Sword Snow Stride Book 1 Chapter 19

Book 1 – White Horse Out of Liangzhou
Chapter 19 – Blade Training

Xu Fengnian really picked up the martial art that he despised the most in the past, but before learning the sword [jian] he learned the saber [dao] first. [Note: one single character 刀 (dao) can be translated as saber, blade, knife, or sometimes sword; on the other side, the character 剑 (jian) is almost always translated as sword, i.e., double-edged sword.] _{Translated by foxs}

Naturally he learned from the white-haired Lao Kui.

Originally Lao Kui wanted to leave the king’s mansion to travel around Jianghu, already making a fuss about scratching his itch, he wanted to meet those squatting-in-the-latrine-but-did-not-take-a-shit-much top ten martial art master, and after defeating the lower nine, he would exchange blows with Wang Lao Guai [Old Freak/Monster Wang].

Lao Kui disliked this old man [orig. ignorant person/coarse fellow] the most. Being number one in the world is number one, why pretend to be number two? The pretentiousness of that motherfucker[1]! Hateful!

Nibbling on a mutton leg, Lao Kui heard that Xu Fengnian wanted to learn saber from him, he roared so wildly that he sprayed chewed mutton all over the floor.

Lao Kui noticed Shizi Dianxia carrying a good saber without showing any sign that he was joking. He threw the mutton leg aside, and then with his big greasy hand he stroked the scarlet giant saber that when he was at the prime of his life, he asked a master to attach it into his shoulder blade [orig. pipa (Chinese lute, four-string, plucked) bone (scapula)]. He asked a question, “Why do you think Yeye would want to teach you?” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Xu Fengnian replied, “I will have Xu Xiao inviting Wei Beishan, who wields a cavalry sword [orig. blade (dao, see above) to chop/behead horses], to come to Beiliang to exchange blows with you. Hereafter one person each year until I master the saber.”

Lao Kui uttered a praise, ‘what a great style’ [in spending money, handling business, and the like], and then looked up at Xu Fengnian; his expression weird, he asked with a laugh, “Kid, tell Yeye why you want to learn saber. Beiliang‘s 300,000 cavalry is not enough for you, this kid to show off your might?”

Xu Fengnian took out Xiudong and flicked it lightly with his fingers. Grinning, he said, “Those men’s sabers and spears, in the end they are still other people’s, I must find something that is handy to me.”

Lao Kui curled his lips but did not offer any comment. He just told Xu Fengnian to lift Xiudong with one arm and stand for half a sichen, the blade of the saber must not tilt down, otherwise, even if they invited Wang Lao Guai to come, he would not accept this convenient disciple.

As a result, Xu Fengnian persevered for one sichen and fainted on the spot. From beginning to end the Xiudong Saber never tilted. To be precise, it did not even tremble.

Lao Kui stared blankly at the falling-on-the-ground-without-getting-up Shizi Dianxia. He walked over and pinched and squeezed the kid’s stiff-like-iron right arm, clicking his tongue, muttering that he had picked up a treasure. _{Translated by foxs}

Next, Lao Kui did not teach Xu Fengnian any profound and mysterious moves, he merely told him to repeat four boring movements: straight stab, oblique pick, vertical chop, and back sweep. Stab three thousand, pick three thousand, chop four thousand, and sweep four thousand.

Lao Kui thought that this gongzi ge accustomed to extravagant lifestyle would at least ask a few questions, but Xu Fengnian did not. He simply went to a secluded courtyard every day at dawn to start practicing saber, every day very late at night he would stagger out, Xiudong never left his side for a moment.

This made Lao Kui very depressed, while at the same time very curious. Xu Fengnian showed not only his determination, but also his solid foundation in holding the saber, his sword-holding skills. Could it be that this Shizi Dianxia had been carefully trained by the generals in the army before? That he had learned the jun wu han dao [army squad’s intrepid blade] technique for self-defense?

During this period of time, he was intentionally very hard on him, he made Xu Fengnian to practice the tedious exercise on how to hold the saber. Part of it was to make this baby to sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat [idiom]. The saber technique under the sun, there was no half a step of Mount Zhongnan shortcut[2] that he could take. The other part was to test his sincerity. The most important thing in saber training was how to hold the saber. If the saber cannot even be grasped, then it would not be using the saber, but being dragged away by the saber. Even obtaining a big pile of peerless saber manuals, one could only play some fancy styles that looked like brightly colored decorations, once facing the enemy, there would only be road to ruin.

The first day of saber training happened to be in Da Shu [Great Heat, 12^th of the 24 solar terms, July 23 to August 6]. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

After Da Shu passed, Li Qiu [Start of Autumn, 13^th solar term, August 7 to 22] came.

Xu Fengnian has always trained saber bare-chested. The smooth skin that has been warmed up and brought up by brocade garments, jade meals [idiom: a life of luxury, extravagance] with great difficulty has been burned by the sun and became ancient bronze color, and became exquisitely robust all the more. If some scars were added, he would be no different from a warrior [orig. xing wu han zu, infantry squad (of five soldiers) valiant (intrepid) soldier/pawn].

But the saber technique was far from making the grade.

Bai Lu [White Dew, 15^th solar term, September 8-22], Qiu Fen [Autumn Equinox, 16^th solar term, September 23 to October 7] and Han Lu [Cold Dew, 17^th solar term, October 8 – 22] were followed by Shuang Jiang [Frost Descends, 18^th solar term, October 23 to November 6].

Four thousand sweeps turned into six thousand sweeps. _{Translated by foxs}

Xu Fengnian finally opened his mouth to ask the first question, “Saber is the guts of a hundred soldiers, opening big, closing big. Even there is magnificent army with thousands of men and horses, I will go forward. But this back sweep is defensive saber technique, why do I have to practice more?”

Lao Kui laughed and said, “On earth, there are too many swordsmen who are not afraid of death, but swordsmen who are not afraid of death are the most likely to die. Even the most formidable defensive saber technique in the world cannot escape this ‘sweep’, one character. How could there be any good saber technique where the saber is taking people’s lives for everyone? Yeye‘s major principles were all figured out on the way back from wandering around a circle outside Yan Wang’s [Yama, King of Hell] palace hall, so learn from them.”

Inside the armory, saber formula, saber manuals were piling up like a mountain, but from the first day of saber training, Xu Fengnian never set foot in Ting Chao Ting, which was regarded as the holy land of martial art study by Jianghu martial arts practitioners.

Lao Kui was very pleased with this.

The road to saber method was unlike the Heavenly Way that that baby Shizhuzu [reminder: martial granduncle] of Wudang Mountain practiced. The most important principle was that dripping water penetrates the stone. As for what came after small success, how to choose the xinfa [this has always been difficult for me to translate succinctly, lit. heart/mental method, it’s basically the basic tenet of one’s martial art, like the Moon in the Well in Da Tang Shuang Long Zhuan] to complement each other, cultivation of both internal and external at the same time, Lao Kui was not worried about this; the Ren Tu Xu Xiao had many dishonest practices, the question is, whether the brocade garments, jade meals [idiom: well-dressed and well-fed] Shizi Dianxia would be able to survive to that day? _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

After Li Dong [Start of Winter, 19^th solar term, November 7 to 21] until Da Han [Great Cold, last solar term, January 20 to February 3], even though the surface of the lake froze, Xu Fengnian would be taken to the bottom of the lake by Lao Kui to train saber. The period of time he was able to hold his breath was becoming longer and longer. The saber technique has not moved from the main room and entered the inner chamber [idiom: go to the next level], but his water skill has been cultivated first.

Recently, several groups of roaming bandits have unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere [orig. to come to the fore in spectacular fashion; to emerge from obscurity to achieve great success] outside the city, screaming rebellion right under the grand Da Zhu Guo’s eyelids, this was simply breaking ground on Tai Sui’s [God of the year, nickname for the most powerful person in an area] head, but the rumors in the city was that several groups of gangsters were courting death. They were not trampled to become pulp meat by Beiliang cavalry, but were slaughtered entirely by a swordsman wearing a ferocious mask.

The casual onlookers in the city slapped the table and shouted with praise, but nevertheless, afterwards they would say something like it’s a pity that Shizi Dianxia, who had been wordless and uncommunicative for half a year – was not able to watch, otherwise, he would definitely bestow great reward. As for those influential officials in the city, each and every one of them was unable to make any sense of the matter, not to mention which place’s figure that secretive swordsman was? Where did those groups of bandits come from? Inside Da Zhu Guo’s jurisdiction, never mind that no one picked up lost articles in the street [idiom: honesty prevails throughout society], that they celebrated peace with songs and dance [idiom: to make a show of happiness and prosperity], but if the rumor was true, that those bunch were Bei Man [Northern Barbarians] refugees fleeing into Beiliang and stirring up havoc, I would not believe even if you beat me to death. _{Translated by foxs}

On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar calendar, Xu Fengnian followed Da Zhu Guo to Mount Jiuhua, the Bodhimanda of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva [see Chapter 10]. This time, he had to make the pilgrimage to ring the bell after the capping ceremony.

After taking off his armor and dismounting from his horse and climbing the mountain, he spent the night in the Qian Fo Ge on top of the mountain. Xu Fengnian took the time to read the letter sent by Longhu Shan Zhenren [see Chapter 1] under the illumination of a lantern; it was very thick.

Xu Fengnian smiled knowingly, reading the letter, saying that Huang Man’er saw the hawthorns covering the mountains and the plains, so he brought them back by the handfuls to his Shifu’s training residence. As a result, the courtyard was full with piles of them. Fortunately, as the person of virtue and prestige on the mountain, the Zhenren did not dare to reprimand, he only dared to kindly explain that after these hawthorns were picked and stored, they would not last for a long time, so that it would be best to wait until the year he went down the mountain to pick them. As a result, Huang Man’er nearly tore down the house.

Xu Xiao did not fall asleep. He walked into the room and cast a glance at the Xiudong Saber lying on the table under the lantern. In his hand was another family letter, only it was sent home by his second daughter Xu Weixiong. Da Zhu Guo said with a bitter face, “Your Er Jie wrote a letter scolding me.” _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

Xu Fengnian laughed and asked, “Is it because I learn martial arts and train saber?”

Xu Xiao sat down first, then he sighed and said, “If you continue training, she might come back from Shangyin Academy and scold me to my face.”

Xu Fengnian did not read the letter, he merely took joy in calamity and delighted in disaster, asking, “What did she say?”

Narrowing his eyes, Xu Xiao said, “She asked me to ask you, so what if you are the best in using the saber?”

Xu Fengnian pondered for a moment, he said, “Just write back and say that it can strengthen the body and keep me healthy, so it won’t be drained by the charm of women.”

Xu Xiao wondered, “Isn’t this reason a bit childish?”

Xu Fengnian replied with confidence, “Dealing with Er Jie, we must use this kind of method. Otherwise, speaking about big reasons with her, how could we win the argument?”

Xu Xiao raised his thumb and patted his horse’s butts [flattering], “This saber you did not learn in vain!”

Early morning on the twenty-ninth day. _{Translated by foxs}

Mountain fog permeated the air.

Xu Fengnian put both hands on the hilt of Xiudong Saber, he stopped and looked into the distance.

After Li Dong, those several bunches of roving bandits were all ‘wooden stakes’ arranged by his Ol’ Dad Xu Xiao to train saber. Xu Xiao did not give any explanation, but Xu Fengnian naturally guessed that most of them were death row criminals within the Northern Liang army who had committed major crimes.

Xu Xiao ran the military extremely strictly; rewards and punishments were clear. Even when his adopted son Chen Zhibao broke the law, he was publicly lashed and turned into a bloody man. If it was not so, those clean flowing water [fig. (literary) honorable person, untainted by association with disreputable influences] would not have spread the rumor that Northern Liang only recognized the King of Liang’s Tiger Tally [see Chapter 3] and not the Son of Heaven’s Jade Seal.

These military prisoners who temporarily acted as robbers and bandits were not trained in traditional martial arts, but their skills were all learned by staking their lives and rolling hard on the battlefield. They were strong and ferocious, all possessed the valiant unafraid of death specific to Beiliang cavalry. They were the most suitable for Xu Fengnian to train his straight-forward killer intrepid blade skill.

Lao Kui personally observed Xu Fengnian exterminating three groups, afterwards he no longer paid attention. He simply just gave directions, and then let Xu Fengnian go, single-horse, single-saber. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

After the first battle, Xu Fengnian was hit by six sabers, five light and one heavy. The saber strike on his back was not fatal, he lay in a pool of blood, but the saber still did not leave his hand. In the end, Lao Kui carried him back to the king’s mansion.

The next few battles afterwards, Xu Fengnian fought with injuries, Lao Kui absolutely did not give him one thread, one hair [idiom: an iota] of a chance to be lazy and whine about hardships. If it were other masters in the Wangfu’s employment, definitely they would not have dared to abuse Shizi Dianxia, whose merit and degree of nobility was enough to match the emperor’s relative – in this way. Staking his life against intrepid bandits to train intrepid blade was difficult and dangerous, not enough for outsiders to sympathize.

Xu Fengnian closed her eyes and slowed down his breathing.

He wondered if he could begin with inner power training? No matter how overbearing external school’s saber method is, when encountering a genuine martial art master with both internal and external cultivation, it would be like a child’s play, one could only make a fool of himself.

But inner power cultivation paid even more particular attention to advancing gradually and entrenching oneself at every step. All the acupoints and meridians, big and small, in the body were polished and linked up just like a marching disposition of troops. Just like Wudang, which was known as the producer of half of the world’s inner power jade pillars, especially some Taoist priests who had the innate skill, the foundation and the bones, plus a Shifu to guide the way. One day on the mountain means one day of cultivation, striving to reach the realm of the great path that resonates with the destiny of heaven. _{Translated by foxs}

Internal energy, this thing was not food, which could be stuffed into the belly and made it stuffed full. Where could Xu Fengnian get the valuable inner strength without a dozen, twenty years effort of grinding the water?

How about going to Ting Chao Ting to look for some devil’s gate, crooked part method? Xu Fengnian’s eyebrows were deeply furrowed. He opened his eyes, sea of clouds filled his eyes, waves of pine trees filled his ears. His heart untroubled, his spirit pleased [carefree and relaxed]. Without any reason he recalled Xiudong Saber’s old owner, and wondered when would that Bai Hu’er Lian ascend to the third floor? Did this beauty disdain giving the Xiudong Saber to the wrong person?

During Da Xue period [Great Snow, 21^st solar term, December 7 to 21] that year, Bai Hu’er Lian drew the saber on the lake, that was the true intrepid blade’s path!

Xu Fengnian was well aware of the cloud and mud disparity, but he was not discouraged. An old fellow with missing front teeth but always had silly smile on his face once said that after eating one’s fill, releasing a fart would be an outstandingly comfortable moment, but farts should be released one after another, to take it easy, it would be even more comfortable.

Currently, the method with which he trained saber was the stupidest method.

It’s time to ring the morning bell.

Due to his saber training, Xu Fengnian rang the bell, the sound of the bell was loud and clear. _{foxswuxia.wordpress.com}

A total of one hundred and eight rings of the bell throughout the day.

Qi Dangguo, the banner-carrier of the Northern Liang army, revealed a strange expression on his face. Among the other adopted sons, Yao Jian and Ye Xizhen smiled at each other, half-surprised, half-delighted. The Fat Ball Chu Lushan almost popped his eyes out. As for the Xiao Ren Tu [junior mass murderer] Chen Zhibao and the Left Bear Yuan Zuozong, they were on border patrol duty, hence they did not show up.

The group of men walked down Mount Jiuhua. Walking side by side with Xu Fengnian, Da Zhu Guo spoke slowly, “If you really want to train martial arts, the masters in the Mansion know some side-door-left-path [heretical school of opinion]. It depends on whether you are willing to put down your airs.”

Xu Fengnian blurted out laughing and said, “What kind of airs I can show off?”

Da Zhu Guo looked at Wudang Mountain in the distance, he squinted and said, “That’s good.”

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[1]Motherfucker, 直娘贼 ( zhí niáng zéi ), lit. women thieves – in a certain period of time in ancient times, these three characters 直, 入, and 日 had similar pronunciation. Nowadays, the pronunciation of these three characters in Wu dialect is ‘zeh’, therefore the original character of ‘直娘贼’ should be ‘入娘贼’, which means ‘bad person who rapes his mother’ – used as an obsolete/archaic slang for ‘asshole’.

[2] Mount Zhongnan shortcut [idiom], fig. shortcut to a high-flying career; easy route to success (an allusion to the Tang Dynasty story of Lu Cangyong, who lived like a hermit on Mt. Zhongnan in order to gain a reputation for wisdom, which he then used to gain a position in the Imperial Court).