Facts and Figures

Quick-Jump Categories

• People
• Places
• Organisations
• Martial Arts
• Martial Arts Comparisons
• Martial Arts Skills Inventory
• Weapons
• Objects
• Animals
• Culture and Lifestyle
• Weights and Measures
• Translation Notes

People

Cao Yunqi 曹云奇 - tall fellow in the prime of his life. Has muscular arms and looks impressive when seated on a large horse. Also known as the 'Sword of the Galloping Dragon' (Teng2 Long2 Jian4 腾龙剑). Has just been appointed as the leader of the northern faction of the Tianlong School in Eastern Liao. Possesses quite a degree of accomplishment in the fist and sword techniques of his school (Chapter 1).

Double Sabre, The 双刀 - see Third Madame Zheng.

Emperor Kangxi, The 康熙 - reigned between 1661 and 1720 as fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The Tianlong School split into two factions some time during the reign of Kangxi (Chapter 1).

Emperor Qianlong, The 乾隆 - reigned between 1735 and 1794 as the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The story begins in the 45th year of his reign, or approximately, the year 1780 (Chapter 1).

Hand of Seven Stars, The 七星手 - see Ruan Shizhong.

Impressive Shaker of the Skies in the South, The 威震天南 - see Yin Ji.

Jing Zhi, the Great Master 静智大师 - a big fat monk from the Temple of a Hundred Meetings in Shandong; uses a monastic sabre (Chapter 1).

Liu Yuanhe 刘元鹤 - a purple-faced man who is a member of the First-Class Guard from the capital of Beijing; elder brother-at-arms of Xiong Yuanxian (Chapter 1).

Pressure of the North-East, The 镇关东 - see Tao Baisui.

Ruan Shizhong 阮士中 - tall and thin old man with a rather fierce countenance. Also known as the 'Hand of Seven Stars' (Qi1 Xing1 Shou3 七星手), and considered the top pugilist in the northern faction of the Tianlong School. The uncle-at-arms of Cao Yunqi, Zhou Yunyang and Tian Qingwen (Chapter 1).

Stockade-Leader Ma 马寨主 - one of the three stockade-leaders from the River of Drinking Horses; uses a pair of chained hammers (Chapter 1).

Sword of the Galloping Dragon, The 腾龙剑 - see Cao Yunqi.

Sword of the Returning Dragon, The 回龙剑 - see Zhou Yunyang.

Tao Baisui 陶百岁 - father of Tao Zi'an, known as the Pressure of the North-East (Zhen4 Guan1 Dong1 镇关东). Could shout in a loud, thunder-like roar that created an incomparable picture of impressiveness and ferocity. Used a steel whip that weighed sixteen jin (8 kg) (Chapter 1).

Tao Zi'an 陶子安 - handsome twenty-three- or twenty-four-year-old fellow with oblique eyebrows. Fiancé of Tian Qingwen (Chapter 1).

Third Madame Zheng 郑三娘 - widow of a slain escort leader from the Pingtong Armed Escort and Delivery Agency; thirty-two or thirty-three years old. Also known as the Double Sabre (Shuang1 Dao1 双刀).

Tian Guinong 田归农 - father of Tian Qingwen; passed away shortly before the start of the story in a death that is considered tragic by his daughter. Served as the leader of the northern faction of the Tianlong School before he died (Chapter 1).

Tian Qingwen 田青文 - beautiful and intelligent woman with a snowy-white complexion; the younger sister-at-arms of Cao Yunqi and Zhou Yunyang. Also known as the "Brocade Marten" (Jin3 Mao2 Diao1 锦毛貂) in the martial arts circle of Eastern Liao. Fiancée of Tao Zi'an (Chapter 1).

Xiong Yuanxian 熊元献 - dark and skinny man; the Chief Escort of the Pingtong Armed Escort and Delivery Agency in Beijing. Highly skilled in the "Di Tang" Sabre Technique (Di4 Tang2 Dao1 地堂刀). Younger brother-at-arms of Liu Yuanhe (Chapter 1).

Yin Ji 殷吉 - elderly man; plumpish with a pair of whiskers on his face. Looks like a rich merchant when dressed in a coat of marten fur. Leader of the southern faction of the Tianlong School; also known as the 'Impressive Shaker of the Skies in the South' (Wei1 Zhen4 Tian1 Nan2 威震天南) (Chapter 1).

Zhou Yunyang 周云阳 - medium-built man in the prime of his life. Has a pale face and appears to have a nose that is sensitive to the cold. Also known as the 'Sword of the Returning Dragon' (Hui2 Long2 Jian4 回龙剑). The younger brother-at-arms of Cao Yunqi (Chapter 1).

Places

Eastern Liao 辽东 - the area east of the Liao River, coextensive with eastern and southern parts of modern-day Liaoning Province in China (Chapter 1).

Jiangnan 江南 - literally "south of the River"; refers to an area in the lower Changjiang (Long River) valley, including southern Jiangsu and Anhui, as well as northern Zhejiang in modern-day China (Chapter 1).

Organisations

Pingtong Armed Escort and Delivery Agency 平通镖局 (Ping2 Tong1 Biao1 Ju2) - an armed escort and delivery agency located in Beijing; led by Xiong Yuanxian (Chapter 1).

River of Drinking Horses, The 饮马川 (Yin2 Ma3 Chuan1) - a stockade run by Tao Baisui (Chapter 1).

Temple of a Hundred Meetings, The 百会寺 (Bai3 Hui4 Si4) - a Buddhist temple in Shandong (Chapter 1).

Tianlong School, The 天龙门 (Tian1 Long2 Men1) - a martial arts school with northern and southern factions; literally means the 'School of the Heavenly Dragon'. The northern faction is led by Cao Yunqi, while the southern one is led by Yin Ji. Well-known for the twin consummate skills of the fist and the sword. Established at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (c.1644); split into the two factions during the reign of the Emperor Kangxi (1661-1720) (Chapter 1).

Martial Arts

'Di Tang' Sabre Technique, The (Di4 Tang2 Dao1 地堂刀) - a technique that was generally executed close to the surface of the ground; used by Xiong Yuanxian (Chapter 1).

Qinggong (qing1 gong1 轻功) - the highly-practised ability to run lightly at great speeds over long distances and to leap over great heights (Chapter 1 and elsewhere).

Martial Arts Comparisons

(in descending order)

Ruan Shizhong:

• had better qinggong by Yin Ji's admission (Chapter 1).

Yin Ji:

• agreed that his own qinggong was not as good as Ruan Shizhong's, especially when Ruan had seemed to give way to him on purpose (Chapter 1).

Cao Yunqi:

• unable to keep up with Ruan Shizhong and Yin Ji during a pursuit of opponents using qinggong (Chapter 1).
• considered by Yin Ji as possessing martial arts skills that were far beneath his own (Chapter 1).

Zhou Yunyang:

• slower than Cao Yunqi by several zhang (1 zhang = 3.33 metres) during a pursuit of opponents using qinggong (Chapter 1).
• slightly better in qinggong than Tian Qingwen, arriving just before she did at the top of the mountain (Chapter 1).

Tian Qingwen:

• slower than Cao Yunqi by several zhang (1 zhang = 3.33 metres) during a pursuit of opponents using qinggong (Chapter 1).
• slightly beneath Zhou Yunyang in qinggong, arriving just after he did at the top of the mountain (Chapter 1).

Martial Arts Skills Inventory

(as mentioned and/or exhibited in the story)

Cao Yunqi:

• fist, sword and qinggong techniques of the northern faction of the Tianlong School (Chapter 1).
• Life-Pursuing Poisoned Awls of the Dragon (Chapter 1).

Ruan Shizhong:

• qinggong techniques of the northern faction of the Tianlong School (Chapter 1).
• Life-Pursuing Poisoned Awls of the Dragon (Chapter 1).

Stockade-Leader Ma:

• chained-hammer techniques (Chapter 1).

Tao Baisui:

• whip techniques (Chapter 1).

Tao Zi'an:

• archery skills and sabre techniques (Chapter 1).

Third Madame Zheng:

• double-sabre techniques, including moves such as the 'Force of the Whirlwind' (Xuan2 Feng2 Shi4 旋风势) (Chapter 1).

Tian Qingwen:

• qinggong techniques of the northern faction of the Tianlong School (Chapter 1).

Xiong Yuanxian:

• 'Di Tang' Sabre Technique (Chapter 1).

Yin Ji:

• qinggong techniques of the southern faction of the Tianlong School (Chapter 1).
• Life-Pursuing Poisoned Awls of the Dragon (Chapter 1).

Zhou Yunyang:

• qinggong techniques of the northern faction of the Tianlong School (Chapter 1).

Weapons

Life-Pursuing Poisoned Awls of the Dragon (Zhui1 Ming4 Du2 Long2 Zhui1 追命毒龙锥) - a unique skill that was passed down from generation to generation in the Tianlong School. Sent out with deadly accuracy and speed, the awls and their virulent poison ensured the victim's demise within three shichen (six hours) (Chapter 1).

Weapons without proper names:

• bow and arrows - used by Tao Zi'an (Chapter 1).
• chained hammers (lian4 zi3 chui2 链子锤) - used by Stockade-Leader Ma from the River of Drinking Horses (Chapter 1).
• flying dagger (fei1 dao1 飞刀) - one of the projectiles used in the ambush of Tao Zi'an and his group (Chapter 1).
• monastic sabre (jie4 dao1 戒刀) - used by the big fat monk in Xiong Yuanxian's group (Chapter 1).
• sleeve-arrows (xiu4 jian4 袖箭) - one of the projectiles used in the ambush of Tao Zi'an and his group; usually shot from a device worn on the arm beneath the user's sleeve (Chapter 1).
• steel dart (gang1 biao1 钢镖) - one of the projectiles used in the ambush of Tao Zi'an and his group (Chapter 1).
• steel whip (gang1 bian1 钢鞭) - used by Tao Baishui (Chapter 1).
• whips (for horses) - used by Ruan Shizhong, Yin Ji, Cao Yunqi, Zhou Yunyang and various other riders. Yin Ji also used the whip to pick up a wild goose that had been shot down with an arrow (Chapter 1).

Objects

Small writing brush made of gold with the character 'An' (安) inscribed on it - picked up by Tian Qingwen from the snow-covered ground when she went in pursuit of her uncles- and brothers-at-arms (Chapter 1).

Animals

Miscellaneous animals:
- horse (Chapter 1).
- wild goose (yan4 雁) (Chapter 1).

Culture and Lifestyle

White mourning clothes (gao3 su4 缟素) - Clothes worn by people in mourning, made usually from a type of thin white silk (Chapter 1).

Weights and Measures

1 chi 尺 = 1/3 metres (33.33 centimetres)

1 cun 寸 = 1/30 metres (3.33 centimetres)

1 jin 斤 = 500 grammes

1 li 里 = 500 metres

1 liang 两 = 0.1 jin = 50 grammes

1 qian 钱 = 0.1 liang = 5 grammes

1 qing 顷 = 100 mu 亩 = approximately 6.667 hectares

1 shichen 时辰 = 2 hours

1 wen 文 (1 copper-cash) = 0.01 liang = 0.5 grammes

1 zhang 丈 = 10/3 metres (3.33 metres)

Translation Notes

Nil.