Chapter Summaries

Wang Gang woke on his wedding night in the past, remembering that Li Qingluo’s affair had led to his death and ruined both the Wang and Murong families. After unlocking the Power of Space through a mysterious panel, he faced a woman who burst into the bridal chamber.

• Wang Gang recognized his former room and found Cheng Yi’s inscription in a copy of The Analects, confirming that he had returned to his wedding night.
• Wang Gang recalled Li Qingluo’s betrayal and the later ruin of his family and the Murong family.
• Wang Gang searched a Seven-Treasure Intricate Box, found the storeroom key and a martial arts booklet depicting Li Qingluo, then discovered a panel listing his abilities and Reputation Points.
• Wang Gang spent Reputation Points to learn and repeatedly upgrade the Power of Space, leaving him with less than half a cubic meter of storage space.
• A woman burst into the room and demanded to know what Wang Gang was doing.

Wang Gang confronted Li Qingluo about her secret meeting with Duan Zhengchun and demanded a divorce, using her reactions to expose the affair. He accused her of adultery and waited for Duan Zhengchun to arrive, while Li Qingluo stopped short of drawing her sword against him.

• Li Qingluo retrieved a booklet from the storeroom while Wang Gang noticed that she and her maid had missed the missing key.
• Wang Gang proposed a mutual divorce, and Li Qingluo demanded his reason.
• Wang Gang questioned Li Qingluo about the booklet and inferred that it came from Duan Zhengchun of Dali.
• Wang Gang accused Li Qingluo of meeting Duan Zhengchun and committing adultery, then said he would wait for him.
• Li Qingluo drew her sword but hesitated to attack Wang Gang, until Duan Zhengchun called to her from outside.

Wang Gang confronted Duan Zhengchun over his late-night visit to Li Qingluo, provoking him into attacking with the Solitary Yang Finger. Wang Gang turned the attack against Duan Zhengchun and nearly killed him, but Li Qingluo drew a sword to stop Wang Gang.

• Duan Zhengchun entered and congratulated Wang Gang and Li Qingluo on their marriage, while Wang Gang challenged him about visiting his wife late at night.
• Wang Gang taunted Duan Zhengchun about his affair with a Baiyi woman, who Duan Zhengchun revealed was his wife.
• Duan Zhengchun lost his temper and struck Wang Gang with the Solitary Yang Finger, while Li Qingluo stepped between them to protect Wang Gang.
• Duan Zhengchun offered to treat Wang Gang's injury, but Wang Gang released the finger force he had concealed and struck Duan Zhengchun in the Qi sea.
• Wang Gang attacked the weakened Duan Zhengchun with a broken chair leg, and Li Qingluo held a sword to Wang Gang's throat to stop him.

Wang Gang confronted Li Qingluo and Duan Zhengchun over their affair, but Chu Wanli rescued Duan Zhengchun before Wang Gang could kill him. After Li Qingluo left, Wang Gang resolved to learn martial arts and began teasing the maid Ping'er, then noticed a smiling middle-aged man at the doorway.

• Wang Gang challenged Li Qingluo to prove her devotion by killing herself, then condemned Duan Zhengchun for betraying Dao Baifeng and the women he had seduced.
• Chu Wanli pulled Duan Zhengchun away with a rope and left with him after warning Wang Gang that a fight could endanger the household.
• Wang Gang ordered Li Qingluo to leave and reflected that he needed to learn martial arts despite his ability to manipulate a mysterious space.
• Ping'er brought Wang Gang tea, and he asked her to serve him and pinched her cheek, making her flee in embarrassment.
• Wang Gang noticed a cheerful middle-aged man standing in the doorway.

Wang Gang weighed how to deal with Li Qingluo and decided not to kill her, while Uncle Zhong urged him to protect his reputation and future. At the Waterside Lodge, Li Qingluo mourned Duan Zhengchun, wrote to her father for help, and fell asleep expecting her father to defend her.

• Wang Zhong told Wang Gang that he had sent the injured man to Hu Santie for treatment and arranged for Li Qingluo to stay at the Waterside Lodge.
• Wang Gang considered killing Li Qingluo but recognized the danger to his reputation and the powerful people who might retaliate.
• Wang Zhong advised Wang Gang to seek a divorce or treat Li Qingluo like a pet, and warned him against staking his future on violence.
• Wang Gang decided that killing Duan Zhengchun would not satisfy his resentment and resolved to become stronger instead.
• At the Waterside Lodge, Rui'er teased Ping'er about Wang Gang's attention, and Li Qingluo began writing a letter to her father.
• Li Qingluo sent Rui'er to arrange delivery of the letter in the morning, then fell asleep expecting her father to protect her.

After learning that Li Qingluo had written to Ding Chunqiu, Wang Gang sought a way to protect his household by mastering the Lesser Formless Skill. He found the manual in the Emerald Bamboo Pavilion but could not understand its instructions, so he decided to ask Murong Bo for help.

• Wang Gang received an anonymous warning that Li Qingluo had written to her father, and he deduced that the dangerous Ding Chunqiu was involved.
• Wang Gang decided he needed to strengthen himself and chose to seek the Lesser Formless Skill in Langhuan Jade Cave.
• Wang Gang persuaded Ping'er to leave the Emerald Bamboo Pavilion unguarded, then revealed that he knew she had sent the warning.
• Wang Gang found the Jia volume of the Lesser Formless Skill among the manuals but struggled to understand its instructions.
• Wang Gang concluded that he needed Murong Bo to explain the martial arts manual.

Li Qingluo assumed Wang Yukun was searching the Green Bamboo Study, but he had left for Canhe Manor, where he reunited with Madam Wang and encountered a Shaolin monk seeking Murong Bo. Wang Gang decided to send the monk away, and Murong Fu’s knowledge of the meridians gave him hope of learning the Lesser Formless Skill.

• Li Qingluo planned to have her father punish Wang Gang, then learned he wanted to enter the Green Bamboo Study and hurried there with Rui'er and Ping'er.
• Li Qingluo found the Green Bamboo Study empty and saw no sign that anyone had touched its books.
• Wang Gang arrived at Canhe Manor, gave money to the servants, and greeted Madam Wang and young Murong Fu.
• Wang Gang learned that a Shaolin monk had come to see Murong Bo, who had left the previous day.
• Wang Gang decided to send the monk away, but Murong Fu insisted on coming and demonstrated his knowledge of the meridians.
• Wang Gang realized Murong Fu might help him learn the Lesser Formless Skill.

Xuantong visited Murong Fu’s household to question Murong Bo about the Yanmen Pass incident and the Murong estates’ military drills. Wang Gang persuaded Xuantong that Murong Bo had gone to Great Liao to settle old grudges, then bluntly told him Murong Bo intended to rebel.

• Xuantong recalled that Murong Bo’s false intelligence had caused the disastrous Yanmen Pass battle and explained that he was investigating the Murong estates’ disciplined military drilling.
• Wang Gang introduced Murong Fu to Xuantong with the grand titles Jade-Faced Young Gentleman and Southern Murong, and Xuantong recognized Wang Gang’s supposedly worldly manner as an act.
• Wang Gang’s talk of lavish temples and golden Buddhist vestments angered Xuantong, who sprang up, but Wang Gang calmed the confrontation and showed he knew Shaolin martial arts.
• Wang Gang argued that Shaolin could attract more worshippers and offerings, planting the idea in Xuantong’s mind before answering his questions about Murong Bo.
• Wang Gang said Murong Bo had gone to Great Liao to settle old grudges and had long felt guilty, leading Xuantong to believe he was confronting whoever had supplied the false intelligence.
• When Xuantong asked why the Murong estates drilled in military formations, Wang Gang said Murong Bo wanted to rebel.

Wang Gang tricked Xuantong into admiring Murong Bo by claiming he was training troops to suppress bandits, then explained to Murong Fu that he had used the monk’s own values to manipulate him. At the waterside lodge, Li Qingluo learned that Prince Duan had lost his internal power and was taken away, and her concern for him exposed her feelings to the household.

• Wang Gang told Xuantong that Murong Bo was training troops to fight Lake Tai bandits, leading Xuantong to praise Murong Bo’s chivalry and leave by boat.
• Wang Gang admitted to Murong Fu that he had lied to Xuantong and manipulated the monk with fame, fear, and chivalry.
• Li Qingluo learned that a thief had taken several inexplicable account books from Purple Qi from the East and wondered why they had been stolen.
• Ping'er reported that Prince Duan’s injuries had healed but his internal power had vanished, and that his retainers had taken him away.
• Li Qingluo’s anxious questions about Prince Duan revealed her concern for him, and Ping'er assured her that the master would not secretly attack him.
• After Li Qingluo ordered everyone out, Rui'er advised Ping'er to act quickly if she liked the master.

Wang Gang explained how he had misled Master Xuantong about Murong Bo and asked his brother-in-law to help deal with Li Qingluo’s letter to Ding Chunqiu. Murong Bo promised to confront Ding Chunqiu if necessary, while Wang Gang asked to learn martial arts so he could become invincible beneath heaven.

• Wang Gang learned that Duan Zhengchun’s cultivation had dispersed after Hu Santie treated him, and he rewarded Hu Santie for the result.
• Wang Gang heard that Madam Wang had argued with Li Qingluo over the wound on his neck, then went with a servant to meet Murong Bo at Canhe Manor.
• Murong Bo asked what Wang Gang had told Master Xuantong, and Wang Gang explained that he had invented a story about Murong Bo and the Liao Kingdom to distract the monk.
• Wang Gang told Murong Bo that Li Qingluo had written to Ding Chunqiu, prompting Madam Wang to worry and Murong Bo to promise he would face Ding Chunqiu if needed.
• Wang Gang asked Murong Bo to teach him martial arts, declaring that he would become invincible beneath heaven, and Murong Bo struggled to contain his irritation.

Murong Bo explained martial arts to Wang Gang and gave him the One-Character Lightning Sword to learn. Wang Gang began training with Murong Fu, who mistook his clumsy sword practice for a deliberate lesson in reviewing the basics.

• Murong Bo explained the difference between external and internal arts, and Wang Gang chose to learn internal arts.
• Wang Gang asked to learn legendary Shaolin and Duan Clan techniques, but Murong Bo offered him the One-Character Lightning Sword instead.
• Murong Bo gave Wang Gang an iron sword and told him to practice a thousand thrusts each day.
• Wang Gang went to the training ground, where Murong Fu showed him corrections he had marked on a meridian chart.
• Wang Gang asked Murong Fu to demonstrate a sword thrust, then struggled to perform it himself.
• Murong Fu corrected Wang Gang’s thrust until he could execute it properly, and Wang Gang left while Murong Fu admired his supposed teaching effort.

Wang Gang used the panel to learn the Qi Refining Art and master the One-Character Lightning Sword, then trained through the pain. The next morning, sore from his thousand sword thrusts, he decided to take it out on Murong Bo.

• Wang Gang completed a meridian circulation diagram for the Lesser Formless Skill, causing the panel to reveal the Qi Refining Art and more than two hundred additional reputation points.
• Wang Gang spent reputation points to learn the Qi Refining Art and upgrade to Second-Tier Qi Refiner, increasing his internal power and nearly damaging his meridians.
• Wang Gang learned and repeatedly upgraded the One-Character Lightning Sword until the panel showed it had reached its maximum level.
• Wang Gang practiced a thousand sword thrusts, using his internal power to ease the pain, then collapsed into bed.
• Wang Gang woke the next day with severe muscle soreness and vowed to take it out on Murong Bo.

Wang Gang impressed Murong Bo with a sword style he had learned after only a day of practice, then decided to return home from Canhe Manor. As he left, he hinted that he planned to visit Spring Breeze Pavilion and promised Murong Fu he could join him in a few years.

• Madam Wang confronted Murong Bo about making Wang Gang practice a thousand sword swings, and Murong Bo agreed to teach him if he managed two hundred.
• Wang Gang revealed that his arm was merely sore from completing a thousand swings and challenged Murong Bo with a sword move.
• Murong Bo recognized Wang Gang's sword style and internal power, while Wang Gang claimed he had learned them from the manual and was exceptionally gifted.
• Wang Gang decided to leave for home, gave A Qing a bracelet, and flirted with her before boarding the boat.
• Wang Gang whispered to Murong Bo about Spring Breeze Pavilion, then told Murong Fu he could accompany him to slay demons in a few years.

Wang Gang returned a martial arts manual to Emerald Bamboo Pavilion and confronted Li Qingluo, who challenged him to a sword fight and discovered he was far more skilled than she had believed. When she asked why he had spared Duan Zhengchun, Wang Gang refused to explain, leaving her convinced he had married her with a hidden plan.

• Wang Gang shared fruit with the maids and decided he needed to build a strong foundation in both the imperial examinations and martial arts.
• Rui'er told Li Qingluo that Wang Gang had returned and gone to Emerald Bamboo Pavilion, so Li Qingluo hurried there with Rui'er and Ping'er.
• Wang Gang returned the account book containing the Lesser Formless Skill, which he had already memorized, and Li Qingluo confronted him about taking it.
• Li Qingluo apologized for cutting Wang Gang's neck, then demanded to know why he had harmed Duan Zhengchun; Wang Gang admitted he had done it.
• Li Qingluo challenged Wang Gang with her sword, but he repeatedly disarmed and overpowered her, revealing that he knew martial arts.
• Li Qingluo asked whether Wang Gang had deliberately spared Duan Zhengchun and married her for a hidden purpose, but Wang Gang only told her to guess.

Wang Gang discovered that several household shops were losing money and used the pattern of digits in their ledgers to expose falsified accounts. He stopped Wang Zhong from immediately punishing the suspected cheats and told him to wait another fortnight.

• After sword practice, Wang Gang heard gossip that Wang Zhong had been visiting Spring Breeze House and hurried to tease him about it.
• Wang Zhong denied the rumor and explained that household taxes and declining shop profits had left him troubled.
• Wang Gang examined the shops’ ledgers and concluded that one shop’s accounts had been falsified because its leading digits appeared at roughly equal rates.
• Wang Zhong compared the ledgers, confirmed Wang Gang’s suspicion, and prepared to punish the shopkeepers.
• Wang Gang stopped Wang Zhong from acting at once and told him to wait another fortnight.

Wang Gang traveled to Suzhou City with Wang Zhong, where he received a booklet about Gongye Qian and discussed the Murong Family’s plans. At a restaurant, Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao attacked him over Duan Zhengchun, but after Wang Gang explained what had happened, Qin Hongmian suddenly made a move as he leaped aside.

• Wang Gang continued honing his swordsmanship and internal power before traveling to Suzhou City with Wang Zhong.
• A short-tunic man gave Wang Gang a booklet about Gongye Qian, and Wang Gang reassured Wang Zhong that the Murong Family’s scheme would fail.
• Wang Gang criticized the restaurant’s cooking and claimed he knew how to stir-fry, prompting Wang Zhong to praise his talents.
• Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao accused Wang Gang of ambushing Duan Zhengchun and attacked him, but Wang Gang disarmed Qin Hongmian with his sword.
• Wang Gang explained that Duan Zhengchun had entered his bridal chamber on his wedding night, and the women were shocked to learn that Duan Zhengchun was married to Dao Baifeng.
• After Wang Zhong defended Wang Gang, Qin Hongmian’s eyes flashed fiercely and she raised her arm, so Wang Gang instinctively leaped aside.

Wang Gang defeated Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao and forced Qin Hongmian to hand over an antidote, only to learn that Wang Zhong had never been poisoned. After letting the women live, he left them with humiliating half-shaved heads, while they began discussing Dao Baifeng and Duan Zhengchun.

• Wang Gang fought Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao, then overwhelmed them with a surge of internal power and demanded the antidote.
• Qin Hongmian surrendered a porcelain bottle when Wang Gang threatened to cut Gan Baobao apart, and Wang Gang gave her an antidote pill before approaching Wang Zhong.
• Wang Zhong revealed that he had only fallen and hurt his arm, leaving Wang Gang embarrassed that he had believed he was poisoned.
• Constable Lei and the yamen runners accepted Wang Gang's claim that the fight was a household quarrel and left without intervening.
• Wang Zhong stopped Wang Gang from killing the women, and Wang Gang shaved half the hair from each woman's head before taking Wang Zhong to a clinic.
• Gan Baobao asked Qin Hongmian whether she knew Dao Baifeng, and Qin Hongmian worried that Duan Zhengchun might already be married.

Wang Gang and Wang Zhong audited the Splendid Brocade Workshop and exposed Bookkeeper Liang Qingquan’s falsified accounts with records of the shop’s actual sales. Wang Gang arranged for Liang to face penal military service, then turned his attention to Manager Wang Cai.

• Wang Gang and Wang Zhong arrived at the Splendid Brocade Workshop to audit its accounts, and Wang Gang judged that Wang Cai was pretending to be foolish.
• Wang Gang revealed Bookkeeper Liang Qingquan’s history of embezzlement, then examined the ledgers for suspiciously low silk prices.
• Wang Gang showed Wang Cai and Liang Qingquan secret records of the workshop’s transactions, proving the accounts had been falsified.
• Wang Cai blamed Liang and urged that he be sent to the authorities, while Wang Gang ordered penal military service instead.
• Wang Cai kicked Liang unconscious and began dragging him away, but Wang Gang stopped him and said they would discuss Wang Cai next.

Wang Gang exposed Wang Cai’s embezzlement and confronted him over his resentment toward the Wang family. Wang Cai chose reassignment to the estate, while Wang Gang ordered a wider audit of the family’s shops and planned to consult his brother-in-law.

• Wang Gang questioned Wang Cai about the accountant and challenged him to explain why he had stayed with the Wang family despite feeling underpaid.
• Wang Gang revealed a booklet documenting Wang Cai’s thefts from the cloth shop, and Wang Cai admitted he resented enriching the family while receiving little in return.
• Wang Gang argued that Wang Cai depended on the Wang family’s protection and condemned him for stealing instead of confronting the unfairness he blamed on the world.
• Wang Zhong ordered Wang Cai to repay everything he had embezzled and removed him as shopkeeper; Wang Cai chose to be sent to the estate rather than leave the family.
• Wang Gang ordered all the family’s shopkeepers and managers to account for shortfalls, set a deadline for repayment, and said they would be dealt with individually if necessary.
• Wang Gang told Wang Zhong he needed to visit his brother-in-law before preparing to address the other shops.

Wang Gang met Deng Baichuan, Gongye Qian, Feng Bo'e, and Bao Butong outside the Spring Breeze Pavilion while heading to Swallow Dock. After Deng Baichuan gave him pills for his injured meridians, the others dragged Wang Gang into the brothel, where Madam Liu revealed he was a regular who usually booked a room on the third floor.

• Wang Gang encountered Deng Baichuan, Gongye Qian, Feng Bo'e, and Bao Butong outside the Spring Breeze Pavilion and thanked Gongye Qian for helping investigate shop managers.
• Feng Bo'e volunteered to join the investigation, while Deng Baichuan examined Wang Gang’s injured meridians and praised his profound internal power.
• Deng Baichuan gave Wang Gang Minor Recovery Pills, which Bao Butong said came from a formula stolen from Shaolin.
• Deng Baichuan and the others dragged Wang Gang to the Spring Breeze Pavilion despite his protests that he was upright, injured, and too young.
• Madam Liu greeted Wang Gang as a familiar guest and offered his usual private room on the third floor, revealing his regular visits to the others.