Zhang Huaishen's swordsmanship was taught by his uncle. According to his uncle, swordsmanship has three realm…
Zhang Huaishen's swordsmanship was taught by his uncle.
According to his uncle, swordsmanship has three realms, mediocre men wield swords, extraordinary men listen to swords, and supreme men need no swords.
It means in a duel, mediocre swordsmen only use their blades crudely. Extraordinary ones strike before the sound of the sword reaches the enemy. The greatest swordsman, however, never draws his sword, yet he can repel all foes.
"But how can you repel enemies without drawing your sword?" The young Zhang Huaishen looked at his revered uncle, confused.
"Because everyone believes that the sword that remains sheathed is the strongest in the world."
"Most people hold awe for the unknown. As long as the sword stays in its sheath, imagination and hesitation linger in their minds."
"But once drawn, everyone sees its true form, and it is no longer the sword of a supreme man."
"But... when that sword is drawn, everyone waits eagerly. It must be the most brilliant strike, right?"
His uncle froze, looking at the naive boy in front of him, filled with emotion. After a moment of hesitation, he said,
"Yes. It will be the most brilliant strike."
Zhang Huaishen suddenly thought that perhaps his uncle was once like him, fearless, youthful, riding freely across mountains and rivers.
He thought for a long, long time, until he remembered his uncle had long since disappeared. He realized he had forgotten to ask him so many things...
But now, he would never get the chance to ask.
He was still here, but his uncle had already returned to the Tang.
Over the long years, his swordsmanship became increasingly exquisite, so exquisite it inspired fear. Enemies feared its power and allies feared its influence.
All these fears merged into a quagmire in the shadows.
He suddenly recalled the "supreme man's sword," longing to draw his own and slash through the quagmire, but he couldn't.
Suddenly, he understood that his sword already had a sheath.
The sheath was in Chang'an, his uncle was his sheath.
In the story of the supreme man without a sword, the sheath protects the blade. But in his story, the blade wanted to protect the sheath.
As long as the blade exists, the sheath exists. As long as the blade remains unbroken, the sheath will not perish.
Day after day, he petitioned Chang'an, hiding his sharpness beneath the sheath.
The person he wanted to protect had ultimately become his weakness.
His former pride had turned into a prison confining himself.
Until the day the sheath returned to Liangzhou.
On that day, everyone in Liangzhou heard the sword's lament.
In that moment, people witnessed the most brilliant strike in the world.
After that, there was no sword left.