Chapter Summaries

Qin Wang used the Daily Intel System to learn that Li Laocai would step on nails and drop his Money Pouch, then watched the landlord inspect his fields. Li Laocai stepped on the nails and fell, while Qin Wang waited nearby for the pouch.

• Qin Wang reviewed the system's intel, including Li Laocai's plan to sell him and the prediction that the landlord would step on buried nails and drop his Money Pouch.
• Qin Wang recalled how Li Laocai had taken his family's land and how Qin Xuemei had sold herself to provide for him.
• Qin Wang watched Li Laocai inspect his fields with his steward Chen Pu and hoped to obtain the dropped Money Pouch.
• Li Laocai stepped on Qin Wang's buried nails, fell onto the ground, and shouted in pain.

Qin Wang injured Li Laocai with buried nails, stole his money pouch, and gained enough silver to enter a martial arts school. At the Chen Family laundry, Qin Xuemei worried about her younger brother and warned the newly arrived Xiao Zi about their harsh work and punishments.

• Qin Wang watched Li Laocai step on buried nails and suffer painful injuries, then retrieved Li Laocai's money pouch and the remaining nails.
• Qin Wang counted eighteen taels of silver in the pouch, bringing his savings to twenty-one taels and giving him the entrance fee for a martial arts school.
• Chen Pu told Li Laocai that the pouch was missing and that five people had passed the field ridge; Li Laocai ordered him to find them and recover the silver.
• At Li Family Manor, Li Laocai learned that Granny Yan had come to see him and asked the maids to leave.
• At the Chen Family laundry, Qin Xuemei told Xiao Zi she had sold herself so her younger brother could live and warned her to meet the work quota and handle expensive clothes carefully.

Qin Wang read the refreshed intelligence and learned that Li Laocai would die from tetanus, while Granny Yan planned to sell him. He also discovered that Li Tianyi had lost a martial arts manual in the Back Mountain Bamboo Grove, so Qin Wang set out at midnight to find it.

• Qin Wang cooked and ate the carp Li Yunhai had given him, then planned to seek a Travel Permit and travel to the county seat.
• Qin Wang learned that Li Laocai would die in ten days, Granny Yan planned to sell him, and 850 taels of silver were buried beneath Li Laocai's bedroom floor.
• Qin Wang considered becoming Doctor Bai's disciple and learned that Li Laocai's youngest son was Guard Li Ligang's child.
• Qin Wang discovered that Li Tianyi had lost the handwritten copy of Ancestor's Long Fist beside a boulder in the Back Mountain Bamboo Grove.
• Qin Wang left for the Back Mountain Bamboo Grove at midnight to search for the martial arts manual.

Qin Wang retrieved a hidden manual for Ancestor's Long Fist and began practicing it while refusing Granny Yan's attempt to lure him into a scheme to sell him. His notices exposing Li Tianxin's parentage triggered Li Laocai's illness, and Qin Wang's refreshed intelligence predicted Li Laocai's death in five days and Qin Wang's own progress in the martial art.

• Qin Wang found the Ancestor's Long Fist manual hidden beside a millstone-sized rock in the bamboo forest and returned home to study it.
• Qin Wang practiced the fist techniques the next morning, but Ancestor's Long Fist did not yet appear on his panel.
• Granny Yan offered Qin Wang work as a tailor, but he refused and decided to keep learning fishing.
• Li Laocai learned that Li Tianyi had lost the fist manual and that notices exposing Li Tianxin's parentage had spread through town; he suffered a violent fit.
• Qin Wang read his refreshed intelligence, which said Li Laocai would die in five days and Ancestor's Long Fist would reach the beginner stage in five days.

Qin Wang planned to visit Hundred Herbs Hall while waiting for Li Laocai’s household to collapse and hoping to recover the silver needed to redeem his sister. As Li Laocai neared death, his family summoned his sister and brother-in-law, Chief Constable Zheng Kecheng, while Granny Yan worried that Li Laocai’s death would leave her without protection.

• Qin Wang decided to seek medical knowledge at Hundred Herbs Hall and continued plotting to make Li Laocai watch his family fortune fall apart.
• Li Yunhai told Qin Wang that Li Laocai had tetanus and that rumors exposed Li Tianxin as Guard Li Ligang’s son.
• Li Laocai asked First Madam whether his sister and Zheng Kecheng were coming, and said Li Ligang and the child must not be spared.
• Granny Yan realized she could no longer safely sell Qin Wang without Li Laocai’s connections and Zheng Kecheng’s protection.

Qin Wang began working as a medicine boy at Hundred Herbs Hall and accompanied Doctor Bai to Li Family Manor, where he discovered Li Laocai was gravely ill. The chapter left Doctor Bai preparing to treat Li Laocai while Qin Wang secretly inspected the space beneath the bed.

• Granny Yan decided to wait for Zheng Kecheng and then visit Li Laocai with him.
• Bai Mingliang hired Qin Wang as a medicine boy and had Bai Fenghuan show him the herbs.
• Bai Fenghuan told Qin Wang to join Bai Mingliang on a visit to Li Family Manor.
• At the manor, Bai Mingliang diagnosed Li Laocai with metal-wound convulsions and said he had only a few days to live.
• Qin Wang handed Bai Mingliang his silver needles and glanced beneath Li Laocai's bed.

Qin Wang watched Doctor Bai treat Li Laocai, learned that Zheng Kecheng planned to pursue the people behind the nail and rumors, and spent the night practicing Ancestor's Long Fist. The daily intel revealed Li Laocai would die the following night and that Qin Wang still hoped to claim the 850 taels owed for Qin Xuemei's redemption.

• Doctor Bai used acupuncture to calm Li Laocai and said the nail that injured Zheng Kecheng's brother had likely been deliberately soaked in a manure pit.
• Bai Fenghuan condemned Li Laocai for taking homes and fields, while Bai Mingliang urged her to show respect for his seniority.
• Li Laocai confessed his usurious lending and property seizures to Zheng Kecheng, who promised to arrest the people he suspected and protect the Li family.
• Qin Wang practiced Ancestor's Long Fist through the night, and the updated intel said he would reach entry-level mastery in four days.
• Qin Wang learned Li Laocai would die the next night and resolved to bring down the Li family and obtain the money owed for Qin Xuemei's redemption.

Qin Wang’s charcoal threats enraged Li Laocai so badly that he died early, but Qin Wang found no chance to take the family’s hidden silver. Four days later, Qin Wang reached beginner level in Ancestor's Long Fist, and the chapter left him with a new martial skill to develop.

• Qin Wang decided to provoke Li Laocai and learned that Zheng Kecheng also coveted the Li Family fortune.
• Qin Wang wrote threats on Li Laocai’s shops and gatehouse, while Bai Fenghuan shared the town’s rumors with him.
• After hearing that his grave would be dug up and his corpse whipped, Li Laocai became agitated and died.
• Doctor Bai confirmed Li Laocai’s death, and Qin Wang left without taking the hidden silver.
• Four days later, Qin Wang completed his training breakthrough and reached beginner level in Ancestor's Long Fist.

Qin Wang read the refreshed intelligence, learning about dangers and opportunities involving Li Family Manor, Zheng Kecheng, and the Heavenly Fortune Alliance. He arranged to buy any unusual fish Li Yunhai caught, hoping a Golden Winged Red Carp would accelerate his martial arts progress.

• Qin Wang learned that Li Laocai had died before revealing where he hid two stashes of silver, and that a fire would kill Li Tianyi, Fei Feiyan, and three servants and maids at Li Family Manor.
• Qin Wang learned that Zheng Kecheng planned to imprison Li Laocai’s debtors and would visit the Heavenly Fortune Alliance’s Morning Envoy to receive a medicinal pill.
• Qin Wang learned that Xie Tianxing was hunting the Phoenix Yao Saintess’s daughter and resolved to find an opportunity to kill Granny Yan.
• Qin Wang learned that Li Yunhai would catch a Golden Winged Red Carp and decided to test whether it could speed up his martial arts training.
• Qin Wang asked Li Yunhai to save any nourishing or unusual fish for him, claiming Doctor Bai had requested them.

Qin Wang bought a rare Golden Winged Red Carp from Li Yunhai and secretly kept it to nourish his frail body. After eating half the fish and practicing Ancestor's Long Fist, he discovered that his strength had increased dramatically.

• Qin Wang borrowed the Medical Scripture from Bai Fenghuan at Hundred Herbs Hall.
• Li Yunhai sold Qin Wang a rare Brocade Red Carp for two taels, unaware that Qin Wang recognized it as a Golden Winged Red Carp.
• Qin Wang paid Li Yunhai two taels and six mace, but Li Yunhai accepted only two taels out of gratitude for Doctor Bai's past kindness.
• Li Yunhai gave the money to Xiao Yan for their children's tuition, and the family celebrated by cooking unpolished rice.
• Qin Wang cooked the Golden Winged Red Carp at home and ate half of the fish and soup.
• Qin Wang practiced Ancestor's Long Fist and noticed that the Golden Winged Red Carp had greatly increased his strength.

After eating half a Golden Winged Red Carp, Qin Wang greatly increased his strength and watched Li Family Manor burn, then learned that Zheng Kecheng would suspect him of arson. The updated intel also revealed new opportunities to earn money and medicine, while Qin Wang resolved to retrieve the 850 taels hidden at the manor before anyone else could find them.

• Qin Wang practiced Ancestor's Long Fist after eating half a Golden Winged Red Carp, digesting its energy and greatly increasing his strength.
• Qin Wang watched Li Family Manor burn and learned that Li Laocai's family had died out except for Li Chunxia, who would inherit the fields.
• Qin Wang's midnight intel warned that Zheng Kecheng would investigate the arson and count Qin Wang among his suspects.
• Qin Wang learned he would enter the third-rate realm in 70 days, reach beginner medical skill in five days, and could find another Golden Winged Red Carp in a Black River tributary.
• Qin Wang discovered that Granny Yan had hidden 220 taels of silver in a county residence and that Li Family Manor would become abandoned, giving him a chance to retrieve Li Laocai's 850 taels.

Qin Wang trained with the remaining Golden Winged Red Carp while Zheng Kecheng investigated the fire that killed Li Tian Yi and his family. At the Chen Family, Qin Xuemei agreed to become a River God Sacrifice virgin in exchange for silver for her younger brother, while three other girls hesitated.

• Qin Wang practiced Ancestor's Long Fist after eating the remaining Golden Winged Red Carp.
• Zheng Kecheng returned to the Li Family Manor and learned that Li Chunxia's brother, nephew, and others had died in the fire.
• Steward Chen Pu reported three separate points of origin, and Zheng Kecheng concluded that someone had deliberately set the fire and vowed to find the killer.
• Old Madam Chen told Qin Xuemei, Xiao Zi, Xiao Lan, and Xiao Qing that one of them would serve as a River God Sacrifice virgin in exchange for twenty taels of silver for her family.
• Qin Xuemei accepted the sacrifice so her younger brother could receive the money, while Xiao Zi, Xiao Lan, and Xiao Qing remained silent and were given three days to decide.

Qin Wang learned that Li Laocai's funeral feast would be open to the public and planned to attend, but Constable Lin Bao soon arrested him on suspicion of arson at Li Family Manor. Bai Mingliang vouched for Qin Wang's whereabouts and secured his release, leaving Qin Wang determined to grow strong enough to kill Zheng Kecheng.

• Qin Wang heard that Li Laocai's funeral feast would be open to anyone who offered incense and decided to attend to scout the manor and gather intelligence.
• Constable Lin Bao came to Hundred Herbs Hall and ordered Qin Wang to go to Li Family Manor for questioning, citing his family's past dispute with Li Laocai.
• Bai Mingliang insisted on accompanying Qin Wang and standing surety for him.
• At Li Family Manor, Bai Mingliang told Zheng Kecheng that Qin Wang had spent the night at Hundred Herbs Hall, and Zheng Kecheng accepted his guarantee and released Qin Wang.
• Qin Wang thanked Bai Mingliang and vowed to cultivate until he was strong enough to kill Zheng Kecheng.

Qin Wang learned from the updated intel that Zheng Kecheng had murdered Li Tianyi and the First Madam, framed farmers for the arson, and planned to take the Li family estate. He also discovered that Li Laocai’s family’s souls were trapped beneath the manor, and went to attend their funeral feast.

• Zheng Kecheng ordered Lin Bao to take thirteen suspects to the county city, where three farmers would be made scapegoats for the arson.
• Qin Wang read the new intel and learned Zheng Kecheng had killed Li Tianyi and the First Madam, while planning to inherit Li Laocai’s property and pursue a higher position.
• Qin Wang learned about a cultivation manual hidden in Zheng Kecheng’s city residence, Li Chunxia’s slow poison, a strange copper bowl, and silver buried near the manor latrine.
• Qin Wang discovered that a Soul Gathering Bowl beneath Li Family Manor had trapped the dead family’s souls and left them unable to reincarnate.
• Qin Wang found Hundred Herbs Hall closed for Li Laocai’s funeral feast, and agreed to go with Doctor Bai’s grandchildren.

Qin Wang reached beginner level in Medical Skills and secretly recovered 500 taels of Li Laocai’s buried silver, planning to return for the rest. Qin Xuemei came back from the Chen Family to visit him, bringing 20 taels and saying she had received them as a reward for saving the Lin Family’s young master.

• Qin Wang’s Medical Skills reached beginner level, and he learned that Li Family Manor had been deserted after Li Laocai’s funeral.
• Qin Wang dug up 500 taels of silver buried beside the manor latrine and hid most of it beneath his kitchen floor.
• Qin Wang decided to retrieve the remaining 850 taels the following night.
• Qin Xuemei returned to Qingniu Town and asked Xiao Yan where Qin Wang was, then went to Hundred Herbs Hall to find him.
• Doctor Bai let Qin Wang take the day off, and Qin Wang went home with Qin Xuemei.
• Qin Xuemei gave Qin Wang 20 taels, claiming the Lin Family’s old madam had rewarded her for saving the Lin Family’s young master.

Qin Wang learned from the Intelligence Panel that Qin Xuemei had accepted the Chen Family’s offer to become a River God sacrificial maiden for his sake. He resolved to stop her, and after confronting her, she denied knowing anything about a sacrificial maiden.

• Qin Xuemei told Qin Wang that the Chen Family had given her twenty taels of silver for saving someone, hiding the reason she had received it.
• The Intelligence Panel revealed that Qin Xuemei had agreed to become a sacrificial maiden and planned to return to the Chen Family in two days.
• Qin Wang vowed not to let Qin Xuemei be sacrificed and noted intelligence about a cultivation-aiding bowl and the Blood Strengthening Soup formula.
• Qin Xuemei prepared noodles for Qin Wang the next morning, and he told her he would not stand by while she became a sacrificial maiden.
• Qin Xuemei trembled and denied that there was any such thing as a sacrificial maiden.

Qin Wang vowed to rescue Qin Xuemei from the Chen Family during the River God Sacrifice and moved to Yan Yun County to seek opportunities. After settling into a rented house, he received new intel about threats, useful targets, and coming events in the county.

• Qin Wang promised Qin Xuemei he would rescue her in half a year, though she warned him that Chen Kun and the Chen Family were too powerful to oppose.
• Qin Wang searched Qingniu Mountain and found the grime-covered broken bowl mentioned in his intel.
• Qin Wang left Hundred Herbs Hall and Qingniu Town, obtained a Travel Permit, and traveled to Yan Yun County with one hundred taels of silver.
• Qin Wang rented a remote house in the county and planned to obtain Zheng Kecheng's manuals before collecting the eight hundred and fifty taels from Li Laocai.
• Qin Wang received intel that Lin Ruhai would die to Black Wind Stockade bandits, Zheng Kecheng would travel to Youzhou Prefecture, and Granny Yan had discovered Chen Hao's visit to the Gentle Haven.
• Qin Wang's intel also revealed that Tongrentang sold Qi and Blood Pills, Xinglinchun Pharmacy would be robbed, and Prince Jin had conquered thirty-six cities as grain prices rose.

Qin Wang bought Blood Strengthening Pills and a Qi and Blood Pill, rapidly improving his martial arts before attacking Granny Yan. He killed her, took more than 460 taels of silver, and set her house on fire as he escaped.

• Qin Wang learned that Granny Yan planned to sell him and found her address, while also discovering Tongrentang Pharmacy sold pills to replenish qi and blood.
• Qin Wang bought three Blood Strengthening Pills and one Qi and Blood Pill, then practiced Ancestor's Long Fist as their medicinal effects greatly increased his strength.
• Qin Wang went to Granny Yan's home at night, restrained her, and forced her to reveal the silver hidden in her house.
• Qin Wang recognized Granny Yan's role in trying to sell him to Gentle Haven and Li Laocai's part in their crimes, then stabbed her eighteen times and killed her.
• Qin Wang took more than 460 taels of silver, set Granny Yan's house on fire, and fled as residents gathered to fight the blaze.

Qin Wang counted his stolen silver and used the Intelligence Panel to plan how to grow stronger and steal Zheng Kecheng’s internal cultivation manual. After paying Black River Gang dues, he decided to scout Zheng Kecheng’s villa and look for a martial arts school.

• Qin Wang counted more than 466 taels from Granny Yan’s home and reviewed his plans to buy pills and learn more martial arts.
• Qin Wang learned from the Intelligence Panel that Zheng Kecheng was traveling to You Prefecture and that his hidden beauty’s villa was at No. 12, Linjiang Villa.
• Qin Wang read that Li Hongfei was seeking a medicine apprentice and that Qi and Blood Pills could help him reach the third-rate realm sooner.
• Tie Wen of the Black River Gang collected five copper coins from Qin Wang as monthly dues.
• Qin Wang decided to scout Zheng Kecheng’s residence during the day and find a martial arts school to join.

Qin Wang joined the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School to learn its movement technique, then broke into Zheng Kecheng’s villa to search for an internal cultivation manual. He found a hidden drawer containing silver, banknotes, a yellowed booklet, and a Yellowed Jade Fragment.

• Qin Wang paid ten taels of silver to join the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School and received his disciple token and uniform.
• Zhang Hao introduced Qin Wang to training with sandbags and the basics of the Flying Eagle Movement Technique.
• Qin Wang went to Linjiang Villa, watched Courtyard No. 12, and waited until midnight after seeing no one enter.
• Qin Wang climbed over the courtyard wall and searched the empty rooms for Zheng Kecheng’s internal cultivation manual.
• Qin Wang pried open a locked drawer in a wardrobe and found a yellowed booklet, silver ingots, banknotes, and a Yellowed Jade Fragment.