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Scrapper, Anh, HPC, you are welcome. Szfong, I am reading it as I am translating it, and since this is my first attempt at translating Huang Yi's, I wouldn't know. But I did save the (English translation) of Step into the Past in MS-Word document, at the exact format as Deer and Cauldron (font, font size, page size and margin). You know, SITP has 2166 pages, while Deer and Cauldron has 1768 pages. So if this novel is twice SITP, then it is probably 2.5 times longer than Deer and Cauldron. Fortunately the chapters are a lot shorter than Jin Yong's, so I get the feeling that I translate faster. CFT, thanks for the info. My Dad once told us, his kids, that the term China probably came from Qin (dynasty), similar to 'Jews' coming from 'Judah'. Anok, now, please don't scare me ... I can't promise you anything, since I don't even know what will happen tomorrow. But as I mentioned before, the Lord's willing, I will try my best to finish it ... probably (according to previous calculations by various readers) in 40 years or more ... Just kidding. But even if I maintain the same speed as when I did Deer and Cauldron, it will still take close to 8 years, probably more.

Anyway, enough chit-chat, here's the end of Chapter 6. I will try to post more the rest of this week. I don't plan on shopping on Black Friday anyway ...

His laughter was infectious. Once she started laughing, even though she knew that Kou Zhong was teasing her and trying to make her laugh, she still could not stop laughing that she needed to cover her mouth with her hand.

Gasping for breath, she scolded him, "Get your big ghost head lost. Little demon Xu is a lot more honest than you. Indeed a dog's mouth cannot grow ivory.”

Kou Zhong pretended to be deeply hurt by this injustice; he said in tiny voice, "Xiao Ling is honest? My heavens! He is craftier than I am. It's just that he fell in love with her Niang that he turns into a fool.”

Xu Ziling indignantly said, "How can I be crafty? All those crafty ideas came from you, but I, the fool, have always been the one who has to do it; and now you still come up with fabricated accusation and dump it on my head?”

The woman-in-white struggled hard not to laugh. Looking out the window at the glow of the setting sun, she sighed and said, "I must have committed some sins in my previous life that in this life I have two kids like you to annoy me. Alright, although fully aware that nothing good will come out of it, I'll still teach you some kind of training method. If you really can master this skill, then I'll consider teaching you swordsmanship. But you two are not my children; even more, you are not my disciples.”

The two boys' spirit was greatly shaken, they asked in chorus, "What are you to us then?”

The woman-in-white was stunned. After staying silent for half a day, she said with wry smile, "Don't ask me!” But there was a warm feeling rising up in her heart.

Even she herself could not understand why she felt it was hard to part with these two boys; so much so that when they called her ‘Niang', she could not bring herself to reprimand them.

Herself was an orphan born in the chaos of war, which was adopted by a Gaoli martial art master Fu Cailin. Ever since she was a mere child, she was trained to be an assassin, in addition to learning Han people's language and culture. The reason she came to the south this time was precisely to be a part of a mission.

Happy and giggling, Kou Zhong said, "Being our Niang is most fitting. Let's strike while the iron is still hot. Oh my Niang, quickly teach your consummate skill to your child.”

The woman-in-white gave him an angry stare, and then in a low voice she said, "My name is Fu Junchuo. If you like, you can call me Chuo Jie [older sister]. I really have never imagined that in this trip I would be involved with you, two little frivolous and naughty boys.”

Kou Zhong noticed that her manner and her words differed greatly; he winked and said, "I still prefer to call you Niang, don't you? Xiao Ling?”

Fu Junchuo spoke tenderly, "The mouth is on your face, you can call me anything you want.”

Xu Ziling was overwhelmed with emotion that he felt like crying, his eyes turned red. Hanging down his head, he called, "Niang!”

Fu Junchuo was also overwhelmed with emotions, it was quite a while later that she was able to suppress this emotion that very rarely surfaced. She coldly said, "You may call whatever you like, but no way I am willing to admit that you are my sons, and don't expect even more that I will take you by my side. Alright, now I am going to teach you the fundamentals of sitting in meditation to cultivate your qi. This is the unique skill passed on by my master, without my explicit permission, you must not pass it on to anybody else, or else, even if I cannot bear to do it, I must follow my school's law and kill you, two little demons.”

The two boys nodded their heads repeatedly signifying their promise.

Fu Junchuo solemnly said, "My master Fu Cailin achieved great success in combining martial arts from the Central Plains, Xiyu[2], and Gaoli, developing his own unique style. Therefore, together with Western Regions' powerful hegemon ‘Wu Zun' [wulin's most venerable] Bi Xuan, Central Plains' number one Taoist martial art expert ‘San Zhenren'[3] Ning Daoqi, became known as the three great masters of the present age. He once said that ‘it is sufficient to know from oneself every change of divine power'. He was saying that everyone has a treasure trove hidden deep within himself, the potential is boundless, but is blinded by all kinds of worldly attachments.”

"No wonder Niang said that one must start training since childhood, simply because children have the least worldly attachments, hence it is very likely that they will be able to break free and become enlightened.”

Fu Junchuo stared blankly for a moment and then said, "I have never thought it that way. Oh! You, this little kid, seem to have a bit of comprehension ability.”

Kou Zhong proudly said, "This child Xiao Ling is constantly inspired, it's only natural that he is not much inferior.”

Fu Junchuo glowered at him and said, "This guy loves to show off his intelligence the most. Don't be conceited, intelligent people often have the most distractions, and distracting thought is precisely the biggest barrier to training basic skills. Only by guarding your heart and total focus can you get rid of the ego, and become alert to the mystery of heavens. Everything will come one by one, and then going through the meridians [or channels] according to the training method, harmonizing the qi and the blood, regulating the adverse and the favorable going in and out in balance. Therefore, although the method is ever-changing, the basic idea is still this ‘One' word.”

Scratching his head, Kou Zhong said, "In that case, isn't the person with the highest martial art skill ought to be the most stupid person? Is Niang's Shifu stupid and slow-witted?

Fu Junchuo was angry, but was also stumped; knowing that it was not the fact, but did not know how to refute his argument. If it were before, she might just gave him a beating; but now, toward this child who kept calling her ‘Niang', she was a bit fond of him.

While she was vexed, Xu Ziling spoke up on her behalf, "Certainly not. Someone who can master martial art skill and establish a sect must be able to create, only then would he be able to surpass the ordinary ability and accomplishments of previous generations. Therefore, the one Niang is referring to ought to be someone who is sharp but petty-minded, not someone with great wisdom and great intelligence, the one so-called ‘highly skillful but appears clumsy'. Niang's Shifu must be this sort of ‘great intelligence may appear to be stupidity' person.”

Kou Zhong and Fu Junchuo stared at Xu Ziling as if it was the first time that they noticed that this person existed. They were both deeply moved. Fu Junchuo nodded and said, "Little demon Ling indeed has a little comprehension.”

Kou Zhong happily said, "This little brother of mine indeed has a little comprehension. I'll say he usually looks clumsy and stupid, turns out he has great wisdom that appears to be stupidity, hidden deep without revealing anything, making laozi [I, your father; used jocularly] has to show-off my ‘highly skillful but appears clumsy' ability, which, in the end, making me the sharp but petty-minded person.”

Fu Junchuo could not help knocking his head with her knuckles, while angrily said, "If you keep jesting [orig. impromptu comic material in opera performance], I won't teach you the training method.”

Kou Zhong rubbed his head and protested, "Oh my Niang, next time would you just spank my bottom? Otherwise, if you badly knocked my head, how could I learn Niang's top quality training method?”

Fu Junchuo was not in the mood to bicker groundlessly with him; she simply said, "What I am about to teach you is called ‘Great Method of Nine Mysteries'. It starts with one and end with nine. Other than Shifu, nobody has ever mastered the ninth Great Method. Even Niang … oh! Even I only trained until the sixth.”

Fu Junchuo blurted without thinking, calling herself ‘Niang'. Embarrassed, her beautiful face turned red, making her looked even more irresistibly sweet and charming. Seeing the two boys trying to hide their laughter, she was greatly annoyed, "Don't laugh! You are the one who wears me out. Do you want to learn or not?”

The two boys hurriedly nodded their head promising they wanted to learn.

It took Fu Junchuo quite a while before she was able to compose herself. She said, "Underneath it's defending the form, above it's defending the spirit. Spirit controls the spirit, mind controls the movement. Mind is movement, getting away from it means emptiness. This emptiness is an unusual emptiness, thus not empty is in fact emptiness. Peace and quiet is profound, its existence cannot happen by chance, where it goes cannot be pursued. Thus welcome it accordingly, because unintentional is actually intention. At the beginning the mysterious way become the first level.” [Translator's note: my apology, these passages are way above my head, I simply translated it as close as I thought it literally means.]

After a short pause, she continued, "Don't covet this first level. A lot of people spent their entire life and still unable to connect qi and mind, obtain the form but miss the spirit, until they finally quit midway, having achieving nothing.”

Seeing the two boys shook their heads and swayed their minds, looking as if they gained a lot, she was astounded. "Do you understand what I am saying?”

Kou Zhong asked in surprise, "Such a simple words, what's so difficult to understand?”

Fu Junchuo recalled her Shifu's high praise that she was an amazing talent to train martial art, yet until today it was only after reaching the sixth level that she was truly able to grasp the essence of the method. How could these two boys understand just by hearing it once?

Pointing to Kou Zhong, she said, "You, explain it back to me.”

The light from outside the window gradually dimmed; inside, the room was warm with faint fading light, carrying with it the desolate feeling of lapsing time.

Kou Zhong was stunned as he said, "You have said it very well, it's hard to find other words with which to explain it. If I have to explain it, I'll say that from a with-form method we need to enter the formless method, hoping to move the spirit. When the opportunity arrives, then we can have enough self-realization to access the formless treasure-trove within ourselves that Niang was referring to. Spirit and mind unleashed, then using unintentional thought resist and harness it, so that we can produce his mother's … oh, I mean, produce the true qi. Heavens, can I start training now?”

Listening to this, Fu Junchuo was dumbstruck. This explanation was clearer than her own Shifu, Fu Cailin. This boy's innate talent was really high, it was just that he had been through horrifying situation that he could not progress further.

Xu Ziling said, "If Zhong Shaoye is that eager to train, it might be harmful to you instead. Speaking about unintentional is actually intention, it is referring to the kind of mental state where we intentionally forgoing the intention, where emptiness is not empty, where peace and quiet is profound, its existence cannot happen by chance, where it goes cannot be pursued.”

When Fu Junchuo heard this, her scalp felt numb. These two boys were like fine jade that has not been carved and polished; even she herself was somewhat inspired by this radiant light that penetrates ten thousand zhang of darkness.

Kou Zhong said in embarrassment, "I was just saying! But please, Niang, quickly teach us the with-form method, so that when the opportunity comes, I can keep on training, even when I eat or defecate.”

Fu Junchuo angrily scolded him, "Don't speak foul language. Now I will teach you first how to sit cross-legged and the method to circulate the qi. I will say it just once and won't repeat it.”

While the two boys' mind was greatly excited, there was a knock on the door. Actually, it came from Fu Junchuo's adjacent room.

Fu Junchuo sighed and said, "We'll continue after dinner!”

Looking at the two boys' disappointed expression, she almost decided to turn down Song Shidao's invitation.

All of a sudden a warm feeling toward these two witty sons grew in her heart.

[2] Western Regions, a Han Dynasty term for regions beyond Yumen Pass; as in ‘Journey to the West'.

[3] Zhenren literally means ‘true man', a term of respect for Taoist master.

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