Chapter Summaries

Song Changming joined Liang Chuanshan and the other Patrol Captains for a council where Liang announced a nighttime assault on the Nine Bends Society, revealing its connection to the Dark Night Pavilion assassin incident. As dusk fell, Song prepared to lead his patrol team into battle.

• Song Changming practiced the Light Body Technique and played with his puppies, Little White and Little Yellow.
• Liang Chuanshan summoned the six Patrol Captains and announced that the Patrol Guard would wipe out the Nine Bends Society that night.
• Liang Chuanshan revealed that the Nine Bends Society had been behind the Dark Night Pavilion assassin incident, prompting the Patrol Captains to support the campaign.
• The Patrol Captains spent over an hour discussing their strategy, then began final preparations as dusk approached.
• Song Changming gathered with the patrol guards and prepared to lead his team into battle.

Song Changming led a Patrol Guard Team in a coordinated night raid on the Nine Bends Society. After breaking into the society’s grounds and killing several guards, he headed toward the main battle, where the patrol teams were targeting the gang’s core members.

• Jiang Chunzi prepared the new patrol guards for battle while Song Changming and the other teams assembled under Liang Chuanshan’s command.
• The patrol guards split up and Song Changming led his team through an alley toward the Nine Bends Society’s territory.
• When the red incense burned out, Song Changming led his team over the society’s outer wall and killed several members who challenged them.
• Jiang Chunzi joined Song Changming as they moved toward the mansion, where the fiercest fighting was underway.
• Song Changming’s team was assigned to flank and encircle the Nine Bends Society while the main force attacked its core members.

The Patrol Guard Headquarters attacked the Nine Bends Society, and the Nine Leaders joined the battle after the Society Master ordered a retreat to Tengya Mountain. Song Changming’s flanking assault turned the fight against the Society, prompting Wu Fei to charge at him.

• Liang Chuanshan led the Patrol Guard Headquarters into the Nine Bends Society’s courtyard, while Zhu Changyi and the other Leaders learned of the attack.
• The Society Master came out of the inner room and ordered the Nine Leaders to take their men back to Tengya Mountain.
• Liang Chuanshan sent Lu Gang to block the main gate as the Nine Leaders and Scarface entered the battle, with Scarface holding Zhou Sixin to a standstill.
• Song Changming’s teams flanked the Society members with crossbow volleys, and Song killed two enemies as he led his patrol guards into the fight.
• Zhu Changyi called for someone to kill Song Changming, and Wu Fei charged at him.

Song Changming defeated Wu Fei, Fu Lu Lai, and another Nine Bends Society leader, turning the battle in the Patrol Guards’ favor. As Scarface saw the fight going badly, he began considering retreating while battling Zhou Sixin.

• Song Changming killed Wu Fei after overpowering his spear techniques, and the Nine Bends Society members panicked as the Patrol Guards pursued them.
• Song Changming wounded Fu Lu Lai through his defenses, then cut off his axe-wielding arm and killed him while Jiang Chunzi held off another leader.
• Song Changming caught and beheaded the leader who had tried to aid Fu Lu Lai, after ordering his men to get the wounded Jiang Chunzi out.
• Scarface observed that the Nine Bends Society could not break through the Patrol Guards and began to consider leaving as he fought the disadvantaged Zhou Sixin.

Zhu Changyi led the Nine Bends Society's surviving members in a desperate attempt to break through the patrol guards, while Song Changming intervened to save Lu Gang and challenged him. After fifty exchanges, Zhu Changyi began to lose ground, but the battle remained unresolved.

• Scarface persuaded Zhu Changyi to abandon his fight with Song Changming and lead the remaining Nine Bends Society members in a breakout.
• Liang Chuanshan ordered the patrol guards to block the escape, while Zhou Sixin engaged Scarface and the other guards intercepted the society leaders.
• Wang Xianwen deliberately failed to help Lu Gang, hoping Zhu Changyi would kill him and leave the Patrol Captain position open.
• Song Changming threw a steel blade to save Lu Gang, then caught it and fought Zhu Changyi head-on.
• Song Changming and Zhu Changyi traded fifty blows before Zhu Changyi's impatience and the society's worsening situation put him at a disadvantage.

Song Changming and Zhou Sixin joined forces to defeat Scarface after Zhu Changyi fell, ending the Nine Bends Society’s power in Houli Street. With the battle settled, Song Changming was left relieved and newly respected by Zhou Sixin.

• Scarface ambushed Song Changming, but Song dodged the fatal strike and fought him while Zhou Sixin held off Zhu Changyi.
• Zhou Sixin drove his saber through Zhu Changyi’s heart, killing him.
• Song Changming stopped Scarface from escaping, then joined Zhou Sixin in a two-on-one attack.
• After Zhou Sixin cut off one of Scarface’s legs, Song Changming pierced his mouth with his saber and killed him.
• The Nine Bends Society collapsed, and Zhou Sixin praised Song Changming’s strength.

The Patrol Guard Headquarters defeated the Nine Bends Society at great cost, and Song Changming reflected on how the powerful used gang wealth to climb higher. The chapter left the Nine Bends Society’s assets seized and its businesses sealed, while Wang Xianwen still faced possible consequences for targeting Lu Gang.

• The Patrol Guard Headquarters killed six of the Nine Bends Society’s nine leaders and captured the other three, but suffered many deaths and serious injuries.
• Liang Chuanshan thanked Zhou Sixin for his help, and Zhou praised Song Changming’s strength and potential before leaving with his men.
• Wang Xianwen considered fleeing after failing to harm Lu Gang, but stayed because he hoped Liang Chuanshan lacked evidence against him.
• The Patrol Guard Headquarters cleared the battlefield, seized the Nine Bends Society’s valuables, and sealed its compound and businesses.
• Song Changming considered how the Patrol Guard Headquarters profited from gang forces and recognized his own rise as a successful attempt to improve the Song Family’s standing.

After the battle with the Nine Bends Society, Song Changming recovered from his wounds and discovered that a life-or-death crisis had granted him the temporary status Potential Unleashed. He spent its single day training and pushed his saber technique to perfection before the status expired.

• Liang Chuanshan praised Song Changming for his role in defeating the Nine Bends Society and arranged time off for him to recover.
• A physician treated Song Changming and Lu Gang, who told Song that Wang Xianwen had tried to kill him.
• Song Changming urged Lu Gang to report Wang Xianwen and have him transferred, while Lu Gang vowed to handle his deputy himself.
• Song Changming went home to recover and received the evaluation status Potential Unleashed after surviving the life-or-death battle.
• Song Changming trained intensely under the status, perfecting the Soul Severing Saber and advancing the Flying Swallow Style before the status expired at midnight.

Song Changming recovered from exhausting martial training and learned that Cao Fushan, the Nine Bends Society leader he had killed, had been a wanted leader of the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army. Lu Gang warned that the bandits might have a wider plot in the city and that Song Changming could be targeted by their allies.

• Song Changming exhausted himself trying to advance his Light Body Technique during Potential Unleashed, then rejected deliberately risking his life to trigger that state again.
• Song Changming rested at home the next day while news spread that the Patrol Guard Headquarters had destroyed the Nine Bends Society, raising Liang Chuanshan's reputation.
• Lu Gang visited Song Changming and revealed that Scarface was Cao Fushan, a wanted leader of the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army with a five-hundred-tael reward.
• Lu Gang suspected the bandit army had directed Cao Fushan to build the Nine Bends Society for a larger purpose and warned that other gangs in the city might also be connected.
• Lu Gang cautioned Song Changming to stay alert because Cao Fushan's comrades might seek revenge, while Liang Chuanshan had gone to report the matter to the General Directorate.

After recovering from his wounds, Song Changming earned nine hundred silver for helping destroy the Nine Bends Society and learned that the bandit army behind it had drawn the authorities’ attention. As Liang Chuanshan prepared him for possible missions, Song Changming returned to find his Patrol Guards safe and newly respectful of him.

• Song Changming reflected on the danger of bandit retaliation and resumed his martial arts training as his back healed.
• A spy reported Cao Fushan’s death and the Nine Bends Society’s destruction to Flag Lord He, who ordered the city personnel to withdraw and Song Changming to be killed.
• Liang Chuanshan awarded Song Changming nine hundred silver for his role in destroying the Nine Bends Society and warned that missions against the bandit army might soon follow.
• Song Changming visited his Patrol Guard Team, found that none of his subordinates had died, and received their increased respect after his achievements in battle.

As the General Directorate purged gangs tied to the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army, Song Changming and Lu Gang found that the bandits had withdrawn their remaining personnel from the city. Back home, Song Changming trained his Light Body Technique alongside his perfected saber arts, leaving him confident he could face Zhou Sixin.

• The General Directorate ordered an investigation of the city's forces after the Nine Bends Society was linked to the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army, triggering widespread purges and reports of missing people.
• Song Changming and Lu Gang raided the Green Bee Society's courtyard, where most of its members had already fled and an old woman reported her eldest son missing.
• Liang Chuanshan told Song Changming and Lu Gang that the bandit army's remaining personnel seemed to have withdrawn and explained why attacking its mountain stronghold would be costly and difficult.
• Song Changming returned home, checked on his family and Azure Water Silkworms, and practiced his Light Body Technique while wielding his saber.
• Song Changming demonstrated the Ghostly Saber Momentum of his Perfected-stage Soul Severing Saber and gained confidence that he could face Zhou Sixin.

Song Changming followed Wang Xianwen to meet a hunter who supposedly had century-old ginseng, but recognized the setup and was ambushed by masked attackers. After killing Wang Xianwen, Song Changming fought off the pursuing assailants, including a fast-saber wielder with an unfamiliar technique.

• Wang Xianwen offered to take Song Changming to a hunter with two roots of century-old ginseng and asked him to speak to Lu Gang on his behalf.
• Song Changming suspected Wang Xianwen's motives but followed him to a remote house, while signaling Jiang Chunzi for backup.
• Several masked, armored attackers emerged from the house and charged at Song Changming, who released a signal smoke and tried to retreat.
• Wang Xianwen attacked Song Changming from behind, and Song Changming killed him with a single saber strike.
• One masked attacker caught up with Song Changming and attacked with a fast saber that slid and twisted around his guard in an unfamiliar technique.

Song Changming fought off four masked assassins, killing two and capturing the other two after discovering that Wang Xianwen had helped set him up. He left the survivors and bodies with Lu Gang for examination and interrogation, while the assassination attempt was kept secret.

• Song Changming evaded the masked men's encirclement and killed one with a series of saber strikes.
• Song Changming fought the remaining three, killed another, and drove the last two to retreat.
• One masked man stayed behind to hold Song Changming off while his companion fled, but Song Changming defeated him and deliberately left him alive.
• Song Changming found the fleeing masked man fighting Lu Gang's Patrol Guard Team and knocked him unconscious.
• Song Changming told Lu Gang that he had killed Wang Xianwen in self-defense and suspected the assassins were connected to the Tengya Mountain bandits.
• Lu Gang ordered his subordinates to take the survivors and bodies for examination and interrogation, and to keep the matter secret.

After the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army's failed assassination attempt, Song Changming watched the city’s crackdown devastate suspected families and improved his Light Body Technique. The bandits withdrew, but Song Changming resolved to destroy them if he got the chance.

• Liang Chuanshan learned that Wang Xianwen had colluded with the bandit army, and ordered the Patrol Guard Headquarters to intensify searches and inspections after Song Changming survived their assassination attempt.
• The authorities’ crackdown continued into August, leaving many families ruined and commoners fearful of the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army.
• Song Changming advanced his Light Body Technique to the proficient stage and tested his newfound ability to leap across rooftops.
• Song Changming told his mother he could not help neighbors imprisoned over suspected ties to the bandit army, and Father Song urged him to stay cautious.
• The bandit soldiers withdrew without making another attempt on Song Changming, who regarded them as a grave threat and vowed to make them disappear if he had the chance.

Song Changming and Lu Gang attended a citywide academic exchange conference after the County Governor's Mansion abandoned plans to attack Tengya Mountain and tightened security instead. Song Changming saw Xiao Yanli, the county governor's third son, before leaving to practice his saber.

• The County Governor's Mansion decided against sending troops to Tengya Mountain and reinforced security throughout the Prefecture City.
• Song Changming and other Urban Patrol Guards took on heavier patrol and inspection duties, helping improve public order.
• The Hanlin Academy and other schools held a major academic exchange conference on Jinxiu Street, drawing scholars and crowds from across the commandery.
• Song Changming listened with interest while Lu Gang found the scholars' discussion dull.
• Lu Gang recognized Xiao Yanli, the county governor's third son, among the audience near the platform.
• Song Changming declined Lu Gang's suggestion to visit Piaoxiang Pavilion and went home to practice his saber.

Song Changming broke through to Three Bulls Strength, greatly increasing his power and confidence in his martial abilities. After testing his strength, he fed Big Yellow and Big White and instructed them to guard his family and home when he was away.

• Song Changming refined his body and reached Three Bulls Strength after a costly medicinal bath.
• Song Changming tested his new strength by chopping wood and striking an iron stake, breaking Father Song’s eight-year-old firewood cleaver.
• Song Changming estimated that his explosive force exceeded four thousand jin and believed he could defeat the other Patrol Captains and Liang Chuanshan together.
• Song Changming practiced his perfected saber technique while Big Yellow and Big White watched obediently.
• Song Changming promised Big Yellow and Big White a good meal and told them to guard the house and protect Father Song and Mother Song.

Liang Chuanshan told Lu Gang and Song Changming that the commandery governor was secretly recruiting a large force of private soldiers, though the governor’s intentions remained unclear. Song Changming returned home resolved to focus on strengthening himself rather than dwell on rumors.

• At Spring Breeze Garden, Liang Chuanshan met with Lu Gang and Song Changming after securing his position as Director.
• Liang Chuanshan explained that the commandery governor’s public expansion of auxiliary forces concealed the recruitment of private soldiers.
• Lu Gang and Song Changming learned that the latest recruitment might have exceeded ten thousand men, and Liang Chuanshan warned them to keep the information secret.
• Liang Chuanshan added that the governor’s children were also recruiting retainers, possibly to help gather private soldiers.
• On the way home, Song Changming judged that rebellion was unlikely while the Great Han Dynasty remained stable and decided to focus on increasing his own strength.

After a snowstorm trapped merchant caravans in Donglai Commandery City, Song Changming attended the Treasure Bidding Fair with Lu Gang to buy high-quality medicinal ingredients for his martial arts training. He bought several ingredients despite complaints from another bidder, and the fair continued.

• Song Changming and Lu Gang visited the Treasure Bidding Fair on Yong'an Street after the snowstorm kept northern merchant caravans in the city.
• Lu Gang bought a fine steel saber for more than fifty silver coins, explaining that a spare weapon could help on dangerous missions.
• Song Changming found the medicinal ingredient auction and bid on several high-quality Body Refinement ingredients, spending freely from his substantial savings.
• A martial-world wanderer complained that Song Changming was buying too many White Bone Flowers, but Song Changming insisted that the highest bidder won.
• The wanderer prepared to argue further, then noticed Song Changming's saber and resentfully fell silent.

Song Changming spent heavily on medicinal ingredients and older mountain ginseng at the Treasure Bidding Fair, while passing on an unaffordable Century-old Ginseng and dubious martial arts manuals. He left with his savings greatly reduced and recognized that his income and standing in Donglai Commandery City still limited the resources he could obtain.

• Song Changming bought medicinal ingredients worth more than three hundred silver coins and arranged for the caravan to deliver them to his home.
• Song Changming watched bidders drive the price of a Century-old Ginseng beyond what he could afford and recalled how Wang Xianwen had once used one to deceive him.
• Song Changming spent nearly three hundred silver coins on three forty-year-old ginseng roots and one sixty-year-old root.
• Song Changming met Lu Gang, who showed off his purchases and warned him that copied martial arts manuals could be fake or dangerous to practice without a master.
• Song Changming rejected the manuals and left the fair, reflecting that even his Patrol Captain salary could only meet his basic martial arts needs and that he still lacked silver.

As year-end visitors brought gifts to the newly prominent Song Changming, he advanced his Flying Swallow Style to Minor Accomplishment and gained the Hundred Birds Saber Momentum. At Xiangyun Restaurant, he spotted a suspicious person in a conical hat and told Lu Gang that they had a chance to earn merit.

• Song Changming accepted only suitable gifts from visitors seeking connections, while his parents discussed family concerns and marriage proposals.
• During martial arts practice, Song Changming broke through to Minor Accomplishment in the Flying Swallow Style and developed the Hundred Birds Saber Momentum.
• At Xiangyun Restaurant, Song Changming quietly intervened when a diner tried to leave without paying, explaining that the proprietor's Hundred Flower Brew pleased his father.
• Song Changming noticed a short figure in a conical hat avoid approaching patrol guards and disappear into an alley.
• Song Changming told Lu Gang to stop eating because he had spotted a chance to earn merit.