I knew my father could take care of himself, but still I was concerned.
That night, I couldn’t fall asleep. Not after hearing Pa say those words. So I took out Miss Priya’s book on Chinese sword fighting and continued reading.
King Guojian believed that once he learnt the Nameless Lady’s secrets, he would be able to create an invincible army.
Their first conversation was recorded by the court officials.
King Guojian: “People say you’re the greatest sword fighter in my kingdom. Explain your method.”
Nameless Lady of the Southern Forest: “In the Southern Forest, my father taught me to watch the sun cross the sky, and from this, I learnt to circle patiently around my opponent. I watched the tiger leap from the shadows, and from this, I learnt to surprise my opponent and strike swiftly. Finally, I watched my own reflection in the river, and from this, I learnt the power of shadows and illusions.”
At this moment, without warning, the woman snatched the sword of the soldier standing behind her. He did not have time to react.
King Guojian: “Such insolence! Have you forgotten where you are? Guards! Seize her!”
His soldiers drew their swords and rushed forward.
The woman wasn’t afraid. The sword in her hand fluttered left and right, blocking their attacks neatly and returning their blows.
Even more soldiers were summoned from the outer courtyard. In all, there must have been at least four hundred of them working together to overpower the woman who was fighting by herself.
Still she kept fighting.
Many soldiers were injured, but none were killed. Finally, they gave up.
The woman bowed to King Guojian and offered him her sword.
Nameless Lady of the Southern Forest: “My king, I call this the Art of the Honest Sword. If you think that I am worthy, please allow me to teach this to your soldiers.”
The king was impressed.
King Guojian: “You shall not be nameless anymore. From this day on, you will take the name of my kingdom.”
That was how she became Lady Yue.
After that, she gave sword fighting classes to the king’s loyal generals, who in turn taught this to their soldiers.
And so the Kingdom of Yue was able to defeat its many enemies and protect its land from invaders.
To ensure that Lady Yue’s teachings would not be lost, the court officials compiled the lessons into a training manual. They called it The Sword of Lady Yue.
The Art of the Honest Sword can be summarised in a few words:
Make your heart firm, but keep your movements as light as the clouds. Be like a great shadow, to bewilder your enemy. And never ever let your guard down.
Perhaps it was the magic of the late hour. Or maybe there was something in the story that inspired me.
That was when I realised that we had been looking in all the wrong places.
Clang, clang, clang.
I started to see the clues in a different light.
Nam ho chi tao!