Hu Qingniu

Hu Qingniu (simplified: 胡青牛, traditional: 胡青牛, pinyin: Hú Qīngniú, jyutping: wu4 cing1 ngau4), known as the Butterfly Valley Medical Immortal (蝶谷医仙), was a master physician of the Ming Order renowned for his exceptional medical skills. His strict rule of only treating Ming Order members earned him the nickname “See Death Without Saving” (见死不救). Despite this seemingly harsh policy, he was a compassionate man who was deeply devoted to his wife Wang Nangu and who taught Zhang Wuji his complete medical knowledge. He was ultimately killed by Daiqisi, the Purple-Robed Dragon King (also known as Golden Flower Granny), in revenge for his refusal to treat her husband Han Qianye.

Biography

Early life and medical studies

Hu Qingniu dedicated his early life to studying medicine, with the goal of saving lives and helping others. His exceptional talent and dedication led him to become one of the most skilled physicians in the martial arts world, capable of treating almost any difficult or strange illness.

The tragedy of Hu Qingyang

During his early career, Hu Qingniu encountered someone in Guizhou’s Miao territories who had been poisoned by the Golden Silkworm Gu (金蚕蛊毒). Hu Qingniu worked for three days and three nights without sleep, exhausting himself to save the man’s life. Grateful, the two men became sworn brothers, with a relationship as close as that between real siblings.

Hu Qingniu even promised his sister Hu Qingyang (胡青羊) to this man in marriage. However, this man—who was later revealed to be Xian Yutong, the leader of the Huashan School—seduced and abandoned Hu Qingyang, leading to her death.

Devastated by his sister’s death, Hu Qingniu attempted to take revenge against Xian Yutong three times, but he was defeated on each occasion. His final attempt nearly cost him his life, as his martial arts abilities were far inferior to Xian Yutong’s. Unable to defeat Xian Yutong on his own and unwilling to ask his Ming Order brothers for help, Hu Qingniu could only suppress his grief, guilt, and desire for revenge, shedding tears in private.

The rule of “See Death Without Saving”

After his experiences with Xian Yutong and his relationship with Wang Nangu, Hu Qingniu established a strict rule: he would only treat members of the Ming Order. To those outside the Order, even if they offered mountains of gold, he would refuse treatment. This policy earned him the nickname “See Death Without Saving” (见死不救).

This rule was partly motivated by his desire to prevent conflicts with his wife, who was an expert in poisons. Wang Nangu would sometimes poison people, and Hu Qingniu, not wanting to undermine her work, refused to treat non-Ming Order members to avoid accidentally curing her victims.

Life at Butterfly Valley

Hu Qingniu lived in seclusion at Butterfly Valley (蝴蝶谷), where he practised medicine and conducted his research. His medical skills were so exceptional that he was known throughout the jianghu as the Butterfly Valley Medical Immortal. He wrote several medical texts, including The Belt Channel Theory (带脉论), The Midnight-Midday Acupuncture Classic (子午针灸经), and The Anonymous Medical Book (无名医书).

Meeting Zhang Wuji

When Chang Yuchun brought the young Zhang Wuji to Butterfly Valley seeking treatment for the cold poison from the Xuanming Divine Palm (玄冥神掌), Hu Qingniu initially refused to treat him because Zhang Wuji was not a Ming Order member. However, when he learned that Zhang Wuji was the grandson of Yin Tianzheng, the White-Browed Eagle King, he was willing to make an exception on the condition that Zhang Wuji join the Heavenly Eagle Order and abandon his identity as a Wudang disciple.

Zhang Wuji, unwilling to betray his grandteacher Zhang Sanfeng’s teachings, refused. However, when Hu Qingniu examined Zhang Wuji’s pulse, he discovered the unique nature of the Xuanming Divine Palm’s cold poison—a condition he had never encountered before. The fact that someone could survive this poison for years while it gradually penetrated the internal organs was extraordinary.

Faced with such a rare and challenging medical case, Hu Qingniu was like a wine connoisseur encountering fine wine or a gourmet smelling delicious food—he could not resist the opportunity. After much thought, he came up with a plan: “I’ll cure him first, then kill him.” In this way, he could treat the interesting case without violating his principles.

Teaching Zhang Wuji

During Zhang Wuji’s treatment, Hu Qingniu would talk to himself about the principles of treating cold poison. Zhang Wuji, wanting to demonstrate that “we Wudang disciples understand these things too,” would sometimes argue with him or make seemingly nonsensical statements. Hu Qingniu, who had been alone in Butterfly Valley for a long time, found it interesting to have a young companion.

Over time, Hu Qingniu began teaching Zhang Wuji medical knowledge. He allowed Zhang Wuji to read his medical books and gave him his life’s works, including The Belt Channel Theory and The Midnight-Midday Acupuncture Classic, to study. Zhang Wuji demonstrated exceptional talent and understanding, and Hu Qingniu’s teachings would later prove invaluable.

The incident with Chang Yuchun

Hu Qingniu refused to treat Chang Yuchun’s injuries from the Intercepting Heart Palm (截心掌), even though he had said that if treated within seven days, Chang Yuchun could recover completely, otherwise he would lose all his martial arts abilities. Chang Yuchun had already been lying on the grass outside for six days and nights, reaching his final deadline.

However, Zhang Wuji, using the medical knowledge he had learned from Hu Qingniu, managed to save Chang Yuchun through trial and error. Hu Qingniu privately acknowledged: “One is clever and bold, one has a strong physique—the Intercepting Heart Palm’s injuries were indeed cured.”

The arrival of the injured

When Hu Qingniu contracted smallpox and wanted Zhang Wuji to leave for half a month, three disciples of the Huashan School leader came to Butterfly Valley seeking treatment. Hu Qingniu refused, but they showed him a golden flower and warned that the Golden Flower Granny would come seeking revenge. They offered to help defend him if he would treat them, but Hu Qingniu still refused.

Subsequently, more injured people arrived—fourteen in total from various factions, all wounded by the Golden Flower Granny (Daiqisi). Later, Ji Xiaofu and Yang Buhui also arrived at Butterfly Valley seeking treatment. After Zhang Wuji treated Ji Xiaofu, he wanted to help the fourteen injured people.

Hu Qingniu still refused to treat them directly, but he secretly indicated that they should seek Zhang Wuji’s help. Through a series of questions and answers with Hu Qingniu, Zhang Wuji found methods to treat these people, and their conditions began to improve.

The relationship with Wang Nangu

The fourteen people’s conditions began to fluctuate—sometimes improving, sometimes worsening. Zhang Wuji did not understand why until he discovered that Wang Nangu had been secretly poisoning Ji Xiaofu and the others, while Hu Qingniu had been secretly treating them.

When Zhang Wuji found Hu Qingniu adding medicine to Ji Xiaofu’s treatment, he mistakenly believed that Hu Qingniu was trying to poison her. Zhang Wuji and Ji Xiaofu planned to catch Hu Qingniu in the act, but instead they caught Wang Nangu.

After bringing Hu Qingniu to confront her, the misunderstanding was cleared up. Wang Nangu was Hu Qingniu’s wife, and their relationship was one of both conflict and deep affection—a dangerous “playful sparring” that was difficult to describe.

Hu Qingniu and Wang Nangu were from the same school. He specialised in medicine and became known as the “Medical Immortal” (医仙), while she specialised in poisons and became known as the “Poison Immortal” (毒仙). Wang Nangu was upset that the people she poisoned could be cured by her husband, so she became determined to develop poisons so advanced that even Hu Qingniu could not cure them.

The conflict with Daiqisi

Hu Qingniu also explained his conflict with Daiqisi (Golden Flower Granny). Years earlier, when Daiqisi and Han Qianye, the owners of Spirit Snake Island in the East Sea, had been poisoned by a Western Regions mute monk (actually Fan Yao in disguise), they came to Butterfly Valley seeking treatment. However, since they were no longer Ming Order members (Daiqisi had left the Order), Hu Qingniu refused to treat them, leading to Han Qianye’s death.

Daiqisi blamed Hu Qingniu for her husband’s death and became consumed with revenge. She set a trap in Fengyang City, injuring fifteen people from nine different factions and forcing them to seek treatment from Hu Qingniu to test whether he would truly only treat Ming Order members.

Death

Wang Nangu, determined to prove that her poisons were superior to Hu Qingniu’s medical skills, swallowed the Three Insects Three Grasses Poison (三虫三草剧毒) herself, forcing Hu Qingniu to use all his skills to save her. In frustration, Hu Qingniu took the poison from Wang Nangu and swallowed it as well.

Wang Nangu immediately regretted her actions and began crying. The two then faked their deaths, and when Daiqisi arrived, she believed they were dead and left with Yin Li (Zhuer, the Spider).

After Daiqisi left, Zhang Wuji discovered that the couple were still alive. Using the methods that Hu Qingniu had previously taught him, Zhang Wuji gave them Ox Gallstone Blood Clot Pills (牛黄血竭丹) and Jade Dragon Storax Powder (玉龙苏合散), and used golden needles on their Bubbling Spring (涌泉) and Turtle Dove Tail (鸠尾) acupoints to dispel the poison, saving both of them.

After being saved, Hu Qingniu and Wang Nangu decided to leave Butterfly Valley by carriage. However, they encountered Daiqisi on the road, who had been defeated by Miejue and forced to leave Butterfly Valley. Daiqisi killed both Hu Qingniu and Wang Nangu, and Zhang Wuji later found their bodies and buried them.

Personality & traits

Compassionate but principled

Despite his reputation as “See Death Without Saving,” Hu Qingniu was not a cold or heartless person. His refusal to treat non-Ming Order members was motivated by his desire to avoid conflicts with his wife and to maintain his principles, not by a lack of compassion. When faced with rare and interesting medical cases, he found it difficult to resist the opportunity to treat them, demonstrating his genuine love for medicine.

Devoted to his wife

Hu Qingniu’s relationship with Wang Nangu was complex but deeply affectionate. He was devoted to her, and his nickname “Stupid Cow” (胡蠢牛) reflected his self-awareness that he sometimes did not know how to properly love and care for her. Their relationship, characterised by competition and conflict but also deep affection, was one of the most unusual and touching in the novel.

Passionate about medicine

Hu Qingniu’s greatest passion was medicine. He took pride not just in his medical skills but in his innovations and discoveries in the field. When encountering rare and challenging cases, he was like a wine connoisseur encountering fine wine or a gourmet smelling delicious food—he could not resist the opportunity to study and treat them.

Grief and guilt

Hu Qingniu carried deep grief and guilt over his sister Hu Qingyang’s death. Unable to take revenge against Xian Yutong and unwilling to ask his Ming Order brothers for help, he could only suppress his emotions and shed tears in private. This unresolved grief was one of the sources of his inner conflict and sadness.

Medical abilities

Exceptional medical skills

Hu Qingniu was one of the most skilled physicians in the martial arts world, capable of treating almost any difficult or strange illness. His medical knowledge was comprehensive, covering diagnosis, treatment, acupuncture, and herbal medicine. He was able to identify rare conditions, such as the Xuanming Divine Palm’s cold poison, and develop treatment methods for them.

Medical texts

Hu Qingniu wrote several important medical texts:

The Belt Channel Theory (带脉论) – A study of the belt channel in traditional Chinese medicine
The Midnight-Midday Acupuncture Classic (子午针灸经) – A comprehensive guide to acupuncture techniques
The Anonymous Medical Book (无名医书) – An anonymous medical text containing his research and discoveries

These texts represented his life’s work and contained his medical innovations and discoveries.

Medical innovations

Hu Qingniu took pride not just in his medical skills but in his innovations and discoveries in the field. He was constantly researching and developing new treatment methods, and his contributions to medical knowledge were significant.

Limitations

Despite his exceptional skills, Hu Qingniu was unable to fully cure Zhang Wuji’s Xuanming Divine Palm cold poison, though he did teach Zhang Wuji his complete medical knowledge. This demonstrated that even the most skilled physicians have limitations and that some conditions may be beyond even the best medical treatment.

Relationships

Wang Nangu

Hu Qingniu’s relationship with Wang Nangu was one of the most complex and unusual in the novel. They were both medical and poison experts from the same school, but their relationship was characterised by competition and conflict. Wang Nangu would poison people to test whether Hu Qingniu could cure them, and Hu Qingniu, not wanting to undermine her work, would sometimes intentionally fail to cure her victims.

Despite this competition, they deeply loved each other, and their relationship demonstrated both conflict and affection. Their final act—both swallowing the Three Insects Three Grasses Poison together—demonstrated their willingness to die together, showing the depth of their bond.

Zhang Wuji

Hu Qingniu’s relationship with Zhang Wuji developed from initial refusal to treat him to becoming a teacher and mentor. Despite his rule of only treating Ming Order members, Hu Qingniu was drawn to the challenge of treating Zhang Wuji’s rare condition. Over time, he came to appreciate Zhang Wuji’s intelligence and medical talent, teaching him his complete medical knowledge.

Zhang Wuji’s success in treating Chang Yuchun and the fourteen injured people demonstrated that he had learned well from Hu Qingniu, and Hu Qingniu privately acknowledged his student’s abilities. Their relationship was one of mutual respect and appreciation.

Chang Yuchun

Hu Qingniu had a relationship with Chang Yuchun as his nephew (through the Ming Order’s internal relationships). However, Hu Qingniu’s strict adherence to his principles led him to refuse to treat Chang Yuchun’s injuries, even though it would have been within his power to save him completely.

Xian Yutong

Hu Qingniu’s relationship with Xian Yutong was one of deep hatred and unresolved revenge. Xian Yutong had been Hu Qingniu’s sworn brother, but he had seduced and abandoned Hu Qingniu’s sister, leading to her death. Hu Qingniu’s three failed attempts to take revenge, and his inability to defeat Xian Yutong, left him with deep grief and guilt that he carried throughout his life.

However, Zhang Wuji eventually avenged Hu Qingyang’s death when he fought Xian Yutong at Bright Peak, causing Xian Yutong to be poisoned by his own Golden Silkworm Gu and ultimately die at the hands of He Taichong and Ban Shuxian of the Kunlun Order.

Daiqisi

Hu Qingniu’s relationship with Daiqisi was one of enmity that led to his death. His refusal to treat Han Qianye, due to his strict rule of only treating Ming Order members, led to Han Qianye’s death and Daiqisi’s desire for revenge. Despite their attempts to fake their deaths and escape, Hu Qingniu and Wang Nangu were ultimately killed by Daiqisi.

Behind the scenes

Hu Qingniu represents one of Jin Yong’s most complex supporting characters. His nickname “See Death Without Saving” suggests a cold and heartless person, but in reality, he was compassionate and deeply devoted to his wife. His strict rule was motivated by his desire to avoid conflicts with Wang Nangu and to maintain his principles, not by lack of compassion.

His relationship with Wang Nangu is one of the most unusual in Jin Yong’s works, demonstrating how competition and conflict can coexist with deep affection and love. Their “playful sparring” through poison and medicine created a unique dynamic that was both dangerous and touching.

Hu Qingniu’s story also explores themes of grief, guilt, and the inability to take revenge. His sister’s death at Xian Yutong’s hands left him with unresolved emotions that he carried throughout his life, unable to find closure until Zhang Wuji eventually avenged the death.

The character’s name “Qingniu” (青牛) means “green/black cow,” and he sometimes called himself “Chunniu” (蠢牛), meaning “stupid cow,” reflecting his self-awareness that he did not always know how to properly express his feelings, particularly toward his wife.