Chapter 79: It's Indeed the Chen Family Village
"We're finally almost there."
"Yeah, this journey hasn't been easy. My shoulders have gone numb."
"Song Family Fortress is enormous, isn't it? I heard nearly two to three thousand people live there?"
"What's that got to do with us? We're just here to trade and leave."
"True enough."
The group murmured with mixed tones of excitement, envy, awe, and indifference.
"Stay sharp everyone. And keep those people at bay," Chen Guodong turned to warn them.
Soon Chen Fan saw the people his father had mentioned.
From three hundred meters outside Song Family Fortress, emaciated figures lay scattered on the ground like broken twigs - clothes in tatters, their stench preceding them. As Chen Fan's group approached, these human skeletons sat up from
Thinking...Okay, let's start by comparing the original Chinese text with the provided translation. The chapter title in Chinese is "第79章 果然是陈家寨的", which the translation renders as "Chapter 79: It's Indeed the Chen Family Village". That seems accurate. "陈家寨" is translated as "Chen Family Village", which is appropriate since "寨" can mean village or fortress, but given the context, village fits here.
Looking at the dialogue, the original has characters discussing their journey and the Song Family Fortress. The translation captures the conversational tone well. For example, “终于要到了。” becomes “We're finally almost there.” which is natural. The mention of "宋家堡" as "Song Family Fortress" is consistent, using "Fortress" for "堡", which is correct.
There's a part where Chen Fan thinks, “达则兼济天下，穷则独善其身”, translated as “When prosperous, help the world; when poor, focus on self-improvement.” This is a reference to a Chinese proverb from Mencius. The translation is accurate and maintains the philosophical tone without being overly literal.
The description of the vagrants uses terms like "衣不蔽体" which becomes "barely clothed" and "恶臭" as "foul stench". These choices effectively convey the intended imagery. The translation of "荷枪实弹" as "armed guards" is appropriate, though adding "with live ammunition" might enhance it, but the current version is still correct.
In the section about entering the fortress, the process of paying an entry fee is translated accurately. Terms like "进城费" become "entrance fee", and the exchange of goods for entry is clearly described. The translator maintains the bureaucratic tone of the officials, such as “别惹事” translated as “don’t cause trouble”.
Cultural terms like "凶兽肉" are translated as "beast meat", which is suitable. The mention of "功法" as "martial arts manuals" is contextually appropriate, considering the genre.
I notice that in the original, the author includes a thank-you note to patrons, which the translation omits. However, since the user specified to focus on the main text and ensure all parts are translated, this omission might be intentional or beyond the scope. The main narrative translation is complete.
The final confrontation where someone recognizes the Chen Family Village is translated with the appropriate accusatory tone: “干嘛还藏头露尾的，见不得人啊？” becomes “Why are you hiding your faces? Ashamed to be seen?” which captures the sarcasm.
Overall, the translation is fluent, maintains the original's tone, and accurately conveys the narrative. Some minor adjustments could enhance readability, like ensuring consistent terminology (e.g., "spearmen" vs. "those with spears"), but the existing translation is already clear and effective.
Chapter 79: It's Indeed the Chen Family Village
"We're finally almost there."
"Yeah, this journey hasn't been easy. My shoulders have gone numb."
"Song Family Fortress is massive! I heard nearly two to three thousand people live there?"
"What's that got to do with us? We're just here to trade and leave."
"True enough."
The group murmured with mixed tones of excitement, envy, awe, and indifference.
"Stay sharp everyone. And keep those people at bay," Chen Guodong turned to warn them.
Soon Chen Fan saw the people his father had mentioned.
From three hundred meters outside Song Family Fortress onward, emaciated figures lay scattered like broken sticks - skeletal bodies barely covered by rags, their stench assaulting the nostrils long before reaching them. As Chen Fan's group approached, these human wraiths rose from the grass, eyes locked on the carried game meat, saliva dripping through cracked lips.
"Mercy... food..."
"Kind masters... three days without..."
"Brothers! One bite! I'll do anything!"
The chorus of desperation followed them.
Chen Fan's chest tightened. Never having witnessed such misery, his resolve wavered.
Then he hardened. The philosopher's words echoed: "Wealth lets you aid the world; poverty demands self-preservation." Keeping his own village alive was already an impossible burden.
When bold beggars shuffled forward, spears from their escort party drove them back.
The deeper they progressed, the worse the scenes became - naked corpses lying motionless, supplicants pounding foreheads against dirt, clusters of hungry eyes calculating risks.
The mob grew restless.
"Stay back!"
"Move again and we strike!"
Their guards roared. Though accustomed to roadside misery, today's critical mass threatened catastrophe. One misstep could bury them all here.
Chen Fan white-knuckled his spear, grateful for Uncle Zhang's insistence on spear training.
Perhaps sensing their resolve, the crowd's agitation ebbed. Pleas softened to whimpers.
"Close call," Gao Yang wiped sweat, voice trembling.
"Another heartbeat of hesitation..." someone trailed off.
"We'll face this again leaving," another added. "But they'll think twice next time."
Within a hundred meters of the fortress, the squalor transitioned to ordered paths. New arrivals approached from other directions - some masked, others bare-faced - all maintaining tense silence.
Chen Fan counted a dozen furtive glances their way. Watchers averted eyes when caught, but not before he noted their positions.
"Bandit scouts among them," he guessed. "But business first."
He turned to the fortress proper.
Blue-stone walls rose five meters, stretching two kilometers around. Guards patrolled the battlements with rifles. Above the main gate...
"Artillery?"
Chen Fan's breath caught. Black cannon muzzles protruded from the gatehouse - the same weapons Gu Ze said repelled advanced beast hordes.
Below the walls, three gates stood guarded. The left teemed with hunters bearing game. The right served as exit, guards collecting paper slips. The central passage - three carts wide - stood mostly empty despite parked vehicles outside, including Zhao Village's truck. Clearly reserved for elites.
"Join the queue. Quiet now - these guards shoot first," Chen Guodong warned, eyeing Chen Fan specifically as the group's only novice.
They took their place behind hunters. Ahead, ritual repeated:
"How many?"
"Fifteen."
"Entrance fee: fifteen yuan or equivalent beast meat. Exit before five with your slip. No trouble."
"Yes sir! Thank you sir!"
Procession after procession vanished through the arch.
"Entry taxes and curfews," Chen Fan noted. "Residents must have IDs. They're minting money - one yuan per head, hundreds daily."
Soon their turn came. Chen Guodong presented pre-weighed meat. After inspection, a clerk thrust paper slips at them.
"Keep these. Return them when exiting before dark. No incidents."
"Understood."
Chen Fan examined his slip - ID-sized "Pass" header above "November 12."
"Next!"
They entered.
Inside, Chen Fan blinked. Before them stretched a concrete road flanked by shops - a beast-parts trader's storefront dwarfing others. Inns, eateries, even foot-massage parlors bustled alongside street hawkers' cries. A thriving bazaar.
Every newcomer gaped at the promised land.
Ahem. "First we trade," Chen Guodong announced. "That big shop buys materials and sells weapons. Fan, see what you need."
"Right."
Chen Fan's pulse quickened. After consulting Uncle Zhang, he'd explore weapons first, then find the martial arts manual peddler, finally deal with the bandits... if they still lurked in their den.
"Look what the wasteland dragged in!" A mocking voice cut through market noise. "Chen Village rats! Why the face covers? Ashamed to scrounge?"
Every eye turned to Chen Guodong's group.
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(End of Chapter)
