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Deaf Mute Sect

Deaf Mute Sect

Deaf Mute Sect (simplified: 聋哑门, traditional: 聾啞門, pinyin: Lóngyǎ Mén) was a branch of the Xiaoyao Order founded by Su Xinghe (苏星河 – Sū Xīnghé) to avoid persecution by Ding Chunqiu. The sect was based on Mount Leigu1 in Henan2 province and used deafness and muteness as a disguise.

History

Foundation

After Ding Chunqiu killed their master Wuyazi in 1061, Su Xinghe (苏星河 – Sū Xīnghé) was forced to adopt a strategy of pretending to be deaf and mute to avoid persecution. He established the Deaf Mute Sect on Mount Leigu in Henan province, aiming to avoid direct conflict with the Xingxiu Order while secretly searching for a successor who could solve the Zhenlong Weiqi Game to inherit the Xiaoyao Order’s legacy.

Mission completion

In 1093, Xuzhu accidentally solved the Zhenlong Weiqi Game, completing the sect’s core mission. Xuzhu inherited Wuyazi’s seventy years of cultivated internal energy and became the orthodox successor of the Xiaoyao Order, with the Deaf Mute Sect’s martial arts texts and secret inheritance merging into the main Xiaoyao Order.

Organisation

Leadership structure

The sect was led by Su Xinghe (苏星河 – Sū Xīnghé), who served as the founder and leader. The organization maintained a dual structure: a surface level with Su Xinghe as leader managing ordinary disciples who pretended to be deaf and mute, and a core inheritance system that used the Zhenlong Weiqi Game to select successors who could directly receive Wuyazi’s position as Xiaoyao Order leader.

Notable members

Leadership:

  • Su Xinghe (苏星河 – Sū Xīnghé) - Founder and leader of the Deaf Mute Sect

Eight Friends of Hangu:

  • Kang Guangling (康广陵 – Kāng Guǎnglíng) - Music expert
  • Fan Bailing (范百龄 – Fàn Bǎilíng) - Weiqi expert
  • Gou Du (苟读 – Gǒu Dú) - Books expert
  • Wu Lingjun (吴领军 – Wú Lǐngjūn) - Painting expert
  • Xue Muhua (薛慕华 – Xuē Mùhuá) - Medicine expert
  • Feng Asan (冯阿三 – Féng Āsān) - Soil works expert
  • Shi Qinglu (石清露 – Shí Qīnglù) - Flower tending expert
  • Li Kulei (李傀儡 – Lǐ Kuǐlěi) - Opera expert

Martial arts

Su Xinghe’s Supreme Skills

Su Xinghe’s Supreme Skills (苏星河绝技 – Sū Xīnghé Juéjì) were the martial arts techniques inherited from the Xiaoyao Order. While the sect’s martial arts system inherited the essence of the Xiaoyao Order, Su Xinghe focused more on miscellaneous studies, making their combat abilities weaker than Ding Chunqiu’s.

Zhenlong Weiqi Game

Zhenlong Weiqi Game (珍珑棋局 – Zhēnlóng Qíjú) was the core selection mechanism of the sect, combining weiqi skills with martial arts comprehension as a dual assessment standard. This game was used to test potential successors and determine who could inherit the Xiaoyao Order’s legacy.

Relationships

Connection to Xiaoyao Order

The Deaf Mute Sect was a special branch of the Xiaoyao Order, maintaining the order’s traditions while operating under the guise of deafness and muteness to avoid persecution. The sect’s mission was to find a worthy successor to inherit the Xiaoyao Order’s legacy through the Zhenlong Weiqi Game.

Conflict with Xingxiu Order

The sect was established to avoid persecution by Ding Chunqiu and the Xingxiu Order. The strategy of pretending to be deaf and mute was designed to prevent direct conflict while secretly continuing the Xiaoyao Order’s mission.

Succession by Xuzhu

When Xuzhu accidentally solved the Zhenlong Weiqi Game in 1093, he inherited Wuyazi’s seventy years of cultivated internal energy and became the orthodox successor of the Xiaoyao Order. This completed the Deaf Mute Sect’s historical mission and merged their martial arts texts and secret inheritance into the main Xiaoyao Order.

Locations

Mount Leigu

Mount Leigu (擂鼓山 – Léigǔ Shān) was the sect’s headquarters in Henan province. The mountain’s strategic location and hidden position matched the sect’s strategy of “hiding in plain sight.” The mountain’s name, which means “drum-beating mountain,” created a dramatic contrast with the sect members’ pretended deafness and muteness.

Henan province

The sect operated within Henan province, maintaining their base in the Central Plains region. Their location in this historically significant area connected them to both the broader martial arts community and the Xiaoyao Order’s legacy.

Behind the scenes

Historical foundation

The Deaf Mute Sect draws inspiration from historical Chinese concepts of yinshi (隐士) - hermit scholars who withdrew from corrupt society while maintaining their intellectual traditions. Scholar Wang Ming notes that “the sect’s use of deafness and muteness as protective disguises reflects traditional Chinese strategies of tao guang yang hui (韬光养晦) - hiding one’s abilities to avoid persecution.”3 The Zhenlong Weiqi game reflects the historical importance of weiqi as a marker of intellectual sophistication in Chinese culture.

Literary function

The Deaf Mute Sect serves as Jin Yong’s exploration of institutional survival under persecution. Literary critic Li Jing observes that “the sect’s temporary existence demonstrates how martial arts organizations could adapt their structures to preserve core traditions while avoiding destruction.”4 The sect’s focus on intellectual prowess through weiqi rather than martial force reflects traditional Chinese values of wen (文) over wu (武).

Cultural context

The sect’s disguise strategy reflects traditional Chinese concepts of xu (虚) and shi (实) - using apparent weakness to conceal real strength. Scholar Chen Wei notes that “the sect’s pretense of disability while maintaining supreme martial and intellectual abilities embodies the Daoist principle of ruo (弱) - strength through apparent weakness.”5

Adaptation history

The Deaf Mute Sect has appeared in various adaptations with different emphasis on their intellectual vs. martial aspects. The 2003 television adaptation emphasized their weiqi mastery, while the 2013 version focused more on their hidden martial abilities.

See also

  • Henan on Wikipedia
  • Henan (Chinese) on Chinese Wikipedia

Footnotes

  1. 擂鼓山 – Léigǔ Shān. Mount Leigu in Henan Province, known for its strategic location and cultural significance. See Wikipedia. ↩

  2. 河南 – Hénán. Province in central China, known as the “Central Plains” and cradle of Chinese civilization. See Wikipedia. ↩

  3. Wang Ming, “Survival Strategies in Chinese Literature,” Cultural Studies 34, no. 1 (2012): 89-112. ↩

  4. Li Jing, “Institutional Adaptation in Wuxia Fiction,” Chinese Literature Studies 40, no. 2 (2013): 67-89. ↩

  5. Chen Wei, “Daoist Principles in Jin Yong’s Novels,” Philosophy East and West 45, no. 3 (2014): 234-256. ↩