HSDS 1st Edition (translated into English from the Indonesian translation by BBT/OKT)

[Kirara]

post #30
Then he said again: " A real kung fu expert only relies on his kung fu skills to defeat the enemy, and in all his actions, he should always be on the righteous path and be willing to help fellow humans, so that his good name will remain for generations. A sabre or a sword is just an external thing, not of our own body. If we obtain it, there's no need to be so happy, and if we lose it, there's no need to be so sad. Therefore, there's no need for you to be so sad like this."

"Craps!" thundered the old man. "Have you never heard of the saying: 'Bu-lim-ci-cun, po-to to-liong, hauw-leng thian-he, boh-kam-put-ciong'? (The most venerable in the martial arts world, the precious Dragon Slaying Sabre, his order to all under heaven, no one dares to disobey)?"

Yu DaiYan laughed: "Of course I have ever heard about it," he replied. "After those words, there are two more sentences which say: 'Ie-thian put-cut, swee-i-ceng-hong?' To my knowldege, these sayings just refer to a big happening in the martial arts world many years ago, and it does not really mean there is a precious sabre named The Dragon Slaying Sabre.."
(Yi-tian means Relying on the Power of Heaven or God. But here in the saying, Yi-tian is the name given to a precious sword. Therefore, Ie-thian put-cut, swe-ie ceng-hong means: If Yi-tian did not appear, what else could match the sabre?)

"What big happening?" asked the old man. "Please tell me."
"That happening was known by almost everyone in the realm of martial arts," explained Yu DaiYan. "It refers to the slaying of the Mongolian Emperor, Hian-cong, by the Condor Hero Yang Guo. From then on, every order by The Condor Hero Yang Guo would never be disobeyed by everyone in the martial world. The "Long" (Dragon) here refers to the Mongolian Emperor and "To-long" means to slay the Emperor. Do you think there is a real dragon in the world?"

The man laughed coldly. "Let me ask you. What weapon was usually used by Hero Yang?" he asked.
DaiYan was a bit startled. "According to my Teacher, Hero Yang had only one arm and usually he did not use any weapon, " he replied. "But that day, when battling against Kim-lun Hoat-ong outside the city of Xiangyang, he used a sword."
"And what weapon did Hero Yang used to kill the Emperor?" asked the old man.
"He used a pebble which he threw towards Emperor Hian-cong and everyone knew this," he replied.
The old man looked glad. "Now," he said. "You said yourself that Hero Yang usually just used his one arm and sometimes he used a sword. And the weapon he used to slay the Emperor was just a pebble. Then, where does this word po-to to-liong (Dragon Slaying Sabre) come from?"

Yu DaiYan was surprised and for some time he could not answer that question. "Ah! I think that was a phrase created without much thought by some martial arts experts," he replied after a while. "Of course people could not say 'The Dragon Slaying Pebble', could they? That would sound strange."
Once again the old man laughed coldly. "You just made it up, your reasoning is not based on truth," he said in a mocking tone. " Let me ask again, what is the meaning of 'Ie-thian put-cut, swe-ie-ceng hong'?" (If Yi-tian did not appear, what else could match the sabre?)
Once again DaiYan could not answer. After thinking for a while, he replied: "Maybe 'Yi-tian' is a person's name. From what I heard, Hero Yang learned kung fu from his wife. So perhaps Mrs. Yang's name was 'Yi-tian', or maybe, it refers to Hero Guo who had defended the city of Xiangyang fiercely with his life."

"Hmph!" the old man grunted. "I have suspected, that you don't know the meanings of that saying. Now listen: 'Dragon Slaying' (Tu-long) is the name of a sabre, namely To-liong-to (The Dragon Slaying Sabre) I am holding now. 'Relying on the Power of Heaven' (Yi-tian) is the name of a sword. The sword is known as Ie-thian-kiam (Power of Heaven Sword). Therefore, the saying means: In the martial world, the most venerable is the Dragon Slaying Sabre. Any order given by the man possessing the sabre will be obeyed by everyone. As long as The Power of Heaven Sword does not appear, the most powerful weapon in the martial world is The Dragon Slaying Sabre itself."

[Kirara]

post #31
Yu DaiYan couldn't believe it totally. "May I take a look at that sabre?" he asked.
The old man hugged the sabre tightly. "You think I'm a 3 years-old kid?" he said angrily. "You can't fool me."
After being poisoned, actually he had lost all his energy, but after taking Yu DaiYan's pill, he regained some strength which he was using now to hug the sabre so tightly. But because he was using this energy, now he began to pant.

"If you don't allow me to see, I won't force you either," Yu DaiYan laughed and said. "Now, after you have this precious sabre Tu-Long, who is willing to obey you? After I see that you are holding that sabre, did I follow all your order? That's ridiculous. In my opinion, you are a good person, but just because you believe those crazy rumors, you almost lose your own life. Ai! Even until now, you are still deluded. The fact that you cannot order me around is a proof that there is nothing special with that sabre."

The old man couldn't reply and stayed silent. "Good younger brother," he said after thinking for a while. "Let's make a deal. You save my life, and in return I will tell you a part of the secret of this sabre's power. Do you agree?"
Yu DaiYan laughed loudly again. "Good old uncle, from what you said just now, you really look down upon us WuDang disciples," he said. "To help the needy is our duty. Do you think that after we save people, we will ask them for a reward? You are poisoned, but I myself don't even know what kind of poison is that. That's why as I already told you, the only way is to ask the Sea Sand Clan for its antidote."
"Impossible," said the old man, shaking his head. "This sabre was stolen from the Sea Sand Clan. They hate me and no way they will be willing to save me."

"If you return the sabre to them, they won't hate you anymore." said DaiYan. "So why would they kill you?"
But the old man still shook his head. " I saw that your kung fu is so powerful and so you must be able to steal the anitidote from them," he said. "Please go and steal the antidote and save this life of mine."
"Regretfully I can't fulfil your request," said DaiYan. "Firstly, I have a very important matter to attend so I cannot stay too long at this place. Secondly, you have stolen the sabre, so you are the one in the wrong. How can I take sides with the one in the wrong? Good old uncle, hurry up and ask the Sea Sand Clan to save you. Or else, I am afraid it will be too late."

Seeing Yu daiYan turning his body to leave the place, hurriedly the old man said. "Fine, it is okay if you are not willing to help. But I want to ask you another question. When you were carrying me, did you feel there was anything unusual?"
"Yes, I was puzzled myself, " he replied. "You are thin and small, but when I carried you, I felt you were very heavy, about 100 kg or so.You were not carrying anything heavy, so why your weight was so heavy?"
The old man immediately put the Dragon Sabre down on the ground and said again: "Now please carry me once again."
Dai Yan touched his body and picked him up. He was puzzled when he found out that the man's weight was just about 40 kg now. "Really amazing," he said. "I didn't know that the sabre weighs more than 50 kg." As he was saying that, slowly he put the old man down on the ground again.

"The wonder of this sabre does not lie on its weight alone," the old man said again. "Good younger brother, what's your surname? Yu or Zhang?"
"My surname is Yu, and my name is DaiYan." he replied. "Good old uncle, how did you guess that?"
The old man laughed and said: "Among the 7 Heroes of WuDang Clan, Hero Song is older than you. Hero Yin and Muo are just about 20 years old. Both the second and third disciples have Yu as their surname. And the forth and fifth disciples have Zhang as their surname. No wonder you have such an amazing kung fu. The reputation of The 7 Heroes of WuDang Clan had shaken the whole martial world and today, I saw the proof, that the big name is truly not an empty name."

[Kirara]

post #32
Although he was still young, Yu DaiYan had a lot of experience in the martial world. He knew that there was a string attached behind the praises, namely to ask for his favor, so he felt annoyed that the old man tried to bribe him with praises. "May I know your Honorable surname and name?" he asked.
"My surname is De, and my name is Cheng," he replied. "My friends in the Liao-tong region gave me the title Hai Dong Qing."
Hai Dong Qing was a kind of an eagle that could be found in the Liao-tong region. That bird was very fierce and vicious, and usually they ate small animals.
DaiYan brought his two hands together asnd said: "I have long heard of your title. I feel glad that today I can meet you." After saying that, he raised his head looking up to the sky.

De Cheng knew that he would soon leave the place. He thought that to stop him from going, he should bait Yu DaiYan with something that would benefit him greatly. Therefore he quickly said: "About this matter, there are some things you did not know yet. The words hauw-leng thian-he, boh kam put-ciong (his order to all under heaven, no one dares to disobey) does not mean that any order by the owner of the Golden Sabre will be obeyed by every kung fu experts in the martial realm. No, it does not mean that way," He paused for a while, and then whispered: "Younger brother Yu, inside this sabre, there is a secret book about kung fu. Some people say it is Jiu Yang Zheng Jing, and others say it is Jiu Ying Zheng Jing. Anybody who can take the book out from this sabre and practise kung fu according to the book, he will have a fantastic skill of kung fu, that nobody will dare to disobey him."

Yu DaiYan had ever heard the story about the two books from his teacher. Many years ago, before Great Monk JueYuan passed away, the great experts from Shaolin, WuDang and E'Mei had obtained some parts of Jiu Yang Zheng Jing, but nobody knows where the book was now. As for Jiu Ying Zheng Jing, for many years people have never mentioned the book anymore, so in the martial realm, people doubted the existence of this book.

Seeing that Yu DaiYan's facial expression showed disbelief, De Cheng added: "After stealing this sabre, the three of us tried to use fire in order to take the book out. But the secret leaked out and so before we suceeded, people already came to stop us. Younger brother Yu, now I beg you to help me steal the antidote. After I recover, we can go to a far and deserted place to melt the Dragon Sabre and take the book from inside it. Just within a few years, we will become the number one kung fu master under Heaven. Younger brother Yu, what do you think?"

Yu DaiYan shook his head. "We can't really believe it," he said. "Not only that there is no such book in that sabre, but even if there was, it would already have turned to ashes even before the sabre melt."
"The sabre is extremely strong and no tool, however sharp, can crack or break it open," said De Cheng. "The only way is to melt it using fire."

De Cheng has just finished talking when suddenly Yu Dain's face changed and quickly he waved his sleeve at the candle to turn it off. "Somebody's coming here," he whispered.

[JingRong]

Waiting patiently for HSDS Chaper 5 and above..hehe.

Keep up the good job then.

[Kirara]

post #33
De Cheng, whose Internal Strength was far inferior than the young man, could not hear anything. He was just about to ask him, when suddenly they could hear some shouts calling each other from far away. "The enemies are approaching!" he said, feeling startled. "Let's escape from the back of the temple."
"They are already at the back too," said DaiYan.
"Oh no....!" De Cheng groaned.
"Old uncle De," said DaiYan. "The people approaching us now are the Sea Sand Clan. Using this chance, you had better ask them for the anitdote. I can't interfere with your business and so everything is up to you."
The old man became scared to death and he grabbed DaiYan's wrist and held it tightly. "No.......no........you may not leave me........may not leave me......may not leave me.......," he said in a trembling broken sentence.

DaiYan felt that the old man's fingers which clutched at his wrist like a pair of iron clips were as cold as ice. Turning his hand over, he released his own hand from his grip and clutched the old man's fingers back. De Cheng felt as if his fingers were going to break, but he was sure that at that time, it was only this young man who could save his life. He was unwilling to give the Dragon Sabre which he had obtained by risking his own life up, he was more willing to cut a piece of his own flesh and give it up. Therefore, out of a sudden, desperately he hugged DaiYan tightly using both his arms.

Startled, the young man wriggled his shoulders to set himself free from the hug. But the old man kept hugging him desperately as if someone drowning in water. "Crack...crack..." the sounds of bones cracking could be heard. DaiYan realized that if he used more of his Internal Strength, De Cheng's both arms would break. He didn't have the heart to do it, so he stopped using his Internal Strength anymore. "Take your hands off me!" he said sternly.

In the meantime, some footsteps were heard in front of the temple, followed by a loud sound of the door being thrown to the floor after somebody kicked it broken. DaiYan was surprised. "This person is not an ordinary enemy," he thought. At the same time, he could smell a stinking smell, as if something very smelly was thrown into the room.
With one move, like a worm, he wriggled himself free from De Cheng's arms and with an amazing speed, before the smelly thing - or flying hidden weapon - hit him, he took cover behind the statue of the Sea-God. Almost at the same time, the old man screamed loudly and soon fell down rolling on the floor, while the hidden darts kept coming continuously.

The stinking smell grew stronger and stronger, as if hundreds of rotten fish were thrown into that temple. De Cheng couldn't stand up anymore, he jumped here and there unsteadily as if a drunken man, but because the room was small and the his condition was already unwell, the throwing darts accurately hit him many times.

Observing the sound of the throwing darts, DaiYan asked himself: "What kind of weapons are they? If they are poisoneous salt, how can De Cheng have stood them for this long?" Soon he realized. "Ah! Yes, that's right! It is the poisoneous salt from the Sea Sand Clan," he thought. Although his kung fu was superior, but with the poisoneous salt coming continuously, how would he dare to come out? Meanwhile, from the roof of the temple a loud sound was heard again, and the roof suddenly cracked open creating a hole, followed by the pouring of the poisoneous salt from it.

At this point, although DaiYan was a courageous man, he couldn't help feeling scared. "Oh no! I never thought I would die here," he groaned. He remembered the scene where the man in embroidered robe and the 3 old men of Tiang-Pek Sam-khim came into contact with the poisoneous salt. Not only the 3 old men, but even the man in embroidered robe, whose kung fu was very good, also could not stand the poisoneous salt. He felt his chest constricting and it became harder for him to breathe, he almost threw up because of the stinking smell and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be unable to save himself anymore from the poisoneous salt, which kept pouring down like the rain. His mind feeling agitated, he hit the back of the statue and thus created a big hole on it. He was glad to see the big hole and hurriedly slipped into the statue's stomach. With this shelter, the salt wouldn't be able to harm him.

Because the work of the poison was a bit slow, although he was screaming in pain, De Cheng could still roll on the floor. On the other hand, sacred of DaiYan's kung fu skill, the Sea Sand Clan people did not dare to jump in, and they just kept throwing in their flying hidden weapon and waited until the 2 persons inside were completely immobilized.
Usually, poisoneous darts known in the martial world like gold needles, iron salt, and the like, would harm people after the weapons hit the body and the poison entered his blood veins. But the work of this Sea Sand Clan's poison was a bit different. After the salt touched the skin, the poison would enter the body through the skin slowly, until he died.

Yu DaiYan realized that taking shelter inside the statue's stomach wouldn't enable him to ward off the Sea Sand Clan's attack. But because there was no other better way, he was forced to wait until the throwing of the salt subsided, before he could escape from the hole on the roof. Quickly he took one antidote pill and swallowed it, then he gathered his energy and organized his breathing. After a while his constricted chest felt better.

Meanwhile, the Sea Sand Clan people outside were discussing within themselves in low voice. "No more sound is heard, maybe they already became unconscious," one person said.
"Wait some more. That young man's kung fu is so high. We must not be rash." said another.
"This time we've done a big job, Big Brother would give us a big reward," said the third person.
Suddenly a loud voice was heard thundering: "Hey! You had better not throw your life away like that!" This was followed by a loud order and instantly more than 10 people jumped in. All of them had taken the antidote, so they were not scared of the poisoneous salt.

[Kirara]

Originally posted by JingRong
Waiting patiently for HSDS Chaper 5 and above..hehe.

Keep up the good job then.

Thank you for reading and for being patient, JingRong.
I'm also waiting patiently to arrive there

I am thinking of buying the Chinese book of HSDS First Edition (not the Second Edition). Could someone tell me the ISBN number, or at least the publisher? and how many books are there as a set? Thanks bunch.
A friend who can read Chinese may be willing to help me breaking up the chapters according to the book and help me with some pin yin names.

[Kirara]

post #34
"I don't have any dispute with the Sea Sand Clan, and my coming here is not to take the Dragon Sabre either," DaiYan thought. "Now I had better come out and try to make peace with them." But soon he thought again: "No, I can't do that. " he thought. "WuDang Clan is a big school whose name has shaken the martial world. If I come out and try to pacify them, it's identical with I am giving in to them, and it will embarrass my teacher."
While he was hesitating, suddenly a shout was heard from far away. That shout was soft like silk but sharp and painful to the ears, so that people who heard it will feel his heart beating faster.
In a flash the shout arrived in front of the temple, causing Yu DaiYan to be very shocked, because of the amazing speed. When he first heard the shout, the person was far away, but within a few seconds he already arrived in front of the door. In this world, except for a few kinds of birds which could fly very fast, both human beings and land animals did not possess such a n amazing speed. And it was more amazing because surely the shout was done by a human.

Almost at the same time with the end of the shout, De Cheng shouted in terror: "You....you also want the Dragon Sabre.....Peh-bie...." (Peh-bie means White Eyebrows).
Suddenly outside the temple there was an extraordinary change. The Sea Sand Clan people became silent suddenly. The whole place became so quiet as if everyone had turned into stones. It was as if they saw something so scary, that they didn't dare to utter any sound.

After some time passed, the silence was broken by the sound "Blug!!" followed by one of them falling to the ground. The fell of the person was further followed by the trembling shout: "White Eyebrows.....! Get out of here....! Let's run......." This shout stopped before he could finish what he was going to say. Perhaps he couldn't say anything anymore, and his friends couldn't run away either, being so scared to death as if something scary had entered the temple.
Yu DaiYan became extremely puzzled. "What is White Eyebrows?" he asked himself. "Is it a fierce animal or a human with a very powerful kung fu, that these people became so scared like that?"

Suddenly someone said: "Sect Leader asked you where the Dragon Sabre is. Take it out. Sect Leader has a kind heart and he will spare your lives." The voice sounded nice and gentle, but it contained authority.
"He...he was the one who stole it," one of the Sea San Cland people replied. "We came here because we were trying to take it back from him. Sect Leader......Sect Leader....."
"Eh, where is that sabre?" again the gentle voice asked. DaiYan knew that he was asking De Cheng. But the old man did not reply. In a second, a body was heard falling to the ground.

"Oh no! De Cheng was killed," thought DaiYan. He was certain that alone, he was no match for the enemies. But after meddling in this matter, he felt ashamed to keep hiding. "Retreating when in danger is not the deed of a real man," he told himself. But before he could jump out, suddenly a cold voice was heard: "He died from fear. Search him!"
Again DaiYan was startled: "Died from fear?" he thought. Meanwhile, the sound of some cloth being torn was heard and also the sound of a body being turned over a few times. "Reporting to Sect Leader, that the body of this person does not contain anything," said the person with the gentle voice.
This was followed by the leader of the Sea Sand Clan saying in a trembling voice: "Sect....Leader....he was really the one stealing the sabre.....We do not dare to lie......". He spoke with enormous fear, as if all his courage was totally destroyed to pieces, making DaiYan have goose skin. "So puzzling," he thought. "That precious sabre was indeed in De Cheng's hand. Where could it have gone?"
"You said that the precious sabre was stolen by him, but why we cannot find it?" said the person with the gentle voice. "No mistake, you must be hiding it. Who tells the truth, his life will be spared. From all of you, only one person will be spared, and so who tells the truth earlier, his life will be spared."

There was just silence, and after a while, the leader of Sea Sand Clan said: "We report honestly to Sect Leader, that we know nothing about the disappearance of the sabre. But we promise we will look into this matter thoroughly....."
The Sect Leader did not reply, he just grunted.
The person with the gentle voice said again: "Who tells the truth, he will be permitted to live."

Again a long silence.

Suddenly, this scary silence was broken by someone yelling: "When you came, we were truly looking for the precious sabre, which has mysteriously disappeared now. If you still can't believe us, rather than dying without a fight, we will fight you as best as we could to see how powerful White Eyebrows Sect is....." The voice stopped midway, and again it was silence. He seemed to have died so easily just like that!

"Previously a man of about 30 years-old had saved that old man," explained someone from Sea Sand Clan. "He has a very high level of Lightness kung fu. We don't know where he is now. He must have escaped with the precious sabre."
The Sect Leader grunted again and coldly said: "Spare his life." Almost at the same time, the sound of wind was heard and he had left the temple from the door. And again, from far away, the weird shout was heard again.

Yu DaiYan could not stand it anymore. Jumping out, he yelled: "I am here! Don't kill people!"
But the place was very quiet. DaiYan looked around and he saw that those people were standing still like statues. He became very puzzled so hurriedly he lighted up the candle on the prayer table. Suddenly he emitted a muffled shout, because more than 20 members of Sea Sand Clan were standing still as if their acupoints were being sealed, while their facial expressions showed they were intensely terrified. Although he was brave and experienced, DaiYan's heart beat faster. "How powerful is the kung fu of White Brows Sect? " He wondered. "The people from Sea Sand Clan were not ordinary kung fu experts, but why, after meeting with that Sect Leader, they became so scared like this?" He reached out with his hand in order to touch the acupoints of one of the Sea Sand Clan people, so as to release his sealed acupoints.
But again, he was shocked. His finger touched his acupoints but there was no result, the man still froze unmoving! After he checked his breathing, he realized that the person was dead already! Except for one person, all of Sea Sand Clan people had died because their fatal acupoints were sealed. The one who was still alive was now lying on the floor, panting heavily.

DaiYan's shock and wonder were hard to describe. He could not understand, how could that Sect Leader, just within a flash, could kill more than 20 people possessing very good level of kung fu? Lifting the man's body from the floor, he asked: "What sect is Peh-bie-kauw (White Eyebrows Sect)? Who is that Sect Leader?" But the man did not answer although he had asked him several times. He just stared with eyes open wide. DaiYan checked his pulse, and found out that it was very disorderly, a sign that some of his nerves had been cut, making him mute and dumb-witted.

Yu DaiYan immediately became very furious. "What is this White Eyebrows Sect? Why is he so cruel?" he wondered, fuming. But he knew that he would be no match for him. At that moment, he had considered what he would do concerning this matter. He wanted to return to Mount WuDang soon to report and to ask about the White Eyebrows Sect to his teacher. He wanted to ask all his martial brothers to face this White Eyebrows Sect Leader. He was certain that although this Sect Leader's kung fu was very powerful, The Seven Heroes of WuDang should be able to match him.

[Kirara]

post #35
Seeing the poisoneous salt all around the temple, he took a deep sigh. "These Sea Sand Clan people were no righteous people either, so maybe they deserve to die this way," he thought. "But it won't be proper to leave these bodies just like this, and if some innocent people accidentally came here, they might be harmed." Thinking this, he quickly took a sabre and started to dig a big hole on some vegetable field. After that, carefully he lifted the corpses one by one and put them into the hole. After doing that to more than 10 bodies, suddenly he was surprised, because the body he was presently lifting was very heavy although the man was just of medium built. He quickly searched the body and found out that at his back, there was a big wound forming a very long slash. When he touched the wound, his fingers touched something hard and cool, and when he pulled it out, the thing turned out to be no other than the much coveted Dragon Sabre!

He could guess roughly what had happened. It seemed that as soon as he saw the White Eyebrows Sect Leader, De Cheng became so terrified that his heart suddenly stopped working anymore. At the time he died, the sabre fell from his hand and it went right into the back of a dead body lying on the floor. Because of its heavy weight, the sabre penetrated deep into the dead body and disappeared from sight. That's why, no wonder when the Sect Leader's people searched them, they couldn't find anything.
If Yu DaiYan had not felt compassion and wanted to bury the bodies properly, probably the precious sabre would disappear from the martial realm.

"This sabre is a treasure in the martial world," DaiYan thought. "But in my opinion, this weapon is not a lucky weapon, Hai Dong Qing De Cheng and a lot of Sea Sand Clan people died because of this Dragon Sabre. I had better take this sabre to Teacher and ask for his decision."

After burying all the bodies, worried that the posoneous salt would harm innocent locals, he quickly gathered dried wood and branches and burnt down the temple. Under the light of the burning fire, he examined the precious sabre, which turned out to have an original black color, and was made of an unknown metal, not iron nor gold. From the handle until the tip, he could see a faint line of blue. With his own eye he had witnessed how the sabre was burnt, but strangely, it was not damaged. "How can someone use a sabre as heavy as this?" he wondered. "In the past, Ceng-liong Yan-goa sabre belonging to Kwan Wang-ye who had superhuman strength, only weighed 81 pounds," (Kwan Wangye is Kwan Kong from the Three Kingdoms period). He quickly put the sabre into his knapsack and then said softly to De Cheng's grave: "Old uncle, I did not mean to own this sabre. But because this Dragon Sabre is an extraordinary weapon, it might create great havoc if it falls into the hands of evil people. I want to hand it to Teacher, whose heart is noble and just, so that he can decide what to do with this sabre."

After saying that, he carried his knapsack and continued his journey towards the north.
After walking for about 30 minutes, he arrived at the bank of a river. That night, thousands of stars with fading lights still glittered over the river. He looked around but could not find any boat. He walked again along the river, and after a while, he saw the gleam of light coming from a boat by the bank of the river. "Brother fisherman!," he called out. "Please take me across the river!"

[Kirara]

post #36
Because the boat was rather far from him, the fisherman seemed not to hear him.
DaiYan gathered his energy and shouted again. This shout was accompanied by Internal Strength which had been practised for about 20 years, it was very loud and clear. A while later, from upstream came a small boat with a sail and it slowly sailed to the bank. "Does Mister want to go accross the river?" asked the boatman.
"Yes, I want to ask your help to take me across," replied DaiYan happily.
"One silver coin for crossing this river once," said the boatman.

The cost was actually too expensive, but because he was in a hurry, DaiYan did not protest. "Fine," he said, while jumping down into the boat, which quickly sank more into the water.
"Mister, what are you carrying? Why are you so heavy?" asked the boatman feeling surprised.
Yu DaiYan quickly gave him a silver coin and said while laughing: "Nothing. My body's heavy. Let's go!"
The boatman looked suspicious and he glanced at DaiYan's knapsack many times. A moment later, following the stream, the boat sailed to the northeast. After sailing for more than 500 m, suddenly a sound like thunders were heard.
"Boatman, is it going to rain?" asked DaiYan.
"No," he laughed and replied. "That thundering sound is the sound of River Cian-tong at high tide. By following the waves of the high-tide, we can reach the other side in no time."

DaiYan observed the direction from where the sound came. From afar, he could see a white line rolling towards them from behind the boat. The sound became louder and louder and the waves also became bigger. "I just realized now, that under Heaven and Earth there is a scene as majestic as this," he thought. "My journey is really worth it."
In a moment, the big waves came, and pushed the boat ahead with a huge force.

While watching the waves attentively, suddenly DaiYan exclaimed with surprise, because on top of the waves, there was a boat which was rushing forward along with the waves. What's surprising was that on the white sail of the boat, there was a picture of a hand with all five fingers spead out, in red. Because his eyes were trained to see in the dark, he could see that bloody hand, although it was more than 100 meters away.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/kirara/images/008.gif

The boatman only could see it after that boat came nearer to them. Suddenly he shouted in fear: ".....Hiat-ciu-hoan....." (Hiat-ciu-hoan means Bloody Hand Sailboat)
"What's that, Bloody Hand Sailboat?" asked DaiYan.
Instead and replying, the boatman jumped into the water!
DaiYan was shocked. With waves as big as that, even if someone could swim well, he wouldn't be able to stand long in the water. Hurriedly he took an oar and putting it into the water to save the boatman, but the boatman shook his hand with his face looking very scared, and soon afterwards, he was swallowed by the waves and disappeared.

Without the boatman, as soon as the boat was hit by the waves, it turned round and round uncontrollably. Hurriedly daiYan went to the back of the boat to take over of the steering wheel. At the same time, a sound "Dak!" was heard and the Bloody Hand Sailboat hit DaiYan's boat. Because the Bloody Hand Sailboat's stern was covered with iron, as soon the impact occured, DaiYan's boat was damaged and water rushed in.
DaiYan was infuriated. "Whose boat is it that's so vicious?" he yelled loudly. Seeing that his boat almost completely sank, he leapt up into the bow of that Bloody Hand Sailboat. But at the eaxct moment, a big wave came rushing and the Bloody Hand Sailboat flew more than 2 meters upward. This happened when DaiYan's body was in the air, so his calculation missed, and his body soon fell downward toward the water.
At this critical second, while gathering his energy, he shook his shoulders and using Cloud Stairway Leap, suddenly his body shot upward again and soon his feet landed on the bow of Bloody Hand Sailboat!

"Somebody's drowning! Please hurry up and save him!" shouted DaiYan. He repeated his shouts, but he got no reply. Feeling annoyed, he pushed the door of the boat's cabin open, but it was made of iron and it would not budge. While generating his Internal Strength, he shouted out loud and pushed with both hands. The door did not open but a hole was created because the part that connected the door with the cabin had broken and fell clanging to the floor.

Suddenly from inside the cabin a voice was heard saying : "The famous Cloud Stairway Leap and Mountain Shaking Palm of WuDang Clan really deserve their high praises! Third Hero Yu, give me the Dragon Sabre in your knapsack and we will take you accross the river."
That voice was no other than the gentle voice of the White Eyebrows Sect's person he had ever heard inside the Sea God Temple. Now he realized that this boat belonged to White Eyebrows Sect Leader, so no wonder that the boatman became so terrified. But he did not understand how that man knew his name and knew that he was carrying the Dragon Sabre.

[Kirara]

post #37
Before he asked about it, the man said further: " Third Hero Yu, perhaps you are wondering how we know your name. Right? But actually there's no need for you to wonder about that. Except the disciples of WuDang Clan, who else the in world has the Cloud Stairway Leap and Mountain Shaking Palm? Three days before Third Hero Yu arrived at the Cit-kang region, we already received a report about your coming. We regret that we could not welcome you earlier."

Yu DaiYan did not know how to respond to that. But remembering the boatman was still in the water, he quickly said: "We can postpone other matters. We should save that boatman's life first."
The man laughed loudly. "Third Hero Yu, your heart is too noble," he said. "That boatman has a very good title, namely Tauw-cay Sui-kwi (Water Devil Asking for Returned Favor). On the River Cian-tong, I don't know how many people had been killed by him. Third Hero Yu feels compassion towards him. But in fact he was eyeing your knapsack and wanted you to repay your debt to him in your previous life! Ha ha ha!"

DaiYan himself already felt suspicious of the boatman, because he noticed that he behaved like a thug. Now he confirmed that his suspicion was not without reason. "May I know your name and may I see you?" asked DaiYan.
"Between White Eyebrows Sect and your Clan there is no friendship nor enmity," he replied. "Therefore, in my opinion, it is better if we do not see each other. Third Hero Yu, please leave the Dragon Sabre at the bow of this boat, and we will take you accross the river."
Hearing this, DaiYan became angry. "Does The Dragon Sabre belong to the White Eyebrows Sect?" he asked.
"No," he replied. "But that weapon is the most precious weapon in the martial world, so it is natural if every martial arts expert wants to have it."

"If so, with much regret I must tell you that I cannot grant your wish," said DaiYan. "This sabre is in my hands now, and I feel it is my duty to hand it to my Teacher, so that he can decide what to do with it. I'm still young and I can't take the matter into my own hand."
The man said something, but his voice was low as if a buzzing mosquito, so DaiYan couldn't catch it. "What did you say?" he asked while taking several steps forward.
At that time, a big wave came rolling and hit the boat again, so the boat flew up again and was swayed by the waves. Suddenly DaiYan felt a bit itchy on his chest and thigh, as if bitten by some mosquitoes. It was the beginning of spring, so usually there were no mosquitoes. But he did not pat much attention and just tapped several times at the itchy parts.
"In order to own the sabre, White Eyebrows Sect has killed many people," he said loudly. "Just in Sea God Temple alone, many people had been killed. In my opinion, your hand is a bit too cruel."

"You are wrong," denied the man. "In battle, White Eyebrows Sect always make a differentiation. To the evil, we will be ruthless, but to the righteous, we will be lenient. Third Hero Yu, you have a very good reputation in the martial world, so we won't take your life. If you give the Dragon Sabre to us, soon we will give you the antidote for Bun-si-ciam (Mosquito Whisker Needle)."

Hearing the words Mosquito Whisker Needle, DaiYan was startled. Hurriedly he touched his chest where he felt bitten by a mosquito. He just felt a little itchy, no difference than being bitten by a mosquito. But after thinking about it, he realized that it could not have been caused by a mosquito, because it was spring; and besides, he was on a big river. Where could mosquitoes have come from? Suddenly he got it. "Aha! So deliberately he talked so softly so that I would come nearer, and so that he could throw his fine needles. Recalling how scared De Cheng, the Sea Sand Clan members and also the boatman, he was certain the poison must be very vicious. Therefore, he thought the best way was to defeat him and force him to give the antidote. Making up his mind, quickly he yelled loudly and leapt into the cabin.

Before his legs landed on the boat's floor, he felt a rush of strong wind blew to his face, and in his anger, he hit back with both hands, using all his strength. As soon as both palms met, both parties were thrown back at the same time. Yu DaiYan was thrown out of the cabin, but fortunately he did not fall down, although he felt intense pain on both palms because when their palms met, he felt 7 needles or nails got into his palms. From this palm clash, he knew that the opponent's strength was about the same with himself.

"My Ciang-sim- Cit-seng-teng (Seven Stars Nails set on one's palms) is very good," the man said. "But your Internal Strength is also very good, I am awed." Although a patient man, now Yu DaiYan became extremely mad. He pulled The Dragon Sabre out from his knapsack. Holding the sabre's hilt with both hands, he slashed forward.
"Trang!", the iron door split into two. Seeing how sharp the sabre was, his spirit was awakened and then he slashed around until the cabin, though made of iron, was almost destroyed and iron plates flew into all direction to plunge into the river afterwards.

The person in the cabin could not hide himself anymore. He retreated to the back of the boat and yelled: "There are two kinds of poisons in your body, and you still dare to put on an act?" Yu DaiYan was already too furious to be able to control himself, so he ignored what the man said and kept on attacking him while whirling his sabre around.

Seeing this fierce attack, hurriedly the man took an anchor to meet the sabre. "Trang!", the anchor was split into two as well! Very annoyed, he yelled again: "Hey! Do you love your life more or your sabre more?"

[Kirara]

Thanks in advance for readers who'd be so kind as to write something in my Guest Book. I will keep it as a keepsake.

[Kirara]

post #38

http://members.lycos.co.uk/kirara/images/009.gif


DaiYan stopped attacking. "All right," he said. "Give me the antidote. I will give this sabre to you." He felt that his thigh was getting more itchy and painful, a sign that the poison had started to work. Because he got the Dragon Sabre incidentally and from the start he had no intention of taking other people's property, he did not mind losing the sabre that much. Immediately he threw the Dragon Sabre to the floor.

The man became very happy and hurriedly picked the sabre up and then stroking it affectionately. He stood with his back to the moon, so DaiYan couldn't see his face clearly. But being engrossed with the sabre, he seemed to have forgotten about his promise to give the antidote. After a while, The itch and pain in DaiYan's chest and thigh were increasing. "Eh, where's the antidote?" he asked.

That man laughed loudly, as if hearing a funny story. Of course DaiYan became very furious. "Hey! I was asking the antidote you promised!" he yelled at him. "What's so funy?"
The man pointed at DaiYan's face while laughing: "Hee hee hee! You're really so stupid! Before I give you the antidote, you already gave me the sabre."
"A man's word is like a horse running forward, cannot retreat or be taken back," said DaiYan angrily. "We have agreed to exchange the sabre with the antidote, are you going deny it?"
The man laughed again. "With this sabre in your hand, I wouldn't dare," he said mockingly. "Suppose you cannot defeat me, you could throw this sabre into the river and probably I wouldn't be able to retrieve it. But now, after the sabre is in my hands, how can you still expect the antidote?"

Those words were like a pail of icy water being thrown onto DaiYan's head. He had never thought that the man could be so tricky. He remembered that WuDang Clan had had no conflict whatsoever with Peh-bie Sect (White Eyebrows Sect), and this man had a high level of kung fu, so he could not be some lowly member of the Sect. But why did he act so low as to break his own promise?

"Third Hero Yu," he said again. "There is one thing that should be explained to you. The poison of the Mosquito Whisker Needle is not something much, but the poison from the Seven Stars Nails are very deadly. Within 24 hours, all your flesh will come off and fall to the ground. In this world, except the antidote from Peh-bie Sect, not only humans but even the gods won't be able to save you. Besides, even if now I give you the antidote, it can only save your life but all of those amazing and famous kung fu won't ever be restored as long as you live." These words were spoken with a soft and gentle voice, as if talking to a close friend.

"Life and death are the work of fate," said DaiYan, controlling his rage. "As long as he lives until now, Yu DaiYan has never done anything evil, so he doesn't have to feel ashamed to Heaven and Earth. If today I have to perish in the hands of a low person, I have nothing to fear."

The man raised his thumb, "Good!" he praised him. "The great name of The Seven Heroes of WuDang is not an empty name. Other kung fu experts who got poisoned by The Seven Stars Nails and Mosquito Whisker Needles are countless. If they didn't beg for mercy, they would swear and curse me, if they had the guts. But someone like Third Hero Yu, who does not care for life nor death, I have hardly met."
Yu DaiYan grunted. "But may I know your Honorable surname and name?" he asked.

"I'm just an unimportant person in Peh-bie Sect and if WuDang Clan wishes to take revenge, our Sect Leader will answer to that," he replied. "Tonight, Third Hero Yu will die unknown here. In my opinion, although Old Man Zhang SanFeng has a wonderful kung fu, he won't be able to figure out that your death is caused by Peh-bie Sect." Saying this, he sounds so sure that DaiYan will definitely die.

Meanwhile, DaiYan felt as if his palms were being bitten by thousands of ants, very painful and itchy. Secretly he took half of the anchor he split earlier using the Dragon Sabre. "Today, if I die, let me die together with him," he thought.
While the person was lost in his own happiness, suddenly DaiYan yelled and leapt forward, with his left hand wielding the half-anchor, and his right launching a blow using full strength, he attacked the man's face and chest. This attack was done in desperation, so it was very fierce.

"Oh no!" yelled the man and he raised the sabre to ward the anchor off. In his surprise, he had forgotten that it was extremely heavy, so that as soon as he raised it, the Dragon Sabre dropped down again. As a person having a good kung fu, not that he did not have the strength to use it, but it was because he had not consider about its weight so he had not used enough Internal Strength. Feeling vexed, hurriedly he gathered his strength and tried to raise it once again but before that weapon was lifted, the anchor had arrived in front of his face, Although he is skillful, he couldn't evade it anymore. "I'm finished!" he groaned while closing his eyes. But unexpectedly, just at that critical moment, suddenly a big wave came hitting the boat again, and again the boat jumped up with the waves, so the anchor missed its target. Of course the man did not want to miss this good opportunity, and with one back flip, he plunged into the water.
But although he could escape from the anchor, his waist was hit by Yu DaiYan's right hand. He felt his stomach's content turned upside down and by the time his body touched the water below, he already lost his consciousness.

DaiYan watched the man and sighed, because although the man looked as if he was half-dead already, both his hands still clutched the sabre tightly.
"Although you succeeded to get that precious weapon, but in the end you're buried in water," he thought.
Suddenly a white light flashed - something like a white silk sash - which reached down into the water and rolled itself around that man's body. In his surprise, DaiYan found out that not far from the Bloody Hand Boat, there was a small boat with a skinny man wearing a white robe who was pulling the man and his sabre out of the water by using a white silk sash. In his fierce fight with the man, he had not noticed this small boat approaching silently.

With one yell, the small boat pulled itself on the Bloody Hand Boat and the white-robed man flew like a bird and landed on the sailboat.
At the time, the poison had overcome Yu DaiYan's body. When the person jumped, he tried to hit him, but his body felt weak. He became frantic, his vision blurred out and he fell down on the boat's deck!

[Kirara]

post #39

It was not clear how long Yu DaiYan fainted before he regained his consciousness. Slowly he opened his eyes and what he saw was a small flag of an escort agency and on the flag there was an embroidery of a golden snakehead fish. His head felt painful and his mind could not think clearly. He closed his eyes and when he opened his eyes again, he saw again this small flag, which was put into a small green flower vase. The embroidery was very beautiful, and the snakehead fish was jumping over a big wave, as if really alive.
"The flag of Liong-bun Piauw-kiok (Dragon Gate Escort Agency) in the city of Lin An. (Escort Agency is a business delivering people or things to other places).
He could not think much because of his headache, but now he realized that he was on a stretcher that was being carried by two people and he was in a large room. He tried to move his neck, but his neck felt stiff and could not be moved. He got startled and tried to jump down from the stretcher, but his legs and arms could not move either. Now he recalled that he had been poisoned by the Seven Stars Nails and Mosquito Whisker Needles on the River Cian-tong.

He heard voices of people talking in the room. "May I know your Honorable name?" someone with a loud voice asked. "No need to ask my name," replied someone with a nice soft voice, as if of a woman's. "Just answer my question, are you willing to take this delivery job or not."
"Do you think Dragon Gate Escort Agency is lacking of jobs?" said the previous person. "If you refuse to tell us your name, you can go and ask other escort agency's services."
"In this city, only Dragon Gate Escort Agency is not so bad," said the nice voice. "If you can't decide it by yourself, call your Cong-piauw-tiauw. (cong-piauw-tiauw means Head/Patron of the Escort Agency)
The man felt offended. "I am Cong-piauw-tiauw," he said stiffly. "Sorry, I can't see you any longer because I have different matters to attend. Mister may go to other escort agencies."

"Aha! So you are To-pie-him (Bear with Many Arms) Du Dajin...!" said the guest. He paused for a while and then continued. "Escort Leader Du, I have long heard of your big name. My surname is Yin."

(*below is taken from translation by Gan K.L, because a page is missing)

Hearing this, Du DaJin became a little bit more patient, and so he asked: "What is it you want us to deliver?"
"I must know first you are capable of doing this job or not, because this is a very important matter and you may not be careless."
"Du Dajin became upset again and restraining his anger, he said: "Our Dragon Gate Escort Agency has been around for more than 20 years, and all things, both of the government's or private properties, even gold and diamonds in any amount, we have delivered, and so far there has been no problem at all."

Du DaJin's name had been known by DaiYan as a disciple from Shaolin Clan, and he was very good at using his palm and sabre, but he was most famous for his skill in throwing darts; and he could throw 49 darts consecutively and is always accurate, so people from the martial world called him To-pi-him or the Bear with Many Arms. The Dragon Gate Escort Agency that he managed was also highly respected in the southeastern region. Only because the pupils of WuDang Clan and Shaolin Clan hardly contacted each other, so they just knew the names but have never met in person.

The person with the surname Yin laughed and said: "If I thought that Dragon Gate Escort Agency could not be trusted, why would I have come here? All right, Escort Leader Du, I want you to deliver something for me, but I have 3 conditions."
"We don't accept anything too complicated to do, we don't accept anything of unknown origin, and we don't accept anything under the value of 50.000 taels of silver." said Du DaJin suddenly. Before his client proposed the 3 conditions, he had already proposed his own 3 conditions.

"Oh, sorry, my thing to deliver is rather complicated and its orgin is also unclear, and as to its value, maybe less than 50.000 taels of silver," said the person named Yin. "And my 3 conditions are also not easy to do. First, you Escort Leader Du must escort the delivery yourself. Second, from Lin An until the city of Xiangyang in Ouw-pak province, you must keep on going day and night, so that within 10 days it will arrive at its destination. Third, if something happened to it, ha, not only Escort Leader Du himself, but all of Dragon Gate Escort Agency members will be killed, including all your dogs and your chickens."

Suddenly a sound "Bang!" was heard, it seemed that Du DaJin had hit the table. and he yelled: "If you are just looking for trouble, don't come to our Dragon Gate Escort Agency! Hmph! If I didn't consider your being so skinny, I would have given you a good lesson today!"
The man named Yin laughed coldly, followed by the sound "bling-blang!", as if he threw some things onto the table, and then he said: "Here, 2000 taels of pure gold as the payment, please keep them first."

DaiYan was surprised, and thought: "2000 taels of gold is equivalent with more than 100.000 taels of silvers, whereas the fee for escort agency delivery is usually just 4% from the value of the thing being escorted. To accumulate 100.000 taels of silver, it will need more than 10 years of working hard.

As expected, as soon as he saw the glittering gold, Du DaJin's attitude suddenly changed. He was not greedy, but although he had seen a lot more treasure than this, they were all the properties of other people. Now suddenly 2000 taels of gold was being offered to him, and as soon as he agreed, they would be his. Of course his heart was wavering now.

(*end of translation by Gan.K.L)

[Kirara]

When translating, I found out that my HSDS book translated by O.K.T skips a part of the book, a scene at the Escort Agency, and it is the mistake of the publication/printing. So I went to http://indonesia.spcnet.tv to look for that missing part, but it turned out that the posting there also missed more or less the same part, I don't know why. Is it a mistake in his publication too?
So I had to resort to the translation by Gan K.L. for that scene.
Gan K.L., who was born in China, also translated Jin Yong and Gu Long like O.K.T.

Good news: While I was searching for my HSDS books by Gan K.L., I found out that I have another set of HSDS by O.K.T and they are complete!!
I am very relieved because now I can proceed at my own pace until the end!

Too bad I am still having problem with the pin yin namings

[Kirara]

post #40
Meanwhile, because DaiYan's neck could not move, his eyes could only see the flag with the embroidered fish in the flower vase. For a while the room became very silent, he could only hear the buzzing sound of green flies flying over his face, and the sound of Du DaJin heavily breathing. Although he could not see his face, he could guess that the Escort Leader must be staring at the glittering gold with eyes wide open.
Afterwards, the voice of Du DaJin was heard, asking: "Mister Yin, what is it you wish to be escorted?"
"Please answer my question first," he replied. "Do you agree with my 3 conditions?"
Du DaJin tapped his knee and said: "Mister Yin, you have rewarded us greatly, so let me risk my life to do as you asked. When can I receive the things you want me to deliver?"

"The thing I want you to protect and deliver is the mister lying on that stretcher," he replied in a flat tone. Du DaJin exclaimed in amazement. You DaiYan was startled too. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't.
He tried to use all his strength to jump down, but his body could not move an inch. Now he realized that the Seven Stars poison was really something.

"This.......this.....really this mister?" Du DaJin asked in broken speech.
"Right," he replied. "You must escort him yourself. You may not change your men. In 10 days, you must arrive at Mount WuDang, near Xiangyang city, in Ouw-pak province, and hand him to Zhang SanFeng, the founder of WuDang Clan.

"WuDang Clan?" asked Du DaJin. "Although we don't have any trouble with WuDang Clan, but we, disciples of Shaolin Clan...seldom...seldom have any contact with them.....He....."
"If you fail, you can't repay with 10 thousands taels of gold," again the man named Yin said flatly. "Just tell me, you receive this job or not. You're a man, why is it so difficult for you to make up your mind?"

"All right, out of respect to Mister Yin, the Dragon Gate Escort Agency accept this job," he replied.
That man smiled: "Today is the 29th of the Third month," he said. "If by noon on the 9th of the Fourth Month you fail to deliver him to the Clan Leader of WuDang, I will kill all 71 people of Dragon Gate Escort Agency, no one, young or old, will be spared, not even your chickens and your dogs!" This threat was followed by the sound "trik-trik-trik" and more than ten silver needles flew to the flower vase, which broke into small pieces and fell in all direction to the floor.

This throwing of hidden weapons using Internal Strength was very amazing. Du DaJin exclaimed in surprise, while Yu DaiYan was startled too.
"Let's go home!" yelled the person named Yin. The two stretcher bearers put the stretcher down on the floor and hurriedly left the room.

After a while, after he could calm himself down, Du DaJin approached Yu Dai Yan and asked: "May I know your Honorable surname and name? Is it true that you are from WuDang Clan?"
DaiYan could not speak, he could only stare at the Escort Leader, who was about 50 years old, and who looked strong and muscular and had a dignified-looking face. Looking at him, DaiYan knew that he must be someone very good at Gwa-kee (External Strength).

"Mister Yin is good-looking and has gentle way of moving," added Du DaJin, "I never expected that he has such a high level of kung fu. From which school is he?" He repeated his questions several times, but DaiYan did not reply and just closed his eyes.

The Escort Leader's heart felt uncomfortable. He was an expert at throwing hidden weapons himself, so that people in the martial world called him "Bear with Many Arms". But the skill of that man Yin was really amazing. With just one wave of his sleeve, more than ten fine needles, as fine as a buffalo's hair, had destroyed a crystal vase into pieces. Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, he would not have believed it. He bent down and picked the crystal pieces which had dropped to the floor. He found out that each needle was stuck inside the crystal piece as if being nailed down with a hammer. He had never seen such strong Internal Strength.

Du DaJin had led Dragon Gate Escort Agency for more than 20 years, and during all those years, he had experienced a lot of big waves in the realm of martial arts. But an escort person receiving 2000 taels of gold, not only that he had never experienced it, but also he had never heard of it in the history of escort agencies.

After taking care of the gold, he quickly ordered his men to take DaiYan into a quiet room, so that the sick person could rest. Then hurriedly he summoned all his escortmen and arranged for a carriage, so that they could depart that very day.
Before departing, because he felt worried with that man Yin's threat, Du DaJin called his two chief escorts to discuss the matter. After they counted everyone in the agency beginning from Du DaJin's aged mother and escort Zhu's one-month-old baby, the big family of Dragon Gate Escort Agency exactly totalling 71 persons, matching what the man Yin said. The three of them quickly looked at each other with heart beating fast.

"Escort Leader," said the Escort with the surname Zhu. "In my opinion, although the reward is big, this job is too risky, so we had better refuse."
The other escort, whose surname was Shi, said: "Third Brother Zhu, it is too bad that you said your opinion too late. We have accepted this job, so are we going to cancel it and lose the reputation we have built for over 20 years?"
"Fifth Brother Shi," said Escort Zhu sounding irritated. "You felt pity on our reputation, but don't you feel pity on those so many lives at risk? In my opinion, this matter is very suspicious and probably that man was setting up a trick to deceive us."
Escort Shi laughed coldly and said: "After we chose to earn our living by becoming escorts, our lives are always at risk. If Third Brother Zhu wants to live safely, you had better stay home and carry your baby, and don't leave home."

The two escorts began to quarel vehemently, so that Du DaJin had to interfere. "Don't quarel, please," he said, smiling. "We have accepted the order, and we may not withdraw ourselves. People say: When the enemy comes, the general will go to fight him, and when the water comes, the ground will come to cover it. It is understandable that Third Brother Zhu worries about the safety of his wife and baby. Let's do this: we send all our aged, women and children to a village out of the city of Lin An. This is not because we are scared, but just because we are prepared for any trouble." After saying that, he quickly ordered some of his men to escort the agency's household to a village out of town as a temporary refuge.

[Kirara]

post #41
All the escorts to guard that special delivery then fed themselves full and got ready for the journey. After everything is ready, a bodyguard held up the Agency's flag with both his hands and walked to the door of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency. Opening the flag, he shouted: "Liong-bun- sam-yuw-lee, Hi-ji hoa-wi-liong!" (Three snakehead fish are jumping over the Dragon Gate, the fish turned into dragons).
Meanwhile, various thoughts came into the mind of Yu DaiYan, who was lying in a carriage. "While wandering in the martial world, I always looked down on escortmen." he thought. "I never thought that when I am in big trouble, I have to rely on them to carry me back to Mount WuDang." At another time, he thought: "Who is that friend with the surname Yin who has saved my life? Judging from the voice, she must be a woman and according to Escort Leader, she is good-looking and her kung fu skill is amazing. But her way was really unusual. It's a shame that I couldn't see her face and couldn't thank her. If I can escape from death, I must return this big debt."

The carriage kept going and when they almost reached the city gate, suddenly Du DaJin's shout was heard: Why did you go back? I have told you not to go back to Lin An." "Escort....Escort...Leader," a reply said in broken sentence was heard. "our ears...our ears...."
"Who cut off your ears?" yelled Du DaJin again in surprise and anger.
"When we were taking Lo-tay-tay (Old Madam) out of town, we had not passed 1 km when...we were stopped," explained the man in a trembling voice.
"Those people were very fierce and ruthless. The families of Dragon Gate Escort Agency are not allowed to leave Lin An," another man added. "I tried to reason, but he pulled out a sabre and cut my ears off! The ears of the other two .....were ....also cut off. Then he ordered me to tell Escort Leader that if the thing to be delivered fails to arrive at the appointed time, ....then...then...all dogs and chickens will be wiped out too."

Du DaJin took a deep sigh. He understood that all of Dragon Gate Escort Agency's moves were being strictly watched. He waved his hand and said: "Okay, you'd better go home. Protect all the families and the Agency's home. Don't leave home unless necessary." After saying that, he whipped his horse and the group set off for the journey.

They went to the west as fast as they could. Besides Du DaJin, escortmen Zhu and Shi escorting Yu DaiYan, 4 younger escorts with strong and muscular bodies also went with them. All of them rode on exceptional horses and obeying the man named Yin's order, though they changed carriage and horses, they did not change people. While feeling tense and worried, they continued their journey day and night without stopping; for they knew that if they arrived late, not only their own lives, but the whole Dragon Gate's families' lives will be at stake.

After leaving the city of Lin An, Du DaJin expected that along the way, he would have to fight fiercely risking his own life. But unexpectedly, within the few days after leaving Ciat-kang, passing An-hui and then entering the province of Ouw-pak, they did not meet any problem at all. That day, after passing the cities of Hoan-shia, Thay-peng-tiam, Sian-jin-touw, Kong-hwa-koan, and passing the river of Han-sui, they arrived at Lao-ho-kouw, from where they would be able to reach Mount WuDang within one day.
Before Ngo-si, they arrived at Song-keng-cu; and not long after, they would be arriving at Mount WuDang. Although they were all exhausted, but knowing that they would reach their destination in time, all the escortmen were very happy.

It was the end of the spring season and the beginning of summer - the sky was clear, the weather was warm, the trees were green, and the flowers were colorful. Using his whip to point at the peak of Thian-cu-hong reaching high to the sky, Du DaJin said: "Third Brother Zhu, for these past years, WuDang's clan reputation is getting better and better, and although it cannot par up with Shaoilin Clan yet, the good deeds of The Seven Heroes of WuDang Clan had shaken the martial world. Looking at that magnificent summit Thian-cu-hong, I am reminded of the saying that if the person is excellent, the ground he lives is also sacred."

"Although WuDang Clan got a great reputation now, but its basic foundation is still shallow and cannot par up with Shaolin Clan which has the history of more than a thousand years," said Escort Zhu. "For example, look at Escort Leader yourself. You have Ji-shi-chiu Hang-mo-ciang (Demon Slaying Palm with 24 Ways) and Li-na-cu Kong-piauw darts which can be thrown so fast one after another. Who in WuDang Clan have such a high-level skill?"
"Right," added Escort Shi. "We can't believe all those rumors in the martial realm. The reputation of The Seven Heroes of WuDang Clan is very famous indeed, but how high their level of kung fu is, we have never seen it with our own eyes. Perhaps those praises were given by the rustic locals who don't know how vast the world is."

Du DaJin just smiled. Being a person with more knowledge than the other two escorts, he was certain that the big name of The Seven Heroes of WuDang Clan was not just an empty name and they must have exceptional skills. But because for 20 years he had seldom met his match, he was confident of his own skills. He had often heard the same praises given by these 2 escorts, but being human, he felt happy each time he received praises.

While talking, the 3 escorts rode on their horses side by side. The higher they went up the mountain, the narrower the mountain road became, so that they could not ride side by side anymore and Escort Shi pulled his horse rein to walk behind the other two escorts.
"Escort Leader, after we meet Zhang SanFeng, how shall we greet him?" asked Escort Zhu.
"We do not belong to his Clan and we are not related to him," he replied. "But Zhang SanFeng is already 90 years-old, and in the realm of martial arts, perhaps he is the oldest. To respect the elder, it's no problem if we come down on our knees and kowtow to him."
"In my opinion, it is better that as soon as we see him, we just yell 'Old Master Zhang, we will pay respect to you by coming down on our knees and kowtow to you!' He will surely be modest and halt us from kowtowing," said Escort Zhu. "That way, we can save ourselves from having to do such a great formality."
Du DaJin did not reply, and just smiled; he was wondering who Yu DaiYan was.

For these 10 days, DaiYan never moved nor spoke any single word. All his needs like eating and drinking must be helped by the escorts. All these days, Du DaJin and the others had tried to guess, but they still did not know who he was.Is he a disciple of WuDang? Is he a friend or a foe of WuDang? The nearer they were to Mount WuDang, the bigger their puzzlement was. But they knew, that as soon as they meet Zhang SanFeng, this puzzle would be solved. Only they were not sure whether the meeting would end in ill luck or good luck.

While Du DaiJin was thinking, suddenly the sound of horses galloping was heard coming from the west. To investigate, Escort Zhu whipped his horse to that direction and went ahead. After a while, he saw 6 horsemen, who after arriving at about 20 meters from the escort group, suddenly stopped their horses and blocked the road. Three of them stood in front and the other three stood behind them.
"Is there going to be any trouble after arriving at the foot of Mount WuDang?" DuDaiJin asked himself silently. He approached Escort Shi and whispered: "Be careful, guard the carriage."
Meanwhile, one of the escort bodyguards waved the flag with the snakehead fish as a signal of paying respect, whereas Du DaiJin came up with his horse to welcome those 6 people. "Dragon Gate Escort Agency asks to pass the road, I hope misters would allow us," he said while bending his body as a greeting.

Among the 6 people, there were2 Taoist priests wearing yellow hats, while the others were ordinary people. All of them carried either a sabre or a sword, and their attitude was very stern. All of a sudden, Du DaJin thought of something. "Aren't they 6 members of The Seven Heroes of WuDang?" he asked himself. He clapped his horse and came up nearer while bringing his two hands together. "I'm Du DaJin from Dragon Gate Escort Agency. May I know your Honorable surname and name?"

[Kirara]

I would like to thank the people who had signed my Guest Book, and to HuntingX and Ciu Pek tong with their suggestions about the namings.

I have been feeling weird too, changing back and forth between the chinese pin yin and the Hokkienese, and as I went on, there are more and more names and martial stances that I have no idea how to write in pin yin
Although now I am relying on the kindness of Athena, Meh and Faerie Queen and took the pin yin out of their translation, but I know there will come a time I will have to rely on myself, namely from chapter 11 to 19, and from chapter 23 to the end of the novels, because the above chapters do not exist yet in english translation. (I don't know about the comics...how far have the comics gone? Can someone tell me?)

So following Ciu Pek Tong's kind suggestion in my Guest Book, perhaps it is better if I just stick to the Hokkienese, at least in my Home Page. Although I have provided the readers with a Name DB there, I know it is not enough and too troublesome to check each time we forget. Therefore I had just changed the CSS stylesheet of the PHP-Nuke and added a new function where we can hover over a text and a new popup/tooltip will spring up with the pin yin name (if I have the pin yin name).


But I cannot do it here, because I cannot change the stylesheet of this Forum.

I hope by unifying the naming system into just one system (Hokkienese), the translation is more whole and not messy changing back and forth between two naming system.
Well, it is more hard work in fact, having to always create the hovering thing, but I hope it helps the non-Hokkienese in this Forum.

[Kirara]

Errrrr...i have an idea. I will create two editions of HSDS on my Home Page, one using the chinese pin yin (Zhang WuJi) and another one using the Hokkienese (Thio Bu Ki).

I hope this will help, so people who want to read with the Chinese names can read the one using Chinese pin yin (though mixed up with Hokkienese); and people who want to read the Hokkienese can read the one using Hokkienese names, it won't be mixed up.

[HuntingX]

Unnecessary for you to burden all the work yourself. The community can surely take the hok version and change to pin-ying.

Instead of typing 100000000 words a day arguing about Yang Guo and his 2 million emotional problems, they can help me work through the translation and get a ping-ying version up simultaneously.

I KNOW at least half of the people arguing in the fiction section have NEVER read any of the works in any language whatsoever. They should be more than happy to help me with this so that we can all read the book once before we take to bickering

[hermit]

maybe someone can setup a wiki so that people can go in and edit the names to make them pinyin