Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu traded toys with Toad for a Mirage Worm, subdued it, and discovered that its smoke could create a dreamscape where he could practice. He began testing the dream’s possibilities, but imagining the dead Liu Jie caused an attack that jolted him awake.

• Fat Catfish traded a Mirage Worm to Toad for Liang Qu’s Six-Pillar Body toy, and Toad learned to assemble it.
• Liang Qu received the Mirage Worm and used his blood to subdue it, forming a Mental Link.
• The Ze Cauldron revealed that the Mirage Worm could grow by consuming Marsh Essence, and Liang Qu spent eighty points on its first growth.
• Liang Qu inhaled the Mirage Worm’s smoke and entered a dreamscape where his thoughts moved rapidly and he practiced shooting a Black Iron Great Bow.
• Liang Qu imagined the dead Liu Jie, who attacked him with a blade and woke him from the dream.

Liang Qu used the Mirage Worm to train archery in a dream where time passed nearly ten times faster, then brought the practice into reality with striking results. After deciding to limit dream training because it left him exhausted, he planned his next ship model and returned with the beasts’ catch.

• Liang Qu woke from a dream of being killed by Liu Jie and used the Mirage Worm to enter another dream, where he practiced archery for nearly four days while less than half a day passed in reality.
• Liang Qu confirmed the dream’s time flow with his Compass and tested his dream training by shooting water birds, killing four with five arrows.
• Liang Qu recognized the Mirage Worm as a powerful training tool but decided to use it for only two or three shichen a day because it prevented restful sleep, and he nicknamed it Fat Worm.
• Liang Qu decided to design a warship for his next Ship Model while Liu Quanfu and the others rested.
• Fat Catfish and Fist returned with Big Fish heads, and Liang Qu collected them before leaving by boat.

Liang Qu learned the Falling Star Arrow from Hu Qi while continuing to train in archery. He received his promotion to Principal Eighth Rank River Earl and collected the Two Lives Flower, then heard Ran Zhongshi invite him to a gathering at the end of the month.

• Liang Qu showed Hu Qi his bullseye accuracy and asked to learn an archery technique, so Hu Qi began teaching him the Falling Star Arrow.
• Chen Jiechang told Liang Qu that his reward for Great Merit had arrived, then left to track a Giant Crocodile with Li LiBo.
• Ran Zhongshi informed Liang Qu that the Whale Gang operation earned him two Great Merits and a promotion to Principal Eighth Rank River Earl.
• Liang Qu received his new official robes and waist token, then collected the Two Lives Flower from the Treasure Vault.
• Ran Zhongshi invited Liang Qu to attend a small gathering at the end of fifth month.

Liang Qu invited Ran Zhongshi to test his newly designed, more effective ship anchor, then returned home to cultivate with the Two Lives Flower and attempt to condense the Dragon Tiger Golden Body. The Old Monk sensed Liang Qu's practice beginning from the West Wing.

• Ran Zhongshi invited Liang Qu to a monthly gathering among their own people, and Liang Qu accepted.
• Liang Qu proposed a one-piece, two-hook anchor and drew its design for Ran Zhongshi to have tested.
• Ran Zhongshi noticed Liang Qu seemed melancholy and urged him to rest, but Liang Qu returned home instead.
• Liang Qu opened the Two Lives Flower and prepared to use its opposing hot and cold qualities to cultivate the Dragon Tiger Golden Body.
• Liang Qu circulated his Qi while reciting the Dragon Subduing Mantra and Tiger Taming Scripture, and the Old Monk stopped turning his prayer beads.

Liang Qu swallowed the Two Lives Flower and forged his Dragon Tiger Golden Body, then tested his new strength with Fat Catfish and Mirage Worm. He used Mirage Worm’s smoke to summon Liu Jie and challenge him to a fight.

• Liang Qu swallowed the Two Lives Flower and circulated its medicinal power through his body with the Dragon Subduing Mantra and Tiger Taming Scripture.
• His qi and blood formed a dragon and tiger before golden light overwhelmed them, completing his Dragon Tiger Golden Body.
• Old Monk witnessed Liang Qu’s breakthrough and reflected that he had been attached to appearances by wishing Liang Qu would enter the Buddha’s gate.
• Liang Qu examined his new body’s strength and defense, then summoned Fat Catfish and Mirage Worm to test his abilities.
• Mirage Worm released smoke that formed jeweled towers and jade halls, and Liang Qu called out for Liu Jie to meet his death.

Liang Qu reviewed his gains from the Two Lives Flower and planned to use his breakthrough at the Viscera Gate to open multiple apertures. The chapter ended when Aunt Zhang warned him that someone had paid her to spy on his comings and goings.

• Liang Qu emerged victorious from his dream battles with Liu Jie and reflected on how the Dragon Tiger Golden Body had strengthened him.
• Liang Qu discovered that the Two Lives Flower had contributed more than 5,300 Marsh Essence and raised his Marsh Ape fusion rate to 13.4%.
• Liang Qu decided to save his remaining Marsh Essence and aim to open two apertures, contend for three, and possibly open four when he broke through the Viscera Gate.
• Aunt Zhang told Liang Qu that someone had offered her two taels of silver to report when he left and returned.

After learning that someone had secretly asked Aunt Zhang about his movements, Liang Qu took precautions and suspected Wei Lin’s faction. He continued his cultivation aboard his boat, arranged for the Old Giant Clam to move to his pond, and was summoned by Lord Ran the next morning.

• Aunt Zhang told Liang Qu that a fierce-looking man had asked about his schedule, and Liang Qu rewarded her for warning him.
• Liang Qu questioned the Old Monk, followed Aunt Zhang home to ensure she was safe, and suspected that one of Wei Lin’s subordinates was investigating him.
• At the Blacksmith Shop, Li Yuan forged a Great Anchor, and Lu Ren arranged for it to be tested and reported to Lord Ran.
• Liang Qu noted that he had only eight Sturgeon King Bone Pills left and continued varying his routine by sleeping aboard his boat.
• Liang Qu persuaded the Old Giant Clam to try living in the pond beside his house.
• The next morning, while Liang Qu was tending the pond, a military man arrived and said Lord Ran wanted to see him.

Liang Qu learned that his new anchor had performed far better than a conventional four-fluked anchor, and Ran Zhongshi said it might earn him Great Merit. Ran Zhongshi then took Liang Qu to a gathering of the third generation, where he arrived amid an argument about a failed bid for Great Merit.

• Ran Zhongshi showed Liang Qu test results stating that his anchor caught quickly and held more than seven times as strongly as a four-fluked anchor.
• Liang Qu explained how the anchor’s shape pressed it into the riverbed and suggested that a movable joint could improve it for large ships.
• Ran Zhongshi said Liang Qu might earn Great Merit for the invention, but warned that the decision rested with higher authorities.
• Ran Zhongshi invited Liang Qu to the monthly gathering and took him by boat, rowed by a deaf middle-aged man.
• Liang Qu arrived at the gathering and heard men arguing about one of them failing to stop a stronger opponent and losing the chance to earn Great Merit.

Liang Qu attended Ran Zhongshi’s gathering, where he met a group of young nobles and heard them discuss missions and the Ghost Mother Sect. Outside, he realized Xu Yuelong’s supposedly effective fishing bait was the yellow mud Liang Qu had been selling him, but Xu insisted it worked.

• Ran Zhongshi brought Liang Qu aboard the painted boat and introduced him to the gathering’s members, including Xiang Fangsu, Bai Yinbin, and Ran Ying.
• Xiang Fangsu welcomed Liang Qu and offered him lychees, while Liang discovered the sweet drink at the gathering increased his Marsh Essence.
• The group discussed their cultivation, past work against the Dried Fish Gang, and plans to investigate the Ghost Mother Sect and a River Island.
• Liang Qu slipped outside and found Xu Yuelong fishing with bait bought from a fisherman.
• Liang Qu recognized the bait as the yellow mud he had been selling Xu through Uncle Chen, but Xu claimed it had helped him catch one or two fish a day.

Liang Qu joined Xu Yuelong and Xiang Fangsu’s circle of Imperial Capital friends for a lavish dinner aboard a Painted Boat. After the gathering, Xiang Fangsu gave Liang Qu the Ice Platform she had promised and explained how it worked.

• Liang Qu and Xu Yuelong fished in the Great Marsh as rain began, and Liang Qu explained the coming Plum Rain Season.
• Liang Qu and Xu Yuelong returned to the Painted Boat, where Xiang Fangsu hosted them and the others at a mutton feast.
• Liang Qu enjoyed the banquet and learned that his past accomplishment in Feng Bu County had helped him fit into Xu Yuelong’s private circle.
• After the boat docked at midnight, Xiang Fangsu gave Liang Qu an Ice Platform and explained that it produced cold mist when filled with water.

Liang Qu returned from a gathering with new intelligence about the Ghost Mother Sect, but an ambush in an alley interrupted his trip home. He defeated Liu Wenyang and questioned how he had escaped, while Liu Wenyang denied paying to learn Liang Qu’s whereabouts.

• Liang Qu reflected on how the gathering had selected driven young officials and learned that the Ghost Mother Sect had killed more than ten Martial Masters in Hua Zhu County.
• Liang Qu sensed an ambusher and dodged Liu Wenyang’s attack, then broke his blade with Azure Wolf and kicked him down.
• Liang Qu recognized Liu Wenyang as Liu Jie’s son and wondered how he had avoided prison and execution.
• Liu Wenyang attacked again, but Liang Qu evaded his blade technique and knocked him down while warning nearby residents not to watch.
• Liang Qu seized Liu Wenyang, broke his nose, and asked whether he had paid two taels of silver to learn Liang Qu’s whereabouts; Liu Wenyang denied it.

Liang Qu defeated Liu Wenyang, who had ambushed him to avenge his father, and handed him over to the Three Laws Department. After realizing the person who had been asking about his whereabouts was probably someone else, Liang Qu suspected an outsider unfamiliar with Yi Xing Town.

• Liang Qu overpowered Liu Wenyang, who denied being the person watching Liang Qu and admitted he had ambushed him to avenge Liu Jie.
• Zhang Zhiyun arrived with the Three Laws Department and identified Liu Wenyang as Liu Jie's son, one of the Whale Gang members who had escaped arrest.
• Zhang Zhiyun's companion bound Liu Wenyang and took him away, while Zhang promised to investigate how Liu Wenyang learned Liang Qu's whereabouts.
• Liang Qu realized that anyone who knew his usual routes could ambush him and suspected the person behind the earlier inquiries was an unfamiliar outsider.

Liang Qu’s Water Beasts searched for a suitable River God offering and found a powerful Scarlet Water Beast, while Liang Qu woke to summer tax collection and headed to the dock. He helped villagers pay their taxes fairly, then left Liang Guangtian claiming a reconciliation with Liang Qu that the clerks did not believe.

• Fat Catfish, Cannot Move, Fist, and Round Head found a sleeping Scarlet Water Beast and marked its territory as a possible offering.
• Liang Qu woke, received Fat Catfish’s message, and set out for the dock with Fubo and his iron anchor.
• Liang Qu helped Chen Qingjiang and Chen Renxing push their grain cart to the dock, then told the clerks not to overcharge the villagers.
• The clerks let Chen Qingjiang pay early and accept less grain than the full amount due.
• Liang Guangtian claimed he and Liang Qu had reconciled, but Chen Qingjiang questioned him and a clerk ordered him to the back of the line.

Liang Qu evolved Round Head into a River Porpoise King and prepared to test whether it could lead a river porpoise clan. He and his beasts investigated Water Beasts in the Deep Water Area and found a newly awakened Great Monster Spirit, deciding to attack it.

• Liang Qu spent 272 points of Marsh Essence to evolve Round Head into a River Porpoise King, bringing it to the same level as his other great command beasts.
• Liang Qu anchored the houseboat, left the Mirage Worm and Little River Porpoise with Old Giant Clam, and set out with Fubo and four beasts to investigate Water Beasts.
• Liang Qu and the beasts searched the Deep Water Area, where flourishing waterweed grew in deep water for reasons no one understood.
• Fat Catfish led them to a resting crimson Great Monster Spirit whose aura was unstable after a recent breakthrough.
• Liang Qu decided that Awei should poison the Great Monster Spirit before he and the beasts attacked it.

Liang Qu selected three Water Beasts for the River God Sacrifice and borrowed nets from Ran Zhongshi to capture them. He subdued the plump Lionhead and the cute long-haired beast, then headed to face the Crimson Beast, which was awake.

• Liang Qu inspected the remaining Water Beasts, rejected the skeletal-faced fish, and chose the Lionhead as the plump offering.
• Liang Qu borrowed three monster-catching nets from Ran Zhongshi in Ping Yang County.
• Liang Qu captured the Lionhead with Water Prison and Awei's poison, keeping it unconscious but alive.
• Round Head rammed the struggling long-haired Water Beast unconscious, and Liang Qu tied it in a net.
• Liang Qu left the two captured beasts with Old Giant Clam and went to the Crimson Beast's territory, where he found the beast awake.

Liang Qu and his beasts ambushed Crimson Beast while it ate, using Awei’s poison and a coordinated attack to wound and trap it. Crimson Beast finally stopped struggling, leaving Liang Qu with the captured Great Monster Spirit.

• Liang Qu approached Crimson Beast’s cave with Awei and found it devouring a Big Fish spirit monster.
• Liang Qu sent Awei beneath the sand to poison Crimson Beast, then used Water Prison to hold it while he escaped its counterattack.
• Liang Qu’s four hidden beasts joined the fight, distracting and injuring Crimson Beast as Liang Qu struck its chest with his spear.
• Liang Qu and the beasts retreated while the poison weakened Crimson Beast, which collapsed during its pursuit.
• Round Head and Fat Catfish cast Liang Qu’s fishing net over Crimson Beast, trapping it until it stopped moving.

Liang Qu captured three Spirit Monsters as offerings for the River God Sacrifice and brought them back to Yi Xing Town. He left two in his pond, then carried the enormous Crimson Beast through the streets, announcing that the villagers would share in the feast.

• Liang Qu returned to Shang Rao Wharf with the poisoned Crimson Beast and two other captured Spirit Monsters, then took the smaller beasts to his pond.
• Liang Qu warned A Di to keep Xiao Shunzi away from the Spirit Monsters and told her they were offerings for the River God Sacrifice.
• Tea drinkers at the wharf guessed Liang Qu was collecting the three sacrificial animals and realized he still needed an ox-like beast.
• Liang Qu emerged from the river carrying the Crimson Beast, astonishing the villagers and cracking the wharf's stone slabs beneath his steps.
• Liang Qu promised to distribute blessings from the offerings, and the excited villagers and martial arts disciples gathered to watch him carry the beast home.

Liang Qu brought the Crimson Beast home as an offering for the River God Sacrifice and promised the people of Yi Xing Town free blessings and meat. As the town prepared for the ceremony, the martial arts masters agreed to attend together, and Chen Zhaoan arranged the remaining preparations.

• Tang Zutao visited Lin Yao to discuss attending the River God Sacrifice, and the two agreed to go together.
• Liang Qu placed the Crimson Beast in his pond and told the villagers they could see it at the sacrifice, while promising blessings without charge.
• The villagers praised Liang Qu and spread news of his generosity throughout Yi Xing Town.
• Chen Zhaoan, Chen Jiechang, and Li LiBo discussed how to slaughter the Crimson Beast and chose Lin Songbao to help.
• Chen Zhaoan told Liang Qu that he had arranged a Water Stage Play for the ceremony.

Liang Qu achieved minor mastery of Azure Dragon Seven Kill and triggered a breakthrough in the Viscera Barrier. He began pouring all his accumulated Marsh Essence into the Marsh Ape as his Qi and blood surged.

• Liang Qu practiced Azure Dragon Leaps from the Abyss, breaking copper coins with his spear until he pierced a coin’s square hole and shattered it without a sound.
• The Old Monk watched Liang Qu’s rapid improvement and suspected the Fat Worm he took into his room each night was helping him.
• After mastering the spear move, Liang Qu felt Profound Qi surge through his body and realized he was about to break through the Viscera Barrier.
• Liang Qu hurried to the Quiet Room, swallowed six Qi Recovery Pills, and connected with the Ze Cauldron.
• Liang Qu spent all 14,032 Marsh Essence points to raise the Marsh Ape’s fusion as its Qi and blood blazed.

Liang Qu absorbed Marsh Essence and broke through the Myriad Victory Embracing Oneness technique into Inner Vision, opening the lower, middle, and upper dantian Apertures before forcing open a fourth. Old Monk watched in astonishment as Liang Qu’s breakthrough continued beyond the usual limit of three Apertures.

• Liang Qu absorbed ten thousand points of Marsh Essence as his qi and blood surged and his body underwent intense changes.
• Liang Qu entered Inner Vision, gaining the ability to perceive the circulation of qi and blood within his body, and opened his lower dantian Aperture.
• Liang Qu opened his middle dantian Aperture and then his upper dantian Aperture, while Marsh Ape fusion granted him the Intimidation Talent skill.
• Liang Qu pressed on and opened the Tail Vertebrae Gate, his fourth Aperture, as the Marsh Ape fusion reached 27.7 percent.
• Old Monk watched the gale tear away the window paper and rolled a fourth prayer bead, recognizing Liang Qu as rare in all the world.