Snow Mountain Flying Fox

Author: Jin Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: The story of Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain originates from the aftermath of Li Zicheng's downfall as the Ming rebel leader. The descendants of his four bodyguards—Hu, Miao, Fan, and Tian—fought over a hidden treasure. Due to a series of misunderstandings, the four families engaged in mutual slaughter, carrying ancestral grudges down through generations. By the time of Hu Dahao and Miao Renfeng, Renfeng mistakenly believed his father was killed by Dahao and sought revenge, leading to a fatal duel. Renfeng's weapon was poisoned, and Dahao, wounded by Renfeng, died from the venom. Dahao's son Fei grew up and, suspecting Renfeng had killed his father, also sought revenge. Love and hatred intertwined, creating a complex web of emotions. Fei trained rigorously in the Hu family's swordsmanship to confront Renfeng, while also meeting three extraordinary women during his travels: Nie Sangqing, Meiyi, and Miao Ruolan. These three women were connected to the four families, further entangling their relationships. "A handsome man deserves a beautiful woman, a hero deserves a heroine"—this was only natural. Fei was surrounded by beautiful women, some deeply devoted to him, others willing to die alongside him, making his choices difficult. What would the final outcome be?
At the time of the Ming-Qing transition, Wu Sangui invited the Manchus to enter the pass. Li Zicheng sent three of his bravest warriors—Miao, Fan, and Tian—to break through for reinforcements, leaving Hu as the fourth to protect the emperor. When the three returned, they found Li Zicheng missing and discovered that Hu had become Wu Sangui's lackey. They executed Hu as a traitor. In truth, Hu had infiltrated Wu Sangui's army, waiting for the right moment to help Li Zicheng reclaim the throne. Thereafter, the descendants of the four families engaged in a series of bloody feuds. By the time of the fourth generation of the Hu family, Hu Dahao, they sought to reveal the truth to the descendants of the other three families. However, as they fought over the Ming dynasty's treasure and perished in an icy cave, they failed to convey the message. Dahao recorded the events and sealed them in the cave as a warning to future generations before retreating into seclusion with his beloved Lang Jianqiu. Later, Tian Guinong of the fourth generation of the Tian family orchestrated a battle between Dahao and Miao Renfeng, secretly poisoning and killing both. Before her death, Lang Jianqiu entrusted the newborn Fei to her loyal servant Ping, instructing him to uncover the truth. Ping, suspecting Renfeng was the mastermind, forced Fei to focus solely on martial arts to avenge his father. Later, Fei set out with Ping to find Renfeng, meeting the cross-dressing street urchin Meiyi along the way and forming a close bond. During his journey, he also encountered Miao Ruolan, the daughter of Renfeng, and Nie Sangqing, a village girl, sparking a complicated romance... Eventually, Fei finally met Renfeng and faced him in a decisive battle on the snow-capped mountains. Could the generations of grudges finally be resolved?
CR
With a whoosh, an arrow shot out from behind a hill in the east. It whistled through the sky, striking the neck of a flying goose. The goose tumbled in midair with the arrow embedded in its body before landing on the snow. About thirty paces to the west, four horses galloped across the snow, their riders instinctively reining in at the sound of the arrow. The four horses were sturdy and well-trained, and with a single command, they came to a halt. The riders, skilled in horsemanship, and their well-disciplined mounts moved in perfect harmony.
Seeing the goose fall, all four riders exclaimed in admiration, eager to identify the archer. After waiting for a while, no one emerged from the hillside, but the sound of hooves indicated that the archer had already left. Among the four riders, a gaunt, fierce-looking old man frowned slightly and rode toward the hillside, with the other three following.
Turning the corner, they saw five horses galloping ahead, their iron hooves splashing snow, silver manes billowing in the wind, but already out of reach. The old man waved his hand and said, "Brother Yin, this is quite strange." The "Brother Yin," also an old man, was slightly plump, with a beard and dressed in a sable coat, giving off an air of a wealthy merchant. Hearing the gaunt old man's words, he nodded and turned back to the goose, cracking his whip with a thwack against the snow. By the time he lifted the whip, the goose was already lifted by the end of the whip.
He examined the arrow in his left hand and exclaimed in shock, "Ah!" The other three riders rushed forward at the sound. Brother Yin tossed the goose and arrow toward the gaunt old man, saying, "Brother Ruan, take a look!" The gaunt old man caught it with his left hand, looked at the arrow, and shouted, "Here it is! Let's give chase!" He turned his horse around and led the pursuit.
On this vast snowy slope, with no other pedestrians in sight, tracking was easy. The other two riders were middle-aged. One was tall and broad-shouldered, seated on a magnificent horse, looking imposing. The other was of average height, with a pale complexion but a nose frozen red. All four blew whistles, and their horses exhaled clouds of mist as they galloped off.
This was the 15th day of the third month in the 44th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty.