Chapter Summaries

Lu Zheng and his companions entered the Secret Realm at Chicken Cry Temple to stop a zombie from using nine boys’ essence blood to stabilize its chaotic soul. They rescued the boys, but the awakened zombie attacked Lu Zheng, who escaped with the Earthwalk Technique as the battle continued.

• Guang Yue told Lu Zheng and the others that a zombie had taken nine boys into the Secret Realm at Chicken Cry Temple and sealed its entrance with corpse qi.
• Daoist Priest Jiu Zhen and Daoist Priest Mingzhang dispelled the seal, and Guang Yue, the priests, Lu Zheng, and Yan Hongxia entered the Secret Realm.
• The group found the zombie draining essence blood from nine boys, and it awakened as they launched their attacks.
• Lu Zheng severed the aura chains and used the Moving Skill to pull all nine boys to safety.
• The zombie lunged at Lu Zheng, but he escaped underground with the Earthwalk Technique, astonishing the others.

Lu Zheng and the others fought the zombie but could not defeat it, and the battle led them to discover a hollow space inside the mountain. Lu Zheng entered the cavern and prepared to challenge the zombie's claim that only it could activate the Corpse-Controlling Banner.

• Daoist Priest Jiu Zhen and Daoist Priest Mingzhang attacked the zombie with thunder and cloud-mist techniques, while Guang Yue, Yan Hongxia, and Lu Zheng joined the fight.
• The zombie nearly killed Guang Yue, but Yan Hongxia and Lu Zheng deflected its attacks, and Guang Yue struck it with his staff.
• Lu Zheng, Yan Hongxia, Guang Yue, Daoist Priest Jiu Zhen, and Daoist Priest Mingzhang worked together to keep the zombie pinned down with repeated attacks.
• The injured zombie retreated and began digging into the ground, and Daoist Priest Jiu Zhen realized there was a hollow space inside the mountain.
• Lu Zheng used the Earthwalk Technique to enter the cavern, where the zombie claimed the Corpse-Controlling Banner had fused with three thousand iron corpses and could only be activated by it.
• Lu Zheng smiled and said he would try to take the banner anyway.

Lu Zheng and four allies defeated a powerful zombie inside the Secret Realm’s mountain and discovered it had guarded three thousand iron corpses. After Lu Zheng retrieved the missing Corpse Command Banner, Daoist Priest Mingzhang prepared to claim the surviving corpses as daoist soldiers.

• The zombie charged into the mountain’s interior to command three thousand iron corpses, but found the Corpse Command Banner missing while Lu Zheng stood beside the altar.
• Daoist Priest Mingzhang, Daoist Priest Jiu Zhen, Guang Yue, and Yan Hongxia entered the mountain and joined Lu Zheng in fighting the zombie without damaging too many of the iron corpses.
• Lu Zheng repeatedly evaded the zombie with the Earthwalk Technique as the group’s attacks weakened it, and the Jade Seal absorbed two hundred and ninety-two strands of Light of Luck after it died.
• Daoist Priest Mingzhang explained that the iron corpses were likely weapons prepared by the Previous Dynasty against Great Jing, and the others declined his offer to take any.
• Lu Zheng retrieved the Corpse Command Banner from the modern world and returned it to the mountain’s interior for Daoist Priest Mingzhang.

Lu Zheng severed the Corpse-Controlling Banner from the zombie’s iron corpses by taking it to the modern world, killing the zombie and ending the expedition. The group returned home, where Lu Zheng reunited with Liu Qingyan and the others.

• Lu Zheng took the Corpse-Controlling Banner to the modern world, severing its link to the iron corpses and killing the zombie.
• Daoist Priest Mingzhang and the others rescued the nine boys, brought them to Pingtan County, and discussed keeping the iron corpses for use as laborers.
• Daoist Priest Jiu Zhen advised Lu Zheng to focus on his cultivation, and Lu Zheng agreed modestly.
• Lu Zheng, Yan Hongxia, and Daoist Priest Jiu Zhen returned to Tonglin County, where they found Liu Ning eating with the Liu family.
• Yan Hongxia told Liu Qingyan about the battle, and Lu Zheng’s gesture made Liu Qingyan smile.

Lu Zheng visited his shop and Renxin Hall before Shen Ying took him to a secluded hot spring in the mountains. As they bathed together, five beautiful women arrived, and the chapter ended with them appearing through the mist.

• Lu Zheng used his Light of Luck to enhance himself, then listened to a storyteller’s tale at Le Ping Teahouse.
• Lu Zheng inspected his candy shop and sugar workshop, then visited Renxin Hall and greeted Liu Qingyan.
• Shen Ying took Lu Zheng to a secluded valley where several natural hot springs emerged from underground.
• Lu Zheng and Shen Ying bathed together until the voices of several women approached.
• Five beautiful women appeared through the mist, and Shen Ying said they were likely nearby mountain spirits or tree monsters.

Lu Zheng and Shen Ying met five women at a mountain hot spring and accepted their invitation to lunch at Five Beauties Manor. As they shared stories about the mortal world, one of the women secretly touched Lu Zheng beneath the table.

• Lu Zheng and Shen Ying encountered Hua Yixing and her four sisters at the hot spring, where both groups bathed separately.
• Hua Yixing invited Lu Zheng and Shen Ying to Five Beauties Manor for lunch, and they accepted.
• Hua Yixing, Lin Jing'er, and Hu Cainiang welcomed Lu Zheng and Shen Ying at the manor while Yu Mingxin and Bai Ting'er prepared a vegetarian meal.
• Lu Zheng and Shen Ying told the sisters stories about the mortal world and learned about each sister's artistic specialty.
• A jade-white foot appeared beneath the table and rubbed against Lu Zheng's calf.

Lu Zheng and Shen Ying dined at Five Beauties Manor, where Hu Cainiang’s flirtation turned toward the scholar Ji Zizhen after he arrived seeking directions and food. Lu Zheng and Shen Ying left by magic, while Lu quietly disrupted Hu Cainiang’s plans for Ji Zizhen.

• Hu Cainiang teased Lu Zheng, and Hua Yixing explained that she sometimes sought handsome scholars for pleasure.
• Ji Zizhen arrived lost and hungry, and the women invited him in to eat.
• Hu Cainiang arranged for Ji Zizhen to stay overnight at the manor because he could not safely reach Xiahe Town before dark.
• Lu Zheng said farewell, claiming Shen Ying could travel a thousand li in a day, and she floated away with him.
• Lu Zheng winked at Hu Cainiang, having used Shen Ying’s magic to make Ji Zizhen more suspicious and complicate Hu Cainiang’s plans.

Lu Zheng and Shen Ying returned from the hot springs, and he later told Liu Qingyan about the valley. In modern times, Lu Zheng and Lin Wan visited Su City, toured the Humble Administrator's Garden, and ate ten dishes together, leaving nearby diners stunned.

• Lu Zheng and Shen Ying passed the hot springs valley on their way back to Peach Blossom Glade and saw someone fly into its mist.
• Lu Zheng told Liu Qingyan about the hot springs, but she decided to wait until her next rest day to visit.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan drove to Su City for a weekend trip and toured the Humble Administrator's Garden.
• Lu Zheng chose a restaurant away from the scenic area, then ordered ten Su City dishes for himself and Lin Wan.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan finished all ten dishes, astonishing the diners around them.

Lu Zheng and Lin Wan stopped a herd of wild boars stampeding through Lujiao Ancient Town, knocking the animals down before anyone else was hurt. They stayed at the scene with their faces covered, waiting for the police to arrive and hear their explanation.

• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan saw a herd of nearly ten wild boars charging toward fleeing pedestrians, including people lying injured in their path.
• Lu Zheng dodged the leading boar and knocked it unconscious with a hand chop while Lin Wan struck four piglets together and incapacitated them.
• Lu Zheng subdued the remaining piglets, and he and Lin Wan joked about whether they could take one home to eat.
• Lin Wan said she hoped wild boars would be removed from the protected animal list so she could hunt them to test her strength.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan put on caps and sunglasses and waited for the police as bystanders gathered and recorded them.

Lu Zheng and Lin Wan subdued a wild boar and its seven piglets, then helped police secure them and transport them away. On the ride to the bureau, Lin Wan identified herself as a police officer, while Lu Zheng said he had taught himself martial arts and knew a little of everything.

• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan let bystanders record them after stopping the wild boars, and Lin Wan checked that police and medical help had been called.
• Police and ambulance crews arrived, and officers watched recordings of Lu Zheng and Lin Wan taking down the boars.
• Lin Wan knocked down a piglet that tried to escape, and officers and volunteers loaded the boars into a cargo van for the City Bureau.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan rode to the police bureau to give statements, where Lin Wan said she worked for Serious Crime Team Three of the Sea City City Bureau.
• Lu Zheng told the officers that he practiced Traditional Martial Arts on his own using manuals he found online and knew a little of everything.

After their wild boar encounter went viral, Lu Zheng and Lin Wan ate at a barbecue stall in Su City, where they unexpectedly met fighter Li Changyang and his training partners. The athletes recognized the pair from the video, but doubted their abilities despite Lu Zheng’s warning to keep their identities quiet.

• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan left the Su City City Bureau as their wild boar video rose through the online rankings, and the zoo invited Lu Zheng to work at its wildlife park.
• Lu Zheng and Lin Wan declined to dwell on the zoo offer and ate barbecue while people nearby speculated about their fight and identities.
• Huang Xiumin called Lin Wan and teased her about the wild boar incident as Li Changyang arrived and recognized Lu Zheng.
• Li Changyang introduced Lu Zheng and Lin Wan to his mixed martial arts teammates, who joined them at their table.
• Liu Jingbo and the other fighters recognized Lu Zheng and Lin Wan from the viral video, and Lu Zheng signaled them to keep quiet.
• Tian Liyuan and the other fighters doubted Lu Zheng’s strength, while Li Changyang defended him.

Lu Zheng and Lin Wan faced accusations from Tian Liyuan that their wild-boar videos were fake. Lu Zheng demonstrated his strength by piercing a table with his tiger claw, leaving Tian Liyuan stunned.

• Tian Liyuan accused Lu Zheng and Lin Wan of faking their wild-boar feats, and Li Changyang defended them.
• Lu Zheng calmly challenged Tian Liyuan to explain how they could have staged the encounter, while Lin Wan rejected his baseless accusations.
• Tian Liyuan claimed Lu Zheng and Lin Wan were imitating famous martial artists and risking the club's reputation.
• Lu Zheng stopped Li Changyang from confronting Tian Liyuan and asked whether he looked like someone who practiced boxing.
• Lu Zheng drove his fingers through the tabletop with a tiger claw, leaving five holes and challenging Tian Liyuan's doubts.

After Lu Zheng demonstrated that the viral fight was real, Tian Liyuan defended him and Lin Wan against a man who called the footage staged, then eagerly praised the pair. Lu Zheng and Lin Wan left their new acquaintances behind for a lakeside stroll, where Lu Zheng said Lin Wan would soon develop qi and blood like his own.

• Tian Liyuan confronted a man who dismissed the wild-boar rescue videos as fake and argued that Lu Zheng and Lin Wan had truly stopped the crisis.
• The restaurant patrons applauded Tian Liyuan, who returned to Lu Zheng and Lin Wan and showered them with praise.
• Tian Liyuan paid the bill, and Li Changyang and the others invited Lu Zheng and Lin Wan to visit their fighting club before leaving them alone.
• Lin Wan asked Lu Zheng whether his martial arts display had been too exaggerated, and Lu Zheng said he could explain it as cultivated internal energy.
• Lu Zheng told Lin Wan she would soon develop qi and blood after completing the Mountain Carrying Eighteen Forms, then teased her about becoming the Condor Heroes.

Lu Zheng, Shen Ying, and Liu Qingyan encountered a seductive snake demon at Hundred Springs Valley, where a black-clad girl exposed her use of lust poison. The snake demon fled into the mist with the fruit Liu Qingyan had given her.

• Lu Zheng brought Liu Qingyan to bathe with Shen Ying, and Shen Ying recounted their earlier encounter with Hu Cainiang and the Female Demons at Five Beauties Manor.
• Lu Zheng shot a cherry pit toward someone sneaking through the mist, and a turquoise-dressed woman emerged, explaining that the fruit’s fragrance had drawn her over.
• After Liu Qingyan offered the woman fruit, she undressed and swam toward Lu Zheng, saying she wanted to serve him in return.
• A black-clad girl accused the woman of being a lecherous snake and targeting Lu Zheng’s Yang Energy, while lust poison made Lu Zheng’s breathing grow heavy.
• Shen Ying unleashed Peach Blossom Evil, and the woman revealed her seductive nature before retreating into the mist with Liu Qingyan’s fruit plate.

After encountering Hu Cainiang in the forest, Lu Zheng and his companions accompanied her to Xiahe Town to look for Ji Zizhen, who had gone missing. There they learned that numerous young men had disappeared, but Lu Zheng used the Qi Observation Art to sense that Ji Zizhen was still alive somewhere north of town.

• Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan recovered from the snake demon’s aphrodisiac poison, then set off home with Shen Ying.
• Lu Zheng, Liu Qingyan, and Shen Ying met Hu Cainiang, who explained that she was searching for Ji Zizhen after he failed to return to Five Beauties Manor.
• Hu Cainiang said she and Ji Zizhen were lovers who had agreed to meet again, and Lu Zheng offered to accompany her to Xiahe Town.
• At an inn in Xiahe Town, Lu Zheng and his companions learned that Ji Zizhen had collected rent and left four days earlier, while more than a dozen young people had gone missing.
• Lu Zheng examined Ji Zizhen’s settled IOU with the Qi Observation Art and sensed that Ji Zizhen was alive north of town.

Lu Zheng and his companions went to investigate the missing Scholars and found You Che and Du Huanzhen had already rescued the survivors from a ghost at Li Family Fort. Du Huanzhen explained that the Demon Suppression Division had suspected the Goddess Sect, whose recent incursions reflected unrest in the Southern Border.

• Lu Zheng learned that the missing Scholars were likely at abandoned Li Family Fort and led Hu Cainiang, Liu Qingyan, and Shen Ying there.
• Lu Zheng's group met You Che and Du Huanzhen escorting several rescued Scholars, including Ji Zizhen, whom Hu Cainiang supported as he reunited with her.
• Du Huanzhen explained that she and You Che had killed a century-old ghost and had initially mistaken its actions for those of the Goddess Sect.
• Du Huanzhen and You Che escorted the Scholars back to Xiahe Town while Hu Cainiang and Ji Zizhen went their separate way together.
• Du Huanzhen and You Che described the Southern Border's dangers and recent recovery after several years of upheaval.
• Lu Zheng wondered whether an existence beyond his world might be real and told Jade Seal he would someday seek out the Heaven-Overturning Seal.

After Hu Zhou’s mother was kidnapped, he asked Lu Zheng to help rescue her from Eagle Beak Cliff on Shuangou Mountain. They reached the cliffs and found Mother Hu bound and bruised across the gap, leaving Lu Zheng and Hu Zhou facing her captors.

• Lu Zheng urged Hu Zhou to consider changing jobs, but Hu Zhou rejected the idea of marriage and preferred working as a porter.
• Hu Zhou told Lu Zheng that hooligans had kidnapped Mother Hu and demanded ten strings of cash for her release.
• Lu Zheng learned that Hu Zhou had recently beaten the same hooligans after they threatened his porter gang.
• Lu Zheng and Hu Zhou hurried to Eagle Beak Cliff, where they saw Mother Hu bound and bruised on Elephant Head Cliff across the chasm.

Hu Zhou rescued Mother Hu from the thugs, and Hu Yijun suddenly arrived and revealed himself as Hu Zhou’s father. The thugs were killed, while Mother Hu and Hu Yijun reunited in silence.

• Hu Zhou crossed the abyss and killed the leading thug with one punch, while Lu Zheng used an Illusion Technique to move Mother Hu to safety.
• The surviving thugs begged for mercy, and Hu Zhou checked on Mother Hu after she called out to him.
• Hu Yijun appeared, identified himself as Hu Zhou’s father, and showed that his Demon Qi came from the same source as Hu Zhou’s.
• Hu Yijun killed the remaining thugs after telling Hu Zhou to cover Mother Hu’s eyes.
• Lu Zheng pointed out the grappling hook and shovels, explaining that the thugs had planned to murder Hu Zhou and bury his body.
• Hu Yijun took Mother Hu’s hand, and the two gazed at each other in silence.

Hu Yijun reunited with Wang Yu Zhi and Hu Zhou, then visited Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan to thank them for caring for his family. He explained how he had searched for them and said he wanted to take them back to Southern Border, leaving their decision unsettled.

• Liu Qingyan questioned Lu Zheng about Hu Yijun, and Lu Zheng described the demon's overwhelming power.
• Hu Yijun and his family arrived at Lu Zheng's home, where Lu Zheng invited Old Man Liu and Liu Qingyan to join them.
• Hu Yijun bowed to thank Lu Zheng, Liu Qingyan, and Old Man Liu for saving Wang Yu Zhi.
• Hu Yijun recounted how he had been ambushed, sought revenge, and returned repeatedly to Linshan Village while searching for Wang Yu Zhi and Hu Zhou.
• Hu Yijun said he wanted to take Wang Yu Zhi and Hu Zhou back to Southern Border and asked for their hosts' opinions.

Lu Zheng persuaded Hu Zhou to leave for Southern Frontier with Hu Yijun, while Hu Yijun promised he could return whenever he wished. At lunch, Hu Yijun recognized Liu Qingyan’s fox nature and gave her and Old Man Liu cultivation gifts.

• Lu Zheng convinced Hu Zhou to travel to Southern Frontier and study under his father, Hu Yijun, who promised to send him back whenever he missed home.
• Hu Zhou agreed to leave, and Lu Zheng gained 340 strands of Light of Luck after Hu Zhou and Wang Yu Zhi reacted.
• Lu Zheng invited Hu Yijun and the others to lunch, where Hu Yijun praised his Wuliangye and requested ten jars to take home.
• Hu Yijun revealed that Liu Qingyan had fox blood and that Old Man Liu also carried an ancient bloodline; Liu Qingyan confirmed she was a fox and showed two faint tails.
• Hu Yijun gave Old Man Liu and Liu Qingyan spiritual gifts to purify their bloodlines and cultivate with Moonlight Essence.