Recaps

Qin Ming broke through to the mid-stage Skin-Refining Realm and prepared to escort a shipment with the Weiyuan Escort Agency. Yan Yangtian accepted a Human Pill and set out to kill Li Kui during the escort, murdering a young beggar who witnessed the exchange.

• Qin Ming used his last Qi-Blood Powder to advance his Eight Trigrams Stake Skill and reach the mid-stage Skin-Refining Realm.
• Qin Ming collected centipede-scale Inner Armor and bamboo arrows from a smithy to prepare for the escort.
• Qin Ming told Li Shengnan about his breakthrough, and she agreed to raise his pay by five taels after the escort.
• Yan Yangtian learned that Li Kui would join the escort party and received a Human Pill from a hidden ally to strengthen himself.
• Yan Yangtian killed a young beggar who had witnessed the exchange, then left the alley.

Qin Ming noticed a suspicious bank of fog approaching the caravan and warned Li Shengnan and Li Kui, but the Li Lineage’s elders and Chen Yue dismissed the danger. The fog soon engulfed the forest, and Zhu Qing’s scream left the caravan under attack.

• Qin Ming prepared poisoned arrows in the carriage, and Li Shengnan told him that the escort agency was transporting a Li Lineage client’s cargo without knowing what it was.
• At the forest campsite, Chen Yue insulted Li Shengnan’s family and the Weiyuan Escort Agency, and Li Kui stopped the argument while Chen Yue challenged her to fight at the Two-Academy Showdown.
• Qin Ming spotted a dense bank of fog moving toward the camp and alerted Li Shengnan, who informed Li Kui.
• Li Kui warned the Li Lineage’s people and ordered extra guards, but Zhu Qing and Chen Yue dismissed the fog as ordinary and went back to rest.
• The fog rapidly covered the forest, and Zhu Qing suddenly screamed.

Clearwind Stronghold ambushed the Li family and the Weiyuan Escort Agency, leaving their escorts dead or scattered as Bloodhand and Viper Elder cornered Li Kui. Qin Ming cut through the attackers and found Li Shengnan badly wounded, while the bandits uncovered spiritual herbs and martial arts in the Li family's cargo.

• Li Kui recognized the ambushers as Clearwind Stronghold and faced Bloodhand and Viper Elder while the attackers overwhelmed the Li family guards and the Weiyuan Escort Agency.
• Bloodhand and Viper Elder pressed Li Kui, and Bloodhand demanded Savage Bull Strength as the price for sparing Li Shengnan and the others.
• Qin Ming killed scores of attackers and raised his Pig-Slaying Saber Technique to 470/500 before rushing toward the sound of Li Shengnan's capture.
• Qin Ming found Li Shengnan bloodied and unable to open her eyes as Chen Yue fled and the remaining Tiger Academy disciples were killed.
• Bloodhand ordered his men to kill Qin Ming first, and Clearwind Stronghold's attackers discovered spiritual herbs and martial arts in the Li family's cargo.

Qin Ming used his newly mastered Pig-Slaying Saber Technique to slaughter the bandits and escaped with Li Shengnan, the Blood Ginseng, and the Swimming Dragon Step manual. Bloodhand caught up on the road to Qingshan Town, and Qin Ming turned to meet his attack with three arrows.

• Qin Ming pretended to succumb to poison, then broke through to major mastery of the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique and killed the surrounding bandits.
• Qin Ming found a Blood Ginseng and the Swimming Dragon Step manual in the looted chest, then carried Li Shengnan away in a carriage.
• Bloodhand pursued Qin Ming after Viper said his snake venom would kill the poisoned Li Kui.
• Qin Ming cut the carriage loose and fired arrows at Bloodhand as they raced toward Qingshan Town, but Bloodhand closed the distance and leaped at them.
• Qin Ming turned and released three arrows from his greatbow as Bloodhand struck toward him and Li Shengnan.

Qin Ming killed Bloodhand with poisoned arrows and a pig-slaughtering knife, then learned Savage Bull Strength was his if he agreed to protect Shengnan from seeking revenge. Li Kui died after warning Qin Ming to leave Qingshan Town before the seventh day of the first month, and Qin Ming rode off to find Shengnan and return to the academy for Embroiderer and the others.

• Bloodhand poisoned by Qin Ming's centipede venom and Fire Sand Palm, Qin Ming crippled his hand and later killed him with repeated attacks.
• Qin Ming took Bloodhand's belongings and destroyed the corpse so Clearwind Stronghold would not identify it.
• Li Kui arrived gravely wounded, saw Bloodhand's remains, and asked Qin Ming to stop Shengnan from attacking Clearwind Stronghold.
• Qin Ming agreed, and Li Kui gave him silver and the Savage Bull Strength cultivation method before dying.
• Li Kui warned Qin Ming to stay away from Qingshan Town and leave before the seventh day of the first month; Qin Ming rode away to find Shengnan and then return for Embroiderer and the others.

After the ambush, Chen Yue blamed Qin Ming and the Weiyuan Escort Agency for the escort party’s destruction, while Lu Liu and Embroiderer held out hope that Qin Ming and Li Shengnan were alive. Hidden beneath a waterfall, Qin Ming reached the late Skin-Refining Realm and minor mastery in Savage Bull Strength, then decided to return to Qingshan Town on the seventh day of the first month.

• Viper Elder found Li Kui and Bloodhand’s remains, let his giant snake devour them, and left without finding the treasures.
• Chen Yue told Lu Liu, Huo Zheng, Pei Heng, and the Li Lineage that Qin Ming’s mistakes had caused the ambush, while the Li Lineage vowed to investigate who had leaked the escort route.
• Lu Liu and Embroiderer refused to give up hope for Qin Ming and Li Shengnan because their bodies had not been found.
• Qin Ming trained under the waterfall with Li Shengnan watching and used the Blood Ginseng to advance his martial arts.
• Qin Ming broke through to the late Skin-Refining Realm and minor mastery in Savage Bull Strength, gaining a dramatically stronger and larger body.
• Qin Ming and Li Shengnan prepared to return to Qingshan Town on the seventh day of the first month.

Yan Yue-Ren continued searching for Duan Kun and the stolen roster while abusing his captives in Pingyang County. At Qingshan Town’s Twin Martial Arts Academies Tournament, Yan Yangtian challenged the Tiger Martial Arts Academy and threatened to kill Li Yang, leaving the match about to begin.

• Yan Yue-Ren demanded that Wu Yong find Duan Kun and recover the roster, and ordered him to bring Embroiderer back as well.
• Yan Yue-Ren tortured two women and their husbands, then handed the women over to his underlings.
• At the tournament, the Tiger Martial Arts Academy won the first match and took two of the next three, leaving Pei Heng grim.
• Yan Yangtian entered the platform and challenged the Tiger Martial Arts Academy, alarming Lu Liu with his bloodthirsty demeanor.
• Huo Zheng sent senior disciple Li Yang to face Yan Yangtian, who threatened to beat him to death.

Yan Yangtian betrayed the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy during its contest with the Tiger Martial Arts Academy, revealing his ties to Clearwind Stronghold. Yuan Lie surrounded the injured fighters with bandits and ordered everyone killed to draw out Pei Heng's junior brother.

• Yan Yangtian revealed his Perfected Skin-Refining Realm strength and nearly killed Li Yang in their match.
• Huo Lin defeated Yan Yangtian, but Yan Yangtian used a forbidden art to grievously injure him.
• Huo Zheng and Pei Heng fought while intervening and both suffered injuries.
• Huo Lin identified Yan Yangtian's technique as Clearwind Stronghold's Bloodthirsty Forbidden Art, and Yan Yangtian stabbed Pei Heng with an Armor-Piercing Saber.
• Yuan Lie arrived with Clearwind Stronghold's bandits and surrounded the gathering.
• Yuan Lie said he had come for Pei Heng because his junior brother had captured Yuan Lie's elder brother, then ordered everyone killed.

Clearwind Stronghold’s bandits attacked Qingshan Town while the Wild Wolf Gang tried to abduct Embroiderer from the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy. Elder Wei rescued her, revealed his overwhelming strength, and gave Qin Ming a token recommending him to Wangjing Prefecture before disappearing; as Qin Ming reunited with Li Shengnan and Lu Liu, bandits closed in on the academy.

• Yuan Lie led Clearwind Stronghold’s bandits in a massacre, badly wounding Huo Zheng and forcing Lu Liu and the academy disciples to retreat.
• Li Shengnan rescued Lu Liu from two bandits, then told him that Qin Ming had already gone to the academy.
• Wild Wolf Gang members abducted Embroiderer from the academy, but Elder Wei killed all three attackers before Qin Ming arrived.
• Qin Ming freed Embroiderer, and Elder Wei recognized his progress in Savage Bull Strength and tested his powerful strike.
• Elder Wei revealed himself as a perfected Blood Refining Realm expert, gave Qin Ming a token for Wangjing Prefecture, and vanished.
• Li Shengnan and Lu Liu reunited with Qin Ming as bandits shouted that no one from the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy should escape.

Qin Ming fought through Clearwind Stronghold’s bandits and reached the arena, where Yuan Lie had defeated Pei Heng and Huo Zheng with the eighth-rank Xingyi Fist. As the executioners prepared to kill the captured disciples, Qin Ming appeared and shouted for them to stop.

• Qin Ming rescued Ye Wei, Lu Liu, and the others from a group of Clearwind Stronghold bandits, then left to save Master.
• Li Shengnan and Lu Liu followed Qin Ming toward the arena while Ye Wei and the others prepared to gather valuables.
• Qin Ming fought his way through the bandits as Huo Zheng and Pei Heng struggled against Yuan Lie and four Early Flesh-Refining Realm fighters.
• Yuan Lie revealed that he had mastered the eighth-rank Xingyi Fist and defeated Huo Zheng and Pei Heng, then ordered the captured disciples executed.
• Qin Ming appeared at the end of the street and shouted for the executioners to stop.

Qin Ming arrived at the square and cut through the Clearwind Stronghold bandits’ forces, shocking the town by killing a perfected Skin-Refining fighter and an Early Flesh-Refining protector. As he fought Yuan Lie’s remaining protectors, Lu Liu warned him to watch his back.

• Clearwind Stronghold’s bandits attacked Qingshan Town, killed nearly seventy percent of its people, and herded the survivors into a ring of haystacks.
• Qin Ming rushed to the square after Wang Shun warned him to flee, then killed two Mid-Stage Skin-Refining bandits with a single swift attack.
• Black Wolf charged Qin Ming with his Twin Blades Strangulation technique, but Qin Ming killed him with one strike to the throat.
• Yuan Lie ordered his Second Brother to kill Qin Ming, but Qin Ming beheaded the Early Flesh-Refining fighter as Pei Heng tried to protect him.
• Yuan Lie sent three more Early Flesh-Refining protectors to surround Qin Ming; Qin Ming severely injured one and fought the other two until Lu Liu shouted a warning from behind.

Qin Ming survived Yuan Lie’s ambush, then reached Perfection in the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique and unlocked Cook Ding Dissects the Ox. After killing Clearwind Stronghold’s four guardians, he faced Yuan Lie in a final clash, using his new skill to expose Yuan Lie’s weaknesses.

• Yuan Lie struck Qin Ming from behind with Xingyi Fist, badly injuring him, but Qin Ming broke free of the rubble and realized the technique had amplified Yuan Lie’s strength.
• Qin Ming killed bandits to raise his saber technique’s proficiency, then a guardian with a severed hand attacked him alongside the two remaining guardians.
• Qin Ming hurled his saber into the severed-hand guardian, killing him and advancing the Pig-Slaying Saber Technique to Perfection, which unlocked Cook Ding Dissects the Ox and increased his strength.
• Qin Ming swiftly killed the two remaining guardians, leaving Yuan Lie as the last opponent.
• Yuan Lie charged with Xingyi Fist’s Tiger Fist, and Qin Ming activated Cook Ding Dissects the Ox to reveal Yuan Lie’s weaknesses before unleashing a decisive saber strike.

Qin Ming killed Yuan Lie and the remaining bandits, then learned that the Clearwind Stronghold's Ninth Boss might be near and urged the survivors to flee to Qingyang County. While looting the bodies, he found a parchment in Yuan Lie's boot that might contain the Xingyi Fist.

• Qin Ming disrupted Yuan Lie's Xingyi Fist, causing its force to rampage through Yuan Lie's body until he exploded and died.
• Qin Ming killed the fleeing bandits alongside the martial artists from the two academies, advancing his Fire Sand Palm to Greater Mastery.
• Embroiderer, Li Shengnan, Huo Zheng, and the survivors thanked Qin Ming for saving them.
• Pei Heng warned that the Ninth Boss was near the perfected Flesh-Refining Realm, so Qin Ming urged everyone to leave for Qingyang County.
• Pei Heng ordered the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy to depart, and Huo Zheng decided the Tiger Martial Arts Academy would leave as well.
• Qin Ming looted the corpses and found a parchment in Yuan Lie's boot that might contain the Xingyi Fist.

Qin Ming joined the evacuation convoy to Qingyang County after the battle, while Liao Jun secretly suspected he had taken the Li Lineage's Blood Ginseng and coveted the convoy's wealth. Yan Yangtian summoned the Ninth Boss to pursue them, but a creature in the fog killed one of the bandits and sent the Ninth Boss fleeing back to Qingshan Town.

• Qin Ming found parchment copies of the Xingyi Fist's Tiger Fist and Snake Fist, and Pei Heng reset his broken arm before the convoy left Qingshan Town.
• Liao Jun and the yamen runners joined the convoy, and Liao Jun suspected Qin Ming had taken the Blood Ginseng and the Li Lineage's rare martial arts technique.
• A skeletal hand emerged from a grave near the road as Yan Yangtian killed the people searching the corpses and stole their silver.
• The Ninth Boss arrived with his men, learned from Yan Yangtian that Qin Ming had killed Yuan Lie, and led a pursuit of the convoy.
• White mist enveloped the pursuers, a creature bit off one bandit's head, and the Ninth Boss ordered his men to retreat to Qingshan Town.

Qin Ming and the others were swallowed by Ghost Fog, where spirits devoured the Qi and blood of everyone they encountered. As Liao Jun sacrificed Embroiderer to escape, Qin Ming lunged to confront the ghost pursuing her.

• Qin Ming noticed a human-shaped figure floating in the fog, and Li Shengnan recalled warnings from her father about supernatural threats.
• Qin Ming raised the alarm, and Huo Zheng identified the phenomenon as Ghost Fog that fed on living people’s Qi and blood.
• A ghost dragged a martial artist into the fog and later threw out his corpse, while Huo Zheng and the others fled as the fog spread over the camp.
• A female ghost lured young men to their deaths, and more spirits emerged to drain the martial artists and their horses.
• Liao Jun abandoned his horse, seized Embroiderer from Wang Shun’s carriage, and hurled her toward a ghost as Qin Ming rushed to grab it.

Qin Ming used his Sha-infused pig-slaying saber to kill ghosts and Liao Jun, then spent the proficiency points he gained to perfect Fire Sand Palm. After driving off the female ghost, he collapsed from his injuries, and Pei Heng said he could not be saved.

• Qin Ming killed a specter with his pig-slaying saber and gained a hundred free proficiency points, then killed Liao Jun after Liao Jun crashed his carriage while fleeing.
• Qin Ming slew more ghosts, accumulated eight hundred free proficiency points, and used them to cultivate Fire Sand Palm to perfection.
• Qin Ming fought the female ghost and her specters, but they possessed him and began draining his Qi and blood.
• Qin Ming struck himself with Fire Sand Palm, then stabbed himself with the pig-slaying saber to blast the ghosts out and force the wounded female ghost to retreat.
• Pei Heng examined the badly injured Qin Ming and said he could not be saved, while some onlookers eyed the banknotes he carried.

After Qin Ming killed Liao Jun, the survivors turned against him and fought over the valuables they believed he carried. As Embroiderer moved the gravely wounded Qin Ming beneath a tree, he secretly swallowed the Centipede Spirit Pearl.

• The survivors discovered Liao Jun’s corpse, and the yamen officers demanded that Pei Heng surrender Qin Ming for killing an imperial official.
• Wang Bo and Huo Zheng turned the crowd against the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy, seeking Qin Ming’s silver, pig-slaughtering knife, and other treasures.
• Pei Heng persuaded the crowd to wait until Qin Ming died before dividing his silver, while Huo Zheng claimed the knife and Huo Lan demanded Li Shengnan’s Cold Iron Saber.
• Huo Zheng’s pressure and Pei Heng’s anger caused Pei Heng to collapse unconscious, leaving him as the only Flesh Refining Realm expert among the survivors.
• Embroiderer dragged Qin Ming beneath an ancient tree, where he secretly put the Centipede Spirit Pearl in his mouth.

Qin Ming recovered from the Fire Poison, reached Great Accomplishment in Savage Bull Strength, and awoke to find Li Shengnan and the others injured while the crowd tried to seize his treasures. He killed the constables and Wang Bo, crippled the Huo family and the Tiger Martial Arts Academy, and turned on the local gentry who had coveted his banknotes.

• Wang Bo ordered the constables to seize Qin Ming's treasures while Huo Lan and Huo Lin blocked Li Shengnan and Lu Liu from intervening.
• Li Shengnan wounded Huo Lin, but Huo Zheng struck her down and Huo Lan took her Cold Iron Saber; the constables then tried to kick the Embroiderer aside.
• Qin Ming awoke after the Centipede Spirit Pearl suppressed the Fire Poison and his Savage Bull Strength reached Great Accomplishment, then killed the constables and Wang Bo.
• Qin Ming struck Huo Zheng, Huo Lan, and Huo Lin, then beat down the Tiger Martial Arts Academy's fighters.
• Qin Ming confronted the local gentry and families who had wanted his banknotes and declared that they could all die.

Qin Ming slaughtered the people who had plotted against him and the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy, then set off with his companions for Qingyang County. After they left, the female ghost in red returned to the forest and used the corpses to heal herself.

• Qin Ming killed the Li Lineage, the local squires, and most of the other attackers, refusing their pleas and rejecting Huo Zheng's offer to sacrifice himself for the Tiger Martial Arts Academy.
• Qin Ming slapped Ye Wei for pleading on the Tiger Martial Arts Academy's behalf, then spared him after warning him to think before speaking; Li Shengnan exposed Huo Zheng's past, and Embroiderer killed Huo Lan.
• Qin Ming killed Huo Zheng, Huo Lin, and the remaining members of the Tiger Martial Arts Academy, then dissected the corpses and gathered the valuables with his companions.
• Qin Ming shared loose silver with his fellow disciples, while Pei Heng agreed to tell others that ghosts had killed the people of Qingshan Town and offered to introduce Qin Ming to his junior brother in Qingyang County.
• At daybreak, Qin Ming and the others left for Qingyang County; afterward, the female ghost in red returned, absorbed resentment from the remains, and merged with Huo Lan's bones to recover.

Qin Ming studied Xingyi Fist and Wandering Dragon Step while considering the martial arts and dangers awaiting him in Wangjing Prefecture. In Qingshan Town, Ninth Boss and Yan Yangtian believed the ghost had left, but Yan Yangtian spotted something behind Ninth Boss.

• Huo Lan revived as a skeleton, struggled to suppress the vengeful spirit inside her, and fled into the forest to recover before hunting Qin Ming.
• Qin Ming practiced Xingyi Fist and Wandering Dragon Step and weighed which martial arts to cultivate from the manuals he had acquired.
• Qin Ming examined his Wangjing Prefecture token and recalled that Elder Wei required him to reach the Bone Refining Realm and attain Silver Bone before reporting there.
• Ninth Boss and Yan Yangtian hid in Qingshan Town after a ghost killed Ninth Boss's men, and Yan Yangtian warned Ninth Boss not to turn around.

Qin Ming and his companions arrived in Qingyang County, where Pei Heng reunited with his junior brother Xiong San and reported their encounter with ghosts. After demonstrating Qin Ming’s martial arts, Pei Heng secured him a place as a reserve member of the Demon-Hunting Team, and Qin Ming resolved to earn an official position.

• Yan Yangtian captured the Ninth Boss in an alley, making both men vanish without a trace.
• Qin Ming arrived in Qingyang County with Pei Heng, Li Shengnan, Lu Liu, and Embroiderer, and showed his progress in several martial arts.
• Wild Wolf Gang members recognized Embroiderer and hurried to report her whereabouts to Incense Master Yan.
• Pei Heng reunited with Xiong San at the county yamen and told him about the ghosts and the destruction of Qingshan Town.
• Qin Ming demonstrated Fire Sand Palm at the Perfection Realm, impressing Xiong San with his ability to fight Ghost Monsters.
• Xiong San named Qin Ming a reserve member of the Demon-Hunting Team, and Qin Ming decided to pursue an official position for its martial arts and opportunities to kill ghosts.

Yan Yue-Ren ordered the Wild Wolf Gang to abduct Embroiderer after learning she was in Qingyang County. Li Shengnan stopped the kidnappers, but a Flesh Refining Realm expert approached her.

• Yan Yue-Ren learned that Embroiderer had been spotted and ordered his men to capture her unharmed.
• Qingmu told Yan Yue-Ren he was a Demon-Hunting Team reserve member and gave him pills to reach the Late Flesh-Refining Realm.
• Qin Ming rented a house with Embroiderer and welcomed Li Shengnan as a housemate.
• Qin Ming left to look for spirit medicines and a Horizontal Training Martial Art.
• Wild Wolf Gang members drugged and abducted Embroiderer, but Li Shengnan cut down the three kidnappers.
• Li Shengnan faced an approaching Flesh Refining Realm expert.

Li Shengnan was gravely injured while defending the unconscious Embroiderer from the Wild Wolf Gang, and Xiong San arrested the gang members before secretly killing them in the water dungeon. Embroiderer remained in a coma that might never end as Qin Ming, unaware of the crisis, went to the black market and asked about body-hardening martial arts.

• The bald Wild Wolf Gang leader struck Li Shengnan, who was badly injured while trying to stop him from taking Embroiderer.
• Pei Heng and Xiong San arrived; Xiong San gave Li Shengnan a Qi-Blood Pill and had the gang members arrested.
• Lu Liu and the physicians discovered that Embroiderer had overdosed on a knockout drug and might never wake up without a miracle or spiritual medicine.
• The bald leader revealed that Yan Yue-Ren had ordered the abduction and was the county magistrate's brother-in-law; Xiong San killed the prisoners and ordered the yamen runners to conceal it.
• Qin Ming browsed the black market, bought Qi-Blood Powder and tiger meat, and asked a stallkeeper whether he had body-hardening martial arts.

Qin Ming bought the incomplete Iron Body Shirt manual, sold unwanted martial arts, and gathered herbs and supplies in the Black Market. After several groups of bandits ambushed him on his way out, he killed them all and returned home with his spoils, only for his smile to freeze when he entered.

• Qin Ming bargained with the old Daoist and bought the incomplete Iron Body Shirt manual for five hundred taels, then sold his unused martial arts manuals.
• Qin Ming gathered the herbs for Iron Body Shirt and bought aged medicinal herbs, attracting the attention of people watching for wealthy targets.
• Several groups ambushed Qin Ming in a dark alley, but he killed them all and gained points for Savage Bull Strength.
• Qin Ming searched the corpses, collected their valuables, and dissected them before leaving the alley.
• News of the dismembered corpses spread through Qingyang County, while the old Daoist wondered whether Qin Ming could master Iron Body Shirt.
• Qin Ming returned home with his gains, but his smile froze as he stepped through the door.

After finding Embroiderer unconscious and Li Shengnan badly wounded in a Wild Wolf Gang attack arranged by Yan Yue-Ren, Qin Ming was persuaded not to seek immediate revenge and focused on the Demon-Hunting Team assessment. Xiong San tested Qin Ming’s strength and Sha Weapon, explained the limits of his Iron Body Shirt technique, and opened a hidden passage to show him something.

• Qin Ming found Embroiderer unconscious and Li Shengnan gravely injured after the Wild Wolf Gang attacked their home to seize Embroiderer.
• Xiong San warned Qin Ming that Yan Yue-Ren’s connections made an immediate attempt at revenge dangerous, and Li Shengnan urged Qin Ming to wait until he could join the Demon-Hunting Team.
• Xiong San arranged for a woman to care for Embroiderer and told Qin Ming he had killed the Wild Wolf Gang attackers.
• At the yamen, Xiong San tested Qin Ming’s Fire Sand Palm and Butcher’s Knife against a ghost trapped in a Human-Skin Bag, then confirmed Qin Ming’s strength exceeded the Mid-Stage Flesh-Refining Realm.
• Xiong San explained that Qin Ming’s incomplete Iron Body Shirt came from Shaolin Temple and could be cultivated safely, though incomplete copies usually yielded little progress.
• Xiong San turned a vase, causing two bookshelves to part and reveal a hidden passage.