Ch. 101Defiance
Summary of "Defiance" (不驯)
1. Key Plot Points and Events
- Wu Shifeng lies gravely defeated in the frozen courtyard—face trampled, chest hollowed out, black blood seeping—after losing a wager to Wang Quan. He accepts the loss without complaint and readies himself for death.
- As Wang Quan prepares to deliver the killing blow, the old steward bursts in, kowtows desperately until his forehead splits open, and begs Wang Quan to spare his young master, offering to die in Wu Shifeng's place.
- The steward reveals Wu Shifeng's tragic backstory: he was born with congenital Corpse Poison after his pregnant mother was wounded by a Flying Yaksha. The poison devours his life force, and only the heart's blood of a pure-blooded person (Master Sun) can suppress it.
- The steward claims Wu Shifeng imprisoned Master Sun only to survive, never harmed him (even nourishing him with expensive herbs), bled townsfolk but compensated and released them without killing anyone, and secretly used the forbidden Frost White Corpse to weaken corpse tides, saving Black Rock Town from ruin.
- Wang Quan listens, then dismantles the steward's justifications with cold logic. He points out that the townsfolk never consented to being bled, that "merits offsetting sins" is a distortion, and that Wu Shifeng used the town's suffering to survive and then played savior.
- Wang Quan withdraws his foot and spares Wu Shifeng—but explicitly states it is not because of the steward's pleas or pity, but simply because he "can't be bothered" to kill him.
- Wu Shifeng, enraged by the steward's groveling, orders him to stop begging. He reaffirms his pride: he accepted the wager and lost; he will not beg or cling to life, preferring to be killed than humiliated. He declares, "If you want to kill me, then kill me—I'm not that low."
2. Character Developments
- Wang Quan: Reveals a morally austere, practical worldview. He rejects