Once upon a time there lived an invincible warrior who loved, on occasion, to show off his strength. He challenged all the famous heroes and masters of martial arts to battle and always won.
One day he heard that not far from his village, high in the mountains, a hermit had settled - a great master of hand-to-hand combat. The hero went to look for the hermit in order to once again prove that there was no stronger person in the world than him. The warrior reached the hermit’s home and froze in surprise. He thought he would meet a mighty fighter, but he saw a frail old man practicing the ancient art of inhalation and exhalation in front of the hut.
- Are you really the person whom the people glorify as a great warrior? Truly, human rumor has greatly exaggerated your strength. “You won’t even be able to move the block of stone you’re standing next to, but if I want, I can lift it and even take it to the side,” the hero said contemptuously.
“Appearances can be deceiving,” the old man answered calmly. “You know who I am, and I know who you are, and why you came here.” Every morning I go down to the gorge and bring back a block of stone, which I smash with my head at the end of my morning exercises. Luckily for you, today I haven’t had time to do this yet, and you can show off your skills. You want to challenge me to a duel, but I simply will not fight with a person who cannot do such a trifle.
The infuriated hero approached the stone, hit it with his head as hard as he could and fell down dead.
A kind hermit cured the unlucky warrior, and then for many years he taught him the rare art of winning with reason, not force.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru