Lin Dawei, an assistant to the county government, needs money to feed his family. Lin is persuaded by his colleague Lu Qian to steal Jin Mantang's gold. Ten years later, the emperor's eldest son was born, the emperor pardoned the criminals, and Lin Dawei returned home. However, things did not go well in his hometown. Jin Mantang joined forces with smugglers to kill thousands of people. The swordsmen that Lu Qian sent to kill Jin Mantang were destroyed, and Taiping was in danger.

In the middle of the 17th century, the Manchus conquered China and founded the Ching dynasty. Due to widespread uprisings against the new rulers, the study and practice of traditional martial arts is forbidden and punishable by death. The unscrupulous leader of a troop of mercenaries takes advantage of this situation to make a fortune with the bounty on his head.