Four Marshals

How long
35 episodes

Foreword
Finally a new version of ‘The Four Constables’ is out after so many years! With a new cast and computer effects, can it surpass the former?

Story

Leng Hui Shan is the ruler of the pugilist world. His deputy, Luo Shi is jealous of his success and kills him on his birthday. Hui Shan’s son is rescued by Marquis Zhu Ge and is named ‘Leng Xie’. He brings him up in a pack of wolves to train him in martial arts. When stepping out of the valley, what he has in mind is only revenge. He rescues Xiao Dao from being abducted by villains and she falls for him.

Marquis Zhu Ge meets him but Leng Xie detects that he is an imposter – sure enough, the person is his junior, Qing Qing. He has seen through the disguise because of her body scent. They have been together since young and his encounter with wolves has helped him in that. Wu Qing (He displays his skills by making a whip appearing from nowhere and he can also disappear any moment – Marquis Zhu Ge has trained him in using traps and also shooting small flying daggers.)

Wu Qing has not recovered from an inner injury so he can’t master martial arts. He describes himself as an invalid but Qing Qing shakes her head. She has been in love with him all along. He manages to trick Qing Qing home and she is mad to know that Wu Qing is now working as Xiao Dao’s tutor. Leng Xie fails in his assassination attempt and Xiao Dao hides him in her room. Wu Qing manages to rescue him out and Cai Jing keeps the dagger that he leaves behind.

Qing Qing is drugged while trying to know Luo Shi’s secrets but Wu Qing rescues her. Qing Qing tries in vain to talk Wu Qing out of it to work for a vicious man. (This woman should not doubt him since she knows so well. She is so stupid to walk in and out of the general’s residence like her home. Is supervision that lax?! ) Wu Qing doesn’t make any explaining although he wishes to but he is working undercover.

Xiao Dao feels lost since Leng Xie leaves. Cai Jing narrows his search and suspects Wu Qing to be the person to rescue Leng Xie upon seeing his dagger. (I shake my head – Wu Qing should pretend not to know martial arts at all – how can he be so stupid?!) He locks him up in the cellar, tying him to his wheelchair but Luo Shi releases him after knowing that he is ‘innocent’. (This part makes me laugh – the interrogation leads to nowhere but he lets him off too easily.)

Leng Xie recovers with Qing Qing’s help – Wu Qing has given pills to Xiao Tao to pass to Leng Xie earlier and also teaches Qing Qing the way to save him. The way is…..both of them have to stay naked for her to transfer her inner strength to him. (This idea is definitely borrowed from ‘Return of the condors’). Leng Xie plans to marry Qing Qing but she replies that she only has Wu Qing in her heart.

Leng Xie is grateful to Wu Qing for being so well versed in medicine – but why isn’t he able to heal himself? Qing Qing relates the story. A few years, he and Qing Qing were ambushed in an attack. Both of them were seriously injured. Qing Qing lost a lot of blood and was dying. Wu Qing was not in a better condition than her and his leg was covered with blood.

But without hesitation, he implores the physician to transfer his blood to her. (This serial version resolves to make him a romantic.) He ends up being confined to the wheelchair although he manages to survive. Since then, all have tried to seek a remedy for him without success. Wu Qing becomes a skilled physician himself after this. Qing Qing keeps blaming herself for his predicament and Leng Xie feels sorry for her.

Xiao Dao wants to pluck a flower for her mother but she accidentally falls from the hills. Wu Qing saves her and her heart flutters when he passes the flower to her. (See how fickle-minded this woman to like a man after another.) Upon seeing a cut on her hand, he applies medicine for her. She blushes and runs away when a servant comes. Wu Qing sees through Qing Qing’s disguise again. She is heartbroken over it but stops Leng Xie from killing him. (This is so boring as it centres on nothing else except love.)

Xiao Hu is supposed to deliver a precious vase to Jing but it was stolen by Qing Qing and Leng Xie. They later loses it to a little thief, Xiao Tong. They seek Zhui Ming’s help as they know that Xiao Tong is his friend. Zhui Ming is the most sentimental among the four. A few years ago, Xiao Tong steals a maid’s clothes to embarrass her in front of a crowd. Her name is Xiao Tou.

Zhui Ming brings her away and falls for her. Seeing how he tries to perform magic tricks to impress her amuses me. Seeing her nearly raped by her young master, he leads her out but is injured by a poisonous arrow. She tends to him and love blossoms between them. (The love scenes are well done – she places his head on her lap to give him a drink, he kisses her forehead and later tends to her injured ankle.)

But alas, her young master manages to seek them out and locks Zhui Ming in jail, claiming him to be a rapist. In order to save him, she agrees to be his concubine. But she is gang-raped so she kills herself before he is released. That upsets him and he still keeps the bracelet she gives him on his wrist as he visits her grave regularly. (This arrangement is ridiculous. He is so highly skilled so what is a small jail cell to him?!)

Xiao Tong has sold the vase so they can’t do anything. The trio is unlucky to meet Xiao Hu and his gang on the way. Zhui Ming is attracted to Zhong Ren, a rich man’s daughter. She looks exactly like Xiao Tou. Zhong Ren sets her mind to be the emperor’s concubine as she is materialistic but he can’t help teasing her. Upon seeing her injuring her ankle, he tends to her and recalls the past.

Both sides hold Xiao Hu and Zhong Ren as hostages. Zhong Ren walks faster than Zhui Ming and gets to see the attack. Zhui Ming insists that Leng Xie releases Xiao Hu to ensure Zhong Ren’s safety. (Stupid man – what if the villains kill her?) All do not know how to answer to Zhong Ren’s father, Official Bao but Qing Qing promises to bring her back. Sure enough, she pretends to be Luo Shi to make them release her.

Zhui Ming asks for Zhong Ren’s hand but she is reluctant to marry him. Official Bao insists of holding a martial arts competition to choose a suitable son-in-law. Zhui Ming practices hard for the event. Xiao Tong shakes his head – it is too obvious that the two women are different but Zhui Ming is too blind to notice that. Qing Qing and Leng Xie also think that he stays in the past but do not attempt to stop him.

On the wedding day, a woman, Mu Zhen claims to be Zhui Ming’s wife and stops the ceremony from taking place. Zhui Ming can’t explain himself and is mad to know that Mu Zhen is actually Qing Qing’s cousin. He is still adamant to elope with Zhong Ren and brings her to the harbour. But she pushes him away upon knowing that the emperor commands her to get into the palace to be his concubine.

Zhui Ming still hasn’t given up and tries to bring her away from her sedan. She gives him a slap and even commands the soldiers to attack him for ruining her chance. Zhui Ming is shattered and is oblivious to what is going on. He could have been injured if not for Leng Xie and Qing Qing rescuing him. He finally sees through Zhong Ren’s true colours – she isn’t his beloved Xiao Tou. He gets so upset that he gets himself drunk on the roof and Xiao Tong gasps in horror as he walks unsteadily on the roof.

Qing Qing detects that Mu Zhen likes Zhui Ming and decides to bring them together. Sure enough, when she knows that Zhui Ming decides to leave the sad place, she follows him. Some killers wipe off a family but they are mysteriously killed later. Qing Qing is delighted as she knows that Tie Shou is responsible for it. Jian hunts him down for killing his men but he soon realizes that Tie Shou is his long-lost nephew.

Tie Shou is upset to know that Jian is evil and is touched when he is injured when shielding him from Ling Shi. (You will shake your head at his zero instinct of constable sense in knowing who Wu Qing is – come on – who else will know how to set traps and is wheelchair bound?) Both are happy to meet but Wu Qing reminds him not to tell others of his undercover as he is slowly collecting evidence. (I sure laugh hard at this one – it is so obvious to them that he knows martial arts from the start. Plus he is wheelchair bound, his identity is no longer a secret.)

The vase is precious to Luo Shi as it helps to build up inner strength. That is why he is angered when it is stolen. Luo Shi punishes Xiao Hu severely but Wu Qing teaches him to get his way out of it so he is grateful to him. Leng Xie is Luo Shi’s natural son and Xiao Hu is Hui Shan’s son – how did this happen? Their wives could not pacify their own sons from crying so they switched their babies.

Strangely, they stop crying after that. Both decided to let their sons stay with each other for a while – without their husbands’ knowledge. Mrs Ling can’t reveal Leng Xie’s real identity or Ling Shi will kill Xiao Hu. (Excuse me – the babies look so different – are their fathers so blind not to tell them apart? Unless both are too busy when their wives give birth to even look at them.) Mrs Ling decides to look for Leng Xie. Qing Qing and Leng Xie know that Tie Shou is in a dilemma after rescuing Jian.

Luo Shi plan to plant Jian as his spy to know Marquis Zhu Ge’s plans. Qing Qing tries in vain to get Wu Qing to leave Luo Shi. Leng Xie is angry with his attitude so both men come to blows. Then Wu Qing leaves. (You will be dumbfounded by the way he leaves – ropes bring him away from them like a period drama spiderman. This is too highly entertaining.)

Qing Qing knows that Leng Xie still likes her. Unable to face both men, she decides to be a nun. Both come and she hides outside the room. Wu Qing entrusts Leng Xie to give Qing Qing more time to accept him as he, an invalid isn’t in a good position to take care of her. Qing Qing is delighted to know that Wu Qing still likes her and her hopes rekindle. (This scene really tests my tolerance level to the fullest.)

Tie Shou is unhappy that his juniors doubt Jian’s ‘sincerity’ to turn over a new leaf. Leng Xie and Qing Qing learn that Luo Shi gets the vase back but they fail in their attempt to get it. Both kidnap Xiao Dao and Mrs Ling shields Leng Xie from being killed after passing the vase to them. Leng Xie is disturbed to know that Mrs Ling is injured because of him – why does she treat him so well?

Qing Qing tries in vain to use the vase to heal Leng Xie’s arm wound. This shows what they get is a fake vase. Mrs Ling drinks the medicine that Luo Shi gives her but this doesn’t indicate that she has forgiven him. Zhui Ming sorts out his thoughts and returns but he is annoyed with Mu Zhen who keeps tailing him. He is pleased when all know him to be a righteous thief. But he is also dismayed to see his pictures putting up everywhere and constables start to run after him.

His leg is injured and Mu Zhen flees with him on her horse. Afraid that he might be poisoned, she sucks out the blood for him. He is at first annoyed but when reminded of Xiao Tou, his tone becomes gentle. Mu Zhen pretends to faint and he gets scared. But upon knowing he is tricked, he throws her on the ground. (This woman is taking advantage of him and I think she is too much to remind him of the past.) Jian tricks a magistrate in believing that Zhui Ming is coming to steal his seal.

He then gets Tie Shou to guard it, hoping that Tie Shou will kill him in the attack to reduce Marquis Zhu Ge’s power in court. Zhui Ming is only here to try to steal the jewels. Luckily, Leng Xie and Qing Qing stop them on time. Both men still treat each other hostilely. Zhui Ming refuses to acknowledge his senior who wrongs him while Tie Shou chides him for being a moron for trying to steal the seal.

Knowing that Marquis Zhu Ge needs the scroll, Zhui Ming tries to steal in vain from Luo Shi but he manages to get the vase. He gets Xiao Dao to do it for him, lying to her Leng Xie will love her after that. (Women in this drama are too easily deceived.) He feels sorry for implicating her to get injured by Luo Shi.

Wu Qing gets drunk after rejecting Qing Qing to get beaten up in the inn. They hit him after throwing him off his wheelchair. Tie Shou has no choice but to knock him out. (This is a pitiful scene to see how dejected he is.) Seeing that Tie Shou is staying with Jian, he senses danger and stays with them too.

Zhui Ming and all stay at Official Bao’s home. Some officials deliver some goods to another but get killed. One accuses Wu Qing as the culprit and he has no way to explain himself. (Who to blame since his wheelchair is too striking?) His cover at Ling Shi’s home is also blown as Jian reveals his identity so he has to leave. Zhong Ren suddenly returns home and Zhui Ming is delighted.

Mu Zhen nearly bursts when Zhui Ming asks her to get a basin of water for him to wash her bruised foot. He notices that her foot is bigger but both have a fright when Mu Zhen adds itchy power instead. (This constable also has zero sense not to note this. He is too attracted by her, thinking that she has changed her mind.) Mu Zhen follows Zhong Ren and realizes that she is an imposter as she is with some crooks.

Unfortunately, no one believes her and Qing Qing can’t see through the disguise even though she touches her face and tells her to undress. Knowing that Leng Xie has a good sense of smell, she brings Zhong Ren’s old clothes to him, hoping that he can help although he has not seen her before. (Hello – is she treating him like a dog?!) Zhui Ming and Official Bao are very mad with them. Mu Zhen gets so mad that she gives Zhong Ren a slap and she quickly runs away.

This woman is actually Jian’s lover, Yin Ji – an evil sect master. (Good grief – how can they borrow the name from Chor Lau Heung novel without permission?!) She uses evil skills to change her looks into Zhong Ren so that she can get into the home to steal the vase. The spell is broken through this slap and she dies after her face rots.(This is an unthinkable way to kill after Guo Qing kills Chen Xuan Feng in ‘Legend of the condor heroes’. ) Wu Qing returns to his master after his failed mission.

Jian grieves and kills some of Official Bao’s men but pretends to remove all the poisonous traps from Official Bao’s home but he can’t find the vase too. Official Bao and others realize that Yin Ji is an imposter when Zhong Ren sends a letter to her father, telling him that she is well. Zhui Ming nearly faints upon recalling how he washes Yin Ji’s foot. (He should also check if his hand also rots.)

Leng Xie detects Jian’s smell on the victims and warns all to be careful but Tie Shou insists in believing Jian. Seeing Qing Qing missing Wu Qing, Leng Xie forges his writing to cheer her up but the plot is uncovered. He gets dejected and drinks with Zhui Ming since both are troubled over women. Luo Shi tricks Xiao Dao into poisoning Leng Xie. He is about to kill him after Qing Qing and her gang fails to rescue him when Mrs Ling blurts out Leng Xie’s parentage.

All are taken aback and Luo Shi is angered that Leng Xie refuses to acknowledge them even after he saves him. Xiao Hu is dismayed that his supposed successor position is replaced and Luo Shi injures him seriously. Luo Shi isn’t treating him as his son anymore after knowing that he is his enemy’s son. Seeing that Leng Xie is badly affected by the news, Marquis Zhu Ge has to lie that he isn’t Luo Shi’s son as the infant is killed from young. He and Official Bao hope that they are able to change Xiao Hu’s evil ways.

Tie Shou spreads the false news of Leng Xie’s parentage to Jian. Jian is pleased when his subordinate manages to steal the vase from Official Bao. Luo Shi learns about it and the two men fight over it. Tie Shou is disheartened to see his uncle being so unrepentant. Although Jian is injured, he recovers with the vase’s help. (I still think that Wu Qing is stupid not to let it heal him as the vase is with Official Bao all along.)

Official Bao is killed and all are upset over it. Tie Shou sees Jian killing people and tries to stop him. He is dismayed to see that the person is Luo Shi in disguise. (Huh – when does Luo Shi learn the disguising skill?!) Luo Shi then uses him as hostage to lure Jian out in exchange for the vase. Jian is then killed by the imposter Tie Shou and the vase lands in Luo Shi’s hand.

Tie Shou is contented when Jian admits his mistake before his death. The four seek Luo Shi out and Marquis Zhu Ge come to their aid. Seeing him unrepentant, Mrs Ma and Xiao Hu attack him from the back.

Luo Shi dies, forgiving Mrs Ma. His body vanishes with the vase. (Please don’t ask me how this happens as the vase should heal him instead.). The four become the famous four constables after that.

They are puzzled that villains keep appearing although Luo Shi is killed. It seems his men never decrease. The women come along and insist that Zhui Ming should marry Mu Zhen the next day. His buddies agree with them and he is dismayed. Xiao Hu brings wine and all the men get drunk. (Zhui Ming is so pitiful when his friends force him. I also get fed up with the women’s attitude. )

The women are enraged that they can be late on this big day and Zhui Ming brings Mu Zhen reluctantly home. He looks as if that he is attending a funeral and not going through a wedding. Seeing some parents crying on the street over their missing children, he goes with his buddies to investigate the case to throw Mu Zhen aside on the street with the sedan. This is just an excuse to avoid the spitfire. Mu Zhen is mad over it. (Serves the women right as they want the marriage to be done within a day without asking the men. Are they really that desperate?!)

It is learned that the children disappear at night after listening to a person playing the flute at night. They have seen an acrobat group performing in the day and each of them is given a straw grasshopper. The four sense something amiss as the children come from different families and provinces. They don’t know each other too. What really happened? The four return with a puzzled mind.

The women snap at them for explanations. (Qing Qing also becomes a shrew like Mu Zhen and this sure terrifies all the men.) Zhui Ming manages to pacify Mu Zhen with his sweet tongue. He is later hypothesized by the grasshopper that Tie Shou spins in his hand. Luckily, Wu Qing manages to cure him from the spell. All decide to make use of this lead and Xiao Dao gets her cousin, An An to be the bait. The four constables guard him but nothing happens.

Leng Xie is suddenly poisoned so Wu Qing takes care of him. He is puzzled when he can’t find the complete antidote and has to go to a so-called sinseh to get the amulet to cure him. He senses something amiss. Zhui Ming can’t stand the talkative An An and leaves Tie Shou to take care of him. An An becomes hypothesized after seeing a street performance. During the night, he slips out of bed with the other children and Tie Shou is unaware. He hurries on time to rescue the other children from being kidnapped.

Zhui Ming comes to aid him as he is hiding in the dark all along. They send all the children back to their parents. Seeing that Xiao Dao still pins for Leng Xie, Tie Shou consoles her. The four constables tail An An to the secret cult by getting Tie Shou and Xiao Dao to act as his parents. They manage to rescue the other children but loses An An. Tie Shou has sleepless nights over it as he has grown attached to him.

Xiao Hu is power hungry to want to be the next pugilistic leader. He fails to get Mrs Ling’s support and Wu Qing stops him to attend the leaders’ meeting. Enraged, Mrs Ma stabs herself and is only seriously injured. His henchmen suggest him raping Xiao Dao as many support her to be the next leader but he refuses. (I laugh non-stop at this one – what is the point of choosing a person who knows no martial arts to be the leader?) Some children assassins nearly kill Xiao Hu when he is sleeping but Tie Shou rescues him.

Xiao Hu’s henchman, Priest Dog suggests putting Xiao Dao on his bed to make her the scapegoat to get killed. Xiao Dao doesn’t believe it when Tie Shou overhears them but is upset when the bad guys actually carry out the plan. Tie Shou takes her away from home. When she discovers him hurt from the hairpin that she likes while saving her from falling down a hill, both develop likeness for each other.

Priest Dog and Mud Monk find them but Tie Shou teaches them a lesson. They pretend to repent but drug them at night. Priest Dog wants to violate Xiao Dao and Mud Monk is hit on the acupoint and can’t move. Priest Dog is later killed by the children assassins – they have thought of him to be Xiao Hu. Wu Qing tails some men and discovers they are going to poison Xiao Hu’s clothes so that he will suffer worse than death.

Zhui Ming can’t forget Xiao Tou and flees. Mu Zhen follows him to Xiao Tou’s grave and is upset to see him still wearing the bracelet that she gives him. Zhui Ming knows that a part of him is gone with Xiao Tou ever since she dies. Mu Zhen is determined to let him accept her. Zhui Ming knows Tie Shou likes Xiao Dao and tries to help him. However, his plans fail after bringing him to the whores. Mu Zhen tries to make Xiao Dao jealous by pretending to like Tie Shou but it doesn’t work too.

Zhui Ming is offended when Mu Zhen claims that if Zhui Ming really loves Xiao Tou, she should have come to his dreams but till now he has not dreamt of her. Qing Qing is mistakened that Wu Qing is killed and opens the coffin to get attacked. Wu Qing saves her but both are trapped in a prison instead. Both confess their feelings to each other before they manage to escape. (This is another stupid arrangement.)

Mu Zhen is disappointed with Zhui Ming for pinning over Xiao Tou so she jumps off the cliff. Upon knowing this, Zhui Ming also jumps down and gets injured. He is disappointed that Tie Shou can’t find her corpse and his heart dies after that. Qing Qing blames him for her death. Wu Qing decides to support Xiao Hu to be the pugilistic leader in order to lure the culprit out. He brings Xiao Dao home and makes sure that she is unharmed to be with Mrs Ling.

Mud Monk is disappointed with Xiao Hu for ill-treating him so he joins the left envoy’s gang. The secret cult is set up by him. Xiao Dao raises her hopes when Leng Xie returns but his eyes are still only fixed on Qing Qing. Leng Xie is displeased when Qing Qing only brews soup for Wu Qing but he is unappreciative of her gesture. Both quarrel and he gets drunk, trying to get fresh with Xiao Dao. Tie Shou also falls out with him and Leng Xie joins the cult. This is only Leng Xie’s excuse to work undercover.

Zhui Ming can’t concentrate so he leaves a letter, leaving them to strike on their own. Leng Xie sees An An but is shocked that he can’t recognize him. He tries to observe how the left envoy hypothesize others to work for him. Xiao Hu impersonates as Luo Shi to strengthen his position but his plan backfires when Mud Monk sees through his act to inform others. The left envoy has a mastermind indeed. He never shows his face when giving orders. Tie Shou ignores Xiao Dao but Wu Qing manages to make both to become a pair.

Leng Xie manages to make An An regain his senses but is captured instead. To regain the left envoy’s trust, he stabs Wu Qing, causing him to fall down the cliff (The very same place where Mu Zhen throws herself.) Zhui Ming is too late to stop the tragedy but returns to be a constable again. Sure enough, the left envoy trusts Leng Xie again but he is still unable to uncover the mysterious mastermind.

Marquis Zhu Ge visits them and brings Mu Zhen back whom he rescues under the cliff. Zhui Ming is overjoyed and asks for her hand in marriage after realizing who he loves now but she rejects him. Marquis Zhu Ge brings all to crush the evil cult and kills the left envoy. All are surprised to know that Luo Shi is still alive and is the mastermind. He even kills Xiao Hu on the spot.

He feigns death the last time to use the vase to save his life. (This is logical then – but why don’t the others think of that too?)Mrs Ling gives up on him and kills herself. Xiao Dao is devastated and leaves home. Qing Qing is annoyed that Leng Xie and Wu Qing trick her to believe that Wu Qing is dead. Both do this to obtain Luo Shi’s trust. Qing Qing later softens when Wu Qing confesses his feelings for her. Luo Shi kidnaps Qing Qing at night, forcing her to marry Leng Xie.

Luo Shi is sure that Leng Xie is his son. Thus he doesn’t punish him when he tries to steal the vase in vain to cure Wu Qing. Wu Qing finds it hard to cure the poison from Leng Xie. Qing Qing becomes unreasonable when Leng Xie wants to leave Wu Qing and Qing Qing, She hugs him as she has been violated by him at the Ling residence to show Luo Shi that they are truly married. Luo Shi captures Marquis Zhu Ge when he comes trying to take Qing Qing away.

Leng Xie and Qing Qing take the vase away during the commotion. These two take a long time to remember to give it to Wu Qing to try to heal his legs. Wu Qing starts to feel sensation in his legs. He can stand but still falls down, unable to walk. He wonders why. They have no choice but to exchange the vase with Marquis Zhu Ge. Marquis Zhu Ge is poisoned by Luo Shi and Wu Qing knows the secret to try to expel the poison from his body. Leng Xie finds it hard to face Wu Qing so he leaves secretly.

Marquis Zhu Ge decides to let Qing Qing marry Wu Qing. Qing Qing throws tantrums as she feels remorseful facing him. (I begin to feel like skinning her alive.) Qing Qing agrees, not brave enough to tell Wu Qing what has happened although she finds excuses not to marry him initially. Luo Shi tricks Xiao Dao to return home but removes her memory. Tie Shou, the moron, turns up with wedding gifts wanting to marry her after Wu Qing’s wedding. He is upset when she doesn’t recognize him and gets beaten.

Wu Qing manages to cure Xiao Dao when Tie Shou abducts her back. Seeing that Qing Qing isn’t prepared for married life, Wu Qing moves out of their room. Tie Shou is angry to know what has happened and hits Leng Xie. But this doesn’t reduce his guilt. Marquis Zhu Ge goes berserk and injures his disciples. Tie Shou is unhappy to see Xiao Dao tending to Leng Xie first so he lures her to his side. They decide that they need to go to the Ling residence to seek for the cure.

Alas, they fail again but Zhui Ming reads a book and learns that a sword in the mountains should be able to kill Luo Shi. Thus he sets off immediately with Mu Zhen. Marquis Zhu Ge’s disciples try very hard to control Marquis Zhu Ge’s poison. Not wanting to cause any more trouble to them, he kills himself and upsets them instead.

Zhui Ming and Mu Zhen manage to stop an old couple from quarrelling. They are delighted to know that the mountain is nearby. They are trapped in maize. Zhu Ming has no choice but to use his inner strength to combine with Mu Zhen to kiss her in order to expel the forces. Soon, the obstacles are cleared and they find a box at the top of the hill. (This is a very baffling act.)

Mud Monk and Luo Shi cause havoc at the wake. Xiao Dao has to use her own life to threaten them to back off. Zhui Ming returns with the sword but upon opening the box, they find that the sword is broken with only the handle, intact. Luo Shi laughs and leaves after wounding them. Zhui Ming is shattered over Marquis Zhu Ge’s death but they still practice their skills for the final duel. (This is sure crazy as Xiao Dao and the mediocre skilled Mu Zhen still come along and Qing Qing has to protect them against Mud Monk.)

Both sides fight fiercely and Zhui Ming vomits blood on the sword after Luo Shi’s hit. Wu Qing also falls off from his wheelchair. Suddenly the blade appears and all get Leng Xie to pit his skills against him as his sword skills is the best. He injures him but hesitates as he holds Qing Qing as hostage after she kills Mud Monk. The four hesitate to move forward, still sprawling on the floor. Leng Xie throws the sword down.

Qing Qing seizes the chance to plunge the sword into her stomach to pierce into Luo Shi’s body as well. She falls into Leng Xie’s arms. Seeing her in danger, Wu Qing suddenly recovers from his inner injuries to jump up, grab the sword and forces the sword into Luo Shi’s head. (Maybe the brief treatment from eh vase and also the anger inspires him.) Later, he staggers to Qing Qing’s side, begging her not to die as he and Leng Xie needs her.

She is too remorseful to face both of them and thus chooses this path. (I feel like telling her to save her breath to prevent making such a long, redundant speech. The way she keeps opening and closing her eyes sure irritates me!) She tells all to take care of themselves and the other two pairs to get married. Leng Xie and Wu Qing bury her by the river, knowing that she likes the scenery there.

Wu Qing can walk again and become the wedding ceremony planners with Leng Xie for Tie Shou and Zhui Ming. The couples are delighted as Marquis Zhu Ge arrives to oversee the ceremony. Wu Qing manages to hold his last breath with his needles and he survives to recover completely. Leng Xie asks if the same can be done to Qing Qing. Wu Qing smiles forcefully - he has tried that too but she doesn’t wake up. Still, they try to lift their spirits to celebrate the joyous occasion with the two couples.

Introduction on characters

1. Wu Qing – Nie Yuan
He is the first disciple. Although he is wheelchair bound, he is good in setting traps and also making himself invisible to get to anywhere. He is the wisest among the four and maintains a clear mind in solving cases. He also becomes a physician himself, to heal the others of her injuries when they get hurt. Being disabled makes him wallow into self-pity and not willing to accept Qing Qing to push her to Leng Xie.

I can’t describe how disappointed I was when seeing this new version of Wu Qing. As what my brother said, his grey dressing and outlook looked more like a nun than a scholar. Moreover, we don’t need Spiderman or Doctor Octopus in an ancient drama. But well, the only comforting part of this drama is he is cured of h is disability despite so many illogical happenings.

2. Tie Shou – Wang Xue Bing
He is the second disciple to have strong arms to kill with one blow from his fist. However, he looks too skinny to be the second constable. Having strong arms don’t imply that they have to be covered by metal pieces. The producers might as well kill him instead of making him into a fool.

It sure tortures me to see a wise constable in the novel becoming like so gullible and not putting his skills into good use in here. Seeing him always doing stupid things to win Xiao Dao over makes me shake my head. How can be the supposedly capable constable?! Xue Bing is surely the wrong person for this role.

3. Zhui Ming – He Run Dong
He is the third disciple who is good in Qing Gong – to race against the wind. No one can catch up with him except his master. His legs also send powerful kicks. Like Tie Shou, his love entanglement with women leaves him a weak man who seeks to drinking to forget his troubles. The later part of him pestering Mu Zhen to accept him again makes him overly desperate for attention. Many fans will not like to see this too.

He should have exchanged his white clothes with Wu Qing. He is most dashing among the four with his height and build. I found Run Dong improving a lot from ‘Wind and Cloud’ – he has the manly look instead of the weak roles he gets in many modern dramas.

4. Leng Xie – Huang Shao Qi
He is the last disciple who is a skilled swordsman. He is brought up by wolves and thus has a strong sense of smell. But somehow, the director seems to treat him like a dog!! This character is made to be very impulsive and reckless although he proves to be smarter later.

He definitely looks better than Feng or Yun in ‘Wind and Cloud’ in his rugged look. Armed with a sword with his tall built, he looks convincing. Shao Qi also does his crying scenes well. You will find Leng Xie having more chemistry with Qing Qing than Wu Qing because he does well.

5. Ling Luo Shi
He takes over Hui Shan’s position after killing him. He is happy with his power but is disturbed that his wife chooses to stay in seclude after he kills the entire Leng family. He focuses his attention on his children, grooming Xiao Hu to be his successor. Upon knowing that he isn’t his son, he is ruthless to kill him and focuses on Xiao Dao instead. The producers should not allow him to live twice. It drags the pace.

6. Marquis Zhu Ge – Yue Yue Li
Although he adopts his four disciples, they are brought up separately. They only know each other’s special skills. Who to blame when they don’t know each other till they spar with each other or get introduced through Qing Qing? What is the director up to?!

A master of 4 outstanding disciples should not look like this – he lets his white hair down but this makes him look very feminine with a BIG piece of jade in front of his chest. Moreover, he gets into trouble and his disciples have to save him. I practically groan at this arrangement.

7. Ling Xiao Hu
He thinks that he is Luo Shi’s son but he isn’t. Being pampered from young, he is bad-tempered and also cunning. But he is filial to Mrs Ling and hopes his parents will reconcile. Upon knowing that he is adopted, he becomes vicious and ambitious. I am amused when this fellow’s skills can’t match to any of the famous four’s standard. How to rule the pugilistic world like that? No wonder his family wants him to give up.

8. Yang Jian – Xu Jing Jiang
He is Tie Shuo’s uncle and is Ling Shi’s henchman. He is suspicious of Wu Qing’s motive for working in Ling Shi’s home after testing his skills. Thus he finds fault with him all the time. It is contradictory when he becomes a spy later for Luo Shi. It is too late for him to realize his mistake only before he dies.

9. Zhu Ge Qing Qing
She is Marquis Zhu Ge’s adopted daughter but unlike her other seniors, she is well-versed in disguise. But she seems to be a failure when ALL her seniors see through her disguise. She is doted on by him and all her seniors. How I detest this character! She gets on my nerves with her willful ways. Seeing how spiteful she is towards Leng Xie or Wu Qing angers me. I can’t describe how happy I am to see her dying scene – her indecisive nature and unpredictable temperament can drive the guys nuts! Marquis Zhu Ge should tie her with a rope beside him to make her avoid trouble for good.

This actress is pretty and seems gentle but as the character develops, she becomes so unlikable that all of us will wish that she will vanish for good. Seeing how she twists her whole face makes me feel like I am looking at Cleopatra – pretty but hell-raising.

10. Hua Mu Zhen – Chen Yi Rong
She is Qing Qing’s cousin who is touched by Zhui Ming’s undying love for Xiao Tou. But no one can tolerate the way she is so open to declare wherever she goes to tell everyone that she is his wife! This is another nosey and loud character that I dislike. No wonder Zhui Ming always escapes from her whenever he has the chance. She should show more tears when Qing Qing dies but she doesn’t!! The other guys flow more tears than her instead – it should be the other way round!

11. Ling Xiao Dao - Cai Can De
She is Luo Shi’s daughter who knows no marital arts. She is kind but naïve. I can’t help laughing when news spread that the pugilistic experts are going to choose her for the next chief after her father’s death. Luo Shi forces himself on Mrs Ling after she refuses to get close to him after the massacre of the Leng clan. Thus she is conceived out of reluctance and Mrs Ling treats her coldly. However, she still tries hard to win her over. She likes Leng Xie so Mrs Ling tries her best to split them up. Luckily she realizes that Tie Shou cares for her to become a couple with him instead.

12. Mrs Ling
She is kind but it is sad that she married a vicious man. Xiao Dao takes after her for being naïve in believing villains easily. She believes Luo Shi’s lies more than once. A pity she dies a pathetic death.

13. Priest Dog/Mud Monk
These two are always up to nonsense. Priest Dog is lustful while the other is only a follower who has a conscience but is always made use of easily.

Favourite character
At first I had wanted to put Wu Qing but upon seeing how wishy washy he is over love matters, I decide to give the award to no one.

Most hated character
All the women, especially Qing Qing. They nag and whine too often that I feel like throwing them out of the television set. Moreover, they do not contribute to any success of solving cases. A close second is Tie Shou. This second constable definitely doesn’t have a brain to do anything at all.

Interesting facts

Unlike ‘Wind and Cloud’, Run Dong had to slim down for this role to be a gallant constable. He also practiced martial arts to make sure that he looked powerful. He became great buddies with Shao Qi – not only both are Taiwanese but also they had the most scenes together.

Nie Yuan found this serial the most enjoyable one. The marital arts expert here is so different from the rest he has portrayed in the past. Wu Qing is a wheelchair bound expert. This serial had initially given him the role of Tie Shou. Wu Qing is more scholar-like and the director had Lu Yi in mind. However, Lu Yi wasn’t free to take up the role.

Nie Yuan is versatile to act for both roles. Since the director later found Xue Bin to act as Tie Shou, the role of Wu Qing fell onto his lap. But the role he urged to act most was Leng Xie – because the role was cool and suited his real life personality. His most enjoyable moment was to watch others sweating out in fighting scenes while he was only required to sit there to make a few poses to shoot the small daggers.

Many joked that life was so unfair that he looked so stunning looking just by sitting there. But the wheelchair gave him a lot of trouble. He took a lot of strength to push it and still had to act as if he was doing it stylishly but no one knew that he nearly sprained his wrists for many moments.

Song
Surprise, surprise, the song is by an actor who isn’t involved in this drama at all. He is Taiwanese actor, Tuo Zhong Hua. And he sings quite well!

Conclusion

My brother and I watched the serial together and we had tons of complaints. He has read the comics while I read the novel. My brother wasn’t used to seeing Taiwanese or Mainland actors playing the roles. The computer effects are very cheesy. To tell the truth, when we see most faces belonging to ‘Wind and Cloud’ cast, our confidence level in this serial dips drastically. It later proved to be our worst nightmare.

I had wanted to give up watching but had to push myself through to give a fair review, hoping that it might pick up later. But alas, it proved to be from bad to worse. So I urge all not to watch it. No wonder I can’t find any information of it on the net at all!

The cases are boring with no suspense. How can this be considered a swordfighting drama when the cast only chats most of the time? They talk and to make matters worse, dwell on romantic matters. Wen Rui An’s fans will not be happy to see how the novel is being distorted in this drama. The constables either become morons or become long-winded.

Getting Nie Yuan or Lu Yi to play the role of Wu Qing will not confuse the viewers since both resemble each other in looks. It is a pity that he or Shao Qi are not allowed to develop their roles properly although they get more exposure. What make matters worse is the limited fighting scenes. Even the long awaited big fight between the good and evil forces prove to be a big let down.

I don’t know how the other China adaptations fare but I certainly will not re-watch this drama again. They only preserve the names of the constables and their master. Other than that, nothing is right. The constables prove themselves to be silly than capable. I have little confidence left after watching quite a number of mainland so-called adapted productions. Probably we should only stick to their Jin Yong remakes instead.

Sukting’s ratings :

On acting : **1/2 (Scale of 5)

On story : * (Scale of 5)

On songs : *** (Scale of 5)