Chen Tai

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Chen Tai (陈泰)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Canal Gang
Occupation/Role	Minor Canal Gang leader; boss of Rongsheng Street
Status	Deceased
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Strength Training — Great Accomplishment	49	Had reached great accomplishment in Strength Training, though he was past his physical prime.
Strength Training martial artist	7	His formidable physical power and cultivation consumed most of his earnings; his Black Tiger Fist had not reached its theoretical peak.

Background

Chen Tai was a minor leader within Shen City’s Canal Gang. He controlled prosperous Rongsheng Street and several associated businesses, commanding roughly a hundred fighters. Though not among the gang’s highest ranks, he was influential enough to control territory, collect revenues, and maintain a personal force. 2

He rose to become Rongsheng Street’s boss after marrying Xu Zhenzhen, the niece of Canal Gang leader Xu Shanyue. Xu Zhenzhen stated that Chen Tai had sought the marriage to advance himself; her connection helped secure his promotion, although he later held the position through his own ability. 28

Chen Tai treasured his Black Tiger Fist Manual, regularly consulting it in a hidden study compartment and refusing even Xu Zhenzhen access. He devoted much of his income to martial cultivation. 7 23

Personality

Chen Tai was violent, bloodthirsty, and petty-minded. He enforced gang loyalty through terror, personally killing the traitor Black Boy by crushing his chest with a punch. 2

He was also exploitative toward his own men. After losses in the conflict with Xinglong Street, he provided wounded subordinates only minimal bandaging and food, leaving severely injured fighters to survive or die without meaningful care. 14

Despite his brutality, he could recognize practical usefulness. Jiang Wangzu’s accounting ability earned his trust, praise from Third Master Qin, and a relatively safe position as Rongsheng Street’s bookkeeper. 2 3

Appearance

Chen Tai was described as bare-chested beneath black training clothes during Black Boy’s execution. 2

• Savage, fiendlike expression and demeanor. 2 49
• Wore knuckle dusters during his final confrontation with Jiang Wangzu. 49

Abilities & Skills

Strength Training Martial Arts

Chen Tai was a genuine martial artist whose physical strength greatly exceeded ordinary people.

• Smashed a thick Eight Immortals table with one palm. 2
• Beat rival gang hoodlums to death with his iron fists. 2
• Reached Great Accomplishment in Strength Training, though he had passed his physical peak by the time of his death. 49
• Was regarded as stronger than Jiang Wangzu early in the latter’s cultivation, but Jiang later rapidly surpassed him. 18 24 49

Black Tiger Fist

Chen Tai possessed the Black Tiger Fist Manual, a third-rate Strength Training art centered on the Tiger-Subduing Stance.

• The method could theoretically develop strength to the point of tiger-leopard thunder sounds and resonating sinews and bones. 7
• Chen Tai had not cultivated the art to that extreme. 7
• He treated the manual as a prized possession and kept it hidden. 7 23
• Jiang Wangzu secretly copied the manual with Xu Zhenzhen’s assistance, beginning the cultivation path that eventually enabled him to defeat Chen Tai. 7 49

Relationships

• Jiang Wangzu — Subordinate and bookkeeper who later became his enemy. Chen Tai valued Jiang’s accounting skills but ultimately sought revenge after learning of Jiang’s affair with Xu Zhenzhen and the murder of Chen Xing. Jiang killed him. 3 49
• Xu Zhenzhen — Wife. Their marriage advanced Chen Tai’s standing through her relationship to Xu Shanyue, but she never allowed him to touch her and secretly aided Jiang Wangzu against him. 28 49
• Chen Xing — Cousin and one of Chen Tai’s two foremost fighters. Chen Tai angrily sought vengeance after Chen Xing’s death, wrongly blaming the Blue Society. 17 18
• Black Boy — Gang subordinate executed by Chen Tai for betraying the Canal Gang. 2
• Xu Shanyue — Canal Gang leader and Xu Zhenzhen’s uncle; his family connection helped Chen Tai become Rongsheng Street’s boss. 28
• Third Master Cao (Cao Rongsheng) — Immediate superior and one of the Canal Gang’s seven standing elders; he valued Chen Tai highly. 35
• Zhou Wei — Long-serving subordinate whom Chen Tai never recommended for core gang membership, reflecting his unwillingness to promote capable followers. 27

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rongsheng Street Boss

Chen Tai first appears as Jiang Wangzu’s feared boss. He executes Black Boy for betrayal, establishes the danger of Canal Gang life, and controls Jiang’s early work on Rongsheng Street. Jiang’s bookkeeping later makes him useful enough to be spared much of the street fighting. 2 3

Black Tiger Fist Manual

Chen Tai’s hidden manual becomes Jiang Wangzu’s first major martial resource. Xu Zhenzhen steals it temporarily so Jiang can memorize its contents, unknowingly setting in motion Chen Tai’s eventual downfall. 7

Chen Xing’s Death and Gang Conflict

After Jiang Wangzu kills Chen Xing, Chen Tai assumes the Blue Society is responsible. He uses the incident to reclaim lost shops and seize additional Xinglong Street territory, while Jiang continues serving as his trusted bookkeeper. 18 21

Loss of Jiang Wangzu

Chen Tai failed to recognize Jiang Wangzu’s growing martial ability and did not recommend him for core membership, instead selling his recommendation slots for personal indulgence. Jiang ultimately advanced through Xu Zhenzhen and Canal Gang elder Dai Qinghe, breaking away from Chen Tai’s control. 27 35 38

Death

After enduring Jiang Wangzu’s public rise and continued affair with Xu Zhenzhen, Chen Tai ambushed him while masked. He confronted Jiang, attacked with knuckle dusters, and was immediately overwhelmed by the Black Tiger Void-Rending Claw. Jiang then revealed that he had slept with Xu Zhenzhen, copied the Black Tiger Fist Manual, and killed Chen Xing before crushing Chen Tai’s skull. 49

Equipment / Items

• Black Tiger Fist Manual — His treasured third-rate Strength Training manual, stored in a hidden compartment in his study. 7 23
• Knuckle dusters — Worn during his final attack on Jiang Wangzu; taken by Jiang after Chen Tai’s death. 49

Trivia

• Chen Tai’s control of Rongsheng Street was tied to his marriage to Xu Zhenzhen, but he later secured the position through his own capability. 28
• He was known for spending money on martial cultivation, but also sold Canal Gang recommendation slots rather than promoting longtime followers. 7 27
• Jiang Wangzu considered Chen Tai the first major “shadow” or nightmare of his new life after transmigrating. 49