Gai Yiming

Gai Yiming

Contents

Gai Yiming (simplified: 盖一鸣, traditional: 蓋一鳴, pinyin: Gài Yīmíng, jyutping: goi3 jat1 ming4), Eight Steps Chasing Toads, Rivalling Zhuan Zhu, Treading Snow Without a Trace, Skimming Water with One Leg, and the Twin Daggers Renowned in Seven Provinces, is the youngest of the Four Xias of Taiyue and its spokesman. Short, wiry and sharp-chinned, he fights with a pair of Emei piercers.

Biography

Gai does the talking when the four block Zhou Weixin’s road, reciting his full string of epithets and declaring the brothers sworn heroes who rob the rich and help the poor.1 He challenges Zhou, who deflects his piercers with Taking the Spear in Peach Garden and rides away. When Ren Feiyan’s pellet strikes his forehead, he is the first to cry “The wind is rising!” and suggest they run. Whatever Xiaoyaozi says, he answers: “Big brother, your insights are profound and your words sensible.”2

He sets out to bill a scholar four hundred liang for the brothers’ headaches and doubles it when the scholar compares them to the Emperor, then ends up lending him money. Rigging a trip-rope for a fine horse, he tells its rider exactly what it is for. Xiao Zhonghui tears his piercer from his hand and sends it into a tree.3 When she threatens to kill Xiaoyaozi, Gai bares his neck beside him, swearing the brothers will die together, and wins all four their lives and her golden hairpin.4

At Xiao Banhe’s birthday, he presents the hairpin, stammering through his titles. Told that a Blue-Blood Golden Toad lives in the muddy river, he resolves that toad-chasing, his speciality, will provide the newlyweds’ gift.5 He boasts of the brothers netting Zhuo Tianxiong instead.6

Martial arts abilities

Gai’s epithets claim great qinggong and toad-catching skill. Zhou Weixin finds his technique unremarkable and his neili average.2

See also

Footnotes

  1. See Part 1. ↩

  2. See Part 2. ↩ ↩2

  3. See Part 3. ↩

  4. See Part 4. ↩

  5. See Part 10. ↩

  6. See Part 12. ↩

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