Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Xie Guang in Peril”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The rescued women and mine slaves recover after their ordeal at Blackwind Stronghold. Since returning to Lin County would expose them to the Lu Family, they decide to travel together to neighboring Sishui County and seek refuge with relatives.
• Su Xinghe assesses his remaining forces: forty-six people, including Martial Arts School apprentices, workers, and former Great River Gang members.
• He reveals that they cannot return to Lin County either. Instead, they will travel secretly to Azure Cloud Mountain to find the Young Gang Leader, who is believed to be near the Brokerage Guild’s mine.
• The group divides into five units, chooses weapons, and begins moving south through difficult mountain terrain. They avoid roads, send scouts ahead, and erase their tracks to prevent pursuit.
• While scouting ahead, Su Xinghe hears familiar voices and discovers Elder Xie Guang surrounded by three men beneath an ancient tree.
• Xie Guang is exhausted and nearly trapped. He prepares to swallow a blood-red pill that would let him unleash his Internal Force for one final battle, though doing so would likely destroy his remaining hopes of rebuilding Veteran’s Trade House.
• The attackers are led by Liu Three-Legs, an old underworld acquaintance who reveals that he has always served the Lu Family rather than merely working for the Peaceful Bandits.
• Xie Guang realizes that the Lu Family’s influence explains why the Martial Dao Bureau’s campaigns against the mountain bandits repeatedly failed.
• Just as Xie Guang appears ready to make a desperate stand, Su Xinghe arrives and shouts, “Elder Xie!” ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

2. Character Developments

• Su Xinghe becomes more strategic and authoritative. He takes responsibility for organizing the displaced gang members and apprentices, prioritizing secrecy, mobility, and survival. He also remains focused on obtaining time and medicinal resources to strengthen his side before confronting the Lu Family.
• Zhang Whiskers and the other minor leaders demonstrate their experience in the martial world by organizing scouts, assigning responsibilities, and managing the group’s movement through dangerous terrain.
• Xie Guang is shown as an aging but determined survivor. Though physically weakened and cornered, he refuses to surrender and considers sacrificing himself to protect the legacy of Veteran’s Trade House.
• Liu Three-Legs is revealed as a long-standing agent of the Lu Family, exposing the depth of the family’s infiltration and corruption.
• The displaced women, mine slaves, and former gang members begin transitioning from victims and fugitives into an organized group capable of protecting themselves and pursuing a new future.

3. Significant Themes

• Exile and displacement: Both the rescued civilians and Su Xinghe’s group are forced to abandon Lin County because the Lu Family’s power makes returning unsafe.
• Corruption and hidden alliances: Liu Three-Legs’s confession reveals that the Lu Family has secretly controlled or influenced the bandit networks, undermining official efforts to suppress them.
• Loyalty and legacy: Xie Guang’s thoughts about his dead family, Veteran’s Trade House, and his lost comrades show how personal grief and responsibility continue to shape his choices.
• Survival through unity and strategy: The survivors’ decision to travel together and Su Xinghe’s careful organization emphasize cooperation, secrecy, and preparation over reckless confrontation.
• The past returning: Old grudges, former enemies, and unresolved conspiracies resurface as Su Xinghe’s group moves toward Azure Cloud Mountain and Xie Guang’s enemies are revealed.

4. Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe reassures and directs Zhang Whiskers and the other former gang leaders, convincing them to follow the Young Gang Leader into the mountains rather than become bandits or remain in hiding.
• The minor leaders cooperate closely in dividing the larger group and planning its movement.
• Xie Guang confronts Liu Three-Legs, recognizing him as someone who once occupied a much lower position in the underworld. Their exchange exposes Liu’s betrayal and his allegiance to the Lu Family.
• Xie Guang’s memories of his parents, murdered by the Peaceful Heaven Sect, deepen the emotional stakes of his confrontation.
• Su Xinghe unexpectedly arrives just as Xie Guang is about to risk his life, suggesting that he may intervene in the battle and potentially alter the balance of power.

Chapter Summary: “Fist Shatters Eighth Rank, Vengeance Taken”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A powerful martial artist arrives at the mountain gathering, initially mistaken for Zhou Yingjun. He is revealed to be Liu Three-Legs, an Eighth-Rank martial artist and former master of the Peaceful Heaven Sect’s Breeding Cave.
• Xie Guang recognizes the danger and urges Su Xinghe to flee while secretly taking a medicinal pill to restore his depleted Internal Force. He engages Liu Three-Legs in a fierce battle, temporarily matching him.
• Su Xinghe recognizes Liu Three-Legs as the man who nearly killed the original owner of his body. He also recognizes two Ninth-Rank bandits accompanying Liu, both of whom had previously bullied the original owner.
• Rather than escape, Su Xinghe attacks the two bandits. Using his perfected fist techniques and newly improved physical strength, he kills both within moments.
• Liu Three-Legs abandons his cautious fight with Xie Guang and rushes toward Su Xinghe. Xie Guang desperately launches one final Internal Force attack to protect his disciple.
• Su Xinghe remains behind and confronts Liu directly. By combining his Ninth-Rank Bone Forging foundation with the Listening to Tides Art’s force-amplification technique, he unleashes a punch carrying more than twelve thousand jin of force—far beyond what a normal Ninth-Rank martial artist should manage.
• Liu Three-Legs is caught between Su Xinghe’s attack and Xie Guang’s desperate strike. The combined impact severely injures him and exposes the astonishing power of Su Xinghe’s secret technique.
• Witnessing Su Xinghe’s force generation, Xie Guang suddenly comprehends the principles of waves, tides, and vibration. He briefly breaks through the barrier toward the Seventh-Rank Transformation Realm, but his Internal Force has already been exhausted, leaving him unable to sustain the breakthrough and causing him to collapse.
• Liu Three-Legs senses the aura of a Seventh-Rank martial artist and freezes in terror, mistakenly believing Xie Guang has successfully broken through.
• Su Xinghe takes advantage of Liu’s hesitation and launches a relentless barrage of over-ten-thousand-jin punches against the man responsible for the original owner’s death.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe demonstrates tremendous growth. His body, Qi-Blood strength, combat experience, and mastery of the Listening to Tides Art have advanced enough for him to kill Ninth-Rank opponents effortlessly and injure an Eighth-Rank expert.
• He proves that he is not only powerful but also loyal and courageous: despite having the chance to flee, he refuses to abandon Xie Guang or leave the original owner’s vengeance unfinished.
• Su Xinghe’s past identity and present identity converge as he confronts the people connected to the original owner’s suffering, showing his determination to claim justice on the body’s behalf.
• Xie Guang reveals that his apparent weakness concealed considerable combat ability. His final battle also leads to a breakthrough in understanding, allowing him to glimpse the Seventh-Rank realm after being trapped at Eighth-Rank Peak for twenty years.
• Xie Guang’s exhaustion and impending death make him deeply protective of Su Xinghe, whom he now recognizes as an extraordinarily gifted disciple.
• Liu Three-Legs, initially confident because of his superior rank, becomes increasingly cautious and eventually terrified when Su Xinghe’s power exceeds his expectations and the apparent Seventh-Rank aura emerges.

Significant Themes

• Vengeance and justice: Su Xinghe refuses to let the original owner’s killers escape, turning personal resentment into decisive action.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Xie Guang risks his life repeatedly to protect Su Xinghe, while Su Xinghe repays that loyalty by refusing to abandon him.
• Hidden potential and transformation: Both Su Xinghe and Xie Guang reveal abilities beyond what their cultivation levels suggest. Su Xinghe’s physical force surpasses conventional limits, while Xie Guang’s near-death experience unlocks a new understanding of martial principles.
• Martial insight through observation: Xie Guang’s breakthrough comes from studying Su Xinghe’s use of vibration, waves, and force amplification, emphasizing that combat can produce revelation as well as victory.
• The limits of power and timing: Xie Guang finally finds the path to the Seventh Rank, but his depleted body prevents him from benefiting fully, highlighting the tragedy of opportunity arriving too late.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe and Xie Guang: Their master-disciple bond is central to the chapter. Xie Guang repeatedly protects Su Xinghe, while Su Xinghe stays to fight rather than flee and ultimately seeks revenge for both of them.
• Su Xinghe and Liu Three-Legs: Their confrontation is both physical and personal. Liu is the murderer connected to Su Xinghe’s predecessor, making the battle an act of direct vengeance.
• Su Xinghe and the two Ninth-Rank bandits: Su Xinghe recognizes them as former tormentors and kills them swiftly, demonstrating how far he has surpassed his previous helpless state.
• Xie Guang and Liu Three-Legs: Their duel reflects the clash between an aging but experienced martial veteran and a younger, powerful Eighth-Rank expert. Xie survives only by relying on a temporary medicinal boost and desperate tactics.
• Xie Guang and Su Xinghe’s martial talent: Xie Guang’s observation of Su Xinghe’s secret technique changes his understanding of martial arts and briefly opens the path to the realm he has pursued for two decades.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe defeats and kills Liu Three-Legs, a Grade-Seven Transformation Realm martial artist, by punching through his chest and removing his head. The battle demonstrates that even a powerful martial artist can be killed once his Internal Force is exhausted.
• Elder Xie Guang survives but is critically injured and unconscious. Su Xinghe gives him valuable Qi-Replenishing Pills, while the Great River Gang members place him on a stretcher and continue their escape.
• The group avoids a Bandit Suppression Bureau outpost near the mine, since they are still wanted prisoners and are disguised as mine bandits. They detour through the wilderness toward Azure Cloud Mountain.
• Su Xinghe scouts ahead and discovers a group connected to the Martial Arts School, including Lu Sandao, who reveals that the school’s young gang leader, Zhou Yingjun, has reached Grade Eight.
• Su Xinghe reunites with Lu Sandao and leads him to the Great River Gang and the injured Elder Xie. Lu Sandao is shocked to see the group and immediately carries Xie Guang into the mine.
• The party safely reaches the Zhou Family Mine despite encountering numerous patrols. Their passage is possible because Lu Sandao and Chen Sandao lead them through the crowded mountain routes.
• Zhou Yingjun gives Xie Guang a medicinal pill and orders everyone to remain hidden while he goes into the city for help.
• The group deliberately conceals the full extent of Su Xinghe’s recent achievements. They claim he has only recently reached Ninth Rank, hiding that he helped kill a Grade-Eight martial artist and defeated a Ninth-Rank Peak expert with one punch.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe proves that his strength has advanced dramatically. His Listening to Tides Art and Martial Dao Will allow him to resist Liu Three-Legs’s Grade-Seven pressure, and he successfully kills a stronger opponent despite being exhausted.
• Su Xinghe also shows growing leadership and caution. He repeatedly scouts the route, prioritizes Elder Xie’s survival, protects the group from patrols, and agrees to conceal his true abilities.
• Elder Xie Guang is revealed to be at the edge of death after his battle. His relief at seeing Su Xinghe alive allows him to lose consciousness, emphasizing his concern for Su Xinghe.
• Lu Sandao, normally a quiet figure behind the headmaster, is revealed to possess at least Upper Ninth-Rank strength and likely completed Bone Forging. He reacts fiercely to Xie Guang’s injuries and immediately takes responsibility for the group’s safety.
• Zhou Yingjun has reached Grade Eight and is now capable of restoring the Martial Arts School’s status as a second-rate force. He is furious after learning that the Lu Family destroyed the Brokerage Guild, murdered his family, and continues to hunt Elder Xie.
• Lu Kui is shocked by Su Xinghe’s advancement. He had assumed Su Xinghe had merely become a minor leader, but now realizes that Su Xinghe may stand near the level of major figures such as Lu Sandao.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and strategic concealment: Su Xinghe’s true power is deliberately kept secret, reflecting the principle of “acting boldly while living humbly.”
• Survival through cooperation: The Great River Gang, Elder Xie’s allies, Lu Sandao, and Zhou Yingjun must work together to escape pursuit and protect the wounded.
• The brutality of martial power: Liu Three-Legs’s death shows that rank and pressure cannot compensate for depleted Internal Force, while Xie Guang’s condition highlights the physical cost of high-level combat.
• Revenge and betrayal: The Lu Family’s destruction of the Brokerage Guild and Zhou family, Liu Bin’s theft of a Ninth-Rank true art, and Zhou Chun’s uncertain fate intensify the conflict between the families and martial factions.
• Restoration and rising power: Zhou Yingjun’s breakthrough offers hope that the ruined Martial Arts School can recover, while Su Xinghe’s rapid growth suggests a new generation of powerful figures is emerging.

Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe desperately attempts to save Xie Guang and later works closely with Zhang Whiskers and the Great River Gang to transport him.
• Su Xinghe and Lu Sandao reunite cautiously, but Lu Sandao immediately trusts him once he hears that Xie Guang is injured.
• Lu Sandao and Zhang Whiskers share a familiar, tense relationship, shown when Zhang slaps Lu Kui for loudly complaining and risking the group’s concealment.
• Lu Sandao reacts with anger and protectiveness toward Xie Guang, demanding to know who caused his injuries.
• Zhou Yingjun communicates privately with Su Xinghe after the group arrives, signaling that Su Xinghe’s hidden achievements and future role are becoming increasingly important.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the abandoned Zhou Family mine, Zhou Yingjun speaks privately with Su Xinghe about his recent disappearance and growing strength. Rather than questioning how Xinghe concealed his cultivation, Zhou accepts that survival in their dangerous world requires hidden trump cards.
• Zhou reassures Su Xinghe that he is not to blame for the losses suffered in the city. Su asks him to inform his parents that he is safe, since returning openly after being taken by the Public Security Office would be risky. Zhou agrees.
• Zhou reveals that Elder Xie’s injuries are not severe and gives Su Xinghe the promised reward ahead of schedule: the Zhou Family’s Grade-Eight True Art, Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations, inherited from Extreme Dao Mountain Academy’s Golden Baleful Peak.
• After studying the art for half an hour, Su’s Fate Panel updates:
  • He is recognized as a core disciple of White Ape Martial Academy.
  • His former Ninth-Grade Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art is replaced by Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations.
  • Because the two techniques share the same lineage, much of his previous proficiency carries over, though the new art begins at the lower “Hall-Entering” level.
• Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations is a pure body-tempering method focused on strengthening Qi-Blood, Internal Force, apertures, and meridians. Unlike Dripping Water Swordsmanship, it contains no direct combat techniques.
• Zhou explains the larger power structure of the Zhou Martial Sage Dynasty. The royal house and four super-first-rate sects—including Extreme Dao Mountain Academy—possess Martial Saint-level experts. Su realizes he now has access to supreme inheritances from both Extreme Dao Mountain Academy and the Heavenly One Sword Sect.
• Su returns to the mine with Little Beggar, eats with him, and settles in an abandoned tunnel where the Martial Arts School apprentices are staying.
• Little Beggar gives Su the spoils taken from the three attackers: five hundred taels of silver, pills, and Red Lotus Branch identification badges. Su keeps the Bone-Forging Pills and one copper badge, while giving the remaining items to Little Beggar for safekeeping. The badges can help prove that the attackers were Peaceful Heaven Sect members.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe demonstrates increasing strength, caution, and strategic awareness. He understands the importance of concealing his cultivation and recognizes the value of his new Grade-Eight True Art.
• His status rises from ordinary disciple to core disciple, reflecting Zhou Yingjun’s trust and acknowledgment of his talent.
• Su’s growing resources and previous victories have made him less concerned with small amounts of money, showing his improving position and confidence.
• Zhou Yingjun acts as a protective mentor. He trusts Su’s loyalty, supports his family concerns, provides information about Elder Xie, and gives him an advanced martial inheritance.
• Little Beggar remains closely connected to Su, sharing meals, practicing martial arts, and helping manage the spoils recovered from the attackers.
• Elder Xie is confirmed to have survived, though he was injured during the recent conflict.

Significant Themes

• Trust earned through action: Zhou’s faith in Su comes from Su’s repeated willingness to save others, not merely from his martial talent.
• Concealment and survival: The characters recognize that revealing one’s full strength is dangerous; hidden abilities and trump cards are essential in a treacherous martial world.
• Mentorship and investment: Zhou’s decision to pass on a Grade-Eight True Art shows how loyalty and potential create opportunities for advancement.
• Growth through inheritance: Su’s earlier techniques are revealed to be simplified versions of a greater orthodox tradition, emphasizing the importance of lineage and foundational training.
• Expanding worldview: The explanation of sect rankings and Martial Saint-level forces broadens Su’s understanding of the world and establishes far greater powers beyond his current surroundings.
• Practical use of victory: The chapter treats defeated enemies as sources of intelligence, proof, money, and cultivation resources rather than merely as conquered opponents.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhou Yingjun and Su Xinghe: Their conversation reinforces mutual trust. Zhou dismisses Su’s self-blame, promises to contact his family, shares information about Elder Xie, and rewards him with Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations.
• Su Xinghe and Little Beggar: They travel, eat, and settle into the mine together. Su protects their privacy while Little Beggar supplies the recovered money, pills, and evidence from the attackers.
• Su Xinghe and his family: Though they do not appear directly, his request that Zhou notify them reveals his concern for their safety and his inability to return home openly.
• Su Xinghe and the defeated Peaceful Heaven Sect members: Their belongings become valuable evidence of their affiliation with the Red Lotus Branch, potentially helping clear up the circumstances surrounding the attack on Elder Xie.

Chapter Summary: The Conspiracy Emerges and the Li Family of the Prefectural City

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe continues practicing “Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations” inside his Consciousness Space. Using the “three engines” method and Bone-Forging Pills, he rapidly improves his cultivation.
• His Ninth-Rank Bone Forging realm reaches saturation, doubling the vigor of his Qi-Blood and raising his raw physical strength to roughly five thousand jin. He plans to rest before attempting a breakthrough into Eighth-Rank Dark Force.
• Little White Bat remains asleep after consuming a Blood Pill, while Little Beggar practices a swift and powerful sword art. Su Xinghe notices that the sword art seems incomplete or insufficient for a true Grade-Eight martial technique.
• At Elder Xie’s bedside, a physician named Niu Erlang determines that Elder Xie’s organs have been damaged by excessive medicinal power. Only rare Fifth-Rank Treasure Medicines could truly save him; weaker pills can only prolong his life.
• Niu Erlang leaves behind half a root of Blood Ginseng for emergencies. He then confronts Zhou Yingjun about the attack by five Ninth-Rank mine bandits.
• Zhou Yingjun reveals that the Lu Family arranged the attack and was responsible for the destruction of the brokerage guild. However, the Lu Family itself is only an intermediary in a larger conspiracy.
• The true force behind the conflict is revealed to be the powerful Li Family of the prefectural city, a prestigious clan that produced three jinshi. One member is a Fourth-Rank Great General Who Pacifies the South.
• Evidence comes from a rescued Great River Gang disciple and a Qian Family clerk. The Qian Family had attempted to seize a shipment at Coldwater Bay, but the goods were ultimately being transported to the Li Family. The caravan later vanished, suggesting that the Li Family or its agents eliminated all witnesses.
• The shipment was likely intended to help a Li Family grandmaster break through to a higher realm. Thus, a single cultivation opportunity caused the deaths, destruction, and vendettas plaguing Lin County.
• After the meeting, Zhou Yingjun orders Qingsong and Third Guest to escort twenty mine disciples back to the martial academy, ensuring that the city businesses and hidden clan members have martial protection.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe achieves a major advancement in cultivation, completing Ninth-Rank Bone Forging and preparing to enter Eighth-Rank Dark Force. His growing strength allows Zhou Yingjun to consider him a useful participant in future conflicts.
• Su Xinghe becomes increasingly aware of the larger political and martial forces controlling events in the region. He recognizes that survival requires continuing to grow stronger.
• Zhou Yingjun is shown to be cautious but decisive. He avoids attacking the Lu Family recklessly because too many people depend on him, yet he is willing to retaliate once the evidence is confirmed.
• Niu Erlang appears ruthless, direct, and highly experienced. He offers medical aid but also pushes Zhou Yingjun toward decisive action against their enemies.
• Little Beggar demonstrates unusually rapid swordsmanship progress and combat ability despite his young age.
• Elder Xie’s condition remains critical, increasing the urgency and emotional stakes for the group.

Significant Themes

• Strength and survival: Su Xinghe’s advancement reflects the necessity of accumulating power in a world where weaker forces are manipulated or destroyed.
• Conspiracy and hidden power: The Lu Family is revealed to be only one layer of a much larger scheme involving the influential Li Family.
• The cost of cultivation: The desire to obtain rare medicines or achieve a breakthrough leads to massacres, betrayal, and the destruction of entire organizations.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Zhou Yingjun cannot simply pursue revenge because he must protect the academy, gang members, mine workers, shops, and other dependents.
• Justice versus revenge: The characters seek to punish those responsible, but they must carefully distinguish between visible enemies and the hidden powers directing events.
• Class and political hierarchy: The Li Family’s prestige, official connections, and high-ranking martial experts make them vastly more dangerous than ordinary local families.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe silently observes Little Beggar’s training and reflects on the limitations of his sword art.
• Niu Erlang examines Elder Xie, offers Blood Ginseng, and challenges Zhou Yingjun over his delayed response to the Lu Family.
• Zhou Yingjun and Niu Erlang debate whether to attack the Lu Family directly. Niu Erlang advocates decisive annihilation, while Zhou Yingjun favors a more calculated strategy.
• Su Xinghe asks who they intend to attack, prompting Zhou Yingjun to reveal the conspiracy to the assembled hall masters.
• Lu Sandao reacts furiously to the discovery that the Li Family was behind the Lu Family’s actions, especially because the Li Family operated indirectly and caused others to suffer.
• Zhou Yingjun’s final orders show his practical leadership: the group must strengthen defenses and protect its people before launching any major retaliation.

Key plot points and events

• After weighing his options, Su Xinghe chooses Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations as his route to Grade Eight. Its emphasis on Internal Force, defense, and stamina suits the dangers of Lin County; he plans to learn Stone-Piercing and Rainstorm from Dripping Water Swordsmanship for offense.
• He attempts the breakthrough himself, gathering his Qi-Blood and guiding it into his lower abdomen. The dantian opens far more easily than expected, forming a Qi Sea and transforming the gathered force into Internal Force.
• The Silver Figurine in his Consciousness Space trembles, and a vision from Listening to Tides Art accompanies the appearance of a fourth Silver Figurine.
• Su tests his new power by striking a stone wall from a distance, leaving a deep hole. The Internal Force makes him much stronger, but the blow empties his dantian.
• By morning, he has generated eight more wisps of Internal Force. Various pills prove disappointing, so he relies on his abundant Qi-Blood to keep practicing. He prepares to return to Lin County, visit the Black Market for better pills, and possibly go home.

Character development and interactions

• Su Xinghe shows patience and strategic thinking: he chooses a cultivation method suited to survival, studies its stages, and conducts his first breakthrough cautiously rather than delegating it to the Silver Figurine.
• His unexpected ease in opening the dantian surprises him, though he remains restrained rather than celebrating his advancement.
• Little Beggar notices Su’s sudden aura and asks what happened. Su brushes it off and tells him to continue practicing his sword.
• Su’s thoughts turn toward settling an old score, revealing that his anger toward someone in Lin County remains unresolved.

Significant themes

• Preparation and survival: Su prioritizes durability and endurance in a dangerous world, while planning to develop complementary offensive skills.
• Discipline and incremental growth: His breakthrough, practice, and recovery depend on focused effort rather than a single dramatic leap.
• Power and its limits: Internal Force greatly magnifies Su’s strength, but using it drains his reserves quickly.
• Mystery and progression: The Silver Figurines and Listening to Tides Art continue to develop in ways Su does not yet understand.

Summary of “Killing, Saving”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe decides to act immediately after suspecting that Instructor Wu Yingcai has been captured. He returns to the mine, takes two thousand taels in banknotes from Little Beggar, and orders him to concentrate on sword training.
• He travels alone through Azure Cloud Mountain, avoiding the main roads, ore carts, and patrols. After following mountain streams for most of the day, he reaches the Clearwater River near Lin County.
• At dusk, Su Xinghe sees a fast boat arrive at a riverside estate controlled by the Ten-Li Fishermen’s Gang. Several men carry in a badly injured person wearing the White Ape Martial Academy’s distinctive moon-white uniform with a monkey emblem.
• Recognizing the clothing as possibly belonging to Instructor Wu Yingcai, Su Xinghe decides to rescue him despite the danger and the fact that Wu had previously injured him. With no boat available, he swims across the river, using his great physical strength to reach the estate.
• Inside the estate’s council hall, Wu Yingcai lies crippled and near death. He has been shot, severely beaten, and had all four limbs broken after being captured by the Fishermen’s Gang.
• Gang leader Qi Rui’an intends to torture Wu rather than kill him immediately, seeking revenge for the humiliation Qi suffered in the Veteran’s Trade House incident. Qi’s son urges him to dispose of Wu brutally.
• Su Xinghe infiltrates the hall disguised in coarse clothing. After closing the doors, he kills the guard with a single blow and seizes his saber.
• He launches a surprise attack on the gathered gang leaders, cutting down dozens of people in only a few moments. More than forty men are killed, including several Inner Tempering and Bone-Forging martial artists.
• Qi Rui’an finally attacks Su Xinghe. Their first clash forces both men back, revealing that Su is an Eighth Rank Peak martial artist. Qi Rui’an, wounded and furious, orders someone to bring him a saber so he can continue the fight.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe: Demonstrates increasing decisiveness, courage, and martial power. Although he knows the rescue may be dangerous and acts before nightfall, he refuses to abandon a former teacher and ally. His strength and combat ability have advanced dramatically, allowing him to slaughter a large group of armed martial artists with minimal effort.
• Wu Yingcai: Is revealed to have suffered devastating injuries but remains defiant. Even while crippled and near death, he retains intense hatred toward his captors and a desire to resist rather than submit.
• Qi Rui’an: Appears vindictive and cruel. His motivation is driven less by strategy than by wounded pride and a desire to make Wu suffer as revenge for his own humiliation. His confidence is shaken when Su proves stronger than expected.
• Little Beggar: Is entrusted with money and instructed to remain behind and practice, showing that Su Xinghe is beginning to take responsibility for others rather than acting entirely alone.

Significant Themes

• Saving despite past conflict: Su Xinghe chooses to rescue Wu even though Wu previously harmed him. Gratitude, shared allegiance, and moral obligation outweigh personal resentment.
• Revenge and humiliation: Qi Rui’an’s actions show how wounded pride can lead to cruelty and irrational violence.
• Power and vulnerability: Wu Yingcai’s former strength has been reduced to helplessness, while Su Xinghe’s rapidly growing power allows him to reverse the balance of power almost instantly.
• Violence as protection: Su Xinghe uses overwhelming force not merely for revenge, but to prevent Wu from being tortured and killed.
• Transformation and responsibility: Su is becoming more capable and independent, but his decision to protect Wu and guide Little Beggar also suggests a developing sense of duty.

Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe instructs Little Beggar to train and avoid trouble before departing.
• Su’s memory of Wu’s teaching and their shared affiliation leads him to overlook Wu’s past attack on him.
• Qi Rui’an and his son discuss Wu’s fate, revealing the gang’s cruelty and the family’s shared desire for revenge.
• Su infiltrates the gang’s gathering, kills the entrance guard, and attacks the assembled leaders before they can react.
• Su and Qi Rui’an clash directly, establishing the next major confrontation and confirming that Su is a formidable opponent.

Chapter Summary: “One Man Slaughters a Gang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe launches a one-man assault on the Fishermen’s Gang headquarters, confronting gang leader Qi Rui’an and his son, Qi Haifeng.
• Qi Rui’an uses his own subordinates as shields against Su Xinghe’s powerful saber strikes, allowing him and Qi Haifeng to break through the rear wall and attempt escape.
• Qi Rui’an orders his son to flee toward the city and seek help from the Lu Family’s Second Master or the Martial Dao Bureau.
• Su Xinghe, despite having only recently reached the Eighth Rank and possessing very little Internal Force, abandons restraint and relies on his immense physical strength—over twenty thousand jin—to overwhelm Qi Rui’an.
• After a brutal exchange, Su Xinghe destroys Qi Rui’an’s arms, splits his forehead, and renders him unconscious. He then finishes him by stabbing through his eye.
• Qi Haifeng, already severely wounded by Su Xinghe’s earlier attack, is captured and tortured for information.
• Su Xinghe discovers that Qi Haifeng murdered Liu Bin and Liu Bin’s elder sister, and that the true art of White Ape Martial Academy is with the Third Madam.
• Before killing him, Su Xinghe cripples Qi Haifeng further and forces him to reveal this information, then decapitates him.
• The battle leaves the Fishermen’s Gang leadership dead and its headquarters filled with corpses.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe demonstrates a dramatic transformation from a newly advanced martial artist into a terrifying and decisive killer. He combines limited Internal Force with overwhelming physical strength and refuses to retreat despite exhaustion.
• His anger deepens as he remembers how Qi Haifeng and the Lu Family destroyed the stable life he had built and forced him into hiding. His violence becomes deliberate rather than merely defensive.
• Qi Rui’an, though an experienced Eighth-Rank martial artist with greater reserves of Internal Force, is gradually overwhelmed by Su Xinghe’s relentless attacks. His confidence collapses as he realizes that neither his strength nor his subordinates can save him.
• Qi Haifeng is exposed as cruel and cowardly. He attempts to flee, but his earlier crimes and weakness leave him completely dependent on begging for mercy.
• Wu Yingcai, mortally wounded and unable to fight, gains relief upon seeing Su Xinghe destroy the Fishermen’s Gang. He dies believing that White Ape Martial Academy may still have a future.

Significant Themes

• Power born from desperation: Su Xinghe wins not through superior Internal Force, but by staking everything on his physical strength and willingness to fight without restraint.
• Revenge and righteous anger: The assault is both retaliation for the gang’s crimes and an outlet for Su Xinghe’s resentment at losing his home, family stability, and freedom.
• Justice versus brutality: Su Xinghe punishes Qi Haifeng for genuine crimes, but his torture and execution also show how revenge has pushed him toward ruthless cruelty.
• The collapse of oppressive power: The Fishermen’s Gang, once powerful enough to persecute martial schools and civilians, is destroyed by a single determined opponent.
• Hope amid tragedy: Wu Yingcai’s death is tragic, but Su Xinghe’s victory restores the possibility that White Ape Martial Academy can survive and rise again.

Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe and Qi Rui’an engage in a prolonged, destructive duel, with Qi Rui’an using subordinates and defensive techniques while Su Xinghe relies on relentless saber strikes.
• Qi Rui’an tries to save Qi Haifeng by ordering him to escape, revealing their father-son bond and Qi Rui’an’s awareness that the fight is unwinnable.
• Su Xinghe confronts Wu Yingcai after the battle and attempts to save him with Qi-Replenishing Pellets, but Wu Yingcai is already dying from internal damage caused by the Public Security Office’s bullets.
• Wu Yingcai silently acknowledges Su Xinghe’s victory as a sign of hope before dying in his arms.
• Su Xinghe interrogates Qi Haifeng, using calculated cruelty to force him to reveal the fate of Liu Bin, Liu Bin’s sister, and the White Ape Martial Academy’s true art.

Chapter Summary: “Encountering the Old Swindler Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After destroying the Fishermen’s Gang estate, Su Xinghe transports five chests of silver and a corpse by boat to White Cloud Mountain.
• He buries the silver temporarily near Wu Yingcai’s grave, keeping only the gang’s Grade-Eight True Art, “Treading Water Stance,” more than eight thousand taels in Treasure Notes, and several bottles of pills.
• He heads toward Lin County through a trade road rather than Clearwater River, where the gang’s disappearance has already attracted the attention of the Public Security Office and Bandit Suppression Bureau.
• At the Black Market entrance, Su Xinghe recognizes the “Old Swindler,” the mysterious man who previously sold him the “Ascending Dragon Stance.” He attempts to chase him down but is briefly stopped by the market guards.
• Su Xinghe eventually catches up with the man and confronts him, asking why the stance art seemed ineffective.
• The Old Swindler reveals himself to be an immensely powerful martial artist. Su Xinghe’s spiritual perception detects an overwhelming fiery presence around him and an equally terrifying icy presence around his female companion.
• The Old Swindler’s companion, Zhan Yun, unintentionally attacks Su Xinghe’s spiritual consciousness with a cold snort, causing him to bleed from the nose and nearly destabilizing his Inner Landscape.
• The Old Swindler explains that the “Ascending Dragon Stance” is meant to strengthen one’s foundation, nourish one’s source, and cultivate Qi-Blood. He believes Su Xinghe has already begun benefiting from it.
• The Old Swindler conceals his identity by calling himself “Jia Six” and departs with Zhan Yun and Gong Yueni, saying they may meet again in Eastern Province.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe: Becomes considerably more powerful after defeating the Fishermen’s Gang, reaching the peak of the Ninth Rank and awakening a Will Technique. Despite his confidence, he is humbled when he realizes how far beyond him the Old Swindler and his companions are. His suspicion toward the stance art shifts into renewed curiosity.
• Gong Hao / the Old Swindler: Is revealed to be a high-level martial expert, far more powerful than Su Xinghe expected. He recognizes Su Xinghe’s rapid advancement and hints that the youth may be connected to an influential family or faction.
• Gong Yueni: Shows an energetic and outspoken personality. She is interested in finding a suitable young martial disciple but is disappointed when Su Xinghe is revealed to be too old and male for her apparent requirements.
• Zhan Yun: Demonstrates tremendous strength and an icy, unsociable temperament. Her uncontrolled or careless hostility nearly injures Su Xinghe spiritually, suggesting that her personality may cause trouble despite her exceptional ability.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and mistaken identities: The seemingly fraudulent Old Swindler is actually an extraordinary martial expert, showing that appearances and reputations can be deceptive.
• Rapid growth versus true mastery: Su Xinghe’s advancement is impressive, but his encounter with the older experts reminds him that reaching the Ninth Rank is only the beginning of the martial path.
• The value of foundational cultivation: The chapter recontextualizes the “Ascending Dragon Stance.” What Su Xinghe dismissed as useless may have silently strengthened his body and martial foundation.
• Humility and reassessment: Su Xinghe must reconsider his assumptions about both the stance art and the Old Swindler, learning that his personal interpretation of events may be incomplete.
• The widening martial world: References to Eastern Province, hidden missions, selected disciples, and powerful factions suggest that Su Xinghe is approaching a much larger world of martial competition and intrigue.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe pursues and confronts the Old Swindler, hoping to criticize him for selling an ineffective technique.
• Gong Hao calmly questions Su Xinghe’s accusation and points out the clear improvements in his physical and spiritual condition.
• Zhan Yun’s hostile reaction demonstrates the danger of the group, while Gong Hao’s warning shows a more measured attitude toward Su Xinghe.
• Gong Yueni openly challenges Su Xinghe over insulting her grandfather, creating a tense but brief confrontation.
• The meeting ends without conflict after Su Xinghe apologizes, adopts the alias “Blackie,” and asks for clarification about the stance art.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gong Hao discusses the Ascending Dragon Stance, admitting that its original owner had been drained of his Qi-Blood. He suggests that his granddaughter, Gong Yueni, should meet the talented young man who possesses it, but she becomes embarrassed and rejects the idea.
• Su Xinghe, however, has little interest in the technique. Although it has reached the Hall-Entering level on his Fate Panel, he considers it secondary to his more important cultivation methods.
• While browsing the Black Market, Su Xinghe encounters Zhou Yingjun, who is trying to sell an ancient tiger fang to treat Elder Xie’s injuries.
• Several buyers deliberately lowball Zhou Yingjun, offering only five hundred or eight hundred taels despite recognizing the fang’s value. Zhou, desperate for money but unwilling to be cheated, refuses.
• Su Xinghe disguises his voice and offers two thousand taels, driving off the dishonest buyers. He buys the fang not for its value, but to help Zhou Yingjun obtain money for Elder Xie’s medical treatment.
• Zhou Yingjun leaves to continue his duties and seek treatment for Elder Xie. Su Xinghe reflects that Zhou has reached the Eighth-Rank Dark Force realm, but is still weak compared with major powers such as the Peaceful Heaven Sect and the Lu Family.
• The tiger fang releases a powerful, bloody killing intent when Little White Bat bites it. The energy seeps into the bat’s body, hinting that the fang may possess unusual or dangerous properties.
• Su Xinghe later visits the Mountain-Chasing Gang to complain that the Qi-Nourishing Pills he previously bought had no apparent effect. The old stallholder explains that the pills are designed for Eighth-Rank martial artists and cannot help a Ninth-Rank martial artist break through.
• Su Xinghe again realizes he has misunderstood the purpose of an item and changes the subject by asking about pills that can accelerate Eighth-Rank cultivation. The old man sarcastically dismisses him.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe continues to appear cautious and secretive, concealing his identity and strength in the Black Market. Despite his own financial concerns, he displays generosity by paying far above the buyers’ offers to help Zhou Yingjun.
• Su’s knowledge of martial resources remains incomplete. He repeatedly misjudges the uses of the Ascending Dragon Stance and Qi-Nourishing Pills, revealing a gap between his actual abilities and his understanding of the cultivation world.
• Zhou Yingjun is shown as principled but financially pressured. He refuses to accept an insulting bargain for a family heirloom, yet his urgency comes from needing to save Elder Xie. His Eighth-Rank strength is revealed, though he remains aware of his limited position.
• Gong Yueni becomes embarrassed by her grandfather’s matchmaking-like suggestion and distances herself from the proposal.
• Gong Hao is protective of his lineage and interested in forming ties with talented martial artists, but he is also realistic about his own status as expendable “cannon fodder.”
• Little White Bat may have gained or absorbed some of the tiger fang’s killing intent, potentially foreshadowing a change in its abilities.

Significant Themes

• Generosity versus exploitation: The Black Market buyers try to take advantage of Zhou Yingjun’s financial desperation, while Su Xinghe intervenes without seeking profit.
• Hidden value and misjudgment: The tiger fang, martial techniques, and pills all possess value that different characters misunderstand or conceal. Appearances and common assumptions repeatedly prove unreliable.
• Power and vulnerability: Even Eighth-Rank martial artists can be insignificant before greater factions, emphasizing the harsh hierarchy of the martial world.
• Duty and sacrifice: Zhou Yingjun sells a treasured family heirloom to save Elder Xie, while Gong Hao describes martial artists as expendable assets serving larger forces.
• Comedic misunderstandings: Su Xinghe’s mistaken expectations about the Ascending Dragon Stance and Qi-Nourishing Pills create humor while also highlighting his unfamiliarity with certain aspects of martial cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Gong Hao embarrasses Gong Yueni by suggesting she meet a talented young man, prompting her to flee.
• Zhou Yingjun clashes with the black-robed buyers over the tiger fang’s price, refusing to be bullied despite their threats.
• Su Xinghe intervenes in the dispute through an intimidating disguise and forces the buyers to retreat.
• Su and Zhou exchange the money and tiger fang respectfully, with Su quietly helping him.
• Su later confronts the Mountain-Chasing Gang’s stallholder about the ineffective pills, leading to a sarcastic explanation that exposes Su’s mistaken assumptions.

Chapter Summary: The Vengeful Little White Bat

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe spends part of the eight thousand taels he recently acquired on medicinal supplies: Qi-Replenishing Pills, Bone-Forging Pills, and two Seventh Rank Organ-Protecting Pills for treating severe injuries.
• After leaving the Mountain-Chasing Gang, he notices several people following him. Since he is now an outlaw and already frustrated by recent losses, he kills the eight pursuers and takes their meager thirty taels.
• Su Xinghe enters the city through the North City Gate without appearing on the wanted posters, realizing that his status has not yet drawn the Martial Dao Bureau’s attention.
• His injured White Bat awakens and senses the location of the red-nosed old bailiff who previously helped arrest Su Xinghe. The bat flies off to seek revenge, and Su Xinghe follows.
• At Flying Snow Tower, bailiff Chu Liangchen is seeing Public Security Office Chief Lu Xuanlin off after arranging for his son, Chu Xiong, to become a constable. Chu Liangchen and his son are revealed to have benefited from corrupt dealings involving Su Xinghe’s confiscated short sword and money.
• The White Bat attacks Chu Liangchen, striking him in the nose. Su Xinghe then confronts him and demands to know where his short sword is.
• Chu Liangchen recognizes Su Xinghe and immediately kneels, begging for his life. Chu Xiong also realizes that he possesses the stolen short sword.
• Su Xinghe attacks, killing or incapacitating Chu Liangchen and Chu Xiong. Chief Lu Xuanlin emerges and recognizes Su Xinghe as someone who was supposedly “secretly executed.”
• Su Xinghe fights Lu Xuanlin, an Upper Ninth Rank martial artist. Despite his depleted inner force, he defeats him after a fierce clash that destroys part of the building and sends both fighters crashing into the street.
• The battle attracts constables and the Inspection Bureau’s Sky-Patrolling Ravens. Su Xinghe grabs whatever valuables he can from the bodies and flees into an alley, realizing that the ravens can easily track him from the air.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe: Becomes increasingly ruthless and practical as an outlaw. He purchases healing resources, kills those pursuing him without hesitation, and openly seeks compensation and revenge for the authorities’ corruption. However, he still retains a warped sense of justice, viewing the killing of his pursuers as a “good deed” to offset his regrets.
• Little White Bat: Develops from a passive injured companion into an aggressive, emotionally driven participant. It remembers the red-nosed bailiff and independently seeks revenge, reflecting its bond with Su Xinghe and its sensitivity to his emotions.
• Chu Liangchen: Is exposed as a corrupt, cowardly bailiff who profited from Su Xinghe’s confiscated belongings. His confidence collapses immediately when confronted, and he begs for mercy.
• Chu Xiong: Shows signs of following his father into corruption, possessing Su Xinghe’s stolen short sword and expecting to benefit from his father’s connections.
• Lu Xuanlin: Is established as a capable and alert Public Security Office chief. He recognizes Su Xinghe and fights him directly, but his intervention escalates the incident into a city-wide pursuit.

Significant Themes

• Retribution and revenge: The chapter centers on Su Xinghe and the White Bat reclaiming justice from officials who abused their power.
• Corruption within authority: Public servants exploit their positions for money and favors, while the system falsely reports Su Xinghe’s death and conceals wrongdoing.
• The transformation of identity: Su Xinghe is gradually accepting life as an outlaw, balancing survival and vengeance against remnants of his former moral code.
• Companionship and shared emotion: The White Bat’s revenge mirrors Su Xinghe’s anger, showing the deep emotional connection between them.
• Survival under pressure: Su Xinghe must constantly manage limited inner force, pursue resources, and evade increasingly organized authorities.

Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe negotiates with Uncle Nine for increasingly valuable medicinal pills, demonstrating his growing wealth and urgency.
• He follows the White Bat after realizing it intends to attack Chu Liangchen.
• The White Bat physically strikes Chu Liangchen before Su Xinghe confronts him.
• Su Xinghe questions Chu Liangchen about the stolen short sword, while Chu Liangchen begs for his life and attempts to avoid provoking him.
• Chu Xiong’s possession of the sword confirms the family’s involvement in the theft.
• Lu Xuanlin confronts Su Xinghe, leading to a destructive martial battle and triggering the pursuit by constables and Sky-Patrolling Ravens.

Chapter Summary: The Major Case of Killing an “Official”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe is cornered by patrol constables, yamen runners, martial warriors from the Bandit Suppression Bureau, and a Sky-Patrolling Raven after the night’s violent incident.
• Little White Bat unexpectedly emerges from its second slumber and attacks the pursuing raven, killing or severely injuring it. This creates an opening for Su Xinghe to escape.
• Using his twenty-zhang mental perception, Su Xinghe avoids repeated blockades and safely reaches Tongzi Ward in the western city.
• Back at his lodging, he examines Little White Bat and discovers that it has undergone major physical growth:
  • Longer, sharper fangs
  • Bone spurs at the tips of its wings
  • Stronger legs and claws
  • The ability to hunt and fight independently
• Proud of its development, Su Xinghe feeds the bat blood from his short sword, strengthening their bond and suggesting that the creature’s evolution is tied to consuming blood.
• Meanwhile, an unidentified black-robed inspector examines the mutilated Sky-Patrolling Raven near Central River. He realizes that the night’s events involve the rare crime of “killing an official,” but is puzzled that the target was merely the chief of the Public Security Office. He decides to report the matter to his superior.
• At the Fishermen’s Gang headquarters, the Lu Family surveys the aftermath of a devastating attack. The gang’s headquarters has been burned, and most of its senior members—including Qi Rui’an—are dead.
• Lu Zhengquan and Lu Zhengkun conclude that the attack was aimed directly at the Lu Family and hint that Lin County may soon experience a major political purge.
• Lu Zhengyi, head of the Lu Family, arrives with shocking news: Lu Xuanlin, Lu Zhengkun’s son and the Public Security Office chief, has been killed.
• The three Lu Family members rush to the Inspection Bureau, hoping to obtain evidence from the Sky-Patrolling Ravens and investigate the murderer.
• They are stopped by a masked inspector, who claims that the Secret Records related to the case have been destroyed.
• The First Chief of the Martial Dao Bureau and Inspection Bureau then declares that he will personally report the case. His refusal to share evidence implies that the killers possess a powerful or protected status.
• The chapter ends with the Lu Family realizing that even though their son and ally have been murdered, they may be unable to seek revenge or even learn the truth.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe shows increased resourcefulness and caution. He uses his expanded mental perception to evade a large-scale pursuit and successfully escapes despite the citywide alert.
• Little White Bat undergoes a significant evolution after its second slumber. It changes from a dependent juvenile mutant into a dangerous predator capable of killing a Sky-Patrolling Raven. Its new physical weapons establish it as a much more formidable companion.
• Su Xinghe and Little White Bat develop a stronger emotional connection. Su Xinghe feels parental pride at its growth, while the bat responds eagerly and affectionately to him.
• Lu Zhengkun suffers a major personal and political loss with the death of his son, Lu Xuanlin. His usual composure breaks, revealing how important his son was as the Lu Family’s influence within the Martial Dao Bureau.
• Lu Zhengquan remains more controlled and politically minded, immediately focusing on the location of the body and the implications of the attack.
• The Lu Family leadership is forced to recognize that the perpetrators may stand above ordinary law or possess powerful protection.
• The Inspection Bureau’s First Chief is presented as an influential and mysterious authority figure who controls access to the evidence and may know far more than he reveals.

Significant Themes

• Rapid growth and transformation: Little White Bat’s evolution mirrors the wider escalation of danger in Lin County.
• Power and hidden authority: The destruction or withholding of the Secret Records suggests that official institutions are controlled by deeper forces and that law is not applied equally.
• Political intrigue and factional conflict: The attack on the Fishermen’s Gang and the murder of Lu Xuanlin appear connected to a larger purge or struggle between influential factions.
• The limits of justice: Although an official has been murdered, the Lu Family cannot freely investigate or retaliate, showing that status and hidden power determine whether justice can be pursued.
• Loyalty and companionship: Su Xinghe’s pride in Little White Bat emphasizes their growing bond, contrasting with the cold political maneuvering surrounding the Lu Family.
• Escalation of consequences: What began as a violent incident becomes a major affair involving the Public Security Office, the Inspection Bureau, the Martial Dao Bureau, and powerful local families.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe and Little White Bat: Su Xinghe encourages the bat mentally during combat, later inspects its transformed body, and feeds it blood. Their interaction establishes mutual trust and affection.
• The masked inspector and the Sky-Patrolling Raven: The inspector uses a secret technique to examine the raven’s final observations and recognizes the significance of the attack.
• Lu Zhengquan and Lu Zhengkun: The brothers assess the destruction of the Fishermen’s Gang, with Lu Zhengquan acting cautiously and Lu Zhengkun expressing restrained but growing alarm.
• Lu Zhengyi and the two brothers: Lu Zhengyi delivers the news of Lu Xuanlin’s death, turning the disaster into a personal and political crisis for the family.
• The Lu Family and the Inspection Bureau: Their attempt to obtain evidence is blocked, and the First Chief’s intervention makes clear that the case has been placed beyond their control.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After discovering that Lu Xuanlin’s murder is connected to a larger conspiracy, Lu Zhengkun, Lu Zhengquan, and Lu Zhengyi return to the Lu residence.
• Red Elegance Manor reports that Blackwind Stronghold has been completely wiped out. All three chieftains are dead, the mine slaves are missing, and the attack appears to have occurred two nights earlier.
• Lu Zhengkun immediately realizes that Xie Guang—whom the Lu Family had tried to eliminate—survived and retaliated. He also suspects that Xie Guang’s group was responsible for the destruction of the Fishermen’s Gang.
• Lu Zhengquan attempts to mobilize five hundred City Defense Army soldiers to storm the mine, but Lu Zhengyi stops him. He warns that moving troops out of the city while the Public Security Office is unstable could expose the Lu Family to attacks from enemies and outlawed martial warriors.
• The brothers instead decide to focus on finding Xuanlin’s killer, ask Red Elegance Manor to attack Zhou Family Mine, and prepare a citywide “cleansing operation” to restore Lu control over Lin County.
• Meanwhile, Su Xinghe returns home, discovers that the city is under heavy surveillance, and realizes the City Defense Army is beginning a major search.
• He sorts through his spoils, leaves valuable martial manuals, pills, money, and a letter for his family, and secretly informs them that his younger brother’s wife is a martial warrior who can teach Su Haitao swordsmanship.
• To avoid arrest as an unregistered resident, Su Xinghe escapes through Tongzi Ward, swims through the city river, and reaches Azure Cloud Mountain Mine by dawn.
• Back at the mine, he gives Little Beggar the weapons, manuals, and pills he acquired. He also entrusts two Organ-Protecting Pills to Qian Jinge for the academy master.
• Su Xinghe resumes cultivation. With the aid of his Consciousness Space and Bone-Forging Pills, he refines sixteen additional strands of Internal Force in one day.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhengkun shifts from rage to calculated retaliation. Although furious over Xuanlin’s death and Blackwind Stronghold’s destruction, he agrees to prioritize the search for the murderer while secretly arranging an attack on Zhou Family Mine.
• Lu Zhengquan demonstrates his aggressive, authoritarian nature by immediately proposing military force. He understands the connection between the failed assassination and Xie Guang’s revenge.
• Lu Zhengyi acts as the most cautious and politically minded member of the family. He recognizes that reckless troop movements could destabilize Lin County and endanger the Lu Family’s broader position.
• Su Xinghe becomes increasingly decisive and detached after killing more than a hundred people. He accepts that remaining in the city is unsafe and commits to life in Azure Cloud Mountain as a bandit.
• Su also shows concern for his family’s future by leaving behind resources and arranging for Su Haitao to receive martial instruction.
• Little Beggar reveals strong potential in swordsmanship. The short sword and cultivation resources excite him, while his skill has already reached Force Infusion and is approaching Inner Tempering.
• Qian Jinge continues guarding the injured Elder Xie and receives Su Xinghe’s pills without realizing their importance.

Significant Themes

• Retaliation and escalating violence: The Lu Family’s attempted assassination triggers a chain of counterattacks, culminating in the destruction of Blackwind Stronghold and the planned purge of Lin County.
• Political power versus personal revenge: The Lu brothers must balance vengeance for Xuanlin with the need to preserve their family’s authority and prevent their enemies from exploiting instability.
• Surveillance and social control: The Lu Family’s control over the city is represented by the City Defense Army, Sky-Patrolling Ravens, weapon restrictions, and impending house-to-house searches.
• Escape and transformation: Su Xinghe’s flight from the city marks his transition from a hidden martial practitioner into an outlaw operating from the mountains.
• The cost of strength: Su’s powerful secret art rapidly consumes his Qi-Blood and Internal Force, showing that his growing abilities carry serious physical limitations.
• Preparation and long-term cultivation: The chapter emphasizes that true advancement requires huge reserves of Internal Force, patience, pills, and the gradual opening and tempering of acupoints.

Character Interactions

• The Lu brothers debate how to respond to the destruction of Blackwind Stronghold, with Lu Zhengyi restraining Lu Zhengquan’s military plan and Lu Zhengkun ultimately choosing a more covert attack.
• Su Xinghe quietly interacts with his family through the letter and the resources he leaves behind, preparing them to survive without him.
• Su and Little Beggar exchange the spoils of battle, strengthening their partnership and supporting Little Beggar’s sword cultivation.
• Su gives Qian Jinge the Organ-Protecting Pills and briefly discusses the situation at the mine before returning to training.
• The chapter contrasts the Lu Family’s open political maneuvering with Su Xinghe’s secretive escape and increasingly independent path.

Chapter Summary: “Beheading Gang, Niu Erlang”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After exhausting his Qi-Blood power again, Su Xinghe checks his Fate Panel. Although he remains at the first aperture-opening stage of Grade Eight, his Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations has returned to Perfect Mastery, allowing him to generate eight strands of Internal Force per practice cycle.
• Because he recently suffered from insufficient Internal Force during a dangerous encounter, Su Xinghe decides to accumulate one or two hundred strands before opening more apertures.
• He experiments with the Listening to Tides Art on Little Beggar. At first, Little Beggar appears invisible within the surrounding sword energy, but Su Xinghe eventually recognizes him as a tiny, cold “pool” or “spring” in his spiritual perception.
• Little Beggar uses the same technique on Su Xinghe and perceives him as a great river, though only a little over three inches in size. This suggests that Su Xinghe’s Spirit Sea is much weaker or less developed than that of the powerful figures he encountered previously.
• Little Beggar reveals that he has only one island in his Spirit Sea, though it has grown to roughly the size of the mine tunnel. He is also increasingly hungry from his intensive sword practice.
• During dinner, Su Xinghe learns that Niu Erlang, the barefoot doctor and leader of the Beheading Gang, has arrived. Qian Jinge then summons him to a meeting.
• At the meeting, Zhou Yingjun reports two major developments:
  1. The Fishermen’s Gang was destroyed overnight, leaving only minor followers.
  2. A prominent second-generation member of the Lu Family, a Ninth Rank official overseeing the Public Security Office, was also killed.
• These events have caused widespread public celebration and serious concern among officials, with both incidents apparently pointing toward the Lu Family.
• Niu Erlang proposes renewing the plan to launch a surprise attack on Red Elegance Manor, arguing that the Lu Family’s external forces must be destroyed before they recover and become as powerful as the Fishermen’s Gang.
• Zhou Yingjun demands to know what makes Red Elegance Manor so important, refusing to sacrifice the remaining members of the Brokerage Guild without a clear explanation.
• Niu Erlang reveals that the attack on Veteran’s Trade House was connected to a larger conflict: the Qian Family Trading Company was jointly attacked by the Peaceful Heaven Sect and the Lu Family.
• He then drops the crucial revelation that Lu Zhengkun is on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Rank, shocking Zhou Yingjun.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe becomes more cautious and strategically minded. Rather than opening apertures immediately, he prioritizes building up his Internal Force so he will not again be left helpless in a crisis.
• His understanding of the Listening to Tides Art deepens. He learns to distinguish a person’s spiritual presence from external martial-energy fluctuations and experiences what it feels like to be secretly scanned.
• Little Beggar continues rapidly developing his swordsmanship and Spirit Sea. His physical and spiritual growth also increases his appetite, emphasizing the cost of his training.
• Zhou Yingjun is shown to be politically careful and distrustful. He conceals his knowledge of the Prestigious Li Family and refuses to commit the Brokerage Guild to a potentially suicidal assault without understanding Niu Erlang’s true objective.
• Niu Erlang emerges as an aggressive, determined leader willing to risk his life to strike at the Lu Family. His evasiveness suggests that he knows more about the forces behind the recent attacks than he initially reveals.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus immediate advancement: Su Xinghe’s decision to stockpile Internal Force reflects the importance of having sufficient power before pursuing further breakthroughs.
• Spiritual perception and hidden strength: The chapter explores how martial artists can conceal or misinterpret spiritual presences, and how mastery of the Listening to Tides Art reveals deeper truths.
• Escalating political and martial conflict: The collapse of the Fishermen’s Gang and the killing of a Lu Family official signal a major power struggle in Lin County.
• Trust and concealed motives: Both Niu Erlang and Zhou Yingjun withhold information, showing that alliances are built on suspicion and incomplete knowledge.
• The danger of rising powers: Lu Zhengkun’s possible breakthrough to Sixth Rank threatens to transform the local balance of power and makes immediate action against the Lu Family increasingly urgent.

Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe and Little Beggar exchange insights while testing the Listening to Tides Art, strengthening their mentor-like relationship.
• Qian Jinge helps explain Niu Erlang’s identity to Su Xinghe and keeps Little Beggar outside the confidential meeting.
• Zhou Yingjun and Niu Erlang debate whether to attack Red Elegance Manor. Zhou presses for information, while Niu insists on decisive action.
• Their discussion reveals the hidden connection between the recent attacks and ends with the alarming news that Lu Zhengkun is nearing the Sixth Rank.

Chapter Summary — Hard to Handle

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Jinge arrives at the hidden cavern, but Zhou Yingjun keeps the imminent breakthrough of Lu Zhengkun secret. The group’s discussion about attacking the estate stalls without a clear plan.
• That night, more than ten mysterious fighters leave Scarlet Cloud Mountain and infiltrate Azure Cloud Mountain. They kill a Bandit Suppression Bureau patrol and quietly pass through the area by disguising themselves among ore caravans.
• The attackers are led by “Guardian An,” a Seventh-Rank martial artist from the Peaceful Heaven Sect’s Red Lotus Branch. Chen Qi, the young master of the Qingshan Escort Agency, serves as their guide. Their target is the Zhou Clan Mine, particularly Xie Guang.
• Su Xinghe senses the attack before the enemy enters the cavern. Guardian An and two Eighth-Rank martial artists block the mine entrance, revealing that the group intends to eliminate everyone inside.
• Niu Erlang recognizes Guardian An and realizes the situation is nearly hopeless. He estimates that he can hold the Seventh-Rank expert off only briefly, while the enemy force outside numbers more than ten.
• Zhou Yingjun orders Zhou Hao to lead the apprentices out through the back tunnels, while Su Xinghe escorts Qian Jinge and Elder Xie. He and Lu Sandao remain behind to delay the attackers.
• The escape begins amid violent clashes and explosions. Su Xinghe sends Little Beggar deeper into the mine with Elder Xie, then turns back to fight.
• Zhou Yingjun recognizes Chen Qi and angrily threatens the destruction of the Qingshan Escort Agency.
• Lu Sandao confronts an Eighth-Rank enemy but is defeated by a single long-range Dark Force strike. Seriously injured and unable to move, he watches his subordinates sacrifice themselves to slow the attackers.

2. Character Developments

• Su Xinghe demonstrates heightened spiritual perception by detecting the approaching enemies. He carefully assesses both sides’ strength and chooses to defend Zhou Yingjun’s group despite recognizing the danger.
• Zhou Yingjun shifts from planning an offensive against the Lu Family to organizing an emergency retreat. His leadership becomes decisive as he assigns escape routes and chooses to stay behind with Lu Sandao.
• Niu Erlang reveals his strength and experience by identifying Guardian An’s cultivation and understanding the grim tactical situation. Though cautious, he refuses to abandon the group.
• Lu Sandao shows deep loyalty to Zhou Yingjun and the Great River Gang. His willingness to face an Eighth-Rank opponent despite the disparity in power highlights his courage, but his defeat exposes the overwhelming strength of the attackers.
• Little Beggar remains frightened but obediently follows Su Xinghe’s command, showing his dependence on and trust in his “boss.”
• Chen Qi is revealed as an enemy agent and guide, transforming his earlier connection with Zhou Yingjun into an apparent betrayal.

3. Significant Themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Niu Erlang, Zhou Yingjun, Su Xinghe, and Lu Sandao all risk themselves to protect others rather than flee alone.
• The harsh gap in cultivation: Lu Sandao’s near-Eighth-Rank strength is rendered almost useless against a genuine Eighth-Rank martial artist, emphasizing how decisive higher realms are.
• Leadership under crisis: Zhou Yingjun must abandon long-term plans and make immediate choices about who escapes and who stays behind.
• Betrayal and hidden identities: Chen Qi’s involvement shows that apparently familiar figures may be connected to dangerous enemies.
• Desperation versus survival: The group’s earlier plotting gives way to a desperate retreat, with victory no longer possible and survival becoming the only goal.

4. Character Interactions

• Zhou Yingjun gives direct orders to Zhou Hao, Su Xinghe, and Lu Sandao, establishing a clear chain of command during the attack.
• Su Xinghe protects Little Beggar and Elder Xie by forcing them to flee, while Little Beggar’s fear contrasts with Su Xinghe’s decisiveness.
• Niu Erlang and Guardian An exchange tense words, with Niu Erlang recognizing that their previous neutrality cannot survive the attack.
• Zhou Yingjun and Chen Qi confront one another as enemies, and Zhou Yingjun’s anger intensifies after recognizing the escort-agency heir.
• Lu Sandao’s clash with the unnamed Eighth-Rank martial artist demonstrates the overwhelming imbalance between them and ends with Lu Sandao incapacitated while his men attempt to protect him.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The battle in the mine reaches its climax as Niu Erlang draws away a Seventh Rank Martial Artist, while Zhou Yingjun and Chen Qi remain locked in combat amid choking smoke and dust.
• Su Xinghe ambushes a Grade-Eight Martial Artist of the Peaceful Heaven Sect, interrupting his killing blow and saving several people, though three fighters have already been killed.
• The enemy mistakes Su Xinghe for Elder Xie because he cannot see through the smoke. Su Xinghe exploits the confusion, taking up a long saber and engaging him at close range.
• Su Xinghe combines his enormous physical strength, Qi-Blood power, and the Listening to Tides Art with limited Internal Force. Although the opponent has greater Internal Force reserves and successfully blocks several attacks, Su Xinghe overwhelms him with a rapid barrage of saber strikes.
• After ten breaths, the enemy’s sword breaks and Su Xinghe shatters his skull. Su Xinghe’s Internal Force is exhausted, but his superior physical strength allows him to win.
• Su Xinghe reaches the council hall just as Chen Qi calls for his father’s help. Without hesitation, Su Xinghe kills Chen Qi, despite hearing him call out to him.
• Zhou Yingjun is shocked to discover that Su Xinghe, rather than Elder Xie, has returned. The survivors quickly loot the battlefield and retreat with their wounded.
• The group reunites with Zhou Hao and other escapees. Zhou Yingjun orders them to flee to Niu Family Village while he heads toward Thousand-Zhang Crag.
• At Niu Family Village, they reunite with Niu Erlang and members of the Mountain-Chasing Gang, including the disguised shopkeeper, two clerks, and Su Xinghe’s sister-in-law, who is revealed to be one of Lin County’s notorious Head-Chopping Bandits.
• Niu Erlang complains humorously that Zhou Yingjun’s operation forced him into a dangerous fight with a eunuch, but also reveals his respect for the strength displayed by Veteran’s Trade House.
• Niu Erlang agrees to examine Zhou Yingjun’s wounded disciples and brings the group into the village.

2. Character Developments

• Su Xinghe: Demonstrates that his physical strength and combat instincts can compensate for his limited Internal Force. He defeats a powerful Grade-Eight opponent through explosive strength, speed, deception, and relentless saber attacks. His killing of Chen Qi also shows his decisiveness and emotional detachment when dealing with enemies.
• Zhou Yingjun: Reveals deep concern for his comrades, particularly Lu Sandao and the others risking their lives elsewhere in the mine. He becomes more cautious after recognizing the danger posed by the Peaceful Heaven Sect and prioritizes retreat and survival.
• Chen Qi: His arrogance collapses as he realizes he cannot defeat Zhou Yingjun. His desperate call for his father’s help is answered by Su Xinghe, who kills him without mercy.
• Niu Erlang: Shows both considerable combat ability and a theatrical, humorous personality. Despite complaining about the danger, he recognizes that Zhou Yingjun’s forces are much stronger than previously assumed.
• Zhou Hao: His relief at seeing his father alive emphasizes their familial bond, though Zhou Yingjun remains focused on the larger crisis.
• The Mountain-Chasing Gang members: Their arrival confirms the alliance between Niu Erlang’s group and Su Xinghe’s side, while also revealing the dangerous identity of Su Xinghe’s sister-in-law.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength beyond conventional cultivation: Su Xinghe proves that overwhelming physical power can defeat an opponent with superior Internal Force reserves.
• Deception and battlefield awareness: Smoke, mistaken identities, and ambush tactics are crucial to Su Xinghe’s victory.
• Family versus loyalty and morality: Chen Qi’s plea to his father contrasts sharply with Su Xinghe’s refusal to acknowledge or spare him, emphasizing the brutality of factional conflict.
• Survival and strategic retreat: The allies recognize that victory in one battle does not eliminate the wider threat from the Peaceful Heaven Sect, making escape and regrouping essential.
• Hidden identities and alliances: Several characters conceal their true affiliations or abilities, and the gathering at Niu Family Village reveals a network of powerful figures operating beneath ordinary appearances.
• Dark humor amid violence: Niu Erlang’s exaggerated complaints and casual attitude toward beheading provide comic relief while reinforcing the eccentric and dangerous nature of the martial world.

4. Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe and the Grade-Eight Martial Artist: Their fight develops from mistaken identity into a brutal contest between Internal Force and raw physical strength.
• Su Xinghe and Chen Qi: Chen Qi assumes Su Xinghe will save him because he calls out “father,” but Su Xinghe kills him instead, creating a sharp and ironic reversal.
• Su Xinghe and Zhou Yingjun: Zhou Yingjun initially mistakes Su Xinghe for Elder Xie, then immediately accepts his help and follows his urgent retreat plan.
• Zhou Yingjun and Zhou Hao: Zhou Hao worries about his father returning to danger, while Zhou Yingjun remains commanding and focused on protecting the group.
• Zhou Yingjun and Niu Erlang: Their reunion is marked by Niu Erlang’s complaints and Zhou Yingjun’s irritation, but mutual trust remains strong enough for Niu Erlang to shelter the wounded.
• Su Xinghe and the Mountain-Chasing Gang: Su Xinghe recognizes their hidden identities and realizes their presence may secure his future access to cultivation pills, while also remembering the silver and Treasure Notes he has hidden elsewhere.

Chapter Summary: Niu Family Village, Head-Chopping Bandits

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After escaping the mining disaster and surviving a brutal confrontation, Zhou Yingjun’s group reaches Niu Family Village, a secluded settlement built in a mountain valley.
• Niu Erlang leads them to an abandoned stone quarry containing several rows of old stone houses and suggests that the group settle there permanently. He offers to build new courtyards later.
• The group is uneasy about abandoning their lives in the city. Lu Kui, Zhang Whiskers, and Lu Sandao especially worry about whether they will continue collecting “safety taxes,” revealing their discomfort with their new hidden existence.
• Zhou Yingjun decides that they will temporarily use the existing rooms rather than immediately build new homes. The exhausted survivors disperse to rest, while Niu Erlang tends to the injured.
• Su Xinghe privately reflects on how the Beheading Gang might have originated: oppressed martial artists fleeing the Lu Family and establishing a secluded lineage in the mountains.
• Zhou Yingjun and Zhou Hao visit Su Xinghe to thank him for saving everyone. They acknowledge that he killed two powerful Grade-Eight martial artists during the previous night’s battle.
• Zhou Yingjun tests Su Xinghe’s strength. Su Xinghe explains that his Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations technique has reached great accomplishment, allowing him to multiply his physical force, while his double Qi-Blood circulation further enhances his attacks.
• Su Xinghe demonstrates approximately 7,800 jin of raw power without using Internal Force. Zhou Yingjun concludes that Su Xinghe is already invincible among Ninth-Rank Martial Warriors and is capable of ambushing and killing Grade-Eight opponents.
• Zhou Yingjun appoints Su Xinghe as deputy master and asks him to accompany him that night.
• The chapter ends with Zhou Yingjun organizing the group’s next steps: obtaining supplies, securing the village, surveying the surrounding area, and maintaining contact with the outside world.
• Su Xinghe senses that something is wrong with Niu Family Village and orders Little Beggar to remain vigilant.

2. Character Developments

• Su Xinghe becomes openly recognized as a major martial power. His extraordinary physical strength can no longer be dismissed as ordinary talent, forcing Zhou Yingjun and the others to acknowledge his true capabilities.
• Zhou Yingjun shifts from treating Su Xinghe as a promising disciple to regarding him as a trusted and powerful subordinate. He tests Su Xinghe personally, accepts his explanation, promotes him to deputy master, and begins involving him in leadership decisions.
• Zhou Hao undergoes a humbling change. After fleeing during the previous battle while Su Xinghe stayed behind, he abandons his pride and sincerely thanks Su Xinghe. He recognizes the danger of the martial world and resolves to lie low and focus on cultivation.
• Lu Kui, Zhang Whiskers, and Lu Sandao reveal their reluctance to abandon their former criminal lifestyle and urban comforts. Their uncertainty about collecting safety taxes highlights their difficulty adapting to life in hiding.
• Little Beggar remains frightened after the previous night’s violence but continues to serve Su Xinghe loyally, immediately cleaning their assigned room and accepting his orders.
• Niu Erlang appears welcoming and benevolent, but his control over the village and the suspiciously convenient shelter he provides create an undercurrent of unease.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and recognition: Su Xinghe’s hidden strength is finally acknowledged. His physical cultivation allows him to challenge martial artists who normally rely on Internal Force.
• Survival and retreat: The group must exchange urban wealth, status, and freedom for secrecy and safety in the mountains.
• The birth of a legacy: Su Xinghe imagines that the Beheading Gang may have originated from displaced martial artists building a hidden community, suggesting that current events may become part of a long-lasting lineage.
• Humility and responsibility: Zhou Hao’s change shows how crisis strips away arrogance, while Su Xinghe’s actions demonstrate that true authority comes from protecting others.
• Security beneath hospitality: Although Niu Family Village appears peaceful and self-sufficient, Su Xinghe’s warning suggests that safety may be deceptive and that hidden communities can contain their own dangers.
• Organization and intelligence: Zhou Yingjun emphasizes maintaining supply lines, scouting the area, and preserving outside contacts, showing that survival requires more than martial strength.

4. Character Interactions

• Niu Erlang and Zhou Yingjun’s group: Niu Erlang acts as their host and offers them the quarry as a residence, while the group responds with hesitation and suspicion.
• Su Xinghe and Little Beggar: Their relationship remains one of command and loyalty. Little Beggar looks to Su Xinghe for protection and follows his instructions without question.
• Su Xinghe, Zhou Yingjun, and Zhou Hao: The father and son formally thank Su Xinghe for saving them. Zhou Yingjun then questions and tests his cultivation, turning the interaction into both an evaluation and a confirmation of trust.
• Zhou Yingjun and Su Xinghe: Their master-disciple relationship evolves into a more politically significant partnership when Zhou Yingjun names Su Xinghe deputy master.
• Zhou Yingjun and the gang members: He takes charge of the settlement’s practical affairs, assigning missions to gather supplies, scout the region, protect the village, and communicate with allies.
• Su Xinghe and the wider group: Though he remains quiet, his strength and judgment increasingly influence the group’s survival, culminating in his warning that the village may conceal a serious problem.

Chapter Summary:

Lin County’s Great Purge

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe and Little Beggar remain in hiding after Zhou Yingjun’s recent arrival. Su resumes cultivating while feeding his hungry Little White Bat.
• Little Beggar becomes fascinated by the bat, but Su stops him from touching it and feeds it using his own blood.
• Su continues practicing the Listening to Tides Art, making progress but still unable to control the remaining four Silver Fish. He also accumulates more Internal Force through cultivation.
• Qian Jinge returns with carts of grain, revitalizing the temporary camp near Niu Family Village.
• Zhou Yingjun reveals that their next destination is the Qingshan Escort Agency, clearly intending to seek revenge for the previous night’s attack. Su realizes that his own actions may already have destroyed much of the agency.
• Zhou gives Su his saber, while Su explains away the Organ-Nourishing Organ-Protecting Pill he gave Elder Xie by claiming he found it on a mountain bandit. The pill has significantly helped Elder Xie recover.
• While secretly leaving the village, Su detects pill refining nearby. He learns that Apothecary Duan, the Beheading Gang’s important alchemist, is producing the low-quality Qi-Replenishing Pills sold on the black market. Su abandons his idea of learning alchemy, deciding that seizing wealth directly may be easier.
• When Su and Zhou reach Lin County, they find more than a hundred severed heads displayed on the city wall. Zhou recognizes several victims, including Qingsong and the Third Guest, and rushes forward.
• Before they can enter, someone on the gate tower identifies them as bandits and orders the city to open fire, ending the chapter on an immediate cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe continues balancing cultivation, survival, and opportunism. He advances in Internal Force and spiritual perception while becoming increasingly ruthless and pragmatic about acquiring wealth.
• Su shows genuine care toward Little White Bat, protecting it from Little Beggar and personally feeding it.
• He also grows more comfortable with deception, inventing explanations for the pill given to Elder Xie and concealing the true source of his abilities and resources.
• Little Beggar remains energetic, curious, and eager to learn. His obsession with Little White Bat adds a lighter contrast to the increasingly violent events.
• Zhou Yingjun is revealed to be more talkative and emotionally expressive than usual. His concern for Elder Xie and his reaction to the severed heads show his personal investment in the conflict.
• Zhou also appears to trust Su, lending him his saber and traveling with him on a revenge mission.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism versus morality: Su increasingly views force and theft as more efficient than honest work, especially after discovering the poor quality of commercially sold pills.
• Hidden corruption and exploitation: The black-market pills marketed as high-quality products are revealed to be cheaply produced by local workshops, exposing dishonesty within the martial world.
• Violence and revenge: The planned assault on the Qingshan Escort Agency and the mass execution at Lin County demonstrate how quickly personal grudges escalate into broader bloodshed.
• Power and survival: Characters must rely on cultivation, deception, alliances, and violence to survive amid competing sects, gangs, and martial forces.
• Comedic relief amid brutality: Little Beggar’s fascination with the bat and Zhou’s casual conversation provide humor that contrasts sharply with the chapter’s grim discoveries.

Character Interactions

• Little Beggar tries to pet Little White Bat, prompting Su to protect the creature and establish his authority over his disciple.
• Su and Zhou share a meal and discuss Little Beggar’s sword training, the source of Su’s pill, and their next target.
• Zhou’s gift of his saber reflects growing trust between the two men.
• Su and Zhou investigate the pill-refining operation together, with Zhou warning Su against provoking the Beheading Gang.
• Their cooperation abruptly turns dangerous when Zhou recognizes the severed heads at Lin County and the city guards mistake both men for bandits.

Chapter Summary: The Fall of Qingshan Escort Agency

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe discovers City Guard soldiers loading gunpowder at the city gate, apparently preparing an attack or crackdown. He immediately assaults them, killing the soldiers and two Inner Tempering captains.
• The attack triggers a pursuit by Lu Zhengquan, the county’s deputy magistrate and a Seventh-Rank Transformation Realm martial warrior. Zhou Yingjun recognizes the danger and pulls Su Xinghe away before Lu can identify or capture them.
• While fleeing, Su Xinghe considers raiding Red Elegance Manor, a notorious Lu Family property, but abandons the idea after learning that a Half-Step True Force expert is stationed there.
• The pair visit Yingcai’s grave on White Cloud Mountain. Su reveals that he destroyed the Fishermen’s Gang and used more than a hundred of its members to accompany Yingcai in death. He also confirms that Lu Xuanlin was involved in the persecution that led to their suffering.
• Encouraged by Su’s growing strength and seeking revenge, Zhou decides to attack Qingshan Escort Agency, a major Lu Family ally.
• That night, the Qingshan Escort Agency is burned to the ground. More than three to four hundred people, including the Chen Family’s two Grade-Eight martial warriors, are killed.
• Lu Zhengkun realizes that Qingshan Escort Agency was secretly connected to the Peaceful Heaven Sect, or “Red Elegance.” The Lu Family chooses to conceal the truth and publicly blames the massacre on Peaceful Heaven Sect remnants.
• Zhou transports much of the agency’s treasure toward the prefectural city, while Su remains behind in Niu Family Village to cultivate.
• Seven days later, Little Beggar reports that Niu Family Village may secretly be a mountain-bandit stronghold. Several of its supposed chiefs are dead, and suspicious figures—including “Big Bear,” Niu Er, Uncle Nine, and the apothecary known as Head-Chopping Seven—live there.
• Zhou returns and gives Su a wrapped blade, then leaves to meet Elder Xie. Little Beggar continues cultivating and approaches the Inner Tempering realm.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe: His distrust of the county government and Martial Dao Bureau becomes complete. He embraces ruthless retaliation, openly killing City Guard troops and helping destroy the Lu Family’s allies. His strength and confidence continue to rise, though he remains cautious around Seventh-Rank and stronger opponents. He also focuses on refining his fist techniques and Internal Force.
• Zhou Yingjun: He shifts from grief and isolation to renewed confidence after learning that Su has avenged Yingcai and independently destroyed the Fishermen’s Gang. He treats Su as a genuine partner and fellow Grade-Eight combatant, while maintaining secrecy about their actions.
• Little Beggar: He is increasingly committed to martial cultivation and is close to reaching Inner Tempering. However, his investigative abilities and knowledge of the village cannot match Su’s rapidly increasing power.
• Lu Zhengkun and Lu Zhengquan: The Lu Family suffers a major strategic and political blow. Lu Zhengquan responds with fury, while Lu Zhengkun remains calculating, suppressing the truth to protect the family’s interests and its relationship with the Peaceful Heaven Sect.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and retaliation: Su and Zhou answer the Lu Family’s purge with increasingly destructive counterattacks, escalating the conflict into open bloodshed.
• Collapse of trust in authority: The City Guard Army, Public Security Office, and county government are portrayed as corrupt instruments of the Lu Family rather than legitimate protectors.
• Hidden alliances and political deception: Qingshan Escort Agency is secretly linked to the Peaceful Heaven Sect, and the Lu Family manipulates the public narrative to conceal its own connections.
• Strength and survival: In a world dominated by powerful martial warriors, weaker factions can survive only through secrecy, alliances, calculated violence, and rapid cultivation.
• Burden and companionship: Zhou’s grief and responsibility ease when Su proves capable of sharing the burden. Their relationship develops into one of mutual trust and cooperation.
• Foreshadowing and hidden identities: The suspicious inhabitants of Niu Family Village suggest that the village may conceal a powerful or dangerous past.

Important Character Interactions

• Su’s violent confrontation with the City Guard establishes his open break with the Lu Family’s institutions.
• Zhou restrains Su from attacking Red Elegance Manor, showing his greater awareness of the danger posed by stronger martial experts.
• At Yingcai’s grave, Su’s confession of revenge restores Zhou’s morale and strengthens their bond.
• Zhou and Su cooperate in the destruction of Qingshan Escort Agency, striking at the Lu Family indirectly while avoiding a direct clash with Lu Zhengquan.
• Lu Zhengkun and Lu Zhengquan discuss the agency’s hidden connection to the Peaceful Heaven Sect, revealing internal Lu Family tensions over their dangerous alliance.
• Su and Little Beggar discuss the village’s secrets, highlighting the contrast between Su’s rapid advancement and Little Beggar’s more limited but promising progress.

Chapter Summary — Princess Red Lotus

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Xinghe receives a newly forged black iron saber capable of withstanding the immense force of a Seventh-Rank martial artist. His previous weapon had been destroyed during the assault on the Qingshan Escort Agency.
• He also receives five thousand-tael Treasure Notes and ten bottles of pills, representing the substantial profits from eliminating the escort agency.
• Su Xinghe uses Bone-Forging Pills to restore his Qi-Blood and continues cultivating Internal Force. His Qi Sea has reached its storage limit, so he channels excess Internal Force into opening additional apertures.
• His cultivation advances rapidly: he now has twenty-one apertures opened and has reached 21% of the Grade-Eight Aperture-Opening Realm.
• He examines his Fate Panel, reviewing his martial techniques and traits. His mastery of the Ascending Dragon Stance has unexpectedly doubled the natural recovery speed of his Internal Force.
• He has also made progress on a self-created force-exertion technique, though it remains unnamed because it is not yet powerful enough to surpass the Listening to Tides Art.
• Su Xinghe has recently become the deputy head of the White Ape Martial Academy, succeeding Xu Qingsong. His position is equal to Lu Sandao’s, though he currently has no specific administrative duties.
• At Red Elegance Manor, Princess Red Lotus arrives secretly in a carriage with an elderly servant. Her powerful spiritual will conceals the carriage from everyone in the manor.
• She goes directly to the grave in the rear courtyard, where Hongxiu and Lu Zhengkun are present. Hongxiu immediately recognizes and fears her, while Lu Zhengkun follows her lead.
• Princess Red Lotus slaps Hongxiu and reprimands her for remaining a virgin after three months, revealing that Hongxiu was supposed to serve some larger purpose involving the princess’s cultivation.
• The princess then mentions that an expert in Lin County has killed five of her incense masters and over a dozen disciples spreading her teachings. This creates a sense that Su Xinghe’s actions have attracted the attention of a powerful and dangerous enemy.
• After the princess departs, Lu Zhengkun, visibly shaken, refuses to remain with Hongxiu and leaves for the city.

Character Developments

• Su Xinghe: His power, resources, and influence continue to grow rapidly. He is becoming more efficient at cultivation, developing a stronger weapon, and experimenting with original martial techniques. His appointment as deputy head of the White Ape Martial Academy marks a rise in social and institutional status.
• Hongxiu: Her confident or relaxed demeanor collapses when Princess Red Lotus arrives. She is revealed to be under the princess’s authority and terrified of disappointing her. Her continued virginity has caused her to fail at an important assigned task.
• Princess Red Lotus: She is introduced as an extremely powerful, elegant, and intimidating figure. Her spiritual will can conceal an entire carriage and bypass the manor’s guards. Beneath her calm appearance, she is frustrated by Hongxiu’s failure and preoccupied with the loss of her followers.
• Lu Zhengkun: His fear and submission toward the princess reveal how dangerous and influential she is. He appears to have manipulated blame for the deaths of the princess’s followers toward forces connected to Lin County, but he becomes increasingly eager to distance himself from the situation.

Significant Themes

• Rapid cultivation and accumulation: Su Xinghe’s progress reflects the chapter’s emphasis on steady accumulation producing extraordinary results. His traits and disciplined effort allow him to advance far faster than ordinary martial artists.
• Power and hierarchy: The contrast between Su Xinghe’s growing authority and Hongxiu’s helpless submission highlights the rigid power structures governing the martial world.
• Hidden threats: The arrival of Princess Red Lotus introduces a more dangerous level of conflict. Su Xinghe’s victories against local enemies have begun attracting the attention of a major organization or faction.
• Appearance versus reality: Princess Red Lotus appears calm and refined but possesses frightening power and hidden motives. Likewise, Lu Zhengkun’s outward composure masks his fear and possible involvement in darker schemes.
• Control and exploitation: Hongxiu is treated as a tool or “furnace cauldron” for another person’s cultivation, emphasizing the chapter’s disturbing portrayal of people being used for power.

Character Interactions

• Su Xinghe has no direct interactions with the manor characters in this chapter, but his recent actions drive the princess’s concern: the deaths of her followers are likely connected to his campaign against local forces.
• Princess Red Lotus dominates her encounters with Hongxiu and Lu Zhengkun. Hongxiu kneels and accepts punishment, while Lu Zhengkun imitates her submission.
• The princess’s reprimand exposes Hongxiu’s failure and humiliates her in front of Lu Zhengkun.
• Lu Zhengkun attempts to maintain polite hospitality, but Princess Red Lotus dismisses him and leaves after visiting the grave. His later refusal to stay with Hongxiu shows how deeply frightened he is by the situation.