Introduction This novel is part of the Flying Dagger Series. Following the story after Bordertown Wanderer (边城浪子) and Flying Eagle in the Ninth Month(九月鹰飞). Interestingly, it was written by Gu Long in 1975 after Flying Eagle in the Ninth Month (1974) but before Bordertown Wanderer (1976). It seems that Gulong had first developed the two main characters Ye Kai and Fu Hongxue respectively before interweaving them together in Bordertown Wanderer. Several had remarked that this is perhaps Gu Long's greatest work(I agree!) as it is the most emotionally touching and unforgetable. Gulong said that he wrote this novel during the period of his greatest personal pain and suffering, during the period of his greatest emotional stress. Maybe it is for this reason, the novel is so outstanding. To have a better understanding of Gu Long's approach to wuxia novels, I had included a small excerpt. ~an excerpt from the introduction of this novel by Gulong himself~ Looking at the same storyline from different angles, the novel would turned out to be totally different. Human beings' feelings and views are something that are forever changing, forever changing with the times! Although wuxia novels are about the old times, it could be injected with the new feelings and views of the author. For novels are but all in the imagination. Writing a novel is not writing a history book. The biggest goal of writing novels is to draw the reader in, to emotionally touch the reader. If storylines of wuxia novel already could not be changed, why not changed the way of writing human emotions. Using the human's feelings, using the emotional feelings to create the climax, to create the "action". How to write "action" is one of the wuxia novel's greatest challenge. I always believe that "action" is not necessarily "fight". The action in novels and movies can give peope a kind of sharp excitment and thrill. However, the action in novels are far less vivid and fresh than the action in movies. Thus, the action in novels should be kept simple, short and sweet, lively and never a dull moment. The action in novels should first create conflict, emotional conflicts, situational conflicts. And using the various conflicts to push the story into a climax. Then you can create the atmosphere, the tense atmosphere, the chilling atmosphere. Using the atmoshpere to fan the flames of excitement. Writing wuxia novel is not writing a country's history. Writing wuxia novel is also not teaching how to fight or kill! Although blood and violence would always have their attraction, but too much blood and violence would turn people off. ~end~ I would sincerely try to follow Gu Long's ideas as closely as possible while translating this novel. Horzion, Bright Moon, Sabre - 天涯, 明月, 刀 - Gu Long Prologue Chapter 01: Man at the Horizon Chapter 02: Wild rose at the Horizon Chapter 03: Bright Moon at High Mansion Chapter 04: The Thumb of the Blackhand Chapter 05: Peacock Chapter 06: Before the Duel Chapter 07: The Duel Translation by Ren Wo Xing Chapter 8: Peacock Manor Chapter 9: Betting One’s Life on a Single Sabre Chapter 10: Changes Chapter 11: Where Did the Bright Moon Go? Chapter 12: Between Life and Death Chapter 13: Demon Decapitating Sabre of Heaven’s Monarch Chapter 14: First Pay, Then Kill Chapter 15: The Ancient Monastery of the Celestial Dragon Chapter 16: Funeral Bell Chapter 17: Despair Chapter 18: When Affection Begins to Thickens, Affection Turns Flimsy Chapter 19: Executioner Chapter 20: The Grandmaster and the Zither-Playing Servant Chapter 21: Emerging From the Cage Chapter 22: Gongzi Yu Chapter 23: Mysterious Old Man Chapter 24: The Last Battle (END) Prologue by metwin1 Is the horizon far away? Not at all! Man is at the horizon, how can the horizon be far away? What colour is the bright moon? It is blue; and like the ocean, blue, deep and sorrowful. Where is the bright moon? It is in his heart; his heart is the bright moon. What about his sabre? His sabre is in his hand! What kind of blade is that? His sabre is as broad and as lonely as the horizon, as pure and sorrowful as the bright moon; even with a flash of steel, some times it is as if it is empty. Empty? Empty and illusional, as if it never exists, yet present everywhere. But the speed of his sabre does not appear to be very swift. How can a sabre that is not swift be invincible under the heavens? This is because his sabre has gone beyond the limits of speed! Where is he? He has not returned, but his heart is already broken. Where is the path of his return? The path is right in front of him. Cannot he see the path? He is not looking for it. So he cannot find the path? Perhaps not now, but he will find it sooner or later. Willl he find it for sure? Definitely! Chapter 01: Man at the horizon by metwin1 ->only added a missing line and a couple of changes ONE The sun is setting in the west. Fu Hongxue stood alone under the setting sun. It was as though he were the only person in the whole wide world. It was cold and barren for a thousand miles around; it seemed that even the setting sun had changed colour because of its loneliness, changed into a greyish white that was mournful and desolate. He felt the same. His hand clenched a sabre; a pale white fist with a pitch black sabre! Pale white and pitch black were colours close to Death! And Death was the limit of voidness and loneliness! His eyes were lonely and empty; they could almost see death! Could it be death was just in front of his eyes? He was walking. He walked very slowly, but he never stopped. Even if Death was waiting for him in front, he would never stop. His walking posture was strange and unique; the left foot would take a quick step forward, and the right foot would follow slowly. He appeared to walk with considerable difficulty. Nevertheless, he had walked countless of miles, made innumerable journeys; and he walked that entire road by himself, step by step. When could he stop walking like this? When could he even stop walking? He didn’t know. In fact, he had never considered it! Now that he had got here, what lay beyond? Was Death really in front? Definitely! His eyes contained Death, his hand also gripped Death; in fact his sabre represented Death! It was a pitch black blade with a pitch black handle and a pitch black sheath. His sabre may represent Death, but it was his whole life! The sky had become even darker, but still he could make out the presence of a small town in the far distance. He knew that was Phoenix Settlement, one of the more populous towns in the remote area. Of course he knew, because that was where the death he was searching for was to be found. Little did he know that Phoenix Settlement was already dead! TWO The street was not very long or very wide, but there were still numerous stores, stalls and houses along the streets. There were countless such towns in the world, and every one of them was the same; streets with many stores, stalls and houses; and these stalls had dilapidated store fronts, cheap goods and honest merchants. In the houses lived kind and friendly people. However, Phoenix Settlement was different from these other towns. While the stores and the stalls and the houses were still present, there was nobody around. Nobody, not a single person was around. There were doors and windows that lined both sides of the street. Some were shut, but all were broken, smashed. Thick stacks of dust covered the streets, inside and outside the houses and stores. The roofs and beams were full of spider webs. A black cat was startled by the footsteps and leaped out, but it had already lost its alertness and agility. It was panting and limping as it crawled across the street; it did not even look like a cat anymore. Wasn’t it a well known fact that starvation could change everything? Could it be that the cat was the sole surviving creature in this little town? Fu Hongxue’s heart turned cold, even colder than the blade in his hand. He was presently standing on this street, and seeing everything with his own eyes. But he could not believe, dared not believe, and would not believe. - What disaster befell this place? - How did this tragedy occur? At the side of the street, an old signboard was squeaking in the wind. He could still make out the words beneath all that dust “Chen Family Tavern, Best Vintage In Town!” This was originally one of the nicer looking signboards in the district, but it was now tattered and broken, just like teeth of elderly people. But the condition of the tavern was much worse than the signboard. Fu Hongxue stood silently, observing and waiting. As the wind died down, he strolled over to the tavern and pushed open the door. It was as though he walked into a grave that had been exhumed. He had been here before! Though the wine was not even good, much less vintage, at least it wasn’t vinegar. And the place had looked far from a grave. Exactly a year ago, this place was still a busy establishment.