Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan learned that messenger birds between Jiangyang Dao and Wushui Commandery had gone missing, raising fears that the Rebel Army was cutting off communications. As he considered the spreading lethargy tied to the Carefree Sect and the Prefecture Governor’s Mansion, he noticed that the morning fog was unusually thick.

• Eunuch Cao gave Fang Yuan Scarlet Sun Pills and Mysterious Water Pills to help advance his Yin-Yang Force.
• Eunuch Cao reported that messenger birds traveling between Jiangyang Dao and Wushui Commandery had lost contact, and Fang Yuan suspected the Rebel Army was intercepting communications.
• Eunuch Cao reassured Fang Yuan that the frontline army could hold out until a transfer order arrived, but Fang Yuan doubted the order would get through.
• Fang Yuan connected the lethargy affecting Zhao Tianci and Carefree Sect disciples to a group Black Calamity incident and wondered how widely it had spread.
• Fang Yuan noticed that the morning fog remained unusually dense, limiting his view to only several dozen meters.

Fang Yuan walked through an unusually dense fog to the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, where he joined Qian Duoduo, Ma Ben, and Li Suxin to investigate the case. Steward Fu appeared at the gate, and Fang Yuan's Iron-Thread Willow warned him that the steward was extremely dangerous as Ma Ben entered the mansion.

• Fang Yuan noticed the abnormal fog on his way from Cao Mansion and took red and blue Elixir Pills, bringing himself closer to completing his Fourth-rank cultivation.
• Fang Yuan reached the Prefecture Governor's Mansion and met Qian Duoduo, Ma Ben, and Li Suxin, remaining wary of Ma Ben's sudden friendliness and Li Suxin's anxiety.
• Ma Ben proposed that they work together on the case, and Qian Duoduo readily agreed.
• Fang Yuan recalled Zhao Si's report that the White Lotus Sect had an elder in Wushui Commandery and considered sharing intelligence privately with Qian Duoduo.
• Steward Fu appeared behind the mansion gate, and Fang Yuan's Iron-Thread Willow warned him of danger.
• Ma Ben closed his fan and entered the mansion after Steward Fu invited them inside.

Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin entered the fog-shrouded Prefecture Governor's Mansion despite sensing danger, while the Seventh Elder watched from outside. Inside, Qian Duoduo revealed that Old Hei had told them to enter.

• Steward Fu called Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin guests and urged them to enter, but they hesitated because he seemed inhuman.
• Qian Duoduo stepped through the gate first, and Fang Yuan and Li Suxin followed him into the mansion.
• The gates shut behind them, and dense fog obscured the courtyard as the Seventh Elder watched from across the street.
• Fang Yuan noticed Steward Fu had vanished, and Qian Duoduo said Old Hei had instructed them to come inside.
• Qian Duoduo began explaining that Old Hei's door had remained closed when he visited the Mission Courtyard.

Fang Yuan and his companions entered the Prefecture Governor's Mansion after receiving Old Hei's warning that vitality lay within it. In the thickening fog, they found Zhao Tianci and his overnight guard unconscious, then went to seek the old lady, who Fang Yuan suspected might still be awake.

• Qian Duoduo told Fang Yuan that Old Hei had left a note saying vitality lay within the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, and Fang Yuan decided to go there with Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin.
• Foolish Egg and Third Brother spread stories about Fang Yuan in Wushui Commandery's Outer City to complete a task he had assigned them.
• Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin entered the mansion, where the fog had thickened and Ma Ben had disappeared.
• The group found Zhao Tianci barely breathing and his burly guard unconscious on a bed beside him.
• Fang Yuan reasoned that the old lady might still be awake and led the others toward her courtyard.

Fang Yuan realized that invisible guests were likely behind the Black Calamity affecting both the Carefree Sect and the Prefecture Governor's Mansion. After hearing fragments suggesting the guests had arrived with travelers bound for Wushui Commandery, he turned the group away from the old lady's courtyard, leaving Li Suxin demanding an explanation.

• As Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin walked the Covered Corridor, strange laughter filled the mist and the path stretched far longer than it had the previous day.
• Fang Yuan sensed the Iron-Thread Willow refining as Foolish Egg and Third Brother's storytelling strengthened it, while Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin heard no clear voices.
• Fang Yuan heard fragments about entry quotas for Wushui Commandery and a Post Station, and concluded that invisible guests had entered the Carefree Sect and the Prefecture Governor's Mansion.
• Fang Yuan suspected the guests had followed Steward Fu, or the thing wearing his shell, into the mansion.
• Fang Yuan told Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin they were not going to the old lady's place, and Li Suxin demanded to know what was happening.

Fang Yuan considered how the Black Calamity might have reached Wushui Commandery and feared that infected guests had spread it throughout the city. He opened Cuier’s booklet and found a list of names followed by a first-person account announcing that the Rebel Army had arrived.

• Fang Yuan weighed whether the Black Calamity had spread through information or through guests who changed along the road, and concluded the latter could have contaminated much of Wushui Commandery.
• Li Suxin demanded Fang Yuan explain his thoughts and threatened to leave, but he said he had clues and kept thinking through the danger.
• Fang Yuan decided the booklet Cuier had given him might help and opened it despite Qian Duoduo’s warning.
• Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin read the booklet’s changing handwriting, a list of names, and an account that began, “The Rebel Army has arrived.”

Fang Yuan read a shopkeeper’s account suggesting Hanshan Commandery’s war against the Rebel Army was fabricated, while martial artists secretly left the city. The account ended with the shopkeeper joining a midnight gathering, where Old Li asked if he wanted to leave.

• Fang Yuan read that the shopkeeper suspected there was no Rebel Army because the city showed few signs of war and its yamen processed an ordinary amount of paperwork.
• Qian Duoduo questioned whether Hanshan Commandery’s battle reports were fake, while Li Suxin warned that uncovering the matter’s essence could be dangerous.
• As the bronze bell rang and mist surged through the corridor, Fang Yuan continued reading about martial artists who left the city and never returned.
• Old Li invited the shopkeeper to learn of a major discovery, and the shopkeeper secretly went to his house at night.
• The shopkeeper found Old Li gathered with the local shopkeepers, then watched Old Li lock the door after asking, “Who wants to leave?”

Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin read a strange booklet recounting how Old Li revealed an injured martial artist who warned that the Rebel Army was a scam and that something uncanny was happening. The account skipped several pages, then revealed that the narrator had begun growing physically stronger after visiting Old Li’s house.

• Fang Yuan read that Old Li led a group of shopkeepers into his back room, where they found an injured martial artist bound in a woodshed.
• The martial artist warned them to run, called the Rebel Army a scam, and said there was something uncanny.
• Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin continued reading despite noticing how difficult it was to stop, while Li Suxin asked what happened to the martial artist.
• Fang Yuan found several blank pages before the account resumed with Old Li arranging a major undertaking for that night.
• The narrator said he had changed after leaving Old Li’s house because his body was growing stronger.

Fang Yuan read Shopkeeper Wang’s account of merchants gaining strength without side effects and agreeing to open the city gates after Old Li promised greater power outside the city. As eerie footsteps surrounded Fang Yuan, Qian Duoduo, and Li Suxin, the account ended with Shopkeeper Wang still wondering whether their plan amounted to rebellion.

• Shopkeeper Wang described killing a Martial Artist with one punch after his strength suddenly surged, and Fang Yuan connected his experience to the Carefree Sect disciples’ changes.
• Li Suxin asked Fang Yuan what the booklet’s missing pages contained as Iron-Thread Willow stirred in his mind and unseen footsteps circled the group in the fog.
• Fang Yuan continued reading as Shopkeeper Wang recounted how he and other shopkeepers gathered at Old Li’s shop, united by their newfound power and desire for more.
• Old Li proposed opening the city gates to reach the secret of becoming stronger outside the city, and the shopkeepers eventually agreed despite the guarded defenses.
• Shopkeeper Wang admitted that he hesitated because opening the gates seemed no different from rebellion.

After reading a booklet that revealed how greedy shopkeepers opened Hanshan Commandery’s gates to the Rebel Army, Fang Yuan realized the same trap had spread to Wushui Commandery. Surrounded in the Covered Corridor, he confronted Steward Fu as the force behind the plot and prepared to fight.

• Fang Yuan read that Old Li led the shopkeepers in killing the Captain guarding Hanshan Commandery’s gate, then opened it to the waiting Rebel Army.
• Fang Yuan connected the booklet to Wushui Commandery’s growing danger as fireworks signaled that the commandery city was under attack.
• Fang Yuan read the booklet’s final message, “Hehe... I see you,” then drew his sword and told Qian Duoduo they would fight their way out.
• Figures emerged from the mist and surrounded Fang Yuan and Qian Duoduo in the Covered Corridor, and Steward Fu approached them.
• Fang Yuan accused Steward Fu of being connected to Shopkeeper Li and explained that someone must have placed the booklet before Zhao Tianci to spread the trap.

Fang Yuan discovered that the Iron-Thread Willow’s will let his blade suppress Steward Fu and the other rapidly strengthening figures in the Covered Corridor. Steward Fu halted the attackers and withdrew, leaving Fang Yuan and his companions surrounded by mist again.

• Steward Fu attacked Fang Yuan with speed and strength far beyond those of an ordinary man, while Li Suxin wounded his wrist but watched it heal almost instantly.
• Figures emerged from the mist and overwhelmed the group, forcing Fang Yuan to fight Steward Fu while Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin fended off the others.
• Fang Yuan infused his blade with the Iron-Thread Willow’s will and severed Steward Fu’s arm, discovering that his attacks disrupted the grayish-white substance repairing the figures.
• Fang Yuan used his Teleportation talent and blade to inflict serious wounds on Steward Fu, while Li Suxin realized his strikes harmed the figures more effectively than hers.
• Steward Fu stopped the attackers with a wave, and the figures vanished into the mist as Qian Duoduo stumbled into a corridor pillar.

Fang Yuan told Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin that he was an Iron-Thread Willow and urged them to trust him to survive the encroaching fog. Qian Duoduo believed him, while Li Suxin remained doubtful but showed some trust, and Fang Yuan sensed both of their trust through his talent.

• Fang Yuan said the Black Calamity's enemies feared him as fog began closing in around the Covered Corridor.
• Fang Yuan claimed he was an Iron-Thread Willow, a tree whose branches could cut down formless things.
• Qian Duoduo believed Fang Yuan and asked him what to do, while Li Suxin challenged his story.
• Qian Duoduo told Li Suxin she was half-convinced and warned her that Black Calamities defied ordinary judgment.
• Fang Yuan sensed new points of trust from Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin through the Iron-Thread Willow in his mind.

Fang Yuan led Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin out of the fog-bound Prefecture Governor's Mansion, then discovered that the Iron-Thread Willow had evolved into a Ghost Willow that could gather light points from people who heard its story. The chapter left Fang Yuan realizing his tale had spread widely while Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin watched him snap back from a moment of distraction.

• Fang Yuan told Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin to pack and leave, and they followed him through the fog to the mansion gates.
• Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin crossed the threshold safely, with the fog stopped inside the doorway.
• Fang Yuan claimed his talent restrained the black goods, and the two companions no longer dismissed his explanation.
• Fang Yuan's Iron-Thread Willow evolved into a Ghost Willow, whose branches produced forty-seven light points.
• Fang Yuan realized that people who heard stories about him could strengthen the Ghost Willow, and suspected Foolish Egg and Third Brother had spread his tale widely.
• Qian Duoduo called to Fang Yuan when he stood distracted, and Fang Yuan replied that nothing was wrong.

Fang Yuan, Li Suxin, and Qian Duoduo found the White Lotus Sect’s Seventh Elder unconscious in the street, then saw distress fireworks signal disasters at the East City Gate and the Imperial City Security Department. Fang Yuan concluded that the Rebel Army was already inside Wushui Commandery and ordered the others to meet at the Cao Mansion so they could flee the city.

• Qian Duoduo spotted a farmer-like man lying motionless outside the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, and Li Suxin identified him as the White Lotus Sect’s Seventh Elder.
• Fang Yuan examined the Seventh Elder and concluded that, like Zhao Tianci and the brawny man, he had been dragged into the Black Calamity’s story and put to sleep.
• Fireworks flashed near the East City Gate and then closer by, prompting Li Suxin and Qian Duoduo to recognize distress signals from the city gate and the Imperial City Security Department.
• Fang Yuan refused to reinforce the signals and told Qian Duoduo and Li Suxin to gather at the Cao Mansion because he believed the city would fall that day.
• Fang Yuan explained that the Rebel Army was already inside Wushui Commandery, then entered the mist and left the others to follow.

Fang Yuan fled the Prefecture Governor's Mansion with Qian Duoduo while Li Suxin summoned help to retrieve her people. As Fang Yuan considered the Ghost Willow's new abilities, Shen Rang arrived at the mansion and learned that Cheng Yi's divine servants had been injured there.

• Qian Duoduo ran after Fang Yuan, while Li Suxin used a White Hall contact projectile to summon someone before heading toward its whistle.
• Fang Yuan realized the Ghost Willow had become better at gathering faint traces of faith and seemed more active amid the chaos in Wushui Commandery.
• Fang Yuan tried to make the Ghost Willow absorb the strange fog, but it showed no response, leaving him unsure whether it could not or would not absorb it.
• Shen Rang arrived at the Prefecture Governor's Mansion with armored soldiers and found Seventh Elder's corpse.
• Cheng Yi identified Seventh Elder as an elder of his sect, and Shen Rang ordered the soldiers to bury the body.
• Cheng Yi said his Lord's divine servants had been injured at the mansion, and Shen Rang questioned who in Wushui Commandery could have harmed them.

Fang Yuan discovered that Cao Mansion was under siege by the Brave Army and rushed to the estate with his newly enhanced teleportation. He arrived as Eunuch Cao urged him to flee, while the scar-faced commander judged Fang Yuan to be a fast but manageable Fourth-Rank fighter.

• Shen Rang learned from Cheng Yi that Divine Servants could be injured, prompting him to reconsider Wushui Commandery's strength.
• Fang Yuan used Flash to travel much farther than before and reached Cao Mansion, where more than two hundred armored soldiers surrounded it.
• Eunuch Cao and Han Bao fought the attackers, with Han Bao struggling against a Fourth-Rank warrior in gold-trimmed armor.
• The scar-faced commander offered Fang Yuan a commander's position in the Brave Army, but Eunuch Cao recognized Fang Yuan and told him to run.
• The commander assessed Fang Yuan as a Fourth-Rank fighter whose extraordinary movement made him a threat to the Brave Army.

Fang Yuan defended the Cao Mansion against the Brave Army, killing its scar-faced leader and three hidden Fourth-Rank commanders in a swift display of strength. He stood before the shaken soldiers and looked over the remaining troops.

• The scar-faced leader tried to persuade Fang Yuan to surrender, then attacked him with a spear when Fang Yuan identified the Brave Army as rebels.
• Fang Yuan blocked the leader’s spear with his saber and killed him with a single slash.
• Fang Yuan warned the soldiers that those who retreated would be spared, but a hidden Fourth-Rank fighter rallied the formation.
• Fang Yuan moved through the ranks and killed three concealed Fourth-Rank commanders within a few breaths.
• The Brave Army’s formation faltered as soldiers realized their commanders were dead, and Fang Yuan surveyed the remaining troops.

Fang Yuan defeated the Brave Army’s Vanguard Battalion as it attacked Cao Mansion, then warned Eunuch Cao and Han Bao that Wushui Commandery was about to fall like Hanshan Commandery. He ordered them to pack for an escape and promised Han Bao a Splendid Future, while another blast sounded from the city gates.

• The Brave Army’s Vanguard Battalion fled after Fang Yuan killed many of its fighters, and Eunuch Cao and Han Bao questioned Fang Yuan about his strength.
• Qian Duoduo arrived, and Eunuch Cao and Han Bao identified the attackers as elite troops seeking to capture the imperial envoy.
• Fang Yuan warned that Wushui Commandery was likely suffering the same sudden fall as Hanshan Commandery because news of the Black Calamity had been suppressed.
• Fang Yuan ordered Eunuch Cao and Han Bao to pack so they could flee before the rebels secured the city.
• Fang Yuan promised Han Bao that he would ask Eunuch Cao to secure him a Splendid Future, as another boom sounded from the distant gates.

Fang Yuan led a group carrying valuables from the Cao Mansion toward Wushui Commandery’s South Gate, killing rebels along the way. Meanwhile, Shen Rang learned that the Divine Servants in the Prefecture Governor’s Mansion had failed and the Divine Book was gone.

• Fang Yuan gathered Eunuch Cao, the Han Family brothers, the Wang father and son, Little Bean Sprout, Zhao Si, and the others before the Cao Mansion and promised they could escape.
• Fang Yuan chose to lead the group straight through the South Gate, and Eunuch Cao and Han Bao followed with the two carriages.
• Fang Yuan moved ahead through the gray fog, killing rebel soldiers one by one to clear the road.
• Shen Rang questioned Cheng Yi about the empty Prefecture Governor’s Mansion and said he had seen the black calamity’s effects in Hanshan Commandery.
• Cheng Yi admitted that the mansion’s Divine Servants had failed and revealed that the Divine Book was gone.

After learning that the Divine Book had gone missing, Shen Rang discovered that his Vanguard Battalion had been defeated at the Cao Mansion and set out to pursue the attacker. Fang Yuan fought toward the South Gate, where he encountered Shen Qingwan, who was evacuating the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to Capital City.

• Cheng Yi told Shen Rang that the missing Divine Book could force the next offensive to be put on hold while the sect searched for it.
• A soldier reported that Commanders Zhou, Li, and Yang had died at the Cao Mansion, and Shen Rang ordered a battalion assembled to pursue their killer.
• Fang Yuan used Flash and his swift saber to cut through the fighters blocking his route toward the South Gate.
• Fang Yuan appeared beside Shen Qingwan's carriage, and she stopped her guards from drawing their weapons against him.
• Shen Qingwan told Fang Yuan that the Myriad Treasures Pavilion had ordered a full evacuation from Wushui Commandery and that her party was headed to Capital City.