Recaps

Chu Qing built his strength and influence while secretly killing those who threatened to expose him, then helped secure the release of Zhao Wuji and the others. He refused a shortcut into the Martial Academy and continued preparing for its exam, with Hall Master Liu still a threat and new techniques in reach.

• Chu Qing discovered that swallowing mantises advanced his Mantis Fist, then borrowed money from Fatty Jin to buy secret medicine and improve his training.
• Chu Qing killed Liu Hai, Liu Xiaogou, Liu Jun, and Li Hao as they threatened to expose him, taking manuals and secret medicine from their homes.
• Chu Qing learned Toad Skill and Red Snake Leg, cultivated Iron Cloth Shirt, and raised his total Iron Sinews while Zhao Hongxiu and Shi Tiezhu pursued their own paths toward the Martial Academy.
• After becoming a Chief Subordinate, Chu Qing led the investigation into his own crimes, planted false evidence that the killer had fled the county, and gained Chief Constable Shi’s approval.
• Chu Qing sought Nirvana Qi Grass at the Black Market, killed the stall owner who had sold him a fake, and recovered the real herb from the man’s loot so Pharmacist Li could make Toad Secret Medicine.
• Chu Qing helped secure Zhao Wuji and the others’ release, declined Madam Jin’s offer of a guaranteed Martial Academy place, and accepted Madam Shi’s fallback offer of a groom’s position.
• The hall masters thanked Chu Qing at a banquet, while Hall Master Liu grew hostile and Chu Qing decided to wait for a chance to deal with him.
• Chu Qing learned several new manuals, advanced Eagle Claw Technique, ordered steel gloves, and planned to seek a dose of Eagle Claw secret medicine.

Chu Qing built his strength through secret medicine and killed Hall Master Liu and He Qi while pursuing the Stone Bamboo Pearl and searching for Pharmacist Li. After rescuing the pharmacists from Worry-Free Temple, he returned to a cache of medicine and valuables and prepared to advance his Toad Skill.

• Chu Qing perfected Eagle Claw and strengthened his Iron Cloth Shirt before killing Hall Master Liu in a storm, then escaped as the hall masters and authorities investigated the murder.
• Chu Qing met Tang Wuming during his journey to Maple Leaf County, learned about Iron Sinew limits and secret transmissions, and killed the swordsmen pursuing Tang.
• Chu Qing searched for Stonemason Xu’s daughter, rescued her from the He Family, and killed He Qi and the household guards before taking Nirvana Qi Grass and a Stone Bamboo Pearl.
• Chu Qing used the pearl to advance his Mantis Fist, retrieved his forged greatsword, and returned to Stone Rock County as the He Family and Fortified Village disciples hunted for He Qi’s killer.
• Chu Qing advanced the Dual Mantis Sword and Eagle Claw Technique, killed Fortified Village men who came looking for him, and learned that Pharmacist Li and other pharmacists had been taken to Worry-Free Temple.
• Chu Qing fought through the fake monks and sabermen at Worry-Free Temple, killed the powerful monk, and rescued Pharmacist Li and the other pharmacists.
• Chu Qing collected the pharmacists’ rewards and found 108 portions of Toad Secret Medicine, more than seventy thousand taels in Silver Notes, and seven Stone Bamboo Pearls, then planned to advance his Toad Skill.

Chu Qing entered the Martial Academy’s Inner Court and used force to challenge its corrupt rules while building an alliance with his classmates. After leading them to destroy the He Family fortress and defeat Zheng Tie, he learned that dragon sinew was worth more than a thousand luminous pearls.

• Chu Qing perfected the Toad Skill, advanced his other martial arts, and secured medicine and pearls with help from Pharmacist Li and Madam Jin.
• Chu Qing entered the Martial Academy, killed examiner Song Da during his assessment, and earned an Inner Court place.
• Chu Qing rallied the new Inner Court students, killed a Martial Master who withheld their resources, and declared that he could make the rules.
• Chu Qing trained with the Dragon Snake Twin-Headed Chain Spear and Red Snake Leg while his classmates organized pearl mining and resisted the fortified villages.
• Chu Qing returned to protect Madam Jin, confronted the Blood River Gang and the fortified-village families, and ordered punishment for those who had threatened her.
• Chu Qing led his classmates to attack Hejiwu, where they killed the He Family members and Chu Qing burned and defeated Zheng Tie, completing the chain spear’s third condition.
• Chu Qing and his companions looted Hejiwu and returned to Madam Jin’s Residence, where Madam Shi revealed that one strand of dragon sinew was worth more than a thousand luminous pearls.

Chu Qing seized the fortified villages’ pearls and resources while strengthening his martial arts and preparing for the Rebel Army’s advance. After investigating the innkeeper and uncovering her Imperial Brocade ties, he led an assault on the Qin estate and killed its head.

• Madam Shi told Chu Qing that dragon sinew had caused thousands of deaths in Qinghe County, and he began seeking unusual tendons while training his Toad Skill.
• Chu Qing and his companions raided the He and Yang fortified villages, gathered pearls and wealth, and forced the remaining clan heads to surrender resources and regular pearl payments.
• Chu Qing expanded mining at Stone Ridge Mountain, obtained Iron Cloth Shirt secret medicine through a grain trade, and advanced his martial arts as powerful families began plotting against him.
• Chu Qing and his allies climbed to the stone tower’s second floor, where they discovered Xiao Long had been hypnotized and given a lifespan-burning medicine by powerful families.
• Madam Shi warned Chu Qing that Zheng Zhixiang would come after Qinghe County fell, while Chu Qing prepared a hidden refuge for Madam Jin and chose to confront the coming danger.
• Chu Qing investigated suspected Rebel Army activity at a tavern, forced the innkeeper to reveal her Imperial Brocade affiliation and connection to Qin Ming, then bound her and her associates.
• Chu Qing persuaded the Fortified Village Disciples to join him in attacking the Qin Family estate, where he killed the family head and fulfilled the Dragon Subduing Stake’s third promotion condition.