陳凱歌最被低估的武俠片，想要表達的寓意太過深奧，號稱10年內無人看懂！

Forced to leave the mountain due to a food shortage at his Taoist temple, He Anxia finds refuge in the chaotic world of martial arts, where he is taken in by the pharmacist Cui Daoning. There, he witnesses the affair between Cui Daoning's wife, Yuzhen, and his younger brother, Cui Daorong. After Cui Daoning is poisoned by the two, He Anxia eventually becomes a disciple of the hermit Zhou Xiyu, learning the Tai Chi secret technique, the Ape Strike Technique. There, he unexpectedly uncovers a 20-year-old case involving the Tai Chi sect leader, Peng Ganwu, who stole a secret manual. To cover up his crime, Peng Ganwu uses his disciple Zhao Xinchuan to plot the assassination of Zhou Xiyu, and after the plot fails, he personally murders his disciple to silence him.