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earl-of-221b · 7 years

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驱魔录

Qu Mo Lu － Part 2 of Translations, 2016 chapters, chapters 15-19

Treacherous Sea.

Chapter 15

Follow bubbles right to left.

(Lanterns blinking on boats out at sea.)

Girl: “Grandad, the rain’s gotten heavier again. Are we still able out to sea tomorrow?”

Grandad: “No, no going out on these waves. A typhoon is coming. Let’s clear up and go.”

Girl: “Grandad, on that rock ledge — I think there’s someone there.”

Stranger, standing on rock: “This water splashing upon my body, I feel none of it. But then why is it that it feels so familiar?”

Girl and Grandad: “Young man, don’t do it, don’t do anything stupid! Hey, you, hurry and get down, it’s so dangerous!”

—

Girl: “Hahah, so you weren’t trying to end your life, phew. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

Grandad: “Judging on your smooth skin and unmarked body, you must be from of a family with money. A young master, right?” *Cough, cough.*

“Yingzi, go find some clean clothes for him to change into.”

(Yingzi is the name of the girl.)

(As the stranger changes into new clothes, he shows a glimpse of his intricately tattooed back. A lotus flower is in the middle.)

—

Chapter 16

(A cult-like gathering. Note: keep in mind that any magical/religious terms used in this comic has no relation to christianity. The word ‘priestess’ here is used to denote someone who has contact with the sea gods.)

Priestess: “In this unwell world the gods are angry; us mortals are suffering! I have received word from Tongling Sea-God, his highness, just now. If we want peace and mercy there is only one way, there is no other choice. You should discuss about it amongst yourselves.”

Civilian: “Priestess, even the sky has forsaken us this year. This time the typhoon will stop us from being able to go out to see for many days!”

Head Fisherman: “Are you saying we have to sacrifice again? It’s not as if we have limitless fifteen-to-sixteen years old girls in this village.”

Multiple Civilians: “Yeah, Old Head.”

“But Head, You — your Yingzi, isn’t she at that age now? If you can’t we’ll…”

“Yeah, yeah…”

(The Head Fisherman is the grandad of Yingzi.)

Head Fisherman, middle bubble: “No! Yingzi’s parents are all gone. In this family, I’ve only got this one niece left.”

Multiple Different Civilians: “Head Fisherman, you can’t be so selfish like that! This is for the sake of our entire village.”

“Yes, it’s a great responsibility.”

“You have to do it for the lives of everybody. It’s for the best.”

—

(In the house.)

Yingzi: “Achoo!”

Stranger: “Ying…”

(At fish.) “Oh.”

Yingzi: “Ok la. You don’t have to stare at me like that, with that silly look. Last fish on the plate, you eat it.”

(Bowl and chopsticks fall and break.)

(Yingzi holds out her hand to the stranger as she’s taken away.)

—

Stranger: “I’ve never understood. Being a mere puppet to be used like me, what’s the point of living at all?”

“Maybe the meaning of my life is to do battle and kill enemies. But then what’s the meaning of fighting?”

“I remember now. The meaning of having to fight is to protect the people that I want to protect.”

“It was like that in the past…it will be like that in the future.”

(Yingzi is tied as a human sacrifice to a post.)

Stranger: “Yingzi…”

“Don’t be afraid. I will protect you. Just like before — like the people of Chen Tang Guan.”

(Chen Tang Guan is the ‘stranger’s’ hometown, a great city. The golden bracelet he wears on his wrist enlarges into the Universe Ring 乾坤圈.)

—

Chapter 17

This chapter is left to right.

Priestess: “Are you…you’re really the Marshal of the Central Alter, great god…”

“Th…Third Prince, Nezha.”

(Nezha breaks the bonds, freeing Yingzi.)

Civilians: “The Great God has descended! Help us!”

“Great God, please save us!”

(Nezha looks down on them with disdain.)

Civilians: “AH….”

“Save me please!”

Yingzi: “No…no.”

Yingzi, clutching onto Nezha: “Help them. I’m begging you, please help them!”

“They were forced to do this.”

Nezha: “You mortal humans’ weakness and smallness is not an excuse to do evil.”

“No…”

(He summons the Fire-tipped Spear 火尖槍)

“Humans are just like this…”

“Gods. Humans. Demons. They all have their own code and ways to follow. If you do something wrong, then you have to pay the price.”

“Demons are so…”

(Nezha takes down the sea monster with his spear in a flash of gold.)

“And Gods and deities are so…”

(Nezha’s silhouette.)

“Now that I’ve shown my true form, I’ve got nowhere left to hide.”

(Gold lightning crashes from heaven.)

“Anyhow, I’ve committed many sins. Doesn’t matter if I add one more to the lot.”

(The golden pagoda, recognisable as Nezha’s father’s prison. It is used especially to subdue Nezha. The pagoda falls to imprison him.)

“At least I could protect those that I felt like protecting.”

(Nezha, holding hands with Yingzi.)

“At least I truly lived my life as my own for once…”

“The fish you cooked was really delicious…if there was…”

“...a next time…”

“.……”

End.

Author Notes: Third Prince’s story was supposed to end here. But then everybody seemed to be so glum~~~~

Translator Notes: I heavily suspect that because the author gave Sun Wukong that awesome big billowy red cape (like the movie) he couldn’t give Nezha his Red Armillary Sash 浑天绫 because it’ll look too similar hahahahahahahahhahaa!

—

(More Translator notes, can skip: The story of Nezha is pretty well known and readers would be able to guess his identity from the hints given in the first chapters.

(An important part of Nezha mythology is the ‘Havoc in the Eastern Sea.’ The people of Chan Tang Guan begged the Eastern Dragon King for rain and depending on the version, the King either snatches children to eat or the people put out human sacrifices, etc. After one of Nezha’s friends were taken, he goes to upheave the sea kingdom and cause trouble for the King. Nezha gets into a fight with the King’s third son. Nezha is, like, 7 years old when he murders the King’s third son, prompting a huge siege over Chen Tang Guan by the King and his dragon brothers in revenge. They create devastating tsunamis, typhoons and floods.)

(Nezha’s father Li Jing thinks that Nezha has shamed the family and doomed Chen Tang Guan. To save his people, and in the ultimate show of filial piety, young Nezha takes his father’s sword and commits suicide. Li Jing burns down Nezha’s temple that was created after his death, saying that he’d been nothing but trouble for the family.)

(Nezha is then bought back to life by his teacher, Taiyi Zhenren, from the roots and essence of a lotus flower. He becomes a deity after rebirth, becoming the ‘Third Lotus Prince.’ Li Jing and Nezha then have a terrible relationship and have many fights. Because Nezha was more powerful than Li Jin, the gods give him a magical golden pagoda than can grow and shrink — created to subdue Nezha.)

(Nezha is always depicted as a young child with two hair buns, but in this comic he looks much older. The images of Nezha in the rain on the sea, as well as the tattoos of the lotus on his back, evoke his past.)

—

Chapter 18

(The title page shows Nezha’s Universe Ring and a lotus.)

(People are praying in a temple.)

(Yingzi has been praying to/for Nezha.) (Read left to right, up down.)

“Excuse me, Madam.”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “Please, Madam, stop just a for a moment.”

Yingzi: “What’s the matter, Young Master?”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “Forgive my forwardness…”

Yingzi: “This…”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “The bracelet you wear on your wrist, may I ask where it comes from?”

“Madam, please don’t misunderstand. It’s just that your bracelet is much like something that an old friend of mine has. It reminded me of them, so I asked.…”

Yingzi: “Young Master. This bracelet is also my good friend’s. Once he comes back, I’ll like to return it to him…”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “No matter. It was this monk that misjudged. Sorry for the trouble. Sanzai (‘there is good’).”

“Farewell.”

(Young Jiang Liu’er’s eyes glow fiery gold.)

Young Jiang Liu’er: “Looks like our dear friend is the same person ay…”

“Just that this one parting ended up being five hundred years…”

—

Chapter 19

(Sun Wukong in armour with his feather crown, perched on a rock looking up at Heaven’s gate.)

(Clear skies and boats peacefully out at sea.)

Head fisherman/ Grandad: “Yingzi, recently you’ve been running to that temple non-stop…”

“The bloke is a heavenly deity, are you still thinking he’s going to come back?”

Yingzi: “Alright, Grandad, stop talking about it…”

(Yingzi looks out, seagulls fluttering away above, seeing something.)

Yingzi: “Is that…”

Yingzi, after something descended onto her boat lightning fast: “Why is it…you, Young…Young Monk?”

Sun Wukong, in the form of young Jiang Liu’er: “Madam, we meet again.”

“This one here is that old friend of mine I was talking about. But right now I have some errands to run. I’ve got to leave some trouble in your hands…”

Yingzi: “Ah…okay…”

—

(Eyes open.)

Yingzi: “You’re awake.”

Nezha: “Yingzi…”

“How could this…”

Yingzi: “Don’t move. I’ll tell you, it all went like this….”

(She tells him what happened.)

Nezha: “…A monk…”

Yingzi: “Before he left he told me to give you this…”

(She holds out the pagoda, the only thing that can imprison Nezha.)

“He said he was borrowing it from someone. And that ‘you can give it back when you feel like giving it back.’”

Nezha: “….”

Yingzi: “That friend of yours — is he a really strong god…? How did you guys meet?”

Nezha: “He…is very powerful. But he’s not really a god or deity. Us two fought a match back in the day, five hundred years ago.”

In Heaven -

Li Jing, Nezha’s Father: “Oh Jade Emperor! That demon monkey stole my seven-jewelled pagoda!”

“And…and beat me up in the process, you must—”

Jade Emperor: “What! That demon monkey came up here?! Where is he now?”

Li Jing: “After he hurt me…he…he just left.”

Jade Emperor: “Oh, so it’s like that…Then that’s good. That’s good.”

End.

Author notes: So I drew a sequel. Got to put some stress on Sir Li Jing and the Emperor la.

Translator notes, can skip: (Tbh I can’t read what the extra bit is, sorry. It’s congratulating someone on something.) Five hundred years ago when Sun Wukong was wrecking havoc in heaven, Nezha was a marshal sent down with the army to apprehend him. In the book, Nezha fought Sun Wukong one-on-one and lost.

In the 1999 journey to the west tv show and 05 lotus lantern they added an incredible addition where Nezha and Sun Wukong fight but they bond over each other’s skills and their mutual making-fun of the Eastern Dragon King, whom they both dislike. Sun Wukong invites Nezha back to his mountain to enjoy a hearty meal and they stop mid-fight to do just that. Then Nezha waves goodbye and runs back to Li Jing and the army at the end of the day after the hang-out, looking fake-disheveled, pretending to have suffered a defeat. They tell no one of this and no one ever knows. (I really really like this addition hehehee.)

#Qu Mo Lu #journey to the west #monkey king #I mean if I'm translating I better do a goddamned passable job -#translations done so that any eng reader without prior knowledge can read and enjoy:D #so there's some notes in there for Context and stuff #The panel reading structure honestly changes from right-left to left-right between chapters and I only realised when I was going through #lol XD DENGANG What the heck #but it's ok I noted it down before every chapter so it's cool #Let me know if it's readable #tackling the arcs separately so there won't be a giant scroll down lol.#and quicker updates hahahahhaa #I love this art #so much #DENGANG

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