Wu Fei, Leon Lai, and his uncle Ping travel together as brick salesmen. They find themselves on the road to the home of Ling, Michelle Reis, to deliver bricks for the grave of Ling's recently deceased master, who himself was the mastermind behind a sect of poisoners and, as such, possessed a medical manual that several factions now crave.
Other members of this poisoners' sect want that manual for themselves, and their pursuit leads to an outrageous assassination attempt on Ling, packed with slapstick humor and a flurry of tumbles, slips, and comic misfires that set the tone for a film built on action and light-hearted chaos.
After witnessing this trouble, Fei and Ping run away and end up in Nanking, where they learn their friend Chung has been framed by Young Fung, Elvis Tsui Kam-Kong, son of the local crime boss Master Fung. Fei and Ping stage a confrontation against the crime boss, a clash that ends with Ping’s death and forces Fei to retreat, vowing revenge for his uncle and the injustice he has witnessed.
On the road to vengeance, Fei crosses paths with Purple Yuen, Sharla Cheung Man, a driven martial artist who aims to steer the leaders of the grand sects away from distraction and back toward a larger mission: restoring the Ming Dynasty through a government-backed martial arts contest. Yuen herself desires to dominate the competition and seize the title for herself, a goal that quickly garners a complicated partnership with Fei.
The pair travel together, and their alliance deepens into romance, sprinkled with comedy and a series of spirited exchanges that keep the mood buoyant even as danger lingers. When Fei confronts Master Fung, he nearly ends Fung’s life, but Yuen—the boss’s daughter—stops him, revealing a legacy of tragedy: Fung killed Yuen’s mother's family, an act that drove her mother to suicide. This revelation intensifies the tension, as Yuen decides not to let Fei kill Fung until she can enact her own revenge.
Yet Yuen herself falls victim to Fung’s treachery, poisoned in a grotesque turn that inflates her bottom, sending Fei into a frantic bid to save her. He carries her to Ling, who has, by this point, fallen in love with Fei and will only cure Yuen if Fei breaks off his romance with her. The ensuing comic battles—between love, loyalty, and desire—unfold with all the playful energy this story can muster, and Yuen’s recovery becomes a catalyst for further hijinks rather than a straightforward resolution.
With Yuen finally cured, the trio—Fei, Ling, and Yuen—prepare to face the martial arts contest together, uniting against the various sects with the aim of bringing the warring factions to heel. The climax gathers all factions for a final showdown between Master Fung and Fei, wrapping the tale in a high-stakes duel that tests courage, loyalty, and the delicate balance between love and vengeance.
