The Young Flying Fox is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). The novel was first serialised in Hong Kong in 1960 in the magazine Wuxia and History (武俠與歷史). The novel is a prequel to Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain and was written a year after its literary predecessor.

Plot

The story is set in China during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor ((r. undefined – undefined)1735–1796) of the Qing dynasty. The protagonist, Hu Fei, is a young martial artist who was raised by Ping Asi after the death of his father, Hu Yidao. While travelling around the land in search of adventure, Hu Fei encounters Feng Tiannan, a ruthless villain, and wants to kill him to avenge the victims. He also meets a young maiden, Yuan Ziyi, who shows signs of affection towards him and stops him every time he comes close to killing Feng Tiannan. Based on what Ping Asi told him, Hu Fei believes that Miao Renfeng is responsible for his father's death. He refrains from killing Miao after finding him, because Miao has been tricked by an enemy and temporarily blinded by a deadly poison. He is so impressed with Miao's sense of chivalry that he starts wondering if Ping Asi was mistaken about Miao. He decides to help Miao find a cure for his eyes and encounters Cheng Lingsu, an apprentice of a deceased medicine guru known as the "King of Venoms". After he witnesses her defeating her three wicked seniors with her calm and wit, she agrees to help him heal Miao's eyes. When Miao Renfeng regains his sight, he confesses that he killed Hu Yidao by accident several years ago. Hu Fei is filled with sorrow upon hearing the truth and he leaves with Cheng Lingsu, who becomes his sworn sister. While travelling together, they chance upon an election for a new leader of the wulin (martial artists' community) hosted by the general Fuk'anggan. The election is part of Fuk'anggan's plan to instigate turmoil in the wulin and ensure that they will not pose a threat to the Qing government. Hu Fei and Cheng Lingsu disguise themselves and participate in the event. With help from Yuan Ziyi, they expose Fuk'anggan's plot and disrupt the election. They are attacked by enemies and Hu Fei is poisoned while shielding Cheng Lingsu with his body. Cheng loses her life trying to save Hu and reveals to him before dying that she loves him. Hu is filled with anguish after hearing that. After Cheng's funeral, he meets Yuan Ziyi, who tells him that she had already taken an oath to be a Buddhist nun in her childhood, and hence cannot be together with him even though she loves him. She places her palms together and recites a silent prayer for him before leaving.

Characters

Protagonists

Antagonists

Others

Adaptations

Films

Television

Radio drama

In 2021, CNR (神州之声) was the first wuxia radio drama presentation aired in China about April 12th everyday 21:31 Beijing time.