Swordswoman Riding West on White Horse
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The White Horse in the West Wind (traditional Chinese: 白馬嘯西風; simplified Chinese: 白马啸西风; pinyin: bái mǎ xiào xī fēng) is a wuxia novella written by Jinyong. The title in Chinese could be roughly translated to White Horse Neighing in the West Wind. It was first published in 1961 in Ming Pao. It is the first Jinyong tale featuring a female protagonist.
[edit] Plot
The protagonist, Li Wenxiu, lost her parents in Gobi desert while trying to escape from a group of pugilists who wanted their map of the Gaochang labyrinth. Placed on a faithful white steed, the young girl fled to an oasis and met a kind elder Ji. Li lived in his house and he took care of Li as if she were his own child.
One night, Li was driven by her curiosity to see birds that were famed to sing well. She met a Kazakh young boy called Su Pu who was trying to catch birds. They developed friendship and soon became a pair of lovers. Li, who was an ethnic Han Chinese, did not win the approval of Su Pu's father. Su Pu was beaten by his father on learning that he has fallen for a Han. Some time later, Li was heartbroken to discover that Su Pu had fallen for another Kazakh girl.
Su Pu and Li part for years but Li didn't forget Su pu. She saw Su Pu winning a tournament and how he and his lover reacted. Li was depressed and let her horse wander to the Gobi desert. Suddenly, she found herself trapped by the same group of pugilists who attacked her parents 12 years ago. The only way to escape is to ride deeper into the desert, where there were purportedly ghosts for wanderers. The horse galloped in the desert into a hillock with trees and took cover there.
After curing a sick hermit of his sickness caused by three venomous needles, she learned martial arts.
She returned home when a sudden heavy snowing occurred. She didn't wish to meet Su pu and his lover, who were also in her house because of the snow. She pretended to be a man who didn't want to be under the snow. The leader of the group of greedy people ,Chen Da Hai, noticed Li's house and suspected that Li and the map may be inside. He questioned everyone in the house and the man who brought Li up deceived Chen by saying that Li is dead. Chen impolitely destroy Li's possessions in order to find the map. Su pu still remembered Li all these years and Chen triggered his anger, saying that he will dig up "Li's grave" to find the map. Su pu and his father are defeated by Chen. Chen also found the map, which is a handkerchief that looked ordinary when there is no blood on it. Li was forced to fight when Chen threatened to kill Su pu's father and kidnapped Su pu's lover. Chen was severely injured by Li in the fight. Everyone is too excited to notice that Chen escaped into the desert, in an effort to find the maze.
A group of seven, including Su pu, Su pu's father and Li, set off to find Chen and the labyrinth, which legend has it, contained riches that was out of imagination. They followed the footprints of Chen, which brought them to the labyrinth.
The group somehow found a way to the central of the labyrinth, finding not riches, but books, statues, furniture commonly used in Han society and unexpected horror. A "ghost" scared them away by killing two strong men in the group. The group fled to a grassland near to the labyrinth, in an attempt to warn the soldiers they sent to find the riches. They succeeded in doing so but the "ghost" disturbed their sleep at night. The "ghost" used "magic" to kill horses and a men without touching them.
They were planning to leave while Su pu suddenly discovered that his lover was kidnapped by the "ghost". Su pu rushed in to save the girl, forgetting how scary it was the night before. By telling that the "ghost" used poison needles to kill, not "magic", and revealing that the "ghost" is actually a human, made the group more comforrable. Su pu, Li, the elder who brought Li up, Su pu's father and Su pu's lover's father went into the labyrinth.
The "ghost" admitted that he was a human, who was exiled by the group 12 years ago. After that, he learned martial arts from Han people and planned to kill the whole clan by telling his disciple to put poison in their well. His disciple didn't want anyone to die, so he betrayed his master. He put three poison needles in his master and pretended to be an elder, who was the man that brought Li up. The man who brought Li up and the "ghost" fought when they learned other's identity. After injuring each other badly, the "ghost" was revealed to be the man who taught Li martial arts. Li was shocked to know that the only two people who loved and cared about her were enemies.
The "ghost" attempted to kill everyone in the labyrinth. Fortunately, the fire burnt out and it was dark enough for them to fled. Li didn't flee because she wanted to accompany her master before he dies. Wanting Li to accompany him forever, he slowly pushed his poison needle towards Li. Li didn't notice that but the "ghost" died when the poison needle is only inches away from Li.
After leaving the maze, Li found out that the maze was built by the king of once an affleunt and peaceful country, called GaoChang Guo. The country was forced by the Tang government to be under the lead of the Tang emperor. If the country accepted it, the Tang government would give many benefits to them. However, the majority of the country wanted to be just peaceful and live happy lives among themselves. They didn't want anyone to lead them. The Tang government sent troops to conquer the country. Being a small country compared to the Tang dynasty, the king of the country ordered to build a maze and hide all the riches and themselves in the maze when they lose. Inevitably, they lost the war and hid in the labyrinth. Unfortunately, the Tang troops found them quickly and stole all the treasures and the troops want to "introduce" the good culture of Han into the "primitive" country, so only common things in Han society was found in the labyrinth.
Miserable about the death of two loved ones and the marriage of Su Pu to another woman, Li left the oasis sadly despite the people there promised benefits if she stays there. Just like the king of GaoChang Guo, she said, "the benefits are all very good, but I just don't like them."
[edit] External links
- (English) White Horse in the West Wind - English translation of the novel at Wuxiapedia.com
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