Those who have watched The Black Sabre by TVB in 1989, well it is the same storyline as it is based off the same novel. The dubbing here is better than The Black Sabre and the cast is decent but storyline wise I prefer The Black Sabre. Austin Wai is a good choice for Fu Hong Xue, he is just as good as Hugo Ng in the TVB version. Those who are unfamiliar, this storyline comes after The Romantic Swordsman, Dagger Lee. he is Ye Kai's master.
1. The Romantic Swordsman - at the end after Sang Guan Jin Hong and the Golden Coin clan is wiped out, Li Xun Huan marries Sun Xiao Hong and Ah Fei wanders off through his adventures. Jing Wu Ming, a member from the Golden Coin clan also goes missing. About 15 years later...
2. Bordertown Wanderer (this adaption and The Black Sabre is based off) - we learn in this novel Dagger Lee accepts Ye Kai as a disciple, his father was killed by various experts and his mother adopts Fu Hong Xue as a son, while giving Ye Kai away to learn martial arts from Dagger Lee so he will not be harmed by their enemies. Fu Hong Xue would go around killing many experts who were involved in his "father's" death and at the end we find out Fu Hong Xue is not his real son but in fact Ye Kai is. Fu Hong Xue knew all along he was only adopted but wanted to repay his "mother" for raising him. At the end Ye Kai and his lover Ding Ling Lin wander off together, while Fu Hong Xue too separates on his own adventure. It is also noted that Ding Ling Lin's 3rd brother was raised and taught martial arts by Jing Wu Ming who went missing at the end of the Romantic Swordsman. Ah Fei also makes a brief appearance in this story.
3. Condor in September - this novel takes place maybe a year or so after Bordertown Wanderer. Ye Kai and Ding Ling Lin continue on their adventure. Everyone is after a woman named Sang Guan Xiao Xian who is Sang Guan Jin Hong's daughter (the evil leader in The Romantic Swordsman) and she pretends to be insane but she is actually evil, highly skilled and ruthless just like her father. But she is in love with Ye Kai so she spares him his life on many occasions trying to win his love. At the end many experts die and it turns out she was behind all the killings and has a duel with Ye Kai. He spares her life because the Dagger is not to kill, and he wanders off living happily ever after with Ding Ling Lin. They retire from the pugilist world completely at this point.
4. The Moon and the Sabre - this novel is about Fu Hong Xue after his adventures from Bordertown Wanderer. It is stated Ye Kai and Ding Ling Lin has retired from the martial realm for 15 years (I find this hard to believe however). He meets a woman here who looks like his lover from the previous novel and he too gets involved with a bunch of martial arts experts and dealings. He would eventually have a happy ending with his woman here and also retires from the martial realm.
5. Flying Daggers, Again - many, many years pass, this novel is about Dagger Lee's grandson Li Huai and how he inherits the Flying Daggers from him. It is also about his lover who is also enemies with his family and their obstacles to be together. I heard this novel was not written by the former author though, and I have no idea how the ending is.
