Chapter Summaries

After absorbing a Rank 1 Artifact Spirit, Duan Rong recovered more quickly and used deer antler velvet to strengthen his Inner Breath through prolonged stance training. He learned that Li Chong had died by suicide, and the chapter ended with Duan Rong preparing to combine Inner Breath with a saber move.

• Duan Rong awoke after only three hours, realized he had absorbed the Rank 1 Artifact Spirit, and guessed that higher-ranked spirits took less time to digest.
• Duan Rong ate a slice of deer antler velvet and held the Hun Yuan Stance for two hours without feeling depleted.
• Kong Bin told Duan Rong that Li Chong had hanged himself after being scolded by his servant overseer, then probed Duan Rong about his Inner Breath progress.
• Duan Rong practiced the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber and spent ten hours strengthening his Inner Breath with deer antler velvet.
• Duan Rong found that five wisps of Inner Breath had formed a strand in his meridians and decided to try circulating it while executing a saber move.

Duan Rong discovered that he could wield Inner Breath Power, but the medicinal supplements needed to support his rapid progress cost more than he could afford. As he searched Xiangu County for a way to make money, he recognized a narrow alley as Antique Street.

• Duan Rong demonstrated powerful martial arts strikes, and Kong Bin saw that he had reached Inner Breath Power; Kong Bin withdrew in shame and jealousy.
• After practicing his Thirty-Six Forms, Duan Rong realized that his rapid training consumed large amounts of deer antler and other resources.
• Duan Rong learned that five slices of deer antler cost three taels of silver, far more than his wages, and concluded that he urgently needed money.
• Duan Rong considered earning money through skills, crime, or business, but decided to avoid reckless risks and pursue a steadier path.
• Duan Rong spotted a narrow alley filled with shops and stalls, recognized it from the original owner's memories, and realized it was Xiangu County's Antique Street.

Duan Rong used his Devour Artifact Spirit ability to search the antique stalls and found a Rank 6 Portrait of a Lady, which he bought cheaply. He then went to Gu Yue Zhai, where clerk Guan Kui presented him with a worm-eaten painting to appraise.

• Duan Rong realized his ability could reveal valuable antiques and searched more than ten stalls without finding anything.
• Duan Rong discovered a Rank 6 Portrait of a Lady and bought it for six qian after bargaining with the stall owner.
• Duan Rong took the painting into Gu Yue Zhai and demanded to see genuine calligraphy or paintings.
• Guan Kui tried to learn why Duan Rong was shopping, but Duan Rong refused to explain and challenged him to bring out genuine goods.
• After hearing Manager Tang cough behind the curtain, Guan Kui unrolled a worm-eaten painting and asked Duan Rong to assess it.

Duan Rong tested paintings at Noble Treasure Shop, identified a genuine Ink Chrysanthemum Painting, and then offered his Portrait of a Lady for sale. Tang Wan Hong recognized it as Fan Yunlin’s authentic work and tried to secure it while probing its provenance.

• Duan Rong rejected two fake paintings before identifying the Ink Chrysanthemum Painting as a Rank 5 artifact, and Guan Kui offered it for three hundred taels.
• Tang Wan Hong chastised Guan Kui for revealing the painting’s bottom price and put the Ink Chrysanthemum Painting aside.
• Duan Rong showed Tang Wan Hong his Portrait of a Lady and said he needed money urgently despite its ancestral provenance.
• Tang Wan Hong recognized the painting as Fan Yunlin’s genuine work but questioned whether its origins were clean.
• Duan Rong tried to leave, so Tang Wan Hong stopped him and asked about the painting’s provenance.

Duan Rong sold Tang Wan Hong the Portrait of a Lady for eight hundred taels after identifying a repaired bronze Incense Burner brought in by a suspicious farmer. Tang Wan Hong hired Duan Rong to appraise future items, and Duan Rong left Gu Yue Zhai with the payment and an invitation to return.

• Tang Wan Hong agreed to buy Duan Rong's Portrait of a Lady for eight hundred taels, but Duan Rong asked him to pay whatever cash he had and write an IOU for the rest.
• A tall, thin farmer entered Gu Yue Zhai and offered Tang Wan Hong a bronze Incense Burner that appeared genuine but made him uneasy.
• Duan Rong used Read Artifact Spirit and learned that the burner was damaged, then recognized that it had been repaired.
• Tang Wan Hong confirmed the repair, and the farmer snatched back the burner and left after accusing the shopkeeper of poor judgment.
• Tang Wan Hong paid Duan Rong eight hundred taels in Cloud Water Bank notes and offered him thirty taels for each future appraisal.
• Duan Rong gave Tang Wan Hong his name and workplace, Yuan Shun Escort Agency, then left Gu Yue Zhai.

After selling a rare painting, Duan Rong was lured into an alley by thieves seeking revenge for a counterfeit deal he had exposed. Though outmatched in strength, he used his superior saber technique to fend off their leader, and the fight remained unresolved.

• Tang Wan Hong kept Duan Rong’s Portrait of a Lady, recognizing its value and considering a closer relationship with him.
• A burly martial artist bumped into Duan Rong on Antique Street, examined his Waist Tag, and watched him leave.
• Duan Rong bought several books, but a disguised dwarf stole them and lured him into a narrow alley where accomplices surrounded him.
• The thieves’ Thin Tall Man accused Duan Rong of ruining their counterfeit Incense Burner deal, and their leader demanded his silver.
• Duan Rong refused to surrender and drew his Oxtail Saber, but the broad-nosed strongman’s first strike nearly knocked the weapon from his hand.
• Duan Rong countered the strongman’s sweeping attacks with precise saber techniques, avoiding his blows as their fight continued.

Duan Rong killed four men who had ambushed him, then struggled with the shock of his first kills through the night. By morning, he had resolved to strengthen himself and bought high-grade Blood Antler Velvet to cultivate his internal energy.

• Duan Rong defeated the Wide-Nosed Strongman, slit his throat, and killed the two men who charged at him with Sharp Forks.
• The Long-Bearded Dwarf fled, but Duan Rong threw his Oxtail Saber through the dwarf's chest and retrieved it before escaping the alley.
• Duan Rong ran from the scene, vomited, and spent the night alone in his dark dormitory, haunted by the four corpses.
• At dawn, Duan Rong washed, ate breakfast, and bought ten slices of Blood Antler Velvet at the Crude Drug Store.
• Duan Rong decided to focus on completing the first level of internal energy cultivation and hurried back to the Yuan Shun Escort Agency.

Duan Rong used Blood Antler Velvet to cultivate his Inner Breath, then discovered how Inner Breath gave meaning and force to his saber forms. After learning about the Eight Sects of the Nine Provinces, he demonstrated his progress at Xiao Zongting’s assessment, leaving Xiao Zongting stunned.

• Duan Rong practiced his stance all day while consuming Blood Antler Velvet, and his Inner Breath grew more agile and powerful.
• Duan Rong practiced saber forms with Inner Breath and understood how the moves coordinated with it.
• Duan Rong read about the Eight Sects of the Nine Provinces and learned that the Azure Sun Gate maintained dominance through its Sect Equilibrium Strategy.
• Duan Rong and Kong Bin arrived at Xiao Zongting’s courtyard for their assessment, where Xiao Zongting observed Kong Bin’s preliminary control of Inner Breath.
• Duan Rong performed the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber form while circulating Inner Breath, and Xiao Zongting choked on his smoke in surprise.

Duan Rong demonstrated his rapid Inner Breath progress to Xiao Zongting, who began to question how he had afforded more deer antler slices. Before Duan Rong could explain, Xiao Zongting rushed to help Xiao Baijiao during a severe seizure.

• Kong Bin struggled to control his Inner Breath, and Xiao Zongting encouraged him before giving him further instruction.
• After Kong Bin left, Xiao Zongting learned Duan Rong had trained nonstop for three days and bought ten deer antler slices with money he had earned himself.
• Little Seven cried that Xiao Baijiao was having a seizure, and Xiao Zongting ran to her chamber.
• Xiao Zongting placed a cloth-wrapped pair of Ebony Chopsticks between Xiao Baijiao's teeth and used seven silver needles to steady her breathing.
• Xiao Zongting sat beside Xiao Baijiao in tears, remembering her late mother and fearing that her illness could not be cured.

Duan Rong worried over Xiao Baijiao’s serious illness, then found a silver needle and used its Artifact Spirit to gain Mastery in Plum Blossom Needle Technique. After completing the First Level of Inner Breath, he began cultivating the Second Level and discovered the demanding circulation drained both his Mental Strength and his body’s reserves.

• Zhu Xiaoqi rushed Gu Suxiu to the Inner Courtyard, where Xiao Zongting kept watch over Xiao Baijiao and warned Duan Rong not to discuss her illness.
• Xiao Zongting gave Duan Rong the Second Level secret manual of the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber and told him to practice while he attended to Baijiao.
• Duan Rong found Doctor Gu’s silver needle and read its Artifact Spirit, which offered Mastery in Plum Blossom Needle Technique.
• Duan Rong practiced for three days and completed the First Level of Inner Breath.
• Duan Rong began cultivating the Second Level with Blood Antler Velvet, but its intricate circulation exhausted his Mental Strength and left his body short of energy.

Duan Rong searched for a way to overcome the medicinal shortage limiting his Second Level of Inner Breath cultivation. He found an old prescription that might help, but its steep price left him needing another solution.

• Duan Rong stopped training when the Blood Antler Velvet ran out and realized his body could not sustain longer sessions.
• Duan Rong decided to research the problem himself rather than ask Xiao Zongting, whom he feared would resent being disturbed.
• Duan Rong found a prescription in Guan Yun's book, Ancient Rhymes Miscellany, that Guan Yun had used while cultivating the Second Level of Inner Breath.
• Duan Rong took the prescription to a Crude Drug Store, where the clerk confirmed the ingredients were genuine but could not vouch for the combination.
• Duan Rong learned that one dose cost eighty-two taels of silver and left the shop unable to afford the prescription regularly.

After three fruitless days searching Antique Street, Duan Rong spotted a new opportunity in a portrait stall and used his ability to identify and devour the spirit of a painting. He left with the beginner-level Exquisite Brushwork effect, while the vendor wondered how he had chosen the painting without examining it.

• Duan Rong returned to Antique Street and concluded that the men he had killed had likely disappeared without the authorities investigating.
• Duan Rong spent three days touching every item on Antique Street and earned the nickname "Touch Once," but found no genuine items beyond the Portrait of a Lady by Fan Yunlin.
• Duan Rong noticed a scholar painting portraits across from a Beef Soup Shop and realized he could use a new business model to outdo the street vendors.
• Duan Rong hurried back to a stall and found a Ladies' Night Banquet Painting whose data showed it had a First Rank Artifact Spirit and could grant beginner-level Exquisite Brushwork.
• Duan Rong silently devoured the painting's spirit, left the painting behind, and called it an Erotic Picture as the vendor watched him go.

Duan Rong used the Devour Artifact Spirit’s newly absorbed knowledge to master portrait painting and began developing a new way to earn money. After painting portraits of people at the escort agency, he headed into town to seek inspiration from the Thin Scholar.

• Duan Rong bought painting supplies and returned to the Yuan Shun Escort Agency, where escorts teased him about abandoning martial arts for literature.
• Duan Rong slept to speed the artifact spirit’s digestion and dreamed of a woman painting the Ladies' Night Banquet Painting.
• Duan Rong painted Xiao Baijiao repeatedly, refining her likeness and learning how changes to her features altered her appearance and temperament.
• Duan Rong painted portraits of Xiao Zongting, Xiao Baijiao, Zhao Mu, Li Chong, Kong Bin, and Zhu Xiaoqi, then decided Xiao Zongting’s portrait was still lacking something.
• Duan Rong left the escort agency and hurried to the Thin Scholar’s stall, where he saw the scholar painting without any customers.

Duan Rong bought the Thin Scholar’s Young Martial Artist Painting and secretly devoured the artifact spirit in the scholar’s Wolf Hair Brush. He discovered that the painting’s Rank 2 spirit required greater mental strength than he had, then returned to the escort agency to sleep and digest the brush’s effect.

• Duan Rong recognized the Thin Scholar’s skill in martial paintings and bought the Young Martial Artist Painting for three qian of silver.
• Duan Rong read and devoured the Wolf Hair Brush’s Rank 1 artifact spirit, gaining Divine Brushwork Proficiency, Beginner.
• After Duan Rong left, the Thin Scholar noticed his familiar brush felt strange and suspected the customer had touched it.
• Duan Rong read the painting’s Rank 2 artifact spirit and learned he could not devour it because his mental strength was too low.
• Duan Rong replenished his Xuan Paper and pigments, returned to the escort agency, and went to sleep while Zhao Mu watched him suspiciously.

After improving his portrait painting, Duan Rong decided to pursue wealthy clients and had a Sketching Easel made. With his new equipment, he headed toward Flower Shadow House, Xiangu County’s most famous brothel.

• Duan Rong dreamed of the Thin Scholar’s years of practicing painting, then woke and reflected on the scholar’s perseverance.
• Duan Rong painted improved portraits of Xiao Zongting and Xiao Baijiao, decided to seek high profits, and sketched a design for a Sketching Easel.
• Duan Rong commissioned Old Li to build the easel, paid a deposit, and returned to the Yuan Shun Escort Agency to practice stance work and read.
• Duan Rong collected the finished easel and bought a folding stool, then learned about Flower Shadow House and its owner, Hu Huanhuan, and the Four Flower Shadows.

Duan Rong set up a portrait stall across from Flower Shadow House and attracted Jiang Qingyu, a wealthy young martial artist headed to meet Orchid Shadow. Jiang Qingyu paid ten taels in advance to test Duan Rong’s claim that he could paint a lifelike portrait, and Duan Rong asked him to move closer.

• Duan Rong set up beneath the Old Locust Tree, displaying a sign advertising lifelike portraits for ten taels each.
• Jiang Qingyu rode past the stall with his servant Jiang Rong and sent him to find out what Duan Rong was doing.
• Jiang Rong told Jiang Qingyu that Duan Rong was selling paintings for ten taels each, prompting Jiang Qingyu to approach angrily.
• Jiang Qingyu recognized the skill in Duan Rong’s calligraphy and asked what he meant by a lifelike portrait.
• Jiang Qingyu ordered Jiang Rong to pay ten taels in advance, and Duan Rong asked Jiang Qingyu to move closer so he could see him clearly.

Duan Rong painted Jiang Qingyu practicing sword forms, earning his admiration and a hundred-tael Silver Note. Jiang Qingyu went to Flower Shadow House to show the painting to Lan Ying, then left with a woman and maid who headed toward Duan Rong.

• Jiang Qingyu performed sword forms at Duan Rong’s request, and Duan Rong used the Thin Scholar’s painting as inspiration for a quick freehand portrait.
• Jiang Qingyu admired the painting, apologized for his earlier rudeness, and gave Duan Rong a hundred-tael Silver Note.
• Jiang Qingyu told Duan Rong he planned to show the painting to Lan Ying at Flower Shadow House.
• Jiang Qingyu entered Flower Shadow House with Jiang Rong and soon came back out accompanied by a woman and her maid.
• Duan Rong watched as Jiang Qingyu, the woman, and the maid approached him.

Duan Rong painted Lan Ying in a scene of fallen flowers, and the picture’s sorrowful poem moved her to tears as it reflected her fears about her future. After Lan Ying left with Jiang Qingyu, Hong Xue stayed behind to commission a painting of her own.

• Lan Ying, Jiang Qingyu, and Hong Xue arrived at Duan Rong’s stall, and Lan Ying removed her veil so he could paint her.
• Duan Rong painted Lan Ying beside a stream in a peach grove and titled the work Burying Flowers Picture, adding a sorrowful verse.
• Lan Ying recognized her own worries about aging and abandonment in the painting and began to cry.
• Jiang Qingyu mocked the idea of burying fallen flowers, upsetting Lan Ying, who paid Duan Rong and left with the painting.
• Jiang Qingyu chased after Lan Ying, while Hong Xue stayed to commission a painting and confirmed Duan Rong’s price was ten taels.

Duan Rong’s portraits drew the courtesans of Flower Shadow House away from their duties, prompting Hu Huanhuan to confront him and order his stall smashed. After Duan Rong disarmed the Tortoise Slaves, he apologized to Hu Huanhuan, easing the tension for the moment.

• Duan Rong finished Hong Xue’s portrait, and she praised it, paid ten taels, and showed it to the other courtesans.
• The courtesans gathered around Duan Rong’s stall and formed a line for portraits, leaving Flower Shadow House’s entrance unattended.
• Hu Huanhuan discovered the empty entrance, ordered the Tortoise Slaves to fetch help, and told them to smash Duan Rong’s stall.
• Duan Rong used his Oxtail Saber to knock the cudgels from two Tortoise Slaves’ hands.
• Duan Rong apologized to Hu Huanhuan for distracting the courtesans, and Ju Xiang’s remark that the women called her Mama made everyone laugh.

Duan Rong earned enough from selling paintings to buy a dose of the prescription medicine, then returned to the Yuan Shun Escort Agency to decoct it. At the Medicine Furnace Room, he found empty furnaces but was asked by the Old Man for his Waist Tag.

• Hu Huanhuan dismissed Duan Rong from beneath the Old Locust Tree, and he told the courtesans to return at Shen Hour the next day.
• Duan Rong went to the Crude Drug Store and bought one dose of the prescription after an apprentice mistook him for someone sleeping at the doorway.
• The lean middle-aged assistant apologized and escorted Duan Rong out, watching him leave with his stall goods piled on his back.
• Duan Rong returned to the Yuan Shun Escort Agency, put away his belongings, and headed to the Medicine Furnace Room with the medicine.
• The Old Man told Duan Rong that empty furnaces were available, then asked to see his Waist Tag.