Recaps

Wu Shuangren expanded the Fist Academy’s business and militia, bringing Bai Jinhuan in to help organize the troops. After learning that Wu Shuangren was only seventeen and the Bo County militia was small, the West River Gang’s chiefs laughed and prepared to reassess the threat.

• Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing counted a profitable night at the Fist Academy, and Wu Shuangren proposed star fighters, rankings, and a Fist King championship to grow the business.
• Wu Shuangren led the militiamen in trust training, and Bai Jinhuan praised his methods before considering joining the militia.
• Mo Zhengxing bought three courtyards beside the Fist Academy, and Wu Shuangren connected them to create space for the militia.
• Bai Jinhuan joined the militia as a temporary company commander, organized watches, and learned Wu Shuangren’s method of staging night-attack drills.
• The West River Gang’s chiefs learned that Wu Shuangren was a seventeen-year-old commander with only a little over a hundred militiamen, and Chen Xiao laughed at the news.

Wu Shuangren accepted the West River Gang’s challenge to a five-on-five public martial match, with the Fist Academy’s business at stake. On the morning of the match, the rival powers and spectators gathered as Wu Shuangren arrived with the Fist Academy’s people and a disciplined group of militiamen.

• Li Ming decided the West River Gang should challenge the Fist Academy to a five-person match rather than risk a direct clash with its militia.
• Wu Shuangren negotiated stakes of five hundred taels of silver and a ban on West River Gang members entering the Fist Academy, then chose West River Market’s central open space as the venue.
• Spectators filled the market’s central open space before dawn, and the West River Gang’s five chiefs arrived led by Li Ming.
• Zhang He, Xie Jingshan, and Luo Heng arrived as representatives of West River Market’s other major powers.
• Wu Shuangren arrived with Mo Zhengxing, Bai Jinhuan, guards, and ten militiamen marching in formation.

Wu Shuangren represented the Fist Academy in its public match against the West River Gang, with the stakes and rules formally confirmed by the arbiters. He defeated and killed the West River Gang’s first fighter, Sun Lie, with the Fish-Dragon Saber, leaving the match underway.

• Xie Jingshan verified the West River Gang’s jiaozi stake and the Fist Academy’s land deed, then declared the match begun.
• Wu Shuangren challenged Chen Xiao’s mockery and leaped onto the platform as the Fist Academy’s first fighter.
• Li Ming sent Sun Lie to fight Wu Shuangren after judging that Wu’s footwork might be formidable.
• Sun Lie launched a rapid series of saber attacks, but Wu Shuangren blocked them without giving ground.
• Wu Shuangren dodged Sun Lie’s unleashed attack and cut open his abdomen with the Fish-Dragon Saber.
• Sun Lie praised Wu Shuangren’s saber before Wu ended his suffering with a final strike.

Wu Shuangren defeated Sun Lie and Ma Jun in the first two matches against the West River Gang, then faced the gang’s third leader, Zhao Kui. As the next fight began, Wu Shuangren looked forward to testing how much more his martial arts could improve under pressure.

• Xie Jingshan declared Wu Shuangren the winner after he killed Sun Lie, giving the Fist Academy the first match.
• Li Ming sent Ma Jun to challenge Wu Shuangren, hoping to force a contest of Internal Skills.
• Ma Jun drove Wu Shuangren to the platform’s edge with powerful kicks, but Wu Shuangren used the flagpole and ground to evade him and cut his thigh before beheading him.
• Xie Jingshan declared the Fist Academy the winner of the second match, and Li Ming sent the West River Gang’s third leader, Zhao Kui, onto the platform.
• Wu Shuangren assessed Zhao Kui’s strength, reflected on how his own Internal Skill helped him improve his techniques, and beckoned Zhao Kui to attack.

Wu Shuangren defeated Zhao Kui after countering his blade-grabbing techniques and knocking him off the platform, giving the Fist Academy a third consecutive victory. Han Tieshan then took the West River Gang’s place in the fourth match and began fighting Wu Shuangren with an iron spear.

• Zhao Kui attacked Wu Shuangren with his iron gauntlets and repeatedly tried to seize the Fish-Dragon Saber, but Wu Shuangren countered his attempts and wounded his forearm.
• Zhao Kui powered up and managed to lock the Fish-Dragon Saber in his grip, but Wu Shuangren let go of it and struck Zhao Kui in the chest with his palm.
• Zhao Kui leaped backward to lessen the blow, then rolled off the platform and struggled to his feet below it.
• Xie Jingshan announced the Fist Academy’s third victory, while Li Ming comforted Zhao Kui and Chen Xiao held back his anger.
• Han Tieshan volunteered to fight Wu Shuangren, then attacked with his iron spear; Wu Shuangren dodged and blocked as Han changed a thrust into a sweep.

Wu Shuangren defeated Han Tieshan in the fourth match, prompting Li Ming to surrender and concede the contest to the Fist Academy. The Fist Academy claimed the wager and its victory over the West River Gang, while Mo Zhengxing prepared for possible retaliation.

• Wu Shuangren broke through Han Tieshan’s spear defense and killed him with a saber strike to the throat.
• After seeing Wu Shuangren’s strength, Li Ming refused to enter the arena and announced that the West River Gang admitted defeat.
• Xie Jingshan declared the Fist Academy the winner, awarded it the five hundred strings of cash, and barred West River Gang members from entering the academy.
• That night, Mo Zhengxing ordered workers to begin expanding the Fist Academy while keeping its boxing matches running.
• Wu Shuangren reviewed how the contest had strengthened his saber technique and footwork, and Mo Zhengxing ordered continued night-raid drills in case the West River Gang retaliated.

Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing expanded the Fist Academy’s venue and built its audience, then prepared to compete with the Xie Clan by training fighters to deliver more entertaining matches. Wu Shuangren used his [Match for One Person] Trait to improve the fighters and threatened to punish any who broke their contracts.

• Wu Shuangren told Mo Zhengxing to build their forces and eventually take West River Market, and Mo Zhengxing agreed to follow his lead.
• Mo Zhengxing bought nearby properties while workers expanded the Fist Academy into a larger viewing venue with private rooms.
• The renovated Fist Academy drew nearly five hundred spectators, sold all twenty-four private rooms, and earned over four guan in net profit.
• After learning that the Xie Clan Trading Company planned to hold its own fights, Wu Shuangren explained how suspenseful reversals and flashy moves could make matches more entertaining.
• Wu Shuangren trained eight fighters, used his [Match for One Person] Trait to identify their weaknesses, and had them sign ten-year contracts with the Fist Academy.
• When Mo Zhengxing worried that the Xie Clan might poach the fighters, Wu Shuangren threatened to deal personally with anyone who broke their contracts.

Wu Shuangren helped the Fist Academy recover from the Xie Clan Boxing Arena’s challenge by improving its matches and publicity. Just as business neared its former peak, a gaunt young man stormed into the arena and fought off its guards, and Wu Shuangren recognized a Trait above his head.

• The Xie Clan Boxing Arena opened with free matches and drew crowds away from the Fist Academy, whose attendance and income fell.
• Wu Shuangren improved the Fist Academy’s fights, and prematch press conferences helped attract spectators and build its reputation.
• The Fist Academy promoted its fighters and matches, and business gradually recovered, with more than three hundred spectators attending one night.
• Wu Shuangren sparred unarmed against Bai Jinhuan’s guandao to strengthen his skills when a militiaman reported trouble.
• A gaunt young man burst into the Fist Academy and knocked aside guards and militiamen before Wu Shuangren arrived and saw a Trait above him.

Wu Shuangren subdued Xu Yu, a seemingly untrained teenager whose [Lean Tiger] Trait appeared to grant him exceptional strength and instincts, then questioned him after he woke. Xu Yu explained that he had come to West River Market seeking work as a fighter and revealed that his late mother had told him to come there to support himself.

• Wu Shuangren confronted Xu Yu at the Fist Academy and fought him, recognizing his immense strength and uncanny instincts despite his lack of martial arts training.
• Wu Shuangren restrained Xu Yu by attacking his joints and acupoints, then sent him away unconscious and calmed the spectators by adding another match.
• Wu Shuangren watched Xu Yu's blood-red [Lean Tiger] Trait and suspected it represented a fate or fortune that he alone could see.
• After Xu Yu woke, Wu Shuangren questioned him and learned that he had attacked the gatekeepers after they refused him entry and insulted his mother.
• Xu Yu told Wu Shuangren that he was sixteen, had never practiced martial arts, and had come to West River Market because his late mother said he could find work there.

Wu Shuangren took in Xu Yu after discovering his strength and enormous appetite, then welcomed 150 trained militiamen into West River Market and announced a Fist King Championship. Xie Jingshan visited the Fist Academy to propose cooperation, offering the Xie Clan’s fighters academy training and twenty percent of their arena profits.

• Wu Shuangren hired Xu Yu, promised to provide him with food and lodging, and made him his subordinate after Xu Yu agreed to fight.
• Wu Shuangren asked Mo Zhengxing to investigate Xu Yu’s origins in Wang Clan Village and then celebrated over drinks.
• Chen Tie led 150 militiamen from Bo County to West River Market, bringing Wu Shuangren’s forces there to 200.
• Wu Shuangren announced a Fist King Championship to pressure the Xie Clan and promote the Fist Academy.
• Xie Jingshan visited Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing, conceded the Xie Clan was losing ground, and proposed sharing fighters and profits.

Wu Shuangren secured a partnership with the Xie Clan and prepared the Fist Academy for the Fist King Championship. After attending Xie Jingshan’s banquet without falling for his attempted seduction, Wu brought the leftover food back for Xu Yu.

• Wu Shuangren negotiated with Xie Jingshan, who agreed to give the Fist Academy fifty percent of the Xie Clan Boxing Arena’s profits.
• News spread that the Xie Clan Boxing Hall would enter fighters in the Fist King Championship, and the fighting platform was completed in West River Market.
• Wu Shuangren accepted Xie Jingshan’s banquet invitation and brought Mo Zhengxing, Xu Yu, and guards to the Xie residence.
• Xie Jingshan hosted a lavish meal and arranged for eight dancers to entertain Wu Shuangren, but Wu remained unmoved and asked to take the food home.
• Wu Shuangren returned to the Fist Academy safely and later brought the checked and reheated banquet dishes to Xu Yu.

Xu Yu warned Wu Shuangren of danger as they headed to the Fist King Championship, and Xie Jingshan’s forces ambushed them with repeating crossbows while the West River Gang surrounded the Fist Academy. Wu Shuangren kept the militia in formation and ordered them to advance through the attack.

• Xu Yu told Wu Shuangren he sensed danger on the deserted street, and Wu Shuangren ordered the fifty militiamen to form a shield wall.
• Xie Jingshan learned that the ambush had begun and prepared for the Xie Clan and West River Gang’s coordinated assault on Changsheng Street and the Fist Academy.
• The ambushers fired a volley of bolts at Wu Shuangren’s group, killing one militiaman and wounding others as the shield formation took shape.
• Wu Shuangren steadied the shield wall while Mo Zhengxing blew a whistle to signal for help.
• Wu Shuangren rejected turning back toward the Fist Academy and ordered the militia to hold formation and advance.

Wu Shuangren led his militia through an enemy blockade while Xu Yu fought at his side, shielding him from attacks. They broke into the Xie Clan guards’ formation, and Wu Shuangren reached the scar-faced commander.

• Wu Shuangren ordered the militia to charge the Xie Clan household guards blocking their path as Li Ming’s forces closed in from behind.
• Wu Shuangren broke through the enemy line, while Xu Yu followed and used his strength to knock guards aside and protect him.
• Xu Yu charged into the commander’s circular formation, shattered its front line, and threw the defenders into disarray.
• Wu Shuangren dodged the spear fighters and cut down one of them, leaving only the scar-faced man before him.
• Wu Shuangren locked [Match for One Person] onto the scar-faced man and strengthened his Internal Skill.

Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu killed Luo Zheng and routed the Xie Clan guards, then turned to face Li Ming and the charging West River Gang. Meanwhile, Bai Jinhuan led the militiamen out of the Fist Academy and found more than four hundred West River Gang and Xie Clan fighters surrounding them.

• Luo Zheng attacked Wu Shuangren with his twin halberds, but Wu Shuangren traded an injury for a saber strike that killed him while Xu Yu held off the other Xie Clan Attendants.
• Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu charged through the Xie Clan guards, and Mo Zhengxing ordered the militiamen forward to break their formation and rout them.
• Li Ming led two hundred West River Gang elites in a charge, and Wu Shuangren ordered the militiamen to reform with the rear ranks at the front.
• Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu prepared to stand against Li Ming and the West River Gang as the militiamen charged behind them.
• Bai Jinhuan led the militiamen remaining at the Fist Academy outside and found the building surrounded by more than four hundred West River Gang members and Xie Clan guards.

Bai Jinhuan led inexperienced militiamen into battle as Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu fought the West River Gang on Changsheng Street. The militia formation pushed the gang back, and Li Ming finally joined the fight with the other leaders to confront Wu Shuangren.

• Bai Jinhuan promised the militiamen payment for victory and led them charging into battle.
• Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu broke through the West River Gang's front ranks, while the militia shield formation drove the gang backward.
• Xu Yu protected Wu Shuangren from attackers and archers as Wu Shuangren fought through the gang toward Li Ming.
• Li Ming judged that Wu Shuangren was weakened by injuries and exhaustion, then charged him with Chen Xiao, Zhao Kui, and Du Jianghe.
• Wu Shuangren welcomed the four leaders and went forward to meet them.

Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu defeated the West River Gang in a brutal street battle, killing its chief and several bosses before the survivors fled. After Bai Jinhuan reported that the militiamen had also routed the gang at the Fist Academy, the troops counted their casualties and began clearing the battlefield.

• Li Ming, Zhao Kui, Chen Xiao, and Du Jianghe attacked Wu Shuangren while Xu Yu fought to protect him.
• Wu Shuangren killed Zhao Kui and then killed Li Ming by throwing his Fish-Dragon Saber across Li Ming's throat, despite suffering severe wounds himself.
• Xu Yu killed Chen Xiao, Du Jianghe fled, and the West River Gang's remaining fighters scattered before the militiamen.
• Mo Zhengxing gave Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu pills and prepared to treat their wounds, but renewed battle cries made the survivors brace for another attack.
• Bai Jinhuan arrived and told Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing that the militiamen had routed the West River Gang outside the Fist Academy.
• The militiamen cleared the street and counted their casualties: eight of Wu Shuangren's fifty veterans were dead, four were seriously wounded, and eleven were lightly wounded.

Wu Shuangren led the battered militiamen to the Xie residence after defeating the Xie Clan and West River Gang forces. He rejected Xie Jingshan’s offer to negotiate and left the household guards facing the heads of their fallen leaders.

• Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing decided to march straight to the Xie residence, with 116 militiamen remaining.
• Xie Jingshan learned that Luo Zheng and the West River Gang leaders had died and that his men had failed to stop Wu Shuangren at the Fist Academy.
• Wu Shuangren led his bloodied troops through the streets and formed a shield-and-spear attack formation outside the Xie residence.
• Xie Jingshan ordered Afu to offer the Xie Clan Boxing Arena and one thousand taels of silver in exchange for peace.
• Wu Shuangren refused to negotiate, declared that Xie Jingshan had wasted his chances, and ordered his men to throw the severed heads of the defeated leaders before the guards.

Wu Shuangren led his militiamen into the Xie residence, where he defeated the remaining guards and leveled up [Match for One Person]. Xie Jingshan surrendered the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce, and the chapter ended with the militia gathering the family’s vast wealth and supplies.

• Wu Shuangren’s militiamen broke through the Xie household guards and surrounded the residence while Wu Shuangren led the first squad inside.
• Wu Shuangren fought and killed three Xie Attendants, causing [Match for One Person] to level up and increasing its duration and combat efficiency.
• Xie Jingshan refused to flee, surrendered to Wu Shuangren, and offered the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce in exchange for his life.
• Wu Shuangren ordered Xie Jingshan bound, then had the militiamen search the residence with his cooperation.
• Mo Zhengxing counted 15,653 strings in ready money, while the militia also gathered valuables, grain, weapons, property deeds, and account books.

After the militia defeated the Xie Clan and the West River Gang, Wu Shuangren executed Xie Jingshan and the Xie Family members at the residence, then announced rewards and compensation for his soldiers. Back at the Fist Academy, he dismissed fourteen recruits who had fled during the battle, despite their pleas to stay.

• Wu Shuangren loaded the Xie Clan’s valuables onto carts and refused to split his forces to raid the West River Gang’s headquarters.
• Wu Shuangren executed Xie Jingshan and ordered the militia to kill the remaining Xie Family members, declaring, “Blood for blood!”
• Wu Shuangren awarded each militiaman one string of coins and announced extra rewards and compensation for the wounded and fallen soldiers’ families.
• Bai Jinhuan reported that eleven recruits had died, nine were gravely wounded, and fourteen had fled before returning to the Fist Academy.
• Wu Shuangren expelled the fourteen recruits who had fled and ordered them to leave West River Market for Bo County; they begged him to let them remain.

After punishing deserters and rewarding the militia for their bravery, Wu Shuangren learned the truth about Xu Yu’s past and treated him kindly without questioning him. The next morning, Wu Shuangren led fifty militiamen to the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce’s largest warehouse.

• Wu Shuangren drove away fourteen deserters, warned the militia that future flight would be punished by death, and gave the remaining men a chance to leave.
• Wu Shuangren rewarded nine brave militiamen with ten guan each, promoted Chen Tie, Zhao Shen, and Sun Eryong to company leaders, and appointed Bai Jinhuan battalion leader with a hundred taels of silver.
• Wu Shuangren gave Xu Yu a hundred taels, while Mo Zhengxing reported that the Flying Feather Gang and the Zhang Clan were fighting over the West River Gang’s valuables.
• A scout told Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing that Xu Yu was actually Wang Yu, whose father had died in a fire after Wang Yu allegedly killed him, and that the county had issued a warrant for him.
• Wu Shuangren shared a lavish meal with Xu Yu without asking about his past.
• The next morning, Wu Shuangren led fifty militiamen to the guarded Xie Clan Granary.

Wu Shuangren discovered twenty suits of forbidden infantry armor hidden among the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce’s goods and traced their shipments to the Mist Hidden Temple in Yi Province. After securing the armor and taking steps to inherit the Xie Clan’s businesses, he examined a suit with Bai Jinhuan.

• Wu Shuangren and the militiamen opened the warehouse chests and found fine salt, other trade goods, and twenty suits of infantry armor.
• Wu Shuangren threatened Afu until the steward revealed that chests had been shipped to Yi Province in four shipments, totaling eighty chests, alongside grain bought by the Mist Hidden Temple.
• Wu Shuangren and Mo Zhengxing concluded that the Mist Hidden Temple was likely receiving the armor, then ordered the militiamen to keep the discovery secret.
• Wu Shuangren had the armor sealed and moved, while Mo Zhengxing took charge of selling the Xie Clan’s warehouse goods and inheriting its business.
• Wu Shuangren skipped the Fist King Championship and returned to the Fist Academy, where he and Bai Jinhuan examined the armor and Wu Shuangren put on a suit.

Wu Shuangren tested the infantry armor and sparred with Bai Jinhuan, discovering that his upgraded Trait had brought his Internal Skill up to Bai Jinhuan’s level. He defeated Bai Jinhuan in seven moves, leaving the two to recognize how far his saber technique had advanced.

• Wu Shuangren wore the infantry armor while Bai Jinhuan tested it with half-strength and full-strength saber strikes, and the armor withstood them.
• Wu Shuangren and Bai Jinhuan discussed the battlefield advantages of armor and long weapons, then put on armor to spar.
• Wu Shuangren realized that his upgraded Trait had made his Internal Skill equal to Bai Jinhuan’s as their weapons clashed.
• Wu Shuangren used fluid saber techniques and footwork to disarm and overwhelm Bai Jinhuan in seven moves, stopping his saber at Bai Jinhuan’s nose.
• Bai Jinhuan admitted defeat and regarded Wu Shuangren as a First Rate expert.

Wu Shuangren developed Cloud Tiger Seven Kills and chose a mo saber to adapt the technique for long weapons, while his letter prompted Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu to recruit militiamen on a large scale. As the remains of fallen militiamen returned to Bo County, Liao Yu addressed their grieving families and the shaken militia.

• Wu Shuangren named his seven-form saber technique Cloud Tiger Seven Kills and practiced it in the courtyard.
• Wu Shuangren selected a mo saber from the Xie residence's weapon storehouse and gave the second one to Xu Yu to practice with.
• Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu read Wu Shuangren's account of defeating the West River Gang and destroying the Xie residence, then received his order to recruit as many militiamen as possible.
• A convoy brought the fallen militiamen's remains from West River Market to Bo County, where their families gathered to claim them.
• Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu met the convoy with a hundred militiamen, and Liao Yu addressed the gathered villagers about the risks of joining the militia.

Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu paid the fallen militiamen’s families, recruited hundreds of men, and sent most of the new force to West River Market. At the Fist Academy, Wu Shuangren recognized that Xu Yu’s lack of an Internal Skill kept him from mastering saber techniques and considered whether an adult Internal Skill could suit him.

• Liao Yu announced that families of militiamen killed in battle could receive thirty strings of cash or monthly payments for twenty years, and the families collected their compensation.
• Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu recruited 878 men for the Bo County militia after explaining the requirements and the dangers of service.
• Wu Dongrong led the new recruits out of the county town toward West River Market, recalling Wu Shuangren’s prediction that they would one day go beyond Mist Hidden Mountain.
• Hong Zhanming told Abbot Ciwen that the people of Bo County had destroyed the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce and killed the West River Gang’s four chiefs, and Ciwen ordered them sent to meet the Buddha.
• Wu Shuangren saw that Xu Yu’s saber technique lacked its true power because Xu Yu did not know an Internal Skill, and wondered if an adult Internal Skill could work for him.

Wu Shuangren welcomed his father, Wu Dongrong, and the hundreds of recruits he had brought from Bo County. With the Fist Academy’s forces now numbering over a thousand, Wu Shuangren marched on the former West River Gang compound, leaving Luo Heng alarmed and outnumbered.

• Mo Zhengxing told Wu Shuangren that Luo Heng had begun cultivating martial arts as an adult and had risen from dock laborer to leader of the Flying Feather Gang.
• Wu Dongrong arrived near West River Market with 878 recruits, having led them along back roads with help from veterans and militiamen.
• Wu Shuangren greeted his father, inspected the recruits, and ordered them to obey him as their commander.
• Wu Dongrong refused to stay and returned to Bo County to help Uncle Liao train recruits and oversee the prison.
• Wu Shuangren armed and assembled more than a thousand men, then marched toward the former West River Gang compound.
• Luo Heng ordered the Flying Feather Gang to assemble and sought help from the Zhang Clan, but his hall master warned that their local force was far smaller than Wu Shuangren’s.