Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

It has been 18 years since

the death of my beloved Li Mu Bai.

I've been living in seclusion since then.

In that time,

the followers of the Iron Way,

our code of honor and chivalry,

have become few and far between.

It is believed that the legendary sword,

the Green Destiny,

can turn the tide of battle,

and that whoever possesses it

cannot be defeated.

For hundreds of years,

warring clans vie for power

over the Martial World.

It is into this world

that I hope to slip unnoticed...

like a forgotten ghost.

Thought lost, the Green Destiny

lies hidden in Peking,

waiting for a new master to claim it.

It is said that a scholar's name will last

for five years beyond his passing...

and a swordsman will be remembered for 20.

This is meant as praise...

but I believe it to be a curse.

Wei Fang.

Well, what have we here?

This girl claims

she wants to join our ranks.

The guards found her at the temple gate.

What brings you here?

I seek Hades Dai of the West Lotus.

A man great enough

to rule the Martial World.

And now you have found him.

What would you ask of me?

Stop her!

Let her go!

Let her grow into someone worth killing.

Wei Fang.

Show yourself!

Who are you?

Ask her.

Wei Fang.

Who are you?

Bring me to Lord Dai and I will give him

a prize greater than the one he sought.

The things are still here

but the people have changed.

The passing of Sir Te thrust me back

into the memories and battlefields

of a Martial World I left

behind twenty years ago.

Hades Dai knew I would

return from seclusion

to mourn the man who

was like a father to me.

Master Yu has arrived, sir.

Shu Lien.

You brighten a sad day.

I've ensured your old quarters

were kept for you.

I knew you would come.

You were not the only one.

I was attacked along the way.

Two dozen swordsmen slain

since my father passed.

Hades Dai knows no fear

to attack a warrior as great as you.

I'm sorry you were put at risk.

It is my duty to be here,

to share your family's loss.

Our loss.

My father always regarded you as family.

It is not kept hidden?

In his last year,

my father wanted it where he could see it.

It reminded him of more noble days.

It bears so many sorrows.

One above all.

Li Mu Bai.

I was his student when you were both here.

His death touched us all.

My father, he thought you would wed.

We could not.

I was promised to another.

It should be locked away.

A great lord has died,

and you seek to use

this time of chaos

to emerge as the one true leader

of the Martial World.

- Do you read my mind?

- No. Your ambition.

This sword is great,

but there is one greater.

The Green Destiny.

The Green Destiny was lost long years ago.

Not lost. Hidden.

Kept by the House of Te.

Am I to storm the home

of the Emperor's brother?

Send instead a single drop of rain.

The boy? Who crawled home from failure?

The fault is not Wei Fang's alone.

His training is not complete.

To send him on this mission alone

would be suicide.

- Perhaps I can--

- He brought me to you.

Send the boy.

He and the sword are bound by fate.

I have seen it.

Who is that young lady?

I believe the daughter of an official.

Many have come to pay their respects.

Thief!

Thief! Thief in the house!

Who is this man?

I heard a disturbance.

He was trying to steal the sword.

I was trying to steal--?

We caught a thief.

He is more than a thief.

He is West Lotus.

He attacked my carriage.

- Take him to the Marshal.

- No. Keep him here.

Hades Dai would not

assign this mission lightly.

If the boy has value to him,

he may yet have value to us.

Very well.

Confine him and secure the compound.

Yes.

What will happen to him? The boy?

Who are you?

I am called Snow Vase.

I came to pay my respects to Sir Te.

And your concern for the thief?

You mistake curiosity for concern.

Is it as powerful as they say?

In the right hand.

Teach me.

You have been well-taught already.

I want to learn more.

I want to walk the path you followed.

I will serve you for life.

I don't need a servant, Snow Vase.

My life is solitude,

and I return to it shortly.

If you seek a teacher,

you must look elsewhere.

Did a night in the cold

loosen your tongue?

Open this cage and I'll loosen your teeth.

That's enough!

- What is your name?

- Wei Fang.

So, Hades Dai wants the sword.

Let me leave with the sword now

and you'll be spared.

Otherwise, this house

will swim with blood.

Word must be sent to the Emperor.

There is war in the south.

I cannot trouble him

with these underworld affairs.

The Emperor doesn't heed my words

as he did my father's.

The sword must be removed

from here at once.

It is safest here, Shu Lien.

Nothing is safe

if West Lotus claims that sword.

It must be taken to Wudang Temple,

high up in the mountains.

No. I made an oath to my father

that I would guard and protect

the Green Destiny within these walls.

Sir Te would understand.

You've earned your place in this house

and much respect beyond.

Only from you, Shu Lien.

It was always that way.

Then listen to me now.

If Hades Dai comes here,

he'll leave nothing standing.

No one alive.

We have no choice.

The promise that I made my father

is all I have to earn honor in this house.

It is worth my life, Shu Lien.

We must ask the guests to leave.

Will you stay? You always came

to my father's aid and he to yours.

Will you help?

I will stay as long as I am needed.

I will bid the guests to leave.

Keep the girl who caught the thief.

She has asked me to teach her...

but I suspect she can teach us.

We will need more arms.

I will hire extra guards.

We need those who will do more than guard.

There are warriors who once stood against

this type of injustice.

True followers will still answer the call.

The Iron Way is not legend...

not yet.

I'm telling you, I'm good for it.

You are good for nothing.

We're good for your warrant.

I have 30 swords

at 20 ounces of silver a head.

That's...

Six hundred ounces of silver...

wasted.

Sir Te was honored

by masters of pen and sword alike.

If his house has need, men of the Iron Way

should heed for the honor of his cause,

not promise of riches.

My friend is right.

This warrant is not for you.

And if I say it is?

Think about it.

They're not that fast.

Big words for a little man... all alone.

He's not alone.

I stand with him.

Flying Blade of Shantung,

at your service.

As am I.

Thunder Fist Chan, famed in Zhejiang.

And I,

Silver Dart Shi.

Famed in Fuzhou.

And I, Turtle Ma. Famed in...

this tavern.

Who are you?

I'm known as Silent Wolf.

We'll have to rebuild all the tables!

Who threatens the House of Te?

West Lotus.

I need swords to protect its walls.

Now you have four more.

- To add to your army.

- How many, in your army?

- Five.

- Hundred?

Five.

Well, better five that can fight

than 500 that can run.

I need a drink.

On the house.

Never come back.

Let the training begin.

Do not just watch with your eyes,

listen with your mind.

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