Chapter Summaries

Lu Xuan, a transmigrator with a Point Addition System, reflected on the eerie incidents spreading across the Great Xia Dynasty and the afflicted villagers his father had brought home. When Lu Jiahe summoned him to the sealed rear courtyard, Lu Xuan realized his father wanted to discuss the mysterious sickness.

• Lu Xuan read county records of disappearances, floods, and sudden deaths that had been blamed on ordinary causes.
• Lu Xuan recalled how his system helped him reach Blood Refinement Realm Completion and master the Blazing Fire Blade Art while hiding his strength from others.
• Lu Xuan remembered that his father, Lu Jiahe, had returned from Ping'an Township with several people afflicted by a bizarre madness, including Lu Xuan's cousin.
• A servant told Lu Xuan that Lu Jiahe urgently wanted to see him in the sealed rear courtyard, where the afflicted people were being held.
• Lu Xuan headed toward the rear courtyard, uneasy about the strange aura he sensed from the afflicted people.

Lu Xuan went to the Lu residence’s rear courtyard, where his father and brothers had bound several men who had gone mad, including Lu Yun'an. When the men broke free and Lu Yun'an attacked his mother, Lu Xuan restrained him and discovered that he was cold and had no heartbeat.

• Lu Xuan entered the rear courtyard and found Lu Jiahe and his younger brothers watching several bloodied, bound men.
• Lu Jiahe explained that the men had gone without food for three days while mutilating themselves, and said he could not treat their condition.
• Lu Yun'an's parents arrived, and Lu Jiaqing asked whether his son could still be saved.
• The bound men suddenly broke their ropes, and Lu Xuan stopped Lu Yun'an from grabbing his mother.
• Lu Xuan pinned Lu Yun'an down and felt that his body was cold and his heart had stopped.

Lu Xuan fought the reanimated dead in the Lu household courtyard and discovered that his Blood Refinement Realm Qi and Blood could destroy them from within. After killing his cousin Lu Yun'an, he noticed that his Point Count had risen from 1 to 11.

• Lu Xuan sent Lu Jiahe and the others away, then held down Lu Yun'an as three other reanimated men attacked him.
• Lu Xuan kicked the attackers through the room's walls, but they continued moving despite their crushed bodies.
• Lu Xuan unleashed his Blood Refinement Realm power and destroyed the dead from within by flooding their bodies with Qi and Blood.
• Lu Xuan killed the remaining reanimated men and, after hesitating, dealt with Lu Yun'an as well.
• Lu Xuan checked his Point Addition System and found that his Points had increased from 1 to 11.

Lu Xuan realized that killing the supernatural creatures had earned him ten System Points, then burned their remains with his Greater Mastery Blazing Fire Blade Art. He reassured his grieving father as the Lu Family’s guards arrived and saw the devastation, leaving Li Mingzhong to question whether Lu Xuan had caused it all.

• Lu Xuan concluded that destroying the strange corpses had removed their unsettling Yin Energy and earned him ten System Points.
• Hearing footsteps approach, Lu Xuan drew his broadsword and used Greater Mastery Blazing Fire Blade Art to set the corpses ablaze.
• Lu Jiahe and around thirty others entered the courtyard, where Lu Xuan told his father that the burning remains belonged to Yun'an and the others.
• Lu Xuan and his brothers eased Lu Jiahe’s guilt over Yun'an’s death and reminded him that no one could have foreseen the tragedy.
• Li Mingzhong noticed the deep footprints, cracked paving, and damaged room, then asked Lu Xuan if he had caused the destruction.

After steadying the Lu Family, Lu Xuan deduced the Blazing Fire Blade Art into the Crimson Flame Blade Art and reached the limit of the Blood Refinement Realm. He decided to investigate the Yin Energy at Ping'an Township, hoping to find its source and gain the strength to pursue immortality.

• Lu Xuan explained that he had accidentally left the damage to the stone floor, impressing Li Mingzhong and the guards with his strength.
• Lu Xuan assigned his brothers and servants to arrange the burial of Lu Yun'an and the others, then returned to his courtyard.
• Lu Xuan spent all 11 points to deduce the Blazing Fire Blade Art into the Crimson Flame Blade Art and felt his strength reach the Blood Refinement Realm's limit.
• Lu Xuan tested the new blade art by cleaving a boulder in two with a scorching crimson blade aura.
• Lu Xuan decided to investigate Ping'an Township for Yin Energy because Great Supplement Medicine no longer sufficiently supported his cultivation.

After mastering the Crimson Flame Blade Art, Lu Xuan questioned Li San about the night Lu Yun'an died and learned that they had spent an hour outside in Willow Ditch Village before returning chilled and unresponsive. Lu Xuan prepared to investigate the village himself, despite Li San's terror.

• Lu Xuan consumed a costly Blood Ginseng to satisfy the hunger that followed his cultivation breakthrough.
• Three days after Lu Yun'an's funeral, Lu Xuan summoned Li San and asked him to recount what happened that night.
• Li San said Lu Yun'an and the others had been gone for an hour, then returned with a trace of chill and went straight to bed without speaking.
• Li San identified the village as Willow Ditch Village and recalled the Lu Family's order to cut ties with it.
• Lu Xuan told Li San to prepare to accompany him to Willow Ditch Village the next day, frightening Li San.

Lu Xuan prepared to leave the county town for Willow Ditch Village, where he hoped to uncover strange events and obtain System Points. After reassuring his father and departing with Li San, he reached the city gates, where the guards inspected his Lu Family Pharmacy token.

• Li San tried to stop Lu Xuan from going to Willow Ditch Village, but Lu Xuan overwhelmed him with his aura and offered him ten taels of silver.
• Lu Xuan told Li San to keep their destination secret and verified that Li San's words and behavior showed no sign of deception.
• Lu Jiahe urged Lu Xuan to take Lu Family guards along, but Lu Xuan said Li San was enough and promised to return in a few days.
• The next day, Lu Xuan left the county town in a carriage with Li San and a Lu Family coachman.
• At the city gates, Li San presented a Lu Family Pharmacy token, and the guards recognized the pharmacy but did not recognize Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan and his companions left the county town and stopped for the night at the Drunken Immortal Inn in Ten Mile Town. There, Lu Xuan noticed a veiled young woman traveling with a powerful escort, and she and her guards remarked on his remarkable bearing.

• A city gate guard warned Li San that bandits had been robbing travelers on the official road, but Lu Xuan decided they would continue their journey.
• Li San led Lu Xuan and the coachman to Ten Mile Town, where they checked into the Drunken Immortal Inn.
• Lu Xuan sensed numerous martial artists in the inn and assessed the veiled woman’s escort, including two Bone Refining Realm martial artists.
• The veiled woman asked Uncle Chen and Uncle Huang about Lu Xuan, and both agreed he seemed like an extraordinary young scion.

After hearing that Lu Xuan was a formidable martial artist, four desperate brothers decided to ambush him and his party outside Ten Mile Town. Lu Xuan left town the next morning, unaware that the brothers were pursuing his carriage.

• Two uncles told the veiled woman that Lu Xuan's Martial Realm was likely close to hers, surprising her with his talent.
• Third Brother reported that Lu Xuan had only two companions and that his horse-tending guard had never practiced martial arts.
• The four brothers chose to rob Lu Xuan's party and planned to attack after the carriage left Ten Mile Town.
• Second Brother revealed that he had Poison Powder to incapacitate Lu Xuan's guard, and Big Brother approved the plan.
• Lu Xuan ate a large meal and checked his System Panel, which showed his peak Blood Refinement Realm and one point.
• Lu Xuan's carriage left Ten Mile Town the next morning, and two horses raced after it along its tracks.

Lu Xuan and his companions traveled toward Azure Cloud County when four bandits attacked their carriage. Lu Xuan effortlessly defeated them, leaving Li San stunned as the journey continued.

• A veiled woman and a middle-aged man prepared to leave Ten Mile Town for Azure Cloud County.
• Lu Xuan sensed riders approaching, and Li San moved the carriage aside while staying alert.
• One of the four riders threw a powder-filled rag at Li San, but Lu Xuan’s gust of wind sent it back and knocked their Big Brother off his horse.
• The other three bandits fled, but Lu Xuan shot fruit pits after them and killed them.
• Li San and Tie Niu stared in shock at Lu Xuan’s strength, and Lu Xuan told Li San to keep moving.

Lu Xuan arrived at Willow Ditch Village seeking medicinal herbs and a place to stay, but the village chief warned him that trouble had left the villagers unable to gather herbs. A yamen runner named Liang Cheng recognized Lu Xuan and was shocked to find his cousin in the village.

• Lu Xuan reached Willow Ditch Village with Li San and noticed yamen runners among a crowd at the entrance.
• The village chief explained that the village usually sold herbs to outsiders but could not provide any because of recent trouble.
• Lu Xuan asked to stay overnight despite the village chief's warning and refusal.
• Liang Cheng arrived with several yamen runners, mistook Lu Xuan for a ghost, and tried to flee.
• Lu Xuan grabbed Liang Cheng and reminded him that it was broad daylight, and Liang Cheng realized his cousin was standing before him.

Lu Xuan reunited with his cousin Liang Cheng in Willow Ditch Village and learned that a murder investigation had turned into a series of deaths. After hearing that the victims’ bodies resembled his younger cousin Lu Yun'an’s corpse and might contain Yin Energy, Lu Xuan learned that the burned corpses had moved the previous night.

• Lu Xuan recognized Liang Cheng as his cousin and asked why he had come to Willow Ditch Village.
• Liang Cheng explained that two villagers and three militia soldiers had died there, prompting the county office to send yamen runners to investigate.
• Liang Cheng described the five victims’ bodies as mangled by wounds they had inflicted on themselves, reminding Lu Xuan of Lu Yun'an’s death.
• Lu Xuan learned that Liang Cheng had burned the bodies, then heard that the corpses had moved and nearly killed him the previous night.

Lu Xuan and Liang Cheng questioned Willow Ditch Village’s Old Village Chief about the villagers who had suddenly gone mad. Lu Xuan suspected the change happened overnight, and the Old Village Chief sent villagers to fetch Tie Zhu and Da Long’s Wife.

• Liang Cheng told Lu Xuan that five dead people had attacked him and his men, and that the villagers had burned their bodies.
• Lu Xuan let Liang Cheng stay in Willow Ditch Village to investigate before reporting to County Magistrate Sir.
• Liang Cheng gathered the villagers and questioned the Old Village Chief about Tie Zhu and Da Long’s sudden madness.
• Lu Xuan learned that Tie Zhu and Da Long had seemed normal the day before they went mad, then suggested something had changed during the night.
• The Old Village Chief sent villagers to bring Tie Zhu and Da Long’s Wife to the meeting hall.

Liang Cheng learned that Lu Family Pharmacy had taken several apparently mad people from Willow Ditch Village, while Lu Xuan uncovered that his cousin Lu Yun'an had suffered the same strange incident there. Lu Xuan searched the courtyard where Yun'an and the pharmacy clerks had gone the night before they fell ill, but found nothing unusual.

• The Old Village Chief told Liang Cheng that Lu Family Pharmacy had once left Willow Ditch Village in a hurry with several people tied to wooden boards who appeared to have gone mad.
• Tie Zhu and Da Long's wives said they had noticed nothing unusual from their husbands on the night before they fell ill, and Liang Cheng promised to investigate their deaths and the militia's.
• Li San identified the East Courtyard room where Lu Yun'an and the pharmacy clerks had stayed, then pointed out that they had gone to the West Courtyard before their incident.
• Liang Cheng moved his yamen runners from the North Courtyard to Lu Xuan's East Courtyard, hoping to stay near his cousin and leave Willow Ditch Village at daybreak.
• Lu Xuan searched the North, South, and West Courtyards but found nothing unusual in the ruined West Courtyard or the nearby latrine.

Lu Xuan waited for the ghost haunting Willow Ditch Village to appear and attacked it when it threatened Li San and two yamen runners. The ghost fled toward the West Courtyard, and Lu Xuan pursued it as Liang Cheng and the others rushed after them.

• Li San and two yamen runners kept watch in the East Courtyard while Lu Xuan concealed himself in his room.
• A ghostly figure appeared and froze the three guards with a bone-chilling presence.
• Lu Xuan burst through his door and blocked the ghost with his broadsword, driving back its icy chill with his Qi and Blood.
• The ghost fled toward the West Courtyard, and Lu Xuan launched himself after it.
• Li San told Liang Cheng that Lu Xuan had chased the ghost, and Liang Cheng led the others after them.

Lu Xuan chased the Mysterious Black Shadow from Willow Ditch Village and destroyed it with the Crimson Flame Blade Art. He wondered whether the Shadow had truly been killed, then reunited with Liang Cheng, Li San, the Old Village Chief, and the search party.

• Lu Xuan pursued the Mysterious Black Shadow toward the mountains and burned it away with a crimson blade aura.
• Lu Xuan checked his Point Addition Panel, saw that he had gained fifty points, and questioned whether the Shadow had really been killed.
• Lu Xuan buried the burning grass and branches to prevent a fire from spreading through the mountains.
• Liang Cheng arrived with Li San, the Yamen Runners, and villagers, and Lu Xuan told Li San to catch his warped blade.
• The Old Village Chief checked on Lu Xuan, who said he had chased after something strange, and Liang Cheng told everyone to return and rest.

Lu Xuan told Liang Cheng that Willow Ditch Village’s supernatural threat was more or less dealt with, though he suspected the entity might still be alive. After the night’s pursuit, Lu Xuan considered seeking a Movement Technique and traveling to the prefecture to learn more about such creatures.

• Liang Cheng questioned Lu Xuan about the Filthy Things, and Lu Xuan confirmed that the threat in Willow Ditch Village had been more or less dealt with.
• Lu Xuan suspected the bizarre entity might not have died and decided he needed to broaden his knowledge, possibly by visiting the prefecture.
• Liang Cheng left to reassure the villagers, while Lu Xuan checked his System Panel and postponed deriving the Crimson Flame Blade Art until he could prepare properly.
• Lu Xuan ate the dried meat Li San had bought and reflected on how the entity’s speed and ability to fly had nearly let it escape.
• Lu Xuan decided he needed to find a Movement Technique and planned to ask around in the county town, buying one if possible.

Liang Cheng told Willow Ditch Village that a poisonous beast had caused the deaths and claimed he had killed it, concealing the truth about the Filthy Things. As Lu Xuan left with Liang Cheng and the others, he resolved to watch the village in case the Ghost Shadow returned and could earn him more System Points.

• Liang Cheng gathered the villagers at the Meeting Great Temple and announced that he had solved the murders and killed the culprit.
• A grieving woman asked Liang Cheng for justice, and he displayed a covered pile of bones as evidence of a poisonous beast.
• Liang Cheng fabricated an explanation for the deaths and refused the Old Village Chief's request to inspect the remains, prompting the Old Village Chief to understand his warning.
• Lu Xuan, Liang Cheng, and the others left Willow Ditch Village, while Lu Xuan considered whether the Ghost Shadow had survived and could be killed for more System Points.

Tiger Bro's bandits ambushed the official road, but Lu Xuan detected them and warned Liang Cheng and the merchant caravan before they could be caught off guard. The bandits charged as the escorts and Yamen Runners prepared to defend themselves.

• Tiger Bro worried that the bandits would have no provisions if they failed to rob anyone, while fearing the three bosses who had forced them into banditry.
• A lookout reported that several carriages were approaching, and Tiger Bro ordered him to alert the bosses before readying the bandits to attack.
• Tiger Bro recognized Yamen Runners accompanying Lu Xuan's carriage but ordered the bandits to attack anyway because their supplies were nearly gone.
• Lu Xuan heard the ambush ahead and told Liang Cheng to stop the carriages and warn everyone.
• The lead escort and Liang Cheng spotted the charging bandits and called for the guards to take up their weapons.

Lu Xuan’s group and a merchant caravan fought off bandits on the road to Azure Cloud County, with Lu Xuan saving a yamen runner from a fatal blow. Tiger Bro escaped with a handful of bandits, while Liang Cheng prepared to report the attack to the County Magistrate.

• The bandits attacked Lu Xuan’s group and the merchant caravan, but Senior Liu, Liang Cheng, and the escorts fought back, killing many of them.
• Tiger Bro hurled several of his own men into the fight to cover his escape, then fled as the remaining bandits scattered.
• Lu Xuan shot a fruit pit through a bandit’s chest and saved a yamen runner who was about to be killed.
• Senior Liu thanked Liang Cheng and led the caravan away with its dead and wounded, while the escorts left the bandits’ bodies behind.
• Liang Cheng ordered the yamen runners to return to Azure Cloud County and report the attack to the County Magistrate.
• Tiger Bro fled with five or six bandits following close behind him.