Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu welcomed Sea Market Master and the returning sea merchants, earned a large haul of Treasure Fish, and learned that Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi had not been seen for many years. He spent his accumulated Marsh Essence raising his Water King Ape Fusion Degree to fifty per thousand and gained new talents.

• Liang Qu told the villagers that neither he nor his Master could defeat Sea Market Master, then left them to their gossip.
• Liang Qu greeted Sea Market Master and collected four Treasure Fish as a reward for helping introduce trade groups.
• Liang Qu asked where June's Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi had come from, and Sea Market Master said the Great King had acquired it years ago from a Sea Scorpion.
• Liang Qu stewed two Red Lions and used 280,000 Marsh Essence to raise his Water King Ape Fusion Degree to fifty per thousand.
• Liang Qu gained Strong Dominion, advanced Water Breathing to Water Rhythm, and advanced Water Gun to Water Dragon Spear.

Liang Qu tested his new ability to command aquatic beasts and explored his Water Dragon Spear talent before attending the Pingyang Prefecture auction. He hoped Wei Lin would buy the Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi, setting up his plan to obtain it.

• Liang Qu used a Mental Link to guide a bighead carp through the Great Marsh, where it evaded hazards and bit Xu Yuelong's hook.
• Liang Qu examined Water Rhythm and Water Dragon Spear, learning that the water dragon was powerful, could seek targets, and consumed Marsh Essence.
• Old Toad praised Liang Qu's Vine Soldiers until Liang Qu offered them to him, then Liang Qu left for the auction with Red Mountain.
• Liang Qu arrived at the auction, greeted Lu Jia, his Senior Brother, and his Master, and waited for the Long Qi lots.
• Liang Qu told Xu Zishuai that he hoped Wei Lin would buy the Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi.

Liang Qu learned that the Dragonfolk wanted to exchange their Sunflame Long Qi and hoped Wei Lin would win Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi. At the auction, Wei Lin offered Heaven-Bestowed Long Qi, which Director Lu judged more valuable than every competing bid, and won Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi.

• Liang Qu explained that the Dragonfolk had entrusted him with finding a chance to exchange their unsuitable Sunflame Long Qi, and he believed Wei Lin had the best chance of winning Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi.
• Liang Qu watched the auction’s first two strands go to an out-of-town Grandmaster and Xu Yuelong, while his Time Insect indicated that neither was Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi.
• The auctioneer presented Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi, and the Time Insect confirmed it as the strand Liang Qu wanted.
• Wei Lin bid one strand of Heaven-Bestowed Long Qi and five hundred thousand taels of silver, prompting the auctioneer to explain its promise of extraordinary descendants.
• Director Lu rejected competing offers as inferior to Wei Lin’s bid, then struck the gong to award Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi to Wei Lin.

After the auction, Liang Qu offered Wei Lin his superior-grade Sunfire Long Qi in exchange for the Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi, and Lan Jicai confirmed it could help Wei Lin refine his Dharma Aspect. Wei Lin agreed to trade but demanded an unexpected additional hundred thousand taels of silver.

• Liang Qu followed Wei Lin backstage and offered to exchange his Sunfire Long Qi for Wei Lin’s Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi.
• Yang Weizhi suspected Liang Qu was exploiting the deal, but Wei Lin asked Liang Qu to convince him the Sunfire was worth trading for.
• Director Lu arranged for Lan Jicai to examine the Long Qi, and Lan Jicai identified it as superior-grade Sun Yang Fire Essence.
• Lan Jicai said a Sun Flower combined with the Sunfire could give Wei Lin a chance to refine his Dharma Aspect into a Three-legged Golden Crow.
• Wei Lin offered the Sun Flower, Sunfire, and one hundred thousand taels of silver for the Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi, surprising everyone.

Liang Qu negotiated the purchase of Wishful from Wei Lin by revealing his poverty and appealing to Wei Lin’s dislike of debt. After securing the treasure, Liang Qu planned to take it home and find a way to use it.

• Liang Qu told Wei Lin he had no money, then counted out nearly all his savings and explained that his other wealth had gone to cultivation resources and debts.
• Liang Qu persuaded Wei Lin to accept five thousand five hundred taels upfront and deduct the remaining fifteen thousand from his salary, while Wei Lin kept the Sun Flower and Wishful deal moving forward.
• Lan Jicai explained that he had steered Wei Lin toward the Sun Flower, which could help the Crimson Demon Roc transform into a Three-legged Golden Crow, and asked Liang Qu for a favor in return.
• Liang Qu gave Lan Jicai a referral letter for the Xu Family Mermaid Silk shop in Pingyang.
• Liang Qu opened Wishful’s jade box, admired the golden treasure, and planned to take it home to help accommodate his growing Water Beasts.

Liang Qu arranged for Long Pinghe to deliver the empty jade box safely, then used Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi to help the Time Insect weave a new golden cocoon around Solar Long Qi and Life Creation. He also transformed Lunar Long Qi into a Spirit Fish, leaving Binglin to wait for now.

• Liang Qu sent Long Pinghe into the Jiang Huai River with the empty jade box and entered the Records Room to request a Sun Flower for Wei Lin.
• Liang Qu considered how different media might affect the results of consuming Long Qi and decided to add Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi to the Time Insect’s weaving.
• Liang Qu forced the Time Insect to weave Solar Long Qi and Life Creation together with Wish-Fulfilling Long Qi until it finished a golden cocoon at dawn.
• Liang Qu put Lunar Long Qi back into the Ze Cauldron and transformed it into a Spirit Fish, deciding to let Binglin suffer for now.

Liang Qu gave Long E Ying a wisp of Long Qi to help her advance to Grandmaster and sent her to the Dragon Man Clan Grounds to break through. On the way, Long E Ying revealed her feelings for Liang Qu, and they arrived to tell Long Zongyin about her planned seclusion.

• Long Binglin accepted that Long E Ying should receive the Long Qi, and Liang Qu gave it to her.
• Liang Qu advised Long E Ying to return to the Dragon Man Clan Grounds and enter seclusion for her Grandmaster breakthrough.
• At dinner, Su Guishan told Liang Qu that Old Monk's retreat might last much of the year, though his assistance and talent could help him emerge sooner.
• Fat Catfish carried Liang Qu and Long E Ying to the clan grounds, where Long E Ying teased Liang Qu about his attraction to her and confessed that she found him reliable and safe.
• Liang Qu told Long Zongyin that Long E Ying was about to advance to Grandmaster and that they had brought her to the clan grounds for safety.

Liang Qu brought Greater Yin long qi to the Dragon Man Tribe so Long E Ying could advance to Grandmaster, and the elders arranged her seclusion. Long E Ying gave Liang Qu the tribe’s silver before departing, while the First Elder realized their relationship was deepening and felt both joy and unease.

• Fat Catfish feasted on lotus roots in the Dragon Man Tribe’s fields while Liang Qu met with Long Zongyin and the elders.
• Long E Ying revealed the Greater Yin Spirit Fish, and Liang Qu explained that she could use it to become a Grandmaster.
• The elders agreed to announce Long E Ying’s advancement without revealing the kind of long qi she consumed, and they arranged for her to enter seclusion.
• Long E Ying gave Liang Qu 123,600 taels in silver before beginning her seclusion.
• The First Elder noticed the growing bond between Long E Ying and Liang Qu and felt afraid of both gaining and losing her.

Liang Qu received Long Zongyin and the First Elder’s reaction to his relationship with E Ying, then moved twelve hundred thousand taels of silver into his residence. He spent Marsh Essence to promote Fat Catfish into a Tiger Flood Dragon Catfish and gave it the title Ferocious Fang Military Advisor, leaving it newly transformed with five talents and further growth still possible.

• Long Zongyin congratulated Liang Qu and E Ying, pressed for a wedding and children, and offered to arrange a lavish ceremony and dowry, while the First Elder grudgingly agreed.
• Liang Qu declined to rush into marriage, and the First Elder urged Long Zongyin to let the younger generation’s relationship develop naturally.
• Liang Qu inspected the thirty-nine chests of silver and summoned Round Head and the Clan Pigs to move them.
• Liang Qu called Fat Catfish to the Lotus Root Field and named it Ferocious Fang Military Advisor.
• Liang Qu spent Marsh Essence to transform Fat Catfish into a Tiger Flood Dragon Catfish, which gained five talents; the Ze Cauldron showed that another 120,000 Marsh Essence could make it grow further.

Liang Qu examined A Fei’s new ink-based abilities and watched it reshape stone and create explosive Ink Beasts. After returning to the River Conservancy Office, he shared pastries to celebrate an alleged engagement to the First Elder’s granddaughter, Wishful, but Bai Yinbin claimed Liang Qu had a sour stench.

• Liang Qu watched A Fei assimilate the surrounding earth into Landscape-Painting Ink and reshape a rock into a likeness of itself.
• A Fei created Ink Beasts that could explode, and Liang Qu warned it not to damage the Dragonfolk lotus fields before taking it home.
• Li Shoufu received five hundred boxes of pastries that Liang Qu had ordered for the River Conservancy Office and households in Pingyang Prefecture.
• Liang Qu told Ke Wenbin, Xiang Fangsu, and the others that he was celebrating his engagement to the First Elder’s granddaughter, Wishful.
• Bai Yinbin sniffed near Liang Qu and said he detected a sour stench.

Liang Qu celebrated his engagement to E Ying by sharing pastries throughout the River Conservancy Office and told Su Guishan the news. As he waited for E Ying to recover and the Time Insect to emerge, Little Mirage Dragon rushed to tell him the insect was about to break out of its cocoon.

• Liang Qu joked with his colleagues about Ke Wenbin's betrothed and distributed wedding pastries to the River Conservancy Office, including the Wei faction.
• Liang Qu visited Su Guishan, shared the news of his engagement to E Ying, and asked him to prepare betrothal gifts and bride price.
• Liang Qu explained that announcing the relationship also gave his close ties to the Dragonfolk a more substantial public basis.
• Fat Catfish failed to squeeze into the pond, continued digging the underground river, and later dug Toad King a cave to his specifications.
• In mid-September, Little Mirage Dragon told Liang Qu that the Time Insect was moving and seemed ready to emerge from its cocoon.

Liang Qu witnessed the Time Insect emerge from its cocoon and discovered that the Creation Long Qi enhanced his strength according to the sun’s position. Five days later, the expected Sunlight and Moonlight baptism had not occurred, while Liang Qu learned that Wei Lin had taken cultivation leave and Xu Tiling had used Xuanming as a medium.

• Liang Qu seized the newly emerged Time Insect after it bit him and unleashed a deafening cry, then contained it in an iron box.
• Liang Qu examined the Creation Long Qi’s nine effects and found that his strength had increased by about twenty-five percent during the afternoon.
• Liang Qu rewarded the Time Insect with dried fruit and jujubes, while Awei rested as a bracelet on his wrist.
• After five days without the expected baptism, Liang Qu suspected it might require E Ying to complete a breakthrough.
• Su Guishan told Liang Qu that Wei Lin had taken two months of cultivation leave and that Xu Tiling had used Xuanming as a medium rather than for a breakthrough.

Su Guishan explained the nature of Long Qi and the path to cultivation while Liang Qu waited anxiously for Long E Ying to emerge from seclusion. Long E Ying finally came out, and she silently invited Liang Qu to rest his head on her lap.

• Su Guishan told Liang Qu that Long Qi was ranked by how it helped cultivators contend, and recounted how the Dragon Elephant Martial Saint ultimately understood contention without contention.
• Su Guishan explained that the imperial court had selected experienced cultivators who were already close to becoming Grandmasters, so the influx of new Grandmasters was no surprise.
• In late October, Liang Qu visited the Frog Clan and asked the Second Elder each day whether Long E Ying had emerged from seclusion.
• A Dragonfolk announced that Long E Ying had come out, and Liang Qu vanished from the Arhat Bed to reach her cabin.
• Long E Ying sent the First Elder and the Dragon Girl guards away, then sat on the cabin steps and patted her thigh for Liang Qu.

Liang Qu reunited with Long E Ying, learned that she had established an ice-element Divine Power, and agreed to let her rest from cultivation. He took her to Mount Tai Cang to admire epiphyllum, where their arrival prompted a group of men to leave the garden and make way for them.

• Liang Qu reunited with Long E Ying, touched her hair and hand, and learned that her Divine Power was ice-element.
• Long E Ying told Liang Qu she was tired and did not want to cultivate, so he reassured her and asked what she wanted to do instead.
• Long E Ying said she wanted to look at the moon and stars and listen to the wind, so Liang Qu took her flying to find Mount Tai Cang.
• Liang Qu and Long E Ying reached Mount Tai Cang and found a group of men gathered in its epiphyllum garden.
• The men recognized Liang Qu, hurriedly claimed they had planned to leave, and vacated the garden for him and Long E Ying.

Liang Qu and Long E Ying spent the night together among blooming epiphyllums, where lunar yin strengthened them and they shared painful memories and promises. After they slept embracing, Liang Qu discovered their union had altered his Creation and Mystic Use Eight, and he resolved to cultivate harder to liberate the Great Marsh.

• Liang Qu and Long E Ying enjoyed the epiphyllum garden, and she explained that lunar yin increased cultivation by day and strength by night, reaching one and a half times at midnight.
• Long E Ying told Liang Qu that her parents had died in a conflict between the Dragonfolk and Snake Clan when she was three.
• Long E Ying admitted she had been joking about refusing to cultivate and promised to advance until she could protect Liang Qu.
• Liang Qu woke beside Long E Ying and discovered that their night together had transformed his Creation and reversed Mystic Use Eight’s sun and moon effects.
• Liang Qu realized their closeness had triggered Mystic Use Nine, cleansing them with sunlight and moonlight and strengthening his Dragon Tiger Golden Body seed.

After spending the night together on Mount Tai Cang, Liang Qu and Long E Ying returned home with epiphyllums and reunited with their Water Beasts. Su Guishan discovered that neither had lost their Primordial Yang or Primordial Yin, and Liang Qu admitted he planned to wait until marriage.

• Liang Qu and Long E Ying dug up epiphyllums on Mount Tai Cang, and Liang Qu left a note promising help to the garden’s owner.
• Liang Qu and Long E Ying returned to the pond, where Little Mirage Dragon complained that Fat Catfish had bullied it while Long E Ying was away.
• Long E Ying planted the epiphyllums and agreed to teach A Fei and Cannot Move to speak.
• Liang Qu found a gift box he had stored beneath the wardrobe and considered giving Long E Ying its contents.
• Long Yao and Long Li questioned Long E Ying about her night with Liang Qu, and she told them they had slept together.
• Su Guishan checked Liang Qu and learned that neither he nor Long E Ying had lost their Primordial Yang or Primordial Yin; Liang Qu said he intended to wait until marriage.

Liang Qu studied dual cultivation at Shanghu Academy, reunited with his former teacher Si Hengyi, and left the students an inscription. As the quiet second half of the year continued, Li LiBo and his companions brought him wedding pastries from Lord Wei, who had advanced to Grandmaster.

• Liang Qu read about Primordial Yin and Primordial Yang at Shanghu Academy and discussed the book with Si Hengyi.
• Si Hengyi persuaded Liang Qu to write for the academy, and Liang Qu inscribed, “When the Way is about to prevail, people will vie to praise it. People will prize its name, people will spread its voice, people will share in its glory.”
• Liang Qu spent a peaceful second half of the year at home while Long E Ying cultivated and taught the Water Beasts to speak.
• Li LiBo, Chen Jiechang, and Lin Songbao visited Liang Qu with wedding pastries, saying Lord Wei had emerged from seclusion after advancing to Grandmaster.

Liang Qu heard that Wei Lin had become a Grandmaster and joked with his companions before visiting Long E Ying, who revealed that Xu Shi had taken her in as a goddaughter. As Liang Qu waited for the Sea Merchant’s arrival, a pale-pink giant octopus appeared in place of the familiar Sea Market Master, leaving the River Conservancy Office stunned.

• Liang Qu learned that Wei Lin had become a Grandmaster and received ten boxes of pastries sent by Wei Shao.
• Chen Jiechang reminded Liang Qu that the Sea Merchant could arrive at any time and that he should report in more often.
• Long E Ying told Liang Qu that Xu Shi had made her a goddaughter and warned her not to indulge Liang Qu’s requests.
• Liang Qu checked his cultivation progress and the Ze Cauldron’s Marsh Essence reserves while waiting for the Sea Market Master.
• The River Conservancy Office sounded the alarm when the Sea Merchant arrived, but Liang Qu saw a pale-pink giant octopus instead of the familiar Sea Market Master.

Liang Qu discovered a desperate message from Sea Market Master hidden inside a Blood Lion and sought advice on how to investigate her situation. After Lan Jicai’s divination and Xu Wenzhu’s speculation about the Octopus Clan, Xu suggested that Liang Qu might help Sea Market Master replace the Octopus King with the court’s support.

• Liang Qu met Hai Yun, who said Sea Market Master was resting and gave him a Blood Lion that Sea Market Master had asked her to deliver.
• Ta Ta Kai found a bloodstained note inside the fish that read, “Sea Abyss Palace. The Octopus King wants to eat me.”
• Liang Qu told Su Guishan about the note and asked for leave to investigate, but said he would first send fish to scout rather than go himself.
• Su Guishan told Liang Qu to seek Lan Jicai’s divination and get General Xu’s approval before granting leave.
• Lan Jicai divined that Liang Qu would face no accidents on the trip, but his actions afterward could have an immense impact.
• Xu Wenzhu speculated that the Octopus Clan might have a weakness connected to mating and suggested Liang Qu might help Sea Market Master replace the Octopus King with the court’s support.

Liang Qu learned that Sea Market Master had chosen him to help her against Octopus King, then agreed to investigate what she needed and what she could offer. He traveled south and west with Old Toad as his guide and reached the estuary, ready to head out to sea.

• Xu Wenzhu explained that Sea Market Master had sent Liang Qu a note because he could draw the court’s attention and might help provide the spark she needed to escape Octopus King.
• Liang Qu agreed to meet Sea Market Master and find out what she wanted and what she could offer in return.
• Liang Qu avoided contacting Hai Yun, suspecting that Sea Market Master’s indirect message might be connected to Octopus King’s abilities.
• Liang Qu set out with Old Toad, who negotiated for a share of the profits and agreed to guide him around the dangers of the marsh.
• Liang Qu laid Vortex Waterways behind them as they traveled south and west, then reached the Jianghuai estuary.