Chapter Summaries

Qing Chen rescued his second brother Qing Jie from Twin Eagles Association thugs and drove off the crowd that had gathered to mock them. As he considered his next move, a drugged woman fleeing the Zhao Household begged him for help.

• A boy warned Qing Chen that Twin Eagles Association thugs had cornered Qing Jie behind Red Sleeve Beckons.
• Qing Chen defeated the three thugs with the Jade Forging Art, breaking bones and leaving them unable to fight.
• Qing Chen struck his clan granduncle when the old man urged him to spare the thugs, then intimidated the onlookers into leaving.
• A woman pursued by the Zhao Household stumbled into the alley and pleaded with Qing Chen to save her.

Qing Chen recognized that the woman fleeing Young Master Zhao was connected to Northern Mang Mountain, whose rumored longevity treasures could advance his ambitions. After helping Zhao seize her, Qing Chen left the woman to be abused and killed, while secretly seeing her connection as an opportunity to stir up trouble.

• Qing Chen recalled a secret about treasures on Northern Mang Mountain that might extend life and glimpsed a chance to pursue transcendence.
• Qing Chen used the Iron Mountain Lean to knock down the woman seeking his help, then pretended to flatter Young Master Zhao.
• The woman declared that she belonged to Northern Mang Mountain and threatened Ford City, while Qing Chen concealed his excitement.
• Young Master Zhao slapped the woman and ordered his attendants to tie her up and drag her away.
• The next morning, the woman’s bruised corpse lay discarded in a pauper’s graveyard outside the city as hyenas approached.

Qing Chen brought Qing Jie to Red Sleeve Beckons, intending to use the brothel’s enforcers to protect their family and recruit his brother into martial training. After a gang enforcer attacked him, Qing Chen struck him down and revealed his strength.

• Qing Chen recalled his father dying in a flood and resolved to pursue the secret left by a martial-world wanderer.
• Qing Chen persuaded Qing Jie that ruthless allies were needed to protect their family from the Twin Eagles Association, then took him to Red Sleeve Beckons to seek work.
• Qing Chen brought Qing Jie through a side entrance to meet the brothel’s enforcers, and the pockmarked leader mocked his request to hire his brother.
• The pockmarked leader ordered Erhuzi to attack Qing Chen, who dodged his kick and knocked him unconscious with a palm strike.

Two months after Qing Chen joined the Red Sleeve Beckons, he used Qing Jie’s information network to learn that the Twin Eagles Association was abusing beggars and targeting a refugee boy’s sister. Qing Chen ordered Erhuzi to rob and beat the boy, setting up a meeting beneath the locust tree outside the city.

• Qing Chen defeated Erhuzi and secured a senior hired-fighter position at the Red Sleeve Beckons, while Qing Jie became a lackey.
• Over the following two months, Qing Chen grew more successful and told his second mother that the Twin Eagles Association would not dare trouble him easily.
• Qing Jie reported that the Twin Eagles Association had been breaking beggars’ limbs to extort money and was threatening a refugee boy’s older sister.
• Qing Chen told Qing Jie to have Erhuzi steal the boy’s beggar’s money and beat him without crippling him, then wait outside the city for payment.

Qing Chen and Qing Jie went outside Ford City to find a woman and her brother, where Qing Chen rescued the woman from a thug. The brother revealed that a street thug had stolen the tribute money he owed the Twin Eagles Association, leaving him terrified of what would happen that night.

• Qing Chen and Qing Jie passed the refugee gruel lines and went to the siblings' thatched hut.
• Qing Chen dislocated a burly man's wrist and broke his leg after the man attacked him while stealing the woman's gruel.
• Qing Chen spoke with the woman, and her injured, lame younger brother returned to the hut.
• Qing Chen recognized that the youth's injuries came from a beating, prompting him to explain that a street thug had stolen his tribute money.
• The youth said the Twin Eagles Association's men would collect the money that night and feared they would beat him to death.

Qing Chen urged a desperate woman and her crippled younger brother to resist the Twin Eagles Association rather than flee Ford City. The brother doubted they could win, while the woman placed her hope in Qing Chen’s offer of help.

• The boy explained that the Twin Eagles Association would punish him for losing its money and had deliberately crippled his leg to make him beg more effectively.
• The woman knelt before Qing Chen and begged him to save her brother, then agreed to hear his instructions.
• Qing Chen offered the siblings a choice between fleeing Ford City and rising up against the people oppressing them.
• The boy argued that his injured leg and the Twin Eagles Association’s martial arts leaders made resistance hopeless.
• The woman defended Qing Chen’s strength, recalling how he had defeated a burly refugee, and moved closer to him in hope that he would help.

Qing Chen recruited Su Tong to gather intelligence inside the Twin Eagles Association and killed Erhuzi as his first step toward taking control of it. Two months later, with information about the association’s divisions in hand, Qing Chen prepared to target its leaders and pursue the resources needed to grow stronger.

• Qing Chen sent Qing Jie to take Su Tong’s sister to the Qing Residence and instructed Su Tong to keep begging while secretly reporting on the Twin Eagles Association.
• Qing Chen killed Erhuzi after confirming that he had told no one about the beating, then took the money from his body.
• Over the next two months, Su Tong gathered intelligence about the association’s fighters, leaders, and dealings, passing it to Qing Chen through Qing Jie.
• Qing Chen told Su Tong’s sister that resentment had divided the association and that he planned to strike its two leaders.
• Qing Chen privately resolved to build his strength and gather money, herbs, and expendable followers before pursuing Northern Mang Mountain’s treasure.

Qing Chen and Qing Jie set out to attack the Twin Eagles Association after receiving a signal that its defenses were weak, seeking to protect Second Mother and seize territory. They infiltrated the headquarters and killed its sentry, then waited for the lame boy’s next signal.

• Thirteen days after making their plan, Qing Chen found the agreed charcoal cross and learned that the Twin Eagles Association was poorly guarded that night.
• Qing Chen persuaded Qing Jie to join him, and the two made their way to the association’s secluded headquarters.
• The lame boy brought drugged wine to the sentry, who drank it and collapsed outside the gate.
• Qing Chen suffocated the sentry, broke his neck, staged the body to look drunk, and hid with Qing Jie by the steps.
• As revelry and a woman’s cries carried from inside, Qing Chen considered using Young Master Zhao’s name and establishing himself with the association’s territory.

Qing Chen infiltrated the Twin Eagles Association’s residence with Su Tong and killed Golden-Eyed Eagle after the thugs were drugged. He also killed the Liu family’s young lady to prevent her from raising an alarm, leaving Su Tong to vent his pent-up resentment over Golden-Eyed Eagle’s corpse.

• Su Tong told Qing Chen that the drugged thugs were occupied with the women they had abducted, and Qing Chen ordered Qing Jie to guard the main gate.
• Su Tong led Qing Chen through the residence toward Golden-Eyed Eagle’s room while they avoided the wandering lackeys.
• Qing Chen waited until the drug weakened Golden-Eyed Eagle, then cut off his hand, struck his head, and stabbed him in the throat.
• Qing Chen killed the Liu family’s young lady when she was about to scream, then explained to Su Tong that her death had protected their plan.
• Su Tong stabbed Golden-Eyed Eagle’s corpse several times to vent his resentment.

Qing Chen seized control of the Twin Eagles Association by defeating its leaders and offering the gang members better pay. After learning how the association collected its income, he promised generous wages and rewards, while his cold smile hinted that he had further plans.

• Qing Chen and Qing Jie brought Golden-Eyed Eagle's corpse to the gate, then captured three minor leaders.
• Qing Chen challenged the gang, defeated Iron-Winged Hawk, and crippled him before demanding the Twin Eagles Association's surrender.
• Iron-Winged Hawk begged to submit, but Qing Chen killed him and declared himself the association's sole leader.
• Niu Dali told Qing Chen that the gang collected tributes from merchants and beggars and paid the head constable three to five taels monthly.
• Qing Chen promised the gang members at least four hundred copper coins a month and additional rewards for good service.

Over three months, Qing Chen consolidated control of the Twin Eagles Association, increased its income, and advanced his martial arts. He learned that Northern Mang Mountain had finally acted against Young Master Zhao, creating the turmoil he hoped to exploit.

• Qing Chen forced the Twin Eagles Association's new followers to kill its three former minor leaders, then appointed Niu Dali and others to manage the gang.
• Qing Chen imposed rules on protection fees and punished a thug who broke them, improving the merchants' business conditions and stabilizing the gang's income.
• Qing Chen used his earnings to reach minor mastery in the Jade Forging Art and become a Third-Rate Expert, while learning the Appearance-Altering and Bone-Shrinking Art, the Gecko Wall Traversal Art, and the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Saber.
• Qing Chen recalled that Northern Mang Mountain had waited several months before taking action against Young Master Zhao and welcomed the prospect of chaos in Ford City.

Qing Chen used his connections and strength to enlist in the vanguard army as a centurion, positioning himself in a battalion led by the city lord’s inept son-in-law, Li Muyun. As the expedition approached, Qing Jie joined Qing Chen’s company as a squad leader, despite Second Mother’s worries.

• The city lord’s manor announced a campaign to recruit a vanguard army and wipe out the bandits on Northern Mang Mountain, drawing eager recruits with promises of military merit and rewards.
• Qing Chen cultivated ties with minor officials, then enlisted with more than twenty brothers and secured command of a hundred-man company.
• Qing Chen learned that his company belonged to the second battalion, commanded by Li Muyun, whom he considered unlikely to enforce strict discipline.
• On the eve of the expedition, Second Mother worried about Qing Chen’s safety, but he reassured her that the army greatly outnumbered the bandits.
• Qing Jie revealed that he had joined the vanguard army, and Qing Chen assigned him as squad leader of his personal guards.

Qing Chen ingratiated himself with Li Muyun by catering to his indulgences, then raised concerns about the battalion’s position away from the encirclement of Northern Mang Mountain. Li Muyun explained his plan to avoid the main fighting, while Qing Chen warned that others might use his absence against him.

• Qing Chen offered Li Muyun wine, a secluded tent, a captive woman, and Five-Stone Powder to win his favor.
• Li Muyun praised Qing Chen and invited him to call him Brother Yun in private.
• Qing Chen reflected that Li Muyun neglected military affairs and had become dependent on the pleasures Qing Chen arranged.
• Qing Chen asked whether the battalion’s camp twenty li north of Northern Mang Mountain was a poor choice.
• Li Muyun said he had stayed back to avoid the fighting and planned to collect easy credit after the battle or catch any fleeing bandits.
• Qing Chen warned that others might accuse Li Muyun of missing the chance to fight and damage his prospects.

Qing Chen persuaded Li Muyun to send three platoons toward Northern Mang Mountain, then secretly took control of the force and prepared a plan of his own. He left Qing Jie to impersonate him and command the troops while he set out with fifty elite men to carry out his real objective.

• Qing Chen exploited Li Muyun’s fear of losing power and proposed sending a unit under his banner to join the campaign against the bandits.
• Li Muyun approved the plan, and Qing Chen volunteered to lead three platoons while their officers were kept under watch in the main tent.
• Qing Chen secretly selected trusted soldiers, transferred command of the three platoons, and assembled fifty skilled fighters.
• Qing Chen told Qing Jie to disguise himself and command the troops with Niu Dali while remaining in camp, and warned him that the vanguard was being sent to die.
• Qing Chen prepared to enter Northern Mang Mountain with the fifty elite men without drawing attention.

Qing Chen disguised Qing Jie as himself, then led a handpicked squad through Northern Mang Mountain’s dangerous northern foothills to infiltrate the bandits’ rear. After executing a soldier who undermined morale and promising rewards to the rest, Qing Chen found the hidden tunnel’s marker and knocked on the stone entrance.

• Qing Chen used a potion and a human-skin mask to disguise Qing Jie as himself, then sent him and Niu Dali toward the vanguard camp.
• Qing Chen led a squad through the treacherous mountain forest at night, aiming to reach the bandits’ rear through a hidden tunnel.
• When soldiers complained and questioned the route, Qing Chen beheaded the loudest man and promised promotions and silver to restore morale.
• A veteran of the Twin Eagles Association found a cross carved into an old pine and unusual stones beside the cliff.
• Qing Chen recognized the tunnel marker, located a protruding stone in the rock face, and knocked on it three times.

Qing Chen led his soldiers out through a hidden tunnel and discovered bandits holding Young Master Zhao in a thatched hut. After confirming no reinforcements were nearby, he prepared a four-sided assault to rescue him and attack the bandits.

• Qing Chen sent five soldiers through the stone door, and they found a concealed exit beyond a damp, winding tunnel.
• Qing Chen led his soldiers out through the tunnel and hid them behind a rocky hill, where he heard Young Master Zhao shouting inside a thatched hut.
• Qing Chen spotted armed bandits guarding the hut and ordered twelve soldiers to search the surrounding area for an ambush.
• Qing Chen's scouts found no other bandits within two or three li, and he observed the guards' lax behavior.
• Qing Chen ordered thirty soldiers to attack the hut from four sides while Twin Eagles Association members ambushed anyone who escaped.

Qing Chen led his soldiers in a surprise attack on the bandits and held back his elite troops to make the fight more rewarding for his men. After the soldiers suffered heavy losses, Qing Chen defeated the bandit leader himself and ordered the wounded to withdraw through the tunnel.

• Qing Chen's soldiers attacked the bandit camp, killing several bandits while the bandit leader fought back with a powerful axe.
• Qing Chen kept his elite soldiers from joining the battle and promised silver and promotions to spur the fighting soldiers on.
• The outnumbered bandits were gradually killed, leaving the wounded leader as the last one standing while the soldiers lost more than half their number.
• Qing Chen used the Jade Forging Art and Gecko Wall Traversal Art to surprise the leader, strike him down, and render him unable to resist.
• Qing Chen ordered Twin Eagles Association soldiers to take the wounded through the tunnel and remain together under military orders.

Qing Chen tortured two captured bandits until they revealed Master Eagle’s plans for Young Master Zhao and his daughter-in-law. He learned Master Eagle wanted Ford City’s city lord as a backer, leaving Qing Chen to consider how ruthless survival in the chaotic world required him to become.

• Qing Chen ordered the wounded bandits tied up and their wounds treated, then had the bodies thrown over Northern Mang Mountain’s north cliff.
• Qing Chen stationed guards at the thatched hut and ordered the two prisoners beaten until they were too exhausted to resist.
• Jiang San begged for mercy and revealed that Iron Ox had been ordered to guard Young Master Zhao on Master Eagle’s behalf.
• Qing Chen threatened the prisoners with mutilation, and Iron Ox confirmed Master Eagle’s orders.
• Iron Ox revealed that Master Eagle had killed the former bandit leader and his son, kept Young Master Zhao alive to win Ford City’s city lord’s support, and did not care whether his daughter-in-law lived or died.

Qing Chen learned that Master Eagle and the lord of Ford City were using Young Master Zhao and the bandit-suppression campaign to secure their own power. After having Jiang San and Iron Ox killed, Qing Chen found Young Master Zhao and revealed his identity, leaving the frightened noble begging for rescue.

• Qing Chen learned from Iron Ox that Master Eagle had planned to use Young Master Zhao’s kidnapping to bargain with the lord of Ford City and gain an official post.
• Qing Chen realized the scheme threatened to leave him without a chance to enter Northern Mang Mountain’s assembly hall and uncover its secret chamber.
• Qing Chen ordered his soldiers to kill Jiang San and Iron Ox, then had them throw the bodies over the northern cliff.
• Qing Chen found Young Master Zhao cowering in the thatched hut and reminded him that they had met at a brothel.
• Young Master Zhao recognized Qing Chen and begged him to arrange his escape, offering silver and an official post.

Qing Chen killed Young Master Zhao and framed the Northern Mang Mountain bandits by leaving a message with the severed head. After hiding the evidence and leading the Twin Eagles Association soldiers through a tunnel, he ordered them to kill the wounded soldiers to keep the operation secret.

• Qing Chen promised Young Master Zhao he would free him, then exposed his resentment and warned that his life depended on Qing Chen.
• Qing Chen decided Young Master Zhao's death would ruin the city lord and Master Eagle's scheme, then killed and beheaded him.
• Qing Chen wrote a threat in blood, attached it to Young Master Zhao's head, and ordered the guards to hack the corpse and throw it off a cliff.
• Qing Chen led the soldiers through a concealed tunnel and told the wounded survivors that the bandits' nest had been wiped out and they would be rewarded.
• Qing Chen signaled the Twin Eagles Association soldiers to silence the witnesses, and they attacked the wounded soldiers.