Chapter Summaries

After the Qinghe Gang was destroyed, Song Changming decided to try raising Azure Water Silkworms and bought a spacious residence on Houli Street. His family moved out of Baiyi Street, leaving their neighbors envious of their sudden rise in fortune.

• Song Changming chose to try the Azure Water Silkworm Rearing Method and kept the inner armor and heart-protecting mirror for protection.
• News spread that the Qinghe Gang had been destroyed, though people disagreed over whether the Nine Bends Society or the authorities were responsible.
• Lu Gang showed Song Changming an old, rumored-haunted residence, and Song Changming decided to buy it for eighty taels of silver.
• Song Changming thanked Lu Gang and arranged the move, while Father Song began repairing the residence.
• The Song Family moved to Houli Street, sold their old house, and left their Baiyi Street neighbors envious.

Song Changming settled into his renovated residence, prepared to raise Water Silkworms, and continued training while worrying about his slow Body Refinement progress. The sudden murder of Patrol Captain Sun Wenyen sent the Patrol Guard into a major investigation, which brought Song Changming and Liang Chuanshan to Spring Breeze Garden.

• Song Changming set up a water vat to raise Water Silkworms and asked Father Song to help tend them.
• Song Changming practiced his saber and assessed his slow progress in Body Refinement.
• Lu Gang told Song Changming that Patrol Captain Sun Wenyen had been found hacked to death outside Spring Breeze Garden.
• The Patrol Guard mobilized to investigate Sun Wenyen's murder and focused on Spring Breeze Garden.
• Liang Chuanshan questioned Mama Liu at Spring Breeze Garden, and she ordered the staff to cooperate.

Song Changming and the Patrol Guards investigated Sun Wenyen’s murder, then faced a growing series of assassinations targeting Houli Street’s Patrol Guard Headquarters. Sent out as bait with Lu Gang, Song Changming encountered three black-clad assassins in a dark alley.

• The madam and two attendants confirmed that Sun Wenyen had spent the night drinking at Spring Breeze Garden before Song Changming and Lu Gang inspected the room and the alley where he was killed.
• Liang Chuanshan found no clear leads and warned the Patrol Guards to stay cautious, while he left Sun Wenyen’s associates to pursue the case.
• Three more Patrol Guards were killed with wounds matching Sun Wenyen’s, and Song Changming and Lu Gang suspected the Nine Bends Society but learned its members had made no moves on the nights of the attacks.
• After another Patrol Guard was killed in broad daylight, the Director ordered teams to send out pairs as bait, and Liang Chuanshan assigned Song Changming and Lu Gang.
• Three black-clad assassins attacked Song Changming and Lu Gang in a dark alley, and Song Changming knocked aside one attacker’s blade before the assassins emerged.

Song Changming and Lu Gang fought off three assassins, captured them with help from the Patrol Guard Team, and were rewarded with promotions. Lu Gang became Patrol Captain while Song Changming took Liang Chuanshan’s deputy position, leaving Wang Xianwen furious over losing the captaincy.

• Song Changming and Lu Gang fought the three assassins after Song Changming fired the signal flare, and Song Changming held off two attackers despite being wounded.
• Lu Gang pursued the fleeing assassins while Song Changming subdued the third, who hinted that the group had investigated Chen Beihu’s death.
• Liang Chuanshan arrived with reinforcements, and the Patrol Guard Team captured all three assassins.
• The Director promoted Lu Gang to Patrol Captain and appointed Song Changming temporary deputy to Liang Chuanshan.
• Wang Xianwen learned that Lu Gang had received the captaincy, smashed furniture in his study, and seethed with anger.

Song Changming struggled to raise Azure Water Silkworms while the Patrol Guard Headquarters closed its assassin case without discovering who had hired the killers. Nearly a year later, Song Changming helped ambush the Ghost-faced Bandit, who was defeated and exposed beneath his broken mask.

• Song Changming and Father Song found that two of their nine Azure Water Silkworms had died, while the remaining six had begun adapting to the vat.
• Interrogators learned that the three assassins claimed to work for the Dark Night Pavilion and blamed the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army, but all three died from poison in their cells before the case was resolved.
• The Patrol Guard Headquarters ended the assassination threat, and Song Changming remained a deputy for nearly another year.
• On a full-moon night, the Ghost-faced Bandit mocked the Patrol Guard Headquarters while fleeing across Houli Street's rooftops.
• Patrol guards fired Crossbow Bolts at the Ghost-faced Bandit, and Song Changming met him with his saber after he landed in an alley.
• Song Changming knocked the Ghost-faced Bandit's twin blades away, split his mask, and left him begging for mercy.

Song Changming captured the Ghost-faced Bandit and then met Liang Chuanshan, who told him that the Director would retire this year and asked him to support his bid for the position. Liang Chuanshan urged Song Changming to secure as much merit as possible, confident that his record gave him an advantage over the other candidates.

• Song Changming and the Patrol Guards captured the Ghost-faced Bandit, whose arrest carried a ten-silver-coin bounty.
• A Patrol Guard told Song Changming that Liang Chuanshan had summoned him to Spring Breeze Garden.
• Liang Chuanshan told Song Changming that the Director would step down this year and identified Qian Wen and Zhao Dezhi as his main rivals for the position.
• Liang Chuanshan asked Song Changming to stand by him, and Song Changming affirmed his support.
• Liang Chuanshan told Song Changming to pursue every possible merit and said he had already made the necessary arrangements with the people deciding the appointment.

Song Changming returned home after a night at Spring Breeze Garden and practiced his saber, reflecting on his growing strength and the limits of his body refinement. His family’s Azure Water Silkworm breeding had produced several Blue-striped specimens, offering a chance to improve their income.

• Song Changming returned to the Song Residence at dawn, ate breakfast, and began his daily saber practice.
• Song Changming’s Soul Severing Saber had reached Major Accomplishment, while his Great Strength Bull Demon Art remained at One Ox’s Strength.
• Song Changming recognized that his body refinement lagged behind his saber technique and that he needed more money for ginseng and medicinal baths.
• Song Changming inspected the Azure Water Silkworms with Father Song and saw that about five had developed valuable blue stripes.

Song Changming and Father Song celebrated raising five Blue-striped Azure Water Silkworms, then Song Changming was summoned to help handle prisoners from the General Security Department. He joined the other Patrol Captains outside the department and waited as its guards began bringing prisoners out.

• Song Changming and Father Song discussed the value of their five Blue-striped Azure Water Silkworms and agreed to keep their rearing method secret.
• Song Changming took Bone Tempering Powder and practiced body tempering until a patrol guard summoned him to Patrol Guard Headquarters.
• Song Changming learned that he, Liang Chuanshan, Zhao Dezhi, and Qian Wen had to assist with a prisoner transfer and maintain order during executions on Houli Street.
• Liang Chuanshan led Song Changming and the patrol guards to the General Security Department, where Zhao Dezhi and Qian Wen were already waiting.
• The General Security Department gates opened, and its patrol guards emerged as the others waited for the prisoners.

Song Changming escorted twenty-five major criminals from the General Directorate to the Patrol Guard Headquarters and suspected the transfer was suspicious. As masked attackers ambushed the convoy to free a prisoner, Song Changming held the line atop a prison cart.

• Lu Zheng handed the prisoners and official documents over to Liang Chuanshan, Qian Wen, and Zhao Dezhi before returning to the General Directorate.
• Liang Chuanshan learned that the convoy carried twenty-five notorious criminals, and Song Changming questioned why they were being transferred.
• A disguised beggar killed a Patrol Guard, while other attackers emerged from the crowd and fought the escorts.
• Liang Chuanshan ordered the guards to protect the prison carts and set off a smoke pellet as masked attackers rushed in.
• Song Changming knocked an attacker off a prison cart and kicked away a saber thrown toward the prisoner Brother Liu.

Song Changming helped repel an attempt to free Flying Swallow Sword Liu Xiangnan from a prison carriage, only to learn the General Directorate had used the convoy as bait to capture the rescuers. After the prisoners reached the Patrol Guard Headquarters, Liang Chuanshan confided his frustration at being kept in the dark, and he invited Song Changming for a drink.

• Song Changming defeated a burly axe-wielding attacker while guarding Liu Xiangnan, and Liang Chuanshan joined him atop the prison carriage.
• A young master and his sword-bearing maids watched the fight, praised Song Changming's progress, and decided to have someone keep an eye on him.
• General Directorate patrol guards appeared on the rooftops and captured the prison-carriage robbers, revealing the transport had been a trap.
• The convoy reached the Patrol Guard Headquarters, but seven Houli Street patrol guards had died and more than ten were injured.
• Liang Chuanshan explained that Liu Xiangnan had killed the Yushui County magistrate, then complained to Song Changming that the mission had treated him like a chess piece.
• Liang Chuanshan invited Song Changming to drink with him at Spring Breeze Garden that night, and Song Changming agreed.

Song Changming guarded Liu Xiangnan in the prison after the Great Hero’s allies tried to rescue him, and learned that Liu Xiangnan wanted to die before his scheduled execution so no one else would risk their life for him. Song Changming refused to kill him without an order and spent the rest of his watch practicing his saber.

• Song Changming reflected on his successful defense during the prison break and expected to gain more Body Refinement experience at the next evaluation.
• Liang Chuanshan was assigned to escort four condemned officials to a public execution, while Liu Xiangnan was left off the execution list.
• Jianghu fighters tried to break into the prison to rescue Liu Xiangnan, but the guards captured several of them and the old Director ordered extra night patrols.
• Song Changming took over the prison watch and brought water and meat porridge to Liu Xiangnan, whose hands had been crippled.
• Liu Xiangnan asked Song Changming to kill him before the execution so no more people would die trying to save him, but Song Changming refused without authorization.
• Song Changming left Liu Xiangnan with the porridge and practiced his saber in the prison.

Song Changming learned Liu Xiangnan’s Swallow Skill and tried to persuade him to keep living, but Liu Xiangnan was sentenced to execution. Five days later, Song Changming escorted him to the execution ground, where Liu Xiangnan lamented that they had never shared a drink.

• Liu Xiangnan explained that the Ghost Blade Faction’s saber arts were no longer taboo and praised Song Changming’s skill.
• Liu Xiangnan offered to teach Song Changming the Flying Swallow Style and Flying Swallow Light Body Technique, and Song Changming accepted.
• After two nights of instruction, Song Changming gained both martial arts on his panel, and Liu Xiangnan advised him on how to practice them.
• Song Changming urged Liu Xiangnan to keep living and remember his aspirations, but Liu Xiangnan gave no response.
• Five days later, Song Changming escorted Liu Xiangnan to the execution ground, where Liu Xiangnan said he regretted never sharing a drink with him.

Masked jianghu fighters raided the execution ground and rescued Liu Xiangnan, prompting the Patrol Guard Team and the General Directorate to pursue them. As Liu Xiangnan fled with his rescuers, Lu Zheng confronted them, but Carefree Sword, Zhao Dongming, intervened to face him.

• Song Changming watched as the Execution Supervisor ordered the major criminals executed, but Zhao Dongming struck Liu Xiangnan's executioner's cleaver away with throwing knives.
• Masked fighters stormed the platform, freed Liu Xiangnan, and used smoke bombs to escape through the panicked crowd.
• The old Director ordered a pursuit, and Liu Xiangnan told his rescuers that he now wanted to live and redeem himself.
• Gold Trimmed Patrol from the General Directorate blocked the rescuers in an alley, where Lu Zheng overpowered several masked fighters.
• Zhao Dongming appeared and halted Lu Zheng with throwing knives, allowing the masked fighters to flee before challenging Lu Zheng to fight.

Song Changming recognized Liu Xiangnan escaping the city in disguise but let him go, choosing to see him off rather than capture him. Liang Chuanshan became Director of the Houli Street Patrol Guard Headquarters, and Song Changming attended the celebratory banquet as his trusted aide.

• Song Changming recognized Liu Xiangnan disguised as an injured old man on a cart and let him leave through the eastern gate with the masked farmers.
• Song Changming told Liang Chuanshan that the search had found no trace of Liu Xiangnan, then resolved to keep a low profile and avoid using the martial arts Liu had taught him.
• After Liu Xiangnan's escape became known, the old Patrol Guard Headquarters Director was removed, and Liang Chuanshan was appointed the new Director.
• Liang Chuanshan hosted a grand banquet after completing the handover, thanked Song Changming for his support, and treated him as his most trusted confidant.
• Song Changming and Lu Gang discussed Zhao Dezhi and Qian Wen's disappointment and speculated that Song might soon receive a promotion.

Song Changming advanced his Flying Swallow Style training while continuing to struggle with its Light Body Technique. After Liang Chuanshan appointed him acting Patrol Captain, Song arrived at the headquarters and saw how his status had risen.

• Song Changming reached beginner level in the Flying Swallow Style and continued practicing the slower-progressing Flying Swallow Light Body Technique.
• Song Changming spotted two newborn puppies outside his alley but left them alone.
• Song Changming arrived at the Patrol Guard Headquarters as people tried to give Liang Chuanshan gifts and watched the patrol guards drive them away.
• The patrol guards greeted Song Changming respectfully because Liang Chuanshan had appointed him to temporarily fill his former Patrol Captain post.
• Song Changming reflected on his rapid rise from Torch-bearing Night Watchman to Patrol Captain at nearly twenty, aided by his merits and Liang Chuanshan's support.

After becoming Patrol Captain, Song Changming settled into his new duties, brought two abandoned puppies home, and prepared for his annual evaluation. The evaluation offered him a choice of lifespan, martial arts experience, or attribute points.

• Song Changming reassured his Patrol Guard Team that their duties would not change under his command.
• Song Changming noticed Wang Xianwen leaving the Patrol Guard Headquarters and then went home.
• Song Changming took two abandoned puppies home, fed them goat's milk, and built them a doghouse.
• Song Changming celebrated his twentieth birthday modestly and opened his annual evaluation panel.
• Song Changming received three annual reward options: more lifespan, martial arts experience at a cost in lifespan, or attribute points at a smaller lifespan cost.

Song Changming spent his annual reward on martial arts experience and advanced the Great Strength Bull Demon Art to Two Oxen Strength, greatly increasing his physical power. After practicing through the night, he arrived at the Patrol Guard Headquarters, where Liang Chuanshan asked for his views on the increasingly rampant Nine Bends Society.

• Song Changming used his annual reward to gain martial arts experience and poured all three hundred points into the Great Strength Bull Demon Art.
• Song Changming endured a painful transformation and advanced the art to Two Oxen Strength, gaining strength enough to lift nearly two thousand jin with ease.
• Song Changming ate several jin of meat to satisfy his hunger, then practiced through the night to adapt to his strengthened body.
• Song Changming told Mother Song he had made progress in martial arts when she asked why he was up early.
• Song Changming went to the Patrol Guard Headquarters, where Liang Chuanshan asked what he thought about the Nine Bends Society's growing rampancy.

Liang Chuanshan and Song Changming discussed the Nine Bends Society’s rapid expansion and planned to deal with it without seeking outside help. Later, Song Changming intervened when a gang of troublemakers disrupted Spring Breeze Garden, leaving one of them unconscious with a single slap.

• Song Changming told Liang Chuanshan that the Nine Bends Society had absorbed most gangs in Houli Street and had around three hundred open members.
• Liang Chuanshan decided the Urban Patrol Guard Headquarters under his command would handle the Nine Bends Society without publicly requesting reinforcements, and told Song Changming to keep the plan secret.
• Song Changming resolved to strengthen himself while continuing his training and enjoying his leisure time.
• Liang Chuanshan brought Song Changming to Spring Breeze Garden to entertain Zhou Sixin, a Patrol Captain at headquarters.
• A burly man and his companions wrecked the hall, beat several guests, and demanded that Miss Yu'er perform for them.
• Song Changming confronted the troublemakers and knocked one man unconscious with a slap.

Song Changming arrested Nine Bends Society members after Wang Liuzi drew a blade on him, and Liang Chuanshan used the incident to seek Zhou Sixin’s private help in destroying the gang. Zhou accepted Liang’s gold, and the chapter ended with Liang and Song discussing the planned operation.

• Song Changming refused to let Wang Liuzi and the Nine Bends Society members leave Spring Breeze Garden, despite Wang’s threat that he had connections to Captain Qian.
• Wang Liuzi drew his blade, so Song Changming cut off his right hand and subdued him before ordering the patrol guards to take the gang members into custody.
• Zhou Sixin praised Song Changming’s blade skill, and Liang Chuanshan revealed that Song was only twenty and had already mastered it.
• Liang Chuanshan told Zhou Sixin he wanted to destroy the Nine Bends Society but needed help, then offered him a box of Great Han gold coins for private assistance.
• After Zhou Sixin left, Liang Chuanshan told Song Changming that money had secured the Capital City Patrol Captain’s help and that the gang’s wealth could repay the cost.

Song Changming learned that the Nine Bends Society had hired assassins to attack the Patrol Guard Headquarters and refused an apology from one of its leaders. After reaching beginner level in the Light Body Technique, he discovered it made his movement and saber attacks faster.

• Liang Chuanshan ordered the captured Nine Bends Society members interrogated, while Zhu Changyi paid Qian Wen for information about Song Changming.
• Jiang Chunzi told Song Changming that Wang Liuzi had confessed the Nine Bends Society hired Dark Night Pavilion assassins a year earlier, and Song reported the news to Liang Chuanshan.
• A Nine Bends Society leader visited with gifts, but Song refused to meet him; Wu Fei and his men discussed taking revenge on Song.
• Song Changming reached beginner level in the Light Body Technique and used it to leap onto a high wall with ease.
• Song Changming combined the new technique with his saber styles and found his footwork, movement, and attacks had become faster.