Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance

Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance
Traditional Chinese	五嶽劍派
Simplified Chinese	五岳剑派
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Wǔ Yuè Jiàn Pài Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping Ng5 Ngok6 Gim3 Paai3

The Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance is a fictional alliance formed by five Chinese martial arts sects that appears in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer^[1] by Jin Yong. The five sects specialize in swordplay and they are based on the Five Sacred Mountains of China (Mount Hua (華山), Mount Tai (泰山), (South) Mount Heng (衡山), (North) Mount Heng (恆山) and Mount Song (嵩山)). It is in fact a loose alliance as the five sects compete among themselves for power.

Mount Hua Sect

Main article: Mount Hua Sect

The Mount Hua Sect (華山派) is headed by Yue Buqun. It is divided into two factions (Qi and Sword) after a dispute over the Sunflower Manual by the respective founders of the factions. The Qi faction uses a scheme to divert away Feng Qingyang, the best swordsman in the Sword faction, and seize the opportunity to take control of the sect. Since then, the Qi faction has remained in dominance until Yue's time. The Qi faction focuses on inner energy cultivation techniques as part of their martial arts training while the Sword faction places emphasis on swordplay techniques.

Zuo Lengchan instigates the exiled members of the Sword faction to return to Mount Hua to challenge Yue for the position of leadership, as part of his plan to cause turmoil within the sect. Linghu Chong defeats the aggressors and forces them back into exile. Subsequently, the seemingly gentlemanly Yue reveals his true colours during the election for chief of the alliance. He uses the "Bixie Swordplay" to defeat and blind Zuo, taking over the alliance's leadership position. Yue attempts to lure his rivals from the four sects into a cave in the back-hill of Mount Hua and trap them inside. Linghu appears in time and defeats his hypocritical teacher, who is killed by Yilin, and frees the trapped pugilists.

Mount Song Sect

The Mount Song Sect (嵩山派) is headed by Zuo Lengchan, who leads the alliance. It is based on the same mountain as the Shaolin Sect but they are situated on different peaks. The ambitious and ruthless Zuo wishes to consolidate power by calling for the alliance and forcing the other sects to submit to him. He sends his spy Lao Denuo to infiltrate Mount Hua Sect to steal Yue Buqun's "Violet Mist Divine Skill" manual and instigates the exiled Sword faction members to challenge Yue for power. He bribes members of the Mount Tai Sect to turn against their leader, Tianmen, who is betrayed and killed by them during the election. Zuo also sends his lackeys to assassinate Dingjing, one of the three leaders of the (North) Mount Heng Sect. In the earlier part of the novel, Zuo confronts Liu Zhengfeng of the (South) Mount Heng Sect during the latter's retirement ceremony, to force him to surrender. Zuo is eventually defeated during the election by Yue, much to everyone's surprise, and blinded. He is killed by Linghu Chong amidst the chaos when they are trapped by Yue inside the cave.

Mount Tai Sect

The Mount Tai Sect (泰山派) is affiliated to Taoism and is headed by Tianmen. Tianmen refuses to comply with Zuo Lengchan's power-hungry ambitions and Zuo bribes Tianmen's followers to turn against their leader. Tianmen is betrayed and murdered by conspirators during the election ceremony and Taoist Yuji is nominated by Zuo to succeed Tianmen. All the best pugilists of Mount Tai are killed when the pugilists are trapped inside the cave by Yue Buqun.

(North) Mount Heng Sect

The (North) Mount Heng Sect (恆山派) is affiliated to Buddhism and is headed by the Three Elder Nuns (Dingjing, Dingxian and Dingyi), with Dingxian as the primary leader. Its members are all female and mostly nuns. Dianxian refuses to submit to Zuo Lengchan and Zuo sends his lackeys to ambush and assassinate the leaders. Dingjing is killed in the ambush while Dingxian and Dingyi are murdered secretly by Yue Buqun in Shaolin Monastery later. Dingxian names Linghu Chong as the new leader of their sect before her death. Linghu is more liberal and he allows other pugilists, including some jianghu lowlives and male pugilists, to join the sect. He leads the sect well and earns the respect of other sects.

(South) Mount Heng Sect

The (South) Mount Heng Sect (衡山派) is headed by a mysterious man called Mo Da. Its swordplay skills are customised to suit musical themes. Mo is known for playing melancholic tunes on his huqin, in which his sword is hidden. Liu Zhengfeng, second to Mo in the sect, befriends Qu Yang of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. The duo share the same passion for music and they compose the titular musical piece Xiaoao Jianghu together. Zuo Lengchan leads his men to confront Liu during the latter's retirement ceremony and eventually Liu commits suicide together with Qu. Mo is the only survivor from the sect after the trapped pugilists are rescued by Linghu Chong at the end of the novel.

Notes

1. ^ Cha, Louis. The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (笑傲江湖). Ming Pao, 1967.

External links

• (Chinese) Five Mountain Sword Sects Alliance on Baidu Baike