What is “beating the tree”?

It’s a real traditional folk performance where a blacksmith flings molten iron against a wall or frame, creating a spectacular shower of sparks that resembles a tree of fire.

Why does the old couple call Li Sui “Ni’er”?

They mistake her for their long-lost daughter of the same name, who was sold by her husband years ago. “Ni’er” is an affectionate dialect term for “little girl.”

What is the law about “selling and pawning a wife”?

Historically, under extreme poverty, a husband could “pawn” or sell his wife to another man for a set period. The gangster invokes this cruel custom, which the story uses to highlight the brutal social reality.

Ni’er

1,215 words

“Girl. Come, sit on the kang. Drink some jujube water, have a persimmon cake. You always loved sweets when you were little—I’ve kept them for you.”

“Meat? You like meat, don’t you? I’ll go cut some for you right now! Let your mother stew it for you!”

The old man who beats the tree, together with the old woman at his side, kept fussing around Li Sui, their smiles never once dropping.

“Oh, right, girl. How did you get back? Didn’t I hear you were sold by that beast to—” The old woman began, only to have her foot stepped on by the old man.

“New Year’s, what’s the point of saying such unlucky things! We’ll talk after today!”

Li Sui was getting impatient with all this prying. She had no idea what the two people in front of her were talking about. “Didn’t I come to learn how to beat the tree? I want to learn.”

“I’ll teach you! I’ll teach you right now!” The old man nodded vigorously.

With that, the old man led Li Sui around the back of the house. When he pulled aside a cloth curtain dotted with several round burn holes, Li Sui was surprised to find that the other half of the house was actually a blacksmith forge. One side of the room was living space; the other was for smithing.

“Girl, beating the tree has to be done by a blacksmith. Know why? Because only we can get enough molten iron.”

The old man tossed a few coal cakes into the forge, which was already glowing dark red. He grabbed the two wooden handles of the bellows beside it and began to pump them vigorously.

As the air fed the stove, the coal cakes slowly turned bright red and the flames grew stronger. He kept talking while he worked the bellows. “Girl, we can’t charge cheap for one beating of the tree—at least two hundred coppers. And that doesn’t even include the cost of the iron. Remember that price: only more, never less.”

When the temperature felt about right, he placed a thick-walled iron crucible on the blazing coals. Inside the crucible he piled some old horseshoes, a rusty kitchen knife, and other scrap.

“There’s a trick to the iron cost, too. We charge for good-quality iron, then melt down junk scrap and charge for that. That gap—that’s extra profit.”

Li Sui wasn’t really listening. She was staring fixedly at the furnace, its waves of heat washing over her face.

Seeing her like that, the old man took off his leather coat and laughed happily. His daughter was just like when she was a kid—loving to watch him smith. She’d squat there and stare all day, just like now.

But then the old woman who had followed them noticed something. She crept closer and spoke low to the old man: “Husband, what’s going on? Something’s strange. Our girl seems like a different person.”

The old man shot her a glare as he worked the bellows. He glanced cautiously toward Li Sui, then lowered his voice: “Different? That she came back in one piece is already enough to thank the ancestors for their blessing. What more do you want? Calm down!”

He grabbed some good-quality coal from a nearby shelf, crumbled it, and threw it into the already red-hot crucible. He spoke to Li Sui: “Girl, remember—you need to put in some good charcoal like this. Then the iron melts faster.”

“I’ll remember,” Li Sui said, learning earnestly.

As the coal was added, the iron pieces in the crucible began to glow, then slowly melted into the same silvery liquid used for beating the tree.

“Come on, move aside. I’m going to pour this molten iron into the bucket. Don’t underestimate it—one bucketful weights a lot.” The old man gritted his teeth, his hands trembling with the effort as he lifted the iron bucket and hurried toward the city wall.

“Girl, remember—when you beat the tree, you have to throw it upward. And you need force behind it. If there isn’t enough power, that molten iron will fall back and splash all over your head.”

“Whoosh—” As the fiery tree of gold burst once more across the wall, Li Sui’s eyes lit up. “That’s really beautiful.”

Seeing the happy smile on Li Sui’s face, the old man threw himself into the motion with renewed vigor, ladle after ladle of molten iron slung against the wall.

When the beating was finished, the old man, breathing heavily, walked over to Li Sui. “Girl? How about it? Did you learn? If not, your father will teach you again!”

“Yes, yes!” Li Sui nodded happily. She couldn’t get tired of watching this.

“Alright then, let’s go back! We’ll melt another batch!” The old man picked up the iron bucket and led Li Sui back home, beaming.

But they had barely taken two steps when a young tough, his arms bare in the dead cold, swaggered into their path. “Hey there, old man-in-law. Saw you beating the tree from way off. Happy New Year, happy New Year.”

When the old man recognized who it was, he immediately stepped in front of Li Sui, raising the iron bucket and shouting, “You heartless beast! Get out of here! Was it not enough that you sold the girl once already?”

His words reminded the tough that there was a familiar woman near him. When he recognized Li Sui, his eyes lit up. “So far away and you made it back? Not bad, girl. Been a while—miss your husband?”

“Scram!”

“Bam!” Seeing the iron bucket swing toward him, the tough flinched and stumbled backward, barely avoiding it.

“What the hell, you old bastard! You dare to mess with me?” He rolled up his sleeves and rushed forward, raining blows and kicks on the old man.

“Listen up! The girl married me. She belongs to my family now. If I want to sell her, I sell her! If I want to pawn her, I pawn her! Even if we go to the yamen, the law’s on my side!”

“Girl! Run! Run home!” the old man yelled while trying to block the blows.

Li Sui did not run. She stood there and watched everything, trying to understand the complicated meaning behind it.

Father had never taught her about this. She couldn’t quite follow.

When she saw the old man fall to the ground, Li Sui stepped forward and said, “Why are you hitting him? He taught me how to beat the tree. You can’t hit him.”

The tough paused, looking at her with surprise. “Oh ho, getting sold out made you worldly, huh? Used to be you couldn’t even string three words together, and now you talk back to me?”

As Li Sui studied his expression, the tough raised his left hand and suddenly slapped her hard across the face. “What are you staring at? Asking for it, are you?”

Li Sui glanced at the old man, his face swollen and bruised on the ground, then back at the tough. Suddenly a peculiar emotion surged inside her—a strange feeling she had never felt before.

“Slap.” Another slap. “Fuck it. Now get your ass home! Wash all my clothes! Sweep the whole house clean!”

—

Next chapter update at 23:30.

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Reading Guide Decoding

Found Family, Lost Daughter: Li Sui Learns Rage

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Folk Custom – “Beating the Tree” (打树): This is a real traditional Chinese folk performance, often held during festivals, especially in northern Shanxi. A blacksmith heats scrap iron until it becomes molten, then uses a ladle to fling it against an old wall or a specialized iron frame. The resulting splash of sparks resembles a tree made of fire, hence the name. It’s a craft that requires both strength and precision—too weak, and the iron falls back on the thrower.

Social Structure – “Pawn a Wife” (典妻): The gangster threatens to “pawn” Ni’er. 典妻 is a historical and tragic practice in which a man would lease or sell his wife to another man for a fixed period, often due to extreme poverty. Despite being officially banned, it persisted in some rural areas. This abusive custom gives the gangster’s lines a terrifying legalistic cruelty—he is not just violent, he believes the law is on his side.

Nickname – “Ni’er” (妮儿): A northern Chinese dialect term for “daughter” or “little girl,” used affectionately by parents. The old couple uses it repeatedly, underscoring the deep familial love they feel for a daughter they think they have lost forever.

Ni’er (妮儿)

A northern Chinese dialect term for “daughter” or “little girl,” used affectionately by parents.

Chapter Overview

This quiet interlude turns into one of the most gut-punching displays of learned humanity in Dao Gui Yi Xian. Li Sui, the child-like entity adopted by Li Huowang, wanders into a small town where an elderly blacksmith couple mistakes her for their long-lost daughter, “Ni’er.” Eager to learn the folk craft of “beating the tree” (splashing molten iron against a city wall to create a fiery waterfall), Li Sui plays along. But soon the past catches up: a thuggish husband appears, the one who originally sold Ni’er, and the violence he brings teaches Li Sui something no manual ever could—a raw, baffling anger that she has never felt before. It’s a chapter about family love, societal cruelty, and a monster learning to be human through the most painful lessons.

Key Plot Points

Mistaken Identity: The old couple mistakes Li Sui for their daughter Ni’er. They show her the tender affection of parents who believed they had lost their child forever, plying her with sweets and familial warmth.
The Lesson of “Beating the Tree”: The old blacksmith teaches Li Sui the art and economics of making a fire tree—throwing molten iron high against a wall. Li Sui absorbs the technique with genuine pleasure, fascinated by the beauty of the rain of sparks.
The Return of the Abuser: A bare-armed gangster, the husband who sold Ni’er, intercepts them. He threatens the old man and asserts his legal right over Ni’er, attacking the father.
Li Sui’s First Blow: The gangster slaps Li Sui twice. Instead of reacting with fear or confusion, Li Sui feels a new, unnamed emotion—a fiery, resentful heat that she has never experienced before. This marks a critical step in her emotional development.
A Test of Boundaries: Li Sui does not run or cry. She stands still, demanding an explanation—not yet fighting back, but learning what it means to be wronged.

Reading Guide

Get your heart ready, Daoists. This chapter is a masterclass in emotional misdirection. You walk in expecting Li Sui to learn a fun trade secret, and you walk out with your chest hollowed out by the casual cruelty of the real world. The old couple’s desperate joy is so earnest that it hurts to watch, especially knowing the real Ni’er is long gone. The gangster’s appearance isn’t just a villain moment—it’s a trial by emotion for Li Sui. She doesn’t understand “love” or “loss,” but she feels the injustice. The classic Dao Gui trick: let the horror of human evil speak for itself, while our inhuman protagonist slowly, bewilderingly, picks up the pieces of what it means to be wronged.

Pay attention to how Li Sui reacts. She isn’t processing anger as “I should kill him.” She’s trying to fit the new sensation into her catalog of learned behaviors. The author is building her arc toward empathy and protectiveness—and when she finally acts, it might be the most terrifying thing in the novel.

Quick Q&A

Lore recap (TL;DR) drawn from this chapter's Cultural / Xianxia Notes — same text as the FAQ structured data on this page.

What is “beating the tree”?: It’s a real traditional folk performance where a blacksmith flings molten iron against a wall or frame, creating a spectacular shower of sparks that resembles a tree of fire.
Why does the old couple call Li Sui “Ni’er”?: They mistake her for their long-lost daughter of the same name, who was sold by her husband years ago. “Ni’er” is an affectionate dialect term for “little girl.”
What is the law about “selling and pawning a wife”?: Historically, under extreme poverty, a husband could “pawn” or sell his wife to another man for a set period. The gangster invokes this cruel custom, which the story uses to highlight the brutal social reality.