Chapter 537: Chapter 230 Demon Text Institute_2
Li Xiu glanced at it. Although there were two symbols he didn’t recognize, he already knew what was written there.
Because it was a very famous couplet, knowing the meanings of the other Demon Text characters, he understood which couplet it was.
"Young phoenix learns to fly, thousands of miles of wind and cloud rise from this. Hidden dragon leaps up, thunder and rain of the nine heavens arrive in time." Li Xiu recited both lines of the couplet.
"Where did you hear that from? You recited it quite well." The old man assumed Li Xiu had heard it elsewhere, after all, this couplet from the Demon Text Institute was widely known throughout Longevity City.
"If you don’t believe me, you can test me on something else." Li Xiu wasn’t upset and said with a smile.
"Alright, then read this." The old man put down the teapot in his hand, took a book from his coat, and tossed it to Li Xiu.
Li Xiu caught the book and saw the words "Buddha’s Light Shines on All" written on the cover, which he recited aloud.
"Don’t read those words, who doesn’t know the Common Script? Read the content inside." The old man said with a pout.
Li Xiu opened the book and saw that it contained elegantly printed text, presumably printed copies of Demon Text transcribed from somewhere.
"Absorbing light, gathering luminescence, coagulating veins into networks, using light as a base..." Li Xiu read a few sentences and realized that this must be the Light Condensation Technique Li Qingyi mentioned, somewhat similar to the technique he’d seen in the short cylinder.
"Oh, you really can understand Demon Text?" The old man looked at Li Xiu with surprise after hearing a few sentences.
"I understand some, but there are many characters I don’t know, which is why I want to visit the Demon Text Institute for guidance. Please do me the favor of conveying my visit, saying that Li Xiu is here." Li Xiu said.
"So you’re the newly appointed Commander of the Technician Group, Li Xiu. I must admit my old eyes have failed me." The old man stood up and said, "I didn’t expect Commander Li to be proficient in Demon Text as well. The director isn’t here, but perhaps I can discuss it with you. Would Commander Li be interested?"
"I’d be delighted." Li Xiu replied with a smile.
He just wanted to look at some research materials from the Demon Text Institute. If none were available, comparing original texts and translations would suffice, as deciphering the meanings of Demon Text was not difficult for him.
"Follow me." The old man led Li Xiu through the door and towards a two-story Jade Tower in the courtyard.
This courtyard was much more grandiose than the research institute, with all the pavilions and towers; however, it seemed rather deserted.
It seemed the old man had read Li Xiu’s mind, for he smiled and said, "Our researchers at the Demon Text Institute have a lot of work every day, researching and translating Demon Texts, with no time to sit in the courtyard basking in the sun."
Li Xiu smiled without saying anything, evidently aware of the situation at the Magic Armor Research Institute, known to everyone in Longevity City.
The old man took out a bunch of keys from his pocket, unlocked the door to the Jade Tower, and walked straight inside.
"Everything here is printed material. Feel free to look at whatever you want." The old man sat down after pulling up a chair.
Li Xiu saw rows of bookshelves filled with books, scanned them briefly, and found that they were mostly storybooks, not containing the Light Condensation Technique like the "Buddha’s Light Shines on All" the old man had shown him earlier.
Li Xiu was unconcerned. He browsed through the titles on the shelves and, as he had guessed, they were miscellaneous books with none related to the Light Condensation Technique.
Li Xiu wasn’t worried. Among the Demon Language Books here, some had translations. He casually picked a few with translations and began leafing through them.
"How’s the translation?" The old man watched as Li Xiu quickly scanned through, seemingly taking in entire pages at once, and couldn’t help but frown slightly.
"Beginner level, I’d say." Li Xiu remarked casually.
The old man’s eyes turned red as soon as Li Xiu made this statement.
Originally, he felt a sense of pride when he saw Li Xiu had picked out a book he had translated.
He considered his translations as top-tier selections, combining accuracy and literary charm. Yet Li Xiu’s blunt assessment of it as beginner level felt like a stab to the heart.
The old man suppressed his anger and sneered, "What makes you say that?"
"The translator of this book lacks a solid literary foundation but likes to be pretentious, translating originally concise text into a flowery style, which creates confusion about its meaning... For instance, the original phrase meant to describe flowing water and fallen flowers; they translated it into ’falling flowers have intent, flowing water is ruthless’, making it seem more aesthetically pleasing, but this misleads the reader into thinking the author is being sentimental when the author’s intent was merely to describe that place’s scenery." Li Xiu said while flipping through the pages.
"How do you know the author wasn’t expressing sentimentality? Perhaps you simply didn’t understand the author’s deeper meaning and intention." The old man countered.
"I don’t know what deeper meaning the author might have had. All I know is that translation should take into account the historical context of the text. The context of this book should be the most prosperous period of the Demon Kingdom, with the author consistently praising the magnificent landscapes during his spring outing. Starting to translate with a phrase like ’falling flowers have intent, flowing water is ruthless’ suddenly seems inappropriate and clearly a novice’s mistake." Li Xiu retorted.
The blue veins on the old man’s forehead bulged violently, and he replied defiantly, "Haven’t you heard of the phrase ’In this world, how can one achieve both, to not fail Buddha or the beloved?’ According to your translation style, it would have been ’how can one do both perfectly in this world, not disappointing the girl one loves while not neglecting one’s spiritual practice.’ Such a translation is verbose and lacks artistic beauty; it is only through the translator’s artistic refinement that such a beautiful quote emerges. The artistic enhancement by the translator is very important, don’t you understand?"