A Happy Hero

[Hoju!]

Naaah... the girl was probably just fretting over whether the reason the "thief who picks flowers" was not interested in her was because her chest was not big enough yet. GDL never means any harm...




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Chapter 41 –Tailing the Pock-Faced Person
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The breeze blew, rustling the weeping willows and rippling the surface of the lake.

Guo DaLu was still strolling along slowly, peeling the skin off the lotus root and humming a little tune. After walking what could be considered a fair distance, he abruptly whipped his head around and noticed straight away that behind him, with a broken dish in hand, was a beggar. What’s more, this beggar had a pockmarked face.

The instant he turned back to look, the pock-faced man hid behind a tree. This man’s skill in following people really was not all that good. If Guo DaLu had not been so preoccupied with his own thoughts these last two days, he would have detected his presence a long time ago. Was this man with the pockmarked face the same one that Shui RouQing had spoken about?

Casually, Guo DaLu turned around and, with small steps, ambled over in the direction of that pock-faced man. He had planned that, as he got close to the man, he would suddenly jump forward and seize ahold of him.

But the pock-faced man, surprisingly, was on his guard and immediately turned and sped back along the way they had come. When Guo DaLu picked up his pace, the man’s footsteps would instantly quicken also. Out in broad daylight and in front of so many people, it would be rather ridiculous to use lightness kung fu, so all Guo DaLu could do was lengthen his strides and chase after him. In the beginning, it had been the man who was following Guo DaLu, but now, things had changed so that it was Guo DaLu pursuing him instead.

The girl on the boat gawked at them with an expression of surprise on her face as, one in front of the other, they ran past. She really could not understand why a constable would not try and catch a thief and would actually be chased by the criminal instead. To her, there were just too many things in the world that could not be explained and that was why she always felt troubled and worried. But as she gradually grew older and the number of things she knew became more and more, she finally truly understood that life had actually been happier when she did not know anything at all.



Early summer. The time for enjoying the lake.

On the lakeshore, young men and ladies were dressed up in bright, attractive clothing and tourists were swarming around. Of course, where there were many tourists, there would also be particularly many beggars. People who come out to have a good time are exceptionally generous, especially when there is a flower-like beauty at their side. And so, in that crowd of people, there were beggars to the east and the west. This time of the year had always been their busy season, so even the laziest of beggars was out and about today.

As the pock-faced man wove around in the crowd, there were several times that Guo DaLu nearly lost him. It was fortunate that Guo DaLu’s luck was quite good. Every time he reached a critical moment, he would always manage to spot the pockmarks on that face. People with distinctive appearances have never been suitable for tailing someone.

After a while, the pock-faced seemed to grow nervous about the pursuit and left the lake area to head towards a place where there were fewer people. It was as if he wanted to lure Guo DaLu to an isolated place to take care of him.

Guo DaLu, however, was not the least bit concerned and in fact, pursued him with even more fervor. He had originally been planning to find a secluded spot, seize the man, and question him until everything was clear – did he know Yan Qi and know her whereabouts. It was true that Guo DaLu had learned a thing or two from GunZi regarding the technique of making people tell the truth.

He had thought that he would be able to catch up to the pock-faced man very soon, but surprisingly, not only was the man incredibly swift, his endurance was also rather good. It seemed like he never grew tired as, amazingly, he was in fact running quicker and quicker. Guo DaLu, though, was starting to feel as if he would not be able to last much longer. With the lifestyle he had been living recently, one day was enough to make a person age one year. He could not help yelling, “Wei! Don’t run! I do not want to give you trouble. I just want to ask you a few questions.” The pock-faced man had not really been exherting himself before, and when he heard this, he actually unleashed his strides and tore off.

It was a common occurrence to see beggars being chased around as they ran wildly all over the streets. Whether he was being chased by a person or a dog, no one seeing this would find it out of the ordinary. However, a person dressed all neat and smart pursuing a beggar and running haphazardly around the streets was probably a little absurd.

Guo DaLu knew that people were starting to pay attention to him, two of whom appeared to be real constables. These two had been patrolling the neighbourhood, and now, they were preparing to bar the way in front of Guo DaLu and ask him what was going on. Once Guo DaLu was obstructed, the man with the pockmarked face would immediately be able to run off and vanish without a trace. This was his one lead and Guo DaLu would definitely not let it escape easily. His eyes glinted and he suddenly acted first to gain control of the situation. Pointing at the pock-faced man racing in front of him, he shouted, “That beggar is a pickpocket! Anyone who helps me capture him will be rewarded with twenty liang.”

That last sentence was very effective. Without waiting for him to finish, the two constables had already turned around to chase after the pock-faced man. People were also standing off to the side cheering and jeering.

The pock-faced man appeared to be truly nervous now, and with a sudden leap, he had flown over five or six people’s heads and onto the roof of a house up ahead. His lightness kung fu was very profound such that his skill was actually among the first-class of jianghu. But with this display, even the people who had not wanted to be nosy began jeering, “It seems that this person is not only a thief but a cat burglar as well. He absolutely must not be allowed to get away!”

The number of people creating the uproar may have been many, but there was not a single one who could go up on a roof to chase a person. Those two constables were only able to stand at the foot of the wall and watch with angst. After all, lightness kung fu was not something everyone could learn, and at most, only one or two out of 100,000 people had lightness kung fu that could compare with the pock-faced man’s.

Fortunately, Guo DaLu was amongst those one or two.

He also swept over the crowd and scurried onto the roof as loud shouts came from his lips: “I am a constable from the capital city who has come here specifically to capture this cat burglar. I hope that the heroes and good men from all around will lend a hand in assistance.”

He knew that, no matter where those heroes and good men came from, they would not come meddle in this very odd business of someone else. He was shouting and calling out loudly like this because he wanted to make the pock-faced man panicked and flustered. That was because he really did not have confidence that he could catch up to him. Even though he had practiced his lightness kung fu and had reached a level where it was quite good, he had not had many opportunities to put it in actual use. Regardless of whether one was comparing skill or experience, he still seemed to be a notch lower than that pock-faced man.

Sure enough, though, the man appeared to have grown nervous as a result of his shouts. Out there in broad daylight, there a person was leaping and soaring over someone else’s eaves. That really was too big of a target to miss. And so, he was finally forced to jump back down to the ground.

Down below was what could not be considered a very wide lane. Altogether, there were only six or seven households in it. As Guo DaLu sped over there, he was just in time to see the man’s shadow flit away and through the front doorway of one of the households near the entrance of the lane. This family’s door was actually open. No matter how peaceful the times may have been, there were not many households who left their door open all day long. This family must have some relations with the pock-faced man and, perhaps, this place was even his house.

Without giving any thought, Guo DaLu immediately followed after him and charged inside. There was no one in the courtyard. However, up ahead in the living room, someone was laughing and saying, “No wonder people always say, ‘Out of ten pockmarked people, nine are weird.’ You really are a monster.”

In exultation, Guo DaLu darted inside with one large stride. “This time, there is no way you can escape now!”

But, inside that living room, there was not even half of a pockmarked person.

[Sparky ( :]

Thanks Hoju!

[eliza bennet]

Wow, I wouldn't want to be GDL right now - it must be terrible to have what you need within reach and then all of a sudden it disappears.

With this behaviour though I applaud Yan Qi - I now understand why she hasn't told GDL the truth about her gender. Kudos to her and I hope that she is not in trouble or anything. GDL proved himself and deserves to be happy now no?

Hoju, thank you so much for your efforts

[Guo Xiang ( :]

I think that Guo DaLu proved himself a long time ago!
Why is Yan Qi still running away from him.

[Hoju!]

Chapter 41 continued....
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But, inside that living room, there was not even half of a pockmarked person, only a man and a woman who appeared to be a married couple, teasing and bantering flirtatiously with one another in that place. The woman was fair and plump and was very pretty. The man's complexion, however, was sallow, and he looked emaciated and as if he could not even stand up straight.

When a man has too beautiful a wife, there are times when it is not considered good fortune.

They were shocked when they saw this big man charge in from outside. The husband’s nerves appeared to be weaker than his wife’s as he nearly tripped on top of her in fright. “Who… who are you?” he stammered. “What do you want to do here?”

“I’m here to find someone,” Guo DaLu replied.

The husband: “Find… who?”

Guo DaLu: “A pockmarked person. Where is the pockmarked person that you were speaking about just a moment ago?”

The wife’s shimmering eyes had been fixed on Guo DaLu the whole while, and now, she suddenly stood and jumped in, “The pockmarked person he was talking about just now is me. Could it be that you are looking for me?” Sure enough, on the tip of her nose, a few faint pockmarks could be seen.

Guo DaLu paused in surprise.

The wife was still gazing at him from the corner of her eye. Smiling faintly, she asked, “Did you come looking for me because you came in admiration of my name? Unfortunately, you are too late. I am married now and no longer take clients.”

Not only did Guo DaLu pause this time from astonishment, he practically did not know whether he should laugh or cry. He should have been able to deduce this from the start. What kind of woman from a respectable background would keep looking at a man like that?

The man at last displayed some of his authority as the husband. Jumping up loudly, he barked, “Did you hear that? She is my wife now and everyone else should just forget about trying to come near her. Get out of here now!”

Guo DaLu could only smile wryly, but he could not help inquiring, “Just now, no one else came in here at all?”

The wife cast another glance at him and giggled, “Even if there are other reckless rascals in the city like you, they do not have the gall that you do. Who would dare charge into someone’s home and ask for someone else’s wife?” She actually believed that he was a lecher who had come there specifically to look for her.

The husband’s anger flared up even fiercer. Shoving a finger in Guo DaLu’s nose, he bellowed, “Why are you not going yet? What sort of stupid thoughts are you still harbouring? You be careful, you, that I don’t smash your head with my fist.”

Guo DaLu laughed. The man’s hands looked like chicken feet. They may not have even been able to kill a fly, and yet he still wanted to beat someone up with them. Patting the man on the shoulder, Guo DaLu chortled, “Don’t you worry. No one is going to come steal your wife, but your own body is not a stolen prize either. It’d be good to care of it a little bit. No matter what, you should not exert yourself too much.” He did not wait for the man to open his mouth in reply before, with a flourish of his sleeve, he had turned around and left.

He knew those words of his had been rather spiteful. Normally, he would never have said things like those, but when a person is feeling angry and frustrated, he will often want other people to experience a little bit of misery too.

He had plainly seen the pock-faced man go inside. How could he have suddenly vanished? Could he really have burrowed into the ground the instant he stepped inside? Obviously, that husband and wife couple were in cahoots with the pock-faced man and had planned out in advance to put on an act for Guo DaLu to watch. Guo DaLu knew this very well, yet he had no way of exposing them. Plus, there he was barging into someone’s home in broad daylight. When all was said and done, he had been the one who was in the wrong. And if you had told him to force them to take him around and search each room, he would not have been able to make himself do that either. Moreover, the pock-faced man had undoubtedly already seized the opportunity to sneak away, and there was no way Guo DaLu would have found him.

The more Guo DaLu thought over this, the more annoyed he became. “If it had been Wang Dong, the pock-faced man would have had no hope of escaping.” He decided to find a place to drink and gorge down a big meal as a way of comforting himself, and then he would come back at night to investigate and get to the bottom of everything. He had already made up his mind that he would loiter around this place. Until he found the pock-faced man, he would not let things rest so easily.

It was already nearing sundown, and it was not too early anymore to be drinking. The biggest restaurant in the city was called Hui Bin Liu. Their signature dishes were ‘three ways to eat one duck’ and live sea bass. The ‘Fen wine’ that had come from Fenyang was rather strong too.

Guo DaLu found a seat near the window and ordered a table full of dishes. Before he had left, the east end’s laoda had given him quite a large sum of money for the journey. Sometimes, those knight-errants of the streets were even more loyal and more true as friends than the heroes of jianghu.

Usually, Guo DaLu only needed a few cups of wine in his belly before his mood would immediately brighten. However, in these last couple of days, when the wine entered past his lips, it seemed to have a bitter taste, and additionally, he got drunk very easily. Since there were matters that needed to be attended to that night, he did not dare drink too much so all he could do was scarf down on food. The worse his spirits were, the more he ate. If he did not find Yan Qi soon, it was possible that he would become even fatter than that duck.

As the sun set, the seats in the restaurant gradually started to fill. All manners and sorts of people were coming continually up the stairs, including an ugly, sly-looking pimp [gui nu; lit. ‘turtle slave’] who, in answer to clients' requests, had brought with him some prostitutes dressed in glitzy attire. And so, from a private room that was partitioned off to the side by a screen drifted out the sounds of [traditional] stringed and woodwind instruments and singing, joking and laughter, and the clinking of cups, all intermixed with shouts from dice gambling and the noise of drinking games and riddle guessing. It all felt very lively and bustling with excitement.

But Guo DaLu appeared as if he was sitting in a completely different world. This normally would have been something he would have been very interested in, yet now, it seemed to hold no appeal to him. Not having Yan Qi by his side was like not having salt in the food: dry and tasteless. Sighing, he slowly poured himself a cup of wine.

All of a sudden, he saw five or six pretty young girls swarming around a man, who was dressed in opulent brocaded attire and wearing a sword, while they all came up the stairs, giggling and laughing. Not just the waiters but even Guo DaLu could tell that this man in the magnificent clothing was a generous patron who threw away gold like it was dirt. The tips he handed out would not be small. Guo DaLu could not help throwing another glance in that direction, but as his eyes landed over there, he nearly dropped the wine pitcher in his hand.

This wealthy patron in the garments of rich brocade was actually a pock-faced man, and furthermore, was the pock-faced beggar he had seen today by the lake.

[patricia n]

thanks hoju! the funny thing is, even though the action in this story isn't all that much, the story is very much captivating. can't wait to see what happens next.

[yeongwee]

Could the pock-faced fella be Yan Qi? After all, not many people have that level of qinggong.... But then that would be too obvious, not enough twist =)

[eliza bennet]

Thanks Hoju - this is a situation of searching for it in the skies, finding it on the ground.

At least he (and us) will be able to get some answers now


And Gu Long's works doesn't really have that much action, it is all about the suspense and building it up

[Hoju!]

The update should have been longer, but I accidentally erased nearly everything I had translated in the last two nights. Here is a lot of it, but still a shorter update than planned.




Chapter 41 continued.....
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This wealthy patron in the garments of rich brocade was actually a pock-faced man, and furthermore, was the pock-faced beggar he had seen today by the lake. Just this afternoon, he was still a beggar, but come evening, he had suddenly turned into a rich man. The transformation really was too great.

No matter how he transformed himself, though – even if he turned into ash – Guo DaLu would still be able to recognize him in one glance. There were just too many pockmarks on his face.

Guo DaLu only stole a couple of glimpses before he quickly turned his head away to look out the window at the shopsign. This time, he was determined to keep his cool and not act out rashly or blindly. If he went over right now, seized ahold of the pock-faced man, and questioned him regarding why he had given those pearls to Shui RouQing and did he know Yan Qi, other people would think he was a lunatic. And of course, the pock-faced man could just answer the questions with a few “I don’t knows” and neatly brush off the entire situation.

The pock-faced man had gone into the private room now. The women who accompanied him were evidently not of any respectable sort of background. Before long had passed, singsong words of “little lover” and “dearest big brother” [intimate way to address a man] came echoing out. It was simply nauseating.

Strangely enough, the world contains many men who actually enjoy this sort of “music.”

Speaking from his conscience, Guo DaLu had to admit that he, too, had rather liked it before, but now as he listened to it, goosebumps formed on his entire body.

The key to whether a person will change for love lies not in whether that person is male or female but rather, in whether his love is true enough, deep enough.

The restaurant was still very lively.

Guo DaLu ordered another pitcher of wine and added a few more dishes. He was prepared for a drawnout battle. Even if the pock-faced man drank until daybreak, he would still keep calm and wait until daybreak.



End of Chapter 41

[Hoju!]

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Chapter 42 – Dragon King Temple
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But the pock-faced man surprisingly came back out very quickly. He was already completely intoxicated as he supported himself on the shoulder of a seventeen, eighteen year old girl and loudly asked a waiter where the restroom was.

So it seemed he had drank too much and was looking for a way out. Guo DaLu stayed cool, watching him as he walked downstairs, but after a long time passed, he still did not see him come back up. “Could he have discovered that I am here and is using the excuse of going to relieve himself as a means to escape?” Guo DaLu finally could not hold his impatience back any longer and was ready to charge down the stairs and chase after him.

Right at that moment, though, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of someone across the street shuffling away with his head down. It was the pock-faced man. Sure enough, he was sneaking off.

In a moment of anxiousness, Guo DaLu leaped through the window. Patrons in the restaurant starting yelling loudly, thinking that someone had just tried to commit suicide by jumping out of the building.

The pock-faced man cast a quick glance over his shoulder, then in a flash, slipped into a grain shop on the other side of the street.

Piled by the entrance of the shop were bag after bag of flour and basket upon basket of rice, millet, and other various sorts of grains. A runny-nosed boy was kicking a jianzi [Asian shuttlecock; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jianzi] near the doorway.



By the time Guo DaLu hurried over, the pock-faced man had once again disappeared so that even his shadow could not be seen. Inside, the worker and shopkeeper were leaning idly against the front counter playing a game of chess. Judging from their laid-back manner, they certainly did not look as if they had just seen someone dart into their shop. Was it possible that these two people had also conspired with the pock-faced man ahead of time and were planning to put on another act for Guo DaLu?

Guo DaLu had learned, though, and was more clever this time. He did not go in and ask. Instead, he hid off to the side and beckoned the runny-nosed child to come over to him. Fishing out a string of coins, he smilingly enticed, “If you answer all my questions obediently, I will give you this string of coins for you to buy candy to eat.” The boy was holding the jianzi in one hand and wiping at his nose with the other while he stared at the money. Regardless of whether it is a child or an adult, there are not many who, when they see money, do not like it. “Do you understand? As long as you tell the truth, these coins will be yours,” Guo DaLu said.

The boy immediately nodded his head and replied, “Everything I say is the truth. Papa told me that if children tell lies, their tongues will rot off after.”

Patting the child’s shoulder, Guo DaLu laughed, “That’s right. The child who tells the truth is a good child. Is it your family who owns this grain shop?”

Nodding again, the boy told him, “My family has lots and lots of rice. Even if we eat for one hundred years, we won’t finish all of it.”

“Is there someone in your family with a pockmarked face?” Guo DaLu inquired.

The boy blinked, seeming very surprised. “How do you know?”

Guo DaLu gave a chuckle. Tricking a child into speaking the truth was not a difficult thing to do. However, an adult deceiving a child really was not something to be proud of. And so, feeling a little embarrassed, he first stuffed the string of coins into the boy’s hand before asking with a smile, “I have never seen anyone with a pockmarked face before. Could you bring me to go see?”

The boy was grinning now also. “Of course. He just went inside, and he’ll be coming out really soon.”

“He really will come back out?” Guo DaLu asked again.

The boy nodded. His eyes flit away briefly and then he giggled unexpectedly, “He’s already out now.” He was gripping tightly onto the coins with one hand, but the jianzi in the other hand had been tossed off to the side now as he went to tug the pockmarked person who had just stepped out of the grain shop over to Guo DaLu.

A little pock-faced person, only seven or eight years old.

Guo DaLu was taken aback, not able to cry or laugh.

The boy, however, was laughing very gleefully. “His name is XiaoSanZi. He’s my little brother and he’s had pockmarks on his face since he was little. We only have this pock-faced person in our family.”

Guo DaLu stood in shock for quite a while before finally turning around to leave.

Behind him, he could hear the boy chortle, “XiaoSanZi, if everyone who takes one look at you gives me a string of coins, we’ll be rich. You don’t need to worry then that you won’t be able to find a pretty wife in the future. As long as you have tons of money, even if you are pock-faced, people will still fight to marry you.”

Guo DaLu was both annoyed and amused, but he could not get angry, nor was he able to laugh. He knew those kids must think he was a walking patsy and a big, stupid oaf.

His thoughts were not all that different from theirs.

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[eliza bennet]

Hahahahaaaaaa! GDL really is blinded by love - and I agree with the writer regarding how a true and deep love can change a person.

Thank you Hoju and I'm so sorry to hear that your work got deleted, it happened to me one time at work and it was not a pleasant thing at all!!

[Hoju!]

Chapter 42 continued
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The instant he got back, he saw one of Hui Bin Liu’s waiters glaring at him, wearing one of those looks where the skin smiled but the muscles did not. “Keguan [respectful way to address a patron], your tab from just now is three liang, six fen of silver. You can even pack up and take away what is left of the duck bones, too.” Naturally, a waiter would not be very pleasant to a patron who had finished his wine, jumped out a window, and taken off.

There was not even a spark of anger left in Guo DaLu by now. He pulled out an ingot of silver and handed it to him. “That pock-faced man from a moment ago who had that really impressive manner,” Guo DaLu spoke up suddenly, “do you recognize him?”

The waiter accepted the ingot from him and briefly weighed it in his palm before a smile immediately came onto his face again. “Although I [original xiao de; literally ‘small’] do not recognize him, I can still send for those prostitutes who accompanied him here for you, sir.”

Guo DaLu: “The one I am looking for is the pock-faced man. Have you really never seen him before?”

The waiter shook his head. It was obvious that he found this very weird. “What is wrong with this person? He does not want those gorgeous girls and wants a pock-faced man instead.”

Guo DaLu could not be bothered to say any more words to him. He knew, too, that if he went to ask those girls, he would not be able to get any answers regarding who that man was either.

That pock-faced man truly was very peculiar. He was apparently trying to hide from Guo DaLu, yet he always seemed to appear before Guo DaLu’s eyes. If you were to say that this was not intentional, then how could there be such coincidences in the world?

Since the grain shop and the husband-wife couple had some sort of close relationship with him, he must have been in this city for quite some time already, yet other people seemed to have never seen him before. For no apparent reason, he had given pearls, worth thousands in gold, to Shui RouQing, all in Guo DaLu’s behalf. It was certainly not without motive that he would do this. But what was that motive? Why would he do all these unfathomable things? Even if you split open Guo DaLu's head, he still could not think of a single reason. He was nearly ready to give up on this person.

Then unexpectedly, the girl who had supported the pock-faced man down the stairs walked over towards him from across the way, her hips swaying. What's more, she was smiling and casting a coquettish look at him. The restaurant waiter looked at her, then over at Guo DaLu. Secretly making a face, he slipped away. People in his line of work knew to be discreet and how to behave in these sorts of delicate situations.

The young girl had come up to Guo DaLu now and, smiling sweetly, addressed him, "This person here must be Young Master Guo."

Nodding curtly, Guo DaLu glared at her and responded, "Did the pock-faced guy tell you?"

The young girl also nodded. "I am MeiLan," she told him. "I belong to Liu Chun Yuan ["Keeping Spring Court"; this name is obviously one that belongs to a brothel]. In the future, Young Master Guo, you must come visit and support me."

"If you can find that pock-faced man for me, I will visit and support you everyday," Guo DaLu replied.

MeiLan batted her lashes. "Honestly?"

Guo DaLu: "The one who speaks but then does not keep his promise is a b**tard."

MeiLan smiled again, even more sweetly than before. "I came to find Young Master Guo precisely because that pockmarked master had a message he wanted to pass on to you."

Guo DaLu: "What message?"

MeiLan: "He said, tonight at midnight, he will wait for you at the Dragon King Temple east of Daming Lake. He also said… also said…"

Guo DaLu pressed anxiously, "What else did he say?"

In a hesitant tone, MeiLan answered, "He also said that if you do not have the courage to go, it is fine as well." She suddenly gave a charming giggle. "Now Young Master Guo, you are able to find him. Young Master, you should keep the promise you made – it is not a very pleasant feeling for a man when he turns into a b**tard." And then, her hips swishing from side to side, this young girl, who was dressed up and adorned like a little demoness, finally left again. Before going, though, she did not forget to first give the address of Liu Chun Yuan to Guo DaLu.

Only now did Guo DaLu realize that he had said the wrong thing again. Why was it that he could not have kept his cool and just waited – waited for the little demoness to give him the message the pock-faced man had asked her to pass on? Why was it that he always somehow bafflingly managed to find lots of troubles for himself?

But that pock-faced man was even more baffling. Clearly, he was trying to hide from Guo DaLu, yet he arranged a meeting between the two of them. Could this be some sort of ploy? Could he have already prepared an ambush in the Dragon King Temple and was simply waiting for Guo DaLu to walk into the trap? Even though he seemed to know much about Guo DaLu’s matters, Guo DaLu had never even seen him before and certainly did not have any grudges or hatreds between them. He had put so much thought and money into all this, but what was the motive behind it?

Guo DaLu let out a sigh and muttered, “Out of ten pockmarked people, nine are weird. It seems this saying is not wrong in the least bit.”



Dragon King Temple.

Where there was water, there always seemed to be a Dragon King Temple. Dragon King Temples seemed to be like the shrines of the [local] earth god[18], which had become like ears on a deaf person, existing merely as a decoration. No incense burned in front of them and Taoist priests or monks were never there. This Dragon King Temple was the same.



Guo DaLu had ridden a donkey cart there because he did not know the route and also wanted to conserve his strength in order to deal with pock-faced man. The driver was an old man, who had a head of gray hair and was also hunchbacked. Guo DaLu originally had not wanted to ride this particular cart, but other drivers were not willing to go to such a lonely and remote place as the Dragon King Temple at night. Indeed, this road was a difficult route to take. It was dark and there were no lamps.

All along the way, the old driver had appeared to be dozing off, but as they reached this place, he suddenly gave a clucking noise and reined in the donkey. Turning around, he remarked, “Straight ahead is the Dragon King Temple. You go yourself.”

Guo DaLu could not help asking, “Why are you not taking me right to the door?”

The hunchbacked old man grinned unexpectedly, “Because this old life of mine wants to live for a couple years longer.” The dim night was chilly and that smile seemed to emit a ghastly feeling.

Guo DaLu’s brow knit together. “Are you not going to live if you take me there?”

The smile grew even more mysterious as the hunchbacked old man answered lightly, “Tonight, I fear that anyone who goes there will not come back alive. I would advise that it is best if you do not go.”

Guo DaLu: “What is different about tonight?”

All of a sudden, the hunchbacked old man stopped speaking. His wide-eyed gaze was fixed unwaveringly on the darkness behind Guo DaLu, like he had suddenly seen a ghost.



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[18] Orig. tu di miao; shrine to worship Tu Di Gong [tu di means ‘earth’; gong literally means ‘old man’]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_Di_Gong These shrines were numerous as they were in nearly every village.

[Wanlie Tong]

A midnight meeting at a haunted house (or in this case temple). Classic! Thanks Hoju, checking for updates and reading them with my coffee has become my morning ritual.

[patricia n]

thanks hoju! i don't know what to expect next...just hoping that yan qi will show up soon! i'm getting more inpatient than guo.

[eliza bennet]

Thank you Hoju!

[Hoju!]

Thank you, everyone, for reading.



Chapter 42 continued.....
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His wide-eyed gaze was fixed unwaveringly on the darkness behind Guo DaLu, like he had suddenly seen a ghost.

Guo DaLu seemed to feel a tingle between his shoulder blades, and he could not help turning around for a look.

The night was still. There was no one. In the darkness, the willow branches stirred by the breeze did indeed look like individual phantoms writhing with threatening gestures.

But, at most, they only looked 30% like ghosts. Very few people would actually be frightened by them. A chuckle slipped out from Guo DaLu. “Go ahead and take me there. If you die, I…” His voice broke off.

When he turned back, the hunchbacked old driver had already disappeared.



Off in the distance, it, too, was a sheet of blackness. Not only were no humans visible, even if there really were ghosts, they would not be able to be seen either.

How did that hunchbacked old man suddenly vanish? Could he really have been snatched away by a menacing ghost that had been waiting in the dark to devour a human?

A gust of wind blew past. Guo DaLu could not restrain the shiver that came over him. “Fine. If you are not going, I will drive the cart there myself,” he grumbled. When a person is alone in silence and darkness, hearing the sound of his own voice can help bolster his courage. Jumping up onto the front seat, he found the horsewhip and with a wave of it, tried to drive the donkey forward.

But for some reason, the donkey’s four legs seemed as if they were nailed to the ground. No matter what, it refused to walk forward. Could it be that it smelled some sort of sinister omen up ahead?

Let us not even speak about ghosts eating humans. In this sort of place, this sort of circumstance, it would not have been surprising if humans ate other humans. Guo DaLu did not know the area or any person here, so if he really was eaten by someone, he would not have a place [in his afterlife] where he could plead his grievance, nor would he even know how to find his own skeleton. If it had been someone else in his place, the best method to deal with the situation would have been to hurry back the way he had come, find a place to drink a couple cups of warmed wine, and then find a nice, comfortable bed to have a good sleep before even thinking about anything else.

Alas, Guo DaLu had a bit of a mule’s temperament. If you wanted him to draw back, he would deliberately proceed forward instead. Even if up ahead was a dragon’s pool or a tiger’s lair, he would still charge in.

“You aren’t willing to walk. Well, I have legs too. Do you think I cannot walk myself?” He leapt down from the cart and started to stride forward.

“Is Dragon King Temple really up ahead?” He still was not certain and could not see the outline of any building.

Up ahead, it was empty. Nothing could be seen. Nobody would ever arrange a meeting in this type of d*mned place.

Unless, that person had planned some sort of evil plot.

Guo DaLu threw his shoulders back and gave a cold laugh. From behind him, a strange sound suddenly echoed, like the sound of someone hissing. He whipped his head around before realizing that it was merely the neighing of the donkey – this donkey also seemed to have seen a ghost, appearing almost to be flying as it dashed back along the route they had come.

With a sneer, Guo DaLu muttered, “I am not a donkey. You can scare it, but you cannot scare me.”

He turned around and got a scare.

In the blackness before him, at some unknown time, a single lantern and a human shadow had materialized. The lantern glowed a green color. The sickly green light shone upon the person’s body and legs, but it did not reach the face. On his head, the person wore a very large, wide-brimmed bamboo hat. It was pulled down very low, nearly covering his entire face.

However, Guo DaLu could see that he was not the pock-faced man. That was because this person only had one leg. His left leg had been severed off at the knee and a wooden leg had been mounted in its place.

Yet, when he arrived, he had not made a single noise.

He stood there at a distance, one hand gripping the lantern and the other holding a black staff. It was not apparent whether that staff was carved of wood or made of iron. Even though the man only had one leg, his bearing was steady and stable as Mount Tai.

In the middle of the night and in a place where there was no one to be seen in any direction, anyone, regardless of who it may be, would have been frightened if a person suddenly appeared in front him. But Guo DaLu very quickly recovered his composure, and, in fact, smiled and nodded at the man. No matter who the other person was, so long as he had not tried to harm him yet, Guo DaLu would always be very friendly. “I am surnamed Guo. My name is Guo DaLu – ‘da’ as in ‘da fang’ [generous, magnanimous] and ‘lu’ as in ‘shang lu’ [start a journey].”

The one-legged man spoke up coolly, “I did not ask for your esteemed name.”

Guo DaLu grinned, “But the fact that we could come across one another in a place like this means we were brought together by fate.”

One-legged man: “How do you know that it was by chance that we met here?”

Guo DaLu: “You mean, it was not for you?”

One-legged man: “No.”

Guo DaLu: “Do you mean you specifically came here to find me?”

One-legged man: “Yes.”

Guo DaLu: “Why would you want to find me?”

One-legged man: “To make you go back.”

Guo DaLu: “Go back? Go back to where?”

One-legged man: “Wherever you came from is where you should go back to.”

Guo DaLu blinked. “You do not want me to go to the Dragon King Temple?”

One-legged man: “Yes.”

Guo DaLu: “Why?”

One-legged man: “That is an ill-fated place. Disaster inevitably falls on whoever goes there.”

“Thank you for your advice,” Guo DaLu said with a smile, “but we do not know one another. Why are you so concerned for me?”

One-legged man: “You insist on going?”

Guo DaLu: “Yes.”

One-legged man: “Fine. Strike me down first and then you may proceed by stepping over my body.”

Sighing, Guo DaLu realized, “So it turns out that you actually came here specifically to fight me.”

The one-legged man did not say anything else. With a wave of his arm, the lantern in his hand glided through the air and stabbed straight into a willow branch beside the road.

“Excellent technique,” Guo DaLu could not help complimenting. “Just based on this display of skill alone, I may not be able to defeat you.”

The one-legged man told him, “It is still not too late for you to go back.”

Grinning again, Guo DaLu replied, “It’s precisely because I may not be able to beat you that I am going to fight. If I am certain I am going to win, what fun would it be?”

The one-legged man nodded his head slowly. “Good,” he said approvingly. “You’ve got guts. I never kill a person who has guts. At most, I will only chop off his two legs.”

Guo DaLu laughed, “At most, I will only chop off your one leg because you only have one leg.”

He had never been a bitter and spiteful person and usually would not be willing to say such bitter and spiteful words, but at that moment, he had realized that the pock-faced man, the hunchback, and this one-legged man were all in collusion and had arranged this trap for him to step into. Now, he had fallen into it, but he still did not even know what type of trap it was. This battle was one where “the enemy is in the darkness and I am in the light; the enemy is many and I am few.” The fight seemed to be lacking in fairness. There was not much of a chance for Guo DaLu, so even if he did say a few spiteful words, he could be forgiven.

At least, he had forgiven himself.

Sure enough, the one-legged man’s anger flared. With a loud shout, the short staff in his hand came sweeping towards Guo DaLu, carrying with it a fierce wind.

[davidY]

Thanks for translating! Guo DaLu is quite a funny hero.

[Hoju!]

Chapter 42 continued.....
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Sure enough, the one-legged man’s anger flared. With a loud shout, the short staff in his hand came sweeping towards Guo DaLu, carrying with it a fierce wind.

The short staff was at most three, four feet long, and there was at least two or three zhang [1 zhang = 3 1/3 metre (10 feet)] between him and Guo DaLu. However, the instant he waved his arm, the staff had already reached Guo DaLu’s face.

The staff attack had come extremely rapidly. Guo DaLu was unarmed and had no way of warding it off. He could only dodge.

This one-legged man’s moves flowed continuously with each one swifter than the previous. Guo DaLu was not able to clearly see the stances of this staff skill, but he knew that its origins were not insignificant. Of the highly skilled martial artists in jianghu, only two types of people would use a short staff: one was beggars, the other was monks.

For the most part, beggars generally belonged to the Beggar’s Union, which was also commonly referred to as “Poor Guy’s Union.” The short staff they used was usually called a “dog beating stick.” This name allegedly had been thought up by one of the former leaders of the union who had been surnamed Zha, but nobody had actually researched its real origins. And so, the staff art that they used was also named “Dog Beating Stick”, and its transformations were exquisitely ingenious and strangely complex. It had always been that not many people were able to truly master it.

The stances that this one-legged man used, though, were fiercely hard, powerful, and unstoppable, and as he executed them, there was nothing intricate at all about the variations in them. Guo DaLu may not have been very seasoned in the ways of jianghu, but he had heard others talk about Dog Beating Stick before. He could tell that this one-legged man was definitely not using Dog Beating Stick, and therefore, he could not be someone of the Beggar’s Union either.

Guo DaLu’s eyes twinkled and he unexpectedly spoke up with a laugh, “I know who you are; you can’t hide the truth from me.”

The one-legged man’s staff suddenly slowed, and the muscles in his entire body seemed to stiffen slightly. Why was he startled when he heard this sentence? Did he have a secret that others could not know about and was afraid that people would figure out his whereabouts?



As soon as the one-legged man’s attacks slowed, Guo DaLu sped up. His two fists shot out like wind, striking at the opening the one-legged man left. Now, even moreso, the one-legged man was not able execute his staff stances.

A battle between martial masters is sometimes like a game between famous chess experts – it only takes one wrong move for the entire game to be lost.

Guo DaLu suddenly unleashed three successive punches, aiming at the one-legged man’s chest and stomach. By the time the man had executed a stance to defend and block, though, Guo DaLu had abruptly changed his move. With a wave of his arm, his hand came down on the bamboo hat on top of the one-legged man’s head.

Of course, if he had wanted to actually hit his head, he would not have been able to, but that bamboo hat was wide and big. In addition, whenever a person fights, he will only think about protecting his own head. Who would actually concern himself with the hat on his head?

The instant the bamboo hat fell off, the colorless face of the one-legged man was revealed along with a bald head. On the top of his head, there were also nine round incense burn scars of a monk who has taken his vows.

Guo DaLu somersaulted into the air and withdrew back seven feet. “My guess was correct,” he proclaimed loudly. “You really are a buddhist monk.”

The one-legged man’s complexion became even more wretched. With a sudden stomp of his foot, the short staff flew out of his hand and hit the lantern that was hanging from the willow branch, knocking it to the ground. All around, the sheet of blackness returned again. The one-legged man’s outline seemed to flit, and then he had vanished into the darkness.

Guo DaLu actually found this rather peculiar. “What secret does this monk have that he does not want others to know about? Even if someone saw through that he is a monk, what is the big deal? Why is he so panicked, so much so that he is even more nervous than if someone had recognized that he is a wanted criminal?” Guo DaLu could not figure any of this out.

But right now, he had enough troubles already. Where could he find the time to think about other people’s issues?

Since there was nobody obstructing his way anymore, he proceeded forward again. He walked and walked along. All of a sudden, in a place up ahead, lamplight miraculously flared up. The radiant light revealed a small temple.

Dragon King Temple. He had finally arrived.

[Hoju!]

Chapter 42 continued.....
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Dragon King Temple. He had finally arrived.



He had arrived at Dragon King Temple, but who had lit the lamps inside? Why would that person suddenly light so many lamps in the temple?

Not only were the actions of those three people – the hunchbacked old man, the one-legged monk, plus the pock-faced man – extremely secretive and strange, their backgrounds were also mysterious and difficult to guess. From their martial arts abilities, you could tell that they must be among the best of the first-class martial artists in jianghu, but yet no one had ever heard of them before. It was as if they did not even have names.



Seven lamps were lit in the temple, but there was not a single person inside. If the person had lit lamps so that Guo DaLu could find this place, why, then, would he also leave?

Guo DaLu gazed all about him, extremely relaxed, as if he was a tourist. In reality, in his heart, how could he not feel nervous? Naturally, the madman did not do all this as a joke. No one would waste all that effort and thought and spend so much money just to play a joke on someone. So now, Guo DaLu could only wait for him to expose his own identity and reveal his motive. That instant was certain to be dangerous and extremely terrifying and perhaps would even be the moment that decided whether Guo DaLu would live or die.

Waiting has always been a very painful thing to have to do, let alone waiting when Guo DaLu did not even know what he was waiting for.

Guo DaLu had just heaved a sigh when a lamp on the altar extinguished suddenly. There was no wind inside. Why would a lamp that was burning perfectly fine all of sudden go out? Puckering his brow, he walked over and carefully examined it for a long while before discovering that the reason why this lamp had suddenly snuffed out was merely because its oil had dried up.

The lamp may have extinguished itself without any help, but beneath the altar, there seemed to be something moving and shaking non-stop. Guo DaLu immediately retreated three steps. “Who is it?” he asked in a low voice.

There was no answer, but the object quivered even more fiercely so that ripples undulated through the cloth covering the altar.

All of a sudden, Guo DaLu dashed over and whipped up the cloth. He paused in surprise.

So late in the night, so desolate a place.

In this spooky, mysterious Dragon King Temple, underneath that worn, old altar was a sixteen or seventeen year old girl, beautiful as a spring flower.

In order to get to this place, Guo DaLu had come across many weird people and encountered many strange events. It could almost be said that he had risked his life for it. No matter how dangerous an ambush or how terrible an enemy was hidden beneath that altar, he still would not have found it strange. However, never in his dreams would he have thought that what he encountered would be a girl like this one.

She was so delicate and petite, so pitiable, and the clothes she wore were very thin. Her entire body was trembling uncontrollably, but it was not known whether it was from cold or from fright. Seeing Guo DaLu, she began shaking even harder. Her arms were wrapped around her chest and her body pulled tightly into a ball. Dread filled those beautiful eyes and they also seemed to plead for mercy as, with great difficulty, she stammered out a few words: “I beg you… Please let me go.”

Guo DaLu was still stunned as he stood there. A long time passed before he could finally speak. “Who are you? What are you doing in a place like this?”

The young girl’s lips were pale as she continued to quaver, “I beg you… Please let me go.” She was so terrified it was as if her soul had flown away. Besides these two phrases, she was not able to say anything else.

With a sigh, Guo DaLu said, “You do not need to beg me. I did not come here to harm you.”

The young girl stared at him, and only after quite a while did she slowly manage to recover her composure. “You… you mean you are not that person?”

Guo DaLu: “Which person?”

Young girl: “The person who kidnapped me here.”

Guo DaLu answered with a wry smile, “Of course not. Don’t you even know yourself who kidnapped you to this place?”

Nibbling on her lip, the girl said, “I… I never saw him.”

Guo DaLu: “Well then, how did you get here?”

The young girl’s eyes grew red, as if she was ready to cry at any moment.

Guo DaLu hurriedly spoke up again, “I told you already that I am not going to hurt you, so you have no need to be afraid now. Just say it slowly. It doesn’t matter.” It would have been better if he had not tried to console her. As soon as he did, the young girl actually covered her face and began sobbing uncontrollably.

Guo DaLu was again at a loss for what he should do. To tell a sixteen or seventeen year old girl to have a good hard cry is something that any man can do successfully. But to be able to successfully tell her to stop crying requires a man who is rich in experience. In this aspect, Guo DaLu’s experience was not enough. And so, he could only watch from off to the side. He did not know how much time elapsed, but at last, with sniffles and hiccoughs, the sounds of her weeping finally died out. Only then could Guo DaLu breathe out in relief. “Do you not know yourself how you got here?” he asked gently.

The young girl was still covering her face with her hands. “I had been asleep. Afterward, when I suddenly awakened, I was already here.”

Guo DaLu: “When you woke up, was there no one else here?”

Young girl: “This place is so dark and cold. I really was terribly frightened. Luckily, I felt a flint on the table…” Sure enough, on the altar was a flint and knife set.

Guo DaLu: “So you lit all the lamps in this place?”

The young girl nodded her head.

At least Guo DaLu understood this one thing now, but he still could not help inquiring, “Since there was no one here just now, why didn’t you seize that opportunity to escape?”

Young girl: “I had originally wanted to try and escape, but once I step out the door, it will be even darker and colder outside and I... I did not even dare take one step out.”

Up until this point, her body had still been trembling gently but at least her words were clear now. A young maiden, whose foot never even stepped beyond the doorway of her home, suddenly awakened to find herself in a deserted temple but still managed not to grow crazy with fright – this was already a miracle.

Guo DaLu gazed at her with eyes full of compassion. Her face was still hidden behind her hands, but she was starting to peep out at Guo DaLu through the spaces between her fingers. Guo DaLu really did not look like a bad person – not only did he not look like one, he wasn’t one.

He had wanted to help her stand up from beneath the table, but just as he stretched out his hand, he immediately retracted it again. Although she appeared petite and delicate, her body was already maturely developed. The clothes she wore really were pitifully thin. Since her hands were already covering her face, they could not be used to cover up other places on her body.

The light was still very bright.

Not only did Guo DaLu dare not stretch out his hand, he did not even allow himself to look.

At that instant, another light went out. The third lamp extinguished even more quickly. It seemed that right from the start, the oil in the lamps had already been nearly exhausted. All of a sudden, all seven lamps were snuffed out. With a squeal of fear, the girl threw herself into Guo DaLu’s arms.



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LOL!! Another beautiful girl?!

[Han Solo]

Where is YQ? I miss her.

Han Solo