Ai Laozhe (simplified: 矮老者, traditional: 矮老者, pinyin: Ǎi Lǎozhě, jyutping: ngai2 lou5 ze2), meaning “Short Elder”, was one of the Tall and Short Elders (高矮二老) of the Huashan School. Together with Gao Laozhe, he mastered the school’s Reverse Two Forms Blade Technique (反两仪刀法). At the Bright Summit conference, the two Huashan elders joined He Taichong and Ban Shuxian of the Kunlun School to battle Zhang Wuji with a combined blade–sword formation.
Biography
Bright Summit battle
When the six orthodox sects besieged the Bright Summit, the Huashan School sent the Tall and Short Elders to confront the Ming Order. Ai Laozhe and Gao Laozhe proposed combining the Huashan School’s Reverse Two Forms Blade Technique with the Kunlun School’s Two Forms Swordplay (正两仪剑法). The combined technique, drawing on the principles of the Hetu and Luoshu, required the four fighters to act in concert.
Ai Laozhe and Gao Laozhe wielded blades while He Taichong and Ban Shuxian wielded swords; together they surrounded Zhang Wuji in a dense formation of blades and swords. The four attackers, all with solid neili, pressed Zhang Wuji hard, and he could only endure until he gradually discerned the formation’s patterns and prevailed.
Martial arts
Ai Laozhe was skilled in the Reverse Two Forms Blade Technique (反两仪刀法), the Huashan School’s signature blade art. When the Huashan pair joined forces with the Kunlun pair, the combined “正反两仪刀剑法” formation became a formidable assault.
See also
- Gao Laozhe — Fellow Tall and Short Elder, blade partner
- Ban Shuxian — Kunlun School elder who fought alongside Ai Laozhe
- He Taichong — Kunlun School leader who fought alongside Ai Laozhe
- Huashan School
- Zhang Wuji — Protagonist who faced the combined blade–sword formation