Previously
前情
Previously: on the night of the fight at Little Mirror Lake, Xiao Feng struck one blow — and the one who died was A'zhu, who had disguised herself to die in her father's place. Their promise of a life herding sheep beyond the passes came to nothing; the woman who would have stayed with him a lifetime was buried first. And before A'zhu's last breath, she placed one person in his keeping — her twin sister, A'zi.
话说上一回，小镜湖一役那夜，萧峰一掌打下去，打死的竟是易容替父赴约的阿朱。塞外放羊的约定成了空话，那个要陪他一辈子的人，先一步埋进了土里。阿朱断气之前，把一个人交到他手上——她的孪生妹妹阿紫。
Chapter 1: Northward Through Yanmen — and a New Name
第一回 雁门北去，改名换姓
Xiao Feng sat by A'zhu's fresh grave through a whole night. He was a Khitan — the Khitan being a people of the north, whose kingdom was called Liao — and yet he had grown up in Han lands, raised to manhood by Han hands. Not long before, he had been chief of the Beggars' Sect of the Central Plains, called "Chief Qiao" by all, and held as the first hero of the realm. Then his origins came out — that he was a Khitan's son — and overnight the chieftaincy was lost, the Central Plains could no longer hold him, and he scarce could find a place to stand. And to the Khitan side he had never once returned. However vast the world, there seemed no place that was home.
且说阿朱入土之后，萧峰守着那座新坟，坐了整整一夜。他是契丹人，契丹是北方的一个民族，立国号叫大辽；他却自小在汉地长大，由汉人抚养成人。不久之前，他还是中原丐帮的帮主，江湖上人人尊一声"乔帮主"，是公认的中原第一条好汉。自打身世揭开——他竟是契丹人的儿子——一夜之间，帮主做不成了，中原也待不下去，连立足都难。契丹那边，他却又从没回去过。天大地大，倒像没有一处是他的家。
A'zhu had left him only one person: A'zi, her twin sister, raised from childhood in the Xingxiu Sect — a martial sect of the jianghu known for its cruel and underhanded ways, whose master, Ding Chunqiu, was a notoriously ruthless figure. Grown up in such a house, A'zi was nothing like her sister in temper. Xiao Feng might have thought only of himself — yet in her dying words A'zhu had entrusted her sister to him:
眼前只剩一个阿紫。她是阿朱的孪生妹妹，自小长在星宿派——星宿派是江湖上一个行事阴狠的门派，师父丁春秋更是出了名的狠角色。阿紫在这样一门里长大，性子与姐姐半点不像。萧峰本可以只顾自己，偏偏阿朱临终留下遗言，把妹妹托给了他：
"A'zhu's dying words asked him to take care of A'zi."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, serialized edition 「阿朱的遗言要他照顾阿紫」
——《天龙八部》（连载版） For that one sentence, he kept A'zi at his side. This sister was a burden he could not put down: proud of heart, cruel of hand, turning on a word; along the road she gave him no end of trouble. Yet she was the last person A'zhu had left him, and however hard it was, he must take her along.
就为这一句话，他把阿紫带在了身边。这妹妹是个甩不开的包袱：她心气高，手段狠，说翻脸就翻脸，一路上没少给萧峰添麻烦；可她是阿朱留下的最后一个人，萧峰再难，也得把她带上。
He turned the matter over and over and made up his mind: north, back to the Khitan. Since Han lands would not have him, he would go and walk the land of his own people. Northward meant crossing the frontier, and across the north of the Central Plains ran a chain of mountain passes; the one at Yanmen was the chief. It lay wedged among the mountains, the throat by which travelers and soldiers passed between the Central Plains and the lands beyond, and all who came and went had to go through it.
他思前想后，拿定了主意：往北去，回契丹。汉地不容他，他便回自己人的地界走一走。北上要出关，中原北面横着一道连山的关口，叫雁门关。这关横在山间，是中原通往塞外的咽喉，商旅兵卒往来，都得从关下过。
"Of the forty-odd passes, Yanmen is the most strongly fortified."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「四十余关，以雁门最为雄固」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） Beyond this pass lay the outer lands, the country beyond the frontier. Stage by stage the mountain colors changed, and the wind grew harder by the day. Northward the travelers grew fewer, and the post stations lonelier night by night. Xiao Feng knew in his heart that this road would likely part him from his old acquaintances of the Central Plains for the rest of his life.
出了这道关，便是塞外。山色一程一程地变，风也一天比一天硬。一路北行，人烟越来越稀，驿站一夜比一夜冷清。萧峰心里明白，这一去，中原那些旧相识，多半此生再难相见。
He had already taken back his own surname, and no longer used "Qiao," the surname his Han foster father had given him; on this journey north he traveled all the way under the name Xiao Feng. When he met anyone, or was asked, he named himself thus —
他早已认回本姓，"乔"是汉人养父给的姓，他不再用了；此番北去，一路便以萧峰之名行走。与人照面、有人问起，他便这样自称——
"My surname is Xiao, not Qiao."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「在下姓萧，不姓乔」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） A single name, and it traded away half a life's road. Every step north, there was a little less of Qiao Feng the Han, and a little more of Xiao Feng the Khitan.
一个名字，换掉的是半辈子的来路。往北走一步，汉人乔峰就少一分，契丹人萧峰就多一分。
Chapter 2: Meeting on the Hunting Ground — the Sworn Brothers
第二回 围场相遇，义结金兰
Xiao Feng traveled north with A'zi and entered Liao territory. It was his first true entry into Khitan soil. The speech, the dress, the customs, all were strange to him; and yet the mountains here, the horses here, the people here, were bound to him by blood. Liao was a kingdom founded on horse and bow; and every autumn the emperor would ride out to hunt — not a lone hunt, but a great ring of riders closing over hill and field, driving the deer and beasts together to be taken, part drill and part sport. That day, on the open plain, men shouted and horses whinnied, the cries rose everywhere, and on every side they chased the deer.
且说萧峰带着阿紫一路北行，入了辽境。这是他头一回真正踏进契丹人的地界：言语、衣装、风俗，处处陌生；可这里的山、这里的马、这里的人，偏又与他血脉相连。辽国以骑射立国，入了秋，皇帝照例要出城围猎——围猎，就是大队人马合围一片山野，把鹿群兽类赶拢了打，一来练兵，二来取乐。那日旷野上人喊马嘶，喊声大作，四面八方都在追赶鹿群。
The master of this company was none other than the Emperor of Liao, by name Yelü Hongji — "Yelü" being the surname of the Liao imperial house, and he the sovereign of the realm. When the emperor rode out to hunt, his riders, hounds, and falcons spread far and wide across hill and field. Passing nearby with A'zi, Xiao Feng stumbled straight into the hunt. An imperial hunting ground brooks no idle intruders; the men of the party, seeing two strangers, let fly with abuse. Hearing them revile Xiao Feng, A'zi could not hold her temper and struck first; the guards closed in to seize the pair, and Xiao Feng, to shield A'zi, met them with his fists. Such was his martial skill that in a few moves none who came at him could get near; and the stir grew and grew, until at last it drew the emperor's notice.
这队伍的主人，正是大辽的皇帝，名叫耶律洪基。"耶律"是辽国皇室的姓，他是这一国之君。皇帝出城围猎，随行的人马、猎犬、鹰隼，铺开来漫山遍野。萧峰带着阿紫从旁经过，一头撞进了这场围猎。皇帝的猎场，哪容闲人乱闯？队伍里的人见了这两个外乡人，出言便是辱骂。阿紫听得这些人辱骂萧峰，火气先按捺不住，抢先动了手；护卫们围拢来拿人，萧峰为护阿紫，出手挡架。他武功绝世，几招之间，来拦的人竟近他不得；这一闹，动静越闹越大，终于惊动了皇帝。
The clash reached the emperor's own ears, and Yelü Hongji, watching from horseback, saw it plainly: this stranger's skill was of the highest order, and in his every move there was a certain mettle. His heart stirred, and at once he called off his men.
这一场冲突闹到皇帝跟前。耶律洪基在马上看得分明：这异乡人身手极高，进退之间自有一股风骨。他心中一动，当即喝住手下。
When the clash ended, the emperor, far from angry, burst out laughing. He swung down from his horse, came forward, and fell to talking with Xiao Feng. One was a hero far from home, the other a sovereign of a kingdom; the more they spoke the more they took to each other, and each was moved to make a bond of friendship. It was Yelü Hongji who spoke first —
交锋下来，皇帝竟不怒反笑。他纵身下马，走上前来，与萧峰攀谈。一个是流落异乡的豪杰，一个是一国之君，越谈越投契，彼此都起了结交之意。耶律洪基先开了口——
"'Friend, let me swear brotherhood with you — what say you?'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「朋友，我就跟你结义为兄弟，如何？」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） Xiao Feng did not decline; he cupped his hands and answered. To swear brotherhood is for men with no blood tie to become brothers by oath, calling each other brother thereafter and sharing fortune and misfortune alike. The thing had a fairer name as well — "sworn as gold and orchid" — for the ancients likened a bond of one heart to metal for firmness and to the orchid for sweetness of scent.
萧峰也不推辞，拱手相答——结义，就是没有血缘的人结成异姓兄弟，从此以兄弟相称、祸福相共。这桩事另有个好听的说法，叫"义结金兰"：古人以此形容同心之情，像金属一样坚固，像兰草一样气味相投。
"'I would be the one honored; shall we swear brotherhood?'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, serialized edition 「在下高攀，与你结义为兄弟如何？」
——《天龙八部》（连载版） There on the open plain the two became sworn brothers. From then on, whenever Xiao Feng met Yelü Hongji, he called him "Elder Brother." After a life adrift, he had gained an elder brother out of nowhere — and an emperor at that.
两人就在旷野之上结为兄弟。此后萧峰见了耶律洪基，都唤一声"大哥"。他半生漂泊，如今凭空得了个大哥，还是个皇帝。
Chapter 3: The Grand Imperial Uncle's Revolt — the Southern Court
第三回 皇叔作乱，受封南院
Sworn brother of the emperor now, Xiao Feng settled down in Liao; he had not long been settled when the kingdom fell into great upheaval. The one who rose in arms was the uncle of the reigning emperor. The Liao imperial kin were called the imperial clan, and for an uncle of the emperor there was a separate title — "Grand Imperial Uncle." This rebel Grand Imperial Uncle was named Yelü Chongyuan. And the Grand Imperial Uncle had a son, Nilugu by name, sinister and ruthless by nature; it was he who led the troops at the front —
却说萧峰与辽帝结为兄弟，便在辽国安顿下来；住下不久，辽国便出了大乱子。起兵的，是当今皇帝的叔父。辽国皇族称作宗室，皇帝对叔父另有一个封号，叫"皇太叔"；这位作乱的皇太叔，名叫耶律重元。皇太叔还有个儿子，名叫涅鲁古，生性阴狠；领兵在前的，正是他——
"His father, Yelü Chongyuan, is the present Grand Imperial Uncle."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「他父亲耶律重元，乃当今皇太叔」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） This Nilugu had been enfeoffed as "Prince of Chu." Prince of Chu was a rank of the imperial kin:
这涅鲁古受封为"楚王"。楚王是皇族的爵位：
"And his son Nilugu was enfeoffed as Prince of Chu as well."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「又封他儿子涅鲁古为楚王」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） The man also held office as "Great Prince of the Southern Court," a high Liao post governing affairs to the south, and it was in that office that he commanded the rebel army. Title, office, and command of the rebel host all rested with this one man:
此人又官居"南院大王"——南院大王是辽国主管南面事务的大王，是个极重的职任——便以此职统领叛军。封号、官职、兵权，都在他一人身上：
"He was made Prince of Chu, held the office of the Great Prince of the Southern Court, and commanded the rebel army."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「为楚王，官居南院大王，督率叛军」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） The revolt broke out in haste, and Emperor Yelü Hongji met it on the spur of the moment. As his sworn brother, how could Xiao Feng stand by and watch? He went to his elder brother's aid and took the field to quell the rising. The rebels were many and strong; Xiao Feng put himself at the front and went wherever the danger was worst. When he took the field, he carried a hard bow and brought ten long wolf-tooth arrows with him. For days he never shed his armor nor unsaddled his horse, and went night after night without sleep, until the rebels broke and scattered. The revolt was put down.
乱起得急，辽帝耶律洪基仓促应战。萧峰既是他结义兄弟，岂能坐视，便出手相助，替大哥上阵平乱。叛军人多势众，萧峰一身当先，哪里最险就往哪里去。上阵之时，他执了一张硬弓，带了十枝狼牙长箭。那几日他甲不离身、马不解鞍，连夜不眠，直把叛军杀得四散。乱事终究平了。
Once the revolt was settled, the emperor rewarded merit. Xiao Feng's service in that campaign was remembered, and the emperor's return was a formal patent of rank — a grant of title by the sovereign himself.
乱事一平，辽帝论功行赏。萧峰这一仗出的力，辽帝记在心里，他的报答，是一道册封——册封，就是帝王正式授予名号。
"My elder brother made me the Great Prince of the Southern Court."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「哥哥封我为南院大王」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） Prince of Chu, Great Prince of the Southern Court — the very titles Nilugu had worn now fell upon the man who had put the rebellion down. The titles were the same; the men were not — one a leader who rose in revolt, the other the man who quelled it for the emperor. Xiao Feng, a lone hero of the jianghu, had in a blink become a prince of Liao. In the golden hall the hundred officials bowed to him; once, in the Central Plains, he had been the man all cried out to strike, and now, in Liao, he was the man all revered. The turn came so fast that, standing at the foot of the steps, he felt almost dazed.
楚王、南院大王——当日涅鲁古顶着的那两个名号，如今落到了平乱的人头上。名号虽同，人却是两样：一个是起兵作乱的头领，一个是替辽帝平乱的功臣。萧峰一介江湖豪客，转眼成了辽国的王爷。金殿之上，百官朝他下拜；从前在中原，人人喊打的是他，如今在辽国，人人敬着的是他。这身份的翻转来得太快，他站在阶前，反倒有些恍惚。
The Liao capital was Shangjing. There he was welcomed into his princely manor, settled in, and charged to attend to business at the Southern Court — "to attend to business" meaning to go to the office and handle public affairs. The pomp of a prince he never cared for, but the official business came one matter after another, and left him little idle time.
辽国的京都在上京。他就被迎进了京中的王府，安顿下来，又奉旨到南院视事——视事，就是到官署处理公务。王爷的排场他从不在意，公务却一桩接一桩，压得他很少有空闲。
"Shangjing is the capital of the Liao."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, serialized edition 「上京是辽国的京都」
——《天龙八部》（连载版） Note: Liao, the Khitan, and the Southern Court
旁注 · 辽、契丹与南北院大王
Chapter 4: The Manor at Shangjing — the Iron Mask
第四回 王府岁月，铁罩成丑
So Xiao Feng became Great Prince of the Southern Court and lived in his manor in the capital. Many were the servants in the manor and few its affairs; he would often leave for the Southern Court offices before daybreak and come back only when the business was done. In the manor, only A'zi was left. Settled in the manor with every comfort of food and dress, A'zi only grew more bored; restless by nature and unable to sit still, she looked daily for some thrill to pass the time. The servants of the house gave her a wide berth.
且说萧峰做了南院大王，住在京城的王府里。王府里使唤的人多，事却少；他常常天不亮就去南院衙署，办完公务才回府。府里便只剩阿紫。阿紫住进王府，吃穿用度无一不精，反倒越发无趣；她生性好动，闲不住，便日日想着寻些刺激解闷。府中的下人，远远见了她，都绕着道走。
With none to check her, A'zi grew more and more headstrong. Fierce and ruthless, she had once, at a hunt, hurled a hunter to his death on the spot, and even the Emperor of Liao took note of it. Xiao Feng knew this sister was on the wrong road — and yet she was the one A'zhu had entrusted to him with her own lips; to speak hard words felt like wronging A'zhu, and so he only indulged her. Ten thousand horsemen he could govern, but not one wilful sister.
无人管束，阿紫越发骄纵。她心狠手辣，曾在围场上随手掷死一个猎户，连辽帝都看在眼里。萧峰心里明白这妹妹的路子不对，偏偏她又是阿朱亲口托付的人；重话说出口，他怕对不起阿朱，只好一味纵着。他管得了千军万马，却管不住一个任性的妹妹。
Now, word that Xiao Feng had been made Great Prince of the Southern Court had long since spread abroad with the merchants who traveled north and south. One day a youth came to the manor gate from the south, demanding to see Xiao Feng, saying he had a vengeance to take. He was named You Tanzhi, orphan of the You family of Juxian Manor in the Central Plains — an orphan being the child left behind by the dead; in the bloody battle at Juxian Manor his father, You Ji, and his uncle, You Ju, had both cut their own throats before the assembled company. You Tanzhi laid that debt at Xiao Feng's door and had followed him all the way to Liao to claim his parents' lives.
再说萧峰受封南院大王的事，早随南北往来的客商传扬开去。这一日，府门前来了一个从南边来的少年，口口声声要见萧峰，说是要报仇。他叫游坦之，是中原聚贤庄游家的遗孤——遗孤，就是死去的人留下的孩子；聚贤庄那一场血战里，他的父亲游骥、叔父游驹，都当众自刎而死。游坦之把这笔账算在萧峰头上，一路追到辽国，要替父母讨命。
With You Tanzhi's martial skill, how could he ever get near Xiao Feng? A'zi had trained in martial arts in the Xingxiu Sect from childhood, and her hand was cruel; when this youth came seeking the house, one move from her was enough to take him captive. Before he could even see the man, he fell into A'zi's hands. Seeing the youth so stubborn, A'zi took a mind to toy with him, and ordered the smith of the manor to forge a half-round iron mask, and to burn it red-hot in the furnace —
以游坦之的武功，哪里近得了萧峰的身。阿紫自幼在星宿派习武，手段狠；这少年寻上门来，被她一出手便擒了下来。他还没见着萧峰，先落进了阿紫手里。阿紫见这少年倔强，起了玩弄的心思，命府里的铁匠打了一副半圆铁罩，就在炉里烧得通红——
"The half-round iron masks were all burned red-hot in the furnace."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「半圆铁罩都在炉中烧得通红」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） "The blacksmith tonged up the red-hot mask."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, serialized edition 「那铁匠钳起烧红的面具」
——《天龙八部》（连载版） The red-hot iron was fitted over You Tanzhi's head and face, and never could be taken off again. A'zi gave him a nickname — a name other than his own.
烧红的铁罩合在游坦之的头脸之上，从此再也揭不下来。阿紫给他起了个绰号——绰号，就是外号。
"'Iron Ugly — that is the name you must answer to.'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「铁丑，你便得答应。」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） "Iron Ugly" meant just that — an ugly thing cast in iron. From then on the youth's name was forgotten, and only "Iron Ugly" remained.
"铁丑"两个字，就是"铁铸的丑八怪"。从此这少年名字被人忘了，只剩下"铁丑"。
A'zi used him as a plaything, beating him when she was pleased and beating him when she was not. The iron bound tight over his head, he could not even cry out — and yet it was just that cry she loved to hear; when he gave her none, her interest flagged:
阿紫拿他当玩物，高兴了打，不高兴也打。铁罩闷在头上，他连叫都叫不出声，可阿紫偏就爱听那一声——他不出一声，她反倒没了兴致：
"A'zi heard him bear it in silence, and again found it flat and dull."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「阿紫听他无声抵受，又觉无味了」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） This You Tanzhi carried a strange piece of fortune about him, having nothing to do with the shame of the iron mask — but we set that aside for now. Enough to say that the root of half his life's ruin lay in all likelihood in that iron mask. When Xiao Feng came back from his duties and heard what A'zi had done, his face darkened for the better part of a day. He stood a long while alone beneath the eaves, his clenched fist slowly loosening; thinking of A'zhu, in the end he only let out a long sigh: for one man to be so cruel to another — his own blade he could govern, but not this sister's hand.
这游坦之身上另有一桩离奇机缘，与铁罩之辱各不相干，先按下不表。只说他这半生的祸根，多半就起在这张铁罩上。萧峰办差回来，听说了阿紫所作所为，脸色沉了半日。他一个人在廊下站了很久，握紧的拳又慢慢松开；想起阿朱，终究只是长长叹了一口气：一个人对另一个人狠到这个地步，他管得了自己的刀，却管不住这妹妹的手段。
Chapter 5: Word from the Central Plains
第五回 中原传讯，心事难平
So Xiao Feng became Great Prince of the Southern Court in Liao, and his days looked peaceful on the surface. He was the emperor's sworn brother, high in office and heavy in authority; the Khitan honored him, while the Central Plains cursed him, calling him one who had betrayed his ancestors. His seat bore honor on one side and infamy on the other, and both pressed on him at once. The higher his seat, the emptier his heart. In the still of night he often sat alone, thinking of that lone grave beyond the passes, of the brothers and old friends of Han lands, until thought turned to daybreak. In Liao he had all things — a sworn brother, office, a manor, men at his command — and lacked but one: someone he could speak his heart to.
却说萧峰在辽国做了南院大王，日子表面安稳。他是辽帝的结义兄弟，官高权重；辽人敬他，中原那边却骂他，说他是背祖忘宗之人。他这份位子，一边是荣宠，一边是骂名，两头都压在身上。位子越高，心里越空。夜静时他常独自坐着，想起塞外那座孤坟，想起汉地的兄弟故人，想着想着，天就亮了。他在辽国什么都齐了——兄弟、官职、王府、部属，唯独缺的，是一个能说心里话的人。
Sometimes at a word in his ear he would only press his palms together and answer, and the sorrow he could not name, no one knew.
有时候一句话听在耳里，他只是双手合什应一声，那点说不出的悲意，谁也不知道。
"Xiao Feng pressed his palms together and said, 'Yes!' — sorrow in his heart."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「萧峰合什道：“是！”心中悲伤」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） Just then, word came from the south: the Shaolin Sect was about to convene a Heroes' Assembly.
就在这时候，南边传来一个消息：少林派要召开英雄大会。
"The Shaolin Sect is convening a Heroes' Assembly."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「少林派召开英雄大会」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） The Shaolin Sect was the Mount Tai and the North Star of the Central Plains martial world — Mount Tai and the North Star being, in old eyes, the highest mountain and the brightest star, a byword for the first and most revered of sects. If Shaolin was calling a Heroes' Assembly, then the host of the Central Plains was about to make a great move. The word reached Liao, reached Xiao Feng's ear, and he said not a word more than he had to.
少林派是中原武林的泰山北斗——泰山与北斗，是古人眼里最高的山与最亮的星，用来比方人人敬仰的头一号门派。它要开英雄大会，就是中原群豪要有大动作了。消息传到辽国，落到萧峰耳里，他一句话也没多说。
What was the Heroes' Assembly to deliberate? Xiao Feng knew well enough: this gathering would in all likelihood have to do with him again. But this time the host of the Central Plains gathered in one place, and what it drew out would be more than him alone — there was also a young monk raised in Shaolin Temple who did not even know his own origins. To know what happened next, listen to the next instalment.
英雄大会要议的是什么？萧峰心里清楚，这一场聚会，多半又与他脱不了干系。可这一回，中原群豪聚到一处，牵出的却不止他一个人——还有一位在少林寺里长大、连自己身世都不知道的小和尚。欲知后事如何，且听下回分解。