Chapter Summaries

In a rain-soaked Peace City, Jiang Jingnian worked as a rickshaw puller while Su Wanzhi rode to school and his cousin Qu Lanlan scorned him. After paying down his debts and borrowing more to buy an antique ring, Jiang used his Taotie trait to refine it and absorb its metal nature.

• Jiang Jingnian took Su Wanzhi along a muddy shortcut past the Stockade, where she saw refugees sheltering beside the road.
• Jiang Jingnian delivered Su Wanzhi to the East City Mission Girls' School, where Qu Lanlan insulted him as he pulled away.
• Jiang Jingnian earned over three silver dollars in the rain and paid Shopkeeper Li four silver dollars toward his debt.
• Jiang Jingnian used his work permit as security to borrow twenty-two silver dollars from Shopkeeper Li and buy the flower-carved copper ring.
• Jiang Jingnian inspected the ring's trait-panel description and refined it, absorbing its trace of metal nature.

Chapter Summary: “Taiji Vajra Art”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Jingnian, originally a university student from modern Earth, dies in an extreme sports accident and transmigrates into a chaotic alternate world.
• The new world resembles the end of a dynasty: the emperor has abdicated, warlords fight for power, foreign forces control parts of the country, and ordinary people struggle to survive.
• Unlike Earth, this world possesses genuine martial arts capable of generating blood qi and harming people through projected force. Rumors also speak of terrifying Demon Wraiths.
• Jiang inherits the body and memories of a poor rickshaw puller who died after being caught in the shockwaves of a battle between martial artists.
• After nearly two months in the new world, Jiang has discovered an attribute panel and the [Taotie] trait, which allows him to consume special objects and use their essence to improve his [Technique] and [Archetype].
• He previously used a jade thumb ring to upgrade his ordinary knowledge of simplified Tai Chi into [Tai Chi Nourishing Life Technique], allowing him to cultivate a small amount of blood qi and become stronger than ordinary laborers.
• His [Archetype] has nearly reached its limit, while further advancement appears to depend on improving his technique.
• Jiang feeds a copper ring containing Metal Essence into his technique. [Tai Chi Nourishing Life Technique] transforms into [Tai Chi Vajra Art (Beginner)].
• During the transformation, he experiences visions of himself enduring endless martial training, culminating in the image of a Golden Bell Shield replacing the former White Crane imagery.
• Afterward, Jiang notices stronger blood qi, increased physical hardness, and a faint bronze sheen on his hands. His [Archetype] also breaks through its previous bottleneck, rising to 99%.

Character Development

• Jiang is pragmatic and cautious but retains the adventurous spirit of his previous life. He refuses both reckless self-display and passive submission.
• He recognizes that poverty and weakness make him vulnerable in a society where innocent bystanders can die from conflicts between powerful martial artists.
• His understanding of the attribute panel develops through experimentation, allowing him to make calculated use of special items.
• He becomes more confident after witnessing the success of his investment in himself, concluding that risking all his borrowed money on cultivation was worthwhile.
• Physically and potentially spiritually, he begins transitioning from an ordinary person toward a genuine martial artist.

Character Interactions

• Jiang recalls asking his Fifth Uncle for help entering a martial arts school, but discovers that martial arts institutions exclude the poor and require family connections or official permits.
• His memories of the original body’s parents reveal that they sent him to Peace City to escape war and famine, highlighting the family’s desperation.
• The chapter contains no major present-time dialogue or direct confrontation; most interactions are Jiang’s reflections on society, his past life, and the limitations imposed on him.

Significant Themes

• Survival in a brutal society: Ordinary people can be killed without warning by conflicts among the powerful.
• Class inequality: Martial arts are controlled by the wealthy and socially connected, leaving the poor without access to advancement.
• Self-reliance and calculated risk: Jiang chooses to invest limited resources in his own growth rather than wait for external opportunities.
• Transformation and potential: The evolution from Tai Chi Nourishing Life Technique to Tai Chi Vajra Art symbolizes a shift from preserving life to developing formidable physical strength.
• Fate versus agency: Although Jiang’s transmigration and initial circumstances are accidental, his choices and use of the Taotie trait allow him to shape his future.
• The body as a vessel: The attribute panel presents cultivation in game-like terms, with special items functioning as resources that expand Jiang’s physical and martial potential.

Chapter Summary: “Living Under Another’s Roof”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Jingnian completes his advancement from the weak Nourishing Life Technique to the advanced Taiji Vajra Art.
• The new technique greatly improves both his offense and defense, granting him an ability comparable to a martial-arts “Golden Bell Shield.” He estimates his combat power has risen from roughly one or two to around ten, though he lacks real combat experience to judge accurately.
• His advancement reassures him that his decision to borrow heavily for food, meat, and other necessities was worthwhile. Over two months, he has accumulated several hundred silver dollars in debt, using borrowed money to accelerate his cultivation.
• Jiang reflects on his dangerous circumstances, remembering the original body’s violent death and resolving not to die meaninglessly again.
• Although he could continue pulling a rickshaw to earn money, he chooses to return home and prepare for the final breakthrough of his Archetype.
• On arriving at his uncle’s residence, he disguises his true personality, hunching over and adopting the appearance of a poor, harmless laborer.
• Qu Lanlan insults him for returning dirty and sweaty, but Fifth Uncle, Qu Yuzhi, intervenes and orders her to stop.
• Jiang politely tolerates Qu Lanlan’s behavior because he still needs his uncle’s support, residency, work documentation, and a safe place to stay.
• He goes to wash in the side room rather than use the family’s main bathroom.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian becomes significantly stronger and gains confidence, though he remains aware that he lacks practical fighting experience.
• His urgency and survival instinct deepen. He views cultivation, debt, and hardship as necessary investments in securing his future and avoiding another helpless death.
• He demonstrates considerable patience and social cunning by hiding his strength and maintaining the persona of a meek, impoverished countryman.
• Qu Lanlan is established as spoiled, class-conscious, and contemptuous of Jiang, whom she sees as an embarrassing rural dependent.
• Qu Yuzhi, Jiang’s Fifth Uncle, is shown to be kind and protective despite his somewhat awkward position as a man who married into a wealthy family. He tries to restrain his daughter and care for Jiang.
• Jiang’s willingness to defend Qu Lanlan despite her insults reveals his pragmatic gratitude toward Qu Yuzhi and his reluctance to create conflict.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength as protection: Jiang’s cultivation is not merely a personal pursuit; it is essential for survival in a violent, unstable world.
• Debt and calculated risk: He knowingly incurs enormous debt to improve his body and future prospects, treating financial danger as preferable to remaining powerless.
• Living under another’s roof: Jiang must endure humiliation and suppress his pride because he depends on relatives for shelter, legal status, and opportunities.
• Appearance versus reality: He conceals his sharp mind, ambition, and newfound strength behind the image of a dim, obedient rickshaw puller.
• Class and social hierarchy: Qu Lanlan’s contempt for Jiang reflects the sharp divide between rural laborers and urban, wealthy families.
• Gratitude and restraint: Although Jiang could resent his treatment, he remembers the help he has received and chooses patience over confrontation.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang and Qu Lanlan: Qu Lanlan insults Jiang’s appearance and poverty, while Jiang responds politely and submissively. His calm behavior is strategic rather than sincere weakness.
• Qu Lanlan and Qu Yuzhi: Qu Yuzhi reprimands his daughter for mistreating Jiang. She dislikes being corrected but obeys because filial disobedience carries serious social consequences.
• Jiang and Qu Yuzhi: Qu Yuzhi expresses concern for Jiang’s health and encourages him to bathe and rest. Jiang responds respectfully, calling him “Fifth Uncle” and reassuring him about Qu Lanlan’s behavior.
• The chapter highlights Jiang’s dependence on the household while also showing that Qu Yuzhi remains a meaningful source of protection and support.

Chapter Summary: “Advancing to [Martial Master]”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qu Yuzhi watches his nephew, Jiang Jingnian, leave and reflects on the young man’s difficult upbringing. Despite appearing simple and illiterate, Jiang is intelligent, ambitious, and determined to educate himself.
• Because Jiang grew up amid war, disasters, and poverty, he never had the opportunity to attend school or learn martial arts properly. Qu Yuzhi has struggled to support him while living as a low-status son-in-law in the Qu household.
• Qu Yuzhi secretly informs Jiang that he may have found a small martial arts hall with legitimate Martial Masters willing to accept him as an apprentice. Jiang is overjoyed and deeply grateful.
• Jiang lives in a cramped, damp former storeroom because Qu Yuzhi’s wife, Qu Qiaoyun, forbids him from entering the main house or receiving further financial support.
• That night, Jiang practices the Taiji Vajra Art in secret. His hard cultivation finally produces a breakthrough: his blood and qi condense into a Blood Core.
• His status panel changes from Ordinary Person to Martial Master, with his progress listed as Blood Tempering 3%.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian is revealed to be far more intelligent, disciplined, and ambitious than his outwardly honest, dull appearance suggests. He has endured poverty and humiliation while quietly pursuing self-improvement.
• His martial training has transformed his presence. When alone, he appears sharp and predatory rather than simple and harmless, suggesting growing confidence and hidden strength.
• Jiang successfully advances into the Martial Master realm and gains a much stronger, more stable form of martial power.
• Qu Yuzhi demonstrates genuine gratitude and affection toward Jiang, recognizing qualities in him that remind him of his own younger self. Despite his limited authority and finances, he continues using his connections to help Jiang.
• Qu Qiaoyun is portrayed as harsh but not entirely heartless. Her hostility stems from protecting her household and enforcing the boundaries expected of a live-in son-in-law. She has already tolerated Jiang’s presence because Jiang’s parents once saved Qu Yuzhi’s life and supported his education.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance amid hardship: Jiang’s rise comes from enduring poverty, discrimination, and deprivation without abandoning his goals.
• Hidden potential and appearance versus reality: Jiang seems crude and uneducated, but beneath that exterior lies intelligence, discipline, and formidable martial talent.
• Gratitude and obligation: Qu Yuzhi and Qu Qiaoyun support Jiang because his parents once showed them great kindness, emphasizing the importance of repaying debts of gratitude.
• Family boundaries and social hierarchy: Jiang is treated as inferior to even the household servants, illustrating the rigid class distinctions and restrictions governing the Qu family.
• Freedom and inner ambition: Though Jiang’s physical circumstances are confined to a tiny, miserable room, he believes his heart and future cannot be restricted.

Character Interactions

• Qu Yuzhi privately offers Jiang hope by promising to seek him an apprentice position at a martial arts hall.
• Jiang responds with sincere gratitude and nearly bows deeply, but Qu Yuzhi stops him, insisting that thanks should come only after the arrangement is finalized.
• Qu Yuzhi’s secretive behavior reflects the pressure from Qu Qiaoyun and the need to avoid household gossip.
• Jiang’s relationship with Qu Yuzhi is based on mutual respect, gratitude, and shared recognition of hardship, while his relationship with Qu Qiaoyun remains distant and constrained by household rules.

Martial Progression

Jiang’s Taiji Vajra Art contains three known Martial Master stages:

Blood Tempering

Bone Tempering

Marrow Tempering

He has now entered the first stage, Blood Tempering, beginning at 3% progress.

Chapter Summary: “Astonishing Defensive Power”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After reaching the Blood Refining Stage, Jiang Jingnian experiences a dramatic improvement in perception. He can see clearly in near-total darkness and senses the explosive strength contained in his body.
• He examines the defensive capabilities of the Vajra Art and wonders whether it could protect him from knives—or even modern firearms used by foreign police.
• He tests his body with a kitchen knife. Without activating his Blood Core, the blade slightly cuts his skin, but the wound is minor and heals quickly.
• Jiang then activates the Blood Core in his Cinnabar Field, causing his blood and qi to circulate through his body and his skin to develop a deeper bronze sheen. When he strikes his hand again with the knife, the blade produces only a shallow white mark and cannot break the skin.
• He concludes that, while he cannot yet confidently withstand bullets, he is highly resistant to ordinary cold weapons. Unless confronted by another martial artist or a large mob, common thugs and robbers should pose little danger.
• Relieved by his newfound ability to protect himself, Jiang hopes martial cultivation will eventually help him escape poverty, earn money, and repay Fifth Uncle’s family. He cleans his room and falls asleep.
• The following afternoon, Qu Yuzhi visits the Intent Fist Academy in Nanpu District with his friend Li Zhongru. He seeks an apprentice placement and brings the required documents along with three banknotes worth one hundred silver dollars each.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian: Gains confidence after confirming the Blood Refining Stage has greatly strengthened his senses, healing, physical power, and defense. His anxiety about surviving in the dangerous social environment lessens, though he remains cautious about firearms and stronger martial artists.
• Qu Yuzhi: Demonstrates seriousness and financial preparation in pursuing entry to the martial academy. He behaves respectfully toward Manager Chen and carefully presents his documents and payment.
• Li Zhongru: Acts as Qu Yuzhi’s guide and intermediary, using his connections to introduce him to the academy’s manager. His foreign-style clothing and manner suggest an educated or overseas-influenced background.
• Manager Chen: Appears to hold authority over apprentice admissions at the Intent Fist Academy and immediately focuses on verifying Qu Yuzhi’s paperwork.

Significant Themes

• Power and self-preservation: Jiang’s cultivation provides practical protection in a violent, unstable era, allowing him to move beyond helplessness.
• Limits of strength: Despite his impressive defense against knives, Jiang recognizes that firearms remain a serious threat, emphasizing the gap between martial ability and modern weaponry.
• Transformation through cultivation: The Blood Core represents a major advancement, multiplying Jiang’s defensive abilities beyond his natural physical improvements.
• Social mobility and obligation: Jiang hopes martial strength will let him improve his social position and repay those who helped him.
• Contrasting worlds: Traditional martial arts, foreign firearms, modern banking, imported clothing, and foreign-influenced customs coexist within the setting.

Character Interactions

• Jiang’s interaction is primarily with himself and his own abilities as he conducts increasingly demanding defense tests.
• Li Zhongru introduces Qu Yuzhi to Manager Chen and supports his attempt to enter the academy.
• Qu Yuzhi and Manager Chen exchange formal greetings, with Qu showing particular deference because Chen controls apprentice placements.
• The chapter ends as Qu presents his documents and substantial payment, setting up the academy’s decision regarding his admission.

Chapter Summary: “Cutting In”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qu Yuzhi attempts to use nearly all of his personal savings—three hundred silver dollars—to secure an apprentice quota at a martial arts school for his eighteen-year-old nephew, Jiang Second Dog.
• Steward Chen warns that eighteen is late to begin martial arts training and estimates only a ten percent chance that the boy could advance from apprentice to the inner school.
• Just as the arrangement is about to be completed, Steward Chen receives instructions from Steward Hu that the Qu Household’s Seventh Branch has claimed the last two apprentice quotas for two illegitimate sons.
• The quota is therefore withdrawn, revealing a serious and apparently hidden conflict between the Qu Household’s Fifth and Seventh Branches. Qu Yuzhi is devastated but remains polite, concealing his distress and leaving abruptly.
• Li Zhongru later asks whether Jiang could enter the school as a menial and work his way up. Steward Chen refuses to risk further offending the Qu Household, recognizing that the matter is tied to internal family politics.
• Meanwhile, Jiang Jingnian continues working as a rickshaw puller after becoming a martial artist. He uses his Blood Core while working to strengthen and purify his blood and vitality.
• Jiang believes he is progressing exceptionally quickly and hopes that entering the martial arts school will grant him a legal identity and protection under the foreign settlement’s Martial Restriction Order.
• He manages his finances through repeated small loans and frequent repayments, effectively borrowing new money to repay old debts while taking advantage of the lack of a formal credit system.
• He spends part of the borrowed money on a large meal of braised beef and flatbreads, taking care to hide his improved circumstances so as not to attract suspicion.
• Jiang returns home intending to practice the Taiji Vajra Art, but upon entering the courtyard at 129 West River Road, he hears an argument inside.

Character Developments

• Qu Yuzhi: Demonstrates deep concern for his nephew and considerable personal sacrifice, spending years of savings on the quota. His hopeful, deferential attitude collapses into shock when the opportunity is taken away by his own family’s internal politics. He remains cautious and courteous, suggesting that he understands the danger of opposing the Qu Household’s powerful branches.
• Jiang Jingnian: Grows more confident after becoming a martial artist. He is diligent, resourceful, and highly pragmatic, using work, borrowing, and concealment to survive while steadily improving his strength. He remains wary of revealing his abilities to Fifth Uncle until he can enter the martial arts school legitimately.
• Steward Chen: Appears sympathetic but prioritizes self-preservation. Although tempted by the money, he refuses to risk becoming involved in the Qu Household’s conflict.
• Li Zhongru: Is well-intentioned but somewhat naïve about the realities of aristocratic family power struggles, especially after spending much of his life abroad.

Significant Themes

• Class inequality and social mobility: Martial arts opportunities are heavily controlled by wealthy families, while laborers and rural-born people have little chance to advance.
• Family politics and power: The Qu Household’s branch rivalry determines Jiang’s future more than talent, money, or personal effort.
• Legal control of martial artists: Registration functions like a work permit, granting privileges while allowing authorities to regulate dangerous martial practitioners.
• Survival through ingenuity: Jiang relies on careful borrowing, concealment, and manipulation of limited information to survive in a harsh economic environment.
• Age, talent, and opportunity: The chapter emphasizes how late training severely limits prospects, while access to resources and social connections can matter as much as ability.
• Hope amid instability: Both Qu Yuzhi and Jiang continue pursuing a better future despite financial hardship, family obstruction, and uncertain prospects.

Character Interactions

• Qu Yuzhi and Steward Chen negotiate the apprentice quota, with Chen warning him about Jiang’s age and limited prospects.
• Li Zhongru supports Qu Yuzhi’s request and later questions Chen about alternative routes into the martial arts school.
• Steward Chen and Steward Hu are connected through the Qu Household’s internal power structure; Hu’s intervention forces Chen to cancel the arrangement.
• Chen indirectly warns Li Zhongru that the Fifth and Seventh Branches are in serious conflict.
• Jiang’s relationship with Fifth Uncle remains important but cautious: he depends on him for access to the martial arts school yet deliberately conceals his current strength until he can explain it safely.

Chapter Summary: “Finding Another Way”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At dinner, Qu Qiaoyun confronts her husband, Qu Yuzhi, about secretly trying to secure a position for his nephew, Jiang Jingnian, at a martial arts school.
• Qu Yuzhi explains that he only wanted to give Jiang a stable future. Expelling him without connections would leave him vulnerable in Peace City’s slums, while an apprenticeship could provide food, lodging, and a way to escape the worsening conflict within the household.
• Qu Qiaoyun strongly objects, invoking the tragedy of the Qu Household’s First Branch. Years earlier, relatives brought into the family became powerful martial artists, betrayed and killed their benefactor, and caused enormous losses to the Qu family.
• She fears Jiang may similarly possess hidden ambitions and eventually threaten the family, despite his outwardly respectful behavior.
• Qu Qiaoyun demands that Qu Yuzhi choose between Jiang and his wife and daughter. Their daughter, Lanlan, intensifies the conflict by accusing Jiang of bringing misfortune and behaving improperly toward her.
• Qu Yuzhi angrily defends Jiang and rebukes Lanlan for insulting someone who has always treated her respectfully. When Lanlan calls Jiang a peasant and denies any familial connection to him, Qu Yuzhi nearly strikes her.
• Jiang returns at that moment, stops Qu Yuzhi, and realizes that his presence is causing a serious rift in the household.
• Rather than continue burdening his uncle, Jiang decides to leave. He thanks both Qu Yuzhi and Qu Qiaoyun, then returns to his cramped side room to pack.
• Qu Yuzhi follows him, overwhelmed by guilt and helplessness. He gives Jiang his identity documents and some money, but Jiang refuses the money, insisting that he can support himself through rickshaw work.
• Jiang leaves for the rickshaw depot’s communal lodging. Qu Yuzhi watches him disappear, left only with the marks of the rickshaw wheels outside the gate.

Character Developments

• Qu Yuzhi: Reveals deep affection and loyalty toward Jiang. Although generally constrained by his position in the Qu Household, he openly defends his nephew and recognizes the injustice of judging him by his origins. His inability to protect Jiang leaves him ashamed and anguished.
• Qu Qiaoyun: Becomes increasingly fearful and rigid, viewing Jiang through the lens of the First Branch tragedy. Her concern for family survival turns into suspicion and emotional coercion, forcing Qu Yuzhi to choose between family members.
• Jiang Jingnian: Demonstrates restraint, dignity, and independence. Despite being insulted and rejected, he avoids confrontation, thanks his uncle, refuses financial assistance, and chooses to make his own way.
• Lanlan: Shows open contempt for Jiang and deliberately provokes the conflict. Her class prejudice and possessiveness contribute significantly to the breakdown between her parents.
• Qu Yuzhi and Qu Qiaoyun’s marriage: Their disagreement exposes a deep divide: Yuzhi values personal loyalty and Jiang’s character, while Qiaoyun prioritizes lineage, security, and preventing another family catastrophe.

Significant Themes

• Prejudice based on birth and status: Jiang is judged as a poor outsider rather than by his conduct, ambition, or respectful behavior.
• Family loyalty versus bloodline and lineage: The chapter questions whether family is defined by surname and ancestry or by care, gratitude, and personal bonds.
• Fear shaped by past trauma: The First Branch tragedy continues to control the Qu Household’s decisions, causing suspicion toward innocent people.
• Poverty and social hierarchy: Jiang’s limited options—from communal rickshaw lodging to dangerous slums—illustrate how strongly class and birthplace determine one’s future.
• Dignity and self-reliance: Jiang refuses to become the cause of further conflict or depend entirely on Qu Yuzhi, choosing hardship over dependence.
• Helplessness in an unequal society: Qu Yuzhi recognizes that personal kindness may not be enough to overcome the rigid social barriers of Peace City.

Important Character Interactions

• Qu Qiaoyun and Qu Yuzhi: Their dinner confrontation becomes an ultimatum over Jiang’s place in the family.
• Lanlan and Qu Yuzhi: Lanlan’s insults provoke Qu Yuzhi’s anger, revealing that he values Jiang’s dignity more than his daughter’s accusations.
• Jiang and Qu Yuzhi: Their farewell is restrained but emotional. Qu Yuzhi offers practical help, while Jiang responds with gratitude and insists on independence.
• Jiang and Qu Qiaoyun: Jiang remains courteous despite her hostility, thanking her for shelter and promising to leave rather than worsen the household’s conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Escort Agency”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Jingnian leaves his residence and considers his limited options in the dangerous world he now inhabits. Returning to his war-torn hometown is too risky, hiding in the wilderness would expose him to Demon Wraiths, and becoming a Black Warrior by joining a Stockade is an undesirable last resort.
• He decides to continue working as a rickshaw puller while searching for a martial arts school and saving money to purchase “special items,” which appear important to his cultivation or advancement.
• Three days later, Jiang eats breakfast on a crowded Peace City street and reflects on how the city resembles his former world, despite its different language, lower technological development, and constant political violence.
• He encounters Little Maodan, a poor newspaper boy whom he regularly helps. Jiang gives him food and pays him to read the newspaper because Jiang can speak the local language but still struggles to read its written form.
• The newspaper reports international wars, domestic conflict, violence among powerful families, and a planned foreign-led operation to eliminate the Stone Demon on Baobai Mountain.
• Jiang asks Maodan to look for martial arts recruitment notices. Although martial arts schools rarely recruit openly, Maodan finds an advertisement for Tongda Escort Agency, which is hiring apprentices and escort hands. The position offers wages and martial arts instruction.
• Excited by this opportunity, Jiang immediately decides to visit the escort agency and gives Maodan two silver coins to buy meat for his family. He limits the amount to avoid putting the boy at risk by making him appear wealthy.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian: Becomes more determined and pragmatic about surviving in Peace City. Rather than recklessly fleeing into danger or becoming an outlaw, he chooses a gradual path: earning money, acquiring special items, and seeking legitimate martial arts training. His kindness and generosity toward Maodan also reveal a strong moral character.
• Little Maodan: Is established as a hardworking, impoverished but reliable child. He actively helps Jiang by monitoring the newspapers and locating the escort agency notice. His admiration for Jiang grows because of Jiang’s generosity and respectful treatment.

Significant Themes

• Survival amid chaos: War, gang influence, foreign control, Demon Wraiths, and martial conflict make every possible path dangerous.
• Social inequality: The poor struggle to afford food, education, and martial training, while the wealthy and powerful settle disputes with violence.
• Adaptation and identity: Jiang continues adjusting to his new world while retaining memories and habits from his previous life. His inability to read the local script highlights his incomplete integration.
• Kindness in a brutal society: Jiang’s support for Maodan contrasts with the violence and exploitation surrounding them.
• Opportunity and upward mobility: The escort agency offers Jiang a possible legal route into martial arts, potentially allowing him to improve his status without immediately resorting to crime or joining a dangerous Stockade.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and Maodan share a warm, trusting relationship. Jiang feeds him, pays him for reading the news, and encourages him to continue searching for martial arts opportunities.
• Maodan returns Jiang’s kindness by carefully looking through the newspaper and discovering the Tongda Escort Agency’s recruitment notice.
• Their exchange demonstrates mutual benefit: Jiang provides material assistance, while Maodan offers information that may significantly change Jiang’s future.

Chapter Summary: “Duel”

Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with the history of Peace City, a prosperous coastal trade center that fell under foreign control after Chen State’s defeat in the Blackstone War two hundred years earlier. Most of the city is now divided among Western concessions, while the remote Miqiao District remains under Chen State’s administration.
• Jiang Jingnian, a poor rickshaw puller, travels for nearly two hours to reach the Tongda Escort Agency, which is recruiting apprentices and runners.
• At the agency gate, Jiang presents his documents and gives small bribes to the guards, asking them to watch his rented rickshaw. The guards are surprised that a laborer has come to apply, since most applicants are young men from poor or wealthy families.
• The agency’s entrance examination requires applicants to survive ten breaths against an escort master. Successful candidates become apprentices; those who perform exceptionally may become runners, earning a salary and gaining access to martial arts instruction. Applicants must also sign a waiver acknowledging the risk of injury.
• Jiang carefully reads the waiver before signing, relieved that it contains no hidden contract or forced servitude. This experience strengthens his determination to improve his literacy.
• Most applicants are quickly defeated. Two qualify as apprentices, while a talented young man with strong blood and qi and a distinctive leg technique earns a runner’s position after lasting more than a dozen exchanges.
• When Jiang’s turn arrives, his status panel identifies him as possessing the Taotie trait, beginner-level Taiji Vajra Art, and the Martial Master archetype at six percent Blood Tempering.
• Jiang judges that the bald escort master testing him is likely a genuine Blood Tempering martial artist of roughly the same stage, though more formally trained than Jiang himself.
• The duel begins. The escort master launches a powerful Cannon Fist, but Jiang realizes that the man’s speed is within his ability to follow. Instead of dodging, Jiang blocks and counterattacks with a hook.
• The escort master skillfully deflects the hook, changes from a fist to a palm, and prepares to strike Jiang’s abdomen. Observers assume Jiang’s reckless decision to meet the martial artist head-on will cause him to be defeated almost immediately, possibly suffering severe or permanent injury.
• The chapter ends in the middle of this exchange, just before the escort master’s palm lands.

Character Development

• Jiang Jingnian is portrayed as cautious, observant, and determined despite his low social status. He studies the agency’s procedures, evaluates the escort master’s strength, and checks the waiver before committing himself.
• His background as a rickshaw puller emphasizes his physical strength and endurance, but he is also beginning to develop genuine martial ability through the Taiji Vajra Art and his unusual status-panel abilities.
• Jiang shows growing self-awareness: he knows he lacks formal martial training and does not yet understand how his “wild-path” skills compare with those of trained martial artists.
• His decision to learn reading and writing more seriously reveals a desire to improve himself beyond mere physical labor.
• The unnamed escort master is presented as highly skilled and controlled. Although he suppresses his strength for the examination, he uses refined footwork, body coordination, and technique to dismantle Jiang’s attack.
• The other applicants are mostly inexperienced youths. Their reactions reinforce the social divide between laborers and people with greater family support, education, or martial foundations.

Significant Themes

• Social inequality and foreign domination: Peace City’s history establishes Chen State’s political humiliation and the unequal society created by foreign concessions. Miqiao District’s poverty and backward infrastructure contrast sharply with the prosperous foreign-controlled areas.
• Class and opportunity: Laborers such as Jiang have little protection against injury or unemployment, while wealthier applicants can afford to take risks and recover from failure. The escort agency offers one of the few possible paths for poor people to improve their circumstances.
• Physical labor versus martial training: Jiang possesses impressive raw strength from pulling rickshaws, but the examination demonstrates that trained technique can overcome brute force.
• Risk and survival: For poor workers, even a temporary injury can mean starvation. The martial examination is therefore not merely a test of talent but a serious gamble with one’s livelihood and future.
• Self-improvement and literacy: Jiang’s careful reading of the waiver and resolve to study reflect his effort to escape ignorance and gain greater control over his life.
• Formal skill versus instinct: Jiang has developed strength and combat ability through unconventional means, but the duel tests whether his natural power can withstand the refined methods of a trained martial artist.

Character Interactions

• Jiang respectfully negotiates with the gate guards and bribes them to protect his rickshaw, showing his practical understanding of social customs.
• The guards initially doubt him because of his laborer’s clothing but acknowledge his physical sturdiness and allow him to enter.
• The agency attendant explains the examination and waiver, while Jiang’s questions and careful review reveal his cautious nature.
• Other applicants silently judge Jiang because of his patched clothing and low status, assuming he will be quickly injured.
• During the duel, Jiang and the escort master immediately engage in a direct exchange. Jiang chooses to counterattack rather than evade, while the escort master responds with superior technique and controlled power.
• The onlookers interpret Jiang’s actions as reckless and expect him to be defeated within moments, creating suspense over whether his hidden abilities will allow him to survive the exchange.

Chapter Summary: “A Promising Talent”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Jingnian undergoes a combat assessment at the Tongda Escort Agency, sparring with the experienced bald escort, Old Yu.
• Although Old Yu lands a powerful palm on Jiang’s abdomen, Jiang remains unharmed because of his exceptional physical defense and Iron Body Skill. His counterattack strikes Old Yu’s elbow, forcing the escort to retreat.
• The observers are shocked that a poorly dressed laborer can withstand a Quasi-Martial Master’s attack and fight him to a draw.
• Old Yu pauses the assessment and consults Escort Chief Duan, who summons Jiang to the central discussion hall to examine his documents.
• Jiang remains cautious, mentally noting escape routes as he follows Duan, indicating that he distrusts unfamiliar situations despite cooperating.
• Duan verifies Jiang’s documents, discovering his connection to the influential Qu Household. Jiang explains that he is only a distant relative and received limited assistance from them.
• Duan physically examines Jiang’s arm and concludes that his unusually thick skin, muscles, and sinews, combined with his Iron Body Skill, account for his remarkable defense. He fails to recognize Jiang’s true cultivation and the hidden power of the Taiji Vajra Art.
• Duan praises Jiang as a rare martial talent but warns him that the escort agency lacks the resources of established martial schools and sects.
• Jiang firmly states that he has considered the disadvantages and still wishes to join, since escort work offers a better future than pulling rickshaws.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian: Demonstrates powerful defensive abilities but remains inexperienced in actual combat. He intelligently limits the strength he reveals, concealing his Blood Core and keeping further abilities as trump cards. His cautious, practical nature is evident in his preparation for possible danger. He also shows determination to improve his social and economic position.
• Old Yu: Initially confident because of his combat experience, he becomes surprised and wary after Jiang effortlessly withstands his palm and damages his elbow. He recognizes that Jiang’s abilities are far beyond those of an ordinary applicant.
• Escort Chief Duan: Reveals himself as observant, careful, and responsible. Rather than immediately accepting Jiang, he verifies his identity and background. He is impressed by Jiang’s talent but honestly explains the agency’s limited resources, suggesting that he is both pragmatic and concerned about Jiang’s future.

Significant Themes

• Hidden talent and mistaken identity: Jiang appears to be an impoverished laborer, yet possesses extraordinary physical strength and martial potential. Others misinterpret the source of his abilities, allowing him to keep his true capabilities concealed.
• Caution and strategic concealment: Jiang deliberately avoids revealing his full strength, showing that survival and advancement require restraint rather than reckless self-display.
• Social class and opportunity: Jiang’s humble occupation contrasts sharply with his connection to the prestigious Qu Household and his rare martial talent. His advancement depends not only on ability but also on access to institutions and resources.
• Institutional limitations: Martial schools and sects have greater legal and material support, while escort agencies provide a more accessible but less advantageous path. The chapter highlights how social systems determine who can fully develop their potential.
• Determination to rise: Jiang views joining the escort agency as a crucial step away from poverty and toward a better position in society.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and Old Yu: Their brief fight establishes Jiang’s physical superiority and Old Yu’s combat experience. Old Yu’s surprise transforms the encounter from a routine assessment into a matter requiring higher-level review.
• Jiang and Escort Chief Duan: Their conversation is cautious but respectful. Duan probes Jiang’s origins and abilities, while Jiang gives truthful yet limited answers to protect his privacy.
• Jiang and the Escort Agency: Jiang’s unusual background and strength create uncertainty among the agency’s members, but his documents and performance make him a valuable potential recruit. The chapter ends with Jiang committed to joining despite the agency’s limited cultivation resources.

Chapter Summary: “Phonograph”

Plot Points and Events

• Escort Chief Duan evaluates Jiang Jingnian, recognizing that his composed bearing and Iron Body Skill mark him as someone of unusual talent and likely better family origins than his current status suggests.
• Duan offers Jiang a position as an escort master at Tongda Escort Agency. The agency, once respectable, is declining because banks, money houses, and foreign transport companies have taken much of its business.
• Jiang learns that escort masters handle cargo and personal escorts, provide protection, support clients in disputes, and sometimes “hold the field” for influential parties. The work is dangerous but offers high pay and access to privileges unavailable to ordinary civilians.
• Because Jiang is already a Quasi-Martial Master, Duan considers placing him directly in the position but plans to observe his character before treating him as a potential disciple or successor.
• Jiang completes his employment paperwork. The agency submits his documents to the foreign Public Works Bureau, which will issue him official escort-master and martial-artist certification.
• He thereby becomes a legally registered martial artist in the concession, gaining a degree of protection from arbitrary arrest and greater social status.
• Over the next two days, Jiang returns his rented rickshaw, refunds his regular customers, and borrows half a month’s wages in advance—106 silver dollars.
• His new occupation promises roughly 230 silver dollars per month, far exceeding what he earned as a rickshaw puller and even surpassing the income of his schoolteacher uncle.
• Jiang then visits an acquainted bookstore owner to purchase a mysterious box phonograph with special properties. After prolonged bargaining, he buys it for sixty silver dollars. The shopkeeper also tries to interest him in an imported electric lamp, but Jiang remains focused on the phonograph.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian completes a major social and economic transformation, moving from impoverished laborer to respected, legally recognized martial artist.
• He demonstrates practicality and responsibility by returning the rickshaw, reimbursing customers, and arranging finances before making his purchase.
• His persistence and bargaining skill are highlighted during his negotiations for the phonograph.
• Escort Chief Duan shows strong judgment and an appreciation for talent. He sees Jiang as a possible future asset or even disciple but remains cautious, intending to assess his character over time.
• The bookstore owner becomes more respectful and accommodating once Jiang’s new status is revealed, showing how quickly social treatment changes when someone gains wealth and martial authority.

Significant Themes

• Social mobility amid upheaval: War and political instability have destroyed old families and forced people into new lives, while martial ability offers one possible path upward.
• Decline of traditional institutions: Tongda Escort Agency struggles against modern banks, money houses, and foreign logistics companies, reflecting the displacement of older industries by foreign and technological competition.
• Privilege and inequality: Registered martial artists enjoy legal protections and social advantages unavailable to ordinary workers, exposing the unequal structure of the concession.
• Changing identity and appearance: Jiang’s new clothing, profession, and official status dramatically alter how others perceive him, emphasizing the power of wealth and social position.
• Technology and mystery: The phonograph represents both modern ingenuity and Jiang’s private interest in extraordinary objects, though its special nature is not yet explained.

Character Interactions

• Duan and Jiang discuss the duties, risks, and declining prospects of escort work, with Duan offering guidance while quietly assessing Jiang’s potential.
• Jiang interacts formally and respectfully with Duan but asks practical questions to understand his new profession.
• Jiang and the bookstore owner engage in extended, friendly bargaining. Their prior relationship as customer and rickshaw client evolves as the shopkeeper recognizes Jiang’s new influence and seeks to maintain ties with him.

Chapter Summary: The Fate of a Family Heirloom

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Jingnian considers purchasing a phonograph priced at sixty silver dollars—a fortune for ordinary laborers, who might need years to save that amount.
• His newly elevated status as an escort master gives him enough disposable income to afford it, and the bookstore owner treats him with marked respect.
• After testing the machine, Jiang confirms that it works properly. The owner explains that the phonograph is imported and valuable, though its accompanying record—Zhou Xiangyu’s Drunken Wind Fragrance—cannot be sold because it is out of print.
• Jiang buys the phonograph and declares that it will become a family heirloom.
• He carries it back to the escort agency’s apartment courtyard, where servants and apprentices greet him respectfully because of his new position.
• Several young martial artists resent Jiang’s appointment as an escort master, believing he received a position that should have gone to a more established candidate.
• A young man surnamed Qian complains that Jiang is not yet a Martial Master and suspects the escort chief of favoritism. He plans for his elder brother to challenge Jiang at an upcoming meeting.
• Back in his room, Jiang activates the [Taotie] trait on the phonograph. The object is completely refined and disappears without leaving even ash behind.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian: His rise from impoverished rickshaw puller to escort master is emphasized through his newfound wealth, social status, and confidence. He remains passionate about music and treasures the phonograph, but his hidden ability ultimately causes him to destroy the very heirloom he intended to preserve.
• The bookstore owner: He recognizes Jiang as a genuine music enthusiast and is pleased to sell the phonograph to someone who will supposedly care for it.
• The young man surnamed Qian: He is introduced as proud, class-conscious, and resentful of Jiang’s rapid advancement. His confidence in his family background and martial training foreshadows a confrontation.
• Qian’s female companion: She is more cautious and practical, warning him not to criticize the escort chief too openly.
• The escort agency: Through its treatment of Jiang, it is shown to value his unusual martial potential, even though he has not yet officially reached the Martial Master stage.

Significant Themes

• Social inequality and class mobility: The chapter contrasts the poverty of ordinary laborers with Jiang’s sudden improvement in status and income.
• Scarcity and institutional control: Limited escort-master positions reflect the restrictions imposed by the foreigners’ Martial Restriction Order, which forces martial artists to compete over scarce opportunities.
• Resentment toward outsiders and social prejudice: Jiang’s background as a former rickshaw puller causes wealthy young martial artists to look down on him despite his talent.
• The irony of possession: Jiang values the phonograph as a precious family heirloom, but his supernatural [Taotie] ability consumes it immediately. His desire to preserve a beautiful object conflicts with the nature of his power.
• Talent versus pedigree: The chapter sets up a conflict between Jiang’s natural ability and the advantages claimed by those from wealthy martial families.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and the bookstore owner interact cordially during the inspection and purchase, with the owner respecting Jiang’s enthusiasm and urging him to care for the phonograph.
• Servants and apprentices greet Jiang deferentially, demonstrating the authority attached to his new rank.
• Qian and his companions discuss Jiang behind his back, revealing their jealousy and class prejudice.
• Qian’s companion attempts to restrain his reckless criticism, while Qian insists that his brother will challenge Jiang.
• Jiang remains unaware of their hostility, focused instead on the phonograph—until he activates [Taotie] and destroys it.

Chapter Summary: “Psychic Whip”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Jingnian uses his Taotie trait to devour a special box phonograph once owned by the daughter of Viscount Jansen of Migallon.
• The phonograph contains traces of the mysterious Blood Moon Dark Painting Ritual and hallucinogenic properties. Unlike ordinary objects, it possesses entries that Taotie can consume.
• During the devouring process, Jiang experiences a disturbing vision of an abyssal maw swallowing a blood-red crescent moon, accompanied by cold, resentful whispers. This unusual reaction suggests that some remnant of a monster or supernatural force may have remained within the phonograph.
• Afterward, Jiang’s status panel gains a new incomplete trait: Psychic Whip.
• Psychic Whip allows him to attack an opponent’s mind with psychic power twice per day. Its effectiveness depends on the difference between his mental will and the target’s.
• Jiang is surprised that the ability resembles magic or witchcraft rather than martial arts, but he recognizes its value as a hidden weapon that could determine a battle unexpectedly.
• The scene shifts to the Tongda Escort Agency, where Jiang practices the aggressive fist techniques of the Taiji Vajra Art.
• Other apprentices observe him with curiosity because he recently passed the entry assessment and became an official escort immediately, bypassing the usual runner stage.
• Wealthy apprentices, especially those connected to the Qian Household, resent Jiang’s rapid promotion. Qian Shiqi is particularly bitter because he has served the agency for over two years while repeatedly being denied promotion.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian gains a powerful new supernatural ability and begins thinking more strategically about combat. He remains confused about the origin of Psychic Whip but accepts it as another trump card.
• His confidence in his defensive strength and developing martial ability grows. He also demonstrates that his version of Taiji Vajra Art is far more vicious and combat-oriented than ordinary Tai Chi.
• Qian Shiqi is established as a resentful rival. Despite his long service and hard work, he feels overlooked and humiliated by Jiang’s swift advancement.
• Jiang’s social position rises within the escort agency, changing him from an outsider and former rickshaw puller into a figure watched—and disliked—by established apprentices.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through the unknown: Jiang’s abilities come from mysterious supernatural sources whose origins and consequences he does not fully understand.
• The fusion of martial arts and supernatural powers: Psychic Whip disrupts Jiang’s expectations that his path would be purely physical, suggesting that his development may combine martial and occult abilities.
• Merit versus status and seniority: Jiang advances because of his apparent talent and Duan Escort Chief’s recognition, while Qian Shiqi’s years of service fail to earn him the same opportunity.
• Resentment caused by unequal advancement: Jiang’s promotion exposes tensions within the escort agency, especially among privileged apprentices who believe a newcomer of low social standing has unfairly surpassed them.
• Hidden danger and incomplete power: The disturbing vision linked to the phonograph hints that Psychic Whip may have darker origins and greater potential than its current incomplete form suggests.

Character Interactions

• Jiang interacts primarily with the supernatural remnants within the phonograph, though the encounter is indirect and mysterious.
• At the escort agency, Jiang’s physical training attracts the attention of nearby apprentices, who watch him because of his unusual promotion and dangerous technique.
• Qian Shiqi does not confront Jiang directly in this chapter, but his hostile observation establishes an impending rivalry. His resentment is directed both at Jiang’s success and at the agency leadership that favored him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Peace City is declining amid political chaos, natural disasters, refugee influxes, competition for resources, and the growing power of the lawless Stockade. Wealthy locals increasingly resent outsiders, especially poor refugees and foreign martial artists who ignore the Martial Restriction Order.
• Qian Shiqi, born to a wealthy family, strongly resents Jiang Jingnian for taking the escort master position Qian believed he deserved. Unable to challenge the Escort Chief or the agency directly, Qian directs his hostility toward Jiang.
• While observing Jiang’s training, Qian criticizes his crude fist techniques and assumes Jiang lacks proper instruction, martial inheritance, and combat experience. He believes Jiang’s only advantage is his naturally strong body.
• Qian’s younger brother, Qian Xiaofu, agrees with this assessment. He claims Jiang has never fought seriously or killed anyone, contrasting him with Qian Shiqi, who has spent years escorting goods and fighting bandits.
• Despite his contempt, Qian recognizes that Jiang’s body-tempering abilities may be impressive, especially because Jiang endured Escort Master Yu’s palm strike without apparent injury. Qian therefore decides not to underestimate him.
• During the escort agency’s regular meeting, the escort chiefs discuss staffing shortages and delayed business, including aid for the Su Family. Jiang quietly studies a literacy textbook while the others observe the tension between him and Qian.
• In front of the entire agency, Qian formally invokes the agency’s rules and challenges Jiang to a martial contest.

Character Developments

• Qian Shiqi: His resentment develops into open aggression. Though arrogant and class-conscious, he is observant and experienced enough to recognize Jiang’s physical strength as a genuine threat. His pride and desire to reclaim the position drive him to challenge Jiang publicly.
• Jiang Jingnian: He remains humble, hardworking, and largely unaware of the hostility directed toward him. He practices martial arts diligently and studies literacy, earning the respect of several escort masters despite his rural background.
• Qian Xiaofu: He reinforces his brother’s confidence by portraying Jiang as an inexperienced “white rabbit.” His casual, somewhat mocking analysis highlights the Qian brothers’ shared prejudice.
• The escort masters: Some view the conflict with curiosity, while others quietly admire Jiang’s sincerity and dedication. They understand the social and professional tension behind Qian’s challenge.
• The escort chiefs: They manage the agency’s practical affairs amid manpower shortages and political instability, while Qian’s challenge threatens to disrupt the meeting.

Significant Themes

• Class prejudice and social exclusion: Wealthy locals look down on outsiders, particularly refugees and people from rural backgrounds. Qian’s contempt for Jiang reflects the broader hostility within Peace City.
• Appearance versus ability: Jiang appears crude and inexperienced, but his physical resilience may conceal considerable potential. Qian’s assumptions may prove unreliable.
• Experience versus natural talent: Qian possesses real combat experience, while Jiang has superior physical gifts and disciplined determination. The coming contest will test which advantage matters more.
• Ambition and resentment: Qian’s belief that Jiang stole his rightful advancement turns professional disappointment into personal hostility.
• Learning and self-improvement: Jiang’s martial practice and efforts to learn reading demonstrate humility and a willingness to improve, contrasting sharply with Qian’s pride.
• Social disorder: The troubled condition of Peace City forms the backdrop for the characters’ conflicts, showing how war, migration, lawlessness, and economic pressure intensify local divisions.

Character Interactions

• Qian Shiqi watches Jiang train and internally ridicules his techniques while secretly assessing his strengths.
• Qian Xiaofu joins his brother, eating buns while dismissing Jiang’s lack of combat experience and killing intent.
• Qian Shiqi acknowledges that Jiang may possess strong body-tempering abilities, revealing a mixture of contempt and caution.
• During the agency meeting, Qian publicly challenges Jiang, while Jiang—absorbed in studying—does not initially understand why everyone is looking at him.
• The chapter ends with the confrontation formally initiated, setting up a test between Qian’s experience and Jiang’s untapped physical potential.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Jingnian is unexpectedly challenged at a Tongda Escort Agency meeting. He has only recently joined and has no idea why anyone would object to his promotion.
• The Chief Escort explains that agency rules allow others to challenge a newly appointed escort; losing would strip Jiang of his escort rank and return him to runner status.
• Qian Shiqi volunteers to fight alone, despite three other young men—Qian Xiaofu and his two friends—also voicing objections.
• The match is held on a makeshift arena under rules forbidding weapons and killing.
• Qian attacks Jiang’s knees with a series of forceful kicks, expecting to exploit weaknesses he believes he observed in Jiang’s crude boxing and stance.
• Jiang is barely affected. He advances and lands three restrained punches—two to Qian’s abdomen and one to his chest—knocking him unconscious and ending the challenge.

Character developments

• Jiang Jingnian remains bewildered by the challenge but adapts calmly rather than dwelling on its cause. His apparent lack of polish conceals exceptional toughness and strength.
• Qian Shiqi is confident that careful observation and a targeted attack will defeat Jiang. His confidence collapses when his kicks have no effect and Jiang’s ordinary-looking punches overwhelm him.
• The Chief Escort lays out the rules and quietly recognizes that Duan failed to explain the agency’s customs to Jiang.
• Duan Escort Chief stays silent and avoids looking at Jiang, leaving the reasons behind the dispute unclear.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: Jiang’s rough technique and lack of experience conceal formidable physical ability.
• Overconfidence and misjudgment: Qian mistakes flaws in Jiang’s visible technique for genuine vulnerability.
• Strength over technique: In this bout, Jiang’s resilience and power outweigh Qian’s tactical planning.
• Institutional custom: The challenge is presented as an established procedure for resolving doubts about a new escort’s standing.

Character interactions

• Qian challenges Jiang despite having no apparent personal history with him; Jiang is left wondering why he has been singled out.
• The Chief Escort explains the rules to Jiang and gives the challengers a chance to join Qian, but only Qian enters the arena.
• Qian’s targeted kicks fail to hurt Jiang, who responds with three controlled punches that decisively end the fight.

Chapter Summary: “Upright and Aboveboard”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Shiqi, the escort agency’s strongest guard and a gifted eighteen-year-old Quasi-Martial Master, challenges Jiang Jingnian to prove the newcomer’s qualifications as an escort master.
• Although Qian Shiqi has cultivated the Qian Household’s powerful Cloud-Body Leg Technique and is close to breaking through into the Martial Master realm, Jiang defeats him almost instantly.
• Jiang withstands several full-force kicks without apparent injury, then defeats Qian Shiqi with three simple but overwhelming punches. He deliberately avoids striking vital points, leaving Qian only mildly injured and unconscious.
• Qian Xiaofu rushes to his brother’s aid. While outwardly submitting to the result, he secretly harbors resentment toward Jiang for humiliating the Qian Household’s genius.
• The Chief Escort Master confirms that Qian Shiqi has suffered only a minor internal injury and orders that he be taken to the clinic.
• He publicly declares Jiang fully qualified to serve as an escort master and warns everyone not to continue causing trouble after the arena dispute has been settled.
• Later, the Chief Escort Master and Escort Chief Duan discuss Jiang’s strength, physical talent, martial character, and possible origins of his Iron Body technique.
• They conclude that Jiang practices a legitimate and righteous form of external martial arts rather than the dangerous Corpse Garment Technique.
• Escort Chief Duan admits that he may want to take Jiang as a disciple, but he has been testing Jiang cautiously because a disciple would inherit his martial legacy.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian: Demonstrates extraordinary defensive strength and combat ability. He is surprised by how easily he defeated Qian Shiqi, suggesting that he has not yet fully recognized his own power. His restrained, balanced attacks establish him as both formidable and disciplined.
• Qian Shiqi: Despite being regarded as a once-in-a-generation genius and being near the Martial Master realm, he suffers a decisive defeat. His loss reveals the enormous gap between ordinary Quasi-Martial Masters and Jiang’s physical cultivation.
• Qian Xiaofu: Shows concern for his brother but also deep resentment and prejudice toward Jiang, whom he views as an inferior outsider. He conceals his hatred rather than openly challenging the result.
• Chief Escort Master: Initially carries some conventional prejudice against outsiders, but he recognizes Jiang’s ability and integrity. He asserts his authority by officially validating Jiang’s position and enforcing the agency’s rules.
• Escort Chief Duan: Reveals himself to be observant, cautious, and increasingly impressed by Jiang. He recognizes Jiang’s rare suitability for external martial arts and considers making him his successor.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus reputation: Qian Shiqi’s prestigious background, inheritance, medicines, and talent cannot compensate for the overwhelming superiority of Jiang’s physical cultivation.
• Humility and restraint: Jiang wins decisively without excessive force and avoids vital points, demonstrating that true strength can coexist with control and fairness.
• Prejudice against outsiders: The Qian Household and others underestimate Jiang because of his humble origins, but his victory challenges their assumptions.
• Righteous martial cultivation: The chapter contrasts Jiang’s “upright and aboveboard” martial path with the crooked and destructive Corpse Garment Technique, emphasizing vitality, moral balance, and legitimate advancement.
• Legacy and succession: Escort Chief Duan’s consideration of Jiang as a disciple introduces the importance of passing on martial knowledge before the older generation’s time ends.
• Order and institutional authority: The arena serves as a controlled means of resolving internal disputes, while the Chief Escort Master ensures that the result is respected and prevents further factional conflict.

Character Interactions

• Jiang and Qian Shiqi: Their brief arena battle establishes Jiang’s overwhelming power and Qian Shiqi’s defeat.
• Jiang and Qian Xiaofu: Though they exchange no major words, Qian Xiaofu’s concealed hostility positions him as a potential future antagonist.
• Jiang and the escort agency: Jiang earns the agency’s reluctant respect and official acceptance through his performance.
• Chief Escort Master and Jiang: The Chief Escort Master publicly validates Jiang, protecting the agency’s order while acknowledging his abilities.
• Chief Escort Master and Escort Chief Duan: Their private conversation reveals mutual familiarity and allows them to assess Jiang’s techniques, character, and future potential.
• Escort Chief Duan and Jiang: Duan’s cautious testing and desire to make Jiang his disciple suggest a developing mentor-successor relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Dispatching an Escort”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Escort Head Duan discusses Jiang Jingnian’s exceptional physique and natural suitability for hard qigong. Jiang’s strength and dense flesh remind Duan of his late elder brother, a gifted horizontal-training martial artist who reached the Marrow Tempering Stage but was eventually killed by a powerful sect expert.
• The Chief Escort suggests giving Jiang special protection on his first assignment by replacing Escort Master Wei with the stronger and more senior Escort Master Zhou. Duan refuses, insisting on following the agency’s established arrangements and treating Jiang impartially.
• After recovering from his earlier sparring match, Jiang learns that he will participate in his first escort mission. The destination is Cloud Harmony City, several hundred li south of Peace City.
• The caravan will transport more than a dozen crates of valuable timber furniture to the city’s largest trading house. The team consists of Jiang Jingnian, Escort Master Wei Yu, five runners, and three apprentices.
• Jiang asks Wei for practical advice. Wei instructs him to kill bandits if necessary but never pursue fleeing enemies or enter dense forests. He also warns him about Demon Wraiths—strange monsters that may be physical or formless, including the powerful Stone Demon on Baobai Mountain.
• Jiang observes another escort team transporting desperate-looking people, apparently refugees or individuals fleeing trouble. The sight reminds him how dangerous and unstable the world outside Peace City is.
• Before departure, Wei assigns the team’s positions and warns Jiang not to separate from the group. Jiang agrees, recognizing that overconfidence and isolation are common causes of death during escort missions.
• At around one in the afternoon, the caravan leaves under the Tongda Escort Agency banner. The runners lead and monitor the surroundings, while Wei and Jiang stay in the center to command the group and respond to threats.

Character Developments

• Jiang Jingnian: Begins his first escort mission as an inexperienced but disciplined escort master. Although naturally confident after defeating Qian Shiqi in combat, he remains modest, listens to Wei’s advice, and understands the dangers of acting recklessly.
• Escort Head Duan: Reveals a personal connection to Jiang’s potential, seeing in him the same gifted physique as his deceased elder brother. Despite his interest in mentoring Jiang, Duan maintains professional impartiality.
• Chief Escort: Shows concern for Jiang by proposing additional protection, though he ultimately respects Duan’s judgment.
• Escort Master Wei Yu: Establishes himself as an experienced, practical mentor. He gives Jiang survival advice and keeps a cautious eye on him, suspecting that youth and recent victory may have made him overconfident.

Significant Themes

• The difficulty and cost of martial advancement: Hard qigong requires tremendous physical effort and continuous access to expensive medicines, making progress increasingly difficult at higher levels.
• Talent versus fate: Jiang and Duan’s brother possess rare natural gifts, but exceptional ability cannot protect someone from political dangers, stronger enemies, or tragic circumstances.
• Impartiality and professionalism: Duan refuses to give Jiang preferential treatment, emphasizing that rules and established procedures matter even when personal feelings are involved.
• Caution versus youthful confidence: Jiang’s first mission highlights the importance of discipline, teamwork, and restraint in a dangerous world.
• A perilous and unstable society: Bandits, Demon Wraiths, refugees, and dangerous regions show that ordinary travel beyond Peace City is fraught with violence and supernatural threats.

Character Interactions

• Duan and the Chief Escort discuss whether Jiang should receive special protection, revealing both their friendship and differing views on fairness and risk.
• Jiang consults Wei over lunch, beginning a mentor-like relationship grounded in practical instruction.
• Wei warns Jiang to remain with the group, while Jiang responds respectfully and promises not to act independently.
• Jiang’s observations of the refugee-like passengers and the other escort teams broaden his understanding of the world beyond the escort agency.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Jingnian rides a horse for the first time. Thanks to his Martial Master physique and quick reflexes, he quickly learns to control it by copying Escort Master Wei Yu.
• The convoy leaves Peace City and enters the Chen State’s poorly maintained official roads. Although the city can be left quickly, the freight wagons travel slowly because of rough terrain and damaged roads.
• Wei Yu warns the escorts to avoid muddy potholes, which may conceal poison, traps, or other mechanisms left by bandits.
• He explains that escort work has become far more dangerous because of widespread warfare, the Defending Nation War in the south, growing numbers of refugees, and wealthy Martial Masters who have turned to banditry after losing their homes.
• The group discusses the danger of Demon Wraiths in the wilderness. Wei Yu explains that only powerful, organized bandit strongholds can survive both supernatural threats and military forces.
• The escorts also discuss whether the Defending Nation War could restore Chen State and its lost prosperity. Wei Yu dismisses the idea, believing the warlords’ ambitions are less idealistic than they claim.
• At dusk, the convoy reaches a village in Sun Copper County that normally serves as a safe and inexpensive overnight stop for travelers.
• Jiang Jingnian detects a strange odor, though neither Wei Yu nor the others can smell it. His unease causes the escorts to become more alert.
• Near the village entrance, Wei Yu discovers blood covering the road and more than a dozen mutilated corpses belonging to the villagers. He realizes Jiang’s warning was correct and orders the convoy to retreat.
• As Wei Yu turns back, a bullet narrowly misses his head, confirming that the convoy has been ambushed.

Character developments

• Jiang Jingnian demonstrates rapid physical adaptation and growing confidence by mastering horseback riding almost immediately.
• His heightened senses and instinctive unease reveal his increasing martial awareness. Although he initially doubts himself, his suspicion proves accurate.
• Wei Yu appears experienced, cautious, and knowledgeable about the dangers of escort work. His attitude shifts from relaxed familiarity with the village to immediate alarm once he sees the corpses.
• Wei Yu’s comments also reveal his bitterness and helplessness regarding Chen State’s decline and foreign influence.
• The younger escorts and apprentices are shown becoming more aware of the dangerous political and social conditions outside Peace City.

Significant themes

• Social and political collapse: War, refugees, banditry, and foreign interference have weakened Chen State and destroyed ordinary public safety.
• The contrast between past and present: The idealized peaceful Chen State of historical records is contrasted with a modern world where even prosperous cities are dangerous.
• Instinct and vigilance: Jiang’s unexplained suspicion and Wei Yu’s caution emphasize the importance of martial intuition and preparedness.
• Loss of security: A village that once served as a reliable resting place has become a massacre site, showing that familiar institutions and routes can no longer be trusted.
• National humiliation and powerlessness: Wei Yu’s resentment toward foreign powers reflects the broader frustration of Chen State’s Martial Masters, who recognize their country’s decline but lack the power to reverse it.

Character interactions

• Jiang learns horseback riding by observing and imitating Wei Yu.
• The apprentices question Wei Yu about bandits, prompting him to explain how the worsening wars have changed the escort trade.
• Jiang asks how bandits survive alongside Demon Wraiths, leading Wei Yu to describe the survival of only the strongest organized groups.
• A female escort expresses hope that the Defending Nation War might restore Chen State, but Wei Yu rejects her idealistic belief.
• Jiang’s warning about the strange smell influences the group’s behavior, making the escorts more observant before the ambush.
• Wei Yu ultimately acts on the danger, orders the convoy to retreat, and is immediately targeted by a gunman.

Key plot points and events

• The Tongda Escort Agency’s convoy is ambushed by dozens of uniformed soldiers armed with foreign rifles, blocking both the road ahead and the route behind.
• The escorts dismount as gunfire and the soldiers’ presence create immediate panic. Escape appears nearly impossible because the road is open and the soldiers can easily shoot anyone attempting to flee.
• A gaunt, long-armed middle-aged man emerges from the forest. His terrifying “Presence” overwhelms the escorts, causing weaker members to collapse in fear.
• Escort Master Wei Yu recognizes the man as a powerful expert of the Inner Qi Realm, a level above Marrow Tempering. He attempts to negotiate by invoking Chief Li, the Inner Qi Pinnacle master who leads the Tongda Escort Agency.
• Tao Yanchen, the Tao Family’s “Sixth Young Master,” appears wearing Western clothes and carrying a bloodied pitchfork. A woman’s mutilated corpse is hanging from it, revealing the group’s brutality despite their claims of order.
• Tao Yanchen questions whether Chief Li is an influential local figure and casually suggests killing the escort party to prevent witnesses. Butler Wei initially encourages this idea.
• Tao then rebukes Butler Wei, claiming the Tao Family has no right to punish innocent travelers who are merely passing through. His righteous words temporarily ease the escorts’ fear, though Jiang Jingnian distrusts him completely.
• Tao explains that the soldiers and his followers belong to the Black Flood Dragon Army and that they came to hunt a Demon Wraith that wandered from Baobai Mountain. He insists they do not slaughter innocents indiscriminately.

Character developments

• Jiang Jingnian remains alert and pragmatic under extreme pressure. He recognizes that he cannot defeat Butler Wei or escape the soldiers, so he secretly prepares to use both of his Psychic Whips against Tao Yanchen in a final act of retaliation if violence breaks out.
• Jiang’s fear does not paralyze him; instead, he suppresses panic, studies the terrain, and calculates how to maximize his chances of killing Tao, revealing his reckless courage and survival instinct.
• Wei Yu demonstrates experience and diplomacy by immediately lowering his stance and trying to negotiate. However, his trembling shows that even a strong martial artist is helpless before the long-armed Inner Qi expert.
• The long-armed man, apparently Butler Wei, is established as an extraordinarily intimidating martial artist whose aura alone can incapacitate weaker opponents.
• Tao Yanchen is presented as elegant, wealthy, and outwardly civilized, yet casually associated with corpses and violence. His shift from suggesting mass execution to delivering a moral lecture makes him appear manipulative and unpredictable.
• Butler Wei acts as Tao’s subordinate and adviser, readily interpreting Tao’s words in the most violent way, though he immediately accepts Tao’s correction when reprimanded.
• The escort hands and apprentices are shown to be ordinary people completely overmatched by firearms and martial “Presence.”

Character interactions

• Wei Yu and Jiang Jingnian react differently to the ambush: Wei attempts formal negotiation, while Jiang silently plans an assassination and possible last stand.
• Wei invokes Chief Li’s reputation in an effort to deter the attackers, but Tao dismisses the agency as only a minor force in Peace City.
• Butler Wei repeatedly reinforces Tao Yanchen’s authority, first proposing that the escorts be killed and later explaining the identities and status of Chief Li and other local powers.
• Tao’s confrontation with Butler Wei reveals his control over the group: he allows the appearance of mercy but sharply corrects any suggestion that the Tao Family acts without justification.
• Tao’s apparent reassurance conflicts with the horrifying corpse he carries, leaving the escorts—and especially Jiang—uncertain whether his words can be trusted.

Significant themes

• Power and helplessness: Firearms, military organization, and martial Presence combine to make the escort party virtually powerless, emphasizing the vast gap between ordinary fighters and elite forces.
• Civilization masking brutality: Tao’s Western clothing, refined manners, and moral language contrast sharply with the bloodied corpse and casual discussion of killing.
• Fear as a weapon: The long-armed man’s Presence is more psychologically devastating than the guns, showing that power can dominate people before any physical attack occurs.
• Class and hierarchy: Tao’s dismissal of the Tongda Escort Agency and references to aristocratic families reveal the rigid social and political hierarchy of Peace City.
• Survival and defiance: Jiang’s willingness to die while taking Tao with him reflects a recurring tension between self-preservation and resistance against overwhelming authority.
• Moral ambiguity: Tao claims to distinguish between innocents and criminals, but his actions and companions make his definition of justice deeply suspect.

Summary of “Smiling Tiger”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tao Yanchen and his companions reveal that the escort party has been deliberately surrounded. More than a hundred soldiers from the Black Flood Dragon Army, along with numerous martial artists, emerge from the village and block every possible escape route.
• The escort party is intimidated by the overwhelming force, especially by the presence of an Inner Qi Realm expert, Butler Wei. Escort Master Wei Yu immediately tries to placate Tao and asks permission to leave.
• Tao pretends to be concerned for their safety, warning that traveling at night could expose them to a dangerous Demon Wraith. His polite, friendly demeanor contrasts sharply with the armed troops surrounding them.
• Tao asks what the escort carts are carrying. Wei Yu explains that the shipment consists of valuable rosewood furniture belonging to the Qian Household and destined for Cloud Harmony City.
• Tao jokingly—or deceptively—asks for half the shipment, presenting himself as an innocent young nobleman merely requesting a share of “good things.”
• Before Wei Yu can agree, a young, pockmarked apprentice points out that the goods are extremely valuable and that the escort agency and escort team could not afford the required compensation if the shipment were lost.
• Tao immediately attacks the apprentice with a pitchfork, driving it into his face and repeatedly stabbing him. Butler Wei uses his Inner Qi pressure to immobilize the victim and prevent anyone from intervening.
• The apprentice is left horribly wounded and near death. The rest of the escort party is paralyzed by fear, realizing that Tao’s pleasant appearance conceals extreme cruelty and that resistance would be futile.

Character Developments

• Tao Yanchen is revealed as manipulative, sadistic, and dangerously capricious. His refined speech, childish pleading, and friendly smile serve as a mask for his brutality. He treats murder as a casual response to inconvenience.
• Butler Wei demonstrates his overwhelming strength and unquestioning loyalty to Tao. His control of Inner Qi allows him to suppress the apprentice instantly and intimidate the escort leaders into remaining passive.
• Escort Master Wei Yu shifts from attempting normal negotiation to complete submission. His fear shows that he understands the Black Flood Dragon Army’s reputation and the hopelessness of resisting them.
• Jiang Jingnian remains observant and analytical. Unlike Wei Yu, he notices that the group’s arrival was carefully arranged, that the area may have been sealed with deceptive methods, and that the escort party was probably intentionally lured into the village.
• The young apprentice is portrayed as inexperienced and unlucky, speaking honestly about the shipment’s value but becoming the immediate target of Tao’s violence.
• The other apprentices and runners respond differently according to their experience: the older runners remain silent and pale, while the younger apprentices are overwhelmed by terror after witnessing their companion’s attack.

Significant Themes

• Cruelty concealed beneath politeness: Tao’s cheerful, childlike manner makes his sudden violence more disturbing, reinforcing the contrast between appearance and reality.
• Power and helplessness: The escort party is completely outmatched by the soldiers, martial artists, and Inner Qi expert. Social negotiation and ordinary courage have little value against overwhelming force.
• Predatory authority: Tao abuses his status and military backing to seize valuable goods under the guise of a harmless request.
• Psychological intimidation: The surrounding forces, the silent threat of Butler Wei, and the public attack on the apprentice are all used to suppress resistance before any formal confrontation begins.
• Perception versus reality: Tao appears refined and approachable, but his actions reveal him to be more dangerous than his outward behavior suggests.

Character Interactions

• Tao speaks to Wei Yu in a falsely warm and familiar manner, calling him “Brother Escort Master” while making it clear that the escort party is not free to leave.
• Butler Wei supports Tao’s intimidation by standing behind him as a silent enforcer and using his spiritual pressure whenever anyone might resist.
• Wei Yu attempts to answer Tao respectfully and truthfully, hoping cooperation will protect his men and the shipment.
• The pockmarked apprentice innocently explains the value of the furniture, unintentionally drawing Tao’s attention and becoming the victim of his violent demonstration.
• Jiang Jingnian silently studies the situation rather than reacting emotionally, recognizing that the ambush was carefully planned and that Tao’s apparent friendliness is a dangerous façade.