Will you be going to the mountains to hunt?
To be alone
Yi Ho.
Get him!
If one defeats the four schools in Wuyi Lane,
they can open their own school--
a 200-year rule.
I hope to have a fair chance
The form of your sword is unfair
You don't deserve a chance
This bow has the strength of 12 stones
There are many bows here
Van possibly
You are right
Break your sword then you leave.
He is no match for you
Hmmm
What an evil sword
It's a great sword
Too bad
xii?
I'm going to see the Wuyi Lane fights
What's the big deal?
All the young kung fu masters will be there.
It's a rare sight
Why is there a fight?
There's a Japanese pirate in the city.
The winner gets the right to go after him.
They've overrated h I m
That's not it!
They're treating the Japanese pirate like the prize!
They'll get him after they've had some fun!
What if the Japanese pirate escapes?
The reason for this fight
may actually be to scare him away
Let me go take a look!
- Ready to go? - Can you go?
- He paid too much - Be happy then.
- We'll update you later - Later.
What's the point, if you're not looking?!
I'm not here to watch you dance
I'm testing your physical strength
What's the point in that?!
If your people decide to invade my country,
I'll be more prepared
My people are wandering nomads
with no land
How would we invade your country?
You have a point,
but all wars are pointless
They're just running around How boring!
- That's right-- boring! - Lousy!
They should be at each other's throats, fighting until death.
- That's what I call a real fight! - That's right.
You don't understand.
Chinese martial arts
isn't like street fighting
Victory is decided
the split-second they clash head-on
The Lu school fighter
is weak
We'll see
Very strong legs
General Qi trains his men well
How much more can you last?
Now do you know the difference
between civilian and military combat skills?
This is a Japanese sword
and it shouldn't be used
I'll agree to release you, but destroy it.
This sword is used for combating the Japanese
Regular swords..
Are no match when fighting
against the Japanese
The general taught us
to use Japanese swords
to fight against them
with their own weapon!
There are many ways to fight
There is simply no need
to copy your enemy
Take, for example,
General Yu's yuanyang formation
of three shield bearers with two spear holders.
Existing weapons can surely
defeat Japanese invaders.
The patrol teams in the capital
are all using yuanyang formation now
That... is the right way
This is no longer a Japanese sword!
The general remodeled its length
and the method of wielding it
to defeat the Japanese sword!
Whatever the changes were,
it was only temporary
The invaders were defeated long ago
The two generals, Qi and Yu,
have also passed on.
Let the
past die with them
The Qi army is gone
This army won't accept this sword
My only wish is to pass it on
and to keep its memory alive
Don't get your hopes up
It's very difficult
to get people to adapt to a new sword
including
the masters.
Martial art skills are not necessarily
the best weapons in a battle
You'll know that after?
You stand here long enough
The one who escaped was General Qi's last bodyguard
He will never give up!
Very well
We are at peace
There is nothing else
to do for fun
Break!
Why didn't anyone inform me
about the Japanese in town?
Chief, may I have a word?
Come, give it a few knocks
I'm almost 50
and I'm still wearing paper armor
My last wish is to wear metal armor
An imperial suit
You're the anti-pirate chief
in charge of the city
Surely you can get one if you so wish.
Hmm?
Making your own armor is an offense.
It must be bestowed by the imperial court
It's peaceful times now,
so I can't get armor
What the chief means is
Japanese pirates have been long gone for years.
It's rare to find one here
If caught, it'll be an accomplishment
that merits a suit of metal armor.
I need everyone's support
If there's any news,
send me word
- All right? - Uh-huh.
- All right. Let's go - Uh-huh.
- Madam Qiu! - Madam Qiu!
Leave me alone
What did you tell the anti-pirate chief?
I said we've got a real Japanese here
Why did you say that?
I just went along
with what people are saying
Didn't we agree to just scare him off?
With this martial arts contest?
It's also to boost the morale of our disciples
Yes, that's true,
but it's impossible for people to accept a Japanese sword
as their own. He isn't even Japanese
The fastest way to crush his dream
is for him to be branded and captured as a Japanese
Stop the fights Search for him
- The Vermillion bird of the South - The Black Warrior of the North
I really want to go!
To what,
see the fights?
I can show you
You are bad people
I shouldn't have come to China
Let me talk to you. Come
Two words, "Yi. Ho
What's that?
Put the words together
"Yi Ho." Ho!
HQ!
- Ho! - Ho!
It's an army drill command
unknown to outsiders
Are you a military man?
Continue
You still have strength
I want to use my energy for other things!
Pour the wine in the river
And what for?
A test
Huh?!
Sailan!Sailan!
Your customer is the Japanese pirate!
- He's Japanese! - Sailan!
Good body strength
I'll teach you to fight one on one
Want to learn?
Place one end of the rod out
Close your eyes.
Wait for the enemy's weapons to make contact.
When you hear the sound of contact,
don't open your eyes
Use your full force to pull upwards.
Madam, it's late
A woman should be home by now.
Giving me orders?
Brother Qiu may not be around
but his reputation is still important.
That's our home!
- What do we do without our home? - We can't live without it.
- That's our home! - Get lost!
Move it! Go!
Be nice
What should I do?
Continue
What is it?
Nothing.
Yuanyang formation
- Never trust these martial arts types - Yes.
- He's failed to inform me again - Yes.
General, it's him!
Aren't you supposed to be on that boat?
That was a trick
How dare you trick me!
The yuanyang formation can beat the sword.
Even you succeeded
General Yu is a true master
Surrender?
I'll bind you
oh!
Drop your weapons
They'll never listen to you
Drop it!
Jump!
Sir, there's a technical problem
The sword is close to my neck
If I jump too high
it might cut my throat
You doubt my skills?
No, I doubt my own skills.
He's drowned! He's drowned!
- He's drowned! - Behind you.
All right
Men, move out
If you were three years younger,
the martial arts fighters trying to defeat you
would pay with broken arms and legs
If you were five years younger,
no one could beat you
Stay in the mountains
and spend your remaining years in peace
Brother, give me some water, please
Bro, you must have become an immortal
You look even younger than me
You should move to the mountains too
No stress-- you'll age slower
So why are you leaving then?
I don't have a choice. A Japanese has appeared
The young ones are no match for him.
- Can't others do it? - Yes.
I knew who you were
when you left for the mountains
many many years ago--
the top master of Shuangye City Qiu Dongyue.
- Oh, no no. - Just take it.
You can't.
- Where's your daughter? - What for?
I want to give her some money too.
You remember me because I was once pretty
When the two villages fought over a drain,
my husband broke his leg fighting.
I'll have to take on all the farm work come spring
My body will become
tough and strong like an ox
I'll no longer be pretty
Come here.
This amount will last us years
If we live frugally, it'll see us through
the rest of our lives. Right?
I know there's another way of looking at this gift.
When my husband's leg was broken,
I went into the city
This is the price for a prostitute, right?
You deserve this
I am a true martial artist
I just want
to do some good
Master
Thank you! Thank you!
Go ask them what the hell they're talking about.
Have the girls gotten him hooked?
They're talking about tata
Tata?
What is tata?
Destiny
Tata.
Send more men
If there are more injuries,
the name of the four schools
will be ruined
Since last night,
we've had 11 men injured already
My men have sealed off the two sides of the river
Send more.
Send more men
Go
Brother Qiu
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Why don't you break in through the back window
- and get him? - Stupid! So stupid!
- Stupid! Stupid! - What do you know?
We are from a reputable martial arts school
and don't sneak up on our opponents.
Martial arts principals in China
Have you heard of Generals Qi and Yu?
Of course. 16 years ago,
the Japanese invaded our southeastern shores
and killed numbers of our soldiers with their swords.
We were lucky to have Generals Qi and Yu,
who came up with ways
to get them out of our land
Generals Yu devised the yuanyang formation
and General Qi used the Japanese sword to fight back
By observing by the way
the Japanese wielded their swords?
He realized that it evolved from rodwork
He focused on rod training for his soldiers
and only gave them swords right before the battle.
And they won all their battles.
Since the Japanese army couldn't forget
their sword origins and train with rods,
they were unable to improve their skills
That's why General Qi's army surpassed them.
General Qi's rodwork is called
Shadow and Sound
He is using Sound
That's true.
Shadow and Sound
is known only within the Qi army
The Emperor once sent the Imperial Guard Commander to learn it,
but he was turned away
In the end he only learned the yuanyang formation from General Yu
He can fool others
but not me
I use a spear
The Shadow and Sound concept applies to spearwork too.
What is this martial arts concept all about?
If the man on the boat isn't Japanese
and is someone from the Qi army
we'll be a laughingstock.
Life is unpredictable.
Perhaps when the Japanese were defeated.
They discovered the relationship
between rodwork, and swordplay
Mmm
- Not impossible - Not impossible
Whoever he may be,
he's fought against us for one full day.
He will be defeated
Brother Qiu, the reputation of the four schools
depends on you.
Is my beard a little
too black?
In my experience, the angle of the rod
tells me where the man inside the boat is standing.
Sound is based on reacting
upon hearing the enemy's weapon against the rod
without relying on one's sight
Before the enemy can react,
the rod would've hit him
This is the beauty of Sound?
But its flaw lies in that you only have one chance
You may strike first,
and I can duck before being hit
Such a cheap trick
I am the true martial artist
I don't need to rely on such cheap tricks
In combat, it's all about reaction
Let's see who moves faster
Sir, since last night,
we've swam two full laps around the city.
Are you wearing us down to drown us? Huh?
No, I'm doing a test
- Huh? - You're from the anti-pirate army
I'm testing your water endurance
I want to test the defense skill of this city.
Well, your test is over
I can't swim any more
No, you still have strength
Just kill us!
Shall we swim another lap? Huh?
Where's my partner?
- Who? - The Japanese
Oh, at Master Qie's
Why didn't you go earlier?
Security is usually
more lax in the daytime
Oh.
You're a military genius
You are too, since you understand
Come with me, men. Let's go
Go on home, Brother Qiu
Tell me where it is that you want to go
I'll take you
Not...
home.
To my home then
Not inside
I'm feeling better
The air is...
better here
You shouldn't have returned
You know that I don't want you here.
I know why you left
for the mountains
You took the daughter of the Shi family
in Boadi City as your wife
You never thought that she would bring her bodyguard
along with her, did you?
Since she was from a military family
you really didn't think much of it
until the day you found them together,
and then you finally saw
that they were actually lovers
I would have killed them,
but instead you
left for the mountains,
and left your entire fortune
for the two adulterers
Tell me why
After you left, I took over
as the leader of the four schools
You know, I could have killed them
and taken your fortune,
but I decided not to do it
I treated them well
and let them live on happily
Do you know why?
So that you would never return
Your words
are killing me
I cannot compete with you
I'll leave,
far away,
when I recover.
You're still my brother
Take care
Fear not
I just need a favor
Here are..
Three pieces of gold
Please give these
to a woman named Gai'e
She lives in Yinma Village
I thought I would die
on that boat
I had one regret--
that I did not give her?
The last of my coins
It's a small
amount,
but it's hers
Mmm. I will go
I never understood
why you tolerated
your wife's affair
Because...
I'm too old
This is good
You can stay here
You're going to kill me?
Don't kill me. Please don't
Everyone come here.
Can we talk about this first, please?
I would like to dry my armor in the sun first
It's made of paper paste
After being in the water for so long it'll lose its shape.
I'm almost 50
clothed inpaper like a kid.
not good enough for metal
Paper armor is better than metal armor
Once the paper paste hardens,
it's resistant to water, it can withstand powerful arrows
It's lighter too.
You're the expert. So what?
I'd prefer metal armor
Master, we all know that it's been many years
since you have touched a weapon
Tell us, did anything happen?
I am the best martial arts fighter in Shuangye.
It is time
Time to end this saga
Do not follow me
Commander
Ow! Careful-- my foot
Ah. Forget aboiut it.
What's the next step?
The masters are all by the river
No one's at the mansion
We'll start a fire at the mansion,
so they'll all come back and put it out
We'll have a better chance against them if they're tired
I stood on my feet for so long
and I realized one thing--
the combat skills of the military
are different from the martial world
Let's just give up
The Qi army is gone
It was your idea to pass on the secret skills
to keep the memory alive!
Not anymore!
The waterway is our exit
What are you doing?!
Your dream is now my dream
Use this as a crutch
What's going on?
The three girls from the boat
can't go home,
the poor things
I take it that they've been fed, right?
What are they doing?
They are trying
to show their gratitude to us
I see you've brought your weapon
Are you going in?
- Do you have any wine? - We dance better with wine
- Give us some wine. - Give us some wine, please
Give us wine
Serve the wine
You're out of luck
I planned to kill you in your sleep
It's hard to be kind
Do it now
Being forgiven
is harder than being punished
You should have
killed us back then.
Perhaps
I should have
done so.
Just kill me
You wanna die?
I won't kill you
Let's exchange some secrets
General Qi is a hero that I admire
It's good to pass on
his skills
Do what you need to do
I didn't see anything
Hey, you didn't tell me your secret
I never promised I would
Starting a fire is not very smart
Don't you have
a better idea?
Yes, but I'm alone
Use another method. I'll help
You realize that you could die
I can hardly wait
It's an hour to sunset
With these two lanterns hung here,
the shadows from outside will be reflected in here.
What?
When the top of the shadows touch the earring,
that's when you strike
It'll be accurate
Just like that?
The others are highly skilled
This rodwork
is a technique
for beginners to beat masters
Thanks for helping Take care.
What do you call this technique?
Shadow
What is your name?
I'll tell you next time
Will we meet again?
I'll meet you once for everyone you defeat
- Guys... - Why don't you dance?
- Oh, come on - Dance for us
- Dance for us. - Come on, just a little
- Dance for us. Come on - Dance. Oh, come on.
- Dance for us. Come on! - Dance! Dance! Dance!
Oh!
Get these dancers out of here
- This is getting ridiculous - Go on.
- Go on now. Move move move move - Go on, move.
- Go on, go on, go on - Move move move.
- Brother Qie, don't get mad - Don't get mad.
Boil some oil.
Whatever for?
To Prepare my spear
I'm using it on the Japanese
Go in
Come on, let's go
You go on ahead
Our bad thoughts make us do this.
Blame it on our custom
Chinese girls don't dance
like you girls do
All right, we will do what you guys ask of us,
but there's three of us and five of you guys
It's not civilized
I understand
There are two short straws in my hand here.
The ones who get them leave-- no complaints.
Don't just settle it like that
Can't you act like real men
and kill each other for us?
Brother! Bro!
How could we forget to keep count?
I'm the only one left It's one to three.
Surely it's civilized to you now
Sure it is!
We can climb out from here
Those five men again! It's their ghosts!
Brother Qie, the oil's been boiling for hours.
Add another two buckets
Master Qie!
Hyah!
Move aside
Come here. Let me test your strength
I don't mean to bother you but I have urgent business
- Speak. - Is Qiu Dongyue in town?
- Yes. - I heard he was injured by the Japanese
and is now in your home
- Yes. - And what about Ms. Shi?
Well, she's been gone since she heard the news
I think she must have
snuck into your residence, Master
You could've done the same
I thought about doing that too,
but I'd rather have your permission
Thank you
I've cooked a pot of oil.
Come take a look
At 22 years old
I used a spear that weighed 40 lbs,
which I used till I was 53
The man I admire most is Qiu Dongyue.
Since he left for the mountains,
no one worthy
has been around for me to use such a heavy weapon against.
This spear is made of bamboo?
When boiling oil is poured onto the bamboo,
it doesn't break easily against metal
I didn't know
You're the bodyguard from Madam Qiu's maiden home,
and it's a habit for you to call her "Ms. Shi."
But Brother Qiu is a man I admire,
so do address her as Madam Qiu
At least in front of me
Yes sir, you are right
A Japanese! He's here! Someone help me!
You. You are back
Your strength is very scary
Come on! Please, no more tests!
You have a point. You've helped me a lot
I need to explain things to you
16 years ago, Japanese pirates invaded our coast.
General Qi and General Yu--
It's all right
I already have the answer I need
What's that?
You're a tata
Huh?
It's a custom of ours
that if a woman has risked her life for a man,
this man is now and forever her tata
- What is a tata? - Destiny.
What's with the mess?
The Japanese got in and injured a few men
Gan Gang
My head
really aches
Where is Ms. Shi?
Why would she see me?
I will leave
once I recover
and never return
You'll stay in the city with Ms. Shi
perhaps forever
Master Qie is a very
powerful man in this city
If you can help him
get rid of the Japanese invader,
you'll have his backing in the future
Thank you
You're the top master
and you were defeated
How can I defeat him?
I'm very old now,
my senses are slow
but I still have technique
I can help you
- Closer. - Who's that?
- Go away - Closer.
- Get lost! I said get lost! - It's me.
- Master! - Master Qiu?
Closer
This man is very skilled
He's adjusting his breathing
Once his breath is at its most calm,
his reflexes will be the fastest.
Yi.
The trick lies in those two lanterns
The attacks aren't based on your movement,
but on your shadow. That's why he's faster
This is Shadow
Yes, I know what to do now
What do you know?
I'll destroy the lanterns
and then barge in
And battle it out for a few rounds?
Masters don't fight that way
We strike once
At your age,
you should be fighting like a master.
Move forward one inch at a time,
very very slowly
so that he doesn't see any change in the shadow
Walk towards the door
The moment you see your shadow on the doorway
swing your ax upwards
What next?
He's dead
But how is that possible?
I don't even know if he's on the left
or the right side of the door
Just swing your ax upwards
If he's on the left
the ax will swing left.
If on the right, it'll swing right
But that's impossible
It's hard to comprehend a master
Don't think. Just believe in me
Go on. Now
Qiu Dongyue, I tricked you into leaving
You were so focused on martial arts
that you never suspected anything
But an impure heart destroys one's art
Before today, I would've never imagined
that I'd lose my fighting spirit
Among the traditional weapons,
spears are ranked first and rods are second.
The rod is designed to defeat the spear.
I missed killing him by half an inch
My spear feels different.
You were right, Brother Qiu
Move!
Master, a Japanese broke in
Please go see
Let it be.
Yi Ho. Yi Ho!
I'm the Japanese pirate
Come and get me!
I'm Japanese! I am Japanese!
I'm Japanese!
I am Japanese!
- I'm Japanese! - Yi Ho.
Yi Ho. Yi Ho
- Yi Ho. Yi Ho. Yi Ho - Yi Ho!
My name is General Liu Kai
from the anti-pirate army
Ladies!
My lord. My lord
Congratulations, you've got him
You're so brave! You're my tata
What's a tata?
- Destiny. - He's my tata
- No, he's mine - He's my tata.
- He's my tata - He's mine!
- Mine. He's my tata - Mine!
- No. He's mine! - My tata!
- My tata. - He's mine
We know that you're from the Qi army.
That's why we didn't use arrows against you
Now that things have spiraled out of control,
if you continue to resist,
the 600 arrows from our reserves
are here and ready to be used
If you walk out the door,
we'll give you a chance
to compete at Wuyi Lane
If you defeat all four schools,
you'll be able to set up your own school
We've fought already
We've fought.
We've fought too
Your skills are poor and I am injured.
We should stop
and let the real masters continue
Stepping aside is a virtue
Hmm
So your sword can be drawn this way too
Japanese never do it this way
General Qi increased the sword's length.
Japanese swords are sharp on all sides.
Ours is sharp only at the tip
The other edges can be used to block attacks.
You can hold it here, use it like a shorter sword
General Qi is in a league of his own
It's a pity that I didn't get to meet him
even though we live in the same age.
General Qi defeated many enemies with this sword
I will use it to defeat you
Watch out
Thank you
Don't look at my weapon
Watch my feet
I lost
This sword lost
Commander!
Hold on, young man
You lost on the basis of skills, not sword.
You all saw the sword is unique
and it would be suitable for a new school.
- That's true - I saw that.
Yes.
You brought two swords.
This one will stay here,
displayed in the weapons rack
of the new school as proof of this fight.
Take this sword
Be sure
to pass it on
Will he be back?
Tata! Tata. Tata. Tata!
Tata!
Tata! Tata!
Tata. Tata. Tata!
Tata. Tata! Tata
Keep walking. Don't look at them
Tata!
Tata, everyone knows
that you've always hated paper armor
and wished for a suit of metal armor.
The Japanese was a fake
and you didn't get what you wished for
My pitiful tata!
Let us give you what your heart desires!
The general?
Hurry-- another challenger at Wuyi Lane.
Tata. Tata
Never trust those martial arts masters.
- Tata. Tata. - They didn't inform me again!
Tata. Tata. Tata! Tata! Tata!
Tata! Tata! Tata!
Tata!
You okay?
I am fine
That's good then
You're leaving
without saying goodbye to anyone?
Do not be so
hard on my wife
Mmm.
I once asked you for a favor,
to give my last bit of money
to someone.
I want to do it myself now
I know the way out
Mmm
What is your name?
I'll tell you the next time
Will we meet again?
I'll meet you once for everyone you defeat
Where are we going?
Suhang