发信人: yerk()
整理人: yerk(2000-03-07 10:20:46), 站内信件
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"After you."
"After you."
The two swordmen turned the point of their blades downward. Their righ
t palm holding the sword hilt, their left palm covered their right pal
m, then they bowed deeply to each other in a warrior's salute.
Even before the two straightened, a sudden flash of white, then the so
und of clanging. The two swordmen each retreated one step. The audienc
e gave out a soft cry
. The swordman in blue cut three times. The liveried swordman blocked
each cut. The swordman in blue shouted and slashed his sword from the
upper left corner straight downward. The slash was powerful and fast.
The liveried swordman was too agile to be caught. A simple jump got hi
m out of the way. His body bounced barely after his left feet touched
the ground. He returned two slashes. The swordman in blue stood still
with a grim smile. He moved his sword lightly and blocked the attack.
The liveried swordman suddenly began running around the swordman in bl
ue. He ran faster and faster. The swordman in blue merely stared at th
e point of his enemy's sword. He was ready to strike anytime that poin
t moved to attack. The liveried swordman at first ran one way, then th
e other. The swordman in blue started to feel a bit dizzy and said "Ar
e you fighting, or running for your life?" The liveried swordman conti
nued running. The swordman in blue attempted to cut him down a few tim
es, but his sword always fell short.
The swordman in blue pulled his sword back to the side of his body and
bowed his right leg slightly. The liveried swordman thought he saw an
opening and lounged at his left shoulder, the swordman in blue was me
rely luring his enemy. His sword circled into a direct thrust at the l
iveried swordman's throat. The thrust was too fast to be avoided. The
liveried swordman was surprised. He threw his sword toward the heart o
f his enemy. The liveried swordman hoped to force the swordman to abor
t the thrust in order to save his own life.
Unexpectedly, the swordman in blue didn't attempt to defend himself. W
ith a move of his arm, the point of his sword entered the liveried swo
rdman's throat. Then the liveried swordman's thrown sword hit his ches
t with a loud clang and fell to the ground. The swordman in blue laugh
ed coldly and pulled his sword back. He was wearing a round plate of i
ron in front of his chest, just under the garment. That's why the swor
d did him no harm. The liveried swordman's throat spurted blood and hi
s body convulsed. The servants stepped in to remove the body and began
to wipe up the blood on the ground.
The swordman in blue sheathed his sword. He stepped forward and bowed
toward the north of the hall where the king sat. The king wore a purpl
e robe. He is of strange appearance. His neck was excessive long and h
is mouth was sharp as a bird's beak. He smiled and said in a croaking
voice "The strong one has wonderful sword skill. Award him ten pounds
of gold." The swordman in blue knelt down on his right knee and bowed
"Thank you for the award." The king waved his left hand. An official o
n his right shouted "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh,second contes
t!"
From the east end of the hall, another liveried swordman walked out fr
om his group. This man was tall of stature and held a great sword. The
sword was nearly four feet in length. The blade was extremely thick a
nd was obviously quite heavy. From the west of hall, another swordman
in blue walked out. He was of medium height. His face was crisscrossed
by at least twelve or thirteen sword scars. The face seemed no longer
human. He must have fought hundreds of battles with countless swordme
n. The two knelt to the king, then they saluted each other.
The swordman in blue straightened his body and smiled. His face made t
he smile seemed ugly and cruel. The tall swordman shivered. Then he si
ghed deeply and held his sword with both hands.
Suddenly the swordman in blue howled madly like a wolf and thrusted hi
s sword. The tall swordman cried, lifted his great sword and cut down
toward his opponent's head. The swordman in blue dodged while his swor
d made a slash from left to right. The tall swordman lifted the great
sword and whirled, making the sounds of a great wind. The great weight
of the sword didn't slow him down in the slightest.
The two made thirty passes at each other. The swordman in blue couldn'
t oppose the weight of his opponent's sword. He kept retreating. All t
he other liveried swordman began to show hope on their faces as they a
nticipated their side to win at last.
Then the tall swordman made a great cry like the sound of a thundercla
p and made a horizontal cut with his great sword. The swordman in blue
couldn't avoid it. He could only block it with his own sword with all
his strength. Clang! The two swords met. The great sword broke and ha
lf of the blade flew away. The swordman in blue wielded a far sharper
sword. Then the swordman in blue made a vertical cut which opened up t
he tall swordman from throat to crotch. The tall swordman howled and k
ept on howling as he felt to the ground. The swordman in blue looked a
t his fallen opponent for a while before returning his sword to the sh
eath. Then he knelt toward the king. His face couldn't disguise his jo
y of victory.
The official said "The strong one's sword skill is impressive. The awa
rd is ten pounds of gold." The swordman in blue bowed in thanks. There
were only eight swordmen in blue. Compared with fifty liveried swordm
en standing at the east side of the hall, they were badly outnumbered.
The official said "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh, the third cont
est."
Again, one swordman from each walked to the center of the hall. The sw
ord of the swordman in blue trembled and shone like bright silk. The o
fficial said "Good sword!" The swordman in blue thanked his praise. Th
e official then said "We have seen one-to-one contests twice. This tim
e, two against two!"
Two more swordmen entered the arena. The four again saluted the king f
irst before saluting each other. Then the swords flashed as the combat
began. This time, each of the two swordmen on the same side must rein
force each other. After a few passes, a liveried swordmen's sword was
cut into half by his enemy's sword. This liveried swordman was very co
urageous. He carried his broken and jumped toward his enemy. His oppon
ent's sword flashed and cut away his right arm together with his right
shoulder. Then the sword impaled his heart.
The other pair was still fighting. The victorious swordman in blue wat
ched for a while, then his sword moved. Again, the liveried swordman's
sword was cut into half, leaving him wide open. His oponent's sword e
ntered his chest and exited from his back
. The king laughed and clapped "Excellent swords! Excellent sword skil
ls. Award them wine and gold. Let us see one contest of four against f
our!"
Four swordmen from each side began combat. The swordmen from the east
side had already lost three contests. These four fought desperately wi
th all their skills. Even if they lost their lives, they meant to win
at least one contest. Two swordmen in blue concentrated on one liverie
d swordman. The other two swordmen in blue defended them against the o
ther three liveried swordmen. These swordmen in blue only defended. Th
eir skill of defense was impenetrable. They also made no attempt to at
tack, all they did was preventing the three from aiding their comrade.
The other two swordman in blue easily killed their lone opponent. The
n they repeated their tactic again and killed another liveried swordma
n.
The other liveried swordmen saw the death of their comrades. They drew
their swords and was ready to aid their comrades and chopped the swor
dmen in blue to bits.
The official cried out in a clear voice "Those who learned the way of
the sword, must obey the laws of the swor !"
His voice was authoritative. The liveried swordmen quieted down. By no
w everyone could see that the swordmen in blue used completely differe
nt sword skills. The two who defended were specialized in defense. The
two who attacked specialized in attack. The attackers always outnumbe
r their victim because the defenders watched their back. They could wi
n even if their opponents numbered six or even eight. The swords of th
e two defenders formed a sword net which could handle five or even six
swordmen easily.
The two defenders had cornered a liveried swordman so he was virtually
neutralized while the two attackers already killed the third liveried
swordman. The two defenders moved left and right and watched for more
enemies while the two attackers began on the lone swordman. Even thou
gh the liveried swordman had no hope of winning, still he didn't throw
down his sword to admit defeat. Suddenly the four swordmen in blue sh
outed loudly and their four swords impaled the liveried swordman from
four directions.
The liveried swordman died immediately, but his eyes were opened like
round saucers. His mouth opened widely. The four swordmen in blue pull
ed out their swords at the same time. The four wiped their swords at t
he sole of their shoes, then they returned their swords back into the
sheath. The movements were completely synchronized.
The king laughed and clapped his hands together again "Excellent sword
skill! The swordmen of the great kingdom were truly invincible. It's
only today that we're treated to such a spectacle. Award each swordman
ten pounds of gold." The four bowed in thanks. They bowed at the same
exact angle. No one knew how long they practiced to achieve such prec
ision.
A swordman in boue turned, picked a long box covered in gold paint and
said "Our king thank the generous gifts of Your Majesty. His Majesty
ordered us to return the favor with one precious sword. This sword is
newly forged in our kingdom for the enjoyment of Your Majesty."
The king smiled "Thank you. Minister Feng, bring it over here."
The king was Kou Chiang, King of Yueh. The official was Feng Li, the r
oyal advisor. The liveried swordmen were the Royal Guards of Yueh. The
eight swordmen in blue were the messengers sent by Fu Chai, King of W
u. Kou Chiang was defeated by Fu Chai and he waited for a chance for v
engeance. While he was submissive to the Kingdom of Wu on the surface,
he secretly trained soldiers in preparation for an attack on Wu. In o
rder to test the skill of Wu warriors, he sent out the best of his swo
rdmen. He could not expect that the Wu swordmen easily killed eight of
his finest swordmen. He was surprised and angry, but he showed none o
f it. Instead, he praised the sword skills of the Wu swordmen and show
ed his heartfelt admiration.
Feng Li took the golden long box. The box felt very light, as thought
it's empty. He opened up the cover. Before the other people in the hal
l could see what's in the box, Feng Li's face was illuminated by a fai
nt blue light. Everyone cried in surprise.
Feng Li took the box to Kou Chiang and bowed "Please look, Your Majest
y." Kou Chiang saw that the box was lined with red silk. The sword ins
ide it had a very thin blade. The light it reflected flowed on its sur
face like water. He said "Excellent sword!" He took the hilt and lifte
d up the sword. The blade trembled slightly, almost as though he could
break the blade with a flick of his wrist. He thought "The sword blad
e is too thin. It might look good, but it has no practical use."
The leader of the swordmen in blue took out a piece of gauze from his
pocket and threw it into the air. "Please, Your Majesty, point the edg
e of the sword upward so it will meet this falling gauze. You will see
that this sword is different." The thin gauze fell upon the edge of t
he sword, but the gauze didn't stop falling. It kept falling, as two s
eparate gauzes. The people on the hall cheered.
The swordman in blue said "This blade might be thin, but it will not b
reak even if it blocks a heavy weapon."
Kou Chiang said "Minister Feng, try it."
Feng said "Yes." He walked in front of a liveried swordman, took out t
he sword and said "Draw, let's try it." The liveried swordman bowed, d
rew his sword, but he didn't dare to strike. Feng Li cried "Strike!" T
he swordman cut downward. Feng met it with his sword. The two swords m
et. The sword blade of the liveried swordmen was cut into two pieces.
Before one of the pieces flew into him, Feng Li dodged wit great agili
ty. The people inside the hall cheered. Were they cheering the sharpne
ss of the blade, or the agility of Feng?
Feng Li put the sword back into the box and put the box next to the fe
et of the king. Kou Chiang said "Swordmen of the great kingdom, you ar
e invited to the next hall for a feast and be awarded for the contest.
" The eight swordmen in blue bowed and left the hall. Kou Chiang waved
his hand, all the swordmen, servants and ministers left, except for F
eng Li.
Kou looked at the sword and the blood on the ground and said "What you
do think?"
Feng Li said "Not all the Wu soldiers are as good as these eight. Not
all swords wielded by them are as sharp as this one. But from this sma
ll example, we can see the rest. The most terrifying aspect is their t
echnique of group fighting, they used the methods of Sun Tzu. I believ
e that they currently have no match in the world."
Kou Chiang said "Fu Chai sent these eight just to give me this sword.
What does he have in mind?"
Feng Li said "He wants us to know the difficulty of vengeance."
Kou Chiang became angry. He took up the sword and made a backhand stro
ke. The stroke cut up the half of the back of his chair. He shouted "E
ven if the difficulty is one thousand, ten thousand times greater, Kou
Chiang will not retreat from his goal! One day, I will capture Fu Cha
i, king of Wu and cut off his heead with his sword." Another stroke of
the sword cut the chair into half.
Feng Li bowed and said "Congratualations, Your Majesty."
Kou said in surprise "After seeing the ability of the Wu swordmen, wha
t's there to congratulate about?"
Feng Li said "As long as You Majesty have the determination, anything
can be accomplished. Concerning this difficulty, I must discuss it wit
h Minister Wen."
Kou Chiang said "Good, summon Minister Wen." Feng Li left the palace a
nd ordered the palace servant to summon Minister Wen Chung. In a while
, Wen Chung arrived on a speedy horse, then the two walked back into t
he palace
. Feng Li was originally a native of Wan, in the Kingdom of Chuh. He w
as not a man concerned with the details of etiquette. Often, he did th
ings beyond the expectations of other people. People of his homeland c
alled him "Feng the Crazy". When Wen Chung came to be the magistrate o
f Wan, he heard of the Feng Li's reputation. He sent subordinates to s
ummon Feng. The subordinates said "That Feng is the famous crazy man o
f this land. Nothing he does makes any sense." Wen Chung smiled "When
a man try to do something different, other people always say that he i
s mad. When he has a superior opinion, the common of wit will call him
stupid. How can you understand Master Feng?" So Wen Chung went to vis
it Feng himself, but Feng avoided him. Feng expected that Wen would no
t give up so easily, so he borrowed some proper clothes from his broth
er. When Wen came back, Feng was ready. The two talked and found that
they had much in common.
They both felt the kingdoms were weak. The kingdom of Chuh was large,
but chaotic. The only kingdoms which could rise to command the rest we
re located at southeast. Wen Chung resigned his position and went to t
he kingdom of Wu with Feng Li. At the time. the king of Wu's favorite
was Wu Tzu-Shi. The two lived in the capital for a few month and saw t
hat Wu Tzu-Shi was indeed a wise man. They were not necessarily better
than him.
After some discussion, they decided that although Yueh was a smaller k
ingdom, but they could put their talents to use there. Kou Chiang rece
ived them warmly and gave them both high positions.
Then Kou Chiang ignored the advise of Wen Chung and made war with Wu.
His army was defeated by the shore of Chiang Tang River. Kou Chiang wa
s surrounded at Kuai Chi Mountain and almost died along with his kingd
om, but he listened to the advise of Feng Li and Wen Chung and bribed
the Prime Minister of Wu. Fu Chai then listened to the Prime Minister
instead of the wiser Wu Tzu-Shi and agreed to a peace treaty. Kou Chia
ng lived in Wu as a hostage for a few years, but he was released later
. Then Kou Chiang slept only on beds made of thorny branches and taste
d the bitter juice of beef gall bladders to remind himself of the humi
liations he suffered. He used Wen Chung's Nine Methods to subvert Wu a
nd strengthen Yueh.
The Nine Methods were. One, pay respect to the gods and spirits. Two,
give Fu Chai vast amount of money so he will feel secure as well as be
coming soft in luxury. Three, borrow food from Wu and return seeds whi
ch will not grow, causing famine in Wu. Four, give Fu Chai beautiful w
omen such as Si Shi and Cheng Dang, so Fu Chai would be paying more at
tention to the beautiful women rather than the affairs of the state. F
ive, give Fu Chai engineers so he started building expensive palaces w
hich drained the economy of the country. Six, bribe the ministers of W
u. Seven, distance Fu Chai from his wise ministers. The wise Wu Tzu-Sh
i was eventually forced to committ suicide as punishment of a false ch
arge of treason. Eight, hoard food so the kingdom of Yueh will have gr
eat reserve available. Nine, make weapons, train soldier and wait for
the chance. Eight methods have succeeded, but the ninth had run into g
reat difficulty.
Everyone could tell that the eight warriors of Wu were better than any
one Yueh could produce. Feng Li told Wen Chung the results of the cont
est. Wen Chung frowned "Brother Feng, the sharpness of their swords is
a major problem, also the way their swordmen worked together in group
s in accordance to Sun Tzu's Art of War." Feng Li said "Yes, decades a
go, when Sun Tzu helped the king of Wu. They destroyed Chuh, the most
powerful kingdom in the world at the time. In his book, it's said "If
I concentrate my forces and the enemy's forces is fragmented into ten
parts then I can use my unified one to attack his ten fragments. Then
I will outnumber my enemy and the battle will be over." Wu used this p
rinciple to achieve local superiority against our swordmen."
When they talk they arrived in front of Kou Chiang. Kou Chiang was sta
ring at the gift sword. After a long while, Kou Chiang lifted up his h
ead and said "Minister Wen. Years ago, Wu had the husband-wife team of
swordsmiths, Keng Chiang and Mo Shei. Yueh had O-Yeh Tzu. Now, all th
ree have died. Wu still have great swordsmiths, yet we have no one to
succeed O-Yeh Tzu."
Wen Chung said "I have heard that O-Yeh Tzu had two students. One is n
amed Fong Hu-Tzu, The other is called Hsieh Chu. Fong Hu-Tzu is in the
kingdom of Chuh. Hsieh is still in Yueh."
Kou became glad and said "Summon him. And order someone to go to Chuh
with gold so we can get Fong Hu-Tzu here as well."
The next morning, Wen Chung reported that he already sent someone to C
huh. Meanwhile, Hsieh Chu was already here. Kou Chiang grant Hsieh an
audience and asked "Your master O-Yeh Tzu once followed my father's or
dder and forged five swords. How do you grade those five swords?"
Hsieh said "I have heard my master said that he forged five swords for
the king. Three large swords and two small swords. They are Trembling
Reed, Pure Edge, Defeater of Evil, Fish Intestine and the Great Tower
. Now, the Trembling Reed is in Chuh. Defeater of Evil and Fish Intest
ine are in Wu. Your Majesty still have Pure Edge and Great Tower."
Years ago, the Prince Ho Lu of Wu heard of the swords and asked Kou Ch
iang's father for some of the swords. Kou Chiang's father feared the m
ight of Wu and gave Holu Trembling Reed, Defeater of Evil and Fish Int
estine. Using Fish Intestine, Ho Lu assassinated his cousin the king a
nd took the throne. Trembling Reed fell into a river and was acquired
by the king of Chuh. King of Chin heard of this and asked for it. Even
after a few wars, the king of Chuh still refused to give it up.
Hsieh said "My master said, of the five swords, Defeater of Evil is of
the highest grade. Pure Edge and Trembling Reed are next. Fish Intest
ine is lower and Great Tower ranks last. When Great Tower was forged,
the alloy was not pure, so it was only a sharp sword and not a truly p
recious sword."
Kou Chiang said "Are you saying my Pure Edge and Great Tower are not a
s good as Fu Chai's Defeater of Evil and Fish Intestine?"
Hsieh dare not admit that Kou Chiang's swords was inferior, but Kou Ch
iang knew the answer anyway.
Feng Li said "You have the skill of your master. You can forge a few s
words of your own. They might not be inferior to those owned by Wu."
Hsieh said "I cannot forge swords anymore."
Feng Li asked "Why?"
Hsieh held up his hands. On both his hands, the thumb and the index fi
ngers were gone. He said sadly "Thumbs and index fingers are required
for forging swords. I am a cripple."
Kou Chiang said "Did you enemy cut away your fingers?"
Hsieh said "No, my fellow student did it." "Your fellow student? You m
ean Fong Hu-Tzu? Why did he doe it? Ah! It must be that you have great
er skill than he. He beame jealous and cut away your fingers." Hsieh r
emained silent.
Ko Chiang said "I was thinking about inviting Fong from Chuh, but now
I see he won't come because he fears your vengeance."
Hsieh said "Your Majesty is indeed wise, but Fong is no longer in Chuh
. He is in Wu.
Ko Chiang said "He...He's in Wu? What's he doing there?"
Hsieh said "Three years ago, Fong came to my home and took out a preci
ous sword for me to inspect. I was astounded. That sword was forged by
my master for Chuh. It is named the Flowing Fabric. The blade was ful
l of runes that flowed like water. I heard from my master that he forg
ed three swords for Chuh. That was one, the others were Dragon Spring
and Ching Ah."
Kou Chiang said "Then the king of Chuh must have given it to Fong."
Hsieh said "Indirectly. Fong said that after the army of Wu broke the
capital of Chuh. Wu Tzu-shi took the sword from the grave of the previ
ous king. When he returned to Wu, he heard of the skills of Fong, so h
e gave the sword to him as a gift. He said the sword was a legacy from
our master and that Fong was the rightful owner."
Kou Chiang said "Wu Tzu-Shi let the sword go? He is truly a great hero
to let such a treasure go." Then he laughed "Fortunately, Fu Chai has
already taken care of him for me." Then he asked "What did Wu Tzu-Shi
wanted in return from Fong?"
Hsieh said "Wu Tzu-shi merely said that he admired our master. Fong fe
lt grateful after he received the sword, so he went to Wu and thanked
Wu Tzu-Shi in person. Wu Tzu-Shi treated as an honored guest."
Kou Chiang said "That's how he make people become loyal to him, even o
nto death."
Hsieh said "Your Majesty is wise, but Fong didn't understand Wu Tzu-sh
i's true intentions, so he asked again and again how he could repay th
e great favor done to him. Wu Tzu -Shi merely said he would not ask an
ything of an honored guest."
Kou Chiang said "The old fox!"
Hsieh said "Fong finally said to Wu Tzu-shi that he had little skill e
xcept forging swords. In return for Wu Tzu-Shi's favors, he will forge
a few precious swords for him."
Kou slapped his thigh and said "Got him!"
Hsieh said "But Wu Tzu-shi said the kingdome of Wu already had many pr
ecious swords and needed no more. Besides, the forging of a precious s
word is a tremendous labor. Years ago, when Keng Chiang and Mo Yeh wer
e forging their sword, the sword refused to come into being until Mo Y
eh flung herself into the fire. Wu Tzu-shi had no intention of repeati
ng that kind of tragedy."
Kou Chiang said "He didn't want Fong to forge swords for him? Strange.
"
Hsieh said "Fong was baffled too. Then Wu Tzu-shi visited him again. T
hey said that the army of Wu was fully capable of fighting with superp
owers like the kingdoms of Chi and Jin. Wu's warriors were courageous,
but their skills in chariot warfare were inferior. Moreover, their sw
ords and spears were not sharp enough. Fong began to talk to Wu Tzu-Sh
i about the way of forging swords. What Wu Tzu-Shi wanted wasn't a few
precious swords with mysterius powers, what he wanted was thousands a
nd thousands of sharp swords."
Kou Chiang understood and looked at Feng Li and Wen Chung. Worry fille
d Wen Chung's face. He asked "Minister Feng, what do you think?"
Feng Li said "Even though Wu Tzu-shi is crafty, he is not wise enough
to escape Your Majesty's schemes."
Kou Chiang laughed "I am afraid that I have never been Wu Tzu-shi's ma
tch."
Feng Li said "Wu Tzu-shi is already dead. What more can he do to threa
ten Yueh?"
Kou Chiang laughed "True. Hsieh Chu. Did Fong finally started forging
swords?"
Hsieh said "Yes. He went to Mt. Mo Keng. He saw one thousand swordsmit
hs working there. He corrected and improved their techniques. After th
is, every sword in Wu is sharper than anything made in other kingdoms.
"
Kou Chiang nodded "So that's why."
Hsieh said "After one year, Fong became too fatigued to continue, so h
e told Wu Tzu-shi my name. Wu Tzu-shi readied lavish gifts and asked F
ong to invite me to work for him as well. I remembered the hatred betw
een Wu and Yueh. If Wu's sharp swords could kill the people of Chi and
Jin, they could also kill the people of my home, so I counseled Fong
not to return to Wu."
Kou nodded in approval "You have foresight."
Hsieh said "Thank for your praise, Your Majesty, but he didn't listen
to me. That night he slept in my home. In the middle of the night, sud
denly he put his sword at my neck, then he chopped off four of my fing
ers so I'll never forge another sword."
Kou Chiang became angry "If he fell into my hands, I would chop him in
to meat paste!"
Wen Chung said "Master Hsieh, even though you cannot forge swords by y
ourself, but you can teach our swordsmiths. We, too, can make as many
sharp swords as the Wu swordsmiths."
Hsieh said "Minister Wen, both Yueh and Wu produce the necessary iron
needed for sword blades, but Yueh produces copper and Wu produces zinc
."
Feng Li said "Wu Tzu-Shi is guarding the zinc mines and forbids any pr
ivate mining, is that right?"
Hsieh showed surprise on his face "So you knew already."
Feng Li smiled "No, I am merely speculating. Now that he's dead, his o
rder may not be followed anymore. We now can purchase zinc, if we're w
illing to pay for it.."
Kou Chiang said "But a source of water far away cannot extinguish a ne
arby conflagration. By the time we gather all the materials, train the
swordsmiths and start production, at least two or three years would h
ave passed. That's not counting any setbacks along the way. If Fu Chai
died before we're ready, wouldn't that be the greatest regret in our
lives?"
Feng Li and Wen Chung bowed deeply "Yes, we will find another way."
Feng Li walked out of the palace, thinking "His Majesty couldn't wait
two or three more years? Why, I can't even wait one more day...." A du
ll pain came to his chest as he remembered the image of that unmatched
beauty which could stun the world.
Her name was Si Shi. She lived next to Huan Sha River He found that wo
man who gathered all the beauty of the land of Yueh into her person an
d he had to send her away into the palace of Wu.
The road from the capital of Yueh to the capital of Wu was not long, o
nly a few days by river, but that was long enough for love to grow bey
ond control. The white face of Si Shi was full of pearl-like tears and
her voice was soft as a whispering stream "Shao Bo, promise me that y
ou will come and get me as soon as possible. I will wait for you, day
and night. Say that you will never forget me, forever and ever."
Vengeance against Wu could wait, as far as Feng Li was concerned, but
Yi Kwan,that's his name for Si Shi, was in the embrace of King Fu Chai
. Love and jealousy gnawed at his heart. He must find to way to make a
s many sharp swords as possible, even sharper than those wielded by th
e invincible Wu swordmen....
He walked aimlessly on the street. Eighteen armed guards followed him
faithfully.
Suddenly someone was singing a Wu song "My sword is sharp! My enemy ha
s no courage! My sword is sharp! My enemy has no head!"
Eight men in blue, arm in arm, swaggered down the street, showing no c
oncern for the pedestrians who were hurrying out of their way. They we
re the eight Wu swordmen. They were obviously very drunk.
Feng Li frowned. He could feel his anger rising.
The eight swordmen stopped in front of Feng Li. One of them looked sid
eways with his drunken eyes and said "You...you are Minister Feng?" Th
en he broke into uncontrollable giggles. Two guards leaped in front of
Feng Li and said "Don't be so rude. Make way!"
The eight swordmen merely laughed and mimicked their words "Don't be s
o rude. Make way!"
Two guards pulled out their swords and cried "By royal decree, those w
ho dare to interfere with Minister Feng's welfare is to be executed!"
One of the Wu swordman's body swayed as he said "Execute you, or me?"
Feng's mind was working. "They were the subjects of Wu. Even though th
ey are rude. We cannot affford to fight them." Before he could tell hi
s guards to pull back, a bright sword flashed. The guards screamed. Th
en their swords dropped to the ground. One of the Wu swordman returned
his sword into the sheath, his face was full of gloating pride. The r
est of Feng Li's guards pulled out their swords and surrounded the eig
ht Wu swordmen.
The leader raised his head and laughed "We never planned to return to
Wu alive anyway. Let's see how big an army you need in order to kill u
s!" With a shout, eight swords leaped out of their sheaths. Eight swor
dmen stood back to back, forming a circle.
Feng Li thought "If one could not endure small slights, then one would
never achieve great things." He shouted "These eight are ambassadors
from the Great Kingdom. Don't treat them with ill manners. Back!" Then
he retreated to the side of the street. His guards were angry enough
to spit fire from their eyes, but they dare not disobey him. Reluctant
ly they retreated to the side of the street as well.
The they heard the cries of a herd of goats. A young maiden dressed in
pale green robe herded tens of goats down the street. The goats start
ed to go around the eight Wu swordmen. One swordman was feeling cheate
d of a good fight, so his sword moved and a goat was neatly bisected.
The cut was so neat that even the nose of the goat was severed into tw
o precisely equal parts. His seven friends cheered. Even Feng Li could
not fault his sword skill.
The young maiden's bamboo stick moved and herded the rest of goats beh
ind her. Then she said "Why did you kill my goat?" The voice was femin
ine and clear, but it also contained anger.
The goat killer cut his sword into air a few times and laughed "Little
girl, I will cut you into half just like this goat!"
Feng Li cried "Lady, please come over here. They are drunk."
The maiden said "Even if you are drunk, that's no excuse to behave rud
ely."
The swordman's sword circled above her head. "I was thinking of cuttin
g off your head, but now I see you're quite pretty, so I changed my mi
nd." His seven friends laughed again.
Feng Li looked at her. She had an oval face, long eyelashes and clear,
white skin. Her face was pretty and her body was slende, even seeming
ly frail. He cried again "Lady, over here." The maiden said "Of course
."
The Wu swordman's sword reached out toward toward her belt. "Why..." B
efore he could finished, the maiden's bamboo stick flickered and stabb
ed into his wrist. The swordman only felt a sudden pain on his wirst a
nd dropped his sword. The bamboo stick raised upward, followed by anot
her stab into the swordman's right eye. The swordman screamed as he co
vered his blinded eye.
The maiden's movement might be simple, but for some reason, the Wu swo
rdman could not block or even avoid her bamboo stick. The other seven
swordmen was much surprised. One of them pulled back his sword and thr
usted it toward the maiden's right eye. As the sword sped forward, eve
ryone could hear a loud whoosh, signaling the strength behind the thru
st.
The maiden didn't even move her feet. Her bamboo stick moved again. Th
is time she stabbed at the swordman's shoulder. The stab was so fast t
hat although it started after the thrust, it arrived well before the t
hrust could reach her. The swordman cried out in pain as all the stren
gth went out of his thrust. Then the maiden's wrist flicked and the ba
mboo stick went into his right eye. The swordman screamed like a butch
ered pig as his two fists waved aimlessly.
Now, the maiden made four moves and two Wu swordmen were disabled. The
spectator only saw her making some movements with her bamboo stick. E
ven though she moved too fast to be seen clearly, but the technique sh
e used was clearly derived from some sort of high sword skill. Feng wa
s both surprised and gladdened, but now he saw that the maiden had to
face six Wu swordmen. He hurriedly said "Swordmen of Wu. It would be b
ad for the honor of Wu if the six of you gang up on a defenseless girl
. Even you win with you superior numbers......" He clapped his hands t
ogether. His guards leaped into the street and surrounded the Wu sword
men.
The maiden smiled "Even the odds of six against one is not enough for
you." Her left hand lifted slightly. The bamboo stick on her right han
d thrusted toward yet another swordman's eye. She moved her stick and
stabbed toward another swordman's chest. Three swords sped toward her.
She moved agilely and avoided all three sword, then she counterattack
ed. One swordman was stabbed on the wrist and lost hold on his sword.
Feng Li's guard was ready to leap into battle, but they could not pene
trate into the sword net formed by the Wu swordmen.
The maiden moved between the six swordmen. Her long sleeves and long b
elt waved in the wind beautifully. Then the cries of pain came from on
e after another Wu swordmen as their swords dropped to the ground. The
fight was over. Each of the Wu swordmen lost an eye. Some lost the ri
ght eye. Some lost the left eye.
The maiden pulled back her bamboo stick and said "You killed my goat.
Now compensate me."
The Wu swordmen were angry and scared. Some were roaring in fury. Some
were shivering in fear. These eight were battle-hardened veterans. Or
dinarily they would not lose control of their demeanor even if someone
cut of both of their hands, but what happened to them was so beyond t
heir comprehension that they had not idea how they should act.
The maiden said "If you don't compensate me for my goat, I will take y
our other eye." The Wu swordmen jumped back involuntarily.
Feng Li said "Lady, I will give you one hundred goats, but let these e
ight men leave."
The maiden smiled "You're a nice man. I don't want one hundred goats.
I only want one."
Feng Li said to the guard "Accompany the ambassadors from the Great Ki
ngdom back to the palace. Summon the physicians to treat their wounds.
" The eight Wu swordmen left crestfallen, like cocks who had lost a fi
ght.
Feng Li walked toward the maiden and said "Lady, what is your respecte
d surname?" The maiden said "What did you say?" He rephrased the quest
ion "What is your name?" The maiden said "Oh, my name is Ah Ching. Wha
t is yours?"
Feng Li smiled and thought "So she is just a simple country girl unver
sed in courtly manners. Yet she learned this godlike sword skill. I on
ly have to learn who her master is, then I can invite her teacher to t
rain Yueh warriors. Wu will not be able to stand against us." His hear
t warmed as he realized that he's closer to bring Si Shi back. Then he
said "I am called Feng Li. Lady, why don't you have a meal in my home
?" Ah Ching said "No, I have to herd the goats to pasture." Feng Li sa
id "I have a large lawn in my home. Your goats can feed there, then I
will compensate you with ten fat goats."
Ah Ching clapped her hands together and laughed "You have a big lawn?
Good, but I don't want any goat from you. You didn't kill this goat."
She knelt to the ground and petted the dead goat. Then she said sadly
"Old White, bad man killed you. I can't save you this time."
Feng Li ordered his guard "Sew the body back together and bury it next
to this lady's house."
Ah Ching stood up. Her face was stained by tears, but her eyes was hap
py. "Feng Li, you won't let them eat Old White?"
Feng Li said "Of course not. That's your Old White. No one is permitte
d to eat him."
Ah Ching sighed "You are nice. I always hate to let other people kill
my goats so they can eat the meat, but mother said that unless we sell
our goat, we will not have money for rice."
Feng Li said "From today on, I will ask people to send your mother ric
e and good clothes. You don't have to sell your goats anymore."
Ah Ching became happy and embraced Feng Li "You are a good man."
Feng Li held her hand, afraid that she might disappear like some immor
tal from legend. The goats followed them back to his mansion.
As Ah Ching herded her goats into the mansion she said "Your house is
so large! How can you live here alone?"
Feng Li smiled "Yes, I think this house is too big for me. Why don't y
ou come live here with your mother? Who else do you have in your famil
y?"
Ah Ching said "Just me and my mom. I don't know if my mom wants to com
e. She always says that I shouldn't talk to strange man, but you are a
good man. You won't harm us."
Feng Li told Ah Ching to leave the goats in the garden and ordered his
servants to pick out the best snacks for Ah Ching. The servants watch
ed in shock as the goats devoured the expensive flowers in the garden.
They were even more shocked when they observed their master watching
the destruction with a happy smile.
Ah Ching ate the pastries and drank the tea. Feng Li talked with and d
iscovered that she's innocent of the intrigues of the world. Finally h
e asked "Ah Ching, who taught you sword skills?"
Ah Ching's large, clear eyes opened wider and said "Sword skill? No on
e ever taught me anything."
Feng Li said "The way you used that bamboo stick. That's sword skill.
Who taught that?"
Ah Ching shook her head "No one. I always knew how to play with the ba
mboo stick."
Feng Li saw that she was too innocent to lie and thought "Did heaven f
inally send down a miracle?" He asked again "Do you know how to play w
ith this bamboo since you're a child?"
Ah Ching said "No. When I was thirteen, Grandpa White came to ride my
goats. I wouldn't let him and beat him off with my bamboo stick. He re
turned with a bamboo stick. I then fought with him. At first, he alway
s score hits on me and I can't score hits on him. I play this everyday
. Now, I score hits on him most of the time and he can't score hits on
me. He isn't coming back as often now."
Feng thought he finally hit something and said "Where does this Grandp
a White live? Can you take me to him?"
Ah Ching said "He lives in the mountains. You can't find him. He usual
ly comes and find me. I never tried to find him."
Feng Li said "I want to meet him. Is there a way?"
Ah Ching said "Hmm. You can follow me to pasture. We will wait for him
on the mountain side. I don't know when he'll show though." She sighe
d "I haven't seen him for a while now."
Feng Li said to himself "This is for Yi Kwan and the kingdom of Yueh.
A little goat herding won't hurt." so he said "Good, I'll accompany yo
u and wait for Grandpa White." He thought "Grandpa White must be the s
word sage who taught this girl. He must have loved her youth and innoc
ence, so he used play to teach her. He could make a young girl into th
e such a great master, then he could make our warriors destroy Wu.
After the meal, Feng Li followed her to mountain pastures to her goats
. His subordinates didn't understand the reason. They were all baffled
. Day after day, Feng Li went with Ah Ching to herd goat and sang song
s, waiting for Grandpa White.
On the fifth day, Wen Chung came to Feng Li's mansion and saw a very w
orried chamberlain. He asked "I haven't seen Minister Feng for a few d
ays now. The King is worried and ordered to me to visit. Did Minister
Feng come down sick?"
The chamberlain said "Minister Feng is healthy, but...but.."
"But?"
"Minister Wen is the best friend of Miister Feng. You can say things t
o him that are not appropriate for us to say. Why don't you try to tal
k some sense into him?"
Wen Chung was baffled "Sense? What's wrong with Minister Feng?"
"Minister Feng fell love with that little shepherdess. Every morning h
e leaves with her and don't return until after sundown. He won't permi
t any guards following him. He will not be bothered even when I have u
rgent affairs."
Wen Chung laughed and thought "When Brother Feng was living in the kin
gdom of Chuh, everyone called him Feng the Crazy. He never does things
like other people."
At that time, Feng Li was sitting on a mountain side grassland and tel
ling Ah Ching the story of the goddess Hsiang Fei. Ah Ching was sittin
g close by his side and listened to him intent, her large bright eyese
never left his face. Suddenly she said "Hsiang Fei is really that bea
utiful?"
Feng Li said "Her eyes are clearer and brighter than the water in this
mountain stream..."
Ah Ching said "Does she have fish in her eyes?"
Feng Li continued "Her skin is like the clouds, but fairer."
Ah Ching said "Are there birds flying in those clouds?"
Feng Li continued obliviously "Her lips are softer than the petal of t
his flower and redder. Her lips are moist, even more than the dews on
this petal. When Hsiang Fei stands next to the river, the beauty of he
r reflection made all the riverside flowers wilt in shame. Even fish d
are not swim in water for fear of rumpling her reflection. When her wh
ite hand is dipped into the river, it was so soft that it could almost
melt into the water..."
Ah Ching said "You saw her, didn't you. How else can you describe her
so clearly?"
Feng Li said "I saw her. I saw her very, very clearly."
Of course, he was referring to Si Shi, not the goddess Hsiang Fei.
He looked at the north. His eyes looked beyond a wide, roaring river.
Is the beauty in the royal palace of Wu. Is she with King Fu Chai? Is
she thinking about me?
Ah Ching said "Feng Li! Your beard is strange, can I touch it?"
Feng Li thought "Is she weeping, or laughing?"
Ah Ching said "Feng Li, you have two strands of white beard, just like
my goats."
Feng Li thought "When we're separated, she wept on my shoulder. Her te
ar soaked half of my robe. I never washed that robe. My tears were min
gled with hers on that robe."
Ah Ching said "Feng Li. Can I pull out one of your beard? I will pull
gently. You won't feel a thing."
Feng Li thought "She said she loved riding in a boat and float with th
e currents. After I take her back, I will not be a court minister anym
ore. I will ride a boat with her, floating in rivers and lakes, for th
e rest of my life."
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his chin. Ah Ching pulled out a stra
nd of his beard. She laughed prettily. Suddenly the laugh was cut off
and she said "You're here again!"
A green shadow flashed as Ah Ching shot forward. A green blur and a wh
ite blur was moving quickly around each other.
Feng Li cried gladly "Grandpa White's here!" It's a while before the t
wo combatants slowed down enough for him to get a good look. Then he g
ot a great surprise.
The one fighting Ah Ching wasn't human. It was a white ape.
The white ape, too, was holding a bamboo stick. The white ape performe
d intricate sword forms. The whooshing sound of the stick signaled the
great strength it put into each form. But everytime he attack, Ah Chi
ng was always able to block or redirect each blow and counterattack us
ing even more intricate sword forms.
When Ah Ching fought the Wu swordmen, the forms she used were minimal.
Only now Feng Li witnessed the vast skill Ah Ching wielded. He was no
expert in swords, but he had looked at the Yueh swordmen train for ma
ny years. Now, he realized that the best swordmen of Yueh were but chi
ldren playing with toys when compared to Ah Ching and Grandpa.
The white ape's attacks sped up faster and faster. Ah Ching slowed dow
n instead. She stood still, but each time she thrusted with her bamboo
stick, the white ape was forced to jump back.
Ah Ching forced the white ape three steps, then she pulled back her st
ick and stood still. The white ape held his stick in two hands and jum
ped to attack. Feng Li saw the strength of the attack and cried out "W
atch out!" Ah Ching's stick moved too fast to be seen. There were two
muffled sounds of impact, then the white ape's bamboo stick dropped to
the ground. The white ape howed and jumped up to a tree. Then it leap
ed away. The howl was intense, but became muter as the it went farther
away. The howl reverberated long after the white ape was gone.
Ah Ching turned back and sighed "Grandpa broke both of his arms. Now h
e won't come play with me anymore."
Feng Li said "You broke his arms?"
Ah Ching nodded " Grandpa is very angry today. Three times, he tried t
o leap over and kill you."
Feng Li said in surprise "Kill me? Why?"
Ah Ching shook her head "I don't know."
Feng Li became scared in secret "If Ah Ching didn't stop it, that whit
e ape can kill me, easy as blowing away a pile of ash!"
The next morning, Ah Ching faced twenty of the best swordmen of Yueh a
lone. Feng Li knew that Ah Ching could not teach other people how to u
se the sword the way she did, so the only way was for the Yueh swordme
n to imitate her.
The problem was no Yueh swordmen could last three passes from her.When
ever Ah Ching's bamboo stick moved, her opponent either lost his sword
, or got stabbed in some delicate area.
The next day, she defeated thirty swordmen. The third day, thirty more
lost.
The fourth day, Feng Li went to ask her for another lesson, but he cou
ld not find her. He went to her home, but the house was empty. Feng Li
sent hundreds of his servants and guards into the mountains to look f
or her, but no one could find any trace of her.
The eighty Yueh swordmen didn't learn the true sword skill from Ah Chi
ng, but they saw the smallest portion of the ultimate sword skill. All
the swordmen now knew the true height sword skill could go. The eight
y swordmen tried to teach the small portion they could understand to t
heir comrades. Even this pale shadow of a pale shadow of the ultimate
skill was enough, Yueh swordmen became invincible.
King Kou Chiang ordered Hsieh Chu to forge thousands of sharp swords.
Three years later, Kou Chiang attacked Wu. The armies of Yueh and Wu m
et next to a lake. Five thousand Yueh swordmen marched forward. Wu swo
rdmen met them. Yueh swords flashed and the Wu army was shattered.
King Fu Chai retreated to Yu Hong Mountain. The army of Yueh followed.
The second battle ensued. The Wu army was again defeated. Fu Chai com
mitted suicide in order to avoid the cruel fate Kou Chiang had in stor
e for him. Yueh took the capital of Wu.
Feng Li led one thousand swordmen and rushed to King Fu Chai's resort
palace. That was where Si Shi lived. He ran into the palace, shouting
"Yi Kwan! Yi Kwan!"
He ran past a long corridor, his footstep echoed clearly. The corridor
was hollow underneath. Si Shi walked lightly, the rhythm of her steps
was more enchanting than any music. Fu Chai built this palace, this c
orridor in order to listen to the melody of her footsteps.
At the other end of the corridor, music came, like the sound of a happ
y mandolin, like the clear sound of a zither. A soft voice said "Shao
Bo, is that really you?"
Feng Li felt blood rushing upward from his chest and shouted "It's I.
It's I. I have come for you." His own voice seemed like the voice of a
stranger, speaking from far away. He ran forward with uneven steps.
The music came down the corridor, a soft body entered his embrace.
The spring night was meltingly warm. Flower fragrance floated through
the curtains, entering the chambers of the resort palace. Feng Li and
Si Shi talked about their longing for each other.
Suddenly the sound goat penetrated into their awareness.
Feng LI said "You can't forget you homeland? You have goats here?"
Si Shi shook her head. She wondered about the goats, but she couldn't
think of anything else in the presence of the man she loved. She held
Feng Li's hand, and fiery blood flowed faster through their arteries.
Suddenly, the voice of a woman sounded "Feng Li! Bring out you Si Shi.
I'll kill her!"
Feng Li stood up. Si Shi felt his palm suddenly turning cold. Feng Li
recognized Ah Ching's voice. Her voice came from outside of the resort
palace.
Feng Li was fearful and puzzled. "Why does she want to kill Yi Kwan? Y
i Kwan had never wronged her." Then he understood "She's not really a
simple village girl. She always liked me." The understanding only made
him more fearful.
He had gone through many, many difficult decisions as well as dangerou
s situations. The fear he felt when he was trapped with Kou Chiang in
a Wu siege was far less than what he felt now. Si Shi felt his palm tr
embbling and covered with cold sweat.
Feng Li was not afraid of his own death. He feared for Si Shi.
Feng Li pulled himself under control and said "I will go see this pers
on." He released Si Shi's hand and walked out of the palace.
Eighteen swordmen followed him. They all heard Ah Ching's cry. They we
re baffled and curious. Feng Li oly saw the clear moonlight outside, b
ut no one was visible. He cried out loudly "Lady Ah Ching, please come
here. We have things to talk about." But he heard no reply. He waited
, but Ah Ching did not come. He ordered one thousand armored soldiers
and one thousand elite swordmen to be moved to the resort palace.
He returned to Si Shi and held her hands again. He didn't say anything
. He was planning as he never planned before "Should I let one of the
servant maids pretending to be Si Shi and let Ah Ching kill her? Shoul
d I commit suicide before Ah Ching so she will spare Si Shi? Should I
order two thousand archers surrounding this place and shoot Ah Ching f
ull of arrows if she tries to force her way in?" Every plan he had was
flawed. He also didn't want to kill Ah Ching, who had made the destru
ction of Wu possible. He stared at Shi Si. Suddenly he felt warmth in
his heart "It's good that we'll die this way. At least we spend someti
me together before we die together."
Hours passed. Si Shi felt that Feng's hand became warmer. He lost his
fear and began to smile.
The rising sun cast its rays through the window.
Suddenly the the sound of a fight came from outside the palace door. T
hen the incessant sound of weapons dropping to the ground. The sound d
rew closer and closer, like a giant serpent worming its way into the p
alace. Then the sound of dropping weapons came from the walkways just
outside the room they were in. Two thousand warriors were not enough t
o stop Ah Ching.
Ah Ching's voice said "Feng Li, where are you?"
Feng Li said calmly "Ah Ching, I'm here."
Before he even finished the word "here", the curtain parted and a gree
n shadow came flying in. Ah Ching, dressed in her usual green stood be
fore them. She pointed her bamboo stick at Si Shi. She stared at the f
ace of Shi Si, the killing rage on face gradually disappeared, replace
d with disappointment and self-pity, then it changed to surprise, admi
ration and finally worship. She whispered "There...there really is suc
h beauty under heaven! Feng Li, she is even more....more beautiful tha
n you described." Her slender waist turned. With a cry, she flew up th
rough the window. The cry went farther and farther until its reverbera
tion was left.
The surviving guards ran inside the room. One of them bowed "Minister,
are you all right?" Feng Li merely dismissed them with a wave of his
hand. Then he held Si Shi's hand and said "Let's change into the cloth
es of commners. We'll go rowing a boat upon Lake Tai and never return
to this place."
Happiness shone from Si Shi's eyes. Suddenly she frowned and she reach
ed toward her heart. Ah Ching's bamboo stick didn't touch her, but the
pure chi from the stick had reached into her body and did her some sl
ight harm.
In the next two thousand years, all people know that the most beautifu
l image in the world was Si Shi holding her hands in front of her boso
m.
Where are they now?
King Kou Chiang finally got his vengeance, but something had happened
to him during all those years when the only emotion he could feel was
hate. Feng Li must have sensed it. He resigned his post and told his b
uddy Wen Chung to resign with him. He said "Kou Chiang is someone who
you can depend on during hard times, but it will be impossible to shar
e good times with him." Wen Chung didn't believe his old friend. He be
lieved that he could finally enjoy the rewards he deserved.
Feng Li disappeared from history. Some said that he became a hermit. S
ome said that he became a merchant prince who owned the wealth of king
doms. Si Shi became the Chinese version of Helen, the beauty who destr
oyed a great kingdom. Some said that Si Shi went with Feng Li and they
lived happily ever after. Some said that Si Shi died when Kou Chiang'
s wife, fearing losing her husband, tied a rock to the woman's back an
d sank her in a lake, gloating "Now, you never have to grow old." You
can pick the ending you prefer.
Kou Chiang became as Feng Li predicted, cruel and merciless. Wen Chung
was forced to commit suicide when he was wrongfully charged with trea
son. The end he inflicted upon Wu Tzu-shi became his own end. Kou Chia
ng became full of pride. He made war with the great powers of northern
China. The wars brought no decisive victory. Then he died. After his
death his kingdom fell apart. Eventually, Chuh absorbed the territorie
s of Wu and Yueh. The Yueh people fled south. Over the centuries, they
were pushed farther south by the expanding Chinese empire until they
entered present day Vietnam. They are there still.
Recently, an archaeological excavation in Hunan uncovered two bronze s
words. One of them was thought to be the sword of Fu Chai. The other w
as attributed to be the sword owned by Kou Chiang. The legends of the
precious swords have some basis in fact. If anyone know more about the
archaeological findings, please e-mail me. The swords Fish Intestine
and Defeater of Evil were buried with King Ho Lu, Fu Chai's father. Th
e locals swore that they periodically saw a white tiger standing upon
the tomb of Ho Lu. The white tiger was the symbol of metal, so the loc
als believe that the tiger was the personification of the magic swords
under there. Believe it or not.
As for the Yueh Maiden, she never existed in real history. She always
existed in the land of legends and there, presumably, she roams still.
Doubtlessly she has performed many great deeds there, deeds which wil
l remain unknown until some scribe comes and tell the tales as they de
serve to be told.
--
难忘武侠情，
又念讽刺经，
笑傲江湖走一遭，
不行，不行！
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