Chapter Summaries

Mo Yun reported to the Inner Court as a newly selected guard of Crouching Tiger Manor, eager to tell his sister Mo Yiyi about his new status. Qin Hu welcomed the new recruits and began explaining their duties and monthly pay.

• Mo Yun practiced the Nameless Fist Technique and sensed that he was close to a breakthrough.
• Mo Yun planned to visit Mo Yiyi on his day off and headed to the Inner Court to report for duty.
• The entrance guards checked Mo Yun's token and directed him to the courtyard where Qin Hu was waiting.
• Mo Yun joined Zhao Gang, Zhou Ping, Li Wei, and Liu Zhuang, and Liu Zhuang warned him that Qin Hu had a bad temper.
• Qin Hu addressed the recruits as members of the Guard Team and began explaining their duties and monthly pay.

Qin Hu explained the Guard Team’s duties, ranks, pay, and promotion requirements to Mo Yun and the other new guards. Before their tour could begin, Commander Li told Mo Yun that something had happened at home, and Mo Yun hurried back to check on his sister.

• Qin Hu outlined the guards’ duties, ranks, monthly pay, and cultivation requirements for promotion.
• Qin Hu warned that promotion assessments could cause serious injuries or deaths, and Mo Yun resolved to improve his strength for next month’s assessment.
• Qin Hu promised to show the new guards where they could buy pills and weapons before giving them a tour of the manor.
• Commander Li arrived and told Mo Yun that something had happened at home, though the messenger had said it was not too serious yet.
• Mo Yun thanked Commander Li and left for home, while Commander Li told Qin Hu to continue the tour and promised to show Mo Yun around when he returned.

Mo Yun returned to Yellow Maple Town after learning that the Sky Wolf Gang was threatening Mo Yiyi’s shops. He met the fighters she hired to protect them, but doubted they could stop the gang when it came tomorrow.

• Mo Yun hurried from the Mountain Manor to Yellow Maple Town after hearing that Mo Yiyi was in trouble.
• Mo Yiyi told Mo Yun that the Sky Wolf Gang wanted her cloth, grain, and tea shops and had threatened to drive her out of town if she did not sell them within three days.
• Mo Yiyi explained that the authorities had refused to intervene, so she had hired fighters to guard the shops.
• Five fighters arrived, and their leader promised to do what he could while warning that the Sky Wolf Gang might not heed him.
• Mo Yun judged that the fighters were probably too weak to hold the Sky Wolf Gang back, while Mo Yiyi hoped they could help her keep the shops.

Mo Yiyi faced Zhao Si’s demand that the Sky Wolf Gang take ninety percent of her shops’ profits or seize the businesses, while Mo Yun promised to protect her. After breaking through to mid bright strength, Mo Yun dressed in black and slipped out into the night.

• Zhao Si arrived at Mo Yiyi’s shop and falsely claimed her three days to decide had expired.
• Ye Wuyou proposed that Mo Yiyi give the Sky Wolf Gang thirty percent of her profits, but Zhao Si demanded ninety percent and threatened to take the shops the next day.
• Mo Yiyi sent Ye Wuyou and his fighters away, then apologized to Mo Yun for failing to protect their family business; Mo Yun reassured her that no one would take what was theirs.
• Mo Yun practiced the Nameless Fist Technique in the courtyard and broke through, raising his cultivation to mid bright strength and increasing his physique and defense.
• Mo Yun changed into dark clothes, covered his face, and slipped out through the back door into the night.

Mo Yun tracked Zhao Si of the Sky Wolf Gang to the Fragrant Pavilion and ambushed him in an alley after he left. After killing Zhao Si and taking his silver, Mo Yun headed for the Sky Wolf Gang.

• Mo Yun questioned an old beggar, learned Zhao Si usually left the Fragrant Pavilion around Chou Hour, and gathered lime for his ambush.
• Mo Yun waited outside the Fragrant Pavilion until Zhao Si emerged, then followed him through the streets into an alley.
• Mo Yun threw lime into Zhao Si’s eyes and beat him severely when Zhao Si tried to defend himself.
• Mo Yun removed his mask, and Zhao Si recognized him as the young man from the shop before Mo Yun killed him with a final punch.
• Mo Yun searched Zhao Si’s body, took his silver, and set off toward the Sky Wolf Gang.

Mo Yun infiltrated the Sky Wolf Gang’s headquarters to confront its leader, Black Wolf, over Zhao Si’s attack on his sister’s shops. After testing Black Wolf’s speed and strength, Mo Yun overwhelmed him and left him crashed into a rockery.

• Mo Yun entered the Sky Wolf Gang’s headquarters and suspected his second uncle had prompted Zhao Si to seize his sister’s shops.
• Mo Yun searched the compound and found Black Wolf reading poetry in his room.
• Black Wolf sensed Mo Yun outside, pursued him, and caught up with him in the grounds.
• Mo Yun deliberately tested Black Wolf’s speed, confirmed he could outrun him, then attacked.
• Mo Yun’s punches drove Black Wolf backward and sent him smashing into the ornamental rockery.

Mo Yun defeated Black Wolf in a fight, then negotiated compensation and protection for his sister and her shops after learning that Zhao Si had seized the shop and was already dead. Black Wolf agreed to the terms and ordered the Sky Wolf Gang to protect the Mo Lineage shops and keep watch over Mo Yun’s sister.

• Black Wolf realized Mo Yun was stronger and offered to negotiate rather than continue fighting.
• Mo Yun explained that Zhao Si had seized his shop, and Black Wolf apologized and agreed to pay a hundred taels after learning Zhao Si was dead.
• Mo Yun demanded that the Sky Wolf Gang protect his sister’s shops and secretly guard her, while Black Wolf asked Mo Yun to help the gang once if it faced a crisis.
• Mo Yun accepted the deal and left, while Black Wolf reflected on his strength and ordered the gang to protect the Mo Lineage shops and watch over Boss Mo.

Mo Yun practiced the Nameless Fist Technique and learned that reaching its next stage would take much longer, then tried to reassure Mo Yiyi about the Sky Wolf Gang’s demand for their shop. As the gang’s arrival seemed imminent, Mo Yun expected its men to apologize after his fight with Black Wolf.

• Mo Yun woke without soreness after fighting Black Wolf and practiced the accomplished Nameless Fist Technique, realizing that further progress would be slow.
• Mo Yiyi took Mo Yun to breakfast and suggested reporting the Sky Wolf Gang to the authorities, but Mo Yun explained that most officials beyond their area could not help.
• Mo Yiyi worried about losing her shop, while Mo Yun told her to wait and hoped circumstances might improve.
• Mo Yiyi opened the shop, but no customers came; Mo Yun practiced his stance and considered asking his sister whether she needed money.
• After about an hour of practice, Mo Yun heard a commotion in the front courtyard and recognized that the Sky Wolf Gang’s men had arrived.

Mo Yun helped his sister Mo Yiyi’s shop gain the Sky Wolf Gang’s protection, then investigated whether his second uncle had orchestrated the trouble. After learning Zhao Si had acted alone, Mo Yun declined Black Wolf’s offer to become the gang’s Guest Advisor.

• Black Wolf apologized to Mo Yiyi, compensated her, and promised the Sky Wolf Gang would protect her shops, drawing customers back to the store.
• Mo Yun told Mo Yiyi that he had reached mid bright strength and become a Manor Guard at Crouching Tiger Manor, and she tearfully celebrated his growth.
• Mo Yun visited Black Wolf and asked him to investigate whether Mo Feng had been involved in Zhao Si targeting the shop.
• Black Wolf reported that Zhao Si had acted on his own, and Mo Yun decided to leave Mo Feng alone unless he caused trouble again.
• Black Wolf offered Mo Yun the Sky Wolf Gang’s Guest Advisor position for ten taels of silver a month, but Mo Yun declined.

Mo Yun spent a lively day with Mo Yiyi, shared ideas to improve her shop, and prepared to return to Crouching Tiger Manor. After discovering the twenty taels she had secretly packed for him, he headed to Commander Li to complete his guard formalities and ask about buying pills.

• Mo Yun returned to the busy shop, practiced martial arts in the backyard, and told Mo Yiyi about his achievements at the Mountain Manor.
• Mo Yun suggested marketing and management ideas, and Mo Yiyi eagerly began planning how to use them in her shop.
• Mo Yun told Mo Yiyi he would return to Crouching Tiger Manor the next morning and declined her offer of money for his training.
• Mo Yiyi gave Mo Yun new clothes and food for the journey, then watched him leave before dawn.
• Mo Yun reached Crouching Tiger Manor, found twenty taels hidden among his clothes, and went to Commander Li to complete his guard formalities and ask where to buy pills.

Commander Li toured Mo Yun around Crouching Tiger Manor’s Inner Court, explaining its facilities and forbidden areas as he settled into his new role as a Manor Guard. The tour ended with Commander Li preparing to take Mo Yun to the Logistics Office, while Mo Yun asked where he could buy pills.

• Mo Yun told Commander Li that the misunderstanding with the Sky Wolf Gang was resolved and his sister’s shop was safe, and Commander Li urged him to invoke Crouching Tiger Manor’s name if trouble arose again.
• Commander Li showed Mo Yun the Inner Court’s Spirit Herb Garden, restricted Pill Room, Forge Room, and Martial Training Ground, explaining their purposes and rules.
• Commander Li warned Mo Yun to stay out of the Main Court without permission and explained that the Village Master was in secluded cultivation.
• Commander Li identified North Mountain as forbidden ground, but recommended practicing at its foot; Mo Yun said he would go there that night to practice.
• After touring the Inner Court, Commander Li offered to take Mo Yun to collect his uniform and Waist Token and see his lodgings, and Mo Yun asked where to buy pills.

Mo Yun learned the limits and safe use of the pills available to him, then registered as a Fourth-Class Guard and received his equipment and a private courtyard. When he asked Commander Li about rumors of danger at Crouching Tiger Manor, Commander Li confirmed they were true.

• Commander Li explained that Mo Yun could buy Qi-Blood Pills and, by special authorization, Dragon-Tiger Pills, and warned him not to take them too often or together.
• At the logistics office, Mo Yun registered and received his Waist Token, uniforms, Inner Court map, and residence keys, learning the pills’ prices and monthly collection schedule.
• Commander Li brought Mo Yun to his private courtyard, the only one assigned to a Fourth-Class Guard, and said someone would deliver his duty schedule the next day.
• Mo Yun asked Commander Li whether rumors of dangers and casualties at Crouching Tiger Manor were true, and Commander Li confirmed that they were.

Commander Li told Mo Yun that demons had begun emerging as the empire weakened, and that Crouching Tiger Manor protected the region by hunting them. After moving into his private courtyard, Mo Yun felt newly resolved to strengthen himself and protect his sister.

• Commander Li explained that demons caused Crouching Tiger Manor’s casualties and that its guards and selected servants joined demon purges to protect the surrounding region.
• Commander Li warned Mo Yun that demons might return and urged him to train for survival.
• Mo Yun packed his belongings, left the Servants’ Court, and settled into his private courtyard residence.
• Mo Yun ate at the guards’ Dining Hall and began practicing the Nameless Fist Technique with renewed urgency.
• Mo Yun saw that the White Mark was more than eighty-five percent full, then resumed training until his mind quieted.

Mo Yun began his Manor Guard duties and received special attention from Qin Hu, who aimed to help him advance his martial arts. Paired with Liu Zhuang, Mo Yun started a patrol route that included the Spirit Herb Garden.

• Commander Li gave Mo Yun his patrol schedule and said he could visit his companions in the Spirit Herb Garden while on duty, provided his work was not affected.
• Mo Yun arrived early at the Manor Guard Administration, where Qin Hu greeted him warmly after learning of his talent and the Village Master's regard for him.
• Qin Hu imposed daily morning training on the Manor Guards and gave Mo Yun detailed guidance on improving his Tiger-Crouching Fist.
• Liu Zhuang was assigned an extra thirty pounds during training after calling Qin Hu his brother, while Qin Hu continued treating Mo Yun as a favored colleague.
• Mo Yun and Liu Zhuang were paired for patrol duty, and their route included the Servants' Court and the Spirit Herb Garden.

Mo Yun settled into his Manor Guard routine, trained under Qin Hu, and condensed another Black Point. After several more days of patrols, he left work with Liu Zhuang, who tried to convince him to sample another unusual dish.

• Mo Yun spent three days learning the Mountain Manor’s layout while his martial arts improved through daily practice and Qin Hu’s instruction.
• Mo Yun practiced the Nameless Fist Technique until the Black Seal filled and gave him one available Black Point.
• Qin Hu corrected Mo Yun’s Tiger-Crouching Fist during morning training, helping him make the moves more powerful.
• Mo Yun and Liu Zhuang continued patrolling for six more days before signing out at the administration office.
• Liu Zhuang invited Mo Yun to try rice braised with pomegranate and cured pork, but Mo Yun refused and walked away.

Mo Yun visited the Logistics Office after running out of pills and bought his monthly allowance along with extra Qi-Blood Pills and Dragon-Tiger Pills. He left eager to cultivate, while the old pill seller wondered what made him a martial arts prodigy.

• Mo Yun hurried to the Logistics Office after dinner to replenish his pills and claim his free monthly Qi-Blood Pills.
• A young steward fetched the old pill seller from upstairs, and the old man allowed Mo Yun to come up and buy pills.
• The old man checked Mo Yun's register, confirmed he could buy Dragon-Tiger Pills, and warned him not to resell any pills he could not use.
• Mo Yun bought one free bottle of Qi-Blood Pills, another bottle of Qi-Blood Pills, and two bottles of Dragon-Tiger Pills for twenty-five taels.
• Mo Yun inspected the pills, took them away, and looked forward to cultivating Tiger-Crouching Fist, while the old man mused about his unusual talent.

During a patrol stop at the Spirit Herb Garden, Mo Yun caught up with his former coworkers and discussed herb cultivation and martial arts with them. The chapter left Mo Yun anticipating another Black Seal point while Tang Yin remained curious about the strange martial arts Mo Yun had mentioned.

• Liu Zhuang reflected on Mo Yun's close friendship with his former coworkers and envied their bond.
• Mo Yun checked the Black-and-White Seal and saw that the Black Seal had gained another point toward filling.
• Han Tang asked Mo Yun about growing Seven-Star Vine, and Mo Yun suggested acidic soil enriched with pine needles and leaf mold.
• Luo Shan challenged Mo Yun to spar, and Mo Yun agreed to exchange moves with him.
• Tang Yin asked Mo Yun about Blue Silver Entanglement and Invincible Golden Body, and Mo Yun advised him to jump off a cliff if he ever felt like it.

Mo Yun continued his routine patrols and training while learning about the Pill Dao from Zhou Bo. After six uneventful days, his Black Seal filled once again during morning training.

• Tang Yin rejected Mo Yun's suggestion that he jump off a cliff and hurried away.
• Mo Yun sparred with Luo Shan, encouraged his progress toward bright force, and asked Zhou Bo detailed questions about the True Explanations of the Pill Dao.
• Mo Yun and Liu Zhuang resumed their uneventful patrol, and Liu Zhuang complained that the work was wasting his life.
• Over six days, Mo Yun steadily practiced the Nameless Fist Technique and studied the Pill Dao with Zhou Bo.
• During morning training, Mo Yun saw black radiance swirl around his right wrist and realized the Black Seal was full again.

Mo Yun spent three black points to advance Tiger-Crouching Fist to established mastery, then completed the White Mark and used its point on life. The increase sharpened his senses and comprehension and seemed to improve his innate aptitude, prompting him to test the change.

• Mo Yun spent three black points to advance Tiger-Crouching Fist to established mastery and felt his strength and physique improve.
• Mo Yun completed the White Mark and saw that white points could raise constitution, life, and defense, while spiritual power remained locked.
• Mo Yun spent his white point on life, which sharpened his mind and senses and let him perceive mysterious energies.
• Mo Yun found that martial arts techniques and the True Explanations of the Pill Dao made more sense, and suspected his aptitude had improved.
• Mo Yun decided to test whether his innate aptitude had changed.

Mo Yun discovered that raising his Life attribute had greatly improved his Bone Root and helped him reach greater mastery in the Tiger-Crouching Fist, while Qin Hu mistook his rapid progress for enlightenment. The White Mark began accumulating energy again, and Mo Yun was assigned to join a rent-collection team with Zhao Gang.

• Mo Yun tested his Bone Root through stance training and found that his training efficiency had improved by a little over thirty percent after raising his Life attribute.
• Qin Hu saw Mo Yun demonstrate greater mastery in the Tiger-Crouching Fist and was stunned when Mo Yun said he had broken through after suddenly feeling inspired.
• Qin Hu decided Mo Yun had experienced enlightenment, while Mo Yun resolved to let others believe he was a rare genius to explain his rapid progress.
• Mo Yun noticed the White Mark had filled to about one-tenth after his breakthrough and considered whether starting the pill dao could charge it as well.
• Qin Hu assigned Mo Yun to help a short-handed team collecting rent and rejected Liu Zhuang as too weak for the job.
• Qin Hu selected Zhao Gang to accompany Mo Yun after recalling his strength and Tiger-Crouching Fist skill.