Read and Download Chinese martial arts Novels: The Smiling, Proud Wanderer 笑傲江湖

pengarang : chin yung

The plot's initial development revolves around a coveted martial arts manual known as the "Bixie Swordplay Manual". The manual is an heirloom of the Lin family, who run the Fuwei Escort Agency, a private security service, in Fuzhou. Yu Canghai, the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, leads his followers to massacre the Lins and attempts to seize the manual for himself, but does not find it. Lin Pingzhi, the sole survivor from the Lin family, is saved by Yue Buqun, the head of the Mount Hua Sect, which is a member of the Five Mountains Sword Sects Alliance. Yue Buqun accepts Lin Pingzhi as an apprentice and trains him in swordplay.

The novel's protagonist is Yue Buqun's most senior apprentice, Linghu Chong, an orphaned, happy-go-lucky but honourable swordsman who has a penchant for alcoholic drinks and fine cuisine. He befriends the notorious bandit Tian Boguang and saves Yilin, a nun from the (North) Mount Heng Sect, from Tian's lecherous advances. In the meantime, Liu Zhengfeng of the (South) Mount Heng Sect announces his decision to leave the jianghu (martial artists' community) and invites his fellow martial artists to witness his retirement ceremony. The event turns into a bloodbath when Zuo Lengshan, the chief of the Mount Song Sect, and other orthodox sects accuse Liu Zhengfeng of being unfaithful to their code by befriending Qu Yang, an elder of the "evil" Sun Moon Holy Cult. Liu and Qu are cornered by Zuo and his men and eventually commit suicide. Before dying, Liu and Qu give Linghu Chong the score of Xiaoao Jianghu, a musical piece they composed together.

Lin Pingzhi's entrance into the Mount Hua Sect causes Linghu Chong to lose his romantic feelings for Yue Lingshan, Yue Buqun's daughter, because she starts falling in love with Lin. Linghu Chong's association with unorthodox jianghu figures leads him into trouble; Yue Buqun punishes him by making him stay alone for a year in a secluded area on Mount Hua to reflect on his "misdeeds". He discovers carvings of swordplay techniques in a cave, practises them, and unknowingly familiarises himself with not only the skills of the other four sword sects, but also the counter-moves. He encounters Feng Qingyang, an elderly Mount Hua Sect swordsman, who teaches him the formidable swordplay "Nine Swords of Dugu".

The self-proclaimed righteous Five Mountains Sword Sects Alliance, though seemingly united, is constantly troubled by politicking among its members. Linghu Chong gets entangled in the internal conflict and ends up seriously injured while using his newly mastered skill to save his Mount Hua Sect fellows from attacks by Mount Song Sect members in disguise. Soon, the martial arts community accuses Linghu Chong of having the "Bixie Swordplay Manual", and Yue Buqun becomes suspicious of his apprentice and jealous of his sudden leap in martial prowess.

Linghu Chong meets the "Six Immortals of the Peach Valley", who attempt to cure his wounds in their weird fashion, but they fail and aggravate his injuries instead. He follows Yue Buqun and the others to Luoyang, where he encounters Ren Yingying of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. By then, Yue Buqun has grown tired of Linghu Chong's frequent associations with jianghu lowlifes and strangers so he abandons him. Linghu Chong helps Ren Yingying after she is assaulted by enemies of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. She brings him to Shaolin Monastery to recuperate from his injuries. He learns from Fangzheng, the Shaolin abbot, that Yue Buqun has publicly announced that he has expelled Linghu Chong from the Mount Hua Sect.

Linghu Chong sinks into despair as he is now an outcast of the "orthodox" side of the jianghu. After leaving Shaolin, he meets a stranger, Xiang Wentian, whom he saves from dozens of enemies. Xiang becomes sworn brothers with Linghu and brings him to a manor in Hangzhou, where they find Ren Woxing (Ren Yingying's father), the former leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult who was ousted from power by his deputy, Dongfang Bubai. Ren Woxing breaks out of captivity by knocking out Linghu Chong and using him as a decoy. While trapped inside the dungeon, Linghu Chong discovers carvings of Ren's infamous "Star Sucking Great Skill" and learns the skill by chance. Ren Woxing returns to save Linghu Chong later and tries to persuade him to join the Sun Moon Holy Cult by offering him Ren Yingying's hand in marriage. Linghu Chong declines to join, but still helps Ren Woxing defeat Dongfang Bubai and regain control of the cult.