The immortal ship could travel a thousand miles1千里 (qiānlǐ) – a thousand li (i.e. 500 kilometers) a day, and three days later, everyone arrived at Chaoxia City.
Su Su covered her face properly with a mermaid yarn veil. It was autumn in the mortal realm, but the sun was scorching in Chaoxia City. Tomorrow at noon, the Cangyuan Secret Realm would open, so right now, the city was full of immortal cultivators who were awaiting it.
Fuya put away the immortal ship, and the person who was here to receive them was already waiting.
“Immortals of Hengyang Sect, please follow me.”
Fuya handed over a piece of top-quality spirit stone, and the attendant was so happy that he beamed with joy. For mortals, a piece of top-quality spirit stone could prolong their lives2延年益寿 (yánnián-yìshòu) – an idiom; to make life longer; to promise longevity.
Everyone walked into the inn. At a glance, Cen Mixuan saw Su Su and Fuya. Her eyebrows arched in anger, and she was about to go over but Ying Zhuang held down her arm.
Cen Mixuan could only purse her lips and straighten her back.
Ying Zhuang knew that they were in the wrong. Back then, Cen Mixuan had attacked Su Su, so he was too embarrassed to mention to Qu Xuanzi that Junior Sister Cen wanted to study in Hengyang.
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Mbl zkvvzl kdnkeldv okvb Uld Ykmwyd eked’v aykpl ydu oyhlp kd Fw Fw’p blyav. Fbl eked’v nyal, yde Zwl Wwuy sdzu tzydnle yv bla kdekqqlaldvzu, vbld psqvzu vyzjle vs Fw Fw.
Xd vbl svbla byde, vblka alynvksd xyel Uld Ykmwyd lmvalxlzu wdnsxqsavyczl, yp kq pbl olal y nzsod.
Mbl dktbv iwknjzu rypple.
Mbl dlmv eyu yv dssd, y eyggzkdt obkvl zktbv pbsdl shla Ubysmky Ukvu. Wwuy kdpvawnvle bkp qlzzso ekpnkrzlp sdl cu sdl, vbld qkdyzzu oyzjle cynj vs Fw Fw’p pkel.
“Fldksa Fkpvla, R byhl y Qwkekdt Mbalye blal. Gzvbswtb vbl nwzvkhyvksd sq vbl rlsrzl obs ts kdvs vbl Uydtuwyd Flnalv Slyzx kpd’v bktb, vbl plnalv alyzx kvplzq kp hlau eydtlaswp. R’zz vkl kv vs uswa byde, yde okvb vbl Qwkekdt Mbalye, ol osd’v cl plryayvle yqvla ol tlv kdpkel. R’zz rasvlnv usw olzz,” Zwl Wwuy pszlxdzu pyke.
Ebkzl bl oyp nzlyazu bla Kwdksa Jasvbla, bl oyp zkjl y pldpkczl Fldksa Jasvbla.
Fw Fw eked’v elnzkdl bkp tsse kdvldvksdp. Fbl lmvldele bla oakpv, yzzsokdt Zwl Wwuy vs vkl vbl czwl Qwkekdt Mbalye sdvs kv.
Kwpv obld bl oyp esdl vukdt, vbl obkvl zktbv kd vbl pju clnyxl ps caktbv vbyv kv bwav vs zssj yv.
Yue Fuya didn’t dare delay and immediately said, “Senior Sister, let’s go!”
Even Cen Mixuan and Ying Zhuang who weren’t far away had already flown in. At this moment, all gratitude and grudges were unimportant, as the Cangyuan Secret Realm would only open for a moment, and taking this chance to enter was the biggest priority.
In a far corner, Tantai Jin stared at the young girl’s back without blinking.
“Junior Brother, quick!” Zang Hai said.
Tantai Jin responded and slowly walked forward with Zang Hai. In a flash, his figure disappeared in place, but he didn’t choose to be with Zang Hai.
*****
Su Su had just entered when she felt a fierce gust of wind blowing against her body.
The entrance to the Cangyuan Secret Realm was dangerous. She opened her arms to stabilize herself, but the Guiding Thread on her wrist stung and suddenly broke.
The Guiding Thread shouldn’t have broken. She turned back, and sure enough, she’d gotten separated from Fuya and the disciples of Hengyang Sect.
Su Su could only gesture incantations with one hand and fly in steadily through the entrance first.
Word was that Cangyuan Secret Realm was dangerous, but the place she landed in was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers3鸟语花香 (niǎoyǔ-huāxiāng) – an idiom; fig. the intoxication of a beautiful spring day. Petals fluttered down like falling snow4落英缤纷 (luòyīng bīnfēn) – The ground is full of fallen flowers; fallen flowers scattering and flying around like snowflakes; Fallen flowers are numerous, as if within a hidden paradise5世外桃源 (shìwài-táoyuán) – the Peach Blossom Spring; a haven of peace; utopia; otherworld; a hidden land of peace and prosperity.
Su Su looked at the sun above the secret realm, identified the direction, and headed east.
She and Fuya had agreed that if anything unexpected were to happen, both would head toward the same direction and meet up.
She had only taken a few steps when a whoosh came from above. Su Su looked up and saw a black figure miserably falling through the air.
Recognizing that it wasn’t Fuya, she didn’t move.
The young man fell at the base of the peach blossom tree, stirring up the heavy layers of petals.
The strong wind had blown his black fish-patterned clothes into a wretched mess. He fell onto the ground with a crash and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Su Su’s heart had no ripples, and she lifted her leg to step over.
A blood-stained hand pitifully tugged at her white dress, “Senior Sister, I had an accident when I entered Cangyuan and I’m seriously injured, can you……”
Su Su turned back and sure enough, she saw the pale and weak Tantai Jin. She squatted down in front of him, sizing him up for a while, and finally extended her fair and slender fingers.
“How pitiful,” she murmured.
A slight hint of ridicule flashed past Tantai Jin’s eyes.
But in the next moment, thirty-six small flaming swords appeared out of nowhere behind the white-clad young girl. Each blade contained cold light and killing intent, as they stabbed towards him.
Her voice was like an early spring wind, and he could hear a soft yet slightly cold smile from it.
“I understand what you mean. After all, Junior Brother, you’re seriously injured and don’t have long to live, I’ll send you off.”
Hearing such a voice, Tantai Jin was momentarily dazed.
However, the thirty-six swords, all coldly and sharply aiming at his vital points, instantly snapped him out of it.
Tantai Jin’s gaze changed, and he looked at the young girl in front of him with a gloomy and icy-cold expression. In order to gain her trust, half of the injuries on his body were real. Seeing that the swords were about to pierce into him, he flew up and opened his hands, his domineering spiritual Qi shook all the immortal swords away.
The immortal swords quickly spun and disappeared into Su Su’s palm.
“I’ll say this just once, I don’t have a good heart and I won’t save anyone. Scram and stay away from me or I’ll kill you!”
She was no longer the Ye Xi Wu from five hundred years ago that would feel sympathy and guilt, and even at her most foolish moments, actually hope that he’d be well.
The past her had fiercely struggled to protect him in the peach blossom cocoon, carefully wiped off the blood on the corner of his eye, and looked for medicine for him, all for a promise.
However, Tantai Jin was not to be pitied, as he always had an ulterior motive. He could put on any cloak that benefited him, but beneath them hid his vicious claws and teeth.
Su Su didn’t want to meet him.
From the day she jumped off the city tower, she never wanted to see this person again.
Tantai Jin was no longer the evil god, so all she hoped for was that he’d disappear along with the nightmare of five hundred years ago. Five hundred years later, the two of them no longer had any connection with each other.
She pursed her lips, looked away from him, and turned around, walking into the distance.
Tantai Jin’s shoulder was scalded by the flames of the immortal swords. He let out a low groan, and when he looked up again, Li Su Su had already disappeared from under the peach blossom tree.
Petals fell onto his shoulder, and some memories from the past, like heavy flowing water, made it hard for him to breathe. The village under the moon, the towering peach blossom tree demon, the young girl lying on his back……
It felt so painful that he half knelt on the ground, and used the spiritual sword in his hand to support his body. As the sheath turned, his expression darkened, and the peach blossom tree beside him fell to the ground with a crash.
Everything that makes me feel unpleasant, I’ll just destroy. Once it’s all destroyed, it’ll be fine.
The rims of his eyes were slightly flushed as he looked towards the direction where Su Su had disappeared. I must get that spiritual body. Ye Xi Wu’s soul was missing. He’d traveled all over the Three Realms to call back her soul6招魂 (zhāo//hún) – call back the soul of the dead; summon the dead, but she needed a body, so he would seize one for her.
Edited by: Gaze
Whohooo lets gooo!!! I sincerely hope that Su Su would give tantai Jin a good beating before reuniting 😤😤😤
HOW. DARE. YOU. NOT. RECOGNIZE. YOUR. WAIFU!
Tantai Jin, you are dumb as a kettle sometimes 😂 Didn’t your story teach you that being so black-bellied turns off your precious wife, ah?
But maaaan, Susu just slayed it. “I understand what you mean. After all, Junior Brother, you’re seriously injured and don’t have long to live, I’ll send you off.” — it was pure fire, no wonder she is a phenyx
Hi you there! First of all, I wanted to thank you for your arduous and professional work. As someone who once also did it as a hobby, I can only admire your perseverance and hard work.
I decided to chime in into discussion as someone who already read the whole translation on the other site with all the problems there – I still was able to understand the story, besides some little details maybe here and there.
I have too many questions about the narrative and wanted to discuss it with someone here. I have to admit that I liked this second part (500 years later) WAY LESS that the first one. But I won’t ruin here the forthcoming plot, so can I ask some questions about what you translated already?
For instance it says Su Su wasn’t anymore sympathetic to ML – yet I never felt she was sympathetic to him, even before he made her kill Xiao Lin. What I admired the most was how consistent her character was in her hate for ML. Yes, she sometimes understood that he’s very pitiful, but all the gestures of “kindness” towards him were only to not let him die too early. She’s never confused by him and sees him through immediately. So where does this passage come from? The only downside to her clear-headiness on her mission to kill ML is there’s absolutely no build up for her impending love at the end. She hates him, is disgusted by him and so on. I didn’t feel for a moment that she likes him even a bit as she manipulates him into feelings to erase him from existence.
Another major annoyance to me in the last chapters – aside from the fact I didn’t understand how did ML end in that Ghost River or whatever for 500 years and why does he suffer afterwards from some ruptures in his body periodically – is that ML didn’t change or had any personal growth as a character. And he was supposed to change after such a tragedy. He’s the same cold pretending heartless bastard (until he recognizes Susu a bit later of course) as he was and this is simply doesn’t make sense to me. Yes, he wasn’t supposed to become a pussy cat after that – for instance, him ruthlessly crushing the tree at the end because it reminds him the pain from the past is absolutely logical to me -yet his other behavior doesn’t fit a person who’s feeling now all the emotions instead of pretending as he did then.
Thank you for reading!!! These are some interesting questions and points to think about! I suggest you join our discussion thread on Discord as I think there are also readers who feel the same as you there and this isn’t a comment I can answer so simply.
Thank you very much! Had no idea there’s another discussion going on, I’ll try to check there as well.
I know that you can’t help as the translator about the character issues/changes, yet can you tell if there’s some explanation further about “how did ML end in that Ghost River or whatever for 500 years and why does he suffer afterwards from some ruptures in his body periodically”? Because I don’t remember it happening, but maybe I missed that part.
Remember it happening from what? It’s not brought up very much in the book, it’s just something he went through to get her back. He went there to find her soul, combing the river for centuries only to find that it wasn’t there. This river is not unique to this story (though the name can vary, if you’re looking for a mortal soul it’s almost always the place to start), it’s relatively common in Chinese fiction and a major feature of it is that if the living enter it their body, mind, and/or soul will be torn to shreds. So… that’s how.
As far as the criticism about his behavior/emotions/character growth and so forth after White Hair, I see this a lot and I find it absolutely *baffling.* I don’t see anything inconsistent about his behavior from the hand he’s been dealt. He spent the first 20 years of his life in a sealed cave of pitch-black darkness, most of suffering unspeakable abuse, not even aware that there might be something to see outside. In the span of a second he’s exposed to full-strength, full-spectrum sunlight, and that moment would be painful and disorienting anyway, but in his case the first thing he feels is the shattering grief of losing forever the only person worth going through all that for. The man has lived for 520 years, and he has spent roughly 96% of that time putting himself through absolute hell grasping at the frail threads of the only thing approaching happiness he’s ever known.
A strand of affection only *allows* you to feel affection, it doesn’t *require* you to feel it, or for that matter teach you how to recognize or interpret what you feel. Someone leaving a violin in your room one day won’t turn you into Beethoven. It’s just a switch that’s flipped from “disallow” to “allow.” You now have a violin to play and that’s awesome, now can you figure out without any guidance how to do anything other than make noise? Do you even know what it’s *for?* How long would it take you to play well compared to someone who’s been playing since they were a toddler?
That’s why I don’t find Tantai Jin’s actions even a little unreasonable from his perspective, even before the book re-write of his behavior. She did all this to him and just *left* him, and the only people he finds along the way that try to help him are some monks he can’t tell anything and a couple of people who are trying groom him to be the destroyer of the world.
Thank you so much for answering! 🙂 Can you discuss it here with me a bit more? Seems like you’re an expert on the subject.
I meant more explanation about him deciding to go to Ghost river – there was a very abrupt ending of his decision to go to immortal world and that’s it, we have no idea how he ended up there. And what about those ruptures? Why he has them from time to time?
I understand what are you saying and that’s a the most enchanting aspect of the story which I loved. Yet let me disagree about his character development, it’s still lacking right now and it seems unreasonable to me. He can’t help but to react differently to what he experiences now. Unlike violine which I can’t play even if somebody will try to teach me (heh), emotions are uncontrollable and happen naturally. Of course he’s a dark and ruthless person – the bit with the fallen tree wonderfully explains it, yet he can’t be the same he was beforehand. Besides, when I think about it, his horrible plan right now is pretty stupid imho – attacking such a high-status person to get a body for a soul he didn’t find yet after 500 years, pretty much in the open sight to everyone. He’s supposed to be desperate, not imbecile. Again, my opinion only. After he discovers that Susu is Ye Xiwu his brains return to function, so that’s a temporary complaint I can live with. 🙂
I remember that the evil groomers appear way later in the story and he actually handles them pretty well and logically.
Okay, specifically which is your favorite part of the story? The river, the gashes, or the time skip in general? I believe the book does eventually talk more about his travels during that time as the story goes on, but it doesn’t tell you which train he took or the license plate on the cab when he got to the station.
*He’s* met the creepy groomers though, like 2-300 years go, and they’re incoming soon for us. And also they’re not so bad really. They’ve got their own stuff going on.
This is chapter 83 of a 140-ish chapter book. There’s still a ways to go. TTJ’s character development the entire time from birth to eternity is amazing. You’re still mostly just seeing LSS’s pov and you have no real idea where he went or what he did during that time yet, or how he continues to develop as the story goes on. You will see more of him, what he did, how he felt, etc. There is one part in particular that I found incredibly powerful, buuuut I can’t tell you about it because it’s a big spoiler.
I did not say I thought his plan was *good,* I actually think it was a pretty awful plan in just about every way. But it is very, very human to sometimes find yourself unable to let go of a big trauma or loss no matter what you do. People aren’t robots with a “let it go” switch. Even Elsa couldn’t do it, and she was a Disney princess. Sometimes no one can talk you out of that, it’s just something you need to go through and figure out yourself. People who are *really desperate* often do very stupid things and come up with very stupid plans that a 6yo could tell you will make things worse. No one thinks that a man who loses his wife and drinks himself to death had a good plan. This is not abnormal for grief. TTJ just has more time and magic to do it with.
I really feel like if he didn’t have his strand of affection he wouldn’t have gone after her at all, he would have just stayed in the mortal realm and kept killing till he ran out of people. Like you said, being able to feel these things doesn’t necessarily mean you can easily control where the feelings go, especially without guidance. You can say that emotions happen naturally, but they do not happen naturally the same way for everyone, or at the same intensity. Those people aren’t less human or less capable of growth, but the growth will be harder-won and may look different from that of others. There are people with low emotional sensitivity, mood disorders, etc.
My favorite part is exactly the character arc you mentioned earlier. I absolutely adore this redundant and deeply classical turn from the hideous beast to righteous hero. OK, here it’s the version going from darkness to light, yet the core is the same. Of course, when it’s done in a gripping and believable way. And here I do see the signs of it, especially in the first part. I have to admit that I don’t exactly buy/get this “love thread” thing, but I flow with it. Even though the narrative is mostly from Susu’s POV, you clearly see and understand the gradual change in ML character. I didn’t need this “thread” plot device to see it, understand it and believe it. It’s masterfully done without whitewashing the characters and it’s heart-wrenching.
I already read the whole novel on the other site. Yet, unfortunately, I didn’t see all this additional character development and ML point of view in the second part. There some things here and there but pretty minimal. Where were the parts about his travels? The only one I remember (after “the end”) is only how he was found by the immortal sect and his 2 years there. Did I miss something? I don’t remember any explanation about his going to Ghost River and about the ruptures.
I don’t remember those demons, who pester him to become the Devil king, appear somewhere in the period during these 500 years time interval. Did that translation version miss something out?
I started checking and comparing the parts which are already translated here in a wonderfully professional manner, and I did find some weird discrepancies here and there. Is there any reason for it?
Again, I understand what you’re saying about his behavior right now, but let’s agree to disagree. Something is a bit off for me here and it’s hard for me to buy it completely, even taking all those factors into account.
Note that when I say something isn’t abnormal, I mean it’s not outside the realm of human experience.
Thank you so much for your translation! I found this a couple of months ago when I couldn’t watch the drama and it saved my day. I would’ve loved if some of TTJs badness was kept in CJM. And I also wonder if YXW ever had any soft feelings that might have gone lost in translation
No. She never had any soft feelings the way we might look at them, and she has a distorted view of what that means in the first place in much the same way Tantai Jin does.
In fact, there’s a rare older version of the novel (from before the author made some changes) where she displays even less softness toward anything or anyone at all, period. Li Susu as she appears here, in this version of the story (and by extension, this translation), is positively gentle.
If you’re talking about the original Ye Xi Wu and *not* Li Susu as Ye Xi Wu, then the answer is also no. Ye Xi Wu was an unmitigated walking DISASTER of a terrible person from miserable start to bitter end.
Wow, I had alot of trouble understanding how and when FL actually fell for the ML in this version. How was it explained in the earlier one then?
I mean, it wasn’t. She treats her memories of her time with him as YXW as little more than an entanglement she has failed to shed, and even during that time the most positive feeling she acknowledges toward him is a brief, vague feeling of warmth. There is a story reason for which the clues are still being laid, but I found it very frustrating when reading. It’s the very model of a slow-burn romance, and there’s quite a while to go in the story before she shows any kind of personal concern for him.
It should be noted that I didn’t see the show and I don’t care about the show, and while I will most likely begrudgingly watch it someday for *reasons* I am aware that the writers wrote out everything I found compelling about the characters and story. If you’re looking for the characters and relationship dynamic present in the show, I recommend.. well.. a different book.
Hey, while I admit I came here after the show but not “in a good way”. It’s riddled with too much problems and even though I was very entertained in some parts I ended so bewildered with the plot that I decided to check the novel to understand what really happened.
Needless to say, even though I have quite a few issues with the novel as well, I enjoyed it way more than the drama. Frankly speaking I can’t wholeheartedly recommend you to watch it, even though there’re some good things in it.
So, to make it clear, all my questions and the urge to discuss are on the novel base only.
Well that last line is a relief. >>
Heh! 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to read my translations. I want to clarify that the novel is the primary source material, and the drama is simply an adaptation. If you’re interested in gaining a better understanding of the novel YXW, I would highly recommend referring to Ceres’s reply to your comment. Should you still have doubts with the accuracy of the translation, MTL is an alternative reading option that is available at your fingertips.
I’m not doubting the accuracy, just curious about the opinion of the translator. I like the narrative and it’s the best translation I’ve found so I’m a happy reader
It really is, bee and gaze do such a wonderful job together. I’m convinced you won’t find better anywhere else.
Hello, i just have one confusion. Li Su su during her time as Ye Xi Wu did not have any heart felt, like without any motive sympathy, love for Tantai Jin. Rather her did what she had to, so that Tantai Jin does not become the evil god and later destroy the world. So why is she saying that she is not Ye Xi Wu who is sympathetic. She did what she did as a secret agent keeping an eye and remove any possible threat of getting destroyed by a criminal (if set in modern world). She always judged TTJ from she saw before being reborn as Ye Xi Wu and never gave her unbiased judgement. I’m just stating the facts and not at all judging Li Su Su cause god only knows how i would have reacted or behaved if I were in that situation.
Thank you @anonymousbee for doing a marvelous job in translating this novel.
Well.. *she* thinks she felt more. You know, comparatively speaking to now.
@lovebooksandlovereading Yep. I was also baffled by her narration about it. At first. But then, I realized she’s not talking about a normal love feeling for TTJ. She’s just talking about how she felt subtly moved, occasionally. The slight fleeting sympathy for him. The ones she’s denied, blamed as the reason for her tragedy, and regretted.
He’s indeed Tantai Jin. His nature didn’t change through time, and this is the real him. I actually was very upset when watching the drama because they white washed his image too much that too many viewers pity him rather than rather trying to understand Susu’s intentions. I really think the ending of novel and the drama should be opposite. 😂😂😂😂😂 Thanks for the chapter.