Jiu Yin Zhen Jing

"Jiu Yin Zhen Jing" (Traditional Chinese: 九陰真經; Simplified Chinese: 九阴真经; pinyin: jiǔ yīn zhēn jīng), lit. "Nine Yin True Classic" is a fictional ancient martial art article described by Jinyong's novels, the "Condor Trilogy".

Compilation History

Jiu Yin Zhen Jing was compiled by Huang Shang, a high-ranking official that served Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty. The emperor ordered Huang Shang, a gifted scholar, to compile a book from numerous loose scrolls and ancient scriptures pertaining to psychic powers, healing techniques, martial art classics and Taoist philosophy. This compendium became the first volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. However, by reading and compiling the countless numbers of manuals, Huang Shang unknowingly enriched himself with Taoist knowledge and principles of internal strength (qi), both of which, combined with his impressive intelligence, transformed him into a supremely powerful martial artist.

After that, the Song emperor ordered Huang Shang to lead an army to eradicate the Ming Cult, a sect originating in Persia who were conducting anti-government activities. The Song army proved unable to take the fortress, but Huang Shang fought the Ming Cult's most powerful fighters one-on-one and managed to defeat and kill nearly all of them until exhaustion finally forced him to retreat.

The Ming Cult, seeking revenge, sent their most powerful surviving martial artists to murder Huang Shang's family. An enraged Huang Shang vowed to eradicate the Ming Cult. For the next 40 years, Huang Shang dedicated himself to finding methods capable of neutralizing all of the Ming Cult's techniques. Additionally, because many of the Ming Cult members were affiliated with other martial art schools, Huang Shang had to develop techniques capable of neutralizing the techniques of those traditional schools as well.

Finally, Huang Shang succeeded in accomplishing this monumental task. Unfortunately, during the intervening years, his enemies had all died of other causes. Confronted with this reality, all Huang Shang could do was make a second compilation based on his 40 years of study; this became the second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing.

The First Duel in Hua Shan

The two volumes of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing were not heard from again for many years, but when it reappeared, great chaos ensued. Top martial artists from all around stole and murdered one another in an attempt to get their hands on the manual, resulting in a tremendous amount of lives being lost. To prevent further loss of lives, a duel in Hua Shan was organised to decide the rightful owner of the manual. The Five Greats - "Eastern Heretic" Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師), "Western Venom" Ouyang Feng (歐陽峰), "Southern Emperor" Duan Zhixing (later Yideng 一燈), "Northern Beggar" Hong Qigong (洪七公), and "Central Divinity" Wang Chongyang (王重陽) - gathered at this summit and agreed that the winner of the tournament would gain sole possession of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing.

After a fierce, seven-day battle, Wang Chongyang won out and took possession of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. He incorporated some of the scripture's underlying principles into the techniques of his Quanzhen School (全真教), notably the precepts behind the big dipper formation, and in a final gesture of one-upmanship, he left a portion of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing capable of defeating the Gumu School ("Ancient Tomb Sect, 古墓派) in his former lover/rival Lin Chaoying's (林朝英) tomb.

Before passing away, Wang Chongyang left the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing in the care of his younger martial brother, Zhou Botong (周伯通), beseeching him not to let it fall into the wrong hands. Wang Chongyang also stipulated that no member of the Quanzhen would be permitted to learn any of the techniques in the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing (a stipulation that Zhou Botong would accidentally break years later). "Western Venom" Ouyang Feng attempted to steal the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, but was thwarted by Wang Chongyang himself shortly before the latter's death.

The history of the manuscript, up to this point, was told by Zhou Botong to Guo Jing (郭靖) when they were held up on Peach Blossom Island, in the novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳).

Leaking of the Manuscript

After Wang Chongyang's death, Zhou Botong traveled to Peach Blossom Island to warn "Eastern Heretic" Huang Yaoshi against stealing the manual. Huang Yaoshi's wife, who had the gift of photographic memory, memorized the text of the second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing upon one viewing, then tricked Zhou Botong into thinking that the manual was a worthless fraud.

In a fit of anger, Zhou Botong destroyed the volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. Huang Yaoshi's wife copied the entire text for her husband from memory. Two years later, two of Huang Yao Shi's disciples, Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風) and Mei Chaofeng (梅超風), in love and fearful that Huang Yao Shi is against their relationship, were secretly planning to elope. They stole the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing and fled from Peach Blossom Island. Huang Yaoshi, angered at their betrayal, crippled the legs of his remaining students - Lu Chengfeng, Qu Lingfeng, and Feng Mofeng - and banished them from the island.

Huang Yaoshi's wife then attempted to produce a second copy of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing for her husband, but the strain of the task was too much for the pregnant woman as the text was only hurriedly memorised two years ago, and died after giving birth to their daughter, Huang Rong. Henceforth, Huang Yaoshi vowed to destroy anyone who dared to learn from the cursed book.

Meanwhile, Zhou Botong had learned that he had been fooled by Huang Yaoshi. For the next decade and a half, he would be an unwanted guest on Peach Blossom Island, repeatedly harassing Huang Yaoshi to turn the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing over to him.

Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng, not fully understanding the complex techniques of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, were only able to master one aspect of the book, a deadly claw technique named Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhao ("Ninefold Yin White-Bone Claws"). As a result, they were constantly pursued by the numerous enemies they made in Jianghu, as well as by individuals eager to obtain the manuscript.

Fleeing to Mongolia, Chen Xuanfeng was mortally wounded by the six-year old Guo Jing, the newly recruited student of the Jiang Nan Qi Guai, who had stabbed Chen Xuanfeng in fright when he picked Guo Jing off the ground. Chen Xuanfeng had tattooed the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing text onto the skin of his own chest, and Mei Chaofeng skinned her husband and took the grisly text with her.

Guo Jing Comes to Possess the Manuscript

Years later, a battle between Mei Chaofeng and Guo Jing left this humanskin copy in Guo Jing's possession (Guo Jing's second teacher, Zhu Cong, had pickpocketed Mei Chaofeng when he dusted her clothes after a fight.). When Guo Jing arrived on Peach Blossom Island to seek Huang Rong's hand in marriage, Zhou Botong tricked Guo Jing into memorizing the entire text of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. After Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong destroyed the remaining printed copies of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing (the original first volume still in Zhou Botong's possession plus the second volume copy on Chen Xuanfeng's skin) in the wake of a bitter argument, the complete Jiu Yin Zhen Jing existed only in the memories of Zhou Botong and Guo Jing.

"Western Venom" Ouyang Feng, still seeking supremacy in the "wulin" (martial art world), forced Guo Jing to produce a copy for him. Guo Jing produced a false copy of the manual for Ouyang Feng, with small changes that might escape the notice of a master martial artist. A few numbers were changed slightly, and some directions reversed. When Guo Jing and Huang Rong went to find Yideng to cure Huang Rong's internal injuries, the last few verses of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing were discovered to be a foreign language from the west (Indian). Yideng translated the language into Chinese. When Huang Rong was captured by Ouyang Feng to translate the obscure text, Huang Rong subtly changed the translation in her way. The result of all these inaccuracies was a boost in Ouyang Feng's sheer power, but at the cost of being driven to insanity.

Over the years, Guo Jing studied and practiced the principles of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. These principles, combined with his extensive kungfu knowledge, enabled him to rise to the highest ranks of the "wulin".

Guo Jing, his wife Huang Rong, and their allies defended Xiang Yang Fortress from the Mongol invaders for many years. Ultimately, seeing that the fortress would eventually fall, Guo Jing selected and copied powerful techniques that can be learned in a short period of time, including some from the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, and placed these into the legendary weapon, the Heaven Sword (倚天剑). Guo Jing also the military textbook of the Sung Dynasty general Yue Fei into the Dragon Saber (屠龍刀) as described in the book Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber.

The Heaven Sword became Guo Jing's legacy to his youngest daughter Guo Xiang (郭襄), who founded the E'Mei School (峨嵋派). The secret to the Heaven Sword is passed down to the leader of the E'Mei School. A century later, it was the fourth-generation E'Mei Bai leader, Zhou Zhiruo (周芷若), who retrieved the martial arts manual and used the Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhao to wreak havoc upon the pugilistic world of her time. Near the end of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, a girl in yellow dress appeared and fought against Zhou Zhiruo using techniques from the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. She is the descendant of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü. Because the manual inside the Heaven Sword only contain a few techiniques of the book and Wang Chongyang left only a few sections of the book at Gumu School, there is no longer a complete copy of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing.

See also

* Jiu Yang Zhen Jing
* "Condor Trilogy"