One odd feature of Gu Long's SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN, RUTHLESS SWORD is that right at the very beginning of the story, a gaggle of characters are introduced to some fanfare, only to be killed off almost immediately and be of no consequence to the rest of the story. In rapid succession, we are introduced to Rushing Wind Sword Chugok Lui, The Black and White Snake Swordsmen, the Golden Lion Escort Service boss and his partner (forget his name, but he was lame in one leg), the Five Venoms Twins, and Sheun Kwai. These characters were introduced as seemingly big deals, but all were quickly eliminated and forgotten. It's funny that Gu Long provided so much setup for these characters only for them to get quickly slaughtered.