A Deadly Secret (simplified: 连城诀, traditional: 連城訣, pinyin: Lián Chéng Jué, jyutping: Lin4 Sing4 Kyut3) is the ninth wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialised in Hong Kong’s Ming Pao1 and Singapore’s Southeast Asia Weekly2 in 1963. The novel was originally titled The Pure Heart Sword3 but was later changed to its current title.
Like his other works, Jin Yong revised the novel when it was published as a book in 1975 as the Second Edition. A second revision was published in early 2003 as the Third Edition.
Title translation
The original title The Pure Heart Sword was changed during publication to a name that carries greater significance. The commonly-used translation of A Deadly Secret fails to capture the many layers of meaning in the title.
The title literally means linked cities secret. This plays on the different meanings of the term 连城 (liánchéng).
First is the Linked Cities Swordplay manual, an ancient martial arts text that contains secret information leading to a treasure. The manual is called such beacuse Master Mei Niansheng developed each moved while imprisoned in a different city.
The term liancheng also means priceless or invaluable. It is part of the idiom 价值连城 (jiàzhí liánchéng), which means worth more than cities.
While A Deadly Secret is more dramatic, it loses the subtlety of the original title. The other common title Secret of the Linked Cities lacks the priceless aspect.
A better translation would be Priceless Secret of the Linked Cities.
Plot
Background
The story is set in China’s Hunan Province4 during the Qing dynasty,5 specifically in the region of Xiangxi.6 The exact time period is not explicitly stated in the original serialisation, but references to male characters wearing queues and mentions of Wu Liuqi from The Deer and the Cauldron in the Third Edition place it firmly in the Qing era.
Summary
The story follows Di Yun, a simple peasant from Xiangxi, who lives with his martial arts master Qi Zhangfa and Qi’s daughter Qi Fang. Di Yun and Qi Fang are childhood sweethearts, though their relationship remains unspoken.
Their peaceful life is disrupted when they travel to Jingzhou7 to attend the birthday celebration of Wan Zhenshan, Qi Zhangfa’s martial arts senior. During the visit, Di Yun is framed for theft and attempted rape of Wan’s concubine. Qi Zhangfa mysteriously disappears when Di Yun needs his help most.
Wan’s son Wan Gui hypocritically pretends to speak up for Di Yun while secretly bribing officials to ensure a harsh sentence. With no one to help her and believing Di Yun guilty, Qi Fang eventually marries Wan Gui.
In prison, Di Yun is repeatedly beaten by a fellow inmate named Ding Dian, who suspects him of being a spy sent by Magistrate Ling Tuisi. After Di Yun attempts suicide upon learning of Qi Fang’s marriage, Ding Dian realizes his innocence and befriends him. Ding Dian teaches Di Yun the powerful Divine Illumination skill and reveals how he obtained the Linked Cities Swordplay manual from their master’s master, Mei Niansheng.
The two eventually break out of prison, but Ding Dian dies after being poisoned by Ling Tuisi, who turns out to be the father of Ding Dian’s deceased lover Ling Xuanhua. Before dying, Ding Dian asks Di Yun to ensure he is buried together with his love.
Di Yun’s subsequent journey leads him to encounter a cannibalistic monk named Baoxiang at a temple. After accidentally poisoning Baoxiang, Di Yun dons the monk’s robes, leading to him being mistaken for a disciple of the Blood Saber School. The school’s lecherous leader Grandmaster Xuedao protects Di Yun from pursuers and kidnaps a maiden named Shui Sheng.
The group becomes trapped in a snowy valley after an avalanche. During their time there, Xuedao kills three of their pursuers, including Shui Sheng’s father. When Xuedao discovers Di Yun’s true identity and attempts to kill him, the attack unexpectedly helps Di Yun complete his mastery of the Divine Illumination skill, allowing him to kill Xuedao. The sole surviving pursuer, Hua Tiegan, reveals his true nature by feeding on his dead companions to survive.
During their time trapped in the valley, Shui Sheng comes to recognize Di Yun’s inherent kindness beneath his harsh exterior. However, when they finally escape and rejoin the martial arts world, Hua Tiegan accuses Di Yun and Shui Sheng of impropriety in front of her fiancé. Di Yun chooses to leave rather than further damage Shui Sheng’s reputation.
After leaving the valley, Di Yun tracks down those responsible for his wrongful imprisonment. He discovers that his respected master, Qi Zhangfa, is exactly as Ding Dian had described—a ruthless schemer who, along with Wan Zhenshan, had murdered their own master Mei Niansheng to obtain the Linked Cities Swordplay manual.
Di Yun learns that his former love Qi Fang has named her daughter Water Spinach, which was his childhood nickname. However, any hope of reconciliation is destroyed when Wan Gui, suspecting his wife of infidelity, murders Qi Fang.
The story reaches its climax when all the antagonists finally locate the whereabouts of the Linked Cities Swordplay manual in Tianling Temple. During their frenzied fight over the treasure, they discover that the ancient Liang Emperor had coated the jewels with a deadly poison to prevent theft. One by one, the treasure-seekers succumb to the poison, their minds and bodies corrupted by their own greed.
Witnessing this display of human avarice and the tragic death of Qi Fang, Di Yun becomes completely disillusioned with the dark nature of humanity and the destructive power of greed. He decides to take Qi Fang’s daughter Kongxincai with him to live a reclusive life in the snowy valley. To his surprise, he finds Shui Sheng faithfully waiting there for his return, having recognized his true nature despite the accusations against him.
The novel ends with this unexpected reunion, suggesting the possibility of finding peace and authentic relationships away from the corrupt world of martial arts and power struggles.
Themes
Betrayal and redemption
The novel explores multiple layers of betrayal - between master and disciple, between lovers, and between sworn brothers. Through Di Yun’s journey from naive youth to disillusioned survivor, the story examines how people respond to betrayal and whether redemption is possible. While some characters like Ding Dian find redemption through love and sacrifice, others like Wan Gui become increasingly corrupted.
Greed and its consequences
The deadly poison on the treasure serves as a literal manifestation of how greed corrupts and destroys. Those who desperately pursue wealth and power ultimately bring about their own destruction. This theme is particularly evident in the final scene at Tianling Temple, where the antagonists’ greed leads to their gruesome deaths.
Love and loyalty
The novel presents several tragic love stories that explore different aspects of devotion and betrayal:
- Di Yun and Qi Fang’s innocent childhood love destroyed by circumstance and deception
- Ding Dian and Ling Xuanhua’s doomed romance that transcends death
- Shui Sheng’s eventual recognition of Di Yun’s true nature despite societal prejudice
Disillusionment and isolation
Through Di Yun’s character arc, Jin Yong examines how experiencing betrayal and witnessing human depravity can lead to profound disillusionment. The protagonist’s ultimate decision to retreat from society reflects a philosophical stance that true peace may only be found in isolation from the corrupt world of martial arts politics.
Literary significance
Some commentators have noted similarities between A Deadly Secret and Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, particularly in their shared themes of wrongful imprisonment and revenge. Jin Yong himself acknowledged Dumas as an influence, citing him as his favourite non-Chinese novelist.
The novel is notable for its darker tone compared to many of Jin Yong’s other works. While most wuxia novels celebrate the martial arts world and its codes of honor, A Deadly Secret presents a more cynical view where greed and treachery often triumph over traditional virtues.
Yes, let me add a comprehensive cast section:
Cast
See more: A Deadly Secret characters
Protagonists
- Di Yun (狄云 – Dí Yún) – Simple peasant from Xiangxi who is wrongfully imprisoned
- Qi Fang (戚芳 – Qì Fāng) – Di Yun’s childhood sweetheart, daughter of Qi Zhangfa
- Ding Dian (丁典 – Dīng Diǎn) – A skilled martial artist imprisoned with Di Yun, becomes Di Yun’s friend and mentor
- Shui Sheng (水笙 – Shuǐ Shēng) – Daughter Water Dai
Antagonists
- Qi Zhangfa (戚长发 – Qì Zhǎngfā) the Iron Chain Across the River – Di Yun’s shifu, Qi Fang’s father
- Wan Zhenshan (万震山 – Wàn Zhènshān) the Five Clouds Hand – Qi Zhangfa’s senior
- Wan Gui (万圭 – Wàn Guī) – Wan Zhenshan’s son
- Ling Tuisi (凌退思 – Líng Tuìsī) – Corrupt magistrate of Jingzhou
Important characters
- Mei Niansheng (梅念笙 – Méi Niànshēng) the Iron Bones and Dark Petal – murdered shifu of Qi Zhangfa and Wan Zhenshan
- Ling Xuanhua (凌霜华 – Líng Shuānghuá) – Ding Dian’s lover
- Master Xuedao (血刀老祖 – Xuè Dāo Lǎozǔ) – Leader of the Blood Saber School
- Water Dai (水岱 – Shuǐ Dài) the Cold Moon Sword – Shui Sheng’s father
- Hua Tiegan (花铁干 – Huā Tiěgàn) – One of the South Four Marvels
- Baoxiang (宝象 – Bǎo Xiàng) – A cannibalistic monk
- Water Spinach (空心菜 – Kōng Xīn Cài) – Qi Fang and Wan Gui’s daughter
Martial arts
- Divine Illumination Skill (神照功) – A powerful internal energy skill created by Mei Niansheng
- Liancheng Swordplay (连城剑法) – The coveted martial arts manual that drives much of the plot
- Tang Poetry Swordplay (唐诗剑法) – Taught to Di Yun by Qi Zhangfa, though he deliberately taught an
- Corpse Swordplay (躺尸剑法) – An inferior version of the Tang Poetry Swordplay with a name that sounds similar
- Blood Saber Techniques (血刀刀法) – The signature techniques of the Blood Saber School
- Six Harmonies Boxing (六合拳)
Behind the scenes
A Deadly Secret emerged from a childhood story that deeply affected Jin Yong. In his youth, his family employed a hunchbacked servant named He Sheng8 from Danyang.9 He Sheng had been falsely accused of theft by a wealthy family, leading to his imprisonment for over two years. During his incarceration, his parents died from grief and his fiancée was married off to the wealthy family’s son as a concubine.
After his release, He Sheng encountered the young master who had wronged him and stabbed him with a knife he had kept hidden. Instead of fleeing, he accepted the consequences.
Jin Yong’s grandfather Cha Wenqing,[^zhawenqing] who was then the magistrate of Danyang, learned of He Sheng’s tragic story during a review of prison cases. Though he couldn’t officially release He Sheng due to the stabbing, he quietly brought him into the Zha household when leaving his post.
This early exposure to injustice and its consequences profoundly influenced Jin Yong’s writing of A Deadly Secret. The novel’s themes of false accusations, imprisonment, and the psychological impact of betrayal echo He Sheng’s experiences.
Adaptations
Film
- A Deadly Secret (1980) by Shaw Brothers Studio
- Directed by Mou Dunfei
Television series
- 1989 TVB (Hong Kong) series Deadly Secret
- Starring Roger Kwok, Kitty Lai, Shallin Tse
- 2004 NMTV (Mainland China) series A Deadly Secret
- Starring Wu Yue, He Meitian, Shu Chang
Radio
In 1981, Hong Kong’s RTHK produced a 25-episode radio drama adaptation directed by Stephen Shin,10 starring Ben Li[^li] as Di Yun, Annie Yiu11 as Shui Sheng, Yueng Lai Sin12 as Qi Fang. The theme song was performed by Adam Cheng.13
Legacy
A Deadly Secret stands out among Jin Yong’s works for its darker themes and exploration of human nature’s capacity for evil. While some of his other novels celebrate heroism and righteousness, this work presents a more cynical view of the martial arts world, showing how greed and betrayal can corrupt even seemingly virtuous characters.
The novel’s examination of revenge and redemption has drawn comparisons to Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, which Jin Yong acknowledged as an influence. Both works explore themes of betrayal, imprisonment, and the psychological cost of seeking vengeance.
Beijing University professor Yan Jiayan14 noted that while A Deadly Secret might not be Jin Yong’s most popular work, it contains profound thoughts about how greed can corrupt human nature to a terrifying degree, destroying all human relationships including those between master and disciple, father and daughter.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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明報 – Míng Bào. A Hong Kong newspaper that was founded in 1959 See Wikipedia. ↩
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東南亞周刊 – Dōngnányà Zhōukān. A weekly magazine jointly published by Ming Pao and Singapore’s now defunct Nanyang Siang Pau. ↩
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素心劍 – Sùxīn Jiàn. Literally means pure heart sword. ↩
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湖南 – Húnán. A province in south-central China. See Wikipedia. ↩
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清 – Qīng. A dynasty ruled by the Manchu people from 1644 to 1912. See Wikipedia. ↩
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湘西 – Xiāngxī. A region in western Hunan province. See Wikipedia. ↩
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荊州 – Jīngzhōu. A prefecture-level city in Hubei province. See Wikipedia. ↩
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和生 – Hé Shēng ↩
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冼杞然 – Xiǎn Qǐrán. A radio drama director at RTHK. See Wikipedia (Chinese). ↩
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姚秀鈴 – Yáo Xiùlíng. A voice actress who portrayed Shui Sheng. See Wikipedia (Chinese). ↩
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楊麗仙 – Yáng Lìxiān. A voice actress who portrayed Qi Fang. See Wikipedia (Chinese). ↩
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鄭少秋 – Zhèng Shǎoqiū. A Hong Kong singer and actor. See Wikipedia. ↩
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嚴家炎 – Yán Jiāyán. A professor at Peking University specializing in Chinese literature. See Wikipedia (Chinese). ↩