Chapter Summaries

Lu Zheng played several famous zither pieces for Shen Ying and the Liu Family Sisters in Peach Blossom Forest, where Guang Yue and Yuan Jing later arrived. Yuan Jing invited Lu Zheng to investigate an incident at Chicken Cry Temple in Pingtan County, leaving Lu Zheng to decide whether to go.

• Lu Zheng left Guang Yue at Tonglai Inn and reassured Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan that Guang Yue could not separate him from them.
• Lu Zheng took Shen Ying and the Liu Family Sisters to Peach Blossom Forest for the Ten-Day Rest.
• Lu Zheng played the Phoenix Tail Zither, performing several pieces that delighted Shen Ying, Liu Qingyan, Xiao Cui, and Liu Qingquan.
• Yuan Jing and Guang Yue arrived and exchanged greetings, while Yuan Jing questioned Guang Yue's invitation for Lu Zheng to travel with him.
• Yuan Jing told Lu Zheng that something had happened at Chicken Cry Temple in Pingtan County and invited him to investigate together.

Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue set out for Chicken Cry Temple after hearing that a golden temple appeared there at night and left hundreds of people weak and dazed. They reached Pingtan County after nightfall and learned the temple’s Buddhist light was expanding, then headed to investigate.

• Yuan Jing told Lu Zheng that a golden temple had appeared nightly at Chicken Cry Temple, drawing people into chanting and sleep before leaving them feeble and muddleheaded.
• Lu Zheng agreed to join Yuan Jing and Guang Yue, then went home to gather his things before meeting them at the county town’s west gate.
• On the road, Yuan Jing explained that Chicken Cry Temple had been abandoned about twelve years earlier, though its monks had disappeared without explanation.
• At a noodle shop in Pingtan County, the owner said the temple’s Buddhist light had expanded from two li to three and that people investigating it had fled before being ensnared.
• Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue left through the western gate and headed toward Chicken Cry Temple.

Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue investigated the abandoned Chicken Cry Temple and found it transformed into the radiant Great Glass Temple, whose Buddha light and chanting seemed pure despite the temple's eerie emptiness. In the Great Hero Hall, they discovered a living Glass Buddha and two Bodhisattvas urging them to enter and worship.

• Yuan Jing explained that the path to Chicken Cry Temple had brought many travelers within range of its influence, and the group followed the golden light and chanting to the temple.
• Guang Yue identified the temple's radiance as the Buddha light of the Glass Medicine Master Buddha, and Lu Zheng's Evil Expelling Spell only intensified the light and chanting before the gates opened.
• The three entered the temple and found its Hall of Heavenly Kings and Sunshine Hall empty of statues, while the side halls remained closed.
• Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue climbed to the Great Hero Hall and saw a chanting Glass Buddha flanked by two Bodhisattvas, with other figures suggested by the light and voices inside.
• The Glass Buddha called on the three to enter the hall, pay homage, and pray sincerely.

Lu Zheng, Guang Yue, and Yuan Jing entered Chicken Cry Temple’s hidden Glass World Secret Realm and found it controlled by unnatural beings disguised as Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. After resisting the Glass Buddha’s attempt to force a scripture into their minds, they were trapped in a golden cage as its palm descended, and Guang Yue realized the beings’ true spirits lay behind their Buddhist light.

• Lu Zheng, Guang Yue, and Yuan Jing entered the Great Hero Hall and were transported into a natural Secret Realm filled with gigantic Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats.
• The Glass Buddha and its followers urged the three to submit, while waves of Brahmaic Sound pressured them to accept the Buddha and listen to a secret scripture.
• Guang Yue and Yuan Jing resisted the mental assault, and Lu Zheng used sound arts to disrupt the Glass Buddha’s chanting.
• The Glass Buddha declared Lu Zheng an outer-realm demon and ordered the others to subdue him, forming a golden cage around the three.
• The Glass Buddha lowered its lotus dais and pressed a vast palm toward them, while Guang Yue identified the beings’ true spirits as the source of their power.

Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue broke the Glass Buddha’s illusion and defeated the demons inside Chicken Cry Temple’s Secret Realm. After Guang Yue took the evil Buddha relic and decided to rebuild the temple, the three emerged to meet Du Huanzhen and Madam Tang from the Demon Suppression Division.

• Lu Zheng used the Nine Heavens Golden Palace Insight Transformation Divine Method to break through the Glass Buddha’s mind and crack the Buddha-light illusion, allowing Yuan Jing and Guang Yue to expose the Secret Realm’s true appearance.
• The Glass Buddha revealed its demonic form, and Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue fought the demon and its followers until only the injured Glass Buddha remained.
• Lu Zheng and Guang Yue killed the remaining strange beings and the Glass Buddha, earning hundreds of strands of Light of Luck.
• Guang Yue identified the loot as an evil Buddha relic, explained its connection to the former abbot and monks of Chicken Cry Temple, and decided to cleanse it and rebuild the temple.
• After leaving the Secret Realm, Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue encountered Du Huanzhen and Madam Tang, who had arrived to investigate the temple’s anomaly.

Du Huanzhen and Madam Tang confirmed that Chicken Cry Temple’s Secret Realm had been cleared of aberrations but remained corrupted by demonic qi. Guang Yue chose to purify it and rebuild the temple, while Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing helped the victims in Pingtan County before preparing to return to Tonglin County.

• Du Huanzhen and Madam Tang entered the Secret Realm, confirmed its origin was corrupted, and discussed sealing it or cleansing it.
• Guang Yue chose to purify the Secret Realm and rebuild Chicken Cry Temple, agreeing to share it with White Cloud Temple with Yuan Jing’s help.
• Lu Zheng invited Du Huanzhen and Madam Tang to lunch, and the five shared a meal in Pingtan County.
• Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing, and Guang Yue treated the affected pilgrims and other victims, while local families donated funds to rebuild Chicken Cry Temple.
• Guang Yue stayed to prepare for the temple’s rebuilding as Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing set out for Tonglin County.

Lu Zheng returned to his quiet routine in Tonglin County while spending time with Lin Wan in the modern world. After learning they had received a bonus for solving a major case, Lin Wan took him back to KASAMUVA, where the chapter ended as they began their meal.

• Lu Zheng returned to Tonglin County after parting from Yuan Jing and resumed his routine after Guang Yue was tied up by Chicken Cry Temple.
• Lin Wan told Lu Zheng she had advanced to the twelfth form of the Mountain Carrying Eighteen Forms and could beat the armed police instructors.
• Lin Wan told Lu Zheng her calligraphy received an excellence award, and they joked about her deputy bureau chief's evaluation.
• Lin Wan and Lu Zheng discussed taking time off for May Day, then watched a movie together that afternoon.
• Lin Wan took Lu Zheng to KASAMUVA to celebrate the bonus from their major case, and they ordered food at the crowded restaurant.

Lu Zheng bypassed the restriction on the restaurant piano and performed three pieces, impressing Lin Wan, the guests, and owner Nova Sanders. As Lu Zheng and Lin Wan prepared to leave, Sanders approached to introduce himself.

• Lu Zheng used an Illusion Technique to get past the waiter and take his seat at the piano.
• Lu Zheng played Schubert's “Serenade” and Chopin's “Nocturne in E-flat Major,” drawing the restaurant into silence and earning applause.
• Lu Zheng played Beethoven's “Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor,” prompting thunderous applause and admiration from Sanders, Pierre, and Todd.
• Lu Zheng returned to Lin Wan, joked with her about her Hanfu, and prepared to leave with her.
• Nova Sanders approached Lu Zheng and asked to get to know him.

After Lu Zheng impressed the owner and guests at KASAMUVA with his piano performance, Juilliard professor Jean Pierre invited him to study piano professionally. Lu Zheng declined, insisting that piano was only one of his hobbies, then left with Lin Wan after exchanging contact information and receiving an invitation to perform at a future reception.

• Sanders presented Lu Zheng with KASAMUVA's red card and praised his performance on the custom Bösendorfer piano.
• Pierre learned that Lu Zheng had studied computer science at Sea City University of Transportation and had never received professional piano training.
• Pierre introduced himself as a Juilliard piano professor and offered Lu Zheng an invitation to study there, but Lu Zheng declined.
• Lu Zheng told Pierre that professional rules would not improve his playing and reaffirmed that he would not pursue piano as a career.
• Pierre and Sanders exchanged contact information with Lu Zheng, and Sanders invited him to play at a summer reception with Lin Wan as his companion.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan said goodbye to Sanders, Pierre, and Todd, then left the hotel together.

Lu Zheng persuaded Lin Wan that mastering the Mountain Carrying Eighteen Forms could help her learn calligraphy and piano, then met with a major shareholder of Nandu Renxin Hall and sold him a century-old ginseng. After traveling to the ancient era, Lu Zheng joined Liu Qingyan in treating patients at Renxin Hall.

• Lu Zheng explained to Lin Wan that martial arts practice and artistic conception could help her learn calligraphy and piano, and she eagerly set off to practice the Mountain Carrying Eighteen Forms.
• Liu Zhenming invited Lu Zheng to lunch with a major shareholder of Nandu Renxin Hall to discuss building a business connection.
• Lu Zheng met Xie Feng at Qianhai Courtyard and sold him an under-one-pound, century-old ginseng for twelve million after tax.
• Lu Zheng traveled to the ancient era, greeted Liu Qingyan and her father at Renxin Hall, and began treating patients alongside Liu Qingyan.

Lu Zheng settled Leng Jian’s riches into a sugar workshop and an expanded home, then welcomed Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu as guests. Zhu Yushan discussed his plans to take the Prefecture Exam, and the visit moved on to lunch.

• Lu Zheng sold Leng Jian’s collection in Yizhou Prefecture, then established a sugar business and expanded his residence in Tonglin County.
• Lu Zheng showed Liu Qingyan their new home and explained that its wealth came from Leng Jian’s collection.
• Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu arrived to visit, and Lu Zheng introduced them to his fiancée, Liu Qingyan.
• Li Hanyu recognized Liu Qingyan as a fox spirit and warmly spoke with her while Lu Zheng showed Zhu Yushan his calligraphy.
• Zhu Yushan learned that Lu Zheng had never taken an exam and invited him to visit Yizhou Prefecture for the upcoming Prefecture Exam.
• Lu Zheng wished Zhu Yushan success, then invited him and Li Hanyu to lunch.

Lu Zheng hosted Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu at Peach Blossom Glade, where Zhu gained cultivation advice and Li became absorbed in mahjong. The next day, Lu Zheng went to collect Stalactite Spring water and heard a mysterious voice invite him into the karst cave.

• Lu Zheng took Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu to Peach Blossom Glade, where Zhu played Go with him and Li enthusiastically joined the mahjong game.
• Lu Zheng encouraged Zhu Yushan to cultivate more, earning Light of Luck as Zhu accepted his advice.
• Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan said farewell to Zhu Yushan and Li Hanyu outside Tonglin County, and Lu predicted Zhu might become a Recommended Man before the following year.
• Lu Zheng went to the Stalactite Spring to collect water for the Ganoderma Horse and climbed the cliff to fill two bottles.
• As Lu Zheng prepared to leave, a voice from the karst cave told him to come inside and collect mountain spring water.

Lu Zheng entered a mountain cavern, collected Stalactite Spring, and met an old man who invited him to study an unfinished Go game. After Lu Zheng lost their first match, the old man reset the board and invited him to try another line.

• Lu Zheng climbed to the cavern after an unseen expert called out to him and found an old man waiting inside.
• The old man let Lu Zheng fill two bottles with Stalactite Spring, then asked whether he knew how to play chess.
• Lu Zheng examined the unfinished Go game and resisted its frightening spiritual effect, earning the old man's praise.
• Lu Zheng deduced several possible lines and played one against the old man, but surrendered on the nineteenth move.
• The old man reset the board and asked Lu Zheng to try another line, and Lu Zheng began a new game.

Lu Zheng returned from the cave with Stalactite Spring and showed Shen Ying the unsolved Go endgame, but neither of them could find a winning line for White. Afterward, Lu Zheng used the Jade Seal to improve his Go skills and sought stronger opponents online so he could keep studying the puzzle.

• After losing three games to the old man, Lu Zheng received a bottle of Stalactite Spring and was invited to return to the cave to play Go.
• Lu Zheng brought the endgame back to Peach Blossom Glade, where Shen Ying tried five lines of play and also failed to find a win for White.
• Shen Ying fed the Ganoderma Horse Stalactite Essence, then asked Lu Zheng to give Qing Yan some as well.
• Lu Zheng transmigrated to the modern world, beat a Hell-difficulty Go computer ten times, and realized its moves could not solve the endgame.
• Lu Zheng upgraded his Go skills with the Jade Seal, beat the computer three more times, and opened the Penguin Game Lobby to look for stronger players.

Lu Zheng used the Jade Seal to sharpen his Go skills, defeating professional players online before returning to the cave to challenge the old man’s endgame again. The old man was surprised when Lu Zheng sacrificed a huge group of white stones, leaving the board empty.

• Lu Zheng climbed to King rank on Penguin Go with a perfect record, defeating professional players including He Jie, while Google considered restarting AlphaGo to challenge him.
• Lu Zheng used the Jade Seal to improve and finally saw a promising way to solve the old man’s endgame.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan planned a ten-day overseas trip for the May Day holiday and arranged to meet after work.
• The next morning, Lu Zheng traveled to ancient times and went to the cave to show the old man his new sequence.
• After seven moves, Lu Zheng sacrificed a huge group of white stones, and the old man froze in surprise.

Lu Zheng broke Song Kaichuan’s decades-old Go deadlock, winning by half a stone and earning the senior’s admiration. Song Kaichuan gave Lu Zheng access to the cave’s Stalactite Spring and taught him the Earthwalk Technique before leaving for Southern Border.

• Lu Zheng sacrificed groups of stones to turn the game around, and Song Kaichuan lost by half a stone after playing through the night.
• Song Kaichuan learned that Lu Zheng had devised the solution in three days and praised his skill and unusual strategy.
• Song Kaichuan invited Lu Zheng to travel with him to Southern Border, but Lu Zheng declined and introduced himself as an outer disciple of White Cloud Temple.
• Song Kaichuan allowed Lu Zheng to collect Stalactite Spring from the cave and taught him the Earthwalk Technique for entering it.
• Song Kaichuan departed underground and said he would visit Lu Zheng in Tonglin County to play Go.

Lu Zheng studied the Earthwalk Technique and prepared to leave for a ten-day trip with Lin Wan. At the airport, a boastful traveler insulted their travel budget, and Lu Zheng retaliated by loudly mocking him after he spilled water on himself.

• Lu Zheng learned that the Earthwalk Technique could let him burrow through soil, making it useful for infiltration and escape, though modern underground utilities limited its use.
• Lu Zheng visited the Liu residence and told Liu Qingyan he would be away for half a month.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan went to Sea City Airport for their trip and discussed visiting Singapore, Phuket Island, and Kuala Lumpur.
• A middle-aged man criticized their choice of Marina Bay Sands and suggested they could not afford Capella, while his female companion made disparaging remarks about their budget.
• The middle-aged man spilled water over himself, and Lu Zheng loudly suggested that he had kidney problems and might be unable to get an erection.

Lu Zheng and Lin Wan traveled to Singapore in business class and checked into a luxurious suite at Marina Bay Sands. The chapter left them looking over the suite and its guest privileges as Lin Wan wondered how much it cost.

• Lu Zheng embarrassed a middle-aged man at the airport by making him rush to the restroom, then joked with Lin Wan about it.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan flew business class to Singapore and arrived the next morning.
• Lu Zheng praised Lin Wan’s appearance at the airport, and they took a taxi toward Marina Bay Sands, admiring the Singapore Flyer along the way.
• Lu Zheng showed their reservation at Marina Bay Sands, and their personal butler led them to a Bay Suite on the fifty-second floor.
• Lin Wan admired the suite and asked Lu Zheng how much one night cost as the butler handed them information about its benefits.

Lu Zheng and Lin Wan spent three days sightseeing, dining, and enjoying the hotel in Singapore before trying their luck at the Sands Casino. Lu Zheng won nearly two hundred thousand Singapore dollars, and they flew to Phuket Island the next morning.

• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan began their Singapore trip with the Ferris wheel, a seafood meal, Gardens by the Bay, and a night at the hotel.
• Lin Wan shared photos of their trip on Moments, and her friends and mother responded to the posts.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan spent their second day at Sentosa Island, visiting the aquarium, Universal Studios, and the Night Safari.
• On their third day, they visited Merlion Park, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, and the Sands Hotel’s art museum, sky garden, and infinity pool.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan lost their chips at blackjack and Texas Hold'em, but Lu Zheng won nearly two hundred thousand Singapore dollars at the dice table.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan celebrated at a nightclub, returned to their room, and flew to Phuket Island the next morning.

Lu Zheng and Lin Wan chose a helicopter ride from Phuket to Phi Phi Island, but the aircraft began losing altitude over the sea. As Ronnie jumped out, Lu Zheng promised Lin Wan he could swim her back to shore.

• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan spent several days exploring Phuket Island before planning an overnight trip to Phi Phi Island.
• Lu Zheng arranged a discounted helicopter ride after Lin Wan chose it over a yacht or submarine.
• Pilot Ronnie flew them past Phuket’s coast and circled Racha Island before heading out over the sea.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan realized the helicopter was losing altitude, and Lin Wan said she was worried for Lu Zheng despite not fearing death.
• Ronnie apologized, unfastened his seat belt, opened the cockpit door, and jumped out.