Recaps

Wang Gang defeated an assassin hired by Wang Gui, who was sentenced to exile after confessing his crimes. As Wang Gang’s household reshuffled its shop staff, he returned to Swallow Dock and met a monk whom Murong Bo called the Wisdom King.

• An assassin attacked Wang Gang, but Wang Gang broke his sword and drove him off with help from the county commandant.
• Wang Gang learned Wang Gui had hired the assassin through the Fish-Dragon Gang and ordered Gongye Qian to seize him.
• Wang Gui confessed at the county office and was sentenced to have his property confiscated and be exiled to Cangzhou.
• Wang Gang visited Wang Gui in jail, where Wang Gui admitted defeat and pleaded for his child to be spared.
• Wang Zhong announced promotions and rewards for reporting wrongdoing in the shops, stirring up complaints among the staff.
• Wang Gang arrived at Swallow Dock and found Murong Bo entertaining a monk, whom Murong Bo introduced as the Wisdom King.

Jiumozhi exchanged his Flame Blade technique with Murong Bo for Shaolin martial arts booklets and agreed to seek the Dali Duan Clan’s Six Meridian Divine Sword. After returning to Canhe Manor, Wang Gang used Madam Wang’s concern to make Murong Bo hand over the Flame Blade manual so he could learn it.

• Jiumozhi praised Wang Gang’s Buddhist insight, then challenged Murong Bo and lost when Murong Bo turned the Flame Blade back against him with Star Shifting.
• Murong Bo traded Jiumozhi three booklets on Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Supreme Skills for the Flame Blade technique, and Jiumozhi agreed to obtain the Six Meridian Divine Sword from the Dali Duan Clan.
• On the way to Canhe Manor, Wang Gang asked for the Flame Blade manual, but Murong Bo mocked his skill and disarmed him when Wang Gang attacked.
• Wang Gang told Madam Wang that Wang Gui had tried to assassinate him and blamed his danger on being taught a weak sword technique, prompting Madam Wang to scold Murong Bo.
• Wang Gang hinted that he wanted to learn the Flame Blade, and Madam Wang pressured Murong Bo into giving him the gold-foil manual.

Wang Gang learned that his family was distantly related to Wang Anshi, and suspected the county magistrate Li Yun wanted to use that connection to advance his career. After Wang Gang hinted that he could seek help through Wang Anshi’s family, Murong Bo reluctantly agreed to arrange protection so Wang Gang could join the Lake Tai bandit suppression.

• Madam Wang explained that martial artists were ranked by skill, while Murong Bo revealed that he was a grandmaster and asked to copy Wang Gang’s gold-foil cultivation method.
• Wang Gang refused to hand over the gold foil, promising to make and send Murong Bo a copy later, then asked whether he should join the Lake Tai bandit suppression.
• Madam Wang inferred that Li Yun wanted Wang Gang to connect him with Zhang Dun, and revealed that their family had once been visited by their distant clan uncle Wang Anshi.
• Wang Gang suspected Divine Physician Xue might be Xue Muhua and wondered whether he had told Li Yun about the family connection.
• Wang Gang asked Murong Bo to arrange protection for the campaign, then hinted at Wang Anshi’s talented eldest son until Murong Bo agreed.

Li Qingluo decided to end the conflict with Wang Gang and went to seek him out, but a maid's taunt provoked her into throwing a sword at Xueyan. After warning the household, she continued on to find Wang Gang.

• Wang Gang returned to the Wang residence with gifts from Swallow Dock after gaining the Flame Blade and learning the county magistrate's intentions.
• Li Qingluo reflected on her marriage and her past with Duan Zhengchun, then decided to go speak with Wang Gang.
• Li Qingluo reached the rear quarters and learned Wang Gang had left for the estate about an hour earlier.
• Xueyan made a mocking remark to Li Qingluo, who threw her sword past the maid and into the ground between her legs.
• Li Qingluo warned the maids and left with Rui'er and Ping'er to find Wang Gang.

Wang Gang visited Crimson Cloud Estate and planned to turn spoiled wine into strong liquor while creating new income for the tenant farmers through pig raising and improved crop rotation. Li Qingluo watched him from a hill but left without meeting him.

• Wang Gang reunited with Wang Cai and proposed processing spoiled wine at the estate to make strong liquor.
• Wang Gang arranged for the estate to raise and castrate pigs, then sell them to the Drunken Immortal Tower for shared profits.
• Wang Gang told Wang An to coordinate the pig project and find farming books, and advised planting beans in idle fields to enrich the soil.
• Li Qingluo watched Wang Gang speaking warmly with a tenant farmer's wife and felt hurt by his coldness toward her.
• Li Qingluo declined Ping'er's suggestion to meet Wang Gang and returned.

Wang Gang resolved a household dispute with Xueyan, then used Reputation Points to advance his Qi Refining Art and learn and test the Flame Blade. After reflecting on how to earn more points, he was told that Uncle Zhong was in trouble.

• Wang Gang heard how Xueyan had offended Li Qingluo and dismissed the maids before telling Xueyan he would send her home if she kept causing trouble.
• Xueyan realized Wang Gang would not risk his reputation by confronting Li Qingluo for her and left dejectedly.
• Wang Gang studied the Flame Blade manual, advanced his Qi Refining Art to Third-Tier Qi Refiner, and learned and upgraded the Flame Blade using Reputation Points.
• Wang Gang tested the Flame Blade and split a table with a palm strike, then realized he had spent much of his Reputation Points and considered gaining more by helping an entire estate prosper.
• Qingniao rushed in and told Wang Gang that Uncle Zhong was in trouble.

Wang Gang investigated Wang Zhong’s injury, then recognized that the attacker was connected to Duan Zhengchun. Duan Zhengchun secretly visited Li Qingluo and urged her to leave with him, but an unknown person caught him at Waterside Cottage.

• Wang Zhong told Wang Gang that a scholar wielding an iron judge’s brush had injured him, and Wang Gang decided to ask County Commandant Yang to investigate.
• On his way to the county office, Wang Gang saw Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao fighting Fu Sigui and defeated him.
• Wang Gang realized Fu Sigui was Duan Zhengchun’s guard and identified Zhu Danchen as the likely attacker of Wang Zhong.
• Duan Zhengchun visited Li Qingluo at Waterside Cottage and urged her to leave with him, but she refused unless he killed another woman.
• A voice outside the window stopped Duan Zhengchun from leaving, and everyone in the room turned pale.

Wang Gang confronted Li Qingluo and Duan Zhengchun, then defeated Duan Zhengchun and injured Chu Wanli when they tried to fight back. He threatened to expose Duan Zhengchun to the Great Song authorities, and the chapter ended with Wang Gang rejecting Li Qingluo as filthy.

• Wang Gang arrived while Li Qingluo and Duan Zhengchun were together, and Duan Zhengchun offered to take responsibility before declaring he would take Li Qingluo away.
• Li Qingluo moved aside to let Duan Zhengchun teach Wang Gang a lesson, but Wang Gang returned his Solitary Yang Finger and wounded him with a Flame Blade.
• Wang Gang overwhelmed Duan Zhengchun with his sword, but Chu Wanli intervened and gave Duan Zhengchun a chance to flee.
• Wang Gang struck Duan Zhengchun in the back, broke Chu Wanli's cord, and wounded Chu Wanli when he tried to stop him.
• Wang Gang threatened to report Duan Zhengchun's attempted affair to the Great Song authorities, and Duan Zhengchun reached for his sword to take his own life.
• Li Qingluo begged Wang Gang to spare Duan Zhengchun, but Wang Gang avoided her touch and said he found her filthy.

Wang Gang fought Duan Zhengchun’s guards after Duan Zhengchun tried to kill himself, while Li Qingluo struggled with her feelings and Ping'er rushed in to help. Wang Gang’s planned Flame Blade struck Zhu Danchen and sent him crashing into Duan Zhengchun, leaving both men badly hurt.

• Duan Zhengchun raised his sword to kill himself, but a scholar-clad guard arrived and blocked the blade with an iron judge’s brush.
• Gu Ducheng and Zhu Danchen attacked Wang Gang, who wounded Gu Ducheng but was gradually forced into a tangled fight against both guards.
• Ping'er took Li Qingluo’s sword and charged into the fight, then Li Qingluo pulled her back and scolded her.
• Wang Gang hurled his sword at Duan Zhengchun, and Zhu Danchen knocked it aside before Wang Gang’s Flame Blade struck him.
• Wang Gang picked up his sword, wounded Gu Ducheng with a palm strike, mocked Zhu Danchen, and thanked Ping'er for helping him.

Wang Gang defeated Gu Ducheng and prepared to hand Duan Zhengchun and his guards over to the authorities, then demanded the Six Meridian Divine Sword in exchange for sparing them. Duan Zhengchun offered the Solitary Yang Finger, but Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao arrived and offered themselves as part of the bargain.

• Wang Gang overwhelmed Gu Ducheng and pierced his four limbs, leaving him unable to fight.
• Wang Gang accused Duan Zhengchun and his guards of having bullied him, then ordered Ping'er and Rui'er to fetch rope so he could turn the men over to the authorities.
• Li Qingluo tried to stop Wang Gang from exposing the incident and offered the Langhuan Jade Cave manuals, but he refused.
• Duan Zhengchun offered silver and then the Solitary Yang Finger, while Wang Gang demanded the Six Meridian Divine Sword manual.
• Wang Gang stopped Duan Zhengchun from taking his own life and rejected Zhu Danchen's offer to trade his life for Duan Zhengchun's.
• Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao arrived hand in hand and asked Wang Gang to include them in the exchange.

Wang Gang confronted Duan Zhengchun and his companions, then fought off Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao as Fu Sigui carried Duan Zhengchun out of the estate. After killing Zhu Danchen and Gu Ducheng, Wang Gang left through the window while Li Qingluo pleaded for Duan Zhengchun’s life.

• Wang Gang taunted Duan Zhengchun over the devotion of Li Qingluo, Qin Hongmian, and Gan Baobao, exposing the women’s hostility toward one another.
• Fu Sigui seized Duan Zhengchun and tried to escape through the window, while Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao blocked Wang Gang from pursuing them.
• Wang Gang wounded Qin Hongmian and kicked Gan Baobao aside, then killed Zhu Danchen after he clung to Wang Gang’s leg.
• Li Qingluo begged Wang Gang to spare Duan Zhengchun, and Ping'er took a Flame Blade meant for Li Qingluo.
• Wang Gang killed Gu Ducheng, kicked Chu Wanli aside, and leaped through the window after Duan Zhengchun.

Wang Gang let Duan Zhengchun escape after using him to expose the women’s attachment to him, then dispersed Gan Baobao’s and Qin Hongmian’s martial arts and began imposing his will on the survivors. He left Li Qingluo facing the collapse of her idea of love and ordered the others to bury the dead and tend to the consequences of the night’s violence.

• Wang Gang threatened to kill Duan Zhengchun’s three guards unless Duan returned, but Li Qingluo shouted that the guards were already dead, prompting Duan to flee in grief.
• Wang Gang choked Li Qingluo, then let Duan Zhengchun’s boat escape and dispersed Gan Baobao’s and Qin Hongmian’s internal power with medicinal plasters.
• Wang Gang told Li Qingluo that he wanted to prove her affair with Duan Zhengchun was worthless, then took Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian back to the Waterside Cottage.
• Wang Gang offered Chu Wanli a choice between death and proving his worth, then dispersed Chu Wanli’s martial arts with another plaster.
• Wang Gang ordered Gan Baobao, Qin Hongmian, and Rui'er to bury the two corpses, and taunted Li Qingluo about using blood to nourish her camellias.

After killing Zhu Danchen and disposing of the bodies, Wang Gang struggled with his revulsion, then let Xueyan treat his wound. Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao plotted to recover their internal power while settling into Wang Gang’s household, but their uneasy stay ended with Qin Hongmian suspecting the barbecue had been drugged.

• Wang Gang retched after killing and disposing of the men, then allowed Xueyan to bandage his wound and reassured her he would not send her away.
• Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao agreed to pretend to cooperate until they could recover their internal power, while denying they had fallen for Wang Gang.
• Qingniao served the women an elaborate breakfast arranged by Wang Gang, and they spent the day exploring the estate.
• Wang Gang told Gan Baobao that he had built a distillery and planned to give half its profits to the estate’s households.
• At dinner, Wang Gang served a barbecue, but Qin Hongmian refused to eat and declared that the food had been drugged.

Wang Gang brought Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian to Crimson Cloud Estate, where he oversaw the new distillery and arranged for its profits to benefit the tenant farmers. At Shaolin Temple, Xuanci went to welcome visitors, and Huijing realized they were from the Beggars' Sect.

• Wang Gang persuaded Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian that the seasoning on the grilled fish was harmless, then discussed wealth, exploitation, and his plans to become stronger.
• Wang Gang took the two women to Crimson Cloud Estate, where they saw tenant farmers castrating piglets to improve their growth and value.
• Wang Cai announced that the distillery had begun producing liquor without an unpleasant smell, and Wang Gang arranged to send it to Drunken Immortal Tower and share half the proceeds with the estate.
• At Shaolin Temple, Huijing and Huilun swept the courtyard while Xuanci went to welcome the approaching guests.
• Huijing recognized the arriving guests as members of the Beggars' Sect.

Xuanci and Wang Jiantong agreed to have the gifted Qiao boy trained by the Beggars' Sect and to investigate reports of bandits on Lake Tai. Xuanci then dispelled Xuantong's heart demon, leaving him to recite the Heart Sutra while wondering what kind of youth had unsettled him so deeply.

• Xuanci asked Wang Jiantong to take the exceptionally gifted Qiao boy as a disciple, and Wang agreed to do so in two years despite worrying about the boy's Liao ancestry.
• Xuanci told Wang Jiantong that Murong Bo might have been deceived and asked the Beggars' Sect to investigate whether the Lake Tai bandits were real.
• Wang Jiantong assigned Wu Changfeng to investigate the bandits and ask the Wang Family lad whether he could dispel Xuantong's heart demon.
• Xuantong tried to enter the storeroom to make a seven-treasure kasaya, arguing that it would attract people who wanted him to explain Buddhist scriptures.
• Xuanci used the Lion's Roar Skill to bring Xuantong back to his senses and ordered him to recite the Heart Sutra three hundred times.

Wang Gang watched Wang Gui leave for exile, then met County Magistrate Li Yun to discuss suppressing the Fish-Dragon Gang. Li Yun promised him a share of the credit but kept the rest of his plan unexplained, leaving Wang Gang wary.

• Wang Gang watched Wang Zhong give Wang Gui money and offer support to Wang Gui’s wife and children before Wang Gui was sent into exile.
• Wang Gui told Wang Gang that he needed to become hard-hearted, and Wang Gang replied with an insult before leaving for the county yamen.
• Li Yun reprimanded County Commandant Yang for failing to catch the Fish-Dragon Gang’s leaders and gave him three more days to make progress.
• Li Yun explained how the Fish-Dragon Gang had grown from a group protecting downtrodden people into a gang whose members committed crimes.
• Wang Gang admitted that his elder sister had told him about Li Yun’s motives, and Li Yun said he needed achievements to advance his official career.
• Li Yun told Wang Gang that a thousand archers had been levied and that Wang Gang could command from the rear and receive part of the credit.

Wang Gang attended a meal with three Gusu restaurant stewards, who asked him to share the Drunken Immortal Tower’s stir-frying method. He refused to give it away but offered the Eight Immortals Tower a five-percent discount on stir-fried dishes, leaving the stewards to consider his terms.

• Wang Gang joked with Wang Zhong about attending the Eight Immortals Tower and went there alone.
• Shopkeeper Shen met with Shopkeepers Gu and Lu and introduced Jin Long, second leader of the Fish-Dragon Gang, as part of their plan to obtain the Wang Family’s stir-frying method.
• Jin Long snapped a corner off the table to demonstrate his strength, and Shopkeepers Gu and Lu welcomed his help.
• Wang Gang arrived, took the seat of honor, and heard the stewards’ request to share the stir-frying method.
• Wang Gang said the method’s price depended on their offer, then rejected free spoiled wine in exchange and proposed a five-percent discount on stir-fried dishes ordered by the Eight Immortals Tower.

Wang Gang refused the shopkeepers’ demands for his stir-frying method and fought Jin Long, the Fish-Dragon Gang leader, who tried to take his life instead of paying. Wang Gang discovered how to overcome Jin Long’s hard-trained body, but the fight left him cornered as Jin Long launched a deadly punch.

• Wang Gang demanded ten thousand taels from each shopkeeper for his stir-frying method, slapped Shopkeeper Shen, and rejected their threats to cut off his wine supply.
• Jin Long declared he would trade Wang Gang’s life for the method and attacked him, but Wang Gang’s Flame Blade wounded Jin Long’s palm.
• Jin Long revealed his Thirteen Grand Guardians Hard Training, withstanding Wang Gang’s sword and bending its blade against his throat.
• Wang Gang powered up his sword and struck Jin Long repeatedly, realizing that internal impacts could injure Jin Long even when his skin and bones resisted blades.
• Jin Long strengthened his body and pressed the fight through the restaurant until he cornered Wang Gang and swung a vicious punch at him.

Wang Gang defeated Jin Long, forced the three shopkeepers to agree to pay ten thousand taels each for his stir-fry recipes, and handed Jin Long over to County Commandant Yang. The other shopkeepers left angry at their losses, while Shopkeeper Shen remained behind, smiling as he smashed a wooden table.

• Wang Gang wounded and subdued Jin Long, then tied him up and sent a waiter to fetch County Commandant Yang.
• Wang Gang intimidated Shopkeeper Shen and secured the three shopkeepers’ agreement to pay ten thousand taels each for the recipes.
• Wang Gang warned the shopkeepers that Jin Long was a wanted Fish-Dragon Gang leader, and they denied knowing him.
• County Commandant Yang arrived, praised Wang Gang’s improved martial skills, and took Jin Long away in a sack.
• Shopkeepers Gu and Lu left lamenting their losses, while Shopkeeper Shen stayed behind and smashed a wooden table.

Wang Gang arranged to profit from teaching the Drunken Immortal Tower’s stir-frying methods, then realized he had nowhere he wanted to stay and decided to return to the academy. Meanwhile, the injured Duan Zhengchun refused to target Wang Gang’s family or Li Qingluo and planned to seek help from the Yellow-Browed Monk.

• Wang Gang explained his deal with three major restaurants, and Wang Yi agreed to teach their cooks in exchange for money and signature recipes.
• Wang Gang considered avoiding home, the restaurant, Swallow Dock, and the estate before Wang Zhong suggested he visit the academy.
• In Wuxi, Duan Zhengchun recovered from his injuries while Fu Sigui urged him to retaliate against Wang Gang.
• Duan Zhengchun rejected plans to attack the Wang family or ruin Li Qingluo’s reputation and agreed that they could ask the Yellow-Browed Monk for help.

Wang Gang advised the county commandant to set rival gangs against the Fish-Dragon Gang and suggested recruiting Gongye Qian. He then traveled to the academy, where he met Teacher Wen on the mountain steps.

• Wang Gang learned that Jin Long had confessed quickly, but the county commandant could not find the people named in the confession and feared they had been tipped off.
• Wang Gang told the county commandant to support a rival gang and help whichever side was weaker, then suggested that he approach Gongye Qian and his brothers.
• The county commandant agreed to try recruiting Gongye Qian and suspected Wang Gang had a personal motive because the Murong Family was related to him by marriage.
• Wang Gang hired an old coachman who drove so recklessly that Wang Gang was badly shaken before reaching Academy Mountain.
• Wang Gang climbed through the academy’s maple woods, heard someone call him, and bowed to Teacher Wen.

Wang Gang returned to the academy, where a confrontation with Liu Mo led the academy head to question him about scholarship and his views on the Cheng brothers. Wang Gang rejected the offer to become Master Yichuan’s disciple and argued for investigating the principles of the world, leaving the academy head impressed.

• Wen Zheng met Wang Gang on the way to the academy, where students gathered around Wang Gang to ask about the examinations.
• Wang Gang argued with Liu Mo over the importance of poetry and essays, then knocked Liu Mo down when he swung at him.
• The academy head summoned Wang Gang and asked about his views on the teachings of Masters Mingdao and Yichuan, then offered to recommend him as Master Yichuan’s disciple.
• Wang Gang declined, explaining that he wanted to investigate the principles behind the natural world and that practical learning could benefit the people and the nation.
• Wang Gang urged that this way of thinking could spread like a spark across the prairie, and the academy head praised his promise after he left.

Wang Gang was drawn into a heated debate at the academy over Wang Anshi's New Meanings of the Three Classics and defended its standardized exam interpretations as a way to make competition fairer. The academy head praised his having a viewpoint and told Wen Zheng to prepare for the prefectural academy's visit in three days.

• Wang Gang watched academy students denounce Wang Anshi and his officially required New Meanings of the Three Classics while privately considering how scholars shaped competing schools of thought.
• A student dragged Wang Gang into the gathering, where students debated whether to use the new commentaries for exams or boycott them until Wang Anshi was dismissed.
• Liu Mo needled Wang Gang into speaking, and Wang Gang challenged the students to read the book before condemning it, then praised its scholarship while separating that issue from the requirement to use it.
• Wang Gang argued that standardized exam interpretations could reduce the advantage of students with influential family connections and provide fairer competition, then suggested Liu Mo might be seeking to benefit from such connections.
• The academy head and Wen Zheng watched the debate; the academy head praised Wang Gang for having a viewpoint and told Wen Zheng that the prefectural academy would visit in three days.

Wang Gang was maneuvered into a poetry contest with the prefectural school, where his calligraphy and poem impressed the crowd before he hurried away. Wang Zhong told him that Gongye Qian had been gravely wounded.

• Wang Gang greeted scholars from the prefectural school, while Shen Yu kept his distance because Wang Gang had rejected his family’s marriage proposal.
• Liu Mo enlisted Lin Zhen and proposed a poetry contest, then pushed for Wang Gang to represent the academy despite Wang Gang’s protests.
• Wang Gang noticed Wang Zhong waiting anxiously, but agreed to write a poem after Liu Mo blocked him.
• Wang Gang wrote a poem that drew praise, then declared that poetry could not set the world to rights and left.
• Wang Zhong told Wang Gang that Gongye Qian had been gravely wounded.

Wang Gang rushed to see the injured Gongye Qian, leaving the academy before its students and teachers could praise him in person for his poem. He arrived at Gongye Qian’s place and found Murong Bo and all four retainers there.

• Wang Gang hurried away with Wang Zhong in Old Li’s fast carriage after learning Gongye Qian had been injured.
• The academy students and prefectural school students praised Wang Gang’s poem, while Liu Mo and Shen Yu suspected he could not have written it himself.
• Lin Zhen admitted he could not match the poem, and the instructor and Wen Zheng praised its scope and style.
• Wen Zheng learned Wang Gang had left on urgent business, and Liu Mo held back his accusation after an academy student stepped on his foot.
• Wang Gang arrived where Gongye Qian was recuperating and found all four retainers and Murong Bo present.