Chapter Summaries

Qin Ming reclaimed his four months of unpaid wages and returned to find Scarface threatening to take his wife, Embroiderer, unless he repaid ten taels in three days. As Qin Ming prepared pig offal, his martial arts panel showed his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique was one point from initiation.

• Qin Ming demanded four months of wages from Butcher Wang, who finally tossed him one tael and fired him.
• Qin Ming recalled how his father’s ruin had cost the family its fortune and left him and Embroiderer living in a freezing shack.
• Qin Ming caught Scarface and two men trying to pick the lock to his home and promised to repay the ten-tael debt within three days.
• Scarface threatened to cripple Qin Ming and take Embroiderer if the debt was not paid; Qin Ming returned inside and comforted her.
• Qin Ming prepared pig offal, and his panel showed his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique at 99/100.

After initiating the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique, Qin Ming quit working for Butcher Wang and set out to earn money slaughtering New Year pigs. He won his first customer by undercutting the town’s butchers, who set off to confront him.

• Qin Ming reached 100 proficiency, initiated the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique, and gained greater strength and a 10% attack-speed bonus while wielding a pig-slaughtering saber.
• Qin Ming told Embroiderer he would quit Butcher Wang’s shop and seek New Year pig-slaughtering work, while neighbor Wang Shun brought them steamed buns and a padded coat.
• Qin Ming put up a sign at the farmers’ market offering to slaughter pigs for less than the usual price, and Zhang Grandpa hired him to handle his family’s pig.
• Butcher Wang and the other town butchers learned Qin Ming had taken customers and stormed off to confront him.

Qin Ming used his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique to defeat Wang Butcher and win Qingshan Town's New Year pig-slaughtering business. Wang Butcher woke furious and began plotting revenge.

• Wang Butcher tried to discredit Qin Ming in front of the crowd, but Qin Ming challenged him to a pig-slaughtering contest and wagered the town's New Year business.
• Wang Butcher agreed to risk two taels of silver and Qin Ming's right thumb against Qin Ming's claim to all the business.
• Qin Ming finished slaughtering and processing a fat pig in fifteen minutes while Wang Butcher had not finished half of his.
• Qin Ming claimed the wager money and the town's New Year pig-slaughtering jobs, and Wang Butcher fainted in anger.
• Wang Butcher woke, resented Qin Ming's victory, and began devising a plan for revenge.

Qin Ming spent the day slaughtering pigs, then used his earnings to buy food, clothing, and other supplies despite being charged extra because he was a pig butcher. Wang Butcher and Zheng Hu recruited two other butchers to ambush and kill him in two days, while Wang Shi learned of the plan and questioned her husband.

• Qin Ming finished slaughtering ten fat pigs and ten ordinary pigs, earned eight hundred wen, and ate porridge and buns given to him by an old man.
• Qin Ming bought grain, flour, oil, vegetables, pork ribs, and a padded jacket, and he was charged inflated prices because the sellers considered pig butchers lowly and unlucky.
• Qin Ming noticed Wang Shi watching him and saw Zheng Hu enter the Wang Family Butcher Shop, then continued on toward the shantytown with his supplies.
• Zheng Hu and Wang Butcher enlisted Old Li and Old Meng to help ambush and kill Qin Ming in two days, promising them the remaining silver after Wang recovered his lost two taels.
• Wang Shi was shocked by the murder plan, but Wang Butcher claimed the authorities would reward him and refused to explain further.

Qin Ming worked relentlessly to improve his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique before his debt came due, while secretly helping Wang Shun’s family. As Qin Ming approached a breakthrough, Zheng Hu and two companions prepared to ambush him, unaware Wang Butcher was watching and planning to profit from the conflict.

• Qin Ming brought food and new clothes to Embroiderer, and Wang Shun’s family later found food and cooked meat he had secretly left at their door.
• Qin Ming calculated that he needed to repay Scarface or break through his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique within two days, so he worked harder.
• Qin Ming slaughtered twenty-eight pigs the next day and reached 196 proficiency points while slaughtering his thirtieth pig on the third day.
• Zheng Hu and two companions decided to attack the exhausted Qin Ming without waiting for Wang Butcher.
• Wang Butcher watched from hiding and hoped the men would kill or cripple one another so he could seize their business and silver.

Qin Ming was ambushed by Zheng Hu, Li Li, and Meng Song on a snowy night, but used their hesitation to kill all three and grew stronger after the fight. He lay still afterward, waiting to see whether Butcher Wang would come to loot the bodies, and spotted a sneaky figure approaching.

• Qin Ming realized Zheng Hu, Li Li, and Meng Song had surrounded him, and drew his pig-slaying saber.
• Qin Ming tricked the three men into thinking he was charging Meng Song, then killed Zheng Hu with a slash.
• Qin Ming's martial arts panel appeared, and a surge of strength erased his exhaustion after the killing.
• Li Li and Meng Song attacked Qin Ming together, but he killed them with two swift slashes.
• Qin Ming lay still in the snow to lure out Butcher Wang, and a sneaky figure approached.

Qin Ming killed Wang Butcher after luring him out, then gained proficiency by dissecting the bodies and returned home with enough silver to repay his debt. He found Wang Shun dead and Embroiderer being taken by Scarface’s men, and intervened with a furious shout.

• Wang Butcher looted the dead men and tried to stab Qin Ming, but Qin Ming revealed he was alive and chased him down.
• Qin Ming killed Wang Butcher after rejecting his pleas and excuses about withheld wages.
• Qin Ming dissected the bodies with the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique, gained four proficiency points, and collected ten taels and eight mace in silver.
• Qin Ming returned to find Wang Shun dead outside his home and Embroiderer beaten as Scarface’s men prepared to take her away.
• Qin Ming shouted at Scarface’s men and demanded to know who dared take Embroiderer.

Qin Ming paid Scarface ten taels of silver to stop him from taking Embroiderer, then pursued Scarface and his men to avenge Wang Shun and Embroiderer. After killing seven of them, Qin Ming let Scarface escape and followed the trail to Scarface’s home, where he confronted him.

• Qin Ming arrived as Scarface and seven men tried to take Embroiderer, and found Wang Shun injured after he had defended her.
• Qin Ming paid Scarface ten taels of silver and received the IOU, then left to fetch a physician before pursuing the debt collectors with his pig-slaughtering knife.
• Qin Ming killed five of Scarface’s men during the pursuit, then killed Monkey while Scarface and another man fled in different directions.
• Qin Ming chased and killed the other fleeing man, while Scarface escaped and planned to report Qin Ming to the authorities.
• Scarface returned home, hid eight taels of silver in a wooden box, and turned to find Qin Ming waiting in his bedroom.

Qin Ming cornered Scar, learned that Yan Yue-Ren of the Wild Wolf Gang had plotted to seize Xiu Niang, and killed Scar after the Blood Explosion Pill caused his body to collapse. He found Scar’s Fire Sand Palm manual and set out for the Tiger Martial Arts Academy the next morning, hoping to become a martial artist before Yan Yue-Ren could threaten Xiu Niang again.

• Qin Ming confronted Scar and demanded to know how his father had died, but Scar swallowed a Blood Explosion Pill and attacked him with the Fire Sand Palm.
• Scar’s borrowed martial-artist strength rapidly drained away, and he confessed that he had helped Yan Yue-Ren target Xiu Niang and arrange the Qin family’s downfall.
• Qin Ming killed Scar, disposed of his body, and found a Fire Sand Palm manual hidden beneath Scar’s wooden box.
• Qin Ming brought a doctor to treat Wang Shun, then disposed of seven corpses and collected silver and clothing.
• Qin Ming decided he needed to become a martial artist quickly to protect Xiu Niang from Yan Yue-Ren.
• Qin Ming set out for the Tiger Martial Arts Academy to seek instruction.

Qin Ming was rejected by the Tiger Martial Arts Academy because he was a pig butcher, so he sought admission to the shabby Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy instead. Its sickly old gatekeeper accepted him for eight taels, but Lu Liu reacted with alarm when Qin Ming revealed his trade.

• Qin Ming arrived at the Tiger Martial Arts Academy and was provisionally accepted by Huo Zheng despite his Ninth-Grade Root Bone.
• Huo Lan told Huo Zheng that Qin Ming slaughtered pigs, and Huo Zheng ordered him thrown out and returned his discipleship fee.
• Qin Ming picked up his silver and went to the dilapidated Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy.
• A sickly old man appeared, told Qin Ming that eight taels were enough, and called Lu Liu to receive him.
• Lu Liu greeted Qin Ming warmly until Qin Ming said he made his living slaughtering pigs, causing Lu Liu's expression to change.

Qin Ming joined the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy after the Tiger Martial Arts Academy turned him away, and learned that becoming a martial artist required money as well as training. After Fei Heng accepted him as an apprentice, Qin Ming’s panel registered the Eight Trigrams Stake Skill, and he began practicing it despite the strain.

• Lu Liu explained that the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy accepted apprentices without regard to status and told Qin Ming about its training, martial arts, and fees.
• Qin Ming asked about Elder Wei and learned from Lu Liu that the old man had watched the academy’s back gate for over ten years.
• Fei Heng examined Qin Ming, accepted him as an apprentice on the condition that he reach the beginner stage within two months, and took his eight-tael fee.
• Qin Ming read the Eight Trigrams Stake Skill manual, and his panel recorded the martial art at beginner level.
• Qin Ming practiced the Eight Trigrams Stake Skill for two hours until his body trembled with pain, and his panel showed the skill at 3/100 and not yet begun.

Qin Ming learned about the martial realms and the academy’s training methods while impressing his fellow apprentices with his endurance. After Li Shengnan brought Fei Heng alarming news, he sent a warning that was intercepted outside Qingshan Town, prompting an unknown enemy to advance their plan.

• Qin Ming held the stance for two hours, and Lu Liu explained that his improved Pig-Slaying Saber Technique helped him endure.
• Qin Ming met fellow apprentices and learned that many had been rejected by Huo Zheng’s Tiger Martial Arts Academy because of their backgrounds or lack of money.
• Lu Liu described the Skin, Flesh, Bone, and Blood Refining realms, along with ways to temper the body and the later pursuit of Xiantian.
• Li Shengnan returned from an escort assignment, met Fei Heng, and quietly reported an important matter that alarmed him.
• Fei Heng sent a warning by carrier pigeon, but someone hidden in the woods shot it down and intercepted the message.
• An unseen enemy laughed that the plan would have to be moved forward.

Qin Ming trained relentlessly at the martial arts hall, spending his savings on Qi and blood soup as he tried to become a martial artist before Yan Yue-Ren could threaten Embroiderer. He returned home determined to keep training and protect her.

• Qin Ming gained one proficiency point in Eight Trigrams Stake Skill after two hours of training, then drank two more bowls of Qi and blood soup and trained until dark.
• Lu Liu warned Qin Ming not to drink more than three bowls of soup a day and advised him to eat meat, especially mountain game containing Spiritual Qi.
• Qin Ming visited the recovering Wang Shun and gave him supplies, reassuring him that the men who had attacked him would not return.
• Qin Ming returned home to find Embroiderer had prepared food and sewn him a warm padded coat, and he resolved to protect her.
• Qin Ming focused on the danger posed by Yan Yue-Ren and the need to become a martial artist, with sand ready for Fire Sand Palm training.

Qin Ming trained through the pain of practicing Fire Sand Palm while working to replenish his Qi and blood, but he worried that his progress was too slow. Constables came to the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy after Wang Shi accused him of killing the missing butchers, and they left after confirming his account; Wang Shi then went to seek help at the yamen.

• Qin Ming practiced Fire Sand Palm in scalding sand, treated his burned hands, and continued training at the academy while slaughtering New Year pigs for money.
• Qin Ming’s proficiency rose over three days, but he worried that Yan Yue-Ren might come after him and the missing butchers’ bodies might be found.
• Qin Ming asked Lu Liu how to recover Qi and blood faster, and Lu Liu told him about Spirit Beasts, Treasure Fish, and medicinal herbs.
• Ye Wei told Lu Liu that county constables had arrived looking for Qin Ming, while Wang Shi accused Qin Ming of murdering her husband and the other butchers.
• Lu Liu challenged the constables to establish Qin Ming’s alleged crime, and Qin Ming said witnesses could confirm the butchers had lost the New Year pig business to him.
• The constables confirmed Qin Ming’s story and left, while Wang Shi went to the yamen to seek help from a relative of Butcher Wang.

After bodies stripped of flesh were discovered around Qingshan Town, Qin Ming feared the danger was closing in and decided to head up the mountain to accelerate his cultivation. Meanwhile, Ye Wei broke through to become a martial artist, and Wang Shi paid yamen steward Wang Bo to investigate her husband’s disappearance by summoning Qin Ming.

• Li Shengnan warned Qin Ming and Lu Liu that more than a dozen bodies had been found around town, all stripped of flesh, and urged them to be cautious.
• Qin Ming decided to leave for the mountain the next day, bought Qi-Blood Soup medicinal powder, and accepted dried venison from Lu Liu.
• Ye Wei broke through to become a martial artist, received the Eight Trigrams Palm and Qi-Blood Powder from Yan Yangtian, and completed his ceremony with Fei Heng.
• Qin Ming left the martial arts hall, determined to become a martial artist quickly so he could gain protection by becoming Fei Heng’s disciple.
• Wang Shi offered yamen steward Wang Bo half her family property to investigate Butcher Wang’s disappearance, and Wang Bo ordered two runners to bring Qin Ming in for questioning the next morning.

Qin Ming hunted in the mountains to improve his martial training, then chased an injured musk deer into the woods. The deer escaped into a hollow, but Qin Ming spotted lingzhi nearby.

• Qin Ming ate venison and practiced Fire Sand Palm and Eight Trigrams Stake Skill, while yamen runners came to his home looking for him.
• Qin Ming set traps in the mountains and practiced his stance, catching two pheasants over two days.
• Qin Ming heard a musk deer’s cry and chased the injured male deer deeper into the woods.
• The musk deer disappeared into a hollow in a tree, and Qin Ming noticed lingzhi beside it.

Qin Ming found a valuable lingzhi guarded by a poisonous giant centipede and killed the beast after discovering its weaknesses. He left the mountain with the lingzhi and a wounded roe deer, intending to use the treasure to break through the Skin Refining Realm.

• Qin Ming found a large lingzhi in a tree hollow, but a giant centipede attacked him when he tried to dig it up.
• Qin Ming discovered that the centipede's back was heavily armored and its venom was deadly, so he targeted gaps in its scales while evading its attacks.
• Qin Ming drove his pig-slaying saber into the centipede's mouth and killed it, gaining twenty proficiency points in the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique.
• Qin Ming dug up the lingzhi, then found the wounded roe deer on his way back and carried it away with him.

After Qin Ming was presumed dead, the authorities arrested Embroiderer as an accomplice, while neighbors looted her home and injured Wang Xiaoxi. Lu Liu and Li Shengnan tried to get help from Fei Heng, but Yan Yangtian refused to intervene and secretly met someone who wanted him to kill his master.

• Wu Shi and Wang Xiaoxi comforted Embroiderer after she feared Qin Ming had died in the mountains.
• Yamen runners arrested Embroiderer, accusing her of helping Qin Ming evade punishment for Butcher Wang's murder, and Wang Shi slapped her.
• Wu Shi rushed to the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy for help while neighbors looted Qin Ming and Embroiderer's home, and Wang Xiaoxi was knocked unconscious.
• Lu Liu asked Fei Heng to defend Embroiderer, but Fei Heng refused; Lu Liu and Li Shengnan then headed to the yamen.
• Yan Yangtian warned Lu Liu and Li Shengnan not to interfere, then met a waiting person in a dark alley and demanded more money to kill Fei Heng.

After breaking through to the Skin Refining Realm on the mountain, Qin Ming returned to find his home ransacked and Embroiderer arrested by yamen runners. He set out to retrieve her, despite Wang Shun warning him not to fight the authorities.

• Qin Ming completed his stake training, broke through to the Early Skin Refining Realm, and discovered that the lingzhi had accelerated his cultivation.
• Qin Ming realized that learning martial arts added bonuses to his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique and found his saber skills had become far deadlier after his breakthrough.
• Qin Ming descended the mountain and found his home ransacked and Embroiderer missing.
• Wang Xiaoxi told Qin Ming that yamen runners had arrested Embroiderer and that people stealing from the home had injured her when she tried to stop them.
• Qin Ming promised to seek justice for Wang Xiaoxi and hurried off to retrieve Embroiderer despite Wang Shun's warning.

Qin Ming broke into the government office dungeon to rescue Embroiderer and revealed that he had become an Early Skin-Refining Realm martial artist. After defeating two Late-Stage Skin-Refining Realm constables, he faced Liao Jun, but Pei Heng arrived in time to block Liao Jun’s killing blow.

• Wang Shi tortured Embroiderer for information about Qin Ming, while Li Shengnan and Lu Liu failed to persuade Wang Bo to release her.
• Qin Ming stormed the dungeon, rescued the badly injured Embroiderer, and confirmed to Li Shengnan and Lu Liu that he had broken through to the Skin-Refining Realm.
• Wang Bo’s constables surrounded Qin Ming, and Lu Liu joined the fight before being knocked aside.
• Qin Ming severed the hand tendons of two Late-Stage Skin-Refining Realm constables with his pig-slaying knife and Eight Trigrams techniques.
• Liao Jun arrived and attacked Qin Ming, but Pei Heng reached the dungeon and blocked the blow.