Firstly, many thanks to decembi for juggling her postings and mine! For Gentleman FFC, just before the story reach its mid-way mark, it hits a crescendo, or should I say crash-cendo? This chapter is a rather short with no obvious break point so I took a deep breath and translated it all in one go. Thanks to the mostly absent but omnipresent Crazy Sect Leader, I never have to try so hard to express the same feeling in so many ways to make them sound different. Whew!
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Moonblossom
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Chapter 4
The next morning, the sky was tainted a faint orange and
the smell of wet earth lingered in the air.
A storm was brewing and the strong wind was causing
everyone’s robes to dance wildly.
He Zai was beside her and blocked some of the wind. Normally, she would find such weather
refreshing but for some reason, she could not help but feel restless and uneasy.
Although she has said before that luck was the primary reason she was still alive, she has never doubted the strength of her sixth senses.
She could feel the danger in the air but could not guess what was going to
happen next.
Suddenly, colorful fireworks exploded in the distant sky. Gong Sun Yun narrowed his eyes and ordered
Gong Sun Zhi to stick close to the two Protectors while he displayed some
rather impressive qinggong* and flew quickly
out of the woods.
Originally, Cloud Manor has arranged for a shelter point in
front, in anticipation of the rain.
With the turn of events, everyone could only hurry after Gong Sun Yun in
case an unseen enemy was planning to divide and conquer. The woods passed in a green blur as she
steadily followed three paces behind Che Yan Yan and her Sky Slaves. He Zai was
besides her and Gong Sun Zhi was at her back.
Gong Sun Zhi tried to comfort her. “You do not need to
worry. There are very few in the
pugilist world who would pit themselves against Cloud Manor and the people who dare
to do so are either some nobody or mountain bandits. The fireworks are a sign that our men had encountered some
difficulty. Based on the location
where the shot is being fired, it was where we discovered two young pugilists
previously, so perhaps our men are having difficulty persuading them to leave.”
Wang Yun was surprised. “You could tell what I am thinking?”
He returned her question with a gentle smile. “Whenever
you are thinking on something, you would touch your flute. The flute contains a sword and is
probably something very important to you. However, try not to expect the worse in
every situation to prevent stress from accumulating and affecting your health.”
She gave an involuntary shiver, afraid that he would
lapse into his lecturing mode. She
stopped touching her flute but could not stem her thoughts. How could she not expect the worse in
everything? Had she not done so,
she would have died a long time ago.
They spotted some people in front and slowed their
pace. When Fifth Gentleman saw the
young man in Gong Sun Yun arms, he shouted “Seven Brother!” and dashed to kneel
beside the two.
There were several other bodies on the ground and they
were all dressed in Cloud Manor robes.
She observed the scene before her and fingered her flute from habit. After a brief examination of the bodies
He Zai reported to her in low tones: “Miss, these people has just expired.”
She did not reply and turned her attention to their
surroundings. They are at the top
of a cliff and a recent shower has given visibility to the normally misty
surroundings. She walked to the
edge and peered down the cliff.
From what she could see, this cliff was not as tall or steep as Tian Bi
cliff but anyone who fell off the cliff would still die or become severly injured
at the very least.
She went to Gong Sun Yun and found that he has sealed the
major meridian points of Seventh Gentleman. Gong Sun Zhi was trying to help but his fingers were
shaking.
Seventh Gentleman was very weak but he managed to breathe
“The seven disciples I brought, are they… gone?”
Gong Sun Yun was in the midst of transferring his inner energy to
him, but he managed to reply: “They have all gone without any pain.”
“Is that so? Xian Yun, I do not know who he is except
that his skills are extraordinary.
Perhaps, it could also be two or three people…” Seventh Gentleman’s voice grew hoarser
and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Gong Sun Zhi tried to stop him from talking but he
stubbornly continued: “I may not have the chance so hear me out. I did not see him or them. Had Xian Yun not taught me qinggong personally, I would not have been
able to dodge the last strike, and now…”
“Little Seven, I do not care about that! You are not
going to be telling us your last will!”
With that, Gong Sun Zhi sealed his meridian point for speech and glared
at him. “If you want to talk, you will need to recover first!”
“Gentleman Xian Yun, we witnessed everything!” said a young pugilist from another sect. “Although we are a step late in getting here, but the bodies tell their own story. There are no sword or knife wounds so the murderer must have used his internal strength to shatter the internal organs of these Cloud Manor disciples. The Right Protector of Bai Ming Sect uses a whip and the Left Protector uses a sword, but their Sect Leader is known to be able kill with his bare hands. Such evil martial arts have the fingerprints of Bai Ming Sect all over it!”
Wang Yun gave a faint smile and said: “If it is Master,
there should not be any survivors.
It is possible that someone could be trying to frame us.”
“Demoness, pay with your life! Bai Ming Sect has turned my brother into a Sky Slave and let
him die in shame while leaving my father too ashamed to face the others. Let me turn you into a slave today and
parade you like a dog to give you a taste of your own medicine!”
Someone drew his sword and He Zai was in front of Wang
Yun in the next instant. Che Yan
Yan flicked her whip and said coldly. “Sure! Let us see who is the one who is going to die!”
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Gong Sun Yun moved quickly to deflect the falling swords and whip. His face was pale but stern. “You are not giving me face if you choose to fight.”
“Gentleman Xian Yun, he killed your people – “
At that moment, Wang Yun could imagine
herself kneeling from admiration in front of an altar with a Gentleman Xian Yun statue on it.
From what she could see, he was someone who favored his own. Yet when faced with the death of his sect
members, he could still refrain from turning against Che Yan Yan and her on the
spot. Deities were indeed made differently
from common folks.
She looked around thoughtfully. Things could not be so simple - there must be another shoe
waiting to drop. She knew Sect
Leader was not after discordance between Bai Ming Sect and other clans. She ought
to be his main target, but what did he hope to accomplish with the death of
some Cloud Manor disciples?
While she was still pondering, some hot-blooded young
pugilist could hold back no longer and started fighting. These young men were probably too young
to hold much respect for Cloud Manor.
As for Gong Sun Yun, she knew he has transferred all the energy he could
to Seventh Gentleman earlier and his face was very pale. From one young man swinging his sword,
to a second, a third… the
situation was fast getting chaotic.
She continued to observe the situation coldly and thought
to herself that Gong Sun Yun would not fight to kill. True enough, his moves were aimed at disarming the young men
and many were soon empty-handed. When
someone turned to attack her, she did not even move except say to He Zai,
“Maim but do not kill.”
Ignoring the fight around her, she went Fifth Gentleman.
“Can you save Seventh Gentleman?”
His reply was confidant. “Yes!”
She smiled as she recalled his earlier words that his
goal was to let his family live a long life. “It is chaotic here and Seventh
Gentleman cannot not sustain further injuries. Let us move him away.”
This was a good opportunity for her to score some friendship points, and it was also good to showcase her difference with
Che Yan Yan, since the latter would not hesitate to kill when given the
opportunity.
They managed to move Seventh Gentleman to the edge of the
cliff. Wang Yun was startled when she
saw that Seventh Gentleman has opened his eyes and seemed to be focusing on her. His eyes were bloodshot and he could
not be far away from death’s door. She prayed he did not mistake her as the
enemy and that his purpose for remembering her was so he could seek revenge in
his next life!
Gong Sun Zhi caressed his eyes gently with his fingers. “This
is Huang Fu Yun. Xian Yun has
guessed correctly, it is her.”
Seventh Gentleman tried to reply but Gong Sun Zhi continued
with forced positivity. “It is exactly like what Xian Yun thought. Did you volunteer to take care of our
lodgings in order to seek a peek at her?
Do focus on getting well, after which you can look at her to your heart’s
content.”
With that, tears started to fall from Gong Sun Zhi. When she turned to look at Seventh
Gentleman, there was a ghost of a smile at his lips but he still looked
frightening with blood at his lips.
His hands trembled and she hesitated before holding his cold palm in
hers.
The winds were very strong at the edge of the cliff. But
there was another sound…
The ground was shaking!
Gong Sun Zhi quickly shouted: “Xian Yun! The earth dragon has awakened!”
No. It was
not that. There were just too many
coincidences. It crossed her mind
that the earthquake could have been caused by dynamite, having witnessed a
similar scene in her youth. Quickly, she helped Seventh Gentleman onto Fifth
Gentleman’s back. He Zai was back
at her side and she issued the order without her usual cower: “Let us leave
this place!”
Gong Sun Yun has also noticed the abnormality and shouted:
“Everyone, leave the mountain. Quickly!”
Wang Yun was at the back of the group. Once she stumbled and He Zai held her up
and dodged some falling rocks. As she
was fleeing, the sense of unease continued to tug at her. Ever since leaving Tian He Manor, it
was as if she has been reeled by an invisible thread to this place. Looking at the falling rocks, whom did Sect
Leader wanted dead?
Gong Sun Yun went to Gong Sun Zhi and took over the task of piggy-back Seventh Gentleman. When he passed her, he asked: “Can you keep up?”
“Of course.” Besides, she still has He Zai. But his action has impressed her nonetheless. Seventh Gentleman’s life was hanging by a thread but these two showed no signs of giving up. A pity, such a pity! She can only be an observer in such situations and will never belong to the other side of the fence as a person who has someone who would never give up on her.
Gong Sun Yun went to Gong Sun Zhi and took over the task of piggy-back Seventh Gentleman. When he passed her, he asked: “Can you keep up?”
“Of course.” Besides, she still has He Zai. But his action has impressed her nonetheless. Seventh Gentleman’s life was hanging by a thread but these two showed no signs of giving up. A pity, such a pity! She can only be an observer in such situations and will never belong to the other side of the fence as a person who has someone who would never give up on her.
She stumbled and He Zai caught her again. The ground was crumbling at an
astonishing speed. She has barely
taken two steps when the ground disappeared under her feet and she fumbled
again. Just when He Zai steadied
her, they heard a shout. “Big Brother!”
From out of nowhere, the young master of Tian He Manor was
thrown out from the woods. She could
not move as she was caught in an icy grip, He Zai also knew something was very wrong. “Miss, stick close to me!”
He flew forward and caught an immobilized He Rong Hua in
midair. In the next instant, three
darts shot out from the woods, all aiming at Wang Yun. He Zai was holding on to He Rong Hua with
his right hand but he managed to block a dart with his left hand. Next to her, Gong Sun Yun flipped his
sleeve and managed to deflect the second dart as he shouted: “Huang Fu Yun, duck!”
Wang Yun quickly took a step back and managed to block the third dart with her flute. As she stumbled back another step, she wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when she realized there was nothing beneath her feet. He Zai leaped forward to grab her but another chain of darts shot out from the woods, this time all aiming at He Rong Hua.
If he persisted in going after her, He Rong Hua will die without
a doubt.
In that instant, she suddenly understood what Sect Leader
has planned. So this was it, this
was it!
Some things are easier said then done…. easier said than
done… she saw a flash of hatred in
He Zai’s eyes before he made a half turn and deflected He Rong Hua from the secret
weapons.
“Miss Huang Fu!”
Gong Sun Zhi has also turned and tried to grab at her. Gong Sun Yun uncoiled the band at his
waist and hastily festooned a hold on Gong Sun Zhi while the latter leaped after
Wang Yun. As some loose rocks hit
him along his descent, Gong Sun Zhi knew it will not be enough. Although Xian Yun’s
qinggong was very good, the ground
was unstable and he has Seventh Brother on his back, how long could he last?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt the band
tightened around his waist and he was jerked upwards. In that split second, he understood that Xian Yun has made a
snap decision and he averted his eyes from the falling Wang Yun.
Gong Sun Zhi has not dared to meet her eyes, but what was
there not to dare? The wind was
howling around her as she fell. As the white mist swallowed the figures
on the cliff, she burst out laughing. “Ha, ha..ha.ha…!”
To think she has been mulling for ten years over this
question! Is it not a good thing that the answer is now out? She closed her eyes and let the wind
accompanied her fall. Isn’t a
dying person supposed to see her life flashing before her? Why is it that the only thing she sees
is the scene from yesterday when He Zai promised her that he will follow her
this lifetime?
She has thought she felt a bit more secure now that she
has a family.
She recalled how Gong Sun Yun would smile warmly at his
family members. Hasn’t the world always
been like this? Everyone has
someone important in their hearts whom they will not give up on. She is just a little unlucky to belong
to the second category, to be classified as someone who could be saved if one
is able, but could be discarded if it is beyond one’s means. There is really nothing much to it.
He Zai has asked her for the reason she allowed him to return
for his father’s funeral when knowing full well they would be caught home. The answer was because she has been
waiting for him to turn his back to her.
Even if it did not happen today, that day will still come in
future. She has expected this.
As for Gong Sun Yun, he too has offered protection if she
ever leaves the sect. Too bad he has chosen his family when the crunch
came. It is only natural. She will
not bear any grudges. At most she should
only be relieved that ah, it finally happened.
So there is no need for her to ponder when the people
closest to her will leave her.
Perhaps this is another form of good luck? But Sect Leader has chosen a really harsh way to drive home the
fact of her loneliness. Can he
not just tell her nicely? She is sure she can understand. If she falls to her death today, where is
the crazy man going to find another successor? Che Yan Yan is never an option and from the look of things, Che
Yan Yan is unlikely to live long if there is a new leader.
Her thoughts were adrift and the roar of the wind seemed
to make her even more confused.
Why did she get the feeling that the wind is blowing her up to
heaven? She inhaled the cold air
and understood that although it has only been mere seconds, she has already lived an
eternity.
She opened her eyes as her survival instincts kicked in. She tried kicking out with her legs, and
after several tries, she thought she has hit the side of the cliff. Quickly, she tried to dig her flute into the
rocks around her to try to slow her fall.
A pity she did not have enough strength and her flute
without its sword was not hard enough to create much hold as she continued to plunge. She bit down hard on her lips and
uncoiled the belt around her waist.
She tried to swing it and see if she could hook one of the huge rocks near
to her, but the wind blew her attempts away. She laughed again, perhaps it was all meant to be. Her belt continued to dance in the
wind, like a red river of blood flowing around but dazedly, she saw the belt
has actually caught on some branches growing by the cliffs. She quickly coiled more belt around her
hands as happiness coursed through her, and she prayed fervently that the
belt would not break so soon. Thankfully,
the belt broke her fall and when it finally snapped, although she still fell with a
hard ‘thumph!’ to the ground, it was no longer a deadly fall.
When she landed, her whole body flooded with pain. She opened her mouth to gasp but it was blood that spurted out, tainting her face and vision a fiery red. It took a while for the pain to subside and for her to be finally able to recognize a cloud in the sky… she was alive!
She tried to stop coughing up more blood. Her left shoulder was burning and her
face could not stop twitching. Her
back was starting to feel numb but she knew she needed to stand up. She has to stand up or she would never
stand again…
Her face continued to twitch uncontrollably and when she
looked at her left shoulder, she saw that it was an open facture and part of the bone has broken through the skin.
No wonder she was in so much pain!
Although she was no stranger to scrapes and bruises while growing up,
she has never encountered such a close brush with death. She was vaguely impressed that she
could still endure the pain without moaning. Wiping the blood from her face and she found that her hand
was still holding tightly to her jade flute.
She stared at it – what is the use of keeping this now? –
and let the flute fell to the ground.
She wiped her face and found blood and tears on her face.
Why was she crying? What
was there to cry? Although she managed to break her fall, she has sustained a
hard fall and besides her bleeding head, her broken shoulder, there was also a dull
ache in her abdomen when she tried to breathe.
Is heaven playing a trick on her or giving her luck, to
have her seriously injured instead of dead? She tried to walk but she has barely taken a step before her
knees folded beneath her. Although
she has tried to suppress it, her mouth opened and out came more blood.
When her eyes fell to the Sky Slave bangle on her hand,
her eyes turned cold and she removed the bangle. The bangle has no key and was supposedly irremovable. But since she was fourteen, she has
figured out how to remove the bangle although she had kept it from He Zai.
Why did she need to wear the bangle now?
The pain in her heart warred with the pain in her
head. She took a deep breathe and
forced herself to stand again. She
heard a clap of thunder and figured it was going to pour. And the rain would erase all her traces….
She bit her lips again and walked away from the foot of
the cliff. With every step, the
broken bone at her left shoulder seemed to pierce at her heart, bringing her
unspeakable pain. Great, now she
was not only bleeding, she was also perspiring. The slight weight in her sleeves reminded her that there
were two pieces of broken jade inside.
She wanted to throw them away too, but it was too bad she did not even have
the strength for this.
She turned to survey the place where she fell. There were many fallen rocks but there
was clearly no body buried beneath them.
The blood on the ground would likely be washed away but if someone came
down to look for her body, he or she would conclud that she has left.
Which was exactly what she was going to do.
From henceforth, there will only be her. There will no
longer be a companion by her side.
This is good since no one will know her whereabouts, and she need not
worry if she will be betrayed one day.
She turned to leave again but the pain stopped her after
a few steps. If only the pain
could go away, how great would that be?
But she knew she has to endure the pain because if she could not feel
the pain, it would mean she was losing consciousness, so she got up again and
slowly staggered away.
The rain started and she thought that the rivets would
wash away her footprints. How
great! Wipe away all her traces,
wipe away He Zai, wipe away Gong Sun Yun. Who cares about them? Scumbags.
The pain… she could definitely endure the pain. In ancient times, Gou Jian could eat bitter
gall every day so what was this in comparison? Just endure, if her hand breaks, just endure a bit more and
it will be over. She bit down hard
on her lips…endure… so long as she could walk out of here, so long as she could
keep breathing, there will be a wide ocean and vast sky waiting for her…
A wide ocean and vast sky…
And the figure in red slowly disappeared into the pouring
rain.
*a branch of martial arts whereby a person with good qinggong can make his body very light, and can run faster and leap higher than a person without qinggong.
*a branch of martial arts whereby a person with good qinggong can make his body very light, and can run faster and leap higher than a person without qinggong.
Some thoughts of mine:-
What an unexpected turn of events! Poor Wang Yun, her mental despair seems greater than her physical injuries, which are already quite severe by any standards. I realize that Yu Qing likes to rough up her heroines somewhere in the middle of her stories and although this is quite mild in comparison of what Nan Ling Slave Girl ended up with, the pain she wrote about still sounded pretty nasty. What does she mean by 'if her hand breaks, just endure a bit'? And internal bleeding? Girl, best go find a doctor fast.
Chapter links:
Ah the famous cliff scene, our poor heroine.. my heart goes out to her. She wasn't anyone's first priority, give the girl a break and show her some love please! I must say the Sect Leader is one crule b*stard! >=/
ReplyDeletedid the sect leader want to kill huang fu yun? but he chose her as his successor.
ReplyDeleteso did the sect leader just want huang fu yun to learn the lesson that she is alone then?
on a realistic point of view, it makes sense for both he zai and xian yun to make the choice to save their family really.
but in huang fu yun's point of view... it is just really sad. then again, isn't huang fu yun's case one of her expectations being made her reality though? she expects to be left behind, so she puts distance and barriers around her that prevents other people from getting close to her... so in the end, she is alone even though there are people around her.
He is likely the sink-or-swim kind of leader. If you survive his tests, good for you and he will consider you as his successor (Huang Fu Yun, for example). If you die, he has only eliminated those unworthy of the position and all he need to do is to find another replacement.
Delete"If she falls to her death today, where is the crazy man going to find another successor?" That line, for some reason, was hilarious.
DeleteI was expecting Xian Yun to follow her or something. Poor Huang Fu Yun.
By the way, "she saw a flash of hatred in He Zai’s eyes", who was the hatred directed to? Sect leader? The circumstance,i.e. brother? HER?
-Lia
He no longer hated Huang Fu Yun like he did 10years ago so he should be hating the person who set this up.
DeleteHi there! I've been a silent lurker of this blog and been a fan to Chinese novel since Captain K translated BBJX, DMY and LYF. And somehow, I went to shusheng bar and stumbled other sites which offered translation for Chinese novels such as hamster, hui3r and xia0yuer, lilblissfulnovels and others. God, I'm really grateful that you guys are sharing your translations with us the readers! Thank you so much, people!
ReplyDeleteBtw, this is such a sad chapter...Such a heartless Sect Leader.. Although he wanted to teach WY that she will be alone once she has been selected as the Leader, but.. this method is just too harsh.. Using He Zai's family and throw him just like that.. ..... I am looking forward for the next chapter.. to see the progress of her journey and the meaning of conversation between 5th and 7th bros.. I wonder what XY shared about WY with them. :D
since, WY.walked.away...will the.sect.leader presume her.death....and XY will.find and take her with him ? * squeals? * :)
ReplyDelete- samie
But her heart is hurt. No matter who helps her will have a difficult time trying to gain her trust.
DeleteYes....the pain of left alone to tend for urself...that is why, i like WY....a woman of her.own....a survivor in her own right. Luv urself first before luving others....which is very hard as u question their worthiness *sigh*
Deletepoor wang yun my heart goes to you girl..fighting
ReplyDeleteLooks like GSY told his brothers about WY.teehee cute
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking for WY. If she didn't have a strong will to survive, she would've died just like that. Leading men better make it up to her. Love how she masked her hurt with anger. Yes call those guys scumbags and then still hold onto her will to live! No time for self pity - admirable lady
Poor girl, can't way to find out what happens next!
ReplyDeletemy heart feel so heavy after reading this...... GO GIRL BE STRONG!!!!!!!! we're here for you.
ReplyDeletewhy did he zai look at wy with a flash of hatred in his eyes? love ya ms moonblossom, u make my day........
ReplyDeleteHe no longer hated Huang Fu Yun like he did 10years ago so he should be hating the person who set this up. I don't think it was an easy decision for him either.
DeleteThank you Moonblossom...
ReplyDeleteIt's the most heartbroken scene in this novel T_______T
I know it's pretty obvious and rational decision. Even though you aren't less important, but family will come first when an emergency situation happened.
We all know it but it's just so sad when we face it. sigh....
Poor girl...
just like you said, her mental despair was worst than her physical injuries. The former will take longer time to heal T______T
"From henceforth, there will only be her."
ReplyDelete"so long as she could keep breathing, there will be a wide ocean and vast sky waiting for her…
A wide ocean and vast sky…And the figure in red slowly disappeared into the pouring rain. "
These lines hits me hard the most. It's sad and heartbreaking when everything's all laid out before you, realizing that you are truly alone. Now I'm just dead curious what's going to happen next to Wang Yun.
Thank you Moonblossom for this awesome chapter. Yes it's heartbreaking and makes one to cry in sympathy. Experience is the best teacher and I won't blame WY if she becomes paranoid and extra cautious in giving her trust in future. At least she knows how to emotionally heal herself by not wallowing into self- pity just accepting things as they are despite the pain and suffering she endured.
ReplyDeleteI feel her sadness and loss on how you cannot hold onto someone's promise for your happiness. In the end, there's only yourself whom you can truly count on.
As the song goes " learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all".
Peachie
My god, my second time reading this story and still my heart broke out for the heroine. So awefull the way the sect leader is shaping her like a sword (I'm not fluent in english, what I mean is "hiting her" again and again so she take the shape he wants her to be"), and the way she believes herself unloved... Yet, at this moment, it seems true that she cannot trust anyone but herself....under such heartbreaking conditions.
ReplyDeleteWhat a way to learn the harsh way of life... And she only wanted a family....
ReplyDelete(T______T)
I really like HFY. She's an example of strong willed heroine without being nasty or foul mouthed.
Is it a little far-fetched to think that Wang Yun surviving was all in the leader's calculations and this was his attempt to let her live the peaceful life she always wanted?
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting thought!! Though I honestly don't think that was the leader's calculations. It may that he was willing to let her go, but he seemed to take a perverse pleasure putting her in difficult situations.
DeleteI love this chapter. She's right. You can only trust yourself, forget about those assholes
ReplyDeleteThis is probably still a plot by the sect leader. Even her "escape" is part of the plot.
ReplyDelete