Chapter Summaries

Wu Shuangren killed Kongzheng after a fierce duel, breaking the warrior monks’ morale and turning the battle into a rout. He led the pursuit as the survivors fled through the pass and into the river, while the cavalry outside fell into disorder after Kongzheng’s death.

• Wu Shuangren fought Kongzheng as the militia, the Flying Feather Gang, and ranged troops pressed the warrior monks from several sides.
• Kongzheng used the [World-Purifying Wisdom King Mantra] to draw out his strength, but Wu Shuangren severed his right wrist and then killed him with a series of saber strikes.
• Wu Shuangren raised Kongzheng’s corpse and announced his death, causing the warrior monks’ morale to collapse as Bai Jinhuan, Luo Heng, and the militia attacked the fleeing enemy.
• The warrior monks crowded through the narrow bend, and many were shoved into the river, where archers and crossbowmen shot at those trying to escape.
• Wu Shuangren led the pursuit after the survivors, while the cavalry outside the pass descended into chaos and its leaders argued over whether to retreat.

Wu Shuangren’s militia routed Mist Hidden Temple’s forces, then counted the casualties and spoils and accepted the Flying Feather Gang into its ranks. As the troops headed back to West River Market with prisoners and captured equipment, Mo Zhengxing waited anxiously at the fortified settlement.

• Wu Shuangren pursued the fleeing warrior monks after defeating Kongzheng, and his forces chased Mist Hidden Temple’s survivors nearly two li before stopping.
• The militia and Flying Feather Gang counted their losses, while Wu Shuangren ordered the seriously wounded enemy monks killed and their bodies burned.
• Luo Heng offered to bring the entire Flying Feather Gang into Wu Shuangren’s militia, and Wu Shuangren accepted.
• The victors collected armor, weapons, and nineteen warhorses, treated their wounded, ate, and then set out for West River Market with forty-five captured monks.
• At West River Market, Mo Zhengxing waited in the council hall, holding cold tea after Wu Shuangren had left him in charge of the rear.

Wu Shuangren returned to West River Market after defeating Mist Hidden Temple, while the Fist Academy and Flying Feather Gang seized the Zhang Clan’s compound. Back at the stronghold, he reviewed the captured property and prisoners as Mo Zhengxing worried about Mist Hidden Temple’s next move.

• Mo Zhengxing sent seven hundred militia and more than four hundred Flying Feather Gang members to surround the Zhang Clan compound, where Zhang Song’s men surrendered or were captured.
• Mo Zhengxing’s forces seized the Zhang Clan compound, its stores and property, and captured Zhang Song and other clan members.
• Zhang He learned of the defeat, armed his remaining militia, and waited for Mist Hidden Temple’s reinforcements before acting.
• Three days later, a scout reported that Wu Shuangren had killed Master Kongzheng and routed Mist Hidden Temple’s forces and cavalry, leaving Zhang He devastated.
• Wu Shuangren returned to West River Market with an orderly column and was welcomed as its true master.
• Wu Shuangren heard Mo Zhengxing’s inventory of the Zhang Clan’s property and ordered the captured militiamen and warrior monks held while the goods were distributed or stored.

Wu Shuangren reviewed his fight with Kongzheng, distributed battle rewards, and ordered a formal system of militia pay, rewards, and punishments. He reorganized the Flying Feather Gang into the militia and the Flying Feather Hall, assigning Luo Heng to lead its canal-wide intelligence network.

• Wu Shuangren concluded that his techniques and limited cultivation made defeating a First Rate expert difficult, and he noticed that his [Match for One Person] Trait could upgrade again.
• Wu Shuangren rewarded the militia and Flying Feather Gang fighters for their roles in the canal ambush, then tasked Mo Zhengxing and Bai Jinhuan with drafting clear military rewards and punishments.
• Wu Shuangren screened the Flying Feather Gang's members, formed the Eleventh and Twelfth Battalions, and distributed eligible gang members among the twelve battalions.
• Wu Shuangren renamed the remaining gang the Flying Feather Hall, appointed Luo Heng its hall master, and ordered him to help manage businesses while building an intelligence network along the canal.
• Luo Heng accepted the order to gather intelligence across Yi Province and Xi Province, while word of the Zhang Clan compound's seizure and the Flying Feather Hall's incorporation spread through West River Market.

Wu Shuangren established the West River Market Chamber of Commerce, ending customary dues and setting rules intended to help merchants prosper. A month later, the market was calm and thriving, with the militia earning 1,432 strings, while Wu Shuangren began delegating financial and business duties to trusted relatives.

• Wu Shuangren announced the West River Market Chamber of Commerce and appointed himself its president, with Mo Zhengxing explaining its rules to the merchants.
• Mo Zhengxing said the chamber would prohibit merchants from undermining one another, encourage voluntary cooperation, and abolish customary dues in favor of lower membership fees.
• Shopkeeper Zhao joined the chamber and learned he would pay eight hundred wen a month, less than the customary dues he had previously paid.
• During the first month after the chamber was established, West River Market remained peaceful as trade and the flow of goods increased.
• Mo Zhengxing reported that the militia had earned 1,432 strings in the month, including income from fighting matches, dock and waterway fees, membership fees, and its own businesses.
• Wu Shuangren asked how the young Wu and Liao relatives were doing as Mo Zhengxing's assistants, and Mo Zhengxing said they were learning quickly.

Wu Shuangren celebrated Xu Yu’s safe start in internal training while considering the next steps for his forces. As the Zhang Clan received an encouraging reply from Mist Hidden Temple, adviser Zhou Zhengqing arrived at Wu Shuangren’s settlement on the county magistrate’s orders.

• Wu Shuangren put his relatives under Mo Zhengxing’s instruction and told him to report any problems.
• Xu Yu demonstrated that he had learned the basics of Metal and Stone Qi, and Bai Jinhuan found no major hidden dangers in his body.
• Bai Jinhuan asked whether Wu Shuangren planned to fight the Zhang Clan, but Wu Shuangren told him to wait patiently.
• Zhang He learned that West River Market was prospering under its merchants’ association and grew angry when the county yamen sent someone there.
• Zhang He received a letter from Mist Hidden Temple and expressed confidence that the market’s prosperity would not last.
• Zhou Zhengqing arrived at Wu Shuangren’s settlement as an adviser from the West River County yamen and met with Wu Shuangren.

Wu Shuangren offered to increase West River Market’s commercial tax payments in exchange for control of West River County’s militia, while Zhou Zhengqing returned to report his impressions to Magistrate Guo Jiwang. Guo Jiwang became intrigued by Wu Shuangren and his soldiers’ unusual training, then asked Zhou about the battle at West River Market.

• Zhou Zhengqing approached Wu Shuangren about collecting commercial taxes for West River County, and Wu consulted Mo Zhengxing and Luo Heng about the arrangement.
• Wu Shuangren offered to pay more tax than the previous forces had, provided the county recognized him as militia commander; Zhou Zhengqing agreed to relay the demand to Magistrate Guo Jiwang.
• After Zhou left, Wu Shuangren explained that he expected the county to bargain and proposed appointing a local commander temporarily while securing control of the militia.
• Zhou Zhengqing returned to the county yamen and told Guo Jiwang that Wu Shuangren was likely the real leader of West River Market, not a figurehead.
• Zhou Zhengqing described the militia’s precisely synchronized drills and patrols, and Guo Jiwang asked him about the battle at West River Market.

Guo Jiwang assessed Wu Shuangren’s battlefield leadership and training, then agreed to let him recruit militia in West River Market while reserving the commander’s title for a county native. Zhou Zhengqing delivered the terms to Wu, who accepted and handed over the market’s commercial taxes.

• Zhou Zhengqing told Guo Jiwang that Wu Shuangren’s fifty militia had held formation against a larger force and that Wu had killed several enemy leaders.
• Guo Jiwang compared Wu’s battlefield charge to the Hegemon-King’s and said he would watch Wu before deciding whether to support him.
• Guo Jiwang instructed Zhou Zhengqing to offer militia recruitment in West River Market while insisting that the commander be a West River County native.
• Zhou Zhengqing returned to Wu Shuangren’s stronghold and conveyed the magistrate’s terms.
• Wu Shuangren accepted the arrangement and ordered seventy strings of cash, the previous month’s commercial tax, given to Zhou Zhengqing.

Wu Shuangren prepared to recruit a thousand militiamen in West River Market, then secretly set out with Xu Yu for Bo County after receiving a letter from Liao Yu. On the road, Xu Yu sensed danger, and arrows erupted from both sides of the road as Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu trained with the Bo County militia.

• Zhou Zhengqing left Wu Shuangren's stockade impressed by its militia and expanding walls, while Luo Heng reported turmoil within the Zhang Clan and little intelligence about the Mist Hidden Temple.
• Wu Shuangren ordered Luo Heng to recruit a thousand men, and the announcement drew long lines of applicants in West River Market.
• Wu Shuangren allowed qualified former Xie Clan guards and West River Gang members to apply but rejected men whose families lived outside West River Market.
• After reading Liao Yu's letter asking him to visit for his birthday, Wu Shuangren arranged matters in West River Market and decided to return to Bo County with Xu Yu in secret.
• Wu Dongrong and Xu Nanzhi discussed whether Wu Shuangren would come home, while Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu continued training with the Bo County militia.
• On the road to Bo County, Xu Yu sensed danger, and dozens of arrows shot from the locust groves toward Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu.

Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu were ambushed on the road while traveling from West River Market to Bo County, and they fought their way into a locust grove. Wu Shuangren returned to help the injured Xu Yu as more riders surrounded them.

• Wu Dongrong learned that messenger Sun Yong had not returned from West River Market and sent Li Quan and Zhao Laosi along a safer path to investigate.
• An ambush killed both Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu's horses, forcing the two men to flee into a locust grove pursued by armed riders.
• Wu Shuangren used [Match for One Person] to seize an enemy horse, while Xu Yu took another, but Xu Yu struggled to ride through the trees and was surrounded.
• Xu Yu dismounted under arrow fire and was wounded in a clash with mounted attackers, so Wu Shuangren turned back to aid him.
• Wu Shuangren shot down riders and defeated two more in close combat before rejoining Xu Yu as a dozen enemies surrounded them and additional riders arrived.

Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu fought their way through a Mist Hidden Temple ambush, killing many riders while the temple’s forces tried to wear them down. As Wu Shuangren faced the temple’s twenty armored elite riders led by Liaoming, the battle reached its most dangerous stage.

• Hong Zhanming told Ciwen that his trap had a fifty percent chance of success because Wu Shuangren might refuse to return to Bo County.
• Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu fought through the woods, killing nine riders and escaping the first cavalry charge before Wu Shuangren’s horse was shot down.
• Wu Shuangren mounted an enemy horse and continued fighting as the cavalry pursued him with arrows.
• Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu killed twenty-six riders over nearly a quarter of an hour, while the remaining cavalry grew reluctant to attack.
• Liaoming led twenty armored elite riders into the woods, and Wu Shuangren recognized the Mist Hidden Temple’s trump card.

Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu fought Liaoming’s armored warrior monks in a covert ambush, enduring repeated charges as Liaoming tested Wu Shuangren’s strength. Wu Shuangren broke Liaoming’s arm in a ground grapple, but the monks surrounded them, leaving both fighters bloodied and the battle unresolved.

• Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu faced twenty armored riders, with Xu Yu fighting on foot while Wu Shuangren met the mounted monks head-on.
• Wu Shuangren recognized Liaoming as a First Rate expert when their weapons collided, then endured another round of paired charges as Xu Yu’s injuries worsened.
• Wu Shuangren leaped from his horse, seized Liaoming, and used an armbar to break Liaoming’s right arm before the other monks could reach them.
• Wu Shuangren and Liaoming resumed fighting on foot, but the surrounding monks closed in, and Xu Yu fought to keep them from attacking Wu Shuangren from behind.
• Wu Shuangren used his footwork and the trees to evade the armored monks, killing one and disabling another while Liaoming stayed out of his reach.

Xu Nanzhi rode from Bo County to West River Market after Wu Dongrong feared Mist Hidden Temple was targeting Wu Shuangren, then found her son surrounded and fighting. She cut through the attackers and struck Liaoming down, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Wu Dongrong told Xu Nanzhi about Sun Yong and feared Mist Hidden Temple would move against Wu Shuangren, so Xu Nanzhi set out for West River Market with his birthday shoes.
• Xu Nanzhi smelled blood on the road, entered a locust grove, and discovered Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu surrounded by cavalrymen and warrior monks.
• Xu Nanzhi broke through the cavalry cordon and killed two warrior monks with precise sword thrusts.
• Xu Nanzhi charged Liaoming to avenge Wu Shuangren and overwhelmed him despite his use of the [World-Purifying Wisdom King Mantra].
• Xu Nanzhi smashed Liaoming’s breastplate with a palm strike and shoulder charge, then hurled an iron spear at him.

Xu Nanzhi arrived in time to save Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu, killing all twenty armored experts sent by the Mist Hidden Temple. As she treated them, she revealed she was a First Rank martial artist and explained the signs of the realm, while Wu Shuangren reassured her that he did not resent her for keeping her abilities hidden.

• Xu Nanzhi killed Liaoming and pursued the fleeing armored warrior monks, leaving all twenty dead while the remaining cavalry escaped.
• Xu Nanzhi treated Wu Shuangren and Xu Yu, then told Wu Shuangren that Sun Yong’s trouble had delayed the birthday gift she had come to deliver.
• Wu Shuangren realized the letter from Liao Yu was likely forged as part of the Mist Hidden Temple’s ambush.
• Xu Nanzhi confirmed she was a First Rank martial artist and explained Heavenly Cycle Breathing and Thunder Sound Arises Naturally.
• Xu Nanzhi asked whether Wu Shuangren resented her for not helping him before, and he told her that his choices and their consequences were his own.

Wu Shuangren returned to West River Market with Xu Nanzhi and Xu Yu after collecting armor and horses from the battlefield, then learned that the compound was safe. After reporting the ambush to his commanders, he ordered the troops to move against the Zhang Clan.

• Xu Nanzhi explained that she had sworn not to use martial arts except in life-or-death situations, and Wu Shuangren reassured her while Xu Yu praised her as a good mother.
• Wu Shuangren, Xu Nanzhi, and Xu Yu gathered twenty suits of infantry armor and thirty-seven warhorses, though Xu Nanzhi secretly suffered a nosebleed while working.
• The three traveled through the night to West River Market, where Wu Shuangren found the fortified compound safe and ordered Bai Jinhuan to assemble the First Company.
• Wu Shuangren told Mo Zhengxing, Luo Heng, and the company captains about the ambush and declared that he would attack the Zhang Clan without waiting for recruitment to finish.
• Wu Shuangren ordered the First through Tenth Companies to deploy while the Eleventh and Twelfth guarded the compound, and told the troops to assemble within half a shichen.

Wu Shuangren led more than a thousand militiamen toward West River County to confront the Zhang Clan after the failed ambush. The county yamen refused to intervene, and Zhang He marched out to defend the militia encampment as Guo Jiwang learned of his move.

• Wu Shuangren led a thousand militiamen out of West River Market despite Xu Nanzhi urging him to let her accompany him.
• Zhang He learned Wu Shuangren was approaching with over a thousand men and summoned the Zhang Clan branch heads.
• Zhang He admitted he had passed information to the Mist Hidden Temple but denied taking part in its ambush.
• Feng Zhihong reported that the county yamen would not interfere, saying the conflict was an internal militia dispute.
• Zhang He rejected proposals to retreat and left the city with men to defend the militia encampment.
• Zhou Zhengqing told Guo Jiwang that Zhang He had taken his men out of the city.

Wu Shuangren led a thousand militiamen to the Zhang Clan’s camp and forced Zhang He to accept a one-on-one fight after using captured clansmen to unsettle the defenders. Zhang He chose mounted combat, but after two exchanges Wu Shuangren had badly injured his shoulder and left him struggling to stay in the saddle.

• Guo Jiwang predicted that the Zhang Clan’s internal divisions would worsen under pressure and said he had cleared the way for Wu Shuangren’s attack.
• Wu Shuangren arrived at the camp with a thousand militiamen and presented eight captured Zhang clansmen, including Zhang Song, to the defenders.
• Zhang He tried to frighten the captives into silence by shooting at Zhang Song, but his arrow struck the ground before his brother.
• Wu Shuangren accused Zhang He of plotting to kill him and challenged him to fight one-on-one; Zhang He agreed after his men questioned why they should die for him.
• Zhang He rode out in armor with a spear, hoping mounted combat would give him an advantage, but Wu Shuangren countered his first charge and nearly knocked the spear from his hands.
• Wu Shuangren disrupted Zhang He’s timing in their second clash, smashed his shoulder with a saber, and left him in pain and near collapse.

Wu Shuangren killed Zhang He, forced Zhang Clan Village to surrender, and seized its militia, weapons, armor, grain, and horses. Back in West River Market, he reunited with Xu Nanzhi and Xu Yu and asked his mother about the special pills and nourishing foods needed by powerful martial artists.

• Wu Shuangren shot Zhang He's horse, threw him from the saddle, and killed him while Bai Jinhuan and the others suppressed the archers.
• Wu Shuangren counted down as his thousand militiamen advanced, and Zhang Clan Village opened its gate and surrendered.
• Wu Shuangren's forces secured the village and confiscated its militia's weapons and armor, along with grain, bows, arrows, and horses.
• Wu Shuangren left Bai Jinhuan in charge and returned to West River Market with his fifty mounted personal guards.
• Wu Shuangren ate with Xu Nanzhi and Xu Yu, then asked his mother whether she used special pills or nourishing foods to support her Internal Skill cultivation.

Wu Shuangren learned that Xu Nanzhi’s secret technique kept her needs for food low, and she confirmed that Xu Yu had no hidden injuries and exceptional potential. He traveled to West River County to meet magistrate Guo Jiwang, whose Trait surprised him as their first meeting began.

• Xu Nanzhi explained that her secret technique contained her blood and Qi, but refused to teach it to Wu Shuangren.
• Xu Nanzhi examined Xu Yu and found no hidden problems, praising his extraordinary aptitude and potential to transform if he reached First Rank.
• Guo Jiwang learned that Wu Shuangren had seized Zhang Clan Village without losses and waited for him, but Wu Shuangren did not arrive that day.
• Wu Shuangren saw Xu Nanzhi off after agreeing on secret codes for their messages, then rode to Zhang Clan Village and chose twenty men to accompany him into West River County.
• Wu Shuangren entered the county town and went to the county yamen, leaving Zhang Clan figures worried as Zhou Zhengqing escorted him inside.
• Wu Shuangren met Guo Jiwang and noticed the blood-red Trait [Mad Osprey] above his head.

Wu Shuangren met with West River County Magistrate Guo Jiwang, who explained how to build a stronger militia and secure its loyalty by rewarding soldiers with land. Over lunch, their frank conversation and drinking drew them closer, and Guo revealed that he came from Huai Province and had no home to return to.

• Wu Shuangren thanked Guo Jiwang for allowing him to deal with the Zhang Clan and asked why Guo had helped him.
• Guo Jiwang said he preferred an ambitious, capable commander and asked about Wu Shuangren's plans to destroy Mist Hidden Temple; Wu described his victories against its forces.
• Guo Jiwang explained why tenant farmers made better soldiers than gang members or poorly led clan militia, and Wu Shuangren outlined how he would select and promote recruits.
• Guo Jiwang advised Wu Shuangren to seize the Zhang Clan's land and award it to soldiers according to merit, securing their loyalty.
• Guo Jiwang invited Wu Shuangren to lunch, and after drinking together, told him that he was from Huai Province and had no home to return to.