The Dragon Missile (1976) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A desperate search for a rare medicine becomes a cycle of oppression, revenge, deception, and an unresolved martial pursuit.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

The Lord's Fatal Illness

Lord Qin Quan's untreated boil leads to executions and the summons of Chief Imperial Doctor Fu. Fu diagnoses a deadly disease and identifies Herbalist Tan's rare medicine as the only treatment.

Key Events

• The Resistant Boil — Lord Qin Quan suffers from a boil that has resisted every treatment. Characters: Lord Qin Quan Location: Lord Qin Quan's court
• Doctors Face Execution — Furious at the imperial doctors, Qin Quan orders them executed. Characters: Lord Qin Quan Location: Lord Qin Quan's court
• Fu Is Summoned — Qin Quan summons Fu, who initially refuses without the king's decree. Characters: Lord Qin Quan, Chief Imperial Doctor Fu Location: Lord Qin Quan's court
• The Deadly Diagnosis — Fu identifies Bai Niao Zhao Feng and its seven-day fatal danger. Characters: Lord Qin Quan, Chief Imperial Doctor Fu Location: Lord Qin Quan's court
• Longevity Rattan — Fu names Tan and Cong Long town as the source of the rare medicine. Characters: Chief Imperial Doctor Fu, Herbalist Tan Location: Lord Qin Quan's court

The Forced Retrieval

Szema Chun is sent to Cong Long town with martial escorts and a letter. Herbalist Tan refuses to surrender the rattan because of Qin Quan's oppression, provoking a violent attack.

Key Events

• The Retrieval Mission — A letter is prepared and Szema Chun is sent to retrieve the rattan. Characters: Lord Qin Quan, Szema Chun Location: Lord Qin Quan's court
• Secret Escorts — Martial experts accompany Chun to monitor him and seize the medicine if needed. Characters: Lord Qin Quan, Szema Chun Location: Road to Cong Long
• Tan Refuses — Tan refuses the demand because Qin Quan oppresses the people. Characters: Szema Chun, Herbalist Tan Location: Herbalist Tan's home
• The Herbalist Falls — The group attacks, takes the rattan, and Tan is killed. Characters: Szema Chun, Herbalist Tan, Tieh Er Long Location: Herbalist Tan's home

Ashes and Revenge

Tan's death leaves Tieh Er Long seeking revenge and suspecting Chun. Chun burns the rattan, turning the medicine into a race for recoverable ashes.

Key Events

• A Warning of Treachery — Long's Mother warns Tieh Er Long that Chun may be treacherous. Characters: Tieh Er Long, Long's Mother Location: Long's Mother's home
• The Rattan Burns — Chun burns the rattan so pursuers cannot take it, knowing its ashes remain usable. Characters: Szema Chun Location: Unknown road
• Race for the Ashes — Rival groups race toward a temple where the ashes may still be found. Characters: Szema Chun, Tieh Er Long Location: Road to a temple
• Long Is Wounded — Tieh Er Long is wounded while pursuing revenge for Tan. Characters: Tieh Er Long Location: Temple route
• A Conditional Alliance — Long cooperates with Chun's enemies in exchange for help locating the medicine. Characters: Tieh Er Long, Szema Chun Location: Temple route

The Bounty Hunt

The lord's agents fail, and the palace places a bounty on Chun. Martial experts are killed or injured as the pursuit spreads through the sealed city and surrounding areas.

Key Events

• The Failed Return — The lord's agents return without the medicine. Characters: Lord Qin Quan Location: Lord Qin Quan's court
• A Bounty on Chun — The palace declares a bounty on Szema Chun. Characters: Lord Qin Quan, Szema Chun Location: Palace
• Martial Experts Fall — Several martial experts are killed or injured while trying to capture Chun. Characters: Szema Chun Location: Near the sealed city
• The Sealed City Theory — Miss Sha searches after the claim that Chun cannot have escaped the sealed city. Characters: Miss Sha Location: Sealed city

The Unshown Trap

Miss Sha searches impoverished Double Brook village and learns that taxation has emptied it. Chun is believed to be nearby, and the pursuers prepare cow-ligament nets to counter his Dragon Missile technique.

Key Events

• Double Brook Village — Sha searches the impoverished village for signs of Chun. Characters: Miss Sha Location: Double Brook village
• The Tax Exodus — Sha learns harsh new taxes have driven most residents away. Characters: Miss Sha Location: Double Brook village
• Chun Nearby — Szema Chun is believed to be hiding nearby. Characters: Miss Sha, Szema Chun Location: Near Double Brook village
• Cow Ligament Nets — The pursuers prepare ligament nets to counter Chun's Dragon Missile technique. Characters: Miss Sha, Szema Chun Location: Near Double Brook village
• The Lure Is Set — The pursuers prepare to lure Chun into the trap before the final confrontation. Characters: Miss Sha, Szema Chun Location: Near Double Brook village

Story Breakdown

• Qin Quan's Illness — The lord's dangerous condition creates the central demand for a rare cure.
  • Resistant Boil — Qin Quan's boil survives every treatment and provokes his fury.
  • Deadly Diagnosis — Fu identifies Bai Niao Zhao Feng and its seven-day danger.
• Fu's Medical Lead — Chief Imperial Doctor Fu connects the illness to a rare medicine held by his friend.
  • Professional Duty — Fu agrees to examine Qin Quan despite initially refusing without a decree.
  • Tan's Medicine — Fu identifies Herbalist Tan in Cong Long town as the medicine's possessor.
• Chun's Mission — Szema Chun is dispatched to obtain the longevity rattan under covert supervision.
  • Letter Prepared — A letter is prepared before Chun travels to Cong Long town.
  • Secret Escorts — Martial experts accompany Chun to monitor him and seize the medicine if necessary.
• Tan's Defiance — Tan's opposition to Qin Quan's oppression turns the medical mission into violence.
  • Refusal — Tan refuses to surrender the rattan because the lord oppresses the people.
  • Forced Seizure — The group attacks, takes the rattan, and Tan is killed.
• Revenge and Suspicion — Tan's death divides the survivors and drives Long against Chun.
  • Mother's Warning — Long's Mother warns that Chun may be treacherous.
  • Wounded Avenger — Long seeks revenge, is wounded, and later cooperates with Chun's enemies.
• The Ashes Race — Chun's deception transforms the stolen medicine into a contested trail of ashes.
  • Burned Rattan — Chun burns the rattan so pursuers cannot simply take it.
  • Temple Pursuit — Rival groups race toward a temple where the ashes may remain.
• Palace Manhunt — The failed retrieval causes the palace to turn its authority against Chun.
  • Bounty Declared — The palace places a bounty on Szema Chun.
  • Experts Fall — Several martial experts are killed or injured trying to capture him.
• Village Investigation — Miss Sha follows the sealed-city theory into an impoverished village emptied by taxation.
  • Double Brook Search — Miss Sha searches Double Brook village for signs of Chun.
  • Tax Exodus — Harsh new taxes have driven most residents away.
• Dragon Missile Trap — The pursuit reaches an unresolved climax as Chun's technique is countered by a prepared snare.
  • Chun Nearby — Szema Chun is believed to be hiding near Double Brook village.
  • Ligament Nets — The pursuers prepare cow-ligament nets to lure and trap him.

Directed by

Ho Meng-Hua

Key Cast

• Lo Lieh — Szema Chun
• Tony Liu Tian-jue — Tieh Er Long
• Nancy Yen Nan-See — Tan Li
• Ku Feng — Lord Qin Quan
• Terry Lau Wai-Yue — Miss Sha