The Sun-Swapping Arrow

The Sun-Swapping Arrow is a novel in Shi Weihan's General Ming series and, together with The Heaven-Stealing Bow, forms the pair "Steal Heaven, Swap the Sun." The story begins in northern Yunnan: Xu Moyang lives under an assumed name and has adopted an orphan, Xiaoxian, hoping to stay far from the martial world, but old grudges between the Meiyun Sect and the Qintian Fort draw him in, and Xiaoxian is abducted by Qintian Fort. Outside the Three Fragrances Pavilion, the Heaven-Stealing Bow carried by the hidden-weapon king Lin Qing suddenly hums without an arrow; inside Qintian Fort, Xiaoxian uses his wits to break out of an iron cell but is struck by a strange poison. Remembering the prophecy left by an elder of the Haokong Sect, the Four Great Families take the occasion of healing Xiaoxian to destroy his martial arts—an innocent boy's dream of the martial world is cut short. By chance Xiaoxian meets Great Master Yu, former leader of the Four Great Families, learns the Heaven-Playing Art, and at the Way-Cultivation Assembly wins a debate by chess, helping the Four Great Families defeat the Yuling Hall. Against the backdrop of the Four Great Families' hidden grudges, Lin Qing roams the martial world seeking the Sun-Swapping Arrow, his heart still set on that duel with General Ming atop the summit that shook the martial world. At the book's end, Xu Moyang, after six years of searching, realizes on his deathbed that the Sun-Swapping Arrow has been beside him all along.