Chapter Summaries

Xia Fan and Li discovered that the Tian Family’s disturbances came from their deceased cat, Xu Liang, and Li warned Xia Fan against confusing the qi projection with a living creature. After Xia Fan dispersed it and reassured the family, he learned that the Bureau of Military Affairs charged fees ordinary people could not afford.

• Li explained that the cat was a qi projection of the Tian Family’s dead Li Hua Cat, not a living creature or a returned soul.
• Li warned Xia Fan that Xu Liang could harm the Tian Family and condemned any attempt to cross the boundary between life and death.
• Xia Fan used his wooden sword to disperse Xu Liang, then told Old Madam Tian and Tian’s Wife that he had sent the cat on its way.
• Tian’s Wife cried with relief, and the Tian Family thanked Xia Fan and gave him eggs while refusing to charge him for the garment and window paper.
• Xia Fan asked why the family had not contacted the Bureau of Military Affairs, and Old Madam Tian said its services cost dozens of taels of silver, with extra charges for dangerous Evil Spirits.

Xia Fan learned that intense emotions could leave qi behind and turn the dead into Evil Spirits, leading him to suspect that Ahua had been tortured to death. He apologized to Li for taking the Tian Family’s gratitude and hoped that humans and Yao could one day help each other openly.

• Xia Fan told Li that helping the Tian Family had made him understand why his master chose to travel and banish Evil Spirits.
• Li explained that intense emotions and complex consciousness could leave qi behind, making humans more likely than other creatures to become Evil Spirits.
• Xia Fan inferred that Ahua had likely been tortured to death, while Li said Tian's Wife was unlikely to have harmed the cat and had probably loved it sincerely.
• Xia Fan wondered whether Ahua’s torture had been intended to harm Tian's Wife, but admitted he could not confirm the suspicion.
• Xia Fan apologized to Li for receiving the Tian Family’s gratitude while she had to remain hidden, and said he hoped humans and Yao would eventually help one another openly.

Xia Fan received his appointment decree and learned he was assigned to the Shenzhou Bureau of Military Affairs in Jinxia City, where Wei Wushuang was also headed. Magistrate Yang treated Xia Fan with unusual familiarity, leaving Xia Fan wondering why.

• Li Xing found Xia Fan at his inn and escorted him to the county yamen to receive his appointment decree.
• Magistrate Yang welcomed Xia Fan warmly and handed him the sealed appointment document.
• Xia Fan read that he was to report to Jinxia City, Shenzhou's capital, and realized he would serve at the prefecture-level Bureau of Military Affairs.
• Wei Wushuang arrived and learned that he, too, had been appointed to the Shenzhou Bureau of Military Affairs.
• Magistrate Yang asked Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang to help the county if Evil Spirits appeared, while Xia Fan questioned Yang's markedly different treatment of them.

Xia Fan invited Li to travel openly as his junior fellow disciple rather than remain hidden in the carriage, and she agreed to disguise herself beneath a veil. As they set off for Jinxia City, Li basked in sunlight for the first time in a long while and began to wonder whether Xia Fan might bring change before the Bureau of Military Affairs crushed him.

• Xia Fan proposed that Li travel beside him in disguise, and she chose the veiled disguise over pretending to be a dog.
• Xia Fan introduced Li to Wei Wushuang as a new disciple of his master who would accompany him to Jinxia City.
• Li briefly lifted her veil to greet Wei Wushuang, and he was struck by her eyes.
• Li stood in the late-summer sunlight and remembered the warmth and bamboo sounds she had once shared with her master.
• Xia Fan called Li to board the carriage, and she reflected that his strange way of acting might bring change to the Bureau of Military Affairs.

Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang arrived in Jinxia City and officially joined the Bureau of Military Affairs as eighth-rank Spirit Masters. They learned that their first class would begin the next morning, and Xia Fan left looking forward to exploring the world through his new role.

• Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang entered Jinxia City, where the salt industry’s smoke and reports of Lesser Evil Spirit trouble explained the city’s barren surroundings and subdued streets.
• Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang presented their appointment orders at the Bureau of Military Affairs and received Spirit Master robes and eighth-rank bronze badges.
• The reception official explained that Zhiwei Hall began classes once six appointees arrived and that Spirit Masters studied Evil Spirits and their methods of attack.
• The reception official told Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang that Lord Wen Daozhang would teach their first lesson the next morning and described the Bureau’s low-cost lodging option.
• Wei Wushuang suggested strolling through Jinxia City in their new clothes, but Xia Fan refused and reflected on his new beginning as a Spirit Master.

Wang Yi'an planned to use the salt trade and the arrival of Princess Guangping to expand the Wang family's power in Jinxia City. He ordered his second son, Wang Renzhi, to pursue and marry the princess, hoping to gain influence over the Bureau of Military Affairs and the city.

• Lu Shiye told Wang Yi'an that the Donghai Gang would move against illicit salt sellers that night, and Wang Yi'an ordered him to suppress the Qingwu Gang if it interfered.
• Wang Yi'an explained that he sought power to secure the Wang lineage, not merely wealth from the salt trade.
• Wang Yi'an scolded Wang Renzhi for his indulgent behavior and warned him to conduct himself carefully in the Bureau of Military Affairs.
• Wang Yi'an told Wang Renzhi that Princess Guangping would soon receive Jinxia City as her fief.
• Wang Yi'an ordered Wang Renzhi to pursue the princess and marry into her family, while Wang Renzhi agreed and hoped she might willingly marry him instead.

Xia Fan settled into a cheap residence with Li, who began training him to resist illusion techniques while explaining how difficult it would be to investigate her master's disappearance. After Li went out to investigate screams nearby, she returned quickly and revealed that people had been slaughtering one another.

• Xia Fan and Li moved into neighboring houses, and Li used an illusion technique to test Xia Fan's will before promising to train him against such attacks.
• Li explained that Xia Fan would need to reach third rank before he could access the Bureau of Military Affairs' secrets and submit an inquiry about her master.
• Li grew agitated as she vowed to pursue her master's case even if it took decades, and Xia Fan understood the length of her resolve.
• After they heard screams and commotion outside, Li went to investigate while Xia Fan stayed behind.
• Li returned shortly afterward and told Xia Fan that the disturbance was caused by people slaughtering their own kind.

Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang spotted signs of a bloody murder while heading to the Bureau of Military Affairs for the first class of the newly promoted Fangshi. There, Xia Fan met his fellow recruits and Instructor Zhang, who began the lesson on understanding qi.

• Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang passed constables investigating a bloody courtyard, where Xia Fan noticed corpses marked with familiar white-flower emblems.
• Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang arrived at Zhiwei Hall and met fellow recruits Luo You'er, Shangguan Cai, Yue Feng, and a wealthy young man.
• Instructor Zhang Ya introduced himself and told the recruits not to call him Lord Zhang or treat him as a master.
• Instructor Zhang began teaching the recruits how to better understand their qi and called them to the platform.

Master Zhang introduced the Lingtai and explained how Mental Nature influenced sorcery, then tested the students’ trigram attributes. Xia Fan’s test ended on Zhen, with sparks of electricity flickering from the Lingtai.

• Master Zhang opened a hidden cabinet and showed the students a Lingtai used to measure Mental Nature.
• Luo You'er infused the Lingtai with qi, and its needle pointed to Xun.
• Master Zhang explained that Innate Nature determined whether someone could sense qi, while Mental Nature shaped their strengths in sorcery.
• Yue Feng tested as Gen, Shangguan Cai as Li, Wei Wushuang as Dui, and Wang Renzhi as Kan.
• Xia Fan examined how the Lingtai worked, then tested as Zhen as small arcs of electricity appeared.

Master Zhang explained how Mental Nature, Trigram Attributes, Bureau of Military Affairs ranks, and sorcery arts worked to the newly assessed sorcerers. Xia Fan then questioned why the Bureau charged ordinary households so much to handle Evil Spirit incidents, and Master Zhang asked who had told him about the old woman.

• Wang Renzhi criticized Xia Fan’s Zhen Attribute and suggested he leave sorcery, but Luo You’er defended him.
• Master Zhang explained that Trigram Attributes could rarely be changed artificially and advised Xia Fan to pursue other arts and earn merit for Zhen Technique materials.
• Master Zhang described the Bureau of Military Affairs’ eight ranks and told the group they could borrow sorcery arts from the Record Department’s Library.
• Master Zhang explained that sorcerers recited arts to focus their awareness and could use spoken words to mislead opponents.
• Xia Fan described the old woman he had met in Fenghua County and asked why the Bureau’s fees were unaffordable for ordinary households, prompting Master Zhang to ask who had told him that.

Xia Fan questioned the Bureau of Military Affairs’ priorities after Master Zhang and Wang Renzhi argued that sorcerers could not help every person in need. As he left with Wei Wushuang, Luo You’er challenged him to understand his own motives, leaving him stunned.

• Wang Renzhi and Master Zhang explained that the Bureau of Military Affairs prioritized protecting Da Qi over answering every plea for help, and Xia Fan challenged their reasoning.
• Master Zhang warned Xia Fan that his way of thinking could limit his progress, then took the group to the Record Department.
• Xia Fan left the Bureau with Wei Wushuang and reflected on the Bureau’s limited reach and its indifference toward distant villages.
• Luo You’er and Shangguan Cai caught up with Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang, and Luo You’er explained that Luo Qingqing had been angry about Xia Fan’s choice not to defend himself during the Scholar Examination.
• Luo You’er pointed out that Xia Fan’s argument with Master Zhang contradicted his claim that he only wanted to study Sorcery Arts, leaving him questioning his own thoughts.

Xia Fan settled into life at the Bureau of Military Affairs, improving his sorcery knowledge and preparing tools while reflecting on his ambitions. An urgent report of a suspected Evil Spirit case in Gaoshan County ended his routine, and Judge Zhang ordered the team to depart.

• Shangguan Cai challenged Xia Fan to accept the Bureau of Military Affairs’ authority, and he regained his composure and agreed to join the others for dinner.
• Xia Fan trained and studied at the Bureau of Military Affairs, learning about spellcasting, sorcery records, noble lineages, and martial arts manuals.
• Xia Fan learned the Flowing Light spell and studied the Snake Shadow technique, though he lacked the materials to try it.
• Xia Fan had blacksmiths forge four Magnet copper rings as trump cards.
• Judge Zhang told Xia Fan’s team that a suspected Evil Spirit case threatened Gaoshan County and ordered them to prepare to depart at the hour of the dragon.

Xia Fan and Judge Zhang’s squad reached Gaoshan County to investigate a suspected Evil Spirit case after two families were attacked. The squad began examining the first crime scene and split up to investigate, with Xia Fan persuading Luo You'er to help track the culprit.

• Xia Fan sent Li to Gaoshan County separately, then rode with Judge Zhang’s squad and arrived there in just over two hours.
• Magistrate Hu Huairen led the squad to the Qian Family courtyard, where they found four corpses crushed into unnatural rectangular shapes.
• The constable told Judge Zhang that the Xue Family had also been attacked, leaving two dead and one survivor in custody.
• Xia Fan proposed dividing the squad between inspecting the scene and questioning people.
• Xia Fan persuaded the reluctant Luo You'er to enter the house and use her tracking ability to help investigate.

Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang investigated the Qian and Xue Family murders and concluded that a ghost or Wang was responsible. After witnessing residents being driven away for protesting the Exorcism Tax, Xia Fan borrowed Wei Wushuang’s gold leaves and ran after them to help.

• Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang reconstructed how an Evil Spirit killed the Qian Family and found similar evidence at the Xue Family home.
• They ruled out Mei, Guai, and Liang, leaving a ghost or Wang as the likely killer, and waited for the inquiry team’s findings.
• Xia Fan overheard constables driving away residents who pleaded against paying the Exorcism Tax and felt powerless to challenge the county’s system.
• Xia Fan borrowed Wei Wushuang’s two gold leaves and chased after the residents to offer them financial help.

Xia Fan and the others identified the Evil Spirit as an Abyss Ghost, and Judge Zhang explained how to survive and prepare an ambush against it. After the group planned to lure the ghost into a trap the following night, Li secretly joined Xia Fan in his room.

• Yue Feng shared a survivor’s account, and the group concluded that the Evil Spirit was likely an Abyss Ghost.
• Judge Zhang warned the group that the ghost might still be hiding at the crime scene and explained that practitioners should prioritize survival when facing Evil Spirits.
• Judge Zhang said Spirit Fire Powder would keep the area safe overnight and planned to ambush the Abyss Ghost at a large residence the next night.
• Judge Zhang told the group that people were far more frightening than Evil Spirits, then took the remaining dates and went upstairs.
• Li slipped into Xia Fan’s room after tracking down where the Jinxia City practitioners were staying.

Xia Fan and Li shared dinner, and Li let him touch her tail after he admitted his curiosity about Fox Demons. Li then began training him to sense attacks through changes in qi, leaving Xia Fan repeatedly knocked to the floor.

• Li explained that she had accompanied Xia Fan because new Fangshi faced high risks on their first assignments and she needed him to help find her master.
• Xia Fan asked to touch Li’s tail, and Li agreed after deciding she did not mind.
• After dinner, Li told Xia Fan to cultivate while she attacked him from above so he could learn to sense changes in qi.
• Li struck Xia Fan with her tail as soon as he closed his eyes, and she counted the hit while he scrambled back into his chair.

Li reflected on Xia Fan’s rapid progress in sensing qi and on her own entanglement with the profits tied to Evil Spirits. At dusk, Xia Fan and the others waited in an array-prepared house, using themselves as bait to ambush the Abyss Ghost.

• Li watched Xia Fan sleep and recalled how quickly he had begun anticipating her tail strikes during training.
• Li considered learning more about Xia Fan’s past, then reaffirmed that she was acting to rescue her Master.
• Xia Fan’s group gathered in a cleared house where Judge Zhang had set an array to trap the Abyss Ghost.
• Judge Zhang explained that Fangshi qi would lure the Abyss Ghost and that Spirit Fire Powder had been scattered through the house.
• Judge Zhang finished assembling a wooden box trap and sat down with his wooden sword as the group waited.

Judge Zhang killed the Abyss Ghost by exposing it outside its box, and the group prepared to leave for Jinxia. Before Xia Fan could reach the hall doors, an unseen force paralyzed everyone as a towering figure appeared before him.

• Bells inside the box alerted Judge Zhang that the Abyss Ghost had entered, and he broke the box to expose and weaken it.
• Judge Zhang struck the Abyss Ghost with a Talisman and pierced it with his wooden sword, destroying it.
• Shangguan Cai explained that ghosts transformed from corpses, while Judge Zhang said the Sorcerers' duty was to destroy Evil Spirits regardless of their origins.
• Xia Fan noticed the others waiting for him to reach the doors, then found himself unable to control his body.
• A mysterious force paralyzed everyone, and a figure over two meters tall emerged before Xia Fan.

A female ghost that manipulated shadows attacked Xia Fan’s group, killed Judge Zhang, and used its pouch to revive the Abyss Ghost. With Yue Feng seized and the safe area shrinking, Xia Fan and the survivors faced two cooperating spirits trapped in the hall.

• The female ghost emerged from the darkness, killed Judge Zhang, and froze the group until a fallen candlestick restored their movement.
• Yue Feng and Shangguan Cai attacked the ghost, but it vanished into the shadows and struck Luo You'er before pouncing on Yue Feng.
• The Abyss Ghost emerged from the female ghost’s pouch and dragged Yue Feng halfway inside, killing him amid the struggle.
• Wang Renzhi fell into a shadow and became trapped as a face appeared in his fallen shoe, so Xia Fan kicked him to safety and dodged the ghost’s sudden attack.
• Xia Fan and the remaining survivors realized that the two spirits were cooperating and that the dwindling firelight left them confined to a shrinking safe area.

As the Blood Crow and Abyss Ghost cornered the group, Xia Fan learned from Li that the monster could move through darkness and heal its wounds. Li proposed taking control of Xia Fan’s body so they could fight back, and he prepared to trust her completely.

• Wei Wushuang and Wang Renzhi panicked when Xia Fan vanished, while Shangguan Cai held off the approaching monster.
• Li pulled Xia Fan into the shadows and explained that the Blood Crow controlled only nearby darkness, but could travel between dark patches and heal itself there.
• Li revealed that the formation could be broken to escape through the rear courtyard, though fleeing would leave Xia Fan’s companions behind and the Blood Crow would pursue them.
• Li warned that the Blood Crow was unusually powerful and that the pouch on its abdomen suggested a second evil ghost was involved.
• As Shangguan Cai fought the Blood Crow and Abyss Ghost, Li proposed using the Kan Technique to control Xia Fan’s movements if he fully surrendered control of his body.