Chapter Summaries

Li Qing fought and killed an injured fierce tiger, first with his saber and Bone-Piercing Nails, then barehanded to temper his True Intent of the Fierce Tiger. He claimed the tiger’s bones as the final ingredient for two Medicinal Wine Recipes and prepared to leave with Old Man Sun.

• Li Qing approached the wounded fierce tiger and shot it with a Bone-Piercing Nail.
• Li Qing severed one of the tiger’s claws with his saber, while its other paw struck his Barbed Iron Armor.
• Li Qing threw aside his saber and fought the tiger barehanded to test his martial arts and temper his True Intent of the Fierce Tiger.
• Li Qing defeated the tiger with a powerful punch after its accumulated injuries and recent fight with a giant python weakened it.
• Li Qing picked up his saber, hoisted the tiger onto his shoulders, and told Old Man Sun they could leave.

Li Qing returned to Cui Mountain Village carrying a slain tiger and a surviving cub, becoming a village legend before heading back to Sheng Tian. After he left, a sword-flying young man discovered the dead cubs and python in the den and took the python’s gall.

• Li Qing found a tiger cub barely alive in the den, took it with him, and carried the dead mother tiger back toward Cui Mountain Village.
• Li Qing and Old Man Sun reached the village at night, where the hunters were astonished to see Li Qing carrying a fierce tiger.
• Li Qing stayed at Old Man Sun’s home, arranged for a lactating dog to feed the cub, took tiger bones, and paid Old Man Sun fifty taels of patterned silver.
• Li Qing boarded a carriage for Sheng Tian after leaving behind a legend in Cui Mountain Village.
• A young man riding a flying sword arrived at the den, discovered the dead cubs and python, and collected the python’s gall for Beast-Raising Pills.

Li Qing returned to Sheng Tian with the tiger cub Little Glutton, arranged for its care, and bought liquor for brewing medicinal wines. After hearing news about Qian Hong and the Wu Li Army, he left the restaurant expecting that his conspicuous purchase might attract trouble and give him a chance to test his strength.

• Li Qing entered Sheng Tian with the hungry tiger cub and named it Rice Bucket.
• He collected the Five Poisons from Quanshan Herbal Shop and arranged daily goat's milk deliveries to his blacksmith shop.
• Li Qing fed the cub and made it a makeshift den before deciding to begin brewing wine.
• At Taoyuan Restaurant, Li Qing heard drinkers discuss Qian Hong's martial prowess and confirmed that Sheng Tian had no unusual recent events.
• Li Qing bought five jars each of three strong liquors and two jars of Winter Plum, paying with a gold bar.
• Li Qing left the restaurant aware that his purchase might draw unwanted attention and hoped to test his strength.

Li Qing brewed Tiger Bone Health Preserving Wine and Five Poisons Blood Activating Wine, burying the latter to age for three years. After drinking Winter Plum Wine, he heard intruders break the blacksmith shop’s lock and prepared to face them.

• Li Qing used twelve jars of strong liquor and medicinal ingredients to seal a vat of Tiger Bone Health Preserving Wine.
• Li Qing brewed Five Poisons Blood Activating Wine with five venomous creatures, then buried its vat in the backyard to temper for three years.
• Li Qing considered aging the Tiger Bone Wine in the Eternal Night World but set the idea aside because he worried about exposing his return to Obsidian City and risking the wine.
• Li Qing drank a jar of Winter Plum Wine and heard someone outside the blacksmith shop.
• Intruders smashed the shop’s iron lock, and Li Qing’s smile turned cold as Killing Intent filled his eyes.

Li Qing killed three groups of intruders who broke into his blacksmith shop, then learned that the court was establishing the Maple Guard Department to govern troublesome Martial Artists. The eight Heroes of Liangzhou discussed seeking a place in the new department, and Yang Xing agreed to apply.

• Li Qing killed a black-clad intruder with a Tiger Fist and disposed of his body in the Eternal Night World.
• Li Qing killed the other intruders who came to his shop overnight, then replaced the broken lock and concealed what had happened from Old Zhang.
• The court announced the creation of the Maple Guard Department, an organization directly under Emperor Taiwen for managing troublesome Martial Artists.
• Boss Fang and Yang Xing discussed placing one of their own in the Maple Guard Department, while the other six Heroes of Liangzhou resisted joining the court.
• Yang Xing agreed to apply for a post in the Maple Guard Department.

Li Qing continued training while raising Little Glutton, then agreed to forge a sword for Fang Long’s brother Yang Xing, who had joined the Maple Guard Department. After finding the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique beneath a toppled rack, Li Qing decided to make a trip to Chongning County to fulfill his master’s dying request.

• Li Qing assessed his martial progress and believed he could soon reach the first level of the Golden Body Technique, while his Turtle Breath Technique had brought his Internal Energy close to Outer Strength.
• Fang Long visited Li Qing to celebrate Yang Xing’s new position in the Maple Guard Department and asked him to forge a sharp, lightweight longsword.
• Li Qing accepted thirty taels for the sword and promised to finish it in three days.
• Little Glutton knocked over a rack, and Li Qing checked that the Tiger Bone Wine vat was safe before warning the cub not to wreck the house.
• Li Qing found the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique beneath the rack and resolved to return it to his master’s home in Chongning County.

Li Qing completed a refined iron longsword and discussed famous weapons before Fang Long collected it and agreed to watch over the smithy. Li Qing prepared to travel to Qingzhou’s Chongning County to seek Master Gu’s clansmen and fulfill his former teacher’s final wish.

• Li Qing forged a refined iron longsword and reflected on the famous divine weapons of the martial world, including the Mystic Turtle Spear and Crimson Lotus.
• Fang Long collected the sword, praised its quality, and heard that Li Qing had left it unnamed.
• Li Qing asked Fang Long to keep an eye on the smithy while he traveled, and Fang Long readily agreed.
• Li Qing packed Master Gu’s Ancient Profound Hammer Technique and travel money before setting out to look for Master Gu’s clansmen in Qingzhou’s Chongning County.

Li Qing left Shengtian for Qingzhou to return the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique, while the Maple Guard Department held a martial exhibition under heavy rain. Zhao Yuan stunned the crowd with a powerful saber strike, and Qian Hong recognized something about his weapon.

• Li Qing traveled north from Shengtian toward Qingzhou with his tiger, intending to fulfill his promise to Master Gu's family.
• Guo Zhentong announced the Maple Guard Department's martial exhibition rules, allowing weapons but forbidding killing blows and crippling injuries.
• Qian Hong and a refined man watched the competition from a pavilion with Guo Zhentong, commenting on the fighters' abilities.
• Zhao Yuan faced a burly opponent who mocked him, then drew his great saber and sent the man flying with a single strike that broke several blades and drew blood.
• Qian Hong stood up and exclaimed, "That saber—"

After Zhao Yuan used the Startling Silence Blade to defeat his opponent, Qian Hong and the other commanders became eager to meet its maker, Master Li. They learned Zhao Yuan had paid only fifty taels for the blade and planned a discreet visit to the blacksmith in the city.

• Zhao Yuan severed his opponent’s weapon with the Startling Silence Blade, leaving the martial contest audience stunned.
• Qian Hong, Guo Zhentong, and the white-clothed commander recognized that Zhao Yuan’s blade was likely a divine weapon and summoned him to ask about it.
• Zhao Yuan said Master Li in the city had forged the blade and explained that he had paid fifty taels after Zhong Hui asked him to return it to Blacksmith Li.
• The commanders speculated that Master Li was a reclusive, eccentric craftsman who valued Zhao Yuan and Zhong Hui’s honesty more than money.
• Qian Hong and the other commanders decided to finish watching the contest before secretly visiting Master Li, with Zhao Yuan announcing them first.

Maple Guard Department’s commanders and the Heroes of Liangzhou learned that Li Qing might forge peerless divine weapons, but they found he had left Sheng Tian. As Li Qing traveled north toward Qingzhou, he reviewed intelligence about its chaotic martial world and looked forward to arriving.

• Qian Hong, Guo Zhentong, and Zheng Shu followed Zhao Yuan to Li Qing’s blacksmith shop, but learned from Old Zhang that Li Qing had gone away on business.
• Yang Xing concluded that Zhao Yuan and the commanders were seeking Li Qing, then warned Boss Fang that Li Qing might be able to forge peerless divine weapons.
• Boss Fang agreed to keep Li Qing’s skill secret and decided to curry favor with him.
• Li Qing traveled by carriage toward Qingzhou and read intelligence describing its shifting martial rankings and dangerous, profit-driven martial world.
• Li Qing looked forward to Qingzhou, where fighting and killing shaped the jianghu.

Li Qing reached Qingzhou with Rice Bucket and entered Jingyang City, where he learned the Black Fiend Gang and the Lei Family were fighting over a stolen treasure. The Dragon Gate Inn promised him safety as he settled in for the night.

• Li Qing called Rice Bucket back into the carriage before they entered Jingyang City and warned the tiger cub not to cause trouble.
• Li Qing entered the poor, tense city and saw two men fighting in the street over a purse.
• Li Qing chose the Dragon Gate Inn, and Rice Bucket's presence discouraged the people watching his carriage from approaching.
• The waiter told Li Qing that the Black Fiend Gang and the Lei Family were fighting over a treasure and advised him not to go out that night.

Li Qing watched the Black Fiend Gang and Lei Family battle over a mysterious treasure from the safety of the Dragon Gate Inn, then learned that Sun Qi had slaughtered the Black Fiend Gang leader’s family and stolen it. He left Jingyang City with Rice Bucket, choosing to avoid the conflict and continue toward Chongning.

• Li Qing watched the Black Fiend Gang and Lei Family fight through the night but stayed out of the battle.
• After the clash ended, Li Qing heard the Black Fiend Gang leader roar Sun Qi’s name, then went to sleep without investigating.
• Li Qing woke to Rice Bucket’s roar and decided to resupply before heading for Chongning.
• An inn waiter told Li Qing that Sun Qi had killed the Black Fiend Gang leader’s family and taken the mysterious treasure.
• Li Qing ordered a carriage prepared so he and Rice Bucket could leave at once.

Li Qing traveled toward Chongning County, where he fought off bandits who tried to rob his carriage. After entering the city, he heard that the Black Fiend Gang leader had revealed Sun Qi’s treasure was an Opportunity for Immortality, stirring widespread debate.

• Li Qing’s carriage was stopped by bandits outside Chongning County, and he killed their leader and several others with Bone-Piercing Nails.
• Li Qing emerged with his Peerless Hammer and drove the remaining bandits away.
• Li Qing returned to the carriage and continued into Chongning County without pursuing the fleeing bandits.
• Li Qing heard townspeople discussing the Black Fiend Gang leader’s claim that Sun Qi’s treasure was an Opportunity for Immortality.

Li Qing investigated a Gu family in Chongning County based on clues from his master, while learning that rumors about an Immortality Cultivation Method were spreading across Qingzhou. He Baosheng found a likely lead and asked whether Li Qing was looking for Gu Tianxing.

• Li Qing stopped his carriage to listen to rumors that Sun Qi possessed an opportunity for immortality, then decided he was too weak to pursue it.
• Li Qing checked into Dragon Gate Inn and asked the waiter how to find a family surnamed Gu.
• Li Qing recalled that his master had offended the county magistrate and been sent to the border fortress army, and gathered clues that his family may have been blacksmiths.
• Li Qing visited the information broker He Baosheng and described the Gu family he sought.
• He Baosheng returned with a lead and asked Li Qing whether the person was named Gu Tianxing.

Li Qing visited Gu Yu, Master Gu’s impoverished descendant, and discovered that Gu Yu was forbidden from forging weapons and had only inherited a little of his father’s hammer technique. When Feng Jin tried to extort Gu Yu, Li Qing exposed his lie, and his tiger cub frightened the ruffian into recognizing Li Qing as the rumored Fierce Tiger.

• Li Qing found Gu Yu’s dilapidated home and pretended to commission a pickaxe so he could observe the blacksmith.
• Li Qing noticed traces of the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique in Gu Yu’s forging stance, while Gu Yu revealed that authorities had forbidden him from making blades.
• Feng Jin accused Gu Yu of making a faulty hoe and demanded two taels of silver, but Li Qing pointed out that the hoe had been damaged through misuse.
• Feng Jin tried to leave and return with accomplices, but Li Qing’s tiger cub roared and frightened him into recognizing Li Qing as the man who had killed the bandits.
• Feng Jin begged for mercy and fled, while Gu Yu called Li Qing the Fierce Tiger, a nickname Li Qing resented.

Li Qing learned that Gu Yu was Master Gu’s son and discovered that officials had falsely reported Master Gu’s death and embezzled his military pay. As Li Qing brought Gu Yu’s family toward Sheng Tian, the hunt for Sun Qi drew powerful factions and figures toward Qingzhou.

• Li Qing returned the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique to Gu Yu and learned that Gu Yu had never received any of his father’s military pay.
• Li Qing told Gu Yu that Master Gu had died the previous year, and Gu Yu kowtowed to the manual in grief.
• Li Qing took Gu Yu’s family from Chongning toward Sheng Tian, planning to provide them with a home and a blacksmith shop.
• The Black Fiend Gang and the Lei Family joined forces to hunt Sun Qi, who escaped their ambush at Little Cang Mountain and later killed attackers at Dragon Gate Inn.
• The Maple Guard Department sent Commander Zheng Shu to Qingzhou, while Prince Yu dispatched a secret guard to investigate Sun Qi.
• Ning Yuan left Little Cui Ridge for Qingzhou, leaving Little Qi behind in the Tomb Mansion.

Li Qing encountered Shen Lianyi, a young Nine Lotus Sect protector who wanted to buy his tiger, Rice Bucket, before bringing Gu Yu’s family to settle in Imperial Capital Shengtian. When he returned to Chiming Street, Boss Fang told him a Female Commander from the Maple Guard Department had been waiting for him.

• Shen Lianyi stopped Li Qing’s carriage, admired Rice Bucket, and offered to buy him, but Li Qing refused.
• Shen Lianyi gave Li Qing a Nine Lotus Sect token, introduced herself, and rode on toward Jingyang City.
• More than ten days later, Li Qing brought Gu Yu’s family to Shengtian, where Gu Yi marveled at the bustling streets.
• Li Qing went to the former Green Mountain Martial Arts School site to find Boss Fang and arrange a residence and property for Gu Yu’s family.
• Boss Fang told Li Qing that a Female Commander from the Maple Guard Department had waited for him while he was away.

Li Qing learned that Qian Hong wanted him to forge a divine sword, then used Boss Fang’s help to buy a home and shop for Gu Yu’s family. He returned to his forge and planned how to manage requests for divine weapons while awaiting his medicinal wine to mature.

• Boss Fang told Li Qing that Qian Hong had heard of the Startling Silence Blade and wanted him to forge her an unparalleled divine sword.
• Li Qing asked Boss Fang to find a residence and shop for Gu Yu’s family, and Boss Fang secured both within a day.
• Gu Yu thanked Li Qing for his generosity, and his family moved into their new home in Sheng Tian.
• Li Qing left Gu Yu’s family money for their expenses, then returned to his blacksmith shop and reflected on his plans.
• Li Qing decided to limit how often he forged divine weapons and confirmed that his medicinal wine remained untouched.

Qian Hong learned that Li Qing had reopened his blacksmith shop and went to meet the Divine Craftsman, only to discover he was the former army apprentice she had believed dead. Li Qing confirmed that he had forged Zhao Yuan’s Startling Silence Blade, leaving Qian Hong poised to ask for his help.

• Qian Hong learned that Li Qing’s blacksmith shop had reopened and sent Zhao Yuan to announce her visit.
• Li Qing practiced the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger with the tiger cub while Zhao Yuan arrived and said the commander wished to see him.
• Li Qing agreed to meet Qian Hong, who entered and respectfully greeted him as Senior Li.
• Qian Hong recognized Li Qing as the blacksmith apprentice who had survived the bandit attack, and Li Qing gave her his prepared explanation for leaving the army.
• Qian Hong asked whether Li Qing had forged Zhao Yuan’s Startling Silence Blade, and Li Qing confirmed that he had.

Li Qing agreed to forge a weapon for Qian Hong in exchange for Outer-Heaven Meteorite Iron, then heard that Sun Qi had been driven off a cliff after revealing the Immortality Destiny Method was a useless token. Qian Hong delivered the forging materials and meteorite iron, and Li Qing learned that the Wu Li Army guarded the ore because it was exceptionally precious.

• Qian Hong asked Li Qing to forge a sword and offered him a martial arts manual, but he declined the manual and explained he did not want payment in money.
• Qian Hong offered Li Qing a choice between a two-hundred-year-old Bitter Profound Ginseng and Outer-Heaven Meteorite Iron, along with a favor; Li Qing chose the ore.
• Qian Hong left the blacksmith shop and promised to deliver the materials and Outer-Heaven Meteorite Iron within three days.
• News spread that Sun Qi was gravely wounded after being besieged, declared the Immortality Destiny Method a useless token, and jumped from a cliff while fleeing his pursuers.
• Qian Hong returned with Ink Gold and Outer-Heaven Meteorite Iron and explained that the Wu Li Army guarded the scarce ore at the Wangyuan City border fortress.