Ancient Sword

Ye Yanbu

On the shore of the North Sea sat a tall mountain that was topped with snow year-round, along with howling winds.

At the foot of the mountain in a secluded cave lived a young swordsman.

The young swordsman had lived there for seven years. Four years prior he began his martial arts training with his master. He had had some martial arts training before that, and because he trained diligently he made much progress in those four years and became his master’s favorite student.

In the summer of the fourth year, his master called all the disciples together and told them of his plan to retire and live in seclusion in a foreign land. No longer would he be involved with wulin affair of the Central Plains, and since the students had completed their training, they could leave the mountain. There was much discussion among the students, and then they packed up their things, made plans for what to do once they had left the mountain, then bid farewell to their master and each went his own way. Only the young swordsman had acquired the chivalric ambition to help the people who suffered from some injustice, and so he felt his martial arts was not good enough yet. He couldn’t yet face the world outside the mountain. He thought about it for some time, and at night once the others had left he knelt before the cave entrance where his master lived and asked to stay with his master and continue training.

His master didn’t respond. The dark of night gradually crept into the stone cave and silence reigned for most of the night. When it was almost light, his master finally sighed and said, “Ai, I’ve been in the Central Plains for decades taking on students and never found one who was promising. I had thought to go abroad and live the hermit’s life. I did not expect that before I left I would meet someone with such diligence. Alright, there’s no need for me to take my school’s swordplay manual and secret map with me. Come inside.”

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