Chapter Summaries

News that Ji Boying killed Tian Boguang spread through Hengyang, adding to the stories of his exploits and earning him praise from martial artists and common folk. As the Five Great Mountains Sword Sects celebrated his deed at the Return Goose Inn, a drunken monk smashed his dishes and drew their attention.

• Martial artists in Hengyang discussed Tian Boguang's death and learned that Ji Boying of the Mount Hua Sect had killed him.
• People shared and embellished stories of Ji Boying's earlier victories, including his destruction of the Qingcheng Sect, and praised him as a great hero.
• Abbess Dingyi thanked Ji Boying for saving her disciple, while the young nuns and other sect disciples expressed their gratitude.
• A drunken monk smashed the dishes at his table, prompting Abbess Dingyi and the others to reach for their swords.
• Someone challenged the monk, asking whether he intended to seek justice for Tian Boguang.

Ji Boying stopped Abbess Dingyi from attacking Monk Bujie and fought him when the drunk monk struck first. After overpowering him, Ji Boying privately offered news of his wife and daughter, leaving Monk Bujie overwhelmed with hope and apologizing.

• Monk Bujie demanded that Abbess Dingyi return his daughter, and she drew her sword in anger.
• Ji Boying restrained Abbess Dingyi and tried to calm the misunderstanding before confronting Monk Bujie.
• Monk Bujie attacked Ji Boying, who struck back and sent him crashing through the inn's furniture.
• Ji Boying told Monk Bujie he could help him find his wife and daughter if he followed instructions and kept quiet.
• Monk Bujie grabbed Ji Boying's collar, then apologized and begged him to hit him in return.

Ji Boying calmed Monk Bujie, who apologized to Abbess Dingyi and agreed to meet him after nightfall to learn whether he could reunite with his daughter. After Monk Bujie left, Ji Boying began explaining to the elders why he had gone to Fuzhou, revealing that four powerful men in black ambushed him and Yu Canghai during their duel.

• Ji Boying stopped Monk Bujie from hurting himself and told him to apologize to Abbess Dingyi.
• Monk Bujie knelt before Abbess Dingyi and begged her forgiveness for his drunken outburst.
• Abbess Dingyi forgave Monk Bujie but decided to postpone letting him recognize his daughter until they could speak privately.
• Ji Boying promised Monk Bujie an answer after nightfall, and Monk Bujie left through a window using his lightness skill.
• Ji Boying told the elders that Yu Canghai had attacked the Fuwei Escort Agency to seize the Bixie Sword Manual, and that Ji Boying had gone to save the family.
• Ji Boying revealed that four powerful men in black ambushed him and Yu Canghai during their sword duel.

Ji Boying described the four powerful black-clad men who had attacked the Fuwei Escort Agency, alarming Abbess Dingyi and the Mount Tai Daoists. He hinted that the Songshan Sect might be behind them and explained that Mount Hua had remained in Fuzhou until Liu summoned them.

• Ji Boying told Abbess Dingyi, Daoist Tiansong, and Daoist Tianbai that four black-clad attackers had ambushed them and that their leader was far stronger than Yue Buqun.
• Abbess Dingyi and the Daoists realized that the four attackers together could rival a minor sect, while Tiansong admitted Mount Tai could not produce four experts of their caliber.
• Ji Boying praised Mount Tai's strength, prompting Tiansong to confess that his sect lacked the power to match the attackers.
• Tianbai praised Zuo Lengchan's leadership, and Ji Boying steered the conversation toward the possibility that the Songshan Sect had sent the black-clad men.
• Ji Boying explained that Mount Hua had stayed in Fuzhou to protect Lin Zhennan until Liu summoned them, and that he and Yue Buqun had split up to guard against further attacks.

Ji Boying recounted how his Master had identified the men who pursued him as not belonging to the Sun Moon Demonic Sect, prompting Qu Yang to suggest examining their martial arts. Ji Boying then insisted the men had to be from the Demonic Sect, leaving the elders to wonder why he had been scolded.

• Ji Boying described how he had relaxed near Hengyang City before encountering enemies while traveling with Junior Sister Yilin.
• Abbess Dingyi and Daoist Tiansong blamed the Sun Moon Demonic Sect, but Qu Yang argued that the group’s methods did not fit the sect’s style.
• Qu Yang suggested that Ji Boying demonstrate the attackers’ martial arts so a master could identify their origins.
• Ji Boying explained that his Master had judged the attackers’ similar techniques to be the work of one teacher, not the Sun Moon Demonic Sect.
• Ji Boying protested that the attackers were definitely from the Demonic Sect and that his Master had scolded him for nothing.

Ji Boying led Dingyi, Daoist Tiansong, and Tianbai to suspect that the four men who sought the Bixie Sword Manual belonged to the Songshan Sect and that Zuo Lengchan had led them. The chapter left the righteous leaders shaken by the threat and Qu Yang’s scorn as he departed with Qu Feiyan.

• Ji Boying described the men’s forceful palm techniques and strange, battlefield-like swordsmanship, then suggested they might have been agents of the authorities.
• Dingyi, Daoist Tiansong, and Tianbai connected Ji Boying’s clues to the Songshan Sect and suspected Zuo Lengchan had led the four men.
• Ji Boying said Yue Buqun had warned the Mount Hua Sect to stay cautious because the powerful attackers might strike again.
• Dingyi and Daoist Tiansong feared that Zuo Lengchan could threaten the other four great sects and felt chilled by the possibility.
• Qu Yang laughed at the divide between the righteous and demonic paths, then left with Qu Feiyan.

Ji Boying, Monk Bujie, and the others traveled toward Mount Heng amid growing unease over Zuo Lengchan’s actions and the state of the Five Great Mountains Sword Sects. They reached Mount Heng a day early, where Liu Zhengfeng was waiting to welcome them.

• Abbess Dingyi witnessed Monk Bujie and Yilin acknowledge each other as father and daughter, and Monk Bujie remembered how she had saved and raised Yilin.
• Monk Bujie and Ji Boying praised Liu Zhengfeng’s standing and contributions, while Tiansong and Tianbai criticized his choice of associates.
• Ji Boying told Monk Bujie about his wife and the day’s events, and Monk Bujie agreed to follow Ji Boying’s orders, protect Yilin, and stay alert for Zuo Lengchan’s black-clad men.
• Rain forced the group to shelter along the road, where Ji Boying and the others struggled to find rain gear and intervened against people taking it by force.
• The group continued toward Mount Heng and arrived a day early, where Liu Zhengfeng welcomed them.

Xiang Danian and Mi Weiyi escorted Abbess Dingyi and the others to Liu Zhengfeng’s residence, where Yue Buqun warmly welcomed Ji Boying and the guests gathered for a banquet. As the sect leaders exchanged concerns and Ji Boying secretly passed information to Yue Buqun, Abbess Dingyi was stunned when a little girl in green appeared at the banquet.

• Xiang Danian and Mi Weiyi welcomed Abbess Dingyi’s party outside the city and supplied them with umbrellas.
• Liu Zhengfeng, Daoist Tianmen, and Yue Buqun greeted the arriving guests, while Yue Buqun personally welcomed Ji Boying.
• Tiansong and Tianbai spoke with Tianmen, prompting him to suspect that his opponents within the Mount Tai Sect had outside allies.
• Ji Boying secretly conveyed a message to Yue Buqun, who then arranged for the women and disciples to mingle at the banquet.
• Yue Lingshan brought Liu Jing to join the female guests, and a little girl in green appeared before Abbess Dingyi, leaving her stunned.

Abbess Dingyi caught Qu Feiyan and confronted Liu Zhengfeng over his friendship with Qu Yang, an elder of the Demon Cult. After Liu Zhengfeng explained their bond through music, the Five Great Mountains leaders demanded that he kill Qu Yang to protect the sects’ reputation, leaving Liu Zhengfeng torn between his friend and his senior brothers and sister.

• Abbess Dingyi seized Qu Feiyan, and the Five Great Mountains leaders realized Liu Zhengfeng seemed connected to the Demon Cult.
• Ji Boying stopped Tiansong and Tianbai from questioning Liu Zhengfeng in public and led the group into the flower hall.
• Liu Zhengfeng explained how music had brought him and Qu Yang together, then asked Abbess Dingyi to release Qu Feiyan.
• Abbess Dingyi released Qu Feiyan, who hid behind Ji Boying.
• Abbess Dingyi and Daoist Tianmen urged Liu Zhengfeng to kill Qu Yang and promised to keep the matter secret.
• Liu Zhengfeng felt grateful for their concern but could not bring himself to harm Qu Yang.

Mr. Mo Da warned Liu Zhengfeng that his golden-basin retirement could not shield him from the martial world, and Yue Buqun suggested Alliance Leader Zuo might be behind the danger. Ji Boying was left stunned, unable to believe that Zuo Lengchan could be their enemy.

• Ji Boying sensed a watcher outside the Liu residence and hurled a hidden weapon over the wall.
• Mr. Mo Da entered the flower hall and urged Liu Zhengfeng to abandon his golden-basin ceremony and take his family overseas.
• Mr. Mo Da warned that the gathering of thousands of martial artists meant Liu Zhengfeng’s association with Qu Yang was no secret.
• Mr. Mo Da suggested the threat might target Liu Zhengfeng, the Mount Heng Sect, or someone who had offended Alliance Leader Zuo.
• Yue Buqun named Alliance Leader Zuo, and Ji Boying protested that Zuo Lengchan was a virtuous leader before insisting the accusation was impossible.

Mr. Mo Da revealed that Lu Lianrong had colluded with the Songshan Sect, while Liu Zhengfeng realized he had neglected Mount Heng Sect affairs. Yue Buqun then announced that he, too, had something to disclose, leaving the gathering waiting to hear what the Mount Hua Sect had concealed.

• Daoist Tiansong recounted the Mount Hua Sect’s encounter with the men in black and praised Yue Buqun and Ji Boying for their righteousness.
• Mr. Mo Da asked whether the four men in black were from the Songshan Sect, and Yue Buqun suggested he had withheld details for the greater good.
• Mr. Mo Da declared that Lu Lianrong had secretly colluded with the Songshan Sect and that members of the Mount Heng Sect also associated with the Demon Cult.
• Liu Zhengfeng questioned Mr. Mo Da’s claim, then felt ashamed as he recognized how his focus on Qu Yang and their musical collaboration had distracted him from sect affairs.
• Yue Buqun said he would no longer conceal his own shortcomings, prompting the gathering to wonder what else the Mount Hua Sect had to reveal.

Ji Boying maneuvered Mo Da, Yue Buqun, and Daoist Master Tianmen into revealing Songshan Sect’s influence in their sects and forming an alliance against Zuo Lengchan. Abbess Dingyi was soothed when the others praised Hengshan, while Ji Boying prepared to act and Qu Feiyan silently begged him to stop.

• Mo Da exposed trouble in his sect, and Yue Buqun revealed that Laodeno had been a planted informant who tried to kill his youngest disciple.
• Yue Buqun’s disclosure pressured Daoist Master Tianmen to accuse Zuo Lengchan of supporting the three Mount Tai martial uncles who challenged his leadership.
• The four sect leaders moved toward an alliance against Songshan, but Abbess Dingyi angrily pointed out that Hengshan had been left out.
• Liu Zhengfeng asked who the spy in Hengshan was, and the others flattered Abbess Dingyi until she laughed and praised Dingxian’s insight.
• Ji Boying curled his left hand into a fist, but Qu Feiyan placed her hands on his arm and silently pleaded with him not to act.

Qu Yang arrived at Liu Zhengfeng’s Washing Hands in a Golden Basin ceremony and warned that the Sun Moon Divine Cult had sent forces to ambush the gathered martial artists. The Five Great Mountains Sword Sects remained hostile, but Qu Yang’s warning left everyone stunned.

• Ji Boying put away the Bodhi Seed, and Qu Yang descended from the wall while remaining wary of him.
• Qu Yang urged Liu Zhengfeng to leave with him, prompting Daoist Master Tianmen to draw his sword and threaten him.
• Liu Zhengfeng defended Qu Yang, and Mr. Mo Da reluctantly testified that Qu Yang was telling the truth.
• Qu Yang explained that he and Liu Zhengfeng were friends through music and said he had come to warn them of a planned Sun Moon Divine Cult ambush.
• The gathered martial artists were stunned by Qu Yang’s warning, and Ji Boying wondered why the cult would target the ceremony.

Qu Feiyan challenged the righteous leaders’ assumptions about why the Sun Moon Sect had come after Qu Yang and revealed that the sect was divided by internal power struggles. Her disclosures left Ji Boying’s suspicions partly eased and the leaders weighing the danger they faced.

• Daoist Master Tianmen accused Qu Yang of bringing the Sun Moon Sect’s attack upon himself, while Qu Yang admitted he still wanted to live.
• Qu Feiyan warned that Qu Yang’s death would not resolve the crisis and hinted that the leaders did not understand the reason for the impending slaughter.
• Ji Boying asked Qu Feiyan whether she knew why the Sun Moon Sect had come, and she said she did not but believed the situation was suspicious.
• Qu Feiyan revealed that Dongfang Bubai had long been absent and that Yang Lianting faced opposition from powerful Sun Moon Sect veterans, including the Heavenly King Old Man and Tong Baixiong.
• Ji Boying’s doubts eased somewhat as the sect leaders absorbed Qu Feiyan’s information, while Abbess Dingyi sighed.

Ji Boying connected the Demonic Sect’s actions to a scheme involving power and influence, then used an analogy from Zigong’s diplomatic mission to suggest that Zuo Lengchan had set events in motion. Yue Buqun and Liu Zhengfeng understood his reasoning, but Abbess Dingyi and the other Daoists remained baffled.

• Abbess Dingyi lamented that the supposedly righteous sects were also caught up in struggles for power and profit.
• Ji Boying reasoned that Zuo Lengchan might seize the chance to attack the Mount Hua Sect while its members were gathered at Mount Heng.
• Ji Boying told Yue Buqun that Abbess Dingyi’s words had reminded him of Zigong’s diplomatic mission.
• Liu Zhengfeng recognized the analogy and compared Yang Lianting to Tian Chengzi, while Yue Buqun compared Zuo Lengchan to Duanmu Ci.
• Abbess Dingyi and the Daoists failed to understand the exchange as Ji Boying, Yue Buqun, and Liu Zhengfeng laughed together.

Ji Boying exposed the danger facing Liu Zhengfeng and urged him to flee, but Liu refused to abandon the Mount Heng Sect or the ceremony. Ji Boying then proposed using Liu’s genuine imperial decree to turn the situation around, asking everyone to follow his orders.

• Yue Buqun and Ji Boying suggested that Zuo Lengchan had secretly coordinated with the Sun Moon Demonic Sect and warned Liu Zhengfeng that Mount Heng was in danger.
• Qu Yang urged Liu Zhengfeng to flee, but Mo Da also insisted that he leave to protect himself and the Mount Heng Sect.
• Liu Zhengfeng refused to abandon the ceremony, and Qu Yang vowed to stay with him; Qu Feiyan also declared that she would remain.
• Ji Boying asked about Liu Zhengfeng’s arrangements and learned that Liu had bought an official post and received an imperial decree from Nanjing.
• Ji Boying and Yue Buqun concluded that the decree was genuine, and Ji Boying said it could break the deadlock if everyone followed his orders.

Liu Zhengfeng’s hand-washing ceremony drew guests while the Sun Moon Divine Cult and Songshan Sect waited in the shadows, each planning to use the other to strike at Ji Boying. Zuo Lengchan and his Taibao prepared to make sacrifices as the operation remained stalled.

• Liu Zhengfeng welcomed guests to his ceremony, and Yue Buqun drew praise for Ji Boying’s reputation.
• Tong Baixiong ordered the Sun Moon Divine Cult to wait for the Songshan Sect to act first and avoid clashing with them.
• Shangguan Yun and Incense Master Shi discussed Qu Yang, Ren Woxing, and the cult’s preparations before Wang Cheng warned Shi not to speak carelessly about their leader.
• Zuo Lengchan reflected that the Songshan Sect and Sun Moon Divine Cult were only tacitly cooperating, with Ji Boying as the true target.
• Ding Mian and Lu Bai offered to serve as bait, but Zuo Lengchan said they could use their subordinates instead.

At Liu Zhengfeng’s Washing Hands in a Golden Basin ceremony, he accepted an imperial appointment and began the ritual despite an attempted concealed-weapon attack. The Songshan Sect arrived too late to stop him, then moved against his family as Heroine Ning confronted them.

• Liu Zhengfeng received an Imperial Decree appointing him Brigadier General and presented a heavy red-covered tray to the officials.
• As Liu Zhengfeng reached for the golden basin, an attacker fired concealed weapons, but someone behind him intercepted them with Iron Bodhi Seeds.
• Liu Zhengfeng washed his hands before Lu Bai, Ding Mian, and Fei Bin arrived with the Five Peaks Command Flag and ordered him to stop.
• Liu Zhengfeng declared the ceremony complete and said he had left the martial world, while Fei Bin insisted the ritual did not count.
• A woman challenged men guarding Liu Zhengfeng’s family on Alliance Leader Zuo’s orders, and they warned Heroine Ning to step aside.

Ji Boying and Ning Zhongze confronted the Songshan Sect after its men attacked Liu Zhengfeng’s family during his ceremony. The Songshan faction’s conduct was exposed before the assembled martial artists, while Ji Boying openly challenged its accusations.

• Liu Zhengfeng, Abbess Dingyi, and Daoist Master Tianmen condemned the Songshan Sect for threatening Liu Zhengfeng’s family, but Fei Bin defended the tactic as necessary against the Demon Cult.
• Ning Zhongze drove Shi Dengda and Wan Daping from the rear courtyard, severing one arm from each, and chased Le Denuo back toward Ding Mian and the others.
• A hidden weapon flew at Ning Zhongze, but a black-clad attacker’s Iron Bodhi Seed knocked it aside and continued toward Fei Bin, who blocked it and injured his hand.
• Ji Boying stepped forward and rebuked Fei Bin for using hidden weapons, astonishing the assembled martial artists with his youth and powerful inner strength.
• Lu Bai accused the Mount Hua Sect of joining forces with the Demon Cult, and Ji Boying defended Ning Zhongze while condemning the Songshan Sect’s attack on Liu Zhengfeng’s family.

Ji Boying helped Liu Zhengfeng resist the Songshan Sect’s accusations and exposed Lu Lianrong’s treachery with a taunt. The chapter ended as Lu attacked Ji Boying, who stepped forward and reached two fingers into the sword light.

• Ding Mian recognized Ji Boying and grew wary of his skill and cunning.
• Ning Zhongze and Abbess Dingyi reassured Liu Zhengfeng that the women and family members were protected in the rear courtyard.
• More than twenty Songshan Sect men arrived, and Ding Mian accused Liu Zhengfeng of colluding with Qu Yang.
• Ding Mian presented Lu Lianrong as a witness, and Liu Zhengfeng reflected on how Mo Da had cared for him.
• Ji Boying mocked Lu Lianrong, prompting Lu to draw his sword and attack; Ji stepped into the sword light to meet him.