The series is set in China during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. The emperor orders Nalan Degang, a Manchu bannerman, to form and lead a secret death squad to eliminate the Great Ming Society, a Yangzhou-based underground movement seeking to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty. The death squad is named "Flying Guillotines" after the highly dreaded weapon used by its members. Fang Shiyu is the elder son of Fang De, the governor of Yangzhou. He spends his time enjoying life with his best friend, Nalan Dekai, who is Nalan Degang's younger brother. Zhu Lingce, the Black Guardian of the Great Ming Society, is a descendant of the imperial clan of the Ming dynasty. In the past, he had a romantic affair with Miao Cuihua, Fang Shiyu's mother, but chose to give up on her to pursue his quest to overthrow the Qing dynasty. Although Miao Cuihua married Fang De and bore him two sons, she still has romantic feelings for Zhu Lingce. It turns out later that Fang De is actually the White Guardian of the Great Ming Society and he has been secretly using his position as the governor of Yangzhou to help the society in their anti-Qing activities. Fang Shiyu and Nalan Dekai travel to Shaolin Monastery to learn martial arts and master the Yijin Jing. Their friend, Song Tiezhu, succumbs to the temptation of glory and chooses to join Nalan Degang and serve the Qing government as a spy. When Nalan Degang captures Zhu Lingce, Fang Shiyu and his friends break into prison to save him. However, Song Tiezhu betrays them, causes Zhu Lingce to get killed, and exposes Fang De's true identity as the White Guardian of the Great Ming Society. While Fang De is arrested and taken to Beijing, Fang Shiyu manages to escape and he brings along Nalan Dekai, who was injured while helping him, to Shaolin Monastery for treatment. However, Song Tiezhu leads Qing forces to attack Shaolin and capture them. Fang Shiyu defeats Song Tiezhu in a fight and permanently disables him to prevent him from harming others again. The Yongzheng Emperor uses a scheme to create a misunderstanding between Fang De and the Great Ming Society and tricks the society into believing that Fang De betrayed them. Fang De has no choice but to commit suicide to prove his innocence. In the meantime, Fang Shiyu trains hard in martial arts with the aim of seeking justice and avenging his father. He breaks into the Forbidden City and tries to assassinate the Yongzheng Emperor, but ultimately gives up on his quest for vengeance when he realises the best option is to spare the emperor's life because there will be further chaos and bloodshed if a power vacuum is created when the emperor dies.
