Глава 1, ч.2

” he asked, “I really don’t want to see that Yan Laoda’s crafty face anymore.” A bit awkward, Kou Zhong replied, “Hey, we still need two taels [unit weight, approx. 50g (modern) or 1/16 of a catty (old)] and a half, a total of twenty-five qian [unit weight, 1/10 of a tael] to go.” Xu Ziling sat up in shock, his voice breaking, “Didn’t you say a tael and a half?

How come now it is two taels and a half?

” With a deep sigh Kou Zhong said, “Actually, how much more money we still need is not a big deal, the most disappointing thing is that Peng Xiaocai who failed to live up to expectations; only two, three times, and he is already fixed by the authority.” And then he got excited as he grabbed Xu Ziling’s shoulders and said, “But don’t worry, when I went to Chun Feng Lou [Spring Breeze Inn, ‘lou’ refers to two-story building] to steal something to eat last night, I heard people say that nowadays the most powerful one is Li Zitong. The valiant generals under him are as numerous as the cloud, such as Bai Xin and Qin Chaowen, who are top experts of the Wulin [martial art] world. Recently they subdued another militia army led by Zuo Xiaoyou; their fame and power are flourishing even more.” Doubtful, Xu Ziling asked, “Didn’t you say earlier that the most formidable is Peng Xiaocai?

And after him it was Yang Gongqing, who once defeated Yang Guang’s army in a surprise attack?

How come now it is suddenly Li Zitong?

Other than he, you also mentioned some Li Hongzhi, Hu Liumiao, Wang Deren, and so on; what roles are they playing?

” Obviously Kou Zhong was unable to answer his question. He hummed and hawed, and then with a sheepish smile he said, “In this whole wide world we only have each other, brothers; if you don’t believe me, whom would you believe?

How can I point out a ‘black’ road for you to take?

Based on my insight, I am sure we will be able to pick the most promising militia army. When we gain the whole world, based on our, two boys, vision and competence, I, Kou Zhong, will become, at least, the Prime Minister, and you will definitely be a great general.” With a bitter smile Xu Ziling said, “Merely Yan Laoda is able to beat us that we cannot crawl up; how can I have the competence to be a great general?

” Puffing his chest, Kou Zhong said, “That’s why I force you to eavesdrop Bai Lao Fuzi’s [old master/teacher] lecture every day; also go to peek and steal martial art skill from under the large tree by Shi Long’s training field. Vision and competence must be fostered; we will definitely be a pinnacle of virtue and ability. At least we can go back to become a state official in Yangzhou. When that time comes, Yan Laoda will be in big trouble.” With a deep frowned Xu Ziling said, “Right now I am hurting really bad, Bai Lao Fuzi is as boring as watching bird hatching eggs. How about early in the morning tomorrow?

” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 After thinking about it for a while, Kou Zhong yielded, “I’ll let you go tomorrow, but you must take care of the early morning meal first. I want to eat the veggie steamed bun from Zhen Sao’s [sister-in-law] graceful hands.” Xu Ziling groaned and lay back down on the mat. [1] From the dictionary: land-owning class, esp. during Wei, Jin and North-South dynasties. [2] From the dictionary: Daoist School of the Warring States Period (475-221BC), based on the teachings of Laozi (c. 500BC) and Zhuangzi (369-286BC). Part 2 Weed, Zlack, Anh, Yan, you are welcome. Grundle, from what I read, you are doing pretty well. I like your sentences better than mine. Honest. I guess it’s true that oftentimes we are our own worst critic. Sirius, what weed said. Weed, thanks for ’getting it’. Dragonsense, I didn’t say it was the entire chapter, did I?

My plan is to do regular updates, every 2-3 days (or so ), the pace I am comfortable with. This is marathon, not a sprint, so I don’t want to burn out too early in the game. DongBin, you said it yourself, it’s sensible , so the hard work part is a risk I am willing to take. Here’s some more of Chapter 1. Expect another update in 2-3 days. Because the whole world was in chaos, thieves and robbers sprang up everywhere, everybody felt insecure; the first to prosper was naturally the dozen or so martial art schools and Taoist monasteries in the city. [Translator’s note: in this book, the term tian xia - ‘land under heavens’ or ‘the whole world’ refers to China.] Speaking about prestige, the one regarded as the foremost was Shi Long Martial Arena [actually literal translation would be ‘field’], which was personally founded by Yangzhou’s number one martial expert, the ‘Mountain-Pushing Hand’ Shi Long. For the last ten years or so Shi Long rarely managed the affair of the training field, everything was taken care of by his disciples. But since the martial school still bore his name, people were still coming in unending stream from far and near, attracted by the school’s reputation. Both in internal and external skills, Shi Long had already reached first-class master level; otherwise, how could his famous reputation not see decline for the last several decades?