In the kingdom of Dali there was a prince who would rather run away from home than learn kung fu. A few days later, poisoned and with only seven days left to live, he knelt in a mountain cave before a jade statue, kowtowed until the kneeling cushion split, and walked away with a treasure the whole martial world was fighting over. How did that happen? Patience—let me tell it from the beginning.
话说——大理国有一位王子，宁肯离家出走也不肯练武；几天之后，他身中剧毒、只剩七天性命，却在一座山洞里，对着一尊玉像磕头，磕裂了一只蒲团，捡到了整个武林抢破头的宝贝。你道这是怎么一回事？别急，听我从头道来。
Now the tale begins. First, meet the three protagonists of this book:
本篇是天龙八部导读系列的第一篇，先认识一下三位主角：
Duan Yu (段誉): a prince of Dali. He does not want to learn kung fu, yet his luck is the best of anyone’s.
段誉：大理国王子。不想练武，运气却最好。
Qiao Feng / Xiao Feng (乔峰／萧峰): chief of the Beggars’ Sect and the foremost hero of the Central Plains. Overnight, the story of his birth falls apart.
乔峰／萧峰：丐帮帮主，中原第一英雄。一夜之间身世崩塌。
Xuzhu (虚竹): the most unremarkable little monk in Shaolin Temple. He is handed a destiny he never wanted.
虚竹：少林寺最不起眼的小和尚。得到一个完全不想要的命运。
Chapter 1: The Prince Runs Away from Home, and Goes to Watch the Fun at Mount Wuliang
第一回 王子逃家，无量山前看热闹
Duan Yu is a prince of Dali, a small kingdom in the southwest, roughly where Yunnan province is today. The Duan royal family has believed in Buddhism for generations. His father, Duan Zhengchun, Prince of Zhennan, was determined that his son should train in martial arts. Duan Yu simply refused.
段誉，大理国的王子。大理是西南的一个小国，大约在今天云南一带；段氏王族世代信佛。他的父亲是镇南王段正淳，一心要儿子练武，段誉偏偏不肯。
He had watched masters spar, and truth be told, he envied them.
他也见过高手过招，心里其实羡慕得很。
But envy was one thing; learning was another. He would not. His reasoning was simple: kung fu exists for hitting people, and hitting people is wrong. Neither father nor son could persuade the other, so Duan Yu simply walked out—he ran away from home. Once outside, he heard that on Mount Wuliang there was a Wuliang Sword School about to hold a grand sword contest, so up the mountain he went. Remember this: he went to watch the fun, not to become anyone's disciple.
可羡慕归羡慕，学，是不学的。他的道理很简单：练武是为了打人，打人不对。父子俩谁也说不服谁，段誉干脆一走了之——离家出走。出了家门，他听说无量山上有个无量剑派，正要开比剑大会，便跑上山去。记住：他是去看热闹的，不是去拜师的。
Chapter 2: Watching the Sword Contest at Sword Lake Palace; One Laugh Angers the Whole Hall
第二回 剑湖宫中看比剑，一声笑惹满堂怒
The one who brought him up the mountain was a local elder named Ma Wude. Now, the Wuliang Sword School was once quite an establishment:
带他上山的，是当地一位长者，叫马五德。话说这无量剑派，原本门户不小：
"The 'Wuliang Sword School' was originally divided into three branches—East, North, and West."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「“无量剑”原分东、北、西三宗。」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） By now the North Branch was gone, leaving the East and West Branches to hold a sword contest every five years; the winning branch earned the right to live in the grandest place on the mountain—Sword Lake Palace.
如今北宗已经不在，剩下东西两宗，每五年比剑一次，赢的一宗才有资格住进山上最气派的剑湖宫。
This year was once again a contest year, and Zuo Zimu, leader of the East Branch, presided over the palace—for the palace currently belonged to the East Branch; they had won the previous contest:
这一年眼看又是比剑之年，坐镇宫中的是东宗掌门左子穆——眼下剑湖宫正归东宗住，上一回比剑是他们赢的：
"This 'Sword Lake Palace' is to be the East Branch's home for another five years."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「这“剑湖宫”又要让东宗再住五年。」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） In the great hall, disciples of the two branches traded blows, the contest at its fiercest. Duan Yu had never seen anything like it. He watched, spellbound, until he spotted something amiss—and before he could stop himself, he burst out laughing. That laugh was no small matter—
殿上两宗弟子你来我往，比得正紧。段誉哪里见过这个？看得入了神，看着看着，瞧出一处不对，没忍住，扑哧一声笑了出来。这一笑可不得了——
Every head in the hall turned. And what kind of man was Zuo Zimu?
满堂的人都回过头来。左子穆是什么人物？
"Zuo Zimu's eyebrows shot upright, and anger showed on his face."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「左子穆双眉一竖，脸现怒容。」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） Anyone else would have apologized and been done with it. Not Duan Yu. Far from admitting fault, he patiently pointed out the flaws in their swordplay, one by one. Picture it: a man who knows no kung fu at all, standing before a hall full of swordsmen, telling them their fencing is wrong. And that is how the trouble began.
换了别人，赔个不是也就完了。可段誉偏不。他不但不认错，还一五一十指出人家剑法里的毛病。一个不会武功的人，站在一屋子剑客面前，说人家的剑法不对——这祸，就这么招下了。
Chapter 3: The Shennong Gang Blocks the Gate; A Lightning Marten Throws the Hall into Chaos
第三回 神农帮堵门索宫，闪电貂搅乱大殿
Hold on—the trouble did not end there. At that very moment, a gang of men came up the mountain and sealed the gates of Sword Lake Palace. They were the Shennong Gang, led by their chief, Sikong Xuan. The Shennong Gang did not live by the sword—they lived by medicine, and by poison. They had not come for the contest. They came under someone else's orders: the Vulture Palace of Misty Peak had sent its Holy Envoy with an order — Mount Wuliang and Sword Lake Palace were to be taken.
且慢——祸事还不止这一件。就在这节骨眼上，山下上来一帮人，把剑湖宫的大门堵了个严严实实。来的是神农帮，帮主司空玄。这神农帮不靠刀剑立身，靠的是药，也是毒。他们上门，不是来比剑的，是奉了别人的号令：缥缈峰灵鹫宫派了圣使传下话来，要占这无量山、剑湖宫。
Duan Yu, listening from the side, was puzzled:
段誉在旁边听得奇怪：
"Duan Yu wondered greatly: 'What is this Holy Envoy of the Vulture Palace?'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「段誉大奇：“什么灵鹫宫圣使？”」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） What is the Vulture Palace? That, we must set aside for now—it belongs to Xuzhu's story, later in this series. All you need to know is this: in that hall, one side had orders to take Mount Wuliang and Sword Lake Palace, and the other side would sooner die than yield. Words failed. One spark, and the hall would explode.
灵鹫宫是什么地方？这里按下不表——那是后面虚竹一篇的故事了。只说殿里两边，一边奉命要占这无量山、剑湖宫，一边死活不肯让，话不投机，一碰就着。
Just then, a voice came from the beams above. All looked up—
正在这时，屋梁上传来一个声音。抬头一看——
"He saw that the girl looked about sixteen or seventeen years old."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, serialized edition 「只见那少女约摸十六七岁年纪。」
——《天龙八部》（连载版） The girl's name was Zhong Ling. Perched on the beam, watching the commotion below, she was not the least bit frightened—she was having a wonderful time.
这姑娘叫钟灵，坐在梁上看底下的热闹，一点儿也不害怕，只觉得好玩。
Remember the little marten at her side. It was called the Lightning Marten—a tiny creature that moved like a bolt of lightning, faster than the eye could follow. When the two sides came to blows, the little thing darted into the crowd and bit. One after another, disciples of the Wuliang Sword School went down. Sikong Xuan reached out to block it—
她身边那只小貂，你可要记住了。这貂名叫闪电貂，小小一只，动起来真像一道闪电，快得眼睛都跟不上。殿里两边一动手，这小东西窜进人群，张口就咬，无量剑的弟子一连被它咬翻好几个。司空玄伸手去挡——
"The Lightning Marten sprang from Zhong Ling's palm and darted at Sikong Xuan's nose."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「闪电貂从钟灵掌心弹起，窜向司空玄鼻梁。」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） Even the gang chief was bitten. The great hall dissolved into utter chaos—and in that chaos, Duan Yu and Zhong Ling slipped out of Sword Lake Palace.
连帮主都被咬中了。大殿里乱成一锅粥，段誉和钟灵就趁着这乱，溜出了剑湖宫。
Chapter 4: One Question Too Many on the Mountain Path; Seven Days with a Rending Gut
第四回 山道上多问了一句话，换来七日断肠
Once out of the palace, the two of them shook off their pursuers, and there on the mountain path they fell into conversation. What Duan Yu asked first was neither "who are you" nor "what do we do now"—it was what the marten was called.
出得宫来，两人甩开了追兵，走到山道上，反倒聊起天来。段誉开口先问的，不是"你是谁"，也不是"现在怎么办"，而是那只貂叫什么名字。
Zhong Ling told him the marten was called the Lightning Marten—one bite and a man would be numbed to the ground. Its venom, she said, was something else entirely; even her own mother could not cure it.
钟灵告诉他，那貂叫闪电貂，咬人一口，人就要麻倒；她又说，这貂的毒厉害得很，连她妈妈也解不了。
Remember this: the marten was hers, and for every bite it gave, the Shennong Gang would put the debt on her head.
记住这一点：貂是她养的，这一口一口的账，神农帮都要记在她头上。
Before their talk was over, the Shennong Gang caught up with them on that very path. Duan Yu could have simply walked away: the Wuliang Sword School's contest was none of his business, and the Shennong Gang was not after him. But he stopped. Watching the two sides bent on killing each other, he stepped in to mediate.
话还没聊完，神农帮就在这条山道上追了上来。段誉本来可以一走了之：无量剑要斗剑，没有他的事；神农帮要占宫，找的也不是他。可他偏偏站住了。眼看两拨人杀得你死我活，他跑出来劝架。
A man who could barely truss a chicken, telling armed gangs to stop fighting. And the result? Nobody listened to the peacemaker. Instead, they pinned him down. Sikong Xuan gave the order:
一个手无缚鸡之力的人，劝两帮拿刀的人住手。结果如何？劝是没人听的，他倒被按住了。司空玄一声令下：
"Sikong Xuan said gravely, 'Give this kid the Gut-Rending Powder. A dose for seven days.'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「司空玄沉声道：“给这小子服了断肠散。用七日的分量。”」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） The Gut-Rending Powder—a deadly poison. And it was measured out with wicked precision, in a dose that would keep him alive just long enough.
断肠散，一种剧毒。这毒下得极有讲究，分量刚好吊着他不死。
Which is to say: Duan Yu had seven days left. Sikong Xuan's terms were these: within those seven days he was to go to the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities and settle one matter for the Shennong Gang. The valley was Zhong Ling's home; her father was its master, Zhong Wanchou.
也就是说：段誉只剩七天。司空玄开出的条件是：七天之内，到万劫谷去，替神农帮办一件事。万劫谷，正是钟灵的家——她的父亲是谷主钟万仇。
To make sure the job got done, the Shennong Gang kept Zhong Ling behind as a hostage, her hands and feet bound behind her.
为了保这件事办成，神农帮把钟灵扣下做了人质，又将她的手脚反绑了起来。
And so Duan Yu set off alone—poison in his body, a seven-day deadline hanging over his head.
于是段誉一个人上路了。身上带着毒，头上悬着七天的期限。
Chapter 5: Hurrying Along in the Dark; One Misstep into the Deep Valley
第五回 心急赶夜路，脚下一空坠深谷
Duan Yu pressed on without rest. Then one day—
段誉一路紧赶。这一日——
"He came to a ridge, and saw before him a deep valley."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「来到一处山冈，只见前面是个深谷。」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） The light was failing, the mountain path was steep, and his heart was racing. Walking along, his foot met empty air—and down he went.
天色暗了，山路陡，心里急。走着走着，脚下一空——他跌下去了。
Did he die from the fall? He did not. Halfway down the cliff there was a stone cave, and he tumbled straight into it. And that fall was the beginning of an extraordinary encounter.
他摔死了没有？没有。半山腰上有一个石洞，他不偏不倚，正跌进洞里去了。这一跌，跌出一段奇缘来。
Chapter 6: A Jade Statue in the Stone Cave; A Split Cushion and a Silk Scroll
第六回 石洞逢玉像，磕裂蒲团得帛卷
Look closely at everything in this cave — it will all matter later on.
这洞里的东西，得看仔细了——往后都要算数。
Thick dust lay over everything in the cave—no one had been there for a long time. Facing the cave mouth stood a statue of a young girl, carved from white jade. Come closer and look: the brows and eyes, the robes, the strands of hair—every detail finely cut, the white jade faintly glowing, stone with the air of something alive. On the cave wall, several lines were carved.
洞里积着厚厚的灰，想来许久没有人迹。正对着洞口，立着一尊白玉雕成的少女像。凑近了看：眉眼、衣裳、发丝，处处都雕得极细，白玉隐隐透着光，虽是石头，神气却像活的一般。洞壁上还刻着几行字。
What is carved there is the original text of the Zhuangzi, "Free and Easy Wandering": "On faraway Mount Gushe there dwells a spirit, whose skin is like ice and snow, graceful as a maiden; she eats no grain, but sips the wind and drinks the dew." Duan Yu gazed at the jade statue, and the longer he looked, the more he felt the spirit in those carved words was none other than the figure before him.
这刻的是《庄子·逍遥游》的原句："藐姑射之山，有神人居焉，肌肤若冰雪，绰约若处子；不食五谷，吸风饮露。"用白话说：远远的姑射山上住着一位神人，肌肤像冰雪一样洁白，体态像少女一样柔美，不吃五谷，吸的是风，喝的是露水。段誉对着玉像，越看越觉得，刻字里说的神人，就是眼前这一位。
Come closer and look: on the statue's shoe, characters were embroidered:
再凑近些看，那玉像的鞋上绣着字：
"He peered closely and recognized the eight characters embroidered on the right shoe: 'Kowtow a thousand times, and place yourself at my command.'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「凝目看去，认出右足鞋上绣的是“磕首千遍，供我驱策”八字。」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） "Kowtow a thousand times, and place yourself at my command": only one who had knocked his head to the ground a full thousand times was fit to serve the mistress of this place. On the floor lay a kneeling cushion:
"磕首千遍，供我驱策"——磕足一千个头，才配听这里的主人差遣。地上摆着蒲团：
"Before the jade statue's feet was another, smaller kneeling cushion, presumably placed there for kowtowing."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, serialized edition 「玉像足前另有一较小蒲团，想是让人磕头用的。」
——《天龙八部》（连载版） Anyone else would have turned and left. Not Duan Yu. He was convinced the statue was an immortal. Down he dropped to his knees and began to kowtow. And as he kowtowed—
换了旁人，扭头就走了。段誉不。他认定这玉像是神仙，扑通一声跪下去，磕起头来。磕着磕着——
"Yet from his mouth the words finally came out: 'Fairy Sister.'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, new revised edition 「口中却终于叫了出来：“神仙姊姊。”」
——《天龙八部》（新修版） Note: "Fairy Sister"
旁注 · "神仙姊姊"
One after another, he kowtowed more times than he could count, until the kneeling cushion beneath him split with a crack—
一个接一个，磕了不知多少个头，膝下的蒲团"啪"的一声，裂了——
"Inside was a scroll of silk, rolled up tight."
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「里面是个卷成一卷的帛卷。」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） And what was inside that silk scroll? Read on.
这帛卷里是什么？且往下看。
Chapter 7: Two Arts Before His Eyes; He Picks Only the One for Running Away
第七回 两门功夫摆眼前，只挑逃命那一门
Unrolled, the silk scroll contained two martial arts. The first was called the Beiming Divine Skill—drawing other people's inner power out and making it your own. What is inner power? Think of it as a fighter's capital, their life savings. To drain someone's inner power is to rob them of it. Duan Yu took one look and shook his head: that is stealing, that is harming people. He would not learn it.
帛卷展开，里头是两门功夫。第一门叫北冥神功——把别人的内力吸过来，变成自己的。内力是什么？可以把它想成习武之人的"本钱"；吸人内力，就等于抢人的本钱。段誉一看，摇头：这是抢，是害人，不学。
Yet the writing and drawings on that silk scroll were right before his eyes. He turned the scroll through, sheet by sheet, and the art's pathways, its meridians, its formulas passed through his eyes all the same. He gave it no further thought at the time — not learning meant not learning; words merely read could not count. He did not know that some things, once seen, stay with a man.
可帛卷上的字画就在眼前，他一页一页翻过去，那门功夫的路数、经脉、口诀，到底还是从他眼里过了一遍。他当时半点没往心里去——不学就是不学，看过的字又不作数。他不知道，有些东西看过一遍，就留在身上了。
The second—
第二门——
"At the end of the silk scroll were inscribed four characters: 'Lingbo Weibu.'"
— Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, revised edition 「帛卷尽处题着“凌波微步”四字。」
——《天龙八部》（修订版） Lingbo Weibu—the Rippling Step—is a footwork art. It strikes no one, harms no one; it exists only to dodge, only to flee. Duan Yu took one look and nodded: this one is good—this one I will learn! After all, running away was exactly what he had been doing all along—and right now, with poison in his body and a seven-day deadline over his head, he needed it more than ever.
凌波微步，是一种步法，不打人、不伤人，只用于躲、用于逃。段誉一看，点头：这个好，学！他本来就在逃——此刻身上带着毒，头上还悬着七天的期限。
Note: Where the Two Names Come From
旁注 · 两个武功名的出处
The very things the whole martial world would kill for lay complete before him. Draining others' inner power—how many people in the world dream of such a skill? But he chose only the art of running away, and left the most formidable one untouched where it lay. That is Duan Yu: not a man who cannot tell which thing is worth more, but a man who can tell, and will not take it.
整个武林抢破头的东西，完完整整摆在他面前。吸人内力，天下多少人梦寐以求？可他只挑了逃命那一门，把最厉害的那一门原封不动搁着。这就是段誉：他不是不知道哪样值钱，他是知道，才不肯要。
And yet—hold on, the story is not over. Duan Yu walked out of the cave with the silk scroll, but the poison was still in him, the seven days were still running, and Zhong Ling was still in the Shennong Gang's hands. Next time, on the road he will meet a young woman: veiled, mounted, armed with bow and arrows, named Mu Wanqing. She has one rule—the first man who sees her face must marry her, or die. To hear what happens next, join me for the next chapter.
不过——且住，故事还没完。段誉揣着帛卷出了石洞，可毒还没解，七天还没过，钟灵还扣在神农帮手里。下一篇，他在路上要遇见一位姑娘：蒙着脸，骑着马，带着箭，名叫木婉清。她有个规矩——第一个看见她脸的男人，不娶她，就得死。欲知后事如何，且听下回分解。