In the Western Jin Dynasty there were two young men. One of them was Zu Ti and the other was Liu Kun. Both of them were men of ideals and integrity who were chivalrous1 and of a sanguine2 disposition3. They not only wrote excellent articles but also were fond of practising martial4 arts to keep fit, in order to render meritorious5 service to the country. Both of them were chief clerks responsible for document administration in Luoyang. Although in appearance the Jin Dynasty had jurisdiction6 of the Central Plains comprising the middle and lower reaches of the Haunch and threatened by foreign invasion. Zu Ti and Liu Kun often talked about the country's situation till late into the night, and each time they talking very excitedly again.
Liu Kun fell asleep without knowing it, but Zu Ti was too excited to fall asleep. "Cock-a-doodle-doo," came the crow of rooster in the wasteland. Zu Ti jumped up and kicked Liu Kun awake: "Listen. How inspiring the rooster's crow is. Let's get up and practised on a slope." From then on, they kept practising sword playing vigorously and energetically in the wasteland every day when they heard the first crow in the morning.
Deeply moved by Zu Ti's patriotic7 passion, Liu Kun was determined8 to devote himself to his homeland. Once he wr
