Eight Great Swordsmen (Part One)

Lu Shi'eApr 2025

3.5

Word count: 35K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Nian Gengyao was born into a family of high officials. Clever from childhood, he was also wildly unruly. In his early years he unexpectedly gained a son and nearly abandoned him; later the boy was adopted by Nian Fu and his wife. At six, the boy was read physiognomically by Zhijizi, who declared that his prospects for rank and fortune were profound, so Nian Xialing had him return to the clan.

Thereafter, during his studies, Nian Gengyao drove away several teachers, until the arrival of Gu Kentang guided him to devote himself to learning and pass the examinations. While traveling, Nian Gengyao met many heroes and outstanding figures, such as Zhang Letian and the monk Jingxiu, and unexpectedly learned that Zhang Letian was in fact Beile Zhen.

They discussed organizing the Blood Droplet assassination party to eliminate evildoers. Meanwhile, in the jianghu, Bi Wu, having secretly learned the Arhat Fist, was punished by having his feet cut off, and was fortunately rescued by Yunzhong Yan. Nian Gengyao, meanwhile, was repeatedly promoted for his achievements and appointed governor of Sichuan.

At the same time, Gan Fengchi, one of the Eight Great Swordsmen, was in Nanjing when Chen Meiniang was performing in public to choose a husband...

Editor's review

This is the first half of Eight Great Swordsmen, chiefly setting out Nian Gengyao's origins, his studies, and the beginnings of his official career, while introducing such jianghu figures as Zhang Letian, the monk Jingxiu, Yunzhong Yan, and Gan Fengchi, laying the groundwork for the gallery of swordsmen and the confrontation between good and evil in the second half. Lu Shihui's handling is distinctive: he places the historical figure Nian Gengyao within a legendary framework of physiognomy, seeking teachers, and travel, writing both of his cleverness and stubbornness and of how Gu Kentang guides him into devoted study, carrying the traditional novel's dual sense of "encouragement to learn" and "fate." The conceit of the Blood-Drop Assassins' League links the court and the jianghu, so that the story is not merely one of personal growth. For readers, the book's value lies in showing how Republican-era popular fiction fused historical anecdotes, folk knights-errant, and the zhanghui structure into one. As this is the first half, many threads are still being laid out; it may best be read as a stage of character introductions and brewing conflicts, and seen together with the second volume for a fuller picture.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to begin with Volume One and read the Eight Great Swordsmen story in order
Readers interested in legends of Nian Gengyao and Qing-dynasty folk tales of knights-errant
Readers who enjoy zhanghui novels and the gradual, layered introduction of characters
Enthusiasts studying how modern wuxia fiction borrows historical figures

Not a good fit for

Readers who want only the complete confrontation between good and evil and are unwilling to read the buildup
Readers with little patience for old vernacular style and zhanghui structure
Readers expecting strict historical accuracy rather than legendary dramatization

Reading tips

While reading, note the two threads of Nian Gengyao's studies and his travels; the latter is key to the introduction of jianghu figures
It may help to jot down the identities of Zhang Letian, Jingxiu, Yunzhong Yan, and others for easy reference in the second volume
Do not rush to judge Nian Gengyao's stubbornness; note the intent the author conveys through Gu Kentang's guidance

版权信息
第一回年总兵无意诞豪杰知机子巨眼识英雄
第二回讲中庸塾师受窘裁狂狷名士踵门
第三回战私闱春风得意赋东征雨雪载途
第四回年羹尧无心遇侠士张乐天有意结英贤
第五回运气术唬倒郝老五联珠弹收服净修僧
第六回云中燕发明血滴子众英雄祝寿法华庵
第七回歼山魈幸仗奇人聆师言悔失交臂
第八回祯贝勒广制血滴子年羹尧组织暗杀团
第九回隐姓名偷学罗汉拳矜艺术陡遭刖足祸
第十回年羹尧巡抚蜀省陈美娘卖艺南京

FAQ

The first volume is mainly about Nian Gengyao, so where are the Eight Great Swordsmen?

The first volume uses Nian Gengyao's growth and travels as a thread, gradually bringing in such jianghu figures as Zhang Letian, the monk Jingxiu, and Yunzhong Yan, and introducing Gan Fengchi at the end. The group portrait of the Eight Great Swordsmen and the main confrontations are concentrated in the second volume; the first volume serves to lay groundwork and introduce characters.

Is the portrayal of Nian Gengyao in the book consistent with historical records?

Not entirely. This book is popular fiction, using Nian Gengyao's name to dramatize legendary episodes such as his cleverness and stubbornness, his receiving physiognomic guidance, and his seeking teachers and studying; it carries the coloring of folk legend. The historical Nian Gengyao's life is recorded otherwise, and readers should not take the book's contents directly as historical fact.

After finishing the first volume, must one go on to read the second?

It is recommended. The first volume ends on threads such as Gan Fengchi's encounter with Chen Meiniang, who performs martial arts to arrange a marriage, and the connection between Nian Gengyao's posting as governor of Sichuan and the jianghu thread has yet to unfold; many conflicts are only beginning. Only in the second volume are the search for his wife, the rescue at Fuhu Mountain, and the execution of Liaoyin brought to a conclusion; read together, they form the complete story.

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About the author

Lu Shi'e Author · China · 1878–1944

Lu Shi'e (1878–1944), whose given name was Shouxian and courtesy name Yunxiang, was a novelist and a well-known physician in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, hailing from Qingpu, Jiangsu (now part of Shanghai). He wrote more than a hundred novels on a wide range of subjects, including social fiction, martial arts tales, and historical reading, with representative works such as New China, New Shanghai, and The Ten-Tailed Turtle, the last noted for its social satire portraying the manners and life of the era. He also compiled several medical books, including A Compass for Medicine, contributing to the popularization of medicine and the organization of clinical experience. The library holds forty-five of his works, among them the Southern School Swordsmen series, showing that his writing spanned both popular entertainment and medical works, making him a prolific man of letters and physician in modern Shanghai.