Zheng Bi-qiu, a provincial magistrate and the governor’s son, is kidnapped by the bandit Jade-Faced Tiger, Little Unicorn. Tiger demands the release of his imprisoned master within five days, or Bi-qiu will be killed. The governor’s other child, Golden Swallow, is sent to rescue her brother, and she sets out with the barest of disguises, showing she is not only a noblewoman but also a deft swordfighter and martial artist. At the local inn where the bandits close in, Golden Swallow demonstrates her skill, turning the tables on the attackers and holding her own against a numerically superior foe.
A local beggar, known as Drunken Cat, Elliot Ngok Wah, acts as Golden Swallow’s guardian angel, quietly saving her from an ambush later that night. When Golden Swallow tries to thank him the next day, he feigns ignorance, appearing as a hedonistic drunkard who collects scraps with an army of children. Yet he hides a sharper mind, covertly sharing the bandits’ whereabouts through a coded song that references a traditional Chinese character meaning temple (廟).
Jade-Faced Tiger’s gang has seized a local Buddhist monastery with the support of its corrupt abbot, Liao Kung Yang Chi-Ching. Golden Swallow gains entry by posing as a parishioner, but she is quickly unmasked and drawn into a fierce confrontation. Despite her prowess, she is outnumbered and narrowly escapes with her life. The battle costs her a poison-tipped wound, and she is rescued later in the woods by Drunken Cat, who nurses her back to health.
During her convalescence, Golden Swallow learns that Drunken Cat is actually Fan Da-pei, Elliot Ngok Wah, a Shaolin master and a secret leader of the Green Wand Kung Fu school. The revelation deepens the bond between the two and reframes the conflict as much more than a simple rescue mission. Fan Da-pei negotiates a prisoner exchange between Zheng Bi-qiu and the bandits’ master, a move that tests loyalties and trust on both sides. Yet once Bi-qiu is freed, Fan ambushes the bandits to prevent their master’s release, triggering a dangerous turn in the political showdown.
As government troops escort the bandit chief back to prison, the procession is attacked by the bandits. Golden Swallow, gathering her cadre of female warriors, fights courageously to hold the line, managing to kill all but Jade-Faced Tiger, who is spared only by the intervention of Liao Kung. A tense duel with Fan ensues, with Liao Kung’s loyalty and strength pitting blood-brother against blood-brother; Fan forces Liao to reevaluate his path, offering life in exchange for reform. Liao Kung seemingly agrees, but later turns on Fan at his house, testing the limits of brotherhood and ambition.
In the climactic confrontation, Fan Da-pei defeats his former ally with the symbolic power of their master’s bamboo staff, sealing the fate of the internal rift between them. The story closes on a note of hard-won justice and the fragile balance between personal honor, family duty, and the gray areas of power, leaving Golden Swallow to carry forward the memory of what was sacrificed and what remains to protect.
