Chapter Summaries

Zhou An adjusted to his life as a constable in a dangerous world, then discovered a strange ability while preparing dinner. The chapter left him staring at a Knife Skills proficiency display.

• Zhou An woke in An Ding County as a black-clad constable and learned that strange horrors threatened Great Chu.
• He spent the day sleeping off a hangover and spoke with his colleague Yu Hang, who planned to study for the Imperial Examination.
• After his shift, Zhou An bought food and returned to the house he had inherited from his parents.
• Zhou An sharpened a kitchen knife and began slicing pork, triggering a Knife Skills proficiency display.

Zhou An confirmed his Golden Finger was the Life System he had designed in his previous life and spent the night grinding Knife Skills. After reaching level two and gaining a speed bonus, he went to the yamen, where Yu Hang told him about a strange Gray Rat before Master Zhang called the constables out to patrol.

• Zhou An recognized the proficiency display as the Life System from his previous life and began grinding Knife Skills by chopping through the night.
• Zhou An reached Knife Skills lv.2, gained Speed +1 for the skill, and discovered the bonus let him swing his cleaver with startling speed.
• Zhou An went to the yamen after grabbing breakfast and settled in with his colleagues before his patrol duty began.
• Yu Hang told Zhou An that his Private Tutor had warned him to arrive earlier because a person who encountered a bowing Gray Rat had fallen seriously ill.
• Master Zhang entered and told everyone to bring their gear and head out on patrol.

Zhou An joined the constables investigating a man found kneeling with his organs removed, and Head Constable Xie ordered the corpse examined before the case was referred to the Demon Suppression Division if needed. That night, Zhou An resumed grinding Knife Skills at home, but a chilling wind suddenly brushed past his ear.

• Master Zhang summoned the constables, and Head Constable Xie led them to Hu Yang Alley.
• The constables found a kneeling corpse with its chest cut open and its organs missing, with no signs of struggle or blood at the scene.
• Head Constable Xie ordered the corpse taken to the yamen for a coroner's examination and said the case should go to the Demon Suppression Division if necessary.
• Zhou An wondered whether the corpse was connected to the Gray Rat Worshipers but decided not to involve himself.
• Zhou An cooked and ate, then began grinding Knife Skills by chopping meat at home.
• Zhou An felt a chilling wind brush past his ear as his Knife Skills proficiency rose.

Zhou An’s dead aunt appeared as an uncanny being and demanded money, forcing him to fight her with his Knife Skills. After cutting her into pieces and watching her turn to ashes, he resumed training with a renewed sense of urgency.

• Zhou An noticed his aunt’s corpse hanging from the ceiling, despite having buried her after her death.
• Zhou An’s aunt dropped to the floor, crawled toward him, and repeatedly demanded money.
• Zhou An slashed his aunt and used the current in his body to coat his kitchen knife with blade-light.
• Zhou An cut his aunt into fifty-six pieces, and her remains turned into ashes.
• Zhou An swept up the ashes and returned to practicing his Knife Skills.

Zhou An spent the day planning how to use his idle time to improve his skills while keeping his constable job. When he tried Yu Hang’s cooking method, a new skill appeared before his eyes, leaving him stunned.

• Zhou An reflected on how slowly his Knife Skills proficiency was rising and decided he needed to use his free time to grind skills.
• Yu Hang told Zhou An that the Demon Suppression Division would send someone to investigate the Hu Yang Alley murder, but Zhou An warned him to stay out of their affairs.
• Zhou An invited Yu Hang to dinner, and the two bought groceries together after work.
• Yu Hang explained how his Private Tutor had taught him to cook, then guided Zhou An in flipping the wok as he stir-fried vegetables.
• A line of text appeared before Zhou An’s eyes when he flipped the wok, and he froze.

Zhou An discovered that wok flipping triggered a new proficiency skill and spent the night training it. He found that his body's current could ease his fatigue, and continued flipping the wok.

• Zhou An realized that a wok flip had triggered Wok Flipping proficiency because he had finally performed the complete motion of stir-frying.
• Yu Hang returned to the kitchen and found Zhou An enthusiastically flipping the wok until he warned him that the food was getting too hot.
• Zhou An finished five dishes and a soup, and Yu Hang praised his cooking while they ate together.
• After Yu Hang went home, Zhou An decided to train Wok Flipping through the night and discovered that adding leftover vegetables let him gain proficiency without lighting the fire.
• Zhou An's left arm grew sore after over a hundred flips, but the current in his body eased the ache, and he resumed training.

After raising Wok Flipping to Level Two, Zhou An patrolled An Ding County and saw a ghostly girl named Ya Ya vanish after realizing she was dead. As a man's cries came from the alley, Zhou An wondered whether the airflow inside him let him see the dead.

• Zhou An trained Wok Flipping through the night until it reached Level Two and gained Strength +1.
• Zhou An answered roll call and patrolled his assigned streets in An Ding County.
• Zhou An noticed a ragged little girl fall, then followed her to a pork stall as she tried to buy meat for her father.
• A passerby walked straight through the girl, and she realized she was dead before vanishing with her coins stained red.
• Zhou An connected his sight of Ya Ya to the mysterious airflow inside him, then heard a man's cries from the alley.

Zhou An found the little girl dead in her home, posed in worship with her organs removed, and tried to take her devastated father to the yamen. A gray rat and a shadow creature attacked him, and the chapter ended as Zhou An's saber strikes cut through the shadow.

• Zhou An cleared the crowd from the alley and entered Old Wang's house, where he found the little girl dead beside her weeping father.
• Zhou An urged the fainting girl's father to go to the yamen so the authorities could investigate.
• A gray rat appeared, bowed to Zhou An, and fell dead as a shadow peeled away from the wall and took human form.
• The shadow bound Zhou An's legs to its own and lunged at him with long black nails.
• Zhou An drew his saber and unleashed a swift series of slashes that passed through the shadow's chest.

Zhou An killed a black shadow that attacked him, then reported the incident to Head Constable Xie, who called in the Demon Suppression Division. Division Magistrate Zhang investigated the scene and concluded that a powerful knife master was in An Ding County, unaware that Zhou An was the one who struck the shadow.

• Zhou An destroyed the black shadow with a series of knife strikes, gained Knife Skills proficiency, and confirmed the gray rat was ordinary.
• Zhou An reported the death and attack to Head Constable Xie, who gathered the constables and cordoned off the alley.
• Zhou An and Yu Hang discussed the Demon Suppression Division and the County Magistrate's absence while they guarded the alley.
• Division Magistrate Zhang arrived with his Demon Suppression Division members and examined the girl's corpse and the gray rat.
• Zhou An told Zhang that a black shadow had attacked him before a flash of knife light destroyed it.
• Division Magistrate Zhang said the attack showed that a master of the knife had come to An Ding County, while Zhou An concealed his role.

After Zhou An’s knife technique made the Demon Suppression Division mistake him for a mysterious expert, he tried to keep a low profile and returned to his routine. He spent the night grinding Knife Skills, then arrived at the yamen the next morning and noticed the room’s atmosphere had changed.

• Division Magistrate Zhang told Head Constable Xie that the Demon Suppression Division would work through the night to solve the case.
• Zhou An and Yu Hang walked home together, and Yu Hang wondered whether the mysterious expert’s appearance pointed to a conspiracy.
• Zhou An reassured Yu Hang, then decided to improve his Knife Skills because the technique was practical for a constable.
• Zhou An chopped vegetables through the night, raising his Knife Skills proficiency to 2056/20000.
• Zhou An went to the yamen the next morning and found the atmosphere in the room different.

Head Constable Xie gathered the constables to teach them martial arts and explain the four major classes of the martial world. After describing the Miscellaneous Sect and his dangerous encounter with one of its practitioners, he began the lesson by bringing up the mysterious expert from recently, leaving Zhou An to wonder why Xie was talking about him.

• The constables learned that Head Constable Xie would teach them martial arts each noon for a month, and Yu Hang showed little interest because he still wanted to become a Scholar.
• Head Constable Xie explained that the martial world had four major classes: martial artists, Qi Refiners, Scholars, and the Miscellaneous Sect.
• Head Constable Xie described the varied trades in the Miscellaneous Sect and revealed that one of its practitioners had nearly killed him when he fought river pirates.
• Head Constable Xie said he would teach martial artists' methods and began by mentioning the mysterious expert from recently, making Zhou An wonder why Xie was talking about him.

Head Constable Xie explained the two approaches to cultivation, the role of qi, and the ranks measured by qi. Zhou An realized that his own qi and saber techniques far surpassed what Xie had demonstrated, though he still lacked a clear measure of his strength.

• Head Constable Xie explained that cultivation centered on mental cultivation methods or techniques, and that qi powered techniques.
• Head Constable Xie demonstrated a saber strike that formed a thin line and said he had spent more than ten years mastering the technique.
• Zhou An recognized that Xie's saber strike resembled his own, but wondered why producing it had seemed so strenuous for Xie when he could slash out many arcs of saber light with ease.
• Head Constable Xie explained that cultivators were ranked Third-Rate, Second-Rate, and First-Rate according to their qi, with qi growing from the thickness of a hair to a thumb.
• Zhou An sensed the qi inside his body and reacted with a strange expression as he compared it with Xie's description.

Zhou An learned that his Qi had reached the level of a Third-Rate Expert, then practiced saber techniques and continued grinding his skills at home. Yu Hang attended a lesson with Sun Dan, but left feeling that his teacher had acted strangely.

• Head Constable Xie explained the ranks of martial artists and taught the constables a saber technique, while Zhou An and Yu Hang showed little interest.
• Zhou An found the saber technique full of flaws and returned home planning to raise his Knife Skills proficiency.
• Yu Hang told Zhou An that his private tutor had returned and that he would attend lessons before his Imperial Examination.
• Zhou An cooked, then spent the evening grinding Knife Skills and Wok Flipping.
• Yu Hang ate and studied with Sun Dan, then went home at night wondering why his teacher had seemed strange.

Yu Hang realized his tutor Sun Dan had become connected to the Gray Rat Worshipers, then discovered Sun Dan had transformed into a rat-like beast. Sun Dan revealed the Beast Cult’s method for gaining power and demanded Yu Hang plant a gray rat at Head Constable Xie’s yamen; Yu Hang seized his arm and shouted for help.

• Yu Hang noticed Sun Dan’s beastlike behavior during lessons and suspected he was involved with the Gray Rat Worshipers.
• Yu Hang found Sun Dan watching him through his door and saw him open the bolt with a black claw.
• Yu Hang attacked Sun Dan with his saber, but Sun Dan broke the blade and held his claws at Yu Hang’s neck.
• Sun Dan told Yu Hang that worshiping the Beast Cult and eating human organs could grant beastly power.
• Sun Dan asked Yu Hang to plant a gray rat in Head Constable Xie’s yamen, and Yu Hang grabbed his arm and shouted for someone to run to the yamen.

Zhou An killed Sun Dan when he attacked Yu Hang, revealing to Yu Hang that he was the mysterious expert. Yu Hang reported the incident to the yamen, while Zhou An realized another unknown threat might be lurking in An Ding County and resolved to investigate.

• Sun Dan threw Yu Hang aside and charged at Zhou An, who killed him with Knife Light Forms a Line.
• Yu Hang recognized Zhou An as the mysterious expert and confronted him for keeping his skill secret.
• Zhou An and Yu Hang gathered Sun Dan’s remains into a sack, and Yu Hang went to the yamen to report the incident.
• Zhou An realized the shadow that had attacked him was separate from the Beast Cult and decided to go to the yamen the next day.
• Head Constable Xie and Division Magistrate Zhang questioned Yu Hang, who described the mysterious expert’s attack.

Yu Hang concealed Zhou An’s identity while the yamen focused on stopping the Gray Rat Worshipers, and he stayed at the yamen for safety. Zhou An found a way to practice his Knife Skills during work by volunteering to help in the kitchen.

• Yu Hang told Division Magistrate Zhang and Head Constable Xie a partly fabricated account of the mysterious expert, and they prioritized investigating the Gray Rat Worshipers.
• Division Magistrate Zhang ordered Yu Hang to remain at the yamen, where Head Constable Xie would protect him.
• The next day, Zhou An and Yu Hang exchanged a knowing glance at the yamen, and Zhou An decided to balance work, rest, and Knife Skills practice.
• Zhou An asked Chef Liu to let him help in the kitchen whenever he was free so he could practice chopping vegetables and receive a free meal.
• Chef Liu agreed to notify the county magistrate and make Zhou An’s kitchen duties official.

Zhou An kept helping Chef Liu in the kitchen while secretly grinding his Knife Skills proficiency, as the Gray Rat Worshipers stayed quiet and the Demon Suppression Division suffered injuries. After an all-night session, Zhou An reached Knife Skills level three, then prepared to patrol the streets.

• Chef Liu finished arranging for Zhou An to help in the kitchen, and Zhou An told the other constables he wanted to earn extra money legitimately.
• Zhou An warned Yu Hang to stay inside the yamen that night, then returned home and continued training his Knife Skills.
• Over the next ten or so days, Zhou An helped chop vegetables and trained nightly while An Ding County saw no further incidents involving the Gray Rat Worshipers.
• Chef Liu told Zhou An that members of the Demon Suppression Division had been injured, and warned him to be careful during his upcoming patrol.
• Zhou An trained through the night and reached Knife Skills level three the next morning.

After choosing the Butchering Ox Technique, Zhou An gained greater precision and improved his sword control, then went on patrol in Hu Yang Alley. He discovered a wounded Demon Suppression Division member confronting a Beast Cult Protector, and the standoff was about to turn deadly.

• Zhou An remembered that a former college student had added a path choice at Knife Skills level three and chose the speed-oriented Butchering Ox Technique.
• The technique advanced to level three, increasing Zhou An’s qi and letting him control his blade with much greater precision.
• Zhou An put on his constable uniform and patrolled Hu Yang Alley, handling two arguments before hearing fighting in a narrow alley.
• Zhou An entered the alley and saw a Beast Cult member confronting a badly wounded Demon Suppression Division member.
• The Demon Suppression Division member urged the Beast Cult Protector to surrender, but the Protector vowed to kill him in revenge for the deaths of Beast Cult members.

Zhou An intervened in the Beast Cult Protector’s attack on a wounded Demon Suppression Division member, repeatedly stopping the Protector with knife lights from around a corner. After Zhou An revealed himself, the Protector charged him, and Zhou An unleashed a flood of knife lights across the alley.

• The Beast Cult Protector attacked the wounded Demon Suppression Division member, shattering his longsword and preparing to kill him.
• Zhou An sent more than a dozen knife lights from the corner, cracking the Protector’s nails and interrupting his attacks.
• The Demon Suppression Division member recognized the technique as Knife Light Forms a Line and urged the hidden expert to help.
• Zhou An stepped out in his constable uniform, and the shocked Beast Cult Protector charged at him.
• Zhou An raised his long knife and filled the alley with dazzling white knife lights.

Zhou An killed the Beast Cult Protector with thirty strikes and learned that his Butchering Ox Technique proficiency had stopped increasing. The next day, while discussing the attack with Chef Liu, Zhou An began to suspect that his vegetable-cutting practice was missing something.

• Zhou An killed the Beast Cult Protector in a single breath, leaving the Demon Suppression Division member alive to report the mysterious expert’s intervention.
• Zhou An went home and practiced the Butchering Ox Technique for half an hour, but its proficiency did not increase, so he switched to Wok Tossing.
• Chef Liu told Zhou An that the Beast Cult had attacked the Demon Suppression Division and that Division Magistrate Zhang had launched a retaliation.
• Zhou An tried practicing vegetable cutting at the yamen, but his proficiency remained unchanged.
• Chef Liu said that chopping vegetables required more than Zhou An seemed to think, and Zhou An felt he had grasped the cause of the problem.