The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised in Hong Kong in the newspaper ''Ming Pao'' from 20 April 1967 to 12 October 1969. The Chinese title of the novel, ''Xiao Ao Jiang Hu'', literally means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife. Alternate English translations of the title include ''The Wandering Swordsman'', ''Laughing in the Wind'', ''The Peerless Gallant Errant'', and ''The Proud and Gallant Wanderer''. Another alternative title, ''State of Divinity'', is used for some of the novel's adaptations.

Plot

In ''jianghu'' or wulin (martial artists' community), there is a highly coveted martial arts manual known as the Bixie Swordplay Manual, the heirloom of the Lin family, which runs the Fuwei Security Service in Fuzhou. The Qingcheng Sect's leader Yu Canghai leads his followers to massacre the Lins and attempts to seize the manual to no success. Yue Buqun, the leader of the Mount Hua Sect—a member of the "orthodox" Five Mountains Sword Sects Alliance—saves Lin Pingzhi, the Lin family's sole survivor, accepting him as an apprentice and training him in swordplay.

The novel's protagonist is Yue Buqun's most senior apprentice, Linghu Chong (令狐冲), an orphaned, happy-go-lucky but honourable swordsman who has a penchant for alcoholic drinks. 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'' 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 alliance by befriending Qu Yang, an elder of the "evil" Sun Moon Holy Cult. Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang are cornered by Zuo Lengshan and his men and eventually commit suicide. Before dying, Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang give Linghu Chong the score of "Xiaoao Jianghu", a musical piece they composed together. (The Chinese title of the novel comes from the name of this fictional piece of music.)

Lin Pingzhi's entrance into the Mount Hua Sect causes Linghu Chong's romantic feelings for Yue Lingshan, Yue Buqun's daughter, to subside because she starts falling in love with Lin Pingzhi. At the same time, Linghu Chong's friendship with Tian Boguang leads him into trouble as it is against the Mount Hua Sect's rules to associate oneself with any ''jianghu'' lowlife or person from an "evil" sect. His master punishes him by making him stay alone for a year in a secluded area on Mount Hua to reflect on his "misdeeds". During this time, he discovers carvings of swordplay techniques in a cave, practises them, and unknowingly familiarises himself with the skills of the other four sword sects and the counter-moves. He also encounters Feng Qingyang, a reclusive Mount Hua Sect swordsman, who teaches him the powerful skill Nine Swords of Dugu.

The self-proclaimed righteous Five Mountains Sword Sects Alliance, though seemingly united, is constantly troubled by politicking and infighting among its members. Linghu Chong gets entangled in the conflicts and sustains serious internal injuries while using his newly mastered skill to defend his Mount Hua Sect fellows from attacks by Mount Song Sect members in disguise. The other sects mistakenly think that Linghu Chong's Nine Swords of Dugu is the Bixie Swordplay, and wrongly accuse him of stealing the manual and keeping it for himself. Yue Buqun also becomes suspicious and secretly jealous of his apprentice's sudden leap in swordplay prowess.

While accompanying his master and Mount Hua Sect fellows on a trip to Luoyang, Linghu Chong encounters Ren Yingying, a key figure of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and falls in love with her, and several ''jianghu'' lowlifes, who are friendly towards him and try to heal him. By then, Yue Buqun has grown tired of Linghu Chong's association with ''jianghu'' lowlifes so he abandons his apprentice. Linghu Chong also helps Ren Yingying fend off enemies of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and his injuries worsen over time. Eventually, she brings him to the Shaolin Sect to seek help. Linghu Chong later 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 Wentian becomes sworn brothers with Linghu Chong 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 Woxing's infamous Cosmic Absorbing Power 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.

Linghu Chong becomes the new head of the (North) Mount Heng Sect, whose members are all nuns, after he unsuccessfully tries to save its leaders from a masked assassin. He attends a special assembly of the Five Mountains Sword Sects Alliance called for by Zuo Lengshan, who attempts to coerce the other four sects into merging into the Mount Song Sect under his leadership. However, he is defeated and blinded by Yue Buqun, who uses the Bixie Swordplay against him. Yue Buqun becomes the new leader of the alliance.

After leaving the assembly, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying see Lin Pingzhi brutally slaying members of the Qingcheng Sect to avenge his family, and overhear a conversation between him and his wife, Yue Lingshan. Lin Pingzhi reveals that both he and Yue Buqun have mastered the Bixie Swordplay, which is considered "unorthodox" because they need to castrate themselves to fulfill the prerequisite for learning it. Linghu Chong also learns that Yue Buqun, his respectable former master, is actually a villainous hypocrite who planned an elaborate scheme against Lin Pingzhi to seize the swordplay manual in the hope of dominating the ''jianghu''. Lin Pingzhi killed Yue Lingshan, his wife to show his loyalty to Yue Buqun's nemesis, before Yue Linshan died, she made Linghu Chong swear he'll protect Lin Pingzhi as a final act of love for her, Linghu Chong saw a look of pleading on her face, the expression he'd once loved when he and Lingshan were playing on Mount Hua together, he swore he'd protect Pingzhi, Lingshan died in his arms.

Yue Buqun schemes to kill Lin Pingzhi, who knows his secret, and seeks to silence him. Linghu Chong, despite his reluctance to be enemies with his former master, ultimately chooses to stop him in order to foil his machinations for the sake of the innocent. The finale climaxes with the members of the Five Mountains Sword Sects Alliance being trapped in the cave on Mount Hua owing to Yue Buqun's treachery. The sects slaughter each other out of paranoia and distrust, ultimately leading to the alliance's dissolution. Linghu Chong remembered Lingshan's final words and paralyses Lin Pingzhi permanently instead of killing him, meanwhile Yue Buqun is killed by Yilin when fighting Linghu Chong during the frenzy.

After the collapse of the alliance, Ren Woxing plans an attack on the scattered and fragmented "orthodox" sects in order to unite the ''jianghu'' under the control of his "evil" Sun Moon Holy Cult. He tries to force Linghu Chong to join him, but dies at a crucial moment from a stroke.

Ren Yingying becomes the new leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and successfully negotiates a truce between the "orthodox" and "evil" sides of the ''jianghu''. Three years later, she passes the leadership to Xiang Wentian and marries Linghu Chong and live happily ever after.

Characters

Sects, clans and organisations

Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance

Sun Moon Holy Cult

The Sun Moon Holy Cult () is based on Black Woods Cliff (; in present-day Xibaipo, Hebei). Its origin is unclear, Martial artists in the ''jianghu'' often refer to the Sun Moon Holy Cult as the "Demonic Cult" (), as they previously did to the Ming Cult. Considered eccentric and heretical, the cult is a common enemy of the orthodox sects. Its members are known for engaging in various types of cult-like activities and committing heinous crimes. It was led by Ren Woxing until Dongfang Bubai ousts the former from power in a scheme. Dongfang treats his followers cruelly, forcing them to consume poison pills and giving them antidotes to temporarily ease their agony only if they obey him. Ren Woxing practises the "Cosmic Absorbing Power" (), which allows him to drain and absorb an opponent's inner energy, while Dongfang Bubai is said to be invincible after he mastered the skills in the Sunflower Manual ().

Others

* Qingcheng Sect ()
* Fuwei Security Service ()
* Shaolin Sect ()
* Wudang Sect ()

Themes

In the afterword, Jin Yong mentions that ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' can be read as a political allegory disguised as a wuxia novel. As an allegory, it can happen in "any dynasty or organisation"."因为想写的是一些普遍性格，是政治生活中的常见现象，所以本书没有历史背景，这表示，类似的情景可以发生在任何朝代、任何团体之中。"《笑傲江湖，后记》 Jin Yong also stated in the afterword that after the novel was published, Vietnamese politicians had once used the names of Yue Buqun and Zuo Lengshan as derogatory terms against one another in parliamentary sessions.

Adaptations

Films

Television

Comics

A total of 26 volumes of the manhua series by Lee Chi Ching, titled ''State of Divinity'', were published by Ming Ho in Hong Kong and M&C (Gramedia Group) in Indonesia.

Stage productions

In 2006, the Hong Kong Dance Company adapted the novel into a stage play, starring Rosanne Wong, Race Wong, Liu Yinghong, Su Shu, Chen Lei and Mi Tao, as a jubilee presentation to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary.

In 2010, the Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America presented the premiere of ''Laughing in the Wind: A Cautionary Tale in Martial Arts'' in New York City. The play was adapted and directed by Joanna Chan and featured 18 actors playing 26 roles.

Video games

''Swordsman Online'' is a MMORPG developed by Perfect World. The game also features additional sects that do not appear in the novel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smiling, Proud Wanderer

1967 novels
20th-century Chinese novels
Novels first published in serial form
Works originally published in Ming Pao
Novels about orphans
Novels set in Imperial China
Chinese novels adapted into television series
Chinese novels adapted into films
Self-harm in fiction
Novels set in Shaanxi
Novels set in Hunan
Novels set in Shandong
Novels set in Shanxi