Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu, a transmigrated butcher in the troubled northern city of Everlasting Prosperity, sets up his stall during a harsh winter.
• Huang Silang, a local thug connected to the powerful Master Ma San, attempts to take mutton without paying. Chen Mu finally refuses, threatening him with his cleaver.
• Huang Silang retaliates by threatening Chen Mu’s sickly wife, A-Ning, and implying that Master Ma intends to take her as a servant.
• Although the townspeople urge Chen Mu to apologize or flee, he decides that Huang Silang must die if he comes after his family.
• At home, Chen Mu slaughters two sheep as part of his daily training. His mysterious Slaughter Register rewards him with Blood Essence, bringing him close to the “Hundred-Blood” threshold required to begin martial arts training.
• Huang Silang returns with more than a dozen ruffians, demanding that Chen Mu come with them and crudely threatening A-Ning.
• Chen Mu emerges with a bloodied knife. When Huang Silang boasts about Master Ma’s martial strength, Chen Mu attacks without hesitation, stabbing him through the neck and brutally dismembering him using his self-developed Ox-Slicing Saber Technique.
• The terrified ruffians hesitate, while Chen Mu receives a system notification: Huang Silang’s death grants him ten wisps of Blood Essence and one count of Karmic Slaughter.
• The influx of Blood Essence fills his Hundred Blood and allows him to break through into the Martial Master realm.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Transitions from a cautious, socially powerless butcher into a determined and ruthless killer. His concern for A-Ning pushes him to abandon passive endurance. His professional skill at slaughtering livestock translates directly into deadly combat ability.
• Huang Silang: Revealed as a cowardly but malicious thug who relies on Master Ma’s influence. His arrogance collapses when Chen Mu directly challenges him, and his threats ultimately lead to his death.
• A-Ning: Although she does not appear directly, she is established as Chen Mu’s sickly wife and the person whose safety motivates his decision to resist.
• The townspeople: They sympathize with Chen Mu but remain frightened and resigned to the local power structure. Their concern highlights both his vulnerability and his growing reputation.
• Master Ma San: Does not appear, but his influence dominates the chapter. He is presented as a Martial Master who controls local thugs and protection rackets.

3. Significant Themes

• Survival in a corrupt and violent society: Ordinary people have little legal protection, while local bullies and martial figures operate with near-impunity.
• Power through transformation: Chen Mu’s lowly occupation becomes the foundation of his martial strength through the Slaughter Register.
• Family protection and moral boundaries: Chen Mu tolerates humiliation until A-Ning is threatened, marking the point where survival becomes personal vengeance.
• The dehumanization of violence: Chen Mu compares killing Huang Silang to slaughtering livestock, showing how his profession helps him overcome hesitation but also distances him from ordinary human morality.
• Social status and freedom: Becoming a martial artist could free Chen Mu from his humble registration and shield him from exploitation.
• Hidden potential: The supernatural Slaughter Register gives Chen Mu a path to rise above his station in a collapsing world.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Huang Silang’s confrontation at the meat stall establishes their hostility: Huang demands free meat, while Chen Mu openly refuses and threatens him.
• Huang attempts to regain control by invoking Master Ma and threatening A-Ning, but this only hardens Chen Mu’s resolve.
• The townspeople advise Chen Mu to submit or flee, reflecting their fear of Master Ma and their belief that resistance is futile. Despite this, they quietly support Chen Mu by helping repair his stall and giving him money.
• At the courtyard, Huang and his gang attempt to intimidate Chen Mu through insults and threats. Chen Mu reverses the power dynamic by killing Huang immediately and displaying overwhelming brutality.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu’s successful breakthrough, transforming the conflict from a dispute with a street thug into a confrontation between an emerging Martial Master and Master Ma’s faction.

Chapter Summary: “Three-Day Death Limit, A-Ning the Girl”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After breaking through the Hundred Blood threshold, Chen Mu easily intimidates Huang Silang’s gang. Though they threaten to kill him, none dares approach after witnessing Huang Silang’s death.
• Chen Mu orders the surviving ruffians to deliver a message to Ma San: the ten taels of meat money owed over the past six months must be paid within three days, turning the deadline into an implicit threat.
• He searches Huang Silang’s corpse and takes his pouch, finding roughly seven or eight taels of silver—money Huang had extorted from others.
• Chen Mu disposes of the corpse in a filthy ditch, taking advantage of the lawlessness and poverty surrounding Rubble Ward. He then washes the blood from his courtyard.
• Worried that the authorities may investigate, Chen Mu decides he must quickly join a martial arts school and escape his low-status registration.
• He returns home to care for A-Ning, his sick companion. He tells her that he plans to travel east the next day to apprentice himself to a boxing master.
• Chen Mu brews her medicine and prepares meat porridge. Because A-Ning’s illness has left her weak, he chooses to sleep separately and guard the outer courtyard.
• At midnight, Chen Mu uncovers hidden silver and a porcelain bottle labeled “Blood-Qi Pill.”
• The Slaughter Register settles the day’s achievements, rewarding him with ten taels of patterned silver, another Blood-Qi Pill, and two hundred-year-old mountain ginseng roots.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu becomes more confident and forceful after reaching the Hundred Blood level. His new strength allows him to dominate local criminals and openly challenge Ma San.
• Despite his violence and pragmatism, Chen Mu remains careful and calculating. He understands Ma San’s suspicious nature and uses the three-day demand to gain time rather than provoking an immediate confrontation.
• Chen Mu also shows responsibility and restraint toward A-Ning. He protects her from frightening details, ensures she takes her medicine, and deliberately keeps his distance so his vigorous yang energy will not worsen her fragile condition.
• A-Ning is portrayed as gentle, obedient, and deeply concerned for Chen Mu’s safety. Her mysterious background becomes more apparent: although she claims to be a famine refugee, her hidden gold and jade suggest a more privileged or complicated origin.
• Their relationship has developed into an informal marriage, though they have not yet held an official ceremony because Chen Mu’s lowly registration prevents him from marrying her publicly.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Chen Mu’s breakthrough dramatically changes his position, allowing him to command people who previously oppressed him.
• Lawlessness and survival: The ruined social order means murder, corpse disposal, poverty, and exploitation are treated as ordinary facts of life.
• Social status and freedom: Chen Mu’s low registration limits his legal protection and personal ambitions, motivating him to become a martial arts disciple and eventually marry A-Ning properly.
• Care amid violence: The chapter contrasts Chen Mu’s ruthless treatment of criminals with his tenderness and restraint toward A-Ning.
• Hidden potential and opportunity: The Slaughter Register rewards Chen Mu’s progress, suggesting that his strength, wealth, and resources will continue growing through both labor and violence.
• Mystery and foreshadowing: A-Ning’s concealed origins, the Blood-Qi Pill, and the Register’s rewards hint at larger secrets and future developments.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu’s confrontation with Huang Silang’s gang establishes his dominance and sends a warning to Ma San.
• His interaction with A-Ning reveals their trust and emotional closeness. She offers to sell her jewelry to fund his martial training, while he reassures her that he has already made adequate preparations.
• Chen Mu gives A-Ning practical instructions for the night and promises to protect the household, reinforcing his role as her caretaker.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu alone, interacting with the Slaughter Register as it confirms his advancement and grants him valuable resources.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu receives a rare D-high rating after killing a rogue, earning ten taels of silver, a Blood Qi Pill, and two hundred-year-old ginseng roots.
• The ginseng is especially valuable because it can treat A-Ning’s cold affliction, relieving Chen Mu of a major financial and emotional burden.
• He sets aside one hundred taels as the fee for becoming a disciple and keeps the remaining money for A-Ning’s medicine.
• Before leaving for the eastern city, Chen Mu asks his childhood friend Wang Hu (“Tiger Boy”) to watch over A-Ning and guard against Ma San’s gang, whom Chen Mu has apparently provoked.
• Wang Hu agrees immediately and promises to recruit trustworthy dockworkers to protect the household, though Chen Mu warns him not to act recklessly.
• Chen Mu crosses from the impoverished western district into the cleaner, wealthier eastern city. Along the way, he hears about a southern puppet opera troupe and considers using it as a possible source of information about escaping the dangerous northern frontier.
• He arrives at the Azure Dragon Martial Academy, intending to pay for instruction and seek a master. Before he can enter, government runners announce that a demonic calamity has erupted at the docks, leaving everyone there dead.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu gains confidence from his improved resources and combat progress. His success against the rogue has provided both money and medicines, allowing him to pursue martial training while caring for A-Ning.
• His concern for A-Ning remains central; he prepares medicine for her and leaves her a note before departing.
• Chen Mu demonstrates increasing caution and strategic thinking by arranging protection for his home before confronting Ma San or entering the academy.
• Wang Hu is shown as fiercely loyal and dependable despite his rough, impulsive nature. His willingness to risk himself for Chen Mu and A-Ning reinforces their deep friendship.
• Chen Mu’s long-term goal becomes clearer: gain enough martial strength to protect himself and eventually take A-Ning south, away from the worsening dangers of the northern frontier.

Significant Themes

• Survival and security: Wealth, medicine, martial ability, and trustworthy allies are all necessary for Chen Mu to protect his household.
• Social inequality: Chen Mu’s lowly status and shabby clothing cause him to be looked down upon, particularly by the academy guard, despite his growing strength and resources.
• Loyalty and mutual protection: Chen Mu and Wang Hu rely on one another, showing how friendship becomes essential in a hostile society.
• Hope amid calamity: The ginseng and prospect of martial training offer Chen Mu hope for A-Ning’s recovery and a better future, but the sudden demonic disaster emphasizes how fragile that hope is.
• The growing supernatural threat: The announcement of the massacre at the docks abruptly shifts the chapter from personal advancement to a larger crisis involving demons.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu gently assists A-Ning during the night, respecting her embarrassment and showing their quiet marital intimacy.
• He entrusts Wang Hu with money and responsibility for guarding A-Ning. Wang Hu reacts with alarm upon hearing about Ma San but quickly pledges his support.
• At the Azure Dragon Martial Academy, Chen Mu is dismissed by a contemptuous guard because of his appearance and social status.
• The chapter ends with government runners interrupting this encounter and calling for the academy’s master, Liu Qingcang, to respond to the demonic calamity at the docks.

Chapter Summary: “Bone-Feeling Test, Pass the Assessment?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A yamen runner arrives at Azure Dragon Martial Academy with urgent news: a Water Ghost has killed more than a dozen dock laborers, whose bodies were found swollen from prolonged immersion. The Transport Office requests Academy Master Liu Qingcang’s help.
• Chen Mu realizes the danger is close to his home in the impoverished Rubble Ward. Fearing that demons could attack unnoticed, he becomes determined to improve his status and eventually move to the safer eastern part of the city.
• Academy Master Liu Qingcang leads a group of martial artists to the docks to deal with the demonic threat.
• Chen Mu takes the opportunity to seek admission to the academy. Senior Brother Qin Tieya agrees to test his physical strength, bones, and aptitude before discussing enrollment.
• Chen Mu encounters the rude gate guard Liu Meng, who mocks him. Rather than provoke a conflict, Chen Mu gives him silver and wins his cooperation.
• Inside the academy, Chen Mu observes disciples training in stance work and hears instructors emphasize the importance of strengthening the body to survive encounters with demons.
• Qin Tieya tests Chen Mu through a fierce physical exchange. Although Chen Mu is repeatedly struck and subjected to painful bone examination, he endures and launches a successful counterattack.
• Qin Tieya declares that Chen Mu has passed the assessment. However, after learning that Chen Mu is twenty years old and from the poor Rubble Ward, Qin Tieya’s attitude becomes more reserved and doubtful.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Demonstrates caution, practicality, and ambition. He is alert to the dangers facing the poor districts and recognizes the need to improve his social position. His tact with Liu Meng shows emotional control, while his endurance and willingness to counterattack reveal courage and determination.
• Qin Tieya: Introduced as the academy master’s second personal disciple and an experienced assessor. He is stern and physically overwhelming but fair-minded. He recognizes Chen Mu’s strong blood and qi, resilience, and courage, though Chen Mu’s low social background causes him to reconsider the boy’s prospects.
• Liu Qingcang: Established as the respected master of the academy, capable of personally responding to a dangerous demon incident.
• Liu Meng: Initially arrogant and dismissive toward Chen Mu, but quickly becomes friendlier after receiving silver, illustrating his opportunistic nature.

Significant Themes

• Danger and social inequality: Demonic threats affect the poor most severely because authorities neglect impoverished districts like the Rubble Ward.
• The need for self-improvement: Chen Mu understands that strength and status are necessary for survival and protection.
• Practical wisdom over pride: Rather than retaliating against Liu Meng’s insults, Chen Mu resolves the issue through tact and money.
• Merit versus social background: Chen Mu passes the physical test through ability, but his poor origins still influence how others judge him.
• Endurance under pressure: The assessment emphasizes not only strength but also Chen Mu’s ability to withstand pain, remain composed, and seize an opening.

Character Interactions

• The yamen runner’s panic contrasts with the academy guards’ initial demand for a clear explanation, emphasizing the seriousness of the Water Ghost incident.
• Chen Mu and Liu Meng shift from hostility to reluctant civility after Chen Mu offers him silver.
• Qin Tieya evaluates Chen Mu through combat rather than conversation, deliberately overwhelming him to test his natural aptitude and resilience.
• Chen Mu’s counterattack earns Qin Tieya’s respect, but the revelation of his low-born origins introduces a new social obstacle even after he succeeds physically.

Chapter Summary: “The Fist Manual in Hand, Trouble at the Door”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Tieya questions whether twenty-year-old Chen Mu, a poor commoner, has the resources or talent to become a martial artist. He warns that Chen Mu must provide the hundred-tael apprenticeship fee and prove himself quickly.
• Chen Mu produces exactly one hundred taels, surprising Qin Tieya and demonstrating his determination.
• Qin gives Chen Mu a chance to become a registered disciple: he must practice the “Rampaging Bull Force” martial manual and make progress within three days. Qin also gives him an Azure Dragon Martial Academy identity token.
• The manual contains a breathing method, stance training, Blood Essence circulation techniques, and nine boxing forms. Chen Mu is delighted to receive a genuine cultivation method and believes his accumulated Karmic Slaughter may help him advance rapidly.
• On his way home to share the news with A-Ning, Chen Mu encounters Old Wu, who reports that Tiger Boy is being beaten by Ma San’s gang outside Chen Mu’s home.
• Chen Mu rushes back and finds more than a dozen armed thugs attacking Tiger Boy, who is defending the entrance and refusing to let them enter.
• Enraged, Chen Mu kills one thug with a wooden pole and confronts Ma San, the gang leader responsible for the attack.
• Though Ma San realizes Chen Mu has only barely reached the Hundred-Blood level and orders his men to cripple him, Chen Mu reveals the Azure Dragon token.
• Ma San recognizes the token as proof of martial academy affiliation and orders his men to stop. Chen Mu then boldly orders the gang to leave.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Shows persistence by paying the apprenticeship fee despite his poverty. He gains access to formal martial cultivation and becomes more confident in his future. His concern for A-Ning and loyalty to Tiger Boy reveal his strong sense of responsibility, while his rage at the gang’s violence demonstrates his fierce temper. At the same time, he displays growing caution by recognizing that fighting Ma San’s armed group directly would be suicidal and using the token instead.
• Qin Tieya: Initially skeptical and dismissive of Chen Mu because of his age and low status, he nevertheless acknowledges Chen Mu’s resolve and offers him a genuine opportunity to enter the academy.
• Tiger Boy: Demonstrates courage and loyalty by physically shielding Chen Mu’s home despite being badly beaten.
• Ma San: Emerges as a cruel and threatening antagonist. He seeks revenge for Huang Silang’s death and attempts to intimidate Chen Mu by threatening A-Ning, but his confidence falters when confronted with the martial academy token.
• Old Wu: Acts as a messenger and neighbor who risks himself to warn Chen Mu about the attack.

Significant Themes

• Social status and opportunity: The martial academy accepts disciples regardless of background, but poverty, age, and access to resources still create major disadvantages.
• Determination and self-improvement: Chen Mu’s payment and willingness to train show his refusal to accept the limitations imposed by his birth.
• Loyalty and protection: Tiger Boy’s defense of Chen Mu’s home and Chen Mu’s immediate response emphasize mutual loyalty among the poor.
• Power and legitimacy: Physical strength alone is not the only source of authority; the academy token gives Chen Mu social and institutional protection against Ma San’s gang.
• Restraint versus rage: Chen Mu is furious and capable of violence, but he understands when direct confrontation is unwise and uses strategy to survive.
• The beginning of a transformation: Receiving the martial manual marks Chen Mu’s first formal step into the martial world and suggests that his Karmic Slaughter ability may accelerate his progress.

Character Interactions

• Qin Tieya tests Chen Mu’s sincerity and financial ability, then grants him a conditional path into the academy.
• Chen Mu receives the manual and token respectfully, but his excitement contrasts sharply with the violence awaiting him at home.
• Old Wu warns Chen Mu about Tiger Boy, prompting Chen Mu to abandon his plans and rush to protect his family.
• Tiger Boy’s loyalty inspires Chen Mu’s violent intervention.
• Ma San attempts to dominate Chen Mu through numbers, weapons, and threats against A-Ning, but Chen Mu counters with the authority of the Azure Dragon token, forcing Ma San to reconsider.

Chapter Summary: Breakthrough to Body Tempering, Killing Intent on a Snowy Night

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ma San confronts Chen Mu over Huang Silang’s death, demanding one hundred taels and giving him three days to pay. He threatens to sell A-Ning to the Pleasure Pavilion if Chen fails.
• Ma San avoids attacking Chen immediately because of Chen’s temporary protection under the Azure Dragon Martial Academy’s three-day assessment period. However, he recognizes that Chen may be bluffing about his status.
• Ma San’s gang severely injures Tiger Boy, who tried to block them from entering Chen’s home.
• Afterward, Chen discovers that Xi’er, Old Wu’s daughter, has been sexually assaulted and murdered by Ma San’s men as retaliation for Old Wu warning Chen.
• Enraged, Chen helps Old Wu prepare for Xi’er’s burial and gives him money, then returns home to comfort A-Ning. He warns her to stay indoors and flee south with their hidden savings if he does not return.
• Knowing he cannot wait three days, Chen decides to assassinate Ma San that very night.
• Before leaving, Chen studies and practices Rampaging Bull Force, successfully establishing the technique’s circulation method and reaching its beginner level.
• Using one point of Karmic Slaughter, Chen advances the martial art to First Glimpse of the Path. The infused knowledge gives him mastery of its lethal fist techniques and greatly strengthens his body.
• His breakthrough raises him to the Body-Tempering First Stage, with Blood Essence reaching 150. He confirms that Ma San is also only at the first stage and believes he can defeat him.
• Armed with his Bone-Splitting Knife and concealed by a bamboo hat and rain cape, Chen leaves through the courtyard wall during a snowy night and heads toward Ma San’s stronghold on Central Peace Street.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu shifts from cautious self-preservation to determined revenge. Xi’er’s murder pushes his anger and killing intent beyond their previous limits.
• He demonstrates compassion by caring for Tiger Boy, supporting Old Wu financially, protecting A-Ning, and making contingency plans for her escape.
• Chen also becomes more decisive and strategically minded. He realizes that waiting would allow Ma San to expose his weakness, so he chooses a surprise attack.
• His martial progress is substantial: he advances from a Hundred-Blood Martial Man to a Body-Tempering Martial Master, gains practical mastery of Rampaging Bull Force, and becomes confident in his ability to kill Ma San.
• Ma San is portrayed as calculating and cruel. He recognizes Chen’s vulnerable position, uses legalistic “martial world” rules to disguise extortion, and retaliates against Chen’s neighbors to intimidate him.
• A-Ning becomes frightened by Chen’s apparent farewell and emergency instructions, revealing her emotional dependence on him and the danger surrounding their household.
• Old Wu is devastated by Xi’er’s death, while Tiger Boy is established as loyal and willing to risk his life defending Chen’s family.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus vengeance: Ma San uses the language of justice to justify extortion and murder, while Chen abandons formal restraint and seeks personal retribution.
• Protection and responsibility: Chen’s anger is driven not only by Xi’er’s death but by his duty to protect A-Ning, Tiger Boy, and others who suffer because of Ma San.
• Power and vulnerability: Martial strength determines survival in the town, and Chen’s lack of recognized status leaves him exposed until his breakthrough.
• Transformation through crisis: Grief and fury motivate Chen’s physical and psychological advancement, turning him into a more dangerous and decisive fighter.
• Preparation before confrontation: The chapter emphasizes training, concealment, timing, and surprise as essential tools for overcoming a stronger or better-positioned enemy.
• The brutality of a lawless society: Ma San’s gang exploits ordinary people with impunity, showing why Chen believes conventional justice cannot protect him or his community.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Ma San: Their confrontation establishes an imminent life-or-death conflict. Ma San threatens Chen while pretending to compromise; Chen silently decides to kill him.
• Chen Mu and Tiger Boy: Chen rescues and treats Tiger Boy after he is badly wounded defending the doorway.
• Chen Mu and Old Wu: Chen comforts Old Wu after Xi’er’s murder, helps prepare her body, and provides burial money.
• Chen Mu and A-Ning: Chen reassures and embraces his frightened wife, instructing her to remain hidden and escape if he fails to return.
• Chen Mu and Xi’er: Though they do not interact directly in the chapter, Xi’er’s former affection for him and her horrific death become the central emotional trigger for his revenge.
• Chen Mu and his martial art: Through focused practice and the Slaughter Register’s enhancement, Chen converts his rage and urgency into a concrete breakthrough in power.
  The chapter ends with Chen Mu disappearing into the snowy night, fully committed to killing Ma San before dawn.

Chapter Summary

Plot and key events

• Chen Mu infiltrates Ma San’s heavily guarded residence at night, moving through alleys and over walls to avoid detection.
• He ambushes and kills two vicious blade-wielding guards, then silently eliminates several lesser night watchmen.
• The Slaughter Register rewards him with Blood Essence and Karmic Slaughter. Chen Mu realizes that the rewards depend on both an enemy’s strength and the severity of their evil deeds.
• From the roof, Chen Mu overhears Ma San and his advisor, Li, discussing their criminal dealings. Ma San is involved in illicit salt trafficking with Commander Zhao of the East City Drill Ground and the Red Whale Gang.
• Ma San plans to reduce the Red Whale Gang’s share of the profits and potentially draw Commander Zhao into smuggling military supplies.
• The conversation reveals that Ma San has been investigating how Chen Mu could afford admission to Azure Dragon Martial Academy and intends to capture and torture him.
• Advisor Li proposes framing Chen Mu’s death as the work of the city’s “Water Ghost.” He also suggests threatening Chen Mu by assaulting Chen Mu’s sickly wife in front of him.
• Enraged by the scheme, Chen Mu accidentally reveals his presence. He crashes through the roof and attacks Ma San.
• Chen Mu initially overwhelms Ma San with a powerful surprise attack and repeated strikes from the Mighty Bull Fist. However, Ma San’s Body Tempering cultivation makes him extremely durable.
• After recognizing Chen Mu, Ma San draws his blade and launches a lethal slash at Chen Mu’s neck, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character developments

• Chen Mu: Becomes more decisive, ruthless, and confident in his ability to infiltrate and kill dangerous criminals. His anger intensifies when Ma San’s plans threaten his wife, pushing him to abandon stealth and confront Ma San directly. He also gains a better understanding of how the Slaughter Register’s rewards work.
• Ma San: Is established as a powerful, cruel criminal leader involved in corruption, smuggling, extortion, and planned torture. Despite being caught off guard, his Body Tempering strength allows him to withstand Chen Mu’s attacks.
• Advisor Li: Reveals himself as cunning and sadistic. He acts as Ma San’s strategist, proposing schemes involving murder, framing Chen Mu, and abusing Chen Mu’s wife to force information from him.
• The guards and thugs: Their conversation emphasizes the brutality and depravity of Ma San’s organization, while their differing rewards demonstrate that the Register judges enemies by both power and wrongdoing.

Significant themes

• Justice versus corruption: Chen Mu’s attack represents an attempt to punish criminals who are protected by networks linking gangsters, government officers, and military forces.
• Officials and bandits in collusion: Ma San’s dealings with Commander Zhao and the Red Whale Gang reveal a broader system in which law enforcement and criminal organizations profit together.
• Retribution and moral judgment: The Slaughter Register converts evil deeds into Karmic Slaughter, suggesting that wrongdoing has measurable consequences.
• Protection of family: Threats against Chen Mu’s wife transform his mission from calculated revenge into a deeply personal struggle.
• Stealth versus direct confrontation: Chen Mu begins with careful infiltration but is forced into open combat when his anger overrides his caution.

Character interactions

• Chen Mu silently kills Ma San’s guards after overhearing their vile remarks about his wife.
• Ma San and Advisor Li discuss profits, corruption, and plans to deal with Chen Mu, showing their close criminal partnership.
• Chen Mu overhears their conversation and reacts with fury to their plot against him and his wife.
• Chen Mu attacks Ma San through the roof, briefly gaining the upper hand.
• Advisor Li identifies Chen Mu to Ma San, after which Ma San draws his sword and prepares to kill him.

Chapter Summary: Murder and Arson, Shifting Blame and Framing Others

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu confronts Ma San and Advisor Li in a snowy courtyard to avenge Xi’er and eliminate Ma San’s criminal group.
• Ma San initially attacks with a blade, but Chen Mu counters with the Mighty Bull Fist, injuring him and killing Advisor Li by throwing a boning dagger into his back.
• Ma San activates a powerful secret art that enhances his strength and speed. The two engage in a fierce blade fight, with Chen Mu quickly realizing that his incomplete Ox-Slicing Saber Technique cannot match Ma San’s skill.
• Rather than continuing a losing blade duel, Chen Mu deliberately risks severe injury and launches a suicidal close-range attack. Although Ma San cuts Chen Mu across the waist, Chen Mu smashes Ma San’s skull with a full-force elbow strike.
• Chen Mu confirms Ma San’s death by crushing his remaining eye and stabbing him again. The Slaughter Register rewards him with blood qi and killing karma for killing a Body Tempering martial master.
• Seriously wounded, Chen Mu takes a Blood-Qi Pill, binds his injury, searches the compound, and gathers money and martial manuals. He finds less than thirty taels from the gang members, 280 taels in banknotes from Ma San, several low-grade fist manuals, and the Black Tiger Blade Technique.
• To destroy evidence, Chen Mu gathers the corpses beneath a locust tree, covers them with firewood and lamp oil, and sets the compound ablaze.
• Knowing Ma San had connections to salt smugglers and Battalion Commander Zhao, Chen Mu fears an investigation. He frames the Red Whale Gang—Ma San’s rival organization—by writing “Red Whale” in blood beside the corpses.
• He escapes through several detours and returns to Rubble Ward while the fire spreads through Central Peace Street.
• Exhausted and badly injured, Chen Mu hides in the front courtyard rather than letting A-Ning see his condition. He reflects that he has avenged Xi’er and vows to protect those around him.
• At midnight, the Slaughter Register evaluates his actions and grants him fifty taels of silver, three Bone-Strengthening Pills, and the upper-grade Yellow-rank martial art Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu completes a major transformation from cautious and timid survivor into a decisive killer capable of confronting and defeating a martial master.
• His fighting style is shown to rely on courage, physical strength, timing, and willingness to risk injury rather than refined weapon technique.
• Chen Mu becomes more calculating after the battle, carefully looting the compound, destroying evidence, and manipulating rival factions to protect himself.
• His grief over Xi’er remains a central motivation. After killing Ma San, he feels both exhilaration at his first major victory and renewed determination to protect others.
• Ma San is revealed as a brutal, overconfident gang leader with powerful blade skills and access to a physical-enhancing secret art. His arrogance and hesitation at the crucial moment allow Chen Mu’s desperate attack to succeed.
• Advisor Li is portrayed as cowardly; he attempts to flee when the battle turns against Ma San but is killed by Chen Mu.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and justice: Chen Mu’s assault is driven by Xi’er’s death and his desire to punish those who prey on the weak.
• Transformation through violence: Killing a martial master marks Chen Mu’s first major step into the martial world and strengthens his confidence.
• Cunning versus strength: Although Chen Mu cannot match Ma San’s blade technique, he wins through strategy, timing, and a willingness to endure injury.
• Moral compromise and survival: Chen Mu commits multiple killings, loots the dead, burns the bodies, and frames another gang, showing how survival pushes him toward ruthless methods.
• Powerful institutions corrupted by crime: Ma San’s connections with smugglers and military officials suggest widespread collusion between bandits and authorities.
• Reputation and manipulation: By planting evidence against the Red Whale Gang, Chen Mu turns rival criminal organizations against one another and buys himself time.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Ma San: Their duel shifts from direct confrontation to a battle of resolve. Ma San relies on superior blade skill, while Chen Mu abandons conventional defense and sacrifices his own safety to land the fatal blow.
• Chen Mu and Advisor Li: Li tries to escape rather than fight, and Chen Mu kills him immediately with a thrown dagger.
• Chen Mu and Xi’er’s memory: Though Xi’er does not appear directly, her death motivates Chen Mu’s revenge and shapes his vow to protect those close to him.
• Chen Mu and the Slaughter Register: The Register validates his achievement with blood qi, karma, money, pills, and a new martial art, reinforcing the connection between violence, growth, and reward.

Chapter Summary: Black Tiger Baleful Heart, Alarming the Soldiers

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu receives an unusually high settlement reward: a Yellow Grade High-Tier inner cultivation art, three Bone-Strengthening Pills, fifty taels of patterned silver, Blood Essence, and Karmic Slaughter.
• He examines the Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art and realizes it pairs with the Yellow Grade Low-Tier Black Tiger Blade Technique taken from Ma San. The manual includes a tiger stance, qi-circulation method, and Ma San’s signature three-saber attack.
• The cultivation art also contains the Blood-Burning Secret Art, which uses tiger blood and Killing Intent to strengthen the body and temporarily unleash more than double one’s strength at the cost of damaging the internal organs.
• Chen Mu reflects on his fight with Ma San, recognizing that Ma San’s fear and carelessness created the opening that allowed him to survive.
• Expecting the authorities to search the area after Ma San’s death, Chen Mu swallows a Bone-Strengthening Pill and meditates through its violent medicinal effects.
• The pill rapidly heals his severe saber wound and dramatically strengthens his body. His wound closes completely, and his skin becomes tough enough to resist a knife.
• His cultivation advances to Body-Tempering First Stage, Skin Refining—Minor Completion. His Blood Essence rises to 320, and his Rampaging Bull Force gains significant proficiency from the life-or-death battle.
• Before he can begin practicing the new Black Tiger techniques, government soldiers under Commander Zhao arrive in Rubble Ward before dawn, aggressively ordering residents outside.
• Suspecting that the soldiers have discovered an important clue connected to Ma San’s death, Chen Mu hides his valuables and secret manuals in a vat of bloody sheep offal.
• As he prepares to face the soldiers, he senses someone hiding beneath a jujube tree and calls them out.

Character Development

• Chen Mu becomes more cautious and strategically minded. Rather than impulsively using or selling his treasures, he conceals them and prioritizes healing before the authorities arrive.
• His confidence grows after his successful breakthrough. He realizes that his newly strengthened body and improved combat experience would allow him to defeat Ma San much more easily now.
• He also begins thinking beyond a single martial art, planning to study the looted manuals and combine their strengths to improve the Mighty Bull Fist.
• Despite his excitement over his gains, Chen Mu remains alert to the danger posed by the government soldiers and understands that survival requires concealment and quick judgment.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through danger: Chen Mu’s life-threatening battle produces both material rewards and practical combat growth.
• The value of cultivation resources: The high-tier art and graded pills demonstrate the enormous difference between ordinary martial techniques and elite martial inheritance.
• Preparation and survival: Healing, hiding evidence, and anticipating the authorities become just as important as martial strength.
• Risk and hidden costs: The Blood-Burning Secret Art offers immense power but damages the body, emphasizing that shortcuts to strength carry consequences.
• Transformation: Chen Mu’s recovery and Skin Refining breakthrough mark a major physical and martial evolution.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu’s earlier confrontation with Ma San remains central to the chapter. He recognizes that Ma San’s greed, fear of death, and lack of cultivation allowed Chen Mu to win.
• The hostile government soldiers, led by Commander Zhao, create the chapter’s immediate external threat. Their violent orders suggest they believe Rubble Ward contains evidence or a witness connected to the previous night’s events.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu confronting an unidentified figure concealed in his courtyard, setting up a new encounter amid the soldiers’ investigation.

Chapter Summary: “Harsh Interrogation, Pressure at Every Step”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu discovers A-Ning waiting outside in the cold. She is feverish, poorly dressed, and terrified that he will leave her after his ominous words the previous night.
• He carries her inside, warms her under a quilt, gives her medicine, and promises to return before soldiers arrive at his door.
• Military forces are conducting a mass nighttime search throughout Rubble Ward after Ma San’s death and the destruction of his residence.
• A soldier interrogates Chen Mu about his household. Chen Mu claims that only he and his sick wife live there and secretly bribes the officer with silver so A-Ning will not be exposed.
• The officer allows Chen Mu to conceal her, but his suspicious interest in Chen Mu’s wealth suggests he may intend to extort or rob him later.
• Chen Mu is forced to join dozens of civilians gathered in the street. They are placed under the authority of Zhao Dong, the powerful commander who effectively rules Everlasting Prosperity Town.
• Zhao Dong announces that Ma San was murdered and that something belonging to him was stolen. He threatens to execute anyone not listed in the official household registers.
• Chen Mu passes the attendance check because A-Ning is not registered and his own identity does not appear to have attracted suspicion.
• Zhao Dong then orders a complete search of every household, offering a reward of one hundred taels to whichever soldier finds the stolen item first.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu remains calm and resourceful under extreme pressure. He hides his fear, protects A-Ning’s identity, bribes the soldier, and carefully observes the military situation.
• His actions show both deep affection and responsibility toward A-Ning, but also the increasing burden of protecting her while concealing his own involvement in Ma San’s death.
• A-Ning is emotionally devastated by Chen Mu’s apparent farewell and becomes physically ill from fear and exposure. Her dependence on him is made clear.
• The interrogating officer is shown to be greedy and predatory. His sudden change in attitude after receiving silver is not mercy but likely the beginning of a private scheme.
• Zhao Dong emerges as a ruthless military authority who controls the town through fear, corruption, and violence. He is determined to recover Ma San’s stolen property.
• The townspeople are portrayed as powerless and terrified, immediately pleading innocence when threatened with execution.

Significant Themes

• Survival under oppressive authority: Ordinary people are forced to endure arbitrary searches, threats, extortion, and collective punishment.
• Protection and sacrifice: Chen Mu risks himself to shield A-Ning, while concealing her undocumented status becomes essential to her survival.
• Corruption and abuse of power: Soldiers exploit their authority for money, and Zhao Dong treats civilians as criminals without evidence.
• Secrecy and suspicion: Chen Mu must constantly control his expression and behavior because any mistake could expose him.
• The danger of stolen knowledge or possessions: The unknown item taken from Ma San has triggered a massive investigation, placing Chen Mu under mounting pressure.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu comforts and cares for the feverish A-Ning, while she clings to him and begs him not to leave.
• Chen Mu negotiates with the officer through humility and bribery, concealing A-Ning while enduring insults against her.
• Zhao Dong addresses the gathered civilians collectively, using threats and intimidation rather than investigation.
• The soldiers’ aggressive house-to-house search creates an immediate danger that may expose Chen Mu, A-Ning, or the stolen object.

Chapter Summary: “Diverting Disaster Eastward, Hidden Treasure in the Book”

Key Plot Points and Events

• As Zhao Dong’s soldiers search Rubble Ward for stolen goods and evidence connected to Ma San’s death, Chen Mu realizes that remaining silent will make him appear guilty.
• Chen Mu boldly steps forward, identifies himself as a registered disciple of the Azure Dragon Martial Academy, and uses his status and token to gain Zhao Dong’s attention.
• Although Zhao Dong initially orders his arrest, Chen Mu resists the soldiers and insists that he has information about Ma San.
• Chen Mu gives a carefully constructed half-truth: he claims Ma San visited him to collect a debt, then left for the docks to meet the Red Whale Gang.
• Zhao Dong is particularly alarmed by the mention of the Red Whale Gang, revealing that he is more interested in something Ma San possessed than merely solving the murder.
• The soldiers report finding nothing in the searched homes, easing Chen Mu’s immediate danger.
• Zhao Dong questions Wang Hu, but before Wang Hu can accidentally contradict Chen Mu, a messenger arrives with a blood-written clue reading “Red Whale,” supposedly left by Ma San before his death.
• Convinced that the Red Whale Gang is involved, Zhao Dong redirects the entire investigation toward the docks and orders a raid on the gang.
• Once the soldiers leave, Chen Mu warns Wang Hu to repeat the fabricated story exactly and to avoid discussing the matter.
• Chen Mu retrieves the stolen goods hidden in his livestock shed and examines Ma San’s possessions. He discovers that one of the boxing manuals contains a concealed inner layer, suggesting that the valuable object Zhao Dong seeks is hidden inside the book.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Demonstrates growing courage, composure, and strategic intelligence. Rather than acting timidly, he confidently exploits his martial academy affiliation and manipulates Zhao Dong’s suspicions. His experience with killing has also hardened him, allowing him to lie convincingly without showing guilt or fear.
• Zhao Dong: Reveals himself to be a powerful martial artist, likely at least in the fifth level of Body Tempering and possibly near the Meridian-Penetrating Realm. His intense reaction to the Red Whale Gang shows that he is pursuing a politically or materially significant secret.
• Wang Hu: Becomes directly involved in Chen Mu’s deception. Though frightened and confused, he proves loyal and agrees to maintain the false story even under threat.
• Wu Yue: Quietly honors the earlier bribe by reporting that his assigned houses contained nothing suspicious, helping Chen Mu avoid immediate discovery.

Significant Themes

• Survival through deception: Chen Mu survives not through open strength but by controlling the narrative and directing suspicion toward another target.
• Power and social status: His Azure Dragon Token gives him enough legitimacy to be heard, showing how affiliation and reputation can protect someone in a dangerous hierarchy.
• Courage born from desperation: Chen Mu’s increasingly bold behavior reflects his transformation from a cautious survivor into someone capable of manipulating stronger enemies.
• Hidden truths and concealed value: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes appearances versus reality—Chen Mu’s false account, the misleading blood clue, and the secret object hidden inside an ordinary manual.
• The danger of divided loyalties: Wang Hu, Wu Yue, Zhao Dong, and the Red Whale Gang all become pieces in a wider conflict where survival depends on choosing whom to trust.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu confronts Zhao Dong publicly and forces him to listen by presenting himself as an informed martial academy disciple.
• Zhao Dong intimidates Chen Mu with physical pressure, testing whether his testimony is genuine.
• Chen Mu manipulates Zhao Dong by linking Ma San to the Red Whale Gang, successfully redirecting the investigation.
• Zhao Dong questions Wang Hu, creating a moment when Chen Mu’s lie could have collapsed, but the messenger’s arrival interrupts the interrogation.
• Chen Mu privately instructs Wang Hu to preserve the deception, reinforcing their shared danger and temporary alliance.
• Chen Mu later investigates Ma San’s belongings alone, leading to the discovery of the concealed object inside the boxing manual.

Chapter Summary: “Yin Mountain Ghost Market, Deriving Martial Arts”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu discovers a hidden sheepskin map concealed inside a book cover. It details salt-smuggling routes, secret trading locations, Great Yue military patrols, supply stations, and coded contact signals.
• He realizes the map was Ma San’s most valuable possession and the reason Ma San could profit from both Zhao Dong and the Red Whale Gang.
• The map marks Yin Mountain Ferry, where the Ghost Market opens on every new and full moon. Chen Mu suspects Ma San hid his treasures there, but the market will not open for another half month.
• Expecting Zhao Dong and the Red Whale Gang to discover his deception within a few days, Chen Mu decides he must quickly become a formal disciple of the Azure Dragon Martial Academy. He hopes Liu Qingcang’s protection will shield him from both factions.
• Rather than risk visiting the docks, Chen Mu stays home to care for A-Ning, who is ill with a recurring chill. He gives her century-old ginseng and comforts her when she wakes frightened that he has abandoned her.
• The next day, Chen Mu works at his butcher stall while gathering news. He learns that Zhao Dong brought nearly a hundred soldiers to the docks but was refused entry by the Red Whale Gang. A brief clash occurred, marked by the thunderous sound of inner-force combat.
• Chen Mu recognizes that Zhao Dong is likely a Qi-Nurturing Realm expert, far beyond his current strength.
• He buys expensive medicinal treatments for A-Ning, including twenty-year-old ginseng and additional nourishing herbs. The medicine visibly improves her condition, and the physician predicts she will recover within several days.
• After caring for A-Ning, Chen Mu intensifies his training in Wild Ox Fist, stance work, and the Rampaging Bull Force. He then begins practicing the newly acquired Black Tiger Blade Technique.
• While practicing, his system detects that the Black Tiger Blade Technique can be fused with his mastered Ox-Slicing Saber Technique by spending ten points of Karmic Slaughter.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu becomes more cautious and strategic. He recognizes that possessing the smuggling map makes him a target and immediately hides it rather than exploiting it recklessly.
• He identifies formal membership in the Azure Dragon Martial Academy as his best protection, showing his growing understanding of political and martial power.
• Chen Mu’s priorities remain divided between survival and caring for A-Ning. Although he is increasingly ruthless and ambitious in martial matters, he remains deeply protective and emotionally attached to her.
• His martial progress continues steadily. He improves his blood and qi through training, studies a powerful new saber art, and discovers a possible method of combining techniques to increase his strength.
• A-Ning remains physically fragile but emotionally dependent on Chen Mu. Her fear when he is absent highlights both her vulnerability and the closeness of their relationship.
• Liu Qingcang does not appear directly, but his reputation as a powerful and selective martial master strongly influences Chen Mu’s plans.
• Zhao Dong and the Red Whale Gang are established as major forces whose conflict creates the danger surrounding Chen Mu.

Significant Themes

• Weakness as a liability: Chen Mu reflects that in a chaotic society, the weak are treated as expendable. This motivates his urgent pursuit of martial strength and institutional protection.
• Power and survival: The map represents both wealth and deadly danger. Possessing valuable information can elevate a person’s status but also make them a target.
• Caution and strategic planning: Chen Mu avoids the dockside conflict, hides the map, and uses his public identity and routine to gather intelligence safely.
• Loyalty and affection amid brutality: His care for A-Ning contrasts with the violent world of smuggling, factional conflict, and martial competition.
• Accumulation and transformation: Chen Mu steadily builds power through medicine, practice, and the system’s ability to derive or fuse martial arts.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and A-Ning share a tender reunion. She cries and asks him not to leave her behind again, while he reassures her and remains by her side.
• Chen Mu interacts with ordinary customers and neighbors at his butcher stall, using casual conversation to learn about the dockside battle.
• Chen Mu deals with the initially dismissive physician at Benevolent Aid Hall, who becomes respectful after seeing Chen Mu’s wealth and willingness to pay.
• Chen Mu’s unseen relationship with Liu Qingcang shapes his ambitions: he hopes to earn the academy master’s approval and protection.
• The chapter ends with Chen Mu confronting a major decision: whether to spend ten points of Karmic Slaughter to fuse the Black Tiger Blade Technique with his perfected Ox-Slicing Saber Technique.

Chapter Summary: Hundred-Slash Baleful Blade and the East Window Opens

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu uses an Immediate Deduction, spending 10 Karmic Slaughter points to create and comprehend the Yellow Grade High-Tier martial art Hundred-Slash Baleful Blade. His remaining Karmic Slaughter falls from 12 to 2.
• The deduction merges the precision of the Ox-Slicing Saber Technique with the ferocity of the Black Tiger Blade Technique, giving him Hall-Entering proficiency immediately.
• After enduring intense mental strain, Chen Mu practices the new saber art. Its hundred variations target vital areas such as meridians, acupuncture points, tendons, and joints.
• By maintaining a relentless offensive, he gathers Baleful Intent around his blade. After completing the hundred-slash sequence, he releases black saber qi powerful enough to cut through a waist-thick bluestone.
• Chen Mu realizes that Baleful Intent can rival true qi in destructive power and inflict a deadly “Baleful Poison” that may corrode a victim’s limbs unless treated with rare medicine.
• Although the technique requires continuous attacks and significant stamina, Chen Mu concludes that it gives him a possible chance against a Martial Master in the Qi Accumulation Realm.
• He nourishes himself, takes another Bone-Strengthening Pill, and resumes cultivation.
• Meanwhile, at the Red Whale Gang’s West City General Hall, gang leader Wei Chen interrogates his subordinates about the previous night’s disaster.
• The gang learns that Chen Mu likely manipulated events to divert Zhao Dong toward them, killed Ma San, and stole the Ghost Market Waterway Map. The gang members demand that Chen Mu be captured and punished.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu advances dramatically in combat ability. He not only gains a powerful new martial art but also develops a lethal technique capable of compensating for his lack of true qi.
• His confidence increases as he realizes he may now challenge stronger Qi Accumulation experts, though he remains aware of the technique’s stamina and setup limitations.
• Wei Chen is established as the Red Whale Gang’s ruthless and highly experienced leader. Despite his aged and withered appearance, his thirty-six strands of True Qi make him one of the strongest figures in Everlasting Prosperity Town.
• Yan Rong, the salt-smuggling hall master, demonstrates opportunism and cunning by exploiting Ma San’s enemies to uncover information and gain Wei Chen’s attention.
• The Red Whale Gang’s members become increasingly hostile toward Chen Mu, wrongly assuming that he orchestrated the entire conflict and possesses the waterway map.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation through deduction: Chen Mu’s supernatural ability allows him to bypass years of conventional practice, though the process still imposes severe physical and mental strain.
• Power through adaptation: By combining existing techniques, Chen Mu creates a stronger and more specialized martial art rather than relying on a single traditional style.
• Lethality and survival: The Hundred-Slash Baleful Blade emphasizes anatomical precision, poison-like damage, and ruthless efficiency, reflecting the harshness of the martial world.
• Misunderstanding and blame: The Red Whale Gang forms a false but convincing interpretation of recent events, turning Chen Mu into the target of their revenge.
• Strength versus resources: Chen Mu’s new technique can rival true qi, but it depends on sustained offense, stamina, and accumulated momentum.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu interacts primarily with his own cultivation, testing the new saber art against a bluestone and assessing its limitations.
• Wei Chen publicly berates the Red Whale Gang’s martial masters for allowing the gang to suffer losses.
• Wei Chen questions Yan Rong about Ma San’s death and the waterway map.
• Yan Rong recounts how he overheard Ma San’s former lackeys, captured and tortured them, and pieced together the supposed truth.
• The gang members collectively urge Wei Chen to send forces after Chen Mu, setting up an imminent confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Surging Blood Qi, Uprooting the Weeds and Eliminating the Roots”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Within the Red Whale Gang, members urge Gang Leader Wei Chen to seize Chen Mu and obtain the Waterway Map taken from Ma San.
• Wei Chen recognizes the danger of openly opposing Zhao Dong, who may soon discover the truth. He devises a scheme: the gang will publicly claim possession of the map, drawing Zhao Dong’s attention, while secretly sending Yan Rong to capture Chen Mu.
• Yan Rong is ordered to eliminate all surviving members of Ma San’s organization and leave no witnesses. The gang plans to torture Chen Mu into revealing the map’s location.
• Meanwhile, Chen Mu completes an intense afternoon of saber training and consumes two Bone-Strengthening Pills. The pills and his cultivation greatly increase his Blood Qi, expel impurities from his body, and push his cultivation close to the Body Refining Second Layer.
• His fused saber techniques have become the upper-grade Yellow-rank martial art Hundred-Slash Baleful Blade, and his proficiency rises substantially.
• After checking on the recovering A-Ning, Chen Mu decides to eliminate Ma San’s remaining strongholds before they can expose him.
• At the first stronghold, he finds five of Ma San’s men brutally murdered—not robbed, but silenced. He suspects the Red Whale Gang has discovered his scheme and is erasing witnesses while hunting him.
• Chen Mu hurries to another stronghold and hides after hearing barking. From a nearby tree, he sees men in black dragging away the corpses of Ma San’s subordinates, confirming that the Red Whale Gang is already carrying out its cleanup operation.

Character Developments

• Wei Chen is shown to be cautious, calculating, and politically experienced. Unlike his greedy subordinates, he understands the dangers posed by Zhao Dong and uses deception to protect the Red Whale Gang.
• Yan Rong eagerly accepts the mission and presents himself as ruthless and capable, emphasizing his willingness to eliminate witnesses and capture Chen Mu.
• Chen Mu grows rapidly in both strength and confidence. His Blood Qi reaches 720/1000, leaving him only 300 points from his next cultivation breakthrough.
• Chen Mu’s combat ability improves dramatically through relentless training and the benefits of the cultivation panel. He now possesses saber skill comparable to a seasoned martial expert.
• Despite his growing power, Chen Mu remains cautious and pragmatic. He recognizes his lack of a true movement technique and avoids becoming overconfident.
• His concern for A-Ning remains evident as he checks her health before embarking on his dangerous mission.

Significant Themes

• Deception and counter-deception: Wei Chen uses a false public narrative to mislead Zhao Dong, while Chen Mu attempts to erase evidence of his own involvement.
• The danger of hidden power: The Waterway Map represents wealth and influence, making Chen Mu the target of powerful factions despite his low social status.
• Survival through initiative: Chen Mu realizes that hiding would leave him vulnerable, so he chooses to act first and eliminate possible threats.
• Ruthlessness in the martial world: Both the Red Whale Gang and Chen Mu are willing to kill witnesses and destroy remnants of opposing forces to secure their secrets.
• Rapid cultivation and personal advancement: Chen Mu’s progress highlights the contrast between his extraordinary cultivation opportunities and the years of effort required by ordinary martial artists.
• Social hierarchy and contempt: Wei Chen dismisses Chen Mu as a worthless commoner, underestimating the danger posed by his sudden rise in strength.

Character Interactions

• Wei Chen dominates the Red Whale Gang’s meeting, silencing the gang members and directing Yan Rong’s covert operation.
• Yan Rong flatters Wei Chen’s strategy and accepts responsibility for the killings, while the other gang members praise their leader’s wisdom.
• Chen Mu has no direct interaction with the gang in this chapter, but the opposing sides’ plans begin to collide as he discovers the gang’s cleanup operation.
• Chen Mu’s quiet visit to A-Ning contrasts with the violence surrounding him, showing his protective relationship with her amid the escalating conflict.

Chapter Summary: Breakthrough at the Brink of Battle, Living Toward Death

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yan Song, the Red Whale Gang’s elite leader, and two sworn brothers dispose of several corpses in a dry well while preparing to continue their violent operation.
• Chen Mu ambushes the group, instantly killing the two Body-Tempering First Stage men.
• Yan Song, a Body-Tempering Second Layer martial artist, engages Chen Mu in a fierce saber battle. Although Yan Song initially possesses superior physical strength, Chen Mu relies on the speed, precision, and unpredictability of the Hundred-Slash Saber Art.
• Chen Mu deliberately exposes an opening and lures Yan Song into an overconfident attack. He then uses a modified version of the Black Tiger Blade Technique to strike three vital areas at once, severely wounding Yan Song.
• Chen Mu finishes Yan Song by breaking his saber and decapitating him. The deaths provide enough Blood Essence for Chen Mu to break through from the Body-Tempering First Stage to the Second Layer—the Flesh Refinement Realm.
• After briefly adapting to his enhanced strength, Chen Mu loots the corpses and continues toward the Red Whale Gang’s final stronghold.
• At the stronghold, he hears several gang members abusing a young woman. He breaks through the roof and kills all three men.
• The woman, severely injured and near death, begs Chen Mu to end her suffering. Recognizing that she cannot survive, he mercifully kills her and burns the gang members’ bodies.
• Chen Mu then turns back toward the Rubble Ward, fearing that his own courtyard has been attacked and that A-Ning may have been captured. Despite knowing it is likely a trap, he resolves to return and rescue her.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu demonstrates growing mastery of combat strategy. Rather than relying solely on strength, he uses deception, timing, mobility, and targeted saber techniques to defeat an opponent stronger than himself.
• His breakthrough into the Body-Tempering Second Layer marks a major increase in physical power and durability, making him significantly more capable of confronting the Red Whale Gang.
• Chen Mu’s sense of justice and protectiveness become more pronounced. His anger at the gang’s abuse of the young woman drives him to act immediately.
• He also reveals emotional resilience and grim compassion by granting the dying woman a merciful death, even though the act earns him no Blood Essence.
• His concern for A-Ning shows that personal loyalty outweighs his instinct for self-preservation; he willingly returns to a dangerous battlefield to save her.

Significant Themes

• Strength forged through danger: Chen Mu’s advancement occurs during a life-or-death battle, reinforcing the idea that survival and growth are inseparable.
• Justice and vengeance: The Red Whale Gang’s cruelty contrasts sharply with Chen Mu’s brutal but targeted retaliation.
• Mercy amid violence: Although Chen Mu kills without hesitation when facing criminals, he treats the abused woman’s death as an act of compassion rather than profit.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Chen Mu knowingly heads back into a probable trap because he refuses to abandon A-Ning.
• Living toward death: The chapter emphasizes a willingness to risk death for a greater purpose, with Chen Mu choosing confrontation despite overwhelming danger.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Yan Song: Their battle is a contest between superior cultivation and superior technique. Yan Song initially relies on strength and experience, while Chen Mu wins through adaptability and cunning.
• Chen Mu and the Red Whale Gang members: Their encounters are direct and merciless, reflecting the gang’s brutality and Chen Mu’s determination to eliminate its forces.
• Chen Mu and the abused woman: Their brief interaction reveals Chen Mu’s compassion. He becomes her rescuer and ultimately grants her request for release from unbearable suffering.
• Chen Mu and A-Ning: Though A-Ning does not appear directly, her possible capture motivates Chen Mu’s next decision and demonstrates the depth of their bond.

Chapter Summary: Slaughtering Two on the Spot, Hanging by a Thread

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yan Rong, a Body Tempering Fourth-Tier expert and leader of the Red Whale Gang’s group, leads several men into Chen Mu’s home at night to search for the Waterway Map and capture him.
• While inspecting the courtyard, Yan Rong notices the immense force behind Chen Mu’s martial practice and the clean cut in a bluestone, realizing Chen Mu possesses far greater combat ability than the intelligence suggested.
• Chen Mu returns just in time to catch two intruders attempting to enter the room where A-Ning is sleeping. He kills both with a surprise attack and gains a small amount of vital energy from their deaths.
• Yan Rong enters the inner courtyard with the remaining gang members and orders them to surround Chen Mu and block every escape route.
• Recognizing that Yan Rong is far stronger than himself, Chen Mu spends all twenty of his Karmic Slaughter points to forcibly advance his Rampaging Bull Force. The breakthrough raises him to the second layer of Body Tempering, strengthens his blood essence, and improves his physical power, though it causes severe pain.
• Chen Mu launches a sudden attack rather than waiting for Yan Rong to strike. After being knocked back by Yan Rong’s superior strength, he changes targets and kills one of the gang members with the Hundred-Slash Saber Art.
• Yan Rong becomes enraged and attacks again. Chen Mu is driven into a wall, but he uses the Mighty Bull Fist’s elbow strike to severely injure another enemy, sending the man crashing into Yan Rong.
• With Chen Mu temporarily exposed and unable to evade, the final surviving saber wielder swings at his neck. The chapter ends with Chen Mu’s life hanging in the balance.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Demonstrates courage, tactical flexibility, and a willingness to risk everything to protect A-Ning. His forced breakthrough greatly increases his combat power, and he combines saber techniques with close-range physical attacks when conventional methods become ineffective.
• Yan Rong: Initially confident and contemptuous, Yan Rong becomes wary after witnessing Chen Mu’s strength and sudden transformation. His confidence turns into anger when Chen Mu kills one of his men and repeatedly disrupts his plans.
• A-Ning: Remains asleep in the protected inner room, making Chen Mu’s defense of the house and his desperate fighting especially important.
• The Red Whale Gang members: Underestimate Chen Mu and are quickly overwhelmed by his sudden aggression and improved strength.

Significant Themes

• Desperation and survival: Chen Mu is outmatched but refuses to surrender, using every resource available to survive.
• Hidden strength and underestimated individuals: The gang assumes Chen Mu is only a minor martial artist, but his secret abilities and rapid advancement make him far more dangerous than expected.
• Sacrifice and protection: Chen Mu endures severe pain and exposes himself to danger to keep the attackers away from A-Ning.
• Violence as advancement: Through the Slaughter Register, killing enemies directly fuels Chen Mu’s cultivation, linking survival and personal growth to bloodshed.
• Tactical adaptability: Chen Mu shifts between surprise attacks, saber techniques, and brute-force martial arts depending on the battlefield.

Character Interactions

• Yan Rong confronts Chen Mu directly and attempts to intimidate him into surrendering.
• Chen Mu taunts Yan Rong and refuses to reveal the source of his sudden increase in strength.
• Chen Mu deliberately abandons his duel with Yan Rong to surprise and kill a weaker gang member.
• Yan Rong’s attacks force Chen Mu into increasingly dangerous positions, while the remaining gang members exploit every opening.
• Chen Mu’s elbow strike injures one attacker and disrupts Yan Rong’s assault, but the final surviving enemy immediately counterattacks, leaving the outcome unresolved.

Summary: “Desperate Counterattack, Saber Across, Foes Slain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu is about to be killed by a black-clad assassin when Yan Rong unexpectedly shouts for the attackers to keep their victims alive. The distraction causes the assassin’s blade to miss slightly.
• Seizing the opening, Chen Mu twists in midair and unleashes a reverse slash infused with newly formed blade aura. His Goosefeather Saber snaps the attacker’s weapon and severs his arm.
• Although Chen Mu is badly injured from the impact, he rises and prepares to face Yan Rong, having now killed three enemies in succession.
• Yan Rong recognizes Chen Mu’s Killing Intent blade glow but remains confident in his own strength and defensive Golden Bell Shield technique.
• The two engage in a fierce saber duel. Chen Mu’s blade glow damages Yan Rong’s refined-iron Nine-Ring Saber, forcing Yan Rong to end the battle quickly before his weapon is destroyed.
• Chen Mu relies on mobility and repeated attacks, while Yan Rong uses powerful, technically skilled saber movements and his hardened body to withstand most strikes.
• Yan Rong’s nine-ring saber produces a sonic attack that momentarily dazes Chen Mu. Yan Rong then overwhelms him, forcing him to one knee and pressing his saber dangerously close to Chen Mu’s face.
• Chen Mu tricks Yan Rong by pretending that Commander Zhao has arrived and offering him the Waterway Map. Yan Rong briefly turns in alarm, allowing Chen Mu to break free.
• Chen Mu releases a massive crescent-shaped slash, cuts Yan Rong’s throat, and follows with a final diagonal strike that cleaves Yan Rong’s upper body in half.
• After killing Yan Rong, Chen Mu executes the two remaining wounded black-clad Martial Masters to ensure none survive.
• Completely exhausted and suffering numerous fractures, Chen Mu collapses in the snow. The Slaughter Register records his kills and awards Blood Essence and Karmic Slaughter.
• Blood-Killing Intent flows from the corpses into Chen Mu, creating a powerful healing current that rapidly repairs his injuries. At midnight, the Slaughter Register’s settlement panel appears.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Demonstrates remarkable adaptability, courage, and ruthlessness. He successfully forms Killing Intent into blade glow, uses deception to reverse an otherwise hopeless situation, and defeats a stronger opponent despite severe injuries. His confidence grows after surviving the battle, though his victory is physically devastating.
• Yan Rong: Initially arrogant and overwhelmingly dominant, he reveals strong saber skills, great physical strength, and a powerful defensive body technique. However, his pride and impulsive reaction to Chen Mu’s bluff create the opening that leads to his death.
• Black-clad attackers: Their threat is eliminated as Chen Mu kills the first attacker, defeats Yan Rong, and finishes off the two wounded survivors.

Significant Themes

• Desperation and resourcefulness: Chen Mu survives not through superior strength alone, but by exploiting timing, deception, and his opponent’s momentary distraction.
• The danger of arrogance: Yan Rong’s confidence in his body art and contempt for Chen Mu cause him to underestimate his opponent and fall for a simple lie.
• Transformation through combat: Chen Mu’s repeated kills allow his Killing Intent to condense into a tangible blade glow, marking a major advancement in his martial power.
• Victory at great cost: Chen Mu wins, but suffers severe fractures and exhaustion, emphasizing that triumph does not come without sacrifice.
• Killing as power and survival: The Slaughter Register rewards Chen Mu’s violence with Blood Essence and healing, linking slaughter directly to his continued growth.

Character Interactions

• The first assassin’s attack is disrupted by Yan Rong’s command, allowing Chen Mu to counterattack and maim him.
• Yan Rong and Chen Mu exchange boasts and threats before engaging in a prolonged saber duel.
• Yan Rong repeatedly attempts to crush Chen Mu through brute force, while Chen Mu searches for weaknesses and attacks vital points.
• Chen Mu’s false appeal to Commander Zhao exploits Yan Rong’s fear and briefly breaks his concentration.
• Their final exchange ends with Chen Mu killing Yan Rong and then methodically eliminating the remaining wounded enemies.

Chapter Summary: Driving a Tiger to Swallow a Wolf, Yin-Yang Twin-Heart Jade

Key Plot Points and Events

• After surviving a deadly battle, Chen Mu receives his Slaughter Register settlement:
  • One hundred liang of silver
  • Five Bone-Strengthening Pills
  • The rare treasure known as the

Yin-Yang Twin-Heart Jade

• A lower C-rank, upper-tier evaluation
• The blood essence absorbed from the corpses completely restores Chen Mu and raises his martial arts proficiency.
• Using thirty-five points of Karmic Slaughter, Chen Mu invests everything into Rampaging Bull Force, breaking through from the Body Tempering Second Tier to the Third Tier.
• His body dramatically transforms: his injuries heal, his physique grows stronger, and his strength increases to the point that he accidentally shatters stone paving.
• Chen Mu reflects on his recent battle with Yan Rong, realizing how dangerous the Red Whale Gang is and acknowledging that he is still no match for its Qi-Nurturing experts.
• To prevent the Red Whale Gang from tracing Yan Rong’s disappearance back to him, Chen Mu devises a plan to make the government and the Red Whale Gang conflict with one another.
• He conceals the bodies of the other attackers, carries Yan Rong’s corpse to the Eastern Yamen, and hides it alongside the Waterway Map connected to the Ghost Market.
• By ensuring the corpse and map will be discovered together, Chen Mu expects Zhao Dong’s side and the Red Whale Gang to compete over the map and intensify their hostility.
• He returns home before dawn, erases the evidence of battle, and checks on A-Ning, who slept peacefully throughout the night because of the calming medicine she took.
• Afterward, Chen Mu examines his rewards and discovers the two functions of the Yin-Yang Twin-Heart Jade:
  • The white jade nourishes the body and can slowly strengthen someone’s physique.
  • The black jade conceals martial aura and allows the wearer to disguise their cultivation level.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu grows substantially stronger, advancing to the Body Tempering Third Tier and gaining greater confidence in his ability to survive dangerous confrontations.
• Despite his breakthrough, he remains cautious and realistic. He recognizes that his new strength is still insufficient against the Red Whale Gang’s higher-level experts.
• His strategic thinking develops further. Rather than confronting the Red Whale Gang directly, he manipulates circumstances so that rival forces will clash over the Waterway Map.
• Chen Mu continues to protect A-Ning by keeping her unaware of the violence and danger surrounding them.
• He becomes more willing to pursue powerful cultivation methods, especially the Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art, now that he has a way to hide his rapidly increasing strength.

Significant Themes

• Strength balanced by caution: Chen Mu’s breakthrough gives him power, but he understands that recklessness would still lead to death.
• Cunning over direct confrontation: The “driving a tiger to swallow a wolf” strategy shows Chen Mu using enemies against one another instead of fighting overwhelming forces himself.
• Concealment and survival: Hiding his cultivation, identity, and involvement in the battle becomes increasingly important as Chen Mu’s power rises.
• Protection and secrecy: Chen Mu shields A-Ning from the darker aspects of his life, showing both his care for her and his willingness to carry danger alone.
• Rapid cultivation and its risks: Chen Mu’s explosive progress is advantageous but could attract suspicion, making the jade’s concealment ability essential.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Yan Rong: Their earlier battle profoundly affects Chen Mu. Yan Rong’s powerful physique nearly kills him, but after defeating him, Chen Mu uses his corpse to mislead the Red Whale Gang and the authorities.
• Chen Mu and the Red Whale Gang: Chen Mu avoids a direct confrontation, instead arranging for the gang to lose Yan Rong and become embroiled in a dispute over the Waterway Map.
• Chen Mu and Zhao Dong: Zhao Dong’s authority over the Eastern Yamen makes him an unwitting participant in Chen Mu’s scheme. The hidden map is intended to fall into his hands and provoke conflict with the Red Whale Gang.
• Chen Mu and A-Ning: Their relationship remains protective and trusting. A-Ning sleeps unaware of the battle, while Chen Mu deliberately keeps the violence hidden from her.
• Chen Mu and the Yin-Yang Twin-Heart Jade: The treasure solves two of his immediate problems: strengthening A-Ning through the white jade and concealing his own cultivation through the black jade.

Summary: “Chaos in the City, Hiding Behind the Scenes”

Key Plot Points and Events

• With one day remaining before the martial academy’s assessment deadline, Chen Mu studies the Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art to increase his strength.
• He discovers that the technique conflicts with his existing Rampaging Bull Force. The former is a yin-baleful internal art, while the latter is a domineering yang art. Practicing them together without merging them could cause qi deviation, madness, internal injuries, or death.
• Chen Mu’s system reveals that merging the techniques requires 100 points of Karmic Slaughter, but he has already exhausted his supply. He therefore postpones cultivating the new art.
• Hearing rumors in a tavern, Chen Mu learns that the Patrol Office killed Seventh Master Rong of the Red Whale Gang, triggering open conflict between government forces and the gang.
• He correctly realizes that the real cause is the leaked Waterway Map, rather than the rumors about a dragon-vein treasure or Commander Zhao’s personal affairs.
• Expecting the Red Whale Gang to retaliate, Chen Mu decides to disappear temporarily and move A-Ning somewhere safer.
• He takes A-Ning in disguise to the home of Granny Li near the City God Temple, intending for her to hide there for two days while he waits for Liu Qingcang to return and conducts his martial assessment later.
• At the chapter’s end, Granny Li examines Chen Mu and suddenly releases an intimidating presence that makes him feel completely restrained, suggesting that she is far more powerful or mysterious than she appears.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu becomes more cautious and strategically minded. Rather than recklessly practicing a dangerous technique or confronting the Red Whale Gang, he chooses concealment and evacuation.
• He gains a basic but important understanding of martial principles, particularly the yin-yang distinction between internal arts and the dangers of combining incompatible techniques.
• Chen Mu also demonstrates growing responsibility toward A-Ning, prioritizing her safety despite withholding the full truth about the city’s political conflict.
• A-Ning remains emotionally dependent on Chen Mu. Her fear of separation is evident, but she ultimately trusts him and agrees to hide at Granny Li’s home.
• Granny Li, initially presented as an elderly paper effigy maker, displays a terrifying and unexpected aura, hinting at hidden strength or an unusual identity.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus ambition: Chen Mu’s desire to grow stronger is restrained by the dangers of rushing into unfamiliar cultivation.
• Hidden power and appearances: Ordinary-looking people and rumors conceal deeper realities, especially Granny Li’s sudden display of strength.
• Political chaos and manipulation: Public explanations for the violence are unreliable, while the true struggle centers on control of the Waterway Map.
• Protection and trust: Chen Mu protects A-Ning through partial deception, showing both his care for her and the fragile nature of their situation.
• Survival through concealment: In a city on the verge of open conflict, remaining unseen becomes Chen Mu’s most practical strategy.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mu interacts with tavern patrons only indirectly, using their gossip to piece together the conflict between the Patrol Office and the Red Whale Gang.
• He speaks firmly but protectively to A-Ning, calming her fears and persuading her to stay with Granny Li.
• His relationship with A-Ning is affectionate and intimate, with her calling him “Husband” and expressing anxiety about being left alone.
• Chen Mu relies on his past connection with Granny Li, whom he once helped by saving her granddaughter, Li Susu.
• His seemingly routine request for shelter from Granny Li becomes tense when she recognizes something about him and exerts an overwhelming, unexplained pressure.

Chapter Summary: “Red-Adorned Ghost Face, Visiting the Academy Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mu visits Granny Li’s residence with A-Ning after sensing a powerful, mysterious presence nearby. He wonders whether Granny Li might secretly be the expert he encountered, since she appears frail but is surrounded by no detectable blood qi.
• Inside the gloomy courtyard near the City God Temple, Chen Mu remains wary of the heavy yin aura but dismisses his suspicions as possible exhaustion or imagination.
• He leaves A-Ning in Granny Li’s care, giving her money for medicine and warning her to remain indoors. He also gives her half of the Yin-Yang Twin-Heart Jade, instructing her to wear it close to her body to improve her health.
• After Chen Mu leaves, Granny Li and A-Ning settle into the side room. In the bronze mirror, Granny Li’s true appearance briefly emerges: half of a beautiful woman’s face and half of a terrifying white skull, surrounded by ghostly qi. She quickly conceals this form before A-Ning notices.
• Granny Li questions A-Ning about her devotion to Chen Mu and whether she fears he might betray her, recalling that A-Ning once risked her life to rescue him. A-Ning confidently insists that Chen Mu treats her well. Granny Li dismisses her as easily deceived by a valuable trinket.
• Meanwhile, Chen Mu decides not to return to Rubble Ward because the Red Whale Gang may retaliate after he manipulated them and caused the loss of a hall master.
• He instead goes directly to Azure Dragon Martial Academy, planning to disguise his cultivation as merely the first level of Body Tempering and seek protection by reentering the academy.
• At the academy gates, Chen Mu encounters the guard Liu Meng, an acquaintance. He identifies himself and discreetly offers silver to gain entry, but Liu Meng is shocked by the tremendous force behind the thrown coin, revealing Chen Mu’s unexpectedly powerful physical strength.

Character Developments

• Chen Mu: Becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. He recognizes the danger posed by the Red Whale Gang and chooses the martial academy as a place of refuge. His cultivation has reached the third level of Body Tempering, though he plans to conceal it. He also shows tenderness and responsibility toward A-Ning by arranging her medicine and giving her protective jade.
• A-Ning: Displays deep trust and affection for Chen Mu. She is emotionally moved by his care and openly defends his character when Granny Li questions his loyalty. Her attachment to him is emphasized through her reaction to the jade pendant.
• Granny Li: Is revealed to be far more sinister and powerful than she appears. Her monstrous reflection suggests she may be a ghostly or demonic expert with hidden motives. She seems skeptical of Chen Mu and concerned that A-Ning is blindly devoted to him.
• Liu Meng: Reappears as a gate guard at the martial academy. Though familiar with Chen Mu, he is startled by the force behind Chen Mu’s seemingly casual gesture, hinting that Chen Mu’s strength far exceeds what he publicly displays.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and concealed power: Granny Li hides a terrifying supernatural form, while Chen Mu disguises his cultivation. Both characters are far more dangerous or capable than they appear.
• Trust and devotion: A-Ning’s unwavering faith in Chen Mu contrasts with Granny Li’s suspicion and cynicism.
• Protection and mutual dependence: Chen Mu attempts to safeguard A-Ning through medicine, the jade pendant, and strict instructions, while A-Ning’s earlier rescue of Chen Mu demonstrates their shared history of sacrifice.
• Danger beneath ordinary life: The peaceful-looking temple district conceals a sinister yin presence, just as the apparently routine academy entrance masks Chen Mu’s urgent flight from gang retaliation.
• Strategic survival: Chen Mu prioritizes concealment, careful alliances, and institutional protection as the city’s disorder grows.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Mu and Granny Li: Their brief exchange is outwardly ordinary but charged with mutual uncertainty. Chen Mu suspects Granny Li’s hidden strength, while the narrative confirms that she is indeed supernatural.
• Chen Mu and A-Ning: Their farewell is affectionate and intimate. Chen Mu reassures her, gives her the jade, and emphasizes their shared fate as husband and wife.
• A-Ning and Granny Li: Granny Li probes A-Ning’s loyalty to Chen Mu, but A-Ning responds with complete confidence in him. Granny Li views this trust as naïve.
• Chen Mu and Liu Meng: Chen Mu uses familiarity and a small bribe to gain access to the academy, but the force behind the gesture surprises Liu Meng and exposes how formidable Chen Mu has become.