GWM, Fok Do, and Dat Yee Ba vs. North Beggar Hung 7 Gung

[Ken Cheng]

I don't recall that being stated in the novel - it is probably a historical inference. Using Wikipedia as a date reference, Wang Chongyang accepted most of his students at around 1167 AD, as he was spreading the Quanzhen beliefs in Shandong. The ages of the Quanzhen seven at that time would have been:

Ma Yu - 44
Tan Chuduan - 44
Liu Chuxuan - 20
Qiu Chuji -19
Wang Chuyi - 25
Hao Datong - 18
Sun Bu'er - 48

So there are actually two distinct age groups among the historical Quanzhen seven, with 3 in their mid-forties, and 4 in their twenties, and Sun Bu'er was actually the oldest of the seven (only 6 years younger than Wong Chongyang himself!).

That's weird and confusing. How were the Cheun Jen 7 Disciples ranked? It clearly wasn't by age.

[Ian Liew]

That's weird and confusing. How were the Cheun Jen 7 Disciples ranked? It clearly wasn't by age.

Probably according to when Wang Chongyang took them in? Age is rarely a factor in wulin I think - nobody leapfrogs seniority. In XAJH, Lao Denuo was quite old, but still ranked second after Linghu Chong who was Yue Buqun's first disciple.

[Ken Cheng]

Probably according to when Wang Chongyang took them in?

That still wouldn't work, because Ma Yuk and Sheun But Yee were a married couple before they became Wong Chung Yeung's disciples, and it wouldn't make sense for the husband to be # 1 and the wife to be # 7 if he had recruited them together (which he presumably did).

[Dirt]

Probably according to when Wang Chongyang took them in? Age is rarely a factor in wulin I think - nobody leapfrogs seniority. In XAJH, Lao Denuo was quite old, but still ranked second after Linghu Chong who was Yue Buqun's first disciple.

I would think so. Based on Athena's post, Qiu is similar in age to East and North, yet, by Wulin standards, he's their wanbei because his master Central was ranked at the same level as them. It's why the 7 Masters could "gang up" on the Greats with the Big Dipper formation.

That still wouldn't work, because Ma Yuk and Sheun But Yee were a married couple before they became Wong Chung Yeung's disciples, and it wouldn't make sense for the husband to be # 1 and the wife to be # 7 if he had recruited them together (which he presumably did).

Sun Bu'er could have become a disciple of Wang Chongyang much later than her husband.

[Ken Cheng]

Sun Bu'er could have become a disciple of Wang Chongyang much later than her husband.

Could have, sure, but it doesn't make much sense. It's much easier to imagine that she and her husband agreed to become Wong's disciples on the same day than her husband agreeing to it first, Wong finding five other people to be his disciples, then coming back to her last. That's an awfully convoluted way to do things.

[Ian Liew]

Could have, sure, but it doesn't make much sense. It's much easier to imagine that she and her husband agreed to become Wong's disciples on the same day than her husband agreeing to it first, Wong finding five other people to be his disciples, then coming back to her last. That's an awfully convoluted way to do things.

Maybe she thought she could live without him, and then after a while, seeing how much fun he was having, she decided she wanted in as well?

Did the TVB serial starring Ekin Cheng deal with how he recruited his disciples?

[Ken Cheng]

Did the TVB serial starring Ekin Cheng deal with how he recruited his disciples?

Wouldn't know; didn't watch it. I generally don't watch TVB series made or first broadcast after 11:28 a.m., PST, October 31, 1988.