You TanZhi's Descent into Dependence

This flow traces You TanZhi from a bereaved, ineffectual heir into A'Zi's captive admirer and an accidental practitioner of a powerful manual.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Heir Without Skill

A Misfit Heir A failed education You TanZhi has little aptitude for the martial arts taught by his father and uncle. His studies also fail, leaving him without the abilities expected of his family name. Bereavement and aimlessness After the deaths of You Ju and You Ji, he wanders without a clear purpose. His desire for revenge grows stronger than his capacity to achieve it.

The Lime Attack

Revenge Without Power A desperate attempt You TanZhi throws quicklime at Xiao Feng and identifies himself as the son of the You family. His attack fails, and Xiao Feng refuses to kill him or accept his offer of money. A new fixation A'Zi catches his attention even as Xiao Feng releases him. Revenge and infatuation begin to compete inside an already unstable life.

The Iron Mask

A Face Sealed Away A captive's transformation A'Zi arranges for You TanZhi's face to be sealed inside a custom iron mask. The disguise hides his identity from Xiao Feng but makes him a public object of ridicule. Gratitude manipulated A'Zi tells him the mask saved his life, and You TanZhi accepts her account. His longing to remain near her makes him increasingly willing to endure humiliation.

A Manual Revealed

An Accidental Teacher A hidden diagram When You TanZhi suffers unbearable itching from poison, bodily contortions place him in a posture shown in the wet pages of the Yijin Jing. The diagrams help him regulate the poison without understanding the manual. Unintended cultivation He repeats the postures because they relieve his pain, not because he seeks martial distinction. The manual begins to transform him precisely because he approaches it without ambition.

A New Disciple

A Bargain for Survival A powerful instinctive strike You TanZhi's growing internal strength allows him to throw a Xingxiu disciple with lethal force. Ding Chunqiu recognizes an unusual source of power and tests him with a poison palm. Submission under pressure You TanZhi begs for his life and accepts Ding Chunqiu as master. His new status offers protection, but places him inside the sect that has been exploiting him.

Before You Ju's death at Juxian Manor

During a Liao raid near the Song border

After A'Zi secretly recaptures him in Nanjing

During the first poison experiments at Beginning Fortune Palace

After You TanZhi frees Ding Chunqiu from the python trap