Fang Tianlao (simplified: 方天劳, traditional: 方天勞, pinyin: Fāng Tiānláo, jyutping: fong1 tin1 lou4) was a disciple of Western Regions Shaolin who, along with his fellow disciples Pan Tiangeng and Wei Tianwang, challenged He Zudao (何足道), the “Three Kunlun Sages” (昆仑三圣), on his way to Shaolin Temple.
Biography
Challenge to He Zudao
Fang Tianlao and his two fellow disciples learned of He Zudao’s reputation as the “Three Kunlun Sages” and were determined to challenge him. They arranged to meet He Zudao at Shaolin Temple to test their skills against him and demonstrate the prowess of Western Regions Shaolin to the Central Plains Shaolin monks.
Encounter with Guo Xiang
On their way to Shaolin Temple, Fang Tianlao and his companions encountered Guo Xiang. During their encounter, they had a dispute with her and took away her weapon.
Battle at the stone pavilion
The three disciples met He Zudao at a stone pavilion near Mount Song. Despite their combined efforts, all three were defeated by He Zudao one by one. During the battle, when He Zudao struck Wei Tianwang with a powerful palm strike, Fang Tianlao and Pan Tiangeng were able to grab Wei Tianwang’s arms in time, dispersing some of the force and saving his life, demonstrating their teamwork and defensive awareness.
Personality and traits
Fang Tianlao was proud and determined to prove the strength of Western Regions Shaolin. He was willing to challenge renowned masters to demonstrate his school’s capabilities.
Martial arts
Fang Tianlao was skilled in Shaolin sword techniques, likely including standard Shaolin forms such as Damo Sword Technique (达摩剑法) and Veda Demon-Subduing Sword (韦陀伏魔剑), as Western Regions Shaolin’s martial arts were derived from Central Plains Shaolin. His defensive skills and ability to coordinate with his fellow disciples showed he had solid martial arts foundations, though he was still inferior to masters like He Zudao.
Behind the scenes
Source
Character information was drawn from docs/fetched-data/HSDS_20251027_082242/人物/方天劳_20251027_003905.json and the novel.
See also
- Western Regions Shaolin
- Pan Tiangeng — Fellow disciple
- Wei Tianwang — Fellow disciple
- He Zudao — Challenged by Fang Tianlao
- Guo Xiang — Encountered on the way to Shaolin
- Shaolin Temple
- The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre