First, I need to analyze the context of this Chinese web novel Chapter.
[Step 1: Contextual Analysis]
Literary genre: This appears to be a cultivation/martial arts/xianxia web novel, with elements of revenge and intrigue. It’s set in what seems to be a historical Chinese-inspired fantasy world.
Language style: The language is direct and action-oriented, with some coarse dialogue and vivid descriptions of violence. It has the typical web novel pacing with short paragraphs and dramatic scene breaks.
Tone: Serious and revenge-driven, with elements of political intrigue. The protagonist is calculating and determined.
Plot keywords: Revenge, assassination, martial arts, conspiracy, infiltration, arson
Characters:
- Wu Liangchen (武良辰): Male protagonist. Appears to be seeking revenge. Skilled fighter, calculating, determined.
- Yang Hu (杨虎): Male. A leader of the Five Blessings Hall carriage business. Arrogant and opportunistic.
- Miao Guard (苗护卫): Male. A powerful fighter who apparently killed the protagonist in his previous life/body. Works for Young Master Yan.
- Young Master Yan (严公子): Male. Appears to be a powerful figure trying to gain more control over Dinghai City.
- Heartless Dao (无情道): A mysterious organization that appears during disaster years to cause trouble. Considered enemies of the state.
Now I’ll proceed with the translation while following all the rules provided:
[Step 2: Integrated Translation and Polishing]
Starting the detailed translation and editing process paragraph by paragraph:
"Little sister oh little sister, big brother wants to touch, to touch my little sister’s head..."
Along with these vulgar countryside lyrics, two men carrying lanterns strolled over leisurely.
Despite the distance between them, Wu Liangchen could still smell the strong scent of alcohol.
Clearly, these two night watchmen had secretly drunk quite a bit, to the point where they were swaying as they walked.
When they came closer, one of them said, "Wait for me, I’m going to take a leak."
"Go ahead, go ahead. You piss so frequently, are you getting impotent?"
"Bullshit, just yesterday I had a brothel girl begging for mercy."
Few men could tolerate being called impotent, so he cursed with a laugh as he walked toward the wall.
As luck would have it, he was heading straight for Wu Liangchen’s hiding spot.
When he came close, the man hummed a tune while preparing to lower his pants to relieve himself. At that moment, Wu Liangchen appeared silently before him. Before the man could react, Liangchen’s fist struck him in the throat.
CRACK!
The throat bone instantly collapsed, destroying both his vocal cords and windpipe.
The man’s eyes bulged as he stared at the black-clothed figure in disbelief. He clutched his throat in extreme agony, as if that could somehow delay his death.
Then his body began to sway, about to collapse.
Wu Liangchen grabbed the man’s collar, holding him up to prevent him from falling.
"Taking so long just to take a piss, what else are you good for?" Meanwhile, seeing his companion standing by the wall for so long, the other man walked over with a mocking laugh.
But as soon as he got close, he sensed something was wrong. There seemed to be someone else standing in front of his companion.
Terrified, he turned to flee.
But how could Wu Liangchen give him that chance? With one leap, he appeared behind the man and delivered a striding chop with his fist, smashing directly into the man’s head.
With a CRACK!
The man’s head burst like a rotten melon, and his corpse fell to the ground.
Wu Liangchen retracted his fist and looked at the two bodies on the ground. Surprisingly, he felt no fear in his heart, only perfect calm.
These men were thugs kept by Yang Hu, the ones who bullied carriage drivers most viciously. Their deaths were nothing to mourn.
Wu Liangchen dragged the two corpses to the corner of the wall and covered them with weeds to prevent their early discovery, which would alert others to his presence.
After briefly cleaning the scene, Wu Liangchen slipped into the carriage shed.
Inside were all first-class carriages, the most valuable assets of the Five Blessings Hall carriage business.
Normally, this place would have the tightest security. Besides the two night watchmen, someone would be stationed inside. But since today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, many had sneaked away to drink, leaving the carriage shed completely empty.
This worked to Wu Liangchen’s advantage. He placed his prepared flammable materials in a corner of the shed, then lit an incense stick.
The middle of the incense was wrapped with tinder. Once the fire burned to that position, it would instantly ignite everything around it—a simple timed device.
After completing this task, Wu Liangchen headed toward Yang Hu’s residence in the front courtyard.
At this moment, lights were on in Yang Hu’s courtyard, and voices could be heard from inside.
But because of the distance, Wu Liangchen couldn’t make out what they were saying.
So he stealthily crept forward, silently approaching the window.
Though the Five Blessings Hall had considerable power, it was after all just a carriage business and couldn’t maintain overly strict security.
Especially at this time, no one would expect someone to sneak in, so Yang Hu’s courtyard had no guards at all.
Wu Liangchen easily slipped beneath the window, where he could hear two people talking inside.
One voice was unmistakably Yang Hu’s. The normally arrogant and domineering man now spoke with extreme deference.
"Miao Guard, Young Master Yan summoned us today, saying he wants us to secretly gather information about the Heartless Dao. If we find any clues, we’re to report to him immediately!"
"What exactly is this Heartless Dao, that even someone of the Young Master’s status fears them so much?"
Miao Guard, Heartless Dao, Young Master Yan...
These names stirred something in Wu Liangchen as he listened outside the window. He knew he’d come to the right place.
Sure enough, he heard this Miao Guard chuckle.
"The Heartless Dao is an extremely mysterious organization in the jianghu. Their disciples operate in bizarre ways, and crucially, they emerge to cause trouble whenever disaster years come. That’s why the imperial court has labeled them the number one rebel faction. Once their whereabouts are discovered, they must be exterminated completely."
"This time, the Young Master received intelligence that a big figure from the Heartless Dao has entered Dinghai City, intending to use this disaster to manipulate the people and throw Dinghai City into chaos."
"You should know that Dinghai City is now one of Great Yan’s most important sources of revenue. The docks alone bring in countless silver coins every day, so the imperial court takes this very seriously. They’ve strictly ordered the capture and execution of this Heartless Dao figure to strike at these rebels’ arrogance."
"The Young Master already plans to advance further and take control of Dinghai City, so naturally he wouldn’t miss this opportunity."
"Though your carriage businesses operate at the bottom levels of society, you interact with all sorts of people daily and have the most current information. That’s why the Young Master has asked you to keep a lookout," Miao Guard said flatly.
"I see!" Yang Hu finally understood and exclaimed excitedly.
"I will do my utmost not to disappoint the Young Master’s great expectations."
"Good. If you can achieve some results, I’ll certainly put in a good word for you with the Young Master. When he’s pleased, won’t your little carriage business soar to new heights?"
Yang Hu was delighted. "Thank you, Miao Guard. This is a small token of my appreciation, though it hardly expresses my respect. Please accept it."
"Haha, you old fox. No wonder you’ve prospered so well. You know how to play the game."
"Hehe!" Yang Hu laughed, feigning simplicity.
"I don’t know any games. I just live by six words: bow often and speak little."
"Hmm, that’s true. Not just you—even when I meet important people, I must observe these six words." The Miao Guard sighed, then suddenly changed the subject.
"I heard that the young carriage driver I severely injured before didn’t die?"
"That’s correct."
"That shouldn’t be possible. That boy’s body was only average, and I used enough force to kill him twice over. How could he survive?" The Miao Guard muttered in confusion, then continued.
"Well, I’ll help you once more. Tomorrow, call him over, and I’ll kill him on the spot. That will save us all this trouble."
"Yes, sir!"
Wu Liangchen heard everything clearly through the window, and rage blazed in his heart.
So it was this Miao Guard who had killed his previous self.
Since they’d met, there was nothing more to say.
To quell his hatred, he must draw his sword and slay his enemy.
Wu Liangchen squeezed the small bundle by his hand, his eyes flashing with cold killing intent.
Just then, a massive BOOM erupted from the distant carriage shed, followed immediately by towering flames.