WIZARD OF THE SWORD

Long ago in the mountainous area of northern China, there were many professional swordsmen to protect travelers from robbery. Even governmental convoys needed their protection when they transported treasures and provision.

However, different clans of swordsmen always fought one another for power, Sometimes, in the same clan, shrewd members would betray their boss just for wealth.

Chan Chih-yuan, the chief of a swordsmen group, was guarding an amount of 200,000 taels of silver, with his two lieutenants, Shih I-paio and Ma Yun-lung, but the vicious Shih who intrigued with some bandits stole the silver. During the dogged fighting, Chan was wounded by Shih and was unfortunately killed by falling against the sword of Ma who tried his best to help him. Shih was survived by his daughter, Tao Chien yen.

Later on, Ma, grieved about the death of his good friend, retired from guarder's service and settled down in the deep mountains, living on hunting and jinseng-digging with his two diciples, Yu Wei and Pai Hsin-tien, Shih abode in the so- called Shih Village and continued his notorious life with his only son, Tsu-teh and many gangsters .He was so notorious that even his wife, Ching Hsiu, and daughter Kwei-lan, finally quit him to live in a Buddhist abbey.

Shih and his son fought with Ma's diciples time and again. First, Yu Wei was wounded as he was digging jinseng on the mountain side one evening by Se’s followers and fell down a cliff. Next morning, Yu was rescued by Kwei-lan before Hsiu-tien could find him. Again, the son, Shih- teh, harassed Hsiu-tien in a restaurant and fought a dual in the great hall of an Imperial Temple that night. Chih-teh was wounded and fled. After the fighting, Hsiu-tien also jumped over the wall and encountered the two heroines, Kwei-lan and Tao Chien-Yen, They were trying to avenge her father, Chang Chih-yuan, but declined to reveal the rival’s name.

When he saw his son wounded, Shih was very man overheard by the two heroines. On their way to inform Shih’s plot to Ma, one heroine, Chien- yen. was caught by Shihm but Kwei-lan delivered the information to Ma.

Shih was very much surprised at the presence of Ma who came to resecue Chien-yen, He finally freed her at Ma’s request. After Ma and the two heroines left Shih’s place, Chien-yen started to attack Ma as she thought he was the man who killed her father. She did not know Shih was the real killer until Ma told her the true story of some twenty years ago.

Again the vicious son, Tsu-teh tried to harass Kwei-lan when she came to visit Yu Wei one day. This time Tsu-teh was killed by Yu Wei, so Shih came to catch Kwei-lan and Yu Wei and burnt down the house. Chien-yen escaped to tell Ching Hsiu of the fighting.

In order to rescue the two captives, Ma came to Shih’s house and found that Yu-wei and Kwei- yen were bound to a pillar in sacrifice for Tsu- teh. The two fellow swordsmen met again and had a final daul. The evil swordsman, Shih, was killed by the loyal one, Ma, with that wonderful dagger attached to his sword.

一 The End 一