Sword Aura and Scholarly Fragrance

In The Fragrance of Sword Qi, two peerless martial artists, Wei Lingfei, known as “The Might of Hebei,” and Long Lingfei, known as “The Dragon of the Xiang River” (together called the Northern and Southern Lings), share the same name and agree to a duel. But after twenty years, neither has won. In the end, both are gravely wounded. By chance, the wealthy young Wang Yiping comes upon them, and Long Lingfei passes on all the martial arts he has learned in his life to Wang Yiping. Wei Lingfei, meanwhile, passes on his skills to Xiang Hengfei, a lowborn, long-suffering man who is bullied everywhere and known as a “punching bag.” Both masters die soon afterward.

Ten years later, Wang Yiping meets Xiang Hengfei as promised for a duel to the death, but the matter remains unresolved, and they agree to fight again in three days. Afterward, Wang Yiping returns home and discovers that He Xianshan, a young scoundrel, is trying to steal a fake rock from the Wang family garden. When caught, He Xianshan pretends to be a rock-collecting enthusiast. He is also a notorious womanizer, and he and Wang Yiping quickly become friends. He Xianshan later invites Wang Yiping to meet Haiping, a famous courtesan in Beijing, who has already pledged herself to Wang Yiping in body and soul.

Later, Xiang Hengfei comes looking for Wang Yiping but cannot find him. Following the trail, he destroys the Beijing branch of the Red Flag Gang, but the Wang family is consequently slaughtered to the last. Wang Yiping has no choice but to wander the jianghu with He Xianshan, who eventually leaves him along the way. Later, Wang Yiping unexpectedly encounters Xiang Hengfei and Haiping on Mount Huang. Furious, Wang Yiping attacks Xiang Hengfei, who tries to explain what happened with Haiping, and kills him in cold blood. Wang Yiping later intervenes in a vendetta at Poshan Temple on Mount Huang and fights Cui Zhongyu, the Invincible Divine Swordsman. Defeated, he runs in shame into the mountains, where he meets a red-clad young woman who looks exactly like Haiping but possesses peerless martial arts.