Chapter Summaries

Wei He struggled to support his family in Feiye City while hoping to awaken the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, a power that required surplus food energy. After hearing of robberies and a plague nearby, he earned money by ghostwriting homework and moved closer to affording lessons in Huishan Fist from Old Man Zheng.

• Wei He left a Daoist sermon and returned home, where Wei Ying warned him about recent robberies and told him to stay cautious.
• Wei He considered the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, which had yet to accumulate enough energy to activate, and went out to search for martial arts to practice.
• Grandpa Wang warned Wei He that Sister Zhang's coughing might indicate a plague spreading through the city.
• Wei He listened outside the Scripture Hall and practiced writing while secretly studying.
• Li Bian paid Wei He to ghostwrite his homework, bringing him close to saving enough for lessons in Huishan Fist from Old Man Zheng.

Wei He grew alarmed when his eldest sister, Wei Chun, failed to return from a Blackwater Gang job and his parents also vanished, while Chen Biao’s gang threatened the family. With Wei Ying hiding at home, Wei He took his savings and a wooden club and set out to find a way to protect them, leaving the immediate danger behind as he passed Chen Biao on the road.

• Wei He heard violence near Stone Bridge Street, returned home, and finished several children’s homework assignments for money.
• When Wei Chun did not come home, Wei He learned at the Blackwater Gang branch that she had gone on an important job with no known return date.
• Wei He returned to find Wei Ying frightened after Chen Biao had tried their door, and told her their sister was away on a job.
• Over the next three days, Wei Chun and their parents remained missing while Chen Biao and his companions watched the Wei residence more often.
• Before dawn, Wei He left Wei Ying hidden at home and set out with his savings and a wooden club to seek help or training.
• Chen Biao stopped Wei He on the road and questioned his bulging clothes, but Wei He showed him dry flatbread and continued on.

Wei He joined Huishan Fist to learn martial arts and brought Wei Ying there for safety and work after Chen Biao threatened her at home. As Old Man Zheng prepared to explain martial arts training, he interrupted himself to ask for tea snacks.

• Wei He paid Old Man Zheng to join Huishan Fist and returned home wearing the school's training uniform, which made Chen Biao and his two companions leave without confronting him.
• Wei Ying told Wei He that Chen Biao had repeatedly threatened her, so Wei He arranged for her to come work at Huishan Fist with him.
• During the night, Wei He saw neighbors following two people in white through the alley while chanting, “Rebirth into ultimate bliss.”
• Wei He brought Wei Ying to Huishan Fist the next morning, where Cheng Shaojiu welcomed them and Old Man Zheng assigned Wei Ying cleaning, cooking, and laundry.
• Old Man Zheng tested Wei He's aptitude, judged it ordinary, and began to explain martial arts training before asking someone to fetch tea snacks.

Wei He began training in Huishan Fist under Old Man Zheng, learning that it focused on strengthening the fists through disciplined practice and nourishment. More than three months later, he had grown stronger and closer to Cheng Shaojiu, but he remained focused on a matter he had asked his senior brother to investigate.

• Old Man Zheng explained that martial arts meant defeating opponents and assigned Zhao Hong to teach Wei He strength training with stones.
• Zhao Hong taught Wei He Huishan Fist’s training sequence and explained its Ox Hide, Stone Hide, and Iron Hide levels; Wei He began practicing and recovered from his first session with Little Ten Thousand Soup.
• Wei He trained daily, earned money doing homework, secretly learned to read, and arranged for Wei Ying to live in a house owned by Old Man Zheng.
• Over three months passed as Wei He grew stronger, while Chen Biao and his companions continued watching him and Wei Ying with malice.
• Cheng Shaojiu invited Wei He to a pipa performance, but Wei He declined and asked whether Cheng had learned anything about the matter he had been investigating.

Wei He investigated Chen Biao with Cheng Shaojiu’s help and encountered the expanding Incense Gathering Cult while buying medicine. He tested different meats to accelerate the Boundary-Breaking Pearl’s energy, then spent half a year training until he advanced to formal sparring and learned Huishan Fist’s flesh-tempering method.

• Cheng Shaojiu agreed to watch Chen Biao in exchange for Wei He completing his homework assignment.
• Old Man Zheng sent Wei He to buy medicinal ingredients, and Wei He took shelter with Shopkeeper Qian when an Incense Gathering Cult procession passed.
• Wei He saw the cult confronting constables, heard violence break out, and hurried back to Huishan Fist Zheng’s courtyard.
• Wei He bought twelve kinds of meat and found that Money Worm Meat replenished the Boundary-Breaking Pearl’s energy most efficiently.
• After half a year of training and eating Money Worm Meat, Wei He grew stronger, passed Strength Tempering, and began sparring.
• Old Man Zheng began teaching Wei He a method to toughen and temper his fists.

Wei He trained in Huishan Fist while learning that missing stone carvers had vanished outside the city and Chen Biao had been injured in a gang fight. After hearing where Chen Biao was, Wei He prepared to go to Nanshan Town, leaving Cheng Shaojiu newly wary of him.

• Old Man Zheng taught Wei He and the other newcomers Huishan Fist's defensive routines, then began teaching them offensive moves the next day.
• Cheng Shaojiu told Wei He that Huishan Fist would soon hold a fist match against Bat Fist and described the senior disciples who would compete.
• Cheng Shaojiu reported that a group of stone carvers had disappeared outside the city and that Chen Biao had been injured in a fight between the Horned Snake Gang and the Green Bamboo Gang in Nanshan Town.
• Wei He said he planned to go to Nanshan Town, prompting Cheng Shaojiu to reconsider his quiet junior brother as someone with a hidden ruthless side.

Wei He killed Chen Biao and another of his lackeys, then discovered that Zhao Deli and a child were already dead in his hut. After a sleepless night, he resumed his training, while a group of men burned the hut as they searched for a woman who had hidden there.

• Wei He disguised himself, ambushed the injured Chen Biao, and beat him over the head with a hoe before fleeing Nanshan Town.
• Wei He killed another of Chen Biao's lackeys, then found Zhao Deli and a small child dead in the earthen hut.
• A group of men searched Zhao Deli's hut for a woman and a black-character bug, then burned the hut and left.
• Wei He struggled with the memory of the dead child, ate money worm meat, and spent the night without sleeping well.
• A month later, Wei He practiced skin grinding at Huishan Fist, rubbing his fists in sand before soaking them in medicinal broth.

Wei He continued grinding his skin as the Huishan Fist Academy’s two-month deadline approached, while he waited for the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to become usable. With only five days left and his progress still inadequate, Wei Ying brought him Blood Nourishing Powder she had painstakingly gathered, and he prepared it while facing the possibility of failure.

• Cheng Shaojiu told Wei He that Chen Biao and his two lackeys had been found dead, and he suspected Wei He was responsible.
• Jiang Su joined the Huishan Fist Academy after the Women's Academy disbanded, rebuffing the disciples who tried to approach her.
• As the skin-grinding deadline neared, several disciples left the academy, while Wei He continued practicing without reaching the required ox-hide texture.
• With five days remaining, Wei Ying secretly gave Wei He Blood Nourishing Powder she had collected from discarded medicinal fragments.
• Wei He boiled the powder and saw that the Boundary-Breaking Pearl had fully blackened, but he still hoped to pass through his own effort.

Wei He struggled to enter the Ox Hide level as other trainees left Huishan Fist, then used the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to complete Skin Grinding. After his success, Cheng Shaojiu invited him to train at his family’s martial arts ground, and Wei Ying celebrated his achievement.

• Wei He drank Blood Nourishing Powder and noticed a slight improvement in his recovery, but he still failed to break through during the day’s training.
• Cheng Shaojiu told Wei He that former trainees often became laborers, joined gangs, or worked as guards, and he continued treating Wei as a friend despite his lack of progress.
• As Wei He approached the end of his training period, he watched other trainees leave and saw Wei Ying’s hopeful gaze, then decided to use the Boundary-Breaking Pearl.
• Wei He activated the Boundary-Breaking Pearl while grinding his skin, and his fists remained red and tough after training, confirming that he had entered the Ox Hide level.
• Old Man Zheng recognized Wei He’s success, Cheng Shaojiu applauded and invited him to his family’s martial arts ground, and Wei Ying congratulated him.

After breaking through to the Ox Hide level, Wei He tested his strength at the Cheng Family’s escort agency and saw how much his qi and blood had improved his combat ability. Cheng Shaojiu offered him a job with generous pay and exclusive Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat, leaving Wei He to decide by the next morning.

• Wei He returned from the school and practiced Huishan Fist, reflecting on how his success affected his sister Wei Ying and noticing that the Boundary-Breaking Pearl had been depleted.
• Cheng Shaojiu brought Wei He to the Cheng Family’s Yonghe Escort Agency, where Wei He demonstrated his strength against an Ox Hide-wrapped post and sparred with Cheng Shaojiu and several guards.
• Cheng Shaojiu explained that Wei He’s new status would bring better opportunities and offered him a position at the escort agency with free meals, rice, meat, silver, and paid escort work.
• Cheng Shaojiu treated Wei He to Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat, which warmed Wei He’s stomach and was said to strengthen qi and blood, then asked him to decide on the offer by the next morning.

Wei He compared several recruitment offers and accepted Cheng Shaojiu’s terms, especially the supply of Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat. At the academy, Cheng Shaojiu invited him to join a private No-Gap Training gathering, but Jiang Yan and the others required Wei He to pass a test first.

• Wei He refused offers from the Three Tigers Gang, the Changfeng Escort Agency, the Zhang Family, and other local groups after comparing their terms with Cheng Shaojiu’s.
• Wei He accepted Cheng Shaojiu’s offer to help when needed in exchange for a supply of Silver-Kissed Mysterious Serpent Meat.
• Jiang Yan invited Jiang Su, Xiao Ran, and Cheng Shaojiu to discuss No-Gap Training and examine Cloud Stone Iron from Zaiye.
• Cheng Shaojiu proposed bringing Wei He to the gathering, but Jiang Yan, Jiang Su, and Xiao Ran objected to his low apparent potential.
• Jiang Yan set a test for Wei He: he had to defeat Jiang Yan’s fierce dog barehanded, and Cheng Shaojiu went to tell him about it.

Wei He declined Cheng Shaojiu’s invitation to Jiang Yan’s gathering and took a Changfeng Escort Agency job to investigate Mingde Temple, where his parents had disappeared. The convoy reached its destination safely, and Wei He set off alone for the temple.

• Wei He politely refused Cheng Shaojiu’s repeated attempts to get him invited to Jiang Yan’s martial gathering, while Jiang Yan and Xiao Ran dismissed him as unworthy.
• Wei He accepted a temporary escort job with the Changfeng Escort Agency because its route passed Mingde Temple, where his parents had gone missing.
• Three days later, Wei He left Feiye City with the convoy and ate Silver-Kiss Black Snake Meat, which had rapidly restored color to his boundary-breaking pearl.
• Chen Shiniu explained that the road was safe within ten li of the city, while Wei He observed the poor condition of Feiye City’s patrol soldiers.
• The convoy reached its destination near Mingde Temple, and Wei He went alone to investigate his parents’ disappearance.

Wei He went to Mingde Temple to investigate the disappearance of the stone carvers who had been hired to carve its Buddhist statues, but the monks knew little. A man hunting people connected to Black-character Bugs mistook Wei He for a target and chased him down the mountain, where Wei He escaped by hiding; someone then spoke to him from behind.

• Wei He arrived at Mingde Temple and saw Hong Family Fort soldiers escorting two women down the mountain.
• Wei He questioned a white-browed monk about stone carvers who had disappeared on their way to the temple half a year earlier, but found no useful clues.
• A brawny man tracking people who had encountered Black-character Bugs followed Wei He from the temple.
• The man attacked Wei He after calling him over, but Wei He threw white ash at him and fled while the man fought off the ash.
• Wei He hid in shrubs as the man pursued him down the mountain, then heard a voice behind him.

Wei He killed a powerful attacker in the woods and discovered that a Scent-tracking Bug had detected traces of a Black-character Bug on him. He suspected the Demon Woman had marked him and realized her pursuers might still be nearby, leaving him wary as he hurried down the mountain.

• Wei He blinded the attacker with quicklime and, after a prolonged fight, killed him with a rock.
• Wei He searched the corpse and found a money pouch, a sachet, a bamboo tube containing a Scent-tracking Bug, and a letter.
• Wei He learned from the letter that Scent-tracking Bugs could track Black-character Bugs and discovered that the bug reacted to traces on his body.
• Wei He concluded that the Demon Woman had likely marked him and that her pursuers were hunting her while silencing witnesses.
• Wei He considered returning to alter the corpse but abandoned the idea after hearing wolves howl nearby.

Wei He returned to Feiye City after an escort job and collected his wages before resuming Huishan Fist practice. Troubled by his fight with the tracker, he asked Cheng Shaojiu for practical combat advice and left with a clearer grasp of how to gain an advantage over stronger opponents.

• Wei He watched wolves and mole-like creatures consume the tracker’s remains, then rejoined the escort party and returned to Feiye City.
• Wei He collected his wages from Changfeng Escort Agency the next morning and went to Huishan Fist Academy.
• Wei He sparred fiercely with Cheng Shaojiu and asked how to handle real combat against stronger opponents.
• Cheng Shaojiu brought Wei He to Cheng Estate and explained that fighters should observe and assess opponents, then use momentum and opportunity to weaken them and bring out their own strength.
• Wei He connected the advice to his victories over Chen Biao and the tracker, then thanked Cheng Shaojiu for his guidance.

Wei He and Cheng Shaojiu improved their practical combat through days of sparring, while Wei He commissioned a concealed weapon and accepted money and care from Wei Ying. The chapter ended with Xiao Ran astonishing the Huishan Fist school by breaking through again.

• Wei He and Cheng Shaojiu exchanged combat tactics, improving their sparring results and raising Cheng Shaojiu's standing among the disciples.
• Wei He commissioned a small pointed T-shaped handle from Li Shen's blacksmith shop as a potential trump card.
• Wei Ying gave Wei He money she had saved from needlework, asked about their missing family, and promised to mend his clothes and make him shoes.
• Wei He resolved to earn enough to help fulfill Wei Ying's old wish of opening a bun shop.
• Wei He returned to the Huishan Fist school and learned from Cheng Shaojiu and Li Jue that Xiao Ran had broken through again.

After Xiao Ran’s Stone Hide breakthrough drew attention, Wei He continued training until the Cheng Family called him to join a Yonghe Escort Agency trip. As the caravan traveled beyond the city’s ten-li boundary, Cheng Kai explained the powers and dangers that controlled the region.

• Xiao Ran reached Stone Hide and attracted wealthy patrons, while Wei He kept training and slowly accumulated energy for his next breakthrough.
• The Cheng Family asked Wei He to join an escort run, and Cheng Kai personally took him on as a newcomer.
• Cheng Shaojiu gave Wei He a bottle of Silver-Kiss Black Snake venom for the spiked handle he had commissioned.
• Wei He traveled with Cheng Kai and the caravan beyond the ten-li boundary, passing Mingde Temple on the way.
• Cheng Kai told Wei He that Hong Family Fort controlled the area within ten li, while the bandit One-Ear held territory beyond it, where members of the Three Gangs and Two Sects also operated.

Wei He joined the caravan’s sparring matches near a ruined stone bridge and easily defeated several escorts, revealing the advantage of his blood and vitality. Cheng Jing challenged him after accusing him of trying to build a reputation, and the chapter ended as she launched a powerful kick.

• Wei He traveled with Cheng Kai’s caravan for seven uneventful days, stopping each night at a village inn.
• The escorts held a sparring match at an abandoned bridgehead, and Wei He defeated Li Er with his superior speed.
• Wei He beat an escort armed with a short knife and then defeated two more challengers.
• Cheng Jing stepped forward and accused Wei He of trying to gain fame by defeating the veteran escorts.
• Cheng Jing attacked Wei He with a fast, powerful downward kick, revealing that she had also broken through once in blood and vitality.

A monster called the Black Madman attacked Wei He’s caravan at a bridgehead house, killing two guards and taking a horse before the survivors waited out the night and completed their delivery. On the return journey, Cheng Jing explained that the caravan’s map marked many places where people had died, and that the Head Caravan Guard’s knowledge kept the group safe.

• Cheng Jing kicked Wei He during their spar, but a Black Madman attack interrupted them when it dragged away Sun Zhu.
• The Black Madman seized another guard, and Cheng Kai ordered everyone into the bridgehead house, where they barricaded the windows and waited through the night.
• The monster broke through a window, but Cheng Jing and two guards drove it back with their sabers and a torch.
• At dawn, the caravan found bloodstains and tracks, made graves for the two dead guards, and continued to the destination town to deliver the goods.
• On the faster return journey, Cheng Jing told Wei He that the red dots on Cheng Kai’s map marked places where people had died, and that the Head Caravan Guard knew how to avoid their dangers.

After returning from the caravan journey, Wei He recorded the route and monster he had encountered, then decided to leave his filthy home and buy a house in Shiqiao Town. He purchased a riverside residence near Huishan Fist and planned to move in with Second Sister.

• Cheng Jing apologized to Wei He for provoking him, and he suspected Cheng Kai had helped smooth over their conflict.
• Back at Yonghe Escort Agency, Wei He exchanged most of his wages for food and cloth, then recorded the caravan route, local details, and the monster's traits.
• After finding a cockroach in his bed, Wei He carried his belongings to Second Sister's place and decided to buy a house and open a steamed bun shop.
• Wei He viewed Shanjv, a vacant house near the Feiye River and Huishan Fist, and agreed to buy it for fifty jin of coarse rice and fifteen strips of smoked pork.
• Wei He completed the purchase and planned to move Second Sister in, while realizing his escort-agency pay matched Cheng Jing's caravan-guard-leader rate.