Bide your time, concentrate on the sword.
Learn by yourself, do not forsake tradition.
Master Uncle, Bi Yan is attacking.
Look up the Zhao San Sword move. {I'm assuming this is a sword move from within the scroll... there's no other meaning that I can think of for this, since it doesn't mean "Do not cross swords."}
Master Ku Rong's skills are impressive;
this lowly one is impressed.
But this "Sacred Sword of Liu Mai"
is indeed, just hearsay.
How so? Please enlighten us.
What Mr. Mu Rong saw back then
was the sword skill of the Liu Mai,
and not the sword formation.
Although this formation is indeed powerful,
it lacks in quality, and when used,
can only be compared to the Luo Han formation of Shaolin
or the Hun Dun formation of Kun Lun.
In no way can it be called an unrivaled skill.
Whether it be sword skill or formation,
in that match just now, did we win,
or did you?
This first round? The temple had the upper hand.
As for the second one, l am confident of my victory.
Take this!
Amithaba!
You destroyed the scroll of the Sacred Sword?!
Master Ku Rong, why were you so impulsive?!
l feel terrible!
No one can master
this set of sword skills anyway,
so what does it matter if it is destroyed or not?
l take my leave.
My Lord of Tu Fan admires King Bao Ding
and wishes to meet him,
so please come to Tu Fan for an audience.
He used to be King Bao Ding,
but now, he is a tonsured monk
named Ben Chen.
Since the King of Tu Fan requests your presence,
you may go.
Yes!
Let go of my uncle!
Who are you?
Don't ask who l am,
let my uncle go first!
Let him go!
Uncle!
l thought the Duans of Dali were artists of tradition.
l did not realize the descendants of Duan
had dealings with the people of the Sea of Xin Shuo,
and had picked up the Art of Transformation...
How strange! How strange!
l have heard of the superiority of Tu Fan's Master Rui Zhi,
with his vast knowledge.
That Xin Shuo old man tried a sneak attack at night.
He is despicable.
How could l, a Duan,
have any relations with him?
Minister of Tu Fan,
you are a guest from afar.
The temple graciously received you,
yet you dare to offend my uncle!
Because you are a monk,
we allowed you some liberties,
but you took advantage of our hospitality!
Among the monks,
there can be no one else as rude as you!
You speak well!
l take my leave!
Sacred Sword of Liu Mai!
Be careful!
Uncle! Uncle!
l take my leave!
Yu-er!
Hard-to-mold youths
may not always be a bad thing.
Amithaba!
The Minister is back!
Mount your horses
and take separate routes!
Hurry!
Yes!
Go!
Kid,
don't waste your energy.
l just wanted to move my muscles a bit.
What are you afraid of?
l'm afraid of nothing.
When l offer you as a sacrifice to Mr. Mu Rong,
will you be afraid?
l'm not taking life, {he's referring to the roasted chicken, and how monks are not supposed to kill any living creatures}
l'm just doing this for your sake.
Master! l wish to relieve myself!
Be careful, kid!
l only released one seal point on you,
so you won't be able to perform any martial arts.
BLUEMAX {what's this? O.o}
Sir Duan,
l'm sorry for forcing you
to come with me all this way.
Please pardon any offense I may have given.
lt was nothing.
Do you know
why l am doing this?
I can't do it.
What is it you cannot do?
You are after the sword skill of the Duan family's Sacred Sword of Liu Mai,
so you wish to force me to write out a copy for you.
That is what l cannot do.
Sir, you misunderstand.
I have nothing against you,
so l have thought of a good solution for the both of us.
lf you write out the scroll in its entirety,
l won't look at it.
l will seal it, then burn it
in front of Mr. Mu Rong's grave
to let him rest in peace.
Then l will send you back to Dali.
Master,
we are both intelligent people.
Do you really think you can trick me?
Amithaba,
I only wish to keep the promise
l made to Mr. Mu Rong,
so why should l destroy another promise
to keep this one?
Whether your promise
is true or false
is unknown to others.
Once you get the Scroll,
you will definitely peruse it yourself.
With your intelligence and talent,
you'll be able to memorize it
after reading it a few times.
Then you force me
to do this the hard way!
When you can no long withstand it
and wish to write out the scroll,
just nod slightly
and l will let go.
l will not write it.
Even if l did,
will you spare my life?
Writing is equivalent to suicide.
Master,
l know this very well.
Buddha is merciful!
What do you think of this place, Sir?
The scenery is magnificent.
Very nice!
You slept for a long time.
l hope you are adjusting well.
But l still prefer Dali!
{Ah Bi sings a small tune}
Do the two of you wish to cross the river?
Amithaba!
I wish to go to Can He Manor.
Outsiders do not usually know of Can He Manor.
Where did the Master hear its name?
l was an associate of the late Mr. Mu Rong Guo,
and have brought an old friend to pay respects to his grave.
l also wish to seek an audience with Sir Mu Rong Fu.
What a pity!
Our Master is out at the moment.
I missed the good sir?
That is a shame.
l have come all the way from Tu Fan
to the Central Plains,
seeking to pay Mr. Mu Rong my respects
and fulfill his wish from years ago.
Since you are Old Master Mu Rong's friend,
please come in for a cup of tea.
l will announce you later,
if that's all right with you.
What is your position in this household, Lady?
How should l address you?
l am the Master's servant girl,
and I entertain him with my lute.
l am called Ah Bi.
You don't need
to be so polite by calling me "Lady."
Just call me Ah Bi!
l wouldn't dare!
The only routes from here to
Yan Zi Wu Qin Yun are water routes,
so if both of you wish to go,
l will take you there by boat.
ls that all right?
Then we'll have to trouble Ms. Ah Bi.
{A Bi sings a small tune}
This is Qin Yun.
Further down is the Pavilion of Fragrant Waters.
Please come onshore!
Thank you, Lady!
Master, please!
Sir, please!
Thank you, Lady!
Such delicate desserts...
they must taste heavenly.
But...
how can l bear to put it in my mouth?
Sir, please go ahead and eat it!
We have plenty!
Please announce our arrival, Lady,
and bring the caretaker out.
Sister Ah Zhu governs the rest of us.
Her Pavilion of Fragrant Waters
is about forty-nine routes away.
l don't think we can make it today.
Please stay here for the night
and l will send both of you there tomorrow.
Lady,
l came here in order
to visit Mr. Mu Rong's grave.
l pine for him greatly;
l cannot wait any longer!
Then you can offer your respects here.
All of what you see here
belonged to Old Master Mu Rong anyway!
That would be fine.
Ms. Ah Bi,
have you any oil here?
Could l borrow some?
l do,
but what do you need it for?
Master!
Master! Master,
what are you doing?
Master,
what are you doing?
Don't pour the oil on him!
Master, don't!
What are you...
Master,
what are you doing to Sir Duan?
Ms. Ah Bi, it is none of your business.
Move aside!
No, no!
Move aside!
l will not!
What do you want?
l told you.
l shall sacrifice you to appease Mr. Mu Rong's spirit.
Master!
My Master is coming home soon.
lf you kill someone here,
he will surely blame us when he returns!
My lady, l am not killing him, l am offering a sacrifice!
A sacrifice to your old master, Mr. Mu Rong!
But since Young Master Mu Rong is returning soon,
l shall wait a while longer.
In any case, l will have to make this sacrifice sooner or later!
Master!
Please let Sir Duan go!
Please let him go!
Ms. Ah Bi,
l wonder if you have a fresh change of clothes
available for me?
Look at how sooty and dirty l am.
l am certainly losing my elegance!
You!
At a time like this,
how can you care about whether or not you're elegant?
You'd better think of a way to keep
yourself alive!
Please!
Ah Bi,
what are these people here for?
Amithaba.
l am Jiu Mo Zhi, a small monk,
and a friend of the late Mr. Mu Rong.
May l ask your name?
Are you his relative,
or his friend?
l am an old servant of the Old Master,
so what name could l have?
Master, you say you are Old Master's friend,
but Old Master Mu Rong has been dead for so many years,
so what matter could you have with him now?
l can only disclose my business
to Sir Mu Rong Fu in person.
What a pity,
our Master has gone on a long journey.
l am not sure when he will return.
Then may I ask where Sir Mu Rong Fu went?
Yes,
where did the Master go?
Xi Xia?
No...
Laos?
No, that's not it either...
Tu Fan?
No...
Dali?
No...
Caretaker,
please bring me
to Mr. Mu Rong Guo's grave so l can pay my respects
and fulfill my promise.
l cannot make this decision arbitrarily.
How about this?
l'll ask the Old Madam to make a decision!
Old Madam?
Old Madam Mu Rong,
the aunt of my Old Master.
lf his friends are here,
they should pay their respects to her.
Since the Young Master is not at home,
all the decisions are made by her instead.
That would be great.
Please tell the Old Madam
that Jiu Mo Zhi from Tu Fan is here,
and send her my regards.
In this era,
there are all kinds of bad people in the world.
lmpersonating a monk or priest
in order to trick people...
l've seen everything.
l won't fall for it so easily.
That's strange,
it smells nice...
Master,
please don't be angry.
Old Wang is a bit senile.
He says wrong things all the time, so don't mind him...
Strange...
Why was there such a nice smell emanating from that old man?
It's similar to Wan Mei's smell...
Don't tell me,
this "man" is actually a woman in disguise?
All right,
this time she's disguised as an old lady.
Ah Bi, my eyesight is bad.
Are your Old Master's friends here?
Why are they not kowtowing to me?
Kowtow quickly!
Kowtow
and she will be happy.
She'll agree to anything then.
Girl,
what did you say?
Have they kowtowed to me yet?
Kowtow quickly!
Madam,
here is an act of courtesy from this humble monk.
Very good,
very good!
There are too many sly vultures in this world,
and too few honest men around.
Even if it's just a kowtow,
some try to play tricks with me.
They obviously do not kowtow,
but instead, make a knocking sound
to trick a blind old lady.
l hear you wish to see my nephew's grave.
What treasure do you seek to steal from it?
l once promised Mr. Mu Rong that I would acquire
the Sacred Sword of Liu Mai from Dali's Duan family
for him as a gift.
lf l do not fulfill this promise, l will forever feel guilty.
The Scroll of the Sacred Sword of Liu Mai?
Just because of this?
The way this old lady sees it,
it's not as simple as that, correct?
Old Madam, please hear me out. {literal: investigate clearly}
Mr. Mu Rong and this humble monk made a promise back then.
If l retrieved the Scroll
for Mr. Mu Rong,
he would let me enter the Manor of Returning Waters
and allow me to read a few scrolls.
The Scroll of the Sacred Sword
I have brought with me,
so l must audaciously press this issue and request
to be allowed to browse the scrolls in the Manor of Returning Waters.
My Old Master has already passed away,
so as for your promise with him...
First, you have no proof.
Second, the Scroll you have brought
can be understood by no one here.
What Scroll?
Where is it?
First show it to me,
so I can see whether or not it is the real thing.
Within the mind of Sir Duan here
is engraved the entire Scroll of the Sacred Sword.
l brought him here,
so it's just as if l brought the Scroll along.
And here l was, wondering what kind of Scroll you could have brought.
So you were actually making a joke, Master.
l am not joking!
The original Scroll of the Sacred Sword
has been destroyed at the Heavenly Dragon Temple in Dali
by Master Ku Rong.
However, it's a good thing that Sir Duan
remembers it, word for word.
What Sir Duan remembers
is his own business.
Even if we were to allow someone in the Manor of Returning Waters,
the one we'd allow would be Sir Duan.
What business is it of yours, Master?
That is why l must fulfill
my promise to Mr. Mu Rong
by first sacrificing Sir Duan in a fire
to appease his spirit. Let's go!
Master!
Master,
he is a human being!
You can't just burn him!
If I want to burn him, I will!
Why shouldn't I?
You said that the Scroll
is locked within the mind of Sir Duan...
I say that's absolute nonsense.
This Sacred Sword of Liu Mai is supposed to be so powerful.
If Sir Duan really was able to use this art,
how could he be manipulated by you so easily?
Your words are logical, Lady.
It's too bad I've sealed his movements,
so he is unable to use his inner strength.
Then l can't believe you.
Please release his seal points
and let him show us the art of the Sacred Sword!
I think you're lying!
Hmph! Fine!
Since Old Madam Mu Rong wishes to see it,
then go ahead!
Sir Duan,
Old Madam Mu Rong does not believe
you have learned the art of the Sacred Sword.
Please follow my lead
and demonstrate how you cut off
a tree branch.
l don't know any martial arts at all,
let alone the Sacred Sword of Liu Mai
or anything like that.
That was a perfectly fine tree standing there!
Why did you ruin it?
Why be so humble, Sir Duan?
The Duans in Dali are famed martial artists
and you are ranked first among them.
On the other hand, the Mu Rongs are famous for knowing every martial art in the world.
lf you show a few moves,
they can advise you and help you improve.
Wouldn't that be nice?
Master,
you have dragged me
all the way here to Jiang Nan.
l really intended to never speak another word to you,
but since I met a couple of beautiful ladies, {his remark about goddesses is just a compliment... basically, he's saying the ladies are gorgeous}
my anger has dissipated.
Why don't we just part ways here
and ignore each other from now on?
You really will not demonstrate the art of the Sacred Sword?
Then aren't you allowing everyone
to think that l am a liar?
You were talking nonsense to begin with anyway!
If you had a deal with Mr. Mu Rong,
why didn't you come to get the scroll from Dali earlier?
Why wait so many years after he passed away,
when the dead can bear no witness,
and only then, come cause trouble for the Mu Rong household?
l think you're
just envious that the Mu Rong family is powerful in martial arts,
so you made up some lies
to trick the old lady
into letting you browse their library.
Then you could steal their skills
and use it against them.
lf you think you can trick the Mu Rongs
by your words alone,
then you underestimate them!
Yes, my dear monk,
why don't you be a good Minister in Tu Fan?
Why come all the way here to trick people?
l am not as glib-tongued as you are,
but if you do not wish to demonstrate the move,
then don't blame me for showing no mercy!
You've already been showing no mercy anyway,
so what else can you do?
How about
killing me with one stroke?
In any case, l won't resist.
You won't make a name for yourself by killing me anyway.
And you dare call yourself a Buddhist monk!
Such slander!
Cut the nonsense!
Then taste my sword!
You would rather throw your life away
than fight me?
My dear monk, your reasoning is twisted beyond logic!
l have nothing to fight you with,
so how can l resist?
All right,
then l'll kill a Mu Rong
servant girl first,
and see if you fight back!
To think there's actually a sixteen or seventeen-year-old "Old Madam."
How long did you intend on tricking me?
Sister Ah Zhu!
This Sacred Sword of Liu Mai is powerful indeed.
No wonder Mr. Mu Rong admired it so much.
Ah Zhu,
Ah Bi,
go quickly,
or it'll be too late!
Ah Zhu,
Ah Bi,
quick, run!
You can't
even protect yourself now,
and you're still showing concern for others?
You don't have to pretend anymore, Lady.
Who makes the decisions in the Manor anyway?
l'll drag him to the grave and burn him as a sacrifice.
Mr. Mu Rong will know
and understand that l have fulfilled my promise.
All right!
Great monk,
we believe your words. But the Old Master's grave
is a day's journey from here.
lt is getting late now,
so first thing tomorrow, l will personally take you
and Sir Duan to visit the grave.
Chief!
What happened?
Sir!
Deputy Chief Ma Fu has been assassinated.
What?!
Who did it?
The assassin is still at large.
All my brothers,
go out and gather information.
We must capture the assassin!
Yes, sir!
We must avenge
Deputy Chief Ma!
Okay.
Go now.
Da Yuan,
you died such a terrible death!
Da Yuan,
you can't just leave me behind like this!
Da Yuan,
you can't just leave me behind like this!
Madam,
you need to be strong. {orig. please don't take it so hard. <-- this matches the literal translation more or less (i would reword this to "temper your grief"), but there's no way i would say "don't take it so hard" to someone at a funeral. ^^;;}
Chief Qiao,
you must avenge Da Yuan!
Madam,
do not worry.
No matter if it was business or personal, {he's referring to the murder, if it was because of a business matter, or something personal}
I will definitely avenge Brother Da Yuan!
A mountain like this
will have someone to match.
And only with someone like this
can there be such wonderful dishes.
Then guess
which of these dishes were made by me,
and which were by Ah Bi?
Master, please.
This cherry peach ham {orig. turkey. "huo ji" = turkey. he says "huo tuei," which is ham.}
and plum blossom duck...
They're beautifully roasted red and fragrant,
so they must be made by Sister Ah Zhu.
And this soup of lotus and bamboo,
and these kingfisher balls...
They're clear and fresh,
so Sister Ah Bi must have made these!
You really know how to
make people happy with your words.
Truly, this is paradise on earth!
This hour and this scenery...
if only there were some music...
lf you don't mind,
l'll play a tune for you.
Sir Duan,
come take a look
and see if you can recognize what kind of lute is this.
All right!
Master, please excuse me. {literal is just "please," but in this context, he's saying "please excuse me"}
This is the first time I've seen
a nine-stringed lute.
Great monk,
have a good meal!
BLUEMAX {?}
Sister Ah Zhu,
l...
l need to go...
How useless.
Sir Duan should be asleep now.
You can relieve yourself on the boat.
I can't do that!
These two ladies are really interesting.
l want to hear how they settle this.
Then we'll stop the boat by the shore.
But to say I need to relieve myself
is so embarrassing...
Then l have no other solutions for you.
Sir, are you well rested?
l feel great,
but...
Please speak up if you need anything. {literal is "if you have something to say, say it" but that's not very polite. ^^;; it wouldn't fit with ah zhu's personality, especially toward duan yu}
l had too much tea just now..
l wonder if you could stop the boat by the shore?
l wish to relieve myself.
What,
did l say something wrong?
No,
do not worry, Sir.
No one can resist nature's call.
l will find a place to anchor ourselves.
Thank you, my lady.
The Manor of Man Luo Shan is the closest to here.
We'll have to go there.
Sir Duan,
this is the Manor of Man Luo Shan.
Relatives by the surname of Wang live here.
The thing is, Madam Wang
has a strange temperament.
She doesn't want to see men.
So once you are done, please return to the boat quickly.
You musn't cause any trouble!
Sister Ah Zhu!
Let's go over there.
Ah Zhu,
where is my cousin now?
ls he all right?
The Master is at home right now.
He will be leaving for Luoyang soon
to meet the experts of the Beggar Sect
in order to test the Dog Beating Staff Skill that he worked out by himself.
Lady, please don't worry.
The Dog Beating Staff Skill and Eighteen Stance of Killing Dragon
are arts that cannot be learned outside the Sect.
How could he have
formulated it so easily?
The Master said that since the Dog Beating Staff Skill's central precept
was created by man,
there's no reason he couldn't work it out himself.
With the Staff Skill and the central precept in hand,
it would not be difficult to master.
But even if he did discover it,
l'm afraid it would take eight to ten years to learn.
How can anyone master it in months?
Have you seen my cousin's Staff Skills?
Our Master uses this skill
with ease, like flowing waters...
What?
He does it quickly?
Yes.
Is there something wrong with that?
Of course there's something wrong!
l may not know the central precept of the Dog Beating Staff Skill,
but from watching the moves, I can see that
with some moves, the slower they're performed, the better.
Other moves alternate between quick and slow.
There are quick parts within the slow moves,
and slow parts within the quick moves.
With him only going after speed,
if he meets up with the experts of the Beggar Sect...
l'm afraid...
We can't let him go to the Beggar Sect like this!
Do not worry, Ms. Wang.
The Master is going there this time
because the Sect is wrongfully accusing him
of killing their Deputy Chief Ma.
He only wishes to clear up this matter,
so perhaps he won't exchange blows with the Sect.
No matter what,
you must tell my cousin
that before he leaves, he must come and see me!
Even in Dali, l've heard of Gusu Mu Rong {Gusu is a place. can be rephrased as "Mu Rong of Gusu"}
as someone worthy of admiration.
But after hearing this lady,
it seems like Sir Mu Rong's martial arts
seems to have come from her.
Could such a young lady
actually have such great abilities?
Who is he?
Why is there a man here?
Sir Duan!
Ladies,
did l make trouble for you?
Don't worry, Sir.
We should leave this place quickly
so that we don't meet up with Madam Wang.
Oh, no!
What's wrong?
We can't go anymore.
Oh no,
what should we do?
Madam.
Oh, Ah Zhu, Ah Bi,
what are you doing here?
Mu Rong Fu is such a delinquent,
even his servants act suspiciously too!
ln reply to the Madam's words,
we were pursued by an enemy
and happened to pass by the Manor of Man Luo Shan.
Our Master knows nothing of this, {added}
nor does it concern him in any way. {added}