in a corner. Not only had its clothes rotted away, but its bones which should have been white, were as black as a raven’s feathers. Seen under the metallic light, this was truly a disturbing sight.

Jiang Yulang muttered, “That’s odd. How did this person die here, and avoid getting thrown into the mass grave?”

Xiao Yu’er mused: “Well, anyone who could enter this room, must have been one of the masters of this place. The masters must have been top martial arts experts.”

His brow wrinkled, he said, “But why would the master die here? Was he killed by someone? He doesn’t look as if he were in a struggle. Perhaps he was killed by a single stroke!”

Jiang Yulang added, “Judging from the colour of his bones, I’d say he was poisoned to death.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “I agree.”

Their eyes roamed the scene. Suddenly they cried out together: “So he was killed by a stealth projectile!” They noticed that the skeleton’s blackened bones were impaled by countless tiny silver needles. It was quite surprising that such small needles could pierce through skin, flesh and still embed themselves deeply in the bone.

Xiao Yu’er said, amazed, “What a brutal and vicious style of weapon.”

Jiang Yulang cried aloud: “This is…I…I wonder what did it.”

Xiao Yu’er fixed him with one eye and growled: “You don’t need to pretend. You’re not the only one who recognizes this weapon. I know it as well.”

Hastily smiling, Jiang Yulang said, “These ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles, are indeed the number one stealth projectile on earth…” From the corner of his eye, suddenly he recognized a weapon from among the pile. It was golden and glittering, a small round tube. Immediately he shifted his body slightly to block it from Xiao Yu’er’s view. As he coughed, he subtly moved toward it.

Xiao Yu’er laughed: “If you keep coughing much longer, I’ll be infected by you.” He suddenly did break into a fit of sneezing, and doubled over. Jiang Yulang waited for his waist to bend over, then swiftly snatched up the small round tube. He could not know that Xiao Yu’er had simultaneously appropriated something gently from the skeleton’s grasp and hid it in his sleeve.

The object was merely a bamboo tube. Xiao Yu’er had in fact not figured out its use, but felt that if the dead person had grasped it tightly with his dying breath, there must be something important and useful about it.

Jiang Yulang was having trouble suppressing his joy. He drew his brows together on purpose and grumbled: “If this person was the master of this place, how could he succumb to a sneak attack here? And yet if he were not the master, he could not be in here either.”

Xiao Yu’er agreed, “Mmm, if you weren’t the master of this place, you could not enter this place.”

“So what happened?” Jiang Yulang wondered.

“Presumably there are still many secrets to this place,” Xiao Yu’er said.

Jiang Yulang sighed, “Yes, and many terrifying secrets.”

Laughing, Xiao Yu’er joked, “There are no such things as terrifying secrets on this earth. All secrets are interesting…”

Side by side, they exited that terrifying yet interesting room. Both of them intentionally used both hands to carry their torches, to show that they hadn’t taken anything from the room.

Now the steel knob shifted and the torchlight showed a chilling steel room.

Jiang Yulang went ahead first. His roving eyes suddenly stopped and he gave a horrified yell, then stumbled backward. His expression resembled a rabbit that had been shot by an arrow.

His brow furrowed, Xiao Yu’er asked, “Now what?”

Jiang Yulang stammered, his face pale, “Have you ever seen a skeleton that could stand upright by itself?”

Laughing aloud, Xiao Yu’er cried: “A skeleton that can stand by itself, now here’s some fun.”

With big strides he crossed over. Then his laughter died on his lips. He noticed that the steel room was especially large and high. The four walls contained nothing. If you stood in there, you would feel like you were standing alone in a wasteland(?).

In this empty room, two solitary skeletons stood alone. Two deathly white shapes tightly embraced each other. Although their flesh and blood had long ago decayed, still they stood erect.

Looking at them, Xiao Yu’er actually felt the hairs raise up on his skin. But he only smiled and said, “I suppose this is a man and a woman, look at them, even unto death they can’t bear to let go! Their affection for each other must have been deep.”

Jiang Yulang disagreed: “If their relationship was so close, they wouldn’t be standing like this.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed, amused: “Ah, I didn’t think of that. In this area, your experience is definitely superior to mine. But if these two people are male, why are they holding each other?”

As he spoke, he wandered over, and stood in front of the two skeletons, as if in a daze. After a deep sigh, he said, “These two are indeed male.” (2)

Jiang Yulang suddenly laughed. He joked, “Well, sometimes the affection between a male and a male can be quite strong.”

Xiao Yu’er said, “How do you know?”

Jiang Yulang said, “Come over here and you’ll know.”

In actual fact the pair of skeletons were not embracing each other. The one on the left had penetrated the other’s ribcage with his hand. To break through bone with his bare hand, this person’s martial arts must be terrifying, what strength! But his own ribs had been broken in seven or eight places, and his neck had been snapped by his opponent. His skull hung floppily to rest on the other’s shoulder.

The two people had died together from lethal injuries inflicted on each other during violent combat!

Jiang Yulang cried out hoarsely, in awe: “What a fearsome Eagle’s Claw; what impressive strength! I see that these two must be superb martial artists, I wonder how they came to die in this place.”

He had hardly finished speaking, when with a “wa-la-la” sound, the two skeletons shivered into fragments from the mere force of his voice. Two superb martial artists, now turned into a pile of bones.

Xiao Yu’er muttered, “Judging from their martial arts, these two should also be among the masters of this place. Since they were living together here in this secret place, away from the rest of the world, their relationship must be very close. But then why did they try to kill each other? Perhaps we will never know.”

As he spoke, he picked up two objects from the pile of bones.

Jiang Yulang wondered aloud: “But what about the other original occupants of this palace? Where did they go, did they all die?”

Xiao Yu’er postulated, “Not only did they die, but they must have all died together, or else their skeletons would not have remained here until now.”

Jiang Yulang persisted: “So even if they all died together, who could have killed them?”

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er said, “As I said before, there must be some big secret behind this.”

Jiang Yulang mumbled, “And a very interesting secret.”

“Ah,” Xiao Yu’er teased him. “Very good, you are finally learning.”

It was only then that they noticed five short tables, on which were piled books, brushes and ink.

“There is even a study in this place,” chuckled Xiao Yu’er. “Interesting, indeed.”

He went over, and casually flipped through the books. Instantly his expression changed. Noticing this, Jiang Yulang also hurried over to pore over another of the books.

Upon a single glance, his face also transformed. Inside the soft, handbound pages, were recorded complex and brilliant martial arts techniques.

Although both of them had been trained by talented teachers, at this moment cold sweat ran down their bodies. They knew, all of a sudden, that compared to this, all the martial arts they had learned in their lifetime, were worthless. They gripped the texts in their hands, unwilling to let go.

After a long while, Xiao Yu’er took a breath, and said: “I know. There must have been five extraordinary martial arts experts here. They trained here together. And when they got an idea, they would rush to a table to write down the inspiration(?).”

Jiang Yulang said, “That sounds right. If they trained here, no wonder the room is so huge.”

Xiao Yu’er went on, “Of the five, three we have already found dead. If I am not mistaken, the remaining two rooms should contain the bodies of the other two masters.”

“I think that must be so,” Jiang Yulang agreed.

Xiao Yu’er said, “Come then. Let’s go see.”

Jiang Yulang raised his eyes from the books, and cried in disbelief: “Go? You…want to leave?”

“When did you lose the ability to understand what I said?” Xiao Yu’er said.

“But these…what about these martial arts texts?” Jiang Yulang sputtered.

Xiao Yu’er said, “Leave them here, they can’t run.”

With his head down, Jiang Yulang said: “Fine. Whatever you say…”

Suddenly he drew out the gold-coloured tube from his clothes, and laughed wildly: “Do you know what this is?”

Xiao Yu’er appeared shocked. He said, “The ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles.”

“That’s right,” sneered Jiang Yulang. “Your eyesight isn’t bad. I originally wanted to wait until we had escaped outside, before using it on you. But now, I can no longer tolerate you!”

Xiao Yu’er asked him, “If you kill me, wouldn’t you be scared all alone here?”

Cackling loudly, Jiang Yulang answered: “Here there are unimaginable martial arts for me to learn, riches beyond compare, and they all belong to me. When I find the exit, I will instantly be the foremost person in the world, what else would I fear?”

Xiao Yu’er sighed, disappointed. He said, “Very well. If you insist, then kill me.”

With a hideous laugh, Jiang Yulang said, “You aren’t afraid?”

Suddenly Xiao Yu’er also began to laugh. He declared, “Your blow-tube is empty, why should I be afraid?”

Jiang Yulang’s expression changed. He cried: “Empty!”

“Didn’t you bother to wonder,” Xiao Yu’er said, still chuckling, “if this blow tube were not empty, why would someone drop it on the floor…the Bone-Penetrating needles inside it were used to kill that person. After the murdering his enemy, the user just carelessly tossed it aside. Such simple reasoning, how could you not figure it out?”

“You…you…” Jiang Yulang hissed.

Xiao Yu’er added, “Earlier you faked that coughing spell, and swiped that blow tube. Of course I noticed it; if I didn’t know that the blow tube was empty, how could I let you take it?”

He snickered again, then went on: “Besides, these ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles, are extremely difficult to make. In ancient times, the only one who could make them was ‘Divine Hands Craftsman’. He has been deceased for a long time. Your empty tube is thus nothing but rubbish….ha ha, it is worth even less than rubbish.”

Jiang Yulang’s face was covered in chilly sweat. He stuttered: “I…just now I wasn’t really trying to…to kill you…only…” With a “dong” sound, the blow-tube in his hand hit the floor.

Xiao Yu’er laughed heartily. “I know,” he said, “you were only pulling a prank.”

Jiang Yulang said hurriedly: “I have always thought of you as an older brother, I can swear to it.” His words sounded so sincere, his face did not even contain a hint of red.

Xiao Yu’er smiled at him, amused. He said, “Now, I presume we may leave?”

“Of course,” Jiang Yulang replied. He went out with his head down.

Xiao Yu’er laughed loudly, “Jiang Yulang oh Jiang Yulang, what a good boy you are!”

End of Chapter 32

(1) I believe these are things like whips, flywhisks etc.

(2) Actually you can tell the difference between female and male skeletons. One way is by looking at the shape of their pelvic bones. Because a female’s pelvis needs to accommodate a birth canal, it’s wider and more shallow. Not that this is CSI or anything. =)

[Wubbles]

The Legendary Siblings Chapter 33

Now Xiao Yu’er was moving the knob made of tin.

He reflected: “The stone room was a grave. The steel room was a training room. The gold room stored treasure, and the bronze room held weapons. All this is logical, now as for the tin room, can you guess what it contains?”

Blinking a few times, Jiang Yulang proposed: “Could it be their private chambers?”

Xiao Yu’er chortled loudly: “Sleeping in a tin room, that would be strange indeed.”

As he spoke, the tin wall moved aside. Before his words had finished, suddenly a fierce lion sprang out from within, almost landing on Jiang Yulang who was standing right outside the entrance. He leapt backward seven or eight feet.

They took another look. Although the lion had retained its fur, its flesh was gone, with only a skeleton to keep its terrifying shape. Xiao Yu’er chuckled in relief: “This lion must have been really hungry, it wanted to escape but had died of starvation upon reaching the door. Alas that it gave our young master Jiang quite a scare.”

He then strolled inside. Abruptly he cried out: “So this was the reason!”

Jiang Yulang approached, and the ashy-white room filled with colours and scattered baubles everywhere, so that they bewildered the eye. It seemed that this was another treasure room.

Upon closer examination, however, he could only see many different colourful objects, which were not necessarily treasure. There was a multitude of different small vials and bottles. And the appearance of each bottle was strange and unusual.

Xiao Yu’er said to Jiang Yulang, “Surely you should know what are in these bottles?”

Jiang Yulang took a deep breath: “Poisons!”

“That is correct,” Xiao Yu’er agreed. “And this lion was meant to guard the poisons.”

Unexpectedly he bent his waist, then said, “The fourth person’s body is indeed here!”

Jiang Yulang watched him pick up some bones. Jiang Yulang thought further and his face paled. He said, “His…his body, was it eaten by the lion?”

Xiao Yu’er sighed, “This person was really unlucky; not only was he murdered here, but even his corpse was devoured by a lion…”

Jiang Yulang suddenly broke into a fit of cackles- “ge ge”.

“Why are you so happy?” Xiao Yu’er asked him.

Still giggling, Jiang Yulang told him, “Turn your head and look.”

In his hand, who knows how long it had been there, he held a dark object which resembled a bamboo tube. He chortled, “Well my luck is certainly not bad, I’ve managed to find a real treasure.”

Blinking, Xiao Yu’er asked, “What is it?”

Jiang Yulang retorted: “If you can’t recognize this, you must really be ignorant. The foremost swordsman of ancient times, ‘Reverend Jue Chen’, died with this object in his hand.”(1)

Xiao Yu’er said, amused: “I still don’t recognize it.”

With a mocking laugh, Jiang Yulang sneered: “Let me tell you, this is the ‘Celestial Dew of the Five Poisons’, from the ancient ‘White Water Palace’; you merely place a drop of this on someone. No matter who it is, within half an hour, they will die from generalized whole-body necrosis.”

Laughing lightly, Xiao Yu’er quipped, “Well then, you’d better put that far away somewhere, you wouldn’t want to spill it on me.”

Jiang Yulang hissed: “Don’t even think about escaping this time. I have already checked it and I know it is full, a full vial of ‘Celestial Dew’. I only have to move my hand and you’re finished.”

Xiao Yu’er smiled bitterly: “You really must kill me no matter what?”

“If you had minded your own business just now,” Jiang Yulang spat out, “and left me free to take that martial arts text, I could have left you to live a while longer yet. But now you must die!”

“Don’t forget,” Xiao Yu’er reminded him, “I could have killed you before, but I didn’t.” Suddenly he laughed: “But, why don’t you take a look at what I have in my hand first?”

In his grip, was the blow-tube for the ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles which Jiang Yulang had discarded earlier. Jiang Yulang giggled: “I see that you have been scared to the point of madness, you’re even trying to threaten me with that empty blow-tube…”

Smiling, Xiao Yu’er said, “Empty blow-tube? Who said it was empty?”

With a shock, Jiang Yulang stuttered, “You…didn’t you just say…”

Xiao Yu’er interrupted him with a laugh: “Oh yes, I did claim that the tube was empty just now. That was merely a lie; think about it- what else could I do? You should know that because it is so time-consuming to craft them, every blow-tube contains three sets of Bone-Penetrating Needles.”

With another laugh, he added: “If each blow-tube could only be used once, after each use you would have to find the ‘Divine Hands Craftsman’ again. If it was this bothersome, who would value these Bone-Penetrating Needles? Could you not figure out such a simple concept as this?”

Jiang Yulang’s hands once again began to shake. He stammered, “You…don’t think you can trick me again, you don’t even know…”

Laughing coldly, Xiao Yu’er repeated: “I don’t know? I was raised in the Valley of Evil. When it comes to this sort of vicious stealth projectile, would I not know more than you?”

Jiang Yulang’s hands became soft and weak. He laughed, and said in a trembling voice: “Big brother, of course you would know far more, little brother here is not your equal.”

As he spoke, he returned the ‘Celestial Dew’ back to its original place.

Xiao Yu’er said slowly, amused, “If I don’t kill or hurt you, then I deserve whatever comes to me, right?”

Jiang Yulang said, “Little brother here is young and ignorant, speaking nonsense. Big brother, please…please forgive me.” During his speech he slowly backed away.

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er said, “You are indeed an intelligent person. You know a lot, but alas that you are not as clever as I. You are just inferior by a tiny bit…”

With a light flick of his finger, the blow-tube in his hand made a “hack” noise.

Jiang Yulang’s entire body went soft, and he started to swoon from fright. But nothing had been fired from the blow-tube.

At that point Xiao Yu’er had the vial of ‘Celestial Dew’ in his grasp. Laughing - ‘ha ha’- loudly, he cried: “Let me tell you, that blow-tube is in truth empty. ‘Destroying Heaven, Obliterating Hell, Heart-Piercing and Bone-Penetrating’ needles- with one shot there are one hundred and thirty needles. In such a small tube, how could you fit three sets of needles? Such a straightforward principle, how could you not have thought of it?”

With a thump, Jiang Yulang really did fall over unconscious. This time he collapsed from anger, rather than fear.

The fuel in the bronze torch was almost used up.

Jiang Yulang obediently crawled back to his cave and added more oil to it. He also brought back more clean water and food, and subserviently placed these in front of Xiao Yu’er. Only when Xiao Yu’er had finished eating did he begin to devour the leftovers. His own father, if he had been there to witness it, would have died in a fit of anger- because Jiang Yulang had never served even his father in such a filial way.

Xiao Yu’er wiped his mouth. He murmured, “Only one room left. The exit must lie in this room. Mmm…right, to put an exit in their private chambers, this makes sense.”

At last, he twisted the silver knob. Behind the silver wall, there lay an entirely different world!

Here was the true underground palace. Xiao Mimi’s section was certainly extravagant, but when compared to this area, it was practically a pit in a coal mine.

The tunnel beyond the silver wall had a floor covered with a thick and soft carpet. On either side of the tunnel there was a total of six doors covered in jewels and precious stones. The two of them passed through the tangled beams of light shining off the walls, as if they were walking in a paradise.

Xiao Yu’er hardly even glanced at all the splendor. He merely muttered to himself: “Strange…five people, but why are there six rooms, perhaps there was a sixth person here? There must be a sixth person, who probably didn’t practice martial arts. Otherwise, why would there only be five tables in the training room?”

As he thought aloud, he had already entered the first room.

The interior décor clearly identified this as the private chamber of a lady. The dressing table to the side held a complete set of cosmetics and grooming paraphernalia. In fact there was even a chamber pot behind the bed.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yu’er was truly stunned. His eyes grew wide and his voice cracked: “A woman’s room? This place has a female master…you can kill me, I still won’t believe it.”

An embroidered curtain swished down. Xiao Yu’er drew it open and saw a skeleton lying on the bed. Hair, jewelry, all lay neatly on the pillow. Clearly this was a female.

They saw that the next room belonged to a woman as well. On the bed lay its female owner. In the third, and also the fourth, it was the same.

Throughout all this, Xiao Yu’er could only shake his head, laughing and bemused: “So in this place there were more than five people, or even six. The martial arts experts had brought their wives here too. When they were murdered, the wives were naturally killed as well.”

Jiang Yulang suggested, “It appears that these women all had their acupoints sealed, and then were left to slowly die of hunger.”

Sighing in agreement, Xiao Yu’er commented, “This kind of death, would be about the most tortured way to die. The perpetrator presumably would have been even more heartless than you, and his methods far crueller.”

Although Jiang Yulang lowered his head, his cheeks did not redden in shame.

Jiang Yulang went into the fifth room and whipped aside the bed curtains. He sighed: “People are really bizarre; you know that on the bed there will be a woman’s bones, and yet you still can’t resist opening the curtains to look…”

His words were cut short as he realized his mistake. The bed contained two corpses. One male, one female. They looked down and saw that the man’s spine had been shattered. Clearly he had died under a single stroke.

Xiao Yu’er quickly expelled a breath, then said, “This one is actually the fifth person.”

Jiang Yulang said, “The sixth room, could it be his…”

Xiao Yu’er pushed aside the door to the final room. One look was enough to freeze his body in shock.

Under the light, wearing a jeweled cap on his head, sat a man with an impressive beard all over his face. His hand pressed down on the table, as if he would break it. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes glared, his entire attitude was violent and threatening. Fresh blood had seeped out of his eyes, nose, and all of the other seven orifices, except that now the stains were old and dried and indistinct.

Once again, Xiao Yu’er sighed. “This person is dead after all.”

Jiang Yulang had taken down one of the jewels and threw it at the bearded man. They heard a “duk” sound- the precious stone had bounced off the body.

This person’s body was hard as stone.

Xiao Yu’er said: “Maybe this is only a wooden statue.”

“No,” Jiang Yulang argued, “this is a person. A dead person.”

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er said, “No, definitely he is a person, but if he is, then how could he be so much like a piece of wood?”

Jiang Yulang made no reply, but instead crossed over to flick aside the bedcurtain.

On the bed, there indeed was a person. A woman, and an exquisitely beautiful one. Her body was exactly the way she must have looked while alive, not one bit of decay. If it weren’t for her deathly pallor(?), you could without exaggeration call her one of the rare beauties of this earth.

In fact, Jiang Yulang had never in his life laid eyes on such a lovely creature. From her colour, he knew she was dead. But having had a single glance, he involuntarily fell into a dazed dream.

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er broke into his thoughts: “When this woman was alive, she must have had countless men under her spell. Next to her, Xiao Mimi is almost an ugly pig. I don’t understand how her body could still be intact…”

“These two people died in a different manner from the others,” Jiang Yulang said in a low voice. “They succumbed to a strange sort of poison which was able to preserve their bodies indefinitely.”

He took a breath, then slowly added: “Apparently, her beauty was really important to her…this naturally was worth cherishing.”

Xiao Yu’er asked, “You mean that she killed herself on purpose?”

Jiang Yulang pointed out: “If someone else killed her, why would they bother to use such a valuable poison on her?”

Nodding his head, Xiao Yu’er agreed, “That makes sense. Only…what about this man? Even ten or more years after his death, this man still has such a noble air. In life, he must have been really important.”

“Perhaps he was the true master of this place,” Jiang Yulang guessed.

Once again, Xiao Yu’er concurred: “Right, he appears the type to have had such great ambition.”

Jiang Yulang began to think aloud: “Let’s say the other five people were killed by him. Then how did he die? And what drove his wife to suicide? I wonder what his relationship with the other five people was, and why he wasted so much effort and riches to create this underground palace. Why did he have to hide here so secretly?”

With a wry laugh, Xiao Yu’er said, “When you talk like that, you give me a headache.”

The two of them were certainly extremely clever. Yet after thinking and thinking, they could not penetrate the mystery of this palace. By this time their eyes were huge. But still neither of them had glimpsed the book by the side of the pillow. If they had missed this book, then they would never have figured out this puzzle, not in their lifetimes.

Luckily, Xiao Yu’er did eventually catch sight of it.

He flipped a couple of pages, and suddenly cried out: “In here…all of the secrets are in here!”

On the light yellow pages, there were words in delicate and elegant script. It was definitely written in a lady’s hand.

These, indeed, belonged to the beautiful lady now lying on the bed- her entire life’s tragedies and woe. Her miseries were almost impossible to believe. While dying, she unraveled the secrets of the underground palace.

Of course, her thoughts were not written for Xiao Yu’er to read, nor anybody else, for that matter. She had merely wished, in her final moments, to vent her sorrows. Only, when she died, there was no one left alive. Thus she could only express herself on ink and paper.

This is what she said: Her name was Fang Lingji.(2) Her family was from one of the dying tribes of Jiangnan. They had four generations living together under one roof, and their days were originally peaceful and happy. As for herself, however, she would never enjoy such fortune.

At four years of age, her mother brought her to Suzhou to visit relatives. When they returned, her family’s entire property had been laid waste. More than three hundred people, old and young, had all been slaughtered.

Their enemies would of course pursue all survivors. (3) She and her mother were forced to flee for their lives, wandering everywhere in fear. Although Fang Lingji did not describe this part of her life in detail, one could imagine that it was full of hardship and bitterness.

In the midst of such troubled and anxious times, she eventually managed to discover the name of her nemesis!

Ouyang Ting.

‘Hero among men’, Ouyang Ting! Her enemy, of all people, was one of the heroes of wulin, a man of solid reputation and upstanding character. (4) He was one of the strongest martial artists of his time, and his family was among the richest as well.

Abandoned and alone, mother and daughter sought revenge despite not knowing a shred of martial arts. Plagued by hatred and anger, her mother eventually fell ill and lost her life.

Three years later, she actually plotted a way to marry her enemy. The only thing left that she could use as a weapon of vengeance was her undeniable beauty.

However, Ouyang Ting, an eminent hero of his generation, would naturally be hard to trap in a sneak attack. Fang Lingji therefore had to endure much agony and suffering, bitterly awaiting her opportunity.

Unfortunately Ouyang Ting had one fearsome habit. He would never fall asleep with another person. Although they were husband and wife, she never knew where he slept.

At this point, Xiao Yu’er’s eyes darted over to the bearded man. He remarked, “I bet this rascal must be Ouyang Ting.”

Jiang Yulang sighed: “This man must truly be a hero of his time. Even though Fang Lingji hated him to the bone, you can read between the lines. Despite herself, she did grudgingly admire him.”

Xiao Yu’er teased him: “Oh, give it time, and eventually you too will become an Ouyang Ting.”

Not daring to respond to that, Jiang Yulang changed the subject. “The odd thing is, since this Ouyang Ting had such a great reputation and influence, why did he need to construct this underground palace? What drove him to spend the rest of his life hiding from the light of day?”

“Well, read on, and no doubt you’ll find out,” Xiao Yu’er said.

They continued to read.

She had written: [To build this underground palace, you could say Ouyang Ting spared no expense or effort. He took three months to plan and oversee the construction(?).

Next, by methods unknown to me, he lured the top five martial artists in wulin to his palace. He claimed that he admired them, and together he wanted to create an earth-shattering set of martial arts, never seen before and that would never be surpassed. He told them that once they passed on this set of martial arts, they could, through this legacy, leave a name through the ages.

The words ‘Leave a name through the ages’, clearly rang through to their hearts. The five of them combined their accumulated wisdom and experience to explore the most complex mysteries within martial arts.

But none of them had imagined that the moment of their success would also mark their execution date.]

She had written this description of it: [Once we settled into the ‘Diling Palace’, he no longer slept alone. Because he had no suspicions toward me whatsoever, he could never have imagined that I was, in reality, his sworn foe. Although I did have chances to kill him, I did not make my move, because I still had to wait.

He had another ambition. In the records and annals of wulin, from ancient times to now, there have been many ephemeral heroes, valiant though they were. But never has there been one person whose martial arts could truly dominate all others. He wished to be a hero with an everlasting name, ‘never seen before, and never to be surpassed’!

It was a shame that those five experts known throughout wulin as ‘the Five Ultimates of Heaven and Earth’, would be sacrificed on the altar of his ambition. Each of them had their own weak points, and taking advantage of someone’s weak points was precisely Ouyang Ting’s specialty. The five of them would never have fallen for his plan, if it weren’t for the fact that he had the noble air and reputation of a true hero.

He had long ago crafted a plan to murder them all. Although I did not know the details of it, Ouyang Ting’s schemes have always been seamless. I had a mind to expose his vile plot, but I could find no evidence. If I voiced my accusations, no one would believe me. Thus I had to be careful.

But I also had long ago made my own preparations to kill him. I only waited for him to succeed in his plan.

At this moment, the date of his success is fast approaching, he will soon reach the pinnacle of what no one before him has achieved.

And now…there is a cup of poisoned wine awaiting him, to be drunk for our celebratory toast…]

It appeared that Xiao Yu’er’s eyes were slightly wet. Suddenly he flung the book far away from himself. He cried: “Why did she have to write these things down and make others suffer by reading them? Women…oh d*mned women!”

Jiang Yulang seemed to be in a daze, and mumbled: “… ‘pinnacle of what no one has achieved’… ‘never seen before, and never to be surpassed’…ai, what a shame, a real pity!”

Gazing at Ouyang Ting’s body, Xiao Yu’er said, “After he killed the ‘Five Ultimates’, he was just settling down for a drink with his beloved wife. Little did he know that the wine meant for toasting his success was actually laced with poison….ha ha, amusing, what a laugh!”

“That Fang Lingji was quite an impressive character as well…only, after avenging herself, why did she then follow him in death?” Jiang Yulang wondered with a sigh.

Xiao Yu’er eased into a long stretch at the waist. He replied, “I’ve already told you, the hearts of women are the hardest to fathom. Whoever wastes his efforts to guess at their inner thoughts, is a madman if not an idiot. Ai…women…”

Jiang Yulang mused, “She could not avoid killing him. But afterwards, her heart was also in agony, and she could only join him in death. She had not thought of how she would live her life alone.”

With a long sigh, he went on slowly: “Fang Lingji and Ouyang Ting, they are rather like Xi Shi and the king of Wu. (5) Ai, rivalry between nations, or romantic love, which should be more important? I’m afraid not many people would be able to tell.”

Peering at him, Xiao Yu’er suddenly smiled. He joked, “Sometimes you are really strange; I wonder if you are a man or a woman?”

Jiang Yulang broke into startled laughter: “What, you don’t know if I’m a man or a woman?”

Xiao Yu’er observed: “Sometimes you are cruel and vicious, you would hurt even your own family. At other times you would become melancholic, or full of sympathy. Men are rarely like this. Only a woman’s heart can change so quickly from moment to moment, and from one extreme of passion to another.”

He added, laughing loudly, “If I didn’t hear Xiao Mimi call you ‘little pervert’ with my own ears, I would really think you were a girl disguised as a man.”

End of Chapter 33


(1) Jue means to ‘cut, or destroy’, sort of. Chen means ‘dust or ashes’. Red dust, from a Buddhist perspective, refers to things associated with the “material world” or “earthly desires”. So I suppose, one interpretation of his name could be, one who has managed to cut himself off from, or destroy, his earthly desires. Kind of an appropriate name for a religious person.

(2) “Ling” means spirit, “Ji” beauty.

(3) The original used a classic proverb: “when eliminating a weed, you must extract the roots” i.e. don’t leave business unfinished. For example, if someone were slaughtering a family and the killers are left debating whether to kill a helpless child. One of them might say [We must extract the roots- otherwise this child will grow up and return to kill us for revenge. Like a weed growing back up from the roots.]

(4) “Ting” in his name could be taken to mean ‘erect, upright’.

(5) Xi Shi was a very beautiful woman in Chinese history. To give a brief version of her story: The kingdom of Wu conquered the kingdom of Yue. The Yue king suffered great humiliation in the Wu king’s service. He vowed revenge. One of his strategies was to weaken the Wu king with beautiful women. Xi Shi was found and agreed to the mission of seducing and weakening the king. She was trained and succeeded in making the king neglect his affairs of state.

I’m not really sure if Xi Shi really did love the king of Wu, but I guess Jiang Yulang may be speaking from the king’s perspective when he talks about the conflict between duty to the state and love for another person.

[Wubbles]

The Legendary Siblings Chapter 34

Their conversation was interrupted by a gentle laugh: “That is correct, I can attest to it. Every inch of his body is male, not one bit otherwise.”

To whom could this wonderfully tender voice belong, if not Xiao Mimi?

Xiao Yu’er felt his bones go weak. He tried to turn, but felt a sharp, cold object probing into the base of his skull.

In warm and soothing tones, Xiao Mimi murmured, “Be good now, don’t move, and don’t turn around.”

With her hand she beckoned to Jiang Yulang and said: “Yulang, why don’t you come over too…mmm, that’s a good boy. Now, turn around, and stand beside him.”

Xiao Yu’er could only hope that Jiang Yulang wouldn’t be too compliant. If only he would resist, even a little, then Xiao Yu’er would be able to take out his ‘Celestial Dew’ and use it.

But that d*mn Jiang Yulang, infuriatingly, had become an exemplary model of co-operation. With head down and hands lowered, he approached. Xiao Yu’er tried to signal him with his eyes, but Jiang Yulang didn’t see it. Xiao Yu’er was so frustrated that his teeth began to grind, but he could do nothing. With a sword-tip aimed at your brain, even if you had ten thousand strategies, you would not be able to use them.

However, Xiao Yu’er did not despair, but continued to wait for a chance. All he needed was to be able to take out that ‘Celestial Dew’, or the blow-tube, and Xiao Mimi would be finished.

Unfortunately it seemed that instead of Xiao Mimi being finished, Xiao Yu’er would be the one whose life was over. She suddenly reached over and removed some objects from his shirt. She laughed sweetly: “Ah, little flirt, it appears that you two have acquired some very nice things. ‘Bone-Penetrating Needles’, ‘Celestial Dew’. Lucky for me that I was careful, otherwise I’d be in a lot of trouble.”

Xiao Yu’er heaved a long sigh: “Now it seems I’m the one who’s in a lot of trouble.”

She giggled, “Not too much, I think. I will let you live for now.”

Unexpectedly, she pulled Xiao Yu’er’s right hand and Jiang Yulang’s left one together. Laughing, she teased, “You two seem to be good friends, why don’t you hold hands?”

Xiao Yu’er noticed that Jiang Yulang’s trembling hand was icy, and slick with cold sweat. Of course, his own hand was just the same. With a ‘guk’ sound, their hands were locked together with a pair of heavy black cuffs.

Her laughs tinkling like a silver bell, Xiao Mimi finally came from behind their backs to stand before them. Her beautiful eyes looked at them in merriment. She said softly, “Now you can really be good friends. You will live together, and die together. And neither will leave the other behind.”

Xiao Yu’er joked bitterly: “Now I really do wish he was a girl.”

Xiao Mimi said to him appreciatively: “I really like you. Under these circumstances, you still have your sense of humour. There aren’t many people like you around.”

Changing the subject, Jiang Yulang asked, “You…how did you get in here?”

“You are surprised by this?” Xiao Mimi laughed, rolling her eyes.

Xiao Yu’er sighed, “If we hadn’t been surprised, that would have been strange.”

“Clever little boys,” Xiao Mimi said, “how did you become so stupid all of a sudden? Think about it. You are so good to me, how could I bear to let you die of suffocation?”

Puzzled, Xiao Yu’er said, “I still don’t understand.”

Xiao Mimi explained, “At the time, I knew of course that you were hiding down below. But I didn’t dare come down, because I knew nothing else about the situation. If I came down, you would surely have killed me.”

She sighed and went on: “And your welcome of me obviously would not be quite as hospitable as the way I have treated you.”

Xiao Yu’er retorted, “Indeed, you were too hospitable, trying to suffocate us to death.”

She laughed prettily, then said: “I thought, even this might not truly manage to suffocate you two. But at least it could get you to lower your guard. Once you believed that I was using this method to kill you, you thought I would not come back to look, isn’t that right?”

“Only now do I understand,” Xiao Yu’er sighed, “that a man who has gone through a near suffocation is already very unlucky. If, on top of that, he meets a girl who really likes him, then his fortune has truly worsened indeed.”

Xiao Mimi giggled ‘ge ge’- and teased: “You are hilarious, oh, I’m dying of laughter! Next time, I’ll have to explain that it’s not so bad for someone to hate you, that being suffocated is actually quite fortunate.”

She appeared to pay no further attention to Xiao Yu’er’s words, but instead began to focus on the contents of the room.

Xiao Mimi searched methodically through all the rooms to such a degree that you would think she was a jealous wife going through her husband’s possessions(?).

And then her face shone, her eyes were alight. She had finally found what she was looking for.

It was the pale yellow book which naturally contained the essence of all the five experts’ labours.

Xiao Mimi hugged the book to her chest. She pressed it to her face, and dropped kisses on it, giggling all the while. She murmured, “Oh my precious, I have you now, I don’t need to worry anymore! From this day forth, who will be number one in wulin? Don’t you know? That would be me, Xiao Guniang.”

Jiang Yulang’s eyes were locked on the book in her hand; he looked as if he would spit fire.

Xiao Mimi stroked his head and laughed, “Come to think of it, I should be grateful to you two. Without you, how would I have my precious?”

Happy and carefree, she spun around in a circle. In her delight, the years fell away from her and she looked more than a decade younger.

Smiling, she added, “Now I need you to lead me. Take me everywhere so I can look. This must be a gift from heaven, how could I refuse it?”

In fact, Xiao Mimi had never imagined that her ‘gift from heaven’ encompassed so much riches and treasure. Her eyes were dazzled from it all.
She looked at everything, poked around everywhere.

When they were finished, she looked at Xiao Yu’er and Jiang Yulang. Her eyes were so warm and tender, her smile was so enchanting.

She smiled and said softly: “Good little children, do you know why I haven’t killed you yet?”

Xiao Yu’er’s eyes were fixed on the earthen wall, as if he hadn’t heard her words. Jiang Yulang’s face was completely bloodless- he had been rendered speechless from fear.

Xiao Mimi said: “To tell you the truth, if I were to explore this place by myself, I would be a bit afraid. So of course I had to leave you two alive to accompany me.”

Jiang Yulang gnawed at his lip, and turned even paler.

With a glance at Xiao Yu’er, Xiao Mimi laughed: “Now your purpose is fulfilled. Since you’re now chained together, it would be impossible to crawl out through the tunnel. In that case, you may as well stay here.”

Jiang Yulang’s lips were already raw from biting. Now tears began to course down his face.

He suddenly fell to his knees and pleaded in a trembling voice: “Please, I beg you, don’t kill me. As long as you spare me, I will be your slave for life. No matter what you want, I can…”

She cut him off: “I’m very sorry, that is the only thing I cannot do. Other than that, whatever method of death you wish, I will certainly grant.”

She looked at Xiao Yu’er again, and said, “Xiao Yu’er, did you hear me?”

His eyes were still on that earthen wall. “Mmm,” he responded distractedly.

Xiao Mimi proposed, “There’s a very unique and comfortable way to die, if I might recommend it. Would you both be willing to try?”

“Mmm.”

“How about I bite you both to death?” she suggested.

Her white alabaster hand reached forward, and caressed Xiao Yu’er’s throat. She whispered, smiling: “I only need to lightly bite you once, that should suffice.”

Xiao Yu’er still stared ahead without blinking, and mumbled, “Mmm.”

Xiao Mimi drew her eyebrows together, and snapped, “What is so interesting about that wall? What are you thinking?”

Heaving a sigh, Xiao Yu’er said, “If I’m going to die anyway, then it doesn’t matter.”

“I still want to hear it,” she demanded.

He replied, “Don’t bother, why don’t you just kill me and get it over with.”

She said, “The more you don’t want to say it, the more I insist on hearing it.”

With another sigh, Xiao Yu’er said: “Since you insist, I can only obey.”

He said: “I was thinking, since there is something wonderful behind every wall, the room behind that earthen wall surely cannot be empty. What is behind that wall then?”

Xiao Mimi’s eyes lit up. She said, “Right, what could be there?”

Her eyes darted back and forth. She muttered: “It’s too bad there’s no earthen knob, I wonder how you move that wall.”

Xiao Yu’er blinked and said, “Well there’s no knob, but up above there’s a ring hanging down(?), that we haven’t tried pulling on.”

Xiao Mimi said excitedly: “Ah, that must be it. Go and pull it then. How could I sleep well without knowing what lies behind that wall?”

Accordingly, Xiao Yu’er went over in a very reluctant manner. But actually, he was feeling very happy. Of course he didn’t know at all what was on the other side of that wall. He would guess that it was nothing special. Right now, though, whatever it was certainly couldn’t make his situation any worse. If he had to die, he didn’t really care if there were monsters or ghosts!

The only one with anything to lose, was Xiao Mimi.

The copper ring was hanging from a tall height and took a lot of strength to pull. Xiao Yu’er tugged at it and apparently just could not even get it to budge one little bit. But with Jiang Yulang there using all his might, together they pulled. Suddenly the ring descended completely.

Then there was a crash of sounds ‘dong long long’, as if a mountain were collapsing. The entire wall came crashing down.

A flood of water smashed towards them, as if a mountain had fallen into the sea.

Xiao Mimi’s expression changed and she screamed in terror. Although normally she was dramatic and her expressions always varied, this time she was very different from usual.

She acted like a young girl encountering a big rat. She leapt onto the rack containing the knobs(?), but the water was really pouring in too forcefully. Soon the water would rise above the rack too.

At this moment her only thought was of escape. She was even willing to leave aside Xiao Yu’er and Jiang Yulang. But alas, the remaining exit, the tunnel, had also filled with water.

Coincidentally this section was on an even level with the ‘toilet’ tunnel from which they had come. Therefore, although the tunnel was filled with water, there was no way for it to drain.

Right now Xiao Yu’er and Jiang Yulang were also floating in the water. Jiang Yulang’s swimming abilities were fantastic; he treaded water as easily as if he were moving on solid ground.

As he saw the miserable state that Xiao Mimi was in, an evil grin began to spread over his face. He cackled: “So that monster doesn’t know how to swim, how wonderful, that’s perfect.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed, “She deserves what’s coming to her.”(?)

Suddenly Jiang Yulang turned to face him. He asked, “And how’s your swimming?”

Although Xiao Yu’er’s hand was still chained to Jiang Yulang, he did not react, but merely laughed and quipped: “Did you forget my name? Since when have you found a fish that couldn’t swim?”

His words seemed to be convincing and honest. Jiang Yulang stared at him a while longer, then finally smiled and said, “Good, that’s great.”

The water level continued to rise. Soon the entire room would be full.

Not only had Xiao Mimi never learned how to swim, she was very afraid of water. Her limbs shook and she flailed about. The more she moved, the faster she sank.

Jiang Yulang commented in a low voice, “Although she doesn’t know how to swim, if she could hold her breath, and not thrash about like that, she wouldn’t sink. Besides, she has excellent martial arts skills. Even if she did sink a bit, she wouldn’t choke on the water.”

He gave a sly laugh or two before adding, “But the way things are going, she’ll choke for sure. Once she gets one or two mouthfuls down the wrong way, all the martial arts in the world will be useless.”

On the other side, Xiao Mimi had already sputtered on two or three gulps of water. She cried out shrilly, “Save me…are you two really going to stand by and watch me die?”

Jiang Yulang replied in a voice just as tender as hers: “Of course we couldn’t bear to let you die from drowning. As long as you hand over that martial arts text, I will save you myself.” Naturally, he had not dared to swim over before this, because as soon as Xiao Mimi got her hands on him, he’d lose his life.

By now, the book had been floating in the water for quite some time, and the inked words were starting to become indistinct.

It was now Xiao Mimi’s turn to become docile. She immediately grabbed the book and flung it over, then yelped, “Quick, hurry up!” Then ‘gu du’, she swallowed yet another mouthful of water.

Jiang Yulang deftly caught the book in his hand. Xiao Yu’er decided not to fight him for the book, since Jiang Yulang carried the torch in his free hand and grabbed the book in the hand that was chained to Xiao Yu’er. He laughed wildly: “Stupid girl, you really thought I would rescue you?”

Xiao Mimi called to him in a trembling voice: “Please, I beg you…”

Jiang Yulang laughed even harder. “I am going to watch you choke mouthful by mouthful…by the time you die, your belly will be as swollen as a balloon. That’ll be a sight to see.”

“You bastard,” Xiao Mimi cursed him.

She struggled to reach them, but the more she flailed, the more she choked on water. The fear of a non-swimmer in water is quite unimaginable to those who have never experienced it.

Now it was Jiang Yulang’s turn to laugh: “From this day forth, who will be number one in wulin? Xiao Mimi, don’t you know? Let me tell you, it would be me, Master Jiang.”

Xiao Yu’er sneered coldly: “Not necessarily.”

Jiang Yulang hastily corrected himself: “Of course, there would also be big brother Jiang Yu.”

Sighing, Xiao Yu’er pointed out, “I don’t think the two of us should be dreaming just yet. Right now the only exit is filled with water. Unless we can really swim like fish, we will also drown here.”

Stunned, Jiang Yulang’s face instantly turned ashen in colour. Grabbing Xiao Yu’er’s hand, he said, “You…you must think of something.”

Xiao Yu’er reflected, “I was thinking: gold, silver, copper, steel, tin, all of these were dead ends. In the stone grave there was a door leading upwards, but that door opens from the outside.”

Jiang Yulang laughed sarcastically: “Well of course the door to a grave would open from the outside. The dead people wouldn’t need to go out…oh, do we really have to die in this place?”

“Perhaps,” Xiao Yu’er mused, “we have another way out.”

“What way?” Jiang Yulang cried excitedly.

“We haven’t tried moving that wooden knob over there…”

Jiang Yulang’s hopeful expression vanished like smoke. He said angrily, “Did you forget, we entered this place from behind the wooden wall.”

Slowly Xiao Yu’er answered: “But we crawled up here from below. What about above?”

Instantly Jiang Yulang became happy again, and said, “Right, why didn’t I think of it!”

Xiao Yu’er grinned and said: “That’s because I’m much smarter than you.”

Jiang Yulang sighed. He admitted, “At such a time, still being able to think of these details…other than you, not many people would be able to manage it.”

They noticed that Xiao Mimi had stopped moving in the water, except for her hair which was floating on the surface.

Jiang Yulang dived down and turned the wooden knob. He had been holding the torch all along, but as he dived, the room suddenly became black.

With a “chi” sound, water suddenly began gushing out. Xiao Yu’er and Jiang Yulang were also inexorably swept outwards by the force of the water. And suddenly, it seemed as if their hearts would burst free of their chests.

Beyond the wooden wall, there indeed lay the exit. About a hundred or so stone steps stretched upwards, and a sliver of sunshine streamed down from above. Jiang Yulang cried out in delight, and once again tears streamed down his face.

They saw the top of the stairs bathed in sunlight. This was quite startling.

Jiang Yulang felt surprised in the midst of his happiness. He said, “This kind of exit is rather strange. Wouldn’t the makers be worried that it would be discovered? With such a need for secrecy, the exit should have been quite well hidden.”

Smiling, Xiao Yu’er said, “From our perspective, the exit seems rather obvious. But I think it must be well hidden, otherwise, someone would have discovered this place sometime during all these years.”

Unexpectedly, the sound of voices floated down to them from above.

Despite themselves, they were surprised, and quickened their steps. Faster, and faster, they dashed upwards and found that the exit was actually hidden by a stone cover, which was flanked on either side by cracks about half an inch wide.

The sunlight was, of course, spilling through the two cracks. The voices could also be heard through them. Scared but curious, the two of them ventured a peek outside.

Outside, they could see a tiny temple. As for which god the temple was dedicated to, they could not tell. This was because the statue for worship was sitting on top of the stone cover above their heads. Who could have imagined that under the resting place of an idol at a small temple, there would be such a mysterious, wondrous and impressive underground palace? Who could deny that this exit was thus well concealed?

Of course, there was an altar, but there were no incense or candles on it. Instead, oddly enough, there was a pair of legs. The legs were firm, and covered with thick black hair. Pant legs were rolled up to the kneecaps, and the filthy feet wore a pair of grass shoes. Above that, they could not see further.

There was also an unusually large gourd containing wine on the altar, as well as half a smoked chicken. Beside that was a huge slab of beef, a string of preserved sausages, a heap of beancurds, and a pile of peanuts. The fragrance of wine and food mixed with the stink of the feet- it drifted over with the breeze. Smelling this, Xiao Yu’er really didn’t know what to feel.

His first impulse was to break out and run outside, but then he noticed five people standing directly facing the altar. At once he was scared stiff, and even almost cried out in surprise.

The person on the extreme left was dressed like a rich merchant. His belly had started to get fat in his middle-aged years. A fragrant pouch hung from his body(?).

Beside him, was another well-dressed man, with a strong and energetic appearance. But on closer inspection, he gave off the air of being the merchant’s bodyguard or servant.

On a glance, the other three people were clearly ‘Regarding people like chickens' Wang Yizhua, Sun Tiannan, and seventh master Qiu Qingpo.

Normally the three of them were extremely confident and insolent. But now they stood with lowered heads and gloomy faces, their expressions full of fear.

Squatting on the altar was the man with the filthy feet. Someone who could reduce those three people to such a state, was not anyone that Xiao Yu’er had heard of.

Xiao Yu’er observed the situation carefully, not daring to make a false move. Jiang Yulang of course, would be even more scared at this point.

They saw a pair of hands descending, covered in thick and coarse black hair. The right hand was normal, but the left had only the thumb and index fingers intact.

The pair of hands ripped off a chicken leg and pointed it at the rich merchant. The voice shouted: “Get over here!”

The merchant’s normally well-groomed and healthy-looking face was now completely drained of colour. He wobbled a few steps forward, and stammered in a trembling voice: “The lowly one pays his respects to you, my lord.”

The voice boomed like a huge bell: “Bastard, your old man clearly knows, you son of a turtle, that you are the rich boss in the city, Wang Lingchuan. (?) Wang Baiwan, don’t even try to fool your old man, you son of a turtle.”

In just one breath he had already used the profanities ‘your old man’ four times, and ‘son of a turtle’ twice. Although he was speaking fluently in the native Szechuan dialect, the words came out muffled and indistinct. Presumably this was because he was devouring the leg of chicken.

Wang Baiwan threw himself on his knees and said with a pitiful expression: “The lowly one does not have much money on his person at the present moment. However, he is willing to give it all to you, my lord, as long as…”

The voice roared and cursed: “Bull sh*t, who wants to take your money, you son of a turtle. Your old man heard that you gamble better than the gods. So I specially arranged for you to be brought here, now I can see for myself.”

Wang Baiwan exhaled a breath, and laughed, saying: “My lord, if you wish to play, whether it be at dice, dominoes, mahjong, the lowly one would be happy to join you. The only problem is a lack of gambling equipment. Once I return to the city, I will make ready to properly and comfortably gamble with you, my lord.”

A hand slammed down on the altar and the voice growled, “Who would want to play at such silly games with you, son of a turtle! Your old man here wants to bet on coins. Heads or tails?”

Wang Baiwan mumbled, “Unfortunately the lowly one did not realize that my lord wanted to gamble; he has not brought much money to bet with.”

The voice declared: “Your old man will accept one of your arms, and a leg as gambling chips.”

Wang Baiwan had just begun to rise from his kneeling position. Instantly his legs went soft and they buckled, toppling him to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he asked, “And if my lord should lose?”

The voice replied, “If your old man loses, I’ll chop off a finger for you.”

Wang Baiwan objected, “But this…this…”

A furious holler cut him off. “ ‘But’ nothing! One finger from your old man is worth much more than all four of your limbs!”

The teeth began to chatter inside Wang Baiwan’s head. He said, “The lowly one would…would prefer not to play.”

“Bastard, you must play,” the voice ordered.

In a loud voice Wang Baiwan shouted: “People can rape women, force them to have sex. But who ever heard of forcing someone to gamble?”

The voice chuckled, “If your old man ever committed one sin, it would be forcing people to gamble. You son of a turtle, since you love gambling so much, you should count yourself lucky to meet the “Devil Gambler” today.”

Wang Baiwan’s eyes immediately widened. He said in a hoarse voice: “You…you are Xuanyuan Sanguang?”

“Your old man is indeed Xuanyuan Sanguang. Do you know me, son of a turtle?”

Wang Baiwan said glumly, “Everyone who gambles, within the city and outside of it, invokes your name as a curse. Whoever cheats at gambling, we’ll condemn him to run into Xuanyuan Sanguang. But…but I have never cheated anyone before, how could heaven let me encounter you?”

Xuanyuan Sanguang rumbled with laughter: “Since you know your old man, you should also know that I play true. I have never denied a loss or shirked a debt, so what are you worried for?”

They saw a copper coin flip over in the air countless times before landing on the altar with a “guk” sound. Xuanyuan Sanguang covered it up with his meaty hand, then cried out: “Heads or tails? Guess, hurry up!”

Xiao Yu’er sucked in his breath sharply. He would never have dreamed that this ogre with the dirty feet would be Xuanyuan Sanguang, the ‘Devil Gambler’ of the ‘Ten Evils’!

And never, not even in a fit of mad ravings, would he have thought that, having just barely escaped the clutches of one of the ‘Ten Evils’, he would immediately encounter another one of them.

Furthermore, the way things were going, as he met more members of the ‘Ten Evils’, each one seemed more malicious than the last!

Just now he had quickly glimpsed the copper coin; it had landed heads up. He would guess that Wang Baiwan had seen it too. In that case, the ‘Devil Gambler’ was destined to lose.

He saw that Wang Baiwan was so pale, even his lips were bloodless. He opened his mouth a few times, but yet could not utter a single word. The tendons on Xuanyuan Sanguang’s hand tightened and popped up, as if he too were tense with excitement. He thundered: “Quick! If you don’t speak now that means you lose.”

Wang Baiwan finally breathed: “Heads. It’s heads!”

At once Xuanyuan Sanguang flipped his hand over. He barked out a laugh and announced: “Son of a turtle, you lose.”

Wang Baiwan closed his eyes. Xiao Yu’er was also in shock.

He had seen with his own eyes that the heads side was face up. How could it have changed? Unless Xuanyuan Sanguang purposely let Wang Baiwan peek and see that it was heads, then changed it when his hand covered it up again!

Technically speaking, this could not be called cheating. No-one forced Wang Baiwan to peek when he wasn’t supposed to look. Xiao Yu’er secretly sighed, and laughed sarcastically to himself: “This ‘Devil Gambler’ is really impressive!”

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed and said again: “You lose. Now hand over the arm and leg as your forfeit.”

Wang Baiwan choked out: “The lowly one…I would willingly give my lord the deeds to my ten pawn shops in the city…and also my three rice shops north of town. I only beg that my lord spare the lowly one his life this one time.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang chuckled, “You greedy animal, did you really think your old man was after your pig’s leg? Your old man is certainly evil, but what annoys me most is you stealing off the backs of the poor!”

He soundly smacked the altar, and yelled loudly: “I will confiscate your pawn shops and your rice shops. Get your turtle shell back to the city and get everything ready. I don’t think you’ll try to shirk your debt, you son of a turtle.”

Wang Baiwan gasped: “Yes, yes…” Half tripping, half crawling, he hurried away as quick as he could.

While he escaped, his servant was already groveling on the ground. He pleaded: “This lowly one is merely a servant, my lord wouldn’t deign to gamble with me. I beg you my lord, please release me.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang chortled: “Wrong, you son of a turtle. Didn’t you know, your old man has another nickname: ‘Whom He Sees, He Gambles With’. I’d gamble with the Emperor if I met him.”

The servant hardened his heart, and asked: “What would my lord like to gamble at?”

Xuanyuan Sanguang answered, “Your old man bets that you don’t know how many buttons you’re wearing. If you lose, your old man will hack off your nose. If you win, I’ll give those ten pawn shops and three rice shops to you.”

In his shock, the servant’s face had turned a grayish dirt colour. Unconsciously his hand went to his nose.

Xuanyuan Sanguang burst into loud laughter: “Think about it. By yourself, you could never earn such wealth in a lifetime. Uh-uh, no looking down, or your old man will poke out your eyeballs.”

Accordingly the servant could only fix his gaze straight ahead. He said, “But those pawn shops and rice shops are now in old master Wang’s possession.”

“Don’t worry, you son of a turtle,” Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed. “As long as you win, your old man will make sure he gives them to you!”

The servant suddenly broke into a smile, and declared: “This lowly one has had a strange habit since childhood. I love to swallow my buttons. Thus my mother never used buttons when making my clothes. She used belt and string to fasten my clothes. To this day my clothes are still made this way!”

End of Chapter 34

[Yang Guo]

hahahaha lucky servant... or will that gambling freak pull a button out of somewhwere... o.O

thanks for reposting wubbles

[fastclock]

Thanks Wubbles...
Glad you're here again
I'm wondering whether the Ten Evils all have about the same level of martial arts or maliciousness. The ones in the Valley of Evil seem to be somewhat "mild" compared to Xiao Mimi or this new guy.

[Falconri]

Great job Wubbles. It's great to see you back and continue my favorite translation. Keep up the good work.

[rayon]

I"m so glad the forum is back in business!

[Wubbles]

The Legendary Siblings Chapter 35

The servant got up, and patted his clothes in demonstration. He repeated, “So whenever this lowly one goes out of doors, he has not a single button on his body, from head to toe.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang was stunned into silence. Wang Yizhua, Qiu Qingpo and the others, looking on, wanted desperately to laugh, and yet could not. If Xiao Yu’er had not forcibly controlled himself, his belly would have exploded in laughter by now.

A pause. Suddenly Xuanyuan Sanguang’s laughter rumbled loudly: “I guess it’s your lucky day, you son of a turtle. Get out of here, and be a big boss!”

The servant bowed to him and smiled: “The lowly one is called Wang Dali. In future, if my lord should be in the city, please don’t forgot to visit my shops. I will be certain to properly play the role of host.” He raised his fists in farewell to the others, then walked away, laughing.

Chuckling, Xuanyuan Sanguang muttered, “Wang Dali, you son of a turtle, you really haven’t got a single button from head to toe…” In the blink of an eye, he had won incredible riches, and then just as quickly had entirely lost them. Yet he seemed not in the least concerned, and in fact looked quite amused.

Abruptly, Qiu Qingpo’s entire body stiffened up most unnaturally. Of course this was because Xuanyuan Sanguang’s gaze was now upon him. Slowly his face began to blanch.

Qiu Qingpo said loudly, “If you want to gamble, I can certainly join you. Otherwise…”

Xuanyuan Sanguang cut him off with a laugh: “That’s right. Young master Qiu, of course you have been raised knowing the best ways to eat and drink well, womanize and gamble. What do you want to play? The choice of game is yours, your old man will definitely play. However, I will choose the stakes!”

With a smile, Qiu Qingpo said, “I only hope you will not raise the stakes too high. As you just said, I am an expert in food and wine, women and certainly gambling. You may not necessarily win.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang burst into loud laughter. “You son of a turtle, trying to bluff your old man! Your old man started gambling at the age of six. No matter what the game, your old man will be at least more skilled than you.”

Qiu Qingpo said coldly: “Every game can be rigged, except for one.”

“And which game would that be?” Xuanyuan Sanguang asked.

Qiu Qingpo replied, “There are gold ingots in the embroidered pouch at my waist. Is the number odd or even?”

Tearing off another chicken leg, Xuanyuan Sanguang casually mentioned while chewing: “I hear that your wife is the prettiest woman throughout the whole of Suzhou.”

With that sentence, Qiu Qingpo’s entire expression changed. His voice cracked: “You…what do you want?”

“I’m going to bet with you on your wife,” Xuanyuan Sanguang said. “If you lose, your wife goes to me. If your old man loses, I will give you mine. All three wives would be yours; I think you’re getting the better odds.”

Qiu Qingpo’s face was now the colour of cold ashes. He whispered: “You…you’re mad…”

With a wide grin, Xuanyuan Sanguang said, “Oh no, your old man is most lucid!”

Qiu Qingpo shouted, “I refuse. This will never happen.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang reminded him: “You decided how we would gamble. At this point you have no choice. Anyway, I may not necessarily win, right?”

Qiu Qingpo drew himself to his full height. Tremors shot through his whole body. If he really did forfeit his wife in a bet, he would never be able to face his friends and relatives.

Having been born and raised in upper class society, this was not the sort of face he could afford to lose.

Slowly, Xuanyuan Sanguang said: “Your old man wants to bet now. The number of gold ingots inside is…”

“Wait!” Qiu Qingpo screamed wildly.

“What for?” Xuanyuan Sanguang asked.

“Must you force everyone to gamble with you?” Qiu Qingpo yelled.

Laughing, Xuanyuan Sanguang said, “Upon meeting the ‘Devil Gambler’, you must gamble, even against your wishes.”

“But there is one kind of person you will never be able to coerce,” Qiu Qingpo declared with a mocking laugh.

“Oh? And who would that be?” Xuanyuan Sanguang asked.

“A dead person!” Qiu Qingpo cried. With a sudden flip of the palm, he struck down at his own ‘Tianling’ acupoint.

Killing yourself in order to avoid losing your wife, this was certainly a surprise to everyone. The scions of the upper classes, who could know what they were thinking sometimes? Who could comprehend it?

Xuanyuan Sanguang was naturally stunned. His chicken leg fell unnoticed onto the altar. Right now he only had eyes for Qiu Qingpo’s dead body. Of course he would not be keeping an eye on Wang Yizhua. But Xiao Yu’er watched as Wang Yizhua and Sun Tiannan caught each others’ eye. Perhaps Qiu Qingpo’s death had suddenly kindled their courage.

Without warning, the two of them flew up into the air, towards Xuanyuan Sanguang.

Xiao Yu’er had a clear view, and saw how swiftly they advanced, and how ruthlessly they attacked. Wang Yizhua’s two hands appeared to have become black through and through.

He made no preamble, since they obviously wanted to take Xuanyuan Sanguang by surprise.

To Xiao Yu’er’s mind, there weren’t many people in the world who could avoid an all-out attack by the two of them. In fact you could say there were only a few.

If you asked Jiang Yulang, he’d say Xuanyuan Sanguang was in mortal danger.

They heard Xuanyuan Sanguang roar in fury. Two fists flailed out.

They could not see what moves he used. With a “ping, ping” sound, Wang Yizhua and Sun Tiannan went flying backwards.

Using only two casual punches, he managed to neutralize two martial arts experts. Their vicious techniques were useless against him.

Xiao Yu’er sucked in a cold breath. He had seen Sun Tiannan fly out the window like a kite whose string had suddenly snapped. He fell to the ground some distance away.

And he had seen Wang Yizhua do a flip in the air, and float to the ground. Surprisingly, he was still standing. His normally withered face, however, was now even more frightening to behold.

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed in admiration: “Well well, you son of a turtle, you’re pretty good.”

“Hmph,” said Wang Yizhua.

“Now are you going to gamble, or not?” Xuanyuan Sanguang said.

Gritting his teeth, Wang Yizhua muttered: “Yes!”

Xuanyuan Sanguang proposed: “Your old man is betting that all of Sun Tiannan’s ribs are broken. If there is a single one left intact, I lose. You may take my head!”

Wang Yizhua said, “Mmm.”

“And, your old man is also betting that he can kill you with a single fist,” Xuanyuan Sanguang went on. “If you survive, you can use your d*mned claws on my throat any way you want. Carve out a few holes, I don’t care.”

Wang Yizhua was silent for a moment. Then his lips cracked into a bitter smile. He said: “I have lost!”

During this short dialogue, even the brief words he had uttered had used his remaining energy(?). With that last phrase, a spray of fresh blood burst from his throat. His body toppled to the ground.

Jiang Yulang’s feet and hands were cold as ice. He saw the dirt-covered feet on the altar slowly get up and walk away. Then the person’s back appeared.

Xuanyuan Sanguang was dressed in ragged and tattered clothes. His body was tall and huge; one shoulder was fat enough to be the size of two normal ones. His head was also twice the normal size.

They heard him mutter to himself: “What a shame. I never intended to take lives today, but those sons of turtles forced me to kill them. All I wanted was to gamble, and they couldn’t even humour me that much.”

He picked up his wine gourd and shuffled outside. At the door, he slowly stretched out his waist and sighed. He said, “These days, people who gamble like that Wang Dali are becoming rare indeed...”

Only now did Xiao Yu’er dare to release his held breath. He stuck out his tongue and said: “That old devil’s martial arts are incredible.”

“Shouldn’t we get out of here as fast as possible?” Jiang Yulang said.

Xiao Yu’er snickered while doing an impression: “Bastard, we’d be sons of turtles if we didn’t.” He had already picked up these two obscenities so quickly. When you learn a foreign language, the words you learn fastest are the ones used to curse people.

With a heave and a lift, they eventually got rid of the stone cover over their heads, and wriggled out into the open. At this point they could see that the deity being worshipped was Zhao Xuantan (1).

Xiao Yu’er casually scooped up the chicken, and laughed as he chewed: “Too bad we couldn’t see the Devil Gambler’s face, I wonder if he looked like Lord Zhao. Perhaps he’s a bit darker though.”

Jiang Yulang pleaded, “I beg you, let’s just leave.”

“So you would prefer to catch up to him then?” joked Xiao Yu’er. Jiang Yulang, after a moment, realized his point, and sighed.

Xiao Yu’er said, “Ah, chicken, mmm…if you don’t finish it, you may as well not eat it.” (?)

He noticed that Jiang Yulang’s eyes had suddenly gone rigid. He turned his head and there before him was ‘Whom He Sees, He Gambles With’, ‘Devil Gambler’ Xuanyuan Sanguang.

His face was grey like tin, and a beard flowed over his whole chest. His eyebrows were like two bristling brushes, and his eyes resembled a copper bell(?). He only had one eye left, in fact. The left eye was covered by a black patch, which gave him an air of courage. His menacing appearance only added to his mysterious charisma.

At this moment that remaining eye was locked on Xiao Yu’er.

Xiao Yu’er’s face cracked into a smile. He gave a laugh or two before commenting: “This chicken tastes pretty good. It’s a pity there’s no wine to go with it.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang’s eye gleamed, as if he were amused. He actually shoved his unusually large wine gourd over to Xiao Yu’er and with a chuckle, said: “This wine’s quite good.”

Xiao Yu’er tipped his head back and with a ‘gu du gu du’ sound, swallowed ten gulps of wine in a single breath. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Remarkably, his expression had not changed at all- indeed, he merely smiled and said, “You call this bland stuff ‘good’? You must think I’m a kid.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed: “You little devil, you amuse me. Where did you come from?”

Winking at him, Xiao Yu’er said: “Where? Of course I climbed in through the window.”

“Sneaking in through the window to steal my chicken, and you admit this so boldly?” Xuanyuan Sanguang said in disbelief.

Xiao Yu’er quipped: “If a dead person can fly out through the window, why can’t a live one climb in through it?”

Xuanyuan Sanguang’s expression became serious and he said: “You must have been here for a while then?”

“And why not?” Xiao Yu’er laughed.

Xuanyuan Sanguang opened his eyes and fixed Xiao Yu’er with a stare. He said sternly: “Such a young child, what are you doing here in these forsaken mountains?”

“What else?” Xiao Yu’er said calmly. “To find a gambling partner, of course!”

Still Xuanyuan Sanguang stared at him. Finally he laughed ‘ha ha’- and said, “Interesting, most amusing…” He grabbed the wine gourd from Xiao Yu’er’s hand. ‘gu du gu du’- he also drained ten mouthfuls in one go.

Xiao Yu’er used both his hands to snatch the gourd back. He then took another dozen swallows or so. He laughingly chided, “Don’t be so stingy; wine and smokes are meant to be shared.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang’s eyes flashed again with amusement. He grinned: “You little devil, you really aren’t afraid of me?”

Xiao Yu’er also looked at him. With bared teeth he laughed: “Bastard, I don’t have any wine shops, nor any wives to lose to you. The worst that could happen is I lose my head to you. What’s to be scared of?”

“You dare to bet your head with your old man?” Xuanyuan Sanguang burst into loud laughter.

“Why wouldn’t I dare to?” Xiao Yu’er answered. “However…I wouldn’t want your head. It’s too big for me. I can’t fit it in my mouth, and it’s too heavy for me to carry.”

A voice slowly said, “I will take his head!”

It was as if this person’s voice had sliced through Xuanyuan Sanguang’s laughter like a knife. Involuntarily Xiao Yu’er’s eyes widened, and he stayed silent.

Although the words were spoken slowly, and only five had been spoken thus far, they were enough to reveal the speaker as a strong and powerful presence.(?)

With his back to the door, Xuanyuan Sanguang still had not turned around. This was because he had felt a deadly aura emanating from this person. If he moved, he would lose the chance to strike first!

The only thing he did was to say slowly: “And who dares to seek Xuanyuan Sanguang’s head? As long as the seeker is a real hero, a true man, I would be more than willing to give my head to them!”

The speaker slowly replied: “Xuanyuan Sanguang is truly a straightforward man!” A Taoist with dark black hair, wearing white stockings and blue robe stepped out. His right hand tightly gripped a sword that hung from his left waist. The blade was already unsheathed four inches!

These mere four inches of metal were already enough to impress one with the deadliness of the weapon!

Xuanyuan Sanguang said loudly, “You would be the leader of the Emei sect?”

Xiao Yu’er, of course, instantly recognized the man in the blue robe as Reverend Shenxi. But Xuanyuan Sanguang hadn’t even turned his head around, how was he able to identify the speaker?

Did the ‘Devil Gambler’ have a pair of eyes in the back of his head?

Reverend Shenxi also seemed to be surprised, and said heavily: “And how do you know me?”

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed loudly: “If not the leader of the sect, who could have a sword with such a deadly aura!”

Reverend Shenxi said slowly, “Xuanyuan Sanguang, you’re quite impressive!”

Xuanyuan Sanguang’s laughter stopped immediately. He said, “However, Reverend, don’t you think that entering here with your sword already unsheathed is beneath your dignity as the leader of an entire sect?”

Reverend Shenxi did not change expression, and merely replied, “When facing the famed Xuanyuan Sanguang, I have to be careful to the utmost of my ability.”

“Well then, it appears that you are set on having my head!” Xuanyuan Sanguang declared.

“This is a sacred area of the Emei sect,” Reverend Shenxi explained sternly. “Anyone who commits murder here must pay with their life.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed wildly and echoed: “ ‘Anyone who commits murder here must pay with their life’! Quite the edict. Do you, Reverend, honestly expect me to lay down my life for that bunch of riffraff and scum?”

The reverend reiterated, “I am not here to seek revenge for any particular person. But the responsibility of defending this mountain cannot be shirked.”

“Very well,” Xuanyuan Sanguang roared loudly. “My head is right here, only I’m not sure that the Reverend will be able to claim it so easily!”

Reverend Shenxi countered, “You have loved to gamble all your life, Xuanyuan Sanguang, and have won the heads of many people. The idea of losing your own head to me this time should hardly be disturbing to you.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang started chuckling: “I take it then, that you are proposing a bet, Reverend!”

“Your guess is correct,” was the reply.

Xiao Yu’er looked at the Reverend. He noticed the blue robe, so washed and faded that it was almost white. He saw the thin figure standing erect, the gnarled and slim fingers tightly gripping his sword.

And he saw Xuanyuan Sanguang standing there, not daring to turn around. Because of this person. What an impressive aura and heroic air!

Xiao Yu’er thought to himself: [I may be the world’s most intelligent man. But even if I were a hundred times smarter than him, could I instill such fear and awe in other people? It seems that I should properly hone my martial arts, otherwise I will never, in my lifetime, be as inspiring and glorious a figure.]

Such an impressive aura in a famed martial arts expert, was truly worthy of admiration. Even the words he spoke would carry much more weight compared to an ordinary person.

As soon as the four words ‘Your guess is correct’ were spoken, not a trace of a smile could be seen on Xuanyuan Sanguang’s face. He said belligerently, “And how shall we gamble?”

“We are both from the world of wulin,” Reverend Shenxi answered. “What could be more natural than gambling on our martial arts!”

Xuanyuan Sanguang gave a strange laugh, as if surprised: “If we fight, how could that still be considered gambling?”

Reverend Shenxi responded, “We play the game with our bodies. Our lives are the stakes. Of all the grand gambles in the world, what could compare to this? How could you say this is not gambling?”

“Fine!” Xuanyuan Sanguang cried loudly. “Now what will you bet against my head?”

“My own, of course.”

“That won’t work,” Xuanyuan Sanguang said. “That would be too much to your advantage.”

Reverend Shenxi said coldly, “I have entered the priesthood since I was six. At present I am the head of the Emei sect, one of the Famed Seven Sword schools. Under the aegis of my sect, there are three generations of disciples, which total two thousand seven hundred and thirty two people. When the leader’s bronze talisman is displayed, not only must the disciples of my sect obey it, but even members of other sects will respect and acknowledge it.”

His voice was stern, and he went on, “You are saying that a head like this, is not worth betting against yours?”

Xuanyuan Sanguang argued: “Your head is perfectly good. Unfortunately it is useless to me. On the other hand if you capture my head, you gain more glory for the Emei sect, as well as strengthening your own personal reputation!”

He let out a booming laugh: “As you can see, I have too much to lose, and nothing to gain. This kind of bet, I will not make.”

Reverend Shenxi laughed coldly: “I am afraid that the decision is no longer yours.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang responded with a laugh of his own: “Those words I have spoken to many people, countless times. I did not think that today I would hear them thrown back at me. The only thing is, you might want my head, but I don’t want yours. What if I just escape?”

“You believe that you have the ability?” Reverend Shenxi asked.

“Why can’t I?” Xuanyuan Sanguang shot back.

A pause. Then the Reverend said slowly, “What do you want?”

“Unless you can propose a forfeit that can match my head, I will not gamble with you.” Xuanyuan Sanguang stated.

Reverend Shenxi mused: “In all the world, what kind of object could be worth Xuanyuan Sanguang’s head?”

Xuanyuan Sanguang said slowly, “I admit, there wouldn’t be many. However, by your side, there is one that could grudgingly be counted.”

Something faintly flickered across Reverend Shenxi’s face. He said, “What could that be?”

“The sect leader’s bronze talisman!”

“The leader’s bronze talisman?” Reverend Shenxi repeated in disbelief.

“Precisely,” Xuanyuan Sanguang confirmed. “If you beat me, feel free to decapitate me. If I defeat you, I will spare you your life, but I will amuse myself in the role of the Emei sect leader.”

The Reverend’s expression became deadly serious. He said slowly, “Other than this…”

Xuanyuan Sanguang cut him off: “Other than this, I can accept nothing. However, I am willing to grant you another concession.”

“What is that?” Reverend Shenxi asked.

Xuanyuan Sanguang said, “I will stand here as I am. I will permit you three strokes of the sword. If, within three strokes, you injure me, I will admit defeat. If my feet leave the ground, or I shift position, I also lose.”

Never could Xiao Yu’er have guessed that he would make such an arrogant wager. He racked his brains, yet still, he could only conclude that there was not a shred of hope with these kind of odds.

To stand there with feet motionless, was equivalent to becoming a wooden statue. Reverend Shenxi had been the leader of Emei, a sect prominent in sword arts, for thirty years. Beneath his blade, even a bird in flight could hardly escape.

How could he miss this wooden statue with his sword?

Xiao Yu’er chuckled to himself: [To propose this kind of a bet, the ‘Devil Gambler’ must have taken the wrong medicine.]

But Reverend Shenxi did not say a word, as if in deep thought. A silence, then he said, “You would not lift a hand in retaliation?”

“Of course not!” Xuanyuan Sanguang sneered coldly.

Up until this point, the Reverend’s expression had been exceedingly grim. Now finally he allowed the ghost of a smile to flash across his face. Loudly he declared: “Then yes, I will take this gamble!”

Xuanyuan Sanguang asked, “Where is your bronze talisman?”

Reverend Shenxi thought a bit, then said: “The bronze talisman is here at my waist. Might I trouble the young benefactor here to bring it to him for a look?” (2)

His words were obviously directed at Xiao Yu’er. The Reverend had been gathering his strength for quite a while now, like an arrow on the bowstring, tensed for release. If he relaxed his hands to take out the bronze talisman, his strength would dissipate.

Furthermore, if he loosened his hand which was grasping his sword, and if Xuanyuan Sanguang turned around at that moment, the situation could change dangerously.

Xuanyuan Sanguang let out a knowing laugh: “Reverend Shenxi is indeed brilliant. But this little devil is very tricky, are you sure you trust him?”

Reverend Shenxi responded sternly, “This young benefactor may be of tender years now, but in future he will gain much glory for wulin, and his achievements will be unmatched. Such a person, his desire would hardly be moved by a mere trinket.”

Despite himself, Xiao Yu’er could not help laughing: “To run a little errand for the Reverend is nothing; I hardly deserve such praise.”

Although these words flowed from his lips, in reality his heart involuntarily filled with satisfaction. At once he darted over from behind Reverend Shenxi, and detached the bronze talisman from his waist.

Reverend Shenxi said earnestly: “Please keep it safe.”

Xiao Yu’er replied with a smile: “Rest assured, Reverend. I won’t even bother giving him a peek, since it won’t be his anyway.”

Chortling loudly, Xuanyuan Sanguang teased: “Now that you’ve lapped up someone else’s flattery, you’re going to curse me?”

Xiao Yu’er joked back: “Well you’re going to lose for sure. Whether I curse you or not will make no difference.”

“Well then,” Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed coldly, “I’m afraid that you’ll be disappointed.”

Reverend Shenxi cut in: “Have you prepared yourself?”

“I was ready before you even entered the doorway,” Xuanyuan Sanguang retorted.

“Since that is the case, I will strike now!”

As the words were uttered, everything else fell suddenly silent. Even the sounds of breathing were inaudible. The only sound that each person could hear was the wild cadence of his own heart. With a clear ring, Reverend Shenxi drew his sword from its sheath.

Xuanyuan Sanguang’s back was still facing his opponent, as if his body were an immovable mountain.

Reverend Shenxi took three steady breaths. The edge of his blade quivered. Then suddenly, in a streak of green light, he thrust his sword forward.

This stroke was aimed towards the ‘Mingmen’ acupoint on the vertebra between the two hips. This was Xuanyuan Sanguang’s center of balance! (?)

No matter how Xuanyuan Sanguang tried to dodge, his body would have to lean back. By using this sword move, Reverend Shenxi was not intending to injure, but merely wanted to throw Xuanyuan Sanguang off balance.

In this way, he would have the upper hand in the next stroke.

Xiao Yu’er thought to himself: [The techniques of an expert are truly admirable. It would be far beneath his dignity if he had tried to harm Xuanyuan Sanguang with the very first move!]

He saw Xuanyuan Sanguang’s waist twist, and half his body rotated. His stomach retracted sharply, and the sword slid across the surface of his belly as it thrust past him.

But as the power of this stroke had not yet been released, its strength was yet to come. (?)

Reverend Shenxi did not wait for the stroke to decay (?), but instead with a flick of his wrist, it turned from a stabbing to a slicing move. The sword swept toward Xuanyuan Sanguang’s chest.

The change of stroke was without flaw. Xiao Yu’er could not help shaking his head. It appeared that there was no way Xuanyuan Sanguang could avoid this second strike.

But who could have guessed- Xuanyuan Sanguang’s waist suddenly seemed to have snapped. His lower body looked as if it had sprouted root and was fixed to the ground. His upper body bent sharply backward and plummeted downward.

His entire body resembled a stick of sugar cane that had been bent into two halves. As before, Reverend Shenxi’s sword thrust past into thin air, narrowly missing his face.

What a daring and risky move! Brilliant!

Xiao Yu’er very nearly burst into applause. He could never have imagined that the giant Xuanyuan Sanguang could have cultivated such amazing flexibility arts!

Reverend Shenxi smiled faintly, and the edge of his blade twisted slightly. The sword swept back across like lightning, to aim at Xuanyuan Sanguang’s left kneecap.

This time the evolution of his swordplay was even faster than before. In the blink of an eye, the three strokes were now complete. They were so seamless, it appeared that Reverend Shenxi had already known beforehand what tactics Xuanyuan Sanguang would employ!

Although Xuanyuan Sanguang’s second evasive maneuver had been superb, he looked as if he now had come to a dead end. He had reached the limit of what his body could contort and adapt to- he could improvise no further.

Furthermore, willing or not, he would have leap up to avoid this stroke. Whether by being hit or by raising his feet from the ground, he would still lose. His earlier stipulation made his loss inevitable.

Xiao Yu’er thought: [Oh Devil Gambler, I believe this time your head is certainly forfeit.]

Unexpectedly however, even before his thought was complete, Xuanyuan Sanguang, his body twisting like a towel, released his position and came hurtling back the other way. Where originally he was facing upwards, now he faced downwards and, stretching his jaws wide open, clamped down on Reverend Shenxi’s sword-wielding hand with a single bite.

The Reverend could never have dreamed of such a technique. The bite on his hand was painful beyond words. His grip on his sword faltered, and with a “dong” it fell to the ground.

With a wild cackle, Xuanyuan Sanguang declared: “You lose!”

Xiao Yu’er was rooted to the spot with astonishment. Reverend Shenxi’s face was the colour of dead ashes. He stood there for quite a while stunned, then stuttered: “This…what kind of move is this? In all the world, no matter what sect or school, their martial arts would never contain a move like this.”

Laughing, Xuanyuan Sanguang shot back: “The moves themselves are dead. The practitioners are the ones who breathe life into the martial arts; why should a living man limit himself to lifeless techniques?”

“But you promised not to strike back!”

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed even louder. “I promised to not lift a hand in retaliation. I was true to my word- I never said I wouldn’t retaliate with my mouth!” (3)

A pause. Finally, with a bitter smile, Reverend Shenxi conceded: “Then, this lowly priest has indeed lost…”

Xuanyuan Sanguang spread open his palm and grinned: “Then hand over the bronze talisman.”

“At this moment the bronze talisman still cannot be considered yours,” Xiao Yu’er cut in with a flat voice.

Laughing fiercely, Xuanyuan Sanguang asked, “Little devil, what do you want?”

Xiao Yu’er said with a smile, “Aren’t you called ‘Whom He Sees, He Gambles With’? Why not have a gamble with me? If you win, not only will the bronze talisman be yours, but you will also have my person. If you lose, then the bronze talisman comes to me.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed: “You also want to bet with me?”

“Precisely.”

“And you want to use yourself as a gambling chip to bet against this bronze talisman?”

“Do you dare to gamble with me?” Xiao Yu’er challenged him.

Puzzled, Xuanyuan Sanguang asked, “How does it benefit me to win you as a forfeit?”

“Of course it benefits you, in many ways!” Xiao Yu’er exclaimed. “You couldn’t even count them all. When you’re bored, I can find people to gamble with you. When you’ve run out of drink, I can con some wine for you to enjoy. If you win me as a prize, I guarantee you will never have any lack.”

Amused, Xuanyuan Sanguang chortled: “Having a little Devil Gambler to go with this old Devil Gambler, might not be a bad thing, after all.”

“So you’ll bet with me then?” Xiao Yu’er asked.

Xuanyuan Sanguang said, “How do you want to play?”

Smiling, Xiao Yu’er said, “I set the stakes. I think you should decide how we’ll bet.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang rubbed his hands together: “Very well, this is interesting…”

Xiao Yu’er stroked the buttons on his clothes with one hand, while joking: “Did you wish to bet on how many buttons I have on my body?”

His eyes alight, Xuanyuan Sanguang suddenly cried: “I’ve got it, we’ll bet on how many scars you bear on your body!”

Jiang Yulang inwardly sighed, and mused aloud: “Xiao Yu’er, this time I really think you’re finished.”

Although his heart was definitely pleased at this, despite himself, he somehow felt a hint of unease as well. No matter what, Xiao Yu’er had been a true friend through hardships, through life and death.

Standing to one side, the Reverend Shenxi definitely felt much worse.

The top of Xiao Yu’er’s robe was open, and you could see that although his face had scars, the rest of his body had even more. Most of them were the handiwork of lions and tigers, acquired in his childhood. A small number were from sword wounds. Had you let him strip naked, and count them himself, even Xiao Yu’er might not be able to tally them accurately.

Xuanyuan Sanguang never bet on things that had less than a nine-tenths chance of success. (?)

Xiao Yu’er was still standing in shock. He stammered: “You-you really want to bet on my scars?”

“But of course.” Xuanyuan Sanguang laughed loudly.

“Fine,” Xiao Yu’er answered. “Then let me tell you, on my body there are one hundred scars.”

“Exactly one hundred?” Xuanyuan Sanguang repeated in disbelief.

“You heard me,” Xiao Yu’er confirmed. “Not one more, not one less.”

By his confident and prompt response, it seemed as if he was utterly sure of himself. Not only had Xuanyuan Sanguang’s expression changed, but Jiang Yulang was also extremely surprised. Was it possible that the little devil-spawn really knew the true number of scars on his body?

Xuanyuan Sanguang was silent for a while. Then he gave an odd chuckle: “All right then, take off your clothes and let me look.”

And Xiao Yu’er did indeed strip naked and permit him to count. In fact he picked up a dagger and began to count along with Xuanyuan Sanguang.

Abruptly Xuanyuan Sanguang broke into a thundering laugh: “Ninety…your body only has ninety-one scars. You lose!”

“Oh?” Xiao Yu’er said. “Really, only ninety-one? I don’t think so.”

As he spoke, the dagger in his hand flashed around his skin to carve nine more wounds! Although the cuts were superficial, fresh blood still seeped out all around his body.

“What’s this supposed to mean?” Xuanyuan Sanguang asked, startled.

With a straight face, Xiao Yu’er declared, “It means you lose.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang roared: “Bullsh*t, you…”

Grinning, Xiao Yu’er cut him off: “Ninety-one old scars, plus nine new ones, that adds up to one hundred exactly, you have most definitely lost.”

Xuanyuan Sanguang scowled: “How is that supposed to count?”

Laughing gleefully, Xiao Yu’er retorted: “Why not? You bet only on the number of scars on my body. You did not specify whether the scars could be old or new. Are you thinking of reneging?”

A stunned silence. Suddenly Xuanyuan Sanguang joined him in laughter: “Clever, very clever. Little devil, you are amusing indeed…all right, I will concede my loss.”

He turned around and beckoned to Reverend Shenxi, laughing: “Come over here, aren’t you going to pay your respects to the new leader of your sect?”

Naturally, Reverend Shenxi was feeling hopelessly miserable at this point, but he still managed to force a smile and say: “Emei is an old sect and in danger of stagnation. A young new hero is just what it needs as a leader. This lowly priest is old; I should have given up my post to a more qualified person a long time ago.”

Smiling, Xiao Yu’er asked: “Do you truly wish me to become sect leader?”

The Reverend’s long beard swayed gently in the breeze. He said slowly, “For the bronze talisman to be in your hands, is the fortune of Emei. This lowly priest…”

Before he had finished, an object unexpectedly dropped into his palm. It was indeed the sect leader’s talisman. He felt Xiao Yu’er’s gaze on him; the two eyes were shining with merriment. Xiao Yu’er laughed: “To be the Emei sect leader, I would have to become vegetarian, and would have to study scripture. I couldn’t stand it- I beg of you, don’t make me suffer, please take back this trinket of yours.”

Reverend Shenxi was both surprised and elated, he stammered: “But…but you…you have been so gracious, how could I possibly…”

Xiao Yu’er laughed aloud: “What is a talisman to me? My horizons are wide and my future lies ahead. I would hardly be moved by a mere trinket, isn’t this what you said earlier?”

Reverend Shenxi gripped the bronze talisman and looked at Xiao Yu’er. After quite some time, he bowed deeply and said: “In that case, I will take my leave.”


End of Chapter 35

(1) A god of prosperity and riches.

(2) By using the appellation ‘young benefactor’ to refer to Xiao Yu’er, the Reverend is not necessarily praising Xiao Yu’er for any specific act of charity. 小means little/young, and 施主 is a generic term that religious people used to refer to non-religious people. Literally you could interpret the term as meaning ‘young benefactor’…perhaps religious people referred to all non-religious people like this because everyone else was supposed to donate charity to monks, priests etc?

(3) This is a joke/pun that’s slightly lost in translation. To 还手 (lit. return hand) vs. to 还嘴 (return mouth) would usually mean the difference between physical retaliation vs. verbal retaliation. E.g. beating someone up vs. swearing at them. Or e.g. there’s a Chinese proverb using similar words, to the effect that true gentleman only spar with their words and not with their hands (i.e. debate, but don’t use physical violence).

But Xuanyuan Sanguang here is using the terms in a much more literal sense. Mouth, instead of symbolizing words, is literally taken to mean mouth/jaws/teeth etc.

[Felipe]

Nice translation Wubbles, a bit shorter than the other, but nice. Really thanks.

Maybe you woke up with some insomnia than quickly became sleepy again? Just joking

[BeeDreamer]

Gotta show up to tell you I'm still reading

MOREMOREMORE, pls

[eliza bennet]

Thank you for this short segment Wubbles!

[Wubbles]

Hey all,

Lol I didn't have insomnia =) I didn't work on the translations for a bit cuz' the forum was down...then I started up again, but it was a very social weekend this weekend so I decided to post a teeny segment just to let you know I'm still on it...

Glad to know you're still reading and interested...

[Felipe]

Hey all,

Lol I didn't have insomnia =) I didn't work on the translations for a bit cuz' the forum was down...then I started up again, but it was a very social weekend this weekend so I decided to post a teeny segment just to let you know I'm still on it...

Glad to know you're still reading and interested...

Thank God you're still on it! I'm loving the story, thankz for the hardwork!

[eliza bennet]

We are very much interested Wubbles! Thank you for going on

[Felipe]

See?! everyone is interested... you can translate the novel till the end, I'm sure everyone will read it!

[Yang Guo]

I will read it to the end!

[atlantean0208]

Starting from today, I will remove all my buttons, just in case - LMAO

[greyman]

WOnderful story...thanks so much wubbles...I check at least twice a day will read to the last letter !!!! and reread....and reread.....

[crazee]

Saw the serials years ago and loved the story.
Did not know that it's a gulong story.
Have been reading this since long ago and now to let wubbles know that i check many times daily for updates.

only registered recently and i'm using this first post to thank Wubbles....