Chapter 1 - The Medicine Tribe
Aiight Guys,
Kencephalon reporting in.I started out on my *xia journey watching the cla.s.sics Return of the Condor Heroes, Tian Long Ba Bu, She Diao Ying Xiong Zhuan on TV when i was but a wee kid.Recently however, i came across the manhua of Dou Po Cang Qiong(BTTH), and was hooked onto it.When i caught up with the current manhua releases, i started to search for the raws to feed my addiction and stumbled upon WuxiaWorld, where i then stumbled across a whole other buncha LNs, E.g MGA/ISSTH/WDQK/TGR, and seriously got hooked. I then decided to give translating a try while waiting for the release of new chapters.
This is my first attempt at translation/editing/proofreading(Imma bonafide 1 man translating army),aided by the copious use of a dictionary.As chinese does not lend itself well to english, with phrases that do not have a direct english translation,I"ve taken a few liberties with the translation in order to better convey(i hope) the meaning of the raws, instead of sticking faithfully to the raws and translating word for word,and ending up with a royal mess that is barely makes coherent sense in english.Moving forward, i"ll most likely be setting up a simple site where i can host the rest of the chapters and other works that i might decide to try.
With that said, i hope y"all enjoy the story of how Yao Lao,everyone"s favourite ghost in the ring came to be.
Constructive criticism is always welcomed.
P.S. Yao Chen => Yao Lao
Chapter 1 - The Medicine Tribe
Zhong prefecture , Shennong mountain range.
In midst of this sprawling mountain range, basking in the fiery evening glow, was a bustling town situated high atop a mountain with its myriad structures built along the contours of the mountain. On the mountain peak, chiseled flat by it’s inhabitants, was a small town with clear signs of human habitation.
This is the ancestral lands of the medicine tribe, with the vast majority of the tribesmen sharing the same surname - Yao, though there also existed tribesmen with a different surname;Disciples of the tribe; People who were related to the tribe, or various dependents of the tribe.
However, regardless of their origin, everyone living on the ancestral grounds of the medicine tribe were considered a fellow tribesman,sharing an inseparable bond of kins.h.i.+p, though they were labeled as branch families.
One of the 8 ancient tribes,the medicine tribesmen bear the character “Yao” as their surname, and are undisputedly the best pract.i.tioners of pill refining in the world with their tribesmen, even those who aren’t receptariers, possessing knowledge of pill refining and superb skill when it came to appraising pills.[T/N Note: The word Yao literally means medicine]
Atop the mountain summit in the middle of an open s.p.a.ce, was an unadorned stone stele with an imposing aura.This stele is the symbol of the tribe - the ancestral stele.
This stele holds deep meaning for the tribesmen as only the most outstanding member of the tribe were allowed to carve their name, and those of their parents, on it.This was the highest honor for the tribesmen, aptly described by the adage “With his name carved on the stele, one’s life was not lived in vain”.
Surrounding the stele were the various departments and ministries of the tribe,the ancestral temple, the hall of elders,the school,the tribe’s treasury, etc…[T/N Note: I decided to go with treasury instead of warehouse/storehouse as i feel it fits in better with the overall feel of the story.]
Beneath the mountain summit was the tribe’s inner area where the lineal descendents of the tribe lived,beneath this lay the central area where the families with power and authority resided, with columns of smoke and the rich scent of medical pills ever present.
At the foot of the mountain were the residences of the ordinary tribespeople, with nondescript buildings akin to what one might find on an ordinary city street.
In a neighbourhood were a bunch of kids, not even 7 years of age, playing a pill refining game.However, though it was not just a simple game of make believe,with the kids reciting pill refining mnemonics that were not false, but the real deal.
As the kids were enjoying themselves, there were a few big shadows approaching them amidst sonorous laughter with the shadows lengthening under the glow of the setting sun.
“Oi, you’re still playing? It’s time to go home for dinner!”
The kids jumped with joy, throwing themselves at the approaching figures.
“Daddy’s back!”
“Daddy, i learnt about pill refining in school yesterday….”
Seeing their fathers returning, the children begin kicking up a din.
The adults laughed as they grabbed their children, hoisting them onto their shoulders.
Amidst the children was a 5 year old boy who was extremely quiet and was tightly grabbing onto his father’s big hand, with the warmth of his father’s hand being a simple pleasure.
“Chen-er , what"s wrong? Were you mischievous and made mom angry again?”
The boy lowered his head.
“Mommy’s angry again, and she said she’ll ignore me from now on…..Daddy, you’ll placate mommy...right?”
“Hahaha, of course.Let’s go, with the two of us working together,mommy’s sure to whip up something delicious for us.”
Yao Huo laughed and lifted his son up, placing him on his shoulder.
“Ol’Huo, has you kid been misbehaving again?”
A well built man who was also carrying a 5 year old fatty on his shoulder walked towards Yao Huo with furrowed brows.
“Daddy, Yao Chen used qunt Qing’s favorite vase as a refining cauldron”
The little fata.s.s snitched loudly [T/L Note:Snitches get st.i.tches….]
“Chen-er, that wouldn’t be the celadon vase would it?” Sighed Yao Huo as the corners of his eyes twitched.
Yao Chen drooped his head, both his hands fidgeting on his father’s head.
“Will mommy really ignore me ? Will she neve make chicken drumstick for me again..?”
“Really now...you’re finished. Ol’Huo,isn’t that your first gift to your wife? Yao Chen,better prepare yourself for a beating” Laughed the well built man carrying the fatty on his shoulders.
“Oi, LuoBing you c.u.n.t, don’t frighten my kid. Don’t be afraid Chen-er, with daddy around, mommy’s guaranteed to make some delicious chicken drumstick rice for you”
“Daddy, what’s chicken drumstick rice?” exclaimed the little fatty
“Something bad-tasting.Let’s go home and munch on some Mantous”
“Mmm, Mantous are the best” Nodded the little fatty uncertainly.
Yao Huo stared at Luo Bing disdainfully.
“Ol’Luo, cmon,your kid’s still so young, seriously...?”
Luo Bing stared back at Yao Huo
“You know nothing.Cmon,cmon, let’s go home”
“Off we go!” Yao Huo exclaimed
Yao Huo and Luo Bing were obviously the leaders among this group of men;With Yao Huo’s word, everyone went back home, carrying their sons on their shoulder.
Yao Huo and Luo Bing were neighbours,walking back together
The little fatty’s name is Luo Shu, talking incessantly on the journey back,tattling on Yao Chen and badmouthing his elder brother Luo Shan. However, whenever the little fatty mentions Yao Chen, he would steal a glance at Yao Chen, obviously trying to get attention with his tattling.
Be that as it may, Yao Chen did not take the little fattys’ tattling to heart;His father’s shoulders are very broad and extremely comfortable and everything would be perfect if only his mom wasn’t mad at him
Both father and son returned home
“Mommy, Daddy’s back”
Yao Chen shouted as he leaped down from his father’s shoulders
A beautiful figure walked out from the kitchen with a surprised expression on her face and her mouth slightly agape.However,as her eyes s.h.i.+fted slightly and caught sight of Yao Chen looking at the dinner table with a face full of worry, the corners of her mouth curled upwards slightly and she quickly adopted an angry facade
“Hmph, finally back are we?”
Yao Huo faced Yao Chen, squeezing his eyes together
“Ahh, so hungry, is the chicken drumstick rice ready yet? My wifey Yao Qing’s chicken drumstick rick is the best in the world, isn’t that right Chen-er ?”
“Mmhmm,mmhmm,mhmm, mom"s chicken drumstick rice is the best”
Yao Chen nodded his head hurriedly
“A crafty old fellow and a crafty little fellow. Hmph,who wants to be your wifey?”
“You of course…”
Yao Huo winked as he reached out and grabbed Yao Qing, who was pretending to be angry, affectionately
“Dad, i’m hungry”
Yao Chen couldn’t bear to watch any further as he stomach growled
“Forget it, time for dinner”
Yao Qing snorted and while smiling, turned around and led both father and son into the kitchen where several dishes lay covered on the dinner table;As the coverings were removed,the delicious smell of the dishes a.s.sailed their nostrils
“Wooaahh, mom’s the best!” exclaimed Yao Chen jubilantly
“You gotta tell mom she’s the prettiest, women love hearing that” Yao Huo said buoyantly[T/L: That’s true, them wimminz love being told they’re pretty…]
“Mom’s the most most most most prettiest”
Yao Chen was a fast learner“Aren’t you afraid of teaching your son the wrong things?”
“If i don’t teach him, how is he gonna cheat a woman into becoming his wife in the future?”
“Does my son need to cheat a woman? Do you think he’s you?”
“Hehe, that’s right ….wait, isn’t something amiss here?”
“Back in the day, i got cheated by you”
“Mom, how did dad cheat you?”
Yao Chen blinked as he seized the chance to interject and get his mother to pay attention to him as he childishly worried that his mom would ignore him.
“You really wanna know?”
“Mmhmm”
“I’ll tell you when you’ve grown up”
“I’m already grown up, i’ve already started basic flame manipulation”[T/L : I’m sticking with basic flame manipulation atm, i may change the name in the future”
Yao Chen exclaimed discontentedly,hopping off his chair, emulating a of basic set of guidance skills in front of his parents, with his crooked and twisted figure drawing laughter from both his parents
After dinner,Yao Qing conveniently forgave Yao Chen for his mischievous act of using the flower vase as a refining cauldron and the family headed to the mountain summit on a stroll;With all of them enjoying the evening breeze and Yao Chen having unbridled fun while on the mountain path, it was a picturesque portrait of a harmonious family
As they approached the mountain summit, there were already quite a number of people strolling about the public square with the stone stele.
“C’mon, daddy’ll bring you to a place; It’s where i courted mom all those years ago…” Yao Huo said with a smile
“Yao Huo!” Yao Qing stamped her foot, blus.h.i.+ng.
“Hehe, let’s go. The sunset there is particularly beautiful,if we’re late others would’ve taken occupied the spot.”