The Hidden Tai Chi Heroine

Cain Ford loves Iris Blair, a maid in his household with a birthmark on her face that has people calling her ugly. He has taught her the Ford family's tai chi, and she has taken to it well enough to be very good, but clan rules forbid passing it to a woman, so she never shows what she can do. The Roth daughter wants Cain to marry into her family, and Cain's father favors the match because it would put the Fords back on their feet. Cain refuses, and the Roths take that badly. The daughter and her brother come to the house to force the point, and Cain agrees to settle it in the ring. He is not a strong fighter and loses match after match. His own relatives blame him for embarrassing the family rather than understanding why he is doing it. The Roth brother, in a temper, uses a technique meant to kill Iris. Cain throws himself in the way and is badly hurt. Iris stops hiding and steps into the ring.