Yin Susu (simplified: 殷素素, traditional: 殷素素, pinyin: Yīn Sùsù, jyutping: jan1 sou3 sou3) was master of the Violet Hall of the Tianying Order and daughter of Yin Tianzheng, the White-Browed Eagle King. She married Zhang Cuishan and bore Zhang Wuji. She was renowned for her beauty, wit, and skill with the mosquito-whisker needle, but also for her ruthless methods before her marriage.
Biography
Tianying Order
Yin Susu grew up in the Tianying Order, a branch of the Ming Order founded by her father, Yin Tianzheng. She rose to lead the Violet Hall (紫微堂) and was involved in the order’s campaign to obtain the Dragon-Slaying Dao.
Wounding Yu Daiyan
To seize the Dragon-Slaying Dao, Yin Susu used mosquito-whisker needles (蚊须针) to wound Yu Daiyan, the third Xia of Wudang, who had been escorting the sabre. She entrusted the injured Yu Daiyan to the Dragon Armed escort for transport to Wudang, threatening the armed escort with destruction if they failed. The armed escort did not deliver him safely; Yu Daiyan was later crippled by disciples of Western Regions Shaolin. Yin Susu also killed the Dragon Armed escort personnel and left Zhang Cuishan to be blamed for the massacre.
Meeting Zhang Cuishan
While investigating Yu Daiyan’s injury, Zhang Cuishan encountered Yin Susu at the Dragon Armed escort. Unaware of her role, he tended her wounds and the two fell in love. Yin Susu hid her responsibility for Yu Daiyan’s misfortune and the Dragon Armed escort killings.
Wangpan Island and Ice Fire Island
Yin Susu and Zhang Cuishan attended the “Displaying the Sabre and Proclaiming Prestige” gathering on Wangpan Island. There Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King, seized the Dragon-Slaying Dao and took them captive. After a storm, the three drifted to Ice Fire Island. Yin Susu and Zhang Cuishan married and had a son, Zhang Wuji, whose name Xie Xun chose. Yin Susu used mosquito-whisker needles to blind Xie Xun when he attacked her in a fit of madness. She, Zhang Cuishan, and Xie Xun swore brotherhood.
Return and death
Ten years later, Yin Susu returned to the Central Plains with Zhang Cuishan and Zhang Wuji. At Zhang Sanfeng’s hundredth birthday celebration on Wudang Mountain, the orthodox sects demanded Xie Xun’s whereabouts. When Yu Daiyan recognized Yin Susu as the one who had wounded him, Zhang Cuishan took his own life out of guilt and conflicting loyalties. Yin Susu, before dying, told Zhang Wuji: “The more beautiful a woman is, the better she is at lying.” She then took her own life.
Personality and traits
Yin Susu was clever, resolute, and capable of great cruelty in pursuit of her goals. After marrying Zhang Cuishan and becoming a mother, she changed, vowing to never kill again if they returned to the Central Plains. Her final deception—pretending to reveal Xie Xun’s location to the Shaolin monks while actually keeping the secret—illustrated both her cunning and her loyalty to her sworn brother.
Martial arts and weapons
Yin Susu was skilled in the mosquito-whisker needle (蚊须针), a fine needle that could be concealed and fired in clusters. She was also adept at qin and calligraphy, and could paint and write with refinement.
See also
- Zhang Cuishan — Husband
- Zhang Wuji — Son
- Xie Xun — Sworn brother
- Yin Tianzheng — Father
- Tianying Order
- The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre
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