| Author | Liang Yusheng |
|---|---|
| Original title | 還劍奇情錄 |
| Language | Chinese |
| Genre | Wuxia |
| Publisher | Hong Kong Commercial Daily |
Publication date | November 1959 – May 1960 |
| Publication place | Hong Kong |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 7805216576 |
| Followed by | Pingzong Xiaying Lu |
| Huanjian Qiqing Lu | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 還劍奇情錄 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 还剑奇情录 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Tale of the Sword Returned and the Unusual Romance | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Huanjian Qiqing Lu,literally Tale of the Sword Returned and the Unusual Romance,is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng,first published as a serial between November 1959 and May 1960 in the Hong Kong newspaper Hong Kong Commercial Daily . It is the first instalment in Liang Yusheng's Pingzong series,followed by Pingzong Xiaying Lu .
The novel has been described as a "wuxia adaptation" of Cao Yu's 1933 play Thunderstorm . [1] Set in early 15th-century China,it centres on a martial artist who abandons his pregnant first wife and later manipulates his second wife into helping him steal a coveted swordplay manual. Two decades later,his past returns to haunt him when the children from both marriages fall in love,unaware they are half-siblings,leading to a tragedy that destroys his family.
The story is set in early 15th-century China during the Ming dynasty. The swordsman Chen Xuanji travels to the Helan Mountains to assassinate Yun Wuyang,a legendary swordsman who has withdrawn from the wulin (martial artists' community). Along the way,Chen Xuanji is followed by Xiao Yunlan,who has a crush on him despite his indifference. They encounter Shangguan Tianye,a swordsman of the Wudang Sect who also has romantic feelings for Xiao Yunlan. Misunderstanding Chen Xuanji's behaviour,Shangguan Tianye quarrels with him,injures him and sends him tumbling into a ravine.
Chen Xuanji is rescued by Yun Susu,Yun Wuyang's daughter,and brought to the Yun family residence. While recovering,he notices the Kunwu Sword,his late maternal grandfather's heirloom,among Yun's possessions and realises that his host is the very man he was sent to kill. When Shangguan Tianye later visits the Yun residence to reclaim a stolen Wudang swordplay manual,Yun Wuyang imprisons him. Chen Xuanji's attempt to free Shangguan Tianye and assassinate Yun Wuyang fails;he is spared only after Yun Susu begs her father to spare his life.
Soon after,Yun Wuyang's old comrade Shi Tianduo pays a visit to the Yuns. Both men once served the warlord Zhang Shicheng,a rival of the Ming dynasty's founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Eager to prove his superiority,Yun Wuyang forces the ailing Shi Tianduo into a duel and kills him,much to the horror of Yun Susu and Yun Wuyang's wife Mou Baozhu. When the Wudang Sect's elders arrive to demand the stolen swordplay manual,Yun Wuyang defeats them and destroys it,but his violent pride alienates everyone around him.
Yun Wuyang's health declines after a battle with the crippled beggar Bi Lingfeng,who bears an old grudge against him. Bi Lingfeng rescues Shangguan Tianye and exposes the corruption within the Wudang Sect,leading Shangguan Tianye to leave Wudang and become Bi's apprentice. Meanwhile,Chen Xuanji and Shangguan Tianye reconcile,but Xiao Yunlan overhears Chen's confession that he loves Yun Susu,not her. Heartbroken,Xiao Yunlan leaves,vowing revenge.
When Chen Xuanji and Shangguan Tianye later clash with a jinyiwei commander Luo Jinfeng,they are saved by Mou Baozhu,who shelters them at the Yun residence. The jinyiwei attack the house;Yun Wuyang and Mou Baozhu fight to protect Chen Xuanji and Yun Susu,killing the intruders but suffering mortal wounds. Before dying,Mou Baozhu entrusts her daughter to Chen Xuanji,while Yun Wuyang realises his past sins are closing in.
As Yun Wuyang lies dying,the truth of his life emerges. Years earlier,he had been married to Chen Xuemei,the daughter of the swordsman Chen Dingfang. After Chen Dingfang was killed in a duel over the swordplay manual,Chen Xuemei,then pregnant with Yun Wuyang's child,was struck by a poisoned arrow during Yun Wuyang's escape after Zhang Shicheng's downfall. Believing Chen Xuemei was doomed,Yun Wuyang had pushed her into the river and fled on his own. Chen Xuemei had survived,given birth to Chen Xuanji,and lived in hiding until now.
Chen Xuemei reappears at the Yun residence shortly after Xiao Guanying (Xiao Yunlan's father),who was Chen Dingfang's apprentice,arrives to settle old scores with Yun Wuyang. The revelation that Chen Xuanji and Yun Susu are half-siblings drives Yun Wuyang to a fatal heart attack. Overcome by despair upon learning that the man she loves is actually her half-brother,Yun Susu throws herself off a cliff,leaving Chen Xuanji to mourn amidst the burning ruins of the Yun residence.
Modern readers and critics generally regard Huanjian Qiqing Lu as one of Liang Yusheng's more concise and tightly structured novels. On Douban,the novel holds a rating of 7.3 out of 10 based on around 50 reviews,with readers praising its lyrical prose and tragic emotional tone. [2] A 2019 article on Sohu described it as a compact and well-constructed story that effectively introduces the Pingzong series,highlighting its blend of romance,martial chivalry,and moral reflection. [3]
Later commentators have drawn attention to the novel's exploration of guilt,retribution,and intergenerational tragedy. Some have compared its plot structure and emotional tone to Cao Yu’s Thunderstorm ,citing shared themes of family betrayal and forbidden love,though such parallels appear mainly in reader commentary rather than scholarly criticism. [1]
Huanjian Qiqing Lu is also regarded as significant in tracing Liang Yusheng's development as a writer and the formation of his lyrical,tragic style within the wuxia genre. [4] The story continues to appear in retrospectives on Liang Yusheng's works and was adapted into the 1986 film The Unusual Love When Returning the Sword,demonstrating its lasting cultural presence. [5]
In 1986,the novel was adapted into the Chinese film The Unusual Love When Returning the Sword,produced by Pearl River Film Studio and directed by Hong Ping,starring Wang Yu,Zheng Hui,Wang Xinwu and Tan Yuanyuan.