A Deadly Secret (film)

A Deadly Secret (literal meaning Mnemonic of the Linked Cities) is a 1980 Hong Kong film directed by Mou Tun-fei, produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, and starring Ng Yuen-chun, Liu Lai-ling, Jason Pai Piao, Shih Szu, and Elliot Ngok. Based on Louis Cha's 1963 novel of the same name, the film follows Di Yun, a young martial artist who is falsely imprisoned and uncovers a conspiracy in the martial arts world that forces him to confront those he once revered and respected.

Plot
A student of the renowned martial artist Qi Zhangfa (Tong Kam-tong), Di Yun (Ng Yuen-chun), is sentenced to death on charges of larceny and rape. He proclaims his innocence, claiming that he had been set up but is ignored by the sadistic jailers who regularly taunt and abuse him, and is horrified in their treatment of another inmate, Ding Dian (Jason Pai Piao), whom they and the presiding magistrate, Ling Tuisi (Elliot Ngok) seem to torture purely out of pleasure. Di Yun is later visited by his martial art seniors, Wan Gui (Dick Wei) and Qi Fang (Liu Lai-ling), Di Yun's childhood sweetheart. He begs them for help and to believe he is innocent, but Qi Fang is eventually convinced by Wan Gui that he is indeed guilty. Wan, the true culprit behind his imprisonment, had been motivated out of jealousy towards Di Yun and his relationship with Qi Fang, rendering him blind drunk one night before placing his unconscious body in the bed of their master's wife, the latter whom he paid to accuse Di Yun of his said crimes. Under Wan Gui's manipulation, Qi Fang abandons Di Yun and later marries Wan. Months pass before Di Yun learns of this as well as the news that even his master has seemingly left him to his fate. Devastated, he attempts suicide but is saved by Ding Dian, who warns him of impending danger and implies he has chosen to be incarcerated out of his own volition.

Several martial artists later visit Ling Tuisi's courthouse, proclaiming to have committed various crimes and demand that he jail them, to the shock of the magistrates. Ling orders them to be put in the same cell as Ding, believing this will lead him to something known as the Liancheng manual, which so happens to be the very item the martial artists are also after. Ding refuses to hand it over and kills all but one of the martial artists. Di Yun, impressed at his martial arts prowess, implores Ding teach him to which the latter agrees and the young man proves to be an adept learner, making rapid progress. Ling later threatens his daughter and Ding's betrothed, Shuanghua (Shih Szu), into a forced marriage with another man unless she agrees to make Ding reveal the manual's whereabouts; devastated, she mutilates her face and reluctantly agrees to the marriage. Ding slips out to meet her in secret, whereupon a tearful Shuanghua reveals her father's ploy and hopes that when she and Ding die that they may one day be buried together. He reveals the secret of the Liancheng manual to her and she promises to leave a pot of flowers on her windowsill daily for him to see from his cell. Her father, however, finds out about the couple's secret meeting and again pressures Shuanghua to reveal the manual's location. When she again refuses, he locks her in a coffin where she slowly suffocates to death. As days go by, Ding notices the flowers on her windowsill have not been changed. He and Di Yun break out of their cells to see Shuanghua whereupon they find her coffin and a funeral tablet set up. As a grief-stricken Ding mourns over her coffin, Ling appears claiming she died of illness and demands he hand over the Liancheng manual. Ding refuses but realizes his palms have turned black. Ling reveals he coated Shuanghua's coffin lid with a potent poison and offers the antidote in exchange for the manual, a lie Ding quickly discerns by pointing out the flower used to make it has no cure. A fight commences between the two men with Ding weakened and eventually collapsing. Di Yun quickly intervenes and the two manage to escape.

Dying, Ding reveals that the Liancheng manual once belonged to the master of Yan Daping (Wai Wang), Qi Zhangfa, and Wan Zhenshan (Walter Tso Tat-Wah): Mei Niansheng (Kwan Fung), who was rescued by Ding after being betrayed and mortally wounded by his three disciples because of it. Its secret he passed to Ding who believes Qi and the Wan family conspired to put Di Yun in prison, knowing Ding was there in hopes he could extract the secret of the manual, said to lead to a great hoard of treasure left by Emperor Wu of Liang. He also reveals how he became imprisoned; while courting Shuanghua, her father, having caught wind of his identity and connection with Mei, poisoned him using a flower and had been torturing him ever since. Ding tries to relay the manual's contents to Di Yun, but the latter refuses to listen and runs away where he happens to chance upon his master as well as Yan Daping and Wan Zhenshan, who try to kill him. Ling Tuisi too arrives and a fight ensues between them over Ding, but he dies before there is a victor. As Di Yun buries him with Shuanghua, he is attacked by Ling and in their fight, knocks over her coffin lid where the location of the treasure, pointed toward the Buddha statue in the Tian Ning Temple, is written there in her blood. Ling, along with Qi Zhangfa, Wan Zhenshan, Wan Gui, Qi Fang, and many others discover the treasure inside the statue and begin fighting amongst themselves, much to a spectating Di Yun's disgust. As the treasure spills out, however, it is revealed to be poisoned, causing all those that come into contact with it to bleed from their orifices. Di Yun laughs at their plight and is subsequently attacked by the mob, which soon descends into a bloodbath as they all turn on one another. Di succeeds in killing Ling Tuisi, Wan Gui and Yan Daping, but Qi Fang is killed when he lands a blow on Yan that causes him to inadvertently stab her through with his sword. Di Yun emerges the sole survivor and proceeds to burn the temple to the ground. Later, he erects a gravestone for Ding and departs after paying his respects.

Cast

 * Ng Yuen-chun as Di Yun
 * Liu Lai-ling as Qi Fang
 * Jason Pai Piao as Ding Dian
 * Shih Szu as Ling Shuanghua
 * Elliot Ngok as Ling Tuisi
 * Walter Tso Tat-Wah as Wan Zhenshan
 * Dick Wei as Wan Gui
 * Tong Kam-tong as Qi Zhangfa
 * Wai Wang as Yan Daping
 * Kwan Fung as Mei Niansheng
 * Chan Shen as Monk Bo Zhang
 * Fung Ging-man as jailer