Part1 (1/2)
h.e.l.lo everyone. It has been a while. I'm not sure how well this next story will turn out but I'll have another go at translation while juggling the challenges of everyday life. (Hint: Reorgs. Why do we keep moving people around every 2-4 years when this is more disruptive and irritating than having a pimple on the nose?)
Anyway, back to this story ”Nan Man Jin Lang” () which translates to ”Mr Jin of the Wild South”, it is written by Taiwanese author Lei En Na (Leonna?) and is a short Wu Xia story mixed with some magic mojo. The male lead is a black-bellied sorcerer called Feng Jin who was called out of his isolated sh.e.l.l when a righteous, honorable swordswoman Shang Guan Jing barged into his life.
Like Zhou Wen Wu in my last translation, Feng Jin is an anti-hero. I don't even like him half the time but I like the plot and if it means Feng Jin gets to eat dirt from time to time, it should be quite an interesting read. At least the beginning is interesting. Read on and see if you agree.
Chapter 1 (part 1 of 2)
High above at the peaks of Ling Feng, a beam of sunlight cuts through the sea of perpetual clouds that shroud the mountain peaks in a misty coc.o.o.n.
A woman cut weightlessly through the air, lead in hand by a man who guides the both of them to land at a rocky ledge. He has spotted a yellow flower growing on the ledge - a cheery spot of colour amidst he barren landscape - from where they were standing just now and has leaped to where the flower grows. Some rocks loosen beneath his weight and rubles downwards towards a ravine several thousand feet below, too far for human eyes to see. Worried that he may fall, the woman pales and quickly wraps her arms securely around his waist. ”Er s.h.i.+ Ge!*”
Her action effectively buries her face in his warm chest and she can feel his unmistakable laughter as he picks the flower from its rocky home before tucking it firmly around her hair knot at the back of her head. ”You look lovely.”
A flush replaces her pale cheeks and she is at a loss of what to say. She pushes herself away from his warm embrace but can still feel his warmth emitting from his big hands that has moved to wrap her smaller hands in his while he looks down adoringly at her. As she lost herself at the sight of his familiar face, she can feel her world spinning into a fuzzy daze….
******
Shaking her dizzy head, Shang Guan Jing realizes too late that she has lingered too long in the forest.
With towering trees that stretch like giant pillars towards the sky, broad leaves growing from their st.u.r.dy branches, the dense vegetation of the tropical forest has blocked most of the strong sunlight from reaching the forest floor which is covered with roots and gra.s.s. She can hear her own footsteps as her feet crunches on the dried leaves on the forest floor and groans inwardly. Her qinggong is considered excellent and when it has deteriorated to the point when she can hear her own footsteps, she must be in pretty bad condition.
She must have inhaled some poisonous ga.s.ses just now despite being careful to breathe lightly when entering the forest. Teacher has warned her before about the poisonous ga.s.ses that exist in the tropical forest of Nan Man (Wild South) but apparently, she has not been alert enough. Right now, she is starting to feel nauseous on top of being giddy.
Fighting the urge to throw up, she tries to regulate her breathing and wills herself to move forward. As she crosses a rocky patch of forest covered with mola.s.ses, she suddenly hears voices.
People! She may be able to seek their help!
She stumbles towards the sounds and spots them first before they spotted her. From her position from behind a tree, she sees several men, all with swords at their hips. They are circling a man dressed in white and her guts instinct tell her that something is wrong and she quickly moves a step back to stay hidden.
As she fights off another dizzy spell, she can hear their voices clearly this time.
”Good looking. Very good looking. Come closer now, pretty boy. Don't be afraid…”
”Yes, yes. Don't be afraid. Come over to me because I have a treat for you….”
”Who cares about your treat? I have my own 'delicious' treat which is bigger and more fragrant than yours. And hotter, harder too. Come here….. come on, open your mouth. You will like it, don't be afraid…..”
By now, Shang Guan Jing is certain that her instincts are correct. There is something wrong with the scene, something wrong in the air and these men – no beasts! – have loosened their belts and pants as they sprout their lewd nonsense. When they reach out in tandem to touch the hardness between their legs, she figures she has enough of their filth.
Dully, she takes stock of her heavy movements, dizzy brain and knows that she cannot last long. But she should still have a good chance to take down these men even then and save the man from humiliation. Even if she dies trying, it would not be too high a price if she can rescue the man.
It would be a pity that she cannot complete the mission entrusted by Teacher before she died, but given the circ.u.mstances, Teacher would probably forgive her ineptness since she died trying to maintain righteousness in the world?
Taking out some coins from her sleeve pocket, she takes aim and sends them flying towards the lewd crowd. The force of her coins can probably punch holes through these beasts on normal days but in her weakened state, her coins only hit their head, chest and backs without causing any damage.
”Come over, don't be afraid. Let me feed you something good….”
”I have the 'good stuff' too. Be good and come over here. Good, open your mouth…”
As the men continued undeterred, Shang Guan Jing is stunned. Even if the force of her coins is not enough to kill the scoundrels outright, surely the coins should at least have caused some damage? Enough for the men to pause in their debauchery and at least look around at what hit them? But the men continued as if her coins have never hit them, or possessed, before freezing in unison.
Shang Guan Jing cannot find a reason for their strange behavior but neither can she afford to waste any more time if she wants to save the man in white. Pus.h.i.+ng herself away from her tree, she draws her sword. ”Stop!”
She is. .h.i.t by another wave of dizziness so strong that her knees nearly crumbled. She has this weird notion that she has just stepped into another dimension – a world that exist in this world but yet exist out of it – but that there is naught she can do now except be swallowed by its darkness.
Vaguely, she remembers Teacher telling her about the enchantment that also exists in the tropical forests of Nan Man. Despite having travelled in the pugilist by herself for 2 years, it seems like she is not that street smart afterall to have fallen into today's trap. Too late … too late … … too late … …
She has no strength to even struggle but it feels surprisingly good to be relinquis.h.i.+ng control. She has been fighting for too long and relaxing is one luxury that she has not allowed herself to feel in a very long time. Indeed, ever since Teacher died and everything went tipsy-turvy within their sect at Ling Feng peak, since Xiao s.h.i.+ Mei** has disappeared, since her heart was torn apart… she has been so weary. But now…. now she can finally let go.