(false) Myths about wuxia fiction

[PJ]

Sometimes a rumor spreads like wild fire, and soon becomes "accepted knowledge," even though it's not true. Do you know any such myths regarding wuxia fiction?

Here is my favorite:

1. Some members proclaimed Xiaoyao Hou to be the #1 warrior in Gu Long universe, b/c he was described to be able to turn the universe upside down. But skimming through the book, I didn't find anything close.

[mawguy]

then there's that whole rumour about some sword god...whatzitzface, zhuo bufan or something...

[PJ]

then there's that whole rumour about some sword god...whatzitzface, zhuo bufan or something...

I thought everyone knew it was just a myth.

[Han Solo]

Sometimes a rumor spreads like wild fire, and soon becomes "accepted knowledge," even though it's not true. Do you know any such myths regarding wuxia fiction?

Here is my favorite:

1. Some members proclaimed Xiaoyao Hou to be the #1 warrior in Gu Long universe, b/c he was described to be able to turn the universe upside down. But skimming through the book, I didn't find anything close.

He was number 1 in TigerWong's top 50 GL list.

TigerWong was obviously someone that i enormously respect for the depth and breath of his knowledge about GL's heroes.

AFAIK, XYH's fights towards the end of XXYL is pretty impressive.

Han Solo

[TigerWong]

He was number 1 in TigerWong's top 50 GL list.

TigerWong was obviously someone that i enormously respect for the depth and breath of his knowledge about GL's heroes.

AFAIK, XYH's fights towards the end of XXYL is pretty impressive.

Han Solo

Heh, thanks for the vote of confidence. But just to be clear, I never ranked him #1 BECAUSE of any such quote. I prefer more tangible impressions than something so obviously metaphorical.

In any case, it's good for one to read and judge for themselves rather than automatically taking too many things at face value. I guess that's how myths can get fed.

Speaking of myths, I'd be interested in seeing a quote about XiMen ChuiXue reaching a level of 'no sword' as far as pertaining to sword chi. And if so, was that person REALLY XiMen ChuiXue...

[mawguy]

Speaking of myths, I'd be interested in seeing a quote about XiMen ChuiXue reaching a level of 'no sword' as far as pertaining to sword chi. And if so, was that person REALLY XiMen ChuiXue...

there's another one i vaguely remember reading, but i can't find it yet. i've found this, though, from LXF7:8

富索素站了起來，大聲叱喝道。”宮萍，你想干什么？”
　　“我听說西門公子的劍術已經練到無劍的境界，我想領教—下。”
　　“哼！我看你是活得不耐煩了。”牛肉湯道。
　　宮萍連看都沒看中肉湯一眼，雙目定定的注視著西門吹雪道。”拔劍吧。”
　　“我看你真的是活得不耐煩了：“牛肉湯說：“你居然敢叫西門大俠拔劍？你知道他一拔劍的后 果嗎？”
　　宮萍依舊沒有理她。
　　牛肉湯卻又說：“你死定了。”
　　宮萍冷笑，道。”每件事都有例外的。”
　　話一說完，她就舉劍刺向西門吹雪，一口气連攻了二十四招。
　　西門吹雪的身体快速無比的連換了二十四個位置，然后，就是劍光一閃。
　　沒有人看到西門吹雪是怎樣拔劍的，也沒有人看到西門吹雪的劍是怎么刺向宮萍的，他們看到的 只是一閃。
　　就是那一閃，宮萍就已倒下。
（二）

　　宮萍倒地發出“呼”的一聲：“呼”的一聲過后，竟然傳來了沙大戶的笑聲。
　　“好劍法：“沙大戶一邊拍掌，一邊自門外走了進來。“西門吹雪無劍的境界，果然名不虛傳"

[TigerWong]

there's another one i vaguely remember reading, but i can't find it yet. i've found this, though, from LXF7:8

It's hard to say what exactly happened here since it was so quick nobody saw it. And recall that even in "LXF - Silver Hook Casino", it was mentioned that XMCX reached a level of "not needing a sword". But all that happened there was that he managed to use his enemy's sword as his own. In fact, the description here bears some similarities to that fight. He doesn't require a sword because he can use anything as his sword, even his opponent's weapon, and he is deadly whether he holds a weapon or not.

I guess you interpret it differently. But it is a bit different than other descriptions of sword chi GL has made, although that can be attributed to his choice in writing style. However, it seems odd then that XMCX does use a sword in later parts of that story, if I remember correctly.

I also vaguely remember another reference to a sense of "sword aura" in the story, but I think that person wasn't really XMCX. But who knows, there were a lot of identity switching going on.

[mawguy]

yeah, i was just as confused after finding this passage because i too thought he stopped using a sword at some point.

but then again, the last book of the series is quite a departure stylistically from the rest of the series. i found a similar phenomenon with the last book of CLX.

[Wu Wudi]

Why do so many people associate "no sword beats sword" as some form of sword chi martial arts? I've never seen it explictly stated anywhere in novels or interviews that a swordsman at the swordless level uses sword chi.

[PJ]

Why do so many people associate "no sword beats sword" as some form of sword chi martial arts? I've never seen it explictly stated anywhere in novels or interviews that a swordsman at the swordless level uses sword chi.

Agree!

I really like the concept of "No Sword" stage simply consisting of using your opponent's sword!!

Ximen Chuixue really is Ximen Chuixue.

[Wu Wudi]

Agree!

I really like the concept of "No Sword" stage simply consisting of using your opponent's sword!!

Ximen Chuixue really is Ximen Chuixue.

That wasn't the only instance of something like that in Wuxia. It's not as silly as it sounds. Jet Li, in Hero, practiced the manuever of using his opponent's sword, for a decade.

[Radken]

This not a myth but what my mom told me when I was kid. After watching LOCH '84 I asked her what happened to Gwok Jing and Huang Rong, she told me they jumped off a cliff and die.

[shortsight]

This not a myth but what my mom told me when I was kid. After watching LOCH '84 I asked her what happened to Gwok Jing and Huang Rong, she told me they jumped off a cliff and die.

either you or your mom is lying!

[K2Grey]

No one can jump off a cliff and die in wuxia.

[kidd]

Deterioration Theory - from someone's theory to everyone's fact.

Now I see post like 'A martial art cannot be stronger than B martial art because according to the Deterioration Theory...' or 'A person is weaker than B person because according to Deterioration Theory...."

[Ken Cheng]

Deterioration Theory - from someone's theory to everyone's fact.

Now I see post like 'A martial art cannot be strong than B martial art because according to the Deterioration Theory...' or 'A person is weaker than B person because according to Deterioration Theory...."

Overall, the Deterioration Theory in the Jin Yong universe *does* work; it's just often misapplied.

[JamesG]

No one can jump off a cliff and die in wuxia.

I have this vision of a main wuxia hero plunging a broken sword into his chest and his lady love plucking out her donated eyes, grabbing him and jumping off a cliff. They were both dead, dead, dead!

[K2Grey]

The main wuxia hero was dead before he went off the cliff. As for his lady love, every rule has its exception

[Felix]

The main wuxia hero was dead before he went off the cliff. As for his lady love, every rule has its exception

Wait, in the novel, did they ever say she died? What if she survived the fall somehow, then the rule would still be in effect.

[Radken]

either you or your mom is lying!

Apparently, she was only half right. They died but not in that way.