Chapter Summaries

In 1979, Lian Youming traveled by train to a remote production brigade in Northeast China after being sent away for beating men who harassed a girl. On the train, he witnessed a mysterious martial artist defeat two attackers, then watched the man vanish.

• Lian Youming said farewell to his mother, siblings, and father before departing for the countryside.
• Lian Youming recalled that he had been sent away after beating several knife-wielding punks, while the girl he defended refused to testify.
• Lian Youming noticed a sallow-faced passenger’s unusually callused hands and later saw him practice a strange breathing technique.
• Lian Youming sensed Killing Aura as two men approached the sallow-faced passenger, and he secretly took a slingshot from his bag.
• In a tunnel, the two men attacked the sallow-faced passenger, who countered the old man’s assault and sent him flying.
• The old man and his companion climbed out of a window after the train left the tunnel, and Lian Youming found the sallow-faced man had disappeared.

Lian Youming traveled from the capital toward Harbin and befriended Sun Duhe, a young black-market trader who helped him reach a sleeper carriage. Sun Duhe jumped off before the train reached the station and left Lian Youming an old book.

• Lian Youming woke in the capital, bought a ticket to Harbin, and reflected on the martial arts fight he had witnessed on the previous train.
• Sun Duhe approached Lian Youming at the station to sell goods, then asked for help when the joint defense team and industry and commerce bureau arrived.
• Lian Youming distracted a female comrade by pointing out a thief, allowing Sun Duhe to escape and board the train with him.
• Sun Duhe gave Lian Youming a sleeper ticket, shared a roast duck with him, and introduced himself as Sun Duhe, also known as Third Brother.
• As the train neared a station, Sun Duhe climbed out of the window to avoid being caught and tossed his old book to Lian Youming.

Lian Youming traveled north to Tahe for his rural assignment, where Shen Qinghong welcomed him and reunited him with his Uncle Qin. Along the way, he spotted the Xingyi Sect traitor Xue Hen, who challenged a mysterious Tiger-style successor, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Lian Youming arrived in Harbin, boarded a truck with the educated youths, and started them singing to lift their spirits.
• Lian Youming realized he had gotten off at the wrong stop, then accepted a ride farther north and spotted Xue Hen in a market town.
• Xue Hen confronted a middle-aged man who identified himself as a successor to one of the Xingyi Sect's Twelve Great True Forms and called himself Tiger.
• Lian Youming reached Tahe the next day and learned that Shen Qinghong, who had been waiting for him, directed the educated youth office.
• Shen Qinghong fed Lian Youming and told him his Uncle Qin directed a different logging camp.
• Uncle Qin arrived, and Lian Youming greeted him with a broad smile.

Lian Youming adjusted to hard labor in Kaoshan Village, discovered hidden martial arts manuals in an old book, and went with Wu Kui to the mountain logging camp. There he saw a mysterious old man practicing Taiji in the snow and noticed that the man seemed not to be breathing.

• Qin Yuhu took Lian Youming to Kaoshan Village, where the new educated youths struggled with rural work and caused trouble.
• Lian Youming found two Silk Brocade texts hidden inside Sun Duhe's old book, including martial arts and qi-swallowing instructions, but his first attempt left him coughing blood.
• The village Party secretary sent Lian Youming and Wu Kui to deliver supplies to the logging camp, where Lian Youming noticed a figure and barking near old burial mounds.
• After an early snowfall, Lian Youming and the other educated youths stayed at the logging camp to repair buildings and move timber.
• Lian Youming accompanied Wu Kui outside and spotted a hunchbacked old man practicing Taiji in the snow; he noticed the man appeared not to breathe.

Lian Youming settled into hard, cold work at the Logging Camp, learned about the mysterious Mountain-Guarding Old Man, and began practicing the Golden Bell Cover. Just as he expected life to continue uneventfully until he could return to the city, something unexpected happened at the end of October.

• Lian Youming saw the Mountain-Guarding Old Man near the camp and later learned from Third Brother Xie that the old man was reputed to be over a hundred and had killed a Siberian tiger with one slap.
• Yang Dapao assigned Lian Youming and Zhao Xiaozhi to guard the camp and learn the surrounding mountains from local hunters; Lian Youming went with Third Brother Xie and met Shuang'er.
• Lian Youming spent more than half a month working at the camp, hunting with his Slingshot and earning praise from Third Brother Xie.
• Lian Youming studied the Golden Bell Cover on the Silk Brocade in his spare time, and his appetite grew as his stiff muscles and sinews began to loosen.
• As October ended, Lian Youming expected to remain in the camp until the movement ended, but an unexpected event occurred on the last day of the month.

Lian Youming fought off a golden cat that had attacked the Logging Camp, then was rescued from a Northeast Leopard by the old man in black. The old man identified the animals’ attack as the White Lotus Sect’s Beast-Driving Technique, and vanished after criticizing Lian Youming’s Eagle Claw Kung Fu.

• Lian Youming went to find the missing Liu Dabiao after hearing an animal roar and discovered him trapped in the latrine cesspit.
• A golden cat ambushed Lian Youming, who fought it with his greatcoat and fists before killing it with a piece of wood.
• A Northeast Leopard attacked the exhausted Lian Youming, but the old man in black struck it down with a single press to its back.
• The old man in black identified the attack as the White Lotus Sect’s Beast-Driving Technique while a hidden figure fled and gunshots sounded elsewhere in the Logging Camp.
• The old man criticized Lian Youming’s Eagle Claw Kung Fu and disappeared before Lian Youming could question him.

After the animal attacks, Lian Youming began to suspect Third Brother Xie was hiding his abilities and resolved to pursue martial arts. The chapter left him dreaming of commanding the winds and clouds atop a mountain.

• Lian Youming and Liu Dabiao regrouped with Platoon Leader Yang after surviving the attacks, and the group reported that several beasts had appeared around the camp.
• Shuang'er said she had killed several old wolves, while Third Brother Xie claimed a lynx had scratched him.
• Lian Youming suspected Third Brother Xie was the mysterious martial artist because the old man seemed to know details of his fight with the golden cat.
• Platoon Leader Yang sent Lian Youming and Liu Dabiao to wash and ordered the others to keep watch through the night.
• Lian Youming decided to master the Silk Brocade and pursue martial arts, then dreamed of standing atop a mountain and contending with the world's heroes.

Lian Youming learned that Third Brother Xie was plotting against the Mountain-Guarding Old Man and that another hidden martial artist was among the educated youths, then agreed to train with the old man while secretly trying to strengthen himself. The chapter left Lian Youming practicing the Three Yin Earth-Baleful Force, whose dangerous breathing method left him exhausted and ravenously hungry.

• Lian Youming reasoned that Third Brother Xie had used the beasts to test the Mountain-Guarding Old Man, and feared the Logging Camp would be caught in their coming fight.
• Lian Youming confronted the Mountain-Guarding Old Man, who admitted another hidden master was among the educated youths and warned that Lian Youming was in danger.
• Lian Youming refused to alert Platoon Leader Yang, proposed shooting Third Brother Xie, and then asked the Mountain-Guarding Old Man to teach him martial arts.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man suffered a strange, deathlike episode before recovering and agreeing to teach Lian Youming at two each night.
• Lian Youming practiced the Three Yin Earth-Baleful Force from the Silk Brocade, felt its pulsing force harm his body, and ate an enormous meal to replenish himself.

Lian Youming endured a bout of extreme hunger and overeating, then spent several days studying the Silk Brocade and probing Third Brother Xie for information. The Mountain-Guarding Old Man finally began teaching him the Taiji Toad-Catching Skill, while Lian Youming suspected the breathing method could drain his vitality.

• Lian Youming woke after sleeping for over ten hours, then rushed to the latrine after a fart revealed he could no longer hold it; afterward, he concluded that the coarse food he had eaten had not properly replenished his energy.
• Lian Youming asked Third Brother Xie whether the Mountain-Guarding Old Man was guarding treasure and claimed a tomb might lie in the mountains; Third Brother Xie's reaction made Lian Youming suspect his guess had struck a nerve.
• Lian Youming told Third Brother Xie about seeing a master use a strange breathing technique on the train, then spent five days hunting, questioning Third Brother Xie, and studying the Silk Brocade.
• On the sixth night, the Mountain-Guarding Old Man dragged Lian Youming into the woods and warned that dangerous people at the foot of the mountain would act once snow sealed the mountain.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man demonstrated the use of force, then taught Lian Youming the Taiji Toad-Catching Skill by guiding his breathing and bodily rhythm beneath the moon.
• Lian Youming followed the lesson and felt warmth spread through his body, but privately suspected the breathing method would consume his vitality if practiced without a foundation.

The Mountain-Guarding Old Man learned that Xue Hen had entered the area as he and Third Brother Xie's group prepared for a final confrontation over an old grudge. He summoned Lian Youming and began teaching him Yin-Yang Silk-Reeling Hands, demonstrating its power as water spun into a vortex.

• Shuang'er told the Mountain-Guarding Old Man that Xue Hen, a traitor of the Xingyi Sect, had come to the area, and he connected the news to Third Brother Xie's movements.
• Third Brother Xie and his companions discussed drugging their opponents before attacking the Mountain-Guarding Old Man, whose cultivated power they believed was nearing its end.
• Lian Youming hunted wild chickens with a slingshot while Third Brother Xie watched him and hinted that snow was coming.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man summoned Lian Youming, said their enemies would make their final gamble that winter, and offered to teach him another supreme art.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man demonstrated Coiling Silk Force and Yin-Yang Silk-Reeling Hands, making the water in a vat whirl into a powerful vortex.

Lian Youming learned the mountain guardian’s internal martial arts by feeling how his spine and muscles moved, then prepared for the danger he suspected was coming. A blizzard concealed Third Brother Xie and four allies as they arrived at the logging camp, where Lian Youming lay pretending to sleep while Third Brother Xie ordered them to kill anyone still awake.

• The mountain guardian demonstrated how his spine, muscles, and breath channeled force, and Lian Youming studied the movements by touch for hours.
• Lian Youming continued preparing for a confrontation, deciding he could not ignore the danger posed by Third Brother Xie.
• A fierce blizzard buried the logging camp in snow, and Lian Youming noticed Third Brother Xie was missing from the mountain.
• Shuang'er slipped out of the dormitory after Lian Youming and the other educated youths were drugged, and Lian Youming woke and followed her outside.
• Lian Youming saw Third Brother Xie arrive with four martial artists, then hid in the dormitory and pretended to sleep as Third Brother Xie ordered his allies to kill anyone awake.

Lian Youming revealed his hidden rifle and fled down the mountain after Third Brother Xie threatened to take him to the White Lotus Sect. He used his newly learned Toad-Angling Force and several tricks to slow his pursuer, but Third Brother Xie summoned an enormous wildcat as Lian Youming ran into the snow.

• Third Brother Xie exposed Lian Youming’s attempt to feign sleep and demanded that he join the White Lotus Sect or die.
• Lian Youming fired a hidden Hanyang Arsenal Rifle, grazing Third Brother Xie’s cheek, then threw the quilt over him and escaped downhill.
• Third Brother Xie pursued Lian Youming, who used Toad-Angling Force and cursed at him while fleeing.
• Lian Youming fired stones from a slingshot, but Third Brother Xie caught and crushed them before closing in.
• Lian Youming triggered a noose trap and threw lime pellets at Third Brother Xie, but the old man broke free and blew the powder away.
• Third Brother Xie whistled, summoning an enormous wildcat that chased after Lian Youming.

Lian Youming used traps and deception to evade Third Brother Xie, who pursued him through the snowy mountains. Just as Third Brother Xie seized him, Yang Shuang arrived, giving Lian Youming the opening to stab him with a military spike.

• Lian Youming killed the lynx with his military spike, then attacked Third Brother Xie but was kicked down and injured.
• Third Brother Xie offered Lian Youming a place in the White Lotus Sect, but Lian Youming refused and fled to draw him away from the Logging Camp.
• Lian Youming led Third Brother Xie through traps he had set across the mountain, slowing the pursuit as the cold wore him down.
• Third Brother Xie caught Lian Youming in a snare and crushed his wrist while threatening to kill everyone at the Logging Camp.
• Yang Shuang struck Third Brother Xie from behind, and Lian Youming used the Silk-Coiling Hand to free himself and plunge his military spike into Third Brother Xie's chest.

Lian Youming returned to the mountain and helped the Mountain-Guarding Old Man defeat the four attackers, learning that they planned to dig up a coffin containing a living person. After the battle, the wounded old man urged Lian Youming to live an ordinary life and keep his teachings secret before they parted.

• Third Brother Xie fled downhill after Lian Youming and Shuang'er left him gravely wounded, and the two hurried back up the mountain.
• As they climbed, Shuang'er told Lian Youming that a living person was buried on the mountain, then collapsed from her injuries near the summit.
• Lian Youming found the Mountain-Guarding Old Man facing four attackers, including a village woman, a dwarf, a goatherd, and a man in a Zhongshan suit who ordered them to dig out a coffin.
• The Mountain-Guarding Old Man killed the dwarf and village woman and fatally struck the schoolteacher, while the goatherd attacked him and the man in the Zhongshan suit impaled him with a sword.
• Lian Youming shot clay pellets from his slingshot into the goatherd's eyes, disrupting his attack and giving the Mountain-Guarding Old Man a chance to defeat him.
• After the attackers fell, the Mountain-Guarding Old Man told the fainting Lian Youming to live an ordinary life, conceal what he had taught him, and expect they would not meet again.

After surviving the Logging Camp incident, Lian Youming recovered in Kaoshan Village and learned that the Mountain-Guarding Old Man and Yang Shuang had disappeared. As he resumed his recovery, Gong Wuer arrived, treated his injuries, asked about the old man and Yang Banhou, then headed up the mountain with Qin Yuhu.

• Qin Yuhu questioned Lian Youming about the Logging Camp incident and told him the Mountain-Guarding Old Man and Yang Shuang had vanished while Third Brother Xie escaped north with help from the Russians.
• Lian Youming kept the two pieces of Silk Brocade and spent over a month recovering at the old village doctor Liu's home in Kaoshan Village.
• Liu invited Lian Youming to help with medicine and learn from him once he recovered, and Lian Youming accepted.
• Qin Yuhu brought Lian Youming a parcel from his parents and introduced Gong Wuer, an inheritor of the Eight Trigrams Sect.
• Gong Wuer gave Lian Youming medicine for his injuries, identified Yang Banhou as Yang Luchan's second son, and asked to visit the mountain with Qin Yuhu.

Gong Wuer and Xue Hen discovered a hidden chamber beneath the mountain keeper’s house, where a stone inscription hinted at a path to immortality and Mount Lu. Back in Tahe County, Lian Youming bought supplies for Qin Yuhu’s family with his own earnings and returned home with them as the snow fell.

• Qin Yuhu brought Lian Youming to the railway station, where they met Qin Hongxiu, who gave Lian Youming study books and offered to teach him Russian and English.
• Gong Wuer found a concealed passage beneath the mountain keeper’s house and explored a hidden tomb-like chamber.
• Xue Hen struck the chamber wall, uncovering an inscription attributed to Lü Dongbin that ended with the words “Mount Lu.”
• Gong Wuer and Xue Hen argued over their beliefs and then fought in the darkened chamber.
• Lian Youming bought a watch, Maotai, winter gear, and treats at the cooperative, explaining to Qin Yuhu that he had used money he earned himself and bought the items for Shen Qinghong.
• Qin Yuhu relented, and he, Lian Youming, and Qin Hongxiu rode home through the falling snow.

As Lian Youming waited to call home, he met Yan Lingyun, an educated youth from a family of traditional physicians who knew how to make Old Medicine. After his call and several more days of healing, he decided to seek her out to learn about the rare herbs in his tonic recipes.

• Lian Youming went with Qin Hongxiu to the post and telecommunications office, where they met Wu Kui while waiting to call home.
• Wu Kui introduced Yan Lingyun as a skilled traditional physician from Guangxi who had struggled to get a call through to her family.
• Yan Lingyun recognized Lian Youming's internal injuries and explained that she remembered a recipe for making Old Medicine without waiting years for it to mature.
• Yan Lingyun left after learning that her brother had come to see her, and Lian Youming resolved to find her again for help identifying medicinal herbs.
• Lian Youming spoke with his parents by telephone, then later used his last piece of Old Medicine to treat his injuries and planned to seek Yan Lingyun's guidance.

After learning that Qin Yuhu had gone missing while searching for Gong Wuer, Lian Youming escaped the villagers who had restrained him and returned to the Logging Camp. He discovered a hidden passage beneath the Mountain-Guarding Old Man’s earthen house, where he found the survivors of a deadly fight and came face-to-face with Gong Wuer and a savage attacker.

• Lian Youming learned that Qin Yuhu had entered the mountains looking for someone and had not returned, then tried to leave Kaoshan Village to search for him.
• The village Party secretary had Lian Youming restrained and locked in a woodshed, but Lian Youming broke free and ran toward the Logging Camp.
• Lian Youming found a hidden entrance beneath the middle earthen house and descended into a blood-scented passage, where he took a Type 56 submachine gun from a corpse.
• Lian Youming heard faint breathing and sensed a deadly presence nearby, then fired at the floor to ignite lamp oil and reveal the underground chamber.
• Lian Youming saw Gong Wuer, Qin Yuhu lying among the bodies, and a savage man lunging toward him; he fired as the attacker closed in.

Lian Youming and Gong Wuer fought Xue Hen in the chamber, and Lian Youming’s surprise attack helped turn the battle. Xue Hen escaped after revealing his name, leaving Lian Youming and the injured Qin Yuhu behind.

• Lian Youming recognized the attacking young man as a Xingyi Sect traitor and fired his submachine gun, but the man dodged the bullets and struck him, breaking his Type 56.
• Gong Wuer intervened and battled the young man while Lian Youming checked Qin Yuhu, saw that his right arm had been severed, and prepared to help.
• Gong Wuer struggled against the young man’s powerful attacks as Lian Youming noticed a palm print on his back and used Coiling Silk Force to strike it.
• Lian Youming’s blow triggered the young man’s suppressed injuries, allowing Gong Wuer to counterattack and send him flying.
• Lian Youming fired at the retreating man, who escaped around a corner, then asked his name; the man answered, “Xue Hen,” and left.

Lian Youming returned Qin Yuhu to Kaoshan Village after Xue Hen withdrew, then learned from Gong Wuer why Xue Hen had spared him and what entering the martial world would mean. After recovering and being ordered to stay in the village, Lian Youming resumed his chores until Yan Lingyun came to see him.

• Lian Youming carried the unconscious Qin Yuhu back to Kaoshan Village, and Doctor Liu treated Lian Youming’s exhausted legs while the old secretary took Qin Yuhu to the hospital.
• In the hidden chamber, Gong Wuer treated Qin Yuhu and explained that Xue Hen had spared Lian Youming because he respected his potential as a martial artist.
• Gong Wuer warned Lian Youming that Xue Hen and she would seek him out if he chose the martial world, then carried him and Qin Yuhu down the mountain.
• The old secretary told Lian Youming that Qin Yuhu was recovering and ordered him to remain in the village and clean the livestock shed.
• After several days of village labor, Lian Youming saw Yan Lingyun waiting for him in the village square.