The Southern Hengshan School (simplified: 衡山派, traditional: 衡山派, pinyin: Héngshān Pài, jyutping: hang4 saan1 paai3) was one of the five schools of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance in Laughing in the Wind, based on Mount Heng (衡山) in Hunan Province. It was led by Mo Da (莫大), known by the epithet “Night Rain over Xiaoxiang” (潇湘夜雨 — Xiāoxiāng Yèyǔ).
Overview
The Southern Hengshan School specialised in swordplay characterised by swift, unpredictable movements. Its signature techniques included the Hundred Transformations Cloud Mist Thirteen Forms (百变千幻衡山云雾十三式), said to incorporate elements of street performance and sleight of hand, and the Five Divine Jians of Southern Hengshan (衡山五神剑).
Liu Zhengfeng (刘正风), known as Third Master Liu, was Mo Da’s junior and a close friend of Qu Yang of the Sun Moon Order. Liu’s “Golden Basin Hand-Washing” ceremony—his retirement from the jianghu—triggered a massacre by the Songshan School when he refused to kill Qu Yang, leading to the deaths of Liu’s family.