Recaps

Chen Cheng accepted a retainer post with Yongsheng Firm, learned which powerful figures might threaten him, and collected his first salary. After taking up watch at the warehouse, he returned to Dragon Mountain Hall for lunch, where he heard Qian Baolu cursing Xiao Yi.

• Shen Mi warned Chen Cheng to watch Zhao Hai and Zhao Chuan, then assigned him warehouse watch duty and directed him to collect his salary.
• Zhang Gu paid Chen Cheng five taels of silver, and Chen Cheng left the accounts room without trying to befriend him.
• Zhang Ping gave Chen Cheng the warehouse room key, and Chen Cheng chose to stand watch until noon before returning to the Martial Hall.
• Chen Cheng practiced Crouching Dragon Fist outside the warehouse as word spread that Yongsheng Firm had hired a Dragon Mountain Hall retainer.
• Chen Cheng reached the Martial Hall dining hall for lunch, where Qian Baolu angrily cursed at Xiao Yi.

Chen Cheng learned more about Chief Zhao Chuan and warned Madam Li to avoid work from the Red Moon Nunnery. After disguising himself in rags and ash, he prepared to leave on an undisclosed errand.

• Qian Baolu complained to Chen Cheng that Xiao Yi had refused to share the profits from a nominal post, then learned Chen Cheng had secured work at Yongsheng Trading Firm through his prior employment and the Proprietor's trust.
• Chen Cheng asked Qian Baolu about the South Third Guard Patrol Office, and Qian Baolu explained that Zhao Chuan led new nominal martial artists and was investigating his brother Zhao Shan's murder.
• Qian Baolu said Xiao Yi had recently advanced rapidly and drawn the Inner Hall's attention.
• Chen Cheng gave Madam Li half a tael of silver and told her to stop accepting work from the Red Moon Nunnery after hearing a warning from Xiao Long.
• Madam Li agreed to refuse future work from the nunnery, and Chen Cheng changed into patched clothes and smeared stove ash over himself.

Chen Cheng continued tracking Zhao Chuan and prepared a hiding place while training toward a second-incense blood qi. After watching Lin Fengxiao struggle with flaws in his Crouching Dragon Fist, Chen Cheng saw the Outer Hall disciples rush toward a commotion.

• Chen Cheng tracked Zhao Chuan and two duty runners for several days, memorized their routines, and hid black rags in an abandoned shed at Zhou Long's home.
• Chen Cheng watched Lin Fengxiao train and heard Qian Baolu explain that Lin had fallen from a promising black-badge disciple to a struggling white-badge after his family's upheaval.
• Chen Cheng noticed flaws in Lin Fengxiao's Crouching Dragon Fist but chose not to intervene, believing self-preservation should come first.
• Chen Cheng used up his Blood-Boosting Powder and estimated that he could reach second-incense blood qi within half a month if he obtained more.
• A commotion broke out, and the Outer Hall disciples stopped training and hurried toward it.

Xiao Yi broke through to second-incense blood qi and was invited by Zhuang Zhuang into the inner hall, alarming Qian Baolu. Later, Chen Cheng followed Wu Dong and Liu San toward Bitter Locust Village after they left the South Third Guard Patrol Office.

• Xiao Yi displayed his breakthrough before the disciples, and Qian Baolu resented his sudden rise.
• Zhuang Zhuang praised Xiao Yi's progress and led him into the inner hall.
• Xiao Yi glanced at Qian Baolu and Chen Cheng before entering, and Qian Baolu warned Chen Cheng that Xiao Yi might target them.
• Chen Cheng went through his usual training and then headed to the South Third Guard Patrol Office to watch Zhao Chuan's associates.
• Chen Cheng noticed Wu Dong and Liu San leave for Bitter Locust Village and began following them, using his sharpened senses to keep track of their conversation and movements.

Chen Cheng discovered Liu San and Wu Dong’s plan to frame him for theft, so they enlisted Scar Bear and set out to plant stolen property in Chen Cheng’s home. As they hurried through Bitter Locust Village, a sharp sound struck from behind them, and Wu Dong spun around to face the unseen threat.

• Chen Cheng followed Liu San and Wu Dong, overheard their scheme, and took a secluded route to reach Bitter Locust Village first.
• Liu San and Wu Dong pressured Scar Bear into helping them frame Chen Cheng, and Scar Bear handed over his valuables to use as planted evidence.
• Wu Dong planned to put the valuables in Chen Cheng’s home, then have Scar Bear stage a theft discovery so the officers could arrest him.
• Liu San and Wu Dong carried the wooden box through the dark village, growing frightened by strange noises and the feeling that someone was following them.
• A sharp sound burst from behind the officers, and Wu Dong turned around with his hand reaching for his weapon.

Chen Cheng, disguised as a black-clothed stranger, ambushed Wu Dong and Liu San, took their money and the locked wooden box, then attacked Scar Bear and his lackeys. He left no trace after burning the disguise and box, having muddied the waters while continuing to ponder how the real black-clothed strangers unleashed their strength.

• The black-clothed stranger struck Wu Dong down, killed Liu San, and took the locked wooden box and both men’s money pouches.
• Scar Bear arrived with his lackeys and ordered them to search for the missing wooden box.
• A gaunt man pointed out the black-clothed stranger, who struck Scar Bear and sent him crashing into the lackeys before vanishing.
• Chen Cheng emerged from a dead-end alley after burning the black cloth and wooden box, reflecting that his operation had gone smoothly.
• Chen Cheng considered how the real black-clothed strangers channeled and unleashed their strength.

Chen Cheng devised a concealed force technique that could mislead anyone investigating its origins. Meanwhile, Scar Bear died after Zhao Chuan reported the attack, and Chen Cheng observed Lin Fengxiao’s desperate circumstances at the Outer Hall dining hall.

• Chen Cheng developed a method that compressed Blood Qi and physical strength into a point before releasing it with Armor Piercing force.
• Zhao Chuan questioned the gravely injured Scar Bear, who blamed Red Moon Nunnery’s Cloth-Wrapped Puppet and denied that Chen Cheng could be involved.
• Zhao Chuan refused to reimburse Scar Bear for the money taken by the Constable Chiefs and left him without help.
• Several abused women entered Scar Bear’s courtyard, and later dragged his corpse away.
• Xiao Yi celebrated his admission to the Inner Hall with wealthy disciples while Lin Fengxiao ate their leftovers, and Qian Baolu went to speak with him.

Chen Cheng used his windfall to accelerate his training while learning that unrest was building between the authorities, the Black Wolf Gang, and Red Moon Nunnery. As he prepared to move his mother out of danger, the Chen family was thrown into crisis when Chen Hao pawned the ancestral residence to fund another breakthrough attempt.

• Chen Cheng spent his stolen silver on medicinal meals and powders, hoping to condense his second strand of Blood Qi within half a month and deal with Zhao Chuan.
• Chen Cheng learned that Qian Baolu had been injured after falling out with Xiao Yi, while Qiao Qiao had failed her breakthrough and Shi Lei was nearing his own attempt.
• Chen Hao admitted he had pawned the Chen family's ancestral residence for thirty taels to buy Blood Refining Powder, and he left despite Old Chen's fury and collapse.
• Madam Wang privately worried about finding shelter after the residence was taken, while Old Chen lay helpless in the courtyard.
• Chen Cheng told Madam Li that they had to move because Black Wolf Gang territory faced imminent upheaval, then explained that the authorities were close to branding Red Moon Nunnery a heretical force.

Chen Cheng settled his mother into a better home, then broke through to Second-Incense Blood Qi while training his Crouching Dragon Fist. Shen Mi congratulated him and asked whether he would remain with her trading company as his prospects improved.

• Chen Cheng helped Madam Li settle into a clean cottage beside the Dragon Mountain Hall Lower Academy.
• After using his Blood-Boosting Powder, Chen Cheng reached the Second-Incense Blood Qi threshold while tempering his Crouching Dragon Fist.
• Shen Mi arrived with Zhang Ping and Mother Ding to handle the trading company’s inventory because Zhang Gu had fallen ill.
• Chen Cheng told Shen Mi about his breakthrough, and she, Zhang Ping, and Mother Ding congratulated him.
• Shen Mi asked Chen Cheng whether he would keep working for her trading company when he entered the Inner Hall.

Chen Cheng reaffirmed his loyalty to Shen Mi, received a raise and valuable medicinal herbs, and learned that a major assault on Red Moon Nunnery was planned. He decided to wait for Zhao Chuan to return from the attack before acting, while Lin Fengxiao continued training despite lingering injuries.

• Chen Cheng told Shen Mi he would remain at Yongsheng Trading Firm, and she promised to raise his salary and help him in the future.
• Shen Mi gave Chen Cheng two packets of Blood-Boosting Herbs, which he accepted.
• Shen Mi agreed to meet Zhang Gu's demands after he stayed away from work during the account inspection and left her struggling with the books.
• Chen Cheng learned that the South Outer City Patrol Headquarters would attack Red Moon Nunnery at Seven-Mile Slope in two days, and he planned to deal with Zhao Chuan afterward.
• Chen Cheng trained late into the night with the help of medicinal food and herbs, while Lin Fengxiao kept training despite his unhealed injuries.

Chen Cheng learned that Zhou Heng left the Outer Hall after failing to condense a third strand of Blood Qi, then revealed that he had condensed a second strand himself. Zhuang Zhuang confirmed his breakthrough and granted him Silver-Letter status and its benefits, while Xiao Yi’s associates watched him with new caution.

• Chen Cheng heard disciples say Zhou Heng had left because he could not condense a third strand of Blood Qi and his family was struggling.
• Sun An, Dong Li, and Luo Boqing suspected Chen Cheng had condensed a second strand and considered testing him, but stopped when Zhuang Zhuang emerged from the Inner Hall.
• Chen Cheng told Zhuang Zhuang about his breakthrough, and she tested him and confirmed his Blood Qi was unusually solid.
• Zhuang Zhuang told Chen Cheng to register for a Silver-Letter Waist Badge, which entitled him to daily Venison Medicinal Meal, monthly guidance from Master Ye, and job recommendations.
• Chen Cheng valued the free medicinal meals most, resumed practicing, and left Luo Boqing and the others watching him with less open malice.

Chen Cheng tested Blood-Boosting Powder from several pharmacies, chose Shen Family Pharmacy, and decided to avoid an Inner Hall combat mission against Red Moon Nunnery while focusing on his training and the threat posed by Zhao Chuan. Meanwhile, Xiao Yi gathered the Outer Hall disciples and confronted Lin Fengxiao, then dismissed Chen Cheng as unimportant as Ye Qiluo watched him from afar.

• Chen Cheng compared Blood-Boosting Powder from different pharmacies, chose Shen Family Pharmacy, and estimated that enough supplies could help him condense his third wisp of Blood Qi within a month.
• Xiao Yi gathered the Outer Hall disciples on Chu Meng's orders and berated Lin Fengxiao for continuing his training.
• Chu Meng announced that Inner Hall disciples would lead teams on a risky combat mission the next day and told interested disciples to register before nightfall.
• Chen Cheng decided not to join the mission against Red Moon Nunnery, choosing instead to build his strength and deal with Zhao Chuan.
• After Xiao Yi's faction registered, Luo Boqing noted that Chen Cheng would not join them, and Xiao Yi dismissed him as insignificant while Ye Qiluo looked toward him.

Chen Cheng gave Lin Fengxiao guidance on his forms after making him wait an hour, then warned him not to involve Chen Cheng in future trouble. The next morning, Chen Cheng watched the Martial Guard Ti Cavalry assemble with the martial halls and resolved to earn a Martial Guard title and confront Chen Hao over the ten taels of reward silver.

• Lin Fengxiao asked Chen Cheng to identify the flaws in his forms and waited an hour with cupped fists.
• Chen Cheng corrected Lin Fengxiao's Dragon Scale Vest and Crouching Dragon Seal stances, and Lin Fengxiao quickly understood the guidance.
• Chen Cheng told Lin Fengxiao not to mention their connection if he became entangled in disputes, and Lin Fengxiao agreed.
• Chen Cheng watched the Martial Guard Ti Cavalry and the martial hall disciples gather, and resolved to contend for a Martial Guard title.
• Chen Cheng spotted Chen Hao among White Ape Hall's disciples and decided to demand the ten taels of reward silver when Chen Hao returned.

Madam Wang announced that Chen Hao had condensed One-Incense Blood Qi and joined the Patrol Office, then offered to have him exempt the family from the Peace Tax. Madam Bai refused to transfer her family’s exemption from Chen Cheng to Chen Hao and warned that the Black Wolf Gang was nearly finished, but Madam Wang angrily insisted it was thriving.

• Old Chen waited outside while Chen An, Madam Bai, and Chen Yan returned to the shack with firewood and vegetables.
• Madam Wang announced that Chen Hao had become a Martial Artist and was going to work for the Patrol Office, delighting Old Chen and Chen Yan.
• Madam Wang offered to help Chen Yan’s family avoid the Peace Tax through Chen Hao, and Chen Yan eagerly accepted.
• Madam Wang asked whether Chen An’s family would keep its exemption under Chen Cheng or transfer it to Chen Hao.
• Madam Bai chose to keep the exemption under Chen Cheng and repeated his warning to avoid the Black Wolf Gang.
• Madam Wang dismissed the warning and claimed the Black Wolf Gang had recently expanded its territory and was thriving.

Chen An refused to transfer his family’s property to A-Hao, keeping it under Chen Cheng’s name. After training, Chen Cheng offered to help Shen Mi handle the firm’s accounts and quickly learned its bookkeeping procedures.

• Chen Yong and Old Chen urged Chen An to put the family property under A-Hao’s name, but Chen An kept it under Little Cheng’s name.
• Chen Cheng brewed Blood-Boosting Herb and practiced Health-Preserving Taiji to recover from his morning training and strengthen his body.
• Shen Mi and Mother Ding discussed Zhang Gu’s demands for higher wages and jobs for his relatives, worrying that Fuchang Firm might be backing him.
• Chen Cheng offered to take over the accounting work and told Shen Mi and Mother Ding that he had learned to read and do arithmetic.
• Shen Mi taught Chen Cheng the firm’s accounting procedures, and the Vertical Eye Mark granted him the Beginner Bookkeeping and Arithmetic skill.

Chen Cheng demonstrated his accounting mastery to Shen Mi and was hired as Yongsheng Firm’s accountant on his own terms. Meanwhile, Zhao Chuan returned from the raid on Red Moon Nunnery and faced questions from Chief Sun about what he had found in the rear hall.

• Chen Cheng found errors in the ledgers and answered Shen Mi’s questions by tracing entries across the account books.
• Shen Mi hired Chen Cheng as the firm’s accountant for five liang a month, and he required the right to end the contract at any time and set his own schedule.
• Chen Cheng decided he would keep watch on Zhang Gu and act first if the old accountant showed signs of causing trouble.
• The South Third Guard Patrol Office troops celebrated their return from the Red Moon Nunnery raid and discussed their loot and expected rewards.
• Chief Sun questioned Zhao Chuan about leading men into the rear hall and asked what valuables he had taken.

Chen Cheng killed the badly injured Zhao Chuan and took a blood-red scripture from his body. That night, rival gangs launched a violent assault on the Black Wolf Gang’s territory.

• Zhao Chuan hid his injuries while leaving the Patrol Office, then collapsed after coughing up blood in a crowded street.
• Chen Cheng cornered Zhao Chuan in a dead-end alley and killed him by crushing his already grievous chest wound.
• Chen Cheng searched Zhao Chuan’s body, found a small amount of money and the Red Moon Original Vow Sutra, and left without revealing his tracks.
• Several gangs attacked the Black Wolf Gang’s territories, while residents shut themselves inside their homes.

Chen Hao boasted about treating the disciples to a feast, then was lured into a dark alley and badly beaten by a masked attacker who stole his money. A second, astonishingly fast figure chased after the attacker, leaving Chen Hao wondering whether it was Chen Cheng.

• Chen Hao invited the disciples to feast at Fortune Pavilion after returning to White Ape Martial Hall uninjured and wealthy.
• The hall master called Chen Hao aside, and the disciples left for the restaurant without him.
• Several disciples privately revealed that Chen Hao had sold his family's ancestral home for Blood Refining Powder and planned to make him pay for his boastful invitation.
• On his way to Fortune Pavilion, Chen Hao was ambushed in a dark alley by a masked attacker whose Blood Qi and skill surpassed his own.
• The attacker broke Chen Hao's bones, stole his money pouch, and fled as Chen Hao cried for help.
• A second shadow raced after the attacker, and Chen Hao suspected it might have been Chen Cheng but dismissed the possibility.

Chen Cheng rescued Chen Hao from a masked attacker by frightening the man into abandoning his money pouch, then weighed the dangers of the chaos surrounding the Black Wolf Gang. He withdrew from the battle and left Old Chen, Chen Yong, and Madam Wang anxiously waiting as the killing continued outside.

• Chen Cheng chased a masked man who had attacked Chen Hao, and the fugitive threw away his money pouch to distract him.
• Chen Cheng collected the pouch and silver, then reflected that preparation, timing, and perception could turn strength into gains without a fight.
• Chen Cheng watched several gangs and experts clash at the Black Wolf Gang’s compound and decided the risks of joining were too high.
• In Bitter Locust Village, Old Chen, Chen Yong, and Madam Wang feared the violence might reach them, while Chen Yong reassured them that Chen Hao’s status at White Ape Hall would protect them.

Chen Cheng deciphered Zhao Chuan’s scripture and learned the evil art Moon Breath of Avici, discovering that Health-Preserving Taiji could counter its harmful effects. Meanwhile, investigators Lu Song and Xu Chengfeng confirmed Zhao Chuan’s fatal injuries but worried that the person who took his money might also have taken something valuable.

• Chen Yong grew increasingly frightened that neighbors might retaliate against him and Madam Wang for their boasts about Chen Hao and the Black Wolf Gang.
• Chen Cheng used the Vertical Eye Mark to read the scripture and learned Moon Breath of Avici, an evil art that concealed bodily signs but injured the heart and lungs.
• Chen Cheng practiced the art and used Health-Preserving Taiji’s Health Preservation trait to eliminate its pain and side effects.
• Chen Cheng decided he could use Moon Breath of Avici safely, then realized he must not keep the scripture on himself.
• At the South Third Guard Patrol Office morgue, Lu Song and Xu Chengfeng confirmed that Zhao Chuan died from his injuries and discussed whether the person who took his money had also taken a valuable item.

Chen Cheng hid the blood-colored scripture in a secret spot, while the Giant Tiger Gang took control of Kuhe Village and exempted his family from its increased Peace Tax after learning he was a Dragon Mountain Hall disciple. Having grown wealthy from the previous night’s killings, Chen Cheng was summoned with the other disciples who had condensed Second-Incense Blood Qi, leaving his mockers stunned by his silver dragon Waist Token.

• Chen Cheng concealed the blood-colored scripture inside a hollow locust tree behind Yongsheng Trading Firm.
• The Giant Tiger Gang raised Kuhe Village’s Peace Tax, but its members waived Chen An and Madam Bai’s tax after confirming Chen Cheng attended Longshan Middle Academy.
• Chen Cheng spent silver on an extra Venison Medicinal Meal and considered the money he had taken from Zhao Chuan and Chen Hao repayment for the harm Chen Hao had caused his family.
• A Martial Hall disciple summoned Outer Hall disciples who had condensed Second-Incense Blood Qi to gather at the Inner Hall, and Chen Cheng hurried there.
• Luo Boqing, Dong Li, and Sun An mocked Chen Cheng until his clothes revealed a Waist Token engraved with a silver dragon character.

Chen Cheng entered the Inner Hall to meet potential employers, but Xiao Yi turned them away from him and then insinuated that Chen Cheng’s rapid progress was connected to Red Moon Nunnery. The Constable Chief heard the accusation, leaving Chen Cheng under a host of suspicious stares.

• Luo Boqing and the others watched Chen Cheng enter the Inner Hall after seeing his silver Waist Token.
• Ye Qiluo brought Chen Cheng and the other newly advanced disciples before guests seeking Martial Artists for contracted posts.
• Xiao Yi quietly discouraged potential employers from approaching Chen Cheng, who was content to avoid recruitment.
• Liang Guang recognized Chen Cheng, offered to arrange a Patrol Office post, and claimed his godfather was the Constable Chief of the South Third Guard Patrol Office.
• Xiao Yi questioned how Chen Cheng had advanced so quickly and suggested a special method, prompting Liang Guang to suspect a link to Red Moon Nunnery.
• The Constable Chief overheard them, and the gathered guests fixed grave, suspicious stares on Chen Cheng.

Tang Yunlong examined Chen Cheng and confirmed that he had neither practiced Red Moon Nunnery’s sinister arts nor possessed the poor bones Xiao Yi had claimed. Xiao Yi apologized and offered him a lucrative outside post, but Chen Cheng declined and left, saying he had already made an agreement with a Proprietor.

• Tang Yunlong examined Chen Cheng’s pulse and declared that his blood energy showed no trace of Red Moon Nunnery’s methods.
• Tang Yunlong used his family’s inherited method to reveal that Chen Cheng’s physique was exceptionally clear and healthy, contradicting Xiao Yi’s claims about his bones.
• Xiao Yi apologized to Chen Cheng and offered to introduce him to a well-paid outside post.
• Chen Cheng declined Xiao Yi’s offer and told Chu Meng that he already had an outside post and an agreement with a Proprietor.
• Chen Cheng left, and Chu Meng exchanged glances with Zhu Mingyuan and Ye Qiluo.

The city posted a reward for information about the Red Moon Nunnery’s remaining members, while Chen Hao returned home injured and impoverished after being robbed. Hu Biao, deputy leader of the Giant Tiger Gang, arrived at the Chen family’s shed and confronted Chen Hao.

• Zhu Mingyuan asked Chu Meng and Ye Qiluo what they thought of Chen Cheng, and they dismissed his prospects compared with their own.
• A Patrol Office clerk announced rewards for reports about the Red Moon Nunnery’s remnants and warned that anyone shielding them would be punished as guilty.
• A disguised figure noticed the notice’s mention of evil arts and artifacts, lowered their conical hat, and entered South Outer City.
• Two White Ape Hall disciples carried the injured Chen Hao home, then criticized him for his airs and unreliability after leaving.
• Chen Hao told his family he suspected Lu Feng had robbed him, but lacked evidence, and Madam Wang urged him to seek help.
• Hu Biao and two Giant Tiger Gang members broke into the Chen family’s shed, and Hu Biao taunted Chen Hao about being a Martial Artist.

Hu Biao imposed a triple Peace Tax on Chen Hao's family and every household registered under his name, while an unidentified figure vowed to recover a sacred relic at any cost. Chen Cheng provided for his mother through the winter before heading to the Lower Academy of Dragon Mountain Hall.

• Hu Biao rejected Chen Hao's claims of innocence and ordered his family and all households under Chen Hao's name to pay triple the Peace Tax.
• Chen Yan learned that her household was listed under Chen Hao's name, and Chen Hao promised to seek help from his fellow disciples after his injuries healed.
• A mysterious, androgynous figure entered a ruined temple, cursed Shen Chong and Wu Lian, and ordered the recovery of the sect's sacred relic, even if the city had to be slaughtered.
• Chen Cheng gave Madam Li three taels of silver for winter expenses and advised her not to take on work while the streets were unsettled.
• Chen Cheng left his mother's house and knocked on the door of the Lower Academy of Dragon Mountain Hall.