Wang Gang

Biodata

Power Progression

Background and History

Earlier Lives and Return

In his original life, Wang Gang was a promising eighteen-year-old scholar who placed third in the prefectural examination. His parents had died, and his elder sister arranged his marriage to Li Qingluo. He rejected other marriage proposals because he was already betrothed 1.

He remembers Li Qingluo’s affair with Duan Zhengchun leading to his death and the ruin of both the Wang and Murong families. Between that life and his return, he lived in a later era as a fairly well-known expert in traditional Chinese scholarship, sometimes advising wealthy clients on period-style interiors 1.

He awakens again in his bridal chamber on his wedding night. A copy of The Analects bearing Cheng Yi’s inscription helps him confirm his return. Reading a martial arts booklet triggers a mysterious panel containing Reputation Points and learnable abilities 1.

Wedding-Night Confrontation

Wang Gang immediately proposes divorce by mutual consent. When Duan Zhengchun visits Li Qingluo that night, Wang Gang provokes him into using the Solitary Yang Finger, captures its force with spatial power, and returns it into Duan Zhengchun’s Qi sea. He follows with a broken chair leg, but Li Qingluo stops him by holding a sword to his throat 2 3.

Chu Wanli rescues Duan Zhengchun before Wang Gang can finish him. Wang Gang recognizes that spatial tricks alone cannot guarantee his household’s safety and resolves to learn martial arts 4.

Learning Martial Arts

An anonymous warning from Ping’er reveals that Li Qingluo has written to her acknowledged father, Ding Chunqiu. Fearing his poison arts and the danger to the entire estate, Wang Gang searches Li Qingluo’s dowry collection for the Lesser Formless Skill 6.

Unable to understand the manual’s practical instructions, he obtains meridian knowledge from Murong Fu and seeks Murong Bo’s help. Murong Bo gives him the One-Character Lightning Sword and orders a thousand thrusts each day. By reconstructing the Lesser Formless Skill’s circulation routes, Wang Gang unlocks the panel’s Qi Refining Art and rapidly acquires internal power and sword techniques 7 10 11 12.

His progress surprises Murong Bo, though the grandmaster easily disarms him. Returning home, Wang Gang repeatedly defeats Li Qingluo in a sword confrontation and refuses to explain his intentions toward her or Duan Zhengchun 13 14.

Business Reforms and the Fish-Dragon Gang

Wang Gang uses Gongye Qian’s investigations to expose embezzlement in the family businesses. He removes Wang Cai from shop management and extends the audit to other shopkeepers, demanding repayment of missing funds 19.

When County Vice Magistrate Liu Cheng has two Wang shops sealed, Wang Gang combines intimidation with an offer of a ten-percent stake in the Drunken Immortal Tower. The arrangement turns an official opponent into someone with a financial interest in protecting the restaurant 23 24.

Shopkeeper Wang Gui responds to the audits by hiring an assassin through the Fish-Dragon Gang. Wang Gang defeats the swordsman with County Commandant Yang’s assistance, and Wang Gui is subsequently sentenced to property confiscation and exile to Cangzhou 24 26.

Wang Gang later defeats and binds gang leader Jin Long after a confrontation over his stir-frying method. He advises Yang to weaken the Fish-Dragon Gang by supporting a rival organization and recommends approaching Gongye Qian 43 44 46.

Renewed Conflict with Duan Zhengchun

After acquiring the Flame Blade, Wang Gang again finds Li Qingluo with Duan Zhengchun. He returns another Solitary Yang Finger attack and wounds Duan Zhengchun with the Flame Blade before overcoming him in sword combat 31 33.

The confrontation expands to Duan Zhengchun’s guards and companions. Wang Gang kills Zhu Danchen and Gu Ducheng; Ping’er intercepts a Flame Blade intended for Li Qingluo. Despite his outward ferocity, Wang Gang later vomits in private and struggles with having taken human lives 34 36 38.

He subsequently lodges Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao at his household, then takes them to Crimson Cloud Estate with the intention of putting them to work. Their internal power has been crippled by this point 38 39.

Return to the Academy

Unable to bear living with Li Qingluo but unwilling to divorce her and let her leave, Wang Gang feels he has nowhere comfortable to stay. Wang Zhong suggests returning to the academy, where study and martial practice gradually settle his troubled mood 45 48.

He declines an offer to become Cheng Yi’s disciple, arguing instead for investigating the principles of the natural world and pursuing practical learning that benefits the people and nation 47.

During a contest with visiting prefectural-school scholars, his calligraphy and poem win praise. He leaves after declaring that poetry cannot set the world right, then learns from Wang Zhong that Gongye Qian has been gravely wounded 49.

Appearance

• Handsome: His looks are noted among the advantages that once made him a sought-after prospective husband 1 2.
• Initially slender: Before training, Ping’er considers his thin build no match for her martial arts 6.
• Scholar’s dress: Murong Bo initially sees him dressed entirely as a scholar; he later wears a sword at his waist 10 47.
• Training-related changes: Develops visible muscle definition and a particularly thick, powerful right arm 16.
• White clothing: Appears dressed entirely in white during his renewed confrontation with Li Qingluo and Duan Zhengchun 33.

Personality

Wang Gang is playful, flirtatious, and fond of showing off. He teases household maids, exchanges barbs with Wang Zhong and Murong Bo, and deliberately makes his academy sword practice spectacular to impress watching students. His claims of scholarly propriety frequently clash with his behavior, particularly his established patronage of the Spring Breeze Pavilion 4 7 20 48.

Beneath that levity, he is protective of his family and calculating toward threats. He conceals how much he knows, manipulates opponents’ expectations, and combines pressure with incentives rather than relying on straightforward confrontation. He also argues that ruthlessness is most effective when hidden behind courtesy 8 21 24 41.

His hatred of Li Qingluo and Duan Zhengchun is rooted in his remembered death. He wants them to suffer rather than escape through a quick death, yet his capacity for violence coexists with genuine moral discomfort. Killing leaves him physically sick, and even reprimands directed at restaurant workers can make him want to intervene 15 38 45.

He recognizes that his wealth rests on other people’s labor and rejects the idea that a widespread practice must therefore be right. His practical reforms and interest in useful learning reflect that outlook, although he remains determined to preserve his family’s authority and security 19 39 47.

Abilities and Skills

Reputation Panel

A supernatural interface allows Wang Gang to spend Reputation Points on abilities, cultivation, and martial techniques 1 12.

• Begins with 128,765 Reputation Points 1.
• Techniques become available after he reads or sufficiently understands their underlying methods 1 12 31.
• Can supply technical knowledge instantly, but does not replace physical conditioning or combat practice 12.
• Point increases lead him to consider whether generosity and improving an estate’s prosperity can build reputation; the exact earning rules remain uncertain 12 31.

Power of Space

Creates a space associated with his palm, usable for storage and the interception of attacks 1 3.

• Stores objects, including the Lesser Formless Skill manual 12.
• Captures and releases Solitary Yang Finger force, turning Duan Zhengchun’s attacks back on him 3 33.
• Resembles Star Shifting to Duan Zhengchun, but the reflected attack actually comes from spatial power 3.
• Requires time to activate: rapid sleeve darts leave him unable to open the space in time 17.

Qi Refining Art / Lesser Formless Skill

The panel identifies the method derived from the Lesser Formless Skill as Qi Refining Art. Wang Gang confirms the connection when its internal current follows the manual’s circulation route 12.

• Enhances his senses sufficiently to help him read an assassin’s sword thrusts 26.
• Provides internal power for swordsmanship and other techniques 12 16.
• Imitates other internal methods and assimilates their power into colorless, formless internal energy 12 31.
• Eases training pain, but does not eliminate muscular soreness 12.
• Can exceed his meridians’ safe capacity; forcing too much power through them causes injury 17 18 31.

One-Character Lightning Sword

A sword art centered on extremely fast, lethal thrusts, with linked footwork and movement techniques 11 12.

• Repeatedly disarms Li Qingluo and overcomes opponents through speed 14 32.
• Uses superior internal power to shatter an assassin’s sword despite the assassin’s more polished experience with the same style 26.
• Finds a way past Jin Long’s hardened exterior by delivering internal impacts that injure his organs 43.
• Does not bridge the gap to Murong Bo, who disarms him with minimal effort 13 27.

Flame Blade

Projects a heated, cutting attack through the application of internal power 31.

• Can accumulate power before release; longer charging gathers more internal energy 31.
• Splits a table at range, leaving sparks in the fracture 31.
• Used alongside sword attacks, concealed strikes, and feints 33 34.
• Its effectiveness depends on power and targeting: an intended strike hits Duan Zhengchun’s shoulder, while a charged attack only wounds Jin Long’s palm 33 43.
• Additional Qi Refining Art reserves provide more power for repeated attacks, even when those reserves cannot safely circulate all at once 31.

Scholarship, Management, and Practical Knowledge

• Traditional scholarship: Places third in the prefectural examination and later impresses academy visitors with calligraphy and poetry 1 49.
• Foreknowledge: Has read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and uses that knowledge to identify hidden martial arts and anticipate dangers 6 11.
• Investigation and negotiation: Coordinates financial investigations, exposes theft, and secures official protection through a business stake 19 23 24.
• Food and production: Introduces stir-fried dishes, develops a distillery, and promotes pig-rearing practices intended to improve growth and value 23 30 39.
• Delegation: Entrusts practical estate work to Wang An to develop capable subordinates rather than manage everything personally 31.
• Political manipulation: Diverts Xuantong’s investigation and proposes balancing rival gangs against one another 8 10 46.

Equipment and Items

• Iron sword — Given to him by Murong Bo for training and used with the One-Character Lightning Sword 11.
• Lesser Formless Skill account books — Hidden among Li Qingluo’s dowry manuals; he reconstructs their circulation routes, memorizes the material, and returns the borrowed book 6 12 14.
• Flame Blade gold foil — Obtained from Murong Bo. He promises to provide a copy while privately intending to keep the gold original as a family heirloom 27 28.
• Minor Return Pill — Widens and reinforces his meridians, helping them withstand his later cultivation increase 31.
• Meridian diagrams — Drawn with a charcoal pencil and corrected with Murong Fu’s help; central to understanding and unlocking cultivation methods 10 11 12.
• Seven-Treasure Intricate Box — A wedding gift containing seven drawers; searching it leads him to the booklet that first activates his panel 1.

Relationships

• Madam Wang — Elder sister and a maternal figure more than a dozen years his senior. Fiercely protective, she presses Murong Bo to teach and support him 7 10 13 27.
• Murong Bo — Brother-in-law, martial instructor, and frequent sparring partner in verbal disputes. Wang Gang helps deflect scrutiny of his activities but regards the Murong rebellion as doomed 10 11 16 21.
• Murong Fu — Nephew and an unwitting early teacher. Supplies meridian knowledge and corrects his swordsmanship while mistakenly believing his uncle is testing and instructing him 7 11.
• Li Qingluo — Wife and central target of his resentment. Their mutual torment continues because he neither reconciles with her nor accepts letting her leave 15 33 45.
• Duan Zhengchun — Li Qingluo’s lover and Wang Gang’s principal personal enemy. Wang Gang repeatedly defeats and humiliates him 3 33 36.
• Wang Zhong — Trusted household steward, addressed as “Uncle Zhong.” Assists with audits and family affairs, worries over his safety, and exchanges irreverent jokes with him 5 19 26 45.
• Ping’er — Maid who secretly warns him about Li Qingluo’s letter. Later rushes to help him in battle and intercepts an attack intended for Li Qingluo 6 34 36.
• A Qing — His sister’s maid, whom he has known for ten years. He repeatedly flirts with her and gives her a specially explained green bracelet 7 13.
• Gongye Qian — Murong retainer and investigative ally. Helps uncover shop misconduct; Wang Gang later recommends him as a counterweight to the Fish-Dragon Gang 20 46.
• Wang An — Childhood follower whom Wang Gang considers cautious and methodical. Entrusted with distillery and pig-rearing work 31.
• Wang Gui — Once an affectionate childhood companion, later a shopkeeper who hires an assassin against him. His downfall leaves Wang Gang reflecting on how their relationship changed 26 41.
• Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao — Initially attack him over Duan Zhengchun. Later remain under his supervision and accompany him to Crimson Cloud Estate 16 17 38 39.
• Liu Cheng — Official adversary turned business stakeholder through intimidation and a ten-percent restaurant share 23 24.
• County Commandant Yang — Assists against the assassin and receives Wang Gang’s advice on containing the Fish-Dragon Gang 26 46.
• Wang Anshi — Distant clan uncle, with the relationship already at the fifth degree of kinship. Wang Gang learns of this connection from his sister 28.
• Wen Zheng — His academy instructor, who meets him on his return before the spring examinations 47.

Notable Quotes

“I study so I can reason with others, and practice martial arts so others can reason with me too!” 47

“Seek peace through struggle, and peace will come. Seek peace through compromise, and peace will perish!” 24

“Everyone is like that! But that doesn’t mean it’s right!” 39

Trivia

• His courtesy name, Yukun, derives from the saying “jade comes from the Kunlun ridges” and was bestowed by the academy head at his coming-of-age ceremony 1.
• He gives the young Murong Fu the nickname Southern Murong 8.
• He refuses to learn the Five Gauze Light Smoke Palm, even though reading it is what first brings up his panel 1.
• His protests that he is too upright, injured, or young to visit a brothel collapse when Madam Liu offers him his usual third-floor room 20.
• He allocates half the Crimson Cloud Estate distillery’s proceeds to the estate, with the liquor supplied to the Drunken Immortal Tower 39.