"Reincarnation of the Condor Heroes"

Author: Jin Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The story is woven around the treasure map "A Deadly Secret" (Liancheng Jue). Di Yun and Qi Fang are a passionate couple. Due to the sharp conflict between their master Qi Changfa and their senior brother Wan Zhenshan over "A Deadly Secret," they are drawn into Wan's mansion. Wan Zhenshan's son Wan Gui seeks to win Qi Fang, framing Di Yun and sending him to prison, making Wan Gui Di Yun's primary target for revenge. Di Yun seeks revenge, sealing Wan Zhenshan and Wan Gui inside a wall, but Qi Fang, moved with compassion, opens the wall to free her husband Wan Gui, only to be killed by him. Di Yun, in agony, kills Wan Gui and Wan Zhenshan. Qi Changzhao and others also perish in their mutual struggle for "A Deadly Secret." With the continuous tracking and help of Shui Sheng, Di Yun's heart is warmed by her. Together, they step into a snow-covered carriage, seeking a clean and warm world. Two wooden swords clash, striking each other with a "toto" sound. Sometimes, there is a long silence between them, while at other times, the clashing sounds are dense and continuous, like a string of pearls. This takes place in the Ma Xi village, south of Yuanling in western Hunan, in front of three small houses on the threshing field. A young man and a young woman, holding wooden swords, are engaged in a match. Sitting on a low stool in front of the house is an old man, biting a short water pipe in his mouth, weaving straw sandals with his hands. Occasionally, he looks up at the young couple, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if approving. The faint sunlight filters through the wisps of smoke he exhales, casting light on his white hair and wrinkled face. However, when he glances at the two wooden swords, his eyes are bright and commanding, suggesting he is not as old as he appears—perhaps still under fifty. The girl is in her late teens, with a round face and large, dark, sparkling eyes. Sweat drips from her forehead to her neck as she wipes her face with her left sleeve, her cheeks flushed like a string of red peppers hanging under the eaves. The young man is a few years older than her, with a long, dark face, slightly high cheekbones, and rough hands and feet—a typical rural youth from western Hunan, who handles the wooden sword with surprising agility.