Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into Great Chu, Chu Mu adjusted to life in Nanshan Town and explored the Light Screen Panel that appeared as his Golden Finger. The chapter left him practicing his inherited saber techniques after discovering that his Spirit Radiance Value had reached 100%.

• Chu Mu reflected on transmigrating into the body of a young man whose father had died serving in the Patrol Bureau.
• Chu Mu examined his Light Screen Panel and considered how focused activity raised his Spirit Radiance Value.
• Chu Mu saw his Spirit Radiance Value reach 100% and noticed a plus sign appear beside it.
• Chu Mu recalled the original owner's basic saber techniques and wondered whether they counted as a skill.
• Chu Mu practiced the saber routines and began wielding his father's service saber with some skill.

Chu Mu discovered that Spirit Radiance Value could trigger a powerful blessing that accelerated his learning, then used it to rapidly improve his blade technique. He ended the night exhausted and injured, doubting he would be able to report for duty the next day.

• After practicing awkwardly with his father's rusty blade, Chu Mu saw that Basic Blade Technique had reached Just Beginning and considered how the original owner's memories had helped him.
• Chu Mu tested the flickering plus sign beside Spirit Radiance Value and activated a blessing that sharply heightened his concentration and wisdom.
• Under the blessing, Chu Mu practiced Basic Blade Style and visibly improved his movements before collapsing from exhaustion.
• Chu Mu realized his newfound blessing gave him hope of pursuing success through the ancient imperial examinations.
• After struggling back to his bedroom, Chu Mu concluded that his overexertion would likely keep him from reporting for duty the next day.

After recovering from an exhausting use of Spirit Radiance Blessing, Chu Mu ate, reviewed his improved blade technique, and explored the unfamiliar world outside his home. He discovered that Great Chu used finely printed paper money and moved his late father's savings into his robe for safekeeping.

• Chu Mu woke after nearly two days, ate the food in the kitchen, and reminded himself to limit his use of Spirit Radiance Blessing.
• Chu Mu checked the Light Screen Panel and recognized that Spirit Radiance Blessing had fused the former owner's memories into his own.
• Chu Mu opened the courtyard gate and watched the busy marketplace, reflecting that he could never return to his previous life.
• Chu Mu searched a locked chest and found that Great Chu used paper banknotes instead of metal currency.
• Chu Mu took all of the former owner's savings, including his father's death pension, and secured the money in his robe.

Chu Mu visited Mingxin Hall for a follow-up examination, where Old Li found no serious injury and prescribed medicine. As Chu Mu explored the crowded streets of Qinghe County, he realized food was remarkably cheap, suggesting Great Chu was living through a prosperous age.

• Chu Mu went to Mingxin Hall and struggled to read its sign because the original owner had been illiterate.
• Old Li examined Chu Mu, found only strained muscles and bones, and prescribed medicine to replenish his Qi and nourish his Essence.
• Chu Mu bought the medicine for nearly ten silver coins and left the hall as the streets grew busier.
• Chu Mu observed that grain and prepared food in Nanshan Town were extremely cheap and concluded that Great Chu might be enjoying a rare peaceful golden age.

Chu Mu returned home after buying costly medicine, then decided to learn to read and write so he could better adapt to his new life. He paid for lessons and books, only to be shocked by the expense, and ended the chapter showing his Patrol Bureau token to the bookstore owner.

• Chu Mu returned to his residence, brewed the medicine, and polished his service saber while it simmered.
• Chu Mu recognized some of the boiled medicinal ingredients and resolved to learn to read and write.
• Chu Mu went to the private school in North Town and paid Scholar Chang twenty silver for six months of tuition.
• Chu Mu visited a bookstore and learned that the required writing supplies and four children's books cost several dozen silver.
• Chu Mu set his Patrol Bureau token on the counter as the bookstore owner continued praising him.

Chu Mu bought writing materials, learned the costs of schooling, and decided to focus on accumulating Spiritual Radiance Value before taking up his post at the Patrol Bureau. After cleaning his new home, he practiced the Basic Blade Style and resolved to work hard despite his ordinary progress.

• Chu Mu used his Patrol Bureau token to get a discount from the bookstore owner and asked about tuition at the Official School.
• Chu Mu returned home, judged Spiritual Radiance Value more important than studying or martial arts for now, and cleaned the house and courtyard.
• Chu Mu relaxed beneath the stars, then retrieved his Service Saber and practiced the Basic Blade Style while focusing his thoughts.
• Chu Mu stopped when his body grew sore and recognized how slowly he progressed outside the Spirit Radiance State.
• Chu Mu accepted that he needed diligence and muttered that a slow bird had to take flight first.

Chu Mu attended private school for the first time, found studying alongside children embarrassing, and saw Patrol Inspectors escorting newly conscripted laborers through Qinghe County. The procession reminded him that his father and over a thousand laborers and escorts had vanished during a riverway project, and the chapter left him reuniting with his friend Xu Yuan, whose father had disappeared in the same incident.

• Chu Mu attended private school, struggled with the embarrassment of learning alongside young children, and saw his Spiritual Radiance Value rise through studying.
• Chu Mu encountered Patrol Inspectors escorting dozens of civilians for forced labor and recalled that his father had vanished while escorting laborers to a riverway project.
• Chu Mu considered the unexplained disappearance of more than a thousand laborers and their escorts, then decided the matter was not his concern for now.
• Xu Yuan approached Chu Mu in Patrol Inspector Armor, and Chu Mu recognized his childhood friend, whose father had also vanished while escorting forced laborers.

Chu Mu asked Xu Yuan about the Nanshan Town Patrol Bureau before his own first day on duty and learned that the bureau was unusually large because it managed the Nanshan Iron Mine. He grew concerned when Xu Yuan mentioned the Prefecture’s order to increase mine production and the planned recruitment of at least a thousand more forced laborers, but put the matter aside and prepared a meal for his friend.

• Chu Mu questioned Xu Yuan about his position and invited him home to explain how the Patrol Bureau worked.
• Xu Yuan told Chu Mu that Nanshan Town Patrol Bureau had nearly five hundred patrol inspectors because it managed the iron mine and its forced laborers.
• Xu Yuan explained that a Prefecture order had increased production and that another batch of at least a thousand forced laborers would be conscripted.
• Chu Mu set aside his concerns about the forced laborers and cooked a meal while Xu Yuan swept the courtyard and pointed out the house’s peeling walls.
• Chu Mu prepared Bean Cabbage, Bamboo Vegetable, pork, and corn soup for himself and Xu Yuan.

Chu Mu continued studying and training before reporting for duty at the Nanshan Patrol Bureau, where he was assigned to Li Gang’s team. Leaving the courtyard that had become his safe haven, he faced an uncertain new life among other recently recruited patrolmen.

• Chu Mu trained with his saber more than ten times, then reviewed the characters he had learned before sleeping.
• Chu Mu put on his Patrol Bureau uniform, ate meat noodles, and went to the Patrol Inspectorate to report for duty.
• Wu Shuo registered Chu Mu and assigned him to Third Squad under Li Gang.
• Chu Mu joined the line of new patrolmen, many recruited after nearly a hundred officers vanished while escorting forced laborers.
• Chu Mu felt uneasy as he left the courtyard that had become his safe haven and considered what the future might bring.

Chu Mu patrolled the Nanshan Iron Mine and reflected on the cruelty forced laborers endured under the inspectors’ unchecked authority. He watched his Squad Leader practice powerful martial arts and wondered how he could learn them.

• Chu Mu watched a patrol inspector whip and beat a forced laborer while the other workers kept their heads down.
• Chu Mu surveyed the Iron Mine Jia District and considered himself fortunate to have arrived in the world wearing a patrol uniform rather than being forced to labor.
• Chu Mu recalled that his squad guarded more than a hundred forced laborers in the Jia Number One Mining Area.
• Chu Mu watched miners use the Fire Burst Method to crack rock and briefly considered making gunpowder before dismissing the idea.
• Chu Mu watched his Squad Leader break a tree with a punch and thought about learning martial arts, but saw that other patrolmen were already competing for the Squad Leader’s instruction.

Chu Mu wasted most of his Spirit Radiance Value trying to learn Li Gang's martial arts, then watched a mine collapse bury several Forced Laborers. He fetched Doctor Li from town and learned that accidents were common because the mine owners refused to hire a doctor.

• Chu Mu reflected that Spirit Radiance Blessing had not helped him learn the internal force changes behind Li Gang's martial arts, despite costing him the Spirit Radiance Value he had saved.
• Rocks collapsed at the mine, burying several Forced Laborers, and Chu Mu followed Li Gang to the accident site.
• A young man begged for help for his buried father, but Li Gang judged the old laborer beyond saving and organized the workers clearing the rubble.
• Li Gang sent Chu Mu to fetch Doctor Li from Mingxin Hall, and Chu Mu rushed into town to bring him to the mine.
• Doctor Li asked how many had died, and Chu Mu said two deaths were reported but the total was still unclear.
• Doctor Li told Chu Mu that the mine's refusal to hire a dedicated doctor made accidents and delayed treatment inevitable.

After a mine collapse left a laborer barely alive, Chu Mu heard that the county Thousand Household and Vice Battalion Commander had been digging for something in the deepest mining area. Xu Yuan also revealed that the Patrol Inspectorate would expand, leaving him hoping for a Squad Leader position.

• Old Li Doctor examined the crushed miner while the laborers and Patrol Inspectors dispersed under Li Gang’s reprimand.
• Xu Yuan told Chu Mu that the Thousand Household and Vice Battalion Commander had spent the previous day digging in Number Three Mining Area, apparently using a compass.
• Xu Yuan told Chu Mu that a Hundred Household would transfer to the mine and the Patrol Inspectorate would expand by another Hundred Household.
• Xu Yuan wondered whether he could become a Squad Leader, and Chu Mu teased him before heading back to his post.

Chu Mu questioned why the South Mountain Mine was expanding its forced-labor force despite already holding thousands of workers, and worried that such oppression could spark rebellion. After spotting a growing pile of corpses, he wondered how so many Forced Laborers had died in one morning.

• Chu Mu considered how the Mine’s growing number of Forced Laborers and other labor projects could burden thousands of households and provoke a rebellion.
• Chu Mu went to eat with He Ergou, who hinted that Patrol Inspectors earned extra money by taking advantage of their posts.
• Li Gang reprimanded He Ergou for talking about the Patrol Inspectorate’s illicit earnings, and Chu Mu slipped away.
• Chu Mu noticed several straw-wrapped corpses by the Dining Hall and realized more bodies were being brought in.
• He Ergou joined Chu Mu, saw the heap of corpses, and wondered whether a Mine Cave had collapsed.

After a mining disaster killed dozens of Forced Laborers, Chu Mu accepted the Patrol Inspectors’ indifference and continued studying during his quiet shift. His reading increased his Spirit Radiance Value, but he remained worried about the danger of his position and unsure how to learn genuine martial arts.

• Chu Mu left He Ergou to investigate the deaths and went to the Dining Hall, where He Ergou announced that Mine Cave B-6 had collapsed.
• Chu Mu saw Patrol Inspectors carry the dead down the mountain and noted that neither the inspectors nor the Forced Laborers reacted strongly to the loss of life.
• Chu Mu ate a cheap meal, then returned to his post and studied his primer beneath a tree while the Forced Laborers worked.
• After finishing the primer, Chu Mu checked his Light Screen Panel and saw that his Spirit Radiance Value had risen.
• Chu Mu decided to prioritize martial arts practice but doubted he could find a way to learn genuine martial arts soon.

Chu Mu reflected on the costly, seemingly irrational operation of Nanshan Iron Mine and the Iron Refinery as he left the mine for Nanshan Town. He ended by considering how his late father’s efforts to protect the original owner had indirectly given Chu Mu his official position.

• Chu Mu left Mine A at dusk and noticed the Forced Laborers working in thin summer clothes as winter approached.
• Chu Mu considered how Qinghe County’s government-run mine and Iron Refinery relied on Forced Laborers, while transporting pig iron to Prefecture City appeared to cost more than the materials were worth.
• Chu Mu acknowledged that his limited knowledge of the era might explain why he could not see the hidden benefits behind the mining operation.
• Chu Mu entered a quieter Nanshan Town, where many patrolmen and their families remained exempt from forced labor by paying money.
• Chu Mu remembered that his father had once paid to spare him forced labor and had sought official status to protect him, before his father’s death led to Chu Mu receiving that status.

Chu Mu learned that Qinghe County’s iron trade was controlled by a deeply rooted network of officials and profiteers. On his way home from night lessons, he spotted Patrol Inspectors loading iron into a cart under cover of darkness.

• Chu Mu questioned a stall vendor about a kitchen knife and learned that iron was scarce and being secretly traded for high prices.
• Chu Mu reasoned that the Nanshan Iron Mine and Iron Refinery were surrounded by a county-wide network of people taking cuts from the iron trade.
• Chu Mu returned home, cooked dinner with Xu Yuan, and heard that Xu Yuan was going to help the Squad Leader after the meal.
• Chu Mu went to the private school and learned about thirty new characters from one of Old Mister Chang's disciples.
• Chu Mu noticed figures in Patrol Inspector armor loading iron-filled sacks and wooden chests onto a cart in a dark alley.

Chu Mu noticed Xu Yuan outside the courtyard at night, then returned home and practiced controlling his saber, watching his skill improve on the Light Screen Panel. After sleeping and practicing again at dawn, he saw further progress, ate breakfast, and hurried to the Patrol Inspectorate for payday.

• Chu Mu recognized Xu Yuan by the courtyard gate, memorized his appearance, and left without approaching him.
• Chu Mu practiced basic blade styles at home and raised his Basic Blade Technique proficiency to 48/100.
• Chu Mu washed, changed, and slept after his nighttime training.
• Chu Mu practiced at dawn and gained five proficiency points before setting out for work.
• Chu Mu ate rice noodles at a roadside stall and hurried toward the Patrol Inspectorate, expecting payday.

On payday, Chu Mu learned that Qinghe County’s officials received illicit rewards from the Mine alongside their wages, while He Ergou’s attempts to borrow money ended in a fight. Xu Yuan then offered to treat Chu Mu at Wind and Moon Tower after making a fortune, and Chu Mu learned he had visited there on his own.

• He Ergou explained that officials in Qinghe County received extra pay from the Mine’s profits, and Chu Mu accepted the money while worrying about the corruption surrounding him.
• He Ergou tried to borrow money from Chu Mu, but a quarrel turned into a fight and patrol inspectors dragged him and another man away.
• Xu Yuan told Chu Mu he had made a fortune and offered to treat him at Wind and Moon Tower.
• Chu Mu questioned Xu Yuan about his visits and learned that Xu Yuan had gone back to Wind and Moon Tower alone after accompanying a Thousand Household.

Chu Mu continued studying and practicing through the start of winter, then used Spirit Radiance Blessing to absorb and understand what he had read. He discovered that the blessing consumed about one hundred percent of his Spirit Radiance Value for roughly a quarter of an hour.

• Chu Mu spent more than half a month reading and practicing martial arts, gradually learning to read the elementary primer and raising his Basic Blade Technique to 93/100.
• As snow fell, Chu Mu checked his Light Screen Panel and saw that his Spirit Radiance Value had reached 432.6%.
• Chu Mu chose to activate Spirit Radiance Blessing while reading the primer, combining the characters and knowledge he had studied into a clearer understanding.
• After reading, Chu Mu saw that his Spirit Radiance Value had fallen to 220.3% and estimated that each hundred percent of the value sustained the blessing for about a quarter of an hour.

Chu Mu used Spirit Radiance to rapidly deepen his understanding of the Basic Blade Technique, but exhausted the resource and suffered mental strain. After resting overnight, he tested the breakthrough and discovered that his blade control had improved dramatically, leaving him to reflect on how close the difference between strikes was.

• Chu Mu used Spirit Radiance to absorb his lessons and refine his Basic Blade Technique in the snow.
• Chu Mu exhausted his Spirit Radiance Value, reached Initial Understanding in Basic Blade Technique, and returned indoors with a headache.
• After a night's sleep, Chu Mu noticed his blade felt more familiar and could stop its motion with almost no trembling.
• Chu Mu compared repeated cuts on a tree and found the saber marks nearly indistinguishable before murmuring, "A Hair's Breadth Away."