Story1:
　　 "After you."
　　"After you."
　　The two swordmen turned the point of their blades downward. Their right palm holding the sword hilt, their left palm covered their right palm, then they bowed deeply to each other in a warrior's salute.
　　Even before the two straightened, a sudden flash of white, then the sound of clanging. The two swordmen each retreated one step. The audience gave out a soft cry
　　. The swordman in blue cut three times. The liveried swordman blocked each cut. The swordman in blue shouted and slashed his sword from the upper left corner straight downward. The slash was powerful and fast. The liveried swordman was too agile to be caught. A simple jump got him out of the way. His body bounced barely after his left feet touched the ground. He returned two slashes. The swordman in blue stood still with a grim smile. He moved his sword lightly and blocked the attack.
　　The liveried swordman suddenly began running around the swordman in blue. He ran faster and faster. The swordman in blue merely stared at the point of his enemy's sword. He was ready to strike anytime that point moved to attack. The liveried swordman at first ran one way, then the other. The swordman in blue started to feel a bit dizzy and said "Are you fighting, or running for your life?" The liveried swordman continued running. The swordman in blue attempted to cut him down a few times, but his sword always fell short.
　　The swordman in blue pulled his sword back to the side of his body and bowed his right leg slightly. The liveried swordman thought he saw an opening and lounged at his left shoulder, the swordman in blue was merely luring his enemy. His sword circled into a direct thrust at the liveried swordman's throat. The thrust was too fast to be avoided. The liveried swordman was surprised. He threw his sword toward the heart of his enemy. The liveried swordman hoped to force the swordman to abort the thrust in order to save his own life.
　　Unexpectedly, the swordman in blue didn't attempt to defend himself. With a move of his arm, the point of his sword entered the liveried swordman's throat. Then the liveried swordman's thrown sword hit his chest with a loud clang and fell to the ground. The swordman in blue laughed coldly and pulled his sword back. He was wearing a round plate of iron in front of his chest, just under the garment. That's why the sword did him no harm. The liveried swordman's throat spurted blood and his body convulsed. The servants stepped in to remove the body and began to wipe up the blood on the ground.
　　The swordman in blue sheathed his sword. He stepped forward and bowed toward the north of the hall where the king sat. The king wore a purple robe. He is of strange appearance. His neck was excessive long and his mouth was sharp as a bird's beak. He smiled and said in a croaking voice "The strong one has wonderful sword skill. Award him ten pounds of gold." The swordman in blue knelt down on his right knee and bowed "Thank you for the award." The king waved his left hand. An official on his right shouted "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh,second contest!"
　　From the east end of the hall, another liveried swordman walked out from his group. This man was tall of stature and held a great sword. The sword was nearly four feet in length. The blade was extremely thick and was obviously quite heavy. From the west of hall, another swordman in blue walked out. He was of medium height. His face was crisscrossed by at least twelve or thirteen sword scars. The face seemed no longer human. He must have fought hundreds of battles with countless swordmen. The two knelt to the king, then they saluted each other.

　　The swordman in blue straightened his body and smiled. His face made the smile seemed ugly and cruel. The tall swordman shivered. Then he sighed deeply and held his sword with both hands.
　　Suddenly the swordman in blue howled madly like a wolf and thrusted his sword. The tall swordman cried, lifted his great sword and cut down toward his opponent's head. The swordman in blue dodged while his sword made a slash from left to right. The tall swordman lifted the great sword and whirled, making the sounds of a great wind. The great weight of the sword didn't slow him down in the slightest.
　　The two made thirty passes at each other. The swordman in blue couldn't oppose the weight of his opponent's sword. He kept retreating. All the other liveried swordman began to show hope on their faces as they anticipated their side to win at last.
　　Then the tall swordman made a great cry like the sound of a thunderclap and made a horizontal cut with his great sword. The swordman in blue couldn't avoid it. He could only block it with his own sword with all his strength. Clang! The two swords met. The great sword broke and half of the blade flew away. The swordman in blue wielded a far sharper sword. Then the swordman in blue made a vertical cut which opened up the tall swordman from throat to crotch. The tall swordman howled and kept on howling as he felt to the ground. The swordman in blue looked at his fallen opponent for a while before returning his sword to the sheath. Then he knelt toward the king. His face couldn't disguise his joy of victory.
　　The official said "The strong one's sword skill is impressive. The award is ten pounds of gold." The swordman in blue bowed in thanks. There were only eight swordmen in blue. Compared with fifty liveried swordmen standing at the east side of the hall, they were badly outnumbered.
　　The official said "Swordmen of Wu and swordmen of Yueh, the third contest."
　　Again, one swordman from each walked to the center of the hall. The sword of the swordman in blue trembled and shone like bright silk. The official said "Good sword!" The swordman in blue thanked his praise. The official then said "We have seen one-to-one contests twice. This time, two against two!"
　　Two more swordmen entered the arena. The four again saluted the king first before saluting each other. Then the swords flashed as the combat began. This time, each of the two swordmen on the same side must reinforce each other. After a few passes, a liveried swordmen's sword was cut into half by his enemy's sword. This liveried swordman was very courageous. He carried his broken and jumped toward his enemy. His opponent's sword flashed and cut away his right arm together with his right shoulder. Then the sword impaled his heart.
　　The other pair was still fighting. The victorious swordman in blue watched for a while, then his sword moved. Again, the liveried swordman's sword was cut into half, leaving him wide open. His oponent's sword entered his chest and exited from his back
　　. The king laughed and clapped "Excellent swords! Excellent sword skills. Award them wine and gold. Let us see one contest of four against four!"