Shao Nian Bai Ma (SNBM) is the prequel novel to SNGX. This is the prologue chapter which centers around the young Baili Dongjun and two fated encounters that changed his life.
I decided to translate the prologue as an introduction to the upcoming donghua adaptation. Please do not add this translation to Novelupdates. For one, I'm not planning to translate the rest of the novel at this time and for another, I don't want the translation to be stolen and reposted on other sites, like what happened to the SNGX translations. So, anyone is free to translate the rest of the novel if they like!
Remember to watch the donghua starting tomorrow (27 Jul)!
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Prologue
Qiandong City.
The eighth month. The entire city was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus.
On the street, a hawker selling sweet osmanthus cake opened his steamer with a wide smile. The fragrant cakes mixed with that sweet scent of osmanthus immediately tempted the children playing on the streets who ran up to him, one after the other. But just as the hawker was about to reach out and accept their copper coins, they suddenly heard a shout coming from nearby.
"The little master is coming!"
The hawker immediately retracted his hand, closed the steamer, and brought the nearby children to quickly retreat five steps. Soon, they heard the clear sound of horseshoes and everyone raised their heads. A fiery red pony was galloping at full speed down the street and although the foal was not fully grown yet, one could tell it was an excellent breed. Its speed was no less than that of an ordinary adult horse. Riding on the pony was a youth who didn't look older than nine. The youth was wearing a smaller-sized light armour from the military academy, but he wasn't wearing it properly. His belt was tied loosely and his helm was tied to his shoulder by a rope. His hair was not combed up and flew messily behind him.
"Ride! Ride! Liefeng, if you run any slower, I'm going to get caught. Then, I'm going to have braised horse meat for dinner!" As the youth shouted his threat, the fiery red pony seemed to understand his words and increased its speed a little. The youth passed by the roadside stall that was selling sweet osmanthus cakes and suddenly turned his head. "Brother Luo!"
The hawker laughed and tossed over a piece of osmanthus cake that he'd just retrieved. "Little master, catch."
The youth caught the osmanthus cake in one hand, kicked his horse and sped past in a whirl. He took a big bite of the cake and called out, "Too sweet!"
Not long after the youth rode off on his horse, a group of armoured warriors hurried over. There were about ten of them, each one sweating profusely with their faces flushed to their ears. The one leading them stopped his horse and took off his helm before he cursed, "That damn little mutt!"
"Chief, chief, don't curse at him just because you're angry!" His subordinate hurried forward and advised, "If you call the little master a little mutt, then, you're cursing…"
"Vice General Chen, is the little master playing truant and running away from his lessons again?" The hawker whom the youth called Brother Luo greeted cheerfully.
The people of Qiandong City were simple and honest, and the streets were peaceful and orderly. Under the governance of Zhenxi Marquis Baili Luochen, not only did the military might of the garrison not diminished in the slightest, the soldiers got along peacefully with the civilians. The citizens also showed their love and respect for the soldiers and everyone shared a close kinship. Hence, even the hawkers on the street dared to chat casually with the vice general.
Vice General Chen shook the sweat from his hair vigorously, and then growled, "What do you think? Of all things the Marquis could gift him, why this divine steed, Liefeng? How are we supposed to catch him now? How? Luo Cheng, you saw him just now? Where did he go?"
"Little master ran in that direction." Luo Cheng pointed to the west.
"Move out, head towards the east!" Vice General Chen put on his helm and swung the reins. "The little master has this temperament all because of the indulgence from the Marquis and all you brown nosers!"
Luo Cheng watched the squad of lightly armoured warriors as they left and chuckled. "What can we do? The Marquis treats us well, so we naturally have to repay the Marquis' favour."
"You, you, and you, follow Luocheng Lane. You, you and you, cut him off at Shizi Lane. The rest of you, follow me to Xiyu Lane to catch him! I won't believe that I can't catch him today!" Vice General Chen ordered in a loud voice.
"What happens after you catch him?" a subordinate asked.
"What do you think? Of course! We're going to properly cajole and sweet-talk him and bring him back to the Marquis Residence!" Vice General Chen groused with frustration, "The Marquis only has this one grandson. It's not like we can charge him using military law, right?"
The dozen or so riders dispersed instantly and Vice General Chen couldn't help but release a sigh. Zhenxi Marquis Baili Luochen joined the army at the age of sixteen, and practically spent his entire life in the army, rising from the rank of a centurion to the Marquis of the Western Garrison. When he was young, he was ruthless on the battlefield and every time he killed a man, he would tie the man's head to his belt. After he became a general, he became a brutal general who, with a wave of his hand, buried thousands of people alive. Yet, in his later years, he gained this one and only grandson and doted on him like a treasure. So much so that the boy developed such a rebellious temperament, and played truant from the military academy every other day to enter the city. The boy would mingle with the commoners, get mixed up with all sorts of lower class citizens, and became known as Qiandong City's——
"Little Overlord!" A youth in commoner's clothing shouted in surprise when he spotted the fiery horse, Liefeng, coming at him.
"Whoa." The little master pulled on his reins and came to a stop. He looked down at the plain-clothed youth and asked, "Little Yu'er, where are you going?"
"I'm going to buy some rice for my mother," the plain-clothed youth replied.
"Come here. Put on my clothes." The little master jumped off his horse and put his suit of light armour over the youth's clothes. Then, he stuffed a silver ingot into the other boy's hand. "Has your mother's illness gotten better?"
The plain-clothed youth declined hurriedly. "It was all thanks to you last time. The doctor came to see her a few times and she's much better. You don't have to give us any more money."
"Take it. Buy more medicine for your mother and stew an old hen for dinner. But, you have to do me a favour. Put on this light armour and ride on Liefeng for a few laps around the city. The longer the better!" The little master led the horse, Liefeng, over and while the plain-clothed youth was still in a daze, he had already been lifted onto the horse. He was a little scared and said, "But I… don't know how to ride a horse…"
"Don't be scared. Just hold on tight to the reins!" The little master handed him the rope and added, "Liefeng can read humans well. He won't let you fall. You just close your eyes and hold on tight to the reins." As soon as he said the words, the little master slapped the horse on its butt. Liefeng neighed loudly and bolted off with the screaming Little Yu'er on its back.
The little master clapped his hands and smiled with satisfaction. Then, he walked into a small restaurant nearby and called out, "Sister Hua Yu, bring me a cup of good wine to calm my anxious heart!"
"What's a nine-year-old kid like you picking up a grown-up's habit of drinking?" A beautiful lady dressed all in white walked out and slapped the young master on his head.
The little master grinned. "This morning, I snuck into grandpa's room and secretly drank a cup of fine osmanthus wine that was a gift from the Emperor in Heavenly Revelations City. It was so sweet that I can still taste it in my mouth. I have to drink a few more cups before this aftertaste is gone. Otherwise, it'll be such a waste.”
"You're so full of nonsense. But, you can't have any today. Today, the shopkeeper is hosting a distinguished guest, and he's discussing some important business inside. He won't see any other guests today." Hua Yu shrugged.
The little master frowned, "A distinguished guest?"
"It's my shifu." Suddenly, a voice that sounded somewhat childish spoke up.
The little master turned his head and saw a little page boy sitting in the corner near the main door. He had a rather large bookcase on his back and was reading a book in his hand with a serious expression. The little master asked curiously, "Who's your shifu?"
The little page boy closed his book and jumped down from his chair. He strolled over step by step and muttered, "I was a banished immortal, riding the wind to fall to the human world. I held a white jade staff, and climbed the tower in a drunken dream."
The little master was totally confused. "What are you reciting?"
"You won't get it." The little page boy acted like an old teacher as he shook his head. Then, he retrieved a jade bottle from his robes and handed it to the little master. "My shifu's sudden visit has hampered your good mood. Earlier, you mentioned a fine osmanthus wine. My shifu had also gifted me a sip but I couldn't bear to drink it so I'll give it to you."
The little master thought that even though this little page boy spoke strangely, he was very generous, so he accepted the gift and asked, "Do you also like to drink?"
"Xiaobai drank 30 cups in a row, nobility of spirit rang in his fingertips. Wine is a wonderful thing." The little page boy bobbed his head in a self-satisfying manner.
The little master laughed and said, "Looks like you love to read even more."
The little page boy suddenly turned serious and interrupted him, "I only love reading."
"Interesting. Little page boy, what's your name?" For some reason, the little master had a good impression of the little page boy. Although they were quite different, because sitting still and reading a book was something the little master found most annoying, he really liked what the little page boy said when he declared, "only love".
"My name is Xie Xuan." The little page boy suddenly bowed formally with clasped hands. "To announce one's name is an important matter. May I ask…"
"Little master, Vice General Chen is coming!" Miss Hua Yu shouted suddenly.
The little master turned his head and spotted Vice General Chen's horse at the end of the street. He patted the page boy on his shoulder. "If you're still around tomorrow, come visit me at the Zhenxi Marquis Residence!" After saying his words, he took a flying leap and flipped onto the roof on the opposite side of the street. Although he was rather negligent about training his martial arts, he still put some effort into practising other arts, such as his lightness skill.
The little master ran along the roof eaves and Vice General Chen rode his horse, chasing the boy all over the city.
All over the city, the citizens ate their meals and worked their jobs. They had long been accustomed to this little overlord of Qiandong creating a stir every other day. In a corner at the end of the long street, a black-coloured sedan suddenly came to a stop. The person inside gently lifted the curtain and watched the little master scrambling on the roof eaves. "This boy…"
The little master made a few rounds and finally managed to avoid Vice General Chen. He was out of breath and drenched in sweat when suddenly, he spotted a courtyard nearby. Inside, the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, and he couldn't help but feel drawn to it. With the last of his strength, he leaped into the air and swept towards the courtyard. But, the moment he stepped onto the eaves on the other side, he seemed to hit a wall of void.
With a "bam", he slammed his forehead into the wall. The little master felt dizzy and he fell down over the wall.
By the time he woke up, it was already dusk.
The warm yellow light of the setting sun illuminated the courtyard in a golden colour. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a small wooden table under a huge osmanthus tree. Sitting there was an old man with a long beard and dressed in white robes. He had an air of an immortal and in one hand, he held a wine cup while the other caught a falling osmanthus blossom. He looked at the little master who had just woken up and chuckled. "Awake?"
"Am I… dead?" The little master asked in confusion, "Are you an immortal? This place…"
"This is Qiandong City, your home. You've been sleeping here for a while and it's time to go home. Otherwise, your parents will be worried." The old man pointed at a small door in the corner of the courtyard. "Open that door and you'll know the way home."
"Oh, oh." The little master stood up, still feeling a little dizzy.
The old man smiled and said, "Ordinary people aren't able to find me but the fact that you've come means that we have a shared fate. Before you leave, I have a request. Would you like to recognise me as your teacher?"
The little master was puzzled. "Recognise you as my teacher? What will you teach me?"
The old man reached out and grasped an osmanthus blossom. Then, he swiped it backwards and the osmanthus blossom was instantly reduced to powder. He flicked it upwards and the powder scattered instantly caused all the osmanthus blossoms on the tree to fall.
"Martial arts?" The little master asked in confusion.
The old man said nothing, and merely smiled.
The little master turned around and shrugged. "Not interested."
The old man continued to smile. "Then our shared fate can only end here."
The little master was walking towards the door when he suddenly twitched his nose and took a sniff. Amongst the fragrance of the courtyard full of osmanthus blossoms, he suddenly detected another scent.
"Peach blossom!" The little master whipped around in astonishment. His eyes locked onto a jar of wine on the small wooden table and he hopped over in a sprint. The old man understood immediately and poured him a cup. The little master accepted the cup and drank it in one mouthful. Then, he slowly closed his eyes.
It was already deep into autumn and the city was filled with osmanthus flowers. But, in that moment, he felt as if he was back in the fourth month, when the spring breeze was blowing, and the tree bloomed with peach blossoms!
He opened his eyes again, his eyes full of joy. "Where did you buy this wine?"
The old man picked up the wine cup and tipped it over. The full cup of wine poured towards the ground but suddenly, the liquid turned into a peach blossom and dropped into his hand. He spun the peach blossom slowly in his hand and said obliquely, "I brewed it myself."
The little master immediately dropped to his knees. "I pay my respects to Mister as my teacher! Please teach me how to brew wine!"
The old man chuckled, reached out and tossed the peach blossom into the air. The old tree that had shed all of its osmanthus blossoms entered spring again, but when it bloomed this time, the tree was filled with peach blossoms! The fragrance filled the garden, the scene magnificent. He raised his hand and brought the little master to his feet. With a soft voice, he spoke.
"Very well."
*
Poetry note:
我本谪仙人，乘风落人间。手持白玉杖，醉梦登高楼。
I was a banished immortal, riding the wind to fall to the human world. I held a white jade staff, and climbed the tower in a drunken dream.
Xie Xuan's poem appears to be written by the author. Take the translation with a grain of salt and interpret it how you will.
*
小白连浮三十杯，指尖浩气响春雷
Xiaobai drank 30 cups in a row, the noble spirit at his fingertips roared like springtime thunder
This quote by Xie Xuan to Baili Dongjun comes from 《又图卉应史甥之索》which is a Ming Dynasty poem drawn in a Chinese painting by Xu Wei. The poem is about a famous wine made by the Chen family. Xie Xuan said the same words to Tang Lian when he gave him the Wine Scripture book in Shao Nian Ge Xing chapter 60.