Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
Kung Fu (Light Novel) - Part 1
Part 1
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
I squatted next to the old man, blocking the vision of my surrounding classmates. From within my bag I pulled out a few hundred-yuan bills and stuffed them into his hand. “Sir,” I said softly, “I’m not looking down on you. I just want to help you buy a few meals. But please don’t bother me any more, okay? I’m a 20th century middle-school student, and in this age, students have to study their books, not go into the mountains to practice martial arts. I’m really sorry.”
Prologue
1986.
That year, I was 13 years old, an inauspicious age.
That year, Chang Yu-sheng [1] was still alive, Dave Wong [2] was popular, and Fang Jiwei [3] was still the Sweetheart of the Military.
Their songs filled my room every day.
That year, I met him.
That year, kung fu.
Old man (1)
I was a really dull person, at least in the eyes of my friends. There was nothing special about me. I was just a regular first-year middle-school student who conformed to the norms of society.
The first year of middle school didn’t have a lot of homework pressure, and nothing ever happened to get anxious about. Because of the limitations of the time period and my own reclusive personality, I had nothing to do with the outrageous things that some other kids enjoyed, like doing drugs, going on joyrides or getting in knife fight contests.
It’s not that I tried to be dull on purpose, it’s just that different types of personalities gravitate toward different methods of diversion. As for me, the entertainment bore that I was, I spent most of my leisure time at the book store reading.
It’s not that I read the books at the store because I lacked money to buy them. In fact, my family owned a textile manufacturing company, which was a very profitable industry in the 80’s. But I never had any desire to go back to my lackluster house.
When my dad’s disreputable comrades turned our living room into a tavern, carousing and being loud, I would duck my head down and dash past them, then head to the book store to read novels.
I would usually stay for about two hours each time.
My taste in novels was quite predictable. If it wasn’t Jin Yong [4] it was Gu Long [5]. I found the wuxia [6] worlds they created with their pens to be incredibly fascinating. It was a simple world where you could wield a sword and kill scoundrels mercilessly. Much more interesting [7] than my house.
I still remember the evening I was standing like usual next to one of the tall bookshelves, perusing Jin Yong’s The Deer and the Cauldron [8]. It was the part where Wei Xiaobao signs the Treaty of Nerchinsk [9] with the idiot Russians, running circles around the three parties involved: the Qing[10], the Russians, and the Heaven and Earth Society[11].
After finishing The Deer and the Cauldron I would have completed all of Jin Yong’s works for the first time.
“Why don’t you read this book?” said a hoarse voice.
I lifted my head and saw an old man standing next to me, looking at me, a book in his hand.
It was Jin Yong’s The Smiling Proud Wanderer [12], which I had finished a long time ago.
“Thanks, I’ve read that one already,” I said with a smile, then returned to the world of the book in my hand.
But after a while, I noticed the old man’s silhouette, still there next to me. I grew a bit numb as I felt him staring at me.
“What about this book? It’s great!” It was the old man’s voice yet again.
I had no choice but to look up and glance at the book in his hand. Yep, it was Jin Yong’s Ode to Gallantry[13].
“I’ve read that one, too. Thank you,” I said courteously. An ordinary person like me will always use the appropriate amount of courtesy.
And courteous old me took a moment to appraise the old man’s appearance.
I couldn’t quite tell his age, because I’ve never been very good at doing that. But he was definitely old. He wore a dilapidated green Tang suit [14], and the wrinkles on his face that might have indicated his age were covered by filth and secretions. But his decrepitude was apparent from the acrid stench that drifted off of him.
I was a bit suspicious. Had the old man been sent here by the shopkeeper, a hint to not poke around the store all day reading? As soon as I thought of this, I felt a little bit bad.
I started to waver back and forth about whether or not to leave, but I also worried … what if the old man really was just sincerely recommending books to me? If I just walked off, wouldn’t it be a bit embarrassing?
I’d always been kind and timid, and would never do anything to embarrass anyone. Everyone said I was afraid of getting into trouble. Some people said I was easy to bully, and even more people said I was too nitpicky. So I gripped the book and starting trying to decide when to leave. Should I leave? What would be the least embarrassing way to leave? For the moment, I was undecided.
“What about this one? It’s brilliant!” The old man flashed another wuxia book in front of me. I looked at it sheepishly. It was Gu Long’s Meteor, Butterfly, Sword [15]. Frankly, I’d found it a bit boring.
“I’ve read that one too, I’m really sorry.” I looked at the man, feeling a little sorry.
Maybe I should pretend that I hadn’t read it, go along with his suggestion and glance through it.
But the old man didn’t seem to want to give up. In fact, his expression looked somewhat approving.
“You’re so young, yet you’ve read so much! Excellent, excellent. What about this one?” From the bookshelf, he pulled out a dust-covered copy of a book from the series Legend of the Swordsman from Mount Zu [16], then waited expectantly for my response.
Ah! Well, this series I had not read. Because Legend of the Swordsman from Mount Zu was way too long! It was so long, I had no idea how many books were in it. Seventy? Eighty? Haizhu Louzhu’s maudlin and verbose writing style was just too much for me.
“Oh, I haven’t read that series. When I’ve finished with The Deer and the Cauldron,” I said sincerely, “I’ll definitely read it.”
Unexpectedly, the old man’s eyes filled with a strange light. He suddenly raised his voice and laughed, “Excellent, excellent! The little kid knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff, to discern the good from the bad. This Legend of the Dog Crap from Zu Mountain is a bunch of nonsense! Sword Saints and Blood Demons? Essence of the Mountain and Lake Monsters? Read it and you’ll lose a chunk of your soul. It’s not even worth glancing at.” And then, he gripped the copy of Legend of the Swordsman from Mount Zu in his hands and ripped it in half. He threw his hands into the air, and the ripped pages fluttered about the bookstore like paper butterflies.
I will never forget how shocked felt.
It was the first time in my life I had encountered an actual lunatic, and that type of memory is difficult to wipe out.
But at least I could be certain that the old man was not the shopkeeper’s assistant, because I could see the flabbergasted shopkeeper himself hurrying over, wielding a broom.
“Out, out! Otherwise pay me for the book!” he ordered, suppressing his fury and speaking in a low voice. A few curious customers had gathered round.
The shopkeeper was a reasonable man. He could see in a single glance that the old man would not be able to pay for it. It would be too much of a pity to report him to the police, considering he seemed to be a little crazy.
The old man bowed deeply, and in a very regretful tone said, “Excuse me for my lack of manners. I got too excited and ripped your book into pieces. I don’t have much money on me now, but if possible, I would like to return tomorrow to pay it. I promise to provide both compensation and appreciation.”
The old man spoke with the accent of some other province, perhaps that of Shandong or Shaanxi or Shanxi. I couldn’t really tell.
“Just get out, don’t interfere with my business! Out, out!” The shopkeeper’s face had sunk.
The old man scratched his head guiltily, then squatted and began to collect the scattered book pages. Naturally, I squatted too and started to help him.
“There’s no need, there’s no need!” said the shopkeeper impatiently, urging the malodorous old man to leave. “The best way to help me is to just get out of here!”
