Sword Dynasty
Episode 13
They are using the same swords.
According to the law of the Kingdom of Heng,
people in the Booklet of Talents are forbidden to engage in a private duel.
They are edgeless black iron swords
specially made for the Tournament.
The reason the swords are not edged yet
is to guarantee absolute fairness.
They do put a lot of thoughts on the Tournament.
Which one of you is Ding Ning?
Who wants to see me?
I want to see you?
You were the one who challenged us
and that's why we came here.
When did I challenge you?
Ding Ning,
I found these opponents for you.
When did I say that I wanted to challenge someone?
I asked him to look for them.
The fight you and Xie Changsheng had the other day
was too boring.
So I asked him to find a few opponents for you.
For one thing, you get to practice;
for another,
I can have some fun watching.
You have found too many opponents for me!
Come on!
I am Lu Duofeng,
who ranks 81st.
These two are Zhou Xieyi
ranking 86th
and Xin Jianli ranking 91st.
Maybe you remember them.
Why would I
remember someone
who ranks after me?
So arrogant!
I always don't understand
why Hongyang Academy
has placed you ahead of us.
Don't just talk the talk.
Let our swords speak for us.
Jiang Li.
Borrow the two edgeless black iron swords for me.
Ding Ning.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Since there is a problem,
I need to solve it.
But
you have never used such an
edgeless black iron sword before.
I asked you to borrow the swords,
because you are my senior fellow disciple,
and also because you always tend to hesitate.
So openly speaking on this occasion
can help you become a little bit more decisive.
He has a point.
Off you go now.
Yes, master.
Wait a moment.
Mr. Chen. Wait.
Can I borrow two
edgeless black iron swords from you?
My name is Jiang Li
from Qingteng Baiyang Cave.
If it's for the duel,
no one will refuse your request.
Thank you, Mr. Chen.
Since people only have limited physical strength in them,
I can only fight against one of you.
If the remaining two gentlemen are dissatisfied,
they can find my junior fellow disciple to work it out.
Me?
The sky is really blue.
It seems that
you are not as weak as I thought.
It's just that Chen Liufeng's victory over Fan Wuque
has proven that the ranking list in the Booklet of Talents
doesn't reflect the real strength all the time.
I am not fighting you.
I pick Zhou Xieyi.
What?
Why me?
I am a person from the marketplace,
so I have a businessman's mind.
Things without profit
seem boring in my opinion.
Since I rank ahead of you,
if I win, it's just something taken for granted.
But if I lose,
I will not only lose face
but also become your stepping-stone.
What do you mean?
The message couldn't be clearer.
Even an unskilled laborer
won't waste his effort in vain.
For this kind of duel,
naturally, we need a bet to spice it up.
You really think that you can beat me?
What's the bet?
If you lose,
I want to see the Zhou family's Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual.
If you win,
I will show you the notes of Mr. Xue, the head of Baiyang Cave.
You even know the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual of our Zhou family in the Ink Garden.
Why did you lie
that you didn't remember us?
Knowing the existence of the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual
doesn't mean I know your ranking.
This guy is so arrogant.
Allegedly, although the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual
only contains freehand ink-painting pictures
without any text,
and if whoever sees it
is fortunate enough to
understand different artistic conceptions from it,
he will learn different sword movements.
However,
even the most talented person in the Zhou family
only figured out three of them.
Your father gave you the name Xieyi, which means freehand,
hoping that you can sort out another movement.
You certainly have done your homework
and known a lot of stuff.
No matter which one of us wins,
access to the manual or notes is limited within one day.
If I win,
even if I stare at the manual for a day,
I may not learn anything from it.
But if you get to read the notes of Mr. Xue for a day,
you can gain a lot.
This bet
is in your favor in so many ways.
That being the case,
I thank you in advance for your good intentions.
Let's go.
After you.
Let's go.
I like his
groundless self-confidence.
Ding Ning
didn't start practicing until last year.
Although he ranks high on the list now,
he has just reached the lower grade of the third realm,
while Zhou Xieyi
has already reached the medium grade of the third realm.
I can't think of any reason
Ding Ning will win.
You mean my brother-in-law will lose the duel?
We hope he'll win.
But the vast majority
are holding the opposite idea.
Fan Wuque just
lost with this sword.
You don't think it's of bad luck?
Since we're swordsmen,
we must respect the sword.
There's no such thing as a sword of bad luck.
The sword is our life.
You should know that
if you never lose,
then you won't win.
You want to use such words
to disturb my mindset?
I am afraid only gangsters
do this before a fight.
Let's start.
I'd like to see how good he can be.
The Baiyang Sword Charm Manual!
So fast.
Ding Ning is really powerful.
With this sword movement alone,
he is worthy to be listed in the booklet.
He deliberately revealed a weakness
to trick Zhou Xieyi into
using the sword movement called Yellow Cloud Killing Rosy Glow.
Then he will take the opportunity to strike.
Zhou Xieyi's counterattack has too much strength,
which is as bad as too little.
This is one of the three most complicated
sword charms in the Baiyang Sword Charm Manual.
I did not expect
he could use it at such a high speed.
You silly boy.
He is already fast using a broken sword normally.
He's bound to be faster when using a good sword.
Master, forgive my stupidity.
First movement of the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual:
Picturesque Landscape.
This is…
Impaling White Sheep Horns.
Impaling White Sheep Horns
is the most mundane movement
in the sword scriptures of Baiyang Cave.
However, it is also the most extraordinary one.
The most important thing in this movement is not the impaling of the horns,
but forbearance and defending.
Avoiding enemy's attack
while waiting for the opportunity to attack.
Oh no!
Ding Ning won!
Ding Ning!
Amazing!
Bravo!
I won't be defeated by you.
Both victories and defeats are common in battles.
What's more, we have a bet ongoing.
When do you want to go to the Ink Garden
to see the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual?
The sooner the better.
Today then.
Fine.
Ding Ning
is not just an ordinary person.
I really am not as good as him.
Ding Ning often said that you are
too sentimental and irresolute.
There is indeed a hesitation
in your swordsmanship.
Everyone should have a consciousness.
But you need to see who your opponent is.
The way of the swordsmanship
is a precise art of details.
If you fight against someone weaker than you,
you can easily win.
But if
your opponent is almost the same strong as you
or stronger than you,
how can you win,
when you're hesitating?
Master,
does it mean I am bad
both as a person and as a swordsman?
There are problems, yes,
but people's nature is hard to change.
I hope that
I can see you
get rid of the hesitation before I die.
Master,
don't worry.
I will try my best to do it.
Your skill level is higher than my brother-in-law's.
Yet you didn't win.
Don't you feel ashamed?
We really didn't think he was so good.
Shame on you.
Your swordsmanship,
is it from your own understanding
or Mr. Xue's notes?
A lot of people
can understand it,
but fail to execute it.
Master,
I am going to the Ink Garden to see the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual.
Ding Ning, can I go too?
Xie Changsheng,
you think everyone is allowed to see
the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual?
Quiet!
I heard that your Ink Garden is dilapidated.
How about I pay for
the renovation?
You think you can
buy everyone with your money?
Shut up!
Father.
You haven't humiliated yourself enough?
Sometimes it's OK
to be bought.
Then there's room for negotiation.
Since my son has already lost,
and outsiders can enter the garden to study the Fragment,
I don't really care how many outsiders are there.
If you talented young men
can really figure out some marvelous movements
from my Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual
and become great people because of it,
it will become a beautiful story for generations to come.
How much gold do you want?
Ten thousand tael of gold for each person.
Deal.
Xie…
Don't count me in.
I heard that the scenery of the Ink Garden is good.
I just want to appreciate the scenery.
Mr. Xue is a grandmaster.
Of course
you have no interest in studying my Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual.
That being the case,
let's go.
Zichu, you want to go out?
Mother.
I know being grounded makes you feel upset.
It's OK.
I can take the time to practice my soul and body.
But
the Lushan Alliance Meeting is around the corner.
I hope that I'll be allowed to go out by then
and accompany Father to Lushan.
That incident which happened at the palace hall was clearly a conspiracy.
There must be some people
who are jealous of your title of the Crown Prince,
so they want to drive a wedge between you and your father.
The Lushan Alliance Meeting is around the corner.
Being grounded,
you can avoid some unpredictable plot in the dark.
Consider it a silver lining
and there's no need to be upset.
In the future,
you are going to succeed to the throne and become a wise king.
I am not your real mother,
but I always treat you like my own child.
Anyway
I will find out those people behind it for you.
I will let your father
set you free after everything is clear.
Rong has been by my side for many years.
You can trust her.
If you are bored,
she can be your sparring partner.
Greetings, Your Royal Highness.
Thank you, Mother.
I just don't understand it.
I have always been nice to people.
I never attack others,
but there're people attacking me.
Your innocence
is quite a typical streak on a wise king.
In the royal palace,
you can trust others, but don't forget to lock the door.
Remember one thing,
you need to have tolerance
and patience.
Don't ask me when I came.
Today's duel
is the first battle of the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament.
I won't miss it.
But I didn't think
Ding Ning would choose you among the three.
Being defeated by a low-level practitioner
is really humiliating.
But I do hope you can learn something
from that tavern boy.
He is never moved by honor or by disgrace.
There is still some time
before the Minshan Swordsmanship Tournament.
Go and start closed-door practice when you get home.
Yes, father.
It's OK you lost one battle.
What I am really worried about is that
the boy bet on the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual.
It seems that he aimed for it before your fight.
Since you're worried,
why don't you just break our promise
and refuse to let them enter the Ink Garden?
Our family has been studying the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual
for generations, which has taken loads of time.
But even the Great Grandfather
hasn't figured out anything over the years.
In just one day,
what can a few brats possibly learn?
I see.
You are so happy.
Of course, my brother-in-law.
You surprised me again.
If you call me brother-in-law again,
I will kick you off the carriage.
Please don't do that.
I know
you can't marry my sister.
But when I call you brother-in-law,
I feel that you are closer to me.
My brother-in-law.
Brother-in-law.
Brother-in-law,
I have a question.
You picked that Zhou Xieyi
not only because we sent a duel invitation for you, right?
You are interested in the Zhou family's Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual.
What is that?
You staked such a great price
on the thought that I am after something.
What if I just did it on the spur of the moment?
I don't care.
You're the person my sister likes.
Things you like
must be very valuable.
In the era when there was no written record yet,
people recorded the practice methods
with knots on a rope,
symbols or drawings.
A range of ways were used to record them,
but few people can understand them.
The Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual
looks like a landscape painting
in the freehand style,
so it doesn't even necessarily show the shape of a landscape.
In addition, it is just a fragment.
So it's hard to comprehend
why the grandmaster left it behind.
I understand.
What do you understand?
Your money
will be wasted.
Zhou Yunhai agreed to let us see it
because he thought that within such a short period of time,
we won't be able to figure out anything.
Your Majesty.
The palace maid who talked nonsense in the court that day
might have been poisoned by the Gu poison from Xian.
Xian?
That's right.
This poison can invade people's mind.
Once breaking out, the victim will become a puppet,
whose words and deeds are controlled by others.
She had messy viscera and turbid pupils.
All symptoms are consistent with those caused by the Gu poison.
Did you find the people who poisoned her?
It came from a very distant source.
The Jiantian Bureau is investigating
caravans and merchants travelling between Heng and Xian one by one.
Your Majesty.
Zihan has been in Xian for many years.
He must be familiar with
many people who know how to use the poison.
We can let him check it there.
How is the case of Nangong Shang's death going?
Nangong Shang was indeed killed by someone using Moshi Swordsmanship.
But compared with the previous death of Marquis Dugu,
his wounds
are smoother.
His practice is progressing so fast.
Judging from the wounds alone,
the murderer refined his or her Moshi Swordsmanship
between the two crimes.
Or he or she might have gotten a handier weapon.
Maybe there are more than one murderers.
Look at me.
If Liang Jingmeng is still alive,
he must have entered the eighth realm.
If he fights against me,
who do you think will win?
Of course Your Majesty will win.
The case of the disciple has been in a deadlock
for a long time in the Jiantian Bureau.
Ask them to close the case within one month.
Yes, Your Majesty.
This Ink Garden of the Zhou family
is nothing like I imagined.
Look at this dirty water.
Look, the flowers are dead.
This place is too shabby.
If you really want to repair it here,
I guess my tens of thousands of tael of gold are not enough.
If you want to give me more,
I will not say no.
No.
The Zhou family's Ink Garden
is indeed impressive.
I will stop here.
Just find a place
and give me a pot of hot tea.
If you like,
I will accompany you
to the study room to have some rest.
You take them to see it.
Yes, father.
Mr. Xue.
This way please.
Everybody,
this way please.
This Ink Garden is really amazing.
Everything is either black or white.
Looks so unreal.
The garden only shows black and white here
because it's immersed in some kind of breath.
It's like the power of some magic formation
that caused changes
in light and color.
How do you know
the colors you see normally
are not just an illusion?
Just a fragment alone
is like a large magic formation
that can cause such a change.
No wonder even those big names
wanted to borrow this Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual to study.
The part missing in the upper right corner
is not just a corner of the pale mountain
or a tail of the river.
Beyond the mountain,
there should be something more important.
That should be a star,
or a cold moon.
This picture
should have been more complete than it is now.
Some parts of that corner
were taken by someone of the Zhou family
on purpose.
I can't see anything
from this Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual.
You can only watch, don't touch it.
OK, I won't.
I won't.
What's the big deal?
Jiang Li, what did you see?
Nothing.
What about you?
Ding Ning.
What did you see?
I have some doubts,
I want to be alone outside for a moment.
You guys go on without me.
I will be right back.
It seems that many generations of practitioners of the Zhou family
didn't gain much
from the Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual.
So many people are dead
without leaving any marks.
But you are still alive.
Before the battle
between Xue Wangxu and Liang Lian,
a practitioner was killed in Fengming.
Nangong Shang
from the Bureau of Royal Secretaries.
He was killed by someone using Moshi Swordsmanship.
This man named Ding Ning,
sells wine for a living at a tavern named Wutongluo.
I want some oil.
With excellent talent,
he has a rare body of yang hyperactivity.
She has no practice level at all.
This is a rose.
That is an Osmanthus flower.
Are you nervous?
Because…
You have something to worry about?
His Majesty the King has doubts on you
only out of his own anxiety.
The murderer advanced rapidly in his or her practice.
When I was reporting to His Majesty the King,
a person came to my mind all of a sudden.
I want to ask you to help me test him.
It seems that there is only one person in Fengming
who has advanced rapidly in practice recently.
Ding Ning.
What did you see?
I didn't see anything.
It seems that there are two mountains.
One mountain is a little bigger
and the other is a little smaller.
If you just saw two mountains,
focus on the two mountains.
Don't be too greedy.
Two mountains are already more than enough.
Look at these two mountains.
Find the place that is the clearest to you,
and just stare at that place.
Don't think about getting to understand everything.
Jiang Li, what is confusing you?
I started from the simplest place.
The simplest place
of this picture is at the top.
Extremely thin lines
like a few white clouds.
But the cloud-like thin lines
are extremely difficult to understand.
I can clearly feel something is behind the lines,
but I don't know what it is.
Obviously one day
is not enough.
If we were given months of time,
we will definitely get some inspiration.
You are really talented.
You already have some insights.
The white clouds
seem to have only a shape, but they're more than that.
The lower end is pale yet contains the image of water.
The pale contour is flat
but points downward.
Looks like the white clouds
will turn into rain soon.
Ding Ning.
Like you said, it is rain,
not cloud!
The Fragment of the Freehand Sword Manual
is really something amazing.
It's Mr. Xue's disciples
who are truly amazing.
You were so fascinated by it,
what did you see?
I saw a river.
I don't know why,
there are many things on this fragment,
but I can only see this river.
This is normal.
Everyone has their own temperament, preference,
and practice level.
Naturally they see different things.
My father also said a similar thing.
I think if I can understand it,
I will only look for what attracts me the most
in this river.
This is the correct approach.
So pretentious.
I advise you not to mislead and cause harm to them.
I did not expect
there would be such a method of enlightenment.
And I surely didn't expect
young people of Fengming
would have such an insight.
Great Grandfather.
You…
You can't be
Mr. Zhou, the senior master?
Who?
The Zhou family's Great Grandfather Zhou Rongmo?
You are not dead yet?
Xie Changsheng!
It's OK.
Old, but not dead yet,
exactly me.
I just
overheard your words to enlighten her.
Even I have a feeling of being enlightened.
And let me take a wild guess.
Previously there were people gaining
enlightenment from this painting one after another.
Is it because of you?
It seems that I did not guess it wrong.
Can you really understand the full picture?
Of course I can't understand the full picture.
I am just giving them a push.
Giving them a push?
I was just guiding them to make assumptions
on the foundation of what they saw.
However, they all have their understanding,
while I didn't realize anything.
I couldn't figure out any single
sword movement
or charm.
How can I understand the full picture?
Ding Ning,
it might because
you spent your time helping us think about it.
So you didn't have time to comprehend it.
If not, with your talent
among all of us, how could you
be the one that hasn't realized anything?
Leading others to understand what they saw
is also a kind of
amazing talent.
Unfortunately,
my practice
has encountered a serious deadlock.
Can you spare me a moment
and go see something with me?
A humble person like me
dare not do so in front of you.
Maybe your thoughts
can give a new perspective
to my practice.
I can't display my slight skill before an expert.
Enlightenment is regardless of age or hierarchy.
And you just said that
people have their own strengths.
The most important thing about enlightenment is the right timing.
You have nothing to gain here.
Maybe at my place,
you can gain something.
All right then,
I will go with you, sir.
Good.
Go with me.
I really hope that Ding Ning
can have another
special experience this time.
He's testing me.
Ding Ning.
Look.
What did you see?
It looks like a crescent moon,
and it seems to imply something related to the sword.
Among generations of practitioners
in the Zhou family,
no one
could see the crescent moon the first time they saw it.
When I was studying this painting,
what attracted me the most was this corner.
More than a hundred years….
It took me more than a hundred years to study it.
This contains not only a strong sword scripture,
but also powerful
methods of practice for the True Vitality.
The new moon waxes
and the full moon wanes.
Maybe the missing piece
of the crescent moon
is the most important part.