Deun Jing Tsun's four bodyguards and Deun Chi Hing's four bodyguards/students

[Ken Cheng]

Dali was a country long on tradition. So it was that Prince Deun Jing Tsun of DGSD-era Dali had four guardsmen who had counterparts a century later under King Deun Chi Hing/South Emperor 1 Deng during the era of L/ROCH.

Chu Tze Lau was confirmed as a descendant of Chu Dan San. Both favored brush pens as weapons, and both were scholars in their non-wulin capacities. The other three were not biological relatives, but nonetheless seemed to inherit their predecessors' roles.

I don't know if Chui Man Lei had another civilian vocation before he became affiliated with the Deuns, but he was fishing at the Mirror Lake just before he faced Deun Yin Hing in a fatal duel. Could Chui have been an ancestor of the Fisherman from L/ROCH?

Koo Dak Sing was woodsman, judging from his choice of a hatchet as his weapon (truly a rarity in Jin Yong wuxia). Was the unnamed Woodsman of L/ROCH his descendant or successor?

Finally, there's Fu See Gwai, known for his tunnel-digging skills. That means he's very skilled with the shovel and the hoe. Mo 3 Tung was a farmer, so he too must have been skilled with the shovel and hoe. Was Mo 3 Tung the spiritual successor of Fu See Gwai?

[Ian Liew]

Yu Jiu Gan Dook are the four traditional Chinese professions, so it's quite likely that the four Dali generals were chosen from such backgrounds, or at least were required to practise the profession once chosen, regardless of whether they were directly descended from each other or not.

If you play mahjong, you'll see that Yu Jiu Gan Dook is one of the sets you can collect for bonus points, the others being Kam Kei Shue Wah, Mui Lan Kuk Juk and Chun Har Chow Tung.