Chapter Summaries

Liang Chenggang gathered Luoshui City’s underworld bosses to offer them a chance to rise, while Lu Cheng learned that the Princess was hiding in the city and chose to gamble on the succession struggle. Sensing danger near his home and learning from Old Ox that Liu Yun faced a coming battle, Li Ping'an sought a suitable saber from Chen Shun, who led him to a more unusual weapon.

• Liang Chenggang apologized to the underworld bosses and offered them a chance to rise in rank and make their fortunes.
• Lu Cheng learned that the Princess had survived the treasure ship explosion and was hiding in Luoshui City, then burned the letter and decided to wager on the power struggle.
• Li Ping'an noticed stronger spies outside his home and stayed in with Liu Yun; Old Ox warned him of a great battle involving Liu Yun.
• Li Ping'an went to the Peace Escort Agency and tried dozens of sabers, but none suited him.
• Chen Shun offered to show Li Ping'an something beyond the ordinary weapons in the armory.

Li Ping'an chose the Azure Sky saber and Heaven-Shaking Bow from Chen Shun's father's hidden treasure cellar, then learned Liu Yun had to leave Luoshui City. On Lunar New Year's Eve, he escorted her through the snowy night as the city prepared for a great battle.

• Chen Shun showed Li Ping'an his father's secret treasure cellar, where Li Ping'an borrowed the Azure Sky saber and took the Heaven-Shaking Bow.
• Li Ping'an demonstrated the Heaven-Shaking Bow's power by shooting an arrow through a distant tree.
• Liu Yun told Li Ping'an that she had to leave the next day, and he insisted on taking her out of the city despite the danger.
• Chen Zhongshi told Chen Shun that he was preparing to gamble on a great undertaking, while Luoshui City's underworld members said farewell to their families before a coming battle.
• Li Ping'an and Liu Yun left home in heavy snow on New Year's Eve, and he warmed her hand with his true qi as they walked.

Li Ping'an and Liu Yun faced a crowd of Luoshui City fighters on a snowy New Year’s night, and Li Ping'an cut down their leaders and many attackers. As the battle continued, Old Ox protected Liu Yun from men trying to seize her.

• Liang Chenggang confronted Li Ping'an with prominent figures from Luoshui City, but Li Ping'an suddenly attacked and killed him.
• When hundreds surged forward, Li Ping'an’s saber strike carved a vast trench through the front ranks, and he warned the survivors not to cross it.
• The Four Swords of Mount Yan attacked together, but Li Ping'an killed all four and walked forward with Liu Yun.
• An old man offered a thousand gold pieces and a title for Li Ping'an’s head, stirring the crowd to charge again.
• Chen Zhongshi ordered dozens of military crossbows to fire at Li Ping'an while men rushed behind him to seize Liu Yun.
• Old Ox killed the first attacker with a hind-leg kick and fought off the men closing in on Liu Yun.

Li Ping'an defeated Chen Zhongshi and spared him after learning he was Chen Shun's father, then confronted Lu Cheng and a powerful old cultivator. With Old Ox's help, Li Ping'an killed Lu Cheng and struck down the old man, though Lu Cheng wounded his shoulder.

• Li Ping'an cut down Chen Zhongshi's men and stopped his saber at Chen Zhongshi's neck after discovering he was Chen Shun's father, then let him go.
• Li Ping'an reunited with Liu Yun and learned that Lu Cheng was a Martial Warrior and cultivator who had once been promoted by her mother.
• The hunched old man seized Li Ping'an's Azure Heaven Saber while Lu Cheng attacked, forcing Li Ping'an to switch to the Heaven-Shaking Bow.
• Li Ping'an killed Lu Cheng with a knife-hand strike to the heart, despite taking a saber wound to his left shoulder.
• Old Ox charged the old man as Li Ping'an fired arrows, and Li Ping'an finished the wounded cultivator by stabbing him through the chest with Lu Cheng's saber.

Li Ping'an fought Wu Shishun, a Qi Refiner who had come to kill Liu Yun, and was struck down by deadly snowflakes. His Turtle Breath Technique broke through at the brink of death, letting him counterattack as the battle continued with Old Ox joining in.

• Li Ping'an killed an old man with Lu Cheng's black saber before reaching the gates of Luoshui City with Liu Yun.
• Wu Shishun attacked Li Ping'an with controlled snowflakes, leaving him apparently dead while confronting Liu Yun over Great Sui's corruption.
• Li Ping'an revived after his Turtle Breath Technique broke through its limits and launched a fierce counterattack against Wu Shishun.
• Wu Shishun broke the Azure Heaven Saber and wounded Li Ping'an's left arm, while Old Ox charged in and was knocked down.
• Wu Shishun seized Li Ping'an by the neck as Li Ping'an lunged at him.

Li Ping'an and Liu Yun survived the attack, and a middle-aged Confucian sword killed the masked assassin and his men. As the new year began, Li Ping'an parted ways with Liu Yun and continued his journey with Old Ox.

• Li Ping'an used a fragment of the Azure Heaven Saber to distract Wu Shishun, and Old Ox crushed him while Liu Yun bandaged Li Ping'an's missing arm.
• A middle-aged man in blue robes appeared at the Wind-Rain Pavilion and killed the masked assassin and the death sworn surrounding him.
• Li Ping'an told Liu Yun that the swordsman had come to fetch him, but refused her invitation to return with her.
• As fireworks marked the new year, Liu Yun kissed Li Ping'an and received the wooden hairpin he had made for her.
• Li Ping'an played The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring, leveled up the melody, gained new abilities, and set off again with Old Ox.

Blind Man captured Qimu De after killing his armed men in a desert inn, then brought him alive to a brothel in the Anbei Four Garrisons. There, Li Ping'an delivered Qimu De to a woman in pink gauze.

• Blind Man entered a desert inn with Old Ox and ordered food and wine for them both.
• Blind Man asked the young man about Qimu De and revealed that he had been hired to kill him.
• Qimu De admitted his identity and ordered his men to attack Blind Man.
• Blind Man swiftly killed or incapacitated Qimu De's men, captured Qimu De alive, and paid the inn bill.
• Li Ping'an led Old Ox through the Anbei Four Garrisons and delivered the sack containing Qimu De to a woman in pink gauze.

Li Ping'an earned a commission from Ma Sanniang, received ingredients for Life-Pulse Powder, and continued his routines with Old Ox and his neighbors. After half a month, he spotted Ma Sanniang's signal for another job and left his courtyard to answer it.

• Ma Sanniang's subordinates delivered Qimu De to the families of the women he had murdered, while Li Ping'an collected his commission and the medicinal ingredients.
• Li Ping'an returned home, where Old Ox read the official gazette and Aliya brought him soup from Duha.
• Li Ping'an continued cultivating and busking, though The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring had gained only 50 points at level 3.
• After half a month, Li Ping'an found a pebble marking a new commission from Ma Sanniang and left his courtyard.

Ma Sanniang told Li Ping'an about a commission to obtain Monk Jiyan’s miraculous Sharira, but refused it so he could seek a cure for his injured hand. Later, Li Ping'an helped Duha and Aliya get home safely and paid the Fire Bear Gang’s monthly dues.

• Ma Sanniang explained that an imperial eunuch wanted the Sharira from Monk Jiyan’s resting place and warned Li Ping'an that assassins from the Wind Listening Pavilion might pursue it.
• South City Master Meng’s guard stopped young louts from harassing Duha at her market stall.
• Li Ping'an walked Aliya home with Old Ox, and Aliya said her father was bad for staying away and making Duha cry.
• Li Ping'an returned home and paid Liu Er and the Fire Bear Gang their monthly dues, adding money for tea.

After paying the increased protection fee, Li Ping'an attended Aliya's birthday dinner before going out into the night as South City erupted in gang warfare. The gangs attacked Hammud, revealed as the elusive South City Master Meng, while Li Ping'an quietly dealt with thugs in a tavern and left with a pot of wine.

• Li Ping'an paid the Fire Bear Gang's increased monthly protection fee and attended Aliya's birthday dinner with Aliya and Duha.
• After leaving Duha and Aliya, Li Ping'an went out beneath the moonlight as armed men entered South City Master Meng's residence.
• The black-faced leader identified South City Master Meng as Hammud, the groom who had obtained Monk Jiyan's treasure, and Hammud said he was tired of running.
• Several major gangs attacked South City, throwing its streets, shops, and taverns into chaos.
• When thugs threatened the tavern patrons, Li Ping'an extinguished the lamps and silently knocked them down before leaving with a pot of wine.

Li Ping'an learned that Hammud’s treasure had cursed him, then recovered the Sharira from the City God Statue in the Eastern Market. He brought the golden pill to Ma Sanniang, but neither of them knew how to use it.

• Hammud confessed that greed for a treasure in the Great Desert had turned him into a monster and revealed that he had hidden the Sharira inside the City God Statue.
• Hammud asked Li Ping'an to care for his daughters, then faced the arriving men in blue robes as Li Ping'an walked away.
• The next morning, Li Ping'an shattered the City God Statue and found gold, jewels, and a golden pill he believed was the Sharira.
• At the Spring Beauty Courtyard, Ma Sanniang explained the Sharira was said to restore what had been lost, but she and Li Ping'an had no instructions for using it.

Li Ping'an refused the treasures from his commission and comforted Duha as she waited for her father, then settled into a quieter life while gang violence continued around him. By year’s end, the Venomous Snake Gang had swallowed the Fire Bear Gang and taken control of his street.

• Li Ping'an left the treasures with Ma Sanniang as compensation and reminded her to keep them hidden.
• Li Ping'an listened as Duha described her hopes for her family and told her he believed they would come true.
• In November, Li Ping'an’s skills improved slowly, while clashes between the Fire Bear Gang and the Venomous Snake Gang increased the demands for money on residents.
• Ma Sanniang arranged for money to reach Duha and Aliya, allowing Aliya to attend private school and Duha to expand her stall.
• Near the end of the year, the Venomous Snake Gang absorbed the Fire Bear Gang and its leader went door to door with gifts to win residents’ goodwill.

Li Zhongchang, leader of the Venomous Snake Gang, courted the neighborhood while setting his sights on Duha, who was pressured into accepting his invitation to dinner. After learning from Aliya that Duha had gone to meet him, Li Ping'an questioned Liu Er and discovered she had been invited to the Bright Moon House.

• Liu Er introduced Li Zhongchang to the residents, and Li Zhongchang offered Li Ping'an fruit and promised to pay for a doctor.
• Li Zhongchang noticed Duha and asked whether she was married, then Liu Er delivered gifts and warned her not to refuse the boss’s invitation to dinner.
• Duha reluctantly agreed to dine with Li Zhongchang after Liu Er reminded her to consider Aliya’s safety.
• Li Ping'an met Aliya on her way home from school, heard that Duha had gone to dinner, and took Aliya back to their home.
• Li Ping'an found Liu Er at a gambling den and learned that Li Zhongchang had invited Duha to the Bright Moon House.
• Liu Er hurried away to pick Duha up after telling Li Ping'an she might not leave the dinner unscathed.

Duha met Li Zhongchang at Bright Moon House while Li Ping'an waited outside to take her home. A messenger revealed Duha was Ma Sanniang's younger sister, ending Li Zhongchang's pursuit of her for the time being.

• Duha arrived at Bright Moon House, where Li Zhongchang welcomed her to dinner.
• Liu Er spotted Li Ping'an outside and warned him not to provoke Li Zhongchang, but Li Ping'an said he had come to pick Duha up.
• A messenger told Li Zhongchang that Ma Sanniang thanked him for treating her younger sister to dinner.
• Duha came out of Bright Moon House happily and left with Li Ping'an, who said he had guessed she would be ready to go home.
• Li Zhongchang slapped Liu Er for failing to tell him about Duha's connection to Ma Sanniang, then stopped pursuing Duha and collecting interest from her.

Li Ping'an transported Pei Zhuxuan, a wanted woman accused of killing her husband and burning down his family’s home, across the desert. After he defeated men who tried to free her at an inn, Pei Zhuxuan asked whether he knew why she had killed her husband.

• Li Ping'an rode Old Ox through the desert with his bound target, Pei Zhuxuan, who tried to persuade him to release her.
• At an inn, Pei Zhuxuan pretended Li Ping'an had abducted and mistreated her, prompting Wu Sheng and his three companions to confront him.
• Li Ping'an tapped Wu Sheng’s hand with his staff and shattered Wu Sheng’s saber with a finger, forcing the men to retreat.
• Pei Zhuxuan spoke with Li Ping'an in their room and asked why he thought she had killed her husband.

Pei Zhuxuan told Li Ping'an how she had avenged her parents before the pair left an inn whose staff had tried to drug him. A young martial arts enthusiast named Su Yun followed Li Ping'an into the desert, where an unexpected whistle cut through the air as he shared wine with him.

• Pei Zhuxuan recounted how her family was ruined and how she killed the son of the people who had framed her father, then admitted she felt lost after taking revenge.
• Li Ping'an heard the innkeeper and his workers plot to rob the guests, then knocked out a worker by flicking a droplet through the door and sent the others fleeing.
• The innkeeper waived Li Ping'an's bill and gave him fine wine, but demanded payment from Su Yun and refused to give him any wine.
• Su Yun paid his bill, followed Li Ping'an on his Ink Dragon Steed, and eventually found him resting beside a sand dune while his ox drank wine.
• Su Yun asked for wine, drank half a wineskin, and heard a sharp whistle cut through the air.

Su Yun, Li Ping'an, and Pei Zhuxuan encountered Liu Yong’s mounted bandits, and Li Ping'an paid them to pass safely. Two days later, Liu Yong’s men attacked Turkic soldiers raiding a village and rescued Su Yun from a fight; the clash was still underway.

• Su Yun braced for a fight when Liu Yong’s mounted bandits surrounded the group, but Li Ping'an paid them and walked away, leaving Su Yun behind to face them.
• Li Ping'an later explained to Pei Zhuxuan that he preferred solving the encounter with money rather than violence.
• Liu Yong refused to take more from Li Ping'an because he followed a code, taking money from the wealthy but sparing the poor and women.
• Two days later, Liu Yong and his men saw Turkic soldiers burning and looting a village, so Liu Yong led his men in a charge.
• Su Yun chose to confront the raiders rather than flee, but four Turkic soldiers cornered him until Liu Yong arrived and helped him break free.

Li Ping'an joined a village victory feast after Liu Yong and his companions drove off Turkic soldiers, then heard Chen Chusheng's plea to learn martial arts and avenge his family. At dawn, more than three hundred Turkic cavalrymen surrounded the village, leaving Liu Yong and the villagers trapped.

• Liu Yong and his companions killed the Turkic soldiers attacking the village, and Su Yun fought alongside them before they returned to the path.
• Li Ping'an paid toward the feast and shared his wine as the village honored the rescuers, while Su Yun recognized him and walked away disdainfully.
• Chen Chusheng offered Li Ping'an his savings and begged him to teach martial arts so he could avenge his grandfather and father, who had been killed by Turkic soldiers.
• Liu Yong woke to the sound of approaching cavalry, and Chen Chusheng grabbed an iron pitchfork as the village alarm sounded.
• Liu Yong saw more than three hundred Turkic cavalrymen surrounding the village and realized the villagers had no clear way to escape or defend themselves.

Liu Yong challenged the Turkic leader to spare the villagers through fair duels and defeated two opponents despite his injuries. The leader had promised to spare half the village after the first victory, and Liu Yong demanded a second wager for the rest.

• Su Yun and the villagers saw the Turkic cavalry arrive, and Liu Yong asked their leader for a fair duel instead of an attack on the village.
• The leader promised to spare half the villagers if Liu Yong defeated a heavily armored Turk wielding two hammers.
• Liu Yong endured the Turk's blows, used a wrestling technique to bring him down, and killed him, then demanded another duel for the other half of the village.
• The leader offered Liu Yong a place among the Turks, but Liu Yong refused and called for the next opponent.
• Liu Yong fought a sinister saber-wielder who attacked with an explosive trick, then severed his fingers and killed him with a saber thrust.

Li Ping'an intervened when the Turkic leader ordered Liu Yong and the villagers killed, forcing the cavalry to withdraw. Afterward, Liu Yong thanked him and asked his name, while Li Ping'an praised his courage.

• The Turkic leader ordered his cavalry to kill Liu Yong and his men after declaring that the strong preyed on the weak.
• As the Turkic cavalry charged, Li Ping'an appeared and stopped their horses with his bamboo pole.
• Li Ping'an confronted the Turkic leader and held a bamboo pole to his throat, compelling him to honor his promise and withdraw his troops.
• Li Ping'an set off with Old Ox and his prisoner, Pei Zhuxuan, but Liu Yong called after him to express his gratitude.
• Liu Yong admitted that he had been framed in the army and had turned to banditry and robbery.