Chapter Summaries

Song Ankang beat Tang Quanli at Shengyun Tower for offending him and Peng Xuan'er, refusing Tang's bribe to sleep with her but demanding compensation for the insult. Tang Quanli paid five hundred thousand taels of silver and left without seeking revenge after learning Song Ankang had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

• Song Ankang kept slapping Tang Quanli despite his offers of silver and refused to let him leave without apologizing to Peng Xuan'er and him.
• Tang Quanli apologized and offered increasingly large sums until Song Ankang accepted five hundred thousand taels of silver as compensation.
• Tang Quanli considered asking a family elder to avenge him, but servants' remarks revealed that Zhao Xiyu had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, so he left quietly.
• Song Ankang reflected that he had beaten Tang Quanli for over half an hour and stopped short of crippling him to avoid provoking the Tang Family.

Song Ankang protected Peng Xuan'er from Tang Quanli and continued cultivating as the Yin-Devouring Beast terrorized the Qinhuai River. The beast eventually attacked Shengyun Tower, where Li Xiaoqing fled toward the Bamboo Forest Small Pavilion and called for Song Ankang’s help.

• Song Ankang gave Peng Xuan'er a thousand taels of gold and reassured her that the Tang Family could not threaten him unless its Old Ancestor acted personally.
• Song Ankang received feedback from his cultivation breakthrough and focused on cultivating the Seven Injuries Demonic Scripture and Evil Warding Sword Technique.
• The Yin-Devouring Beast killed dozens of women at brothels and Painted Boats, while Shengyun Tower remained busy under the protection of a Foundation Establishment Realm expert.
• Li Xiaoqing was attacked in her study by the Yin-Devouring Beast and escaped after her spiritual artifact and secret technique briefly slowed it.
• The Yin-Devouring Beast killed a maid while pursuing Li Xiaoqing, and the women at Shengyun Tower cried out for Song Ankang to save them.

Song Ankang drove the rampaging Yin-Devouring Beast from Shengyun Tower to the Qinhuai River and fought it there, discovering that it was stronger than people had believed. The battle remained evenly matched as witnesses called for reinforcements.

• The enraged Yin-Devouring Beast attacked Shengyun Tower, killing people and wrecking the building as Li Xiaoqing fled.
• Song Ankang intercepted the beast, used his Azure Gavel Sword to wound it, and chased it away from Shengyun Tower toward the Qinhuai River.
• Song Ankang realized the Yin-Devouring Beast was an Eighth-Rank Mid-Grade Demonic Beast, comparable to a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage powerhouse.
• On the Qinhuai River, Song Ankang and the Yin-Devouring Beast clashed at great speed while spectators recognized Zhao Xiyu and called for Foundation Establishment experts to help.
• Song Ankang held his own against the beast's octopus claws, using his combat experience and spiritual perception as the two fought to a standstill.

Song Ankang fought the powerful Yin-Devouring Beast on the Qinhuai River, but its spells gradually pushed him onto the defensive. He ordered the riverbanks illuminated, stripping away the beast’s shadows and slowing it enough for him to wound it severely as it fled into the water.

• Song Ankang fought the Eighth-Rank Mid-Grade Yin-Devouring Beast to a standstill, astonishing the Foundation Establishment experts who arrived.
• The Yin-Devouring Beast used spells alongside its tentacles and gradually forced Song Ankang to defend himself.
• Song Ankang realized he needed to master spells as well as his martial arts to broaden his battle methods.
• Song Ankang shouted for the lamps to be lit, and Peng Xuan'er rallied the brothels and Painted Boats to illuminate the Qinhuai River.
• With the shadows gone, Song Ankang unleashed Execution of the Masses and pierced the slowed Yin-Devouring Beast several times.
• The Yin-Devouring Beast fled into the river, but Song Ankang pursued it, blinded its right eye, and continued to pin it down with his sword.

Song Ankang killed the Yin-Devouring Beast in a fierce battle on the Qinhuai River, surviving its Ice Dragon Thorn thanks to his strengthened body. After Peng Xuan'er rushed to save him, he emerged unharmed, and the Qinhuai ladies cheered and thanked him for rescuing them.

• Song Ankang restrained the fleeing Yin-Devouring Beast and stabbed through its mouth with the Azure Gavel Sword as it struck him with the Ice Dragon Thorn.
• The Yin-Devouring Beast collapsed, while onlookers believed Song Ankang had perished in the river.
• Peng Xuan'er ran across a path of frozen water toward the place where Song Ankang had fallen.
• Song Ankang leaped out of the river and caught Peng Xuan'er, revealing that he had survived the attack.
• The Foundation Establishment Realm experts and Qinhuai ladies thanked Song Ankang for defeating the beast, and he told them he had slain it to protect the beauties.

After killing the unexpectedly powerful Yin-Devouring Beast, Song Ankang returned to Shengyun Tower with Peng Xuan'er and received thanks and gifts from the Foundation Establishment experts he had saved. The near-fatal battle left him determined to be even more cautious as he recovered from his injuries.

• The ladies along the Qinhuai River offered Song Ankang free visits to their brothels after he joked about being rewarded, leaving him and Peng Xuan'er astonished.
• Song Ankang and Peng Xuan'er returned to the Bamboo Forest Small Pavilion while the brothel ladies watched them go.
• Several Foundation Establishment experts visited Song Ankang, thanked him for saving them from the Yin-Devouring Beast, and offered gifts and healing medicines.
• Song Ankang accepted the medicines and expected his injuries to heal in about ten days.
• Song Ankang reflected on how the Yin-Devouring Beast had hidden its true strength and resolved to conceal his own abilities and remain more vigilant.

After the Yin-Devouring Beast’s defeat, Song Ankang received gifts and payments but remained poor and had lost his spirit artifact. When Shengyun Tower offered him either fifty thousand taels of gold or Peng Xuan’er’s redemption, he chose Peng Xuan’er, leaving her overjoyed and free to remain with him after the Good Fortune Period.

• Song Ankang realized that despite the gifts from Foundation Establishment experts, he lacked money, protective armor, and even an undamaged spirit artifact.
• Brothel and painted-boat stewards thanked Song Ankang with gifts and tried to lure him to their establishments, but he refused and stayed loyal to Shengyun Tower.
• Li Xiaoqing offered Song Ankang one hundred thousand taels of gold with Peng Xuan’er’s redemption, or fifty thousand taels of gold without it.
• Song Ankang chose Peng Xuan’er over the gold, and she wept with joy as the girls congratulated them.

After recovering from the Yin-Devouring Beast battle, Song Ankang spent ten days bidding farewell to the girls of Shengyun Tower while healing and cultivating. He reached the limit of Foundation Establishment Early Stage and began breaking through to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

• Song Ankang treated his injuries, counted the rewards from the Yin-Devouring Beast and the brothels, and received gifts worth more than Three Hundred Thousand Taels of Gold.
• Song Ankang stayed at the Bamboo Forest Small Pavilion and spent ten days and nights saying farewell to the girls of Shengyun Tower before leaving with Peng Xuan'er.
• Song Ankang recovered from his injuries and cultivated until his strength reached the limit of Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
• Song Ankang transformed the remaining clouds of Childhood Purity True Qi into droplets and gathered the resulting pools into a circulating stream of true qi, advancing toward Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Song Ankang consolidated his cultivation at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, gaining power that nearly matched the Tang Family's old ancestor. Meanwhile, Bai Jingyue suffered abuse and blame from the Kong Family after Kong Sheng forced her to sleep with other men, and the chapter left her trying to protect her two daughters from her in-laws.

• Song Ankang stabilized his Childhood Purity True Qi at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and judged he had about a sixty percent chance of defeating the Tang Family's old ancestor.
• Song Ankang received feedback that brought his talent and aptitude closer to the Five Yang Body.
• Word spread through White Jade Town that Bai Jingyue had been with many men, while Kong Sheng concealed that he had forced her into it.
• Kong De and Wang Gui blamed Bai Jingyue for the scandal and beat her in their courtyard.
• Bai Jingyue's daughters, Jingjing and Yanyan, tried to shield her, but Kong De and Wang Gui struck the children as well.

Bai Jingyue endured another brutal beating after remembering the warmth Song Ankang had once shown her, while Song Ankang prepared to leave Shengyun Tower and settle Peng Xuan'er in a new home. He brought Peng Xuan'er to an expensive, secure courtyard in An City's inner city and promised to visit and protect her.

• Bai Jingyue remembered Song Ankang's past kindness and held on to life to protect her two daughters after her in-laws beat her.
• Song Ankang recovered from his injuries, reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and decided to leave Shengyun Tower with Peng Xuan'er.
• Song Ankang searched for a residence in An City's inner city while bidding farewell to the women of Shengyun Tower and nearby brothels and Painted Boats.
• Song Ankang bought a spacious courtyard near Sun Patrol Division and Night Watch Division bases and brought Peng Xuan'er there.
• Song Ankang reassured Peng Xuan'er that the courtyard was safe and promised to visit her and come if she needed help.

Song Ankang gave Peng Xuan'er Anxuan Residence and accompanied her to say farewell to the women of Shengyun Tower. As he began writing a farewell poem listing the girls by name, Tang Mingyue and Tang Liuli arrived nearby to see what was happening.

• Song Ankang registered Anxuan Residence in Peng Xuan'er's name and told her she could cultivate there in peace.
• Song Ankang took Peng Xuan'er to Shengyun Tower, where she and the other women exchanged tearful farewells.
• Peng Xuan'er kept her new residence's location secret because she intended to cut ties with Shengyun Tower.
• Song Ankang offered to write the women a farewell poem and began a title naming thousands of girls from Shengyun Tower.
• Tang Mingyue and Tang Liuli arrived nearby and hurried over to watch Song Ankang write.

Song Ankang wrote a farewell poem at Shengyun Tower and left with Peng Xuan'er, prompting the girls to realize he might never return. Tang Mingyue and Tang Liuli failed to find him and planned to seek other poets’ guidance while searching for him in Kyoto.

• Song Ankang wrote four lines of farewell poetry, took Peng Xuan'er’s hand, and left Shengyun Tower.
• Tang Mingyue praised the poem and predicted that Song Ankang would not return, while Tang Liuli doubted her.
• The girls explained that Peng Xuan'er had helped them get close to Song Ankang, who had not pursued them himself.
• Tang Mingyue realized she might have lost her chance to ask Song Ankang for poetry guidance and hurried after him with Tang Liuli, but they could not find him.
• Tang Mingyue and Tang Liuli decided to seek other poets’ advice and have their family connections search for Song Ankang in Kyoto.

Song Ankang’s farewell poem spread across the Xia Kingdom while he returned to Anxuan Residence with Peng Xuan’er and helped her clean their home. During their bath, his disguise came undone, revealing that Peng Xuan’er had known his face was false since their first night together and had kept the secret because she trusted his care for her.

• Song Ankang’s farewell poem for the women at Shengyun Tower became widely known, but he paid little attention to its fame.
• Tang Mingyue and Tang Liuli came looking for Song Ankang after he had already left Shengyun Tower with Peng Xuan’er.
• Song Ankang and Peng Xuan’er cleaned Anxuan Residence together, then bathed after finishing their work.
• Song Ankang’s disguise broke during the bath, and he realized Peng Xuan’er had noticed his true face.
• Peng Xuan’er told Song Ankang she had discovered the disguise on their first night together but had never blamed him because his care for her was real.
• Song Ankang apologized and reflected that his sincerity toward Peng Xuan’er had been far less than hers toward him.

Song Ankang revealed his true face to Peng Xuan'er, whose lingering doubts vanished and who broke through to the Transcendence Realm. He set aside his other affairs to spend time with her, while keeping his identity as the Tang Family's son-in-law secret.

• Song Ankang apologized to Peng Xuan'er for hiding his appearance and for being unable to devote himself to only one woman.
• Peng Xuan'er told Song Ankang she did not blame him, and he revealed his true face to her.
• Peng Xuan'er was delighted by Song Ankang's appearance, and the two spent the night together.
• Peng Xuan'er broke through from the peak of the Earth Barrier into the Transcendence Realm after letting go of her doubts about Song Ankang.
• Song Ankang devoted himself to keeping Peng Xuan'er company but did not reveal his identity as the Tang Family's son-in-law.

Song Ankang broke through from the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage to the Late Stage, transforming his Childhood Purity True Qi into a river. The Heavenly Book of Fate Defiance then raised his talent from the Four Yang Body to the Five Yang Body, leaving his true qi powerful enough to threaten lesser ghosts.

• Song Ankang accumulated Childhood Purity True Qi and repeatedly struck the bottleneck dam until it cracked and collapsed.
• Song Ankang consolidated his cultivation foundation and advanced to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage as his true qi formed a river.
• Song Ankang found that his Childhood Purity True Qi had grown roughly threefold and could overwhelm most Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Song Ankang received feedback that advanced his talent from the Four Yang Body to the Five Yang Body.
• Song Ankang sensed that his Five Yang Childhood Purity True Qi could burn lesser ghosts with his aura.

Song Ankang adapted to his new strength while Tang Mingyue struggled to find a Battle Poetry worthy of her mentor. After Chunhua praised Song Ankang’s achievements to Xiachen and Dongxue, Tang Mingyue overheard the conversation and learned how much he had changed.

• Song Ankang continued cultivating and spending quiet days with Peng Xuan'er while Tang Mingyue searched unsuccessfully for a poet to help her compose a Battle Poetry.
• Tang Mingyue sent more people to look for Zhao Xiyu, hoping he could help with her poem.
• Chunhua told Xiachen and Dongxue that Song Ankang had built Chaoyun Manor’s business and decisively driven Tang Quanli’s people out of the White Jade Mulberry Forest.
• Chunhua explained that Song Ankang had reinvested compensation in the forest, raised workers’ wages, increased production and profits, and grown his processing workshop business.
• Chunhua revealed that Song Ankang had reached the Inner Refinement Third Layer, astonishing Xiachen and Dongxue as Tang Mingyue overheard them.
• Chunhua said she envied Guoguo, who had chosen to follow Song Ankang to Chaoyun Manor, and began to describe how well Guoguo was living.

Chunhua told Xiachen and Dongxue about Song Ankang’s extravagant gifts to Guoguo, leaving them envious of the life Guoguo enjoyed. She hinted that Song Ankang had given Guoguo another remarkable gift but had not yet revealed what it was.

• Chunhua described how Song Ankang gave Guoguo a pastry shop that fulfilled her wish to eat pastries freely.
• Chunhua said Song Ankang bought Guoguo’s family a three-courtyard mansion in White Jade Town so they could live safely.
• Chunhua revealed that Song Ankang commissioned Guoguo a Fuyun Jewelry set worth a thousand gold pieces for her coming-of-age ceremony.
• Dongxue and Xiachen regretted not going to serve Song Ankang and asked Chunhua to reveal another gift he had given Guoguo.
• Chunhua teased that the earlier gift was as impressive as the jewelry, and Xiachen and Dongxue pounced on her for the details.

Chunhua told Xiachen and Dongxue that Song Ankang had written two moving lines of poetry for Guoguo, and Tang Mingyue was astonished by his talent. As Tang Mingyue reconsidered the familiar face and refusals of Zhao Xiyu, the Flower-Breaking Young Master, she began to suspect a connection to her brother-in-law.

• Chunhua revealed that Song Ankang had given Guoguo a Heart-Writing Jade inscribed with two lines of poetry.
• Xiachen and Dongxue praised the poem, while Tang Mingyue secretly listened and felt ashamed of her own poetry.
• Chunhua confirmed Song Ankang had written the lines himself, and Xiachen and Dongxue recalled his reputation for literary talent.
• Tang Mingyue wondered how she could guide Song Ankang when she could not find a flaw in his verse.
• Tang Mingyue connected Zhao Xiyu's familiar face and repeated refusals to guide them with Song Ankang's poetic talent and recent secluded cultivation.

Tang Mingyue confirmed that Song Ankang was Flower-Breaking Young Master Zhao Xiyu and secretly went to White Jade Mulberry Forest to ask him for a Battle Poetry for her departing teacher. She waited near Huanxiang Residence while Song Ankang remained unaware that she had discovered his identity.

• Tang Mingyue compared Song Ankang's cultivation absences with Zhao Xiyu's appearances at Shengyun Tower and concluded they were the same person.
• Tang Mingyue decided to seek Song Ankang's help composing a Battle Poetry for her teacher before the teacher left for the Heaven-Human War Front.
• Tang Mingyue secretly traveled to White Jade Mulberry Forest and confirmed that Song Ankang was away from his Training Room.
• Tang Mingyue claimed she was entering seclusion and waited near Huanxiang Residence for Song Ankang to return.
• Song Ankang drank wine and recited poetry with Peng Xuan'er at Anxuan Residence, unaware that Tang Mingyue was watching for him.

Song Ankang returned from seclusion and found Tang Mingyue waiting near Huanxiang Residence. She confronted him with evidence that he was Flower-Breaking Young Master Zhao Xiyu, leaving him mortified by her knowledge of his exploits at Shengyun Tower.

• Song Ankang sensed Tang Mingyue hiding in the grass near Huanxiang Residence and returned to the Training Room to see what she wanted.
• Tang Mingyue rushed out, shoved Song Ankang inside, locked the door, and accused him of being Flower-Breaking Young Master Zhao Xiyu.
• Song Ankang denied the accusation, but Tang Mingyue cited his changing appearances and the timing of his disappearances and Zhao Xiyu's appearances.
• Tang Mingyue said she had compared the lengths of Song Ankang's fingers with Zhao Xiyu's and had watched him write the poem at Shengyun Tower.
• Song Ankang realized Tang Mingyue knew about his encounters with the women at Shengyun Tower and was overcome with embarrassment.