In This World, Every Scoundrel Is a Lord

Shen Wulai, a streetwise orphan, was born in the most wretched Mud Alley in the capital. He has no peerless martial arts, no powerful family to rely on, and only a pair of eyes that can see through people and the ways of the world. Skilled at turning circumstances to his advantage, he finds a way to survive even in seemingly hopeless situations.

When he saves an elderly couple in the alley, he incurs the wrath of Lord Tiger, a gang boss in the west of the city. He goes alone to a banquet that is really a trap, and resolves the threat to his life not with his fists, but by weighing the stakes. From then on, this streetwise rogue is swept into the whirlpool of the martial world and the imperial court.

The martial world is full of hypocritical sects, while princes fight for power at court and powerful ministers scheme against one another. In this troubled age, turmoil brews beneath the surface. Everyone pursues power and wealth, struggling for the throne. Shen Wulai alone seeks neither high office nor military power.

He maneuvers among gangland overlords, great generals, imperial tutors, and martial arts experts, exposing hypocrisy, redressing wrongful convictions, and protecting the common people.

As the realm falls into turmoil and the land teeters, lords from every direction battle for supremacy. Though he has nothing, this streetwise rogue saves loyal ministers, brings peace to the people, and cleans up the wreckage of a chaotic age.

Everyone seeks a title of nobility or a high ministerial post, yet he remains the same young rogue of the alleyways. And still, the imperial court and the martial world alike owe him a debt of gratitude, while all the heroes of the realm admire his integrity.

This is the story of an ordinary man from humble roots who wields human nature like a blade and makes his way through the imperial court and the martial world.

Theme: The human heart is the strongest force in the world. Fame, fortune, and power can be tools for helping the world, but should never become one's faith in life. Even in a troubled age, ordinary people can uphold justice through their convictions.