Lin Pingzhi

[pannonian]

Why did he hate Linghu Chong so much?

[tape]

He hated all things associated with Yue Buqun, and after his castration and all that he's suffered through, it's not hard to see why he hates the world.

Linghu Chong got the love and respect of most of the wulin world, and learned extraordinary martial arts seemingly at no cost compared to what he went through. And for what it's worth, I do think he had feelings for Yue Lingshan even though he was using her also. He was frustrated he couldn't be with her on some level, and he assumed she'd go back to Linghu Chong. Jealous lover thing. I'd probably irrationally hate him too in his shoes.

[Ian Liew]

It's also ego. Having already wronged LHC so many times, it's much easier to make yourself hate him and justify the anger than to be man enough to go up to him and apologise for all the misunderstandings. It's the defensive mentality, as well as the inferiority complex.

[Trien Chieu]

He hated all things associated with Yue Buqun, and after his castration and all that he's suffered through, it's not hard to see why he hates the world.

Linghu Chong got the love and respect of most of the wulin world, and learned extraordinary martial arts seemingly at no cost compared to what he went through. And for what it's worth, I do think he had feelings for Yue Lingshan even though he was using her also. He was frustrated he couldn't be with her on some level, and he assumed she'd go back to Linghu Chong. Jealous lover thing. I'd probably irrationally hate him too in his shoes.

I agree he had feeling for YLS too and he could have a great life with her. He is just too stupid for throwing all his happiness into the toilet for nothing.

[tape]

It's easy to fault Lin Pingzhi and talk about how dumb he is, but we might not be too different from him in his situation. There were many things I swore I wouldn't do/become, but some prolonged situations have really changed my outlook and way I dealt with things.

Though castration, I think, is one of those things I'm 99.99% sure I wouldn't do.

His other choices....I don't see it completely out of question.

[Trien Chieu]

It's easy to fault Lin Pingzhi and talk about how dumb he is, but we might not be too different from him in his situation. There were many things I swore I wouldn't do/become, but some prolonged situations have really changed my outlook and way I dealt with things.

Though castration, I think, is one of those things I'm 99.99% sure I wouldn't do.

His other choices....I don't see it completely out of question.

Of course I would be different.
My plan would be marry YLS and live happily with her in Huashan. At the mean time, wait patiently for YBQ to transfer his martial art of Huashan and leadership to me. Remember, YLS is YBQ only daughter and he is already in his 50s so he doesn't have other choice. Once I obtain all the martial art of Huashan, it would be enough for me to seek revenge against the people of QingCheng.

[tape]

If you plan on taking revenge at all, I don't think that's a very realistic plan.

You're a young man filled with testosterone and hormones, and you expect to be able to hold down your anger for 30+ years and then FINALLY take revenge? Even a relatively peaceful and controlled Guo Jing would go berserk upon seeing Wanyan Honglie.

[Trien Chieu]

If you plan on taking revenge at all, I don't think that's a very realistic plan.

You're a young man filled with testosterone and hormones, and you expect to be able to hold down your anger for 30+ years and then FINALLY take revenge? Even a relatively peaceful and controlled Guo Jing would go berserk upon seeing Wanyan Honglie.

I have the patience.
If 30, 40, or 50 years is what it takes, then be it. Revenge is important, but happiness is far more important than revenge. I would never sacrifice my happiness for anything.

[bliss]

I have the patience.
If 30, 40, or 50 years is what it takes, then be it. Revenge is important, but happiness is far more important than revenge. I would never sacrifice my happiness for anything.

So if getting revenge makes you happy, you'd do the choppy choppy.

[BlackRaven]

I have the patience.
If 30, 40, or 50 years is what it takes, then be it. Revenge is important, but happiness is far more important than revenge. I would never sacrifice my happiness for anything.

but the leader of Qingcheng would be dead in 30 years, probably even 25 or 20. Yue Buqun was around 58 years old and Yu canghai was about as old.

can lin pingzhi surpass yu canghai with another 20 years of training solely relying on hua shan martial arts? maybe if he studied under the huashan sword branch with that blizzard sword move, he has a chance. but the qi faction's progress is slow and steady, he wont be able to beat yu canghai in a duel before he gets too old and dies.

ideally, lin pingzhi should have fathered some children to continue the family line, then castrate himself and seek revenge. but humans are flawed creatures, thats what makes the story interesting

[PJ]

ideally, lin pingzhi should have fathered some children to continue the family line, then castrate himself and seek revenge. but humans are flawed creatures, thats what makes the story interesting

Interestingly, didn't Lin Pingzhi say that his father was not the biological son of Lin Yuantu but just a cover up for him, since Lin Yuantu was a monk before castration and couldn't produce children after castration? If so, the lineage was already broken.

[Trien Chieu]

but the leader of Qingcheng would be dead in 30 years, probably even 25 or 20. Yue Buqun was around 58 years old and Yu canghai was about as old.

can lin pingzhi surpass yu canghai with another 20 years of training solely relying on hua shan martial arts? maybe if he studied under the huashan sword branch with that blizzard sword move, he has a chance. but the qi faction's progress is slow and steady, he wont be able to beat yu canghai in a duel before he gets too old and dies.

ideally, lin pingzhi should have fathered some children to continue the family line, then castrate himself and seek revenge. but humans are flawed creatures, thats what makes the story interesting

I believe Yu Canghai has children and family so if he dies Lin Pingzhi can always go after all of them. As for Yue Buqun, he did not kill Lin Pingzhi's parents so he can forget about him. Afterall, Lin Pingzhi got his hot daughter as a payback.

Father some children then castrate and seek revenge is indeed a way better option, but if I were in LPZ shoes, I wouldn't do it either. I wouldn't want to give up hottie like Lingshan .

[BlackRaven]

Interestingly, didn't Lin Pingzhi say that his father was not the biological son of Lin Yuantu but just a cover up for him, since Lin Yuantu was a monk before castration and couldn't produce children after castration? If so, the lineage was already broken.

even though yuantu was not blood related to them, zhennan and pingzhi are true father and son, both in blood and affection, that heritage is still worth preserving.

besides, in the later han era a powerful eunuch adopted xiahou song to be his son and heir. he became cao song and fathered the great general cao cao, who ended up honoring the cao family and always considered himself to be a cao.

so im guessing that chinese ancestor worship is similar to the japanese model. as long as the relative that is praying is filial, thats all that matters.

[BlackRaven]

I believe Yu Canghai has children and family so if he dies Lin Pingzhi can always go after all of them. As for Yue Buqun, he did not kill Lin Pingzhi's parents so he can forget about him. Afterall, Lin Pingzhi got his hot daughter as a payback.

Father some children then castrate and seek revenge is indeed a way better option, but if I were in LPZ shoes, I wouldn't do it either. I wouldn't want to give up hottie like Lingshan .

This raises a good point. Did LPZ even intend on killing off the rest of yu canghai's sons? i think he was satisfied already after killing yu canghai and that hunchback muo gaofeng. lpz also casted the first stone by killing yu canghai's eldest son.

I am guessing that near the end of the story, lpz was evil enough to kill his wife, so I guess that eventually he would have gone after the sons of his enemies. but yu canghai is the main enemy, he would not be satisfied going after only the sons

[Dirt]

Interestingly, didn't Lin Pingzhi say that his father was not the biological son of Lin Yuantu but just a cover up for him, since Lin Yuantu was a monk before castration and couldn't produce children after castration? If so, the lineage was already broken.

Not necessarily, even if the child is adopted the child will carry that person's name. Cao Cao's father was adopted by a eunuch surnamed Cao (from the Xiahou Family I believe) and the Cao name lived on through Cao Cao and his descendents. To this day, we know him as Cao Cao, not Xiahou Cao. If passing on the family name was the goal, Lin Pinzhi can still adopt as his grandfather did.

[Candide]

I see TC is projecting his desperate need for a girlfriend on Lin Pingzhi again.

Lin hated LHC because LHC was pretty much his peer and was way more successful and well known than him. LPZ was a nobody to the entire wulin. They only bothered with him because of his family posession (the 72 Pixie dick chopping art).

[Dirt]

SPW is, I believe, Jin Yong's most sophisticated meditation on power. Eunuchs were a major problem during the Ming Dynasty, many of them reached the highest echelons of power based solely on the fact that they (or their parents) were willing to cut off their family jewels to gain access to royalty and using that access to gain wealth and power. Of course, eunuchs were a problem in the entirety of China's history, which is why I think Jin Yong never actually gives a definitive time period for SPW. Eunuchs were a powerful force and represented, IMHO, the opposite of the scholar gentry.

In many ways, LHC is the luckiest character in SPW; he was born with great intelligence and he gained access to one of the (2 really if you count Fang Zheng) greatest teachers in all of SPW. For those who are not born with great intelligence (98% of the entire population) nor had access to a great teacher, there is only hard work in any way possible to gain wealth and power and in ancient China; people worked hard to pass the scholar gentry exams and the character that represents that is Ren Woxing. Of course, just as often as not being super smart, hard work also wasn't enough. So, many people went the fast route and cut off their genitals and sought wealth and power that way.

I cannot call cutting off one's family jewels an easy way to gain power, being a guy, I know that I could never do that. But it is seductive for those without either the intelligence, ability or access to a great teacher to do it any other way. Many of those people become desperate and cannot wait and that is Lin Pinzhi; he had neither Linhu Chong's ability or intelligence but he had a singular opportunity, an opportunity with a great price. He took it. Did he have another choice?

[athlee]

he could always have picked up an small child, castrate him and then raise him up for revenge. A child about 2 years or so would not know anything and he can always say he adopted him from the palace. Start teaching him Pixie at a young age and in 15 years, the kid should be able to slaughter Yu and family without breaking a sweat.

For insurance, adopt two or more in case they die of fire deviation

[Trien Chieu]

SPW is, I believe, Jin Yong's most sophisticated meditation on power. Eunuchs were a major problem during the Ming Dynasty, many of them reached the highest echelons of power based solely on the fact that they (or their parents) were willing to cut off their family jewels to gain access to royalty and using that access to gain wealth and power. Of course, eunuchs were a problem in the entirety of China's history, which is why I think Jin Yong never actually gives a definitive time period for SPW. Eunuchs were a powerful force and represented, IMHO, the opposite of the scholar gentry.

In many ways, LHC is the luckiest character in SPW; he was born with great intelligence and he gained access to one of the (2 really if you count Fang Zheng) greatest teachers in all of SPW. For those who are not born with great intelligence (98% of the entire population) nor had access to a great teacher, there is only hard work in any way possible to gain wealth and power and in ancient China; people worked hard to pass the scholar gentry exams and the character that represents that is Ren Woxing. Of course, just as often as not being super smart, hard work also wasn't enough. So, many people went the fast route and cut off their genitals and sought wealth and power that way.

I cannot call cutting off one's family jewels an easy way to gain power, being a guy, I know that I could never do that. But it is seductive for those without either the intelligence, ability or access to a great teacher to do it any other way. Many of those people become desperate and cannot wait and that is Lin Pinzhi; he had neither Linhu Chong's ability or intelligence but he had a singular opportunity, an opportunity with a great price. He took it. Did he have another choice?

If LPZ was wise, he would of figuring out the method that I mention from the above. That is, he was still able to revenge without making any sacrifice.

[tape]

Waiting 15-20 years and hoping eventually your plan will succeed, and hoping your enemy will still be alive, is something that only an outsider can say they would do.

Think about how rash and hotheaded teenagers are, and now multiply that by 10x as he was wealthy and spoiled and watched his parents tortured and killed over a period of a few weeks.