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Cast :
Sammo Hung – Wan Buo-Long (chieftain of Vengeance Ending Ravine)
Kwan Lai Git (Eddie Kwan) – Tze Ho Tian
Qi Yan – Fang Yew Wei
Du Zhu Lin
Liu Dong
Yu Qiao
Ma Jingwu – head of Dark Wind Village
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Could not find a thread on this series so decided to start one. It is not new - I think it is a 2003 production. I bought this series without knowing what it was about and it turned out to be what I would call a gem – enjoyed it thoroughly. I could hardly stop watching one disc after another. Anyone care to comment on this series ?

Main Characters :
1. Tze Ho Tian
The hero in this series. The loyal and strong silent type who is a super duper fighter. There is something mysterious about him since he hides a secret hurt. He is fearless while fighting for or defending what he thinks is right. He can be shy and tender to his lady love who is the heroine, Bai Xue.

2. Bai Xue
The heroine – Pretty and cheekily sweet. Many times she had to listen to and follow the wacky ideas of her mother but luckily she does have a will of her own and follows her instincts. She does not know any martial arts but is brave as is shown when she went to Tze Ho Tian’s aid when he was blinded by some baddies.

3. Fang Yew Wei
The second hero. A very likeable character. He is noble and gallant and is always willing to help others. He can be rather naïve and is blissfully unaware of any danger ahead as he rushes in aid of others, but I guess that is what makes him so adorable. He is often very enthusiastic and goes into any venture with gusto. His fighting skills are not too good but improve with the help of Ho Tian. Loved the scenes when he was so caring and tender, first to Bai Xue and later to Ying Gu, the second heroine.

4. Wang Ying Gu
The second heroine. The daughter of a bandit who is cultured and learned and who falls for Fang Yew Wei ( very good taste I must say). She has a very strong character and is very stubborn especially when she has decided on something. A fearless and pretty good fighter.

Storyline (Warning : contains spoilers)
Like what the title indicates, the story of Duan Chou Gu or vengeance ending valley is set around this strange community made up of reformed gamblers, drunks, abusive husbands and even killers. Once having granted refuge, one is not allowed to leave the place. There are strict rules to follow like no liquor is allowed, eating only vegetarian food, working hard, in short, living a rather regimented lifestyle. The residents there live quite peacefully as this place is where they are given a second chance in life.

Near Duan Chou Gu is a small town with ordinary folk. The town folk are quite prosperous. The only trouble is that to get there, one has to pass through vast barren lands with hills and rocks. This is where a few different tribes of bandits lurk. They prey on hapless travellers and some are even bold enough to barge into the town to plunder and kill.

The hero, Tze Ho Tian is the adopted son of the leader of Duan Chou Gu . He is second in command while his adopted father’s real son ( one of the villains in the story) is third in command. His adopted brother is envious of Ho Tian as he is favoured by the leader. Ho Tian gets to know Bai Xue when she and her mother run to Duan Chou Gu to seek refuge from a group of villagers who want to hand her over to the bandits. Bai Xue and her mother are a pair of con artists who prey on unsuspecting families. Their mode of operation is to trick the family to marry off their son to Bai Xue. After the wedding, they make their getaway with the valuables from the wedding gifts.

The second hero, Fang Yew Wei is the son of one of the richest man in the town. He feels the injustice that their town is frequently prone to attacks by the bandits and wants to do something about it. Bai Xue and her mother chance on the remains of Yew Wei’s intended future wife (killed by bandits) and thus Bai Xue pretends to be her. Yew Wei and his parents are charmed by Bai Xue and the unsuspecting family readily invites both mother and daughter to their home. Yew Wei falls in love with Bai Xue. Bai Xue also likes Yew Wei and intended to wed him for good, knowing that he is kind and considerate.

Unfortunately when they were about to get married, the town was attacked by the bandits. The right hand man of the leader of the Dark Wind bandits, Lu Er Hu develops a liking to Bai Xue and demands that she with a stipulated sum of valuables be handed over to the bandits. Thus, Bai Xue and her mother flee for their lives and find themselves in Duan Chou Gu.

Yew Wei tries to enter Duan Chou Gu to try to get Bai Xue out of there but is unsuccessful. He then sends his servant with a love letter fo Bai Xue. Somehow the bandits got hold of the letter. The second heroine, Ying Gu reads the letter and is impressed with the loving words in it. Out of curiousity, she decides to find out more about the writer. When she meets and later gets to know Yew Wei, she falls in love with him. Yew Wei doesn’t know that Ying Gu is a girl as she masquerades as a young man.

Yew Wei angers Lu Er Hu, the bandit who is actually cheating on his leader as he only hands over part of the loot taken. Er Hu and his men ambush Yew Wei and try to kill him. Luckily Ying Gu is at the scene and saves him. Loved the part when the ever gallant Yew Wei pushes Ying Gu aside, afraid that she would get hurt and tries to fend off the bandits. Yew Wei is knocked senseless in the process, while Ying Gu stops the bandits. Later Yew Wei wakes up at his home and is anxious about the safety of Ying Gu. When he meets Ying Gu’s manservant who tells him that his master was killed by the bandits, he feels remorseful that his new found friend had died to save him. Ying Gu reappears as the sister of the dead friend and Yew Wei promises to take care of her.

Ying Gu enjoys being with Yew Wei and is heart broken when she finds out that he still loves Bai Xue deeply and only thinks of her as a younger sister. However she tires of being a bandit and wants to live a peaceful live in the town so with Yew Wei’s help, she opens a book shop in town.

Meanwhile back in Duan Chou Gu, the leader’s son plots to get rid of Ho Tian so that he can be the next in command. This deceitful chap even kills the leader (his real father) when he is found out and puts the blame on the leader of one of the bands of bandits. I found Ho Tian too trusting and kind since he could not see through his step brother’s conniving ways. Ho Tian leaves Duan Chou Gu with Bai Xue and her mother and ends up in the neighbouring town where Yew Wei lives.

Bai Xue is supposed to marry Yew Wei since she is back but she has second thoughts as she has fallen in love with Ho Tian. On their day of marriage she runs away after sending him a letter. Yew Wei is devastated when he finds Bai Xue in Ho Tian’s embrace as he knows that both of them are in love. He is very hurt but later forgives them. Ying Gu realizes the pain Yew Wei is suffering and tries to cheer him up. The scene in which they were seeking shelter under a bridge after being caught in the rain was one of my favourites. It depicted the sweet innocence and friendship between them as they talked about their childhood. Loved the part when Yew Wei drops off to sleep and Ying Gu realizing that, tenderly covering him with his coat which he had earlier offered to her as it was cold.