Sword in Hand, I Refuse to Be a Good Samaritan in the Martial World

In the final years of the Great Jing Dynasty, the martial world was dominated by seven great aristocratic clans, who monopolized martial arts resources. Most martial artists from humble families became the clans' hired muscle, their lives worth next to nothing.

Cen Yanci was an ordinary boy from a poor family on the outskirts of the city. His family happened upon evidence that the aristocratic clans were colluding with corrupt officials. Overnight, his entire family was murdered to silence them. He alone survived, hidden in a woodshed. His enemies spread rumors, slandering the Cen family as bandits' accomplices. The authorities did nothing, and the martial world looked on with indifference.

Ordinary heroes believed in repaying evil with kindness and abiding by the code of the martial world. Cen Yanci saw through their hypocritical niceties and cast aside their rigid chivalry. He trusted only the sword in his hand. He inherited a damaged, old sword manual left behind by his elders. It could not rapidly increase his strength, so he could only train his body night and day, patiently breaking down each move and lying low. By day, he earned a living doing backbreaking labor at the city's docks. At night, he hid in a ruined house to train in secret and gather evidence of his enemies' crimes.

On the surface, he was meek and mild, letting street thugs bully him. Behind the scenes, he plotted at every turn, exploiting divisions within the aristocratic clans and setting the various factions against one another. He did not seek out the prestigious orthodox sects, rely on the patronage of powerful benefactors, or wait for an unrivaled master to appear from nowhere and help him. Instead, he navigated the gray areas of the world from the perspective of someone at the very bottom of society.