Water-Parting Sword

The **Water-Parting Sword** (断水剑, *Duànshuǐ Jiàn*) technique is a powerful sword art that the zongshi, Li Qingqian, wields.

## Description

The **Water Parting Sword** form was created by Chen Tang solely for his disciple after he took him under his wing and assessed his strengths and weaknesses. This sword form was not particularly strong as it was the first technique the disciple learned nor was it worthy of remembrance as a sword form that Chen Tang had developed.

Centuries past and the sword form indeed became lost to history till it was brought back up from obscurity when Li Qingqian used it on Maiden's Lament Mountain in an attempt to seal the vengeful ghosts that haunted its peak. When he used the Water-Parting Sword, a powerful beam of jade colored light burst from the mountain which could be seen from far away. From then on countless people would spread word of Li Qingqian, his name becoming synonymous with his famed Water-Parting Sword.

## Styles

The Water-Parting Sword form has two distinct styles which were created by Hua Po'an and Li Qingqian separately.

Hua Po'an's sword style is based on passion. Hua Po'an's core foundation indirectly references his desire for Chen Tang, in which he states that his life is too short to part his heart from Chen Tang.

Li Qingqian's sword style is based on righteousness and was honed with the intention of helping other people.

## History

Chen Tang created the Water-Parting Sword form specifically for Hua Po'an after he accepted him as a disciple.

Later, Jiang Fuli, whose soul fused with Chen Tang's and memories repressed, happens to remember the manual while traveling with Su Yurou and writes it down word for word not knowing where he had learned it from. Although he barely remembered anything, he still subconsciously remembered and cherished his time as Hua Po'an's shizun.

One day, Jiang Fuli came across a village in Lichun that had been ravaged by the Liao Kingdom and saves two young orphans from their deaths. They begged Jiang Fuli to take them and though emotionless as he was, he gave the older one the Water-Parting Sword Form that he had copied down by hand so that he could learn to protect himself.

When asked by Su Yurou why he had done so, he replied that the orphan reminded him of someone familiar; Though he knew not who it was, Hua Po'an was ever on his mind.

Though the Water-Parting Sword form was not the strongest that Hua Po'an knew, in his time as Goushi he still loved to practice it when he had to the time. As soon as he began seeing signs of the sword art being used, he realized that Jiang Fuli, the one he believed to be Chen Tang, was still alive and sent assassins after him.

Meanwhile, the elder orphan, Li Qingqian, diligently practiced the Water-Parting sword form and would sometimes trade blows with Hong Shao. Shortly after Hong Shao left, he made a breakthrough with the Water-Parting Sword technique and learned of Maiden's Lament Mountain. Before leaving for the mountain, he gives the manual to his younger brother, Li Houde for safe keeping. Eventually his righteousness along with his skill with the Water-Parting Sword from is displayed to the world after he sealed many vengeful ghosts on Maiden's Lament Mountain.

After learning of Hong Shao's death, heart filled with hate and blade form at its peak, he immediately headed toward the Liao Kingdom's Guoshi for vengeance. The Guoshi had known of Li Qingqian because of his Water-Parting Sword technique, one which he was ever familiar with. When Li Qingqian fights him using that technique the Guoshi is easily able to counter it and pretends to be the one who gave Li Qingqian the manual.

After being turned into a sword spirit, Li Qingqian wields the Water-Parting Sword to kill people in the Mansion of Beauties and again when fighting against Mo Xi.

After meeting Li Qingqian, Su Yurou reveals to him that the cause of his and Hong Shao's death by the Guoshi was not because the Guoshi was in love with some beauty but because he was obsessed with the man that gave Li Qingqian the Water-Parting Sword.

## References

2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Novel, Chapter 190: Before the Flower Broke the Darkness
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Novel, Chapter 39: Guoshi
4. ↑ Novel, Chapter 36: They Were In Love
5. ↑ Novel, Chapter 38: Mountain Sacrifices
6. ↑ Novel, Chapter 21: Have Mercy