Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain turns on two family arts, the Hu family’s dao and the Miao family’s jian, which Hu Yidao and Miao Renfeng teach each other in the course of their five-day duel and which their heirs meet again on the cliffs of Jade Brush Peak.
Hu Family
- Hu Family Bladeworks (胡家刀法 – Hú Jiā Dāofǎ)
The Hu family’s dao art, recorded in the ancestral fist and blade manual and passed to sons and nephews but never to daughters or wives. It is known for unpredictable changes: Hu Yidao strikes jian blades with the hilt, the six-word formula of its techniques is “unfathomable”, and every move carries a follow-up. Named moves include Threading-Hand Hidden Dao, Advancing-Step Chain Dao, Coiling-Body Pluck-Heart Dao, Eight Directions Hidden Dao Stance, Subduing Tiger Stance, and Bow to the Buddha and Listen to the Sutras. - Flying Divine Stride (飞天神行 – Fēitiān Shénxíng)
The hereditary qinggong of the Hu bodyguard, the Flying Fox, recognised in his son by the other three bodyguards.
Miao Family
- Miao Family Swordplay (苗家剑法 – Miáo Jiā Jiànfǎ)
The Miao family’s jian art, also called 苗家剑. Miao Renfeng has one known flaw in it: he shrugs before Lift the Jian, White Crane Spreads Its Wings. Madam Hu spots the shrug in the duel at Cangzhou, and Hu Fei sees it reflected in the ice in the final duel. Named moves include Soaring-Palm Su Qin Bearing Jian, Washing Jian, Embrace the Moon, Facing-Gate Leg, Reverse-Cleave Mount Hua, Lift the Jian, White Crane Spreads Its Wings, Crimson Phoenix Greets the Sun, Yellow Dragon Turns and Spits Tendrils, Advancing Step Plucks the Stars, Step Forward, Pluck the Moon at the Cloud’s Edge, and Turn the Wrist, Yide Storms the Tent.
Among other moves of the Hu–Miao duel, Hu Yidao salutes with Homage to the Northern Dipper, and Miao Renfeng, fighting with a dao, uses Closed-Gate Iron Fan Dao and turns Sand Gull Skimming the Waves into a variation of his own that wounds Hu Yidao.
Tianlong School
- Tianlong Swordplay (天龙剑法 – Tiānlóng Jiànfǎ)
The Tianlong School is known for its palm and jian arts. The Southern Branch favours speed and ferocity, the Northern Branch steadiness and ruthlessness. Named moves include White Rainbow Pierces the Sun (Cao Yunqi), Meteor Chases the Moon (Yin Ji), Reaching Claw from the Clouds and Soaring Dragon, Rising Phoenix (Ruan Shizhong), and the killing move Erlang Bears the Mountain (Cao Yunqi). The school’s hidden weapon is the Poison Dragon Awl. - Great Seizing Hand (大擒拿手 – Dà Qínná Shǒu)
The grappling technique Ruan Shizhong uses to seize weapons.
Shaolin Order
- Dharma Swordplay (达摩剑法 – Dámó Jiànfǎ)
A plain Shaolin jian form, used by Hu Fei’s two page boys: one attacks while the other defends, so each can commit fully.
Other schools
- Eight Trigrams Palm (八卦掌 – Bāguà Zhǎng) and Eight Trigrams Dao (八卦刀 – Bāguà Dāo)
The arts of Shang Jianming of the Eight Trigrams School. Hu Yidao killed him with a Miao Family Swordplay move, breaking Turning-Body Cleave the Mountain, the twenty-ninth move of the Eight Trigrams Dao. - Wuji Fist (无极拳 – Wújí Quán)
The fist art of Master Jiang of the Wuji School, flowing move into move; its moves include Primordial Chaos Parts and Dipper Handle Points East. - Dragon Claw Grasping Hand (龙爪擒拿手 – Lóngzhǎo Qínná Shǒu) and Five Tiger Dao (五虎刀 – Wǔhǔ Dāo)
Guild Chief Fan’s arts: the grappling hand with which he once killed two tigers, and a dao art of eighty-one moves.
Other martial arts
- Spring Silkworm Palm (春蚕掌法 – Chūncán Zhǎngfǎ)
A purely defensive palm art with no counter-moves, meant for fighting at a great disadvantage. Every movement stays within half a chi, and its name alludes to a silkworm binding itself in its own cocoon. Hu Fei uses it against Miao Renfeng. - Wall-climbing Gecko Technique (壁虎游墙功 – Bìhǔ Yóuqiáng Gōng)
A qinggong skill for scaling walls. Hu Fei and Miao Renfeng try it when they fall from the ledge, but on the ice it only slows their fall. - Thousand Jin Drop (千斤坠 – Qiānjīn Zhuì)
Rooting the body immovably; Hu Fei and Miao Renfeng use it to hold their footing on the cliff. - Iron Plank Bridge (铁板桥 – Tiěbǎn Qiáo)
A rigid backward lean to let a hidden weapon pass; Baoshu uses it to escape a sudden attack from behind. - Full Sky Flower Rain (满天花雨 – Mǎntiān Huāyǔ)
A scattered hidden-weapon throw, from which Baoshu developed his technique with the iron prayer beads. - Ground Tumbling Dao (地堂刀 – Dìtáng Dāo)
Xiong Yuanxian’s dao art, fought low to the ground. - Six Harmonies Whip Technique (六合鞭法 – Liùhé Biānfǎ)
Tao Baisui’s whip art. - Moves of the fight over the iron box
Whirlwind Force and Iron Gate Bolt (Zheng Sanniang); Dragon Soars, Phoenix Dances (Liu Yuanhe); Removing the Beam and Replacing the Pillar, Step Forward and Strike the Groin, Retreating Horse-Chopping Dao and Swallow Returns to Its Nest (Tao Zian). - Kicks
Mandarin Ducks in Series (Hu Fei); Broken Stele Kick (Miao Renfeng).