Xiao Shi Yi Lang

[Temujin]

I've read bits and pieces of XSYL but never in full. A while back I found Becky Tai's English translation and eagerly waiting for her official fully-translated English version to be available soon (maybe it's already available now). The translation I've read only goes to chapter 14 of the novel and has the brief summary of what happens afterwards.

But still I have a number of questions remained :

1 - Who won the duel between XSYL vs Duke Countfree ?

2 - Did Shen Bijiun finally end up with XSYL ?

3 - What happened to Lian Chengbi ?

4 - What happened to Feng Siniang ?

5 - Who finally got the deer carving sabre ?

6 - How did Little Master die ?

7 - What happened to Yang Kai Tai ?

8 - Finally, how great is XSYL compared to other GL's characters ?

XSYL always seems to be faster, better, and stronger than anyone throughout the chapters I've read.

Maybe someone can post TigerWong's ranking again.

[xJadedx]

Originally posted by Temujin
1 - Who won the duel between XSYL vs Duke Countfree ?

2 - Did Shen Bijiun finally end up with XSYL ?

3 - What happened to Lian Chengbi ?

4 - What happened to Feng Siniang ?

5 - Who finally got the deer carving sabre ?

6 - How did Little Master die ?

7 - What happened to Yang Kai Tai ?

8 - Finally, how great is XSYL compared to other GL's characters ?

XSYL always seems to faster, better, and stronger than anyone throughout the chapters I've read.

Maybe someone can post TigerWong's ranking again.

You should also read the sequel to XSYL to find out more of the answers. It's called Huo Bing Xiao Shi Yi Lang.

Anyway, to your questions, these could be considered as spoilers, so read at your own will.

1. XSYL won, but that wasn't known until the sequel.

2. To be honest, Xiao himself never officially ended up with SBJ, like, they never got married or anything. But man, I hate SBJ, don't get me started on her.

3. In the end, LCB was suppsoed to have a duel with Xiao. But Xiao kinda won before they even started, it's kinda hard to explain, once again, read the sequel, it gave many answers.

4. No idea. In the sequel, both Feng and SBJ were taken away on a boat, no one knows what happened to them.

5. Xiao got the sabre.

6. Xiao GongZi was killed by Lian ChenBi.

7. Yang Kai Tai, in the sequel, still loved FSN very much, and he tried to duel with Xiao. But then he realized that no matter what, he couldn't get FSN to love him. So he just kinda left.

8. That, I have no idea. I personally don't like to rank any of the heroes, because I think each one of them are unique in their own ways.

[rabadi]

Last time I checked, this Becky Tai's translation was out of stock in Amazon.com.

[JigSta]

I remember someone saying that it was implied that both women died in the end...

[TigerWong]

Originally posted by Temujin
8 - Finally, how great is XSYL compared to other GL's characters ?

XSYL always seems to be faster, better, and stronger than anyone throughout the chapters I've read.

IMHO, XSYL is one of the elite Gu Long heroes... on par with the likes of Dagger Lee and CLX. But he is not at the ultimate tier, as it is obvious there are people better then him (i.e. Count Carefree).

[Demitre]

Originally posted by JigSta
I remember someone saying that it was implied that both women died in the end...

What? why?

[Southern Crane]

I read the first 14 chapters, too, while it was all still in the Reading Room. That was long before Becky's translation was rediscovered on the board...

rabadi mentioned the novel being out of stock on Amazon.com. Was it ever made available?

[JigSta]

Originally posted by Demitre
What? why?

I was told by someone on this board that the ending was abit vague about what happened to them, and that it was sorta implied that they both had died. I have not read the ending though. So yeh

[Demitre]

Originally posted by JigSta
I was told by someone on this board that the ending was abit vague about what happened to them, and that it was sorta implied that they both had died. I have not read the ending though. So yeh

You said they ended up on a boat? Just the 2 girls, or him and the 2 girls?

[philip]

I was told by someone on this board that the ending was abit vague about what happened to them, and that it was sorta implied that they both had died. I have not read the ending though. So yeh

yep...damn cliff/vague ending, perhaps gulong was thinking of followup but just didn't live to write it

but i didn't get the idea that any of them died in the end. maybe i'm not reading "in between the lines" enough, but i thought he said they didn't die, heck.

You said they ended up on a boat? Just the 2 girls, or him and the 2 girls?

just two girls

[rabadi]

Originally posted by Southern Crane
rabadi mentioned the novel being out of stock on Amazon.com. Was it ever made available?

That one I'm not sure. Everytime I checked, it was always showed as out of stock

[rifimu]

Did Becky also translate including the sequel...?

The book in Amazon by Becky is the complete of XSYL, means including the sequel....?

I checked almost every week but it always out of stock labelled. before launching I made a reservation for the book but then Amazon cancelled it with reason I already forget.

Does anyone here has any contact with Becky recently...? I would like to ask her advise about copyright, I have friend who also like to translate to english to be commercially sold, but must settle the copyright first.

[GiftOfForesight]

Never read the book, only seen the serial, so can someone answer my questions:

How (and why) did the 2 girls end up on the boat? XSYL couldn't save them?

[Du Gu seeking a win]

Originally posted by rabadi
That one I'm not sure. Everytime I checked, it was always showed as out of stock

According to people who has ordered and pre-paid (like Atlantean etc.) the new date of release should be August 23. Probably it is out of stock because of too many pre-orders

[Du Gu seeking a win]

Originally posted by Du Gu seeking a win
According to people who has ordered and pre-paid (like Atlantean etc.) the new date of release should be August 23. Probably it is out of stock because of too many pre-orders

Try to order it from homabooks.


I've found the site:

http://www.homabooks.com/english_index.html


The Eleventh Son

A Novel of Martial Arts and Tangled Love


Author: Gu Long
Translator: Rebecca S. Tai
ISBN: 1-931907-16-1, Order No. 1020
6 x 9, Paperback, 320 pages, 2004
Fiction


$19.95 Available on August 23, 2004
(Click here to pre-order this book)



Book Description

On one of his missions, Xiao Shiyi Lang (the Eleventh Son, known as the Great Bandit) meets Shen, the fairest woman in the martial world. By the will of fate, he rescues Shen several times, which plants the seed of love in both of them. However, Shen is married to a rich young man who is also an outstanding martial artist. As if things were not complicated enough, Xiao has his own secret admirer, Feng, an attractive swordswoman with a quick temper.

Xiao is drawn into a messy fight for a legendary saber, the Deer Carver, and is accused of stealing it. Xiao finds out that the person who has set him up is a mysterious young man with an angel's face and a devil's heart. Before he can pursue any further, Shen's grandmother is murdered, and Xiao is named the killer. It appears that things are spinning out of control….



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
One of the top three Chinese martial arts fiction writers, Gu Long (1937-1985) wrote sixty-nine novels in a career spanning twenty-five years. Millions of copies of his books have been sold, and many of them have been repeatedly adapted for TV or cinema. His other important novels include The Compassionate Swordsman and the Merciless Sword (1970), The Orchid at Midnight (1979) and Hunting Hawk, Gambling Game (1984). At the age of forty-eight, he died of liver disease caused by excessive alcohol drinking.



ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Rebecca S. Tai received her master's degree from University of California, Los Angeles. She enjoys reading adventure fiction and watching martial arts drama. She is teaching English in Taiwan.



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Hands of a Lover

Chapter 2. Legs of Flying Doctor

Chapter 3. The Sound of Singing in the Night

Chapter 4. The Deer Carver

Chapter 5. An Extraordinary Beauty

Chapter 6. The Heart of a Pretty Woman

Chapter 7. Awe-inspiring Lady Shen

Chapter 8. The Hawk King's Secret

Chapter 9. Beauty of Beauties


Chapter 10. A Murderous Look in the Eye

Chapter 11. The Lady and the Bandit

Chapter 12. A Marriage Made in Hell

Chapter 13. The Lamp in Autumn

Chapter 14. Gods of Thunder and Lightning

Chapter 15. A Wanderer's Home

Chapter 16. Time to Bid Farewell

Chapter 17. The Heart of an Ideal Gentleman

Chapter 18. Hunted Down

Chapter 19. Brilliant Strategies

Chapter 20. Doll Manor

Chapter 21. True Feelings Revealed

Chapter 22. The Longest Day

Chapter 23. A Stunning Bride

Chapter 24. An Affair to Remember

Chapter 25. Splendid Sunset

[Demitre]

20 bucks for a 320 page paperback is quite a lot. The royalties can't be that much.

[Du Gu seeking a win]

Originally posted by Demitre
20 bucks for a 320 page paperback is quite a lot. The royalties can't be that much.

Yes, I think Rebecca will get only a couple of thousand dollars. What makes it expensive is the risk of a commercial project.. IMO to reach a break even point, one had to sell at least 2000 copies of a published book.

About the price:
it is actually $15.95 plus $5 for the cost (in the USA) = $20.95 and $25.95 (not in the USA)

[Demitre]

So has anyone gotten their book yet?

[hkstars]

I just finished the ending of the 2nd book and have some questions. Near the end, Siu Sup Yat Long became a drunkard and even cried when LCB gave him all the wine, thinking that he and LCB could be friends... until Lin Ching Bik told him the whole truth that LCB planned everything to destroy SSYL. Was SSYL really fooled by LCB that whole time? Or Was SSYL faking and playing along when he was drunken because he still suspected LCB? I believe SSYL is smart, but I don't think he could figure it out that LCB was truly the one setting him up since SSYL believed that Bing Bing was the one. Please share your interpretation on this and why you believe that.

[”~‹á�á]

I just finished the ending of the 2nd book and have some questions. Near the end, Siu Sup Yat Long became a drunkard and even cried when LCB gave him all the wine, thinking that he and LCB could be friends... until Lin Ching Bik told him the whole truth that LCB planned everything to destroy SSYL. Was SSYL really fooled by LCB that whole time? Or Was SSYL faking and playing along when he was drunken because he still suspected LCB? I believe SSYL is smart, but I don't think he could figure it out that LCB was truly the one setting him up since SSYL believed that Bing Bing was the one. Please share your interpretation on this and why you believe that.

hmmmm...... it has been awhile(actually it's a long time) since i read XSYL. i have forgotten.