First Immortal of the Sword

After they ate, Cha Jin diligently got to work on the dishes.

“Brother-in-Law, how did someone as pretty as Big Sister Cha Jin become your servant girl?” Wen Lingxue asked curiously.

“She’s willing to be here,” Su Yi said offhandedly. “Besides, even if an ordinary person wanted to be my servant, they wouldn’t be qualified.”

Wen Lingxue tittered, her smile like flowers blooming after the rain. “Brother-in-Law, you’ve even learned to toot your own horn.”

Su Yi shook his head in exasperation. “Why is it that, even when I tell the truth, no one believes me?”

“Brother-in-Law, don’t say something so ridiculous with a straight face, okay?” Wen Lingxue only laughed harder. The sound was clear and pleasant, like water bubbling from a spring.

Su Yi watched for a moment, but her spritely laughter proved infectious, and soon, he laughed along with her. “So, you think I’m that funny when I talk?”

Wen Lingxue hurriedly shook her head, then sat upright. “I just think you’re far more cheerful than before, but it’s best that way. You have no idea how worried I was back when we were both still living in the Wen Family estate. You just sulked around all day looking depressed.”

Su Yi sighed with emotion too. “All of that is in the past.”

“Brother-in-Law, have you gone to see Big Sister?” Wen Lingxue asked suddenly.

The exuberant atmosphere instantly quieted down.

Su Yi fell silent for a moment, then said, “Yesterday, I took a trip to Heaven’s Origin Academy and met with your sister.”

“Then…. You two didn’t get angry, did you?” Wen Lingxue’s bright, lustrous eyes stared intently at Su Yi, as if trying to see what he really thought.

Su Yi’s expression remained calm, without even a ripple of emotion. “Your sister was highly agitated and irrational, but we’ve finally resolved this mess. It’s best this way, for both of us.”

Wen Lingxue’s heart inexplicably shook. She froze; she’d just realized that something wasn’t quite right.

Su Yi took in her silence, then whispered, “Don’t let your imagination run away with you. I just drew a line between us; I didn’t hurt her.”

“Drew…. You drew a line between you two?” Wen Lingxue’s expression shifted dramatically, and her bright eyes widened. Her hands silently clenched.

“Lingxue, I know you’ve always wanted to repair my relationship with your sister, but you know your sister’s personality better than anyone. Ending this marriage is her heart’s obsession; there’s no changing that.”

Su Yi sighed. “In any event, drawing a line between us will do us both good.”

Wen Lingxue’s long eyelashes fluttered, and her expression changed erratically. A long time passed before she sighed in dejection. “Actually, I predicted this would happen a long time ago. I just didn’t think it would happen so fast…”

Her expression was downcast and utterly disconsolate.

“You don’t blame me for my heartlessness?” Su Yi said gently.

Wen Lingxue shook her head and whispered, “You and my sister were both victims of this marriage arrangement, but sometimes, I think to myself, ‘If not for this arranged marriage, I would never have met my brother-in-law.’ I…. I really don’t know what to do….”

Su Yi gazed into the distant skies. “This is the law of fate. I’m afraid not even immortals and gods can fathom such things….”

He paused, his gaze pitying. “And you’re stuck between your sister and me. Hearing this news must upset you.”

“Mm.” Wen Lingxue’s delicate frame quivered. She felt a sour twinge in her nose, and the rims of her eyes reddened. “Brother-in-Law, is there really no way to fix this?”

Su Yi gently shook his head. He might dote on Wen Lingxue more than anyone, but here, there was no room for concessions.

Wen Lingxue froze for a moment. Then, her tears broke free, like water bubbling from a spring. She rose. “Brother-in-law, I…. I want to go clear my head.”

Su Yi nodded. “Okay.”

Inside, he felt a bit grumpy. He’d never liked seeing women he cared about crying in front of him. That was true in his past life, and it was equally true now.

Were she anyone else, he would have long since chastised her.

But this was Wen Lingxue; he couldn’t bring himself to lose his temper.

My heart really is getting softer and softer… He sighed to himself.

“Brother-in-Law.” Wen Lingxue stopped by the door to the pavilion, then turned around, her voice choked with sobs.

Su Yi glanced toward her and saw her wiping the tears from her cheeks. However, her eyes were still red and bloodshot.

“I… Can I still call you ‘Brother-in-Law’.... Like I did before?” She was fighting to keep herself calm. Even so, her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Su Yi’s heart instantly softened. “It’s just a title. You can call me whatever you like.”

Wen Lingxue pursed her lips, then walked into the pavilion.

Cha Jin wasn’t far away, and she watched this entire scene play out. She couldn’t help but sigh to herself, How could he bear to hurt a girl so badly? And why is he just standing there? Why doesn’t he go comfort her?

Forget. I’ll just have to go myself. Cha Jin turned and dashed into the pavilion after Wen Lingxue.

Su Yi sat there, all on his own, watching a flock of birds frolic in the pond. His expression was as calm and indifferent as before.

However, inwardly, he couldn’t help but mock himself. Emotional entanglements really cut the deepest.

I might have my past life’s 108,000 years of experience, but can I really be unmovable and unshakeable?

After all, who could be truly heartless?

Time slipped by. After a while, Cha Jin emerged from the pavilion. She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Young Lord, Miss Lingxue wants to go to Heaven’s Origin Academy to see her sister. She doesn’t know how to face you right now, so…. So I came to tell you that on her behalf.”

“Mm.” Su Yi grunted his assent. “Then you see her off. I’ll go out for a walk.”

With that, he rose and left the House of Waveswept Rocks.

Cha Jin watched his tall figure disappear past the gates. She got the vague sense that someone as fiercely proud as Su Yi might never take the initiative to smooth things over with a woman…. No matter who she was.

Cha Jin inexplicably sighed.

But a moment later, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself. What am I worrying about all that for? At least he cares about Miss Lingxue, and I…. I’m nothing but his servant girl….

……

After leaving the House of Waveswept Rocks.

He was greeted by the hustle and bustle of human life in all its facets. Scenes of mortal life played out before him.

As soon as Su Yi left the alley, a group rode over on horseback.

Their leaders were none other than Sixth Prince Zhou Zhili and Chang Guoke. When they saw Su Yi, they promptly dismounted and walked over.

Zhou Zhili smiled and clasped his fist in greeting. “Young Lord Su, today, I brought the head of the Xue Family to—”

Before he could finish, Su Yi cut him off. “No matter what it is, come back another day.”

With that, he proceeded ahead.

Zhou Zhili and company were stunned. They had no idea why he’d act like this. It was only after Su Yi faded from view that Zhou Zhili reacted. He sighed, “It seems we came at the wrong time.”

As he said this, he glanced at the middle-aged man in blue beside him apologetically. “Family Head Xue, please don’t take offense. I’m to blame; we came here to visit Young Lord Su without preparing or notifying him in advance. That’s why—”

The middle-aged man in the blue shirt laughed. “Sixth Highness, you needn’t explain. How could I take such a trivial incident to heart?”

He was clean-shaven, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He had a scholarly air, and his smile was like a soothing spring breeze.

Xue Ningyuan.

The head of one of the Imperatorial Province’s five peak-level clans, the Xue Family!

Within the Imperatorial Province, there was a saying that went: “Better to provoke King Yama than to offend Xue Ningyuan.”

The reason was simple: the highest authority of the Xue Family might look scholarly and distinguished, but in truth, he was cold and ruthless, with a steely disposition.

He always preferred to kill the wrong person by mistake over accidentally letting the right person go.

Xue Ningyuan paused, then laughed, “I have to say, this Young Lord Su really is every bit as proud as you said, Sixth Highness.”

Zhou Zhili sighed. “When ordinary people are prideful, it’s typically mere conceit paired with a flagrant lack of self-awareness, but Young Lord Su is different. He has the skills to back up his arrogance.”

“Hearing you say that only makes me even more interested to see just what this Young Lord Su is capable of.” Xue Ningyuan stroked his smooth lower jaw and laughed.

Before long, the entire group turned back and left.

……

Su Yi wandered alone through the dense human traffic filling the city streets. His blue robes were like jade, and he cut a solitary figure.

However, as he watched the hustle and bustle, he felt as if none of this had anything to do with him. This gave rise to an inexplicable sense of loneliness. All of it felt dull.

The joys and sorrows of human life weren’t always the same.

When you were in high spirits, you could watch even bitter winds and fierce rains with great relish.

When you were in low spirits, not even the most beautiful scenery in the world could pique your interest.

These are the emotional entanglements of the world. How wonderful it would be if a sword could sever them too! Su Yi sighed to himself.

He’d always been open-minded about matters of pleasure, and he had no moral hang-ups about it.

Voracious pursuit of pleasure was all well and good. So was finding an opportunity and joining in on the fun. All he had to do was enjoy life’s pleasures to his heart’s content.

But when people he cared about were involved, it was different.

It was precisely because he cared that he couldn’t be truly heartless.

Of course, if Su Xuanjun grew to detest someone, if he cared for them no longer, he would be just as his blade: he could cut down both his enemies and the “thieves of the heart”!

Hm?

Just as he was aimlessly wandering the streets, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a three-story building. The sign hanging above the doorway read “the Peaceful Inn.”

“What a coincidence….” Su Yi paused, stunned, then walked inside.

“Young Lord, are you planning to stay?” said the slightly chubby man in brocade robes behind the counter. He had a mustache, a bulbous nose, and squinting eyes. Every inch of him emanated the air of a sordid merchant.

Su Yi flipped his hand, revealing the broken copper coin in his palm. He handed it over. “Do you recognize this?”

The middle-aged man’s pupils suddenly constricted. He picked up the coin and evaluated it. His smile disappeared from his face, and he was instantly on guard.

“Who gave this to you?” he asked in a low voice.

“Weng Yunqi,” said Su Yi.

The man in brocade robes stared intently at him. “What’s your relationship with Dharma Protector Weng? Why would he give that to you?”

Su Yi’s brow arched upward. “Weng Yunqi didn’t tell me that carrying this item meant subjecting myself to an interrogation.”

The middle-aged man was visibly startled, but a moment later, he plastered an amiable smile across his face. “Young Lord, don’t misunderstand. How about this? Follow me further in—this is no place to talk.”

As he spoke, he gestured for Su Yi to follow and led the way inside.

He’s a Grandmaster, yet he’s content to manage an inn? Interesting. Su Yi laughed silently, then followed the man inside.

Seth's Thoughts

Long-time Xianxia readers have almost certainly heard other translators complain about this. Now, it’s my turn. Long post, not plot relevant, just me talking about colors and how I translate in the face of ambiguity. As always, go ahead and skip this if you're not interested.

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Both Su Yi and Xue Ningyuan are described as wearing “blue” here, but in Chinese, it’s actually two different characters, 青 and 蓝.

蓝 is unambiguously blue, but the word the author uses for Su Yi’s clothes, 青, is frustratingly vague. It can mean “blue” or “green”, and in some contexts, it can even mean “black.”

Does that sound confusing? That’s because it is confusing. There are lots of articles about the subject, in both Chinese and English.

Here’s an article written by a foreign language learner that lists lots of different examples, as well as linguistic/historical explanations for why this particular character is so confusing. This is a shortened list plucked directly from the article:

青菜: Green Vegetables

青丝: Black Hair

青筋: Blue Veins

青铜: Bronze

I chose these four to highlight the full range of what this one character can encompass.

But those are all in context. What does 青 mean by itself? Well, according to this article (Chinese, but you can see the color), it means “cyan”.

But does that mean Su Yi’s robes are really cyan? Not necessarily.

If I google “青袍“, or “blue robes” I get pictures like this or this, but also like this and this. Many of the blues I see are pale or blue-green, but some are just straight-up blue.

If I search instead 青色的衣服 I get modern clothes that look cyan, but we all know that Su Yi isn’t wearing polos and t-shirts! And 青 means different things in different contexts! Better to search for it in context, right? Right?

The next logical step is to look for images of Su Yi specifically. Well, I have. I get lots of pictures of guys in long hair and robes that are either… blue, white, or green. And not all of them are him. Some are from other novels in the same genre/with similar names. It’s hard to tell.

In the animated adaptation, he’s obviously wearing white. The ethereal-looking white-haired dude is his past life, while the dark-haired guy in white is his new body. (If this video gets taken down, yell and I’ll find a new link.) I don’t think either of them ever wear blue, or green. Or, for that matter, cyan.

This tiny, blurry picture is obviously him because it has the names of the novel and the author… If you look closely, the robes are dark blue and white.

In text, the author sometimes describes his robes as reminiscent of jade.

This is all a long, roundabout way of saying “I think Su Yi’s clothes are pale, slightly greenish blue, but I’m honestly not sure. They could be dark blue, or even like… green or something.”

So why did I choose to translate it as blue? Well, cyan seems a bit too gaudy for our aloof fallen immortal. And green seemed… somehow off? White seemed to blatantly contradict the text, while black seemed too… emo? Of the available options, blue just seemed like the best. It’s vague enough to accomplish a wide range of colors that all fall into the “blue” category, so I figured readers could pick the type of blue they thought suited him best?

Anyway, you now know my secret shame as a translator. It’s okay if you think less of me for it. You’d think if I can translate fight scenes and descriptions of cultivation techniques and whatnot, I could tell you for sure what color the guy is wearing, but I guess not???