Once upon a time, there lived one of the “Tree Branches” clan, and he passionately desired to win the annual competition of his older brothers, the famous martial arts masters.
The warrior decided to ask for advice from the Sacred Bird, the Guardian of the Black Stone. Having completed the required greeting ritual, the young man told the Bird about his dream and asked for advice on how to achieve his goal.
“There are a lot of ways to fulfill this desire,” answered the Stone Bird, “but most of them run through the destinies of your brothers and your destiny.” You will not want to use the paths that go through the destinies of your older brothers, so you will have to choose the path that runs through your destiny.
- What paths do I not want to use? - asked the warrior.
- A victory that you get by chance will not bring you joy, and a gifted victory will not bring you satisfaction. Is it worth giving more examples?
- What do you, O Bird, mean by the paths that run through my destiny? - asked the young man. “I myself see only one path - this is the Path of Knowledge, which I must overcome, like my brothers, but I do not have enough time or strength to fulfill my desire.
“Any path can be shortened,” said the bird.
Suddenly the sky darkened, and an unexpectedly sharp gust of wind ruffled the feathers of the Stone Bird. The Guardian of the Stone, slightly spreading her wings, turned her chest to the wind. Like bright lightning, the image of a Bird with spread wings pierced the warrior’s mind. From that very day, the young man began long and persistent studies, during which he practiced movements, controlling his body and hands.
Two years later, at the next competition, the warrior achieved the fulfillment of his desire, and the martial art of the “Tree Branches” clan was replenished with such techniques as “Stone Bird caught by the wind”, “Stone Bird leans on its wing” and many others.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru