Lin Pingzhi: a more cruel fate than archvillains like Cheng Kun and others?

[Ian Liew]

I don't think that people have no sympathy for LPZ, what happened to him, and how events forced him to learn Bixie, because up to then he didn't really have a choice. What he did with his skill once he learned Bixie was entirely up to him, though. He chose to blame Yue Lingshan for her father's evil, assuming that she only loved him as part of a greater plot by Yue Buqun to gain his confidence, when she really loved him even after he was blind. At the point when he actually killed her, I think he finally realised that he had wronged her, but his pride refused to let him accept that and so it would have been easier for him if she just didn't exist.

If I remember correctly he was also partly to blame for his blindness as he was enjoying his revenge too much, and if he had just killed off Yu Canghai and Mu Gaofeng as efficiently as he could he might have got away clean, but he chose to toy with them and torture them sadistically. He then rejects his wife who by now no longer had any reason to stick by him other than loving him (and it wasn't due to the castration which dulled his feelings for her - he had resented her even during their wedding - the moment he realised it was Yue Buqun who attacked him he chose to blame Yue Lingshan as well). He kills her, and throws in his lot with Zuo Lengchan, supposedly to take revenge against Yue Buqun, but ends up murdering scores of students from four of the Five Peaks Sects. It might have been fate which drove him to the point where he had to learn Bixie, but he chose his own destiny after that (even if you can say that fate had destroyed his innocence and made him paranoid), and at the point when LHC defeated him in that cave, LPZ was a deranged, merciless and uncontrollable force. If left to his own devices, he would undoubtedly be responsible for the death of many many people in the future, most of whom would be innocents. And it wasn't as if LHC hunted him down for the death of Yue Lingshan - LPZ would have murdered him in cold blood without so much as a second thought despite LHC never ever hurting him in his life.

[tape]

It's easier to judge him because he's a literary character, but if someone in real life went through the equivalents of what he went through, I don't think many could blame him for anything. It's just a sad acknowledgment that his life was crap and he wasn't superhumanly strong enough to overcome it.

I don't think his actions after practicing PiXie are rational or completely his own choices anymore. He is as close to insane and mentally disturbed as people get.

[PJ]

It's easier to judge him because he's a literary character, but if someone in real life went through the equivalents of what he went through, I don't think many could blame him for anything.

In real life, people are still responsible for their own actions. Having a sad past is no excuse for doing terrible things in the future.

[tape]

I don't disagree, I just find it hard to judge him harshly because I don't know think I would hold up much better than him in his situation.

He had extremely bad things happen to him. I can imagine myself in the shoes of other protagonists and saying I would or wouldn't do this or that, but with him, I can't imagine what it feels like to be in his shoes short of just letting YBQ kill me sooner or later.

And your past surely matters in viewing any of your actions. It is just impossible to qualify it so we are forced to give it less credence.

[Ian Liew]

Oh, if I were in his shoes I wouldn't dare say that I'd have done things differently, but I'd would never say that I was dealt with too harshly at the end compared to Xiao Yuanshan, Murong Bo, Cheng Kun etc... it's like the defendant who pleads for a lenient sentence in court citing that he is the sole breadwinner, has 4 brothers and 2 sister and a disabled mother to feed etc.. you can feel sorry for him, but they do not absolve him of the responsibility he has to face as a consequence of his own actions.

I guess LPZ could end up in Shaolin with Fang Zheng reciting sutras to him daily, but only after his Bixie has been disabled - he'd be far too dangerous otherwise. Murong Bo and Xiao Yuanshan were no longer threats when they retreated into Shaolin because they had already been enlightened. Cheng Kun and Ding Chunqiu both had their martial arts disabled before being locked up too. It's not as if LPZ lost his arms.. he probably just couldn't ever hold a sword again.

[Trien Chieu]

Me and Blackraven have pointed out many times that he did not have the opportunity to "live in Huashan learning martial art from YBQ and live happily with Lingshan but blew it". YBQ would have killed him eventually and he realized that once YBQ stole the sword manual from the unconscious LHC. If you think waiting around was the best choice, you would've just been killed by YBQ without knowing what happened to you.

He was about to marry Lingshan and do you think YBQ still capable of killing him after he is married to her? Remember, YBQ has only one daughter. Do you think he would let his daughter to become a widow? While waiting around pretending not knowing anything wasn't ideal, but it's indeed the best choice. Again, he is already a student of Huashan, he still able to learn basic kungfu like other students.

[Ren Wo Xing]

He was about to marry Lingshan and do you think YBQ still capable of killing him after he is married to her? Remember, YBQ has only one daughter. Do you think he would let his daughter to become a widow? While waiting around pretending not knowing anything wasn't ideal, but it's indeed the best choice. Again, he is already a student of Huashan, he still able to learn basic kungfu like other students.

The answer to both your questions is, "Yes, absolutely."

[Banh Mi]

Do you think he would let his daughter to become a widow?

You're asking this of a guy who cut off his own dong. What do you think.

[Ian Liew]

The answer to both your questions is, "Yes, absolutely."

I think he would have murdered Madam Ning if he thought he could benefit from her death in any way. Lin Pingzhi's only chance was if Yue Buqun felt that he was beneath his notice, but that seemed unlikely.

[mideel]

i can't believe that after he looks so noble, kind and strong in 90% of the novel, in the last 10% he turn 180 degree...

and what makes me upset is... at first yue ling shan and he talk about yue ling shan will be a nun and he show no intent to kill her but then suddenly ...!#$%^&*.... this scene is one of the scene i feel doesn't make sense... i even feel the richie ren version when yue ling shan commit suicide and lin ping zhi show his regret after that is much more makes sense...

i also don't understand about his ambition to become the king in martial art world and his hatred for ling hu chong... ling hu chong done nothing to him, its him who takes ling hu chong love,.. and whats with the evil laugh in the end of the novel ???? i just assume that somewhere in the middle of the novel lin ping zhi have choose dark path and act noble....

i still curious what happen next to him... i surprised if he want to live as a blind guy in dark underground prison and don't commit suicide... i'm not quite satisfied with the ending because lin ping zhi condition is still unclear... jin yong just wrote lin ping zhi is imprisoned in underground prison... i want to know his mentality and feeling..

[Trien Chieu]

In real life, people are still responsible for their own actions. Having a sad past is no excuse for doing terrible things in the future.

Agree. In real life, when criminals go to the court, the judge and jurors only care about whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. His/her sad past and being unfortunate don't matter at all.

And your past surely matters in viewing any of your actions. It is just impossible to qualify it so we are forced to give it less credence.

Not from the court of law. Many criminals have sad past and being unfortunate but they still got convicted by the court and punished accordingly. Our criminal justice system doesn't care about sad past and being unfortunate. Our justice system only care about whether the defendant is guilty or not. There is something called personal responsibility.

[tape]

Agree. In real life, when criminals go to the court, the judge and jurors only care about whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. His/her sad past and being unfortunate don't matter at all.



Not from the court of law. Many criminals have sad past and being unfortunate but they still got convicted by the court and punished accordingly. Our criminal justice system doesn't care about sad past and being unfortunate. Our justice system only care about whether the defendant is guilty or not. There is something called personal responsibility.

That is not true if the person is considered mentally ill which I've said I consider Lin Pingzi to be. Everyone you hold dear to you is murdered or seemingly betrays you -- yeah that might make you a little cuckoo. In fact even if you don't claim to be mentally ill, the court has an obligation to identify that you might possibly be so and run the due processes.

Having an unfortunate pass doesn't excuse your actions, but it makes it more understandable. A guy that worked hard and suffered all his life snaps and kills a horrible human being faces the same punishment as a a terrible person that decides to murder someone for fun. Doesn't mean I don't differentiate them in some ways and feel harsher about one than the other.

[canhnhuoctran]

I find this character quite complex and somewhat similar to Yang Kang. I think the character of Lin PingZhi is just so filled with hatred and vengeance while Yang Kang was more of shame and thirst for power. If I remember correctly, Yang Kang came back to his princedom because he felt that his people are too coward to save and he deserves better. Similarly, because of his desire to revenge his parents which was understandable, LPZ used YLS to get closer to her dad and later because of his own safety, he marries her then changes to villain. They both have reasons to become the villains and they decided to do it, only to regret later (I think, giving time, LPZ would regret as well). I guess I sympathize with these characters but not agree with what they did (deceiving and killing and slaying people with cruelty).
As for LPZ, in particular, I only watched the drama so I don't know how the story was originally written about him. However, I think LPZ has a love/hate relationship with YLS. I like it in the recent version as they had some cute moments together. I think LPZ likes YLS but he'd rather use his excuses to get close to her, maybe by doing that, he doesn't feel as bad not thinking about revenging for his parents. But later on, when he finds out about her dad and his scheme, she becomes his only way to survive and so he hates seeing her, hates himself and resorts to use her. Loving your enemy's daughter is not an easy thing to do. And to have any mercy and love on her, he might have thought that's weakness and a disadvantage. And honestly, I didn't think he meant to kill YLS. Like he said, he only wants her to loose all hope and find another way to live rather than being with him as he has nothing to give her. And for the last part, i think he might have gone with YLS and be happy with her if not for LHC being near there. (I don't know why he hates LHC so much, but maybe purely jealousy, all the trust from friends, all the luck with kungfu and all the favors from all kind of people while he has practically nothing.) Anyway, clearly he killed YLS by accident so it's not like he's a completely heartless person. I think YLS understands it and that's why she forgives him even till the end. Her character is so pitiful and again, similar to Mu Nian Ci of Yang Kang. I really wish they didn't have such sad ending. I wish their story ends when LPZ agrees to leave with YLS and they both disappear. Maybe sometimes later, as LHC and RYY wander about, they will find them living happily at the place they first met or something. That would be nice!!! The beauty of love is forgiving and healing, isn't it?