Xiagu Danxin

Xiagu Danxin is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng. It was first serialised between 5 October 1967 and 20 June 1969 in the Hong Kong newspaper Sin Wan Pao. It is a sequel to Yunhai Yugong Yuan and is closely related to Binghe Xijian Lu and Fenglei Zhen Jiuzhou.

Plot

The novel is set in China during the Qing dynasty during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor. Jin Shiyi, the protagonist in Yunhai Yugong Yuan, had left the Chinese mainland with his wife, Gu Zhihua, and settled on a remote island 20 years ago. Their son, Jin Zhuliu, who has inherited his father's skills and abilities, disguises himself as a beggar and travels to the mainland in search of adventure. He rescues and befriends Qin Yuanhao of the Wudang Sect, defeats the evil martial artist Wen Daozhuang, foils an assassination attempt on Jiang Haitian (Jin Shiyi's apprentice), and becomes famous in the wulin (martial artists' community) for his deeds.

Shi Baidu, the founder and chief of the Six Harmonies Sect, pledges allegiance to Safuding, a high-ranking Qing aristocrat – much to the chagrin of his fellows in the wulin. He intends to present lavish gifts to Safuding at the latter's 60th birthday party, but a string of pearls he prepared is stolen by his subordinate. The xuantie, a precious piece of metal regarded as a sacred artefact of the Six Harmonies Sect, is stolen by Jin Zhuliu and Shi Baidu's younger sister, Shi Hongying. Jin Zhuliu and Shi Hongying were initially hostile towards each other when they first met, but they gradually become more romantically attracted to each other after their various encounters. Jin Zhuliu also meets Li Nanxing, a grandnephew of Li Shengnan, the leader of the former Heavenly Demonic Cult, and becomes sworn brothers with him. They join forces with Yuchi Jiong and his wife to disrupt Safuding's birthday party and rob him of several precious items.

Shi Baidu arranges for a marriage between his sister and Shuai Mengxiong, a Qing general leading imperial forces to suppress a rebellion in Xichang. He is actually plotting to lure Li Nanxing into a trap and harm him. Jin Zhuliu mistakenly believes that Shi Hongying loves Li Nanxing and feels heartbroken. However, after learning the truth, he rushes to save his sworn brother and engages enemies in battle. Li Nanxing is injured but is saved by Gongsun Yan, the daughter of Gongsun Hong, the leader of the Red Tassel Society. He gradually falls in love with Gongsun Yan. Even though his plot has failed, Shi Baidu still insists on making Shi Hongying marry Shuai Mengxiong. On the wedding day, Jin Zhuliu, Li Nanxing, Gongsun Yan and their allies show up in Xichang, disrupt the wedding and defeat Shuai Mengxiong and his forces. Shi Baidu meets his downfall and commits suicide in shame. Shi Hongying becomes the new chief of the Six Harmonies Sect and pledges to support the rebels in resisting the Qing government.

During the battle at Xichang, Li Nanxing and Gongsun Yan accidentally fall off a cliff together and are presumed dead. In the meantime, some lowlifes led by Yang Hao re-establish the Heavenly Demonic Cult in Li Nanxing's name and commit atrocities in the wulin. Jin Zhuliu is surprised to hear that his sworn brother, whom he thought was dead, is alive and has become a villain. He refuses to believe the rumours and infiltrates the Heavenly Demonic Cult to investigate. He encounters Li Nanxing, who has survived the fall, while investigating the cult at night. They discover that Yang Hao has found someone to impersonate Li Nanxing and pledged allegiance to the Qing government. Jin Zhuliu, Li Nanxing and their allies clash with Yang Hao and his supporters at the Heavenly Demonic Cult's headquarters on Mount Zulai and defeat the enemy, thereby preventing a major crisis in the wulin from taking place. The cult is disbanded again and the majority of its members join the rebels. Around the time, Jin Zhuliu's parents also return to the mainland and defeat seven highly-skilled martial artists from Fusang.

The protagonists and their allies learn that Safuding has contacted five tribal chiefs in Qinghai and obtained their support to attack the rebels in Xichang. Jin Zhuliu volunteers to travel to Xichang to warn the rebels and stop the Qinghai tribes from assisting Safuding. He eventually succeeds in his missions with the help of his friends and returns to Xichang in triumph. The novel ends on a happy note: Jin Zhuliu marries Shi Hongying while Li Nanxing marries Gongsun Yan, with blessings from the wulin.

Characters

Main characters

• Jin Zhuliu (金逐流), the first protagonist and the son of Jin Shiyi and Gu Zhihua.
• Li Nanxing (厲南星), the second protagonist and the son of Li Fusheng.
• Shi Hongying (史紅英), Shi Baidu's younger sister and Jin Zhuliu's romantic interest.
• Gongsun Yan (公孫燕), Gongsun Hong's daughter and Li Nanxing's romantic interest.

Other characters

Antagonists

Characters mentioned by name

Adaptations

In 1971, the novel was adapted into a Hong Kong film titled The Patriotic Knights, produced by Great Wall Movie Enterprises and directed by Chang Hsin-yen.

In 2006, the novel was adapted into a Chinese television series titled The Patriotic Knights, starring Chen Long as Jin Zhuliu, Stephanie Hsiao as Shi Hongying, Wallace Chung as Li Nanxing and He Meitian as Gongsun Yan (renamed to Zhong Yanyan in the series). The series is set in the late Ming dynasty instead of the Qing dynasty (as in the novel).