Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu left Shou Mountain after trading with General Yuan and dividing the Longevity Treasures among his companions. He returned to Baoqing Town with storybooks for the Merfolk, while arranging a possible Dragon Girl housekeeping service for the great tortoise.

• Liang Qu secured Old Toad’s release, and General Yuan agreed to wait until dawn before letting the group leave.
• As dawn approached, Liang Qu proposed sending Dragon Girls to clean General Yuan’s shell, setting a price of twenty taels per hour or a Longevity Treasure for Long E Ying.
• Liang Qu and his companions divided the Longevity Treasures, giving Old Toad a Thousand-Year Treasure Zhi and sharing the other treasures among Long Binglin, Long E Ying, and A Fei.
• Liang Qu consumed the Eighteen-Petaled Longevity Lotus and part of a Twelve-Petaled Longevity Lotus, gaining 24,117 Marsh Essence.
• Liang Qu returned to the bookstore in Baoqing Town, collected more storybooks for the Merfolk, and told the shopkeeper to prepare only fifty books the next day.

Liang Qu enjoyed a meal and gave the shopkeeper’s grandson a silver turtle while Long Binglin’s gifts continued to stir the Mermaid Tribe. Quan Guangqin and Quan Yuxuan urged Quan Linghan to move the tribe to Jianghuai and use Liang Qu’s public reputation as protection, leaving Quan Linghan to consider their proposal.

• Liang Qu ate Meat Sauce Noodles, chatted with the shopkeeper about his travels, and gave him a silver turtle for his grandson.
• Long Binglin distributed books and curiosities to the Merfolk, frustrating Quan Linghan as the youngsters hid and reclaimed their gifts.
• Quan Guangqin and Quan Yuxuan told Quan Linghan they had secretly gone ashore in Jianghuai and observed the local people and Liang Qu’s reputation.
• Quan Linghan warned them that a respected human official could still harm Merfolk, recalling how Patrol Inspector Qiu had tortured them for Mermaid Tears.
• Quan Guangqin proposed publicly claiming that Liang Qu had invited and promised to protect the Mermaid Tribe, making his reputation a shield whether the tribe advanced or retreated.
• Quan Yuxuan urged Quan Linghan to decide quickly, and he asked for time to think.

Liang Qu considered how to combine the Four Seasons Long Qi while managing the merfolk’s stalled relocation and arranging for Old Giant Clam to persuade them. He prepared General Yuan’s shed tortoise shell as a birthday gift for his Master, leaving his senior brothers stunned by the shell’s connection to Pengze’s demon leader.

• Liang Qu learned that the merfolk relocation had nearly stopped and decided to keep sending the young merfolk gifts while avoiding further pressure on their elders.
• Liang Qu met Old Giant Clam at the Huai River mouth, gave him a vortex waterway to Pengze, and asked him to persuade the merfolk to move to Jianghuai.
• Liang Qu commissioned a nanmu box for a tortoise shell fragment shed by General Yuan, but the shopkeeper grew alarmed when he learned its origin.
• Liang Qu brought the shell fragment to the Xu Family Residence, where his senior brothers sensed General Yuan’s aura in its Shou Mountain pattern.
• Yang Xu identified General Yuan as Pengze’s undisputed demon leader, and the gathered senior brothers reacted with unease to Liang Qu’s birthday gift.

Liang Qu prepared General Yuan’s armor scale as a birthday gift for the Xu Family’s Second Ancestor while Yang Dongxiong completed the main framework of his divine ability in seclusion. Yang Dongxiong emerged looking decades younger and said he was close to becoming a Grandmaster, though he still needed about ten days to finish refining the ability.

• Liang Qu showed Yang Xu and the other senior brothers General Yuan’s armor scale, which they eagerly handled and admired.
• A shopkeeper delivered a finely carved rosewood gift box for the armor scale, and Liang Qu promised to praise him at the birthday banquet after admitting he was Dragon Crossing the River.
• Long Yao cleaned the armor scale and placed it in the velvet-lined gift box while Ta Ta Kai practiced in the courtyard.
• Xu Zishuai summoned Liang Qu and the others after Yang Dongxiong announced he was emerging from seclusion.
• Yang Dongxiong stepped out looking younger and taller, explaining that he had consumed the Profound Yellow Energy and completed the main framework of his divine ability, with only further refinement remaining.

Yang Dongxiong emerged from seclusion as a True Image Grandmaster, and his family and disciples celebrated his achievement. He revealed that his Divine Power was Great Smiting Demon Subduing and promised to give each disciple a token bearing its saber mark.

• Yang Dongxiong achieved True Image, and his disciples celebrated becoming direct disciples of a Grandmaster.
• Old Madam Xu arranged a banquet for Yang Dongxiong, and Xu Rongguang promised to carve seals for the disciples if their gift surprised him at his birthday banquet.
• Yang Dongxiong revealed his Divine Power, Great Smiting Demon Subduing, and demonstrated how its saber marks could form a Subduing Demon Saber Array.
• Yang Dongxiong promised to prepare a token for each disciple after the birthday banquet.
• Liang Qu reflected on how Divine Power Seeds developed through the realms and how a martial artist's choices shaped their future Divine Powers.

Liang Qu and the others received new clothes for Xu Shi’s birthday banquet, while Liang Qu brought the Dragon Girls their garments. At the gathering, Tang Yuyou told Liang Qu that Zhao Pangzi would reveal his crucial information only to a third-rank official, and Liang Qu left Tang curious about the costly gift box he had brought.

• Xu Shi distributed tailored clothes to Yang Dongxiong’s disciples and explained that Liang Qu had brought the fabric from Fragrant Township County.
• Liang Qu gave Long E Ying, Long Yao, and Long Li their new clothes and urged them to try them on.
• Xu Family relatives and guests gathered for the birthday banquet, where many visitors watched Liang Qu and the Dragon Girls.
• Tang Yuyou told Liang Qu that Zhao Pangzi would discuss his crucial information only with a third-rank official.
• Tang Yuyou asked about Liang Qu’s ornate purple sandalwood gift box, and Liang Qu said its contents would be revealed when the gifts were announced.

Liang Qu attended Xu Rongguang’s birthday banquet as the ceremony revealed the Xu Family’s connections and status. He presented a childhood shell fragment of General Yuan, demon chief of Pengze, leaving Longevity Hall in an uproar.

• Xu Rongguang’s birthday ceremony began, and Yang Dongxiong and Xu Wan presented him with a three-hundred-year Longevity Orchid Blood Spirit Mushroom.
• The family and honored guests offered their gifts, while Long Yao and Long Li found the formal proceedings tedious.
• Xu Zishuai arranged for only Liang Qu’s name to be sung when their school presented its gift.
• Liang Qu’s gift was identified as a childhood shell fragment of General Yuan, demon chief of Pengze, and several Grandmasters reacted with alarm.
• The master of ceremonies loudly announced Liang Qu’s gift, causing an uproar in Longevity Hall.

At Xu Rongguang’s birthday banquet, Liang Qu presented a shell fragment bearing General Yuan’s aura and won the hall’s admiration. After the celebration resumed, he shared the gold rings Xu Rongguang gave him with Xu Zishuai and the Dragon Girls, drawing jealous stares.

• Liang Qu’s gift of a shell fragment from General Yuan halted the birthday banquet and drew the guests’ attention.
• Yang Xu explained that Liang Qu had brought the fragment back from Pengze, and Xu Rongguang confirmed it was genuine.
• Xu Rongguang gave Liang Qu and the other young guests engraved Longevity Mountain Stone Seals, then rewarded Liang Qu with gold rings and a red envelope.
• Liang Qu credited the red sandalwood box to Shopkeeper Wang and insisted he had spent nothing, pleasing Xu Rongguang.
• After returning to his seat, Liang Qu shared half the gold rings with Xu Zishuai and gave the rest to the Dragon Girls, prompting envious looks.

At Xu Rongguang’s birthday banquet, Liang Qu and his companions enjoyed the gifts and festivities while the steward carefully managed the gift announcements. Meanwhile, Long Binglin brought merfolk leader Quan Linghan to meet Xu Yuelong, expanding the River Conservancy Office’s ties.

• Liang Qu moved seats to escape the jealous stares, while Zhuo Shaoqin joined Long Yao to choose rings.
• Yang Xu explained how the steward staggered gift announcements to spare guests embarrassment and let others stand out.
• Xu Zishuai and the other disciples admired and stamped their seals, then learned that Xu Rongguang’s seal carving had earned the Grand Ancestor’s praise.
• The birthday gifts ended, Longevity Noodles were served, and the opera and banquet began.
• Long Binglin brought Quan Linghan ashore at Shang Rao Wharf, where Xu Yuelong welcomed the merfolk leader.

The River Conservancy Office proposed a trade island to the Merfolk and Dragonfolk, while the Dragonfolk recruited women to work for General Yuan in Pengze. Liang Qu attended Yang Dongxiong’s birthday banquet, and the chapter ended with Old Toad and Fat Catfish nearing their destination.

• Long Pingjiang and Long Pinghe recruited Dragon Girls for paid work in Pengze, promising Frog Clan protection and explaining the Vortex Waterway fare.
• Ran Zhongshi and Xu Yuelong presented Quan Linghan and Long Binglin with a plan for a Water Island where humans and underwater races could trade, and Quan Linghan said she would consider it.
• Xu Yuelong celebrated the Merfolk and Dragonfolk’s growing cooperation and wondered whether anyone had gone to Huang Province after A Shui reported capturing Master Zhao.
• Liang Qu attended Yang Dongxiong’s birthday banquet, answered questions about General Yuan, and celebrated into the night with old acquaintances and young disciples.
• Long Pingjiang counted 129 Dragon Girls registered for Pengze, while Fat Catfish and Old Toad continued their journey and spotted a destination five hundred li ahead.

Liang Qu brought 129 dragon girls to clean General Yuan’s shell for silver, with Frog Guerrilla escorting them. After the work began, Liang Qu left for the Mermaid Tribe, leaving Frog Guerrilla to watch over General Yuan.

• General Yuan welcomed Old Toad’s news that the Dragon Girl was coming and prepared silver for the cleaning work.
• Long E Ying agreed to go to Pengze, and Long Yao and Long Li persuaded Liang Qu to let them come too.
• Frog Guerrilla met Liang Qu and the dragon girls at the Vortex Waterway and escorted them to General Yuan.
• General Yuan paid 2,580 taels for one hour of work, and the dragon girls began scraping algae and dead skin from his shell and limbs.
• Liang Qu paid Old Toad his share, reminded Long Pingjiang to charge for overtime, and left for the Mermaid Tribe.
• Frog Guerrilla surfaced beside General Yuan after Liang Qu had gone, and the two stared at each other.

Liang Qu met Clan Leader Quan as the Mermaid Tribe prepared to move to the Jiang Huai Great Marsh, then argued that trade with humans had actually cost merfolk because they sold raw materials and bought processed goods. He began illustrating the imbalance with the price of Bullhorn Pomfret horns and the pills made from them.

• Old Giant Clam entertained young merfolk with stories, strengthening their desire to live on land and undermining plans to relocate by force.
• Quan Linghan traveled to meet River Conservancy Office officials, and Liang Qu arrived at the Mermaid Tribe with Long Binglin, Long E Ying, Long Yao, and Long Li.
• Liang Qu met Quan Linghan and explained that he had found Dragon Spirit Silk among the treasures at Mermaid Ruins.
• Quan Linghan agreed that the Mermaid Tribe would move to the Jiang Huai Great Marsh, seeking to retain Mermaid Tears for a time.
• Liang Qu questioned an elderly merfolk about past trade and claimed that merfolk lost out by exchanging raw materials for processed human goods.
• Liang Qu explained that Bullhorn Pomfret horns rose three fen in price while the Blood Exchange Pill and Blood Coagulation Pill made with them rose three qian.

Liang Qu explained how the Mermaid Tribe was losing value in trade with humans and proposed turning Mermaid Silk into luxury stockings to give the merfolk a profitable product. He laid out a plan to make the stockings a prestigious brand, leaving Quan Linghan to consider the danger of making the tribe valuable and dependent on Liang Qu.

• Quan Guangqin explained that the merfolk had improved their lives through trade but earned less than their goods were worth.
• Liang Qu argued that Mermaid Silk could be refined into clothing and demonstrated his idea by wrapping Long Li’s foot and leg in the silk as a stocking.
• Liang Qu proposed a Mermaid Tribe and Xu Family partnership to sell limited-edition stockings as expensive luxury goods across Da Shun.
• Quan Linghan asked whether Liang Qu’s plan would put the Mermaid Tribe in grave danger, and Liang Qu confirmed it before leaving the choice to him.

Liang Qu secured the merfolk’s agreement to trade with Jiang Huai Great Marsh and explored how branding could raise the value of Mermaid Silk. He then began devising a marketable product for the Dragonfolk, settling on Lotus Seeds Wine as their next prospect.

• Quan Linghan gave Liang Qu twenty Mermaid Tears as a deposit and agreed to bring the tribe to Jiang Huai Great Marsh, asking to inspect a finished pair of socks first.
• Liang Qu learned that the merfolk tribe had more than eight hundred members and requested bolts of black, white, and pale-yellow Mermaid Silk.
• After leaving the tent, Liang Qu told Long Binglin that Mermaid Silk socks might sell for far more than twenty taels and explained that a strong brand could make imitation difficult to profit from.
• Long Yao and Long Li asked what the Dragonfolk could sell, and Liang Qu considered their Great King Lotus and Lotus Seeds Wine.
• Liang Qu proposed marketing Lotus Seeds Wine as stomp-pressed by Dragon Girls and emphasizing its benefits, then set off to see Old Yuan.

Liang Qu led the dragonfolk and Frog Guerrilla in their first paid work cleaning General Yuan’s shell, while negotiating limits on their hours and preserving ties with the great turtle. Meanwhile, Quan Linghan ordered the Mermaid Tribe to relocate to the Jiang Huai Great Marsh, and Xu Yuelong prepared to recognize the move as a major achievement and send Liang Qu to Huang Province on a business trip.

• Liang Qu oversaw the dragon girls cleaning General Yuan’s shell, enforced work breaks and overtime rates, and paid them their share of the earnings.
• General Yuan refused to pay for more work that day, and Liang Qu asked whether he wanted Lotus Seed Wine before ending the first cleaning order.
• Quan Linghan issued an order for the Mermaid Tribe to relocate to the Jiang Huai Great Marsh, though he worried the decision had been rushed.
• The dragonfolk brothers reported to Xu Yuelong that Quan Linghan had agreed to relocate the entire tribe and presented twenty Mermaid Tears as proof.
• Xu Yuelong praised the relocation as a major achievement and wrote an urgent letter counting Liang Qu’s trip to Huang Province as a business trip.

After reaching completion in the Wolf Smoke Sky Bridge realm, Liang Qu arranged a business making thigh-high stockings from Mermaid Silk. He refused a personal share of the profits and instead assigned the money to support the merfolk, his martial lineage, and apprentices from Yi Xing Town.

• Liang Qu completed his meridian circulation, reached the Wolf Smoke Sky Bridge, and considered forming a third Ying Long Mark from his Dragon Qi.
• Liang Qu asked Xu Shi to find an embroiderer, and Nan Di made three colors of thigh-high stockings from Mermaid Silk.
• Liang Qu and Xu Shi learned that two ladies were willing to pay sixty to one hundred taels for a pair, revealing the business's potential profits.
• Liang Qu explained that he had found the Mermaid Tribe in the Great Marsh and said he would take no personal share of the stocking profits.
• Liang Qu proposed that his share support the merfolk and the martial lineage, including interest-free loans for senior disciples, school subsidies, and free apprentice places for Yi Xing Town.

Liang Qu planned to strengthen Yang Martial Hall and helped Xu Shi devise a strategy for selling Mermaid Silk through trusted palace connections. Meanwhile, the merfolk prepared to leave Pengze for Jiang Huai Great Marsh, where the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild began planting Treasure Plant seeds.

• Liang Qu proposed using school funds to reward outstanding disciples, improve instructors’ treatment, and recruit teaching assistants, and Xu Shi agreed to manage the money.
• Liang Qu urged Xu Shi to delay selling Mermaid Silk until Old Master Xu could arrange trusted palace contacts, then outlined a branding and limited-release plan.
• Xu Shi warned Liang Qu about the rumors his business might cause and advised him to stay away from disreputable places; she took three bolts of Mermaid Silk to send away.
• The merfolk packed their belongings eagerly for the move from Pengze to Jiang Huai Great Marsh, while Quan Linghan watched them with resignation.
• At Jiang Huai Great Marsh, swimmers from the Celestial Ship Merchant Guild planted Treasure Plant seeds as several Great Monster Spirits observed.

While the Azure Serpent’s followers searched for the White Ape, Liang Qu helped the Xu Family develop a business plan for Mermaid Silk stockings and fabrics. The Xu Family settled on sending the first products to the Empress, while the search for the White Ape remained unresolved.

• A Ping and the other water workers grew uneasy after A Ping felt watched by something beneath their boat, then discussed the strange creatures appearing around Pingyang Prefecture.
• The Thin Green Snake urged the Azure Serpent to target Liang Qu through someone else, but the Azure Serpent refused to act directly against a man favored by the Sacred Emperor and taught by a Martial Saint.
• Liang Qu watched Long E Ying, Long Yao, and Long Li enjoying themselves in the Xu Family courtyard, then called the two Long girls to copy a document for him.
• Liang Qu presented his Mermaid Silk business proposal to Xu Rongguang and two senior Stewards, who debated how to market stockings and expand the product line with blended fabrics.
• The group finalized a plan to sell Mermaid Silk products and agreed that Xu Rongguang would send them to the Empress, who could pass them to others.

Liang Qu arranged for a new cloth brand, prepared gifts for Quan Linghan, and helped the Mermaid Tribe relocate while discussing how to build ties in Pengze. He considered having White Ape create a Vortex Waterway for the tribe, but decided it was too early and let them swim for now.

• Xu Rongguang designed a mermaid-tail trademark and entrusted Xu Shi and the stewards with arranging a secret first run of a hundred products.
• Liang Qu bought waterproof books in Baoqing Town before joining the Mermaid Tribe’s relocation preparations.
• Liang Qu persuaded Old Toad to offer two Golden Red Carp as gifts for Wu Cangshou, promising the Frog Clan could secure cheaper land in Pingyang Prefecture.
• Liang Qu asked Long E Ying whether the Mermaid Tribe should travel through the Vortex Waterway, then decided White Ape might try creating one after becoming a Grandmaster.
• Liang Qu told the merfolk to swim to Pengze for now while he sent Ta Ta Kai a message to bring grilling gear for the Treasure Fish.

Liang Qu persuaded Quan Linghan to relocate the Mermaid Tribe by promising transport, money, and protection, then revealed that Mermaid Tears contained hidden resources only he could use. After a shared meal brought the merfolk together, Liang Qu went underwater to use Dragon Seed Aura to create a Ying Long Mark.

• Liang Qu promised Quan Linghan twenty thousand taels of silver, help moving the clan’s belongings, and an escort of at least ten Hunting Tiger Dragonfolk.
• Liang Qu told Quan Linghan that Mermaid Tears contained Good Wood and Solid Stone that only he could uncover, though he privately admitted to Long E Ying that his claim about Long Qi was false.
• Quan Linghan tested Liang Qu with a pouch of Mermaid Tears, and Liang Qu spotted the nine previously given tears before accepting the remaining payment.
• Ta Ta Kai cooked fish for Liang Qu, the Dragonfolk, and the merfolk, whose young gathered around the boats and whose clan’s bustle returned.
• Liang Qu asked Long Binglin and Long E Ying to stand guard, then went underwater and used the Ze Cauldron to create a Ying Long Mark from three strands of Dragon Seed Aura.