Whiter Than Snow
Gu Long had described “The Duel” [1] in his novel as this
“Because he (Cool-son Yeh [2]) suddenly felt the unexplainable aura of a sword, and it was as if an invincible mountain had fallen upon him.
His pupils dilated, his muscles tensed.
No one other than Xi Men Chui Xue [2] could give him such pressure.
By the time he saw Xi Men Chui Xue, his body had frozen up.
Xi Men Chui Xue had a sword in his hand, but his sword remained in its sheath.However, that aura he once felt no longer emanated from it.
He was far keener and sharper than his blade.
Their gazes met, like the edges of two swords meeting.
Neither of them moved a muscle. This kind of motionless pressure was however strong and frightening.
The wind carried an unsuspecting leaf between them. It quickly fell like dead weight. Even the wind could not blow it away.
It was intangible and invisible.
“Did you study the sword?” Xi Men Chui Xue asked.
“I am the sword,”Cool-son Yeh replied.
“Then what is the essence of the sword?” Xi Men Chui Xue pressed.
“Speak!” Cool-son Yeh said.
“It lies in sincerity,” Xi Men Chui Xue replied.
“Sincerity?” Cool-son Yeh quipped.
“You can only reach the pinnacle of swordsmans.h.i.+p if you have sincere desires. Those who are insincere do not deserve to raise their swords” Master Ximen replied.
Cool-son Yeh’s pupils dilated again.
“And you, are insincere,” Xi Men Chui Xue stared at him and said.
Cool-son Yeh remained silent for a while. “Did you study the sword?” He broke the silence.
“Knowledge has no limits. Swordsmans.h.i.+p is all the more limitless,” MasterXimen said.
“Since you have studied the sword, you should know that those who study thesword only needs to be sincere to the sword, and not to other men,” Cool-son Yeh said.
Xi Men Chui Xue did not say anything else. He had no more words to offer.
The end of the road is the end of the world, while the end of words is the sword.
The sword was in his hand, and it was ready to be unsheathed.
…”
Wu Shun watched the debate, his jaw hanging open. His viewers had fallen completely silent, hanging on to each word exchanged. Well, one was more pretentious than the other. Their words were so deep and philosophical that you don’t necessarily have to understand them to appreciate them.
The next scene would probably remain in Wu Shun’s mind for the rest of his life!
Jane Doe Su, who always wore a grey cape coat and mysteriously wrapped her eyes in black lowered her hood. She then took off her coat. The swordswoman uniform that lay beneath was whiter than snow. It only stood out in contrast to her black blindfold.She looked far more mesmerizing than ever. Her beauty was breathtaking…
The bullet curtain sprung back to life. If Jane Doe Su was the ultimate boss, shedding her grey coat could only mean that she was entering her second phase boss form. Even so, Wu Shun the shameful streamer failed to even ruffle up the corners of her grey coat. How does he even reach her second phase?
The cutscene did not wait for them to carry on with the discussion. Jane Doe Su did not stop at just taking off her grey cape coat. The unraveled wrapping of her black blindfold soundlessly touched the ground. Lo and behold, her great beauty was finally revealed!
Jane Doe Su slowly opened her eyes. Viewers expected to see a pair of cloudy eyes that have lost their l.u.s.ter. After all, Jane Doe Su was “blind.” If not, why did she wrap her eyes? Is it possible that she was just an adolescent?
Her sparkling, crystal clear pupils graced across the screen in a spectacular close-up. It brought out the tenderest, sincerest of love from the coldest of hearts. Indeed, the white clothes worn by her, coupled with her taking off the blindfold gave viewers the feeling that she is a kind and delicate beauty. She was a princess – waiting to be saved by the players, nothing like a strong and influential nameless lord
The livestream erupted. Of course, there would those viewers who pointed out that Jane Doe Su taking off her blindfold probably meant the third phase of the ultimate boss. When was the last time you actually fought a final boss without a third phase? These three-phased bosses usually tortured players the most.
However, the opinions during the livestream were like this
“Is Jane Doe Su really the ultimate villain? Why is she more like a female main character compared to Yan Qingmeng the fairy at this moment?”
“I have a bad feeling. It feels like we have been tricked by Zha Feng the old sly. As a matter of fact, Jane Doe Su’s failed conspiracy must have been largely caused by the players. Jane Doe Su’s a.s.sa.s.sination might have been successful if the players had not entertained Yan Qingmeng’s investigative quests!”
“I feel sorry for Jane Doe Su. If she had shown her eyes and snow white outfit before anything else, she would not have fallen into this sad situation. One’s attractiveness is the real Combat Effectiveness [3] …”
“No matter what, I have decided to buy this game. I don’t care how difficult it is. It is a game worth playing to support and encourage the beautiful Jane Doe Su!”
“I thought she was just a b.l.o.o.d.y side character. I did not expect her to play such a pivotal role in my heart. This extreme makeover s.h.i.+t has to have limits!”
“This is the Combat Effectiveness of CG!”
…
Jane Doe Su claimed the peak of grandeur. She went all out and faced Li Xiye, the Sword G.o.d. Such was the respect she had towards swordsmans.h.i.+p, even if at that moment she had finally grown weary.
It could not be helped. The failed a.s.sa.s.sination, her Anonymous City razed to the ground, her fallen comrades, the players’ backstabbing in the misguided sense of justice it was too much for one person to bear. She no longer wanted to live.
The Anonymous City had such powerful Utopian forces. It was an unrealistic, beautiful dream – no matter how much persistence she had. She was not wrong to come up with such a dream, but she simply lacked the productivity. How could equal opportunity exist in this world?
It was almost a joke to protect the weak in such of dark world where there is only the survival of the fittest.
Jane Doe Su had actually experienced many betrayals from the weaklings she had once saved. Even so, she had held fast to last moment of her life
She was destined to be alone. She had been born in a world that simply did not suit her, where demons and evil spirits roamed freely. Some elites might even be demons in human skin.
Players were also monsters in their own way. They were not afraid of death, and have actually lost their humanity, as they treated anything they saw as prey. They would take on any quest, no matter how cruel or merciless if it paid them well.
Wu Shun ultimately chose to stand with Su Hu from the Kingdom of Zhao. The cunning Fairy Yan had thoroughly deceived him, but King Su Hu of the Kingdom of Zhao had also offered great rewards
Translation Note:
[1] “The Duel” () is a 2000 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Andrew Lau and starring Andy Lau, Ekin Cheng, Nick Cheung, Kristy Yang, Zhao Wei and Patrick Tam. The film is adapted from Juezhan Qianhou of Gu Long’s Lu Xiaofeng novel series. It is known for its humorous take on the original story and its special effects.
[2] “Cool-Son Yeh” () is a character from the movie “The Duel.” The Duel is a 2000 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Andrew Lau.
[3] “Xi Men Chui Xue” ( Xi Men Chui Xue) is a character in Gu Long’s novel “Legend of Lu Xiaofeng”
[4] “Combat Effectiveness” () is the readiness of a military unit to engage in combat based on behavioral, operational, and leaders.h.i.+p considerations. Combat effectiveness measures the ability of a military force to accomplish its objective and is one component of overall military effectiveness.