Tai-Chi Master

Gwanbou and Tienbou grow up as Shaolin monks but are expelled after Tienbou impulsively almost kills a fellow student who cheats in a fight. Their teacher offers final guidance about the brothers' divergent paths and issues a warning to Tienbou about his volatile temperament. With the temple behind them, they must chart a life beyond its walls.

Gwanbou and Tienbou venture into the outside world to find their place. A gang robs a local shop, but Miss Li steals the money and returns it, drawing the gang’s attention. When a girl nicknamed Little Melon is chased, Gwanbou intervenes, defeats the gang, and army reinforcements arrive, forcing the trio to flee.

The eunuch governor Liu Jin travels through town, roughing up locals. Tienbou sees wealth and power as his path, but Miss Li warns him that the governor has a heart of a viper. The warning seeds Tienbou’s ambition and sets his sights higher.

In a pub, Siu-lin searches for her lost husband and plays on a sanxian. The husband is the governor’s sister’s new husband and starts a fight, injuring Siu-lin with a stool. Gwanbou comes to Siu-lin’s aid, fending off guards from the governor’s sister and escaping with her.

The governor’s second-in-command spots their impressive kung fu and offers Tienbou a position in the army, which he accepts. Gwanbou is reluctant to join and declines, so the brothers part ways to pursue different paths.

Soldiers arrive to collect higher taxes, while rebels loot valuables from the governor to give back to the poor. Gwanbou fights alongside the rebels, and a soldier escapes toward the army camp to warn them. Tienbou murders the messenger and warns Gwanbou to stay clear of the rebels, while secretly plotting to use them for a promotion.

Gwanbou and Siu-lin rally the regional rebels and push toward the army camp. A major battle erupts, leaving many rebels dead. In the confusion, Miss Li and Siu-lin are captured by the governor’s forces during the fighting.

Tienbou is promoted to Embroidered Uniform Guard lieutenant. He kills Miss Li to prove his loyalty to the governor, and uses Siu-lin as bait to lure Gwanbou into defecting. Gwanbou arrives to confront his brother, but discovers Tienbou’s treachery and manipulation.

The fight takes its toll on Gwanbou, and his mind begins to crack under betrayal. He retreats to a countryside safehouse with Siu-lin, where he regains his sanity and experiences a transformative epiphany. He discovers a new martial arts approach inspired by natural phenomena, emphasizing soft movements to offset power.

As the governor travels to Beijing, Gwanbou and Siu-lin intercept the convoy, defeating the governor’s sister and guards. They seize the governor and carry him to the army camp to confront Tienbou. This marks a turning point as Gwanbou now wields a new kind of authority.

At the army camp, Tienbou underestimates Gwanbou, who fights with the newly developed tai chi. The clash showcases Gwanbou’s refined technique against Tienbou’s brute force, shifting the balance of power. Siu-lin watches and braces for the next move of the confrontation.

Seeing Tienbou’s brutality and manipulation, Siu-lin intervenes and persuades the troops not to follow his orders. The soldiers hesitate, allowing Gwanbou to seize the moment and determine the outcome of the standoff.

In a decisive duel, Gwanbou overwhelms Tienbou with parries and blows. Tienbou falls onto a bundle of spears and dies, ending his treachery and control over the troops.

With the rebellion crushed, Gwanbou returns Tienbou’s ashes to the Shaolin Temple and establishes his own martial school at the Wudang Mountains. He parts ways with Siu-lin, carrying forward their shared legacy through a more peaceful, adaptable form of martial arts.