The Duel of the Century 1981

Renowned swordsman Jason Pai Piao as Ye Gucheng suddenly challenges his compatriot Elliot Ngok Wah as Ximen Chuixue to a duel to the death on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Yet, for reasons unknown, Ximen postpones the confrontation, and the delay spawns rumors that he may not be able to best Ye. This unusual standoff becomes the focal point of a widening puzzle, drawing in Lu Xiaofeng, a clever and fearless swordsman who gathers his inner circle: Tony Liu as Lu Xiaofeng, Sun Chien as Hua Manlou, Walter Tso as Monk Honest, Lung Ting-sang as Sikong Zhaixing, and Shum Lo as Hermit Pine. Together they seek the hidden motive behind the postponed duel, tracing threads that lead far beyond a single match.

Lu consults Guisun Daye, a mysterious and seemingly all-knowing hermit, and Guisun directs Lu to two gamblers: Yeung Chi-Hing as Du Tongxuan and Ching Miao as Li Yanbei. When Lu goes to seek Li Yanbei, he saves Li from an assault staged by Du Tongxuan, and Li reveals that he and Du placed a high-stakes bet on Ye and Ximen’s duel—Li betting that Ximen will win because Ye has recently been poisoned. The story then twists through a tense detour as Lu encounters Du at a brothel and witnesses Ye in a confrontation with Yan Renying, who accuses Ye of murdering his senior Zhang Renying. Ye denies the charge, and Yan’s horse—carrying Zhang’s body—is released, making pursuit impossible. Lu infers that the motive behind the duel may involve revenge connected to Zhang Renying and Ximen’s wife, the latter’s status as Zhang’s martial-arts junior grounding the theory in palace politics.

Leng Qingqiu, Ye’s ailing wife, has heard whispers that only Ximen can heal Ye’s wound, and she requests Lu to secure an antidote from Ye. Ximen agrees to hand over what is needed, and Lu realizes that Ye himself does not fully understand why he agreed to the duel and that he too is chasing a truth that remains hidden. Ye, however, disappears before Lu can press him for answers. Lu learns that Li Yanbei has relinquished his bet to Kuo Chingfeng, the enigmatic leader of the White Cloud sect and the godchild of the chief imperial eunuch, Wang An. The matter deepens when Lu sees Kuo meeting with the Holy Water Sect’s chief lama, and Wang An himself arrives, confirming that he had once attempted to assassinate Lu. When Kuo departs to confer with a man named Gan Er Jiao, Lu realizes Gan is the one who released Yan Renying’s horse. Gan takes Lu to a gambling den to press for Pockmarks’ identity, but Gan is killed by Wang, and Lu and Ximen begin to doubt whether Ye truly killed Zhang Renying. Ximen reveals that a lama from the Holy Water Sect is also a superb swordsman, suggesting that the killer’s prowess could be more akin to a clandestine conspiracy than a single act of vengeance.

The investigation leads them to Zhang Renying’s corpse, where they hope to uncover a technique that would reveal the killer’s underlying method. They are ambushed at a crematorium by lama disciples, but they defeat them and rescue Yan Renying, who had been led there by Wang An. Examining Zhang’s body, Ximen concludes the murder was not Ye’s doing. Yan Renying hands over three wax figures he found on Zhang’s body, guiding Lu and Ximen to the renowned Wax Man Zhang, a master sculptor. The plan backfires when Zhang turns out to be an imposter sent by Wang An, and Lu and Ximen must rescue the real Zhang, who then restores the figures—one figure strongly resembling Ye Gucheng. Yan lunges to kill Ye, but Ye kills Yan first, leaving Lu unsettled and torn between suspicion and loyalty. Lu returns to Guisun Daye, only to find Guisun slain by Ye, who remains an enigma wrapped in tragedy. Hua Manlou sees a critical problem: Ye’s wound’s poison would seem to render him weak, making it unlikely he could strike with the skill he’s shown. If Ye truly holds sensitive knowledge about the imperial court, Wang An and his cohort would kill to protect it. Before Lu can decide what to do, Leng arrives with urgent news and Ye, now bedridden, receives the antidote that saves his life. Lu ponders whether an impersonator may be masquerading as Ye to ruin his reputation, but Ye himself confesses that he is the real Ye Gucheng and urges Lu to refrain from further inquiry until after the duel.

A tense moment arrives when Lu is summoned by Ye, only to discover a trap: an imposter Ye is sent to finish him off. The real Ye intervenes only to witness the arrival of Wang An, Kuo Chingfeng, and the imposter. Ye reveals his gratitude to them for helping his wife, and with that, he agrees to lend his services to their plans. Lu is taken prisoner to the White Cloud sect, where he meets the bastard of the previous emperor and a Tibetan princess of the Holy Water Sect. The plot’s true aim comes into view: Wang An intends to use Ye to assassinate the current emperor and install an illegitimate heir, thereby altering China’s political map and absorbing it into Tibet. To draw protection away from the emperor, the duel was staged as Ximen versus the imposter Ye, while the real Ye would carry out the assassination. Ye, kept in ignorance of the broader scheme, believes the plan would bring prosperity to his countrymen.

As the duel between Ximen and the fake Ye unfolds, Hua Manlou senses Lu’s absence and sends Sikong Zhaixing to locate and rescue the captive Lu. They free him just in time, and Lu rushes to the emperor’s quarters, where the real Ye confronts Wang An and the usurper. Ye lays bare the eunuch’s plot to topple the dynasty and merge the empire with Tibet. Kuo Chingfeng tries a final blindside, but Ye defeats him. Ximen arrives to quell the lamas’ assault, while imperial soldiers capture Wang An and the usurper. Enraged and humiliated, Ye defeats them both and agrees to duel Ximen to the death to preserve his honor. In the end, Ximen wins the duel, Ye dies by Ximen’s sword, and Lu commemorates Ye with a solemn poem that eulogizes a life spent in pursuit of a truth larger than any single duel.