The Legend of Khan
Far away in Asia, in ancient times, boys would go to masters to learn martial arts, so they could become warriors.
One day, a master named Cao arrived in a small village and offered his services.
But when he told them that whoever became his student would spend the first five years only carrying water from a mountain monastery’s well all the way to his house, everyone laughed at him.
Only one small boy, ten years old, named Khan, spoke up in his child’s voice:
“I want to be your student, Master. And if you wish, I will carry water for you from the mountains until the end of time!”
“Good,” said the master, pleased that he had found his disciple, and he took young Khan as his student.
From then on, Khan truly carried water for the master every single day from the monastery well in the mountains. He rose before dawn and went to bed exhausted only after the sun had set.
After five years, the master called him over and said:
“Khan, you have successfully passed your first trial. Now it is time to advance in your training. From pumping water, you have gained the strongest strike; from carrying buckets, a body like stone; and from pouring water, speed, precision, and focus. You already know my martial art—you have absorbed its foundations within yourself.
Now I will reveal to you the principles and names of the techniques and holds, and we will polish everything to perfection. This next stage will last another five years.”
Khan bowed his head humbly and said, “Thank you, Master,” and for the next five years he diligently practiced and studied his master’s art.
When Khan was twenty years old, the master told him:
“You now know everything I could teach you. Leave my house.”
With gratitude, a tear in his eye, and a full heart, Khan bid farewell to his master and set out on his journey.
He wandered the land, helping people chop wood and carry water in exchange for food and shelter. He also fought in cage matches for money or any reward offered. Because he never lost a single fight, noblemen from the capital soon took notice and invited him to the great imperial tournament. There, the finest warriors from far and wide competed for the grand prize—a golden crown of the warrior.
Khan won this tournament without suffering a single defeat and became respected throughout the land.
At the age of thirty, he founded his own martial arts school and taught others his master’s way of fighting.
He continued to fight in the cage until he was fifty years old—and no one ever defeated him. Thus, he earned the title: “The Never-Defeated Warrior.”
At fifty, he swore never to fight again in the cage, devoting himself only to teaching his students. He trained thousands of them, and many became excellent fighters—champions in their own right.
Thus, Khan became a legend, a story still told today.
And what is the moral of this legend?
Khan’s friends, who didn’t want to carry buckets of water and work themselves to exhaustion, were forgotten. Only Khan endured. He fulfilled his master’s seemingly meaningless demand, and through that, he himself became a master among masters.
Therefore, whoever chooses the right teacher, follows his guidance, and works hard without complaint will surely succeed. And perhaps, just like Khan, they too may become a great champion.
⚔ THE END ⚔
