The book's main theme is "the appearance and the reality of things", and the storyline always revolves around this theme. The protagonist, Shi Botian, is an illiterate man who has no knowledge of the world, yet he is more capable of realizing the true meaning of superior martial arts than all the other masters. Even the dumbest person has his own chance, and "Ode to Gallantry" expresses the deepest philosophy. The new edition has been edited and supplemented by Jin Yong, and the text is more plain and clean. One of the most important changes in the book is the fate of the servant girl of the Changle gang leader, Serving Sword, who was killed by Ding Jiao in the second edition, but Shi Botian saved her life in the new edition.