Considered one of the finest kung fu films made by the Shaw brothers, this film was directed by master choreographer Lau Kar-Leung. Three years after the Yim Ho clan sends ace fighter Lei Kung (played by the director Lau) to Yunnan to set up a branch there, headquarters learns that their man has spurned clan loyalty and closed down the group's southern outpost. Boss Li Lien-ying sends a trio of assassins independent of each other out after their renegade brother: Lei Ying (Lau Kar-wing) is skilled in the magical arts; Tieh Hon (Hsiao Hou) is a skilled killer; and Ti Tan (Lau Ka Fai) is the master at kung fu. Lei Ying hires a bumptious petty thug, Wu (Alexander Fu-Sheng), to pose as assassin, hoping to smoke Lei Kung out of hiding. Meanwhile, Tieh Hon becomes convinced that a wizened lumber salesman is the missing clan member.