This is arguably the most memorable chapter in the book and one of my personal favourites. "Endurance" is often mentioned in this book and its spokesperson is going to show us what happens when you endure, endure and endure. Her demonstration has me grinning from ear to ear, although I think Gong Sun Yun is probably wearing the biggest grin of all.
- by Moonblossom -
Chapter 9 Part 2 of 2
“From
today onwards, Huang Fu Yun will become the thirty-first Sect Leader of Bai
Ming Sect. All disciples, kneel and send
off our Old Leader as he embarks on his last journey!”
As the
disciples of Bai Ming Sect slowly knelt down one by one, Huang Fu Yun arched
her brow and looked at Xian Yun. “Will Gentleman Xian Yun record all that has
happened today in the Wulin annals?”
Xian Yun met
her gaze and replied steadily . “Everything that happens today will be recorded
in detail in the Jianghu Major
Happenings Scroll.”
She
laughed and looked towards Sect Leader, who has died with a smile on his
face. She called loudly. “Where is He
Zai?”
He Zai
stepped forward. “Your subordinate is here.”
“Since the
age of sixteen, you have started learning the martial arts of the Huang Fu
family. Since you have mastered the skill,
you will become the new Left Protector from henceforth.”
Although
it was sudden, He Zai did not hesitate.
“I will obey Master’s orders.”
She looked
again at the stiff outline of Sect Leader and feeling a sense of loss at his
departure, she looked away as she issued her next order. “Left Protector He Zai, listen up!”
Perplexed,
He Zai waited for her to continue.
“Bai Ming
Sect needs someone capable at the helm to steer it towards a thousand more
springs and ten thousand more autumns. It
is a pity I do not have the talent and will let down our former leader. From henceforth, He Zai will take over and
become the thirty-second Sect Leader. He
Zai, accept your order with haste.”
From the back of the hall, somewhere near the Sect Leader's seat, something fell with a loud ‘thud’ on the floor. No one paid it any heed as everyone stared at
the woman at the door.
She was
dressed in white and with her long hair falling softly behind her back, she
looked both elegant and beautiful.
Unfortunately, what she was about to do next was going to ruin this
image forever.
She
lowered her face, lips compressed. She
could definitely see this through, now that the moment she has been enduring for
was finally here. She silently thought to herself - Sect Leader, may you rest
in peace!
“Miss…”
“He Zai,
are you not going to accept?” She shot
him a look. A breeze swept up her fringe
and revealed the faint scar beneath.
As his
heart clenched, he gritted his teeth.
“Miss. Can this be considered
passing a cart of rotten apples to me?”
Ay, if he
put it so bluntly, it would hurt her feelings.
Her expression cold, she stroked her jade flute. “Are you thinking to disobey my orders?”
He Zai turned
his head and tried to look for Gong Sun Yun.
When he spotted him, he saw that the latter has buried his nose in a
journal as if he was busy taking notes.
These two… they were obviously in cahoots to make him to take the fall!
“He Zai!”
She lowered her voice until only he could hear her. “I know your character only
too well. Bai Ming Sect will be an
opportunity for you to showcase your talents. Tian He Manor is too strict-laced
and no longer suits you. The place that is suitable for you is actually Bai
Ming Sect.”
“Miss is just
trying to push the buck. What do you
intend to do now?”
“I will
roam the skies and seven seas.” No, she
should not agitate him too much. “My
home will be your home, and your home will be mine. Once you become Sect Leader, Bai Ming Sect
will truly become my home and not some place where I have to be wary all the
time.” Besides, she rather missed the
hot spring at Tian Bi Cliff.
“If today
has not happened, will there be a place for me when you roam the world?”
She
replied without hesitation. “Of course
there will be. But you are born in Tian
He Manor and if everything has never happened, you would have been the leader
of Tian He Manor. You could roam the
world with me, but you would also be wasting your talents. Within Bai Ming Sect, there are problems
aplenty. Do you not wish to test your
capabilities and see what Bai Ming Sect can become under your hands?”
He fell
silent. Finally, he asked. “Will Miss
return every three or five years?”
“Naturally. No matter what, Bai Ming Sect is still my
home. Besides, with you as the Leader,
we would be as cozy as bugs in a rug.
What you have, I will have the same.
I will be treated like a precious daughter here. And if anyone tries to bully me, I will
surely return to look for you.”
He Zai started
laughing at her reply. “Miss is as cunning as a fox, how can there be people
capable of bullying you? But if Miss
ever say the word, He Zai will put Bai Ming Sect behind me and leave with Miss
without a second thought. This is my
promise to you this lifetime and will never change.”
He looked
down the steps towards He Rong Hua who seemed to have something to say. Sighing deeply, he said loudly. “The thirty-second Bai Ming Sect Leader He
Zai, accepts your order!”
The rapid turn
of events had every head spinning from whiplash.
With He
Zai holding the fort, she decided it was not her problem how things got
resolved now. As a has-been Sect Leader,
all eyes were no longer on her and she decided to return to the hall where she noticed a woman standing close to
Xian Yun. She narrowed her eyes as the woman took out a clean white
handkerchief and tried to dab at the blood stains on Xian Yun’s clothing.
She did
not know when Gong Sun Zhi appeared, but he was suddenly there beside her and
sighing into her ear. “Miss Tang is
being very proactive, is she not?”
“One must
be proactive to have a future.” She replied casually. Like her, she has proactively looked forward until
the very end. Even when she was down to her last breath at the bottom
of the cliff, even when she was captured and brought back to Bai Ming Sect, she
has persevered in order to have earned her break now.
Gong Sun
Zhi looked at her strangely. “Do you
know what you are saying?”
“Yes.”
“Wu Bo, have
you endured too much and lost your mind?
Or does this happen to anyone who has been appointed as Sect
Leader? Quick, give me your pulse and
let me check if they have fed you something in the last two weeks to muddle
your thoughts, or interfere with your endurance.”
She wanted
to roll her eyes. Will this long-winded
Gentleman never stop? Just because she had not seen him for half a month doesn't mean that she missed him!
He
continued to tell her about the background of the Tang family; about a Miss
Tang who married into the Gong Sun family a long, long time ago, which makes
the two families somewhat related; about the balance of power behind various Jianghu families; about the problems
faced by good-looking man; about the likelihood of her being with Xian Yun,
etc, etc.
Her faced
twitched, but she reminded herself she could tolerate this. It did not matter even if there was a pool of
blood in her abdomen, she must endure!
“I think
it is a ten percent chance” Gong Sun Zhi sighed. “Now that your real identity is exposed and
with Xian Yun being a member of a reputable family…”
Her face continued
to twitch. Had she been too arrogant
just now and heaven has decided to punish her?
Never mind. Endure! There was a knife in the Chinese word for
‘endurance’. Maybe today’s knife was little
sharp so it left a small cut at her heart. But. She. Can. Endure.
“I will
not hide from you. Everyone young and
old in Cloud Manor supports you. But it
is also a fact that there was no precedence of one of us tying the knot with
someone from Bai Ming Sect, and a former Sect Leader of Bai Ming Sect at that.
Even if you are the leader with the shortest ever term…”
She will
take it that Gong Sun Zhi was speaking Greek.
She did not hear him.
At his
incessant chatter, she finally reached Xian Yun. As she stood behind him, she could hear Miss
Tang cooing apologetically. “Xian Yun. To
stop both sides from coming to blows earlier on, you have taken a hit from my
father without any attempt to block it. I truly felt very sorry for that in my
heart.”
Looking at
the blood stains on his robes, she finally found out where they came from. Never mind, she shall endure some more.
Instead of
sticking close to He Zai, Tu San Lang strode up next to join Xian Yun. When he caught sight of Jiang Wo Bo standing behind,
he decided to change what he wanted to say and say instead: “You are the star among
our generation. What a shame that you have to mingle with a Demoness!”
Pak! She thought she heard the sound of nerves snapping. It did not matter, she has plenty of nerves
left to hold on to her control. One more
or less would not matter. But she was a
bit alarmed when she heard more snapping sound.
Pak! Pak! Pak! One by one, the threads holding her control snapped until
none were left.
Was it
because she has just passed the greatest endurance test in her life so her tolerance
level was at its all-time low, or was she simply jealous?
She played
with the small box of pills in her hands.
As she took a pill from the box, the faint fragrance of it reached the
nostrils of the sensitive healer beside her and his eyes widen. This pill…
“Xian Yun?”
Gong Sun
Yun knew she was behind him but when he turned and saw her, he knew that
something was off straight away. His
expression as was cool as ever but there was warmth in his eyes when he looked
at her. He saw Gong Sun Zhi’s
shell-shocked expression and following his glance, he spotted the small box in
her hands.
“It is not every day that I indulge myself. I have decided that I shall not endure anymore and take it as a reward to myself for holding back the last twenty years. Do you think it is a good idea?”
“It is not every day that I indulge myself. I have decided that I shall not endure anymore and take it as a reward to myself for holding back the last twenty years. Do you think it is a good idea?”
Gong Sun
Yun arched one elegant brow. “It is
difficult to keep enduring every day. I
would encourage you to loosen up a little.”
“Xian Yun
has always been very good at control too, aren’t you?”
“Merely
passable.” He appeared to be smiling and yet not smiling at the same time.
“In your
heart, there is only your savior is it not?”
“Yes.” He could not contain his smile this time.
As
everyone quieted down and tune in to the conversation being held with the dignified
Gentleman Xian Yun, everyone heard her order “Open your mouth.”
“Be
careful Xian Yun!” Before Tu San Long could finish his sentence, he saw that the
Demoness has popped a pill into Xian Yun’s mouth and tapped on Xian Yun’s
acupuncture points to render him speechless.
“What did you just feed him?”
It was Che
Yan Yan who replied “The Uncontrollable Blissful Pill! You..?”
At one side of the hall, the Gentlemen of Cloud Manor were busy recording the changes happening in Bai Ming Sect. At the mention of this unusual-sounding name, all moved closer in anticipation of some breaking news. They could afford to leave out some minor details from the wulin annals, but how could they fail to record what goes on in their own family? What was more, they are getting the scoop of a hundred percent, pure, unvarnished truth! All crocked their ears expectantly.
At one side of the hall, the Gentlemen of Cloud Manor were busy recording the changes happening in Bai Ming Sect. At the mention of this unusual-sounding name, all moved closer in anticipation of some breaking news. They could afford to leave out some minor details from the wulin annals, but how could they fail to record what goes on in their own family? What was more, they are getting the scoop of a hundred percent, pure, unvarnished truth! All crocked their ears expectantly.
“How
vicious! This drug is very potent and is
capable of making the holiest of sages lose control like they never have it at
all. The aphrodisiac drug is but a house
cat compared to a lion, a baby compared to an old man!”
Tu San
Long was shocked. “What about its
antidote?”
She has
decided she shall not endure a second longer.
“Antidote? What antidote? Xian Yun, follow me!” Grabbing him by the shoulder, she lead him
out of the hall. The crowd parted a way
for her while a stream of Gentlemen followed closely on their heels. The whole, unvarnished truth. They must get
every detail!
Tu San
Lang finally collected his scattered wits and tried to make a grab for Xian
Yun. But for some reason, Gong Sun Yun’s sleeve seem to fall out of his grasp as Xian Yun unobtrusively avoided his
hold as he allowed himself to be steered away.
Tu San
Long stopped in his tracks and stared at his back. He Zai was equally shocked. “Miss?”
Her reply
was clear and convincing. “Xian Yun has been poisoned and I’m bringing him for
treatment. I will bring him back safely
once his poison has been purged.”
Behind
her, the Gentlemen of Cloud manor nearly tripped over each other.
This sense
of liberation is great! She has been
wanting to do this for the longest time.
Although everyone seems very polite in the Central Plains, there are all
sorts of rumours running beneath the surface.
If she is a Demoness, let her do what a Demoness do!
“Where
does Miss intend to ‘treat’ him?” He Zai asked discreetly.
Sweeping
her surroundings, her eyes landed on the high peak in the near distance and she
pointed a firm finger at its direction.
“The sky may be vast and the land may be big, but only at Tian Bi Cliff
can we remained undisturbed.”
The heady sense
of liberation has apparently gone into her head. She is not going to be bothered about what
others do, or how they think. She is
going to follow her heart and if she wants Xian Yun, she will want him. If she likes him, she will like him. Why should she waste time listening to
nonsense or allow others to snatch him away?
She has
never experienced such freedom. No
wonder there was only one Gou Jian in history!
Gathering her qi, she leaped
towards Tian Bi Cliff with Xian Yun in tow. Her white robes fluttered
gracefully behind her as she jumped across the wide chasm.
Behind
her, the crowd finally broke out of their daze.
The Demoness has captured one of their own!
He Zai
immediately announced. “So long as Huang Fu Yun and Gong Sun Yun are not
divorced, Bai Ming Sect will never step foot in Central Plains!” His voice rang across the hall.
Divorced? The two are not even married! But from the look of things, they are as good
as married. How can a Gentleman shirk his
responsibility with so many eye witnesses?
As they
hesitated, the opportunity to stop the two was lost. Deity has already flown out of the human
realm, and mere mortals can only watch on as his shadow disappeared into the clouds with
another. From where he was standing, He
Zai could see that the smaller shadow nearly stumbled but fortunately, Deity-from-Nine-Heavens
reached out a hand to steady her and together, they ascend up Tian Bi Cliff
Some thoughts of mine:-
Where to start?
Holy Moly? Long Live Liberation? Let me start with He
Zai, because if this chapter has a title, it should be “He Zai Saves the
Day”. Firstly, he is going to take
care for Bai Ming Sect while Huang Fu Yun waltzes off to enjoy a carefree
life. Secondly, his quick thinking has
created the opportunity for the lovers to slip away. Hmmm, Uncontrollable Blissful Pill, what at unusual-sounding name I hope the author will
tell us more it, purely from an academic point of view that is. : )
Are the Gentleman really going to publish their family scandal? I can’t wait to reveal it in the next and
final chapter, which I will post on Tuesday 17/6. Have a good weekend ahead!
Yes, I agree for the name of this chapter should be 'He Zai Saves the Day!'
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I kinda expected that Huang Fu Yun gonna passed over the 'throne' to He Zai. I remembered when she took mental note when people are surrounding 5th Gentleman while XY went to He's Manor in the earlier chapter. But, I did not expect HFY to give the pill XY. Oh the twist of 5th's word on being proactive. Take that 5th, HFY is taking the action! And I pretty much sure that XY enjoys it!
Btw, moonblossom. I think you left the word 'doesn't' on your phrase : Just because she had not seen him for half a month doesn't mean that she missed him!
I so love, love this chapter. Can't wait for the last one. Sigh.. I'm so gonna miss this story :D
-hh-
Thank you for pointing it out and I have corrected the text.
DeleteHa!ha! the pill part was completely unexpected. Other than the first chapter where she fainted from poisoning, this was the other part of the story which I find most interesting. I had a lot of of fun thinking how to translate the Uncontrollable Blissful Pill too so that it sounds both wacky and wicked.
Might as well poll the readers here: how would you say 艳情无边合欢散 (jue qing wu bian he huan san) in English? Jue Qing = heartless. Wu Bian = boundless. He Huan = Happy Fusing/Coming Together. San = Pill.
Last chapter is also fun. At least this story goes off with a good aftertaste?
I'm afraid I don't understand Chinese language. (i___i)
DeleteBut, I think your translation on the pill is simply wonderful. After all, it's hard to find proper word to translate the phrase. Btw, I do think the 'blissful' = 'estacy'.
If the pill is an Estacy Pill, no wonder 5th is really worried about XY. It is indeed such a dangerous drug! And to think this pill exist a long time ago... LOL.. :D
-hh-
Hello Moonblossom,
DeleteI love love love this chapter <3. Teehee, you brought all the lovely humour out. I like Uncontrollable Blissful Pill, very suitable!
Though, it's Yan Qing 艳情 not Wu Qing 无情, so the emotions have that sexy amorous feeling! Heehee.
艳(Yan)情散 from Che Yan Yan (车艳艳)?. OMG, no wonder she has this drug - it got her name on it! Or maybe she designed and named it?
DeleteHahaha, yes it's the same Yan. I always thought the author's name for Che Yan Yan was a pun on her lust for young handsome males.
Delete"She is going to follow her heart and if she wants Xian Yun, she will want him. If she likes him, she will like him." you go girl! Take your man run away and be happy!~
ReplyDeleteI just had a gut feeling Wang Yun was going to pass the Bai Ming Sect Leader position to He Zai.
Wonderful part of chapter 9 I was on my feet excitingly reading each part. Thank you Moonblossom have a wonderful weekend. :)
Moonblossom! My heart positively stopped! I hate all those snooty people who looked down upon my beloved Huang Fu Yun! And I really love He Zai now. I cannot wait for Tuesday! Are you going to post the whole chapter then or still break it into two parts? =)
ReplyDeleteI find it funny that a combination of 5th Gentleman, Miss Tang and Tu San Lang finally snapped her formidable control! I actually thought she is going to remain in control the whole of the story.
DeleteI'll post the whole chapter since it is relatively short. Going by my earlier words that I'll post once every three days, I should post on Monday but I don't want to add on to people Monday blues. : )
Mooooonblossom!! You won't be adding to anyone's Monday blues if you post on Monday!! It has a happy ending, right? You'll actually be helping us with our Monday blues. But of course, I'm just really happy that you made a direct announcement, so thank you. =)
DeleteYes, I did think she was going to remain in control and ENDURE until the very end. But I guess she only could endure so much and Xian Yun did tell her to stop. Hehe.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteForgive me for not understanding but how did He Zai save the day? I'm not sure if I get what he meant by not stepping foot in the central plain. Sorry I read it twice but I guess I'm not getting the meaning depicted. Will someone please kindly explain? Lastly this was a nice chapter!
ReplyDeleteHi there,
DeleteMoonblossom already shared her opinion at the end of the chapter on this matter,
However, from my POV :
Wang Yun actually wants a free and peaceful life, without anybody scrutinizing her. So, when He Zai is willing to take over WY's title as the Leader, she gain her freedom. Besides, she knows that HZ is great at martial arts and his followers will definitely listen to him.
What HZ said 'not stepping foot in the Central Plain' simply means as long as WY and Xian Yun together, the Bai Ming Sect will never go to Central Plain where other 'good' pugilists live. In this story, the Bai Ming Sect is deemed as the 'evil' group. Hence, by decreeing this statement, HZ is maintaining the peace of Central Plain.
I hope my opinion on the above is not confusing you. :D
-hh-
Yes!!! My hunch is correct :) i'm a psychic! lol
ReplyDeleteBut, who is.the.woman by.the.door who.did a.loud "thud" ????
Dying for the lovely happy.ending....i'm more of perk me up monday ;)
Uber thanks Moonblossom *hugs*
- samie
I'm posting on Tuesday. You are welcome and the ending will put a smile on your face! *hugs back*
DeleteThere is no other woman. : ) What I'm trying to say is that she has everybody's undivided attention. The setup is like this: you have a a hall where HFY is standing at the entrance and making her announcement so everyone was looking at her. When something fell to the floor at the other end of the hall after she made her annoucement, nobody paid it any attention and just continued to look at her.
I thought it was that Hai Tang.fairy.who fell wt a thud....coz she.got " hidden desire " for.He Zai who became evil sect leader....no.hope for her? lol
DeleteShe is married to Tu San Long so confirm no hope. Maybe she has a pretty sister she can introduce to He Zai? Poor He Zai. Everyone seems to end up in pairs except him.
DeleteI luv luv WY took.XY to the cliff...* squeals *
DeleteAlso, HZ do have " feelings " for WY * swoon *
Uber thanks.dearest moonie.for.your translations. I so much enjoyed this.novel * mwaaahh *
The sound is made by the former leader...he died and fall off the throne onto the floor....snowblossom
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThat is a good one!
DeleteActually, the chinese version did say the sound came from "the direction of the Leader's seat" but I did not include. So sorry about this. So it means Sect Leader died and fell off his chair over HFY's annoucement? That's funny!
"fortunately, Deity-from-Nine-Heavens reached out a hand to steady her and together, they ascend up Tian Bi Cliff"
ReplyDeleteI nearly choked at this part. does it mean that Gong Xan Yun actually is not affected by Huan Fu Yun's " Xian Yun’s acupuncture points to render him speechless."
In other words, he is waiting for Huang Fu Yun to snap from her extreme level of endurance. Meaning he is the winner in term of endurance ;)
I think he can read Huang Fu Yun well to the point he deliberately allowed Ms Tang to touch him...
I cant wait for the last ep.
Thank you for making my Friday bearable ;)
==MissyMay==
There are many meridian points in the body and you can seal a person's ability to speak without affecting his ability to move, or in the case, fly across to Tian Bi Cliff. Hope it clarifies. : )
Deletehahhaha, Wang yun is indeed unique girl! i remember read this a long time ago with google translate and has some confusion about the magic pill. you know google translate makes a horrible translation so i doubt the pill exist! thank you for making this clear, moonblossom.
ReplyDeleteehemm....i won't imagine what they gonna do *cough-cough* :p
at first i thought wang yun eat the same pill, but after i read it again i realize that she didn't. well, i guess she doesn't even need that :D
he zai still has hope for wang yun. i wish he get a happy ending.
I can't wait for the final chapter! <3
oh dear. Here is some cough syrup for you! Just remember to not to drink it all and save some for the next chapter, I got a feeling you will cough again : )
Deleteoh yeees, oops! i mean, nooo... :P
Deleteis there some more??? lol
Then i better prepare for the next translation. lol
this novel is so short. i think it's the shortest chinese novel i've read.
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ReplyDeleteI love how WY finally get her wish to be free from all the responsibilities that she never wish to have from the very beginning. After all the endurance, she finally let loose of herself and just follow her heart~ I guess XY won in this battle of endurance hahaha! Waiting for WY to volunteer herself to be closer to XY instead~ no more restraining! I wonder if the previous Bai Ming Sect leader ever predicted that WY will instantly pass the leader role to HZ the moment he pass away. He will probably be a angry soul haunting the Bai Ming Sect grounds hahaha
ReplyDeleteI kinda feel a little bad for HZ because WY just throw the whole thing at him before consulting with him first (though I feel he wouldn't mind dying for WY either way so this won't make much different haha). I pray that HZ will find his happiness~ he will make a very loyal and protective person to the ones he care about~
To know that there's one more chapter till the end of this series. Am going to miss this story very much~ Thank you MoonBlossom for translating this beautiful and light-hearted novel~ :)
Snowblossom just pointed out that it is Sect Leader who fell off his chair and caused the 'thud!' sound. I take it that the haunting has begin? ha.ha.
DeleteYeah, strong, highly-skilledHe Zai who looks like a gladiator.... if only he had someone.
There is always the men hungry che yan yan...now that the new leader is her cup of tea, i'm sure she will be working harder in that direction ;) - snowblossom
DeleteI too get the feeling that she will be all out to support the new leader. Day and night (especially night!) if she could help it, because not only will she not die, she gets another man!
Deletehehe good chapter :) im looking forward for 17/6 huuu but so sad the story ending soon.
ReplyDeletethere are so much good scenes/chapters in this story..
ReplyDeletethanks for the hardwork
So good! I expected more from XY tbh. His jealousy is more entertaining than HFY's
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for Tuesday!
Lola
Thanks snowblossom :)
ReplyDeleteeven the dead sect.leader.can't believe.WY outwitted.him....he.must.want to.come.back from the.dead *grins*
One more day for the finale! Wonder what's happenin' Up there? lol
ReplyDelete--- “So long as Huang Fu Yun and Gong Sun Yun are not divorced, Bai Ming Sect will never step foot in Central Plains!” His voice rang across the hall.
ReplyDeleteUh so.. . Does it mean that Bai Ming sect pledge they won't step in on Central Plains' territory?