Chapter Summaries

Lu Chen ambushed Qian Gui and his men, then forced Qian Gui to reveal what he knew about the Green Bamboo Gang and Shahu County’s officials. After letting Qian Gui go, Lu Chen killed him when he came back with murderous intentions and began hiding the bodies on Great Green Mountain.

• Lu Chen killed Qian Gui’s four underlings and wounded Qian Gui with a throwing knife before questioning him.
• Qian Gui revealed the Green Bamboo Gang’s leaders, their cultivation levels and techniques, and what he knew about the county officials.
• Lu Chen promised to spare Qian Gui if he left Shahu County, then let him go after Qian Gui answered his questions.
• Qian Gui secretly planned revenge, but Lu Chen killed him when he turned back toward the road.
• Lu Chen searched the five men, found some silver, and began moving their bodies toward Great Green Mountain.

After killing the Green Bamboo Gang’s men, Lu Chen used Fate Value to advance his Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique to the Organ Tempering Realm and prepared to confront the gang. He tracked Wang Bao to the Jade Pavilion, but was recognized and stopped before he could reach him.

• Lu Chen spent 400 Fate Value to advance his Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique to the Organ Tempering Realm, then reassured Lu Ming and Lu Tang after returning home.
• Lu Chen sent Lu Ming and Lu Tang to Second Granduncle’s house, then bought lime and crude iron breastplates in the county town.
• Lu Chen went to the Jade Pavilion, the Green Bamboo Gang’s flagship brothel, and paid for a private room with Xiao Taohong.
• Lu Chen learned from Xiao Taohong that Wang Bao was resting in the Heaven room and watched him leave with a girl.
• Lu Chen pretended to go to the latrine, turned toward Wang Bao, and was stopped by a man who recognized him as a fishmonger.

Lu Chen watched Li Mantun set an ambush for Wang Bao and followed the gang as they attacked. As Wang Bao fled and Li Mantun slaughtered Green Bamboo Gang fighters, Lu Chen considered taking advantage of the chaos to target the lesser men.

• Li Feng recognized Lu Chen at the brothel, but Lu Chen denied knowing him and left without revealing his hatred.
• Lu Chen spotted Li Mantun entering the room beside Wang Bao’s and watched as men from both rooms later left separately.
• Lu Chen knocked Xiao Taohong unconscious, escaped through a window, and followed Li Mantun’s armed group through the night.
• Li Mantun’s men surrounded Wang Bao and his followers; the signal Wang Bao launched revealed that the Green Bamboo Gang headquarters was already on fire.
• Wang Bao fought his way out and fled, while Li Mantun pursued him and killed Green Bamboo Gang fighters; Lu Chen watched from behind and considered attacking the underlings.

Lu Chen ambushed the Black Pole Gang members attacking the Green Bamboo Gang, then pursued Li Mantun and killed him after a fierce fight. He also killed the wounded Wang Bao, gaining Fate and Luck Value, and left with no money to show for his trouble.

• Lu Chen killed the Black Pole Gang attackers with iron pellets, throwing knives, and his fists, then killed the two surviving Green Bamboo Gang members as well.
• Lu Chen gained 820 Fate Value and raised his Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique to perfected Organ Refining, but failed to break its limit because he had only nine Luck Value.
• Lu Chen followed Li Mantun and found him torturing Wang Bao, then attacked Li Mantun with a throwing knife and fought him with his saber.
• Lu Chen disarmed Li Mantun, killed him, and gained 240 Fate Value and three Luck Value.
• Wang Bao recognized Lu Chen as the man behind the recent trouble and learned that Lu Chen had acted because the Green Bamboo Gang tried to sell his ancestral home and younger sister for fifteen taels.
• Lu Chen killed Wang Bao, gained 180 Fate Value, searched both corpses for money, and left empty-handed.

Lu Chen ransacked one of Wang Bao’s residences, then used the system to break the Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique’s limit and advance to the Blood Exchange Realm. Confident in his new strength, he returned to the battered Green Bamboo Gang compound and confronted the bloodied Wang Hu, who mistook him for someone come to kill him.

• Lu Chen stole valuables and books from Wang Bao’s residence while the Green Bamboo Gang dealt with the aftermath of an attack.
• Lu Chen spent 10 Luck Value to break the Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique’s limit, reaching the Blood Exchange Realm and gaining a stronger body.
• Lu Chen decided to seek information about the Black Pole Gang and returned to the Green Bamboo Gang to find its leader.
• Lu Chen charged through the compound, knocked a dark-faced middle-aged man aside, and entered the damaged central hall.
• Wang Hu, badly wounded and sitting in the hall, mistook Lu Chen for someone who had come to kill him.

Lu Chen visited the dying Wang Hu, who revealed hidden powers and conspiracies in Shahu County before offering him a deal to destroy the Black Pole Gang. Lu Chen accepted, and Wang Hu’s final suspicion linked the Flying Eagle Horse Gang to the Northwestern Border Army and the gangs’ attack to the Green Bamboo Gang’s iron mine.

• Wang Hu identified Lu Chen as the person behind recent killings and the discord among the gangs, then proposed a deal to have him destroy the Black Pole Gang.
• Wang Hu offered Lu Chen information about a complete cultivation method held by Registrar Wang Xiong and revealed that the Black Pole Gang operated beneath the Constables’ Barracks.
• Wang Hu named Hu Bufan, Li Ziren, and Meng Ping as powerful officials, explained Hu Bufan had been sidelined, and warned that the Black Pole Gang had branches across Great Qian.
• Lu Chen agreed to Wang Hu’s deal and offered to end his suffering with a quick death.
• Wang Hu guessed that the Flying Eagle Horse Gang included men from the Northwestern Border Army and said the gangs had attacked the Green Bamboo Gang over its iron mine.

After killing Wang Hu and looting the Green Bamboo Gang’s storeroom, Lu Chen learned that stronger forces remained in Shahu County. Unable to sleep, he abducted and mutilated Li Feng, then used him to lure out the Black Pole Gang at a concealed residence near the County Yamen.

• Lu Chen killed Wang Hu, gained Fate Value, and stole the Green Bamboo Gang’s cultivation books and valuables; a surviving gang member found the gang leader dead and the storeroom emptied.
• Lu Chen returned home but, haunted by Wang Hu’s warnings about the Black Pole Gang and angered by Li Feng’s past treatment of him, decided to target Li Feng instead.
• Lu Chen entered the Jade Pavilion through a window, found Li Feng asleep with two women, knocked the women unconscious, and carried Li Feng away.
• Lu Chen brought Li Feng to a hidden residence near the County Yamen, cut out his tongue and severed both hands, then threw him into the courtyard to draw out the Black Pole Gang.

Lu Chen used pebbles and a staged attack to make the Black Pole Gang kill Li Feng, then prevented Zhou Tiezhu from committing suicide. Kang Mao discovered Li Feng’s identity and suspected an unseen attacker, while Lu Chen learned Zhao Defu was absent.

• Lu Chen killed Old Wang and another Black Pole Gang member with pebbles while Li Feng crawled through the courtyard, and Zhou Tiezhu killed Li Feng with a saber.
• The gang members washed Li Feng’s face, recognized Young Master Li, and Zhou Tiezhu tried to stop two witnesses from reporting the death before attempting suicide.
• Lu Chen struck Zhou Tiezhu’s arm with a pebble to stop him from killing himself, and the other gang members knocked him unconscious and tied him up.
• Kang Mao arrived, questioned Zhou Tiezhu, and ordered him taken away while searching for the hidden attacker.
• Kang Mao examined the dead men and suspected the attacker had used hidden weapons in the deaths of Li Mantun, his enforcers, and Green Bamboo Gang members.
• Lu Chen overheard Kang Mao ask for the Gang Leader and realized Zhao Defu was not there.

Lu Chen fought his way through the Black Pole Gang’s underground torture chambers and killed its members while freeing a beggar who was searching for his son. He escaped a trap underground, but Zhao Defu ambushed him at the stairs, and Lu Chen prepared to face him after spending Fate and Luck points to break his limit.

• Lu Chen followed gang members into a hidden underground chamber and discovered mutilated children being kept in cages for the Black Pole Gang’s begging scheme.
• Lu Chen killed two men carrying corpses and a burly torturer, then freed a beaten beggar who continued searching the chambers for his son.
• Lu Chen confronted Kang Mao and his subordinates, killed the attackers and Zhou Tiezhu, and pursued Kang Mao to a locked iron door.
• Lu Chen escaped through the still-open entrance, leaving the beggar behind, but Zhao Defu struck him with a Ripe-Copper Staff and sent him crashing down the stairs.
• Lu Chen spent 1600 Fate Value and 10 Luck Value to break his limit, recovered from his injuries, and faced Zhao Defu as the gang leader descended toward him.

Lu Chen defeated Zhao Defu, whose strength had reached the Marrow Washing Realm, and wiped out the Black Pole Gang except for two injured survivors. He prepared to question them about the White Ape Staff Technique after gaining Fate Value and Luck Value.

• Zhao Defu confronted Lu Chen and attacked him with the Ripe-Copper Staff, but Lu Chen recognized his strength and fought back with the Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique.
• Lu Chen overpowered Zhao Defu, cut open his abdomen, and killed him with a strike to the chest.
• Lu Chen killed the Black Pole Gang members while Kang Mao fled, then struck Kang Mao in the back with a throwing knife and killed him.
• Lu Chen left two gang members alive with their tendons severed and searched the bodies, but found no cultivation method.
• Lu Chen gained 1,600 Fate Value and 16 Luck Value, then approached the survivors and promised not to kill them if they answered his questions.

Lu Chen rescued children from the Black Pole Gang’s base and sent Zhao Mancang to alert Hu Bufan, while arranging for Zhao Mancang and his son Xiao He to escape safely. After Hu Bufan found the children and vowed to pursue the gang’s allies, Lu Chen checked his gains and headed to loot their homes.

• Lu Chen questioned two Black Pole Gang members about Zhao Defu, the gang’s child trafficking, and its links to other groups, then killed them when they tried to flee.
• Lu Chen approached Zhao Mancang, whose son Xiao He had been tortured, and asked him to bring Hu Bufan to the gang’s base so the authorities could handle the rescued children.
• Lu Chen promised to protect Xiao He, gave Zhao Mancang money for a doctor and a swift departure, and watched him leave with his son.
• Hu Bufan found the children in cages and condemned Zhao Defu, Wang Xiong, Meng Ping, and Li Ziren, while Lu Chen escaped unseen.
• Lu Chen gained Fate Value and Luck Value for changing the children’s fates, then set out to loot the gang members’ homes.

After the Black Pole Gang was destroyed, Lu Chen searched Zhao Defu’s home and questioned his mistress, Xiao Cui, but found no Cultivation Method. He spared Xiao Cui and her son and returned to his courtyard with money and incomplete methods from the Green Bamboo Gang, intending to upgrade them with Luck Value.

• Lu Chen searched Zhao Defu’s residence but found only a few thousand taels and medicinal herbs, then went to look for a Cultivation Method at Zhao Defu’s mistress’s home.
• Li Ziren blamed the rescued children for his son Li Feng’s death and ordered Li Jun to investigate them and find out who had informed Hu Bufan.
• Hu Bufan sent secret letters to his superiors, while townspeople gathered at the county yamen and mourned the abused children.
• Meng Ping and Wang Xiong discussed the deaths of Zhao Defu, Wang Hu, Li Mantun, and Wang Bao, noting the hidden weapons and Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique before deciding to report the matter.
• Lu Chen questioned Xiao Cui, learned she knew nothing of Zhao Defu’s gang, and let her and her son leave Sand Lake County Town with travel money.
• Lu Chen returned to his courtyard, accepted that he had found no new Cultivation Method, and planned to practice the incomplete methods he had taken from the Green Bamboo Gang.

After learning several Cultivation Methods, Lu Chen decided to train his younger siblings and help the villagers become stronger and earn more. He explained his plan to Second Grandfather Lu Wei, who agreed to help him bring it to the village head.

• Lu Chen practiced six Cultivation Methods and gained Traits for them, with the Thrusting skill Trait merging with Formation-Breaking Spearmanship.
• Lu Chen agreed to teach Lu Ming and Lu Tang, recommending Linked Pearl Archery and Eight-Direction Footwork for them to learn first.
• Lu Chen planned to arm the village and find the villagers a profitable trade so they could protect themselves and improve their livelihoods.
• Lu Chen told Lu Wei, Lu Ting, and Lu Zhen that he wanted to teach martial arts to villagers who hunted in the mountains, citing dangers and troubling news from the county town.
• Lu Wei recalled the worsening times and Lu Jiang's service on the northwestern border, then agreed to go with Lu Chen to speak to Xian De.

Lu Chen organized the villagers to build a secluded training ground and raise livestock, then used the Fate Value gained from teaching to improve his skills and physical Traits. The system fused several Traits into an elementary Hunyuan Body, but unlocking it left him with no Fate Value and a Luck Value debt.

• Lu Chen and Lu Xiande agreed to teach Cultivation Methods to the villagers and arranged to recruit trainees and buy food.
• Lu Chen directed villagers to clear a secluded training ground near Great Green Mountain and had them build a shed and prepare the site.
• Lu Chen arranged for Lu Xiande and Lu Wei to oversee piglets and chicken and duck eggs while he continued teaching.
• The system rewarded Lu Chen with 34 Fate Value after his teaching changed the fates of villagers, and he used his accumulated points to perfect several skills and improve his Traits and Cultivation Methods.
• Lu Chen improved Normal Nutrition to Overflowing Qi and Blood, triggering the fusion of Rapid Recovery, Overflowing Qi and Blood, Strong and Sturdy, and Robust Strength into an elementary Hunyuan Body.
• The system required 1,000 Fate Value and 100 Luck Value to unlock the Hunyuan Body, leaving Lu Chen with no Fate Value and debts of 376 Fate Value and 41 Luck Value.

Lu Chen trained Qingshan Village’s villagers in Eight Directions Step and Formation-Breaking Spearmanship, then considered ways to make the village self-sufficient. In Sand Lake County, Li Ziren hired the Black Kill Pavilion to find the killer of his son Li Feng, and the old farmer promised results within three days.

• Lu Chen taught hundreds of villagers Eight Directions Step and Formation-Breaking Spearmanship, then fed them meat and medicinal soup; their changed fates earned him 326 Fate Value.
• Lu Chen continued training the children and villagers while considering possible industries to support Qingshan Village, but he could not settle on one.
• Hu Bufan gained influence in Sand Lake County Town after his role in investigating and wiping out the Black Pole Gang, while Meng Ping and Wang Xiong lay low.
• Li Ziren berated Li Jun for failing to identify Li Feng’s killer and ordered him to hire the Black Kill Pavilion.
• Li Jun paid the Black Kill Pavilion 3,500 taels to find Li Feng’s killer and bring the person to him alive, and the old farmer promised a result within three days.

The Black Kill Pavilion traced Li Feng’s murder to Lu Chen and sent Crippled Blade to capture him alive. Sensing that someone was watching him, Lu Chen left Qingshan Village alone for the county town, disguised as a scholar and prepared for trouble.

• The Black Kill Pavilion investigated Li Feng’s connections, put Lu Chen among three suspects, and assigned the nearby four-star assassin Crippled Blade to bring him back alive.
• Lu Chen taught the village children and martial arts students, then felt someone watching him from outside the schoolhouse.
• Lu Chen tested the sensation with Lu Ming and Lu Tang and concluded that a strong person might be spying on him.
• Lu Chen suspected his encounter with Li Feng had exposed him, arranged for Second Grandfather to look after Lu Ming and Lu Tang, and left Qingshan Village for the county town in disguise.

Lu Chen exposed Crippled Blade, an assassin sent by Elder Ning, and fought him on the road outside Qingshan Village. After injuring Crippled Blade and pursuing him into the woods, Lu Chen closed in and demanded to know why he had come.

• Crippled Blade followed Lu Chen out of Qingshan Village, disguised himself as a farmer, and approached him on the road.
• Lu Chen offered Crippled Blade water, then threw lime powder and a knife at him when Crippled Blade attacked with his chained broken blade.
• Crippled Blade underestimated Lu Chen, but Lu Chen's Iron Pellets badly injured him and revealed that Lu Chen had reached Marrow Cleansing.
• Crippled Blade forced Lu Chen back, tossed his luggage at him, and fled into the woods; Lu Chen dodged the luggage and pursued him.
• Lu Chen hit Crippled Blade with a throwing knife and caught up as Crippled Blade fled through the woods, then demanded to know why he had come.

Lu Chen captured Crippled Blade and interrogated him about the Black Kill Pavilion, learning that Li Jun had hired the assassin and that the organization had a branch in Shahu County. After silently watching his captive for half an hour, Lu Chen asked whether he could join the Black Kill Pavilion.

• Lu Chen crippled Crippled Blade, searched him, and found an iron Four-Star Black Kill Pavilion token and a detailed booklet about Lu Chen.
• Lu Chen forced Crippled Blade to answer by nodding or shaking his head, confirming that he belonged to the Black Kill Pavilion and that it had a branch in Shahu County.
• Crippled Blade indicated that Li Jun had hired him and that the Black Kill Pavilion would send another assassin if a mission failed.
• After watching Crippled Blade in silence, Lu Chen asked if he could join the Black Kill Pavilion.

Lu Chen decided to join the Black Kill Pavilion because he could not protect his family and village from its reach on his own. After bringing the injured Crippled Blade to the organization’s Shahu County headquarters, Lu Chen announced his intention to join and left Elder Ning stunned.

• Lu Chen told Crippled Blade that he wanted to join the Black Kill Pavilion and asked whether killing Li Jun would end the mission.
• Crippled Blade agreed to take Lu Chen to the branch, and Lu Chen gained 100 Fate Value after changing Crippled Blade’s fate.
• Crippled Blade told Lu Chen that the branch had about six members and led him to an inconspicuous courtyard in Shahu County.
• Ghost Hand let Lu Chen and Crippled Blade inside, while Elder Ning prepared to treat Crippled Blade and wondered whether the mission had failed.
• Lu Chen introduced himself to Elder Ning and said he had come to join the Black Kill Pavilion, leaving Elder Ning surprised.

Lu Chen sought to join the Black Kill Pavilion to avoid being killed, and Elder Ning offered him a trial mission targeting Li Ziren, the man who had hired the Pavilion. Elder Ning grew suspicious of Lu Chen’s strength and background, then tried to stall him while waiting for reinforcements.

• Elder Ning suspected Lu Chen wanted to join the Black Kill Pavilion because he feared for his life, and Lu Chen admitted he wanted to avoid dying.
• Elder Ning explained that Lu Chen had to complete a mission to become a One-Star Iron-Token Killer, then gave him files on Hu Bufan and Li Ziren.
• Lu Chen rejected the mission to kill Hu Bufan, a county magistrate, and accepted the mission against Li Ziren, the Pavilion’s employer.
• Elder Ning asked about Lu Chen’s cultivation and connection to the Bao Household, then concluded that some powerful force must be backing him.
• Lu Chen asked how many Pavilion members were in Shahu County so he could buy them gifts, while Elder Ning stalled him and waited for Swordsman and other allies to arrive.