Post by Lone Crane on Dec 23, 2022 16:00:23 GMT
Hello! Back here after a long absence. For the past few years I've been writing and translating wuxia articles and stories on my own site, Wuxia Wanderings. There's a bunch of longform content you can read there if you want. Recently I completed a translation of Huang Ying's first Shen Shengyi novel The Silver Sword Grudge. You can read that there as well. But the blog format I have is not very convenient for a translation made in smaller parts. It leads to a lot of posts that just clog up the front page and push other articles off the front page. So I decided for this translation to post here first, and then repost on my site after it's completed.
Today I'm starting a 1987 assassin novel by Hong Kong author Ximen Ding 西門丁 called Assassin's Lament《殺手悲歌》. Ximen Ding was dubbed one of the Three New Swordsmen along with Huang Ying and Long Chengfeng (the original Three Swordsmen were Wolong Sheng, Zhuge Qingyun, and Sima Ling). These three dominated Hong Kong's Wuxia World Magazine《武俠世界》from the late 70s through the 80s. They were all three prolific writers, Huang Ying best known for his Shen Shengyi series about an assassin who turns xia 俠, Long Chengfeng was best known for his Snowblade Vagabond series, of which I have translated the first chapter of the first novel if you're interested. I'd like to finish that translation sometime down the road. Ximen Ding is best known for his Amazing Hawk Constables series, featuring two middle-aged constables who solve martial world mysteries. I've read a few books in that series and it's pretty good. Hopefully I can get around to translating one in the future.
Ximen Ding also wrote an assassin series of standalone novels all about assassins. Assassin's Lament is one of them. I've read this short novel (only four chapters, but long chapters) and I think it's really good. That's why I've decided to translate it. I'm hoping there's still some people here, maybe we can revive the wuxia community a bit. Also posting in parts, since these are such long chapters, works better in this forum formatting than my blog. I rarely get comments on my blog, so hopefully there will be more interest here. I'll post the translation to my blog once it's finished here.
I translated a part of an interview with Ximen Ding here: wuxiawanderings.com/wuxia-flavor-ximen-ding-on-what-it-takes-to-write-wuxia/
Assassin's Lament was originally published as a feature novel in Wuxia World Magazine in 1987, Year 29 Issue 22, #1466.
So without further ado, here is the first installment of Ximen Ding's Assassin's Lament:
Luoyang was the peony capital. Every year in early summer when the peonies were in full bloom, poets, men of letters, vagrants, and travelers came from all over in an unending stream to admire the flowers.
Now the peonies were in full bloom again and Luoyang was once again in its most resplendent, more bustling, most thriving period. In the past there were travelers on the streets in excessive numbers, but this year was a bit different in that the people crowding the streets were just standing still, all massed together watching the city gates, and many of them were big, burly individuals!
The people were amassing on both sides of the street, not to vie for a view of the peonies but to see a person. It wasn’t even this buzzing with excitement even when the circuit inspector His Excellency Yu came to Luoyang.
A dense mass of heads one after another, all packed in neatly, no need for any guards or runners maintain order, isn’t that strange?
Suddenly someone ahead came running down the street yelling, “He’s here, he’s here! Great Xia Ding is here!”
“Great Xia Ding is finally here!” The crowd was suddenly seething with excitement.
Suddenly a person roared, “Quiet! Great Xia Ding will laugh at us if he sees us making such an uproar like this!” When the people of Luoyang heard that voice they knew it was “Thunder in a Drought” Xiang Jun. The street quieted down at once.
A while later came the sound of steady, unhurried hoofbeats. It was four people in two groups. In the lead on the left was an older yet spirited man with a ruddy face, an senior in the martial world of Luoyang, “Surpassing Yunchang” Zhang Yu, and on the right was a white horse carrying a man not yet forty. This man had upward-slanting eyebrows and starry eyes, a tall nose and a beard, with a dignified, majestic, intimidating bearing. Looking at him from a distance you could already feel his awe-inspiring aura!
Someone in the crowd burst out with, “Welcome, Great Xia Ding!” It was really one person calling and a hundred answering as a myriad voices chimed in calling out so that it rose such a din it made your ears buzz.
That’s right, today people had gathered en masse to get a look at Great Xia Ding Qian’s dignified bearing and to welcome him to Luoyang. This was by no means the first time Ding Qian had been to Luoyang. Naturally there was a reason for such a welcome this time, but for that we must start at the beginning.
Twenty years ago in the martial world there was the “Three Devils of Heaven and Earth”. These three fiends were cruel and merciless, their martial arts incredible, and they were wildly ambitious. Who knows how many heroes of the light path were broken in their hands. Luckily, all three of them had plans to take over and command the martial world, so they couldn’t get along, and as they held each other in check, the martial world suffered many trials and tribulations.
But for some reason, these three devils, Heaven, Earth, and Mankind, suddenly went silent in the martial world, then appeared again at the same time five years ago and founded the “Three Transcendents Cult”.
The Three Transcendents Cult has only just been established when it alarmed and disrupted the entire martial world, wiping out the seven gangs and twelve societies, the seven manors and thirty-six strongholds before finally also annihilating the Qingcheng School and the Kongtong School!
For five years the martial world suffered savage catastrophes, it was a real bloodbath, bodies piled like a mountain, and many lacking in fortitude simply went into reclusion to avoid the catastrophes. But the Three Transcendents Cult was not satisfied with this. Their goal was to unify the martial world. Whoever followed them would live, whoever resisted them would die, putting the martial world into a state of fear and unease.
At this time, the one in charge of Shaolin, Zenmaster Highest Wisdom, convened a meeting of the heads of the other four major schools to Five Breasts Peak on Mount Shaoshi. The five major schools: Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Beggars Guild, and Mount Hua resolved to join together an eliminate the Three Transcendents Cult.
Zenmaster Highest Wisdom after all was a monk who cherished compassion and did not wish to involve too many people, so he suggested that the heads of the five major schools get together and practice the Five Agents Formation to to smite the Three Devils’ Three Powers Formation. Once the Three Transcendents were eliminated, the rest of the cult would be nothing to fear, and this way they could reduce the number of lives lost. The head of Mount Hua, Mei Jiuyu feared the Three Devils wouldn’t agree to a duel, but the Beggars Guild chief, “Red-Haired Divine Dragon” Zhao the Third felt that the Three Devils had once again appeared in the jianghu because they were self-assured of their perfected martial arts skills and were exceedingly arrogant and so would surely agree to it, so the decision was unanimous.
The five headmasters trained diligently for three months and became adept at the Five Agents Formations’ positions, transformations, advancing and retreating, and attacking and defending, then they sent someone to deliver a letter of challenge, and sure enough, the Three Devils agreed to a duel and selected Shixin Peak on Mount Huang as the site of their battle, to be fought on fifteenth day of the twelfth month.
The five headmasters knew full well how incredibly dangerous this battle would be, and they really had no certainty of success, so they each went back to their school and made funeral and succession arrangements, and arranged to meet up once again on Five Breasts Peak in the the middle of the eleventh month.
Unexpectedly, Mei Jiuyu on the way there ran into Earth Devil You Shengtian and they got into a clash of words that eventually ended up in a clash of arms, with the result that Mei Jiuyu unfortunately lost his life to a palm strike from You Shengtian!
The sad news arrived like a bolt from the blue, and the four headmasters convened on Five Breasts Peak to discuss the matter. With one of the five down, their chance of success was diminished, and Zhao the Third suggested they find someone to take Mei Jiuyu’s place, but where would they find someone on such short notice?
Just then, Ding Qian arrived at Shaolin Monastery to recommend himself, willing to shed his blood for the martial world. With no other choice the four headmasters could only accept, at first just thinking it was better than nothing. But who knew that Din Qian was completely qualified, and his insight and reaction time was even better than Mei Jiuyu!
They were pressed for time, so they practiced day and night for half a month, and Ding Qian mastered the transformations of the Five Agents Formation, and so the five of them went to Shixin Peak on Mount Huang to meet the enemy.
The Heaven, Earth, and Mankind Devils were truly ambitious scoundrels and had no problem with a three-on-five fight. After three days and three nights of bloody battle, the Three Devils were annihilated, but the four headmasters and Ding Qian were all severely wounded, Ding Qian the worst of all, so much so that he had to be carried down off Shixin Peak.
With the Three Devils dead, the Three Transcendents Cult quickly collapsed and the martial world once again saw the light of day, and there was much rejoicing as if everyone had been reborn, and the four headmasters plus Ding Qian were hailed everywhere they went as saviors!
Before this, Ding Qin had enjoyed some fame, but he was a far cry from the four headmasters. With his sudden rise in status, at first people thought he had just been there to fill in, but later Zhao the Third told the Beggars Guild about it, and it was learned that during the bloody battle Ding Qian had fearlessly risked his life and seriously wounded Mankind Devil and ensured their ultimate victory, and his martial arts was by no means inferior to Mei Jiuyu’s. When word spread, people saw Din Qian in a new light, and after that Great Xia Ding Qian’s great name spread everywhere north and south of the Yangtze.
Ding Qian returned home and was bedridden for three month before he fully recovered. During that time, a rapist appeared in Luoyang, and not only were the authorities at their wit’s end to deal with it, even the martial world people of Luoyang joined up to investigate but could not keep the crimes from happening, setting all the maidens of Luoyang on tenterhooks and striking terror into all the married women.
This went on for two or three months and the number of violated women exceeded twenty. At this time, “Surpassing Yunchang” Zhang Yu thought of using the renovation of White Horse Temple to invite Great Xia Ding Qian to come and personally put the finishing touches on a statue outside the temple in the hopes that his renown would frighten the rapist and make him leave Luoyang. Of course it would be ideal if Ding Qian could eliminate this scourge for the people of Luoyang once and for all.
Ding Qian was worthy of the title Great Xia. Once he learned what was going on he agreed to come at once. The first place he went after recovering from his wounds and reentering the jianghu was Luoyang, and he was coming to eliminate a scourge for the people of Luoyang, so how could the people of Luoyang not shed tears of gratitude, and so they turned out en masse for him!
Ding Qian was exceedingly humble, and he got down from his horse as soon as he saw the crowd of people on both sides of the street and proceeded on foot. Zhang Yu and the other two bringing up the rear, who had gone to Xuchang to personally invite Ding Qian to come here, also got down from their horses.
Ding Qian nodded and saluted over and over to the crowd and kept saying how he was unworthy.
Suddenly someone in the crowd bellowed, “Great Xia Ding, we want to treat you to a drink, I wonder when you are free?”
Ding Qian looked up and saw a strong man nearly a head taller than the crowd, slightly tanned with protruding lips like the Thunder God. He clasped a hand over his fist and asked, “Please excuse my bad eyes, what is your great name?”
The person said, “I’m Xiang Jun. People call me Thunder in a Drought!”
Zhang Yu said, “Great Xia Ding has only just arrived and has yet to make arrangements, he can’t agree to anything right now. Brother Xiang, please come to my humble abode in a couple days to ask again!” As soon as he finished speaking, requests for Ding Qian to drink with people came one after the other, so Zhang Yu quickly said, “Everyone, Great Xia Ding is already giving us face in taking the time to come to Luoyang, he truly doesn’t have the time to keep so many appointments. How about this, in a few days I will host a banquet at Ancient Capital Loft and will invite you all to come and drink a few cups with Great Xia Ding!”
Everyone was happy with that arrangement, except for Xiang Jun, who said, “Great Xia Ding performed an extraordinary service for the martial world. My uncle and brother were killed by the Three Devils, and when Great Xia Ding got revenge for us I swore that I would properly express my thanks to Great Xia Ding. If Master Zhang won’t let me treat him, then I will just kowtow three times to Great Xia Ding right here in front of everyone!” With that he emerged from the crowd and was about to get down on his knees right there in the street.
Ding Qian quickly grabbed him. “Brother Xiang, why all this? I was just filling in for someone when I went with the four headmasters to that battle on Mount Huang. I didn’t do it just for you but for the martial world, and for myself!”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Great Xia Ding, if you did for others, why say you did it for yourself?”
“If the Three Devils weren’t killed, sooner or later I would die by the Three Transcendents Cult’s hands!”
Zhang Yu was afraid people would start arguing. “Great Xia Ding has had a hard journey, everyone, if there’s something you want to ask, come to Ancient Capital Loft at the appointed time and ask then!” With that, he pulled Ding Qian away and they went home.
Zhang Yu no doubt had the highest position within the martial world in Luoyang, and the Zhangs were a distinguished family in Luoyang, accumulating wealth for generations. Zhang Yu’s generation did not grow the family, but it was still considerable. One look at his great mansion was proof enough of that.
When they got to his home, servants eagerly attended to Ding Qian, and a handmaid helped him bathe and scrub his back, and another handed him a towel and served him tea. Ding Qian kept saying he wasn’t worthy, but he didn’t refuse them. Once they finished helping him bathe, they helped him change clothes and a handmaid took him to an inner room where two tables had been prepared. In addition to Zhang Yu’s wife and concubine, there were also his cousins, children, and the head steward.
Zhang Yu personally invited him to sit in the seat of honor. Ding Qian said, “Sir, you’ve treated me so kindly, it makes me uneasy, let’s just everyone be a bit more casual!”
Zhang Yu laughed. “That’s just what this old rotter was thinking. Actually, Great Xia, you need not stand on ceremony while in my abode!”
Ding Qian said, “Sir, if you call me Great Xia again I’ll lose my appetite.”
Zhang Yu laughed. “Okay, okay, then you can call this old rotter Big Brother, and I’ll not stand on ceremony and shall call you Little Brother, how’s that?” Ding Qian agreed with pleasure and Zhang Yu continued, “Come, come, everyone let’s toast Great Xia Ding, no no, Little Brother Ding!”
After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Yu’s cousins and children by turns asked him about the battle on Mount Huang, and Ding Qian replied modestly and in great detail, making a good impression on the Zhang family.
After the meal, Zhang Yu invited Ding Qian to a side room for tea, and in passing brought up the recent events in Luoyang. Ding Qian said, “I don’t know about investigation and catching criminals work, but if I can be of use, I’ll certainly not decline. When is the finishing touch ceremony scheduled?”
“It’s tomorrow at noon. Three days from now, this old rotter will host a banquet at Ancient Capital Loft. Little Brother, how long do you plan to stay in Luoyang?”
Ding Qian said, “Five to seven days. My humble wife wants to go see her parents, I must escort her there. At the same time, it’s been a couple years since I’ve seen my in-laws.”
The next day, Ding Qian arrived at White Horse Temple and still drew a crowd of admirers that completely surrounded White Horse Temple so that it was with some difficulty that he made it back to the Zhang residence, where Luoyang’s Constable Shen was waiting respectfully.
And he was dragged over to the yamen and then finally to a restaurant for a banquet. Ding Qian was getting quite impatient but still did all he could to bear it and socialize. By the time he got back to the Zhang residence it was the middle of the night. Then Xiang Jun came to invite him to another banquet.
Xiang Jun was a rough fellow, but he worshipped Ding Qian, and he praised Ding Qian in front of his buddies to no end. Ding Qian again and again modestly declined the praise, but unexpectedly Xiang Jun said, “Great Xia Ding, everything I’m saying is the truth. If you insist on being modest, it will look fake! Who doesn’t give you the thumbs up whenever your name is mentioned in the martial world? In short, I owe you a debt of gratitude. If you ever need me for anything, just say the word and whether through water or fire if I so much as frown than I’m not human!”
Ding Qian said, “Brother Xiang is so warmhearted, I really I am grateful. If some day I need Brother Xiang’s help, I will come and brazenly ask for it.” Who knew that Xiang Jun’s friends would all chime in one after the other saying they would help Ding Qian with anything he needed. That night, Ding Qian was in a particularly good mood, and he favored a person like Xiang Jun much more than those yamen runners and constables!
At midnight, Ding Qian was half drunk as he strolled in the moonlight back to the Zhang residence. Looking down the long deserted street he felt quite proud of himself, as if he, Ding Qian, were the only person in all of Luoyang. Xiang Jun had wanted to escort him back to the Zhang residence, but he was finally driven away about halfway back.
Of course it was great to receive the honor of a being a great xia, but the hardship of it was something no outsider could understand. This was something Xiang Jun would absolutely not be able to understand, only he knew!
In times of peril, a great xia no doubt must stride boldly forward heedless of his own life, or else he would become the subject of ridicule, and the reputation that had taken many years to establish would be destroyed in a single day. However, it was not often when a great xia was needed to risk his life. The hardest thing to endure was that one had to always maintain one’s great xia bearing.
That was really easy to say but in fact was very hard to do. When you felt proud of yourself of course you couldn’t show it. When you were frustrated you had to maintain your grand bearing, and when you were happy you couldn’t just laugh and carry on as much as you liked, and when you were worried you could not heave long sighs and complain. You had to be careful of every word you said, not to mention you couldn’t set foot in the pleasure quarters!
Like now with his wife not here, tonight Ding Qian wanted to find a woman to have fun with, but as soon as the thought arose he had to stifle it.
What pleasure was there in being a great xia? If fame and status became a burden, then it’s best not to want it!
Everything in the world had a good side and a bad side, being a great xia was no exception. Ding Qian didn’t want a woman, but he did look forward to the distinguished gathering tomorrow at Ancient Capital Loft.
Enjoying the praise and admiration of so many people was the greatest pleasure. The banquet tomorrow at Ancient Capital Loft would surely be the high point of his career up to this point and his proudest moment!
Don’t forget that there were probably less than ten people in the history of the martial world who had attained such fame and status at his age!
Ding Qian looked back and saw there was no one, and only then did he dare utter a little chuckle. He had to laugh now. He wouldn’t be able to laugh once he stepped foot in the Zhang residence. Though tomorrow would be a proud moment, he really wouldn’t be able to laugh then!
Ding Qian couldn’t laugh, but the young man facing the letter on the table in room 7 of Luoyang’s High Rise Inn laughed.
The young man read over the letter then carefully folded it and put it in an envelope and carefully sealed it. On the envelope was written a single line: To Great Xia Ding, Ding Qian.
The young man was only twenty-five or twenty-six, but he had a seasoned look about him. Clearly he had been through a number of hardships. He blew out the lamp, opened the door, and stuck his head out to get a look at what was going on outside. The guests at the inn were all in dreamland and he shut the door and laughed soundlessly.
In the dark only his eyes were visibly gleaming. He was surely an intelligent person. He was not only intelligent and careful but also cruel and merciless, or else he would not have become an outstanding assassin!
In recent years, the King of Assassins “Dark Moth” Suo Shixiong resonated throughout the jianghu. Dark Moth Suo Shixiong was known as the soul snatching emissary of the netherworld, and this young man was indeed the soul snatching emissary, King of Assassins Suo Shixiong! This time he had come to Luoyang, and his target was Great Xia Ding Qian!
Would tomorrow be a good day or a bad day?
Today I'm starting a 1987 assassin novel by Hong Kong author Ximen Ding 西門丁 called Assassin's Lament《殺手悲歌》. Ximen Ding was dubbed one of the Three New Swordsmen along with Huang Ying and Long Chengfeng (the original Three Swordsmen were Wolong Sheng, Zhuge Qingyun, and Sima Ling). These three dominated Hong Kong's Wuxia World Magazine《武俠世界》from the late 70s through the 80s. They were all three prolific writers, Huang Ying best known for his Shen Shengyi series about an assassin who turns xia 俠, Long Chengfeng was best known for his Snowblade Vagabond series, of which I have translated the first chapter of the first novel if you're interested. I'd like to finish that translation sometime down the road. Ximen Ding is best known for his Amazing Hawk Constables series, featuring two middle-aged constables who solve martial world mysteries. I've read a few books in that series and it's pretty good. Hopefully I can get around to translating one in the future.
Ximen Ding also wrote an assassin series of standalone novels all about assassins. Assassin's Lament is one of them. I've read this short novel (only four chapters, but long chapters) and I think it's really good. That's why I've decided to translate it. I'm hoping there's still some people here, maybe we can revive the wuxia community a bit. Also posting in parts, since these are such long chapters, works better in this forum formatting than my blog. I rarely get comments on my blog, so hopefully there will be more interest here. I'll post the translation to my blog once it's finished here.
I translated a part of an interview with Ximen Ding here: wuxiawanderings.com/wuxia-flavor-ximen-ding-on-what-it-takes-to-write-wuxia/
Assassin's Lament was originally published as a feature novel in Wuxia World Magazine in 1987, Year 29 Issue 22, #1466.
So without further ado, here is the first installment of Ximen Ding's Assassin's Lament:
Chapter 1
Three Confidential Letters, An Order to Commit Suicide
Luoyang was the peony capital. Every year in early summer when the peonies were in full bloom, poets, men of letters, vagrants, and travelers came from all over in an unending stream to admire the flowers.
Now the peonies were in full bloom again and Luoyang was once again in its most resplendent, more bustling, most thriving period. In the past there were travelers on the streets in excessive numbers, but this year was a bit different in that the people crowding the streets were just standing still, all massed together watching the city gates, and many of them were big, burly individuals!
The people were amassing on both sides of the street, not to vie for a view of the peonies but to see a person. It wasn’t even this buzzing with excitement even when the circuit inspector His Excellency Yu came to Luoyang.
A dense mass of heads one after another, all packed in neatly, no need for any guards or runners maintain order, isn’t that strange?
Suddenly someone ahead came running down the street yelling, “He’s here, he’s here! Great Xia Ding is here!”
“Great Xia Ding is finally here!” The crowd was suddenly seething with excitement.
Suddenly a person roared, “Quiet! Great Xia Ding will laugh at us if he sees us making such an uproar like this!” When the people of Luoyang heard that voice they knew it was “Thunder in a Drought” Xiang Jun. The street quieted down at once.
A while later came the sound of steady, unhurried hoofbeats. It was four people in two groups. In the lead on the left was an older yet spirited man with a ruddy face, an senior in the martial world of Luoyang, “Surpassing Yunchang” Zhang Yu, and on the right was a white horse carrying a man not yet forty. This man had upward-slanting eyebrows and starry eyes, a tall nose and a beard, with a dignified, majestic, intimidating bearing. Looking at him from a distance you could already feel his awe-inspiring aura!
Someone in the crowd burst out with, “Welcome, Great Xia Ding!” It was really one person calling and a hundred answering as a myriad voices chimed in calling out so that it rose such a din it made your ears buzz.
That’s right, today people had gathered en masse to get a look at Great Xia Ding Qian’s dignified bearing and to welcome him to Luoyang. This was by no means the first time Ding Qian had been to Luoyang. Naturally there was a reason for such a welcome this time, but for that we must start at the beginning.
× × ×
Twenty years ago in the martial world there was the “Three Devils of Heaven and Earth”. These three fiends were cruel and merciless, their martial arts incredible, and they were wildly ambitious. Who knows how many heroes of the light path were broken in their hands. Luckily, all three of them had plans to take over and command the martial world, so they couldn’t get along, and as they held each other in check, the martial world suffered many trials and tribulations.
But for some reason, these three devils, Heaven, Earth, and Mankind, suddenly went silent in the martial world, then appeared again at the same time five years ago and founded the “Three Transcendents Cult”.
The Three Transcendents Cult has only just been established when it alarmed and disrupted the entire martial world, wiping out the seven gangs and twelve societies, the seven manors and thirty-six strongholds before finally also annihilating the Qingcheng School and the Kongtong School!
For five years the martial world suffered savage catastrophes, it was a real bloodbath, bodies piled like a mountain, and many lacking in fortitude simply went into reclusion to avoid the catastrophes. But the Three Transcendents Cult was not satisfied with this. Their goal was to unify the martial world. Whoever followed them would live, whoever resisted them would die, putting the martial world into a state of fear and unease.
At this time, the one in charge of Shaolin, Zenmaster Highest Wisdom, convened a meeting of the heads of the other four major schools to Five Breasts Peak on Mount Shaoshi. The five major schools: Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Beggars Guild, and Mount Hua resolved to join together an eliminate the Three Transcendents Cult.
Zenmaster Highest Wisdom after all was a monk who cherished compassion and did not wish to involve too many people, so he suggested that the heads of the five major schools get together and practice the Five Agents Formation to to smite the Three Devils’ Three Powers Formation. Once the Three Transcendents were eliminated, the rest of the cult would be nothing to fear, and this way they could reduce the number of lives lost. The head of Mount Hua, Mei Jiuyu feared the Three Devils wouldn’t agree to a duel, but the Beggars Guild chief, “Red-Haired Divine Dragon” Zhao the Third felt that the Three Devils had once again appeared in the jianghu because they were self-assured of their perfected martial arts skills and were exceedingly arrogant and so would surely agree to it, so the decision was unanimous.
The five headmasters trained diligently for three months and became adept at the Five Agents Formations’ positions, transformations, advancing and retreating, and attacking and defending, then they sent someone to deliver a letter of challenge, and sure enough, the Three Devils agreed to a duel and selected Shixin Peak on Mount Huang as the site of their battle, to be fought on fifteenth day of the twelfth month.
The five headmasters knew full well how incredibly dangerous this battle would be, and they really had no certainty of success, so they each went back to their school and made funeral and succession arrangements, and arranged to meet up once again on Five Breasts Peak in the the middle of the eleventh month.
Unexpectedly, Mei Jiuyu on the way there ran into Earth Devil You Shengtian and they got into a clash of words that eventually ended up in a clash of arms, with the result that Mei Jiuyu unfortunately lost his life to a palm strike from You Shengtian!
The sad news arrived like a bolt from the blue, and the four headmasters convened on Five Breasts Peak to discuss the matter. With one of the five down, their chance of success was diminished, and Zhao the Third suggested they find someone to take Mei Jiuyu’s place, but where would they find someone on such short notice?
Just then, Ding Qian arrived at Shaolin Monastery to recommend himself, willing to shed his blood for the martial world. With no other choice the four headmasters could only accept, at first just thinking it was better than nothing. But who knew that Din Qian was completely qualified, and his insight and reaction time was even better than Mei Jiuyu!
They were pressed for time, so they practiced day and night for half a month, and Ding Qian mastered the transformations of the Five Agents Formation, and so the five of them went to Shixin Peak on Mount Huang to meet the enemy.
The Heaven, Earth, and Mankind Devils were truly ambitious scoundrels and had no problem with a three-on-five fight. After three days and three nights of bloody battle, the Three Devils were annihilated, but the four headmasters and Ding Qian were all severely wounded, Ding Qian the worst of all, so much so that he had to be carried down off Shixin Peak.
With the Three Devils dead, the Three Transcendents Cult quickly collapsed and the martial world once again saw the light of day, and there was much rejoicing as if everyone had been reborn, and the four headmasters plus Ding Qian were hailed everywhere they went as saviors!
Before this, Ding Qin had enjoyed some fame, but he was a far cry from the four headmasters. With his sudden rise in status, at first people thought he had just been there to fill in, but later Zhao the Third told the Beggars Guild about it, and it was learned that during the bloody battle Ding Qian had fearlessly risked his life and seriously wounded Mankind Devil and ensured their ultimate victory, and his martial arts was by no means inferior to Mei Jiuyu’s. When word spread, people saw Din Qian in a new light, and after that Great Xia Ding Qian’s great name spread everywhere north and south of the Yangtze.
Ding Qian returned home and was bedridden for three month before he fully recovered. During that time, a rapist appeared in Luoyang, and not only were the authorities at their wit’s end to deal with it, even the martial world people of Luoyang joined up to investigate but could not keep the crimes from happening, setting all the maidens of Luoyang on tenterhooks and striking terror into all the married women.
This went on for two or three months and the number of violated women exceeded twenty. At this time, “Surpassing Yunchang” Zhang Yu thought of using the renovation of White Horse Temple to invite Great Xia Ding Qian to come and personally put the finishing touches on a statue outside the temple in the hopes that his renown would frighten the rapist and make him leave Luoyang. Of course it would be ideal if Ding Qian could eliminate this scourge for the people of Luoyang once and for all.
Ding Qian was worthy of the title Great Xia. Once he learned what was going on he agreed to come at once. The first place he went after recovering from his wounds and reentering the jianghu was Luoyang, and he was coming to eliminate a scourge for the people of Luoyang, so how could the people of Luoyang not shed tears of gratitude, and so they turned out en masse for him!
× × ×
Ding Qian was exceedingly humble, and he got down from his horse as soon as he saw the crowd of people on both sides of the street and proceeded on foot. Zhang Yu and the other two bringing up the rear, who had gone to Xuchang to personally invite Ding Qian to come here, also got down from their horses.
Ding Qian nodded and saluted over and over to the crowd and kept saying how he was unworthy.
Suddenly someone in the crowd bellowed, “Great Xia Ding, we want to treat you to a drink, I wonder when you are free?”
Ding Qian looked up and saw a strong man nearly a head taller than the crowd, slightly tanned with protruding lips like the Thunder God. He clasped a hand over his fist and asked, “Please excuse my bad eyes, what is your great name?”
The person said, “I’m Xiang Jun. People call me Thunder in a Drought!”
Zhang Yu said, “Great Xia Ding has only just arrived and has yet to make arrangements, he can’t agree to anything right now. Brother Xiang, please come to my humble abode in a couple days to ask again!” As soon as he finished speaking, requests for Ding Qian to drink with people came one after the other, so Zhang Yu quickly said, “Everyone, Great Xia Ding is already giving us face in taking the time to come to Luoyang, he truly doesn’t have the time to keep so many appointments. How about this, in a few days I will host a banquet at Ancient Capital Loft and will invite you all to come and drink a few cups with Great Xia Ding!”
Everyone was happy with that arrangement, except for Xiang Jun, who said, “Great Xia Ding performed an extraordinary service for the martial world. My uncle and brother were killed by the Three Devils, and when Great Xia Ding got revenge for us I swore that I would properly express my thanks to Great Xia Ding. If Master Zhang won’t let me treat him, then I will just kowtow three times to Great Xia Ding right here in front of everyone!” With that he emerged from the crowd and was about to get down on his knees right there in the street.
Ding Qian quickly grabbed him. “Brother Xiang, why all this? I was just filling in for someone when I went with the four headmasters to that battle on Mount Huang. I didn’t do it just for you but for the martial world, and for myself!”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Great Xia Ding, if you did for others, why say you did it for yourself?”
“If the Three Devils weren’t killed, sooner or later I would die by the Three Transcendents Cult’s hands!”
Zhang Yu was afraid people would start arguing. “Great Xia Ding has had a hard journey, everyone, if there’s something you want to ask, come to Ancient Capital Loft at the appointed time and ask then!” With that, he pulled Ding Qian away and they went home.
Zhang Yu no doubt had the highest position within the martial world in Luoyang, and the Zhangs were a distinguished family in Luoyang, accumulating wealth for generations. Zhang Yu’s generation did not grow the family, but it was still considerable. One look at his great mansion was proof enough of that.
When they got to his home, servants eagerly attended to Ding Qian, and a handmaid helped him bathe and scrub his back, and another handed him a towel and served him tea. Ding Qian kept saying he wasn’t worthy, but he didn’t refuse them. Once they finished helping him bathe, they helped him change clothes and a handmaid took him to an inner room where two tables had been prepared. In addition to Zhang Yu’s wife and concubine, there were also his cousins, children, and the head steward.
Zhang Yu personally invited him to sit in the seat of honor. Ding Qian said, “Sir, you’ve treated me so kindly, it makes me uneasy, let’s just everyone be a bit more casual!”
Zhang Yu laughed. “That’s just what this old rotter was thinking. Actually, Great Xia, you need not stand on ceremony while in my abode!”
Ding Qian said, “Sir, if you call me Great Xia again I’ll lose my appetite.”
Zhang Yu laughed. “Okay, okay, then you can call this old rotter Big Brother, and I’ll not stand on ceremony and shall call you Little Brother, how’s that?” Ding Qian agreed with pleasure and Zhang Yu continued, “Come, come, everyone let’s toast Great Xia Ding, no no, Little Brother Ding!”
After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Yu’s cousins and children by turns asked him about the battle on Mount Huang, and Ding Qian replied modestly and in great detail, making a good impression on the Zhang family.
After the meal, Zhang Yu invited Ding Qian to a side room for tea, and in passing brought up the recent events in Luoyang. Ding Qian said, “I don’t know about investigation and catching criminals work, but if I can be of use, I’ll certainly not decline. When is the finishing touch ceremony scheduled?”
“It’s tomorrow at noon. Three days from now, this old rotter will host a banquet at Ancient Capital Loft. Little Brother, how long do you plan to stay in Luoyang?”
Ding Qian said, “Five to seven days. My humble wife wants to go see her parents, I must escort her there. At the same time, it’s been a couple years since I’ve seen my in-laws.”
× × ×
The next day, Ding Qian arrived at White Horse Temple and still drew a crowd of admirers that completely surrounded White Horse Temple so that it was with some difficulty that he made it back to the Zhang residence, where Luoyang’s Constable Shen was waiting respectfully.
And he was dragged over to the yamen and then finally to a restaurant for a banquet. Ding Qian was getting quite impatient but still did all he could to bear it and socialize. By the time he got back to the Zhang residence it was the middle of the night. Then Xiang Jun came to invite him to another banquet.
Xiang Jun was a rough fellow, but he worshipped Ding Qian, and he praised Ding Qian in front of his buddies to no end. Ding Qian again and again modestly declined the praise, but unexpectedly Xiang Jun said, “Great Xia Ding, everything I’m saying is the truth. If you insist on being modest, it will look fake! Who doesn’t give you the thumbs up whenever your name is mentioned in the martial world? In short, I owe you a debt of gratitude. If you ever need me for anything, just say the word and whether through water or fire if I so much as frown than I’m not human!”
Ding Qian said, “Brother Xiang is so warmhearted, I really I am grateful. If some day I need Brother Xiang’s help, I will come and brazenly ask for it.” Who knew that Xiang Jun’s friends would all chime in one after the other saying they would help Ding Qian with anything he needed. That night, Ding Qian was in a particularly good mood, and he favored a person like Xiang Jun much more than those yamen runners and constables!
At midnight, Ding Qian was half drunk as he strolled in the moonlight back to the Zhang residence. Looking down the long deserted street he felt quite proud of himself, as if he, Ding Qian, were the only person in all of Luoyang. Xiang Jun had wanted to escort him back to the Zhang residence, but he was finally driven away about halfway back.
Of course it was great to receive the honor of a being a great xia, but the hardship of it was something no outsider could understand. This was something Xiang Jun would absolutely not be able to understand, only he knew!
In times of peril, a great xia no doubt must stride boldly forward heedless of his own life, or else he would become the subject of ridicule, and the reputation that had taken many years to establish would be destroyed in a single day. However, it was not often when a great xia was needed to risk his life. The hardest thing to endure was that one had to always maintain one’s great xia bearing.
That was really easy to say but in fact was very hard to do. When you felt proud of yourself of course you couldn’t show it. When you were frustrated you had to maintain your grand bearing, and when you were happy you couldn’t just laugh and carry on as much as you liked, and when you were worried you could not heave long sighs and complain. You had to be careful of every word you said, not to mention you couldn’t set foot in the pleasure quarters!
Like now with his wife not here, tonight Ding Qian wanted to find a woman to have fun with, but as soon as the thought arose he had to stifle it.
What pleasure was there in being a great xia? If fame and status became a burden, then it’s best not to want it!
Everything in the world had a good side and a bad side, being a great xia was no exception. Ding Qian didn’t want a woman, but he did look forward to the distinguished gathering tomorrow at Ancient Capital Loft.
Enjoying the praise and admiration of so many people was the greatest pleasure. The banquet tomorrow at Ancient Capital Loft would surely be the high point of his career up to this point and his proudest moment!
Don’t forget that there were probably less than ten people in the history of the martial world who had attained such fame and status at his age!
Ding Qian looked back and saw there was no one, and only then did he dare utter a little chuckle. He had to laugh now. He wouldn’t be able to laugh once he stepped foot in the Zhang residence. Though tomorrow would be a proud moment, he really wouldn’t be able to laugh then!
× × ×
Ding Qian couldn’t laugh, but the young man facing the letter on the table in room 7 of Luoyang’s High Rise Inn laughed.
The young man read over the letter then carefully folded it and put it in an envelope and carefully sealed it. On the envelope was written a single line: To Great Xia Ding, Ding Qian.
The young man was only twenty-five or twenty-six, but he had a seasoned look about him. Clearly he had been through a number of hardships. He blew out the lamp, opened the door, and stuck his head out to get a look at what was going on outside. The guests at the inn were all in dreamland and he shut the door and laughed soundlessly.
In the dark only his eyes were visibly gleaming. He was surely an intelligent person. He was not only intelligent and careful but also cruel and merciless, or else he would not have become an outstanding assassin!
In recent years, the King of Assassins “Dark Moth” Suo Shixiong resonated throughout the jianghu. Dark Moth Suo Shixiong was known as the soul snatching emissary of the netherworld, and this young man was indeed the soul snatching emissary, King of Assassins Suo Shixiong! This time he had come to Luoyang, and his target was Great Xia Ding Qian!
Would tomorrow be a good day or a bad day?