Other Tales of the Flying Fox

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Other Tales of the Flying Fox/Young Flying Fox
Book cover
Author(s)	Jin Yong
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Chinese
Genre(s)	Wuxia
Publisher	Wuxia and History
Publication date	1960
Media type	Print
Followed by	Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain

Other Tales of the Flying Fox, also known as Young Flying Fox, is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. The novel was first serialised in Hong Kong in 1960^[1] in the magazine Wuxia and History. The novel is a prequel to Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain and was written a year after its literary predecessor.

Plot

The story begins several years after the death of Hu Yidao. His son Hu Fei, raised by Ping A'si, inherits the Hu family's skills and becomes a powerful martial artist. While travelling around the land in search of adventure, Hu Fei encounters Feng Tiannan, a ruthless villain, and he wants to kill Feng to deliver justice for Feng's victims. He also meets a young maiden named Yuan Ziyi, who shows signs of affection towards him. She stops Hu Fei from killing Feng Tiannan each time when he is close to killing the villain.

Based on Ping A'si's words, Hu Fei believes that the famous martial artist Miao Renfeng is responsible for his father's death. He refrains from killing Miao Renfeng after finding the latter, because Miao has been tricked by an enemy and is temporarily blinded by a deadly poison. He is so impressed with Miao's sense of chivalry that he starts wondering if Ping A'si was mistaken about Miao. He decides to help Miao Renfeng and journeys to find a cure for his eyes. He meets Cheng Lingsu, a young disciple of the deceased "King of Venoms". Hu Fei witnesses Cheng Lingsu defeating her three wicked seniors with her calm and wits. She agrees to help him cure Miao Renfeng's eyes.

When Miao Renfeng regains his sight he confesses that he had indeed killed Hu Yidao unintentionally several years ago. Hu Fei is filled with sorrow upon hearing the truth and leaves with Cheng Lingsu. Cheng Lingsu and Hu Fei become sworn siblings. Travelling together, the two then stumble upon an election for a new leader of the wulin (martial artists' community), hosted by the general Fukang'an. The election is part of Fukang'an's plot to instigate turmoil in the wulin, which is part of the government's plan to control the martial artists' community. Hu Fei and Cheng Lingsu disguise themselves and participate in the election. With help from Yuan Ziyi, the trio combined to expose Fukang'an's scheme and disrupt the meeting.

They are attacked by enemies and Hu Fei is poisoned while trying to shield Cheng Lingsu with his body. Cheng loses her life trying to save Hu, and reveals before her death that she is in love with him. Hu Fei is filled with anguish by the tragic loss of Cheng Lingsu. After Cheng's funeral, he meets Yuan Ziyi again, who tells him that she had already taken an oath to be a nun in her childhood, and cannot be together with him even though she loves him. She places her palms together and recites a silent prayer for Hu Fei before leaving.

Characters

Protagonists

• Hu Fei (胡斐) is the protagonist of the novel.

• Hu Yidao (胡一刀) is a forthright and gregarious hero whose skills were legendary. He hopes to resolve the past feuds between the four families that has lasted since their ancestors' time. He is instigated into a fight with Miao Renfeng but becomes friends with his foe. He is killed by Miao Renfeng unintentionally, as Miao's weapon had been secretly smeared with poison.

• Miao Renfeng (苗人鳳) is a powerful martial artist of equal fame as Hu Yidao. He is nicknamed "Golden-faced Buddha" (金面佛) and "Undefeated Champion" (打遍天下無敵手). He is slightly more conservative and does not know how to express his feelings well. He fights with Hu Yidao and is so impressed by Hu's chivalry and skill that he befriends Hu. His enemies secretly smear poison on his weapon and he kills Hu Yidao unintentionally after inflicting the latter with a minor cut.

• Cheng Lingsu (程靈素) is a disciple of the "King of Venoms". She falls in love with Hu Fei when she first met him while he was searching for a cure for Miao Renfeng. She later follows Hu Fei on his adventures and becomes his close companion. She gives up her life to save Hu Fei, who has been poisoned. Hu Fei is deeply saddened by her loss and he buries her besides his parents' grave.

• Yuan Ziyi (袁紫衣), also known as Yuanxing (圆性), is Feng Tiannan's illegitimate daughter. Her mother gave birth to her after being raped by Feng Tiannan and was forced to commit suicide by Tang Pei. She vows to avenge her mother and kill her beastly father (she needs to fulfill a promise to save his life thrice before she can kill him). Having taken an oath to be a Buddhist nun in her childhood, she cannot be together with Hu Fei even though she loves him.

Antagonists

• Fukang'an (福康安) is a general and aristocrat who appears to be generous and gentlemanly, but is in fact a scheming, selfish and ruthless person. He organises a "Meeting of the Leaders" as part of a plan to keep the wulin (martial artists' community) under the government's control. He has a secret affair with Ma Chunhua and has a pair of twin boys with her. He tries to murder Ma later.

• Tian Guinong (田歸農) is a descendant of one of the four bodyguards of Li Zicheng. An immoral, unscrupulous and flirtatious villain, he seduces Nan Lan and causes her to abandon her husband and marry him instead. Seeking wealth and fame, he pledges allegiance to Fukang'an, who promises to help him become chief of the wulin in return for his loyalty and service. His dream is shattered when Hu Fei and his friends show up to disrupt the "Meeting of the Leaders" and cause a twist of events.

• Feng Tiannan (鳳天南) is a ruthless and cruel villain, who uses his wealth and authority to bully people. Hu Fei seeks to kill him to deliver justice for Zhong A'si and his family, who were murdered by Feng. He is rescued by his illegitimate daughter Yuan Ziyi, who has made a promise to save his life thrice before killing him to avenge her mother. He dies in the chaotic fight during the election for the leader of the wulin.

• Shi Wanshen (石萬嗔) is the evil junior of the "King of Venoms". He causes the death of Cheng Lingsu, but is blinded by her and meets his end at the hands of Zeng Tie'ou.

Others

• Nan Lan (南蘭) is Miao Renfeng's wife. She feels unhappy after marrying Miao Renfeng, who leads a simple and frugal life as opposed to her luxurious lifestyle before her marriage. She is seduced by Tian Guinong and abandons her husband to marry Tian instead.

• Ping A'si (平阿四) is a young man indebted to Hu Yidao, who saved his life once. He risks his life to save the infant Hu Fei and raises Hu after the latter's parents died. A humble, unassuming and shy man, he often feels inferior to others.

• The "King of Venoms" (毒手藥王) was a herbal medicine guru who imparted his knowledge to Cheng Lingsu, the only of his students who did not betray him.

• Ma Chunhua (馬春花) is an old friend of Hu Fei. She helped him years ago during the incident at the Shang Family Castle. She has an illegitimate affair with Fukang'an and secretly bore him a pair of twin boys. Fukang'an sent his men, disguised as bandits, to kill her husband and seize the boys from her. Hu Fei helps her and the twins escape from Fukang'an's clutches.

• Zhao Banshan (趙半山) is the third leader of the Red Flower Society. He meets the young Hu Fei at the Shang Family Castle and they become sworn brothers after escaping death together.

• Tang Pei (湯沛) is a guest at the "Meeting of the Leaders". Initially a popular man, he is blackmailed by Yuan Ziyi and becomes despised by everyone after his dirty secrets are revealed. He is killed by Yuan.

• Murong Jingyue (慕容景岳) and Xue Que (薛鵲) are students of the "King of Venoms" and Cheng Lingsu's seniors. They betrayed their teacher and acknowledged Shi Wanshen as their new master.

• Shang Jianming (商劍鳴) was the master of the Shang Family Castle who was killed by Hu Yidao several years ago. Hu Fei stumbles upon the castle and runs into trouble with Shang's widow and followers when they discover that he is Hu Yidao's son.

• Zhong A'si (鐘阿四) is a peasant who owns a vegetable farm. Feng Tiannan has been eyeing his farm and intends to seize that plot of land for himself. He accuses Zhong's son of stealing and eating a goose from his house. Zhong's wife kills the boy and cuts open his belly as a desperate measure to prove that their son is innocent. Zhong and his wife are murdered by Feng Tiannan later.

Adaptations

Films

Television

References

External links

• (Chinese) Other Tales of the Flying Fox on Baidu Baike
• English translation of the novel at Wuxiapedia