A Hero Born (Legends of the Condor Heroes #1)

by Jin Yong

But as the good-hearted young man discovers, a hero is not merely born, he is honed in the moments when his love and loyalty are most sorely tested.

The greatest loss that can occur in translation can only come from not translating at all.

They name themselves for the symbolic landscape of rivers and lakes that is their home, the jianghu, or even the “martial forest”, the wulin, both metaphors for their community. Organised into sects, schools, clans and bands of sworn brothers, or even travelling as lone “wanderers of the lakes and rivers”, they live by a moral code they call xia.

“The heavens unleash unexpected storms, People suffer unforeseen misfortune.

“The nether world gains a ghost, just as the mortal world loses one more soul.”

‘Keep honest heart and ever gods in mind. For if evil deeds go unpunished, only evil doth one find.’

‘Rather be a dog in times of peace, than a man in times of trouble.’

Surrounded by mountains, dancing in halls, The shores of West Lake echo in song. Southern fragrances entice and intoxicate As drunkenly our noblemen mistake Lin’an for Kaifeng!”

“This,” he said, gesturing to the blind man, “is their leader, Flying Bat Master Ke Zhen’e, Suppressor of Evil.” He went on to introduce the others, one by one. Wanyan Honglie listened carefully, committing each name to memory. The second was the dirty man who had stolen his silver, Quick Hands Zhu Cong the Intelligent. Next came the short, rotund man who arrived on a horse, Protector of the Steeds, Ryder Han. The fourth man to be introduced was the farmer carrying firewood, Woodcutter Nan the Merciful. Fifth was the burly man in a butcher’s apron, Laughing Buddha Zhang Asheng. The young man who carried the scales was called Gilden Quan the Prosperous, also known as the Masked Haggler. Last came the young oarswoman, Maiden of the Yue Sword, Jade Han. She was the youngest.

He stepped back and without warning dropped through the hole in the floorboards he had created earlier. “I’m so drunk!” he called as he fell.

But it is as they say: the swimmer is the one to drown, the cart always breaks on flat ground.

“Clear heart, emotions departed, In empty body qi can spread. A dead mind, yet the spirit lives, For Yin thrives but the Yang is shed.”

“Of course not, crowds form like chickens admiring a crane wherever he goes. His prowess is clear for all to see.”