Chapter Summaries

In Wei State’s Daliushu Village, Fang Yue tried to find a way to catch fish and was mistaken for someone about to jump into the river. After Fang Ergou thanked him for supposedly saving him, Fang Yue saw a message revealing his God-Tier Aptitude, which increased his aptitude over time.

• Fang Yue reflected on his difficult life in the ancient world and decided to make a fishing rod to catch fish in the Xiahe River.
• Fang Yue heard villagers shout that Brother Zhi was going to jump into the river and realized they meant him by his childhood name.
• Fang Ergou lunged toward Fang Yue and plunged into the river after Fang Yue dodged him.
• Fang Ergou thanked Fang Yue for saving him, then questioned whether Fang Yue had really planned to jump.
• Fang Yue saw a message announcing his God-Tier Aptitude and a current aptitude of 1.

After discovering that his Golden Finger increased his aptitude by one point each day, Fang Yue returned to his poor family’s home in Daliushu Village. His mother brought him a small piece of chicken from the Liu household, and he split it with his sister Fang Lan.

• Fang Yue realized his Golden Finger had activated and learned it would raise his aptitude by one point each day.
• Fang Yue dismissed Fang Ergou’s suspicion that he had tried to drown himself and led the ox home.
• Fang Yue returned to his family’s mud-brick courtyard and tended to the water buffalo.
• Chen Shi told Fang Yue that Young Master Liu had returned, prompting the Liu family to kill a chicken, and gave him a piece of meat.
• Fang Yue remembered that Young Master Liu had caused the accident that led to the original owner’s death, then divided the chicken with Fang Lan.

Fang Yue brought food to his father and brother, then rescued a village child from a speeding carriage. Fang Hu stopped the two horses, leaving Fang Yue to wonder if the stories about him understanding Martial Arts were true.

• Fang Yue shared food with Fang Lan, then carried lunch to Fang Mu and Fang Cheng in the fields.
• Fang Cheng gave Fang Yue half a flatbread, and Father Fang later gave half of his own to Fang Cheng.
• A carriage and two Knights rushed toward children playing in the road, and Fang Yue pulled one child to safety.
• Fang Hu stopped the two galloping horses with his bare hands and saved the other children.
• Fang Yue watched Fang Hu in disbelief and wondered whether he truly understood Martial Arts.

After witnessing Fang Hu stop two horses with his bare hands, Fang Yue resolved to learn Martial Arts and learned about Fang Hu's costly, unsuccessful pursuit of it. The next day, Fang Yue caught five grass carp while grazing the buffalo and discovered that his rising aptitude seemed to improve his fishing.

• Fang Hu stopped two galloping horses and told Fang Yue he lacked the aptitude to learn Martial Arts.
• Fang Yue asked Fang Mu about Fang Hu and learned he had spent his family's wealth pursuing Martial Arts before returning to the village.
• Fang Yue made a crude fishing rod, used Rye Grass to chum a cove, and caught a grass carp weighing more than two jin.
• Fang Yue's aptitude increased by one point, and he felt the improvement help him fish more effectively.
• Fang Yue caught five grass carp and noticed that his fishing technique improved as his aptitude rose.

Fang Yue’s improved aptitude helped him catch five grass carp, and he brought them home intending to feed himself and his sister. On the way, Widow Yu begged him for a fish because she and her daughter Anu had gone without food for three days, but Fang Yue hesitated to help, wary of trouble and short on food himself.

• Fang Yue realized that his increased aptitude was refining his fishing technique and caught five grass carp.
• Fang Yue took his fish home by a route that would help him avoid questions from relatives.
• Fang Yue saw Widow Yu trying to comfort her starving daughter, Anu, and considered leaving without getting involved.
• Widow Yu spotted Fang Yue’s fish and asked to borrow one, explaining that she and Anu had no food.
• Fang Yue questioned whether Widow Yu meant to buy a fish, and her hope faded as Anu said she was hungry.

Fang Yue shared his fish with Widow Yu and enjoyed a better meal with his family, then continued fishing while herding cattle. After his aptitude rose to one in ten, he hooked a huge fish, and Fang Hu judged his talent as lower-middle; Fang Ergou mistook the struggle at the riverbank for Fang Yue trying to drown himself.

• Fang Yue gave Widow Yu a grass carp, and she hurried home to make fish soup for Anu.
• Fang Lan and Chen Shi checked that Fang Yue was unharmed, and the Fang family ate fish while warning him never to enter the water.
• Fang Yue fished discreetly over the next several days and occasionally gave Widow Yu a fish.
• Ten days later, Fang Yue's aptitude increased to one in ten, and he felt confident enough to cast his line again.
• Fang Yue hooked a huge fish and fought to control it without breaking his fishing rod.
• Fang Hu watched Fang Yue and rated his talent lower-middle, while Fang Ergou dropped his gear and shouted for him not to jump into the river.

Fang Yue explained that Fang Ergou had fallen into the river while trying to rescue him from a supposed suicide, and they shared the large fish Fang Yue had caught. After Fang Hu gave Fang Yue a pheasant, Fang Lan warned her brother not to enter the mountains and asked him to help distribute fish to relatives and Widow Yu.

• Fang Ergou mistook Fang Yue's fishing for an attempt to jump into the river and fell in while trying to stop him, but Fang Yue rescued him and recovered the large fish.
• Fang Hu thanked Fang Yue and had Fang Ergou give him a pheasant; Fang Yue shared two fish with Fang Ergou in return.
• Fang Yue brought the pheasant home, and Fang Lan worried that he had entered the mountains until he explained that Fang Hu had given it to him.
• Fang Lan noticed the huge fish Fang Yue had caught, warned him not to be reckless, and told him to help deliver fish to Third Uncle, Seventh Uncle, and Widow Yu.

Fang Yue delivered fish and meat to Widow Yu, who showed her attraction to him, and continued sharing his catches with villagers as summer passed. When Fang Ergou asked to learn fishing and offered to teach him archery, Fang Yue began instructing him and planned to learn archery in return.

• Fang Yue brought fish and meat to Widow Yu, and she pressed his hand against herself before he left.
• A month passed as Fang Yue herded cattle, fished, and shared extra fish with relatives and neighbors.
• Fang Ergou asked Fang Yue to teach him fishing and offered to teach him archery.
• Fang Yue taught Fang Ergou how to make fishing gear and told him to gather materials before their next lesson.

Fang Yue watched Fang Ergou fish and then began his archery lessons, discovering just how extraordinary the boy's strength was. After Fang Ergou caught a tiny grass carp, he taught Fang Yue that archery training began by lifting a massive stone.

• Fang Yue marveled at Fang Ergou's strength as the boy held a five-meter fishing rod with ease.
• Fang Yue advised Fang Ergou to be patient while fishing, and Fang Ergou eventually hooked and reeled in a tiny grass carp.
• Fang Ergou put away his fishing gear and began teaching Fang Yue archery as his father had taught him.
• Fang Ergou demonstrated the first exercise by lifting a stone weighing more than three hundred jin overhead for thirty breaths.
• Fang Ergou told Fang Yue to build strength by moving stones, and Fang Yue questioned whether the method would work.

Fang Yue discovered that his increasing aptitude had strengthened his body and began exercising as his physical power grew. When he lifted the Big Blue Stone, Fang Hu saw him and wondered whether Fang Yue had inborn divine strength.

• Fang Yue tried lifting a stone weighing over three hundred pounds and managed to make it wobble before dropping it.
• Fang Yue saw that his aptitude had increased by one, felt his fatigue ease, and concluded that improved aptitude was strengthening his body.
• Fang Ergou claimed he could lift the stone a hundred times daily and become strong enough to lift it in about five months.
• Several dozen days passed, the Xiahe River shrank as summer ended, and Fang Yue worked in the fields before exercising with stone locks.
• Fang Yue lifted the Big Blue Stone, and Fang Hu witnessed him and wondered whether he had inborn divine strength.

Fang Hu realized Fang Yue had exceptional martial potential and decided to teach him hunting and archery himself. Fang Yue accepted, and Fang Hu told him to come to his home the next morning, promising to speak with Fang Yue’s father about the rice harvest.

• Fang Hu reflected on the dangers and expense of martial training, and recognized Fang Yue’s strength from Stone Lifting as a sign of unusual talent.
• Fang Hu recalled his own ruined life and his senior fellow disciple’s injury, and hesitated over whether to guide Fang Yue.
• Fang Yue assumed Fang Hu had come to see Fang Ergou, but Fang Hu said he had come for Fang Yue because their deal was unfair.
• Fang Hu offered to teach Fang Yue hunting and archery personally, and Fang Yue eagerly agreed.
• Fang Hu told Fang Yue to come to his house the next morning and said he would speak to Fang Yue’s father about the harvest.

Fang Yue returned home to hear that Matchmaker Wang had proposed a marriage for his eldest brother and to taste the honey Fang Hu had sent. When Fang Yue told his family that Fang Hu would teach him hunting, they opposed him out of fear for his safety, but Fang Yue insisted on accepting the opportunity.

• Chen Shi told Fang Yue that Matchmaker Wang had visited to arrange a marriage for Fang Mu, impressed by the family's improved fortunes.
• Fang Mu brought out Fang Hu's jar of honey, and Fang Yue persuaded his parents to taste it before he did.
• Fang Yue told Chen Shi that Fang Hu wanted to teach him hunting and archery.
• Chen Shi and Fang Lan warned Fang Yue that hunting was too dangerous and urged him not to learn.
• Fang Yue insisted that he wanted to learn, and Chen Shi called on Fang Mu to make him reconsider.

Fang Yue showed his parents his strength to convince them he could handle learning to hunt, then Uncle Fang Hu came to formally discuss taking him as a disciple. After speaking with Father Fang, Uncle Fang Hu told Fang Yue to come early the next morning.

• Chen Shi and Father Fang tried to dissuade Fang Yue from learning to hunt because the mountains were dangerous.
• Fang Yue lifted the heavy courtyard millstone over his head, shocking his parents and making Chen Shi relent before she broke down in tears.
• Uncle Fang Hu arrived to discuss formally accepting Fang Yue as his true disciple, explaining the commitment to Father Fang.
• Fang Cheng encouraged Fang Yue to learn from Uncle Fang Hu, and Uncle Fang Hu emerged from the main hall and told Fang Yue to come early tomorrow.

Fang Yue began training with Fang Hu, who tested his strength, taught him basic literacy, and introduced him to a standing stance and Breathing Technique. Fang Yue struggled to hold the stance but resolved to train hard and avoid becoming complacent.

• Chen Shi prepared Fang Yue a generous breakfast, but he ate only half an egg before leaving for Fang Hu's courtyard.
• Fang Yue lifted the three-hundred-pound Stone Lock easily and managed to raise the four-hundred-pound one, impressing Fang Hu with his strength and aptitude.
• Fang Hu discovered that Fang Yue was largely illiterate and taught him twenty characters from a booklet.
• Fang Hu taught Fang Yue a standing stance and breathing rhythm, and Fang Yue quickly followed the technique's basics.
• Fang Yue held the stance until his muscles ached and sweat poured down him, then stopped when Fang Hu told him to rest.
• Fang Yue accepted Fang Hu's tea and promised to work hard, resolving not to become complacent.

Fang Yue’s aptitude increased to one in a hundred during stance training, and he unexpectedly mastered the basics of the Breathing Technique and stance within a few days. Fang Hu recognized Fang Yue’s rapid progress and watched him continue training without interruption.

• Fang Yue endured the autumn heat during his daily stance training, and his aptitude rose to 100, or one in a hundred.
• Fang Hu and Fang Ergou prepared medicinal decoction, while Fang Hu secretly added tiger-bone ingredients to make the school’s Little White Tiger Body Strengthening Soup for Fang Yue.
• Fang Hu sent Fang Ergou to call Fang Yue in for medicine, but Fang Ergou stopped to tease the wildcat.
• Fang Hu saw Fang Yue still holding his stance and realized his breathing and posture showed that he had gotten started in only a few days.
• Fang Hu silenced Fang Ergou so he would not disturb Fang Yue, then asked whether Fang Yue had trained continuously; Fang Ergou nodded.

After recognizing Fang Yue’s exceptional aptitude, Fang Hu gave him both servings of medicinal tea and encouraged him to keep training. Ten days later, Fang Hu took Fang Yue and Fang Ergou on a journey to Xiahe County Town, teaching Fang Yue how to stay safe on the road before stopping near the Xiahe River for the night.

• Fang Hu realized Fang Yue had entered the path in only three days and gave him Fang Ergou’s serving of medicinal tea as well as his own.
• Fang Yue drank both cups and accepted Fang Hu’s encouragement to train before their planned trip to Xiahe County Town.
• Ten days later, Fang Hu set out with Fang Yue and Fang Ergou, hauling pelts, bones, herbs, and provisions in a donkey cart.
• Fang Hu warned Fang Yue about dangers on the road, including bandits, wild beasts, strangers’ food and water, and Taoists.
• As dusk fell, Fang Hu chose an open place near the Xiahe River for them to spend the night.

Fang Yue traveled with Fang Hu toward Xiahe County Town after Fang Hu noticed the boy’s exceptional progress in training. At their night camp, Fang Hu explained that hunting required the strength to use a Five-stone bow and revealed that he had brought Fang Yue along to formally take him as his disciple.

• Chen Shi worried that Fang Yue might meet with an accident on his first long journey, while Father Fang reassured her that Fang Hu was with him.
• At the camp, Fang Yue offered to take over the night watch, and Fang Hu said he had brought him to town because of what happened during training.
• Fang Hu explained that hunters needed enough strength to skillfully use a Five-stone bow, since tigers and leopards made entering the mountains dangerous.
• Fang Hu told Fang Yue that he had brought him to Xiahe County Town to formally take him as his disciple.

Fang Hu brought Fang Yue and Fang Ergou to Xiahe County Town, planning to formally accept Fang Yue into his martial arts school. On the way, Fang Yue witnessed the city guards slaughter the Mo Shan Tribe men, and the travelers reached the town without being searched after Fang Hu showed their White Tiger Martial Arts School permit.

• Fang Hu recalled how Zhou Fangyong had squandered his martial talent and decided to take Fang Yue to Xiahe County Town to formally accept him into the school.
• Fang Hu, Fang Yue, and Fang Ergou approached Xiahe County Town, while Fang Ergou protested against staying at Uncle-Master Zhang's house.
• Fang Hu warned Fang Yue that the city guards were pursuing the Mo Shan Tribe, whose members refused taxes and grain.
• The Knights killed the surrendered Mo Shan Tribe men and slaughtered the rest when they fought back, leaving Fang Yue sickened by the violence.
• A Knight approached the travelers' cart to inspect it, but backed off after Fang Hu presented their permit and identified them as members of the White Tiger Martial Arts School.

After witnessing the Imperial Army execute bandits, Fang Yue entered Xiahe County Town with Fang Hu and Fang Ergou, then visited Zhang Baiyang’s residence. Fang Hu went to speak with his senior brother, while a woman arrived and accused him of mooching food and drink.

• Fang Yue asked why the Imperial Army killed people so casually, and Fang Hu told him to forget what he had seen and led the group onward.
• Fang Hu, Fang Ergou, and Fang Yue entered Xiahe County Town, where Fang Ergou bought Zhou’s sesame cakes and shared one with Fang Yue.
• After selling furs and animal bones and buying medicinal herbs, Fang Hu brought the boys to Zhang Baiyang’s residence.
• Zhang Baiyang welcomed Fang Hu and gave Fang Yue Silver Beans as a greeting gift.
• Zhang Baiyang took Fang Hu to the inner hall to discuss matters, and a woman entered the rear courtyard and called Fang Hu a defeated underling who had come to mooch food and drink.

Fang Yue and Fang Ergou visited Zhang Baiyang’s home, where Zhang Shu challenged Fang Yue and then secretly prepared a bowl of rice loaded with chili paste for him. Fang Yue avoided the prank, and Zhang Baiyang ate the doctored rice instead, leaving Zhang Shu to face his anger.

• Zhang Shu insulted Fang Yue and Fang Ergou, then challenged Fang Yue to compete for his Silver Beans, but he refused.
• Zhang Baiyang invited Fang Yue and Fang Ergou to eat with him and Zhang Shu.
• Zhang Shu secretly filled a bowl of rice with chili paste to punish Fang Yue for refusing her challenge.
• Fang Yue pretended to get drunk and left the table with Fang Ergou before Zhang Shu could serve him the doctored rice.
• Zhang Baiyang ate the spicy rice, shouted at Zhang Shu, and Fang Yue later pretended not to know what had happened.