Plot: Ou-yang Feng lives in the middle of a desert, where he acts as a middle man to various swordsmen in ancient China. One of those swordsmen is Huang Yao-shi, who has found some magic wine that causes one to forget the past. At another time, Huang met Mu-rong Yin and under the influence of drink, promised to marry Mu-rong's sister Mu-rong Yang. Huang jilts her, and Mu-rong Yin hires Ou-yang to kill Huang. But then Mu-rong Yang hires Ou-yang to protect Huang. This is awkward, because Mu-rong Yang and Mu-rong Yin are in reality the same person. Other unrelated plot lines careen about. Among them is Ou-yang's continuing efforts to destroy a band of horse thieves. Oy-yang recruits another swordsman, a man who is going blind and wants to get home to see his wife before his sight goes completely. The swordsman is killed. Ou-yang then meets another swordsman who doesn't like wearing shoes. Oy-yang sends this man after the horse thieves, with better results. We then find out what a man must give up to follow the martial path.
Alternative Plot: Swordsman Ou-yang Feng (Leslie Cheung) was once a ruthless bounty hunter for whoever would pay. Now he mostly leaves the killing to others while working as the proprietor of a desert inn, where he spends his days pining after his brother's wife (Maggie Cheung), who left Ou-yang after he spent too much time away. Ou-yang has a number of contract killers as employees, including his old friend, Huang Yao-shi (Tony Leung Ka Fai), whose annual visits are one of his rare pleasures.
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