Miejue

Miejue (simplified: 灭绝师太, traditional: 滅絕師太, pinyin: Mièjué Shītài, jyutping: mit6 zyut6 si1 taai3), secular name Fang Yanqing (方艳青), was the third leader of the Emei Order. Known for her exceptional martial arts abilities, extreme hatred of the Ming Order, and rigid adherence to orthodox principles, she was one of the most formidable and controversial figures in the martial arts world during the late Yuan Dynasty period.

Biography

Early life and background

Miejue was born in Kaifeng, Henan, into a family with connections to the martial arts world. Her brother, Fang Ping, known as the “Golden Melon Hammer” (金瓜锤), was killed by Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King of the Ming Order. This personal tragedy became one of the foundations of Miejue’s lifelong hatred of the Ming Order.

As a young woman, Miejue became a disciple of Fengleng Shitai (风陵师太), the second leader of the Emei Order, who was herself a disciple of Guo Xiang, the Order’s founder. Miejue’s martial arts talent and dedication to the Order’s principles led to her eventual succession as the third leader.

Relationship with Guhongzi

Miejue had a close relationship with Guhongzi, her senior brother in the Emei Order, who was also her former fiancé. However, Guhongzi was defeated and humiliated by Yang Xiao, the Bright Left Messenger of the Ming Order, and died from shame and anger. This tragedy further deepened Miejue’s hatred of the Ming Order, particularly Yang Xiao.

The loss of both her brother and her former fiancé to Ming Order members created in Miejue an obsessive hatred that would dominate her actions for the rest of her life. She came to view the Ming Order as the source of all evil in the world, more hateful even than the Mongol rulers who occupied China.

Leadership of the Emei Order

As leader of the Emei Order, Miejue was a strict and demanding master. She maintained rigid standards for her disciples and was known for her uncompromising adherence to orthodox principles. Under her leadership, the Emei Order became one of the most respected and feared orthodox factions in the martial arts world.

Miejue possessed the Heavenly Sword (倚天剑), which had been passed down through the Order’s leadership. This legendary weapon became closely associated with her and symbolised her authority and martial prowess. With the Heavenly Sword, she was considered one of the top martial artists in the jianghu, though without it, her abilities were more moderate.

Conflict with Ji Xiaofu

One of the most significant events of Miejue’s leadership was her relationship with Ji Xiaofu, who had been her most promising disciple and potential successor. However, Ji Xiaofu became involved with Yang Xiao, the man Miejue hated most, and gave birth to their daughter Yang Buhui.

When Miejue discovered Ji Xiaofu’s relationship with Yang Xiao, she gave her disciple a choice: kill Yang Xiao and prove her loyalty to the Order, or face the consequences. Ji Xiaofu, despite her feelings for Yang Xiao, refused to kill him, and Miejue killed her own disciple with a single palm strike.

After killing Ji Xiaofu, Miejue ordered her disciples to hunt down and kill Yang Buhui, the child of her enemy. However, Bei Jinyi, one of Miejue’s disciples, took pity on the child and helped her escape, claiming that she had already fled.

This incident demonstrated both Miejue’s merciless nature and her willingness to sacrifice even her most beloved disciples when they violated her principles. It also revealed the depth of her hatred for the Ming Order and its members.

The Six Major Factions’ attack on Bright Peak

Miejue played a leading role in organising and executing the Six Major Factions’ coordinated attack on Bright Peak, the Ming Order’s headquarters. Her hatred of the Ming Order made her one of the most aggressive and merciless participants in the campaign.

During the journey to Bright Peak, Miejue encountered Wei Yixiao, the Green Winged Bat King, who harassed her group. Wei Yixiao’s exceptional qinggong abilities allowed him to attack and withdraw with impunity, killing Jingxu, one of Miejue’s disciples, despite Miejue’s attempts to stop him. This incident further enraged Miejue and reinforced her determination to destroy the Ming Order.

At Bright Peak, Miejue participated in the attack on the Order’s forces. She personally killed Zhuang Zheng, the leader of the Ming Order’s Sharp Gold Banner, using the Heavenly Sword. She then led her disciples in a brutal campaign against the Sharp Gold Banner members, severing their right arms and showing no mercy even after they had been defeated.

When Zhang Wuji intervened to protect the Sharp Gold Banner members, Miejue agreed to a test: if Zhang Wuji could withstand three palm strikes from her, she would spare the remaining members. Zhang Wuji successfully withstood her attacks, forcing Miejue to honour her agreement despite her rage.

In the final confrontation at Bright Peak, Miejue fought Zhang Wuji using the Heavenly Sword, but Zhang Wuji used Great Shift of Heaven and Earth to disarm her. When Zhang Wuji returned the sword to Zhou Zhiruo, one of Miejue’s disciples, Miejue ordered Zhou Zhiruo to kill Zhang Wuji. Zhou Zhiruo, who had developed feelings for Zhang Wuji, intentionally missed, stabbing to the side rather than striking him directly.

Capture and imprisonment

After the failure of the attack on Bright Peak, Miejue and her disciples were captured by Zhao Min’s forces and imprisoned at Wan’an Temple. They were drugged with Ten Fragrance Soft Tendon Powder (十香软筋散), which caused them to lose their internal energy.

When Fan Yao, the Bright Right Messenger of the Ming Order (who had been working undercover as Kutoutuo), provided an antidote to the prisoners, Miejue initially refused to take it, declaring that she would not accept favours from the Ming Order, even if it meant death. Fan Yao was forced to deceive her by claiming the antidote was actually a poison, which Miejue then accepted as a form of suicide rather than accepting Ming Order assistance.

Death and legacy

Before her death, Miejue passed the leadership of the Emei Order to Zhou Zhiruo and revealed the secret of the Heavenly Sword and the Dragon-slaying Sabre. She ordered Zhou Zhiruo to use her beauty to obtain the sabre, break both weapons to access the secrets within (the Nine Yin Manual and the Book of Wumu), and use these to strengthen the Emei Order and complete the mission of driving out the Mongols.

Miejue also forced Zhou Zhiruo to make a terrible oath: she must never fall in love with or marry Zhang Wuji, and if she did, her descendants would suffer and Miejue would return as a vengeful spirit to torment her. This oath would have profound consequences for Zhou Zhiruo’s life and character.

When the prisoners attempted to escape from Wan’an Temple by jumping from the tower, Miejue, who had recovered her internal energy, refused Zhang Wuji’s assistance. Instead, she pushed Zhou Zhiruo to safety and then struck out at Zhang Wuji’s rescue attempt, causing herself to fall to her death. She was the only person among all the prisoners who died from the fall.

Her body was later cremated by her disciples, and the Emei Order, following her wishes, separated from the other orthodox factions and refused to travel with them due to their association with the Ming Order.

Personality & traits

Extreme hatred and rigid principles

Miejue was defined by her extreme hatred of the Ming Order, which had killed both her brother and her former fiancé. This hatred became so consuming that it dominated her entire worldview, leading her to view the Ming Order as the source of all evil and to justify any means necessary to destroy it, including tactics that contradicted her stated principles.

Merciless and uncompromising

Miejue was known for her merciless approach to those she considered enemies. She showed no mercy to defeated opponents, continuing to attack and humiliate them even after they had surrendered. Her willingness to kill her own beloved disciple, Ji Xiaofu, demonstrated her uncompromising nature and her prioritisation of principles over personal relationships.

Honour and dignity

Despite her merciless nature, Miejue maintained a strong sense of honour and dignity. She was unwilling to accept assistance from her enemies, even when it meant death, and she maintained her principles even in the most difficult circumstances. Her final act—refusing Zhang Wuji’s help and choosing death over accepting a favour from the Ming Order—demonstrated this aspect of her character.

Ambition and vision

Miejue possessed significant ambition for both the Emei Order and for the broader goal of driving out the Mongols and restoring Han rule. She believed that by obtaining the secrets hidden in the Heavenly Sword and Dragon-slaying Sabre, she could strengthen the Emei Order and achieve these goals, though her methods were often questionable.

Contradictions

Miejue’s character contained significant contradictions. While she maintained strict standards of honour and refused to accept favours from enemies, she was willing to use dishonourable tactics such as ordering her disciples to use their beauty to achieve goals. While she claimed to represent righteousness, her methods were often cruel and merciless, leading some to question whether she represented true righteousness or merely self-righteousness.

Martial arts abilities

Emei Nine Yang Power

Miejue cultivated the Emei Nine Yang Power (峨嵋九阳功) for thirty years, developing profound internal energy that ranked among the highest in the orthodox factions. Her internal energy was considered second only to Kongwen, the Shaolin Order leader, among the orthodox faction leaders.

Buddha’s Radiance

Miejue’s signature technique was Buddha’s Radiance (佛光普照), a devastating palm technique that had only one form but was nearly impossible to defend against. The technique’s power came from its foundation in the Emei Nine Yang Power, and once executed, opponents could neither block nor evade it effectively.

Emei Swordplay

Miejue was highly skilled in Emei Swordplay, and with the Heavenly Sword, she was one of the most formidable sword fighters in the jianghu. Her sword techniques were characterised by their precision, power, and relentless aggression.

Other techniques

Miejue was also skilled in various palm techniques, including the Floating Snow Piercing Cloud Palm (飘雪穿云掌), the Intercepting Hand Nine Techniques (截手九式), the Golden Summit Soft Palm (金顶绵掌), and the Four Symbols Palm Technique (四象掌法).

Comprehensive abilities

With the Heavenly Sword, Miejue was considered one of the top martial artists in the jianghu, capable of defeating most opponents. However, without the sword, her abilities were more moderate, though still formidable. Her combination of powerful internal energy, comprehensive techniques, and the legendary Heavenly Sword made her a truly dangerous opponent.

Relationships

Zhou Zhiruo

Miejue’s relationship with Zhou Zhiruo was complex. She passed the leadership of the Emei Order to Zhou Zhiruo and entrusted her with the Order’s most important secrets. However, she also forced Zhou Zhiruo to make a terrible oath that would torment her for the rest of her life and drive her to commit acts against her nature.

Ji Xiaofu

Miejue’s relationship with Ji Xiaofu demonstrated both her capacity for love and her merciless nature. Ji Xiaofu had been Miejue’s most beloved disciple and potential successor, but when Ji Xiaofu violated Miejue’s principles by becoming involved with Yang Xiao, Miejue killed her without hesitation.

Guhongzi

Miejue’s relationship with Guhongzi, her former fiancé and senior brother, was one of the foundations of her hatred for the Ming Order. Guhongzi’s death at Yang Xiao’s hands (indirectly, through humiliation) became one of Miejue’s primary motivations for her lifelong campaign against the Ming Order.

Zhang Wuji

Miejue’s relationship with Zhang Wuji was characterised by hatred and conflict. She viewed him as the leader of the Ming Order and therefore as an enemy to be destroyed. Her unwillingness to accept his assistance, even when it meant death, demonstrated the depth of her hatred and her commitment to her principles.

Fellow orthodox leaders

Miejue worked with other orthodox faction leaders in the campaign against the Ming Order, but her extreme hatred and merciless methods sometimes put her at odds with leaders who had more moderate approaches. Despite these differences, she was respected for her martial prowess and her dedication to orthodox principles.

Behind the scenes

Miejue represents one of Jin Yong’s most complex and controversial characters, embodying the question of whether strict adherence to principle can itself become a form of evil when divorced from compassion and wisdom. Her name, which means “extermination” or “annihilation,” reflects both her methods and her character.

The character explores themes of hatred, revenge, and the ways in which personal tragedy can distort one’s worldview and justify extreme actions. Miejue’s obsessive hatred of the Ming Order, while understandable given her personal losses, ultimately becomes a destructive force that harms both her enemies and her own disciples.

Miejue’s contradictions—her strict honour combined with her willingness to use dishonourable methods, her claims to righteousness combined with her merciless actions—serve to question the nature of true righteousness and the relationship between means and ends in the pursuit of justice.

Her influence on Zhou Zhiruo demonstrates how the values and methods of one generation can be passed down to the next, and how even well-intentioned teachings can lead to destructive outcomes when they are based on hatred rather than wisdom.