Chapter Summaries

Chen Zhengyang helped Fang Yuan, Liu Wanwan, and Little Bean Sprout enter Qinghe County and offered Fang Yuan work and shelter at Zhengyang Martial Arts School. As Chen led them through the city, Fang Yuan carefully described his rough training, temporarily satisfying Chen’s questions about his martial arts foundation.

• Chen Zhengyang dismissed the travel-permit issue and made Captain Wang allow Fang Yuan’s family into Qinghe County.
• Chen offered Fang Yuan a place at Zhengyang Martial Arts School in exchange for handling miscellaneous work, and Fang Yuan accepted.
• Fang Yuan led Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout through the city gate under Chen’s protection, while onlookers discussed Chen’s influence and Fang Yuan’s good fortune.
• Chen explained how Black Tiger Hall targeted outsiders and described the desperation of refugees, while Fang Yuan watched the streets and memorized their layout.
• When Chen asked about Fang Yuan’s training, Fang Yuan said he had learned crude techniques from a hunter and developed his speed in the countryside; Chen accepted this as a solid foundation.

Chen Zhengyang brought Fang Yuan and his family into Qinghe County’s Inner City and introduced them at his Martial Arts School. After Chen Yin objected to Fang Yuan’s arrival, Chen Zhengyang asked Zhao Tie to find the family a clean place to live and give Fang Yuan odd jobs.

• Chen Zhengyang entered the Inner City with Fang Yuan’s family, and the constables at the gate treated him with great respect.
• Chen Zhengyang arrived at the Martial Arts School, where Zhao Tie and Chen Yin came out to greet him.
• Chen Zhengyang introduced Fang Yuan to Zhao Tie and Chen Yin as a new recruit who needed somewhere to stay.
• Chen Yin complained that her father had brought an outsider home, and Chen Zhengyang apologized to Fang Yuan for her words.
• Chen Zhengyang told Zhao Tie to find Fang Yuan’s family a clean residence and assign Fang Yuan odd jobs, then Fang Yuan reassured Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout.

Zhao Tie guided Fang Yuan and his family through Qinghe County’s Outer City, explaining the local power structure and helping them find a home. Fang Yuan settled his family in a small courtyard near Zhengyang Martial Arts School, while the threat posed by Black Tiger Hall remained on his mind.

• Zhao Tie told Fang Yuan that Black Tiger Hall, the Canal Gang, the Green Wood Gang, and the county yamen dominated Qinghe County, and assured him Zhengyang Martial Arts School would protect its members.
• Zhao Tie took Fang Yuan, Liu Wanwan, and Little Bean Sprout to the Zheng Family Real Estate Agency to find a place to live.
• Fang Yuan asked for the cheapest home, but Zhao Tie urged him to choose somewhere comfortable and offered to cover the initial cost.
• The clerk showed them a clean courtyard near the Martial Arts School, and Fang Yuan agreed to rent it for two taels of silver a month.
• Zhao Tie arranged for the lease to be brought to the school, then left as Fang Yuan’s family settled into their new home.

Fang Yuan and his family settled into a courtyard in the Outer City, enjoying a brief sense of safety while he considered how to secure lasting protection. The chapter ended with Liu Wanwan serving their first hot dinner in their new home.

• Fang Yuan inspected the courtyard and reflected that renting it had been easy because of Zhao Tie and Chen Zhengyang's connections.
• Little Bean Sprout and Liu Wanwan explored and tidied the home while the Purple Sable surveyed the alley from the courtyard wall.
• Fang Yuan considered Chen Zhengyang's possible offer to take him as a disciple and resolved to seek a proper Qi Gathering Method.
• Fang Yuan greeted several curious neighbors and introduced his family as new arrivals.
• Liu Wanwan prepared dinner while Little Bean Sprout welcomed the returned Purple Sable, and the family sat down to eat.

Zhao Tie brought Fang Yuan roast chicken and Martial Arts Uniforms, preparing him to begin at Zhengyang Martial Arts School the next day. Meanwhile, Chen Zhengyang told Chen Yin that his investigation in Luoshui Village had cost a Third-Rank Martial Artist his life, then explained why he had brought Fang Yuan to the school.

• Zhao Tie visited Fang Yuan with roast chicken and two Apprentices’ Martial Arts Uniforms, and told him to come to the school the next morning.
• Fang Yuan shared the roast chicken with Liu Wanwan, Little Bean Sprout, and Little Purple Sable as his family settled into their new home.
• Chen Yin asked Chen Zhengyang about his investigation in Luoshui Village, and he revealed that one of the three Third-Rank Martial Artists who went with him never returned.
• Chen Zhengyang warned Chen Yin not to speak about the matter, saying that things had slipped beyond control.
• Chen Zhengyang praised Fang Yuan’s loyalty and strength, and said he would keep him under observation as a potential disciple.

Chen Zhengyang decided to seek the County Lieutenant’s help over the sinister mystery of Luoshui Village, while Fang Yuan and his family settled into their new courtyard. Liu Wanwan struggled with her feelings for Fang Yuan, and a faint rustling abruptly woke him in the night.

• Chen Yin objected to Chen Zhengyang taking Fang Yuan as a disciple, but Chen Zhengyang said he wanted trusted martial arts students to support her in the future.
• Chen Zhengyang suspected Luoshui Village’s missing-person case involved something sinister and planned to approach the County Lieutenant with a generous gift.
• Fang Yuan assigned himself to sleep in the outer room while Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout slept in the inner room.
• Liu Wanwan lay awake, growing anxious that other women might take an interest in Fang Yuan as he became more capable.
• Fang Yuan fell asleep from exhaustion, then woke when he heard someone moving quietly nearby.

Fang Yuan and Liu Wanwan spent the night together, and he discovered that the experience increased his Health Preservation Method proficiency. The next morning, he bought breakfast for the household and the Little Purple Sable.

• Liu Wanwan slipped into Fang Yuan's bed and initiated their first night together.
• Fang Yuan woke refreshed and discovered a new Basic Health Preservation Method entry on his panel, with proficiency at 1/1000.
• Fang Yuan and Liu Wanwan shared another intimate moment before getting up, while the Little Purple Sable left the courtyard with a piece of pancake.
• Liu Wanwan tried to prepare breakfast but her legs gave way, so Fang Yuan went to the morning market instead.
• Fang Yuan bought three pork buns and brought them back to the courtyard.

Fang Yuan went to the Martial Arts School after realizing how costly life in the county town would be. He arrived to find that Chen Zhengyang’s personal interest had earned him special attention—and resentment—from the school’s disciples.

• Fang Yuan calculated that supporting his family in the county town would cost at least two taels of silver a month and decided to keep his two Crimson Sun Fruits for now.
• At the Inner City gate, an older constable let Fang Yuan pass and told his younger companion that Chen Zhengyang’s personal attention gave the newcomer a powerful backing.
• Zhao Tie welcomed Fang Yuan at the Martial Arts School and brought him inside, explaining that Chen Zhengyang would teach saber techniques that day.
• Fang Yuan saw the disciples practicing and heard them question why Chen Zhengyang had brought him in as an exception.
• A broad-shouldered disciple complained that his father had paid three hundred taels for his training while Fang Yuan had been admitted directly.

Fang Yuan met Chen Zhengyang’s senior disciples at the Martial Arts School and learned that his rural origins made some of them reassess his prospects. The chapter ended as Chen Zhengyang and his daughter Chen Yin entered the training ground.

• Zhao Tie provoked the other disciples by praising Fang Yuan, and Zhang Meng smashed a wooden training post while showing off his saber skills.
• Zhao Tie introduced Fang Yuan to Zhou Chen and Wang Pangzi, Chen Zhengyang’s Second and Third Disciples.
• Zhou Chen probed Fang Yuan’s family background, and Fang Yuan said he had been born in the countryside outside the city.
• Zhou Chen’s warmth cooled after hearing Fang Yuan’s answer, while Wang Pangzi explained the school’s rules and its private inner courtyard.
• Zhao Tie announced Chen Zhengyang’s arrival, and Chen Zhengyang entered the training ground alongside Chen Yin.

Chen Zhengyang demonstrated the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique to the disciples at Zhengyang Martial Arts School, revealing the breathing, body coordination, and fierce spirit behind each form. Fang Yuan watched closely, and the long-still panel began to change.

• Chen Zhengyang arrived at the Training Ground with Chen Yin and addressed the disciples who had paid to study at the school.
• Chen Zhengyang took a steel saber and announced that he would demonstrate the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique.
• Chen Zhengyang slowly performed all five forms, coordinating his breathing, footwork, and saber movements to embody a tiger's ferocity.
• The disciples watched Chen Zhengyang's demonstration and began reconsidering what they had thought they knew about the technique.
• Fang Yuan recognized the technique's deeper principles, and the panel that had remained still began to change.

Fang Yuan discovered that watching Chen Zhengyang demonstrate the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique increased his Basic Saber Technique proficiency and gave him insight into its principles. After practicing, he resolved to keep training until its traits unlocked, while Zhao Tie began demonstrating the technique for him.

• Fang Yuan's system merged the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique with his Basic Saber Technique, raising its proficiency threshold and giving him new insights.
• Chen Zhengyang noticed Fang Yuan's promising breathing and body coordination but chose not to interrupt his practice.
• Fang Yuan repeatedly practiced the five forms and received system notifications as his Basic Saber Technique proficiency increased.
• Zhao Tie explained that the saber technique was widely available but required a skilled teacher, then began demonstrating it for Fang Yuan.
• Nearby disciples praised Zhao Tie's mastery as he performed the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique.

Fang Yuan practiced the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique with a chopping knife, astonishing the disciples by linking all five forms despite his inexperience. Zhao Tie warned him that this method could injure him, but Fang Yuan accepted the warning calmly and continued on his own path.

• Zhao Tie demonstrated his saber technique, and Fang Yuan sensed a slight stiffness in its transitions.
• Fang Yuan practiced with a chopping knife, linking all five forms of the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique in one continuous sequence.
• Zhao Tie and the other disciples realized Fang Yuan had grasped the technique’s inner spirit, while Chen Yin dismissed his performance.
• Zhao Tie explained that linking the forms too early could disrupt Fang Yuan’s breath and damage his body.
• Fang Yuan thanked Zhao Tie for the warning but remained calm, prompting Chen Yin and Zhou Chen to judge him as stubborn and inexperienced.

Fang Yuan befriended Wang Fugui, who explained the grades of Cultivation Methods and the true transmission behind the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique. Wang Fugui gave Fang Yuan a ginseng root as a gift, opening a connection to his family’s merchant guild.

• Wang Pangzi approached Fang Yuan after the others left and struck up a conversation about his chopping knife.
• Wang Fugui revealed that his father headed the Baimao Merchant Guild and offered to help Fang Yuan with his needs.
• Wang Fugui explained that circulated manuals often lacked the breathing method and that the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique was a top-tier Low-grade technique whose true transmission required a master.
• Wang Fugui gave Fang Yuan a ginseng root worth ten taels as a meeting gift and invited him to buy medicinal ingredients through his family business.
• Fang Yuan accepted the gift and thanked Wang Fugui, and the two became acquainted.

Fang Yuan accepted the Martial Arts School’s chores and impressed Chen Zhengyang with his diligence and thoughtful questions. After learning that a strong qi-and-blood foundation depended on tempering the body before guiding qi, Fang Yuan asked Zhao Tie how far that accumulation could go.

• Zhao Tie told Fang Yuan they would take turns handling chores, and Fang Yuan readily agreed.
• Fang Yuan helped Zhao Tie put away training equipment, earning Chen Zhengyang’s quiet approval.
• Chen Zhengyang answered Fang Yuan’s questions about saber technique and explained that martial practice built qi and blood by expanding the body’s capacity.
• Chen Zhengyang said that powerful family heirs delayed guiding qi to temper their bodies and strengthen their foundations.
• As Zhao Tie led Fang Yuan toward the kitchen, Fang Yuan asked how much qi and blood could be accumulated before reaching First-grade.

Fang Yuan learned from Zhao Tie that a strong physical foundation mattered more than the qi-guidance method and helped him brew the Martial Arts School’s Vitality Blood Nourishing Ointment. Zhao Tie praised Fang Yuan’s careful work, gave him an extra portion, and distributed the rest to the apprentices.

• Zhao Tie told Fang Yuan that he had built up three thousand jin of force before becoming a First-grade Martial Artist and explained the importance of strengthening the body before qi guidance.
• Fang Yuan asked whether anyone had mastered all five forms of the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique before breaking through, and Zhao Tie said he had never seen it happen.
• Zhao Tie showed Fang Yuan how to prepare Vitality Blood Nourishing Ointment, and Fang Yuan carefully controlled the stove flames as the ingredients simmered.
• Zhao Tie praised the finished ointment’s quality, gave Fang Yuan an extra portion, and advised him to apply it after practicing.
• Zhao Tie distributed one packet of ointment to each apprentice, who thanked him and looked forward to training with it.

After his first day at Zhengyang Martial Arts School, Fang Yuan headed home and was confronted by three Black Tiger Hall hooligans demanding protection money. Master Li intervened and drove them off, but the hooligans left plotting revenge.

• Fang Yuan finished his first day at Zhengyang Martial Arts School, considered finding work and buying a proper saber, and bought a roast chicken to celebrate.
• Fang Yuan found three Black Tiger Hall hooligans blocking the alley to his home and demanding peace money.
• Fang Yuan prepared to fight when the hooligans threatened him and refused to explain what safety they could offer.
• Master Li arrived, recognized Fang Yuan as a Zhengyang Martial Arts School disciple, and ordered the hooligans to leave.
• The hooligans obeyed Master Li but glared at Fang Yuan and privately plotted to retaliate later.

Fang Yuan drove off Black Tiger Hall’s men after they came to collect protection money, then learned from his neighbors how the gang controlled Peace Alley. He returned home to find Little Purple Sable had warned Liu Wanwan about suspicious men, and reassured his family that he could handle the trouble.

• Fang Yuan dislocated the arms of three hooligans and forced Master Li and the Black Tiger Hall men to leave with a threat.
• Old Wang, Auntie Zhang, and other neighbors warned Fang Yuan about Black Tiger Hall’s extortion and explained how it harassed residents who refused to pay.
• The neighbors told Fang Yuan that Li Mazi led Black Tiger Hall in Peace Alley and would likely retaliate for the humiliation.
• Fang Yuan returned home with roast chicken and learned that Little Purple Sable had warned Liu Wanwan when suspicious men came to the door.
• Fang Yuan stroked Little Purple Sable, told his family he could handle the gang, and sat down to eat.

Fang Yuan supported Liu Wanwan’s household work and trained with the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique, using ginseng to recover his strength. The family ended the evening safely together, while Fang Yuan continued to build his martial skill.

• Fang Yuan gave Liu Wanwan five taels of silver for household expenses and told her not to overwork herself with embroidery.
• Liu Wanwan explained that Auntie Li let her take embroidery work home, and she accepted Fang Yuan’s money.
• Fang Yuan practiced the five styles of the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique in the courtyard and gained proficiency.
• Fang Yuan chewed a piece of Ginseng Tendril to restore his energy, then resumed practicing with greater force.
• Liu Wanwan embroidered by lamplight as Little Bean Sprout and Purple Sable played, and she felt grateful for their safe, warm home.

Li Mazi learned that Fang Yuan had crippled his subordinates and chose to delay seeking revenge after discovering Fang Yuan’s connection to Zhengyang Martial Arts School. At home, Fang Yuan recovered from training with Liu Wanwan’s help, then asked her to stay with him that night.

• The physician warned Li Mazi that the three injured men’s arms were likely permanently weakened and that their attacker was dangerous.
• Li Mazi questioned his injured subordinates, then learned that Fang Yuan had been brought into the city by Chen Zhengyang and had also crippled Black Hall Master’s men.
• Li Mazi suspected Qinghe County’s calm would soon be disturbed and postponed taking revenge on Fang Yuan.
• After hours of saber practice, Fang Yuan felt his strength and blood qi growing as Liu Wanwan applied Vitality Blood Nourishing Ointment to his sore muscles.
• Fang Yuan stopped Liu Wanwan from leaving and asked her to help him cultivate that night.

Fang Yuan learned that his Health Cultivation Method was improving both his and Liu Wanwan’s health, then continued training with his chopping knife at Zhengyang Martial Arts School. Zhou Chen and Chen Yin judged his refusal to follow the school’s traditional training methods as foolish, leaving Fang Yuan’s unconventional practice misunderstood.

• Fang Yuan saw that his Health Cultivation Method proficiency had increased by two points after spending the night with Liu Wanwan.
• Fang Yuan asked Liu Wanwan about changes in her health, and she said she felt lighter, more energetic, and less easily tired.
• Fang Yuan pulled Liu Wanwan back into bed before she could make breakfast, and they began another round of cultivation.
• Fang Yuan practiced the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique with his chopping knife at Zhengyang Martial Arts School, while apprentices assumed he would eventually become a First-grade Martial Artist.
• Zhou Chen disapproved of Fang Yuan practicing all five forms at once, and Chen Yin decided his unconventional training confirmed that he was coarse and ignorant.