Original subtitles

Will you be going to the mountains to hunt?

To be alone

Yi Ho.

Yi Ho.

Yi Ho.

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

[mm

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!

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.

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!

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'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