The Seven Killings Stele

Zhu Zhenmu正气书局May 2019

4.1

Word count: 378K words
Chapters: 43

Summary

A celebrated "Northern School" martial arts novel of the Republican era. When Zhang Xianzhong occupied Sichuan and usurped the title "Dashun," he erected a sacred edict stele on the main thoroughfare, inscribed: "Heaven gives all things to man, yet man gives nothing to Heaven. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!" This is the Stele of Seven Kills handed down through the ages. Why must the character "kill" appear on the stele neither six nor eight times, but precisely seven? An old resident of Sichuan well versed in local lore told me: Xianzhong entered Sichuan and massacred with great cruelty, but was repeatedly thwarted by seven heroes of southern Sichuan and hated them deeply, so he erected the stele as an oath. The Stele of Seven Kills was his vow to slay these seven champions. Who were the seven? They were Yang Zhan, the Earl of Huayang; Chen Yaoshuang, the Snow-Clad Maiden; Yu Jinwen, the Flying Guardswoman; the monk-warrior Qibao Hesheng Xirong; the beggar-hero Chen Denghao, known as Iron Soles; the merchant-hero Yu Fei; and Liu Daozhen, called a Match for Bo Wen...

Editor's review

The Stele of Seven Kills is one of the most distinctive of Zhu Zhenmu's Republican-era "Northern School" martial arts novels, its title taken from the legend of the sacred edict stele erected by Zhang Xianzhong during his occupation of Sichuan. The novel uses the question of why the stele's inscription contains exactly seven "kill" characters as its opening hook, drawing out the tangled feud between seven heroes of southern Sichuan and Zhang Xianzhong, and fusing historical legend, Sichuan local lore, and martial arts narrative into one. In the opening, Zhu Zhenmu has an old Sichuan native recount the stele's origins, with a style characteristic of old-school martial arts fiction—part storyteller's cadence, part antiquarian curiosity—so that before readers enter the clash of blades they are first drawn in by a murky historical mystery. The seven heroes are individually drawn—Yang Zhan, Earl of Huayang; Chen Yaoshuang, the Snow-Clad Maiden; Yu Jinwen, the Flying Guardswoman; the monk-warrior Qibao Hesheng Xirong; the beggar-hero Chen Denghao, known as Iron Soles; the merchant-hero Yu Fei; and Liu Daozhen, called a Match for Bo Wen—their identities spanning gentry, swordswomen, monk and beggar, and merchants, forming a portrait of a troubled age. As a Republican-era martial arts work, its account of Zhang Xianzhong's entry into Sichuan bears the limitations of its time and a legendary coloring, and should be distinguished from historical fact. It is well suited as a sample of how "Northern School" martial arts fiction handled historical material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the legends of Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan and local Sichuan lore
Fans of traditional martial arts fiction who enjoy ensemble casts and multiple intertwined storylines
Literary scholars studying how Republican-era martial arts fiction adapted historical material
Seasoned readers who appreciate the old-school storyteller's cadence and an opening steeped in antiquarian detail

Not a good fit for

Readers who treat the novel as reliable history of the late Ming and early Qing and demand factual accuracy
Modern readers who prefer a single protagonist and a fast, linear narrative
Readers sensitive to depictions of violence and slaughter

Reading tips

First sort out each of the seven heroes' identities and order of appearance; keeping a character list as you read helps.
Keep the stele legend separate from real historical sources, and avoid substituting the novel for historical understanding.
Pay attention to the rhythm of the storyteller-style opening; the ensemble plot reads more smoothly once you have adjusted to it.
After reading, look up basic historical facts about Zhang Xianzhong and the anti-Qing forces of southern Sichuan for comparison and further exploration.

About the publisher

正气书局

Zhengqi Book Company is a publishing house on which public information is currently limited; its holdings in the library consist of only one title, the wuxia novel Seven Slaughter Stele (Qisha Bei) by Zhu Zhenmu. Judging from the available bibliographic records, the house's publishing focus is concentrated on wuxia fiction, with Zhu Zhenmu as its representative author and Seven Slaughter Stele as its representative work, also commonly classified as a wuxia novel. Since basic details such as the year of establishment, country or region, and English name have not been clearly recorded, a fuller account of its overall publishing scale and historical development cannot yet be given. Based on the library's records alone, Zhengqi Book Company is associated with the tradition of Republican-era wuxia fiction and may serve as a reference for readers and researchers interested in old-school wuxia literature.

版权信息
序言
第一集
第一章新娘子步步下蛋
第二章陈大娘的纸捻儿
第三章铁脚板
第四章巫山双蝶与川南三侠
第五章七星蜂符
第六章玉龙街单身女客
第二集
第一章武侯祠前
第二章擂台上
第三章擂台上（续）
第四章鹿杖翁
第五章诡计
第六章雪衣娘与女飞卫
第三集
第一章铁拐婆婆
第二章秃尾鱼鹰的血债
第三章拉萨宫
第四章活僵尸
第五章大佛头上请客
第六章五毒手
第四集
第一章铁琵琶的韵律
第二章疑云疑雨
第三章且食蛤蜊休问天
第四章卖荷包的家
第五集
第一章秘窟风波
第二章螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后
第三章齐寡妇
第四章金蝉脱壳
第六集
第一章红粉怪杰
第二章英雄肝胆，儿女心肠
第三章回头见！
第四章天晓得
第七集
第一章小脚山
第二章婷婷
第三章神策营
第四章仇儿的急报

FAQ

Did the "Stele of Seven Kills" really exist in history?

The Stele of Seven Kills is a widely circulated legend, and the novel uses it as its opening hook. Historical sources do record a sacred edict stele associated with Zhang Xianzhong, but the claim that the inscription contains exactly seven "kill" characters is largely later rumor and literary elaboration. Readers may treat it as a narrative device rather than established historical fact.

Are the seven heroes real historical figures?

Some of the seven, such as Yang Zhan, have historical prototypes, but the novel's depictions of their deeds, martial skills, and relationships are largely literary invention. Zhu Zhenmu uses a historical framework to unfold martial arts imagination; the characters serve the narrative and cannot be directly matched to historical records.

Is this book similar in style to Miao Territory Winds and Clouds?

Both are Republican-era "Northern School" martial arts works by Zhu Zhenmu, and both show the old-school leisurely exposition and frontier or troubled-age settings. But The Stele of Seven Kills leans more on historical legend and an ensemble of heroes, while Miao Territory Winds and Clouds focuses more on the customs of southwestern ethnic groups. Readers who enjoy one generally take to the other, though their subject matter differs in emphasis.

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About the author

Zhu Zhenmu Author · Chinese · 1895–1955

Zhu Zhenmu (1895–1955), originally named Zhu Zhenyuan and styled Shizhuan, was a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and a modern Chinese wuxia novelist who was also skilled in painting and seal carving. He is grouped with Huanzhulouzhu, Bai Yu, Zheng Zhengyin and Wang Dulu as the "Five Masters of the Northern School." His wuxia fiction draws on a variety of subjects, often weaving together feuds of the jianghu, exotic romances and frontier customs into intricate plots with vivid characters. Thirty-one of his works are held in the collection, including such representative titles as Hu Xiao Long Yin, Qi Sha Bei, Miaojiang Fengyun and Yulong Gang. Hailed as the "forefather of the new-school wuxia novel," he exerted a profound influence on later wuxia writing. He died in Tianjin in the winter of 1955 from asthma complicated by heart disease.