Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing reflected on Old Doctor Chen’s advice about committing fully to treating patients while Young Master Wei remained in critical condition. Ma Gu gave Lu Qing a finely forged War Blade as thanks for helping save Young Master Wei, then began to explain the Wei Clan’s formidable standing.

• Old Doctor Chen told Lu Qing that a practitioner should either refuse treatment from the start or do everything possible once treatment had begun.
• Lu Qing considered his master’s advice and agreed that he should treat a patient wholeheartedly once he had chosen to help.
• Ma Gu thanked Lu Qing and Old Doctor Chen for saving Young Master Wei and praised Lu Qing’s medical talent.
• Ma Gu presented Lu Qing with a valuable War Blade, and Lu Qing agreed to keep it temporarily until Young Master Wei’s condition became clear.
• Lu Qing asked Ma Gu why the Wei Clan inspired such awe, and Ma Gu said the clan was no ordinary family.

Lu Qing learned more about the Wei Clan’s reach as Old Doctor Chen treated the critically wounded Young Master Wei at Half-Mountain Courtyard. The Wei Family Grand Steward brought rare medicinal herbs, and by the next morning Young Master Wei showed signs of waking.

• Ma Gu told Lu Qing that the Wei Clan held immense influence across the prefecture and had ties to the Royal Capital, though its head remained at its ancestral residence.
• Lu Qing stayed overnight at Half-Mountain Courtyard, where the Wei Family Grand Steward arrived and learned that Young Master Wei was too badly injured to be moved.
• The Wei Family Grand Steward examined Young Master Wei and realized his life remained in grave danger, then thanked Old Doctor Chen for treating him.
• The Grand Steward presented chests of valuable medicinal herbs, and Old Doctor Chen selected what he needed to brew a life-saving decoction.
• Old Doctor Chen gave Young Master Wei the decoction and used acupuncture, steadying his breathing and restoring some color to his face.
• Early the next morning, the Grand Steward saw Young Master Wei’s eyelids twitch.

Young Master Wei awoke at the Half-Mountain Courtyard and recalled chasing a Black Little Beast before falling into a ravine. After Old Doctor Chen ordered several more days of rest, Lu Qing returned home and found the Black Little Beast waiting on his roof beam with a resentful gaze.

• Young Master Wei awoke and told the Wei Family Grand Steward that he had chased a nimble Black Little Beast to a cliff before falling.
• Old Doctor Chen eased Young Master Wei's pain, and the Wei Family Grand Steward learned that his wound still needed several days to heal.
• The Wei Family Grand Steward arranged for guards to disperse or stay at Ma Gu's residence while he remained to care for Young Master Wei.
• Lu Qing prepared a guest room, then left the Half-Mountain Courtyard carrying the sleeping Xiao Yan back home.
• Lu Qing checked that his front door was intact, then saw the Black Little Beast watching him from a roof beam with a grievance-filled gaze.

Lu Qing invited the Black Little Beast inside and fed it, then let Xiao Yan meet and befriend it. The little beast stayed in the house, and Xiao Yan asked Lu Qing to help name it.

• Lu Qing found the Black Little Beast waiting on his eaves, apologized for leaving it outside all night, and invited it in for fish.
• After eating, the Black Little Beast stayed in Lu Qing's house, curled up on a cabinet, and fell asleep.
• Lu Qing woke Xiao Yan and told her the Black Little Beast was on the cabinet.
• The Black Little Beast showed friendliness to Xiao Yan, rubbed its head against her hand, and let her pet it.
• Xiao Yan asked Lu Qing to give the Black Little Beast a name.

Lu Qing named the Black Little Beast Xiao Li and let it stay hidden in his home to avoid the Wei Clan. After seven days of recovery, Young Master Wei was able to walk and prepare to return to the Wei Clan.

• Xiao Yan asked Lu Qing to give the Black Little Beast a special name, and he named it Xiao Li.
• Lu Qing learned that Wei Clan men had chased Xiao Li and warned it and Xiao Yan to keep its presence secret.
• Lu Qing discovered that Xiao Li had no parents nearby and had recently wandered into the mountains near Nine Li Village.
• Xiao Li moved into the Lu home and enjoyed fresh fish and Xiao Yan's company while Lu Qing resumed his usual routine.
• On the seventh day after waking, Young Master Wei recovered enough to walk and travel back to the Wei Clan.

Young Master Wei thanked Old Doctor Chen for saving his life, and the Wei Clan presented generous gifts to the doctor, Lu Qing, and Xiao Yan. After accepting the gifts, the Wei Family party departed for home, hoping to build ties with Old Doctor Chen and Lu Qing.

• Young Master Wei thanked Old Doctor Chen and departed in a sedan because his wounds had not fully healed.
• Grand Steward Wei gave Old Doctor Chen ten thousand taels of silver, one thousand taels of gold, and the Qing Nang Medical Classic, which the doctor accepted.
• Grand Steward Wei offered Lu Qing a Tendons and Bones Realm secret technique and a Bone Forging Pill, and Lu Qing accepted them after Old Doctor Chen’s approval.
• Grand Steward Wei gave Xiao Yan ornaments and clothing, then invited Old Doctor Chen and Lu Qing to visit the Wei Residence.
• Grand Steward Wei ordered the guards to escort Young Master Wei down the mountain and return to the residence.

After the Wei Clan departed, Lu Qing and Old Doctor Chen stored their generous payment, and the Old Doctor warned Lu Qing about the Bone Forging Pill’s danger. Lu Qing then focused on training at home and sensed a breakthrough opportunity after refining his blood qi for several days.

• Lu Qing praised the Wei Family Grand Steward, and he and Old Doctor Chen carried the Wei Clan’s gold and silver into storage.
• Old Doctor Chen warned Lu Qing that refining a Bone Forging Pill too early could burn away his marrow and blood qi.
• Lu Qing returned home with his and Xiao Yan’s gifts, where he found Xiao Yan and Xiao Li playing Gomoku.
• Lu Qing spent several days training in the back mountain, focusing on the Body Nourishing Fist and refining his blood qi instead of practicing the Four Directions Saber.
• After consuming several Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills, Lu Qing sensed an opportunity to break through.

Lu Qing broke through to Qi Blood Realm Minor Accomplishment and raised his Four Directions Saber Technique to Minor Accomplishment, then returned home to find a group of burly men confronting Nine Li Village’s residents over Lu Ming’s debt. The chapter left Lu Qing facing the men as Grandpa Zhang demanded to know why they had come back.

• Lu Qing connected the Blood Qi throughout his body and broke through to Qi Blood Realm Minor Accomplishment.
• Lu Qing practiced all nine forms of the Four Directions Saber Technique and realized his mastery had also reached Minor Accomplishment.
• Lu Qing planned to ask his master for help refining more pills and to find additional Qi Blood Realm combat martial arts to practice.
• Lu Qing heard an argument outside his home and found Grandpa Zhang, Xiao Yan, and other villagers facing seven or eight burly men.
• Grandpa Zhang asked the men why they had returned when Lu Ming’s debt had already been settled.

Lu Qing returned just as Black Mole Thug was about to strike Wang Da'an, after the Black Wolf Gang threatened Nine Li Village and tried to seize Xiao Yan. The confrontation paused with Lu Qing catching Black Mole Thug's arm.

• Black Mole Thug accused Grandpa Zhang and the villagers of hiding money from the sale of the Lu Family Farmland.
• Grandpa Zhang explained that the money Lu Qing had came from his master, but Fifth Brother rejected his claim and ordered Black Mole Thug to seize Xiao Yan and find Lu Qing.
• Black Mole Thug threatened to sell Xiao Yan to pay her parents' debt, and Fifth Brother warned the villagers not to resist the Black Wolf Gang.
• Wang Da'an stood in Black Mole Thug's way, so Black Mole Thug grabbed his hoe and swung at him.
• Lu Qing arrived and caught Black Mole Thug's arm before the slap landed.

Lu Qing confronted the Black Wolf Gang members he suspected of causing his parents’ deaths and defeated their leader, Han Wu, despite Han Wu’s attempt to deceive him with a promissory note and silver. The chapter ended with Lu Qing killing Han Wu after rejecting his sophistry.

• Lu Qing crushed the Black Mole Thug’s wrist and knocked him unconscious with a kick, shocking the villagers and Han Wu.
• Lu Qing identified Han Wu as the Black Wolf Gang’s leader and demanded to know who they were.
• Grandpa Zhang and the villagers accused Han Wu’s gang of driving Lu Qing’s parents to their deaths and trying to take Xiao Yan.
• Han Wu denied responsibility, showed Lu Qing a promissory note, and offered him silver notes worth three hundred taels.
• Lu Qing pretended to appreciate Han Wu’s gift, then struck his chest and destroyed his heart, killing him.

Lu Qing killed Han Wu and the remaining Black Wolf Gang men after learning they had no further information about his parents’ deaths. Concerned the gang would retaliate, he set out to learn more about them, leaving Xiao Yan with Grandpa Zhang and keeping Xiao Li hidden.

• Lu Qing questioned the Black Wolf Gang members about his parents’ deaths, then killed the five survivors when they could offer no more information.
• Grandpa Zhang told the villagers to bury the bodies and worried that the rest of the Black Wolf Gang might seek revenge.
• Lu Qing revealed that his master had taught him martial arts, surprising the villagers who had not known the Old Doctor could fight.
• Lu Qing decided to ask someone about the Black Wolf Gang, strapped on his War Blade, and discovered Xiao Li had been hiding near the courtyard gate.
• Lu Qing told Xiao Yan he would return soon, asked Grandpa Zhang to take her to Grandpa Chen, and left the village.

Lu Qing visited Ma Gu to learn about Han Wu, Zhao Xiong, and the Black Wolf Gang, which he believed had killed his parents. After hearing that Lu Qing had killed the gang members who came to seize him and Xiao Yan, Ma Gu recognized a possible lead on the people Lu Qing sought.

• Lu Qing reflected that killing the men who attacked his village had left him feeling unexpectedly relieved, then went to Da Ji to find Ma Gu.
• Ma Gu welcomed Lu Qing, but grew serious when he noticed the War Blade on Lu Qing's back and sent Xiao Tian to stand watch.
• Lu Qing asked Ma Gu about Han Wu and Zhao Xiong, and said he believed the Black Wolf Gang had killed his parents.
• Lu Qing explained that Han Wu, Zhao Xiong, and their companions had come to seize him and Xiao Yan, and that he had beaten them all to death before questioning them.
• Ma Gu realized the men Lu Qing described were outer members and said he thought he knew who Lu Qing was looking for.

Lu Qing learned that Happy Life Stronghold belonged to the Black Wolf Gang and decided to confront it over his parents’ deaths. Although Ma Gu offered to help, Lu Qing went alone with Xiao Li and set out toward the stronghold.

• Ma Gu told Lu Qing that Happy Life Stronghold was an outer business of the Black Wolf Gang, led by its Ninth Leader, who likely had not surpassed the Qi Blood Realm.
• Lu Qing confirmed he intended to investigate the stronghold, and Ma Gu worried that he would be outmatched despite his talent.
• Ma Gu offered to accompany Lu Qing, but Lu Qing declined and said the conflict was his responsibility.
• After Lu Qing left, Ma Gu secretly prepared to follow him, telling Xiao Tian that the Wei Clan and Old Doctor Chen would stand behind Lu Qing.
• Lu Qing recalled that he would settle the feud himself, then met Xiao Li on the path and headed east toward Happy Life Stronghold.

Lu Qing hid near Happy Life Stronghold and overheard its guards discussing the gang’s crimes. He learned how the stronghold had driven Xiao Yan’s parents to their deaths, and his killing intent toward its members grew as he waited for nightfall.

• Lu Qing reached Happy Life Stronghold and concealed himself in a tree near its gate until nightfall.
• Two gate guards complained about their low status and discussed Er Gouzi’s sister, whom her parents had sold to the stronghold.
• The guards revealed that Han Wu and Zhao Xiong had taken Wang Fu to Nine Li Village after discovering villagers had withheld silver.
• The guards explained that the gang had tricked Lu Ming out of his farmland and wife, and that Lu Ming’s wife had drowned herself.
• Lu Qing realized the Black Wolf Gang members had lied about their role in Xiao Yan’s parents’ deaths, and he grew more eager to kill the stronghold’s people.

Lu Qing infiltrated Happy Life Stronghold after witnessing Zhao Lao San sell his sixteen-year-old daughter to the brothel. He discovered the girl had been taken to a stone room with other captive girls, and the sight unleashed his long-suppressed killing intent.

• Ma Gu, Xiao Tian, and Da Shan waited nearby, believing Lu Qing was hiding and preparing to strike.
• As night fell, Lu Qing watched Zhao Lao San sell his daughter to Happy Life Stronghold for gambling money while the onlookers mocked them.
• Lu Qing restrained himself from attacking at the gate, then slipped into the stronghold through a blind spot with Xiao Li.
• Lu Qing followed the girl to a stone room after she was bound and dragged through the stronghold.
• Lu Qing peered into the room, saw what was inside, and could no longer suppress his killing intent.

Lu Qing killed Jiao Shen and two minions while freeing the imprisoned girls’ room from their control, then stormed toward the strongest person in Happy Life Stronghold. He confronted the stronghold’s leader in the gambling hall and declared that he had come to kill him.

• Lu Qing killed Jiao Shen and two minions after discovering several starving, chained girls in their room, then told the girls to wait while he went to get help.
• Remembering that Han Wu and the others had tried to capture Xiao Yan, Lu Qing asked Xiao Li to locate the stronghold’s strongest person, and she pointed toward the central wooden building.
• Lu Qing killed two patrolmen and beheaded Lai Zi Tou as he walked toward the building.
• Lu Qing struck down the two guards at the entrance and entered the gambling hall, where gamblers and scantily clad girls fled in panic.
• The stronghold’s leader appeared on the second floor and demanded to know who was causing trouble, and Lu Qing said he had come to kill him.

Lu Qing attacked Happy Life Stronghold and confronted its chief, Heart-Picking Wolf, with a devastating saber strike. After Heart-Picking Wolf fled, Lu Qing killed the other leaders and pursued him.

• Lu Qing identified Heart-Picking Wolf and the other stronghold leaders as weaker than himself, then prepared to attack as gang members gathered.
• Heart-Picking Wolf tried to learn why Lu Qing had come, but Lu Qing refused to talk and charged at him with his saber.
• Lu Qing’s strike smashed through the second-floor boards and sent Heart-Picking Wolf flying, injuring him and damaging his armguards.
• Heart-Picking Wolf escaped through a window, while Lu Qing cut down the other leaders and chased after him.

Lu Qing pursued and killed Heart-Picking Wolf, then began wiping out the rest of Happy Life Stronghold. Ma Gu arrived in time to witness Lu Qing execute Zhao Lao San.

• The frightened gamblers stayed inside the wooden building while Lu Qing chased Heart-Picking Wolf through the stronghold.
• Ma Gu heard the fighting outside and hurried into Happy Life Stronghold with his companions.
• Lu Qing used his blade to keep Heart-Picking Wolf at a distance, wounded his leg, and beheaded him when he faltered.
• Lu Qing charged at the remaining stronghold members and began slaughtering them.
• Zhao Lao San offered Lu Qing his silver and begged for his life, but Lu Qing killed him as Ma Gu and his companions arrived.

After slaughtering Happy Life Stronghold, Lu Qing asked Ma Gu to arrange shelter for the captive girls and entrusted one girl with the money her father had received for selling her. Lu Qing then left alone, saying he would visit Ma Gu in a few days.

• Ma Gu and his companions arrived at the stronghold and recognized the dead Heart-Picking Wolf among the corpses.
• Lu Qing led Ma Gu to the chained girls and asked him to find homes for them and the other captives in the wooden building.
• Ma Gu agreed to arrange help, while Xiao Tian and the others began soothing the girls and handling the aftermath.
• Lu Qing freed the girls and gave one girl the money her father had received for selling her, telling her he had killed him.
• Lu Qing left the stronghold alone after telling Ma Gu he needed time to think and would visit him in a couple of days.

After wiping out Happy Life Stronghold, Lu Qing resolved the turmoil he felt over killing its people and reached Qi Blood Perfection in his martial arts comprehension. He returned to Nine Li Village, where Wang Da'an was waiting with the worried villagers.

• Lu Qing practiced the Four Directions Saber Technique beneath the full moon and reflected until his doubts over killing the people of Happy Life Stronghold disappeared.
• Lu Qing realized his control over Blood Qi Power had reached Qi Blood Perfection, though he still needed to build up his total Blood Qi before advancing to the Tendons and Bones Realm.
• Lu Qing thanked Xiao Li and returned toward Nine Li Village, reflecting that destroying Happy Life Stronghold had protected the village from retaliation.
• Wang Da'an met Lu Qing at the village entrance and said the villagers, including Old Doctor Chen, were waiting for him at the Ancestral Hall.
• Lu Qing told Wang Da'an that the Black Wolf Gang would not trouble the village for now, then returned the Red Rope beneath the stone slab by the Letter Tree.