There are 40 Chapters in the 2nd and 3rd editions of this work, each chapter has a four-character title:

1. 風雪驚變 Incident in the Blizzard
2. 江南七怪 Seven Freaks of the South
3. 大漠風沙 The Winds of the Steppes
4. 黑風雙煞 Dark Winds' Twin Killers
5. 彎弓射鵰 Crooked Bow Shooting Condors
6. 崖頂疑陣 Mysterious Happenings at the Cliff's Summit
7. 比武招親 Joust for a Spouse
8. 各顯神通 Each Demonstrating His Skill
9. 鐵槍破犁 The Broken Spear
10. 冤家聚頭 Gathering of the Foes
11. 長春服輸 Changchun Admits Defeat
12. 亢龍有悔 The Proud Dragon Repents
13. 五湖廢人 The Crippled
14. 桃花島主 The Lord of Peach Blossom Island
15. 神龍擺尾 The Dragon sways its Tail
16. 九陰真經 Arts of the Nine Negations
17. 雙手互搏 Technique of Ambidexterity
18. 三道試題 3 Test Questions
19. 洪濤群鯊 Great Waves of Sharks
20. 竄改經文 Doctoring the Scripture
21. 千鈞巨岩 Heavy Weight of 1000 Jun Rock
22. 騎鯊遨遊 Roaming with the Sharks
23. 大鬧禁宮 Disturbing the Forbidden Palace
24. 密室療傷 Healing in the Secret Room
25. 荒村野店 Desolated Inn in the Village
26. 新盟舊約 New Allies, Old Stipulations
27. 軒轅台前 Pavilion's Platform
28. 鐵掌峰頂 Peak of Mt. Iron Palm
29. 黑沼隱女 The Lady Beyond Black Marsh Pit
30. 一燈大師 Reverend Monk Yi Deng
31. 鴛鴦錦帕 Mandarin Duck Handkerchief
32. 湍江險灘 Dangerous Shore Beyond the Rushing River
33. 來日大難 Upcoming Disaster
34. 島上巨變 Radical Changes on the Island
35. 鐵槍廟中 In the Temple of the Spear
36. 大軍西征 The West Expedition
37. 從天而降 Descending from the Sky
38. 錦囊密令 Secret Order Within the Brocade
39. 是非善惡 Distinguishing Good & Evil
40. 華山論劍 Duel on Mount Hua

[edit] Summary
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story was set in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and at the beginning of the Nuzhen (Jurchen) Invasion of northern China. The first part of the novel revolved around the friendship of two young men, Yang Tiexin (楊鐵心) and Guo Xiaotian (郭嘯天) who became heroes in their own rights as they fought against the invading Jin soldiers. The bond between the two was so deep that they swore to each other when their children were born, they would become either sworn brothers or sworn sisters (if both were of same gender) or be married (if they were of different genders).

The second part of the story focused more on the trials and tribulations that both of their sons underwent. Guo Jing (郭靖), Guo Xiaotian's son, grew up in Mongolia, under the protection of Genghis Khan. Yang Kang (楊康), on the other hand, grew up as a prince's son in the Jin Empire.
[edit] Brotherly Bond

Yang Tiexin married Bao Xiruo (包惜弱) while Guo Xiaotian settled down with Li Ping (李萍). When the Jin soldiers invaded Northern Song, Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian joined the citizens and fought them. Wanyan Honglie (完顏洪烈), a prince of Jin, happened upon Yang Tiexin's wife, Bao Xiruo. Enchanted by her beauty, Wanyan Honglie arranged for her whole family to be killed, and "rescued" her, taking her with him back to his kingdom. Bao Xiruo, deceived into believing that her husband was dead and that Wanyan Honglie had saved her, agreed to marry him. However, she did not live with him in the palace, choosing instead to live alone in a simple cottage that reminded her of her time with Yang Tiexin. Her son, Yang Kang grew up in the palace and was treated by Wanyan Honglie like his own flesh and blood.

Meanwhile, after the death of her husband Guo Xiaotian, another casualty of Wanyan Honglie's plot, Li Ping was rescued by Mongolian soldiers and brought to their country. There, in the harsh deserts of Mongolia, Guo Xiaotian's son Guo Jing was born and raised.
[edit] "Jingkang"

Before the death of Guo Xiaotian at the hands of corrupt government officials (led by general Duan Tiande 段天德), he and Yang Tiexin met a Taoist, Qiu Chuji (丘處機) who helped them name their two sons. Jingkang (靖康) was the era name of Emperor Qinzong, who was abducted, along with his father, by the invading Jin soldiers in 1127, ending the Northern Song Dynasty. Qiu Chuji wanted the children to remember this national embarrassment (靖康之耻), and hopefully help restore glory to their country and defeat the Jin when they grow up. The names were to be symbolic of Guo and Yang's patriotism. Qiu Chuji carved the boys' names onto two small knives, and the fathers later exchanged them to further cement the bond between the two families.
[edit] Sworn Brothers

While still a little boy growing up in Mongolia, Guo Jing saved a prominent Mongolian general, Jebe (哲別) from Genghis Khan. This event led to his subsequent tutelage under Jebe and his closeness with the Khan and his family. His childhood friend was Genghis' son, Tolui (拖雷) and daughter, Hua Zheng (華箏). Later, Guo Jing became a disciple of Ke Zhen'e (柯鎮惡) and the rest of the Jiangnan Qi Guai (江南七怪).

Yang Kang, on the other hand, grew up in luxury and great comfort in the royal court of Jin. His step-father, Wanyan Honglie loved his mother very much, so much that the affections he had for the mother was also transferred to the son. Yang Kang's teacher was the Taoist Qiu Chuji who taught him the martial arts of Quan Zhen Sect (全真教).

Unknown to both of the boys, the Jiangnan Qi Guai and Qiu Chuji had previously fought one another. Dissatisfied with the murky conditions that made the victor unclear, Ke Zhen'e made a bet with Qiu Chuji that each would teach one of the boys martial arts, and when the boys reached age eighteen, they would duel and settle things between their masters.

Even though Qiu Chuji was a noble patriot, his tutelage of Yang Kang was motivated by competitiveness to win the bet. Kang grew up with decent martial arts skill but was a master at manipulation. Choosing the wealth and luxury of his step-father Wanyan Honglie over the patriotism of his blood father Yang Tiexin made him one of the most empathetic antagonists in the entire trilogy (The Return of the Condor Heroes and The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber).
[edit] "The Copper Corpse" and "The Iron Corpse" (銅屍鐵屍)

On the night the six-year-old Guo Jing became Jiangnan Qi Guai's disciple, Mei Chaofeng (梅超風) "The Iron Corpse" (鐵屍) was seen practicing Nine Yin White Bone Claw (九陰白骨爪). She had previously blinded Ke Zhen'e and murdered his older brother. As Jiangnan Qi Guai had a serious fight with her, she summoned her husband, Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風) "The Copper Corpse," (銅屍) to support her. Chen Xuanfeng gave Zhang A'Sheng, one of the Jiangnan Qi Guai, a lethal hit with his Heart-Destroying Palm (摧心掌). He held up the little Guo Jing, trying to threaten the Jiangnan Qi Guai, but the frightened Guo Jing took out his little dagger and stabbed Chen Xuanfeng in the navel, killing him.

Mei Chaofeng, who was blinded in that battle, attempted to avenge her husband. Unable to recognize the boy by sight, her only clue was the dagger and name on it: Yang Kang. When she tracked down her quarry, her subsequent attacks on Yang Kang led her to realize that she had the wrong boy. She subsequently became a master to Kang. Yang arranged the human sacrifices Mei needed to perfect her Bone Claw, and in exchange she taught him the basics of that technique. Despite the self-serving nature of each, they eventually developed a strong teacher-disciple bond over the years. All of this, of course, was done behind Qiu Chuji and Kang's parents' back, showing a glimpse of Yang's ability to deceive and willingness to break with tradition.

As the time neared for the duel, the Jiangnan Qi Guai sent Guo Jing on a journey to Song Country. In his wanderings, he met an impish young girl named Huang Rong. Guo Jing befriended her instantly, while Huang Rong was impressed by his open and honest nature. When it is revealed that she was the daughter of the eccentric (and oft reviled) martial arts master Huang Yaoshi, Guo Jing still stood by her.
[edit] The Contest for a Spouse

Unbeknownst to his family, Yang Tiexin actually survived Wanyan Honglie's massacre and was now traveling through the lands disguised as a martial arts performer by the name of Mu Yi (穆易). His adopted daughter, Mu Nianci (穆念慈), accompanied him. It was during one of their travels through Jin country that Mu Yi first met Guo Jing and his son (although he did not know it yet), Yang Kang (who was called Wanyan Kang, 完顏康, by that time).

Mu Yi wanted to marry his daughter off to whoever could defeat her in a martial arts contest. Yang Kang came upon the contest and decided to join, easily defeating Mu Nianci who was smitten by the handsome prince. However, he refused to marry her, taking her shoe with him as a souvenir. Guo Jing fought with Yang Kang to retrieve the shoe and the girl's honour. The result was the first explosive fight scene between the two.

The fight ended after Yang Kang's mother came to the scene, but Yang Kang still refused to return the shoe to Mu Nianci. Mu Yi immediately recognised Yang Kang's mother, his own wife, but did not reveal his identity.

Later, Yang Kang captured Mu Nianci and her father, whom he had accidentally hurt during the fight with Guo Jing. Bao Xiruo came to free them both, and Mu Yi went to visit her later that night to reveal his true identity to her. Yang Kang ran into them and his mother told him that Yang Tiexin was his true father, but he refused to believe it. It would crush the romantic feelings he was developing for Mu Nianci.

Wanyan Honglie found out about this meeting and Bao Xiruo's plan to flee with her old husband and chased them down with his army. He knelt in front of her and begged her to stay, but she refused. She wanted Yang Kang, who was making progress on accepting his true father, to come with them, but he stayed with his stepfather and both Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo committed suicide, as they had no hope of escaping the capital of Jin alive.

Following the death of Yang Kang's parents, Ke Zhen'e decided it would be best for Guo Jing to be raised by the upright Quanzhen Taoist sect (Qiu Chuji's school). However, Huang Rong wanted Guo Jing to follow her and see the rest of the world. On the day that Guo Jing was to be accepted into the sect, Huang Rong interrupted the proceedings with her martial-sister Mei Chaofeng in tow. The Jiangnan Qi Guai (except the blind leader) have little wish for Guo Jing to spend the rest of his life in Taoist contemplation, and surreptitiously motion for him to escape. With his teachers' tacit approval, Guo Jing followed Huang Rong out into the world.

The storyline is incomplete. Please feel free to contribute.

[edit] Characters
[edit] Protagonists

* Guo Jing (郭靖) - The son of Guo Xiaotian and Li Ping. Although he was somewhat dim-witted, he was honest to a fault and absolutely loyal. Possessed of a strong moral sense, his stubborn refusal to give up more than makes up for his slow learning process. He learned martial arts from The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, as well as some of the internal methods of the Quanzhen sect.
* Huang Rong (黃蓉) - The daughter of the eccentric master of Peach Blossom Island, Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師), she initially disguised herself as a little beggar and was befriended by Guo Jing. Clever and quick witted, Huang Rong falls for Guo Jing's honesty and righteousness. She learned martial arts and formations from her father.
* Mu Nianci (穆念慈) - The foster daughter of Yang Tiexin, adopted while he was wandering in disguise as Mu Yi. Hong Qi Gong once taught her some martial arts, instantly making her a better martial artist than her foster father. She fell in love with Yang Kang.
* Guo Xiaotian (郭嘯天) - Guo Jing's father and sworn brother of Yang Tiexin. He died in a plot hatched by Jin prince Wanyan Honglie.
* Yang Tiexin (楊鐵心) - Yang Kang's father and sworn brother of Guo Xiaotian.
* Bao Xirou (包惜弱) - Yang Kang's mother and Yang Tiexin's wife. Believing that Yang Tiexin was dead, she agreed to marry Wanyan Honglie in order to ensure that Yang Kang would be born.
* Li Ping (李萍) - Guo Jing's mother and Guo Xiaotian's wife. After Guo Xiaotian's death, she managed to flee and was rescued by Mongolian soldiers.
* The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan (江南七怪) - also called the Seven Variants composed of Flying Bat Ke Zhen'e, Magic Hands Scholar Zhu Cong, Horse Deity Han Baoju, South Mountain Woodchopper Nan Xiren, Smiling Buddha Zhang Ahsheng, Hidden Hero of the Busy City Quan Jinfa, and Yue Sword Maiden Han Xiaoying. Due to a bet with Qiu Chuji, they searched for Guo Jing in Mongolia and when they found him, taught him martial arts.

[edit] Antagonists

As is usual for Jin Yong, the villains of this story have entirely defensible motivations.

* Yang Kang (楊康) - The sworn brother of Guo Jing and a prince of Jin. He was the son of Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo. He is the epitome of the Chinese proverb, "Love the father who raised you over the father who sired you." Initially introduced as Wanyan Kang (before his biological father is revealed), he lives the spoiled life of a prince's son, his personality progressively darkened as the series went on, as he became obsessed with power, betraying family and friends and masters. He was the disciple of Quanzhen's Qiu Chuji, and secretly became the disciple of Mei Chaofeng. He met a tragic end when he tried to kill Huang Rong. Yang Kang struck the metal spikes on Huang Rong's protective vest, which had previously been indirectly poisoned by Ouyang Feng's snake venom. Ouyang Feng refused to save him as he discovered from Huang Rong that Yang Kang was his son's true killer. Unable to save Yang Kang and unable to persuade Ouyang Fang to save him, his step-father Wanyan Honglie, was forced to leave him for dead. His corpse was eventually consumed by wild crows, who also fell dead from the poison in his body. He fathered a son with Mu Nianci, named Yang Guo.
* Ouyang Ke (歐陽克) - The nephew and disciple of West Poison (Xi Du) Ouyang Feng. In truth, Ouyang Feng was his father, who had an affair with his sister-in-law. Infamous for abducting and raping many young women, Ouyang Ke desired a union with Huang Rong. He was killed by his friend, Yang Kang, who wanted to be the disciple of Ouyang Feng (who would pass his skills to only one disciple, which was Ouyang Ke at that time) and also because Ouyang Ke's lusted for Mu Nianci.
* Qiu Qianren (裘千仞) - The leader of Iron Palm Sect(鐵掌幫). He was unable to participate in the first tournament at Hua mountain, and thus was believed to be less powerful than the Greats. He took great exception to this, and was prideful of his skills. He was known for powerful Iron Palm and his qing gong skills (speed travelling), which was advanced enough to enable him to traverse over water, earning him the nickname of water-skimming (水上飄).
* Qiu Qianzhang (裘千丈) - Qiu Qianren's elder twin brother. Because they look so much alike, he often pretended to be his brother. Qiu Qianzhang has almost no martial art skills and depended on his brother's reputation or trickery to cow his opponents. He was usually used for comic relief.
* Wanyan Honglie (完顏洪烈)- Sixth prince of Jin and Yang Kang's foster father. Having fallen in love with Yang Kang's mother, he arranged for Dian Tiande's attack on the Guo and Yang families, so he could pose as a hero and "save" her. As the king's favorite son and a likely candidate to be the next Jin Emperor, he searched for Yue Fei's War Manual to consolidate his country's domination over the Southern Song and counter the threat of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. His love for Bao Xirou is also transferred onto Yang Kang, his adopted son.
* Chen Xuanfeng (陳玄風)- Husband of Mei Chaofeng and renegade disciple of East Heretic (Dong Xie) Huang Yaoshi (黃藥師). After deciding to elope with his younger apprentice sister and lover, Mei Chaofeng, they stole the second volume of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing manual. Unable to fully understand the theories therein, they used what they could decipher and adapted their own training methods, which became cruel and dark along with their personalities. He was called The Bronze Corpse (銅屍) and with his wife earned the nickname Twin Ghosts in Black Wind (黑風雙煞). He was killed rather accidentally by the young Guo Jing in Mongolia. His skin, tattooed with the writings of the manual, was flayed by his wife and preserved.
* Mei Chaofeng - Wife of Chen Xuanfeng and renegade disciple of East Heretic (Dong Xie) Huang Yaoshi. She was blinded by Ke Zhen'e in a fight against the Jiangnan Freaks, and secretly became the teacher of Yang Kang. She was called The Iron Corpse (鐵屍) and with her husband earned the nickname The Two Ghosts in Black Wind (Heifeng Shuang Sha, 黑風雙煞). Despite the fact that she and her husband referred to each other in impolite terms, only her love of her husband could trump her devotion to her teacher. She eventually proved her devotion to her teacher, Huang Yaoshi, when she sacrificed her life for his blocking a surprise attack from Ouyang Feng.

[edit] The Five Greats

The Five Greats (Chinese: 天下五絕; pinyin: tian xia wu jue), or the five most skilled and powerful martial arts masters of Jin Yong's wulin during Guo Jing's time were:

* Wang Chongyang (王重陽) - Known as Zhong Shen Tong (中神通) or Central Divinity. Before he founded his Taoist school of martial arts, Quan Zhen Sect, he fought for his country against the Mongolians. He won the martial arts tournament on the mountain Hua Shan (華山論劍) and was thus crowned the most powerful of the five. The prize was the sacred book, Scripture of Jiu Yin (九陰真經 Jiu Yin Zhen Jing). Before his death, he split the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing into two volumes: the first dealing with internal energy cultivation, the second dealing with techniques to use that internal energy. If the book were to fall in the wrong hands, it could spell disaster, and Wang Chongyang contemplated destroying the manual before he died. Instead, he decided to direct his apprentice brother, Zhou Botong to find two places to hide the volumes, preserving it for future generations. Knowing that Ouyang Feng desired the book, Wang Chongyang faked his own death. When Ouyang Feng attempted to steal the book, Wang Chongyang managed to strike with surprise, severely injuring and driving Ouyang Feng away. Wang Chongyang died shortly after.

* Huang Yaoshi (黄藥師) - Known as Dong Xie (東邪) or East Heretic/East Evil. His name means "Medicine Master Huang"; nicknamed "Huang Lao Xie" (黃老邪 "Old Strange Huang"). Labeled an eccentric, he did as he pleased and refused to abide by the rules and tradition that governed the world of (江湖 Jiang Hu) martial arts at the time. He was the master of Peach Blossom Island and at one time had seven disciples. He could usually be seen with his jade flute which, when imbued with his prodigious internal energy, could drive a person to madness. His wife tricked Zhou Botong into allowing her to read the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing, and her prodigious intellect allowed her to copy the work for her husband verbatim. Two of his disciples, Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng secretly fell in love with each other and eloped, thinking that Huang Yao Shi would never approve of their relationship. They managed to steal the second volume of Jiu Yin Zhen Jing when they left. Huang Yaoshi's wife tried to scribe the volume out of memory again while she was pregnant. Weakened by the strain, she died during childbirth, giving birth to Huang Rong. Guilt over his wife's death prompted him to study medicine (hence the name Yaoshi) in an attempt to resurrect her, and also left Huang Yaoshi with a blind rage against those who would study the book that killed his wife.

* Ouyang Feng (歐陽鋒） - Known as Xi Du (西毒) or West Poison. His obsession with the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing blinded him and darkened his personality. Known for his Toad stance and serpent staff, both of which could deliver crippling or even lethal poison. His disciple and "nephew" Ouyang Ke was actually his illegitimate son, the result of a liaison with his sister-in-law. After seizing a slightly changed copy of the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing from Guo Jing, Ouyang Feng began his corrupted training. Despite the improper channeling of his qi, Ouyang Feng's skills were so great he was able to wrench the incomplete teachings into the power he desired; as a side effect, instead of the death any normal person would have earned, he "merely" goes insane. At the end of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, no one could match his martial arts, from Huang Yaoshi or Hong Qi Gong to the rising star Guo Jing. Finally, he was tricked by Huang Rong into seeking the martial artist she claimed he could never defeat. And so he ran off, never realizing that this "Ouyang Feng" she spoke of was himself.

* Duan Zhixing （段智興） - Known as Nan Di (南帝) or South Emperor. He was the ruler of Dali, an independent country in southern China. Famous for his Yi Yang Finger, which had both medical and combat applications. He had four disciples. Guilt over the death of Zhou Botong's illegitimate child led him to renounce his throne and become a Buddhist monk, and he lived secluded in a mountain monastery with an Indian monk, known for his ability to treat poison.

* Hong Qigong （洪七公） - Known as Bei Gai or North Beggar. He was the eighteenth leader of the Beggars' Sect and loved exotic food and wine. Known for his Xiang Long Shi Ba Zhang (降龍十八掌 “The 18 Dragon Subduing Palms”), his Dog Beating Stick techniques. He severed his right index finger out of guilt when his love of food caused him to fail a mission. This as well as his formidable martial arts prowess earned him the name The Nine-Fingered Beggar Master or Jiu Zhi Shen Gai (九指神丐). Hong Qigong seemed to prefer to teach a few moves where needed (cf. Mu Nianci) as opposed to taking on disciples. Huang Rong used Hong Qigong's love of good food against him, forcing him to choose between the food and accepting herself and Guo Jing as his disciples. Naturally, he soon had two official disciples.

[edit] Adaptations

Most of Jinyong's work has been translated into many other media including The Legend of the Condor Heroes.