Xu Chongxiao

Xu Chongxiao (simplified: 徐冲霄, traditional: 徐沖霄, pinyin: Xú Chōngxiāo, jyutping: ceoi4 cung1 siu1) was an Elder of the Beggars’ Guild. His name “Chongxiao” means “Soaring Sky,” suggesting he was associated with lofty or elevated martial arts techniques.

Biography

Early life and background

Xu Chongxiao was an Elder of the Beggars’ Guild and the senior uncle of former chief Wang Jiantong. He was also the senior brother of Shenshan Shangren, the abbot of Qingliang Temple on Mount Wutai. At the age of eighty-seven, he held the highest seniority within the guild, with even the former chief addressing him as shibo.

Retirement and re-emergence

Xu Chongxiao had retired from active guild affairs and was no longer involved in daily operations. However, he was drawn back into the jianghu due to the Apricot Grove incident, where he played a crucial role in revealing Xiao Feng’s Khitan heritage through a secret letter.

Role in the Apricot Grove incident

Xu Chongxiao’s appearance at the Apricot Grove was decisive in the rebellion against Xiao Feng. He brought with him Zhiguang, Tan Gong, Tan Po, Zhao Qiansun, and Shan Zheng to testify about Xiao Feng’s true identity. His intervention turned the tide against Xiao Feng, who had initially managed to quell the rebellion led by Quan Guanqing.

Leadership after Xiao Feng’s departure

After Xiao Feng left the guild, Xu Chongxiao assumed the role of acting chief. However, his leadership proved disastrous when he made critical errors in handling urgent military intelligence, leading to the guild’s devastating defeat at the hands of the Western Xia First-rank Hall.

Death

Xu Chongxiao was ultimately killed, with different versions of the novel attributing his death to either Xiao Yuanshan (in the third edition) or Bai Shijing (in the revised edition). In the revised edition, his death was linked to a rivalry with Bai Shijing over Kang Min’s affections.

Personality and traits

Leadership flaws

Xu Chongxiao demonstrated significant leadership deficiencies that ultimately led to the guild’s downfall. His decision-making ability was poor, as evidenced by his failure to handle urgent military intelligence properly during the Western Xia crisis. He prioritized discussing past events over addressing immediate threats, leading to catastrophic consequences.

Narrow-mindedness and lack of vision

Unlike Ma Dayuan, who was chosen to receive Wang Jiantong’s secret letter due to his broad-mindedness and ability to overcome personal biases, Xu Chongxiao lacked the necessary perspective to handle sensitive matters. His narrow-minded approach and inability to see beyond personal grievances made him unsuitable for leadership.

Lack of organizational discipline

Xu Chongxiao violated guild protocols by opening the secret letter without following proper procedures. The letter’s instructions clearly stated it should be opened jointly by the current guild elders, but Xu Chongxiao acted unilaterally, demonstrating a lack of respect for organizational rules and hierarchy.

Insufficient courage

At the Heroes’ Gathering at Juxian Manor, when Xiao Feng proposed the “breaking of sworn brotherhood” ritual, Xu Chongxiao lacked the courage to step forward first, despite his position as acting chief. It was Kang Min who ultimately broke the silence, highlighting Xu Chongxiao’s lack of leadership courage.

Martial arts abilities

As an Elder of the Beggars’ Guild, Xu Chongxiao would have been trained in the organisation’s martial arts techniques and possessed sufficient skills to maintain his position within the guild’s hierarchy.

Relationships

Due to limited information about his character, Xu Chongxiao’s specific relationships with other characters are not extensively detailed in the novel.

Behind the scenes

Revisions

Xu Chongxiao’s character underwent significant changes between different editions of the novel:

Second edition

In the second edition, Xu Chongxiao was portrayed as a well-intentioned but misguided elder who, despite his flaws in judgment and leadership ability, ultimately acted out of concern for the guild’s welfare. His death was attributed to Xiao Yuanshan.

Third edition

The third edition significantly altered Xu Chongxiao’s character, transforming him into a more negative figure. He was depicted as being seduced by Kang Min’s beauty and engaging in a rivalry with Bai Shijing over her affections. His death was changed to being killed by Bai Shijing in a fit of jealousy. The third edition also added the detail that he was the senior brother of Shenshan Shangren, which led to complications when Shenshan Shangren mistakenly believed Xiao Feng had killed his brother.

Name changes

Xu Chongxiao’s full name was only revealed in the third edition. In earlier versions, he was simply referred to as Elder Xu.