Meet on the Xi He River

This is a story of revenge. Zhao Yingqiang is a businessman, and his father a famous scholar. They live an ordinary life in the capital city. Zhao Yingqiang has just been married, and shortly after his marriage he must leave home to collect some bad debts from his business partners. His wife Mei Yu and his younger sister Ying E wait anxiously for his return while looking after his father, who has become ill during his son's absence.

Guo Chongan, whose sister is the emperor's concubine, is a student of Zhao Yingqiang's father, but Guo Chongan has an evil heart. He has admired Ying E's beauty for some time, but has never been able to have her as his concubine. He knows his teacher is sick, and uses this as an excuse to kidnap both Ying E and Yingqiang's wife, Meiyu. Guo Chongan also kills his teacher when the old man tries to protect his daughters.

When Zhao Yingqiang returns home, he feels helpless. He goes to the county magistrate for help, but the county magistrate has taken bribes from Guo Chongan, and refuses to fulfill his duty as a law enforcement officer. Zhao Yingqiang decides to seek revenge on his own. He takes his life's savings and begins studying with a martial arts master. He spends several years in the mountain, practicing and meditating. When he finally acquires the necessary martial arts skills, he heads for the capital city to seek out Guo Chongan.

On his way to the capital, he passes a small town along the Xi He River. There he discovers his wife Meiyu, who has escaped from Guo Chongan's home and lives a pitiful existence in the town. She tells her husband that his sister died after being tortured by Guo Chongan. Yingqiang helps his wife to settle in another small village, then continues his journey to the capital. Once there, he meets a loyal minister who is moved by Yingqiang's story and decides to help him. Guo Chongan's sister, the emperor's favourite concubine, obstructs the case in every possible way, and the case finally ends up in the Emperor's court. The Emperor finds it hard to make a decision, and orders Zhao Yingqiang and Guo Chongan to fight a duel to settle the matter.