List of characters from Qi Jian Xia Tian Shan

The following is a list of characters from Liang Yusheng's Wuxia novel Qi Jian Xia Tian Shan or Seven Swords of Mount Heaven.

These characters have also appeared in The Swordsman In The Mountain Pass (塞外奇俠傳) and Romance of the White Haired Maiden (白髮魔女傳) by Liang Yusheng.

1st Generation

• Ling Weifeng (凌未風) a.k.a. Mu Lang (穆郎) – the youngest member of the first generation of the Seven Swordsmen. He was the third disciple of Reverend Hui Ming and the only one to inherit his master’s most powerful skills, with his martial arts prowess surpassing that of his two seniors, as such earning him the nickname Holy Light of Mount Heaven (天山神芒). In his younger days as the youth Mu Lang, he committed a major blunder for the Heaven and Earth Society which caused him to lose the trust of his crush Liu Yufang. In anguish, he attempted [...] to prove his innocence but refrained from doing so when he encountered the dying Yang Yuncong. Following the last wishes of Yang, he eventually returned to Mount Heaven with the infant Yi Lanzhu. He was disfigured by Qiu Dongluo on his way back to Mount Heaven, and made his spectacular return to the Jianghu several years later as a famous and revered hero of Mount Heaven, now known as Ling Weifeng. He met Liu Yufang again but she could not recognise him after his disfigurement. He was still in love with her, but Han Zhibang's introduction into the love triangle further complicated matters.

• Yang Yuncong (楊雲驄) – the eldest disciple of Reverend Hui Ming. Highly skilled and charismatic, he often wished to make some great achievements in life as opposed to leading a reclusive life of a swordsman. Also of great forbearance, he always suppressed his true emotions, to the extent of suffering in silence when wrongly accused and not bearing any grudges. He aided the ethnic minority tribes of Xinjiang in resisting the Manchurian invaders where he met Flying Red Sash and fell in love with her but he did not feel ready to accept her for her tough and strong character. Later, he met Nalan Minghui who became his lifelong love, but had since fallen into the vortex of tragedy. He conceived a daughter named Yi Lanzhu illegitimately with Nalan Minghui but was fated never to be together with her. He was mortally wounded by Niu Ku Lu, the henchman of her husband Prince Dodo, but he managed to kill Niu before collapsing. With his last breath, he entrusted his infant daughter to Mu Lang, telling him to take her back to his teacher Reverend Hui Ming on Mount Heaven.

• Xin Longzi (辛龍子) – a disciple of Zhuo Yihang. Although his master was nothing compared to Reverend Hui Ming and the White Hair Demoness, he was a rare martial arts talent who eventually surpassed his teacher and was almost on par with Ling Weifeng. He was caught between good and evil, turning against Ling Weifeng after being instigated by Chu Zhaonan. However, he was eventually enlightened by Ling Weifeng and returned to the path of goodness.

• Zhang Huangyan (張煌言) – one of the pioneers of the 1st generation of the Seven Swordsmen who served Prince Lu as a general. He was the father of Zhang Huazhao.

• Wu Yuanying (武元英) – the father of Wu Qiongyao. He was one of the pioneers of the 1st generation of the Seven Swordsmen and the master of a manor on Mount Wutai, where he played host to the members of the Heaven and Earth Society.

• Chu Zhaonan (楚昭南) – the second disciple of Reverend Ming Hui. He was originally one of the 1st generation of the Seven Swordsmen, but was tempted by fame, wealth and power that he decided to betray his fellow swordsmen and defect over to the Qing army instead. He was a powerful swordsman and caused fear and panic every time he appeared. Chu was driven strongly by his ambitions to achieve the best in everything he does. Sometimes, he felt a little queasy about his iniquities, however, this pitiable rue was quickly toppled by his insatiable rapacity. He became a student of Qi Zhenjun, an old enemy of his former teacher Reverend Hui Ming and the most powerful antagonist who wielded the power of Qing Empire by being the Grand Chief Eunuch. However, Chu never had the chance to inherit Qi's skills, as he was eventually defeated by the 2nd generation of the Seven Swordsmen and forced to commit [...] by Yi Lanzhu. Ironically, Chu Zhaonan was originally an upright and loyal swordsman often in conflict with his personal desires. A series of tragic events he encountered had caused him to become morally weakened as he turned to the dark side to become one of the main antagonists.

• Fu Qingzhu (傅青主) – the creator of ‘Wu Ji Swordplay’ (無極劍) and one of the pioneers of the 1st generation of the Seven Swordsmen. His experience and calmness made him an ideal leader for planning the Heaven and Earth Society's activities as well the 'brain' of the Swordsmen. When the Manchurians invaded the Central Plains, and ruled with despotism, he went to Mount Heaven to enlist help from his friend Reverend Hui Ming. He braved untold dangers to rescue the young Mao Wanlian, who became his foster daughter, and groomed her into a fine martial artist. He was the only one of the 1st generation who became part of the 2nd generation.

2nd Generation

• Gui Zhongming (桂仲明) – the adoptive son of Gui Tianlan. He was in fact the biological son of Shi Tiancheng, whom he refused to acknowledge. He was described to be ‘a youth extremely gifted in martial arts’, almost on par with Ling Weifeng in terms of martial arts. He mastered the Da Mo Swordplay, allowing him to make great improvements in martial arts such that he was equally matched with Yi Lanzhu. He married Mao Wanlian who helped him recover from his mind disorders and hallucinations and was very protective of her. Brash and boorish, dour and deadly, focused and fearsome, smart yet simple and of single-tracked mind, these were the traits he had developed while living far from civilisation. He drew a clear demarcation between good and evil. Nonchalant and bereft of social etiquette, his harsh behaviour might seem rude, arrogant and disrespectful, yet it was simply because he was worldly-unwise, artlessly innocent and unaffectedly indiscreet.

• Yi Lanzhu (易蘭珠) – the daughter of Yang Yuncong and Nalan Minghui, and the younger cousin of Nalan Rongruo. She also managed to master all the different types of swordplay within a short period of time, becoming equally matched with Gui Zhongming and was one of the last to inherit the Mount Heaven Swordplay. She was destined to be ill-fortuned, since the day she was born, as she had never experienced motherly love, except the love showered on her by Ling Weifeng. The first thing she did on leaving Mount Heaven was to seek Prince Dodo, who was responsible for her father's death and tragically, the lawful husband of her mother. She could not accept the fact that her mother still respected Prince Dodo as her husband and managed to assassinate Prince Dodo eventually. She married Zhang Huazhao whom she had gotten into trouble earlier on Mount Wutai.

• Mao Wanlian (冒浣蓮) – the daughter of Mao Xiang and Dong Xiaowan. She was separated from her parents as an infant when her mother was taken by force to the palace, to become Shunzhi Emperor's concubine. Her father was killed while trying to rescue her mother from the palace, and she in turn was killed on the Empress Dowager's orders. Mao Wanlian was then taken into Fu Qingzhu’s care as an infant and became his disciple. She was a bright, erudite and sincere girl. She was involved in the activities of the Heaven and Earth Society, due to influence from Fu Qingzhu and on the account of her background. Her fate was similar to Yi Lanzhu's as both of them lacked motherly love and care, yet unlike Yi, she had transcended the personal parochialism of vengeance. There were two very important men in Mao Wanlian's life: one was the foolish Gui Zhongming, another was the scholarly Nalan Rongruo. She met Gui Zhongming by sheer fortuitousness and developed maternal love for him as she pitied him for his memory loss and mental illness. Mao Wanlian followed Gui into undercover and she met Nalan Rongruo, who was gentlemanly and scholarly. However, she chose Gui Zhongming eventually and married him.

• Flying Red Sash (飛紅巾) – a disciple of the White Hair Demoness. She was a legendary heroine of the desert and the elected leader of all the ethnic minority tribes living in Xinjiang. She was in love with Yang Yuncong and became extremely jealous when Yang loved Nalan Minghui instead. Her feelings were inscrutable which accounted for her loss of Yang Yuncong's love. After the death of Yang, she transferred her love for him to his daughter Yi Lanzhu and always appeared as a motherly figure to her. She was easily susceptible to emotional outbursts and was the kind of person who desired to be loved, yet rejected and hated it, which made her rather similar to her teacher.

• Zhang Huazhao (張華昭) – the son of Zhang Huangyan, who served under Prince Lu. He was a member of the Heaven and Earth Society and was captured during the failed assassination attempt on Kangxi Emperor on Mount Wutai. Yi Lanzhu risked her life to save him and they fell in love, eventually becoming a married couple.

• Liu Yufang (劉裕芳) – the daughter of a general serving under Prince Lu. She was a member of the Heaven and Earth Society and was caught in a love triangle with Mu Lang and Han Zhibang. She wronged Mu Lang and thought he was a traitor, which hurt him greatly and caused him to leave, and never saw him again until eighteen years later. She still harbored strong feelings for Mu Lang and kept the token of their love and had always felt guilty for the way she treated him. Eighteen years later, she felt a certain kinship for Ling Weifeng who reminded her of Mu Lang, but Ling refused to admit he was indeed the youth Mu Lang.

• Fu Qingzhu (傅青主)

Allies

• Reverend Hui Ming (晦明禪師) – a character from Romance of the White Haired Maiden. He was the most powerful martial artist alive and his real name was Yue Mingke (岳鳴珂). All of his three disciples became part of the 1st generation of the Seven Swordsmen.

• Nalan Minghui (納蘭明慧) – the daughter of a Manchurian general. She was not only beautiful, but also virtuous. Owing to her demure demeanour, her graciousness, her benevolence, she was immaculate in the eyes of most men. These were the virtues of Nalan Minghui that attracted Yang Yun Cong, an unyielding man. She saved Yang Yuncong once from death and fell in love with him as well. They conceived a daughter named Yi Lanzhu illegitimately but could never be together as she was betrothed to Prince Dodo. Being of noble birth, and bounded by conventions, she was powerless to alter her fate and could only choose to sacrifice for her father and family, and was married off to Prince Dodo. Eighteen years later, she tried to save her daughter after her daughter assassinated Prince Dodo, but to no avail and she committed [...] in despair.

• Han Zhibang (韓志邦) – the present leader of the Heaven and Earth Society. He had respected the Seven Swordsmen greatly since when they first came to their aid. He was caught in a love triangle with Ling Weifeng and Liu Yufang. He loved Liu Yufang and could only despair in the dark while watching her together with Ling Weifeng. Eventually, he sacrificed himself to save Ling Weifeng from prison and died at the hands of Chu Zhaonan.

• Nalan Rongruo (納蘭容若) – a Manchurian scholar who was the elder cousin of Yi Lanzhu. He was the notable poet of Manchu ethnicity, which was due to his influence by Han Chinese culture. He viewed Manchurians and Han Chinese as equal and hated to see the bloodshed and conflict between them. Altruistic and broad-minded, accommodating and solicitous, he was the representation of peace and universal love. Among all the characters, Nalan Rongruo transcended the norm, including his love. He prevented the Seven Swordsmen from assassinating the Kangxi Emperor with his persuasion and careful consideration.

• Shi Zhenfei (石振飛) – one of the two famous escort agency heads, with the other being Meng Wuwei. He was first introduced in the novel as being an elderly swordsman, but surprisingly his swordplay was extremely swift and accurate. He was hardly mentioned in any fights in the novel, except for his duels with Qi Zhenjun and Chu Zhaonan.

• Shi Da Niang (石大娘) – wife of Shi Tiancheng. She was more powerful in martial arts than her husband.

• Meng Wuwei (孟武威) – one of the two famous escort agency heads, with the other being Shi Zhenfei. He was not as powerful as Shi Zhenfei, but his inner energy was as strong as Chu Zhaonan’s.

• Wu Qiongyao (武瓊瑤) – the daughter of Wu Yuanying. She was also a disciple of the White Hair Demoness and the wife of Li Siyong, the grandnephew of Li Zicheng.

Enemies

• Prince Dodo (多鐸) – a Manchurian noble who was the younger brother of Dorgon. He was in charge of leading the Qing army in eradicating martial artists who posed a threat to the government. He married Nalan Minghui, who had already conceived a daughter illegitimately with Yang Yuncong. Yang Yuncong was killed by his soldiers and eighteen years later, he was assassinated by Yang’s daughter Yi Lanzhu.

• Dorgon (多爾袞) – a Manchurian noble who was the elder brother of Dodo.

• Qi Zhenjun (齊真君) – the founder of the Mount Changbai Sect. His students included the sworn enemies of the Mount Heaven swordsmen, such as Niu Ku Lu and Qiu Dongluo. In his younger days, Qi Zhenjun, then nicknamed "Northern Desert Sword Deity" (漠北劍神), challenged Reverend Hui Ming and the White Hair Demoness to a fight but was utterly defeated and chased away. He crept into the Imperial Palace after that and managed to secure his position in politics as the Grand Chief Eunuch due to his cunning and manipulation. While in the palace, he practiced a skill which allowed him to increase his inner energy and made him impenetrable to any kind of sharp weapons. His ambition to rule both the Wulin and the empire grew, whereby he attempted to force the Shunzhi Emperor out of power and replace him with the young Kangxi Emperor, whom he viewed as being inexperienced and susceptible to manipulation.

• The Three Western Devils (西域三妖) – they are Sang Qian (桑乾), Sang Gua (桑弧) and Sang Ren (桑仁). They have maintained a dominant position in the western regions of China for several years until they were expelled from the land by the White Hair Demoness. They made a comeback after the death of the White Hair Demoness, startling all with their powerful martial arts. They were hired by Qi Zhenjun to do his evil bidding and were eventually slain by Ling Weifeng.

• Cheng Tianting (成天挺) – a powerful Imperial Guard with equal status as Chu Zhaonan.

• Niu Ku Lu (纽枯魯), - a powerful Manchurian warrior who formerly served Nurhachi. He was Prince Dodo's martial arts teacher and henchman, as well as a student of Qi Zhenjun. He wounded Yang Yuncong mortally in a fight, but he lost his life as well.

• Qiu Dongluo (邱東洛) - a powerful Manchurian warrior who served Prince Dodo. He was also a student of Qi Zhenjun. He was responsible for disfiguring Mu Lang's face, and had his ear sliced off by Ling Weifeng (formerly known as Mu Lang) for revenge several years later.

Others

• Kangxi Emperor (康熙皇帝) – the ruler of Qing Empire. He approved a law outlawing the practice of martial arts and formation of secret societies to strengthen his grip on the empire and prevent rebellions from occurring. However, this had caused much bloodshed and resentment from the Jianghu that he faced two assassination attempts. He was almost assassinated by the Seven Swordsmen, but that was prevented by Nalan Rongruo, who spoke up for him.

• Shunzhi Emperor (順治皇帝) – the father of the Kangxi Emperor who was a relatively weak and incompetent ruler. His son plotted to kill him and seize power but he survived and had since remained in disguise as a monk on Mount Wutai.

• White Hair Demoness (白髮魔女) – a character from Romance of the White Haired Maiden and her real name was Lian Nichang (練霓裳). In this novel, her status and martial arts prowess could only be rivalled by that of Reverend Hui Ming. She was notorious for her vicious swordplay and unorthodox ‘evil’ martial arts.

• Zhuo Yihang (卓一航) – a character from Romance of the White Haired Maiden. He was a member of the Wudang Sect and former lover of Lian Nichang. Xin Longzi, one of the 1st generation Seven Swordsmen, was his disciple.

• Shi Tiancheng (石天成) – a disciple of Zhuo Yihang. He was the biological father of Gui Zhongming. He killed his love rival Gui Tianlan but his son only regarded Gui Tianlan as his father and refused to acknowledge him.

• Gui Tianlan (桂天瀾) – adoptive father of Gui Zhongming. He had a fight with Shi Tiancheng over love rivalry and lost his life even though he was more powerful in martial arts than Shi. Fu Qingzhu had personally witnessed this fight, and expressed great regard for Gui Tianlan’s martial arts prowess.

• Taoist Xuan Zhen (玄真道長) – the head of the Wudang Sect.

• Wu Sangui (吳三桂) – a general who formerly served the Ming Dynasty but defected over to the Manchurians and allowed them to conquer the Central Plains by opening the gates of Shan Hai Pass. He was later conferred the title of ‘Prince of Yunnan’ by the Qing government. He was betrayed by his 'loyal' subordinate Chu Zhaonan who conspired with Qi Zhenjun to expose his plans to start a rebellion against the Qing Empire.

• Prince Lu (南明魯王) – the symbolic leader of the remnant forces who were struggling to restore the fallen Ming Dynasty.