THE HURRICANE

Many state officials have fallen victims to a severe purge by corrupted Prime Minister Chia Shih-tao during the end of the Sung Dynasty. Among them is swordslady Ting Tze-feng’s father. By chance, Ting overhears Chia mention the name of a swordsman, Chin Hsuan-feng, as he orders a secret letter to be sent to the Mongolians. She calls upon all upright knights to intercept Chin.

Yang Chien-ming, martial art expert Shen Yuan’s disciple, spots Chin in a small town. He befriends him after being impressed with his fighting ability and personality. At heart, Chin feels worried about rumours that he is carrying Chia’s secret letter.

One day, Chin meets up with Chia’s top fighter Yuan Nun, who tries to bribe him into submission. Chin refuses.

Yang wants to have Chin’s name cleared. He tells Ting that his friend is unlikely to be a traitor. But Ting is not convinced, for what she has overheard. Suddenly, Chin is sighted passing by. Yang, Ting and her colleagues give chase.

Knowing Ting is approaching with her friends, Yuan sends Pi Yu-she to fan up troubles between them and Chin. Pi introduces herself to Ting as a friend of her late father, and talks Ting into making a surprise attack on Chin, who is staying at the same inn. Chin fights a way out, and leaves without a chance to explain. But he knows Pi has been the trouble-maker. He tracks her back to the inn, where he overhears Pi confide to Yuan that she has hidden the secret letter inside Ting’s saddle. Chin goes to see Yang. Both men soon find themselves being surrounded by Yuan, Pi and their henchmen. Chin tells Yang about Pi’s trick after making good an escape together.

A few days later, Yang and Chin find Ting in the company of four top swordsmen, including Shen, Chin points out to them that Chia’s secret letter has been stuffed into Ting’s saddle. Acting on Chin’s words, Ting find a long envelop with Chia’s chop on. But it contains only a sheet of blank paper. Shen accuses Chin of lying. But yang springs to his friend’s defence. For this, Shen throws Yang out of his sect. Until now, Chin realises that he has been fooled by Pi again. He gets seriously wounded in the ensuing fight, but eventually manages to escape with Yang.

Ting is attacked by Yuan and Pi in the countryside. Chin and Yang come to her timely rescue, kill Pi and help capture Yuan. Yuan confesses that the one carrying the secret letter is not Chin, but Yang’s teacher, Shen.

In Ching Yang town, Shen is about to hand over the secret letter to the Mongolians when Chin and his friends arrive. Shen’s secret is out. He is killed in the clash that follows. The letter is found on his body. Chin, Ting and Yang head for the Imperial City, with a view to exposing Chia’s plot.

.ends.