Dragon King with Seven Stars by Gu Long

[9Dragons]

Fun interactions here, but you forgot to translate a couple of passages.

"Actually Frogbro, you got it wrong. Frogs do lay eggs, except one kind."
"Which kind is that?"
"The dead kind!"

"Go drink that cup of Lianhua baijiu."
"I'm no fool. That's piss! Are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy, but I do have a star."

So what Chinese character is engraved on the star? Dragon? Heaven?

[deathblade]

Fun interactions here, but you forgot to translate a couple of passages.

"Actually Frogbro, you got it wrong. Frogs do lay eggs, except one kind."
"Which kind is that?"
"The dead kind!"

"Go drink that cup of Lianhua baijiu."
"I'm no fool. That's piss! Are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy, but I do have a star."

So what Chinese character is engraved on the star? Dragon? Heaven?

Holy crap.

Okay I'll go back and fix that.

I changed my method because I yet again changed devices. Now I have the original on one device and the translation on another. I was worried it would lead to situations like this. Okay, thanks for the catch.

[deathblade]

Thanks deathblade! Brilliant translation! Just a small question here, is there an error in this part?

"Frogboy accepted it with two hands and looked at it, then handed it to Xiao Jun. Xiao Jun’s facial expression changed, and with two hands, he handed it back to Ingot."

That implies that Xiao Jun returned the star to Ingot with 2 hands?? I thought he only had 1 arm?

I went back and double checked, and it does indeed say that he hands it over with two hands. Typo on the publisher's part?

I guess you could assume that he hands it back with one hand and Ingot accepts with two.

[deathblade]

Fun interactions here, but you forgot to translate a couple of passages.

"Actually Frogbro, you got it wrong. Frogs do lay eggs, except one kind."
"Which kind is that?"
"The dead kind!"

"Go drink that cup of Lianhua baijiu."
"I'm no fool. That's piss! Are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy, but I do have a star."

So what Chinese character is engraved on the star? Dragon? Heaven?

Hey, actually I went back and read the chapter both in digital and print form, and couldn't find these passages. I even searched the whole novel for all lianhua and egg references and couldn't find either. Could you give me a link to the original text you're reading? Maybe it's and older (or newer) version?

As for the character, it doesn't say, but they call it a 福星, so my bet is it's the character 福 for luck or blessing.

[9Dragons]

Hey, actually I went back and read the chapter both in digital and print form, and couldn't find these passages.

Sorry about that. I wrote that as a joke. Yeah, those passages don't exist. I laughed at some of the dialogue and was thinking about what kind of absurd and funny things they could say. In retrospect, it didn't come out the same way I anticipated. Better stick to my day job than be a comedic writer. haha

[dexter64]

Sorry about that. I wrote that as a joke. Yeah, those passages don't exist. I laughed at some of the dialogue and was thinking about what kind of absurd and funny things they could say. In retrospect, it didn't come out the same way I anticipated. Better stick to my day job than be a comedic writer. haha

You had me fooled and deathblade also. It's really like something Gu Long/Jin Yong would write. I think you should consider to write wuxia/xianxia then.

[deathblade]

You had me fooled and deathblade also. It's really like something Gu Long/Jin Yong would write. I think you should consider to write wuxia/xianxia then.

LMAO. Yeah, I could see those lines actually being in there. Bravo! Haha.

[deathblade]

Part 2

Most of the tables had already resumed play. The losers wanted to retake their losses, the winners wanted to win more. When gamblers gamble, it is difficult to distract them.

And little in the world could distract Ingot’s appetite.

He had already begun wolfing down food and drink. It was free, and when it came to free food, he never let himself be second place in line. Even though someone had just said he would lose a bet, he still had to eat.

Frogboy had already begun to admire him: “This little punk can really hold his own and also let go. Even if he lost his own life, he wouldn’t care.”

Xiao Jun appeared to be off somewhere else as usual, except he suddenly said in a cold voice: “He didn’t lose. You did.”

And it was true.

Frogboy turned his head to see the supposedly dead Wu Tao walking in, not a scratch on him, not a hair missing.

But Frogboy had some missing hairs.

Whenever he ran into a situation he couldn’t comprehend, he would pull violently at his own hair. He pulled his hair and said to Wu Tao, “How did you get back?”

“It seems I walked back,” said Wu Tao. “Using my two legs.”

“And the other people?”

“What other people?”

“The people who were about to smash every vital point in your body?”

“They’re back too.”

“Where are they?” Frogboy didn’t understand. “How come I can’t see them.”

“Because,” said Wu Tao coolly, “They didn’t come back completely. Only a bit of each came back.”

How could a bit of someone come back? At first Frogboy didn’t understand, but then… he did.

Wu Tao had a bag in hand. When he opened it, Frogboy understood completely.

Inside the bag were thirteen steel pincers, exactly the same pincers that the thirteen men had been wearing.

The pincers were their killing weapons, but also their means of defense. They would not arbitrarily give them to someone else, any more than a person would casually chop off their arm to give to another.

What about the rest of their body parts? No one asked, nor did they need to.

Ingot laughed, then rushed over and clasped Wu Tao's shoulders with two chicken-grease covered hands. He glanced back at Frogboy, “So, is he dead?”

Frogboy laughed bitterly. “I don’t think dead people can walk.”

“So, he’s back, right?”

“Seems so.”

“And did you just make a bet with me?”

“Yep.”

“Did you lose, or did I lose?”

“I lost.”

“So now what?”

Frogboy laughed, and then suddenly asked a question: “Didn’t I say that if I lost I would owe you a person?”

“Yes.”

“Then I need to think for a moment about how to get a person to pay you with. Although, I never said exactly what type of person I would owe you.” Frogboy chuckled. “After all, I could provide you with a blind, ugly, fat, stinky, bald, diseased, cleft-lipped *****. She could accompany you every day, from morning till night. You couldn’t refuse, you would have to accept her.”

Ingot gaped.

Even he could be fooled. Others might not think it possible, and of course he had never thought it possible.

Frogboy laughed heartily, and it seemed he was preparing to go out and find such a horrible young lady. He laughed proudly. “By chance, I happened to know of exactly such a girl who lives in the area. And by chance, she happens to be looking for a young man just like you.”

He really did seem like he was about to leave to find the horrific-sounding girl, when Wu Tao suddenly asked him to stop. “There’s something that, by chance, I need to consult with you about.”

Frogboy instantly stopped. “One of my best attributes is that I am extremely wiling to help others.” He smiled happily. “Anyone who comes to me asking for advice, I will give them some, no matter what.”

“Well that is excellent.”

“With which matter do you need my advice?”

“It seems there are a total of one hundred ninety-six lanterns here.”

“You didn’t count incorrectly. Not at all.”

“How is it possible that one hundred ninety-six lantern could all be extinguished at exactly the same time?”

Frogboy’s tilted his head. “That is a truly odd thing, but not impossible,” he said. “If ten concealed weapons experts were here, and they all shot out ten projectiles, then the lamps would go out.” What he said made sense. “This is a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons [1]. Even if a hundred such masters were here, I wouldn’t find it strange.”

Wu Tao could not deny that what he said made sense. And yet, he suddenly flew up into the air, placed his left hand onto one of the crossbeams in the roof, and grabbed one of the lanterns with his left hand. Everyone cheered as he floated back down and placed the lantern in front of Frogboy.

“If the lanterns were extinguished by means of a concealed weapon, then there would definitely be a hole in the lantern.” He asked Frogboy: “Do you see any holes?”

“No.”

“The lantern is lit, and the paper is wrapped around all eight sides very tightly. Even the slightest hole would ruin the beautiful craftsmanship, and anyone would be able to see it.” He continued, “If there is no hole, could the lantern have been extinguished by means of concealed weapon?”

Frogboy shook his head and laughed bitterly. “As of now, you don’t need to consult me any further. I know how the lanterns were extinguished.”

Everyone looked shocked. Even Ingot couldn’t figure it out.

“What happened?”

“These lanterns are all the handiwork of the famous Qian Erdai from the Capital City. Even though the characters in his name mean ‘number two stupid,’ he is actually not the least bit stupid, and has incredibly dextrous hands. At the topof each of his exquisite lanterns is a spring mechanism. With a mere touch, a small metal cover will clamp down over the lampshade and the wick, thus extinguishing the lantern.”

“Above the lamps are hooks,” said Wu Tao, “also attached to spring devices, all of which are connected by thin copper wires to a handle. All one hundred and ninety-six lanterns can actually be extinguished by about ten people. As long as they all pull the lever at the same time, all one hundred ninety-six lamps would be extinguished simultaneously.” He continued coolly, “All you need to pull off a trick like this, is people with hands. It’s a lot easier to find people with hands, than to find top notch experts who can shoot and never miss.”

Ingot listened, spellbound. “I think I need to go find Qian Erdai and get me some of his lamps to mess around with.”

“However,” said Wu Tao, “to cause all the lamps here to go out at exactly the same time, is actually not very easy. I think perhaps only one person could make that happen.”

“Who?”

“Big Boss Tang.”

“No, no way,” said Frogboy, shaking his head. “Why would he do something like that?”

“Because someone asked him to. And there’s only one person who that could be.”

“Who?”

“You,” said Wu Tao, looking at Frogboy coldly. “Everyone in Jinan City knows that Young Master Tian and Big Boss Tang are good friends.”

“Me!” Frogboy looked baffled. “Why would I do something like that? I’m not crazy, and extinguishing the lamps doesn’t benefit me at all.”

“It does,” said Wu Tao. “My death will benefit everyone, it doesn’t matter who you are.”

“And what does the lanterns being extinguished have to do with you living or dying?” asked Frogboy. “Why do they have to be out for you to die?”

“Because once the lanterns are extinguished, Lord Xiao Jun could make a move,” replied Wu Tao. “His fists skills, palm skills, blade skills, lightness arts, and concealed weapons are all incredibly refined. That precise moment when the light is extinguished, he could attack my vital parts with concealed weapons. Who’s to say I wouldn’t be dead? At least,” he said coolly, “that’s what you thought.”

At that moment, Xiao Jun had been sitting directly in front of him. All Wu Tao's paths of retreat were blocked by the deadly thirteen steel pincers.

If Xiao Jun had made a move and attacked the vital points on his torso, it would have been difficult to avoid.

An expert like Xiao Jun could attack someone directly in front of him even with his eyes closed. Having already determined the position of the vital points, once the lights went out, he would have an advantage.

Frogboy sighed. “Everything you said makes sense. If he wanted to take your life, that was definitely the best opportunity.”

“And so you gave him the opportunity,” said Wu tao.

“He wasn’t confident enough to take it?”

“No, he's not,” said Wu Tao. “Perhaps he is too young, and lacks the ruthlessness to such a thing.”

“If he had, would you be dead now?”

Wu Tao suddenly leaned his head back and laughed. “I roamed Jianghu for twenty years. The number of people who sought after my life are not few, and among them, at least nineteen are experts of the same level as Xiao Jun. And they all had opportunities like he did.”

“But they weren’t confident enough to take them?”

“They were all ruthless people. They knew that if a good opportunity is lost, it may never return. Opportunities like that cannot be missed.”

“So where are all those people now?”

“Dead. Nineteen, completely and thoroughly dead. Just before they died, they all realized something.”

“Oh? What?”

“When you have an opportunity to kill someone, it usually means that someone has an opportunity to kill you. And if that someone can kill you, why wouldn’t they?”

“It makes sense,” sighed Frogboy. “If more people in Jianghu realized this, there would be a lot less dead people.”

**

[1] I had to keep the original idiom, which is the same as the title of the movie and book of the same name "crouching tigers, hidden dragons," which means powerful people lay in hiding

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade

[HPC7595]

Thanks deathblade

[theSwordoftheWest]

Thanks you deathblade .

[deathblade]

Chapter 11 - Ingot’s Adventure


Part 1

April 17th. The night grew deeper.

Most gamblers knew that in “As You Wish Gambling Hall,” the biggest gambling table was “Number One Heaven.” It was not the largest in size, but it was the biggest.

Only people with the biggest reputation and connections could gamble there.

Though smaller in size than a craps table, in most peoples’ eyes, it was the biggest table in the room.

Many things in the world are like this.

Usually, the bets placed on the table would be gold, silver, pearls, jewelry and bank notes. But Frogboy suddenly placed his belt down onto it, along with an old leather bag.

“The belt has a Burmese sword in it, and in the bag are thirteen flying flags. Whoever wants them can take them.”

No one seemed to understand what he meant.

“These are deadly weapons,” said Frogboy. “And yet, I haven’t used them to kill anyone in my entire life. I really don’t wish to be encumbered by such things.”

“Some people don’t need weapons to kill people,” said Wu Tao coolly. “Isn’t it much easier to get others to do your dirty work for you?”

Frogboy laughed, then said, “I really hope you can come to understand something, preferably before you die.”

“What’s that?”

“There are definitely people here who seek your life. And at least seven or eight who can take it.”

“What about you?”

“I’m the only one who doesn’t want to. If there’s anyone here who doesn’t want your life, it’s definitely me.” He suddenly yelled out: “President Jin, am I right or not?”

A man who had been sitting in the corner far away from them this whole time suddenly sighed, then slowly turned around. With a bitter laugh, he said, “Young Master Tian, I knew that you would call me out sooner or later.”

This short, emaciated man wore a set of ordinary, grayish clothes. Anyone would have trouble noticing someone like him.

“Does anyone here know who this is?”

Frogboy asked the question, then answered it himself: “Most likely no one can tell from looking who he is, but I’m sure you’ve all heard of him. North China has a Divine Constable who solved eight-hundred and fifty cases in ten years, unprecedented since the founding of Department Six. His name rocked both orthodox and unorthodox alike.”

Looking at the man with the goatee, he laughed.

“Well, that’s him.” Frogboy pasted a smile onto his face. “He is none other than the Chief Constable of the Eight Circuits, Five Districts and Nine Prefectures of Shandong, ‘Watertight’ President Jin.”

He went on: “With President Jin’s status, would it be difficult to cause all the lanterns in a gambling hall to be extinguished, if he wanted it to happen?”

No one seemed willing to respond to his question, but President Jin smiled and said, “It wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be hard at all.”

In a loud voice, Frogboy called out: “Great Hero Tu, shouldn’t you, too, show your face now?”

Even though he hadn’t showed his face yet, everyone knew who Frogboy was talking about.

The words “Great Hero” were not words to be spoken casually. Few Great Heroes existed in Jianghu, and among them, there was only one “Great Hero Tu.”

“Hate Evil with a Vengeance” Tu Qu’e. [1]

After the lights went back up, people had gone back to gambling. But actually, more people were watching the scene than gambling. Only one table was currently packed with gamblers.

Suddenly, the people at the table all stepped aside. A tall man with a pale, golden face sat in the seat of honor. Tu Qu’e.

Frogboy looked at him and laughed. With a smile, he said, “When did Great Hero Tu arrive?”

“When the lights went out.”

Great Heroes don’t lie. He didn’t wait for Frogboy to ask the question he knew he would ask. “Yes, I could have had the lanterns extinguished. And I can also take peoples’ lives.” In a stern voice, he said, “I want the lives of all the bandits and evildoers under heaven to be extinguished, eliminated completely.”

“Great,” said Frogboy, clapping his hands. “Great Hero Tu is truly worthy to be called Great Hero. I truly admire you.”

As he finished speaking, a “square” man walked out from behind a screen. He was not short.

But his shoulders were too wide, his frame too large, so much so that he looked like a square. Although he didn’t appear to be a perfect square, he was close enough.

Almost everyone in Jianghu knew of Head Bodyguard Dai Tianchou of the “Enmity of Heaven Protection Agency.” [2] His “Golden Bell, Iron Tunic, Severe Thirteen Officials” Virgin kung fu had been rigorously trained to the point where his body was impervious to blades and spears. [3]

Only practitioners of this type of kung fu could truly understand the sacrifices he had made to practice it, and how bitterly he had trained.

“I cannot compare to Great Hero Tu,” said Dai Tianchou. “And I don’t have the power to kill all the bandits and thieves under heaven. I only want one person’s life.”

With a hoarse voice, he continued, “Because of the enmity between me and this person, we cannot live under the same sky. The only reason I live, is to see him dead.”

Worldly-wise people all knew what he referred to.

Twelve years ago, under the careful, daring and skilled leadership of Dai Yongan, the newly founded “Eternal Peace Protection Agency,” [4] gained more fame in a three year period than most agencies earned in thirty. No one dare even touch anyone who traveled under the flag emblazoned with the character “Peace.”

But once, someone did touch one of their charges, even before they left the main gate.

The charge was a huge collection of extremely valuable sparklers and nacre. In the jargon of protection agencies, sparklers and nacre means jewelry and pearls. The owner of said jewelry and pearls was extremely cautious, never ostentatious. One night, he had two huge metal strongboxes delivered to the protection agency.

Head Bodyguard Dai personally oversaw his subordinates receive the two chests from their owner. They placed them in a small room in the rear courtyard and sealed it tight, then assigned several squads of bodyguards to take shifts to protect it. After securing the chests, he entertained the owner, during which time he had slapped his chest and guaranteed: “This charge is in absolutely no danger whatsoever.”

Even as the words left his mouth, three frightening laughs rang out from the rear courtyard.

When Dai Yongan rushed over, he found that the locked room had been broken open, the two bodyguard captains and their six men all immobilized. The two metal chests were gone.

The final result:

The protection agency went out of business. Dai Yongan wasted away and died, his wife hanged herself. Right before she died, she changed the name of her only son to “Tianchou,” and told him to never, ever give up on seeking vengeance.

And Dai Tianchou never forgot.

President Jin, Tu Qu’e, Dai Tianchou. These three men all had vastly different identities, but they were all people who no one dared to ignore.

They had all come for different reasons, but they had all come for the same person.

Frogboy looked at Wu Tao and sighed. “See, I didn’t lie to you, did I? Quite a few of your enemies showed up here.”

“Just now, didn’t you say that there were at least seven or eight? Where are the rest?”

“I can’t say the names of the others.”

“Why not?”

“Because the identities of the others are different than these three,” he said. “Of these three, one is a great hero, another is a Head bodyguard, the other is a Chief constable. They are all men of integrity and honor. Even though I called them out and revealed their position, they may curse me in their heart as a scoundrel and bastard, but they won’t do anything to me.” He sighed. “But the others are different. If I call them out when the want to stay hidden, who’s to say whether or not they will take my life? I only have one head, and I don’t want it chopped off and turned into a chamber pot this late at night.”

Ingot’s head swiveled as he looked around the room, wide-eyed. “Who are they all here for?”

“A general,” said Frogboy. “Three Frightening Laughs General Li.”

“Why are they looking for a general?” said Ingot, blinking. He purposefully lowered his voice: “Do they want to be soldiers?”

“Not really,” said Frogboy, laughing. He also lowered his voice: “This general isn’t actually a real general.”

“If he’s not a general, then who is he?”

“He’s a great bandit, who has been in hiding for ten years.”

“And no one found him in all those ten years?”

“Nope.”

“Nobody finds him for ten years, and then suddenly everybody shows up at once. What’s going on? Maybe you’re mistaken…”

“He’s not mistaken,” Tu Qu’e suddenly said to Ingot. “Kid, come over here. There’s something I want to show you.”

Why would someone as famous as Tu Qu’e have any dealings to do with a young beggar. Could it be because of his star?

Ingot walked over, then asked. “Are you gonna show me something pretty or something ugly?”

Tu Qu’e’s attitude seemed very warm. He laughed and said: “How could an old man like myself have anything pretty? It’s just a letter.”

And then he really did pull out a letter, sealed with wax. On the letter was written: “For the eyes of Great Hero Tu Qu’e only.”

The contents of the letter were clearly extremely important and top secret, not for anyone else to see.

Tu Qu’e was not an indiscreet person.

And yet, he handed the letter over to Ingot and said, “After you take a look, there’s no harm in reading it out loud for everyone.”

Ingot frowned. “You shouldn’t have me read it. There may be characters I don’t know.”

Fortunately, the letter contained only fourteen characters, characters that even young children know.

Ingot laughed, then read them out loud. “If you want Three Frightening Laughs General Li, come to Jinan on April Fifteen.”

After he finished reading, he frowned.

“These characters look horrible,” he said. “Even I can write better.”

“That’s on purpose,” said Tu Qu’e. “Whoever wrote it doesn’t want others to recognize them through the handwriting.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“I don’t.”

“Does anyone know?”

“Probably not,” said Tu Qu’e. “But I suspect that more people than me received a letter like this.”

Ingot shook his head. “You all don’t even know who wrote the letter, why do you trust him?”

Dai Tianchou suddenly laughed. “I’ve been looking for this Li for twelve years. I wouldn’t miss the chance to uncover even a little clue.”

With these words, he revealed that he, too, had received a letter.

He glared hatefully at Wu Tao: “I don’t even want to know who wrote the letter,” he said. “Because I’ve found you. Do you want to fight in here, or outside?”

Wu Tao laughed. “Not many people nowadays practice Severe Thirteen Officials Virgin kung fu. It’s simply not something people should study.”

“But I do,” said Dai Tianchou harshly. “Perhaps I can’t defeat you, but at least I can hold up against you. I can hold up against at least ten palm strikes with no problem. What about you? Can you hold up against one of my palms?”

“Why should I have to stand up to one of your palms?” said Wu Tao with a sigh. “In any case, it’s truly frightening to see someone who has trained their kung fu to your level. I might as well let you try it out.”

Dai Tianchou said nothing. With an angry shout, he flew into the air.

But he didn’t fly forward.

As soon as he flew up, two dominos flew toward him. His palms shot out, smashing the dominos into pieces and sending the fragments flying outward.

But his body stopped flying.

The dominos had shot forth from the dealer’s seat at the “Number One Heaven” table. Xiao Jun, his face expressionless, cooly said to Dai Tianchou: “I wouldn’t attack if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to take the risk.”

“You don’t want to take the risk?” roared Dai Tianchou. “My life is on the line, not yours? What are you risking?”

“It’s because your life is on the line that I’m taking a risk.”

Dai Tianchou didn’t understand. Nobody understood.

“I can’t take the risk of letting you try to kill him,” said Xiao Jun coldly. “I can clearly see that you are not his match, but what happens if, by some lucky chance, you defeat him? What then?”

“Chamber Lord Xiao,” said Dai Tianchou, his face growing purple. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“What I mean is, you can’t touch this man. Only if I’m dead can you touch him.”

If anyone else said this, Dai Tianchou would have attacked him instantly. But the words had come out of the mouth of the Torture Chamber Lord of the Number One Sect under heaven. Not even Dai Tianchou would dare act recklessly in this situation. He could only ask, “Why?”

“Because he’s mine,” said Xiao Jun. “If I can’t kill him myself, I can’t die in peace.”

Dai Tianchou, his voice hoarse, said, “Chamber Lord Xiao, can you please give me a chance?”

At this point Ingot interrupted: “I think you guys should draw lots.” He chuckled. “President Jin, Great Hero Tu, Head Bodyguard Dai, Chamber Lord Xiao. The four of you draw lots. Others can participate as well. Whoever wins gets to make a move first. In any case, you are all his enemies, it doesn’t really matter who gets to go first.”

Frogboy immediately clapped his hands in approval. “Great idea.”

“Actually, I have an even better idea.”

“Oh?”

“Why don’t you call that moneyphobe Big Boss Tang to turn out the lights again? Just have them fight in the dark. That way no one will be able to see, and no one will get embarrassed.”

Frogboy yet again clapped and laughed loudly. “That is a really good idea.”

Suddenly, the lights went out.

Just like last time, all one hundred ninety-six lanterns were simultaneously extinguished. [5]

Within the darkness could be heard gusts of wind coming from everywhere—the sounds of rustling sleeves, flying hidden weapons, and whistling blades.

And Ingot heard Wu Tao say something to him: “Get out of here.”

***

Ingot didn’t obey, because he was already gone.

In that instant in which the lanterns went out, he could sense at least three people moving toward him in attack.

He couldn’t see who they were, but he could tell that they were all top notch experts.

He dodged the attacks of two of them, and actually counterattacked against one of them. But the third was able to latch onto his wrist.

This person’s hand felt as cold as ice.

And they were extremely powerful.

Ingot felt half of his body go numb. The other half had no energy whatsoever.

And then, he felt himself being tossed like a ball. He flew across the room, whereupon someone caught him.

It turned out the person who caught him was the same person as the one who threw him. He could tell, because the person had a unique scent.

It smelled like a corpse who had been soaked with herbs and sealed in a coffin.

This was not an odor one could often smell.

Ingot had struck it lucky: in a short moment, he had the chance to smell it twice.

And then he passed out.


Part 2

When Ingot awoke, he smelled something completely different, a fragrance which, if dead people were able to smell, would cause them to leap up kicking.

He had never before smelled such an entrancing fragrance.

And then he realized that he was no longer in the gambling hall, filled as it was with auras of death.

Just now, he had been sleeping on a bed, and that was the origin of the fragrant aroma.

His beggars’ clothes were stinky, stinky beyond belief. But no stink existed here.

He suddenly noticed that he lay naked on the bed, and that his entire body was completely clean, as clean as a newborn baby.

Ingot felt a wave of shock.

—How did he get here? What was this place?

—Who was that person whose smelled like a corpse and had hands as cold as ice?

Ingot didn’t know.

Even though he had received a shock, he didn’t jump up. His body still felt weak, without even an ounce of energy.

Just then, when he wasn’t sure he could cry even if he wanted to, he suddenly heard someone—he heard someone laughing.

It was a girl who seemed to be about the same age as him, or perhaps a bit younger. She had suddenly appeared at the head of the bed, chuckling. When she laughed, two dimples appeared, as cute as his own.

Other than Ingot himself, anyone in the world would most likely say that she was much more cute than him.

Ingot hurriedly wrapped himself up in the blanket. The girl giggled even more happily.

“I’m not going to do anything to you,” she said. “What are you scared of? For example, if you’re scared of me looking at you, well, I saw everything just now.”

“You saw?” asked Ingot, horrified. “What did you see?”

“Everything,” said the girl. “I just bathed you.”

Ingot gaped.

Even in his dreams, he’d never imagined he would meet a girl such as this, much less that she would bathe him.

How could this have happened?

**

[1] His name is interesting. The character Tu 屠 is a surname, but can also mean “to slaughter.” Qu 去 can have the meaning of “to get rid of” and E 恶 means evil. So his given name could mean “get rid of evil.”
[2] Tianchou literally means “enmity of heaven.”
[3] Virgin kung fu is a real type of martial art practiced by Shaolin http://tinyurl.com/qdc3c84
[4] Dai Yongan’s name “Yongan” literally means eternal peace.
[5] What about the lantern Wu Tao took down… Did he put it back secretly? Haha

[theSwordoftheWest]

Thank you deathblade.

The story just got interesting in my opinion. I'm so curious right now. Can't wait for the next update.

So Ingot martial art not really top notch, but he have good background. Mmmm interesting

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade

[LuDongBin]

I must confess I got lost reading the dialogue between Frogboy and Ingot ... who won, who lost ... will read one more time when I have the time. Thks deathblade.

[Drak17]

Thanks deathblade!

I wonder...is Ingot the one that send the invitation letters to all the people...? O.o. Wouldnt be surprise, since Gu Long usually hides people in plain sight..;-;

And is laughing general related to Li Xuanhua? Just guessing cause they call him Laughing General Li, unless the character for both Li's are different. Then nevermind

[deathblade]

Yeah, it seems Ingot is good enough to survive an attack by at least 2 top experts, and even exchange blows with one. In the dark. And he's only a teenager.

As for General Li being related to Li Xuanhua, I will refrain from any spoilers and comment on this later when it's appropriate. Although I can say it is the same character. Although, it's like one of the most common Chinese surname's, so that's not necessarily saying too much.

[deathblade]

Chapter 12 - Ingot’s Seven Stars

Part 1

April 18th, dusk.

Ingot had no idea what time it was, nor where he was, nor had he any clue what had occurred after the lights went out at As You Wish Gambling Hall.

He wanted to ask about all these things, but he didn’t. The girl who had bathed him started asking questions first.

“I know people call you Ingot, but what is your surname? What’s your given name? Where is your family? What family members do you have… are you married?”

Her succession of five questions made it seem like she was sizing him up as a prospective mate.

“I’m called Ingot, and I’m just a beggar,” he said. “How could a stinky beggar have a family, much less a wife?”

“You’re lying,” said the girl. “You are definitely not a beggar. I could tell that when I bathed you just now.”

“How could you tell?”

“Your skin is delicate and you have fair complexion. Your feet are as delicate as a woman’s. How could you be a beggar?” She chuckled. “If you think a woman wouldn’t want to marry you, you’re wrong. I’ll marry you any time. Just now when you lay sleeping in the bathtub, I realized that I really like you.”

How could such words come out of the mouth of such a young girl? Ingot laughed bitterly.

“Did I hear incorrectly? What you said just now, I think you didn’t actually say. My ears must have a defect.”

“You ears don’t have any defect. In fact, I can guarantee that your entire body is without defect. You’re as robust as a bull.” The girl was still laughing. “I could also tell that you are definitely a boy, and definitely able to marry a wife. Even if you married three wives, or five, you would be fine.”

She did not blush, nor did she seem embarrassed in the slightest.

She sat there next to the bed, looking like she was ready to jump in at any moment.

Ingot wasn’t the type of boy to get embarrassed easily. He was gutsy, and thick-skinned. But currently, the only thing he could do was shrink deeper into the bed and change the conversation topic on this girl who seemed to have much thicker skin than him. “Is it starting to get light outside?” A tiny bit of lit seemed to seep in from the window. It looked somewhat like dawn light.

“Yes, it will be light soon,” said the girl. “At the most, twelve or fourteen hours from now.”

“Twelve or fourteen hours?” cried Ingot in shock. “Don’t tell me it just got dark? I slept a whole day?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know?” said the girl, laughing again. “I had to bathe you for two hours before I could get you clean.”

She brought up the bathing matter again, but Ingot changed topics again just as quickly.

“How did I get here?” he asked her. “Who brought me here?”

“A very scary person. Even I am scared of him.” She really did appear to be frightened.

Upon mention of him, her laughter ceased completely.

“What’s his name?”

“I can’t say, even if you beat me.”

“Why?”

“Because he told me not to. He said that if I spoke his name, he would slice off my nose, mix it with rice, and feet it to the cats.”

Ingot could sense that she spoke the truth, given that her face had grown pale white.

He had personally experienced that person’s fearsomeness already.

Just thinking about those ice-cold hands, and that stench of death, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

“He grabbed me in one move, threw me across the room, then caught me himself. Who wouldn’t be frightened of someone like that.” Ingot sighed. “I just can’t figure out why he would bring me here. Why not just dump me in the gutter?”

“Because he likes you, too,” laughed the girl. “And at the least, this place smells better than the gutter.”

“What is this place? How far is it away from As You Wish Gambling Hall.”

“Not far.”

“How far is ‘not far?’”

“Why do you want to such a detailed answer?”

“Right now, I can barely even take a single step,” said Ingot. “I want you go go there for me and ask around.”

“Ask around about what?”

“I want to know what happened after the lanterns were extinguished last night.”

“I just know that some people got killed,” said the girl. “I don’t want to know anything more.”

She suddenly laughed happily again. “Anyway, this place can’t be considered very far from As You Wish Gambling hall, because this place is As You Wish.”

Ingot gaped.

“This room is in the courtyard behind the main room you were in. It’s Big Boss Tang’s house, and I’m Big Boss Tang’s adopted daughter. I’m surnamed Cai; people call me Little Cai.” [1]

Ingot laughed.

“Little Cai? An appetizer? What kind of appetizer? Meat or vegetarian? Stir-fried lamb kidney or cold, shredded radish?”

He laughed heartily. “Just hearing your name makes me hungry. I could eat any kind of appetizer whatsoever. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”

Little Cai didn’t laugh. She stared at him for a while, then suddenly placed her soft, white face in front of his and said, “Okay. Eat. I’ll feed you.”

Again, Ingot was incapable of laughing.

But this time, the reason he didn’t laugh was not because of this audacious girl.

This time, he didn’t laugh because he had just thought of something extremely serious.

“You just bathed me, right?” he asked her. “And you were the one who took my clothes off?”

“Of course,” said Little Cai, with a purposefully coquettish expression. “”How could I let anyone else take your clothes off?”

“Where are they?”

“Burned,” she said, “along with all the toys and junk that were inside.”

“What?” cried Ingot. “How could you burn my things?”

“Why not? They were making the whole room stink. Don’t tell me you wanted me to save them like they were treasure or something?”

Ingot was struck speechless, his expression like that of a person who had just swallowed eight or nine stinking duck eggs. “You’ve killed me,” he said. “You’ve really killed me.”

“Sadly, I haven’t killed you,” she said with a sigh. With a flourish, she pulled out an embroidered bag from within her garment. “See? What’s this?”

Ingot sprang to life, snatching the bag from her. She sneered and laughed coldly.

“You look like a very easy going person. Why would you treat a pouch like a great treasure?”

“You don’t know what’s inside.”

“How could I know, I never looked inside,” she said. “I’m not in the habit of secretly looking at other peoples’ things.”

“You’re a good girl,” said Ingot happily. “Of course you wouldn’t have a habit like that.”

“Although, if you decided to let me see, I wouldn’t refuse to look.”

“I might not necessarily let you look,” said Ingot quickly. “I’m not sure you even want to look. After all, how could a beggar have anything worth looking at.”

“What if I said you had to show me?”

“You wouldn’t,” said Ingot. “You’re not that type of person.”

“How do I know what kind of person I am?” she replied. “I’m just an idiot.” She sighed deliberately. “Even though I just couldn’t bring myself to burn your pouch, I could have hidden it away. Why did I have to return it to you? If I’m not an idiot, what am I?”

Ingot thought for a while, and then for a while longer. Then he suddenly said, “You’re right. Okay, I’ll show you.”

The pouch didn’t contain any treasures, just seven stars.

Nobody would regard these seven stars to be treasures, not even a three-year-old child.

They didn’t appear to be very interesting at all. Whichever way you looked at them, there wasn’t anything at all that made them look valuable. If someone offered them to you, you wouldn’t take them. If you randomly picked them up, you would throw them away immediately.

The seven stars were not made from any special material. Even though one appeared to be crafted from jade, the others weren’t. They were made from scraps of copper and iron and wood. One even appeared to but cut out of cardboard.

But each star had a character inscribed on it. Before Little Cai could look closely at the characters, Ingot asked, “So you had your look, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think they’re cool?”

“Not really.”

Given that they weren’t cool, Ingot gathered them back up. His dimples appeared. “I told you, beggars don’t carry anything interesting.”

Little Cai’s dimples also appeared.

“Then why don’t you give me one,” she said with a sweet laugh. “How about the one made from old wood?”

A star of blessing from heaven, with one tap, it can turn iron into gold. She knew about this star, so did she know about what happened that night after the lights went out?

Ingot wanted to ask, but didn’t.

His lips appeared to have been sealed as tight as if they had been sewn shut with thread. He didn’t say a single word. Because he suddenly realized that someone was standing at the end of the bed looking at him.

When had this person arrived? Where had they come from? He had no idea.

He only knew that moments ago, there was no one else in the room. Then suddenly there was someone standing at the edge of the bed.

**

[1] It’s common to put the character for “little” or “small” before someone’s surname to create a nickname. Cai is a common surname. But when you combine those two characters, it creates a homophone for the word for small dishes or appetizers. Sounds exactly the same, although different characters. It looks like this: Her nickname is 小蔡, and small dishes is 小菜.

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade

[Laoren]

Thanks deathblade, I really enjoy the dialogue, just like seeing a live drama