Smiling Proud Wanderer Vol 02 Read online

  笑傲江湖

  (Smiling, Proud Wanderer)

  By. Jin Yong

  Vol. 2 of 4

  Ebook Compiler’s note

  This was originally translated by and posted online by

  Lanny Lin (http://www.lannyland.com, http://blog.lannyland.com) (Chapters 1 to 21)

  Pokit (http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthread.php/17771-Smiling-Proud-Wanderer-Unabridged) (Chapters 22 to 40)

  Bliss (Chapters 30,31)

  Editor: HHaung

  I compiled it as part of an ongoing effort to create a repository of the online fan translations of wuxia fiction in a more convenient format for offline reading.

  Unfortunately there does not appear to a large commercial market for English wuxia translations, so we are beholden to by Lanny, Pokit and others for their efforts to bring the work of Jin Yong, Gu Long et al to an English speaking audience.

  Additionally, I would note that the work involved goes far beyond just translation.

  Chinese cannot simply be directly translated to English, so am grateful for the notes explaining idioms in addition to notes on geography, culture and historical context.

  I have left the translations as I found them with the following caveats.

  I added the pictures and chapter descriptions from Lanny’s website

  I received chapters 1 to 21 in a MS Word document from Lanny which included footnotes, whereas I assembled Chapters 22 onwards from the online version. The online version used inline notation, but I changed the inline explanations to footnotes for consistency’s sake.

  Other Translations

  We have a repository of some of the existing online translations, including links and many downloads in eBook format.

  http://wuxiatranslations.wikispaces.com

  There is also a sister site, also with downloads but more emphasis on original translations and forum discussions.

  http://wuxiasociety.com

  Other good sources for translations are

  http://www.lannyland.com

  http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/forumdisplay.php/29-Wuxia-Translations

  http://xiaoshuo.genreverse.com

  http://haddjo.freehostia.com/joomla_1.5.3/index.php

  http://tu-shu-guan.blogspot.tw/

  http://mywuxia.com

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  For Translators we need.

  Native level Mandarin

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  Chapter 11: Energy Streams

  In a state of wooziness, Linghu Chong felt agitating pain from his chest, and his blood seemed to have gone in every direction, it was such an undesirable discomfort. After a long while, he gradually gained back his consciousness. His body seemed to have been roasted in a huge oven. He could not help groaning. Then he heard someone saying, "Be quiet."

  Linghu Chong peeked inside the hall. A tall, thin old man sat at the guest of honor seat. He was holding the Command Flag of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance in his right hand; it was none other than “Crane Hands” Lu Bai from the Songshan School. A middle-aged Taoist Priest and an old man in his fifties sat next to him. Their clothing suggested that one belonged to the Taishan School and the other one the Hengshan School. Next to them sat three more people all in their fifties or sixties and each had a Huashan School style long sword hanging by his waist. The first one had a yellowish face with a stern look. He was probably the Feng Buping that Lou Dayou had mentioned earlier. Master and Master-Wife sat at the host seats in accompany. Tea and light refreshments occupied most of the tabletop.

  “Brother Yue,” the old man from the Hengshan School said, “we outsiders really shouldn’t interfere with the internal affairs of your respectful school. However, because our five sword schools have joined the alliance to share both honor and disgrace, if one school didn’t handle things well and became the laughing stock of fellow martial people, the other four schools would be disgraced as well. Earlier, Madam Yue said that the three schools, Songshan, Taishan, and Hengshan should only mind their own business. I think that was inaccurate.” His two eyes were almost completely yellow as if he had a yellow fever.

  “They are still in the middle of the dispute. Master hasn’t given up and stepped down from his post yet.” Linghu Chong felt some relief.

  “Apprentice brother Lu, it sounds like you are determined that our Huashan School is not handling things properly and that has implicated your respectful school’s reputation, aren’t you?” Madam Yue asked.

  The old man Lu from the Hengshan School sneered. “I’ve long heard that Heroine Ning is the backstage Head Master of the Huashan School. I didn’t want to believe it before, but after having the pleasure to meet you today, I have to agree that it is really a well-deserved reputation.”

  “Apprentice brother Lu, you’ve come here to Mount Huashan as a guest. I don’t want to offend you because that would be an inappropriate way to treat a guest. Who would have expected such absurd nonsense from a famous master of the Hengshan School? When I see Great Mr. Mo next time, I’m sure I will discuss about this with him,” Madam Yue rebuffed angrily.

  “Madam Yue, so you are holding off your offense only because I am a guest here, and if this wasn’t Mount Huashan, you would have slashed your sword toward my head, wouldn’t you?” the old man Lu said with a sneer.

  “I wouldn’t dare.” Madam Yue replied. “How dare our Huashan School interfere with the internal affair of your respectful school? When people from your respectful school collaborate with the Demon Cult, there’s always Alliance Chief Zuo of the Songshan School to clean him out for you. What’s the need for our Huashan School to get involved?”

  Hengshan School’s Liu Zhengfeng and Demon Cult Elder Qu Yang died outside of Hengshan Town together. It had become public knowledge in the Martial World that the Songshan School was responsible for it. Madam Yue specifically mentioned the incident here, to first jab at the old man Lu’s sore spot, and secondly, to ridicule him, implying that he not only didn’t have any grievance of losing an apprentice brother to the Songshan School, but instead, came together with the Songshan School people to give trouble to the Yue Couple.

  The old man Lu immediately put on a stern face. “Throughout the ages, which school is immune of unworthy apprentices?” he screeched. “That’s exactly the reason why we have come to Mount Huashan today, to uphold justice and help brother Feng clean out the evil bunch in the school.”

  “Who is the evil bunch? My husband Yue Buqun’s nickname is ‘Gentleman Sword.’ What’s your nickname?” Madam Yue said coldly as she grabbed onto her sword handle.

  The old man Lu blushed, yet he didn’t answer the question and only eyed Madam Yue angrily with his two yellow piercing eyes.

  The old man was a master of the Hengshan School. However, he didn’t have much fame in the Martial World. Linghu Chong had no clue about hi
s identity, so he turned his head back and asked Lao Denuo.

  “Who is he? What’s his nick name?”

  Linghu Chong knew that before Lao Denuo joined the Huashan School, he had Kung Fu skills already and also much knowledge about all kinds of anecdotes of the Martial World. Sure enough, Lao Denuo knew this one.

  “This old folk’s name is Lu Lianrong,” Lao Denuo answered in whisper. “His formal nickname is ‘Golden-eyed Eagle,’ but because he is always gossipy and meddlesome, quite annoying all the time, so everybody called him ‘Golden-eyed Crow’, instead, behind his back.”

  Linghu Chong grinned. He thought, “Probably no one dared to call him that unpleasant nickname to his face, but as time went by, it would eventually come to his attention. When Master-Wife asked him about his nickname, he obviously knew that she was referring to ‘Golden-eyed Crow’ not ‘Golden-eyed Eagle’.”

  Lu Lianrong snorted angrily. “‘Gentleman Sword?’ ‘Hypocrite Sword’ is probably more appropriate.”

  Witnessing such audacious behavior of humiliating the Master right to his face, Linghu Chong could no longer hold his anger. “You damn blind crow! Get your ass out here if you’ve got any guts!” he shouted out.

  Yue Buqun had heard Linghu Chong talking with Lau Denuo outside and had been wondering, “How come Chong has come down the cliff?” Now hearing Linghu Chong’s shouting, he reproved at once

  “Chong, behave yourself. Uncle-Master is a guest here, how can you speak with such disrespect?”

  Anger swept Lu Lianrong, and it seemed as if fire almost shot out of his piercing eyes. He had heard before how the Huashan School head apprentice Linghu Chong had run wild in Hengshan Town, so he yelled back.

  “I was wondering who that might be. So it’s the chap who went whoring in Hengshan Town! Huashan School surely houses a lot of talents.”

  “That’s right! When I went whoring in Hengshan Town, I slept with a bitch named Lu!” Linghu Chong grinned.

  “You…you, stop the nonsense!” Yue Buqun yelled at Linghu Chong angrily.

  Seeing his Master getting angry, Linghu Chong dared not to say another word, while Lu Bai, Feng Buping, and the bunch simply couldn’t help but grin.

  Lu Lianrong turned around abruptly and kicked out with his left foot. With a loud bang, a frame of the long window was knocked flying in the air. He had never met Linghu Chong before, so he pointed at the general direction of the Huashan School apprentices and yelled.

  “Which dirty swine said that?”

  All the Huashan School apprentices stood silently and no one answered.

  “God damn it! Which dirty swine just said that?” Lu Lianrong swore again.

  “You were the only one talking. How would I know what kind of dirty swine you are?” Linghu Chong said with a big grin.

  Lu Lianrong’s anger exploded. With a loud roar, he jumped onto Linghu Chong. Seeing the vicious force coming toward him, Linghu Chong leapt back. Suddenly, a shadow flashed as someone drifted out from inside the hall. Beams of silver light flashed while the sounds of weapon colliding echoed as the person started an all out attack on Lu Lianrong. It was Madam Yue. She leapt out of the hall, drew her sword, blocked Lu Lianrong’s attack, and launched her counter-attack in such a smooth and uninterrupted manner. Her movements were simply beautiful and graceful. Even though she executed every single move in lightening fast speed, everyone was so taken by the beautiful movement that none noticed her swiftness.

  “We are all friends here. Why don’t we take our time and talk the issue through? There’s no need to start a fight,” Yue Buqun said as he strolled out of the hall without hurry.

  Pulling out the sword by Lao Denuo’s waist, Yue Buqun reached out and pushed his sword down after a flip, which held both Lu Lianrong’s sword and Madam Yue’s sword down under. Lu Lianrong shifted all his strength onto his arm and lifted with a hard jerk, but to his surprise, he couldn’t move his sword even an inch. He blushed and then tried several times more, each time with a harder jerk.

  “Our Five Mountains Sword Alliance has the same root with different branches. We are all like members of a big family. Apprentice brother Lu, please don’t pay much attention to the junior kids.” Yue Buqun smiled. He turned his head to Linghu Chong. “You are full of nonsense. Apologize to your Uncle-Master Lu right now,” he admonished.

  Getting the command from the Master, Linghu Chong had no other choice but to step forward and salute.

  “Uncle-Master Lu, I was really blind and didn’t know how to talk properly. I barked madly like a damn crow and slandered the reputation of a supreme Kung Fu master. This is so unworthy, even a dirty swine could have done better. Will your Excellency please don’t feel offended? I wasn’t talking about you. The damn crow barks like mad, but we’ll excuse him as if he was farting!”

  He used the words “damn crow” back and forth. Everyone knew that he was ridiculing Lu Lianrong again. Most people were able to hold their laughs inside but Yue Lingshan started giggling loudly.

  Yue Buqun could feel that Lu Lianrong tried to jerk upward three times in a row. He let out a slight smile and drew his sword back leisurely to give it back to Lao Denuo. When the tremendous pressure on Lu’s sword suddenly vanished, Lu Lianrong’s arm naturally went upward. Two cracking sounds echoed as two pieces of broken swords fell on the ground. Both Lu Lianrong’s sword and Madam Yue’s sword in their hands had only half of the blade remaining. Lu Lianrong had been using all his strength to fight Yue Buqun’s push. When his arm went up abruptly, the broken sword in his hand also slashed upward and almost cut his own forehead. Fortunately he had great arm strength and was able to stop the movement in time, but the frantic rush still looked quite awkward.

  “You…you…two against one!” Lu Lianrong snapped. But he soon remembered that Yue Buqun’s inner energy broke Madam Yue’s long sword just the same. By then Lu Bai, Feng Buping, and the rest bunch had all come out of the hall to watch the fight, and Lu Lianrong knew that each of them could easily tell Yue Buqun was only reconciling and preventing the two from fighting each other without granting favor to either side. However, it was probably no big deal for a husband to break a wife’s long sword. Lu Lianrong, on the other hand, couldn’t take it so easily, so he couldn’t help but mutter:

  “You…you…!”

  Stamping his right foot on the floor heavily, he turned around and rushed away in rage with the broken sword still in his hand, never casting a glance back.

  At the time when Yue Buqun had broken the two swords with his inner energy, he had already seen the Peach Valley’s Six Fairies standing behind Linghu Chong. Very surprised by their unusual looks, he cupped his hands and greeted.

  “The six of you have come to Mount Huashan and I haven’t greeted you properly. Please pardon my ignorance.”

  The six Fairies simply stared at him blankly, neither greeting back, nor speaking a word.

  “This is my Master, Head Master of the Huashan School – Mr. Yue….” Linghu Chong introduced.

  Before he even finished his sentence, Feng Buping interrupted.

  “Your Master, he sure is. Whether he is the Head Master of the Huashan School, we’ll have to see. Apprentice brother Yue, the ‘Divine Art of Violet Twilight’ you just displayed is quite impressive. However, knowing this Qi-Gong technique does not make you competent for the authority over the Huashan School. Everyone knows that Huashan School is a sword school member of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance. Sword school, sword school! Of course, sword skill is the main driving force. But you keep working with your inner energy skills. You have gone on the evil route. What you are practicing is far from our school’s orthodox principle.”

  “Brother Feng, your comments are really overstating,” Yue Buqun defended. “Sure, each school of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance uses sword as the weapon, but no matter which school or which style it is, it all follows the principle of ‘Energy Drives the Sword.’ Sword skills are external techniques while Qi-Gong techniques are the internal techniqu
es. One must master both the external and the internal to be able to achieve perfection in Kung Fu training. If someone only practices sword techniques like how you just described, then when he meets a Qi-Gong master, he would naturally be pale in comparison.”

  Feng Buping sneered. “That’s not necessarily correct. It would be wonderful if someone can be an expert in every field of the three religions and the nine schools of thought,3 medicine, divination, astrology, fortune-telling, the Four Books and the Five Classics, and the eighteen types of weaponry.4 It would be fantastic if he could be a master in every single style, let it be either knife art or spear art. But everyone’s life span is limited and it is impossible for one to master everything. When one focuses only on sword art, it is already difficult to be excellent at it, why should he get sidetracked by other Kung Fu skills? I am not saying that practicing Qi-Gong techniques is bad, only that the orthodox Kung Fu of our Huashan School is sword art. It’s totally fine if you want to get into the heterodox Kung Fu. Even if you decide to learn the ‘Magical Art of Essence Absorbing’ of the Demon Cult, it’s your own choice and nobody else’s business, let alone practicing Qi-Gong techniques. When an ordinary person ruins his own training because of greed and avarice, he has himself to blame for his suffering. Now since you are the Head Master of the Huashan School and have also chosen to go on such a destructive route, you are really misleading all the apprentices and exerting a widespread pernicious influence.”

  A notion suddenly popped into Linghu Chong’s head. “Grand Uncle-Master Feng only taught me sword techniques. He…he is probably from the Sword-Branch. Is it…is it wrong that I have learned sword techniques from him?” Instantly, the thought sent cold shivers down his spine and he broke out a cold sweat.

  “‘Misleading all the apprentices and exerting a widespread pernicious influence?’ That’s not true.” Yue Buqun smiled.