Chapter 348

Chinese

Translation: I arrived at Zen Easy Hall when QingSongShu was sitting in front of the main hall seeing patients, Pangzi lecherously grabbing medicine according to the prescription, Yuan Qiu sat on a chair to the side lowering his head to drink tea, looking deep in thought.

We need to keep the meaning exactly. Let's produce a concise but faithful translation.

"I arrived at Zen Easy Hall; QingSongShu was sitting in front of the main hall seeing patients, Pangzi lecherously grabbing medicine according to the prescription, Yuan Qiu sat on a chair to the side lowering his head to drink tea, looking deep in thought."

Check: we kept all info.

Chinese

Translation: "Ah, you weren't planning to open a underwear company in Dongguan? How come you're back again?" After entering, I sat down beside Yuan Qiu and asked curiously.

We need to keep the quote marks. We'll keep as is.

Chinese

Translation: Earlier, I had heard he was preparing to go to Dongguan to invest in the underwear industry. Dongguan was then in a stage of rapid development; China's first clothing city is located in Tiger Gate; logically, this industry's prospects should be good. At this time, Yuan Qiu should have been busy in Dongguan, so how could he have free time to come find me?

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: Then Yuan Qiu sighed, gave a bitter smile, and confided: "Don't mention it; talking more just brings tears. Actually, I came to ask you and Brother Weiqiang for help!"

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: "Oh, what exactly is going on?" I asked doubtfully.

Chinese

Translation: Under my questioning, Yuan Qiu gave a bitter smile and told me the whole story.

Chinese

Translation: As it turned out, Yuan Qiu had run into trouble in business, and after hearing his account I was shocked—this trouble actually originated from the Daoist world.

Chinese

Translation: In the mid-to-late 1990s, inland China still had some active underworld societies. Of course, most gangs were just small-time; even the most powerful gangs, under the government's strong crackdown, could not avoid annihilation.

Chinese

Translation: Only some gangs were exceptions—these gangs had long histories, deep roots, and were difficult to suppress quickly; accurately speaking, they were extremely hard to intervene and manage.

Chinese

Translation: For example, 14, Victory Harmony, Righteous Peace. (These are simplified names.) These three gangs are collectively called the Triad of Fragrant Harbour, the largest gang in Fragrant Harbour, the three major bosses of the underground underworld.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: In the 1990s, due to regional factors, the three major gangs had active presences in Inland's Shenzhen and Dongguan. Many of their underground casinos, and behind many legitimate businesses, had these figures present. These people existed only because of profit motives, or collecting protection fees for a living, or doing jobs for money.

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Chinese

Translation: Yuan Qiu's Dongguan investment this time was obstructed by one of the Triads, Victory Harmony. The reason was simple: at that time Dongguan's underwear market had already been monopolized by people from Chaozhou. Outsiders wanting a share had to obtain approval from the so-called Chaozhou Chamber of Commerce. Naturally, this also involved profit distribution; I don't know the details, but I learned from Yuan Qiu that the conditions were very harsh.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: Also because of these harsh conditions, Yuan Qiu's father fell out with the Tidal Prefecture people. Business competition is usually open and covert; if you can't win openly, you resort to underhanded tactics.

Chinese

Translation: Dousing with oil, intimidation, human-sea harassment—whatever could be used was used, endlessly. That night, after locking up and going to sleep, everything seemed fine; the next morning I found the company entrance drenched in red oil. Every few days, a crowd of people and several vans gathered at the entrance, deterring delivery customers from approaching. Or, after work, they would inexplicably provoke the company's employees, harassing the female staff.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: These lowly scoundrels' tactics were fully applied to Yuan Qiu's company. Of course, someone might ask here: why didn't you call the police?

Chinese

Translation: Yes, Yuan Qiu tried calling the police, but what good would it do? They'd disperse when you reported, then return after the police left. A large gang would gather here just to sightsee, neither fighting nor arguing—what could you arrest them for? They'd simply find an excuse, calling provocation a case of mistaken identity and harassment a pursuit; what could you do to them?

English instruction

Translation: After hearing Yuan Qiu's lament, I also felt deep sympathy, though I wondered what use he had coming to us—we don't know any Fragrant Harbour gangsters. Although Fragrant Harbour people believe in feng shui, the backgrounds of those so-called big bosses usually involve a few feng shui masters' pointers. What outsiders don't know is that people in our line, like scholars, mostly look down on each other.

English instruction

Chinese

English instruction (note)

Translation: Especially, the schism between Fragrant Harbour and Inland's metaphysical circles is especially severe. In the 1990s, Fragrant Harbour's populace generally studied the Southern Transmission Mount Mao Dharma Teaching and the Six Ren Dao Law.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: Fragrant Harbour's Mount Mao is not the Mount Mao of Jurong in Jiangsu. Jurong's Mount Mao is the Daoist Mount Mao; what has been widely transmitted in Fragrant Harbour is the Southern Transmission Mount Mao's Mighty Numinous Law, a folk doctrine. The patriarchs are the Three Prosperous Dharma Lords Zhang, Hu, and Zhu, not the Three Mao True Lords. Over the ages, Mount Mao's Dharma has been transmitted as the Upper, Middle, and Lower Three Mao, splitting into the Mount Mao Zhang Family Teaching, the Hu Family Teaching, and the Zhu Family Teaching.

English instruction

We'll keep the commas and punctuation.

Chinese

Translation: I think it's possibly due to regional factors; the cultures of the two places differ greatly, leading to encounters between practitioners of the two regions being unable to communicate properly. When they meet, they, like scholars, invent titles and argue over superiority. Scholars debate literature and painting; Daoists debate Dao and law. Even more, some extravagantly claim that all the world's Dharma laws originate from our Mount Mao Dharma Teaching, spreading from our Fragrant Harbour.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: His words naturally provoked strong dissatisfaction from Inland Daoists; besides, Inland has representatives of Dharma teachings such as Mount Lu Dharma Teaching, the Peerless Great Sage Teaching, the eminent martial law Splendid Light Teaching, and many others; even the legitimate successor of Mount Mao Dharma, Hu xx, is in Inland's Jiangxi.

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Chinese

Translation: Moreover, Fragrant Harbour's Mount Mao Dharma is largely due to the involvement of the Boxer Rebellion at the end of the Qing dynasty, causing many masters to flee worldwide and branch out. Fragrant Harbour's Mount Mao Dharma is merely one branch; how dare you claim your own school is supreme?

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Chinese

Translation: Thus, in the 1990s, the disputes between Fragrant Harbour and Inland's metaphysical circles will certainly not be few. If Yuan Qiu this time wanted me to ask fellow practitioners to intercede, that would most likely come to nothing.

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Chinese

Translation: However, before I could finish speaking, Yuan Qiu said to me: "I want you and Brother Weiqiang to make a trip to Aomen with me."

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Chinese

What, go to Macau to do what? I was bewildered; what's the point of going to Macau about the incident in Dongguan?

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Chinese

Translation: Yuan Qiu said: "In Aomen there's a person named Chen Zheng; his words can make the Triad's leader weigh them. But I have no connection with him. This time I heard he's consulting a feng shui master to adjust the layout of a yang residence, so……"

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: "So you want me and Pangzi to go to Aomen with you, we'll sort out the feng shui for him, and you can leverage the situation to have him resolve your Triad troubles?" I blurted out.

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Chinese

Translation: Yuan Qiu nodded: "Exactly so."

Chinese

Translation: "But with my and Pangzi's abilities, can we manage?" To be frank, although I know Pangzi is better at feng shui geomancy than I am, I don't know how much better. Aomen is a place where dragons and snakes mingle, gambling houses abound; I imagine there won't be few feng shui geomancers there.

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Chinese

Translation: Yuan Qiu laughed: "Before you arrived, I had already discussed this with Brother Weiqiang and QingSongShu."

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Oh, then what do they mean?

Translation: "Oh, what do they think?"

Chinese

Translation: "Go out and see the world; only then will you know how high the heavens are. Even if you suffer setbacks, it will also help you." Before Yuan Qiu could answer me, QingSongShu chuckled and replied first.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: "Right, my dad's not wrong. Isn't there a saying like that? A chick clinging to its mother's bosom will never grow no matter what." Pangzi, who was grabbing medicine, echoed repeatedly, but as soon as he spoke, QingSongShu glared at him, frightening him into shrinking back.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: "Where is Master Seven?"

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Chinese

Translation: "I and Old Seven have discussed it; we'll first teach Xiaoqiang some simple martial and medical methods. The schedule is set for tomorrow… the day after tomorrow you'll depart for Aomen. After all, the application of martial and medical arts cannot be mastered overnight; only through long practice and cultivation can one grasp their subtleties, to avert disaster and bless people." QingSongShu stroked his beard and said.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: Since QingSongShu said so, this matter naturally became settled. As evening approached and the patients seeing Zen Easy Hall dispersed, I and QingSongShu began preparing the things needed for the apprenticeship.

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Chinese

English instruction (note)

Translation: At night, Master Seven Yang also arrived, wearing a brand-new crimson Daoist robe. Surprisingly, this time the two old seniors met without arguing, unusually quiet.

English instruction

Chinese

Translation: That night, Master Seven Yang stayed at Zen Easy Hall. Because the apprenticeship venue was set up in Zen Easy Hall, this is the rule of the Splendid Light Teaching accepting disciples: the master must remain in the venue the day before, and the next morning wait there for the incoming disciples.

??? Not given but maybe line 【187】 is missing; we have up to 【183】. Actually after 【183】 there is no more.