Baifa Monü Zhuan

Baifa Monü Zhuan is a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng. It was serialised between 5 August 1957 and 10 December 1958 in the Hong Kong newspaper Sin Wun Pao. It is closely related to Qijian Xia Tianshan and Saiwai Qixia Zhuan. The novel has been loosely adapted into films and television series, such as The Bride with White Hair (1993) and The Romance of the White Hair Maiden (1995), and The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom (2014).

The novel has been variously translated as Biography of the White-Haired Succuba^[1] and Romance of the White-Haired Maiden.^[2]

Plot[]

The story is set in 17th-century China towards the end of the Ming dynasty. Lian Nichang, a female bandit leader nicknamed "Jade Rakshasa", is introduced as an impressive vigilante-heroine who uses her legendary swordplay skills to uphold justice in the jianghu (martial artists' community). However, she is also notorious for being brutal and aggressive towards her enemies, which makes her a highly dreaded figure in the jianghu. Meanwhile, many government officials are implicated in a scandal to overthrow the crown prince, and they are either executed or imprisoned. Zhuo Yihang of the Wudang Sect helps the crown prince uncover the truth behind the case and succeeds in clearing the name of his father, who had been wrongly put to death.

On the journey home, Zhuo Yihang passes by Mount Hua, where he meets a beautiful young maiden and falls in love with her. The following night, Zhuo joins some martial artists in a duel against the "Jade Rakshasa". However, he is shocked when he sees that the woman he met earlier is actually the "Jade Rakshasa", Lian Nichang. After he makes another startling discovery that the martial artists he is helping are actually spies working for the Manchus, he quickly switches sides and helps Lian Nichang defeat the spies. Zhuo Yihang and Lian Nichang also meet and befriend a formidable swordsman, Yue Mingke, who is serving as a military attaché under the general . After a friendly duel, Yue Mingke and Lian Nichang realise that their respective masters used to be a loving couple, but have separated due to a rivalry over achieving supremacy in swordplay.

In the meantime, the Taichang Emperor dies after consuming the mysterious Red Pills and is succeeded by his young and naïve son, the Tianqi Emperor. The eunuch Wei Zhongxian and the emperor's wet nurse Madam Ke seize the opportunity to deceive the new emperor and usurp state power. Wei Zhongxian forms his own political clique and starts persecuting his opponents and those loyal to the emperor in order to consolidate power. Lian Nichang, Zhuo Yihang and Yue Mingke side with the loyalists and oppose Wei Zhongxian, playing key roles in disrupting Wei's evil plans in their respective adventures until Wei meets his downfall when the Chongzhen Emperor comes to the throne. At one point, Yue Mingke is devastated after his lover, Tie Shanhu, dies tragically at the hands of Wei Zhongxian's henchmen. He becomes disillusioned with human society and becomes a Buddhist monk, renaming himself "Reverend Huiming". He settles in the Mount Heaven region and spends his time training in martial arts and meditating.

During this time, Zhuo Yihang and Lian Nichang develop a romance, and Zhuo is poised to succeed his master as the leader of the Wudang Sect. However, as Lian Nichang has had past misunderstandings and conflicts with the Wudang Sect, Zhuo Yihang's seniors and fellows strongly oppose his relationship with Lian. During a duel between Lian Nichang and the Wudang elders, Zhuo Yihang accidentally attacks Lian and causes her to believe that he has betrayed her. Heartbroken, Lian Nichang leaves Zhuo Yihang and her hair turns white after she awakes from a long sleep. Depressed by her new looks, she travels to Mount Heaven and leads a reclusive life there.

Years later, Lian Nichang makes her name in the Mount Heaven region by slaying villains and defeating several martial arts experts. However, as she still retains her brutal and aggressive personality, the locals call her the "White Haired Demoness". Meanwhile, Zhuo Yihang suffers from an emotional breakdown after losing Lian Nichang, and he leaves the Wudang Sect to search for his lover. After a long journey, Zhuo Yihang finally meets Lian Nichang on Mount Heaven, but she remains cold and indifferent towards him, refusing to accept his apologies. Zhuo Yihang learns that there is a rare flower that can turn white hair black again, but the flower only blooms once every six decades. He finds it and waits, hoping that it will bloom one day and help him mend his relationship with Lian Nichang.

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