Wen Fangwu (simplified: 温方悟, traditional: 溫方悟, pinyin: Wēn Fāngwù, jyutping: wan1 fong1 ng6) was the fifth and youngest of the Five Wen Elders (温家五老 — Wēnjiā Wǔlǎo) of the Wen family (温家) in Sword Stained with Royal Blood. He used a leather whip (牛皮软鞭 — Niúpí Ruǎnbiān) as his weapon and was eventually killed by a poisonous water arrow (毒水箭 — Dúshuǐ Jiàn) from the Five Poisons Order (五毒教).
Biography
Role in the Wen family
Wen Fangwu was the fifth and youngest of five brothers who formed the Five Wen Elders, a powerful martial arts family based in Shiliang (石梁). As the youngest elder, Wen Fangwu worked with his four older brothers to maintain the family’s power and influence in the jianghu.
The Wen family was known for its ruthless methods and was feared by many in the martial arts world. They operated from Wen Family Fort (温家堡 — Wēnjiābǎo) and were skilled in various martial arts techniques, most notably the Five Elements Formation (五行阵 — Wǔxíng Zhèn), which required all five brothers to work together.
Conflict with Xia Xueyi
The Wen family’s conflict with Xia Xueyi (夏雪宜), the Golden Serpent Gentleman (金蛇郎君), began when Wen Fanglu (温方禄), a member of the Wen family, murdered Xia Xueyi’s entire family. Xia Xueyi vowed revenge and, after obtaining the Golden Snake Sword and mastering powerful techniques, began a campaign of revenge against the Wen family, killing forty members over two years.
During this time, Xia Xueyi proved to be far superior to any individual member of the Wen family in martial arts. The Five Wen Elders, including Wen Fangwu, were unable to match him individually and lived in constant fear of his attacks.
Capture of Xia Xueyi
When Xia Xueyi fell in love with Wen Yi (温仪), Wen Fangshan’s daughter, and returned to visit her, the Five Wen Elders saw an opportunity to capture him. They secretly added a special poison called “Immortal Intoxication Honey” (醉仙蜜 — Zuìxiān Mì) to the lotus seed soup that Wen Yi prepared for Xia Xueyi, which paralysed him completely.
With Xia Xueyi unable to use his martial arts, Wen Fangwu and his brothers used the Five Elements Formation to defeat him. They then severed the tendons in his hands and feet, rendering him a cripple without any martial arts abilities, and forced him to lead them to the treasure.
Encounter with Yuan Chengzhi
When Yuan Chengzhi (袁承志) and Xia Qingqing (夏青青) came to the Wen family fortress, Wen Fangwu and his brothers attempted to use the Five Elements Formation against them. However, Yuan Chengzhi, who had learned techniques from Xia Xueyi’s manual specifically designed to counter the formation, was able to break it using a jade hairpin (玉簪 — yùzān).
Wen Fangwu also participated in confrontations with Huang Zhen (黄真), the first disciple of the Huashan School, and other opponents, but the Five Wen Elders were unable to overcome Yuan Chengzhi’s superior skills.
Attempt to seize the treasure and death
After their defeat by Yuan Chengzhi, Wen Fangwu and his brothers kidnapped Xia Qingqing and forced her to lead them to the treasure. However, Xia Qingqing was able to deceive them and lead them to a location where they encountered members of the Five Poisons Order.
During this encounter, Wen Fangwu was struck in the face by a poisonous water arrow (毒水箭 — Dúshuǐ Jiàn) fired by the Five Poisons Order. The poison was extremely potent, and Wen Fangwu died immediately from the poisoning. The poison was so strong that his eyebrows, beard, and cheeks all rotted and decayed (须眉脸颊，俱已中毒溃烂 — Xūméi Liǎnjiá, Jùyǐ Zhòngdú Kuìlàn), creating a gruesome and horrifying appearance.
This marked the end of the fifth and youngest of the Five Wen Elders, who had spent his life working with his brothers to maintain the family’s power, only to meet a tragic end while attempting to seize the treasure that had caused so much conflict.
Martial arts
Five Elements Formation
Wen Fangwu, along with his four brothers, mastered the Five Elements Formation (五行阵 — Wǔxíng Zhèn), a powerful formation technique that required all five brothers to coordinate their movements and attacks. The formation was based on the Five Elements theory and was extremely difficult to break, allowing the Five Wen Elders to overcome opponents who were individually superior to them.
The formation was used against multiple powerful opponents, including Xia Xueyi, Huang Zhen, and Yuan Chengzhi. However, Xia Xueyi had developed techniques specifically designed to counter the formation, and Yuan Chengzhi, who inherited these techniques, was able to break the formation using a jade hairpin.
Leather whip
Wen Fangwu’s signature weapon was the leather whip (牛皮软鞭 — Niúpí Ruǎnbiān), a flexible whip made from cowhide. This weapon choice reflected his position as the youngest of the Five Wen Elders and his role in the Five Elements Formation. The whip allowed for long-range attacks and could be used to entangle and control opponents, making it an effective weapon when coordinated with his brothers’ attacks.
Role in the novel
Representing family unity
Wen Fangwu, as the youngest of the Five Wen Elders, represented the unity and coordination of the Wen family. His role in the Five Elements Formation, working together with his four older brothers, demonstrated how the family’s power depended on cooperation and coordination rather than individual strength.
Contributing to the tragic story
Wen Fangwu’s actions contributed to the tragic story of Xia Xueyi and Wen Yi. By participating in the plot to capture Xia Xueyi using Wen Yi as bait, he demonstrated the family’s willingness to use any means necessary to achieve their goals, showing little regard for personal relationships or moral principles.
Demonstrating the consequences of greed
Wen Fangwu’s eventual death while attempting to seize the treasure served as a warning about the consequences of greed and ambition. After years of using cruel methods to maintain power, he met his end while trying to obtain the treasure that had been the source of so much conflict, demonstrating that the pursuit of wealth and power can lead to destruction.
Relationships
Family
- Wen Fangda — Wen Fangwu’s eldest brother and leader of the Wen family
- Wen Fangyi — Wen Fangwu’s second brother
- Wen Fangshan — Wen Fangwu’s third brother and father of Wen Yi
- Wen Fangshi — Wen Fangwu’s fourth brother
- Wen Yi — Wen Fangwu’s niece, daughter of Wen Fangshan
- Xia Qingqing — Wen Fangwu’s great-niece, daughter of Wen Yi and Xia Xueyi
Enemies
- Xia Xueyi — The Golden Serpent Gentleman, who sought revenge against the Wen family and was captured and crippled by the Five Wen Elders
- Yuan Chengzhi — The protagonist who broke the Five Elements Formation and eventually helped defeat the Wen family
- Five Poisons Order — The organisation whose members killed Wen Fangwu with a poisonous water arrow
Legacy
Wen Fangwu’s legacy is one of tragic irony and the consequences of greed. As the youngest of the Five Wen Elders, he represented the next generation of the family, but his life ended while attempting to seize the treasure that had caused so much conflict. His death by poison, which caused his face to rot and decay, served as a gruesome reminder of the destructive nature of the family’s methods and the consequences of using poison and treachery against others.
His story also highlights the theme of family unity and coordination in the novel. As part of the Five Wen Elders, Wen Fangwu’s effectiveness depended on working together with his brothers. When the formation was broken and the family’s coordination was disrupted, the individual members were unable to match their opponents, demonstrating the importance of unity and the fragility of power that depends on coordination.
Wen Fangwu’s death, along with the deaths of his brothers, marked the end of the Five Wen Elders and the decline of the Wen family, serving as a powerful conclusion to the tragic story of a family that had used cruelty and treachery to maintain power but ultimately met their end through the same methods they had used against others.