Chapter Summaries

After Grandmother’s death, the Zhang family resumed farm work and arranged for Mr. Liu to move to Guo Village, where he settled into a new home near their house. Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu both began longing for lives beyond their current routines, while Mr. Liu’s move left him emotional as he parted from his son.

• Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu moved into Grandmother’s cottage, while Zhang Xiaolong recovered from his injuries with Liu Qian caring for him.
• The Zhang family finished spring planting, visited Grandmother’s grave, and Zhang Xiaohua continued to feel guilty and wonder whether leaving home would let him learn martial arts.
• Zhang Cai learned that Guo Village had no schoolhouse or teacher’s residence, so he secured the clan chief’s permission for Mr. Liu to move in and build a house.
• The Zhang family cleared land beside their pond and bamboo grove, and Mr. Liu approved the site and paid for construction while the villagers helped build his home.
• Zhang Xiaohu asked Liu Qian about Liu Yueyue, learned about her circumstances, and grew disheartened as he imagined a life beyond farming and an unwanted marriage.
• Mr. Liu moved into the completed courtyard with his belongings, and he grew emotional as he looked at his reluctant son and happy daughter.

During a gathering at the Zhang family’s home, Zhang Xiaohu announced that he wanted to leave the village and go to Pingyang City to seek a more exciting life. His parents began to warm to the idea after Liu Qian suggested he might also find a wife there, but Zhang Cai had not yet agreed when someone interrupted.

• Guo Sufi admired Mr. Liu’s kitchen and resolved to build a kitchen of her own.
• Zhang Xiaolong recounted how he escaped the West Cui Mountain bandits while keeping Lu Yueming, the Misty Sect, and Xue Qing’s token secret.
• Mr. Liu, Liu Kai, and Zhang Xiaolong discussed whether the scattered bandits might return or seek revenge.
• Zhang Xiaohu announced that he wanted to go to Pingyang City and change his life rather than remain a farmer in the village.
• Mr. Liu and Liu Kai shared their views about leaving home, while Liu the Butcher advised against the trip.
• Liu Qian suggested Zhang Xiaohu could find a wife in Pingyang City, easing Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi’s objections before an unknown speaker interrupted.

Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu sought their parents’ permission to leave for Pingyang City, with Xiaohua hoping to learn martial arts and protect his family. Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi eventually agreed, and the brothers prepared to set out with their family’s support.

• Zhang Xiaohua announced that he wanted to go to Pingyang City to learn martial arts so he could protect himself and his family from bandits.
• Mr. Liu and Liu Kai supported the brothers’ plans, while Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi discussed the dangers of the journey and where Xiaohua might study.
• Liu Kai explained the route to Pingyang City, and Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian offered to manage the family’s fields while the brothers were away.
• After several days, Zhang Cai told Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua that he and Guo Sufi had agreed to let them go, and Guo Sufi gave them newly made clothes.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Liu Qian why she had let them worry, and she told him the uncertainty was a lesson in staying calm and prudent away from home.

Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua prepared to leave for Pingyang City to pursue martial arts, accepting advice and travel money from their family and Mr. Liu. After an emotional farewell, the brothers set out, unaware that their journey would affect the martial world.

• Liu Qian encouraged Zhang Xiaohua to learn to manage on his own, while Zhang Xiaohu refused Zhang Xiaolong's unused banknotes and the Misty Sect token, saying he wanted to rely on his own abilities and save the token for emergencies.
• Mr. Liu praised Zhang Xiaohu's resolve, gave him a banknote, and shared travel advice with the family that night.
• Zhang Xiaohu lay awake worrying about how the brothers would find a path to martial arts in Pingyang City, while Zhang Xiaohua rose early to carry water for the family.
• Zhang Cai led the family to the grandparents' graves, and everyone accompanied Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua to the village entrance with their packed bundles.
• As the brothers departed, Zhang Xiaohua ran back to embrace Guo Sufi, vowed to become strong enough to protect his family, and received a farewell hug from Zhang Cai.
• Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua set off for Pingyang City, while their family watched until they disappeared beyond the hillside.

Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua left Lu Town by carriage, beginning their journey toward Pingyang City. As the carriage carried them away from home, Zhang Xiaohua reflected on his changing life and unusual recent experiences, and the group approached Bao Town by nightfall.

• Zhang Xiaohu told Zhang Xiaohua that they would travel by carriage from Lu Town rather than walk all the way to Pingyang City.
• Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua reached Lu Town, worried they might encounter two bullies, and booked seats on the final carriage of the day.
• Zhang Xiaohua switched seats with a young scholar who wanted to read by the window, and Wang Qisheng joined the passengers as their armed protector.
• As the carriage departed, Zhang Xiaohua struggled with leaving home, while Zhang Xiaohu held his hand and later fell asleep.
• The carriage neared Bao Town, and the young scholar explained that its name came from an important man surnamed Bao, embarrassing Zhang Xiaohu after his guess about treasure.

Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu traveled toward Pingyang City, where Li Jinfeng promised to help them find the Misty Sect, while the sect prepared to attack the Luoshu Gang. After a violent fight disrupted their overnight stop, Zhang Xiaohu reconsidered the dangers of entering the martial world, and the brothers resumed their journey toward the city.

• The Zhang brothers stopped overnight at the Bao Town carriage service, where Li Jinfeng introduced himself and promised to help Zhang Xiaohua locate the Misty Sect in Pingyang City.
• Ouyang Peng confirmed that the Misty Sect had prepared to attack the Luoshu Gang, assigned Zhang Chengyue to manage sect affairs, and led the attack force out under cover of night.
• A fight between the Fierce Tiger Gang and another group broke out outside the inn, and an arrow shot into the communal sleeping quarters.
• Zhang Xiaohu watched the fighting and wondered whether he wanted to enter such a dangerous martial world, while Zhang Xiaohua slept through the disturbance.
• The brothers continued their journey the next morning, and Zhang Xiaohu remained quiet as the carriage headed toward Pingyang City.

The Zhang brothers arrived in Pingyang City and learned that Shangguan Yun and Yu Lun were headed to the Lotus Escort Agency to learn martial arts. After the pair and Li Jinfeng left without them, Zhang Xiaohu chose to seek the Misty Sect instead, and the brothers set out for Misty Manor before stopping in surprise at something around a corner.

• Shangguan Yun and Yu Lun told the carriage passengers they planned to try their luck learning martial arts at the Lotus Escort Agency, and Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu decided they might try as well.
• Yu Lun agreed to guide Zhang Xiaohu to the agency the next morning, but the Zhang brothers learned that he, Shangguan Yun, and Li Jinfeng had moved to another inn without telling them.
• Zhang Xiaohu chose to go to the Misty Sect, and the brothers learned that Misty Manor lay ten li east of Pingyang City.
• The Zhang brothers left the Carriage and Horse Service and headed across the city toward the east gate.
• After turning a corner, Zhang Xiaohua stopped and asked Zhang Xiaohu whether it was New Year again.

Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu explored bustling Pingyang City, recovered a stolen money pouch, and met Qiutong, who offered them a ride toward Misty Manor. The brothers learned that Qiutong was a manor maid as their carriage journey began.

• Zhang Xiaohua caught a young thief stealing Zhang Xiaohu’s money pouch, but the thief escaped when his companions helped him disappear into the crowd.
• Zhang Xiaohua spotted the thief stealing a girl’s pouch and chased him until he dropped it, then returned it to the girl.
• The girl thanked Zhang Xiaohua and introduced herself as Qiutong when the brothers said they were heading to Misty Manor to learn martial arts.
• Qiutong offered the brothers a ride in her carriage, and they learned she was a manor maid buying potted plants.

After Misty Sect refused to accept Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua as disciples, the brothers followed a guard’s advice to seek martial arts training at the Lotus Escort Agency in Pingyang City. Fourth Master Wen registered them and demanded 160 taels for a year of tuition, food, and lodging, leaving the brothers stunned.

• Qiutong left Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua near the road to Misty Manor, and they approached the sect’s gateway.
• The guard leader told the brothers that Misty Sect had stopped recruiting and refused to take them to Wen Wenhai or Lu Yueming, who were both away.
• After a guard suggested the Lotus Escort Agency, the leader directed the brothers to its recruitment office in Pingyang City.
• Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua reached the Lotus Escort Agency and told its staff they wanted to learn martial arts.
• Fourth Master Wen recorded the brothers’ names and told them that tuition, food, and lodging would cost 160 taels for both of them.

Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua learned that the Lotus Escort Agency could hire runners who earned wages while learning martial arts, but that the work was dangerous and required physical ability. Zhang Xiaohu passed a strength test and reproduced most of a beginner's fist set after watching it once, leaving Old Li Liu suspicious of his claim that he had never trained.

• Fourth Master Wen explained that the Misty Sect accepted young disciples, while the Lotus Escort Agency hired runners and guards; the Zhang brothers had no martial foundation and could not qualify as guards.
• Fourth Master Wen took Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua to Old Li Liu, who agreed to test Zhang Xiaohu for a runner position.
• Zhang Xiaohu lifted stone locks weighing one hundred and one hundred and fifty jin, then failed to raise a two-hundred-jin lock overhead but impressed the onlookers.
• Old Li Liu had Little Monkey demonstrate Six Harmonies Fist and asked Zhang Xiaohu to repeat it; Zhang Xiaohu performed six or seven tenths of the set after watching once.
• Old Li Liu questioned Zhang Xiaohu sharply about whether he had truly never practiced martial arts.

Zhang Xiaohu passed the Lotus Escort Agency’s test and became an escort hand, while Zhang Xiaohua’s extraordinary strength impressed Third Master Qu despite his being too young to join. Third Master Qu arranged for Zhang Xiaohua to work at Huanxi Mountain Villa, where he could farm and receive martial arts instruction, and Qiutong took him there as the brothers parted ways.

• Zhang Xiaohu impressed Old Li Liu by recalling much of the Six Harmonies Fist and passed the escort agency’s test, while Zhang Xiaohua was told he was too young to be recruited.
• Zhang Xiaohua lifted a two-hundred-pound stone lock and then a five-hundred-pound one, shocking the training ground.
• Qiutong recognized Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu, and Third Master Qu heard how Zhang Xiaohua had helped her recover her money pouch.
• Third Master Qu proposed that Zhang Xiaohua work at Huanxi Mountain Villa’s medicinal fields and receive martial arts instruction there.
• Zhang Xiaohua accepted the job and its monthly pay, and Zhang Xiaohu reassured him that he would visit and that they could reunite at the escort agency when Xiaohua grew older.
• Old Li Liu took Zhang Xiaohu to register as an escort hand, while Zhang Xiaohua followed Qiutong by carriage toward Huanxi Mountain Villa.

Zhang Xiaohua arrived at Huanxi Mountain Villa with Qiutong, where she left him waiting while she went to report to the young mistress. As Qiutong brought the young mistress back to the hall, the villa’s one-armed elder had already questioned Zhang Xiaohua about his place there.

• Zhang Xiaohua rode with Qiutong to Huanxi Mountain Villa and wondered about its connection to Misty Manor.
• The guards admitted Qiutong and Zhang Xiaohua through a side gate, and Qiutong left him in a courtyard while she went to report to the young mistress.
• While waiting alone, Zhang Xiaohua handled several training weapons until a stern one-armed old man ordered him to put them away and asked why he was there.
• Zhang Xiaohua told the old man that Qiutong had brought him to grow medicinal herbs, and the old man left in anger over the idea of putting a child to fieldwork.
• Qiutong searched for the young mistress, then returned to the hall with her and explained that Uncle Qu San had recommended Zhang Xiaohua and that his family would be investigated through the Lotus Escort Agency.

Qiutong explained Zhang Xiaohua’s unusual strength to Ou Yan and Old Yu, who agreed to keep him at Huanxi Mountain Villa and observe his potential. As Zhang Xiaohua anxiously awaited his fate, a group of workers arrived and mocked his name.

• Old Yu objected to Qiutong bringing a young child to work in the medicinal fields, so Qiutong recounted how Zhang Xiaohua had recovered her money pouch and lifted a heavy stone lock.
• Ou Yan told Old Yu to keep Zhang Xiaohua for rough work, watch his martial arts potential, and let him enter the fields once the Lotus Escort Agency confirmed his status.
• Qiutong and Ou Yan discussed their worry for Ou Yan’s eldest brother, Ou Peng, who was leading the Misty Sect’s campaign against the Luoshui Gang.
• Ou Yan decided Old Yu should arrange Zhang Xiaohua’s placement and allow him to face some hardship so she could see how he handled it.
• Zhang Xiaohua waited anxiously in the courtyard until a group of workers arrived, and several blue-clothed men laughed and mocked his name.

Zhang Xiaohua arrived at Huanxi Mountain Villa, where the workers mocked his name before Tian Zhongxi helped him settle into a room with Ma Jing. After Old Yu assigned him no work yet, Zhang Xiaohua tried to adapt to his new surroundings and put aside his homesickness.

• The blue-clad workers mocked Zhang Xiaohua's name until Tian Zhongxi sent them back to their rooms.
• Tian Zhongxi brought Zhang Xiaohua into his room, gave him water, and offered him a place to wait for Old Yu.
• Old Yu returned and told Zhang Xiaohua to familiarize himself with the medicinal fields, then asked Tian Zhongxi to arrange his lodging.
• Tian Zhongxi took Zhang Xiaohua to Ma Jing's room and arranged for him to sleep on Liu Er's empty brick bed.
• Zhang Xiaohua flattered Ma Jing to avoid offending him, then resolved to adapt to villa life and set aside thoughts of home.

Zhang Xiaohua ate dinner at Huanxi Mountain Villa and asked Ma Jing why the workers received different meals. Ma Jing began explaining the change in the medicinal fields, but admitted he did not know what herbs were planted.

• Zhang Xiaohua followed Ma Jing to the dining hall, where he learned the empty table was reserved for first-class meals and Tian Zhongxi found him a seat with the other workers.
• Zhang Xiaohua devoured the plentiful dinner while the other diners watched and mocked him, and he wished he could take the leftovers home for his pigs.
• Back in their room, Zhang Xiaohua opened the window to escape Ma Jing's foot odor and asked why the dining hall served two kinds of food.
• Ma Jing said servants had managed the medicinal fields before the New Year, but several more fields had opened around the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.
• Ma Jing asked Zhang Xiaohua to guess what herbs were planted, then admitted that he did not recognize them either.

Ma Jing told Zhang Xiaohua how the workers resented the four Medicine Hall men assigned to the medicinal fields, then revealed that none of the workers knew martial arts. The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua watched the four men practice and wondered whether they might teach him.

• Ma Jing complained that the workers had cleared the fields but were barred from tending the medicinal herbs, while four Medicine Hall men received better pay and treatment.
• Ma Jing admitted that he and the other workers could not fight because none of them knew martial arts, and he asked Zhang Xiaohua to teach him some moves.
• Ma Jing gossiped about Qiutong and the courtyard residents while Zhang Xiaohua listened until he fell asleep; Ma Jing later discovered him and went to visit the neighbors.
• Zhang Xiaohua woke to the smell in their room, went outside, and was astonished by the size of Huanxi Mountain Villa.
• Zhang Xiaohua tried to recall the Six Harmonies Fist but forgot most of its moves, then watched the four fitted-clothes men practice martial arts and hoped they would teach him.

Zhang Xiaohua settled into life at Huanxi Mountain Villa while hoping to learn martial arts, and Old Yu promised to find someone to teach him. A misunderstanding over Ma Jing’s foot odor led Zhang Xiaohua to move his bedding into Tian Zhongxi’s room, but Tian Zhongxi denied ever inviting him.

• Zhang Xiaohua endured Ma Jing’s foul-smelling room and the other workers’ mockery at breakfast while watching for a chance to learn martial arts.
• Tian Zhongxi explained to Ma Jing that Zhang Xiaohua’s background had not yet been checked, so he was keeping him away from work for the time being.
• Old Yu told Zhang Xiaohua he would arrange for someone to teach him martial arts, and Zhang Xiaohua eagerly accepted.
• Tian Zhongxi showed Zhang Xiaohua around Huanxi Mountain Villa and kept him from working during the following days.
• Ma Jing told Zhang Xiaohua that Brother Xi had offered him a place in his room, so Zhang Xiaohua moved his bedding there.
• When Zhang Xiaohua thanked Tian Zhongxi at dinner, Tian Zhongxi denied inviting him and hurried away.

After Ma Jing deceived him, Zhang Xiaohua learned to be more cautious and began working in the medicinal herb fields, where his farming experience quickly made him capable of working alone. He Tianshu then told him that Ou Yan had asked him to teach Zhang Xiaohua martial arts, and began with a lesson in keeping his mind calm.

• Ma Jing tricked Zhang Xiaohua into losing Tian Zhongxi's favor, but Zhang Xiaohua held back from confronting him and resolved to be more careful about trusting people.
• Tian Zhongxi assigned Zhang Xiaohua to learn the medicinal herb fields from Ma Jing, and Zhang Xiaohua's farming experience helped him master the work quickly.
• Tian Zhongxi tested Zhang Xiaohua himself, confirmed he could work independently, and realized his assumptions about the difficulty of the work had been mistaken.
• He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua that Ou Yan had asked him to teach martial arts and arranged to begin after dinner.
• He Tianshu corrected Zhang Xiaohua's impatience and taught him that martial arts practice required a calm heart and tranquil mind.

He Tianshu tested Zhang Xiaohua’s strength, then began his martial arts training with the Horse Stance. The chapter ended with He Tianshu leaving Zhang Xiaohua eager for more lessons, unaware that the boy was not tired at all.

• He Tianshu asked Zhang Xiaohua to punch him at full strength and was surprised by the force, while Zhang Xiaohua mistook He Tianshu’s ability to withstand it for a great gap in martial skill.
• He Tianshu taught Zhang Xiaohua the Horse Stance and told him to hold it while he left, then privately rubbed his bruised palm and reconsidered his earlier assumptions about the boy.
• He Tianshu delayed returning to check on Zhang Xiaohua, but found him still holding a steady stance and heard him offer advice about finding a place to relieve himself.
• He Tianshu fell after stepping in dog shit, and Zhang Xiaohua mistook his recovery move for a carp flip he hoped to learn.
• He Tianshu ended the lesson and hurried away, assuming Zhang Xiaohua was tired, while Zhang Xiaohua called after him that he was not tired and wanted to learn fist techniques.

Zhang Xiaohua impressed He Tianshu and the other men by holding a Horse Stance with ease, but He Tianshu postponed boxing lessons until that evening. At breakfast, Tian Zhongxi scolded Zhang Xiaohua for supposedly sleeping in after Ma Jing falsely reported him late.

• He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua to keep practicing the Horse Stance before he would teach him boxing.
• Zhang Xiaohua held the Horse Stance so effortlessly that the three men stopped their own training to watch and cheer him.
• He Tianshu questioned Zhang Xiaohua about his experience and suspected he might be a martial arts genius.
• He Tianshu forgot Zhang Xiaohua at breakfast, then returned and told him he had passed and could eat.
• Tian Zhongxi reprimanded Zhang Xiaohua for being late, citing Ma Jing's report, while Ma Jing grinned and left.