Chapter Summaries

Duàn Yì learned how Qin Xin’s enemies had betrayed her family and asked how she planned to take revenge; Qin Xin vowed to destroy them with the Heavenly Demonic Qin. Meanwhile, Song Gaoxuan, Wu Dewei, and Gao Zhewen waited in Wuyang County for Qin Xin to return, and Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen prepared to face her without Wu Dewei.

• Duàn Yì asked Qin Xin about her plan for revenge and the strength of her enemies, and she declared that the Heavenly Demonic Qin would let her kill them all.
• Two days before Qin Xin’s younger brother’s birthday, Song Gaoxuan, Wu Dewei, and Gao Zhewen discussed whether she would return to Wuyang County.
• Wu Dewei feared Qin Xin might return after mastering martial arts and said he would leave rather than keep waiting for her.
• Song Gaoxuan tried to reassure Wu Dewei that Qin Xin lacked martial arts training, but Wu Dewei remained suspicious of her potential and the Demon Cult’s support.
• After Wu Dewei left to pack, Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen agreed to proceed without him and believed they could handle Qin Xin themselves.

Wu Dewei tried to force his son, Wu Shihao, to flee after revealing that a formidable enemy was coming for the family. When seven servants were killed at the manor gates, Wu Dewei recognized the threat as the Heavenly Demonic Qin and hurried outside, hoping to take it for himself.

• Wu Shihao refused to leave Wu Manor, insisting he could defeat any enemy who came for the family.
• Wu Dewei revealed that he wanted the household to flee because they had offended a formidable enemy who would seek revenge.
• The manor steward reported that seven servants had been killed and that a bloody warning read, “Those Who Cross This Gate Die.”
• Wu Shihao rushed to the gates to confront the attacker, and Wu Dewei followed, hoping to seize the Heavenly Demonic Qin.
• Outside the gates, the servants found six beheaded bodies and another dead servant sprawled across the threshold beneath the warning.

Wu Dewei investigated the bloody warning outside the Wu family gates and realized that a powerful swordsman had killed the central servant with sword qi. After Wu Shihao triggered the corpse’s hidden attack, Wu Dewei sent him inside and decided to seek help from Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen.

• Wu Dewei examined six slain servants and concluded that the Heavenly Demonic Qin had killed them with a qi-condensing technique.
• Wu Dewei identified the central servant’s death as the work of a stronger swordsman and suspected the girl had found a powerful ally.
• Wu Shihao prodded the corpse with his spear, triggering hidden sword qi that pulverized it and split the gate roof.
• Wu Dewei slapped Wu Shihao for his recklessness and ordered him to stay inside and reflect.
• Wu Dewei searched the area, suspected the swordsman belonged to a demonic sect, and resolved to find Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen.

Wu Dewei covered up the servants’ deaths and went to Xuanren Chess Hall, while Duàn Yì and Qin Xin followed him. Qin Xin agreed to seize the chance to confront her enemies, sending Duàn Yì inside to check whether all three were present.

• Wu Dewei ordered the manor servants to stay inside, hid their bodies, and used his Internal Energy to erase the bloodstains, but he had to break the force sustaining the message in the snow.
• Duàn Yì watched Qin Xin tremble with killing intent at the sight of Wu Dewei, and she explained that she wanted her enemies to suffer before she killed them.
• Wu Dewei dressed formally, took a Judge's Brush, and went to Xuanren Chess Hall, Song Gaoxuan's base, while Duàn Yì and Qin Xin tailed him.
• Duàn Yì urged Qin Xin to capture her enemies while they were gathered, and she agreed to act if all three were present.
• Qin Xin sent Duàn Yì into Xuanren Chess Hall to check whether Gao Zhewen was there and warned him not to be discovered.

Wu Dewei warned Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen that Qin Xin had returned with a powerful swordsman, Duàn Yì, and feared the three of them could not defeat them. Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen revealed they had a hidden trump card, while Duàn Yì listened from outside, wondering what it was.

• Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen played chess as Wu Dewei entered in distress and said he had planned to leave Wuyang County.
• Wu Dewei told them Qin Xin had mastered the Heavenly Demonic Qin and brought back Duàn Yì, whose sword-energy martial arts might rival the Southern Heavenly Duan Family's Six Meridian Divine Sword.
• Song Gaoxuan scolded Wu Dewei for panicking and argued that Qin Xin's return gave them a chance to seize the Heavenly Demonic Qin.
• Gao Zhewen told Wu Dewei they had a trump card and explained they had kept it from him because his injury made him a risk to their plans.
• Duàn Yì eavesdropped outside and wondered what the trump card was.

Wu Dewei learned that Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen had secretly kept Qin Xin’s younger brother alive as leverage to seize the Heavenly Demonic Qin. Duàn Yì overheard their plan to trade the boy’s life and whereabouts for the instrument, then kill Qin Xin and her brother, but left without learning where the boy was hidden.

• Gao Zhewen revealed that he and Song Gaoxuan had saved Qin Xin’s younger brother after the attack and kept him hidden as a trump card.
• Song Gaoxuan explained that the boy survived because he had been born with his heart on the right side, and argued that Qin Xin would be forced to obey them to save him.
• Wu Dewei urged them to bring the boy nearby, but Song Gaoxuan refused and said he would use the boy’s token to demand the Heavenly Demonic Qin in exchange for the boy’s life and whereabouts.
• Gao Zhewen said they would kill Qin Xin and her younger brother after their reunion so neither could seek revenge.
• Duàn Yì overheard the men’s conversation from the roof, learned their plan but not the boy’s location, and silently departed.

Duàn Yì told Qin Xin that her three mortal enemies were gathered at Xuanren Chess Hall, but urged her not to attack after revealing that her younger brother Ping'an was alive and being held as leverage. Qin Xin’s desire for immediate revenge gave way to overwhelming joy and new hope, while Duàn Yì warned that the men had laid a trap for her.

• Qin Xin waited across from Xuanren Chess Hall until Duàn Yì returned, then followed him to a private room to hear his news.
• Duàn Yì confirmed that Song Gaoxuan, Wu Dewei, and Gao Zhewen were inside the chess hall, and Qin Xin rose to attack them with the Heavenly Demonic Qin.
• Duàn Yì stopped Qin Xin and revealed that he had overheard the men say her younger brother Ping'an was alive and under their control.
• Qin Xin was overcome with disbelief and joy, and Duàn Yì explained that Ping'an had survived because his heart was on the right side and the men had saved him to use against her.
• Qin Xin’s anger temporarily gave way to hope, and Duàn Yì reflected that she might have fallen into the men’s trap if she had come alone.

After learning that her younger brother Ping'an might still be alive, Qin Xin agreed to delay her revenge while Duàn Yì arranged an investigation. Duàn Yì uncovered the three families’ connection to the mysterious Ruyi Tower.

• Qin Xin decided to capture her three enemies and force them to reveal her brother's whereabouts, but Duàn Yì warned that confronting them could endanger Ping'an.
• Duàn Yì persuaded Qin Xin to stay hidden and let the demon sect investigate while she pressured the three men from the shadows.
• Qin Xin returned to their rented courtyard, and Duàn Yì went to the livestock market to recruit help and gather information.
• Wang Chunlai supplied Duàn Yì with details about Qin Xin's family and the three families' history in Wuyang County.
• Duàn Yì learned that the three men bore Ruyi Tower emblems tattooed on their backs.

Duàn Yì investigated the mystery surrounding Qin Xin's surviving younger brother and identified two likely caretakers: Song Gaoxuan's wife, Lady Song Liu, and Gao Zhewen's brother, Gao Zhewu. He asked Wang Chunlai to gather detailed information on them and intensify surveillance, leaving the search for the child poised to advance.

• Duàn Yì reasoned that Qin Xin's younger brother was likely being guarded by a trusted confidant of Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewen, within reach of both men.
• Duàn Yì suspected Song Gaoxuan's wife, Lady Song Liu, had pretended to leave her husband so she could secretly care for the child.
• Duàn Yì identified Gao Zhewu as another likely protector because he had vanished from Wuyang County soon after the tragedy in Qin Xin's family.
• Duàn Yì told Wang Chunlai to investigate Lady Song Liu and Gao Zhewu's movements and to monitor the homes of Song Gaoxuan, Gao Zhewen, Wu Dewei, and their associates.
• Wang Chunlai agreed to expand his surveillance, hoping to use the opportunity to build ties with a high-ranking Demon Cult figure.

Duàn Yì cultivated in hiding while Wang Chunlai investigated the three families and key relatives. He used Qin Xin’s Heavenly Demonic Qin to temper his spirit, and the chapter left him eager to test his greatly increased strength against the young experts he had met before.

• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin stayed concealed in their rented courtyard while Wang Chunlai’s men monitored the three families and investigated Song Gaoxuan’s first wife and Gao Zhewu.
• Duàn Yì cultivated in the snow, drawing in Ice Profound Energy and refining it alongside his Buddhist essence and Severing Pulse Sword Qi.
• Duàn Yì reached the True Essence like a Mountain stage, with three distinct forces in his body that could be merged and used as the core of his power.
• Qin Xin played the Heavenly Demonic Qin, and Duàn Yì used its demonic influence to stir and suppress his inner demons, strengthening his will.
• Qin Xin praised Duàn Yì’s ability to use the music for self-tempering, while Duàn Yì looked forward to facing the young experts again.

Duàn Yì and Qin Xin received Wang Chunlai’s investigation results, which connected Qin Xin’s missing younger brother to a physician and supplies of Golden Sand Grass. The clues pointed to Lady Song Liu’s maternal family in Lin'an County, where Qin Xin’s brother was likely being kept and treated.

• Qin Xin asked Duàn Yì repeatedly whether Wang Chunlai had found news of her younger brother.
• Wang Chunlai arrived with evidence linking Gao Zhewu’s last known stop to a physician who had treated someone at Gao Zhewen’s residence.
• Wang Chunlai traced the physician’s Golden Sand Grass shipments to Lady Song Liu’s maternal family in Lin'an County.
• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin concluded that Qin Xin’s younger brother was probably hidden in Lin'an County, with Gao Zhewu guarding and watching over him.

Duàn Yì and Qin Xin decided to leave Wuyang County for Lin'an County to search for Qin Xin’s younger brother without alerting the Song, Wu, and Gao families. The chapter introduced Liu Rumei’s unusual household in Lin'an County, where she lived apart from her husband with an unfamiliar man and a sickly child.

• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin weighed the risk of confronting the three families and chose to prioritize finding Qin Xin’s brother while keeping the families unaware.
• Duàn Yì bought two horses, and he and Qin Xin rode out of Wuyang County that night after asking Wang Chunlai to monitor the families and communicate by carrier pigeon.
• The chapter described remote Lin'an County and the prosperous Liu Family, whose member Liu Rumei was Song Gaoxuan’s wife.
• After returning to her maiden home following a quarrel with Song Gaoxuan, Liu Rumei rented a nearby residence and began living with an unfamiliar man and a sickly child, drawing gossip from the Liu Family and others.

Duàn Yì and Qin Xin entered Lin'an County and gathered information about Lady Song Liu at a local restaurant. Hearing rumors about Liu Rumei and a man and child living in a small house, Duàn Yì concluded that Qin Xin’s younger brother was likely there.

• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin arrived in snowy Lin'an County and found a concealed place to stay.
• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin went to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant to listen for information about the Liu Family and Lady Song Liu.
• Local gang members gossiped about Liu Rumei, claiming she had bought a small house and kept a man and a child there.
• Duàn Yì recognized Liu Rumei as Lady Song Liu and suspected the man and child were Gao Zhewu and Qin Xin’s younger brother.
• Duàn Yì concluded that Qin Xin’s younger brother was likely staying in Liu Rumei’s small house.

Duàn Yì questioned five low-ranking gang members in Lin'an County and learned that Liu Rumei, Gao Zhewu, and Qin Xin’s younger brother Zhang Ping An were connected to a scheme that might have forced them into hiding. He also learned that Liu Rumei’s nephew Liu Jinghong had returned from the Divine Sword Sect, leaving Duàn Yì to consider whether Song Gaoxuan had used Ruyi Tower to secure the connection.

• Duàn Yì approached the five men at Drunken Immortal Restaurant, and his imposing presence silenced them.
• Duàn Yì offered the men wine in exchange for information about Liu Rumei, and they told him what they knew about her, Gao Zhewu, and Zhang Ping An.
• One man revealed that he had recently watched Liu Rumei’s rented residence but had seen neither Gao Zhewu nor the child there.
• Duàn Yì reasoned that Gao Zhewu might have hidden Zhang Ping An after learning Qin Xin had returned, and that they might still be nearby.
• The men told Duàn Yì that Liu Jinghong had returned from studying at the Divine Sword Sect and was staying at Liu Manor.
• Duàn Yì wondered whether Song Gaoxuan had used Ruyi Tower to establish Liu Jinghong’s connection to the Divine Sword Sect.

Duàn Yì investigated Liu Rumei’s residence to find clues about Gao Zhewu and Qin Xin’s missing younger brother, Zhang Ping An. He confirmed they were absent and learned Liu Rumei had been visiting a Buddhist Hall, leaving him suspicious of what it concealed.

• Duàn Yì told Qin Xin that Gao Zhewu might have hidden Zhang Ping An and proposed secretly investigating Liu Rumei’s residence while Qin Xin considered where Gao might hide.
• That night, Duàn Yì infiltrated Liu Rumei’s residence and searched it, finding neither Gao Zhewu, Zhang Ping An, nor Liu Rumei, but discovering two furnished adjoining rooms that appeared to have been recently vacated.
• Duàn Yì concealed himself and waited nearly half a shichen for Liu Rumei to return.
• Liu Rumei came home with a maid who said she had spent the evening listening to an abbot preach at the Buddhist Hall.
• Duàn Yì recalled that Liu Rumei’s known history contained no mention of religious faith and wondered whether the Buddhist Hall hid a secret.

Duàn Yì suspected Gao Zhewu and Qin Xin’s younger brother were hiding in a temple, and he and Qin Xin agreed to search Lin'an County’s temples the next day. Qin Xin thanked him, hopeful that she was close to finding her brother.

• Duàn Yì watched Liu Rumei and recognized her maid as a highly skilled martial artist whose identity did not match his knowledge of Song Gaoxuan’s household or the Liu Family.
• Duàn Yì returned to find Qin Xin waiting with a meal, and he told her that Gao Zhewu and her younger brother might be hiding in a Buddhist Hall or temple.
• Qin Xin recalled that Gao Zhewu practiced Buddhist martial arts, the Thousand-Leaf Compassion Hand, and had grown up studying within a Buddhist sect.
• Duàn Yì proposed that they search every temple in Lin'an County the next day, and Qin Xin agreed to the plan.
• Qin Xin thanked Duàn Yì and imagined finding and raising her younger brother, while the narration cautioned that fate might not grant her wish.

Qin Xin searched Yixin Temple for Gao Zhewu and her younger brother while Duàn Yì began searching Lin'an County’s western district. In the temple’s rear courtyard, Qin Xin found Gao Zhewu among several dangerous strangers, but her brother was nowhere in sight.

• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin split up to search Lin'an County’s seven Buddhist temples and halls.
• Duàn Yì headed for the western district, believing Gao Zhewu might be hiding there.
• Qin Xin went openly to Yixin Temple and paid the guest-receiving monk to show her around.
• The monk led Qin Xin into the rear courtyard, where she saw three dangerous strangers and a man resembling Gao Zhewen.
• Qin Xin recognized the man as Gao Zhewu and wondered where her younger brother was.

Qin Xin confronted Gao Zhewu and demanded the return of her brother, while the Heavenly Demonic Qin drew the attention of three powerful young prodigies. Gao Zhewu tried to bargain for the qin by threatening her brother’s life, but Qin Xin distrusted him and refused to accept his offer.

• Qin Xin sensed danger from three prodigies beside Gao Zhewu and joined with the Heavenly Demonic Qin, greatly increasing her aura.
• Qin Xin demanded that Gao Zhewu return her brother and threatened to kill him if he refused.
• Gao Zhewu defended his past conduct, but Qin Xin accused him of helping destroy the Zhang family and repeated her demand.
• A white-robed young man recognized the Heavenly Demonic Qin, ordered Qin Xin to surrender it, and threatened that she and her brother would not leave otherwise.
• Gao Zhewu claimed he alone knew where Qin Xin’s brother was and offered to release them if she handed over the qin.
• Qin Xin rejected Gao Zhewu’s bargain, saying she could not trust him after learning that Song Gaoxuan and Gao Zhewu’s brother wanted them dead.

Qin Xin learned that Gao Zhewu served a second, powerful force that wanted the Heavenly Demonic Qin in exchange for Zhang Ping An. As she wavered over the deal, Duàn Yì arrived unexpectedly at her side.

• Gao Zhewu told Qin Xin that he wanted only the Heavenly Demonic Qin and claimed the force behind him was unafraid of the Demon Sect.
• Qin Xin asked whether that force had orchestrated the destruction of her Zhang Lineage, and Gao Zhewu denied it.
• Gao Zhewu said Song Gaoxuan, Gao Zhewen, and Wu Dewei were her true enemies, while his force had helped save Zhang Ping An.
• Qin Xin hesitated over whether to trade the Heavenly Demonic Qin for her younger brother.
• Duàn Yì swept into the courtyard in a streak of green smoke, and Qin Xin greeted him with relief.

Duàn Yì arrived at Yixin Temple in time to protect Qin Xin after fighting off an ambush in the western district. He concluded that Ruyi Tower had taken over the plot, while Zhang Ping An remained a hostage and Qin Xin was constrained from acting freely.

• Duàn Yì reached Qin Xin and reassured her that he had rushed over after surviving an ambush by assassins in a Buddhist Hall.
• Qin Xin secretly told Duàn Yì what she had learned, and her anxiety eased once he was at her side.
• Duàn Yì reasoned that Song Gaoxuan, Wu Dewei, and Gao Zhewen were too insignificant to have arranged the scheme alone.
• Duàn Yì identified Ruyi Tower as the likely force behind the plot and suspected its experts had remained close to Song Gaoxuan and the others.
• Duàn Yì realized that Zhang Ping An was being held hostage, leaving Qin Xin unable to act without risking his life.