Chapter 4

The Nine Yin Manual

During the Zhenghe period of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, he ordered the collection and engraving of all Daoist books from across the land, resulting in a total of 5,481 volumes known as the "Wanshou Daozang." The emperor entrusted this task to a man named Huang Shang. Huang Shang was a very intelligent person, but he was afraid that if he made any mistakes in the engraving, the emperor would have him beheaded. Therefore, he carefully proofread each volume. Unexpectedly, after a few years of reading, he became proficient in Daoist studies and, as a result, understood the profound principles of martial arts. Without a teacher, he practiced internal and external martial arts and eventually became a great martial arts master.

Although he had cultivated a formidable martial arts skill, he continued to serve as an official. One year, a peculiar and strange religious sect called the "Ming Jiao" suddenly appeared in his jurisdiction. It was said to have been brought by Persians from the Western Regions. The followers of the Ming Jiao did not worship Laozi, Confucius, or the Buddha, but instead worshiped a foreign devil, yet they did not eat meat, only vegetables.

Emperor Huizong, who only believed in Daoism, issued an edict ordering Huang Shang to send troops to suppress these heretical and foreign religions. Unexpectedly, among the followers of the Ming Jiao were many martial arts experts. They fought fearlessly, unlike the cowardly soldiers, and after several battles, Huang Shang's troops were defeated.

Huang Shang, feeling aggrieved, personally challenged the Ming Jiao's experts and killed several of their Dharma Kings. However, among those he killed were disciples of famous martial arts schools. Their relatives and friends, along with many other experts from various schools, came forward to challenge him, accusing him of not adhering to the rules of the martial arts world.

Huang Shang said, "I am an official, not a martial artist. How would I know about the rules of the martial arts world?" The others argued, saying, "If you are not a martial artist, how could you know martial arts? Did your teacher only teach you martial arts and not the rules of the martial arts world?" Huang Shang replied, "I have no teacher." They refused to believe him, and eventually, a fight broke out. Once the fighting started, Huang Shang's martial arts were strange and unfamiliar to his opponents, and he killed several of them on the spot. However, he was ultimately outnumbered and injured, and he fled. In their anger, his opponents killed his entire family.

Huang Shang escaped to a desolate and remote place and hid there, memorizing every move and technique of his dozens of enemies. He pondered how to counter them and planned to seek revenge. After an unknown amount of time, he finally figured out how to counter each of his enemies' techniques. He was overjoyed, believing that even if all his enemies attacked him at once, he could handle them. He then left the mountains to seek revenge. However, when he arrived, his enemies were nowhere to be found.

It turned out that all his enemies had died. Huang Shang searched far and wide and finally found one of his enemies. She was a woman who, when they had fought, was only a 16- or 17-year-old girl, but when Huang Shang found her, she was already a 60-year-old old woman. Huang Shang's dozens of enemies were all skilled martial artists, and their techniques were profound and complex. It took him many years to figure out how to counter each of their unique moves. He secluded himself in the mountains, thinking only about martial arts, and before he knew it, over 40 years had passed.

Huang Shang thought, "I am old now, and I don't have many years left to live." He spent decades of his life developing a martial arts system that encompassed the techniques of all the schools and wrote it down in two volumes... that is, the Nine Yin Manual.

Jin Yong's novels are widely read and have remained popular for a long time. His works are found wherever there are Chinese-speaking communities, from high-ranking officials and scholars to street vendors and common people. Even the Song Dynasty poet Liu Yong would be envious. His popularity and influence have even led to the development of a specialized field of study known as "Jinology." Issues derived from his works are often discussed and researched by his fans. Here is an example to spark further discussion!

Regarding the versions of the Nine Yin Manual in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," there is considerable debate. According to my research based on the Yuanjing edition, the version Wang Chongyang obtained after the Huashan Sword Conference can be called the "original version." Before his death, he entrusted the upper and lower volumes of the Nine Yin Manual to Zhou Botong. Zhou Botong hid the upper volume and intended to hide the lower volume on Yandang Mountain but encountered the couple Huang Yaoshi. This marked the beginning of the various versions of the Nine Yin Manual. If we consider the written versions, they can be divided into two parts: the first is the version written by Huang Yaoshi's wife after reading the lower volume, which can be called the "first pirated edition" (as she obtained it through trickery). This version was later stolen by the Copper and Iron Corpse Duo, and the version written by Huang Yaoshi's wife from memory is called the "second pirated edition." The version carved on Chen Xuanfeng's skin after he stole the book is the "reprint of the first pirated edition."

The second part is the version that Zhou Botong orally taught to Guo Jing (the lower volume may not have been complete, as part of it was burned by Guo Jing, see page 696). Later, Guo Jing wrote a version for Ouyang Feng to save his master Hong Qigong, which can be called the "revised edition of the upper and lower volumes."

Wang Chongyang had also engraved part of the Nine Yin Manual in the "Living Dead Man's Tomb," which was later learned by Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü. Yang Guo passed it on to his descendants, and it was used in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." The entire content of the Nine Yin Manual was also memorized by Guo Jing and Zhou Botong. Guo Jing wrote the complete text and hid it in the Heaven Sword when the city of Xiangyang fell, and Huang Rong created a quick-study version, which was learned by Zhou Zhiruo.

The above are the versions that have been recorded in writing. If we include the oral transmission and the errors in practice, the main characters in the story, such as the Old Fool, Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Ouyang Ke, Duan Zhi, and Yang Kang, all benefited from it, but the effects varied. The versions memorized by Guo Jing and Ouyang Ke for the purpose of marriage do not count as complete versions. After Zhou Botong tore up the original Nine Yin Manual (including the upper and lower volumes and the human skin), the versions of the Nine Yin Manual encountered by the characters in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" were not the original, and only the "revised edition" held by Ouyang Feng and the "second pirated edition" left by Huang Yaoshi's wife to the Eastern Heretic remained.

The above is an examination of the versions of the Nine Yin Manual, which, although rough, is quite enjoyable.

Additional: Chapters and Martial Arts in the Nine Yin Manual

- Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter (first edition: Nine Yin Bone Strengthening Chapter)

- This chapter is the initial method of the Nine Yin Manual. After practicing it, one's power and other aspects improve rapidly. It mentions, "People only know that sitting in meditation and stopping thoughts is a way to cultivate virtue, but they do not know that the wise and enlightened, with their perfect wisdom, cultivate both body and mind, achieving stillness in movement and peace amidst disturbance." It includes both static cultivation through meditation and dynamic cultivation from the outside to the inside.

- Healing Chapter

- This chapter is for healing injuries and can also increase one's power. Since those who can practice the Nine Yin Manual already have a certain level of cultivation, it does not mention much about external injuries but focuses on internal injuries.

- Acupoint Striking Chapter

- This chapter only discusses the key points of acupoint striking and does not provide detailed techniques.

- General Principles

- This chapter is the general principles of the Nine Yin Manual. It is written in Sanskrit and was originally authored by Bodhidharma. In the second edition, it became a precautionary measure by Huang Shang to prevent the Nine Yin Manual from falling into the wrong hands. The general principles of the Nine Yin Manual are extremely profound and can transform the illusions encountered by cultivators into supernatural abilities. The new version of the Nine Yin Manual's general principles also corrects the bias towards yin and softness in Daoist martial arts.

- Nine Yin Bone Claw / Nine Yin Divine Claw (Cruelty Divine Claw)

- This martial art is perhaps the most well-known technique from the Nine Yin Manual. It involves using the fingers to create five holes in the opponent's head, making it extremely bloody and considered an evil technique. In the original version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," the Black Wind Duo misinterpreted the "five fingers exerting force, nothing can withstand it, destroying the enemy's head, like piercing rotten soil" and practiced it as an evil technique. In the revised edition, the Nine Yin Bone Claw is indeed an evil technique practiced by Huang Shang's enemies, and the Cruelty Divine Claw is the technique to counter it.

- Heart-Crushing Palm

- A martial art from the Nine Yin Manual. In the revised edition, it is also a technique that Huang Shang aimed to counter. Those struck by this palm show no external injuries, but their internal organs are shattered.

- White Python Whip

- A whip technique from the Nine Yin Manual, officially named in the revised edition. The whip is very long, but its length has been shortened from the first edition to the revised edition.

- Soul-Transferring Great Technique

- A form of mind control, similar to modern hypnosis. It can be used against opponents with strong martial arts skills but weak minds. For example, Yang Guo used this technique to defeat Dabala in "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

- Snake Movement and Weasel Rolling Technique

- A body movement technique from the Nine Yin Manual. Even rolling on the ground is extremely agile.

- Great Demon Subduing Fist

- In the first and second editions of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," it is called the "Great Demon Subduing Fist Technique," but in the revised edition, it is just the name of a move in the Nine Yin Manual's fist techniques. This fist technique is more yang in nature, differing from the yin and soft nature of Daoist martial arts.