Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

Li Shaoyun kicked off his cloth shoes, pointed the tip of his sword diagonally at the ground, and then began to move.

Instead of moving with lightning speed, his first step was slow and clear. He landed barefoot on the cold stone ground, his toes gripping the ground, his soles hollow, like a nimble cat waiting for its chance to strike.

But with this step, his body strangely "slid" out, as if the stone ground beneath his feet had turned into ice, and he moved three feet horizontally as if skating.

The sword in his hand remained in the same position, completely still.

"Our family's swordsmanship excels at using a single sword to break a spear, so there's a mantra for it."

"Long weapons are wielded with wood, while short weapons are wielded with the arm. With long weapons, one's hand must be skillful in advancing and retreating; with short weapons, one's feet must be swift in advancing and retreating."

Li Shaoyun looked at Li Chang'an and explained:

"Long-handled weapons like guns rely on the two hands to slide along the wooden pole and twist the wrists, making them unpredictable."

"But not with a sword. The 'hilt' of a sword is your entire shoulder, elbow, and wrist; it's the sinews and bones of your whole body."

"The movement of the sword depends entirely on your two feet. If your feet are not nimble, the sword is just a lifeless object."

"Therefore, the essence of sword practice is not to make the sword look beautiful, but to train your legs first."

"Many people only care about the beauty of swordsmanship, which is putting the cart before the horse. In the past, they could only become singing girls who danced with swords, not swordsmen who killed people."

Li Shaoyun demanded, "Chang'an, if your grandfather were to draw his sword against you now, what do you intend to do?"

Li Chang'an did not answer, but simply held the sword upright in front of his chest.

This action speaks for itself.

"Haha, great!"

Li Shaoyun laughed loudly, and his movements suddenly quickened. This time, instead of moving horizontally, he lunged forward.

He darted out like a startled hare.

This step is more than ten times faster than before.

At the same time, the sword in his hand remained in the same position with the tip pointing diagonally. He didn't swing or slash; he simply "passed" it out naturally as his body lunged forward.

"laugh!"

A very faint whooshing sound rang out, and Li Shaoyun's sword stopped in front of his chest, the tip of the sword resting on a certain point in the air, completely still.

This scene sent a chill down Li Chang'an's spine. He understood why: the direction his grandfather lunged forward was precisely the path his wrist would have taken when he tried to swing his sword.

That seemingly simple "hand" would have pierced his wrist in actual combat.

Not only that, but Grandpa's lunge just now blocked all his escape routes. No matter how he dodged, the sword tip was always pointing at his arm.

It's not the throat, it's the arm.

Stabbing the throat is a sure kill, stabbing the arm is a disarming move.

You will surely kill others, and they will fight to the death before they die.

If you pierce his weapon-wielding arm, then he will have no choice but to await his execution.

Li Chang'an took a deep breath and said, "Grandpa, our family's swordsmanship is a style that emphasizes relentless offense!"

Li Shaoyun nodded with satisfaction, sheathed his sword and pointed it diagonally at the ground: "You're right. There's a line in our family's sword manual, 'To survive death and sit in an iron house,' which is the essence of this sword manual."

"After explaining a few key points and essentials, I will now formally teach you the three gates and six methods of this sword technique."

"The three gates are Tiger, Snake, and Dragon."

"The six methods are: advancing diagonally to the left, advancing diagonally to the right, advancing through the tiger's gate, retreating through the dragon's gate, using a chopping and sweeping motion as a feint, and thrusting as a real attack!"

As Li Shaoyun moved slowly, he chanted an incantation, his voice and sword movements becoming one:

"Swordsmanship has three gates: left, center, and right. Right is tiger, center is snake, and left is dragon."

He first turned to his right, his sword rising slowly from below, like a tiger lifting its tail. The force was as if it could lift a giant rock from the ground. This was called "Tiger Gate".

Then, the sword's momentum shifted, thrusting straight and flatly at the chest—simple, direct, and without any frills, yet it gave the impression that no matter how one dodged, this sword would pierce through them. This was known as the "Serpent Gate."

Finally, he stepped to the left, his body relaxed, and his sword drew a full arc above his head, like a dragon swinging its tail, powerfully cleaving down from the ground. This was the "Dragon Gate".

"With the blade's momentum revealed in front and behind, one can quickly advance through the Dragon Gate to the left. With the blade's momentum concealed in front and behind, one can easily advance through the Tiger Gate to the right."

He demonstrated the "Showing Blade Stance" to lure the enemy and the "Dragon Gate" to enter, and also demonstrated the "Hidden Blade Stance" to conceal the edge and the "Tiger Gate" to counterattack.

With each turn and each strike of the sword, his body was like a bent bamboo, full of tension that could spring back at any moment.

"I retreat with my hands and advance with my body, leaping left and right like a lion. A tiger cannot enter a dragon's leap, nor can a dragon enter a tiger's turn. Both dragon's turn and tiger's leap are like snakes, advancing straight to the chest, unstoppable."

……

……

After the drill, the courtyard returned to silence.

A light sheen of sweat appeared on Li Shaoyun's forehead, but his breathing remained perfectly steady. He placed his sword on the sword rack, looked at Li Chang'an, and his gaze softened from sharp to gentle.

"Chang'an, you can learn this sword technique, but don't use it lightly. These are peaceful times, but this sword technique is for killing, a helpless skill. If you use it to kill people outside, you'll only bring trouble upon yourself. I've seen too many people die because of their skills in my life!"

With a sigh, Li Shaoyun asked, "Chang'an, how much of it have you memorized?"

Write it all down!

Li Chang'an said that the sword moves and incantations his grandfather had just demonstrated were deeply imprinted in his mind.

"But there's one point I don't quite understand," Li Chang'an said.

"What time?" Li Shaoyun asked.

"I only saw the form of 'dragons leaping and tigers bounding, all moving like snakes,' but I failed to grasp its essence," Li Chang'an said.

Li Shaoyun laughed heartily, a genuine laugh from the bottom of his heart: "You didn't understand? That's not your fault, it's my fault, my fault!"

"Grandpa, why do you blame me?" Li Chang'an asked, puzzled.

"Because, even your grandfather himself hasn't mastered this move. He only has the form, not the spirit!" Li Shaoyun laughed loudly.

He felt no frustration whatsoever. Many children pretend to understand when they don't, or only have a vague understanding, but his own grandson actually saw the weakness in his moves at a glance. His insight was simply astonishing.

Li Shaoyun smiled and said, "Chang'an, how do you think that move should have been executed? Or rather, how should it have been executed to convey divine intent?"

He was just speaking casually, like some adults like to tease children, and he didn't expect to get any constructive advice. But unexpectedly, Li Chang'an actually gave his opinion.

"Grandpa, I think the move 'Dragon Leaps, Tiger Leaps, and Snake Moves' incorporates the essence of all three styles, but it's not simply a combination of them."

Li Chang'an's intermediate state was a manifestation of his ancestral spiritual light, which granted him ultimate insight. Although he could only see himself, it was still incredibly useful.

Just now, he memorized all the movements his grandfather demonstrated, and then carefully reviewed them. The intermediate state is the easiest time to comprehend the Dao, so it was easy for him to see the flaws in the swordsmanship his grandfather performed.

He continued, "The dragon represents change. The tiger represents power. The snake represents intent. A dragon can transform into a tiger, and a tiger can transform into a dragon; these can change at any time, and the intent of the snake runs through them all."

"Grandpa, you seem to be too concerned about the phrase 'all snake-like' in 'dragons leap and tigers leap, all snakes move.' You always seem to be adding the Dragon Gate and Tiger Gate techniques to the Snake Gate techniques, which is putting the cart before the horse. You should do it the other way around and add the essence of the Snake Gate to the variations of the Dragon Gate and Tiger Gate."

"Incorporate the essence of the Snake Gate into the changes of the Dragon Gate and Tiger Gate..." Li Shaoyun murmured to himself.

Li Chang'an continued, "In our family's sword technique, the dragon represents transformation, the tiger represents momentum, and the snake represents intent. This intent is the intent to strike directly at the heart of the enemy, to kill with a single blow."

"In this move, if the dragon does not have this intention, it is nothing more than a long, winding worm; if the tiger does not have this intention, it is nothing more than a toothless worm."

"Only when the Serpent Gate's intention is understood will the power of the Dragon Leap and Tiger Roar be revealed."