Opium And The Kung-Fu Master
In a small town, Lu Kua-szu (Mai Tak-lo) catches two burglars, Chin Szu-miao (Kao Fei) and Huo Chi-lun (Kuan Feng). His master Tieh Chiao-san (Ti Lung), head of the Ten Kwangtung Tigers, arrives and in a rooftop battle with the two burglars, accidentally kills Huo. Chin flees to seek the help of his gang boss Yung Feng (Chen Kuan-tai) to avenge him.Tieh wins the respect of the townsmen when he removes a threat from the town and is awarded a shield. This indirectly enhances the reputation of his friend, rice merchant Lu Ching-wen (Chan Shen), to the chagrin of his competitor Mo Tien (Ku Kwun-chung). Taking advantage of the situation, Yung arranges for a coach (Li Hai-shen) to entice Mo to switch to the opium business in partnership with him. Yielding to the temptation of high returns, Mo agrees, despite his sister Hsiao Tsui’s (Liu Hsueh-hua) advice against it.The rising popularity of opium smoking brings roaring business to Mo’s opium den. But with most of its workers addicted and neglecting their work, the Lus’ rice granary is declining in business. Lu Kua-szu tries unsuccessfully to stop them from smoking, but even Tieh himself is now deeply addicted. Lu Kua-szu also has a row with the opium den boss while trying to fetch his workers back to work. Yung later arranges for his men to pose as coolies and sneak into the rice granary to attack Lu and his friend. Tieh arrives in time to help resist them, thus deepening the enmity between Tieh and Yung.The tragic death of Lu Kua-szu’s friend and his wife from opium smoking goads him into setting fire to the opium den. He is later badly injured by Yung. Tieh arrives to challenge Yung, but, weakened by opium smoking, he is badly beaten and humiliated. Lu Kua-szu persuades his master to give up smoking before succumbing to his wounds. Tieh is helped by Lu’s friends to rehabilitate. Unable to stand Tieh’s drug-withdrawal agony, Hsiao Tsui sneaks home to steal opium for him. While trying to escape from her brother’s clutches, she dies accidentally. This strengthens Tieh’s determination to succeed.Yung becomes influential in town and kills Mo to take over the opium den and Lu’s rice granary as well. Tieh eventually recovers, challenges Yung and kills him and his lackeys.
Shaolin Martial Arts
The Manchu Emperor hates the Shao Lin martial artistes, who are among the staunch anti-Ching and pro-Han elements in China. With a view to suppressing them, the Emperor employs some top Manchu boxers, including Pa Kang (Liang Chia-jen ), and Yu Pi (Wang Lung-wei) to smash the Shao Lin Institute. The Manchu henchmen kill almost all the Shao Lin disciples, and also their teacher, Lin Tsan-tien (Lu Ti). Only two escape, Chen Pao-jung (Chi Kuan-Chi), and Li Yao (Alexander Fu Sheng), and they go to study under two hermits, and learn the secret of the deadly “Eagle Claws Technique”, which could subdue the Manchu killers. But at the end of a 3-month training period, they find the Manchu killers have unexpectedly improved their fighting skill. Then Chen and Li seek further and more intensive kung fu lessons from the Hung Hsi Kuan and Yung Chun schools, which are the originators of the Shao Lin Martial Arts. When the Manchus learn of the activities of the Shao Lin survivors, they again resume their murderous mission. The Shao Lin men encouraged by two girls, Lin Chen-hsiu (Irene Chen I-ling), and Ah Hui (Yuan Man-Chih), seek out the enemy, to avenge their comrades’ death. After a series of fierce battles, they wipe out the Manchu killers, and restore the reputation of Shao Lin.
Dragon Swamp
The “Jade Dragon” sword is stolen from Shun Yang Temple by abbot Fan Sung-yu’s female pupil Fan Ying. She later weds the villainous Tang Ta-chuan and a son and daughter are born to them. Abbot Fan eventually tracks them down and recovers the blade. Tang is defeated and escapes with his son. Fan Ying is confined in Dragon Swamp and daughter Ching-erh adopted by the abbot.Twenty years pass. The sword is once again stolen. Monk Fan sends his disciples to investigate. Among them is Ching-erh, who goes along disguised as a man.At Chen Nam Pass she meets a suspect named Yu Kiang and they clash. She is wounded but saved by “Roaming Knight,” one of Fan Ying’s earlier admirers. Ching-erh implores him to help her retrieve the coveted blade. He suggests she also enlist the aid of Fan Ying, now mistress of Dragon Swamp. They track and confront Yu Kiang for the sword and he surrenders after a fight in which both Fan and he are wounded. Without the proper antidote, they will die.Ching-erh meanwhile takes the sword back to monk Fan but is ambushed on route and loses the weapon. She follows the robbers to Sung Manor and learns Sung Chun-yi’s son-in-law Sung Yueh is the chief culprit. Sung Yueh now breaks his promise to give Fan Ying the antidote, for he’s none other than the evil Tang Ta-chuan. Fan Ying, Ching-erh, “Roaming Knight” and Tang start fighting. Sung Chun-yi helps Fan’s group. “Roaming Knight” seizes the sword before dying and hands it to Ching-erh to return to abbot Fan. Ching-erh sends a message to him before returning to Sung Manor.Fan Ying is captured. Tang and his henchmen prepare to raze his father-in-law’s manor. Ching-erh saves Fan Ying and monk Fan arrives to rescue Sung Chun-yi and kill Tang. The dying Tang finally gives Fan Ying the antidote and reveals that Yu Kiang is their son.
Killer Clans
Uncle” Sun Yu (Ku Feng) operates an underworld organization called the Lung Men Society. Among the outstanding fighters working under him are his son, Sun Chien (Wang Chung), a kung fu expert; right-hand man Lu Hsiang-chuan (Yueh Hua), and a mysterious guard named Han Tang (Lo Lieh).Meanwhile, another underworld group, the Roc Society headed by Wang Hsia, is fast extending, its influence. Their men are wreaking havoc everywhere, killing and raping. Lu Hsiang-chuan is ordered to capture the “Three Tigers”, who are responsible for killing many of Uncle’s men. He is given an audience with the chief, but is trapped and surrounded by his guards. But he succeeds in killing the “Three Tigers” and escapes when helped by someone who secretly works for Uncle.After a series of unsuccessful operations against the Roc men and the mysterious death of Sun Chien and Han Tang, Uncle suspects Lu to be a traitor, but his doubt is cleared when he tails him and sees him killing many of the Roc Society’s men.After killing the famous swordsman Li, Meng Sheng-hun (Tsung Hua), a professional killer who works for Kao Lao-ta (Chen Ping), meets Hsiao Tieh (Ching Li), the daughter of Uncle Sun, in the Butterfly Forest. A romance develops between them. He is also ordered to kill Uncle in order to get a high reward. Posing as a layman, Meng offers him his services, and is accepted. Fearing that he might not accomplish his mission due to his attachment to Uncle’s daughter, Kao sends Yeh Hsiang (Ling Yun), who has a romantic past with Hsiao Tieh and whose career has been ruined by her father, to kill him. When Yeh gets killed trying to do so, Meng’s plot is uncovered. But Uncle spares him and retains his services.Upon confiding in him about the secret of the whole organization, Lu Hsiang-chuan attacks his boss with the Seven-Star darts. After escaping through a special tunnel that his friends told him about, he goes into hiding to heal his wounds.When asked to pay the reward for killing Uncle, Lu kills Kao.While he is waiting in his headquarters for the arrival of the Chief of the Roc Society to celebrate the success of their collaboration, Uncle Sun and Meng Sheng-hun suddenly appear. Lu is hurt in an ensuing fight, and tries to seek asylum from his bosom friend Hsia Ching (Tien Ching), but is double-crossed and poisoned.Meng Sheng-hun is offered the hand of Uncle’s daughter and decides to turn over a new leaf.
The Master
Three gangsters make a surprise attack on Chin Tien-yun (Chen Kuan-tai), a renowned and skilled martial artist of strange character. Chin is badly wounded and takes refuge with Ko Chien (Yuan Te), who is already a pupil of Shih Cheng-chung (Liu Ho-nien). Chin nevertheless teaches his own martial skills to Ko out of gratitude.One day during practice at Shih’s gym, Ko accidentally reveals his new expertise. In order to protect Chin, his secret new master and also an enemy of Shih, Ko endures brutal treatment. Chin reveals his presence, a fight breaks out, and as Chin flees for his life he falls into the hands of the same three gangsters who this time kill him.Ko is expelled in disgrace, and seeks work at a small restaurant where he continues to improve his kung fu. He learns that Shih’s gym is being taken over by the three gangsters and so he immediately sets out to take vengeance. After an unequal struggle, he defeats each aggressor with the special skills he has learned from Chin.
That Fiery Girl
Bandits Fung Tung, Chang Chun and Hsieh Kiang operate from Hu Lu Valley. Hsieh has been wooing Fung’s daughter Chun-chu, a fiery but upright girl.A gold hoard is reputed buried somewhere in neighboring Mei Manor. The gang searches frantically for the map to this treasure and wreaks havoc in the district. Young knights Mei Fung-chun, Mei Ming-shih and Mei Ta-kuei resolve to rid their clansmen of this scourge.One day, a villager finds the map and plans to present it to the gang. He is killed by Fung-chun who later infiltrates the gang. Chun-chu now becomes friendly with Fung-chun, making Hsieh Kiang jealous. Fung Chun has a map of the valley sketched and hides it in a lantern which is found by Fung Tung. The map, however, had earlier been removed by Chun-chu’s old maidservant.To separate Fung-chun from Chun-chu, Hsieh Kiang proposes to match him with the maidservant’s daughter, Hsiao Hwa. Taking the map with her, Hsiao Hwa flees the valley to seek protection. Chun-chu volunteers to track her down and premises Fung Tung she will return with the escapee, whose marriage to Fung-chun is to take place the next day.Ming-shih and Ta-kuei fall into Hsieh Kiang’s trap and are brought before Fung Tung. The wedding, with Chun-chu posing as Hsiao Hwa, goes through as planned. Hsieh Kiang now accuses Fung-chun of being a spy and the three men end up in prison.Under pressure, the old maidservant tells Chun-chu that Fung Tung is not her father and that he had in fact slain her parents. Chun-chu dashes off to free the imprisoned men and they join up with a party of soldiers who arrive to arrest the gang. The bandits are killed and rounded up after a bloody clash and Chun-chu and Mei Fung-chun are finally wed.
The Shadow Boxing
The easiest way to transport corpses in Shanxi in olden days involved using the incantation of spells to animate the bodies and herd them, zombie-like, to their family homes for burial.One such corpse herder, Chen Wu, a heavy drinker and gambler, took up this unusual trade after he lost his reputation in a court case 15 years earlier.Chen and his assistant, Fan Chun Yuen (Wang Yu), receive delivery of eight corpses, but instead of dealing with them immediately, Chen goes to a gambling den, thus enraging the relatives of the dead men. When Fan eventually tracks down Chen, they hurriedly guide the corpses away. Just before they depart however, one more corpse shows up.While the other eight corpses behave “normally”, the new arrival acts decidedly more troublesome than the others. The strange group rests at a hotel along the way, and Chen heads to another gambling den. Meanwhile, Ah Fei arrives at the hotel to tell her friend Fan that her father has forced her to marry an idiot from a rich family and she wishes to escape.For once, Chen’s luck is in and he wins a lot of money from the den. The owner, Chau Tin Tai, wants his money back and in the ensuing brawl, Chen suffers a severe leg wound. Luckily, Fan appears and rescues his partner.Unable to continue on his journey with the corpses, Chen passes the responsibility of delivering them to their families’ homes onto Fan and Ah Fei. Things go from bad to worse when Fan and Ah Fei manage to quickly lose two of the bodies.But all is not as it seems. In fact, one of the two missing corpses is very much alive and is an escaped prisoner, Chang Kit (Gordon Liu Chia-hui), who was framed by Chau Tin Tai and a corrupt official, But Ying Hang. Chang had been sentenced to death and the only way he could evade capture was to disguise himself as a cadaver. His identity is finally discovered when he is caught stealing food.With the help from Fan, Chang Kit clears his name in a final showdown with the men who set him up.
