Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into the body of Chen Shi'an, a wastrel who planned to sell his sister-in-law Su Qingrou and niece Chen Tiantian, he stopped them from being driven out and promised to repay his niece. He left to deal with the waiting buyer, while Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian still feared that poverty and unpaid protection taxes would force them out of Windrise Stronghold.

• Chen Shi'an woke in the Barren Wastes and learned that his former self had planned to sell Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian to cover his expenses and avoid the city construction tax.
• Chen Shi'an assured Su Qingrou that he would not drive her and Chen Tiantian from the Chen household, and promised Chen Tiantian he would repay the New Year's money he had borrowed.
• Chen Shi'an explained that the household needed six taels of silver for the city construction tax before the end of the month, but his late brother's savings were nearly gone.
• Chen Shi'an left the courtyard to settle matters with the buyer who had paid a deposit for Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian.
• Chen Tiantian urged Su Qingrou to leave before they were driven out, but Su Qingrou said they had nowhere safe to go without Windrise Stronghold's protection.

Chen Shi'an negotiated four more days before handing Su Qingrou and her daughter to Zhao Desheng, whom he suspected of causing his elder brother’s injury. He discovered a mysterious stone stele in his mind that promised martial rank after 300,000 blade draws, and began training with his brother’s saber.

• Chen Shi'an persuaded Zhao Desheng to wait four more days before taking Su Qingrou, lowering the agreed price to nine taels.
• After Zhao Desheng left, Chen Shi'an suspected he had benefited from his elder brother's death and focused on finding silver.
• Chen Shi'an discovered the stone stele from his previous life in his mind, where it instructed him to draw the blade 300,000 times to become a Ranked Martial Artist.
• Chen Shi'an asked Su Qingrou for his elder brother's Horizontal Saber and began repeatedly drawing and sheathing it as she watched in disbelief.

Chen Shi'an tested a faster way to practice drawing his saber, then confronted the Fang family over his engagement to Fang Ruyu to secure the doubled return of his betrothal gift. Fang Ruyu openly rejected him, citing her acceptance to Windrise Martial Academy, and urged her father to end the engagement.

• Su Qingrou advised Chen Shi'an to practice basic saber movements, while Chen Tiantian mocked his training and promised to wash his feet if he mastered his saber techniques.
• Chen Shi'an discovered that drawing a proper saber at least two inches increased his count, though his aching arms and the approaching City Construction Tax left him needing another solution.
• Chen Shi'an visited Fang Ming and demanded that the Fang family either proceed with his marriage to Fang Ruyu or answer for breaking the agreement at the City Yamen.
• Fang Ruyu confronted Chen Shi'an, disparaged his ability to support her, and said she would rather die than marry him.
• Fang Ruyu revealed that she had passed the assessment for Windrise Martial Academy and urged Fang Ming to end the engagement, accepting the twelve-tael repayment as worthwhile.

Chen Shi'an smoothly ended his engagement to Fang Ruyu and returned home with money and meat, surprising Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian with his changed behavior. The chapter ended with Su Qingrou warning Chen Tiantian to stay cautious because their family depended on Chen Shi'an to keep its Stronghold registration.

• Fang Ming canceled Chen Shi'an and Fang Ruyu's engagement, and Chen Shi'an readily agreed in exchange for twelve taels of silver.
• Chen Shi'an signed the dissolution paper, reclaimed his tea money, and left without looking back at Fang Ruyu.
• Chen Shi'an brought pork home for Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian, then practiced his Blade-Drawing Technique.
• At dinner, Chen Shi'an calmly gave Chen Tiantian the meat despite her insults, leaving her and Su Qingrou confused by his change.
• Su Qingrou warned Chen Tiantian not to provoke Chen Shi'an because their household could lose its Stronghold registration without him.

Chen Shi'an made a quieter scabbard and discovered that repeated blade draws triggered marrow-washing and bone-tempering, strengthening his frail body. As he continued training, Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian noticed his changed behavior, while he prepared to face Zhao Desheng in three days.

• Chen Shi'an made a nanmu scabbard coated with lard to quiet his Horizontal Saber, then drew it until he reached one thousand repetitions.
• After the thousandth draw, Chen Shi'an expelled foul-smelling impurities, felt stronger, and took a cold bath; Su Qingrou mistakenly thought she had seen him attending to private business and resolved to arrange his marriage after the mourning rites.
• Chen Shi'an trained late into the night, woke late, and surprised Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian by fetching his own breakfast and easily carrying a heavy basket of radishes.
• Chen Shi'an repaid Chen Tiantian twenty wen, while Su Qingrou worried that his gambling winnings would not provide an honest livelihood.
• At two thousand draws, Chen Shi'an underwent another round of marrow-washing and bone-tempering, gained more strength and speed, and expected another improvement at three thousand draws.

After completing ten thousand sword draws, Chen Shi'an met Zhao Desheng and killed him after learning Zhao had arranged to abduct Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian. Chen Shi'an left to dispose of Zhao's body in the Outer City, wary that the murder could implicate his family.

• Chen Shi'an completed ten thousand sword draws after seven rounds of marrow-washing and bone-tempering, then left to meet Zhao Desheng.
• Zhao Desheng demanded that Chen Shi'an deliver Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian, attacked him, and admitted he had caused Chen Shi'an's elder brother's accident.
• Chen Shi'an revealed his saber skills and severed Zhao Desheng's arm, but paused when Zhao claimed he was acting for Wang Tianye.
• Zhao Desheng admitted Wang Tianye did not know about his scheme, so Chen Shi'an killed him and took the six taels of silver from his pouch.
• Chen Shi'an concealed Zhao's corpse beneath grass and leaves, then left to find a way to move it to the Outer City.

Chen Shi'an used a straw-selling venture to smuggle Zhao Desheng's corpse out of Windrise Stronghold and earn silver, then returned home determined to protect his family and find steady work. The next morning, Su Qingrou gave him her late husband's saber manual and offered her treasured jade pendant to pay the City Construction Tax, but Chen Shi'an assured her he had enough money and returned the pendant.

• Chen Shi'an persuaded Han Shan to help take sixteen carts of dry rice straw to the Outer City, hiding Zhao Desheng's corpse among the bundles and bypassing the checkpoints with Han Shan's help.
• Chen Shi'an secretly removed Zhao Desheng's corpse from a cart and later dumped it in a secluded Outer City alley.
• Chen Shi'an sold the straw for five taels of silver, split the profits with Han Shan, and told him they could expand the business.
• Back home, Chen Shi'an worried that Wang Tianye might target Chen Tiantian and resolved to become a Ranked Martial Artist and find a livelihood.
• Su Qingrou gave Chen Shi'an the Army-Breaking Saber Technique and offered her jade pendant to cover the six-tael City Construction Tax.
• Chen Shi'an returned the pendant and gave Su Qingrou ten taels of silver, telling her to pay the tax and buy what the household needed.

Chen Shi'an secured Chen Tiantian's schooling and began planning a livelihood by inventing chili sauce, teaching Su Qingrou how to make it. The family tasted the sauce and prepared to start a small business, while Chen Shi'an continued practicing his blade technique.

• Chen Shi'an told Su Qingrou that his engagement to the Fang family had ended, insisted that Chen Tiantian attend the Private School, and warned her to keep Tiantian away from East Street.
• Chen Shi'an learned at a teahouse that Zhao Desheng's death had not drawn suspicion toward the Chen Family, then saw Han Shan pass by with a procession of carts carrying rice straw.
• Chen Shi'an returned with school supplies for Chen Tiantian and ingredients for a business idea, while Su Qingrou confirmed that Tiantian would start school the next day.
• Chen Shi'an taught Su Qingrou to make chili sauce, explaining that the Stronghold had no such condiment and that it could become their livelihood.
• Chen Tiantian and Su Qingrou tasted the sauce and enjoyed it, and Chen Shi'an handed Su Qingrou the recipe and explained that Tiantian needed schooling to gain knowledge.

Chen Shi'an helped Su Qingrou learn to make fermented black beans and chili sauce, then faced Zhang Mazi after Chen Tiantian came home from school with a bruised eye. He stopped Zhang Mazi from attacking and agreed to compensate him, but gathered the neighbors to hear the dispute before handing over the silver.

• Chen Shi'an taught Su Qingrou how to soak soybeans and make her own fermented black beans for their chili sauce business.
• Over ten days, Su Qingrou improved her chili sauce while Chen Shi'an studied and practiced the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, raising his saber-draw count above a hundred and fifty thousand.
• Chen Tiantian returned from school with a bruise and said a classmate had insulted her family, torn her book, and hit her.
• Zhang Mazi arrived with his son and two assistants, demanded a tael of silver or a month of Su Qingrou's labor, and tried to grab Chen Tiantian.
• Chen Shi'an caught Zhang Mazi's wrist, then agreed to pay one tael but asked for witnesses before handing it over.
• With the neighbors gathered, Chen Shi'an explained the dispute and Zhang Mazi's demand, prompting them to murmur that the compensation was extortion.

Chen Shi'an defended Chen Tiantian from Zhang Mazi, secured four taels of silver through a city guard's ruling, and introduced the neighbors to Su Qingrou's chili sauce, Chen Su Ji. After comforting Chen Tiantian, he discussed the guards' connection to Hou Fang and planned to sell the sauce.

• Chen Shi'an paid Zhang Mazi one tael for Chen Tiantian's scratches, then demanded twenty taels for her injury and defended himself when Zhang Mazi and his shop hands attacked.
• Chen Shi'an held Zhang Mazi and his son until the city guards arrived, and the tall guard, Hou Fang, ruled that Zhang Mazi must pay the Chen Family four taels.
• Chen Shi'an and Su Qingrou gave the neighbors jars of chili sauce called Chen Su Ji, asking them to return the jars when they were empty.
• Chen Shi'an comforted Chen Tiantian and told her to seek his help instead of fighting if she was hurt again.
• Su Qingrou explained that Hou Fang was Chen Shi'an's elder brother's sworn brother and had served in the Demon Hunting Team.
• Chen Shi'an told Su Qingrou to focus on making chili sauce because he expected Chen Su Ji to bring in silver.

Hou Fang warned Chen Shi'an that Commander Wang Tianye was overseeing Zhao Desheng's murder investigation, leaving Chen Shi'an determined to act before Wang could threaten Chen Tiantian. The next day, Chen Shi'an went to Windrise Martial Academy to see Deputy Dean Lu, where Fang Ruyu and a gatekeeper tried to turn him away, but he insisted Lu had invited him and presented a letter.

• Hou Fang visited the Chen family, paid his respects, and gave Chen Tiantian money.
• Hou Fang questioned Chen Shi'an about Zhao Desheng's visit and murder, then warned him to keep his account consistent because Wang Tianye was overseeing the case.
• Chen Shi'an realized Wang Tianye might target Chen Tiantian and resolved to take the initiative rather than wait for danger.
• A mysterious poet's first two lines for Tao Yaoyao caused a sensation in Windrise Stronghold, but the poet did not deliver the rest.
• Chen Shi'an went to Windrise Martial Academy to see Deputy Dean Lu, where Fang Ruyu and a gatekeeper tried to dismiss him.
• Chen Shi'an told the gatekeeper that Lu had invited him and handed over a letter, warning him to deliver it.

Chen Shi'an presented Lu Chenyang with the final lines of a poem in exchange for help protecting his ten-year-old niece from Wang Tianye, and Lu Chenyang agreed while trying to recruit him into Windrise Martial Academy. After Chen Shi'an left, Lu Chenyang ordered an investigation, and Fang Ruyu was summoned to answer questions about him.

• Chen Shi'an delivered his letter to Lu Chenyang and asked him to rein in Wang Tianye, who had taken an interest in Chen Shi'an's ten-year-old niece.
• Chen Shi'an wrote the poem's final lines, and Lu Chenyang named it Yaoyao Song and agreed to help with his niece's situation.
• Lu Chenyang invited Chen Shi'an to join Windrise Martial Academy, but Chen Shi'an declined and promised to share other poems if he remembered them.
• Lu Chenyang ordered someone to investigate Chen Shi'an, while Old Dog Fu warned Chen Shi'an that Lu Chenyang was ruthless.
• Fang Ruyu encountered Chen Shi'an and disparaged him, then learned that Lu Chenyang had summoned her because she knew him.
• Lu Chenyang asked Fang Ruyu what she knew about Chen Shi'an, and she called him an ignorant, worthless gambling addict.

Lu Chenyang tried to use Fang Ruyu to manipulate Chen Shi'an and courted Tao Yaoyao, while Wang Tianye learned that Lu had intervened on Chen Shi'an’s behalf. Chen Shi'an planned to remove Wang Tianye’s threat, build a chili-sauce business, and first become a Ranked Martial Artist; the chapter ended with Fang Ruyu arriving at his home.

• Lu Chenyang ordered Fang Ruyu to use her charms to make Chen Shi'an obey her, and she agreed despite having broken off their engagement.
• Lu Chenyang courted Tao Yaoyao with a bracelet and claimed he would write more poems, but Tao Yaoyao doubted he had composed 'Yaoyao Song' and ordered an investigation into his recent contacts.
• Wang Tianye learned that Lu Chenyang had intervened and ordered his men to leave Chen Tiantian alone, then examined Chen Shi'an’s dossier.
• Chen Shi'an resolved to become a Ranked Martial Artist before taking on Wang Tianye and decided that leaving the Desolate Ruins with Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian had to remain a long-term goal.
• Chen Shi'an told Su Qingrou to keep making chili sauce and set its selling price, explaining that he would launch the business after becoming a Ranked Martial Artist.
• Fang Ruyu arrived at the Chen family home as Chen Shi'an and Su Qingrou discussed their plans.

Fang Ruyu visited Chen Shi'an to ask for whatever Dean Lu wanted from him, offering silver and herself, but Chen Shi'an refused and promised to visit Dean Lu within half a month. After Fang Ruyu left, Wang Tianye entered the Chen courtyard, and Chen Shi'an greeted the commander respectfully.

• Su Qingrou welcomed Fang Ruyu, but Chen Shi'an recognized that Deputy Dean Lu had sent her and told her to relay that he would visit when the time was right.
• Fang Ruyu offered Chen Shi'an up to two hundred taels and her body in exchange for Dean Lu's favor, but he warned her away from powerful people's secrets and refused her offer.
• Chen Shi'an promised Fang Ruyu he would visit Dean Lu within half a month, and she left wondering if breaking their engagement had been a mistake.
• Su Qingrou asked if Fang Ruyu had changed her mind about Chen Shi'an, and he redirected her to dry the fermented black beans.
• Wang Tianye entered the courtyard and made a disrespectful remark about Su Qingrou, so Chen Shi'an pulled her behind him and greeted the commander.

Chen Shi'an faced down Wang Tianye's threats while racing to become strong enough to protect his family. After reaching the first rank, he discovered that advancing further required drawing his saber with Origin Force, which severely limited how many draws he could manage.

• Wang Tianye confronted Chen Shi'an, threatened his family, and demanded to know how he had won Lu Chenyang's support, but left after slashing a stone slab to demonstrate his strength.
• Chen Shi'an kept his family calm and devoted himself to saber draws, reaching nearly 270,000 after four days and 299,999 by the sixth night.
• Chen Shi'an completed his 300,000th saber draw beneath the Old Willow Tree and became a Ranked Martial Artist, gaining Origin Force.
• The Mysterious Stone Stele showed that 600,000 draws would make Chen Shi'an a Second-Rank Martial Artist, but ordinary draws no longer counted after his promotion.
• Chen Shi'an channeled Origin Force into his saber and completed one more counted draw, then realized his current reserves could sustain only about twenty such draws.

Chen Shi'an intensified his saber-drawing grind, tested his strength, and agreed to visit Windrise Martial Academy to meet Lu Chenyang. He used a remembered poem to persuade Lu to protect the Chen Family from Wang Tianye, leaving him half a month to address the threat and make the chili sauce business succeed.

• Chen Shi'an discovered that drawing his saber without Origin Force still increased his count, though sixty draws equaled only one, and he spent four hours grinding before testing his saber against a stone slab.
• Chen Shi'an told Fang Ruyu he would visit Lu Chenyang at noon, while making clear their connection would end after he helped her this once.
• Chen Shi'an reassured Su Qingrou about the chili sauce business, then left for Windrise Martial Academy.
• Chen Shi'an presented Lu Chenyang with two lines of a poem and said Wang Tianye's threats had made him forget the rest.
• Lu Chenyang promised to stop Wang Tianye from threatening the Chen Family and gave Chen Shi'an half a month to recall the remaining lines.
• Chen Shi'an resolved to use the time to handle Wang Tianye and establish Chen Su Ji chili sauce in Windrise Stronghold before his money ran out.

Chen Shi'an launched his chili sauce under the name Chen Su Ji, then met Tao Yaoyao, pavilion master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, who confronted him about the poem he had given Lu Chenyang. Tao Yaoyao demanded that he write its final two lines and offered to grant him whatever he wanted.

• Chen Shi'an wrote matching Chen Su Ji labels and prepared to sell his chili sauce.
• Chen Shi'an gave away sixty jars to six restaurants, then returned home to find Tao Yaoyao and her companion buying chili sauce.
• Tao Yaoyao arranged for Chen Shi'an to deliver six jars, then revealed that she had come to question him about the poem.
• Chen Shi'an denied knowing the poem's next lines until Tao Yaoyao used her martial pressure to stop him from leaving.
• Tao Yaoyao identified herself as the pavilion master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and Chen Shi'an admitted he had written the poem for Lu Chenyang.
• Tao Yaoyao demanded that Chen Shi'an write the final two lines and promised to give him whatever he wanted.

Chen Shi'an negotiated with Tao Yaoyao for protection in exchange for poems, revealing that he wanted Chen Tiantian made a Reserve Divination Medium. Tao Yaoyao agreed to get Tiantian into the final selection round, but warned that the protection would last less than three years.

• Tao Yaoyao confronted Chen Shi'an about his poems and demanded that he write for her, but he claimed he had not composed them himself.
• Chen Shi'an wrote Tao Yaoyao “Night Lodging at a Mountain Temple,” and she offered him a place as a literary guest at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
• Chen Shi'an rejected joining the Pavilion and asked Tao Yaoyao to use her influence to make Chen Tiantian a Reserve Divination Medium in exchange for three poems.
• Chen Shi'an explained that he had maneuvered Tao Yaoyao into pursuing him because Lu Chenyang was better placed to pressure Wang Tianye quickly.
• Tao Yaoyao agreed to get Chen Tiantian into the final selection round but said she could not guarantee Tiantian would become a Reserve Divination Medium.

Chen Shi'an secured a poem from Tao Yaoyao while arranging for Chen Tiantian to enter the Spirit Medium Selection Contest, and the Chen family’s chili sauce business began bringing in substantial money. After celebrating the family’s two good fortunes, Chen Shi'an secretly taught Chen Tiantian a discreet bottle-handling trick, and she mastered it immediately.

• Chen Shi'an gave Tao Yaoyao the poem “Quiet Night Thoughts” but refused to provide another until after the Spirit Medium Selection Contest, while Tao Yaoyao suspected he might have written the poems himself.
• Chen Shi'an returned home and told Su Qingrou he expected buyers to seek out their chili sauce, then warned her to keep their recipe and business rights.
• City Guard Battalion men questioned Chen Shi'an about Zhao Desheng, and Chen Tiantian later returned with contest organizers who invited her to compete as a Spirit Medium.
• The manager of Anfeng Restaurant bargained with Su Qingrou and bought five hundred jars of chili sauce for nine copper coins each.
• The family celebrated Chen Tiantian’s contest invitation and their chili sauce sales, while Su Qingrou discussed finding Chen Shi'an a wife.
• Chen Shi'an showed Chen Tiantian how to conceal a small bottle and remove its stopper discreetly, and she copied the trick on her first try.

Chen Shi'an prepared Chen Tiantian to secretly use white phosphorus during the Spirit Medium Selection, hoping to help her overcome the corrupt examiners. As Chen Tiantian reached the final ceremony and began her ritual, Wang Tianye accused her of advancing through connections and took aim at Lu Chenyang.

• Chen Shi'an taught Chen Tiantian to pour water without spilling and explained that she would need the skill to handle white phosphorus safely.
• Chen Shi'an extracted white phosphorus from soaked flint and gave it to Chen Tiantian, who agreed to keep their plan secret from Su Qingrou.
• Su Qingrou negotiated a chili-sauce order for 150 jars while Chen Shi'an focused on becoming strong enough to protect his family.
• At the Windrise Stronghold final selection, the children performed the spirit-writing ritual as Chen Shi'an watched the examiners assess them.
• Chen Tiantian took her turn on the platform, drawing attention as an ordinary child among wealthy competitors.
• Wang Tianye suggested Chen Tiantian had reached the final through an important connection and implied Lu Chenyang was responsible, angered that Lu was protecting her.