OVERLAY REPORT

In the lore of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000), Jade Fox killed Li Mu Bai’s master, **Southern Crane**, for two primary reasons rooted in betrayal and gender discrimination: **1. The Refusal to Teach Her (Sexist Tradition)** Jade Fox desperately wanted to learn the secrets of Wudang martial arts. However, Wudang was a strictly patriarchal order that forbade teaching women. Southern Crane adhered to these rules and refused to accept her as a formal student or teach her the internal secrets of their style because of her gender. **2. Personal Betrayal and Disgrace** The specific detail provided in the film (via Li Mu Bai’s dialogue) is that Jade Fox "offered her body" to Southern Crane in exchange for being taught the Wudang manual. Southern Crane slept with her, but even after the sexual encounter, he still refused to teach her. Jade Fox felt used, humiliated, and deeply betrayed. She realized he was willing to take her body but still viewed her as unworthy of his knowledge. **The Act of Revenge** In retaliation for this "dishonor," Jade Fox murdered Southern Crane (likely by poisoning, which is her signature method) and stole the Wudang manual. **The Aftermath** This murder is the catalyst for Li Mu Bai’s character arc; he spent years seeking her out to avenge his master. It also explains Jade Fox’s bitterness toward the Wudang "hypocrites." Ironically, because she was illiterate, she could only understand the diagrams in the stolen manual, whereas her disciple, Jen Yu, was able to read the text and secretly surpass her in skill, leading to the tragic dynamic between the two women later in the film.