Recaps

County Magistrate Zhang arrested his concubine’s brother for abducting a woman, rejected her pleas, and ordered her expelled and divorced. He then learned that Lord Xiao was approaching Heyang County and rushed to organize an official welcome.

• Constable Chen reported that Young Master Ning had abducted a woman, and County Magistrate Zhang ordered him arrested and the woman returned safely.
• County Magistrate Zhang’s concubine pleaded for her brother’s release, but he refused and ordered her dragged out and divorced.
• A Yamen Runner announced that Lord Xiao, the newly appointed assistant prefect of Dingzhou City, was less than five li from Heyang County.
• County Magistrate Zhang hurried out to welcome Lord Xiao and ordered the county officials, Archivist Han, and Assistant County Magistrate Liu to join him.
• County Magistrate Zhang asked where Adviser Xue was and grumbled that he would scold him for leaving without permission.

Xiao Associate Magistrate hurried to Heyang County after hearing that an immortal had made an Immortal Elixir, only to learn the immortal had already left. He pressured County Magistrate Zhang into surrendering the elixir for the emperor, then revealed that the prefect’s niece had been abducted on the day Zhang suppressed the bandits.

• Xiao Associate Magistrate rushed into Heyang County and asked County Magistrate Zhang where the immortal was.
• Zhang told Xiao the immortal had left, then described the immortal and his visit in detail.
• Xiao questioned Zhang about the Immortal Elixir and persuaded him to present it to the emperor.
• Xiao promised to recommend Zhang for promotion in exchange for his loyalty and the elixir.
• Xiao asked whether Zhang had rescued the prefect’s niece during the Crouching Ox Mountain campaign, and Zhang reacted with shock when he learned she had been abducted.

Xiaoya brought Gao Yunyi breakfast at Yangcheng Dian, but he refused it and told her family to visit only morning and evening without bringing food. As the boat carried Xiaoya away, she happily ate the flatbread Gao Yunyi had given her while he continued waiting for the crane king.

• Xiaoya sailed to the mudflat with breakfast for Gao Yunyi and called out to him, startling the white cranes.
• Xiaoya's father apologized for disturbing Gao Yunyi, who calmly forgave Xiaoya and kept watching for the crane king.
• Xiaoya offered Gao Yunyi the breakfast, but he told her to keep it and said her family should visit only in the morning and evening without bringing food.
• Xiaoya left with her father, holding a flatbread Gao Yunyi had given her, and declared that it was delicious.

The Canglang Gang’s Lord Gou used fabricated debts to seize Li Jiu’s silver and demanded that Li Jiu’s daughter, Xiao Ya, pay the remainder. Li Jiu died resisting, and Lord Gou ordered his men to bring Xiao Ya to him.

• Lord Gou confronted Li Jiu over inflated fees and loans, then had his men search him and take the silver he was carrying.
• The accountant claimed Li Jiu still owed four taels and one qian, and Lord Gou demanded that Xiao Ya be used to pay the debt.
• Li Jiu refused and was beaten by the shore patrolmen until he died, still determined not to sell his daughter.
• Lord Gou ordered the accountant to stamp a prepared deed of sale with Li Jiu’s blood, then sent the patrolmen to fetch Xiao Ya.

Xiao Ya was lured to the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall, where Lord Gou revealed that her father had sold her. She discovered her father’s corpse, and Lord Gou was left alone with her, whip in hand.

• Xiao Ya cooked fish soup for the young master while the Dan people warned of Lord Gou’s danger through their silence.
• Shore Patrolmen from the Canglang Gang arrived and tricked Xiao Ya into going with them by claiming her father was waiting at the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall.
• Lord Gou showed Xiao Ya a deed of sale bearing her father’s thumbprint and told her that she belonged to him.
• Xiao Ya bit a patrolman, broke free, and found her father dead in a room off the hall.
• Lord Gou sent the Shore Patrolmen away and took out a whip as Xiao Ya sobbed over her father’s body.

Gao Yunyi finally encountered the Crane King and tried twice to tame it, but its pride resisted his skill. As he prepared to beat it into submission, the boatman’s daughter arrived alone and weakly warned him to run.

• After waiting three days, Gao Yunyi spotted the Crane King and watched it mate with another crane before it noticed him.
• Gao Yunyi used his taming skill twice, but the Crane King resisted both attempts and broke free.
• The enraged Crane King prepared to attack, while Gao Yunyi decided to weaken it with ordinary punches and kicks rather than risk killing it with Sword Qi.
• The boatman’s daughter arrived alone in the boat, weakly urging Gao Yunyi to run.

Gao Yunyi rescued Xiao Ya from the men pursuing her, then accepted her request to destroy the Canglang Gang. He began binding the frightened Crane King with a Blue Band as Xiao Ya watched.

• Xiao Ya reached Gao Yunyi's boat and warned him that attackers were coming to kill him.
• Gao Yunyi killed the men pursuing Xiao Ya with Blazing Sun Sword Qi and forced the Crane King to submit.
• Gao Yunyi asked Xiao Ya whether she wanted revenge, and she asked him to avenge her family.
• Gao Yunyi accepted the Blue Quest to destroy the Canglang Gang and began placing a Blue Band on Xiao Ya and the Crane King.

Lord Gou raged over Li Jiu’s daughter escaping and dismissed the possibility that Gao Yunyi would help her. Gao Yunyi arrived on a giant crane and destroyed the Canglang Gang’s hall with a strike of Sword Qi, leaving Lord Gou and his men shattered and stunned.

• Lord Gou discovered that Li Jiu’s daughter had escaped and learned she had rowed across the lake toward Gao Yunyi.
• Lord Gou and his bookkeeper assumed Gao Yunyi would not intervene because they believed he was an aristocratic young master who would not care about a lowly Xumin.
• A crane’s cry rang above the hall, and a patrolman reported that a huge crane carrying two people had flown over the docks.
• A streak of scarlet Sword Qi split the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall in two, killing or injuring Lord Gou’s men and burying his bookkeeper beneath a pillar.
• Lord Gou sat stunned in the ruins as another crane cry confirmed the destruction was real.

Gao Yunyi slaughtered the Canglang Gang Branch in Yangcheng Dian, while Xiao Ya personally avenged her family by killing Lord Gou. The mission to eliminate the Canglang Gang in Dingzhou City remained incomplete, but Gao Yunyi reached level 12.

• Lord Gou realized Gao Yunyi was the rumored immortal as Gao Yunyi killed his men with Sword Qi.
• Xiao Ya asked Gao Yunyi to leave Lord Gou to her, and Gao Yunyi agreed.
• Xiao Ya stabbed Lord Gou repeatedly to avenge her father, mother, and herself, then continued attacking his corpse.
• Gao Yunyi hunted down the Canglang Gang members hiding around Yangcheng Dian and slaughtered the branch to the last man.
• The mission remained incomplete because it required wiping out the Canglang Gang in Dingzhou City, but Gao Yunyi leveled up to 12.

Sha Pingwei grew increasingly uneasy at the Canglang Gang headquarters, unaware of what was coming. After avenging her family, Xiao Ya nearly killed herself, but the young master invited her to come with him, and she chose to live.

• Sha Pingwei questioned his advisers and stewards about trouble in Dingzhou City but found no cause for his growing dread.
• Sha Pingwei dismissed rumors that an immortal had descended and blamed the Spirit-Tuning Sect, then ordered the gang's core members to return to headquarters.
• Xiao Ya, overwhelmed by emptiness after killing Scarface Gou, picked up her dagger and decided she should die.
• The young master appeared before Xiao Ya and told her to come with him.
• Xiao Ya dropped the dagger and agreed to live as long as the young master needed her.

A magnificent immortal crane carried a man and a woman into Dingzhou City, and the people—including the Prefect—realized that immortals were real. The man unleashed fiery Sword Qi on the Southern Urban District, striking the Canglang Gang’s Main Headquarters and leaving the area in ruins.

• A giant white crane descended over Dingzhou City carrying a man in a moon-white robe and a commoner woman.
• The people of Dingzhou City celebrated the crane as an auspicious sign, then fell into awe when they saw the man riding it.
• A servant told the Prefect that an immortal had descended, and the skeptical Prefect went outside to see for himself.
• The Prefect saw the immortal crane and the man in white, dropped to his knees, and accepted that immortals existed.
• The man unleashed fiery Sword Qi that struck the Canglang Gang’s Main Headquarters in the Southern Urban District, collapsing buildings and setting the area ablaze.

Gao Yunyi rode the Crane King into Dingzhou City and attacked the Canglang Gang headquarters with Blazing Sun Sword Qi. Sha Pingwei survived the devastating strike and realized that an immortal had come specifically for him.

• Gao Yunyi used the game's map to locate the Canglang Gang headquarters, where its members had gathered.
• Sha Pingwei felt an inexplicable sense of impending danger and summoned the gang's core members to guard the headquarters.
• A disciple announced that an immortal had arrived, but Sha Pingwei angrily dismissed him and went outside to shoot at a noisy crane.
• Sha Pingwei saw a blazing attack fall from the sky and destroy much of the Canglang Gang headquarters, killing and injuring many members.
• Gao Yunyi descended on the Crane King, and Sha Pingwei recognized the immortal and wondered why he had come for him.

Sha Pingwei tried to flee as an immortal slaughtered his gang, but the Crane King recognized him as the man who had once tried to capture it. As Sha Pingwei neared the main gate, the Crane King's cry made his legs go weak.

• Sha Pingwei dodged the immortal’s attacks and tried to escape through the back gate while his gang members were killed around him.
• A scarlet Sword Qi swept through the compound, killing the disciples running toward Sha Pingwei and collapsing the wall that blocked the back gate.
• Sha Pingwei forced himself to keep going and made it from the back courtyard to the front gate.
• The Crane King recognized Sha Pingwei as the man who had once led a group trying to capture it and shot an arrow at it.
• The Crane King stopped itself from attacking because of its master’s warning, but its furious cry left Sha Pingwei weak with fear near the gate.

Gao Yunyi slaughtered the Canglang Gang’s members while Sha Pingwei tried to escape and survived a strike from Blazing Sun Sword Qi with a severed arm. As Sha Pingwei sought help from the Left Thousand Commander, a bolt from the sky struck him dead before the crowd.

• Gao Yunyi cleared the Canglang Gang compound of monsters and used a Spirit-Gathering Pill as his mana ran low.
• Sha Pingwei secretly unbolted the main gate and rushed outside as Gao Yunyi noticed him and fired Blazing Sun Sword Qi.
• Sha Pingwei invoked Golden Bell Shield, Iron Shirt and survived the strike, though it blasted off his arm and left him badly injured.
• Sha Pingwei staggered toward the Left Thousand Commander and begged him for help, while the commander pretended not to know him.
• A bolt from the sky struck Sha Pingwei dead before tens of thousands of onlookers.

After wiping out the Canglang Gang, Gao Yunyi completed Xiao Ya’s revenge task and reached level 13, but refused to let her follow him. He tossed her an Essence-Restoring Pearl, which restored her will to live, then prepared to leave and found the Crane King had disappeared.

• Gao Yunyi used his new Thunder-Drawing Incantation and Sword Qi to defeat the Canglang Gang disciples, completing the task.
• Xiao Ya thanked Gao Yunyi for taking revenge on the Canglang Gang, and he reached level 13.
• Gao Yunyi refused Xiao Ya’s request to follow him, and she lost the will to live.
• Gao Yunyi gave Xiao Ya the Essence-Restoring Pearl, and she decided to stay alive and wait for him.
• Gao Yunyi called for the Crane King to leave, but discovered it was nowhere to be seen.

After the immortal departed from the Canglang Gang's headquarters, Prefect Su and the gathered crowd watched the Crane King desecrate Sha Pingwei's corpse before carrying its master into the sky. A little girl then emerged from the ruins holding a strange, faintly glowing orb.

• Prefect Su arrived and learned from Left Thousand Commander that the immortal had killed Sha Pingwei with heavenly lightning.
• Left Thousand Commander described the Canglang Gang's crimes and resolved to destroy evidence of his own ties to the gang.
• The Crane King came out, tore apart Sha Pingwei's corpse, and returned to its master when summoned.
• The immortal rode the Crane King into the sky and vanished into the clouds as the crowd watched.
• A little girl emerged from the compound holding a translucent orb that glowed faintly green.

Vice Prefect Xiao returned to Dingzhou City with an Immortal Elixir, only to learn that an immortal had just departed and regret missing the chance to see him. At the Canglang Gang’s headquarters, Xiao Ya faced a crowd of powerful onlookers as Xue Wenqian greeted her as the immortal’s emissary.

• Vice Prefect Xiao carried the Immortal Elixir toward Dingzhou City after he and Zhang Huaimin concealed the Prefect’s niece’s remains to avoid official trouble.
• A huge white crane flew out of Dingzhou City, and Vice Prefect Xiao admired its extraordinary size.
• Vice Prefect Xiao found the city deserted and learned that an immortal had descended in South City, then flown away on a crane before he arrived.
• Vice Prefect Xiao blamed Zhang Huaimin for the circumstances that had caused him to miss seeing the immortal.
• At the Canglang Gang’s headquarters, Xiao Ya nervously faced a crowd of officials and dignitaries while holding the immortal’s Precious Pearl.
• Xue Wenqian approached Xiao Ya and introduced himself, greeting her as the immortal’s emissary.

Gao Yunyi crafted an exquisite blue Azure Mystic Sword in a hidden valley, then made several ordinary pieces of equipment. He prepared to use his three Artifact Refining Stones on the sword, despite the risk of failure, and fumed that the game store was unavailable.

• Gao Yunyi emerged from two days of meditation and set up a bath and incense before crafting equipment in the valley.
• Gao Yunyi crafted the Azure Mystic Sword, an exquisite blue-quality weapon with a chance to unleash an extra Sword Qi attack.
• Gao Yunyi tested the sword's Sword Qi and destroyed nearby plants and rocks with its sharp strikes.
• Gao Yunyi used the rest of his materials to make hats and shoes, but every piece came out Common quality.
• Gao Yunyi decided to enhance the Azure Mystic Sword with his three Artifact Refining Stones and cursed the unavailable game store.

Gao Yunyi risked his Azure Mystic Sword and successfully enhanced it to +2, then tested its increased power by cleaving a path through a cliff. He left the valley with Xiaobai, newly delighted by his weapon and strengthened character.

• Gao Yunyi successfully enhanced the Azure Mystic Sword to +1, increasing its attack to 53.
• Gao Yunyi used the Azure Mystic Robe as a sacrificial item, and it shattered during a failed refinement.
• Gao Yunyi used his last Artifact Refining Stone on the +1 Azure Mystic Sword and successfully raised it to +2, increasing its attack to 60.
• Gao Yunyi activated Blazing Sun Sword Qi with the enhanced sword and carved a long fissure through a cliff.
• Gao Yunyi checked his improved character attributes and told Xiaobai to leave with him.

Gao Yunyi descended from the mountain and found lodging for the night at the head of East Creek Village’s home. He gave the village head a large silver ingot, and the chapter ended as the village head’s grandson came home to find his grandmother weeping over the slaughtered hen.

• Gao Yunyi entered East Creek Village and asked the village head for a place to stay.
• The village head invited Gao Yunyi to spend the night at his home and offered him his son and daughter-in-law’s room.
• Gao Yunyi gave the village head a ten-tael silver ingot, which the village head eventually accepted.
• The village head ordered his wife to slaughter their laying hen to prepare dinner for Gao Yunyi.
• The village head’s grandson returned from school, and his grandmother embraced him in tears.

The village head tried to keep his wife from embarrassing their honored guest, Gao Yunyi, while encouraging his grandson’s studies. When the boy asked Gao Yunyi to explain sayings from the Analects, Gao Yunyi gave wildly incorrect answers, leaving him bewildered.

• The village head stopped his wife from wailing and told his grandson that their honored guest had given the family money for his tuition.
• The village head caught his wife trying to save a chicken leg for their grandson and sent her away from the kitchen.
• The old woman’s sobbing distracted the boy from studying until the village head brought in chicken soup and drove her out again.
• The boy told the village head that he did not understand parts of the Analects, so the village head suggested asking Gao Yunyi for help.
• The boy visited Gao Yunyi and asked about several sayings from the Analects, but Gao Yunyi answered with absurd explanations that left him speechless.

Gao Yunyi enjoyed a meal with the village head’s family while the little boy struggled with the scholar’s unorthodox teachings and decided to keep them secret. After Gao Yunyi began meditating at night, armed men rode into the village and demanded its grain, plunging East Creek Village into chaos.

• Gao Yunyi ate chicken soup and shared a quiet, curious evening with the village head’s family.
• The little boy recognized Gao Yunyi’s teachings as treasonous but swore not to reveal them.
• Gao Yunyi waited until the family was asleep before entering Meditative Samadhi.
• Armed riders stormed East Creek Village and demanded that the villagers hand over their grain.
• The village head pleaded that the village had already surrendered grain and had little left, but the leader threatened to kill anyone who refused.

Gao Yunyi was disturbed while cultivating as soldiers raided a village for grain, then one soldier broke into his room and tried to assault him. Gao Yunyi laughed at the soldier, who realized too late that his target was no ordinary villager.

• Gao Yunyi stayed in his room while soldiers threatened the village head and began searching households for grain.
• A soldier entered the old woman's home, took the family's grain, and demanded money as the little boy tried to defend his grandfather and household.
• The soldier noticed Gao Yunyi's room and ignored the old woman's warning that an honored guest was inside.
• The soldier saw Gao Yunyi, became excited by his beauty, and shut the door to approach him.
• Gao Yunyi laughed, making the soldier reconsider his assumptions just before it was too late.

Gao Yunyi appeared in East Willow Village as soldiers plundered the villagers and prepared to slaughter them. He emerged through a collapsed wall after killing one of the soldiers, confronting the officer who was about to execute the village head.

• The officer ordered his soldiers to seize grain and assault the women while villagers were forced into the village square.
• After discovering the village had too little grain, the officer agreed to search other villages and decided to kill the defiant village head.
• The officer revealed that the soldiers planned to silence the villagers and slaughter everyone after killing the village head.
• A wall collapsed, and the corpse of Wang Er flew into the square, interrupting the officer's attack.
• Gao Yunyi stepped through the hole in the wall, coldly facing the officer after a man had looked at him with desire.

Gao Yunyi accepted a quest to rescue the village head and killed two elite soldiers who attacked him. The squad officer recognized that Gao Yunyi was far more dangerous than expected but ordered the remaining soldiers to surround him.

• Gao Yunyi asked the little boy whether he wanted help saving his grandpa, then accepted the rescue quest.
• The squad officer ordered two soldiers to attack Gao Yunyi after growing jealous and angry.
• Gao Yunyi caught one soldier’s saber barehanded, kicked the other away, and killed both in a swift exchange.
• Gao Yunyi felt satisfied after fighting at close range and reflected that he should have chosen the Shura Sect or the Hegemon Sect.
• The squad officer realized Gao Yunyi was an overwhelming opponent but urged the remaining soldiers to surround him.