Xu Zhu

Xu Zhu is a Shaolin monk whose brief appearances place him at the intersection of a formal mission and an escalating martial-world dispute. Ordered to deliver ten Heroes Invitation Cards and return to the temple without fighting, he explains his limited martial experience plainly, yet remains present when the conflict around XuanTong’s death forces the assembled parties indoors.

Identity and Assignment

Xu Zhu identifies himself as a junior monk from Shaolin Temple. When a black-robed man assumes that any monk permitted to leave the temple must be an accomplished fighter and presses him to spar, Xu Zhu corrects the assumption: he has been sent out because the temple lacks people to deliver letters, not because of his martial skill.

His task is specific and time-sensitive. His master ordered him to deliver ten invitation cards and return immediately, forbidding him to fight along the way. He has delivered four and still carries six. He offers one card to the black-robed man, respectfully asking for his name so that he can report the delivery accurately.

A Messenger Amid Martial Tension

The invitation announces that Shaolin abbot XuanCi has called martial artists to gather at Shaolin Temple on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Double Ninth Festival. Its stated challenge concerns the reputation of the Murong family’s Returning you with your own move. The card turns Xu Zhu’s routine errand into a point of contact with a broader gathering of martial figures.

The black-robed man refuses to accept the card before testing Xu Zhu in a spar. A burly red-robed man interrupts the pressure to fight, takes the invitation from Xu Zhu, and reads it. Xu Zhu’s mission thus proceeds not through a contest of strength, but through his straightforward explanation and the intervention of another man who recognizes the card’s importance.

Role in the Confrontation at Xue’s Residence

Later, during the disorder at Xue’s residence, Xu Zhu and HuiFang lift XuanTong’s body while GongYe Gan carries Deng BaiChuan; together with the others, they enter the house. Xu Zhu’s role is practical and immediate: he helps move the dead monk into shelter as the confrontation shifts location.

The moment follows XuanTong’s death in meditation. Xu Zhu had asked whether XuanTong’s frost poison had flared up, but XuanNan checks the monk and finds that he has stopped breathing. XuanNan describes the death as enlightenment and restrains the Shaolin monks from attacking. Xu Zhu’s assistance in carrying the body belongs to the aftermath of that change: the fighting stops, and the group moves inside rather than pressing the conflict outside.

Characterization and Narrative Function

Across these scenes, Xu Zhu is presented as deferential and candid about his limits. He does not pretend to be a fighter, and he invokes his master’s instruction when declining the invitation to spar. At the same time, his obedience does not make him a passive presence: he carries out the delivery, identifies the invitation’s purpose, and later takes part in the practical care of XuanTong’s body.

His messenger role links Shaolin’s planned gathering to a separate confrontation involving the Murong family and Xue’s household. The contrast between the grand challenge announced on the card and Xu Zhu’s modest explanation of why he is outside the temple gives his appearances their distinctive shape: he enters martial affairs as a servant of a task, not as someone seeking a contest.