Li Mochou

Li Mochou is a fictional character from the Chinese wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes (Shen Diao Xia Lü) by Jinyong. She is Xiaolongnü's senior. She was more powerful in martial arts than her junior at the start of the novel. Although she is beautiful in appearance, she morphs into a vicious killer after her lover betrays her. However, she appears as a motherly figure to the infant Guo Xiang, whom she kidnaps from her parents. She is seen trying to take the Jade Maiden Sutra from Xiaolongnü on several occasions at the beginning of the novel, but has never been successful. She commits suicide by throwing herself into the fire in Passionless Valley.

Li Mochou is considered one of the central characters in the novel, where the narrative begins with her. Within the story, she also sings the novel's theme song, "What Is Love?". She is the subject of the chronicle The Philosophy of Life of Li Mochou (李莫愁的人生哲學) written by Guo Mei. This work delves into Li Mochou's life from diverse perspectives, encompassing her birth, upbringing, experiences with love and hatred, and overall worldview. Guo Mei's analysis aims to elucidate and explore the philosophical aspects embedded in Li Mochou's life journey.

Character biography
Li Mochou was a third-generation disciple of the Ancient Tomb School, recruited by the young maid who later ascended to Masterhood after the demise of Lin Chaoying (林朝英), the sect's founder. As the inaugural disciple, she held seniority over Xiaolongnü (小龍女), the principal protagonist of the novel.

In her early years, Li Mochou encountered Lu Zhanyuan (陸展元) from the renowned martial arts family, the House of Lu. Smitten by him, she defied her master, leaving the Gumu Sect to be with him, resulting in her expulsion. Despite her attempts to disrupt the marriage of Lu Zhanyuan to He Yuanjun (何沅君), she was thwarted by a powerful monk who compelled her to set aside her grudge for a decade. Vowing vengeance, she embraced Taoism and distanced herself from love.

The novel begins by describing Li Mochou's exact vengeance on the Lu family some years after her ex-lover, Lu Zhanyuan, and his wife died. Following her act of murder, she kidnaps Lu Zhanyuan's niece, Lu Wushuang (陸無雙).

Li Mochou gained notoriety for her ferocious and merciless cruelty, earning her the moniker "Serpent Demon" (赤練蛇). Yet, owing to her beauty and apparent youth, some also dubbed her the "Serpent Fairy" (赤練仙子). Armed with her fearsome techniques, such as the "Palm of the Divine Serpent" (赤練神掌), the "Silver Needles of Freezing Soul" (冰魄銀針), and the "Fly Whisk" (塵拂), she became unhinged in her killings, targeting anyone with the names Lu and He.

Although initially one of the most potent female characters in the novel, she proved no match for Huang Rong and later Xiaolongnü, who mastered the "Yunuu Xinjing" in the latter part of the story.

Li Mochou took on a disciple named Hong Lingbo (洪淩波) and tasked her with obtaining the Jade Maiden Heart Manual of Gumu Pai (Yu Nü Xin Jing, 玉女心經). The plan failed when Xiaolongnü, with the assistance of Yang Guo (楊過), triggered a trap burying the tomb underground. Nevertheless, Li and Hong managed to escape, and Li persisted in her vengeful pursuits.

Her conflicted nature prevented her from relinquishing her hatred and desire for her sect's prized martial arts secrets. Relentlessly pursuing Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo for the manual, she failed to obtain it. Driven by obsession and fueled by the Passion Flower's poisonous effect, she met her demise as she envisioned Lu's image in the fire at the Passionless Valley (絕情谷) and walked into the flames, sealing her own fate.

Remake version
In contrast to the negative portrayal in earlier versions, the 2014 remake of The Romance of the Condor Heroes offers a nuanced and comprehensive account of Li Mochou's relationship with Lu Zhanyuan. This interpretation has significantly shifted Li Mochou's perception, transforming her into a more sympathetic and even beloved figure among wuxia fans. This shift has led to a playful phenomenon among viewers and netizens, who humorously dub the series The Biography of Li Mochou instead of its original title.

Character evaluation
Her backstory, accomplishments, and flaws make her an intriguing figure to study. Numerous scholars have conducted positioning analyses and engaged in discussions about Li Mochou's character image and behavior. In the scholarly paper titled A New Discussion on the Character of Li Mochou in Jin Yong's Novels, it is noted that she can be interpreted as a pioneer of feminism in her pursuit of love and individual liberation.

Palm of Divine Serpent
The Palm of Divine Serpent is a deadly technique that Li invented herself with the essence of flame and contains venom extract from the five most poisonous creatures, such as the centipede, scorpion, snake, spider, and toad. Only by referring to the Manual of Five Venoms that Li experimented with and documented could one purge the poison from the victim's body.

Silver Needles of Freezing Soul
The Silver Needles of Freezing Soul is one of the techniques Li inherited during her training in Ancient Tomb. The frozen ice poison was carefully absorbed into the needles. If one merely touched, although not pricked, any part of the needle, his or her palm would immediately turn black—a sign of fatal poison.

Fly Whisk
The Fly Whisk is an item that is usually owned by Taoist monks or nuns. This flexible technique, too, was inherited during her training in the Ancient Tomb, which has specialized techniques using long, flexible weapons. Capable of drawing blood, breaking bones, and causing internal injury, as well as wrapping and removing the weapon of the opponent, it was one of her feared trademarks. However, she used it to fan the baby Guo Xiang—the only nice thing she did with her whisk. In an English version of a TV series on KTSF 26, this weapon was called the "Horsetail Whisk".

Unparalleled Lightness of Ancient Tomb
This is the greatest technique of all the Ancient Tomb Kongfu.

Triple Non-existing Hands
The Triple Non-existing Hands is a skill she invented herself, which she used against Yang Guo once. It comprises extremely vicious and cruel strikes that aim at the softest, weakest parts of the body (including the nether regions).

Television and film

 * Portrayed by Cheung Man-ting in 1976 Hong Kong television series The Return of the Condor Heroes
 * Portrayed by Tien Lie in 1983 Hong Kong film Little Dragon Maiden
 * Portrayed by Lisa Lui in 1983 Hong Kong television series The Return of the Condor Heroes
 * Portrayed by Chao Tien-li in 1984 Taiwanese television series The Return of the Condor Heroes
 * Portrayed by Gan Pui-wan in 1995 Hong Hong television series The Condor Heroes 95
 * Portrayed by Pan Lingling in 1998 Singaporean television series The Return of the Condor Heroes
 * Portrayed by Chen Hong in 1998 Taiwanese television series The Return of the Condor Heroes
 * Portrayed by Jessey Meng in 2006 Chinese television series The Return of the Condor Heroes
 * Portrayed by Zhang Xinyu in 2014-15 Chinese television series The Romance of the Condor Heroes

Other

 * Li Mochou represents the characteristics of the zodiac constellation Scorpius.
 * Li Mochou was a playable character in the 2014 mobile fighting game The Legend of the Condor Heroes.