Linghu Chong is the male protagonist in Jin Yong's novel "The Swordsman". In the book, he is the chief disciple of the Huashan Sect, the head of the Hengshan Sect, the Prince Consort of the Sun and Moon God Sect, and a member of the Three Religions and Nine Sects. The leader of the alliance, these titles include the so-called righteousness and what people think is crooked, but Linghu Chong walks between black and white. He seems to be in trouble, but in fact he has another kind of free and easy freedom.
Full surname Ling Fox, a single name with a double character. His parents died when he was young, and he was accepted as the first disciple by Yue Buqun, the head of the Huashan Sect. Hengshan sent Liu Zhengfeng to wash his hands in a golden basin, and everyone went to Fuzhou. On the way, he met Yilin from the Hengshan faction and was threatened by the flower-picking thief Tian Boguang. She fought with Tian Boguang in a battle of wits and strength, and was seriously injured, but was rescued by Yilin. Coinciding with the disaster of Fuzhou Fuwei Escort Agency, Yue Buqun accepted Lin Pingzhi, the head of the Fuwei Escort Agency, as his disciple. When Liu Zhengfeng was washing his hands in the golden basin, he colluded with Qu Yang, the elder of the demon sect, and was blocked by Zuo Lengchan, the leader of the Five Sacred Mountains, and his family was brutally exterminated. Linghu Chong met Qu and Liu by chance and was taught the score of "Swordsman". Because the matter involved the Demon Cult, Linghu Chong disobeyed his master's orders and was punished to face the wall and think about his mistakes. By chance, the senior Huashan Feng Qingyang passed on the Dugu Nine Swords. Later, he had a fierce fight with someone from the Huashan Sword Sect who seized the door, and his internal strength was severely injured. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley and Monk Bujie treated him haphazardly, and he was almost a disabled person. In the White Horse Temple, he used the exquisite tricks of Dugu Nine Swords to save his master, but he was suspected of stealing the "Evil Sword Manual" of Fuwei Escort. Even his favorite little junior sister was in the same situation, and he was miserable. After arriving at Lin Ping's maternal grandfather's house in Luoyang, after many twists and turns, the music score of "Swordsman" was regarded as the "Evil Sword Score". In order to clear up his grievances, he went to the outskirts of Luoyang and asked someone who was familiar with music to identify it. This encounter made me bond with the piano player, and I was even more touched by human friendship. I came here for many days to practice piano and drink wine. One day I said goodbye, but on the way I was treated very differently by people in the world, and met with the heroes on the Five Overlords Hill. For some reason, the heroes dispersed one after another, only to see the "grandma" who was teaching the piano that day. After all kinds of entanglements and vicious fights, Linghu Chong was seriously injured again, but he realized that this "mother-in-law" was actually a young girl named Yingying, and he fell in love with her at first sight. After that, he went to Shaolin Temple and was taught the "Yi Jin Jing" by the host to treat internal injuries. He also learned that he had been expelled from the Huashan Sect. Linghu Chong did not want to be tonsured and left resolutely. Unintentionally joined forces with the demon sect Xiang Wentian to fight against the strong enemies of good and evil, and finally got out of the tiger's mouth, and the two became sworn brothers. In order to treat Linghu Chong's internal injuries, the two went to Meizhuang. Xiang Wentian used the treasures of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting as bait, betting that no one in Mei Zhuang could defeat Linghu Chong with a sword. Reluctantly, Linghu Chong won five battles with the heroes of Meizhuang. The four owners of Meizhuang coveted the treasure and asked Linghu Chong to compete with a senior named Ren in the cell deep in Meizhuang. Xiang Wentian used it to make plans, stealing the sky and changing the sun. Linghu Chong accidentally entered the cell for no apparent reason, but learned the technique of absorbing stars and healed his internal injuries. Linghu Chong repeated his old trick and was able to get out of trouble. However, the senior named Ren was actually the former director of the Demon Sect, Wo Xing, who used both soft and hard tactics to invite Linghu Chong to join the Demon Sect. Linghu Chong didn't want to be forced and left angrily. On the way, he rescued everyone from the Hengshan sect. When they returned to Fujian, Lin Pingzhi and his junior sister fell in love with each other and became a perfect match, leaving Linghu Chong desolate. When he saw the "Evil Sword Manual" being robbed by two gangsters, Linghu Chong killed the two men with his sword and regained the sword manual, but was also seriously injured. Later, she was rescued by her master's wife and learned that Yingying was the daughter of the leader of the Demon Sect. The sword manual disappeared, and Linghu Chong was wronged. Hearing that two senior members of the Hengshan faction were trapped, Linghu Chong went to support them and drive away the evil enemies. On the way back to Hengshan, he heard that Yingying was imprisoned in Shaolin. Hearing the words of Mo Da, the leader of the Hengshan School, he decided to rescue Yingying. Rushing to Shaolin, he encountered a gathering of heroes on the way, and Linghu Chong became the leader of the alliance. After going to Shaolin, he saw that the leader of the Hengshan Sect was murdered. On his deathbed, Dingxian passed the news to Linghu Chong. After that, the heroes were surrounded by decent people in Shaolin and fought several times, but to no avail. The Six Immortals of Peach Valley accidentally collided and discovered the secret passage of Shaolin Temple, and the heroes were able to get out of trouble. Linghu Chong returned to Shaolin to explore Yingying's whereabouts, but saw that Ren Woxing, Yingying, and Xiang Wentian were blocked by decent masters. In order to save them from the temple, Linghu Chong had no choice but to compete with Yue Buqun, and accidentally injured Yue Buqun with his sword. Linghu Chong returned to Hengshan to take over as the leader, but was plotted by Dongfang Bubai's men. After taking care of everything in Hengshan, Linghu Chong, Yingying and others rushed to Heimuya. After a hard battle, they narrowly defeated Dongfang Bubai, who practiced martial arts in his own palace, and appointed Woxing as the leader. In order to prevent Zuo Lengchan from merging with the Five Mountains Sword Sect, Linghu Chong led the Hengshan Sect to Songshan Mountain. Linghu Chong couldn't forget his old love and was injured by his junior sister during the competition. However, Yue Buqun actually used the martial arts to ward off evil spirits, blinded Zuo Lengchan's eyes, and won the title of leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. Going down Songshan Mountain, I saw Lin Ping's revenge, and his sword skills were also evil sword skills. There were many entanglements, the younger junior sister was killed at the hands of Lin Pingzhi, the senior sister committed suicide, and Linghu Chong was deeply saddened. In the Hengshan sect, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying were troubled by Yilin's mother; in Siguo Cliff Cave, they managed to escape with the help of phosphorescence. Ren Woxing was appointed as the leader again, his ambition was great, he wanted to annex the martial arts world, and threatened Linghu Chong with Yingying, life and death. Linghu Chong and Hengshan's disciples were upright and refused to join the alliance. Fortunately, God favored the mandarin ducks, and the "Devil" sect changed its owner, a catastrophe was resolved, and decades of grievances were put to rest. Three years later, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying got married in Meizhuang, but with the song "Swordsman", they retired to seclusion...
The loveliness of Linghu Chong's character is the most lovable among Jin Yong's characters. A little more casual than Yang, a little more dignified than Wei Xiaobao, and a little more chic than Qiao Feng.
Jin Yong described Linghu Chong’s appearance like this: rectangular face, sword-shaped eyebrows and thin lips. Lin Pingzhi looks like his mother, with delicate features and beautiful eyes. The protagonist's appearance is much worse than that of the supporting characters, which does not meet the premise of satisfying people's fantasy. If it were changed to a second- or third-rate martial arts novel, the male protagonist would probably be so handsome that he would attract countless confidantes for no reason.
Junior sister Yue Lingshan and Linghu Chong were childhood sweethearts and had a deep friendship. Even in the first few months of Lin Pingzhi's arrival, junior sister Yue Lingshan's affection for Linghu Chong was obvious, and it seemed to have deepened in Si Guo Ya; but after all, it was her lover who was there. Later, his father came first. Lin Pingzhi's dignified, mature and restrained nature, which was very similar to Yue Buqun, attracted Yue Lingshan. However, Linghu Chong was not only inferior in appearance to Lin Pingzhi, but his unrestrained and unrestrained excess became his biggest obstacle in love. Yue Lingshan, who had always admired the majesty of her father, was displeased by the obstacles, so she gave her heart to Lin Pingzhi. This kind of description is rare. It breaks away from the stereotype of a lover, goes deep into human nature, and depicts an individual with personality and pain. Moreover, Jin Yong's writing style of writing is also unique, with twists and turns, the pen is as full as possible, and the short stories between lovers are vivid. The anger, anger, and clever words are all very good and can attract people to read. Any famous book about love can only do this when it comes to the details between lovers.
Linghu Chong’s growth began with lovelorn and injustice. Ever since the death of Liu Hou’er, his life has been shrouded in a shadow. There are so many troubles in life. I believe that people in real life have felt misunderstood and excluded. Jin Yong not only wrote with rich knowledge of literature and history, but also brought profound life experience. He had a great influence in shaping characters. The characteristic is that the protagonist is put into the purgatory of the world to be trained, and experiences all kinds of human emotions and the evils of the world. It is not like other martial arts works. The protagonist either practices peerless martial arts in a deep mountain valley and then has smooth sailing and kills demons. , avenge blood and get a beautiful woman. Even if Jin Yong allowed his protagonist to have a romantic encounter and acquire a unique martial arts skill, he would never have a smooth life. In Jin Yong's novels, the growth of martial arts is one aspect, and the growth of personality is another. These two aspects are Time complements each other and neither can exist without the other. Linghu Chong mastered the Dugu Nine Swords first, but his ordeal has just begun, and it is precisely because he possesses the unique skills of the Dugu Nine Swords that he is misunderstood step by step. And because of his prodigal feelings and unyielding personality, he often has He felt aggrieved and refused to confess, but his refusal to confess was not like Huang Laoxie's arrogance and innocence, but rather a bit of self-injury, self-pity, and self-abasement: on the one hand, it was because of the pain of losing his little junior sister, and on the other hand, it was because of the misunderstanding of his beloved master. Pain, on the one hand, it was the unexplainable pain of a strange injury on his body that could not be healed, and on the other hand, it was because the battle between good and evil seemed to make him feel bored.
Linghu Chong was pregnant with these four kinds of pain. On the way to Luoyang with his master, he experienced all the hardships, which are beyond the endurance of ordinary people. In this regard, Linghu Chong's character helped him a lot. . Although he could never forget his junior sister, he was very open-minded in nature. After he saw clearly the fact that Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi were in love, he felt calm in his heart. He just wanted Yue Lingshan to live happily. As long as she was happy, even if he completely forgot about himself It doesn't matter. So he could still follow the Huashan juniors, stumbling along, thinking only about finding the secret book of Zixia, and then committing suicide in front of Liu Houer's tomb. This is a special character trait of Linghu Chong. Just imagine if it was Yue Bu Qun He and Lin Pingzhi were in the same place as him. Even though these two people were also good materials for being far-sighted and able to endure humiliation, they were not as open-minded as Linghu Chong. They would definitely keep the insults and hatred they had received in their hearts until the opportunity broke out. .
Linghu Chong also has another characteristic, that is, he is cheerful and easy-going, and likes to make friends, and regardless of whether he is rich or poor, good or evil, he will make friends with anyone he likes. It is not easy to do this. First of all, you must be talkative, humorous, good-tempered, and generous, and you must also have some unique skills. For example, when the disciples of the Huashan School talked about their senior brother in the opening chapter, they mentioned his "use all the master has to do." After being taught Qigong, he couldn't breathe, it was like taking water for a while, drinking most of the gourd of wine until there was no trace left." This deceived an old man into a beggar. Bringing this method to the table of fair-weather friends will definitely be lovable. There are many people who know Qigong, but Linghu Chong uses it to drink. It can be said that his personality is very casual and playful.
Although Linghu Chong respects his master, he has his own problems in his heart, because he is a temperamental person. People of temperament can be lax from time to time and have their own way of dealing with others, unlike Yue Buqun. His conspiracies far overshadowed his true nature, so even though the master and apprentice had lived together for more than ten years, they had no similarities at all. In fact, the conflict between Linghu Chong and Yue Buqun is a meridian that runs through the whole book of Xiaoao. With them as the main line, other people and plots are laid out and branched out, such as Zuo Lengchan, Let Me Go, Dongfang Invincible is an extension and supplement of one aspect of them, such as temperament and self-control, such as righteousness and evil. From this perspective, "Swordsman" is a work about human conflict. It expresses the conflict between two significantly different outlooks on life, and gives a seemingly clear but unclear ending.
Linghu Chong's greatest characteristic is his "chivalry and straightforwardness", and what impresses people most is the preciousness of his character. He is never bound by secular etiquette. As long as he thinks it is right, he will not be moved even if everyone in the world opposes it. He is not a successful person, and his background is unremarkable. Although he has learned the Dugu Nine Swords and the Star-Absorbing Technique in martial arts, which he can use to save his life and kill enemies in critical moments, but most of the time he is seriously injured and sick, even a street rogue. Can't beat it either. Linghu Chong definitely does not have the thoughts and tendencies of "serving the country and the people" that were most highly praised by ancient knights, but he is still touching and awe-inspiring. Because there is absolutely no despicable part in his character and emotions. He is the most natural person and never cares about the opinions of others. His infatuation with Yue Lingshan was known to the world, and he never concealed it even in front of Yingying. His likes, dislikes, and likes were clearly visible.
Let me walk in the Sun and Moon God Sect, and he will laugh at the flattery of others. He has no scheming, has never had any sense of mission, fame and fortune, and has no ambition to "unify the world for thousands of years". As long as there is wine and music, and the person you love lives a peaceful life, you can be "smiling proudly". His chivalry never felt like a "savior." The rescue of Yi Lin, the Hengshan Sect, and Xiang Wentian has absolutely no deeper purpose. It is a feeling from the heart. Even if I have never met you, even if I don’t know you well, it is just He helped me immediately upon meeting him without any hesitation. Not distinguishing between good and evil is Linghu Chong's biggest crime. He is promiscuous with demonic cultists, evil sects, and even a shameless flower-picking thief. But in Linghu Chong's mind, the distinction between "good" and "evil" was clear and clear. The "righteousness" in his heart refers to people with noble and sincere character, righteousness, love and chivalry. As for those who appear to be decent people, but are actually hypocritical, cunning and ambitious, he has always been disdainful, shameless and respectful. He can make friends with Tian Boguang, but he can't stand the "Four Beauties of Qingcheng". He is very respectful to the Green Bamboo Man, but ignores the Golden Sword Wang family.
Linghu Chong's emotional world is also extremely colorful. He and Yue Lingshan were childhood sweethearts and fell in love with each other. The little junior sister is the person he loves the most. Linghu Chong would give up everything for her, no matter martial arts or even his life. His biggest dream in life is to stay together with his junior sister. No matter what was against his original wishes, as long as Yue Lingshan asked him, he would do it regardless. Even though he and Yingying later fell in love and got married, his junior sister was still the first in his mind. If the junior sister changes her mind, he will definitely return to the junior sister.
In his heart, Yingying was as "kind as a mountain" to him. Even in the end, he felt that he truly loved Yingying, but he still had a desire to repay her kindness. Just because Yingying was a holy aunt and the daughter of Ren Woxing, all heroes in the world respected her. She is extremely beautiful and has great martial arts skills. Such a person would be so favored by others when he suffered many misfortunes and was rejected, so he would naturally be grateful. Secondly, Yingying was willing to give up her life for him, betrayed her father, and went into danger several times to save him. And knowing that he is madly in love with Yue Lingshan, she still loves him unswervingly as always. It can be said that Ren Yingying treated Linghu Chong just as Linghu Chong treated Yue Lingshan, or even worse. How could Linghu Chong remain indifferent in his heart? Every time he thinks of his little junior sister, his heart always feels extremely sore and he can't help himself. But every time he thinks of Yingying, he feels grateful and apologetic in his heart. On the road outside Qingsha tent, it seemed that his love for Yue Lingshan had disappeared, but it was difficult to understand what the real situation was.
Yi Lin has always had an unforgettable love for Linghu Chong. If Yingying loves Linghu Chong and still wants something, Yilin is devoted to Linghu Chong wholeheartedly. She only wishes that "Brother Linghu will be happy all his life." In her heart, brother Linghu Chong is always the most important. Beside the Zen ceremony platform at the Songshan Conference, thousands of pairs of eyes were looking at Yue Buqun and Zuo Lengchan, but only one pair of eyes was looking at Linghu Chong from beginning to end. Linghu Chong was not ruthless towards Yi Lin, but his love was love and pity. It was the love between brother and sister but not between son and daughter. Every time he thought of Yilin, Linghu Chong always thought that he would rather take his own life to protect her. Yingying's love for Linghu Chong has a happy ending after all, while Yilin was a tragedy from the beginning. Fate and personality dictated that Linghu Chong would not love her. Just like Yue Lingshan always regards her elder brother as a playmate instead of a lover. In Linghu Chong's heart, he never thought of Yilin as his lover. One person's feelings and affection for another person are unequal.
Linghu Chong is a frank, sincere, and aboveboard person. A woman is less scheming and does not doubt him, so she understands him correctly; but a scheming man measures him with a scheming eye, so he sees him completely wrong. Linghu Chong values ??feelings more than face and power. Men don't understand and don't accept it, but women can understand it deeply and feel passionate about it, which makes them love him even more.
Linghu Chong is not a hero, not a great hero or a great hero as people often say. He was a hermit, truly born into the world. He just pursues freedom and does not want to be bound. He loves to make friends, is addicted to alcohol, and loves to study martial arts and music. Only he can truly "smile proudly".
In Jin Yong's mind, Linghu Chong was also a person different from other characters. Among Jin Yong's novels, there has never been one that used so much pen and ink to describe this person's character. Not only does Linghu Chong's character appear in his words and deeds, not only does his character appear in other people's comments about Linghu Chong, but his character is also subjectively written.
In "The Swordsman", where Linghu Chong's character is described, if you flip through it, you can see it everywhere: '...he was hurt so badly that he couldn't tell a joke. ’ (page 207)
Linghu Chong loves to tell jokes, which is a sign that he does not take anything seriously. In the eyes of a person with Linghu Chong's personality, there is nothing in the world that cannot be laughed at. If the sky falls, it can also be used as a quilt to cover it.
‘Linghu Chong never paid attention to the secular etiquette and dogma. ’ (page 212)
‘If you don’t lie to others, what’s the fun? ’ (page 217)
Linghu Chong pursues ‘fun’. This is something that can only be said by a true gamer.
‘You are just arrogant and frivolous, and your words are not serious at all! ' (Page 286)
This is what Yue Buqun scolded Linghu Chong. Linghu Chong was a person who didn't care about anything. For him, nothing in the world was serious, so there was no need to speak. Seriously, this kind of thinking is considered frivolous in the eyes of the world, but it is actually the most open thinking.
‘You kid... you must have been a rogue and used tricks to get through. ’ This is Mrs. Yue’s comment about Linghu Chong. Mrs. Yue knew Linghu Chong very well and was Linghu Chong’s first confidant.
‘Elder brother talks and acts crazy. ’ (page 295)
This is Lin Pingzhi’s earliest view of Linghu Chong, which shows how shocking Linghu Chong’s words and deeds were.
‘Bohemian nature. ’ (page 312)
‘He is willful and self-disciplined. ' (Page 351)
'...Only a man with such a big heart is worthy of drinking this world-famous wine. ’ (page 370)
These are the words of Tian Boguang praising Linghu Chong. No matter how much Qiao Feng likes drinking, he won't have a bar with Tian Boguang? Linghu Chong doesn't take anything seriously, he doesn't care, he is completely selfless, this is the highest state.
‘When the last resort comes, one has to resort to such despicable means. ' (Page 408)
Feng Qingyang was also Linghu Chong's confidant. Hearing what Linghu Chong said, he was overjoyed: 'Okay, okay... A real man will do what he likes, and he will do what he likes. Whatever you say about martial arts rules and sect dogma, it's all fucking bullshit! ’ After listening to Feng Qingyang’s words, Linghu Chong said: ‘...these words really touched his heart, and he felt indescribably happy hearing them. ’ The two people, old and young, have similar temperaments. Naturally, what one says will penetrate into the heart of the other.
Here, there is one thing worth mentioning. Linghu Chong said: 'When the last resort comes, you can only resort to such despicable means. ’ However, after reading the whole book, Linghu Chong did not use even the slightest despicable means.
This is a situation worth bringing up for discussion. Just because a person has ideologically determined that certain things can be done does not necessarily mean that he will definitely go back and do those things.
What can be done and what cannot be done are all constraints arising from the social background of the time. Some things that must not be done in a certain period of time have changed under the changes in the social background of the time. , has become extremely common and everyone is doing it. Whether you can do something or not is a kind of constraint. To people who are not constrained by character, this kind of constraint is just like bullshit. It is a kind of resistance to constraints, and it does not necessarily mean that you have to do it. If you cannot resist the constraints in terms of ideology, it is an insult to human nature.
Linghu Chong did not do any despicable things at the moment of honor or disgrace. Later, in "The Deer and the Cauldron", Wei Xiaobao did some. Wei Xiaobao's actions were completely in line with Linghu Chong's ideas, but they are still regarded by readers as The criticism is truly unjust.
‘He knows that I am too casual. ’ (page 416)
‘I, Linghu Chong, have never been a rigid person. ’ (page 471)
‘It’s just that this person has been very cunning since he was a child. ’ (Page 496)
Yue Buqun always believed that Linghu Chong was ‘cunning’. Although Linghu Chong was full of tricks, everything was true. Yue Buqun was cheating everywhere, and suddenly felt unable to resist.
Cheerful and aboveboard by nature
‘I hope she will forget me completely, and she will not shed a single tear after I die. ' (Page 501)
This is Linghu Chong's hope for Yue Lingshan. He is passionately in love with Yue Lingshan, and he is heartless. '. Being sad and miserable was not because Linghu Chong couldn't look away, but it was a normal reaction for any normal person. If there was anyone in the world who could break the relationship, he would no longer be a human but a god. Therefore, it was inevitable for Linghu Chong to say sometimes: "...his chest felt sore and he had no fighting spirit. He immediately wanted to throw down his sword and let himself be slaughtered." '(Page 524)
Linghu Chong was not a very motivated person to begin with. He came and went as he pleased, unfettered and unfettered. He kept his fighting spirit in his heart and made himself a slave to his fighting spirit. Why? Come?
‘What does it mean to suffer temporary grievance? ’ (page 531)
What else “counts”? When he feels grievances, he doesn't even bother to explain. Linghu Chong is so cute in the extreme.
'Linghu Chong actually didn't mind this matter and said calmly...' (page 543)
Linghu Chong lost the money and asked a few scoundrels to fight him He was beaten hard and his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, but he didn't take it to heart.
‘The disciple knows that his life is not long, so he has already put everything aside. ’ (page 562)
‘Your Excellency has a cheerful temperament. ’ This was Miss Ren’s first comment about Linghu Chong. A dying person can still give people the impression of "cheerful temperament". Who else, except Linghu Chong, can do this?
‘I think it’s because he is open-minded. ’ (page 565)
This is the comment of Green Bamboo Man.
‘Linghu Chong was cheerful by nature.
’ (page 567)
Jin Yong used Ren Yingying’s words to say “cheerful”, which was not enough, so he emphasized it again with the author’s subjective pen.
‘I know that he has always been stubborn by nature. ’ Yue Buqun’s comments include ‘stubborn’ in addition to ‘cunning’.
‘It is indeed the true nature of a man to disregard life and death. ’ (Page 592)
After Linghu Chong said that he did not care about life and death, he also said this through Ping Yizhi.
‘Everyone is going to die in the end. Doesn’t it make much difference whether he dies a few years earlier or a few years later? ' (Page 624)
This is Linghu Chong's own retelling of his indifference to life and death. The words are different, but the meaning is exactly the same.
Linghu Chong didn't mean to forget it, but he really didn't care and gave his own blood to the old immortal to drink.
‘He is suave by nature and does not stick to trivial matters. ’ (page 656)
This is the author’s subjective comment.
‘He is unruly by nature and speaks without restraint. ’ (page 719)
It is also the author’s subjective comment.
‘With a feeling in his heart, he leaned over and kissed her on the face. ’ (page 720)
It’s really ‘uninhibited’ and ‘unruly’. Apart from Linghu Chong, only Wei Xiaobao can do this kind of thing among the characters in Jin Yong's works. The two characters are quite similar. When Wei Xiaobao's character was first formed in Jin Yong's works, did Jin Yong think of Linghu Chong?
Linghu Chong and Wei Xiaobao have similar personalities. If they could meet, they would definitely become sworn friends, and every word they said to each other would speak to each other's heart. However, Wei Xiaobao and Linghu Chong are completely different. The most difficult thing about writing novels is to write about two people with similar personalities but turn them into completely different characters. Jin Yong did this with Linghu Chong and Wei Xiaobao.
‘Fortunately, he is open-minded by nature. ’ (page 734)
Additional comments by Jin Yong.
‘I just walk around alone, but so what? ’ Master Fang Zheng from Shaolin Temple was shocked: ‘This young man is so unafraid of death. ’ (page 746)
‘Both of them are bohemian people. ’ (page 773)
‘I am an unknown person who wanders around the world and behaves badly. ’ (Page 1040)
Linghu Chong was very self-aware, and his ‘misbehavior’ was to the extreme! He also admitted to Mr. Mo Da that he had "bad conduct" (page 1044), but Mr. Mo Da really admired him and said that he faced "a boat full of young nuns and flower-like girls", and he himself "wanted to be as guarded as you are." , then it can’t be done. ’ A person with a casual personality, a bohemian person, and an arrogant person is not without principles, and he still ‘does something’. Mr. Mo Da really doesn't understand Linghu Chong's true character, so there's no need to admire him, that's a matter of course.
‘He is wild and willful, frivolous and a drunkard. ’ (Page 66)
This is another comment from Mrs. Yue. Mrs. Yue looks at the child from the perspective of a mistress. Linghu Chong himself also knew that naughty boys had a serious personality, so he felt that "this horoscope is indeed a good comment". In fact, these horoscopes are not all of Linghu Chong's character, but only part of it.
‘My brother is a straight-tempered person, casual and does everything...’. (Page 1233)
When Taoist Chongxu looked at Linghu Chong from his own point of view, it was another scene.
‘He is a casual person. ’ (page 1280)
The author’s reappearance description repeats the words of Taoist priest Chongxu.
'Chong'er has been willful and mischievous...but he has been upright since he was a child and will never do anything sneaky...arrogant people like him...'( Page 1464)
This is Mrs. Yue’s comment about Linghu Chong again.
Free and easy and open-minded, reaching the state of transformation
Reading "The Swordsman" casually, not deliberately looking for it, there is already a lot about Linghu Chong's character.
There is a reason why Jin Yong was particularly dedicated to portraying Linghu Chong’s character. The reason is that characters like Linghu Chong are rare. Linghu Chong is truly a free and open-minded person who has reached a state of perfection. There may have been more such people in ancient society, but in today's society, they are really rare. He acts willfully just because he doesn't want to be restrained. Any restraint placed on him will be treated as a thorn in his back. He doesn't necessarily dislike this kind of restraint, but if he must have this kind of restraint, he won't be able to stand it. This is a typical example of an unruly character: if you ask him to do something, he may not do it. If he is not allowed to do it, he will come and see if he insists on doing it.
Jin Yong said in the postscript of "The Swordsman": 'Linghu Chong is...a hermit who pursues freedom and individual liberation. The freedom in "The Swordsman" is the goal pursued by the character Linghu Chong. ’ In fact, people like Linghu Chong don’t pursue anything at all. They just believe from the bottom of their hearts that freedom should be a person’s natural right. They don’t pursue it, they just constantly resist the restraints and shackles.
Linghu Chong was a person with such a character, but Jin Yong arranged a section in the book where he read out the seven precepts of the Huashan Sect, and the person he read out was Lin Pingzhi.
These seven major precepts can be taken out and read. It is quite interesting to see how much the preacher Linghu Chong himself can do: 1. The first precept is to deceive the master and destroy the ancestors, and (can) disrespect the elders. (Can't, can't)
2. Precept the strong to bully the weak and harm the innocent. (Able)
3. Refrain from adultery and lust, and (Able) molesting women. (No)
4. Avoid jealousy and killing among fellow students. (Able)
5. Avoid being arrogant and offending your colleagues. (Can't)
6. Avoid taking advantage of others and stealing property. (No, no)
7. Stop being promiscuous with gangsters and colluding with evil spirits. (I can’t, I can’t and I can’t)
The cover of the third episode of "The Swordsman" is a catfish, and the seal on the title page is "Hangzhou wine marks on the breast". The catfish was painted by Bada Shanren. The caption (probably added by Jin Yong) said: "The fish in the picture has only a few strokes and a vivid expression, as if it is wandering freely in the rivers and lakes." ’ Catfish is a very interesting fish, which looks funny to the uninitiated. When I lived in rural areas in my early years, I often captured them. It is very difficult to catch. There is a very slippery mucus on the fish, which will slip out of your hand.
Sometimes, I managed to hold it tightly with both hands and hurried away from the shore, but I still couldn't help being fought by it. I lay on the grass, twisted my body quickly, and jumped into the river.
Later, I found a trick to catch it. It turns out that catfish is very greedy and has a big mouth. Use ordinary wire, bend it into a fishhook, put some bait at will, or even a ball of red cloth, and it will be caught. You can fish it out of the water, cut it open and cook it. The skin will be smooth and the meat will be fine, making it very delicious.
The catfish's free roaming is also limited, because it is greedy, and with greed, freedom ends.
In the epilogue of "The Swordsman", Jin Yong said: 'Full and perfect freedom is simply impossible. ’ It’s because people have desires. Even Linghu Chong cannot achieve full and perfect freedom. He can completely ignore all external constraints, including life and death, but what about the constraints from the heart?
In April and May this year, I was in Hawaii with Jin Yong. One day, I was wandering around the street and saw an artist working with glass on the street. There were various portraits, balancing devices, etc. The quality was very high. After taking a closer look, I discovered a piece of work. I couldn't bear to put it down at that time, and Jin Yong bought it.
The title of this artwork is 'Heart Prisoner', which uses glass to create a man who appears to be in great pain and desperate for relief, trapped in a net.
This net cannot actually catch this person at all. There is a huge gap, and this person can slip through the net at any time.
But this person seemed to have no idea that he could escape through the net, struggling hard in the net.
This network comes from the restraints in this person's heart. It is a network of heart. No one who wants to be restrained can break through this net. "It is not possible for ordinary people to be free from all desires and achieve great enlightenment." ’ Linghu Chong happens to be an ordinary person, so he can’t. This is the tragedy of ordinary people. No matter how strong the resistance to restraint is, he can’t resist himself.