Chapter Summaries

After Wu Shuo gave Chu Mu a martial skill, Chu Mu worried that the gift had drawn him into the conflict between Wu Shuo and Li Gang. His battered squad endured scattered attacks through the night, and at dawn they spotted the Qili Village rebels on a nearby mountain.

• Chu Mu decided not to sell the severed head, realizing that doing so would offend Wu Shuo, and told Xu Yuan to keep his praise of Wu Shuo private.
• Chu Mu and Xu Yuan helped clean up the battlefield before the diminished squad continued through the snowy forest without Li Gang.
• Chu Mu reviewed his improved blade-technique proficiency and wondered who had taught the villagers of Qili Village martial arts.
• The Patrol Inspectorate force endured scattered attacks through the night and hurried forward as the assault continued.
• At dawn, the squad reached a mountaintop and spotted the rebels from Qili Village on a nearby mountain.

Chu Mu and the Patrol Inspectors pursued the villagers of Qili Village into a forest, where the villagers ambushed them with traps and weapons. As the battle spread, Chu Mu struggled with the clash between his duty and the villagers’ reasons for fighting, then faced a stronger attacker while Xu Yuan rallied the nearby Patrol Inspectors to help him.

• Chu Mu followed Li Jinghong and the Patrol Inspectors down the mountain after they spotted the fleeing villagers of Qili Village.
• The Patrol Inspectors entered a forest filled with abandoned supplies and were struck by hidden pits, sharpened bamboo, and arrows.
• Chu Mu and Xu Yuan took cover as the villagers charged, and Li Jinghong killed a fleeing Patrol Inspector and ordered the rest to fight.
• Chu Mu dodged an old hunter’s attack, disarmed him, and knocked him unconscious, reflecting that neither the villagers nor the Patrol Inspectors were clearly in the wrong.
• A brawny villager charged Chu Mu and pressed him with a heavy Ring Pommel Broadsword, so Xu Yuan urged nearby Patrol Inspectors to help and joined the fight.

Chu Mu held off a burly attacker with help from the Patrol Inspectors, using the fight to refine his saber technique until the man killed one of them and turned the pressure on him. After noticing an odd mark on the ground, Chu Mu launched a desperate attack toward it and felt relieved when the brawny man blocked his final strike.

• Chu Mu exchanged blows with the burly man while the Patrol Inspectors repeatedly surrounded and restrained him.
• Chu Mu used the prolonged fight to practice controlling his force and improve his saber technique.
• The burly man grew anxious as the Patrol Inspectors regained their footing, and his increasingly furious attacks shook Chu Mu’s confidence.
• The burly man feinted and killed a Patrol Inspector, frightening the others away and leaving Chu Mu to face him alone.
• Chu Mu noticed an odd mark on the ground, stopped retreating, and launched a series of chopping strikes that forced the burly man back.
• Chu Mu poured his strength into a final strike, which the brawny man easily blocked, leaving Chu Mu feeling relieved.

Chu Mu survived the fight by driving the burly man into a bamboo-spike pit, but the man’s dying saber throw left Chu Mu gravely wounded. As Chu Mu watched the Patrol Inspectors gain the upper hand, Qili Village’s remaining villagers fled through the forest.

• Chu Mu knocked the burly man into the pit, where bamboo spikes pierced him, but the man threw his saber and slashed Chu Mu’s abdomen.
• Xu Yuan caught Chu Mu, and Chu Mu bandaged his bleeding wound with a strip of cloth.
• Xu Yuan beheaded the unconscious white-haired old man and the burly man, then brought both heads to Chu Mu.
• Chu Mu saw the Patrol Inspectors counterattacking as the remaining Qili Village Villagers fled through the forest.

After the mountain bandit suppression ended, Chu Mu survived his wounds and received help from Wu Shuo, who gave him heads to secure enough merit to become a Squad Leader. As the Patrol Inspectors left the mountains, Chu Mu noticed two children hiding in the forest and chose not to expose them; they set off to find Xiu Ge.

• The Patrol Inspectors killed fleeing rebels under the Thousand Household's order, while Xu Yuan stayed with the wounded Chu Mu.
• Wu Shuo reopened and redressed Chu Mu's wound, then warned him not to underestimate opponents who might feign death or unleash strength before dying.
• Wu Shuo gave Chu Mu two heads so he could earn enough merit to become a Squad Leader, and Chu Mu worried about the growing debt of gratitude.
• The surviving Patrol Inspectors assembled and left the mountains, with Chu Mu and the other wounded moving slowly behind them.
• Xu Yuan pointed out two children hiding in a bamboo grove, but Chu Mu chose not to cause trouble and continued onward.
• The children emerged after Chu Mu and Xu Yuan had left, then headed into the forest to find Xiu Ge.

Chu Mu returned to town badly wounded and endured Doctor Li’s painful treatment. After stitching and medicating his wound, Chu Mu learned a little about healing through Qi-Blood before Xu Yuan helped him back.

• The patrol squad staggered into town, where Doctor Li and the patrol inspectors were waiting to treat the wounded.
• Xu Yuan brought Chu Mu to Doctor Li, who examined his abdominal wound and said it had not damaged his internal organs.
• Doctor Li stitched Chu Mu’s wound with Azure Tree Silk and explained how Qi-Blood could help martial artists recover.
• Chu Mu endured the painful stitching and medicinal paste, while Doctor Li said the medicine would suppress decay and promote healing.
• After the pain eased, Chu Mu asked Xu Yuan to help him back and stumbled away with support.

While recovering from his wounds, Chu Mu studied the Body Forging Art and considered how its Qi-Blood training could strengthen his body and improve his blade technique. Unable to practice until his injuries healed, he went out into the snow.

• Chu Mu studied the Body Forging Art and concluded that its training involved sensing, nurturing, and strengthening Qi-Blood through Stance Training and medicinal nourishment.
• Chu Mu tried to sense Qi-Blood but felt only pain from his wounds, so he decided to wait before practicing the art.
• Chu Mu checked his Light Screen Panel and saw that his Basic Blade Technique had reached 263/500 and his Spirit Radiance Value was 156.7%.
• Chu Mu reflected on the gains from the mountain battles, including the Body Forging Art, improved blade technique, and Wu Shuo's esteem.
• Chu Mu put on a fur coat and went out into the snow.

Chu Mu studied Doctor Li’s medical books and was surprised by their detailed, practical descriptions of human anatomy, which seemed out of place in this era. Old Li explained that the books had been passed down from his master and began teaching Chu Mu his understanding of the Three Treasures Inner Classic, leaving the origins of the books and the nature of Essence, Qi, and Spirit unresolved.

• Chu Mu went to Mingxin Hall to study meridians and acupoints after paying Doctor Li a hundred silver.
• Old Li gave Chu Mu four medical books and directed him to read in a quiet side room.
• Chu Mu read the Three Treasures Inner Classic and browsed the books on meridians, organs, and bones, finding their anatomical detail unexpectedly practical.
• Chu Mu asked where the books came from, and Old Li said they had been handed down by his master and circulated among doctors.
• Old Li warned that the Three Treasures Inner Classic contained possible errors, then explained that Essence sustained life and could be strengthened through nourishment and bodily training.

Old Li explained how Martial Arts cultivated Qi-Blood, Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and Chu Mu studied the meridian model before returning home at night. On the way, Wu Shuo showed him a corpse recovered from Qili Village: the man had reportedly been dead for a year, yet looked alive.

• Old Li explained his understanding of Spirit and Qi and told Chu Mu that Martial Arts began by perceiving and controlling Qi-Blood.
• Old Li arranged for a meridian and acupoint sculpture to be sent to Chu Mu's side room, and Chu Mu studied it with the books until curfew.
• Chu Mu encountered Wu Shuo and a squad of Patrol Inspectors escorting a cart through Nanshan Town.
• Wu Shuo revealed an old man in a Funeral Garment on the cart and said the man had been dead for a year.
• Wu Shuo explained that the man had masterminded Martial Arts training in Qili Village, and that the Patrol Inspectors had dug him up from his grave.

Chu Mu learned that the Patrol Inspectorate planned to use the old master's undecayed corpse to draw out his three missing disciples, while Li Gang was dismissed and assigned to a brutal mine post. He guarded himself and studied anatomy books as he waited for his injury to heal, until the military rewards ceremony brought his routine to a halt.

• Wu Shuo told Chu Mu that the old master's nine disciples had helped the villagers learn martial arts, six had been killed, and the corpse would be used to lure the remaining three into the open.
• Wu Shuo said Li Gang had been dismissed and would be sent to Type B Mine No. 19, while Chu Mu would take his position and his squad would guard the corpse.
• Chu Mu returned to his courtyard, searched it with his saber, barricaded the door, and studied his anatomy books by candlelight.
• Chu Mu kept up his daily routine of reading and studying as the nights passed without incident.
• The military rewards were finally handed down, and Chu Mu attended the ceremony as one of the few Patrol Bureau members eligible for promotion.

After learning that a corpse recovered from Qili Village belonged to a man who had supposedly lived for over a hundred and twenty years, Chu Mu realized why Thousand Household Li Jinghong had made such a spectacle of exhuming and guarding it. Despite his abdominal wound, Chu Mu decided he could not afford to miss the opportunity surrounding the corpse.

• The stall vendor congratulated Chu Mu on his promotion while serving him breakfast.
• Xu Yuan joined Chu Mu and described how his squad had been guarding an unusually well-preserved corpse in the dungeon.
• Chu Mu warned that the bandits might still attack despite the arrest warrants and the Patrol Inspectorate's depleted ranks.
• Xu Yuan told Chu Mu that the corpse belonged to a man from Qili Village who had supposedly lived more than a hundred and twenty years.
• Chu Mu inferred that Li Jinghong had exhumed the corpse to investigate its longevity and resolved to pursue the opportunity despite his injury.

Chu Mu received a promotion to Squad Leader at the Patrol Bureau and spent the day studying and attending a celebratory banquet. On his way home after midnight, he spotted several black-clad figures moving across an inn’s roof.

• Chu Mu arrived at the Patrol Bureau and realized that his colleagues now treated him with respect as a Squad Leader.
• Chu Mu received a promotion, a pay increase, Iron Lamellar Armor, and a new waist token at a somber reward ceremony.
• Chu Mu went to the Private School at the Chang Residence to study characters and medical books.
• Chu Mu attended a promotion banquet at Wind and Moon Tower, where he avoided drinking because his injuries had not healed.
• Chu Mu headed home after midnight and saw several black-clad figures leaping across an inn’s roof.

Chu Mu reported the suspicious figures to the Patrol Inspectorate, then spent more than half a month recovering while the town returned to normal. Once healed, he bought medicinal supplies and planned to resume work and earn money, while the surviving rebels remained in hiding with their master's remains held in the Inspectorate.

• Chu Mu reported the furtive figures to the Patrol Inspectorate and went home to recover.
• The black-clad figures returned to a cave outside town, where Sister Ning said the Patrol Inspectorate held their master's remains as bait; Xiao Xiu later slipped out alone into the night.
• The Patrol Inspectorate increased its patrols after Chu Mu's report, but he stayed home and recovered as the town gradually returned to normal.
• Old Li told Chu Mu his injuries had nearly healed and sold him a month's medicinal supplies for fifty silver.
• Chu Mu worried about his expenses and decided he would need to earn money when he resumed his duties.

After recovering from his injuries, Chu Mu used a medicinal bath and Spirit Radiance Blessing to begin practicing the Body Forging Art. He sensed qi and blood surging within him and started to grasp the art’s principles.

• Xu Yuan complained to Chu Mu about guarding the old elder’s corpse, and Chu Mu admitted he was unsure whether the investigators had left Qili Village.
• Chu Mu brought Xu Yuan home and had him prepare a wooden barrel and boil a medicinal formula in water.
• Chu Mu entered the medicinal bath, calmed his mind, and assumed the Body Forging Art’s Stance Training posture.
• Chu Mu activated Spirit Radiance Blessing and sensed tingling on his skin and warmth within as the medicinal effects met his qi and blood.
• Chu Mu felt his qi and blood surging through his body and began to understand how they circulated.

Chu Mu sensed and gained precise control over his qi and blood during his first medicinal bath, learning how it absorbed medicinal power to strengthen his body. After the bath, he felt vigorous and offered to teach Xu Yuan basic saber techniques while asking the Squad Leader about the Body Forging Art.

• Chu Mu realized that qi-and-blood cultivation centered on strengthening the internal organs, and his imagination let him control the qi circulating through his body.
• Chu Mu consciously accelerated the absorption of medicinal power, which flowed into his organs and strengthened his physique.
• Chu Mu understood that cultivation relied on both medicinal assistance and daily food, while repeated medicinal baths risked drug resistance and medicinal poison.
• After roughly a quarter of an hour, Chu Mu finished his first session and told Xu Yuan he felt good.
• Chu Mu said he could not pass on the Body Forging Art without permission, but offered to ask the Squad Leader and began teaching Xu Yuan basic saber moves.

Chu Mu taught Xu Yuan basic blade forms and found that his strength and blade proficiency had improved during his recovery. After testing his blade against the Hanging Ball Array, he wondered whether mastering “Effortless Lifting” required giving blade forms spirit rather than relying on rigid force.

• Chu Mu’s practice of the Body Forging Art noticeably increased his strength, and he demonstrated and explained basic blade forms to Xu Yuan.
• Chu Mu’s teaching helped Xu Yuan learn blade techniques while giving Chu Mu new insights that raised his blade-technique proficiency.
• Chu Mu entered the Hanging Ball Array with his saber but had to retreat when his movements stiffened, and he noticed scratches on the bamboo balls from his imperfect control.
• Chu Mu reflected on “Effortless Lifting” and connected the idea of making a heavy saber feel light to the lively sensation of stirring his Qi-Blood.
• Chu Mu considered that his basic blade forms might have form but no spirit and decided that the possibility was worth testing.

Chu Mu pondered the limits of Body Forging Art and explored Effortless Lifting as a way to control force, but his lack of instruction left his progress slow. After practicing with Xu Yuan, he headed to the Wind and Moon Tower, where a woman fell from a window and a bloody corpse landed nearby.

• Chu Mu examined his Body Forging Art and used Spirit Radiance Blessing to realize that Effortless Lifting was a derivation of blade technique focused on controlling force.
• Chu Mu experimented with changing the force behind his blade forms, gaining a few points of proficiency before continuing to practice without the blessing.
• Chu Mu and Xu Yuan practiced their blade techniques in the courtyard until nightfall.
• Xu Yuan invited Chu Mu to the Wind and Moon Tower, and Chu Mu agreed to go with him.
• As Chu Mu and Xu Yuan arrived at the Wind and Moon Tower, a mangled corpse hit the ground nearby and a terrified woman disappeared from a window.

Chu Mu investigated a massacre at the Wind and Moon Tower, where senior Patrol Inspectors and others had been killed in moments by an unseen attacker. After discovering that the victims had all been skinned while their clothes remained intact, he felt an urgent need to leave the eerie scene.

• Xu Yuan found Hundred Household He Ping’s token beside his mangled corpse, and Chu Mu ordered him to notify the Patrol Inspectorate.
• Chu Mu entered the Wind and Moon Tower after hearing more crashing from inside and questioning a man who claimed a shadow had vanished.
• Chu Mu met his superior Wu Shuo, who reported that a Vice Battalion Commander, two Hundred Households, three Squad Leaders, and several women had died.
• Chu Mu searched the devastated room and realized the victims had been skinned without their clothes being damaged.
• Chu Mu felt a sudden urge to escape the Wind and Moon Tower.

Chu Mu and the Patrol Inspectors faced a supernatural black shadow at the Wind and Moon Tower, which attacked Li Jinghong and drained several inspectors into dried corpses. Li Jinghong discovered that the shadow recoiled from qi and blood, leaving the group temporarily protected as he appeared to recognize something about the threat.

• Wu Shuo told Chu Mu that a black shadow had appeared in the room and vanished after He San struck the cabinet.
• Li Jinghong arrived, heard Wu Shuo's account, and ordered the corpse burned and the Wind and Moon Tower sealed.
• A black shadow emerged from the wall, enveloped Li Jinghong, and then dispersed into writhing black lines.
• The black lines killed several Patrol Inspectors, draining their bodies into dried corpses.
• Li Jinghong urged the inspectors to gather and activate their qi and blood, which stopped the black lines from advancing.

Chu Mu and Li Jinghong fought off a Grievance Soul at Wind and Moon Tower, then pursued the person controlling it. Chu Mu recognized the fleeing youth from the forest and suspected that the old man from Qili Village had ties to a supernatural world.

• The Grievance Soul attacked the people in the corridor, but Chu Mu stopped its black threads with his qi and blood and learned that it feared such attacks.
• Li Jinghong explained how to fight the Grievance Soul, and the Patrol Inspectors joined him in dispersing its threads until they forced it into a human-shaped shadow.
• The shadow fled through a wall, and Li Jinghong led a pursuit while Chu Mu followed the inspectors downstairs and met Xu Yuan outside Wind and Moon Tower.
• Li Jinghong and the others chased a black-clad figure across rooftops, and Chu Mu recognized him as the wounded youth from the forest.
• Chu Mu connected the youth, the Grievance Soul, and the extraordinary signs surrounding the old man from Qili Village, concluding that the old man might have entered a supernatural world.