Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung
Elaine Lui, Francis Ng
Yammie Nam, Joseph Cheng
Lok-lam Law, Fong Bow, Eddy Ko
Director: Ronny Yu
It was in the Shun Chi years of the Ching Dynasty.
Emperor Shin Tsu had fallen ill, and his life was in grave danger.
Legend has it that a strange rose, which blossoms once every 20 years,
has the ability to revive those that are dying.
The Court decided to send an envoy to Mount Shin Fung in search of the flower.
Mount Shin Fung
I am Chief Yeh Li Nieh Tang of the Royal Ching Palace.
I have come especially to call on Master Cho of Wu Tang.
His Majesty's health is ailing.
We have long heard that Master Cho guards a majestic flower
that has the power to bring back even the dead.
What is the time now?
Oh, we are still four hours away from blossom.
No, what year are we in?
Master, we are exactly 1 0 years from the founding of the Ching Empire.
1 0 years!
You may all go now.
Master, if only your majestic flower could restore His Majesty's health,
the palace will reward you handsomely.
This flower is not for you!
Cho Yi Hang, did you hear what the Chief just said?
Who could be more important than His Majesty?
The person in my heart is a woman.
I have waited here for her for a decade.
I wonder if she knows...
THE BRlDE WlTH WHlTE HAlR
I was the student of Master Tzu Yang of Wu Tang.
He was the Joint Chief of the Eight Big Clans of Chung Yuan, our land.
He was tireless in explaining to me the misgivings of our world
and the differences between good and evil.
Needless to say, in his words, with the exception of the Eight Big Clans,
all other clans are evil.
Yi Hang, you must remember...
Good and evil are like oil and water, they will never mix.
Yes, Master.
He'd always say the same thing, I'd always answer the same way.
Have you mastered the Dragon Moon Breaking Sword steps I taught you?
Yes, Master, to perfection.
Yi Hang!
Concentrate, heart and sword in one.
Draw!
The sword protects the body even from falling petals.
Heart-piercing precision in one stroke!
Master, since I'm doing so well,
may I take it easy for the next eight to ten days?
There is no end to learning.
If you want to become Joint Chief, you will have to keep practicing.
Actually, I never really thought about becoming the Joint Chief.
But every now and then, I would do some good deeds.
If I had known, I would have let those bad men take you.
Because of you, I don't even know where I am now.
Master will be so upset with me.
There were two things in this world that I was most scared of.
One was thunder and lightning. And the other...
Little lamb, now is your chance to repay me.
I'm leaving now. You take care.
Help! Help!
Help! Master, help!
Help! Help!
Uncle Pai Yun, help!
Oh no, a dead end.
Help, help... I don't want to die... Help!
Master, help me... Master, help me!
I never really believed in miracles.
But at that moment, I really wanted to fly up to the sky to thank her,
to take a closer look at her face.
But unfortunately, I was too tired.
When I met him, he was just an ordinary military officer.
Who would have guessed he was to become General Wu San Kuei,
who guarded Shanhaikwan and helped to rewrite the history of Chung Yuan.
You were lucky I found you in the woods this time.
Next time you may not be so lucky.
I alone am sober among the drunks. Cheers!
Come again. Bottoms up.
I enjoyed being with him because I got to do all
that was forbidden by my master.
Come on.
Yi Hang.
Fear not the criticisms of others, as long as you are at peace with yourself.
What kind of a life would it be
if you always have to look to others for approval?
You're better off dead.
I've said so much. Did you hear any of it?
I didn't think a ferocious man like him could have such a kind heart.
Sometimes I wondered if he was kind to me only because I was an orphan.
Cho Yi Hang!
You stole a goat from farmer Ho Tor Niu's home.
Do you plead guilty?
He not only stole my goat, he gave me a bloody nose too! Look!
I was only trying to save the goat from being butchered.
Master, you said we should be chivalrous,
but they wouldn't even let a little goat live.
Do you plead guilty to injuring Ho Tor Niu?
He called me a beast and a bastard!
He was lucky I didn't feed him dog shit!
What's so funny?
Chief, as the eldest student of Wu Tang and successor to Joint Chief,
what Cho Yi Hang did was a disgrace to the clan and to Wu Tang's reputation.
Actually, Uncle Pai Yun was not really that bad.
He was just overly ambitious.
He wanted to defy tradition and have his daughter succeed as Joint Chief.
As such, I became an eyesore to him.
Calligraphy, like swordplay, calls for stamina.
This is my fellow student, Brother Lu Hsin Cheng.
For all clans, stamina comes from the brush and strength.
With spirit comes energy.
Energy moves the brush.
Waist more erect than brush.
Wrist up!
Arm like a dancing dragon.
Sister Lu Hua is late!
Sorry, Dad.
Sit down.
Begin practicing calligraphy.
Cho Yi Hang, your punishment is to copy 500 times.
I knew it.
Succumb not by poverty...
This is fellow student, Sister Ho Lu Hua.
Did you notice she often smiled at me?
She frequently brought food to cheer me up.
...It means not becoming indulgent and losing your true self
when given wealth and power.
Yield not to prowess.
It means not submitting to powerful influences.
Understand?
Cho Yi Hang, don't think you can do whatever you want
just because the Chief is fond of you.
Look at your fellow students. They missed dinner to practice writing.
And you're eating buns here?
Follow Lu Hua's example: Pure as a virgin, crafty as a rabbit.
You're lazy and nonchalant!
I know Sister Lu Hua is bright and ingenious
and the brothers are buds waiting to bloom and flourish.
You, the eldest student, should serve as an example to your brothers,
but instead you fool around during lessons. Do you admit you're wrong?
Also, you left without permission and cruelly killed Kaifeng's Constable Fang.
Do you plead guilty?
No.
Uncle Pai Yun, I stabbed him only once.
I wouldn't call that "cruel".
How can he talk this way?
How can he call himself a student of Wu Tang?
That's against propriety.
I disagree, I feel that's not a problem.
So you're admitting guilt?
I admit I killed the lowlife officer, but...
With rock solid proof, you still try to argue?
I have nothing more to say, but the lowlife officer's family has.
Everyone. Please do not misunderstand Swordsman Cho.
My son was to blame and he deserved to die.
Yes. We were lucky Swordsman Cho came to the rescue.
Otherwise, the bastard would have raped me!
He was going to kill my children too!
Thank you so much for saving our entire family, Swordsman Cho. Thank you.
Get up! Get up please!
Silence in the palace!
Thank you.
Pai Yun, what wrong did my unruly pupil do now
to have to trouble the presence of the Eight Clans' elders?
He used his position of the favorite pupil of the Chief
to do whatever he pleases and bullies the students of the other clans.
With our witnesses here, he can no longer deny it!
Yi Hang, what do you have to say for yourself?
Chief, these are the students of the Six Big Clans.
If I alone can beat them all,
it means Wu Tang's training and fighting style is stronger and more powerful!
In that case, I plead guilty!
Quiet!
Brother Cho put it beautifully.
Quiet!
Ma Yu of Kung Tung Clan, were you injured by Cho Yi Hang.
No. I just hurt myself in training.
And you, Liu Cheng of Tien Chuang Clan?
How were you hurt?
Oh, I hurt myself while playing.
What do the others have to say?
I fell into the well while trying to get water.
I was chased by a tiger.
We were only joking.
You all leave now. Nonsense!
You!
I hit him because he went to Wan Chun brothel and wouldn't pay.
You!
You conspired with some officials and tried to take over a peasant's farm.
And you...
Just because you fight well, doesn't mean you can harass the scholars.
Cho Yi Hang!
Yes.
You went away without Master's permission.
You will be punished. Face the Buddha in the palace
without a drop of water for three days to think over your faults.
Yes.
You are always looking so stern.
Why don't you take a break?
You must be ecstatic to see me.
Are you hungry? Here's something to eat.
Thank you.
You call that real food?
Look at the good stuff I brought. Come on.
Cho...
Brother Cho, we didn't mean to put you on the spot.
Master Pai Yun made us do it.
Yes...
You're not going to hold a grudge, are you?
Of course not. It's already forgotten.
Thank you.
You, don't forget to pay at the brothel next time.
Brother, try this red kaoliang wine from Shansi.
Good.
You can just forget it.
Can't you see Brother Cho is still holding
those two snow white buns Sister Lu Hua gave him?
Hey, do you all know this is the palace of Wu Tang?
Wine and meat, are you trying to get Brother Cho into more trouble? Get out!
Get out of here!
What about me?
Yes, you too.
I'll go back to sleep so you can sleep with Brother Cho!
What are you doing?
This jade heirloom is from my dad.
Now I'm giving it to you. But you'll have to promise not to break it.
Don't go!
What do you want?
I have to go take a leak.
You stay here and cover for me.
Cho!
You're right. Now is the time to serve the country.
Kill the rascals and remove all evil spirits!
Yes!
Cho!
Stealing military food supplies is a serious crime.
You may be beheaded.
Rather be beheaded than to starve to death.
Come over here. There's something to eat.
Don't fight! Everybody will get some.
You're with child, be careful. Let me get it.
Come on. Little sister, hurry up and eat.
How dare you beggars steal the Royal Ching Palace military food supply!
Kill them all!
Honey, let's get going.
Honey, are you alright?
It hurts.
I haven't tasted foreign women in a long time!
Honey, come on out! Quick!
Pretend we're dead.
Kill all these foreign beggars!
I'll kill you, you witch!
I'll chop you into nine pieces!
Exactly nine pieces!
Run, the witch is powerful!
Hurry up, run!
Honey, just hang in there!
Oh! I'm really hurting!
Darling, just hang on!
I can't! The baby is coming!
There's light in front. Let's go find help. Come on.
- How come there's nobody here? - It hurts!
Swordsman, we didn't steal any food supplies.
Please don't kill us.
I beg you!
Honey!
Honey, are you alright?
Swordsman, do you know how to deliver babies?
Please help us.
You want me to deliver your baby?
We beg you. Please, please help us!
Honey, just hang on.
Honey, what do we do now?
Can you deliver babies? Please help us!
Honey, we've found help!
Push!
Harder, harder!
Honey!
Honey, we've been through even the most difficult times.
Why do you leave us now?
Don't be too sad.
You have a son. You have hope.
Take this to start a small business.
Come on.
Leave this place.
Thank you, Swordsman. Thank you so much.
Who are you?
Why do you follow me?
Miss, you're the one who brought us so close together.
That's more like it.
It's better to keep a little distance between us.
Whoever has laid eyes on me must be blinded!
Wow! I've seen your entire body.
Does that mean I'll have to die a horrible death?
Miss, what a temper.
"Come back to the palace at once."
Darn! I didn't even get a chance to tell her my name is Cho Yi Hang.
Lord of the Supreme Cult, blessed by slaughter and bloodshed.
Today, Chief Convoy led our army
and wiped out many from the orthodox clans.
I want them to know that
our tribesmen are not ants under their feet.
Chief Convoy's superb blood discipline keeps away all evil spirits.
Those old windbags of Chung Yuan's Eight Clans...
they're so old they can't even hold up their swords.
All they have left are their mouths!
They use their words to befuddle the masses.
Not only do they want to unite Chung Yuan,
they even want to dig up our ancestors' graves.
Damn nuisance!
If we can dispose of those old dogs, the Eight Clans of Chung Yuan
will be like a bucket of loose sand.
Slay the dogs, increase our longevity!
You've been as cold as ice all night.
My brother and I have been suppressed for 20 years.
Now is the time for you to repay us.
You, kill them all for me!
Your heart is beating so fast.
Let me feel it.
Have you finished giving orders?
What are you laughing at?
Little brother, you're so pathetic.
You've spoiled her. Now she won't even let you touch her.
True love has to be mutual.
I'll wait for her.
You're right. Coerced love gives no happiness.
Coerced love gives no happiness!
Master Tze Yang, the evil cult grows increasingly powerful in Manchuria.
It's now threatening the safety of the people of Ming.
As the Joint Chief of the Eight Clans, you should do something.
Chi Wu Shuang's reappearance means the world
is once again filled with witchcraft and evil spirits.
We must eliminate them before they completely take over.
That's easier said than done.
I've heard the Chi siblings are excellent fighters.
Chief, we shouldn't have let the wicked Chi go so easily years ago.
There's no point in dragging out the past now.
What we must decide now is which clan should lead our troops.
What is your opinion?
As head of the Eight Clans, Wu Tang is the obvious choice.
That's right.
Hsin Cheng.
Yes, Master?
Where's Yi Hang?
Where have you been?
Master is meeting with the Seven Big Clans inside.
Wait. What did you do with the jade I gave you?
Why are you asking me this now?
Where is the jade?
Why did you give it away?
I thought he needed it more than I did.
I killed him. I don't think you'll need it anymore either.
Brother Cho, Master is looking for you.
I'm sorry, Chief. I'm late.
Yi Hang, the Eight Big Clans decided to send troops to suppress the evil cult.
I want you in command of the troops.
Chief, I'm afraid I may not be the best person for this colossal task.
Wu Tang is full of talents.
Why does Master only have Yi Hang in his eyes?
Do you have a better suggestion?
If I may be so bold as to suggest my daughter, Lu Hua.
She would make a perfect commander.
Right!
Sister Lu Hua is brilliant, decisive and fast with her sword.
She would be best to take the reins of command.
That won't do! That's against tradition!
Is that right, Master?
That's right.
What do you think?
Chief, how can a woman undertake such an important role?
Yi Hang!
Military orders are as rigid as the mountains.
You cannot defy order!
You will command the pupils of the Eight Clans
and Lu Hua will be your second in command.
Set out at dusk!
Yes, Master!
Yi Hang, I tried to speak well of you in front of the Eight Clans.
Why did you go against me?
Master, please listen to me...
No, you listen to me!
I've spent all these years teaching you.
My hope was that after my death you would succeed me
as the Joint Chief of the Eight Clans.
I knew if I were to lead the masses, I must do things against my convictions.
That's right.
I can't believe being kind-hearted is a fault.
Kind-hearted?
Let me ask you this. If one day, Chi Wu Shuang wants to destroy Wu Tang,
would you be able to ask him to spare us?
And, if one day, Chung Yuan came under the rule of the foreign tribes
and all Han people must be executed,
would you be able to use your kindness to move them?
This is the unwritten law of the land.
Therefore, you have no choice!
Yes, I do.
I can quit and become a recluse.
Quit?
It's easier said than done!
What else do you know besides a little kung fu?
You want to go home and farm?
The Chief himself said that you would be the one to succeed him as Joint Chief.
Everyone from the Eight Big Clans has their eye on this title.
And you're not interested in it? I am a little more ambitious.
My little friend, look not only at the present.
Should you really become Joint Chief, then we could join forces.
We may even be the ones to change Ming's history!
General, we caught some infiltrators.
Behead them all!
Yes, behead them all!
We're innocent...
Uncle Kuei, why did you...
At this critical time, it's better to wrongly kill 1 00 than to let one go.
The evil cult wants to take over our land
and the Manchurians are getting increasingly rampant.
Our duty as military men is to protect the land
and destroy them to the point of no return.
Yi Hang, remember, heroes make history.
Why is Brother Cho not here yet?
Let's not wait for Cho Yi Hang anymore.
Let's plan how we can deploy our forces to fight the evil cult.
Chi Wu Shuang's kung fu has such depth. We don't fully know about the evil cult.
A move now may be too dangerous.
If Kung Tung Clan isn't confident of its abilities, there is time to back out.
I don't believe our Seven Clans Coalition can't handle Chi Wu Shuang.
How about the wolf girl?
And we have Wu Tang's 72 Cyclical Swords.
And Hua Shan Clan's...
Seven Fatal Arrays.
Be quiet. I know.
And we have O-Mei Clan's Dragon-Tiger Conquering Moves.
And Kun Lun Clan's lncredible Kam Kong Swordplay.
If we take a stab at her while she isn't looking...
it doesn't matter if she's a wolf girl,
even a dragon girl will be turned into minced meat!
My elders.
Cho Yi Hang would like to ask you a question.
The foreign tribes have done us no wrong.
Why must we kill them all?
Brother.
You are so eager to kill.
Let me ask you,
have you ever heard the sound of a sword when
it slices through a human body or hits a human skull?
Cho Yi Hang, as Commander of the Eight Clans,
how dare you disrupt the morale of our forces with your grotesque words!
You are so ambitious and can't wait to make a name for yourself.
You're much more suited to be the Commander in charge.
I hate patrolling at this late hour! It's freezing!
Something seems wrong ahead.
Nobody's there. Maybe you've had a few drinks too many.