Life Gamble

Shortly afterwards, another hitman, Xiao “Whipper” Tang (Chiang Sheng) arrives, requesting that Qiu fix his horse-carriage.

The four robbers have stolen the ‘Harmony Jade’, a valuable royal treasure, from an escort and guard service owned by Master Nan.

She tells him that the man that he tried to kill (Qiu Zi Yu) is living as a blacksmith and refuses to make weapons, no thanks to Yan.

Xiao Qiang and Xiao Tang take a rather awkward type of revenge for Qiu Zi Yu by fighting Yan Zi Fei, cutting off his hand, then offering it to Qiu as payment for making some knives for Mo Jun Feng, which he still refuses to make.

Lastly, Master Nan (Li Yi-Min) arrives and explains he is the owner of the escort party who had the harmony jade stolen from them and asks for Qiu Zi Yu’s help in getting it back.

Mao Kai Yuan refuses as Mo Jun Feng threatens him then leaves and gives him some time to think about it.

Yun Xiang hears this and challenges Mo Jun Feng to a duel, which ends up a draw when Mao Kai Yuan intervenes to prevent it from escalating further.

Mao Kai Yuan cuts a deal with Mo Jun Feng, which involves betraying and poisoning Xiao Qiang.

Mao Kai Yuan comes to Xiao Qiang’s room and cuts a deal with her to betray Mo Jun Feng.

Qiu Zi Yu finds Mo Jun Feng incapacitated, revives him, and gives him three new knives to replace the ones he destroyed.

The day arrives for the four robbers, with their respective groups of henchman, to meet with Mao Kai Yuan, have dinner, and gamble for the jade.

The robbers place their bets for the jade and once a winner is declared, one of his accomplices (and Mao Kai Yuan) kill him.

Once Yang Zi Fei kills the final robber, Qiu directs Xiao Hong to instruct Yun Xiang not to intervene as he gambles with Mao Kai Yuan.

This encounter also ends up being another draw until Yun Xiang throws a magnetic knife which catches Mo Jun Feng’s knives, then kills him.

Qiu Zi Yu tells Yun Xiang that Xiao Hong is a police officer, she was sent there undercover to get the jade, and to go make sure that she made it back to the inn.

Using his knives, and another hidden weapon, Yun Xiang gets revenge for Qiu Zi Yu by killing Master Nan and his men, then returns the jade to the police.

Reviewer Will of silveremulsion.com gave the film three out of four stars, writing, "As much as I enjoyed the beauty of that tension release, I imagine the action isn't going to be enough to sway the majority of fans into the positive on this one.

"[2] Reviewer Robert Welkner of coin-op.tv wrote, "The complex narrative wove through a web of characters and betrayals, showcasing an arsenal of hidden weapons and deceptive combat techniques rather than traditional hand-to-hand fighting."

He also noted, "A standout sequence featured Philip Kwok in an impressive battle against spearmen and flag fighters.

The film notably included Lu Feng sporting a metal hand – a distinctive feature that would later resurface in the classic 'Crippled Avengers'.