Chapter - 22 Brilliance of a Blade Refined a Hundred Times (3)

*Note: The proper translation of the 'Dragon Saber' is the 'Dragon Slaying Saber'. However, I will use the more popular(and shorter :P) translation, 'Dragon Saber', that TVB came up.

Yu DaiYan chuckles and says, "Of course I've heard it. There are two more phrases after this, something like 'Power of heaven* not appear, Who can possibly compete?' That's just to describe an event many years ago, not really some saber." That old man asks, "What event?"

*Note: 'Power of heaven' here is used to described the name of the Heaven Sword. Actually, a proper description of those two characters is 'reliance on heaven', but that wouldn't sound as good. The sword's is therefore more aptly translated as 'the sword that relies on the power of the heavens'. But for this translation, it will be shortened to Heaven Saber, just to match up with the name that TVB came up with.

Yu DaiYan says, "That's because the Legendary Condor Hero Yang Guo once killed the Mongol emperor, which greatly helped us Hans. So whenever Hero Yang asks of something, 'None dares to not listen'. The 'dragon' is here is obviously the emperor, 'dragon slaying' means to kill the emperor. Do you really think there are such things as dragons in this world?"

That old man smiles coldly, asking, "Do you know what weapon he used during that battle?" Yu DaiYan thinks for a moment, then responds, "I heard the master say that Hero Yang was missing an arm. So he normally doesn't carry any weapon." That old man asks, "So how did he kill the emperor?" Yu DaiYan says, "He used a pebble. Everyone knows that." The old man says with a smile, "In that case, where does this whole 'saber' thing come from?"

Yu DaiYan can't find the answer. After a while, he finally says, "Probably because it's made up by others. I mean, 'Little pebble dragon slaying' doesn't sound nearly as nice." That old man says, "You're just making it up. How about this, can you explain the meaning of 'Power of heaven not appear, Who can possibly compete'?" Yu DaiYan says, "I don't know. Perhaps it's to describe his wife. Maybe his wife's name is the 'power of heaven'. Or he might have meant Guo Jing, Hero Guo."

That old man says, "Really? I know you can't explain it. Let me tell you. 'Dragon Slaying' is a saber. It's this Dragon Saber I have. The 'Power of Heaven' is a sword, the Heaven Sword. This poem means that whoever has the Dragon Saber can rule the world. As long as the Heaven Sword does not appear, no one can compete with the Dragon Saber."

Yu DaiYan doesn't know whether to believe or not, and says, "Let me look at it, and see just what's so powerful about this saber." That old man tightly clutches the Dragon Saber, says, "You think I'm a kid? Trying to take my saber, eh?" He just recovered a bit after taking the pill Yu DaiYan gave him. Yet by spending too much energy clutching the saber, he begins to have trouble breathing. Yu DaiYan chuckles, and says, "If you don't want me to see it, then so be it. Besides, whom are you going to control anyway? Are you telling me that I'm going to listen to your orders because of this saber? You must be kidding. You were a normal person. But after listening to such a stupid rumor, you've now nearly lost your life. It's obvious that this saber has no special powers."

That old man stays silent for a while, then says, "Hey, let's make a deal. You help save my life, and I'll give you half of this saber's powers." Yu DaiYan laughs, and says, "Is that how you think of us Wu Dang sect? We don't help others for any rewards. Besides, I don't have the antidote to your poison. You still have to ask the Sea Sand sect for it." That old mans says, "I stole this saber from them. Why would they save me?" Yu DaiYan says, "If you give them back their saber, why would they care to kill you?"

That old man says, "Your kung fu is incredible. I'm sure you can steal some from them." Yu DaiYan says, "First, I have something important to do, and don't have time for such a thing. Besides, you stole their saber. So it's your fault to begin with. Why should I help you steal the antidote? Old man, I suggest you hurry and go ask for the antidote now, before it's too late."

Seeing that he's about to leave, that old man says in a hurry, "Ok. Let me ask you something else. How did you feel when you carried me?" Yu DaiYan says, "I thought it was kind of strange. You look small and skinny, yet you seemingly weigh over two hundred pounds. But I'm not sure why."

That old man put down the Dragon Saber, and says, "Now lift me." Yu DaiYan picks him up, and feels like he's only lifting about eighty pounds of weight. He thinks, "Wow, this saber is over a hundred pounds. That is quite strange." After putting the old man back down again, he says, "This saber is pretty heavy."

The old man asks, "Is your surname Yu or Zhang?" Yu DaiYan says, "My name is Yu DaiYan. How do you know?" The old man says, "I know that First Hero Song is over forty years old. Your sixth and seventh brother Yin and Muo are still less than twenty. The rest of the four Wu Dang heroes all have surnames of Yu or Zhang. Everyone knows that. I'm grateful to meet the great Third Hero Yu today." Although he's fairly young, Yu DaiYan is quite experienced in the ways of the martial world. He knows that this old man only says such praises because he wants a favor. With a feeling of repulsiveness, he says, "And you are?" The old man says, "My name is De Cheng. Everyone calls me Hai Dong Qing." Hai Dong Qing is a type of eagle, famous for its viciousness and predatory skills. Yu DaiYan says, "Nice to meet you." Then proceeds to look up at the sky, trying to figure out the time.

The old man realizes that he needs to try some other trick for this person to help him. So he says, "You don't realize the meaning behind these words, they're…" When he says this, Yu DaiYan's expression suddenly changes changes. He immediately blows out the candle and whispers, "Someone's here."

De Cheng's inner power is not nearly as good as Yu DaiYan, so he did not notice anything. Only after a while does he hear footsteps coming from the front. He says, "Let's sneak out the back." Yu DaiYan says, "They have people in the back too. Besides, it's the Sea Sand Sect. This is your opportunity to exchange for the antidote." The old man clutches onto him tightly, yells, "Third Hero Yu, you can't leave me. You can't…"

At this time, someone kicked down the door as Yu DaiYan quickly hides behind a Buddha statue. When De Cheng let out a small 'ah' sound, tens of darts came out straight at him, prompting him to fall down. Only to hear more sounds of hidden weapons being released, all containing the poisoned salts. After a while, Yu DaiYan hears the roof shaking, as salt begins to pour down through the cracks. Realizing that the salts will eventually touch him, Yu DaiYan quickly smashes a hole into the Buddha next to him, and crawls into the hole.

Yu DaiYan then hears someone in the Sea Sand sect says, "There are no more sounds. They're probably all unconscious." Another person says, "That youngster's footsteps are very light. It's better to wait a while longer." "I'm just afraid that he may have escaped." Then someone yells loudly, "Get out of here and surrender."