Ode to Gallantry
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Ode to Gallantry (Traditional Chinese: 俠客行; Simplified Chinese: 侠客行; pinyin: xiakexing) is a Chinese wuxia novel written in by Jinyong and released in 1965.
[edit] Plot
The story is largely narrated through the events occurring around a young Shi Potian (石破天) who first appeared to be nothing more than a ragamuffin who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right place at the right time, depending on the individual's point of view.
The novel opened with an old man, disguised as a bun-seller, being pursued for his possession of a black metal token. The token was created by a highly skilled but eccentric pugilist who went by the nickname of Hermit of the Skyscraping Cliffs. He had given some of these tokens long ago to some people he was indebted to, and promised to do any one thing for whoever approached him with the token.
The token became one of the most sought after, and fought over, items in the pugilistic circles as the hermit's prowess were considerable. Over the years, the hermit had collected back all but one of the token. Fearing that some of his enemies might get hold of it and use it against him, for he was a man of his word (at least the literal interpretation of his word), the hermit had been trying to track down the last of the token still at large after the person he gave it to passed away.
The old man's pursuers caught up with him and a fight broke out among several parties. One of the party was a group of disciples from the Snowy Mountain Sect. They were originally on an unsuccessful pursuit of a traitor to the sect. Rather than return empty-handed, they thought of enlisting the aid of the hermit when they heard rumours of the token in their vicinity.
During the fight, almost unnoticed to the participants, was the penniless and hungry ragamuffin who seized the chance to grab some of the buns.
The old man died in the fight, but just as Sect disciples were searching in vain among his possessions for the token, the hermit himself arrived. It turned out that the token was hidden in the bun stolen by the boy. Fearing the boy would be made use of by his foes, the hermit snatched the boy away where he could interview the boy at leisure.
When they were finally alone, the hermit realised the boy was innocent and had no knowledge of the token nor its significance. Since he considered himself a man of his word, he tried to grant the boy a request, only to be frustrated as the boy's mother had raised him to never ask anyone for anything.
Bound too by his promise not to lift as much as a finger to harm the person he receive the token from, the hermit decided to keep the boy at his side, bringing the lad back to his largely inaccessible domicile.
- to be continued*
[edit] External links
- (English) Ode to Gallantry - Translation of the novel (including other information) at Wuxiapedia.com
| The Book and the Sword (1955) | 書劍恩仇錄 | ||
| Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1956) | 碧血劍 | ||
| The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1957) | 射鵰英雄傳 | ||
| Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (1959) | 雪山飛狐 | ||
| The Return of the Condor Heroes (1959) | 神鵰俠侶 | ||
| Other Tales of the Flying Fox (1960) | 飛狐外傳 | ||
| Swordswoman Riding West on White Horse (1961) | 白馬嘯西風 | ||
| Blade-dance of the Two Lovers (1961) | 鴛鴦刀 | ||
| The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre (1961) | 倚天屠龍記 | ||
| A Deadly Secret (1963) | 連城訣 | ||
| Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (1963) | 天龍八部 | ||
| Ode to Gallantry (1963) | 俠客行 | ||
| The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (1967) | 笑傲江湖 | ||
| The Deer and the Cauldron (1969) | 鹿鼎記 | ||
| Sword of the Yue Maiden (1970) | 越女劍 | ||
