During exile, the scholar Lin Chen uses his exceptional wilderness survival and combat skills to subdue the escort officers who mistreat the prisoners, while treating his fellow exiles with kindness. Upon arriving at Yanmen Pass, he defeats a garrison soldier with a single move in the arena and turns down General Chu Yunlan's invitation to marry into her family, choosing instead to join the perilous scout battalion. During missions, his exceptional reconnaissance and strategic planning repeatedly neutralize crises caused by northern barbarian scouts. Despite Deputy General Zhou and his clansman Lin Hao withholding military supplies and deliberately putting him in danger, he manages to live securely by relying on wilderness self-sufficiency. When a severe drought strikes the northern frontier and Yanmen Pass runs out of water, Lin Chen ventures alone into the poisonous forbidden zone of the Black Abyss Pool, finding enough fresh water and a great catch of fish to save the entire city.