Chapter Summaries

Qin Geng reached level thirty as a Carriage Driver and unlocked abilities that helped him sense danger and remember roads, while Henry argued that the trade could lead to the path of a Way Cultivator. Henry also revealed that he was a third-tier Disease Cultivator, leaving Qin Geng curious about how far his own profession could advance.

• Henry told Qin Geng that the Westerners studied cultivation through the Great Xin Dynasty’s Hundred Trades, but Qin Geng said he was only a rickshaw puller.
• Qin Geng leveled up from 29 to 30 and unlocked Step-Sensing Danger and Old Horse Knows the Way.
• Qin Geng sensed a child darting into the road and steered the rickshaw around the child without slowing down.
• Henry called Qin Geng a Way Cultivator and explained that Carriage Driver could be a starting point for mastering movement.
• Henry showed Qin Geng a tattoo that read “My Grandma's a Disease Cultivator” and claimed he was a third-tier Disease Cultivator.

Qin Geng visited Shopkeeper Lu at the suspicious Osmanthus Fragrance Studio, where Lu tested his newly reached third-tier abilities with a lethal surprise attack. The test escalated when a Boy Paper Doll lunged at Qin Geng with a crushing strike.

• After dropping off Henry, Qin Geng headed to Anping Street instead of returning to Xun River Wharf.
• Qin Geng entered Osmanthus Fragrance Studio and realized its dusty cosmetics shop concealed funeral paper figures and served as a front.
• Shopkeeper Lu recognized that Qin Geng had reached the Upper Three Tiers.
• Qin Geng used Step-Sensing Danger to dodge a cinnabar-stained Wolf-Hair Brush that Shopkeeper Lu had thrown at him.
• Shopkeeper Lu warned Qin Geng, and a Boy Paper Doll burst from behind the curtain and swung its hardened arm at his chest.

Qin Geng’s Dragon Spine Through the Back impressed Shopkeeper Lu, who offered him an official post if he took a dangerous job in the mountains. Qin Geng listened as Shopkeeper Lu described the unrest there, but the chapter ended before Qin Geng accepted or refused the offer.

• Qin Geng struck the Boy Paper Doll with a powerful punch, but it absorbed the force and landed unharmed on the counter.
• Shopkeeper Lu recognized Qin Geng’s Dragon Spine Through the Back and praised him as a Born Killer with Dragon Tendon.
• Qin Geng concealed that his martial talent came from the Book of a Hundred Trades and asked Shopkeeper Lu about the trip into the mountains.
• Shopkeeper Lu warned Qin Geng that Westerners, Tomb Raiders, Government Officers, Bandits, and Zombies had made the mountains dangerous.
• Shopkeeper Lu offered Qin Geng an official post in addition to thirty silver dollars if he handled the job well, and argued that the position would protect him amid the turmoil.

Qin Geng declined official status and asked Shopkeeper Lu to help him find a martial arts master. Shopkeeper Lu arranged an introduction at Bell Mountain and gave Qin Geng a powerful medicinal tea, leaving him energized as he prepared for the night journey.

• Qin Geng told Shopkeeper Lu he wanted to find a master instead of taking official status, explaining that Zhou Yonghe had only given him a manual and never formally accepted him as a disciple.
• Shopkeeper Lu agreed to introduce Qin Geng to a skilled senior, while warning that the senior might not accept him and offering to teach him himself if the introduction failed.
• Shopkeeper Lu told Qin Geng to meet him at Heaven-Reaching Gate on Bell Mountain on the fifteenth of the eleventh month, a quarter into the hour of the Rooster, for an overnight trip into the mountain.
• Shopkeeper Lu urged Qin Geng to drink the tea, which he said was worth three doses of Bone-Strengthening Powder.
• Qin Geng drank the tea and felt its medicinal heat fill his body with strength before leaving Osmanthus Fragrance Studio to prepare for the trip.

Qin Geng struggled to afford the medicine needed to support his martial arts training, so he spent his day’s wages on a huge meal instead. Master Zhu Xin recognized his hardship and returned with a bundle of silver dollars, insisting Qin Geng take it.

• Qin Geng calculated that his carriage earnings could not cover the medicine he needed before his upcoming trip into the mountains.
• Qin Geng ate roast chickens, pork head meat, flatbreads, and broth at Master Zhu Xin’s usual stall, spending all his earnings on food.
• Master Zhu Xin noticed Qin Geng’s unusual appetite and asked whether he planned to pull a carriage for his whole life.
• Qin Geng said he had taken a private job and expected to earn money after a major run in a few days.
• Master Zhu Xin left, returned with a heavy bundle of silver dollars, and insisted that Qin Geng take it.

Master Zhu Xin gave Qin Geng ten silver dollars to help him establish himself, asking him to arrange a proper funeral when the time came, and advised him to build a cart company. After half a month of intense training and work, Qin Geng reached level eight and learned Tianjin’s streets before hearing about a new company challenging Ping'an Cart Company.

• Master Zhu Xin persuaded Qin Geng to accept ten silver dollars in exchange for arranging his funeral and urged him to establish a cart company with trusted men from the shantytown.
• Qin Geng accepted the money and promised to give Master Zhu Xin a dignified funeral.
• Qin Geng bought Bone-Strengthening Powder and spent the following days training by day and night while working at the wharf.
• By November fourteenth, Qin Geng had reached Martial Artist level eight and mapped nearly all of Tianjin, but his medicine was losing its effect and his body needed more meat.
• Li Gou told Qin Geng and Uncle Xu that Hongsheng Cart Company had opened and was competing with Ping'an Cart Company.

Qin Geng and the dockworkers heard that Qi Hongsheng had founded Hongsheng Cart Company with the Dragon King Society’s backing, offering low dues and new carts. The chapter ended with Qi’s men throwing Guan Ershun, Boss Lin, and three other Ping'an Cart Company bosses into the Tianjin River, leaving the dockworkers stunned and afraid.

• Li Gou told Xu Chun, Ma Laifu, Uncle Jin, and Qin Geng that Qi Hongsheng had opened Hongsheng Cart Company and offered drivers lower dues and new carts.
• Xu Chun urged the men to wait before switching companies, warning that Qi might become even more ruthless than Ping'an Cart Company.
• Dragon King Society men arrived at the dock dragging Guan Ershun, Boss Lin, and three other Ping'an Cart Company bosses, all bound and beaten.
• A Dragon King Society leader announced that Master Qi had ordered the five men sunk in the river.
• The Porters threw Guan Ershun and the four other bosses into the Tianjin River, where the current carried them away.

After the Hongsheng Cart Company destroyed its rivals, Qin Geng led the drivers to register under the new rulers. At registration, Abacus Song recognized him as the man who killed Chen Sanpi with one punch.

• The Hongsheng Cart Company announced that the Ping'an Cart Company was finished and ordered all drivers to register or face the same fate as the men thrown into the river.
• Qin Geng urged Xu Chun, Uncle Jin, and the other drivers to stop taking fares and register, and drivers from other parts of town followed.
• At the Hongsheng Cart Company, Qin Geng saw Abacus Song overseeing registrations and learned that the company was reshuffling territories among the drivers.
• When Qin Geng gave his name and said he had worked under Boss Lin at Xu Jin's Shanty, Abacus Song stopped the accountant and asked if he was Brother Qin Wu, who had killed Chen Sanpi with one punch at the docks.

Qin Geng refused Abacus Song’s offer to become boss of South City, recognizing that Qi Hongsheng wanted to use him against the remnants of Ping'an Cart Company. He secured lower dues and new cart tags for his brothers, then explained why they were safer keeping their territory and relying on their own strength.

• Abacus Song offered Qin Geng the South City boss's seat, but Qin Geng firmly refused.
• Abacus Song assigned Qin Geng the South 02 cart tag and reduced the dues for Xu Jin's Shanty and Ma Village Shack to twenty percent.
• Qin Geng led the drivers from both shacks out of Hongsheng Cart Company after they received their new tags.
• Li Gou questioned why Qin Geng had rejected the boss's seat, and Qin Geng explained that Qi Hongsheng wanted him to confront Guan Ershun's remaining loyalists.
• Qin Geng told the brothers that their skills and unity mattered more than a position that Qi Hongsheng could take away.
• After the territory reshuffle, most drivers returned to their familiar areas, while Hongsheng Cart Company focused on collecting dues and asserting its authority.

Qin Geng prepared for a dangerous night in Bell Mountain and arrived at Heaven-Reaching Gate to join Lu Xingmin and the others. He met Daoist Miaoxuan and learned that Third Master Cao and Cao Xiaoliu worked for the Directorate of Astronomy’s Mound-Sealing Bureau, though Cao clarified that he was only the local Earth Official’s Office chief.

• Qin Geng declined Xu Jin’s invitation to wait for a ship and warned him and Uncle Xu to avoid trouble while he was away.
• Qin Geng ate a large meal to build his strength before heading to Bell Mountain for the night’s meeting.
• At Heaven-Reaching Gate, Qin Geng found Lu Xingmin, Daoist Miaoxuan, Third Master Cao, and Cao Xiaoliu preparing for their mission.
• Miaoxuan noticed Qin Geng’s strong blood and vitality and said his martial training would help against filthy things.
• Lu Xingmin introduced Third Master Cao and Cao Xiaoliu as officials of the Mound-Sealing Bureau, and Cao explained his local role guarding against underground threats.

Qin Geng joined Third Master Cao, Cao Xiaoliu, Lu Xingmin, and Daoist Miaoxuan on a night expedition into Bell Mountain to investigate the Foreigners’ activities at a ruined Buddhist Temple. After Qin Geng sensed lethal danger inside, the group withdrew and prepared to capture one of the people leaving the temple.

• Lu Xingmin reminded Qin Geng that his job was to memorize the route and lead everyone out if danger struck.
• Third Master Cao led the group through the dark mountain, where they applied Earth Dragon Balm to ward off snakes and insects.
• After four hours of travel, Qin Geng sensed danger at the ruined Buddhist Temple and warned the group not to enter.
• Lu Xingmin explained that the Foreigners had left something at the temple and proposed capturing one of them outside.
• The group retreated to a nearby clearing, where Third Master Cao built an Earth Dragon Snare and placed sweet-smelling dark-red powder in it.

Qin Geng and the others lured two apparent Zombies into a trap, but the creatures broke free after Master Miao Zhen discovered snakes in their mouths and warned that they were not Zombies. As the group fled, Qin Geng recognized the monsters as Boss Lin and Guan Ershun, men who had drowned in the river only the day before.

• Third Master Cao used Corpse-Luring Powder to draw two stiff figures into the Earth Dragon Snare.
• Master Miao Zhen rushed in under Golden Light and pinned talismans to the figures, apparently immobilizing them.
• Miao Zhen found a snake where one figure's tongue should have been and realized the creatures had no teeth, so the talismans could not hold them.
• The creatures copied Miao Zhen's warning in her voice, broke free, and attacked as Lu Xingmin sent Paper Armor Soldiers to hold them off.
• Third Master Cao, Miao Zhen, and the others fought to escape while Miao Zhen cast a spell to illuminate the forest.
• Qin Geng recognized the two monsters as Boss Lin and Guan Ershun, who had drowned in the Tianjin River the day before.

Qin Geng led the group through the illusions inside Heaven-Reaching Gate and got them to safety beyond its stone gateway. Master Miao Zhen identified the monsters as Human-Speaking Snakes in corpses, and Qin Geng recognized them as men who had been thrown into the river the day before.

• Qin Geng ran from the monsters and trusted his road-reading instincts to guide the group through rocks, cliffs, and other deceptive illusions.
• The group followed Qin Geng through the mountain woods for more than two hours, with Master Miao Zhen using Talismans to keep their golden light burning.
• The group passed through Heaven-Reaching Gate, whose stone gateway suppressed the Baleful Intent, and stopped to recover.
• Master Miao Zhen explained that the monsters were Human-Speaking Snakes living inside corpses and mimicking human voices.
• Qin Geng revealed that he recognized the two monsters as men who had been thrown into the river with weights the previous day.

Qin Geng and the others learned that Boss Lin and Guan Ershun had become Snake Corpses, with Human-Speaking Snakes controlling their bodies and drawing on their former skills. They suspected the Dragon King Society was supplying the foreigners with corpses, and Third Master Cao planned to investigate whether other recently dead masters were missing from their graves.

• Qin Geng identified Boss Lin and Guan Ershun as men the Dragon King Society had drowned the previous day.
• Third Master Cao explained that a skilled person’s body could retain its abilities after death and become a dangerous living corpse.
• Third Master Cao revealed that Guan Ershun and Boss Lin had once been exceptionally skilled cart drivers whose abilities remained in their bodies despite their comfortable lives.
• Miaozhen deduced that Human-Speaking Snakes were entering living corpses, controlling them, and using their former skills to create Snake Corpses.
• Lu Xingmin agreed with Miaozhen’s theory, and Third Master Cao said he would investigate recent deaths and check the graves of skilled people.
• Cao Xiaoliu accused the Dragon King Society of working with foreigners by drowning people and handing over their bodies.

After surviving the Dragon King Society’s corpse-raising scheme, Qin Geng returned to Tianjin with Lu Xingmin and collected the silver dollars he had earned. Lu Xingmin also prepared to honor his promise to guide Qin Geng in cultivation.

• Third Master Cao, Cao Xiaoliu, Shopkeeper Lu, and Master Miao Zhen praised Qin Geng for helping them survive and uncovering a clue about the corpse.
• The group returned to Tianjin and split up; Lu Xingmin told Qin Geng that Master Miao Zhen cared for orphans at a Children's Charity.
• Lu Xingmin explained that Qin Geng’s Old Horse Knows the Way skill had been essential because the Earth Veins made the site a Soul-Confounding Formation.
• Lu Xingmin gave Qin Geng thirty silver dollars and a letter, and Qin Geng verified the coins before putting them away.

Qin Geng received an introduction to a mysterious master from Lu Xingmin, then told Zheng Tonghe about the mountain operation and asked for stronger medicine. Zheng Tonghe discovered Qin Geng was close to reaching Bright Force and explained that powerful medicine could help him break through.

• Lu Xingmin gave Qin Geng a sealed letter introducing him to a master at an address in Jinmen City and warned him to visit without gifts during the day.
• Qin Geng drank Lu Xingmin's medicinal Dragon Well tea and agreed to join another mountain operation after Third Master Cao uncovered more information.
• Qin Geng told Zheng Tonghe about the ruined temple, the Human-Speaking Snake, and Master Miao Zhen's deduction about the enemy's methods.
• Qin Geng said Bone-Strengthening Powder no longer lasted through his training, so Zheng Tonghe offered tiger-bone powder or Dragon-Tiger Decoction and checked his pulse.
• Zheng Tonghe found Qin Geng's pulse showed he was close to Bright Force and said strong medicine could help him break through, prompting Qin Geng to ask what Bright Force was.

Qin Geng spent his silver on medicines and asked Zheng Tonghe to guide his Bright Force training. After learning the Dragon-Tiger forms, he received corrections and was ordered to practice them repeatedly while taking the medicines.

• Zheng Tonghe demonstrated Bright Force and explained how it focused scattered strength into a penetrating strike.
• Qin Geng gave Zheng Tonghe thirty silver dollars for Bone-Strengthening Powder and Dragon-Tiger Decoction, hoping to reach Bright Force and unlock Sickly Tiger Bones.
• Zheng Tonghe explained how to use the medicines safely and offered to supervise Qin Geng's training.
• Zheng Tonghe warned Qin Geng not to attempt the Dragon-Tiger Combined Strike and taught him to begin with Coiling Dragon and Clawing Strike.
• Qin Geng performed the two forms, but Zheng Tonghe pointed out flaws in his technique and told him to take the medicine and practice them another hundred times.

Qin Geng advanced his Martial Artist training through a punishing session and a medicinal bath under Zheng Tonghe’s guidance. Later, while pulling fares, he reconsidered how his Carriage Driver experience worked and suspected that traveling on foot might unlock the profession’s next stage.

• Qin Geng drank the prepared medicine, advanced to Martial Artist Level 9, and practiced Coiling Dragon and Clawing Strike under Zheng Tonghe’s instruction.
• After Qin Geng completed one hundred Clawing Strikes, Zheng Tonghe put him in a medicinal bath that helped his body recover and raised his experience.
• Zheng Tonghe told Qin Geng to return for four more days of training, and Qin Geng left Hundred Herb Hall feeling the medicine’s heat.
• Qin Geng spent the afternoon pulling fares around South City and noticed that his Carriage Driver profession remained at Level 33 without revealing a new talent.
• Qin Geng compared his slow experience gain from pulling a rickshaw with the larger gain from running on Bell Mountain and suspected that traveling on foot was key to advancing his profession.

Qin Geng completed his five-day regimen of tiger-bone medicine, martial arts practice, and hard labor, reaching Martial Artist Level 10 and unlocking Sickly Tiger Bones. He discovered his bones had grown thicker and denser, while Xu Chun sensed the intimidating, relaxed bearing of a waking tiger.

• Qin Geng noticed the Dragon-Tiger Decoction’s lingering medicinal power raising his Martial Artist experience and continued his routine at Hundred Herb Hall.
• Qin Geng practiced Coiling Dragon and Clawing Strike under Zheng Tonghe, soaked in Dragon-Tiger Decoction, and hauled his cart around South City as street fights continued.
• Master Zhu Xin returned and explained that his cousins had been visiting, easing Qin Geng’s concern for him.
• Qin Geng woke on the fifth day with his muscles and bones popping, and Xu Chun likened his presence to a drowsy tiger waking from a nap.
• Qin Geng reached Martial Artist Level 10 and unlocked Sickly Tiger Bones, discovering that his bones had grown thicker and denser.

Qin Geng visited Master Ye with Shopkeeper Lu’s sealed letter of recommendation, hoping to enter his martial school. Master Ye accepted him on the condition that he work without pay for a few months, and Qin Geng agreed to begin.

• Qin Geng told Xu Chun he had grown through his training and nourishment, then said he had an important errand to attend to.
• Qin Geng went to Master Ye’s residence in Crouching Ox Alley and presented the sealed letter from Shopkeeper Lu.
• Master Ye checked the seal and read the letter before confirming Qin Geng’s identity and background.
• Master Ye offered Qin Geng unpaid work each morning for a few months, with a meal provided, as a test of his willingness to learn.
• Qin Geng accepted, and Master Ye told Xiao Wei to show him the work.