Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua discovered that he could remember fist manuals perfectly after reading them, while he studied characters with Li Jinfeng and continued recovering from his injury. Zhang Xiaohu began training at the Martial Arts Hall and borrowed a new fist manual each day, prompting the library steward to report the unusual pattern to Third Master Qu.

• Zhang Xiaohua struggled through his first lessons in Shuowen Jiezi with Li Jinfeng, then read the Southern Branch Fist Manual Zhang Xiaohu brought home.
• Zhang Xiaohua found that he could recall the entire Southern Branch Fist the next morning and later retained every move Li Jinfeng explained.
• Zhang Xiaohua studied more characters and fist manuals over the following days, gradually learning to read the manuals without Li Jinfeng's help.
• Zhang Xiaohu began studying other fist techniques at the Martial Arts Hall, pleasing Third Master Qu with his willingness to learn from different schools.
• The library steward told Third Master Qu and Yu Deyi that Zhang Xiaohu borrowed one fist manual each day and returned it the next morning, working through the shelves in order.

Xiaohua memorized every fist manual in the Martial Arts Hall while recovering from his injuries, though he remained puzzled by how the techniques in the manuals differed from those he had learned before. As his hand healed and his studies advanced, Zhang Xiaohu worried about sending word home and Xiaohua looked forward to practicing again.

• Third Master Qu and Yu Deyi concluded that Zhang Xiaohu borrowed fist manuals merely to entertain his younger brother, unaware that Xiaohua was memorizing them all.
• Xiaohua watched Zhang Xiaohu perform Nanzhi Fist and was disturbed that its movements matched the manual exactly, unlike the techniques he had learned before.
• Xiaohua studied Shuowen Jiezi and other books with Li Jinfeng, making remarkable progress in reading and writing.
• Xiaohua’s injuries gradually improved, but the physician warned him not to exert force with his hand for three to five years.
• Zhang Xiaohu worried that he and Xiaohua had not sent news home after more than four months away, while Xiaohua finished memorizing more than a hundred complete fist techniques.

Zhang Xiaohu told Zhang Xiaohua that the Lotus Escort Agency would teach him an internal energy cultivation method, but that he could not pass it on. Qiutong visited Zhang Xiaohua, reassured him that Huanxi Mountain Villa would take him back after his recovery, and left Li Jinfeng watching the corridor in thought.

• Zhang Xiaohu told Zhang Xiaohua that Third Master Qu would teach him an internal energy cultivation method, but that it was a guarded secret and unsafe for a beginner to teach.
• Zhang Xiaohu concealed Third Master Qu's warning that Zhang Xiaohua's injured right hand might prevent him from cultivating internal energy.
• Li Jinfeng visited Zhang Xiaohua, and they discussed books until Qiutong arrived from Huanxi Mountain Villa.
• Zhang Xiaohua showed Qiutong his writing, and she explained that he could return to Huanxi Mountain Villa once his injury had healed.
• Qiutong and Li Jinfeng agreed that Zhang Xiaohua could return in about ten days or after his recovery, and Li Jinfeng lingered in the corridor after she left.

Zhang Xiaohua received permission to return to Huanxi Mountain Villa after his injury healed enough, and Ma Jing arrived to take him back before Zhang Xiaohu could escort him. The chapter ended with Zhang Xiaohua packing and planning to leave a note because he could not find Zhang Xiaohu.

• Li Jinfeng questioned Zhang Xiaohua about Qiutong and revealed his interest in her, while Zhang Xiaohua explained how he had met her.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Zhang Xiaohu he wanted to return to Huanxi Mountain Villa and gave him his first monthly wages to send to their parents.
• The doctor examined Zhang Xiaohua, confirmed his bone had healed well, and allowed him to move his right hand gently before resuming boxing in a few days.
• Ma Jing and Liu Er arrived to bring Zhang Xiaohua back to the villa, and Zhang Xiaohua agreed to go with them.
• Zhang Xiaohua could not find Zhang Xiaohu, so he began packing and said he might write his brother a note.

Zhang Xiaohua returned to Huanxi Mountain Villa with Ma Jing and Liu Er while Zhang Xiaohu left on his first escort run. After reuniting with the workers, Zhang Xiaohua learned Tian Zhongxi planned to arrange new lodging for him and begged not to be placed in Ma Jing’s room again.

• Zhang Xiaohu welcomed Ma Jing and Liu Er, then sent Zhang Xiaohua back to the villa because an escort run kept him from going himself.
• Zhang Xiaohu warned Zhang Xiaohua to protect his healing hand, and the carriage carried Zhang Xiaohua, Ma Jing, and Liu Er to Huanxi Mountain Villa.
• At the villa gate, Ma Jing noticed Zhang Xiaohua’s waist plaque differed from theirs, but the guard checked it and let them enter.
• Zhang Xiaohua mistakenly sat on Liu Er’s kang, and the two politely offered to give it up for the other.
• The workers crowded Zhang Xiaohua with rumors about his injury until Tian Zhongxi dispersed them and called Zhang Xiaohua aside.
• Tian Zhongxi showed Zhang Xiaohua his old bedding and said he would arrange new lodging, prompting Zhang Xiaohua to beg not to be placed in Ma Jing’s room again.

Tian Zhongxi brought Zhang Xiaohua to He Tianshu, who explained his status at Huanxi Mountain Villa and arranged a private room for him while he recovered. Zhang Xiaohua joined He Tianshu and Nie Xiao Er for lunch, surprising the blue-clad servants when they welcomed him at their table.

• Tian Zhongxi took Zhang Xiaohua to He Tianshu's room and left him in He Tianshu's care.
• Zhang Xiaohua worried that losing his match would get him expelled, but He Tianshu assured him he was not his formal disciple and praised his courage.
• He Tianshu explained that Zhang Xiaohua belonged to the Lotus Escort Agency and had been assigned to his team, then checked his injured hand.
• He Tianshu gave Zhang Xiaohua his own room and told him to focus on recovering.
• Zhang Xiaohua sat at He Tianshu's table in the dining hall, where Nie Xiao Er greeted him warmly and offered him a chicken leg, confounding the watching servants.

After returning to the manor, Zhang Xiaohua learned that He Tianshu and the Manor Lord were troubled because rare medicinal seeds had not sprouted, then resumed training and asked He Tianshu to teach him Internal Energy. He Tianshu was surprised that Zhang Xiaohu was studying it at the Martial Arts Hall, and the chapter ended before he answered Zhang Xiaohua’s request.

• Qiutong told Zhang Xiaohua that the Manor Lord was troubled by a problem with the medicinal fields and advised him to follow He Tianshu without overexerting his recovering body.
• Zhang Xiaohua visited He Tianshu’s fields, where Nie Xiao Er explained that rare medicinal seeds planted more than half a year earlier had failed to sprout.
• Zhang Xiaohua learned the medicinal-field work from Nie Xiao Er and saw He Tianshu worrying over the unresponsive seeds.
• At evening practice, He Tianshu had Zhang Xiaohua hold a Horse Stance while he watched the others train and observed the force in He Tianshu’s boxing.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked He Tianshu to teach him an Internal Energy Cultivation Method, and He Tianshu reacted with surprise when he heard Zhang Xiaohu was studying Internal Energy at the Martial Arts Hall.

Zhang Xiaohua learned that his injured hand remained a serious weakness, but Old Yu tested his character and examined the injury before leaving him to decide his own path. After the wrapping came off, Zhang Xiaohua discovered he could perform complete fist routines from memory, though the images guiding him were beginning to fade.

• He Tianshu refused to teach Zhang Xiaohua Internal Energy, citing the sect’s rules and the dangers of poor aptitude.
• Old Yu visited Zhang Xiaohua, removed his medicinal wrapping, tested his hand, and questioned his reasons for wanting to learn martial arts.
• Old Yu warned Zhang Xiaohua that his healed hand remained damaged and could break again, while Zhang Xiaohua insisted he would keep practicing.
• Zhang Xiaohua began practicing fist techniques after the wrapping was removed, and He Tianshu and the others left him to train on his own.
• Zhang Xiaohua performed two complete fist routines from memory and excitedly repeated them, unaware that the figures in his mind were fading.

Zhang Xiaohua discovered that practicing fist techniques made their complete forms fade from his memory while leaving behind altered, fragmentary moves he could combine. After exhausting the manuals he knew, he assembled a 101-move fist technique with seven gaps and wondered where to find more techniques to complete it.

• Zhang Xiaohua tried to demonstrate the fist techniques he had practiced, forgot one, and managed only two disconnected moves from another; He Tianshu encouraged him to keep working.
• Zhang Xiaohua took a day off and realized that the techniques he learned from manuals vanished after practice, while their moves remained as fragments he could use to build his own style.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced techniques repeatedly, confirmed that familiar forms remained in his memory only until the next morning, and gradually linked more moves together.
• Old Yu secretly watched Zhang Xiaohua practice and was baffled by his many techniques and chaotic movements, while praising his diligence.
• Zhang Xiaohua found that two more moves fit together and continued combining fragments until he had practiced every manual he remembered.
• Zhang Xiaohua retained five moves the next morning and fitted them into a 101-move sequence, discovering seven gaps and deciding he needed more fist manuals.

Old Yu warned Zhang Xiaohua that his injured right hand would keep him from fighting effectively, then offered to teach him a dangerous sword move so he could defend himself. Zhang Xiaohua agreed to keep the move secret and use it only in life-or-death situations, but Old Yu's final warning about appearances left him puzzled.

• Old Yu told Zhang Xiaohua to meet him beneath the tree that evening, and Zhang Xiaohua practiced his improvised boxing while waiting.
• Old Yu explained that Zhang Xiaohua's right hand was crippled for sparring, but Zhang Xiaohua insisted he would continue training with his left hand.
• Old Yu suggested that Zhang Xiaohua practice weapons and offered to teach him a sword move with nineteen variations.
• Old Yu demonstrated the sword move, stopping his blade at Zhang Xiaohua's throat and eyes before Zhang could react.
• Old Yu required Zhang Xiaohua to keep his instruction secret, not pass on the move, and use it only in a life-or-death situation.
• Zhang Xiaohua promised to follow Old Yu's conditions, and Old Yu warned him not to trust everything he saw.

Zhang Xiaohua began learning Old Yu’s Nameless Sword Moves, but his injured right hand made practice difficult, so he secretly tried the moves with his left hand. He discovered that the left-handed practice stirred a fleeting warm current in his arm, then was interrupted and sent to eat before working in the herb fields.

• Zhang Xiaohua practiced his One Hundred and One Stance Fist Technique while waiting for Old Yu, who led him away from He Tianshu and taught him the first variation of the Nameless Sword Moves and its mnemonic verse.
• Zhang Xiaohua struggled to perform the sword move with his injured right hand, and Old Yu said he had taught him partly to help strengthen and heal it.
• After Old Yu left, Zhang Xiaohua secretly practiced the variation with his left hand and performed it smoothly, but the next morning he noticed his version had drifted from Old Yu’s instructions and kept quiet about it.
• Old Yu examined Zhang Xiaohua’s stiff right hand and ordered him to rest from sword practice that day; Zhang Xiaohua later practiced with his left hand and felt a warm current in his arm when he moved quickly.
• Nie Xiao Er called Zhang Xiaohua out of the woods, where He Tianshu warned him not to overwork himself and told him breakfast had been left in his room before he went to the herb fields.

Zhang Xiaohua learned sixteen variations of Old Yu’s sword technique and discovered that practicing them with his left hand brought out a mysterious warm current. After linking the variations together, he drove a tree branch into a trunk with surprising force, though he underestimated what he had accomplished and wondered when to ask Old Yu for the fist manual.

• Zhang Xiaohua practiced the first sword variation at a steady pace, found that a warm current flowed from his left shoulder into his hand, and eventually learned to perform the move with his right hand as well.
• Old Yu taught Zhang Xiaohua the remaining variations over several days, and Zhang Xiaohua learned sixteen while struggling to perform the final three with his injured right hand.
• Old Yu demonstrated how Internal Energy greatly increased the sword technique’s power and explained that Zhang Xiaohua had learned only its basic forms.
• After Old Yu left, Zhang Xiaohua linked his sixteen left-handed variations together, entered a focused state, and thrust a tree branch into a trunk until it broke.
• Zhang Xiaohua dismissed the small pit he had made as unimpressive and walked home wondering when to ask Old Yu for the fist manual.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter begins with Zhang Xiaohua visiting Old Yu to borrow fist manuals on a rainy day. He finds common fist manuals and leaves disappointed.
• Zhang Xiaohua returns to find his Second Brother, Zhang Xiaohu, and Li Jinfeng in his room. They catch up, and Zhang Xiaohu mentions practicing the Nanzhi Fist and the [***] Fist.
• Zhang Xiaohua realizes he hasn't learned the [***] Fist and asks his Second Brother to teach him.

Character Developments

• Zhang Xiaohua: He remains determined to learn fist techniques despite his injury. He realizes he hasn't learned the [***] Fist and asks his brother to teach him.
• Zhang Xiaohu: He has been practicing the [] Fist and has some understanding of internal energy cultivation. He agrees to teach his brother the [] Fist.
• Old Yu: He is content with his simple life, but Zhang Xiaohua's determination stirs some of his old ambitions.
• Li Jinfeng: He is supportive of Zhang Xiaohua's learning and encourages him.

Significant Themes

• Determination and Persistence: Zhang Xiaohua's relentless pursuit of learning fist techniques despite his injury and initial setbacks.
• Fate and Coincidence: The series of coincidences that lead Zhang Xiaohua to realize he hasn't learned the [***] Fist.
• Mentorship and Learning: The importance of learning from others, as seen in Zhang Xiaohu's willingness to teach his brother and Li Jinfeng's support.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Xiaohua and Old Yu: Zhang Xiaohua visits Old Yu to borrow fist manuals, but Old Yu's collection is limited. They discuss the challenges of learning martial arts with a disability.
• Zhang Xiaohua, Zhang Xiaohu, and Li Jinfeng: The three catch up, and Zhang Xiaohua asks his brother to teach him the [***] Fist. Li Jinfeng supports Zhang Xiaohua's learning.

Zhang Xiaohua’s difficulty retaining taught fist techniques led him to reconstruct a complete set from the moves he had forgotten from earlier forms. After Zhang Xiaohu and Li Jinfeng left, he mastered the newly completed routine and later wondered what to name it while remembering his grandmother.

• Zhang Xiaohua struggled to recall Zhang Xiaohu’s fist routine, and Zhang Xiaohu and Li Jinfeng learned that he retained moves only when they survived his practice the next morning.
• Li Jinfeng asked after Qiutong, then offered to carry a message to Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu’s family when he returned to Hui Lu Town.
• Zhang Xiaohu and Li Jinfeng left Huanxi Mountain Villa, and Zhang Xiaohua returned to the villa after saying goodbye to his brother.
• The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua recalled seven moves from the routine and combined them with missing moves from his earlier practice to complete a 108-form fist technique.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced the completed routine and noticed it contained thirty-six defensive forms and seventy-two offensive forms.
• That night, Zhang Xiaohua practiced alone, considered names for his fist technique, and remembered his late grandmother while watching the stars.

Zhang Xiaohua named his newly assembled fist art the Big Dipper Divine Fist after sensing a current flow through his body during practice, though he could not determine what caused it. He later visited Zhang Xiaohu at the Lotus Escort Agency to ask about internal energy, but found books Li Jinfeng had brought for him and began reading them.

• Zhang Xiaohua named his fist art the Big Dipper Fist, then renamed it the Big Dipper Divine Fist after feeling a current pass through his body during practice.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed the current appeared only after repeated rounds of fist practice, varied between morning, noon, and night, and stopped worrying when it caused no discomfort.
• Old Yu watched Zhang Xiaohua practice swordplay, praised his progress and memorized sword formula, and told him to rest rather than overtrain.
• Zhang Xiaohua settled into practicing martial arts three times a day, tending the medicinal fields, and reading at night, then decided to ask Zhang Xiaohu about internal energy.
• Zhang Xiaohua traveled to the Lotus Escort Agency, entered Zhang Xiaohu's room, and found books on medicinal herbs and history that Li Jinfeng had left for him.
• Zhang Xiaohu returned and told Zhang Xiaohua that the books were for him and that he should take them when he left.

Zhang Xiaohua learned about internal energy from Zhang Xiaohu and was assigned by He Tianshu to study books on medicinal herbs and look for a reason the plants would not sprout. He continued training and reading, while his unusual sensations and swordplay remained unexplained.

• Zhang Xiaohu told Zhang Xiaohua that he had found Qi Sensation and explained true qi, the dantian, qi circulation, and the dangers of Qi Deviation.
• Zhang Xiaohua kept his own strange bodily sensations secret after Zhang Xiaohu said true qi was stored in the dantian.
• He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua that ordinary Misty Sect disciples found Qi Sensation quickly, then explained that the sect’s Divine Mechanism Hall forged weapons.
• Zhang Xiaohua brought Li Jinfeng’s medicinal herb books to He Tianshu, who asked him to study them and investigate why the herbs had not sprouted.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced his boxing and swordsmanship, noticed changes in his left-hand swordplay and right-hand fingers, then read about medicinal herbs and sought specimens in Tian Zhongxi’s fields.

Zhang Xiaohua received more books from He Tianshu and became absorbed in studying medicinal herbs, then went to the Inner Courtyard to borrow more from Qiutong. After Zhang Xiaohua impressed Qiutong with his thoughts on learning through practice, she went to find him more books while the villa master and others attended to business in the main hall.

• He Tianshu brought Zhang Xiaohua books borrowed from the villa master after the Medicine Hall refused to lend its books, encouraging him to read and keep practicing boxing.
• Zhang Xiaohua read through the books quickly and, finding He Tianshu away, went into the Inner Courtyard to look for Qiutong.
• Qiuju warned Zhang Xiaohua that he had entered the Inner Courtyard without permission, then went to fetch Qiutong.
• While waiting, Zhang Xiaohua helped Qiuju hang laundry, and Qiutong arrived and led him farther inside.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Qiutong he wanted more herb books and explained that theory should be tested through practice, so Qiutong went to find books for him.

Zhang Xiaohua impressed Ou Yan with his knowledge, received more advanced books, and learned she planned to travel to seek help with the failing seeds. Later, He Tianshu introduced him to Medicine Hall elders and asked to borrow books for him, but a senior brother objected because Zhang Xiaohua was an outsider.

• Ou Yan tested Zhang Xiaohua on the books he had read and, pleased by his answers, gave him a bundle of advanced books filled with her annotations.
• Ou Yan told Qiutong and Aunt Qin that she intended to travel to consult an expert about the seeds, despite their worries about her health and responsibilities.
• Zhang Xiaohua studied Ou Yan's annotated books and grew eager to travel south and see unfamiliar herbs for himself.
• He Tianshu brought Hall Master Bai, Elder He, and other Medicine Hall members to the medicinal fields and introduced Zhang Xiaohua.
• He Tianshu asked Hall Master Bai to lend Zhang Xiaohua books, but Senior Brother Chang objected that the hall's collection could not be given to outsiders.

Zhang Xiaohua prepared to travel south with He Tianshu and Ou Yan, bringing along the books Ou Yan had lent him. The party departed Huanxi Mountain Villa, while hidden observers learned of Ou Yan’s departure, and Zhang Xiaohua’s thoughts turned to his family as the carriages headed east.

• He Tianshu failed to persuade the Misty Sect’s Medicine Hall to lend Zhang Xiaohua books, and Hall Master Bai led the group to inspect the barren medicinal fields.
• He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua that they would leave the next morning to accompany Ou Yan south, and asked to read Ou Yan’s books and notes.
• A woman left a note in the grove, and a servant boy retrieved it the following morning and later joined other servants leaving the villa.
• Zhang Xiaohua and He Tianshu joined Ou Yan’s traveling party, including Shi Niu, Qiutong, Elder Sister Qin, and several female disciples.
• Ou Yan’s carriages departed Huanxi Mountain Villa, and several servants spread out through Pingyang City after leaving to carry news of her journey.
• Zhang Xiaohua watched the countryside from the carriage and thought of his parents and hometown.

He Tianshu took Zhang Xiaohua out to practice boxing, but they got lost and entered a small weapons shop, where Zhang Xiaohua discovered a strange black small sword that seemed connected to his left hand. The chapter left He Tianshu bargaining with the blacksmith over a treasured sword while Zhang Xiaohua resolved to obtain the small sword.

• Shi Niu drove the carriages quickly along the Official Road until Qiutong and Elder Sister Qin urged him to slow down and keep the Villa Lord safe.
• The group traveled from Pingyang City and stayed at an inn, where Zhang Xiaohua ate with the other disciples rather than joining Ou Yan and the others.
• He Tianshu invited Zhang Xiaohua out to practice boxing, and the two left the inn to find a place with woods but lost their way.
• He Tianshu and Zhang Xiaohua entered a tiny weapons shop, where He Tianshu examined its weapons and found a heavy, unsharpened small sword.
• The blacksmith claimed the small sword was an old treasure before admitting he had found it in the countryside, and He Tianshu bargained over a treasured sword.
• Zhang Xiaohua felt the small sword connect strangely with his left hand and decided he had to have it as He Tianshu offered seven taels for the treasured sword.