Chapter Summaries

Head Constable Xie Ruilin asked Li Chu and Yu Qi'an to investigate the recurring zombies in Ren Family Settlement. The latest zombie was Old Master Ren, and Li Chu asked whether he had a granddaughter.

• Ten Thousand Miles Flying Sand continued labor reform at Virtuous Cloud Temple and gave up pursuing the Fox Girl after Yu Qi'an advised him that chasing girls required being handsome.
• Zhou Dafu brought Head Constable Xie Ruilin to Virtuous Cloud Temple to seek help with the recurring zombie problem in Ren Family Settlement.
• Xie Ruilin explained that zombies appeared in Ren Family Settlement almost every year despite repeated efforts by cultivators to eliminate them.
• Yu Qi'an said the recurrence meant an undiscovered corpse source likely remained, and explained how zombie types could reveal the source's cultivation level.
• Xie Ruilin revealed that the newest zombie was the prominent Old Master Ren, and Li Chu asked whether he had a granddaughter.

Li Chu used his Little Bodhi Mantra to cure two constables infected by a zombie and unexpectedly gave them extraordinary strength. The mantra also caused the Dharma Bell at Divine Luo Temple to ring repeatedly, while Li Chu continued blessing Ren Family Settlement’s constables.

• Li Chu and Xie Ruilin reached Ren Family Settlement, where two constables had been clawed by Old Master Ren and were at risk of turning into zombies.
• Li Chu applied the Little Bodhi Mantra to the injured constables, driving black mist from their wounds and restoring their awareness.
• The two constables gained tremendous strength, breaking their restraints, leaping onto the roof, and punching through a pillar.
• At Yunfu Temple, the Long-Browed Old Monk and Rongyi discussed the Dharma Bell’s repeated ringing and wondered whether it signaled great Buddhist deeds.
• Xie Ruilin organized the constables into a queue as Li Chu used the mantra to heal them, strengthen them, and restore their virile prowess.
• The ringing bell disrupted Divine Luo City’s pleasure quarters, while the monks at Divine Luo Temple suspected their Dharma Bell might be broken.

Li Xinyi joined Li Chu in Ren Family Settlement to deal with Old Master Ren, who had become a Hopping Zombie. After the Ren family’s trap made the zombie advance into a Flying Zombie, Li Chu destroyed it with one sword, but he warned that the matter was not over.

• Li Xinyi arrived at the county office and reunited with Li Chu, then told him a Great Demon had appeared near Hangzhou Prefecture.
• Li Chu and Li Xinyi went to the Ren family mansion, where the family prepared to trap Old Master Ren between two gates.
• Old Master Ren entered the trap, survived its talismans and flames, and advanced into a Flying Zombie.
• The Flying Zombie broke through the stone gate and flew toward the Ren family’s retainer, but Li Chu killed it with a sword strike.
• Master Ren asked whether it was over, and Li Chu said it was not.

Li Chu and Li Xinyi searched Yindang Mountain for the source of the zombie calamity and learned from its mountain god that a zombie nest might lie in Immortal Cave south of Xiang Marsh. They set out to investigate at once, while the mountain god watched them go with a heavy sigh.

• Li Chu told Li Xinyi that the zombie source might remain and decided to search Yindang Mountain; she flew them there on a magical flowering branch.
• Li Chu swept the mountain with his Mind's Eye but found no corpse qi, so Li Xinyi suggested asking the local mountain god for information.
• Li Chu and Li Xinyi offered incense at the mountain god temple, and the mountain god appeared after asking whether they truly intended to eliminate the corpse calamity.
• The mountain god revealed that a nest of powerful zombies likely occupied Immortal Cave south of Xiang Marsh and might be connected to the Ren Family Settlement calamity.
• Li Chu and Li Xinyi thanked the mountain god and immediately left to investigate Immortal Cave.

Li Chu and Li Xinyi entered Immortal Cave south of Xiang Marsh to confront the source of its gathered yin energy. Li Chu destroyed a thousand-plus zombies with one sword, but he sensed that the danger had not ended.

• Li Chu told Li Xinyi that many creatures were inside Immortal Cave, but she insisted on accompanying him.
• Li Chu and Li Xinyi reached the cave’s inner chamber, where an ancient Zombie General rose from a coffin beneath the moonlight.
• The Zombie General summoned more than a thousand zombies buried beneath the chamber’s earth.
• Li Chu unleashed the Chunyang Sword and wiped out the zombies, the Zombie General, and its coffin in one strike.
• Li Xinyi asked whether they could return to report, but Li Chu said the danger was not over.

Li Chu confronted and destroyed the Red Ghost King, who had been secretly cultivating through sacrifices and controlling a zombie general. He cleansed the Immortal Cave of Yin Fiend Qi, but insisted the matter was not over yet.

• Li Chu called the Blood Ghost out from underground, and it emerged as the Red Ghost King from a pool of sacrificial blood.
• The Red Ghost King explained that he had fled the Ghost Kingdom, settled near Xiang Marsh, and used sacrifices and a zombie general to conceal himself.
• The Red Ghost King attacked Li Chu with a sea of blood, but Li Chu’s Chunyang Sword dispersed it and destroyed him as he tried to escape.
• Li Chu used the Little Bodhi Mantra to clear the polluted land of Yin Fiend Qi.
• At White Dragon Temple, a young novice told the abbot that the Dharma Bell had rung for the third time that day, and the abbot calmly replied, “Oh.”
• When Li Xinyi asked if everything was settled, Li Chu said it was not over yet.

Li Chu uncovered the mountain god’s secret: he had hidden his zombie son and allowed him to prey on Ren Family Settlement once a year. After the Iron Zombie left his father’s protection and challenged Li Chu to strike it with his sword, Li Chu drew the Chunyang Sword.

• Li Chu connected the corpse qi hidden in the mountain god temple to the annual corpse calamities in Ren Family Settlement and returned with Li Xinyi to confront the mountain god.
• The mountain god admitted that he had concealed his zombie son for centuries and let him descend the mountain once a year to feed on human blood.
• The Iron Zombie urged its father to kill Li Chu, but the mountain god struck it with his Golden Whip and condemned its bloodthirsty nature.
• The Iron Zombie disowned its father, left his protection, and accepted responsibility for the killings before asking Li Chu not to damage the mountain god’s reputation.
• The Iron Zombie offered to take one strike from Li Chu, and Li Chu agreed and drew the Chunyang Sword.

Li Chu destroyed the Iron Zombie, ending the corpse calamity in Ren Family Settlement, and reported the Mountain God's role to the authorities. Back at Virtuous Cloud Temple, everyone celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival together, shared their wishes, and welcomed Wang Longqi.

• Li Chu killed Chen Kaijiang, the Iron Zombie, with one sword strike and told the Mountain God he would report his actions to the Imperial Court.
• Xie Ruilin thanked Li Chu for ending the corpse calamity and reported the Mountain God's actions to the County Magistrate.
• Li Chu returned to Virtuous Cloud Temple, where Fox Girl and Little Koi offered him their homemade mooncakes.
• Yu Qi'an, Li Chu, Fox Girl, Little Koi, and Ten Thousand Miles Flying Sand gathered to admire the moon and shared their Mid-Autumn wishes.
• Wang Longqi arrived at Virtuous Cloud Temple and called out a Mid-Autumn greeting.

Wang Longqi told the people at Virtuous Cloud Temple that Liu Qinglian had turned into a snake-tailed demon after her Mid-Autumn Grand Ceremony performance, then explained that he had argued with his father over going to Divine Luo City. Yu Qi'an suspected Liu Qinglian might not be a demon and sent Li Chu to question her in the prefectural prison.

• Wang Longqi visited Virtuous Cloud Temple and recounted how Liu Qinglian’s dancing had made her Hangzhou City’s most celebrated courtesan.
• Wang Longqi said Liu Qinglian had collapsed after her performance at the Mid-Autumn Grand Ceremony, grown scales and a snake’s tail, and been taken to prison by cultivators from Facing Heaven Pavilion.
• Wang Longqi explained that he had argued with his father after asking to go to Divine Luo City to see the Flower Capital Assembly, and his father had kicked him out.
• Yu Qi'an suspected Liu Qinglian might not be a demon and ordered Li Chu to visit her in the prefectural prison and ask questions.

Li Chu and Wang Longqi visited Liu Qinglian in Facing Heaven Pavilion’s prison, where Chen Huaji suddenly broke in and rescued her. Li Chu pursued them to a ruined temple, where Liu Qinglian insisted she was not a demon and recognized Li Chu as someone who did not seem like a bad person.

• Li Chu and Wang Longqi obtained Master Meixi’s letter and entered Facing Heaven Pavilion’s prison with Li Xinyi.
• Li Chu, Wang Longqi, and Li Xinyi found Liu Qinglian shackled and pierced with talisman-bearing needles, and Li Xinyi woke her.
• Chen Huaji burst through the cell floor, removed Liu Qinglian’s needles, unlocked her shackles, and escaped with her using his Five Elements Evasion Technique.
• Li Chu pursued Chen Huaji through the earth, water, and air to a ruined temple outside the city.
• Chen Huaji told Liu Qinglian he would stand by her even if she made the world her enemy, but she said she was not a demon.
• Li Chu entered the temple to question Liu Qinglian, and she told Chen Huaji that Li Chu did not look like a bad person.

Chen Huaji’s diary recounted his growing devotion to Liu Qinglian, his increasingly costly attempts to get close to her, and his decision to rescue her after she was revealed as a demon. After breaking her out of Facing Heaven Pavilion’s prison, he watched her trust and lean toward a Little Daoist Priest, leaving him jealous and heartbroken.

• Chen Huaji fell in love with Liu Qinglian after seeing her debut performance and spent money trying to earn a place on her Peach Blossom Ranking.
• Chen Huaji worked two jobs to afford a place on the ranking, was selected for a private conversation with Liu Qinglian, and recorded their chat in his diary.
• Chen Huaji watched Liu Qinglian become the Moonlight Flower Queen, then saw her reveal her demon form and get arrested by Facing Heaven Pavilion disciples.
• Chen Huaji decided to rescue Liu Qinglian from the great prison and wrote down imagined names for their future children.
• Chen Huaji broke Liu Qinglian out of prison, but she trusted a Little Daoist Priest more than him and leaned toward the priest while they talked.
• Chen Huaji wrote that he would believe Liu Qinglian if she later told him that she and the Little Daoist Priest were innocent.

Li Chu investigated Liu Qinglian’s sudden transformation and decided to probe the Gentle Quarter, where she believed her rivals had the strongest motive. Yu Qi'an agreed to help by sending Li Chu to Yan Xiaoyao with a string of beaded flowers, though he warned that contacting her would demand a great sacrifice from him.

• Li Chu questioned Liu Qinglian about demonic relatives, Return Immortal Grass, Demon Cores, and possible enemies, but found no clear cause for her transformation.
• Li Chu proposed investigating the Gentle Quarter, and Liu Qinglian identified it as a likely beneficiary of her ruin; Chen Huaji realized he could face punishment for breaking her out of prison.
• Li Chu brought Wang Longqi and Li Xinyi to join the investigation, and Wang Longqi suggested asking Yan Xiaoyao, who might know what had happened.
• Li Chu asked Yu Qi'an to contact Yan Xiaoyao, and Yu Qi'an gave him a string of beaded flowers to show her while urging him to punish whoever was behind Liu Qinglian’s transformation.

Wang Longqi and Li Chu questioned Yan Xiaoyao about Liu Qinglian’s transformation into a yao and learned that the Prince of Jiangnan and his confidant, Master Xu, were behind the Gentle Quarter’s schemes. They then abducted Xu Zifu, the Gentle Quarter’s powerful hired guardian, after Li Chu immobilized him with an immortal art.

• Wang Longqi brought Li Chu to the Gentle Quarter and asked Yan Xiaoyao to see Yu Qi’an’s beaded flower hairpin.
• Yan Xiaoyao recognized the hairpin and confirmed that the Gentle Quarter had likely meddled in Liu Qinglian’s case; she identified the Prince of Jiangnan as the force behind the establishment.
• Yan Xiaoyao told Li Chu and Wang Longqi that Master Xu, a trusted confidant of the prince, had likely arranged the incident at the Mid-Autumn Grand Ceremony.
• Wang Longqi asked Yan Xiaoyao whether she would love Yu Qi’an if she could start over, and her reaction showed the question deeply affected her.
• Li Chu and Wang Longqi went to Xu Zifu’s quiet room, where Li Chu used an immortal art to freeze him.
• Wang Longqi covered Xu Zifu with a sack, and Li Chu carried him out of the Gentle Quarter while Yan Xiaoyao watched in shock.

Xu Zifu confessed that Prince of Jiangnan had ordered him to use a Creation Pill to transform Liu Qinglian into a half-demon, though he said the change had no antidote. At Prince of Jiangnan's estate, a youth carrying seven sabers set out for Virtuous Cloud Temple to kill the people who had captured Xu Zifu.

• Li Chu, Wang Longqi, and the others questioned Xu Zifu, who finally confessed after Li Xinyi threatened to take him to Facing Heaven Pavilion.
• Xu Zifu said Prince of Jiangnan had ordered him to dissolve a Creation Pill into Liu Qinglian's tea, turning her into a half-demon, and claimed the transformation was irreversible.
• Xu Zifu said he did not know who had refined the pill or its formula, while Wang Longqi mocked his ignorance.
• At Prince of Jiangnan's estate, a Daoist-robed youth told a seven-saber-carrying youth that Xu Zifu had been abducted and taken to Virtuous Cloud Temple.
• The saber-carrying youth headed into the rain, confident that his saber qi would keep him dry and hoping to find opponents strong enough to draw all seven blades.

Seven Sins Fate came to Virtuous Cloud Temple to kill Li Chu over Xu Zifu, but his soul-shaking blades had no effect on Li Chu. Li Chu killed him after Seven Sins Fate shattered part of the temple courtyard, while Ten Thousand Miles Flying Sand watched from the hall.

• Seven Sins Fate arrived at Virtuous Cloud Temple and encountered Ten Thousand Miles Flying Sand, who warned him to leave and then called for Li Chu.
• Seven Sins Fate drew his seven killing blades one by one, releasing hundreds of Living Souls, but Li Chu remained unaffected.
• Seven Sins Fate sheathed his blades and launched a sudden attack that shattered half the courtyard wall, while Li Chu dodged onto the main hall roof.
• Angered by the damage to the temple, Li Chu struck Seven Sins Fate with the Chunyang Sword and killed him.
• Ten Thousand Miles Flying Sand watched Li Chu gain Experience Points and reflected that Yu Qi'an had not even joined the fight.

After the Demon Sect destroyed Virtuous Cloud Temple’s front wall, Li Chu decided to report their suspected alliance with the Prince of Jiangnan to Facing Heaven Pavilion. He agreed to let Liu Qinglian stay at the temple and went to Peach Valley Pavilion to notify its boss, where he found a sickly young man who looked like his second cousin.

• Yu Qi'an learned that Demon Sect members had broken into Virtuous Cloud Temple, and Li Chu proposed reporting them to Facing Heaven Pavilion.
• Li Xinyi told Li Chu that the interrogation of Xu Zifu had uncovered a great deal of information, while Chen Huaji would still be punished and Liu Qinglian could choose where to stay.
• Liu Qinglian asked to stay temporarily at Virtuous Cloud Temple, offered gold to cover the costs, and asked Li Chu to notify Peach Valley Pavilion's boss.
• Li Chu visited Peach Valley Pavilion and found its coughing, pipe-smoking boss seated in a room full of smoke; the young man looked like Li Chu's second cousin.

Li Chu visited Chen at Peach Valley Pavilion and arranged for Miss Liu to see a divine physician. At the Southern Pacification General’s Mansion, the Little Divine Doctor told Lin Jigong that his unconscious mother was near death.

• Li Chu discovered that Chen, the sickly young man from the Qin Family, ran Peach Valley Pavilion and told him Miss Liu was free but had not regained her human body.
• Chen offered to have Miss Liu examined by a divine physician, a disciple of Old Man Xuanhu, and Li Chu agreed.
• Lin Jigong rushed home from Jiangnan Military Town to see his unconscious mother and waited while the Little Divine Doctor examined her.
• The Little Divine Doctor told Lin Jigong that his mother’s long and blessed life had reached its end and called her passing a joyous mourning.

The Little Divine Doctor treated a demon from Bright Moon Township and then visited Virtuous Cloud Temple, where he discovered Li Chu’s Flawless Immortal Body and identified the unusual traits of the temple’s residents. He ended by marveling at how many remarkable people lived under one roof.

• Lin Jigong chased the Little Divine Doctor out of the general’s mansion after the doctor declared his mother had nothing wrong with her.
• At Peach Valley Pavilion, the Little Divine Doctor examined a sickly demon from Bright Moon Township and learned that the demon’s damaged core limited his lifespan to eight hundred years.
• The demon asked the Little Divine Doctor to help with another matter before the doctor returned to Virtuous Cloud Temple.
• The Little Divine Doctor recognized Li Chu as a legendary Flawless Immortal Body and asked whether he could dissect him, prompting Yu Qi'an to intervene.
• The Little Divine Doctor identified Liu Qinglian as a Human-Vein Demon Body, Fox Girl as having an incomplete Thunder Tribulation, Little Koi as a Seven-Colored Koi who had transformed into a dragon, and Yu Qi'an as severely kidney-deficient.

The Little Divine Doctor said he might find a way to restore Liu Qinglian by recreating the Creation Pill, whose ingredients included a Demon Core and Return Immortal Grass from Qin Marsh. At the marsh, a mysterious woman took the grass for a Black-Robed Person, who planned to kill the people there one by one as they struggled in fear.

• Yu Qi'an explained that the Little Divine Doctor's claim that Li Chu had a Flawless Immortal Body was only an assumption based on his unusual physique.
• The Little Divine Doctor said he did not yet know how to restore Liu Qinglian, but could investigate by first refining a Creation Pill.
• The Little Divine Doctor identified a Demon Core and Return Immortal Grass as likely main ingredients and named Qin Marsh in Tongming Valley as a source of the rare grass.
• Several intelligent Demon Bears guarded the Return Immortal Grass at Qin Marsh, but a White Clad Woman took a stalk while they cowered.
• The White Clad Woman delivered the grass to a Black-Robed Person in a pavilion, and he offered to kill everyone there while she said she wanted them to die one by one in fear and despair.

Li Chu and the Little Divine Doctor investigated Qi Family Village, where one person had died each day for nearly two months. Li Chu revived a dying woman with the Little Bodhi Mantra, but the cause of the village’s deaths remained unknown as they learned the villagers were holding rites for Lady Luo.

• Li Chu and the Little Divine Doctor entered Qi Family Village after seeing many homes in mourning and learned that one villager had died each day for nearly two months.
• The Little Divine Doctor examined a dying woman but found no clear cause for her weakened condition.
• Li Chu used the Little Bodhi Mantra to restore the woman, who woke and climbed out of bed.
• Li Chu warned that his divine art had only temporarily strengthened her and that they still needed to find the cause of the village’s deaths.
• As Li Chu and the Little Divine Doctor left to gather herbs, they saw villagers burning paper money, and the old man said they were holding rites for Lady Luo.