Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu subdued Cheng Chong after the Sand River Gang battle, then searched the gang’s Treasure Vault for medicines and plants. He prepared to absorb the Zhu Fruit and Jade Fruit to advance toward opening his sixth aperture.

• Liang Jingye and the others emerged from the collapsing Gathering Righteousness Building, and Liang Qu confirmed that Cheng Chong was alive with his dantian shattered.
• Hu Yan Shijing and Lian Jingye opened the Sand River Gang’s Treasure Vault, where Liang Qu took pills, a Zhu Fruit, and a Jade Fruit.
• Liang Qu ordered the gang leaders to ready boats, guard Cheng Chong, and record suspicious details about the Third Gang Leader’s past.
• Liang Qu recovered in a Quiet Room, then swallowed the Zhu Fruit and gained 1678 Marsh Essence.

Liang Qu broke through to the Galloping Horse realm after using two Treasure Plants, while Lian Jingye and Hu Yan Shijing assembled the Sand River Gang’s ships for the flood response. After leaving seclusion, Liang Qu met Hu Yan Shijing and asked to inspect the places Cheng Chong frequented.

• Lian Jingye ordered Old Song to mobilize every available ship and arrange for cargo to be stored on Sand River Mountain or other high ground.
• Liang Qu used 3,417 points of Marsh Essence to raise his fusion rate, connect the Three Apertures, and break through to the Galloping Horse realm.
• Wei Shao worried that Liang Qu had already borrowed the Sand River Gang’s ships, then ordered his boatmen to row faster toward the gang.
• Lu Xinqing entertained the Sand River Gang members with a tale of Liang Qu killing a huge armored fish with one arrow and one spear.
• Liang Qu left seclusion, learned that the fleet had been assembled, and asked Hu Yan Shijing to take him to places Cheng Chong frequented.

Liang Qu investigated Cheng Chong’s secluded hut and learned how Long Lake had shrunk through silt buildup and farmland reclamation. He took the Sand River Gang’s fleet and the unconscious Cheng Chong with him, planning to coordinate with Xu Yuelong before the Three Laws Department could use the case against them.

• Liang Qu inspected the hut with Lian Jingye and Hu Yan Shijing, learned that Cheng Chong had lived there while mourning his son Ying Jian, and ordered the hut sealed for the Three Laws Department’s investigation.
• Hu Yan Shijing described how erosion and lake reclamation had reduced Long Lake, and Liang Qu explained that planting trees was the way to manage silt before recalling the strange Dark Current Passage beneath Ping Yang County.
• Liang Qu examined Cheng Chong’s cultivation manuals and portraits, found no clues, and told Hu Yan Shijing and Lian Jingye to preserve the evidence and keep the gang’s account of events quiet.
• Liang Qu inspected the Sand River Gang’s fleet, chose Old Song to lead the boats, and summoned Red Mountain and River Dolphin with the houseboat.
• Liang Qu placed the unconscious Cheng Chong aboard the houseboat and departed with the fleet, intending to let Xu Yuelong handle the case before Wei Lin could exploit it.

Wei Shao reached the Sand River Gang hoping to requisition ships, only to learn Liang Qu had already borrowed most of them for flood relief. Liang Qu’s fleet rescued villagers and organized supplies while officials at the Black Water River prepared more aid and discussed the rewards for disaster relief.

• Wei Shao arrived at the River Transport Teahouse and learned from Hu Yan Shijing and Lian Jingye that Liang Qu had borrowed more than half the Sand River Gang’s ships, leaving only a few gathered vessels for the River Conservancy Office.
• Liang Qu directed his fleet to evacuate villagers, separate able-bodied adults from families, and ration porridge while rescuing people from the floodwaters.
• Liang Qu ordered fighters thrown overboard for fighting, then used his Golden Eye to kill two Giant Crocodiles threatening a villager and had them added to the porridge.
• The Sand River Gang moved grain stored in a village ancestral hall to support the relief effort.
• Xiang Fangsu and Ke Wenbin oversaw emergency supplies at the Black Water River and discussed County Magistrate Jian’s donations and the court commendations he might earn.

Ran Zhongshi explained why Liang Qu sent A Shui to Hua Zhu County despite the risks, while Liang Qu’s waiting subordinates dealt with disaster profiteers and wondered why he had not summoned them. By morning, they saw that Liang Qu had assembled a vast fleet and filled its decks with disaster victims, leaving them stunned by the scale of his relief effort.

• Ran Zhongshi told Xiang Fangsu and Ke Wenbin that Liang Qu had sent A Shui to Hua Zhu County to prove his ability and establish his position.
• Cha Qing and the others waited on a slope for Liang Qu, then caught a boatman charging disaster victims for passage and beat him, returned the passengers’ money, and sent them to a relief area.
• Yan Chongwen and Ji Youdong escorted the boat’s passengers to the relief area while the rest of the group waited through the night for Liang Qu.
• At the third quarter of Xu Time, a boatman arrived and asked whether the gathered men were Liang Qu’s subordinates.
• The next morning, Liang Qu’s subordinates saw a huge fleet carrying men, horses, and disaster victims drinking porridge, and realized he had assembled it in a single day.

Liang Qu showed the River Conservancy Office officials a sand table mapping the flood and ordered them to lead fleets in relief work instead of investigating the dyke breach. He revealed that the breach investigation was finished and the culprit was captive beneath the cabin, then prepared to continue east to assist disaster victims.

• Liang Qu used floodwater on a sand table to demonstrate the flood’s extent and explain its severity markers to Cha Qing and the other officials.
• Cha Qing and Fan Zixuan offered to investigate the destroyed dyke, but Liang Qu ordered them to lead separate fleets in evacuations, food distribution, and other relief work.
• Liang Qu revealed that the culprit had been captured and was locked in the cabin beneath them, awaiting the prefectural officer.
• Liang Qu assigned Cha Qing, Fan Zixuan, and Yan Qingshan fleets and sand tables, while Kou Zhuang, Chen Jiechang, and Li LiBo stayed with him.
• Liang Qu watched the fleet divide into three groups, then told Old Song to settle victims at the next Relief Point and head east toward the rice paddies.

Liang Qu’s rapid rescue work impressed Cha Qing and the others, while he rested briefly before continuing to manage the flood response. At the relief camp, he checked supplies and disease control, then traveled on to rescue rice paddies and organize labor as Ran Zhongshi’s group followed his trail.

• Cha Qing and the others realized Liang Qu had completed several major rescue tasks alone, while Liang Qu fell asleep aboard the ship after directing the fleet and building a sand table.
• Liang Qu inspected the refugee camp, confirmed its food supply and the halted spread of disease, and planned to hand Cheng Chong over to the arriving officials.
• Liang Qu left Kou Zhuang, Li Bo, and Jie Chang to manage the victims and guard Lu Xinqing, then used his water-control ability to drain flooded rice paddies.
• Old Song brought more than a hundred fishing boats, and Liang Qu organized groups to save fields whose crops could still be rescued for county relief grain.
• Ran Zhongshi and Xiang Fangsu followed the relief points toward Liang Qu and wondered why so many people had seen A Shui.

Liang Qu stopped a riot at a rice shop in Sweet Spring Town and ordered fair-price grain sales and porridge distribution. As he returned to his ship, Old Song reported that someone had found a Red Dragon Fish and declared Liang Qu the worthy sage it supposedly heralded.

• Xiang Fangsu and his companions praised Liang Qu’s relief work after hearing that his Relief Point had sent 3,216 disaster victims onward.
• Liang Qu completed a flood report, then went to Sweet Spring Town to stop villagers from looting Lin Zishi’s rice shop.
• Liang Qu learned that Lin Zishi had charged locals fair prices but outsiders inflated prices, while an unknown agitator had incited the crowd.
• Liang Qu ordered Lin Zishi to sell rice and porridge through a token system, assigned Kou Zhuang and Chen Jiechang to oversee it, and punished the rioters.
• Old Song told Liang Qu that a Red Dragon Fish had been found in the Black Water River and proclaimed Liang Qu the worthy sage its appearance foretold.

Liang Qu investigated a Red Dragon Fish trapped in a rice paddy, caught it, and rewarded the men who found it. After eating the fish, he gained enough Marsh Essence to reach fifty percent fusion with the Marsh Ape Marsh Spirit and comprehend Command Water.

• Old Song told Liang Qu that the Red Dragon Fish was worth several thousand taels and led him to the rice paddy where it had been trapped.
• Liang Qu inspected the fish, caught it, and confirmed that it was an exceptionally potent Treasure Fish.
• Liang Qu gave silver notes to the two young men who discovered the fish and had Old Song distribute compensation to the others.
• Liang Qu stewed and ate the Red Dragon Fish, gaining 7,384 Marsh Essence.
• Liang Qu advanced his Marsh Ape Marsh Spirit fusion to fifty percent, comprehending Command Water and increasing his innate skill strength, Marsh affinity, and perception range.

After refining the Red Dragon Fish, Liang Qu opened another aperture and gained a major increase in strength and water control. When Ran Zhongshi and the others arrived, Liang Qu showed them Cheng Chong, the Sand River Gang leader suspected of causing the breach in Lord Qiu's Dyke.

• Ran Zhongshi, Xiang Fangsu, and Ke Wenbin met Liang Qu's fleet but approached by skiff because floodwaters concealed the shallow river channel.
• Chen Jiechang told the visitors that Liang Qu was in seclusion refining a Red Dragon Fish, which Ran Zhongshi identified as a rare Treasure Fish said to strengthen the body and help open apertures.
• Liang Qu finished refining the fish, opened the Yin Aperture, and discovered that his Marsh Ape integration and water-control ability had increased substantially.
• Liang Qu rushed the visitors below deck and revealed Cheng Chong, Gang Leader of the Sand River Gang, imprisoned in a steel cage and suspected of breaching Lord Qiu's Dyke.

Liang Qu uncovered evidence that Cheng Chong had sabotaged Lord Qiu's Dyke and helped the officials coordinate the investigation and relief effort. After resting, he returned to the devastated dyke, where Xu Yuelong and Yu Dayi supervised its reconstruction.

• Liang Qu told Ran Zhongshi that Cheng Chong had confessed and that Water Stone Rooted Wood could provide physical evidence of his sabotage of Lord Qiu's Dyke.
• Ran Zhongshi ordered Kai Yun and Yi Peng to confess in Huaiyin Prefecture, had Ke Wenbin escort Cheng Chong to Xu Yuelong, and directed the Three Laws Department to investigate the dam's destruction.
• Liang Qu showed Ran Zhongshi and Xiang Fangsu his disaster map and relief routes, which they praised for helping limit losses.
• Ran Zhongshi helped Liang Qu set aside his worries, and Liang Qu rested before returning to Lord Qiu's Dyke on the sixth day after its collapse.
• Liang Qu saw Xu Yuelong and Yu Dayi overseeing reconstruction with dressed stone blocks joined by iron clamps and mortar.

Liang Qu gave Xu Yuelong evidence of Cheng Chong’s responsibility for the dyke collapse and requested help honoring his promise to spare the Sand River Gang, as well as a new Spirit Weapon bow. He secretly used Command Water to deepen the riverbed until the flood stopped, then discovered that Awei could evolve and was offered three evolution branches.

• Xu Yuelong reviewed Liang Qu’s records and promised to report his merits, arrange compensation, and obtain him a new bow before October.
• Liang Qu asked Xu Yuelong to help keep his promise to spare the Sand River Gang, then requested a replacement bow for his damaged Black Iron Great Bow.
• Liang Qu secretly used Command Water to scour the riverbed, causing the water level to drop and allowing the camp to repair the dyke.
• By the ninth day after the breach, the Black Water River had stopped flowing over the dyke, and floodwaters began to recede across Hua Zhu County.
• Liang Qu discovered that Awei could evolve, spent 13.6 points of Marsh Essence, and saw the choices Poison Mist, Flight, and Vajra.

Liang Qu chose Poison Mist as Awei’s evolutionary focus, transforming it into a Four-Winged Source Water Centipede with Yellow Water Calamity Poison. After testing its corrosive mist, he considered using the poison to strengthen his Vortex Wave, and the Ze Cauldron revealed a path to transform his Vortex Aperture into a Vortex Palace.

• Liang Qu chose Yellow Water Calamity Poison over Awei’s Flying and Vajra traits, and the other traits’ energies strengthened the poison evolution.
• Awei evolved into a Four-Winged Source Water Centipede, retaining traces of golden wings and a hardened carapace.
• Awei’s Poison Mist dissolved a shrub, trees, and a live black fish, but Awei could produce only two wisps of poison mist that day.
• Liang Qu learned that Awei could evolve into a Six-Winged Calamity Water Centipede with 18,000 Marsh Essence, while his other beasts remained nearly a thousand essence from evolving.
• Liang Qu considered adding Awei’s poison to his Vortex Aperture, and the Ze Cauldron revealed that he could transform it into a Vortex Palace to house commanded beasts and gain part of their enhancements.

Liang Qu watched the flood-control work advance while Jian Zhongyi secretly exploited a monk to create a ritual artifact. As Hua Zhu County recovered with aid from across the region, officials debated the Black Water River’s mysterious drop in water level and rumors of a Red Dragon Fish.

• Liang Qu considered the cost of transforming his Vortex Aperture as workers built Lord Qiu's Dyke and the Black Water River fell below its warning level.
• Jian Zhongyi studied hidden Buddhist teachings beside a chanting monk, then burned a booklet of martial talents and declared he would take the monk's leg bone to complete his ritual artifact.
• On the tenth day after the breach, Jian Zhongyi arrived in Hua Zhu County with relief workers and donated eight thousand taels, prompting officials to donate as well, including Liang Qu's three hundred taels.
• On the eighteenth day, Southern Zhili sent martial masters, craftsmen, and supplies, and the court announced a three-year tax exemption for Hua Zhu County.
• At a dinner on the twenty-fifth day, officials discussed the Black Water River's inexplicably deepened riverbed and falling water level, while one official mentioned rumors of a Red Dragon Fish.

Liang Qu was introduced to influential officials for catching the Red Dragon Fish and helping with flood relief, then continued aiding Hua Zhu County as the waters receded. He learned that the Three Laws Department still could not determine whether Cheng Chong had acted alone or been manipulated.

• Xu Yuelong introduced Liang Qu to the officials, who praised his sand tables, Four-Colored Flag, and disaster-relief work.
• The officials returned to discussing plans to resettle flood victims and rebuild after the Black Water River disaster.
• By the end of September, most floodwaters had receded, and Xu Yuelong put Liang Qu in charge of thirteen free medical consultation sites.
• Liang Qu bought Treasure Fish and Treasure Plants recovered after the flood, while other Martial Masters gained from their relief work and helped build Lord Qiu's Dyke.
• Liang Qu visited Zhang Zhiyun, who explained that the Three Laws Department suspected Cheng Chong had either acted alone or been manipulated but had found no proof.

After accepting the Sand River Gang’s thanks and token, Liang Qu saw Hua Zhu County beginning to recover from the flood. Hearing villagers praise the River God triggered a new Ze Cauldron power: Withered Wood Spring Qi, which could extend life by sixty years and bring back the dead.

• Liang Qu reconciled with Zhang Zhiyun and arranged to treat him to drinks when they returned to Ping Yang County.
• Hu Yan Shijing and Lian Jingye thanked Liang Qu for saving the Sand River Gang, offered him two thousand taels, and promised a share of their profits.
• Liang Qu accepted the money and a fish-shaped yellow jade token but declined the gang’s offer of ongoing profits, urging them to reform.
• A month after the flood, Liang Qu rode Red Mountain through Hua Zhu County and saw residents rebuilding and regaining their vitality.
• After hearing children and an old man discuss a sacrifice to the River God, Liang Qu gained one wisp of Withered Wood Spring Qi from the Ze Cauldron.
• Liang Qu discovered that Withered Wood Spring Qi could extend life by sixty years, bring back the dead, and be used for Favor Sublimation.

Jian Zhongyi struggled to gather enough Calamity Qi in Hua Zhu County to pursue the Grandmaster realm, while Liang Qu discovered the full power of Dead Wood Meeting Spring. Liang Qu left the recovering county in high spirits, intending to attend a nearby sacrificial festival.

• Jian Zhongyi returned early to Lord Qiu's Dyke camp and found that his ritual bowl held only three-quarters of the Calamity Qi needed to form a strand.
• Jian Zhongyi considered the Five Difficulties of Qi Consumption and worried that he might not obtain superior Qi for his path to the Grandmaster realm.
• Liang Qu learned that Dead Wood Meeting Spring could extend anyone's lifespan by sixty years and revive the dead under certain conditions.
• Liang Qu found that Red Qi seemed useful only for Sublimation of Favor and decided to save Dead Wood Meeting Spring as a trump card.
• Liang Qu surveyed Hua Zhu County as its people rebuilt and prepared to join a nearby sacrificial festival.

Liang Qu investigated the villages’ plans to send a Wang Boat to the River God and learned that Rong Hanwen had organized the ritual after witnessing Liang Qu’s Big Crab save people. Liang Qu lit the boat, which burned as its mast fell toward the village, and the sacrifice earned him River’s Favor.

• Liang Qu questioned a Village Elder about the River God ritual and learned that the village planned to send a paper Wang Boat the following night.
• The Village Elder took Liang Qu to Rong Family Village, where Rong Hanwen recognized him as the official who had obtained the Red Dragon Fish and told him he was regarded as Lord Chi.
• Rong Hanwen invited Liang Qu to light the Wang Boat, and Liang Qu agreed after inspecting the village’s ten-meter paper boat.
• Liang Qu brought two Big Treasure Fish to the ritual, and villagers carried the Wang Boat in procession to the Black Water River.
• Liang Qu threw a torch onto the boat, and strands of water nudged its mast so it fell toward the village as the boat burned.
• The villagers cheered, and Liang Qu gained River’s Favor.

Liang Qu learned the court’s rewards and punishments for the burst dike, then received an unexpected oral decree from the Emperor. The chapter ended with the envoy telling him, “Build bridges, dig water channels. My minister, strive diligently.”

• Liang Qu discussed the court’s coming judgment with Ran Zhongshi and Xiang Fangsu, who explained that Liang Qu would likely receive a reward related to martial arts.
• Liang Qu discovered two more Wang Boat sacrifices, held one himself, and gained additional River’s Favor while Xiang Fangsu enjoyed leading the other.
• Xiang Fangsu agreed to help fund a winter River God Sacrifice in Yi Xing Town, which Liang Qu offered to organize.
• The court envoys arrived and announced punishments for Wei Lin, Xu Yuelong, Lu Kaiyun, and Ren Yipeng, along with rewards for Liang Qu and Wei Shao.
• The high envoy singled out Liang Qu and delivered the Emperor’s oral decree: “Build bridges, dig water channels. My minister, strive diligently.”

After receiving the Sacred Emperor’s praise for his flood-control work, Liang Qu learned that the court was considering elevating Ping Yang County to Pingyang Prefecture. He collected an Origin Aperture Great Pill that could greatly ease his next breakthroughs, leaving him close to reaching the Galloping Horse Extreme Realm.

• Liang Qu accepted the Sacred Emperor’s encouragement to build bridges and waterways, and his friends celebrated by inviting him to a feast.
• Lu Kaiyun and Ren Yipeng returned with a great bow for Liang Qu, while Ke Wenbin joined the group for the banquet.
• The imperial envoy explained that Liang Qu’s flood-control work and the Black Water River’s deepening had pleased the Sacred Emperor, and revealed that the court might make Ping Yang County a prefecture.
• After the banquet, Liang Qu received an Origin Aperture Great Pill and learned it could reduce the difficulty of opening his Yang Aperture and Central Palace by nearly sixty percent.
• Liang Qu calculated that his accumulated Great Merits could fund his remaining apertures and wondered whether he was nearing the Galloping Horse Extreme Realm.