Chapter Summaries

Chen Xiuyuan, Shi Yuan, and Auntie Sang traced a suspicious medicine shipment from a burned wooden tag to a market stall and found records linking the adulterated roots to the Du Family. Du Huai offered half-price medicine in exchange for ending their investigation, but Chen Xiuyuan challenged him about the arrows at Broken Stream.

• Chen Xiuyuan preserved the burned wooden tag and learned that its cross mark matched the ink mark on the returned medicine bundle.
• At the market, Shi Yuan and Chen Xiuyuan found evidence that a cart had unloaded behind a shed, while Chen Xiuyuan stopped an onlooker from leading a child into identifying a man he had not clearly seen.
• Auntie Sang exposed cheaper roots mixed in with Scarlet Whisker Root, and the seller identified the tag as belonging to goods from South Entrance before naming the Du Family as the supplier.
• Chen Xiuyuan and Auntie Sang checked the seller's exchange accounts and found that the adulterated bundle matched the batch sent to Blood Stone and an entry delivered by the Du Family.
• Du Huai arrived, offered half-price medicine, and asked them to stop investigating the cart and Broken Stream; Chen Xiuyuan replied by asking whether the arrows there would also be halved.

Chen Xiuyuan and Shi Qiren investigated adulterated Scarlet Whisker Root at Du Huai’s stall, uncovering mixed and damaged stock and tracing it to a suspicious shipment. The chapter ended with Du Huai’s assistant and a cart driver trying to flee with medicine baskets and a cloth-wrapped tube as Chen Xiuyuan called the patrol guards to intercept them.

• Chen Xiuyuan arranged for samples from Du Huai’s basket to be examined, and an old herb gatherer identified genuine Scarlet Whisker Root, substitute roots, and damp-damaged stock.
• A woman discovered that the medicine reserved for her contained cheap roots, while Du Huai offered returns and exchanges and Chen Xiuyuan presented a returned packet from Blood Stone.
• Shi Qiren ordered the implicated batch held and sent patrol guards to find the cart’s driver and the people who had loaded it.
• Chen Xiuyuan noticed Du Huai signal his assistant, who ran toward the rear entrance, and called Shi Yuan to have the cart checked.
• Chen Xiuyuan saw the patched-shaft cart being driven away with medicine baskets and a cloth-wrapped tube, then directed the patrol guards to cut it off at a fork as Shi Lei hurried over.

Chen Xiuyuan and the patrolmen stopped a medicine cart and uncovered beast-luring packets and evidence linking Du Huai to the attack at Broken Stream. Du Huai escaped, but an arrested accomplice implicated him, and the patrolmen pursued leads while Shi Lei prepared to train Chen Xiuyuan.

• Shi Lei and Chen Xiuyuan stopped the medicine cart, seized a long tube containing beast-luring packets, and arrested a man who tried to flee with it.
• Shi Qiren ordered the driver and the wounded man questioned separately, while patrolmen discovered that Du Huai had escaped from the medicine stall.
• Chen Xiuyuan questioned the driver about the cart's route, and the driver admitted the cart had stopped near Broken Stream and concealed why it went there.
• Auntie Sang identified ingredients that could attract beasts, and the wounded man admitted Du Huai had hired men to cut the bridge ropes and use the packets to lure beasts away from Scarlet Whisker Root.
• Patrolmen found Du Huai's supplementary accounts, which, with testimony from the driver and medicine stall owner, supported the accomplice's account of the attack.
• Shi Qiren arranged watches and told Chen Xiuyuan and Auntie Sang what the patrolmen had verified, while Shi Lei gave Chen Xiuyuan a wooden saber and began training him.

Chen Xiuyuan trained the Bloodstone Saber Technique with Elder Shi and Shi Lei, learning to control his steps, withdraw his blade, and adapt to a moving opponent. After reaching Great Accomplishment, he began a new exercise: cutting a cord without marking the wooden piece it held.

• Elder Shi corrected Chen Xiuyuan's footwork and blade paths, then lent him a short saber to practice on thick and thin hide.
• Chen Xiuyuan practiced linking his diagonal slash into a hooking return and reached Minor Accomplishment in the Bloodstone Saber Technique.
• Shi Lei exposed Chen Xiuyuan's openings in sparring, so Chen Xiuyuan learned to watch his opponent's movements and keep his blade ready to strike after blocking.
• Chen Xiuyuan reached Minor Accomplishment in the Savage Elephant Great Strength Art while continuing his saber training and patrols remained occupied searching for Du Huai.
• Chen Xiuyuan countered Shi Lei's changing attacks, reached Great Accomplishment in the Bloodstone Saber Technique, and stopped cutting the remaining hide.
• Shi Lei hung a wooden piece inside a cord and told Chen Xiuyuan to cut the cord without marking the wood.

Chen Xiuyuan trained with Shi Lei to adapt his footwork to changing saber attacks, eventually reaching perfection in the Bloodstone Saber Technique. He asked to try a heavier saber next, and Shi Lei agreed to borrow one from the hunting shed for controlled practice.

• Shi Lei taught Chen Xiuyuan to make room with his feet before withdrawing his saber, and Chen practiced cutting ropes without damaging the wood or waiting for it to swing back.
• During sparring, Shi Lei exploited Chen Xiuyuan’s straight retreats and cramped movements, so Chen studied his steps, adjusted his stance, and learned to watch his opponent’s weight shifts.
• Chen Xiuyuan practiced in narrow and wide spaces and, despite limited time and fatigue, began to move and counter more naturally when Shi Lei suddenly attacked.
• On the sixty-second day, Chen Xiuyuan evaded Shi Lei’s attacks between two hanging ropes, exchanged positions, and completed the drill without tangling his feet or striking the ropes.
• Chen Xiuyuan’s Bloodstone Saber Technique reached perfection at six percent, and he asked to test himself with a heavier saber; Shi Lei agreed to borrow a blunt-edged one for training.

Chen Xiuyuan adapted the Bloodstone Saber Technique to the heavy saber and reached Great Perfection after mastering it through changing distances and obstacles. He then tested his short saber against a piece of hard armor, but the blade only left a faint streak.

• Chen Xiuyuan borrowed the heavy saber from the hunting shelter and learned that its forward weight made his familiar movements difficult to control.
• Elder Shi corrected Chen Xiuyuan's grip and technique, and Chen Xiuyuan practiced the heavy saber's different distances and transitions over the following days.
• Shi Lei varied the training ground obstacles as Chen Xiuyuan performed the full set, and Chen Xiuyuan completed the test without losing control or pursuing an out-of-range target.
• Chen Xiuyuan's Bloodstone Saber Technique reached Great Perfection, and Elder Shi said he had put everything he could teach into practice.
• Chen Xiuyuan tested his short saber against a hard armor fragment from Shi Yuan, but the blade glanced aside and left only a faint white streak.

Chen Xiuyuan carefully tested a new slanting saber path against hard shell and finally gained 12% original version limit breaking accumulation. After helping unload an herb cart, he recognized its cracked board outside the gate at night and went to warn the patrol not to open the back gate.

• Chen Xiuyuan compared straight and slanting saber strikes on shell, recording their results and refining his technique with guidance from Elder Shi and Shi Lei.
• After repeated controlled tests, Chen Xiuyuan found the slanting path reduced recoil on shell faces of similar thickness, and his Bloodstone Saber Technique gained 12% original version limit breaking accumulation.
• Chen Xiuyuan helped Auntie Sang and Shi Yuan unload an ordinary herb cart, noticing its cracked left sideboard secured with a dark leather strap as the driver said they would cross the shallows before dark.
• That night, Chen Xiuyuan spotted a cart with the same cracked board and strap outside the gate, but the daytime driver was gone and a low-hatted person stood beside it.
• Chen Xiuyuan recognized the suspicious cart, turned toward the patrol post, and told Shi Yuan not to open the back gate.

Chen Xiuyuan held the narrow rear gate against two attackers while protecting the people and grain inside Blood Stone. After the attackers withdrew and the medicine cart was intercepted, he spotted a third intruder slipping through the grain yard wall toward the old herb gatherer and porter, and went to stop him.

• Chen Xiuyuan discovered that someone had cut the alarm cord at the narrow gate and prepared to defend the entrance with Shi Yuan.
• Chen Xiuyuan wounded the saber wielder and axeman, kept them from entering, and prevented them from setting fire to the grain store.
• Chen Xiuyuan and Shi Yuan shut and barred the gate after a horn sounded, while the guard confirmed everyone inside was safe.
• Shi Lei and the patrol stopped the medicine cart as it tried to flee west, but Chen Xiuyuan spotted a third intruder heading toward the side room and went after him.

Chen Xiuyuan held the narrow gate against armed attackers long enough for everyone to reach the inner courtyard and keep the grain store safe. After the gate was secured, he spotted a third intruder slipping through a breach toward the side room and went to intercept him.

• Chen Xiuyuan used the gate’s narrow passage and short steps to wound a swordsman and drive him back while Shi Yuan helped evacuate the courtyard.
• Chen Xiuyuan turned the gate against an axeman, wounded him, and used water to stop the attackers from setting a fire.
• The patrolman reported that everyone had made it inside, and Chen Xiuyuan and Shi Yuan bolted the gate and confirmed the grain was untouched.
• Shi Lei called out that the medicine cart was turning west, and patrolmen moved to stop it outside the main gate.
• Chen Xiuyuan spotted a third attacker entering through a breach in the grain courtyard wall and told Shi Yuan to guard the bolt while he went inside.

Chen Xiuyuan and the guards stopped Du Huai’s men from seizing the witnesses and destroying the accounts, then captured Du Huai as he tried to flee. By dawn, the evidence linked him to the attacks in Broken Stream, and the victims began arranging compensation from his seized goods.

• Chen Xiuyuan fought off the thin attacker at the kitchen side door, keeping him from reaching the witnesses and their accounts until guards captured him.
• Shi Lei’s men stopped the medicine cart and found Du Huai hiding beneath its cover with the bound driver.
• During separate questioning, the thin attacker admitted Du Huai had ordered the witnesses taken and the accounts burned, while the driver described how Du Huai’s men had seized his cart.
• Shi Qiren compared the confessions with the accounts and Broken Stream evidence, establishing Du Huai’s role in sabotaging the bridge, planting beast-luring medicine, and attacking herb gatherers.
• Shi Qiren detained Du Huai and ordered his medicines, accounts, and property sealed for verification and compensation to the victims.
• Auntie Sang sorted the usable medicines, and the injured households began reporting their losses so they could receive compensation.

Chen Xiuyuan received compensation for his losses and was officially registered as a resident of Blood Stone, while choosing to keep his old work tally and stay with Elder Shi. As he recovered, he reviewed the gate fight with Shi Lei and examined armor pieces to understand how to improve his saber technique.

• Chen Xiuyuan collected confirmed compensation and shared a sour fruit with a child whose father had received grain.
• Auntie Sang took Chen Xiuyuan’s small basket to have it reinforced, and he kept the patched cloth inside it.
• Elder Shi examined Chen Xiuyuan’s injured arm and warned him not to practice with a saber until the wound had closed.
• Shi Qiren carved Chen Xiuyuan’s name onto the household register board in Blood Stone, and Chen Xiuyuan chose to remain with Elder Shi while keeping his old tally.
• Chen Xiuyuan reviewed the gate fight with Shi Lei, who explained how choosing the right ground and waiting for the right strike had helped him survive.
• Elder Shi brought Chen Xiuyuan armor pieces to study, pointed out a slanted ridge, and told him to wait until his wound healed before practicing.

Chen Xiuyuan recovered from his arm injury, opened his second heavenly meridian, and refined his saber technique for cutting curved armor and withdrawing safely. After reaching 92% Limit Breaking accumulation, he identified the remaining challenge: reacting when a target shifts during a cut.

• Chen Xiuyuan opened his second heavenly meridian on the eightieth day since his return, though his injured arm still prevented saber practice.
• After Elder Shi cleared his wound for light training, Chen Xiuyuan adjusted his cut to follow a convex ridge by turning his elbow and waist with the saber.
• Chen Xiuyuan compared the original and modified cuts on armor with Shi Lei, then practiced withdrawing the saber when it became trapped in thicker material.
• As his arm healed, Chen Xiuyuan trained across different armor thicknesses and learned to enter and withdraw from a curved cut, but he was late reacting when Shi Lei turned the armor stand.
• Chen Xiuyuan reached 92% Original technique Limit Breaking accumulation and planned to practice footwork and reactions against a slowly turning target the next day.

Chen Xiuyuan completed a limit break of the Bloodstone Saber Technique after learning to redirect force when his blade met resistance, then used the new skill to cut through ironback hide. He could not yet sever thicker black armor, and Elder Shi asked him to teach the technique the next day.

• Shi Lei coached Chen Xiuyuan through withdrawing and guarding with a wooden saber as the armor frame shifted and pressed against it.
• Chen Xiuyuan practiced with a real saber, learned to distinguish different kinds of resistance, and completed the Bloodstone Saber Technique's limit break, acquiring Blade-Adhering Force Redirection.
• Chen Xiuyuan used the new blade path to cut through ironback hide with his old saber, while Elder Shi and Shi Lei watched and compared the cut with his earlier attempt.
• Chen Xiuyuan tested the technique on thicker black armor, made a groove, and withdrew when the resistance threatened to strain his wrist.
• Chen Xiuyuan noted what he still needed to develop, and Elder Shi asked him to explain the technique so he could learn it too.

Chen Xiuyuan taught Elder Shi and Shi Lei how to use his revised saber path, then trained with Shi Lei to adapt it against a moving opponent. After Auntie Sang discussed selling surplus herbs at Red Sand Small Market, Chen Xiuyuan volunteered to guard the caravan, pending a test from Shi Lei the next morning.

• Elder Shi learned to guide his saber along the armor ridge without getting it trapped, while Chen Xiuyuan refined how he explained the technique.
• Shi Lei learned the revised blade path, then tested Chen Xiuyuan with moving attacks and exposed the risks of using it against an opponent who could withdraw or grab him.
• Chen Xiuyuan and Shi Lei worked out a shortened transition that helped Shi Lei free his hand and helped Chen Xiuyuan when his arm was pinned.
• Elder Shi stopped Chen Xiuyuan and Shi Lei from practicing past dinner, and Shi Lei asked to take copies of the diagrams to study and teach.
• Auntie Sang explained that the caravan offered less for her surplus herbs because of road costs, and Chen Xiuyuan volunteered to guard the shipment.
• Shi Lei told Chen Xiuyuan to bring a wooden saber to the cart yard for a test before they decided whether he could take the escort job.

Chen Xiuyuan trained to guard a medicinal-herb cart, negotiated a fair share and injury agreement, and traveled with the caravan to Red Sand. There, he challenged Lu Yong’s low price by asking what he would pay for only the basket of good roots.

• Chen Xiuyuan practiced guarding a moving cart with Shi Lei and learned to protect a specific side while keeping the driver and himself clear of danger.
• Chen Xiuyuan negotiated a guard’s share and agreed terms for protecting the carts and handling injuries, then signed the escort record with the others.
• Elder Shi repaired Chen Xiuyuan’s saber and helped him adjust its scabbard so it would not catch while he guarded the cart.
• Chen Xiuyuan guarded the caravan on the road, stopped the carts when a herb basket’s cord snagged, and kept watch as the group continued to Red Sand.
• Lu Yong offered a low price for the entire herb shipment, and Chen Xiuyuan asked what he would pay for only the basket of good roots.

Chen Xiuyuan and Auntie Sang rejected Lu Yong’s low price and sold a portion of their herbs to Zhu Qinghe after she inspected them carefully. Zhu Qinghe hired Shi Lei’s group to escort supplies to East Slope, but they left the load and route to be assessed the next morning.

• Lu Yong refused to pay more for Auntie Sang’s good herbs, so Chen Xiuyuan accompanied her to seek other buyers.
• Auntie Sang rejected two poor offers before Zhu Qinghe inspected the samples, identified damp roots, and offered a better price for the acceptable herbs.
• Auntie Sang sold Zhu Qinghe a portion of the herbs, and Shi Lei agreed to discuss escorting supplies to East Slope as a separate job.
• Zhu Qinghe explained that the rain-damaged route could be dangerous, and the group agreed to inspect the road and decide on the load the next morning.
• Lu Yong learned that Auntie Sang had sold herbs to Zhu Qinghe, while Meng Cheng reported that water had again filled the ditch near East Slope.

Chen Xiuyuan and the others tried to deliver Zhu Qinghe’s medicine across a rain-softened mountain road, but the cart tilted into a fissure and trapped Meng Cheng’s leg. As Chen Xiuyuan unloaded the remaining baskets, Meng Cheng remained pinned and the wheel continued to sink.

• Meng Cheng inspected the cart’s cracked bed, and Zhu Qinghe adjusted the load and agreed to separate payments and injury compensation.
• Shi Lei inspected the eastern slope, and the group set out with the medicine after planning how to handle the dangerous road.
• Chen Xiuyuan spotted signs of water damage and helped the group move most of the medicine to a nearby stone clearing when the road’s ditch side proved unstable.
• The cart tilted as a fissure opened beneath its right wheel, and Meng Cheng’s leg became trapped beside the ditch.
• Chen Xiuyuan braced the cart and called for a rope while Shi Lei steadied the front and Chen Xiuyuan cut a binding rope to push one basket onto firm ground.
• Chen Xiuyuan saw Meng Cheng’s trouser cuff trapped beneath a wooden chock and told Shi Lei to hold the cart steady without turning the wheel.

Chen Xiuyuan and the others rescued Meng Cheng from a damaged cart, fought off an Armored Mane Beast, and salvaged the cart and medicine. After reaching the east slope medicine shed, Zhu Qinghe arrived and began reviewing the losses and deciding whose pay should be given in full.

• Chen Xiuyuan cut the vines and strap pinning Meng Cheng's foot, then pulled him onto the stone terrace as the cart was secured.
• An Armored Mane Beast emerged from the ditch and attacked Chen Xiuyuan, but Shi Lei struck it with a pole and drove it back into the bushes.
• Chen Xiuyuan and Shi Lei freed the cart, found its wheel cracked, and repaired it with the spare before dividing the medicine among the travelers.
• The group reached the east slope medicine shed at dusk, where the receiver recorded the losses and sent word to Red Sand to suspend cart departures through the old ditch.
• Zhu Qinghe arrived that night, checked Meng Cheng and the damaged medicine, then asked whose pay should be given in full.

Chen Xiuyuan received his escort pay after the East Slope accident, bought supplies, and accepted Zhu Qinghe’s notes on medicinal food preparation. Back in Blood Stone, Elder Shi corrected his understanding of the recipe and told him to sort the ingredients before attempting to cook.

• Zhu Qinghe recorded the cart damage and spoiled herbs, paid Chen Xiuyuan and Shi Lei their agreed escort wages, and arranged care for Meng Cheng and Chen Xiuyuan’s injuries.
• Chen Xiuyuan and Auntie Sang bought clean grain, salt, and coarse cloth, while Chen kept some money for repairs and future training expenses.
• Zhu Qinghe gave Chen Xiuyuan basic medicinal food notes and a practice recipe, offering to assess suitable finished products for possible purchase.
• The group returned to Blood Stone, where Meng Cheng’s acquaintances took him to his lodgings and Chen Xiuyuan reported the trip and his injuries to Elder Shi.
• Elder Shi examined Chen Xiuyuan’s saber and shoulder, then pointed out differences in herb names and plant parts in the recipe and told him to lay out only the ingredients he recognized.

Chen Xiuyuan began learning to prepare medicinal food under Elder Shi, discovering that identifying ingredients and following a formula were not enough to produce a safe, successful batch. After carefully recording the first attempt’s flaws and agreeing to rest his injured shoulder, he prepared a smaller second batch the next morning to test whether changing the ingredient intervals would reduce the coarse residue.

• Elder Shi and Auntie Sang taught Chen Xiuyuan to distinguish two plants called green whisker and identify the correct medicinal parts.
• Chen Xiuyuan studied the formula’s inspection and preparation instructions, then made his first batch of medicinal food while Elder Shi corrected his mistakes.
• After noticing coarse residue in the cooled samples, Chen Xiuyuan withheld the untested food, separated and recorded samples, and traced possible causes instead of simply labeling the batch a failure.
• Elder Shi stopped Chen Xiuyuan from attempting another batch that night because his shoulder was swollen and his hands were tired, so Chen Xiuyuan recorded wasted ingredients and his mistakes.
• The next morning, Chen Xiuyuan prepared three smaller portions and began a controlled test, changing only the intervals between adding ingredients.