People need money to live; it is an undisputable fact. So as embarrassing as it may sound:- Hello bankruptcy! Bye-bye everyone!
The only thing that disciples of Qing Xu Sect know is martial arts. So when Teacher gathers everyone together (there are only 4 of them, Teacher included), and tells them that they are disbanding, everyone is shell-shocked. Where are they going to stay? What are they going to eat?
As the head disciple, Yun Yang cannot stand by and do nothing. He decides to leave their mountain and find work to support his Shi Fu and Shi Meis. Fortunately, Lady Luck is smiling on him and he finds work the same day that he left the mountain. He saved a (rich) damsel in distress and was offered a job as her bodyguard in which she will give him 500 liang in return if he can escort her safely to her destination.
But is it really luck shining on him? Within 2 days, they were ambushed by 2 different gangs, – each more highly-skilled and deadly than the last. What! She possesses the treasure that the whole wu lin (pugilist world) is coveting?! Great. Simply fantastic. Now the whole of jiang hu’s problem is as good as his problem…..
[Ebook]
This is a new novel written by Ling Shu Fen. I have read and liked some of her earlier novels especially 好学生 and 阴同学, but I must admit that 俯仰无愧 is not as good. The book would have benefited greatly by adding at least 10 chapters in the middle to show how Yun Yang went from liking Liu Xin, to falling in love with Liu Xin. Reading this is like reading a watered-down version of Jin Yong’s “Legend of the Condor Hero” with both wuxia and romance elements, but with neither elements being developed well.
The hero Yun Yang is a righteous, honest young pugilist who offered to become Liu Xin’s bodyguard in exchange for money. Liu Xin does not know martial arts but she knows how to change her appearance and is very smart. She has secrets, treasure (that attracts no end of trouble for her), poison, and many other handy things like a make-up kit. As they brave through traps and danger, Yun Yang slowly fell for her and the story ended when they reach a mountain where the treasure originate from and met the doctor who can purge the poison from Liu Xin’s body.
The language is rather humorous and I quote a paragraph on Yun Yang’s appearance from his Xiao Shi Mei’s perspective to give you a feel of the style:
“Da Shi Xiong is a quite good-looking. He has thick eyebrows and his eyes are full of energy. His lips are nicely arched and he has a strong jawline. Especially when he is practicing with his sword, he looks absolutely dashing with robes a-flying and light glinting off his fast-moving sword. But if Qing Xu Sect has to disband, Da Shi Xiong will have to marry into Pork Chop King’s family. His sword will be replaced with a butcher’s knife and it is highly questionable if he can look dashing then.”
It is really too bad that the book is too short and that the last arch of the book came too soon. Although I would rate the book 3-stars, it is not uninteresting to read – how uninteresting can it be if a wolf can be part of a con – and I have translated more of the book at https://cloudmanor.wordpress.com/2017/03/15/book-review-with-clear-conscience-by-ling-shu-fen/#more-2109 You can read the introduction at the link if you are interested.