Plot
Set in the late Yuan Dynasty, the story revolves around a pair of priceless and extremely powerful weapons, known as the Heaven Reliant Sword (倚天劍) and Dragon Slaying Saber (屠龍刀), which many martial artists in the jianghu covet. Either or both of them are thought to allow their wielder to rule the wulin (martial artists' community), according to a widely circulating rumour in a repeated mantra, "Honoured by the wulin, the precious saber slays the dragon, it commands the world, who dares to disobey? If the Heaven Reliant does not appear, who can challenge it?" (武林至尊，寶刀屠龍，號令天下，莫敢不從！倚天不出，誰與爭鋒？). The reason for that is lost at the beginning of the story.
The protagonist Zhang Wuji is of mixed heritage: his father Zhang Cuishan hails from the reputable Wudang Sect under the master Zhang Sanfeng, while his mother Yin Susu is from the unorthodox Heavenly Eagle Cult. As a boy, he lives with them and his godfather Xie Xun on the isolated northern island where he was born. He returns to the Chinese mainland and loses his parents after they are cornered on Mount Wudang by several martial artists coveting the Dragon Slaying Saber. At the same time, he is wounded by the Xuanming Elders and survives after seeking medical treatment from the physician Hu Qingniu.
His adventures further lead him to discover the long-lost Nine Yang Manual and he masters the inner energy skills described inside, becoming a formidable martial artist. He later resolves the conflict between the Ming Cult and the six major orthodox sects, who are intent on destroying the cult. He earns the respect of the cult's members and becomes its leader after mastering the skill 'Heaven and Earth Great Shift'. He reforms the cult and helps to improve its relations with other sects. He becomes a key figure in leading the rebel forces to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty.
Throughout his adventures, Zhang Wuji finds himself entangled in a complex web of love relationships with four maidens. The first, Yin Li, is a horribly disfigured girl who is actually his maternal cousin. The second, Xiaozhao, is a Chinese-Persian servant girl who understands him very well. The third, Zhou Zhiruo, is a childhood friend whom he develops a strong bond with. The fourth, Zhao Min, is a Mongol princess and his former arch-rival. Yin Li is apparently killed in the middle of the story while Xiaozhao returns to Persia after it is revealed that she is destined to lead the Persian Ming Cult.
Zhou Zhiruo soon falls in love with Zhang Wuji, but has to turn against him as she is bound by an oath she made in front of her teacher Abbess Miejue, who hates and distrusts Zhang Wuji and anyone related to the Ming Cult. Miejue devises a vicious scheme for Zhou Zhiruo to seize the two weapons by exploiting Zhang Wuji's love for Zhou. Zhou Zhiruo also turns vicious after Zhang Wuji reneges his promise to marry her and she swears vengeance on him. Zhao Min was initially Zhang Wuji's rival as they were on opposing sides. However, Zhao Min gradually falls in love with Zhang Wuji after their various encounters, and she even turns against her clan to help him.
At the end of the novel, Zhang Wuji decides to retire from the jianghu after he mistakenly believes that the Ming Cult's members are plotting to betray him. He decides that Zhao Min is his true love and they leave for a reclusive life far away from society (the ending to the second edition, however, is ambiguous about his relationship with Zhou Zhiruo). Zhang Wuji gave up an opportunity to become the emperor, as the Ming Cult eventually overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, and ideally Zhang would become the new sovereign, but instead, Zhu Yuanzhang takes the throne and founds the Ming Dynasty.
In 2005 Jin Yong published the third edition of the novel, which has a slightly different ending from the earlier versions. In this edition, Zhang Wuji becomes disillusioned when he could not save the life of a general and address the death of Han Lin'er, and with that he left the leadership of the Ming Cult in the hands of Yang Xiao and Fan Yao, and then left the Central Plains with Zhao Min.
Read more about this topic: The Heaven Sword And Dragon Saber
Famous quotes containing the word plot:
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