In the seventeenth year of the Republic, rain and mist shrouded Wuzhen in Jiangnan. The Chen family, whose generations had passed down their Tai Chi, had gradually faded into obscurity amid the turmoil of the times. Chen Yanzhou, the last head of the family, had mastered Tai Chi to perfection. Yet, following his ancestors' instructions, he kept a low profile among ordinary people, making a living by opening a private school to teach calligraphy and painting. He concealed the essence of Tai Chi in his brushwork, never discussing martial arts with anyone and never involving himself in jianghu disputes.
At the time, warlords carved up the land and the martial world was in turmoil. Foreign martial arts clashed fiercely with local styles, while villains coveted the Chen family's secret manual, The Heart of Tai Chi, hoping to profit from its peerless techniques. A sudden threat of annihilation shattered Wuzhen's peace.
As he fought to protect his family's legacy, Chen Yanzhou met progressive young people devoted to their country, as well as wandering heroes of the jianghu. He also faced betrayal and schemes. From the gentle waterways of Jiangnan, to the turbulent docks of Shanghai, and then to the vast Central Plains, Chen Yanzhou gradually uncovered the secrets behind the Chen family's century-old Tai Chi tradition and came to understand that Tai Chi was a great path of guarding one's heart, one's principles, and all living beings.
He wove the philosophy of yin and yang giving rise to one another into his techniques, preserving the heart of martial arts amid the chaos. He not only kept the Tai Chi lineage alive, but also used its yielding nature to resolve the jianghu's grudges and resist foreign aggression. He showed the world that beneath Tai Chi's seemingly soft exterior lay an unyielding spirit and the soul of a thousand-year-old martial tradition.
