Shi Jin was from the Shi Family Village in Huayin Prefecture. From young, he loved martial arts and did not pay much attention to other domestic affairs. He got someone to tattoo flower patterns all over his body, with the addition of another nine dragons on his upper torso. Thus, he was nicknamed 'Nine tattooed dragons'(九紋龍).
In the opening chapters, Wang Jin, an imperial drill instructor who offended Gao Qiu, fled to the Shi Family Village for refuge. Wang Jin and Shi Jin had a contest, in which Wang won. Shi Jin was impressed and was willing to be Wang's disciple, learning martial arts from the instructor.
