When talking about characters with tragic fates in Jin Yong's works, many people immediately think of Yang Guo, Linghu Chong, Di Yun and others. But they often overlook an important figure whose fate is as tragic as theirs. This person is Wudang leader Zhang Sanfeng.
When people mention Zhang Sanfeng, they think of terms such as a veteran cultivator and a great master, but they ignore the fact that Zhang Sanfeng’s life was as miserable as Di Yun’s.
Although Linghu Chong was exploited by various sects in the first half of his life, he married Ren Yingying when he was less than thirty years old, retired with her and became a winner in life; like Yang Guo in his childhood and youth Although he was bullied in various ways, he still lived the life he wanted at thirty-six; even Di Yun, who had been unlucky for half his life, finally lived in seclusion in the snowy mountains with Shui Sheng. However, the tragic life of the great master Zhang Sanfeng lasted from childhood to old age.
First, he had no parents when he was a child, and he lost his mentor when he was young.
Zhang Sanfeng, whose common name is Zhang Junbao, is a Shaolin lay disciple who doesn’t even know who his biological parents are. He is said to be a lay disciple, but he is actually an orphan who works as a handyman for the Shaolin Temple! Although he was protected by his master Jue Yuan, judging from the domineering style of Shaolin disciples in "The Legend of Heaven and Sword of the Dragon", Zhang Junbao must have been bullied by Shaolin monks in his childhood. Therefore, Zhang Junbao's childhood life in Shaolin Temple was probably not as good as Yang Guo's life in Quanzhen Sect.
Originally, if nothing unexpected happened, Zhang Junbao’s life might have passed like this. However, life is like this, no one knows which will come first, the accident or tomorrow!
Since Master Jue Yuan was responsible for guarding the "Nine Yang Manual" when it was stolen, the master and the disciple chased them all the way to Huashan. Although they captured Guo Jing, Yang Guo and others who were bragging in Huashan, they did not get it back. Scripture. After the two returned to Shaolin, Master Jue Yuan was punished to be unable to speak and had to wear an iron chain and use an iron pipe to carry water every day. Two years later, Guo Xiang and He Judao made trouble in Shaolin one after another. He Judao made a move and beat Shaolin's invincible opponent. At this moment, Zhang Junbao defeated He Zudao. However, instead of rewarding him, the Shaolin Temple wanted to abolish Zhang Junbao's martial arts on the grounds that Zhang Junbao secretly learned Shaolin martial arts.
Jue Yuan knew that it was difficult to change Shaolin's decision, so he could only use the big iron buckets he usually used to carry water to carry Guo Xiang and Zhang Junbao to escape. This escape also made Master Jue Yuan finally run out of gas and sleep. Master Yuan passed away after reciting an incomplete set of "Nine Yang Manual". Just after Jue Yuan passed away, fate dealt Zhang Junbao a second blow.
Two, when I was at my lowest, I met the person I wanted to protect for the rest of my life!
When Zhang Sanfeng escaped from the Shaolin Temple, it was the most depressed time in his life, but at this time, he confirmed that Guo Xiang was the person he wanted to protect his whole life. However, at this time, Guo Xiang only saw the Condor Hero Yang Guo.
As soon as Master Jue Yuan died, Guo Xiang told Zhang Junbao that he would continue to look for Yang Guo! Zhang Junbao was speechless for a moment. At this time, he had nothing, and there was no comparison at all with the Condor Hero Yang Guo, who was admired by thousands of people.
One of the greatest tragedies in life is to meet the person you want to protect for your whole life when you are at your lowest and most helpless. This happened to Master Zhang. In this situation, Zhang Junbao didn't even have the courage to stay! So after accepting the Iron Arhat presented by Guo Xiang and the proposal to go to Xiangyang to seek refuge with Guo Jing, he parted ways with Guo Xiang. From then on, the two of them were separated from each other, and there was always a chance to see each other.
Zhang Zhenren’s love ended before it even started.
Third, I was alone for half my life, and two disciples suffered disasters one after another.
After meeting Guo Xiang separately, Zhang Junbao did not want to choose a life of dependence on others, so he decided to live in seclusion nearby and devote himself to practicing the "Nine Yang Manual" passed down to him by his master.
Huangtian paid off, and after decades of hard work, Zhang Sanfeng finally achieved great success. Relying on this incomplete "Nine Yang Manual", Zhang Sanfeng defeated the Taoist Baishuo who was proficient in the "Xuanming Divine Palm". Later, he created many martial arts of his own, and finally established a sect in Wudang Mountain, creating a Wudang sect named after the Shaolin sect.
In order to promote Wudang Kung Fu, Zhang Sanfeng focused on cultivating disciples when he was in his sixties or seventies. In less than thirty years, Zhang Sanfeng successively trained seven disciples who were outstanding in talent and character, namely the Seven Heroes of Wudang.
This should be the happiest time in Zhang Sanfeng's life. Master and apprentice are kind and filial to each other, brothers live in harmony, and they live happily on Wudang Mountain without any conflict of interests at all! All the eight masters and disciples want to do is to carry forward Wudang martial arts.
However, happy times are always short-lived, and fate played another big joke on Zhang Sanfeng on his 90th birthday. When the Wudang heroes happily celebrated Zhang Sanfeng's 90th birthday, the fifth disciple Zhang Cuishan rushed back to Wudang Mountain carrying the third disciple Yu Daiyan with all his joints on his back. Ninety-year-old Zhang Sanfeng has long been indifferent to life and death and has become otherworldly. However, what he cannot let go of the most and what he cares about most are his disciples who are as close as father and son. Now, on the day of his ninetieth birthday, Yu Laosan had all his joints broken. You can fully imagine Zhang Sanfeng's inner pain.
Even so, fate did not seem to intend to let Zhang Sanfeng go. In the following decades, several outstanding disciples and disciples of Zhang Sanfeng got into trouble one after another. On the day of his 100th birthday, Zhang Cuishan and his wife returned, bringing double happiness to Wudang Mountain. However, before everyone could be happy, the five major sects went up the mountain to interrogate Xie Xun and the whereabouts of the Dragon Sword! In the end, Zhang Cuishan and his wife chose to commit suicide under the dual pressure of the Five Great Sects and Yu Daiyan. Zhang Cuishan's only son, Zhang Wuji, was also deeply affected by the Xuanming Cold Poison. Even though Zhang Sanfeng used his century-old skills to save his life, the Xuanming Cold Poison still tortured Zhang Wuji to death.
Fortunately, ten years later, Zhang Wuji got a blessing in disguise and got the complete version of "Nine Yang Manual", which finally cured the cold poison! Then he got "Black Jade Intermittent Ointment" from Zhao Min and cured Yu Daiyan. At this moment, another tragedy occurred in Wudang Mountain that no one could have imagined, and the direct consequence of this tragedy was to create a gap between Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, and Zhang Wuji.
Fourth, internal disputes, Wudang can never go back to the past.
The most appreciated thing about the Wu-Dang Clan is the brotherhood of the Seven Heroes of Wu-Dang. However, this innocent brotherhood was eventually destroyed. After the Wudang heroes returned to Wudang Mountain from Wan'an Temple in the capital, Song Yuanqiao's son Song Qingshu began to hate Zhang Wuji because of Zhou Zhiruo's relationship, and then, framed by Chen Youliang, he actually killed the seventh Mo Shenggu! Then he publicly announced at the lion-slaying meeting that he would quit Wudang and join Emei. Yu Lianzhou, who was present, was so angry that he directly deposed Song Qingshu. Although Zhang Sanfeng personally took action to mediate the matter in the end, he still could not completely eliminate the estrangement between the few people. The Wudang heroes are definitely still brothers, but there are already internal problems.
As Song Yuanqiao was abolished, Yu Lianzhou took over, Yu Daiyan gradually recovered, Zhang Songxi was relatively reliable, and Yin Liting was mentally immature. The only ones who could really do the job among the former Seven Heroes of Wudang were Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Songxi. These two were also It can be regarded as an important pillar of Wudang in the subsequent period.
The most admirable thing about Zhang Sanfeng is that although he had a miserable life comparable to Di Yun. But he neither blamed others nor viewed life negatively. Instead, he always faced it positively and looked at everything with a smile. Even at the critical moment of life and death, he thought that it was not the rise and fall of the sect, nor his personal life and death, but the inheritance of martial arts, and what he could leave behind for future generations. Zhang Zhenren's pursuit of martial arts inheritance is also admirable.
Insist on originality, I am the third person of loyalty, righteousness and courage, welcome to pay attention!