Chapter Summaries

Yan Lingyun examined Lian Youming’s Golden Bell Shield diagrams and helped him realize the martial art required a complementary breathing method and medicinal prescriptions to avoid dangerous harm. As the Spring Festival approached, Qin Yuhu recovered enough to return to Kaoshan Village and take Lian Youming home for the New Year.

• Yan Lingyun delivered Qin Hongxiu’s revision materials and told Lian Youming that Qin Yuhu’s injuries were improving.
• Lian Youming showed Yan Lingyun the Golden Bell Shield diagrams, and she identified them as an internal martial art that could be dangerous without a special breathing method.
• Yan Lingyun studied the dietary prescriptions and explained that their powerful ingredients could harm ordinary people but might work with the martial art’s breathing method.
• Lian Youming dismissed Yan Lingyun after understanding the martial art, and she ran away crying after he failed to notice her embarrassment.
• As New Year approached, Qin Yuhu returned to Kaoshan Village and invited Lian Youming to go home for the holiday.

As spring plowing exhausted the educated youths, Lian Youming helped Yan Lingyun eat and learned that she had the rare ingredients he needed for his medicinal recipe. Yan Lingyun agreed to trade them for a copy of the recipe and asked Lian Youming to protect her when they went to retrieve an eight-leaf ginseng; three days later, they returned to Kaoshan Village to prepare medicine and eat goose.

• Lian Youming shared soy sauce, lard, and vegetables with Yan Lingyun, who admitted she missed home and wanted goose stewed in an iron pot.
• Lian Youming told Yan Lingyun he had gathered most of the ingredients for his recipe, and she offered him bear gall and tiger bone in exchange for copying it.
• Yan Lingyun told Lian Youming she had found a rare Seven-Leaf old ginseng that would grow an eighth leaf and asked him to protect her when they went to retrieve it.
• On Qingming Festival, Lian Youming rode a borrowed bicycle with Yan Lingyun and her box of treasures back to Kaoshan Village.
• Liu Danaodai prepared medicine pots and charcoal to help Lian Youming and Yan Lingyun make the recipe, and they had goose stewed in an iron pot.

Yan Lingyun prepared and explained the medicinal decoctions Lian Youming needed to strengthen his five Qi, warning him that his unusual art might require dangerous methods of replenishing his essence. Lian Youming successfully drank the decoctions and began preparing to practice the Golden Bell Cover, while Liu Danaodai asked to become his disciple.

• Yan Lingyun inspected Lian Youming's medicinal ingredients, replaced some with her own, and explained that he had to drink the five decoctions in the correct order.
• Yan Lingyun warned Lian Youming that his inside-out training method was unusual and might rely on consuming large amounts of essence and Qi.
• Yan Lingyun simmered the ingredients into five bowls of decoction, which Lian Youming drank while using Three Yin Earth-Baleful Force to disperse their medicinal potency.
• Lian Youming's five Qi strengthened, and Yan Lingyun gave him steamed and sun-dried Solomon's seal to support his upcoming Golden Bell Cover training.
• Liu Danaodai witnessed Lian Youming regulating his breath and begged him to accept him as a disciple.

Lian Youming practiced the Golden Bell Cover and Toad-Fishing Skill, strengthening his body while learning martial principles from Yan Lingyun. After rumors about his abilities spread through the village, he set out before dawn with supplies to meet her in the mountains, reluctant to leave the Northeast.

• Lian Youming used Yellow Essence while practicing the Golden Bell Cover, learning to mobilize his sinews and muscles into a defensive shield that could disperse an opponent’s force.
• Lian Youming tried combining the Golden Bell Cover with the Toad-Fishing Skill, but his shallow attainment let him sustain the gathered Qi only briefly.
• Over the following month, Lian Youming trained at night and learned from Yan Lingyun, while his body grew sturdier and his hunger increased.
• Liu Danaodai proclaimed Lian Youming a qigong master, and the Village Party Secretary forced him to demonstrate his skills before Lian Youming got Qin Yuhu to suppress the commotion.
• After receiving a few days off from Platoon Leader Yang, Lian Youming prepared to explore the mountains with Yan Lingyun and slipped out of Kaoshan Village before dawn.

Lian Youming and Yan Lingyun traveled deep into the Greater Khingan Mountains in search of wild ginseng, where they found evidence of a powerful hunter and encountered three ragged men eating raw venison. Lian Youming recognized one of the men as Third Brother Xie and remained hidden with Yan Lingyun.

• Lian Youming and Yan Lingyun entered the mountains, following Yan Lingyun’s map while Lian Youming marked their route and warned her about wild animals.
• Yan Lingyun led Lian Youming to a birch grove, where they found a doe with its heart torn out and its neck broken; Lian Youming suspected an extraordinary expert was nearby.
• At the far edge of the grove, Lian Youming and Yan Lingyun spotted three ragged men eating raw venison and drinking deer blood beside a stream.
• Lian Youming heard the men speaking Russian and decided to stay hidden until they left, then seek help after gathering the ginseng.
• Lian Youming recognized one of the men’s voices as Third Brother Xie.

Lian Youming discovered that Third Brother Xie had returned to the mountains with two dangerous companions, seeking wild ginseng and the Kwantung Army's treasure. After sending Yan Lingyun to alert Uncle Qin, Lian Youming returned to track them and found a murdered forager before spotting their campfire.

• Lian Youming recognized the limping Third Brother Xie and identified his two companions as skilled martial artists.
• Lian Youming overheard the Russian demand to see the Kwantung Army's treasure and realized Third Brother Xie had returned for it as well as the wild ginseng.
• Lian Youming carried Yan Lingyun down the mountain and told her to alert Uncle Qin and bring armed men while he followed the group.
• Lian Youming hid his extra gear, raced back to Pinecone Ridge, and returned to the forest after Yan Lingyun went to contact the commune.
• Lian Youming found a mountain forager's severed head hanging from a tree and realized the men had killed him.
• Lian Youming followed the stream through the woods and spotted firelight near the men's camp.

Lian Youming discovered Lei Hu and White Ape abusing Oroqen villagers and conspiring against the crippled Third Brother Xie, then used their infighting to lure White Ape away. He revealed himself and began smashing White Ape into the ground.

• Lian Youming saw Lei Hu kill a village woman and found two bound Oroqen children nearby.
• Lei Hu and White Ape argued with Third Brother Xie over the villagers, the White Lotus Sect, and the map of the Kwantung Army's underground fortress.
• Third Brother Xie refused to give the map to Lei Hu and White Ape, and the two attacked him together, targeting his good leg.
• Lian Youming shouted for help and fled, drawing White Ape away from the fight.
• Lian Youming feigned a fall, grabbed White Ape by the ankle when he approached, and began slamming him into the ground.

Lian Youming fought White Ape, using his immense strength and tough body to overpower the martial artist. White Ape escaped Lian Youming’s crushing charge at the last moment, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Lian Youming battered White Ape against the ground and birch trees, then faced his opponent’s sudden claw-and-fist attack.
• Lian Youming blocked White Ape’s killing strike and met his fist head-on, surprising White Ape with his strength.
• Lian Youming charged to seize White Ape, whose punch failed to penetrate Lian Youming’s externally conditioned body.
• Lian Youming locked White Ape in his arms and charged through birch trees toward a boulder.
• White Ape spat blood into Lian Youming’s eyes and wrenched himself free while Lian Youming’s vision was obscured.

Lian Youming killed White Ape after surviving his deadly attack, then returned to find Third Brother Xie losing to Lei Hu. Lian Youming and Third Brother Xie joined forces against Lei Hu, leaving their own dispute for later.

• White Ape attacked Lian Youming from above, but Lian Youming hurled them both toward a boulder and broke White Ape’s leg.
• Lian Youming drew his cattle-slaughtering knife, cut White Ape in half, and mutilated his body before heading into the White Birch Grove.
• Lian Youming found Lei Hu forcing the injured Third Brother Xie back toward a burning fire.
• Lian Youming mocked Third Brother Xie, told Lei Hu that he had killed White Ape, and said he would not let Lei Hu leave after the village woman’s death.
• Third Brother Xie denied having any part in the woman’s abuse, and he and Lian Youming agreed to fight Lei Hu together before settling their old scores.

Lian Youming and Third Brother Xie joined forces to fight Lei Hu, whose Iron Shirt training made him nearly impervious to their attacks. The battle turned when Third Brother Xie severed his own arm to escape Lei Hu’s grip and clawed out one of his eyes, then launched another attack.

• Third Brother Xie warned Lian Youming that Lei Hu had mastered Shaolin Five Elements Fist and Iron Shirt training.
• Lei Hu bent Lian Youming’s saber with a punch, and Lian Youming countered with a spiraling hand technique while Third Brother Xie circled behind him.
• Lian Youming intercepted Lei Hu’s attack so Third Brother Xie could strike, but Lei Hu’s hardened body resisted the old man’s claws.
• Lei Hu traded a flurry of punches with Lian Youming while Third Brother Xie tried to seize his leg, leaving both men battered.
• Third Brother Xie severed his trapped arm, sprang behind Lei Hu, and clawed out his right eye.
• Third Brother Xie wrapped his leg around Lei Hu’s neck and reached for his remaining eye.

Lian Youming and Third Brother Xie joined forces to kill Lei Hu, but Third Brother Xie was mortally wounded. Before dying, he gave Lian Youming the fortress map and a jade case, and asked him to look after his granddaughter from afar.

• Third Brother Xie and Lian Youming attacked Lei Hu together, but Lei Hu overpowered them and grievously wounded Third Brother Xie.
• Lian Youming shot out Lei Hu's remaining eye with a slingshot, allowing Third Brother Xie to escape and strike him.
• Lian Youming drove Lei Hu into a tree and killed him with a powerful punch, then confirmed he was dead.
• Lian Youming gave Third Brother Xie Yellow Essence and helped him smoke while asking why he had returned with the map.
• Third Brother Xie gave Lian Youming the map and a jade case containing his granddaughter's photograph and address, asking him to check on her from afar.
• Third Brother Xie warned Lian Youming about the White Lotus Sect and martial arts beyond Hua Jin, then asked him to burn his body before dying.

Qin Yuhu’s unit reached the mountain hideout and found Lian Youming alive after the outlaws’ infighting had left Third Brother Xie, Lei Hu, and White Ape dead. Lian Youming then offered to hand over a map of a Kwantung Army underground fortress, leaving Qin Yuhu stunned and asking where it was.

• Qin Yuhu led more than thirty soldiers through the mountains to find Lian Youming, while Yan Lingyun hurried with them.
• The soldiers found Bai Fu’s corpse and then reached the birch grove, where they discovered the mutilated woman, two sleeping children, and Lei Hu’s body.
• Lian Youming survived the soldiers’ initial weapons being aimed at him, then explained that Third Brother Xie, Lei Hu, and White Ape had killed one another and that he had burned Third Brother Xie’s body.
• Qin Yuhu scolded Lian Youming with his belt, but Yan Lingyun’s concern interrupted him and Lian Youming reassured her.
• Lian Youming offered Qin Yuhu a map of a Kwantung Army underground fortress, and Qin Yuhu demanded to know where it was.

Lian Youming returned to Tahe with Yan Lingyun after recovering an intact eighth-leaf wild ginseng and helping Qin Yuhu’s group bring back the bodies of two wanted criminals. At Qin Yuhu’s home, he examined the maps from Third Brother Xie’s Jade Casket and decided to hide the mysterious leather map and casket while keeping the paper map out.

• Qin Yuhu thanked Yan Lingyun for bringing the news and promised her a meal, then hurried to inspect the corpses and consider the rewards for the group’s fallen brothers.
• Lian Youming showed Yan Lingyun the eighth-leaf wild ginseng he had carefully dug up, and she admitted she had feared for his life.
• The group gathered the bodies and returned to Pinecone Ridge, where Lian Youming looked back at Third Brother Xie’s ashes before leaving the forest.
• After reaching Tahe, Lian Youming washed, changed, and cooked a meal at Qin Yuhu’s home while Qin Yuhu went to report the news.
• Lian Youming studied the two maps in Third Brother Xie’s Jade Casket, suspected the leather map had originally accompanied the casket, and put both away while keeping the paper map out.

After dinner with Qin Yuhu’s family and Yan Lingyun, Lian Youming reflected on his first killing and spent the sleepless night replaying the battle. The next morning, a powerful young man arrived and introduced himself as Li Da, revealing that Gong Wuer was his younger sister.

• Yan Lingyun told Shen Qinghong that she had seven older brothers and two younger sisters, and explained that her father had become clan head to preserve their diminished family.
• Lian Youming and Qin Yuhu broke their wooden bed, so Lian slept on the floor and reflected on killing White Ape, Lei Hu, and Third Brother Xie.
• Lian Youming spent the night practicing the opponents’ moves and wondering what awaited him in the martial world.
• The next morning, Lian Youming sensed a formidable young man in the courtyard and went downstairs to meet him.
• The young man introduced himself as Li Da and told Lian Youming that Gong Wuer was his younger sister.

Li Da revealed his martial arts credentials to Lian Youming and offered him a choice of a job, money, or a journey to an underground fortress. After Li Da demonstrated the skill Bird Not Flying, Lian Youming handed him the map, and Li Da departed, leaving the trip for later.

• Li Da explained that he and Gong Wuer took different surnames and paths, then told Lian Youming he had once beaten a young Xue Hen.
• Li Da identified himself as a military martial arts instructor who placed third in a secret competition and described the treasures and secrets inside the underground fortress.
• Li Da offered Lian Youming a job, money, or a chance to explore the fortress, while assuring him that his uncle and the others would receive commendations regardless.
• Li Da demonstrated Bird Not Flying by holding a yellow bird in his open hand so it could not escape, then let it fly when he passed it to Lian Youming.
• Lian Youming handed Li Da the map, and Li Da left, saying their journey would begin after a delay of at least half a month.

Lian Youming spent time with Yan Lingyun before she returned to the city, then resumed work at the Logging Camp and arranged to live alone so he could practice. He received Yan Lingyun’s letter urging him to come find her.

• Lian Youming rode with Yan Lingyun, who asked him to come south and find her, and she confessed that she liked him before running off.
• Yang Dapao led the educated youths back to the mountain, where Lian Youming noticed that one female educated youth was missing.
• Lian Youming asked Yang Dapao to let him live alone in the hidden chamber, which the Logging Camp would use as a cellar.
• Lian Youming endured the demanding logging work and brought back a wild boar to share with the other educated youths.
• After more than half a month, Lian Youming found a letter and wooden box from Yan Lingyun and read her message: “Remember to come find me!”

Lian Youming discovered a hidden coffin beneath the stone bed in the Logging Camp chamber and found a skeleton marked by a powerful fist strike. He uncovered a passage about the art of the striking gaze, a method that could subdue an enemy with a glance.

• Lian Youming studied the poem and fist imprints in the hidden chamber, then trained his Golden Bell Cover through the night.
• Lian Youming’s stone bed flipped open while he slept, dropping him into a cramped coffin filled with bones.
• Lian Youming found the coffin’s mechanism and opened the stone slab, then examined the skeleton and recognized a fist imprint on its skull.
• Lian Youming noticed writing on the coffin wall describing the art of the striking gaze and its power to subdue enemies.

Lian Youming trained through the summer, received Yan Lingyun’s letters and health exercise booklet from Guangxi, and discovered an apparent attack waiting as he rode back to camp. The chapter ended with him leaping from the truck after a close-range attempt on his life, suspecting the White Lotus Sect.

• Lian Youming struggled to understand the Witnessing Art and injured his eyes by staring at the rising sun to practice it.
• He worked and trained through the summer, gradually gaining weight and strength while learning to control his Coiling Silk Force.
• On Army Day, Lian Youming visited Qin Yuhu’s home and received letters from Yan Lingyun, who explained his physical changes and sent him a Five-Animal Exercise booklet.
• Lian Youming wrote back to Yan Lingyun and mailed her letters and a parcel before catching a timber truck back to the Logging Camp.
• Lian Youming spotted a man and a woman clinging to the truck, then evaded the driver’s sudden attack by leaping through the rear door and suspected the White Lotus Sect.

Lian Youming captured a woman from the White Lotus Sect and learned that the Underground Fortress supposedly contained a life-prolonging medicine formula. After escaping, he returned to the Logging Camp, where Li Da told him they were leaving at once.

• Lian Youming ambushed three people who jumped from a truck, blinded the woman among them with grit, and seized her as a hostage.
• Lian Youming learned from the woman's companions that the Underground Fortress was rumored to hold a formula for old medicine that could prolong life, and that they also sought revenge on the Mountain-Guarding Old Man.
• Lian Youming refused to reveal the Mountain-Guarding Old Man's whereabouts, released the woman, and escaped by boarding a truck toward the mountains.
• Lian Youming worried that the White Lotus Sect would hunt down Yang Shuang and resolved to repay the Mountain-Guarding Old Man for teaching him two martial arts.
• Lian Youming returned to the Logging Camp and found Li Da waiting; Li Da said they were leaving immediately and had already informed his platoon leader.

Li Da led Lian Youming on a punishing journey toward the Kwantung Army's Underground Fortress, teaching him to conserve strength and explaining the martial path. After several days of running, Lian Youming opened his Lung Meridian and improved his leg technique; they reached Jilin on the morning of the fourth day.

• Li Da made Lian Youming run while carrying their provisions and taught him to use restraint and conserve strength through his steps.
• Li Da explained the importance of a strong lower foundation, the northern wrestling arts, and the need to guard both others and one's true heart.
• Lian Youming watched Li Da move through falling leaves without being touched and copied his leg movements as he chased after him.
• After two days and three nights, Lian Youming opened his Lung Meridian, with signs that his Kidney Meridian was beginning to open as well.
• Li Da said his leg technique came from a Springing Leg routine associated with Broadsword Wang Wu, and Lian Youming continued training through several more days of travel.
• Li Da and Lian Youming entered Jilin on the morning of the fourth day, with Lian Youming's legs nearly numb and his supplies of Yellow Essence exhausted.