Shi Huolong

Shi Huolong (simplified: 史火龙, traditional: 史火龙, pinyin: Shǐ Huǒlóng, jyutping: si2 fo2 lung4), known as Golden Silver Palm (金银掌, Jīnyín Zhǎng, gam1 ngan4 zoeng2), was the 25th leader of the Beggars’ Guild. He mastered only twelve of the Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing, and his forced practice of the technique caused him to become partially paralysed. He later recovered most of his abilities but was killed by Cheng Kun (the Primordial Chaos Thunderbolt Hand) after a battle in which both were severely injured.

Biography

Leadership of the Beggars’ Guild

Shi Huolong was the 25th leader of the Beggars’ Guild, one of the most respected organisations in the jianghu. As leader, he was responsible for maintaining the guild’s traditions and managing its affairs throughout the jianghu.

However, the technique that had defined the guild’s leadership for generations, the Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing, had been incomplete since the fall of Xiangyang. After Yelü Qi, who had learnt the complete technique from Guo Jing, subsequent guild leaders could master fewer and fewer moves. By Shi Huolong’s time, the most any leader could learn was twelve moves, rather than the original eighteen.

Paralysis from forced practice

About twenty years before the main events of the novel, Shi Huolong attempted to practise the Dragon-Subduing Palms despite his neili being insufficient. This forced practice caused the upper half of his body to become paralysed, leaving him unable to move his arms.

This paralysis forced Shi Huolong to step away from guild affairs. He left the management of the guild to two elders—Chuan Gong (传功, Transmission of Skills) and Zhi Fa (执法, Enforcement of Laws)—and two leaders—Zhang Bang (掌棒, Staff Handler) and Zhang Bo (掌钵, Bowl Handler). However, there was no clear coordination between these four leaders, and each managed only their own business, leading to renewed conflict between the Dirty Clothes and Clean Clothes factions and the gradual decline of the guild’s power.

Search for treatment

Shi Huolong took his wife and travelled to remote mountains to search for effective treatment for his paralysis. During this period, he was absent from guild affairs for over twenty years, so long that younger guild members had never seen their leader, making it easier for an impersonator to later deceive the guild.

Recovery and confrontation with Cheng Kun

Shi Huolong’s paralysis eventually recovered to about 90 per cent, allowing him to use his arms again. When Cheng Kun (the Primordial Chaos Thunderbolt Hand) discovered Shi Huolong’s location and attempted to take control of the Beggars’ Guild, Shi Huolong confronted him at Lotus Flower Villa (莲花山庄).

In this battle, Shi Huolong used his twelve mastered moves of the Dragon-Subduing Palms against Cheng Kun. The two exchanged twelve palm strikes, and Cheng Kun, despite his formidable abilities, was forced to vomit blood and flee. However, Shi Huolong was also severely injured by Cheng Kun’s Primordial Chaos One Qi Skill (混元一气功).

Death and final instructions

Shi Huolong knew that his injuries were serious and that Cheng Kun would recover within three days and return to finish him off. Realising he would not survive, he immediately told his wife about the enemy, identifying Cheng Kun as the Primordial Chaos Thunderbolt Hand.

He gave his wife the Dog-Beating Staff (打狗棒), the symbol of guild leadership, and instructed her to take their daughter Shi Hongshi (史红石) to seek help from the Yellow Dress Maiden at Mount Zhongnan (终南山), asking her to avenge his death.

Shi Huolong then died from his injuries, never knowing why Cheng Kun had targeted him, as the two had never met before and had no personal enmity.

Discovery of impersonator

After Shi Huolong’s death, Cheng Kun and his disciple Chen Youliang used an impersonator to take control of the Beggars’ Guild. This impersonator, Liu Ao (癞头鼋, Scabies Turtle Head), a mountain stronghold chief from Jixian County in Shanxi Province, was made to resemble Shi Huolong with prosthetics and a wig.

Because Shi Huolong had been absent from guild affairs for over twenty years, and the elders had not seen him in all that time, the impersonator was able to deceive the guild members. The deception was eventually exposed by the Yellow Dress Maiden, who had been contacted by Shi Huolong’s wife and daughter.

Personality & traits

Dedication and determination

Shi Huolong demonstrated significant dedication and determination in attempting to master the Dragon-Subduing Palms despite insufficient neili. While this dedication led to his paralysis, it also showed his commitment to the guild’s traditions and his desire to restore the technique to its full power.

Responsibility

Despite his paralysis, Shi Huolong remained concerned about the guild’s welfare. He attempted to delegate authority to four different leaders, though the lack of coordination ultimately led to the guild’s decline. His final instructions to his wife, asking for help to avenge his death, demonstrated his concern for the guild’s future even as he lay dying.

Martial prowess

At the time of his battle with Cheng Kun, Shi Huolong’s mastery of twelve moves of the Dragon-Subduing Palms made him one of the top-ranking masters in jianghu. His ability to force Cheng Kun to vomit blood and flee, despite Cheng Kun’s formidable abilities and schemes, demonstrated his martial prowess, though it came at the cost of his own life.

Martial arts abilities

Twelve Palms of Dragon Subduing

Shi Huolong mastered twelve moves of the Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing, the most powerful palm technique in the jianghu. However, this represented only two-thirds of the complete technique, as the full eighteen moves had been lost after the fall of Xiangyang.

The incomplete nature of his mastery limited his effectiveness, but with his injuries 90 per cent recovered, his twelve moves were still sufficient to make him a top-ranking master. His ability to severely injure Cheng Kun, one of the most powerful and cunning opponents in jianghu, demonstrated the technique’s effectiveness even in its incomplete form.

Neili limitations

Shi Huolong’s neili was insufficient to safely practise the Dragon-Subduing Palms, which led to his paralysis when he forced himself to practise the technique. This limitation demonstrated the importance of having sufficient neili foundation before attempting advanced techniques, as techniques that were too advanced for one’s abilities could cause severe harm rather than benefit.

Relationships

With his wife

Shi Huolong had a close relationship with his wife, who accompanied him on his search for treatment for his paralysis and was with him at the end. He trusted her enough to give her the Dog-Beating Staff and entrust her with seeking help to avenge his death, demonstrating the strength of their relationship.

With Shi Hongshi

Shi Huolong’s relationship with his daughter Shi Hongshi was marked by his concern for her future. In his final moments, he ensured that she would be taken to safety and that the guild’s leadership symbol, the Dog-Beating Staff, would be preserved for her. Shi Hongshi would eventually become his successor as guild leader.

With the Beggars’ Guild

Shi Huolong’s relationship with the Beggars’ Guild was one of leadership and responsibility. His absence due to paralysis, though necessary for his recovery, contributed to the guild’s decline, as the lack of coordination among the leaders he left in charge led to factional conflicts.

Behind the scenes

Character significance

Shi Huolong’s story represents the decline of the Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing and, by extension, the Beggars’ Guild itself. His inability to master more than twelve moves, combined with his paralysis from forced practice, demonstrates how the loss of complete techniques can lead to dangerous attempts to compensate through sheer determination.

His death at the hands of Cheng Kun also demonstrates the reach and effectiveness of Cheng Kun’s schemes, showing how even powerful guild leaders could fall victim to his machinations.

Role in the narrative

Shi Huolong’s death sets up the later revelation of the impersonator and the eventual restoration of the guild’s proper leadership through his daughter Shi Hongshi. His story also provides context for the decline of the Dragon-Subduing Palms and the challenges faced by the Beggars’ Guild in the novel’s era.