Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan confronted Village Chief Li’s family after Li Wangshi plotted to have Liu Wanwan sold and accused him of stealing a Gold bracelet. He revealed that he had come to take back Er Gouzi, then seized the boy in front of the gathered villagers.

• Li Wangshi urged Village Chief Li to contact her brother and arrange for Liu Wanwan to be sold after Heizi dealt with Fang Yuan.
• Fang Yuan burst through the Li Family’s courtyard gate and demanded his sister’s things from Village Chief Li.
• Li Wangshi accused Fang Yuan of stealing her Gold bracelet, while Liu Wanwan insisted it belonged to her family.
• Er Gouzi insulted Little Bean Sprout and threatened to sell her to human traffickers.
• Fang Yuan told Liu Wanwan he would handle the Li family, then clarified that he had come to take back Er Gouzi and lifted the boy into the air.

Fang Yuan beat Er Gouzi and knocked down Village Chief Li and Li Wangshi after they wronged his family, then confronted the Fang Family Clan Elder for siding with them without hearing the facts. The chapter ended as Fang Yuan grabbed Er Gouzi again and raised his hand to strike.

• Fang Yuan kicked Village Chief Li and Li Wangshi down, then repeatedly slapped Er Gouzi for stealing and insulting others.
• The Fang Family Clan Elder arrived and blamed Fang Yuan without asking what had happened, demanding that he apologize, pay compensation, and face possible expulsion from the clan.
• Village Chief Li accused Fang Yuan of attacking them after a failed theft, while the elder condemned Fang Yuan and defended the headman.
• Fang Yuan challenged the elder for ignoring the injury on his sister's wrist and accused him of favoring Village Chief Li to protect his own standing.
• Fang Yuan grabbed Er Gouzi from behind Li Wangshi and raised his hand to strike again.

Fang Yuan forced Village Chief Li to confess that Er Gouzi had stolen Little Bean Sprout’s Gold bracelet, then reclaimed it and threatened anyone who tried to harm his family. The villagers watched as the confrontation ended with Village Chief Li and the Clan Elder humiliated and Fang Yuan’s warning hanging over them.

• Fang Yuan slapped Er Gouzi repeatedly while accusing the Li Family and the Clan Elder of bullying his kin.
• Fang Yuan made Li Wangshi choose between hitting the Clan Elder and watching Er Gouzi take more blows, and she struck and clawed at the Clan Elder.
• Fang Yuan released Er Gouzi, hauled Village Chief Li upright, and forced him to admit that Er Gouzi had stolen Little Bean Sprout’s Gold bracelet.
• Fang Yuan took back the Gold bracelet, declared it belonged to his sister, and threatened to break the bones of anyone who targeted his family.

Fang Yuan defied the Clan Elder and returned home with Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout, making clear that he would protect his family. At the Li home, Village Chief Li and his family plotted revenge, leaving the threat of another confrontation hanging over the Fang household.

• Fang Yuan rejected the Clan Elder’s attempt to expel him and led Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout home as the villagers watched in awe.
• Fang Yuan comforted his family, returned Little Bean Sprout’s gold bracelet, and promised that no one would bully her again.
• Li Wangshi cursed Fang Yuan and urged Village Chief Li to retaliate after he had been humiliated.
• Village Chief Li objected that Fang Yuan was dangerous, but Li Wangshi vowed to summon her brothers for help.
• Er Gouzi urged his family to beat Fang Yuan and sell Little Bean Sprout, and Village Chief Li silently stared toward the Fang home.

After Fang Yuan reassured Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout and trained with his blade, he considered how to deal with Village Chief Li and the Clan Elder. News of the village dispute reached Wang Meng, who erupted in anger over Fang Yuan’s treatment of his sister and nephew.

• Fang Yuan shared stewed ribs with Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout, reassuring them that no one could drive their family away unless they chose to leave.
• Neighbors smelled the Fang family’s meal, and some worried that Fang Yuan’s conflict with the headman and Clan Elder would soon bring trouble.
• Fang Yuan practiced with his Chopping knife, used a little Snow Ginseng to restore his strength, and considered adding some to his family’s food.
• Fang Yuan decided not to kill Village Chief Li yet, since doing so would make him the first suspect and bring unwanted scrutiny.
• In Wang Family Village, a boy told Wang Meng that Fang Yuan had beaten the headman and Doggie and that Li Wangshi had been forced to strike the Clan Elder.
• Wang Meng sprang up in fury and vowed that Fang Yuan had no right to lay hands on his sister and nephew.

Wang Meng gathered his brothers and hired men to retaliate against Fang Yuan, who had beaten his relatives, and brought them to Fang Yuan’s home. After refusing to hide, Fang Yuan faced the armed group at his gate and challenged Wang Meng to attack.

• Wang Meng learned that Fang Yuan had beaten his brother-in-law and nephew and forced his sister to strike the Clan Elder, so he armed his brothers and recruited helpers.
• Fang Yuan practiced his saber technique and footwork while planning to stay home after Old Madam Chen warned him that Village Chief Li had sent for the Wang brothers.
• Wang Meng arrived at Fang Yuan’s home with seven or eight armed men, while the villagers watched from a distance.
• Wang Meng demanded that Fang Yuan kneel and let him break a leg, and one of his men argued that the County yamen would not intervene.
• Fang Yuan stepped out, took a fighting stance, and calmly told Wang Meng to come at him.

The Clan Elder claimed the Fang Clan would punish Fang Yuan under Family Law, while secretly planning to cripple him and protect the clan’s standing with the Wang Family. When Liu Wanwan stepped in front of her husband to stop the punishment, the two men moved to shove her aside, and Fang Yuan finally acted.

• The Clan Elder arrived with Fang clansmen and told Wang Meng that the Fang Clan would punish Fang Yuan itself.
• Wang Meng agreed to watch the punishment, warning that he would intervene if it was too lenient.
• The Clan Elder ordered two men to give Fang Yuan twenty strokes, though he had secretly instructed them to cripple him.
• Liu Wanwan rushed out and stood between Fang Yuan and the men, offering to take the beating herself.
• The Clan Elder ordered Liu Wanwan aside, and the two men reached to shove her; Fang Yuan moved.

Fang Yuan protected Liu Wanwan from the Clan Elder’s men and defied the Fang Clan’s attempt to disown him. When Wang Meng’s men attacked, Fang Yuan swiftly crippled two of them and pointed a machete at Wang Meng, leaving the crowd too intimidated to advance.

• Fang Yuan kicked away the two men reaching for Liu Wanwan and pulled her behind him.
• Fang Yuan mocked the Clan Elder and rejected his authority and the Fang Clan’s Family Law.
• Wang Meng ordered his men to cripple Fang Yuan, while the Clan Elder and Fang Clan members disavowed him and urged the attack on.
• Fang Yuan dodged a machete, broke its wielder’s wrist, and kicked another attacker into the men behind him.
• Fang Yuan picked up the fallen machete and challenged Wang Meng as the Clan Elder and Wang Meng’s men hesitated.

Fang Yuan crippled Wang Meng and the remaining Wang Family thugs after they attacked him, then stopped the Fang clan members from leaving. He ordered them to slap the clan elder, leaving them to choose between obeying him and facing his wrath.

• The clan elder disowned Fang Yuan and praised Wang Meng, but Wang Meng kicked him aside.
• Fang Yuan rushed Wang Meng and severed the tendons in both his legs.
• Fang Yuan crippled the remaining Wang Family thugs by cutting the tendons in their left legs, then ordered them to leave.
• Fang Yuan stopped the Fang clan members who tried to slip away and heard them blame the clan elder for bringing them.
• Fang Yuan pointed at the clan elder and ordered the Fang clan members to slap him, warning them not to prove useless.

Fang Yuan forced the Clan Elder’s own clansmen to beat him, then decided to accelerate his plans to leave Fang Family Village. He prepared to head into the mountains to stockpile supplies before the heavy snow arrived.

• Fang Yuan’s men reluctantly began slapping the Clan Elder, then grew bolder as they vented years of grievances against him.
• Fang Yuan dismissed the men but made them carry off the unconscious Clan Elder before they left his courtyard.
• Fang Yuan reflected that his fighting skills made him dominant over ordinary people and resolved to deal with Village Chief Li’s family.
• Fang Yuan dismissed the clan’s authority and resolved to speed up his departure from Fang Family Village.
• Fang Yuan told Liu Wanwan to prepare rice and cured meat because he planned to make more trips into the mountains before the snow sealed them off.

Fang Yuan headed into Great Green Mountain to hunt a wild boar and gather supplies before heavy snow sealed off the mountains. After losing the villagers who tried to follow him, he ventured deeper into the forest, where greater dangers and better hunting opportunities awaited.

• Fang Yuan left Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout with plans to hunt a wild boar and prepare for winter.
• Fang Laowu saw Fang Yuan enter the mountains and hurried to inform the Heizi Hunting Team in hopes of a reward.
• Fang Yuan noticed villagers secretly following him and used Basic Footwork to outrun and lose them.
• Fang Yuan left the familiar outskirts and continued into the deeper, denser forest.

Fang Yuan followed the Purple Sable deeper into Great Green Mountain, where it led him to abundant pine nuts and then guided him into the deep forest. There, he discovered a wild boar family and weighed the chance of hunting one against the danger.

• Fang Yuan encountered the Purple Sable, which remembered his scent and climbed onto his shoulder.
• The Purple Sable led Fang Yuan to Korean pines, where he chopped down a branch and opened pinecones so it could eat the nuts.
• After eating, the Purple Sable guided Fang Yuan farther into the deep forest and warned him to stay quiet.
• Fang Yuan crept toward the sound of beasts and discovered a herd of seven or eight wild boars, including a massive male.
• Fang Yuan considered hunting a boar for winter provisions but recognized that attacking the family directly would be dangerous.

Fang Yuan used his newly mastered Intermediate Trapping Technique to ambush and kill a male boar. He spared the fleeing sows and piglets, then began inspecting his kill.

• Fang Yuan set concealed traps in a narrow pass using purple bamboo and vines, and comprehended the Intermediate Trapping Technique.
• Fang Yuan fed the Purple Sable dried meat and told it to hide before he approached the boar herd.
• Fang Yuan struck the male boar with a stone and lured it into the trapped pass.
• The tripwire and spring-loaded stake wounded and slowed the male boar, allowing Fang Yuan to kill it with his axe.
• The sows and piglets fled into the forest, and Fang Yuan began inspecting the dead boar.

After killing a massive boar, Fang Yuan struggled to drag it home until the Purple Sable led him to strange red berries hidden beneath the snow. The sable ate one and fell into a deep sleep, so Fang Yuan carried it and collected the remaining berries before hauling the boar away.

• Fang Yuan tied up the four-hundred-jin boar and prepared to drag it through the snow.
• The Purple Sable led Fang Yuan to several plants bearing vivid red berries beneath a rock wall.
• The Purple Sable ate one berry, fell into a deep sleep, and seemed to begin a transformation.
• Fang Yuan tucked the sleeping Purple Sable inside his clothes and stored the four remaining berries in a pouch.
• Fang Yuan began dragging the boar and realized the Purple Sable had likely guided him to the herd to reach the berries.

Fang Yuan returned to the village dragging an enormous wild boar, leaving the villagers shocked and fearful of his strength. He refused their offers to help and continued home, while they later turned to jealous insults and predictions that he would face trouble.

• Fang Yuan dragged a massive wild boar into the village, astonishing the women and children waiting at the entrance.
• Several villagers tried to ingratiate themselves with Fang Yuan and help process the boar, but he coldly refused them.
• Fang Yuan continued dragging the boar home, gaining Basic Footwork proficiency as he adjusted his movement and exertion on the snowy road.
• After Fang Yuan left, the villagers who had offered help cursed him out of jealousy and predicted that the Heizi Hunting Team, Village Chief Li, or the Clan Elder would cause him trouble.

Fang Yuan brought home a massive wild boar and carefully butchered it with Liu Wanwan, keeping the best cuts for his family. Little Bean Sprout discovered the sleeping purple sable, and Fang Yuan explained that it was their mountain guide rather than a pet before settling it in a sheltered basket.

• Fang Yuan arrived home with a giant wild boar, shocking Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout.
• Fang Yuan, Liu Wanwan, and Little Bean Sprout brought the boar into the courtyard, where Fang Yuan methodically butchered it and set aside the best meat for his family.
• Little Bean Sprout spotted the purple sable in Fang Yuan's coat and asked to keep it as a pet.
• Fang Yuan told Little Bean Sprout that the sable had led him to the boar and was more valuable as a free companion in the mountains than as a pet.
• Fang Yuan placed the sleeping sable in a grass-lined basket with pinecones, while Little Bean Sprout stayed beside it.

After Fang Yuan returned alone with a massive wild boar, San Zhuang brought back another with his hunting team and learned how extraordinary Fang Yuan's feat was. News of Fang Yuan's strength terrified Village Chief Li and the Clan Elder, who feared he might come after them.

• San Zhuang entered the village with his team and a wild boar, then learned Fang Yuan had dragged back a larger one alone.
• San Zhuang invited the villagers to help carry his boar and promised to share its offal for soup.
• Village Chief Li heard about Fang Yuan's hunt and panicked, fearing Fang Yuan would retaliate against him.
• The Clan Elder learned Fang Yuan had hunted alone and abandoned thoughts of revenge, praying Fang Yuan would leave him alone.

Fang Yuan prepared to move his family from Fang Family Village to the county town before conscription and winter chaos made escape impossible. After packing preserved meat to trade for grain, he left alone for the Rural Market on a snowy night.

• Fang Yuan assessed the threat of conscription and village unrest and decided to relocate his family to the county town soon.
• Fang Yuan packed smoked meat and ribs in a wild boar hide to trade for grain and prepare for the journey.
• Fang Yuan told Liu Wanwan to keep the household inside and asked Little Bean Sprout to watch the sleeping Purple Sable.
• Fang Yuan left through the snowy night and set out for the Rural Market ten li away.

Heizi and his hunting team failed to find Fang Yuan in the mountains, but spotted him on the way back and chased him into a remote clearing. Fang Yuan revealed that he had lured them there, then launched a sudden attack with his Basic Footwork.

• Heizi led five or six men back toward their village with a wild boar after searching the mountains for Fang Yuan.
• Heizi told his trusted brother that he wanted to seize Fang Yuan’s Cultivation Method and kill him in the mountains.
• A young team member spotted Fang Yuan on a secluded road, and Heizi abandoned the boar to pursue him.
• Fang Yuan fled into the snowy forest, keeping just ahead of Heizi’s exhausted men until he stopped in a clearing.
• Heizi’s men mocked Fang Yuan and threatened his wife and Little Bean Sprout, but Fang Yuan calmly said he would deal with them.
• Fang Yuan used Basic Footwork to vanish and appear beside the nearest team member, who had no time to react.

Fang Yuan killed Heizi and his four team members, then hid their bodies in a ravine to delay discovery. He took the wild boar they had left behind, confident that the time he gained would let him become a true martial artist.

• Fang Yuan killed four team members in a swift attack, then killed Heizi when he begged for mercy.
• Fang Yuan carried all five corpses to a secluded cliff and threw them into the ravine.
• Fang Yuan covered the bloodstains and tracks with fresh snow, hoping the hunting team’s usual absences would delay suspicion.
• Fang Yuan reflected that the extra time and the berries he carried could help him become a true martial artist before anyone investigated.
• Fang Yuan claimed the wild boar Heizi’s group had left in the snow.