How did Wulin people fund their lifestyles?

[USSDefiantJazz]

Hi everyone, a very long time lurker (since the early 2000's), never created an account until now.

I have a question that's always been on my mind when watching wuxia. How did people fund their lifestyles?

For example, when young Yang Guo left the Ancient Tomb and went to town, he seemed to be able to pay for food in restaurants, pay for hotels, buy things. Where did he get the money?

Or at the end of State of Divinity after LHC and Ren YingYing went and wandered the world, how did they pay for things?

Simply put, what did Wulin people do to have the money to pay for their lifestyles (ie. food, clothing, hotels, horses, etc) as they did not have 9-5 jobs?

Speaking of which, growing up watching wuxia, it's been my dream to just travel around the world wandering like the Wuxia heros. In my case, it would be funded by passive income, but in wuxia, they never go into the details of personal finance.

[Ken Cheng]

Some ran courier services. Others were landlords who controlled a great deal of real estate. The less honorable ones would steal. A few lived by gambling.

And of course, quite a few were independently wealthy because they were born into royalty.

[Brainsuker]

In some of modern Wuxia that written and illustrated by Korean, these Wulin people actually associated with merchants. They give protection service to Merchant's convoy (both in river and the road) to be paid by money. Other Wulin people get paid to assassinate someone. Others ask protection money from the people. Basically very similar to today gangsters.

[St3v3]

I agree with Ken.

In HSDS opening we can see some of small wulin fighter running courier services which send 3rd injured Wudang heroes back to Wudang (paid by Yin Su Su)

In LOCH/other wuxia adaptation we can also see some of the Wuling fighters owns big land / small island / mountain and of course can rent it or sell their farming product to the market

In some other adaptation like Nirvana In Fire, wulin fighters run restaurant, hotel, brothel/casino bussiness and even manage a bussiness area.

and In DGSD we can see that Duan families is coming from Royal families.

In case of Yang Guo, I don't know how he got money from ancient tomb, maybe there are a lot of treasure there lol

[Ken Cheng]

In case of Yang Guo, I don't know how he got money from ancient tomb, maybe there are a lot of treasure there lol

I wouldn't be surprised. Ancient Tomb Sect founder Lam Chiu Ying was quite an adventurer in her younger years, and might have picked up quite a bit of stuff during her adventures. Possibly, she also received gifts from Central Divinity Wong Chung Yeung that were quite valuable. She and her sect followers weren't exactly big spenders considering their cloistered lifestyle, so probably their treasury went a long way.

[metsrus]

If I'm not mistaken, young Yang Guo was also a very proficient pick pocket? However, mature Yang Guo would probably be showered with rewards for all the good deeds he did in his travels.

[Brainsuker]

I don't know if it fit to this forum. But we, Indonesian also had a famous Wuxia Writer long time ago. His name was Kho Ping Ho. He was quite famous as a writer, at least in Indonesia. But the problem of his writing about his Wuxia characters was actually the same question that USSDefiantJazz ask us in this forum.

Basically, most of Kho Ping Hoo writing about good and evil were all about how his characters view about their lifestyle. His good guys were good, ignorant of wealth. To add to their perfection lifestyle, they even refused to get paid by the people whose they help in the story. Most of them life like a hermit. Poor, self sufficient, but still can live happily ever after. While his evil characters were all about greedy bastard, Horny people, and party lover. Basically they are the type of borjois people who embrace worldly lifestyle.

There was one of his novel, called White Crane that told about a very powerful main character whose martial art has reach demi god level. But his lifestyle was similar to a beggar. And the worst of him, is that he actually refuse to accumulate wealth and become a poor guy by a choice.

I don't know if Kho Ping Hoo philosophy was come from Confucius, Buddhist or other Chinese traditional thought. But for me, it is too silly to be considered as realistic. As Kho Ping Hoo had another unrealistic excuse that give his characters the capability to become a very self sufficient to live alone in the jungle by themselves. Just imagine, they can gather their food, make their simple house, cook their food, and even sewn their own clothes. They're basically hermits, but they still capable to avoid to be considered as beggar. Because they can sewn and make their own clothes.

So, if they can do everything by themselves, then why need other people to do their bidding. They can live everywhere. Even in planet Mars, alone.

[Mandred Skavenslayer]

This video gives quite a good explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7hQa9BRVps

[USSDefiantJazz]

This video gives quite a good explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7hQa9BRVps

This is actually a really good video and answers the question, thank you!