Is Hoàng Sam Nữ Tử the daughter of Dương Quá?

The article below analyzes the mysterious identity of Hoàng Sam Nữ Tử, based on detailed aspects within the novels of Kim Dung.

Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ – A Mysterious Character

Although “The Heroic Conspiracy,” “The Divine Hero,” and “The Heavenly Dragon Chronicles” are collectively referred to as “The Heroic Tragedy Trilogy,” the connections between “The Heavenly” and “The Divine Hero” do not necessarily mean they are linked to each other. The context of “The Heavenly Dragon Chronicles” is set after “The Divine Hero” ends in the late Ming period. The timeline of a few decades in between is not explicitly mentioned, which is why there are many mysteries that have not been elucidated in the novels.

Last year, DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá and Tiểu Long Nữ jointly ruled the rivers and lakes, but no one knew where they had gone. Quách TÆ°Æ¡ng searched everywhere but found no news about them, and even Cô Má»™ did not see the shadow of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá and Tiểu Long Nữ. Therefore, if we look at the ending of “The Divine Hero,” we can see that Kim Dung seems to want to close the story of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá with an open ending.

Thus, when the character Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ appears in Cô Má»™ in “The Heavenly Dragon Chronicles,” it evokes a sense of shock among many readers. Is she the daughter of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá or not? In fact, there have been hints regarding this matter in the narrative.

Some people believe that the appearance of Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ is similar to that of the character Vô Danh Thần Tăng in “The Heavenly Dragon Chronicles.” This can be seen as a form of narrative homage. The appearance of this character was not foreseen at all. The character’s background was also not clearly revealed. The most important thing is that after the battle at Tàng Kinh Các, he immediately leaves, appearing only as a character who merely shows up to resolve a situation.

However, the “function” of Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ only partially resembles Vô Danh Thần Tăng, but there is still a clear distinction between the two. This can be explained through two points.

Firstly, Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ appears as a character in Cô Má»™, which also refers to the line “The Divine Hero is a great alliance, a superb river and lake.” Additionally, Sá»­ Hồng Thạch refers to her as “DÆ°Æ¡ng tứ tá»­,” hence we can speculate about her background. From there, Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ could indeed be the daughter of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá.

Secondly, Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ appears not just once, which can be considered a “protagonist” role. However, we cannot overlook the fact that her appearances serve to push the narrative forward. If she had not been there, the story would likely have fallen into a deadlock.

Thus, returning to the character’s identity, we must focus on her being a character in Cô Má»™ and the way Sá»­ Hồng Thạch describes her as “DÆ°Æ¡ng tứ tá»­,” which has raised the question of whether she is indeed DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá’s daughter or not. The answer remains unclear.

The Age and Longevity of Cô Mộ

Considering the historical context, DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá was born in the 17th year of Tống Ninh Tôn Gia Äịnh, which corresponds to 1224. We account for the year Tống Lý Tôn Cảnh Äịnh, which originates in 1260. As for when the events of “The Heavenly Dragon Chronicles” take place? That would be the late Yuan dynasty, early Ming dynasty. In other words, the time frame from the end of the Tống dynasty, when “The Divine Hero” concluded, to the time when the story of “The Heavenly Dragon Chronicles” occurs is nearly a hundred years.

So what is the appearance of Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ like? The original text writes: “Amidst the sound of music flowing, a girl dressed in a long yellow gown, with her left hand holding a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, is seen stepping into the scene. That girl is about twenty-six, twenty-seven years old, with a graceful demeanor and stunning looks, but lacks any trace of vitality.”

It is worth noting that in the Tam Liên version, it describes her as: “That girl is about twenty-seven, twenty-eight years old.” However, the difference is not significant; Kim Dung seems to adjust the age of Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ by adding one year to her initial age. However, regardless of the context, when she appears, she only appears to be just over twenty. Thus, how could Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ possibly be the daughter of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá?

Answers from Tiểu Long Nữ

According to Sohu, the details of Cô Mộ up to now have shown a close connection with her appearance. For example, Tiểu Long Nữ is clearly older than Dương Quá, but in the eyes of outsiders, she still appears even more youthful than Dương Quá. Nevertheless, there have always been people who have rated this character of Cô Mộ too highly. In fact, a person of her age cannot maintain a youthful appearance.

When DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá and Tiểu Long Nữ meet each other after several years of separation, the novel describes their reunion in the following way: “After a long time, DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá cried out loud, choked with emotion, saying: ‘Long Nhi, your appearance hasn’t changed at all, while I have already aged.’ Tiểu Long Nữ looked closely and replied: ‘It’s not that I have changed, but your appearance has aged.'”

Sixteen years later, Dương Quá seems to be bedridden, and also due to his continuous training in Âm Nhiên Tiểu Hồn Chương, he must have been submerged in emotional turmoil, thus his physical state deteriorates rapidly. Meanwhile, Tiểu Long Nữ seems to remain unchanged. So how do we see her? Tiểu Long Nữ is older than Dương Quá by a few years, but just like Dương Quá, she has lived in Cô Mộ, according to her training in martial arts, her mental state is exceptional. As for Dương Quá, he has gone through many ups and downs, so when the two of them become a couple, they look like they are of the same age.

Regarding how Tiểu Long Nữ maintains her youthful appearance, the book also emphasizes that this is due to her training in martial arts in Cô Má»™, focusing on “no worries and no bitterness, no desire and no greed, diligence in cultivating.” As the saying goes: “Many thoughts lead to a tired spirit; many calculations lead to a wasted body; many desires lead to wasted energy; many things lead to a tired body; many troubles lead to damage to the heart; many joys lead to a scattered spirit; many worries lead to illness; many likes lead to obsession; many hates lead to unrest.”

Tiểu Long Nữ thinks less, calculates less, so she can maintain her beauty. And looking at the results that she achieved, she seems to have preserved her original beauty every day. She is only a few years older than Dương Quá, which means the techniques for maintaining beauty in Cô Mộ can make one appear much younger than their actual age.

In conclusion, Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ cannot be the daughter of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá and Tiểu Long Nữ. Based on her appearance, she is likely in her late twenties or thirty, and despite the character’s age being depicted at this range, she still appears to be just over twenty. However, according to the analysis above, from the time DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá ruled until the events of “The Heavenly Dragon Chronicles” are nearly a hundred years apart.

In the year Dương Quá was thirty-six, this heroic tale took place, and Tiểu Long Nữ gave birth when she was thirty-nine, so it is impossible. If Hoàng Sam Nữ Tử is not the daughter of Dương Quá, then who is she? There are two theories.

Firstly, she could be the granddaughter of DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá, meaning that DÆ°Æ¡ng Quá could have had a son, and Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ is the daughter of that person. However, if so, why is Hoàng Sam Nữ Tá»­ only mentioned in the context of “The Divine Hero,” without any reference to her father?

So there could be another theory, Hoàng Sam Nữ Tử could also be a reincarnation of Tiểu Long Nữ, like Tiểu Long Nữ, and only recognized Dương Quá as her husband during the latter part of her life, thus she carries the name Dương and inherits the identity of Cô Mộ.

Summary