Du Dajin

Du Dajin (simplified: 都大锦, traditional: 都大錦, pinyin: Dū Dàjǐn, jyutping: dou1 daai6 gam2), known as Multi-Armed Bear (多臂熊), was the leader of the Longmen Escort Bureau (龙门镖局) in Lin’an (临安, present-day Hangzhou). A Shaolin lay disciple (少林俗家弟子), he was renowned for his skill with steel darts. He accepted a large payment from Yin Susu to transport Yu Daiyan to Mount Wudang, but was tricked into handing Yu Daiyan over to Yuan agents disguised as Wudang disciples. This led to Yu Daiyan being paralysed by Asan, and Du Dajin and his entire escort bureau were later killed by Yin Susu in retaliation for failing to complete the mission.

Biography

Early life and career

Du Dajin was a lay disciple of the Shaolin Order, having studied martial arts at Shaolin Temple. After completing his training, he became the leader of the Longmen Escort Bureau in Lin’an, which was one of the most reputable escort agencies in the region.

Du Dajin was skilled in both fist techniques and sabre techniques, but he was most famous for his steel dart skills. He could simultaneously fire forty-nine darts at the same time, earning him the nickname “Multi-Armed Bear” (多臂熊). This exceptional ability made him a respected figure in the escort business, and the Longmen Escort Bureau enjoyed a good reputation under his leadership.

The Yu Daiyan escort mission

In the third month of the year, Du Dajin was approached by a customer who identified herself as “Yin” (later revealed to be Yin Susu of the Heavenly Eagle Order). The customer wanted to hire the Longmen Escort Bureau to transport an injured person to Mount Wudang within ten days, to be delivered personally to Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang Order.

The customer set three conditions: first, Du Dajin must personally lead the escort; second, they must travel without rest to arrive within ten days; and third, if there were any problems, the customer would kill everyone at the Longmen Escort Bureau.

Initially, Du Dajin was offended by these harsh conditions and threatened to fight the customer. However, when the customer produced two thousand taels of gold as payment (worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, more than the escort bureau would normally earn in several years), Du Dajin accepted the mission.

The customer revealed that the “package” to be escorted was actually Yu Daiyan, who was paralysed and unable to move. Despite his reservations about the unusual nature of the mission, and the fact that Shaolin and Wudang were not particularly close, Du Dajin agreed to transport Yu Daiyan to Mount Wudang.

The deception

Du Dajin and his escorts travelled for nine days, arriving safely at the foot of Mount Wudang. However, as they approached the mountain, they were met by six people on horseback, two dressed as Taoists and four in normal clothing. These six people claimed to be members of the Wudang Order, presenting themselves as the “Six Heroes of Wudang.”

Du Dajin, believing them to be genuine Wudang disciples, handed Yu Daiyan over to them. One of the men, who claimed to be Song Yuanqiao (but had a birthmark on his face, which the real Song Yuanqiao did not have), gave Du Dajin a gold nugget with five fingerprints pressed into it as a reward.

Feeling satisfied that they had completed the mission and received a reward, Du Dajin and his escorts left Mount Wudang. However, they soon encountered the real Zhang Cuishan, the fifth disciple of Wudang, who revealed that the six people were imposters and that none of the Wudang Seven Xias were Taoists (only Zhang Sanfeng was a Taoist).

Discovery of the betrayal

Realising that he had been deceived, Du Dajin raced back with Zhang Cuishan to search for Yu Daiyan. They found Yu Daiyan lying on the ground, his joints crushed and bleeding. The six imposters had actually been agents of Prince Ruyang’s household, and they had handed Yu Daiyan over to Asan, a monk from the Western Regions Shaolin Diamond Sect, who used the Great Strength Vajra Finger to crush Yu Daiyan’s bones, leaving him permanently paralysed.

Du Dajin, deeply remorseful, travelled to Mount Wudang with his deputies to explain what had happened. Zhang Cuishan initially wanted to attack Du Dajin in anger, but Song Yuanqiao stopped him, recognising that Du Dajin’s martial arts abilities were far below Yu Daiyan’s and that he had been genuinely deceived.

Zhang Sanfeng, demonstrating his compassionate nature, sent Yu Lianzhou and Mo Shenggu to protect the Longmen Escort Bureau and the families of its employees, recognising that Yin Susu had threatened to kill everyone if the mission failed.

Death

Despite Zhang Sanfeng’s efforts to protect them, Yin Susu, furious that the Longmen Escort Bureau had failed to complete the mission (even though Du Dajin had been deceived), carried out her threat. She went to the Longmen Escort Bureau and killed everyone, including Du Dajin, all the escort guards, and their families, completely wiping out the Longmen Escort Bureau.

Personality & traits

Greed and ambition

Du Dajin’s acceptance of the dangerous mission, despite the harsh conditions and threats, was primarily motivated by the enormous payment of two thousand taels of gold. His willingness to risk his life and the lives of his employees for such a large sum demonstrated his greed and ambition, though it was also understandable given that such a payment would normally take years to earn.

Carelessness

Du Dajin’s failure to properly verify the identities of the six people who claimed to be Wudang disciples demonstrated his carelessness. He failed to notice key discrepancies, such as the fact that the supposed “Song Yuanqiao” had a birthmark (which the real Song Yuanqiao did not have) and that two of them were dressed as Taoists (when only Zhang Sanfeng was a Taoist, not his disciples).

His casual acceptance of their claims, without proper verification, was a critical mistake that led to Yu Daiyan’s paralysis and ultimately to his own death.

Competence and reputation

Despite his fatal mistake, Du Dajin was a competent escort leader who had maintained a good reputation for twenty years. His Longmen Escort Bureau was considered one of the best escort agencies, and his skill with steel darts was widely recognised. However, his carelessness in this particular mission, combined with his greed, led to catastrophic consequences.

Martial arts abilities

Steel dart technique

Du Dajin’s most notable martial arts ability was his skill with steel darts. He could simultaneously fire forty-nine darts at the same time, which was an exceptional feat that earned him the nickname “Multi-Armed Bear.” This ability demonstrated his skill with hidden weapons and his precision in combat.

Shaolin martial arts

As a Shaolin lay disciple, Du Dajin was skilled in both fist techniques and sabre techniques. However, his overall martial arts level was significantly below that of Yu Daiyan and other elite practitioners in the jianghu, which is why Song Yuanqiao recognised that Du Dajin could not have been the one who injured Yu Daiyan.

Relationships

With Yin Susu

Du Dajin’s relationship with Yin Susu was purely transactional. He accepted her mission for the large payment, unaware that she was a leader of the Heavenly Eagle Order. When the mission failed (through no fault of his own, as he was deceived), Yin Susu carried out her threat and killed everyone at the Longmen Escort Bureau, including Du Dajin.

With the Wudang Order

Du Dajin had no prior relationship with the Wudang Order, as Shaolin and Wudang were not particularly close. However, his mission brought him into contact with Zhang Sanfeng and his disciples. Despite his mistake, Zhang Sanfeng showed compassion by sending disciples to protect Du Dajin’s escort bureau, though this protection ultimately failed to save them.

Behind the scenes

Narrative significance

Du Dajin’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and carelessness. His acceptance of a dangerous mission for money, combined with his failure to properly verify the identities of those who claimed to be Wudang disciples, led to catastrophic consequences for both Yu Daiyan and himself.

His death at the hands of Yin Susu also demonstrates her ruthless nature and willingness to carry out her threats, even when the failure was not the fault of those she threatened. This incident sets the stage for future conflicts and demonstrates the moral complexity of the characters in the novel.

Symbolic meaning

Du Dajin represents the consequences of greed and the importance of caution and verification in the jianghu. His story shows that even experienced and reputable figures can make fatal mistakes when motivated by greed and when they fail to exercise proper caution.