Chapter Summaries

Liang Qu tested his ability to ride the water, then returned to Shang Rao Wharf and discovered that the villagers were building him an elaborate two-courtyard residence. The chapter left him inspecting the unexpected construction as the craftsman reassured him that his original earthen house remained intact.

• Liang Qu used the current to float and glide across the water, but a leaping Big Grass Carp struck him and escaped.
• Liang Qu returned to Shang Rao Wharf and learned from Lin Songbao that two Martial Artists had arrived and that the Village Elders praised him.
• Liang Qu showed Lin Songbao the Fubo spear before heading to inspect his house.
• Liang Qu found a half-built gray-brick courtyard with a screen wall, paved paths, and the frameworks of several buildings.
• A craftsman greeted Liang Qu and explained that the workers had left his original earthen house untouched and had stored villagers' rice and flour inside.

Liang Qu inspected the villagers’ work on his new courtyard and arranged wages and meals for the workers. Meanwhile, after learning that the Mountain Ghost hideout had been destroyed, Huang Zejun agreed to begin the sect’s operation two days early, and Zhao Hongyuan was promised passage back to the sect.

• Liang Qu asked Liu Quanfu to call him A Shui and inspected the courtyard built by the villagers.
• Liang Qu retrieved the Treasure Fish horns from his old house and arranged for the villagers to receive meals and daily wages from the gathered funds.
• Chen Zhaoan and Chen Tongmin told Liang Qu that the Village Elders, Lord Xue, and Lin Di had contributed materials and money toward the house.
• Liang Qu left for Ping Yang Town to rejoin his Senior Brothers and investigate further clues.
• Zhao Hongyuan told Huang Zejun that Yang Martial Hall had wiped out his Mountain Ghost hideout at Fahua Temple.
• Huang Zejun agreed to start the operation two days early and arranged for Zhao Hongyuan to return to the sect by boat.

Zhao Hongyuan arranged to escape the Water Blessing Sect’s Blood Sacrifice plot and flee to Huang Province with his trusted subordinate, while sending Liang Qu a warning about Mountain Ghosts. Liang Qu accepted the message at Pingyang Wharf and returned to the Martial Arts School.

• Zhao Hongyuan recalled how he had secretly helped the Water Blessing Sect raise Mountain Ghosts in Ping Yang Town while building his own fortune and planning to abandon the sect.
• Zhao Hongyuan told Zheng Xiang to deliver papers to Liang Qu, smear himself with Mountain Ghost blood, and then meet him at Yun Jiang Wharf before they traveled toward Huang Province.
• Zheng Xiang met Liang Qu at Pingyang Wharf, offered an apology and bundle, and let Liang Qu detect the Mountain Ghost scent.
• Liang Qu accepted Zheng Xiang’s bundle and returned to the Martial Arts School.

Liang Qu and his Senior Brothers learned that Zhao Hongyuan had exposed the Ghost Mother Sect’s plans and fled, then Lu Gang attacked Huang Zejun before he could carry out a blood sacrifice. At Pingyang Wharf, a swordsman confronted the man waiting to ferry Zhao Hongyuan away.

• Liang Qu told Xiang ChangSong and Hu Qi that Zhao Residence steward Zheng Xiang had delivered gifts and smelled of Mountain Ghost.
• Liang Qu and the Senior Brothers found deeds worth 2,300 taels and Zhao Hongyuan’s account of the Ghost Mother Sect’s plans and his escape.
• Xiang ChangSong and Hu Qi decided to verify Zhao Hongyuan’s information and summon Senior Brothers Lu and Xu to stop the envoy and his contact.
• Huang Zejun hurried to drive the Mountain Ghosts on and begin a blood sacrifice, but Lu Gang blasted through the gates and struck him with a pillar.
• At Pingyang Wharf, a swordsman confronted the impatient man waiting in a Black Awning Boat, and sword light flashed past him.

Xu Zishuai and Liang Qu captured the disguised ferryman, then hurried to the Zhao Residence, where Lu Gang was fighting the Ghost Mother Sect envoy Huang Zejun. The fight remained fierce as Xu Zishuai arrived to take over Hu Qi’s support.

• Xu Zishuai slashed the ferryman, and Liang Qu exposed his Painted Skin disguise and warned him to behave.
• Liang Qu bound the dwarf ferryman, and Xu Zishuai led the group toward the Zhao Residence to check on Lu Gang.
• Lu Gang attacked the ruined main hall with a pillar, forcing the wounded Huang Zejun out of hiding.
• Hu Qi fired an arrow to hinder Huang Zejun’s escape, allowing Lu Gang to meet his charge and trade heavy blows with him.
• Xu Zishuai and Liang Qu arrived at the residence, and Xu Zishuai took Hu Qi’s longbow as the battle continued.

Xu Zishuai and Lu Gang worked together to defeat and bind Huang Zejun, then the group returned to report their safety to Xu Shi. Xu Shi refused to see them because they reeked of blood, so they waited for heated water before washing.

• Xu Zishuai used a feint and a powerful second arrow to help Lu Gang bring Huang Zejun down.
• Lu Gang crippled Huang Zejun's limbs, and Hu Qi bound him with an Azure Steel Chain.
• Lu Gang planned for the group to find Xiang ChangSong and Xu Shi, then deal with the Mountain Ghost and decide what to do about the County Magistrate.
• Liang Qu and his senior brothers collected Xiang ChangSong and went to the Yang Residence to see Xu Shi.
• Xu Shi turned back when she saw them, and Nan Di told them she would not meet with them until they had washed.

After the Martial Brothers captured Huang Zejun and the Water Blessing Sect bandits, they returned to Xu Shi’s home, ate, and explained how Liang Qu uncovered Zhao Hongyuan’s scheme. Xu Shi divided the shop’s value among the group and ordered them to keep the prisoners alive until Master Yang returned.

• Liang Qu and the Martial Brothers washed up, and Xiang ChangSong explained that Xu Shi came from the powerful Xu family of Huang Province.
• Xu Shi welcomed the exhausted group with food, and Lu Gang reported that they had killed the Water Blessing Sect bandits.
• Liang Qu recounted how Zheng Xiang’s note led him to Zhao Hongyuan’s plot and Huang Zejun’s capture, shocking the Martial Brothers.
• Huang Zejun realized Liang Qu had exposed him, spat blood, and was thrown outside by Xu Zishuai after Xu Shi ordered him removed.
• Xu Shi converted the shop deed into silver and assigned shares to the Martial Brothers, then told them to guard Huang Zejun and the dwarf until Master Yang returned.

After earning a share of the silver and property deeds, Liang Qu helped clear the remaining Mountain Ghost dens with his fellow disciples. Master Yang returned and praised the group, while Liang Qu received a gift from his Senior Brother: a dagger identified as a Spiritual Artifact.

• Xu Shi had Nan Di distribute the silver, and Liang Qu received three ingots of Treasure Silver for his role in stopping the Mountain Ghosts.
• Liang Qu offered Lu Gang two ingots to repay him for forging Fubo, but Lu Gang told him to keep the money and use it to improve his strength.
• Liang Qu completed a round of Flesh Refinement, then joined Senior Brother Xu and Senior Brother Hu in clearing the remaining Mountain Ghost dens.
• Master Yang returned to Yang Residence, praised Lu Gang, Xu Zishuai, Hu Qi, Xiang ChangSong, and Liang Qu, and said they would be rewarded after the authorities tried the case.
• Yang Dongxiong gave Liang Qu a sandalwood box sent by his Senior Brother, and Lu Gang identified the dagger inside as a Spiritual Artifact.

Liang Qu received the Azure Wolf, a Spiritual Artifact captured by his Senior Brother, and joined his fellow disciples for dinner at Yang Dongxiong’s home. Yang Dongxiong described the Ghost Mother Sect’s past and worried that its return might threaten other towns near the Jianghuai Marshlands, while the evening ended with the household giving everyone clothes and sachets for the New Year.

• Yang Dongxiong told the disciples that Liang Qu’s Senior Brother had captured a commander and sent Liang Qu the Spiritual Artifact called the Azure Wolf.
• Liang Qu examined the dagger, thanked Yang Dongxiong and his Senior Brother, and hung it at his waist.
• During dinner, Yang Dongxiong recounted how the Ghost Mother Sect had been driven into the Jianghuai Marshlands and voiced concern that it might be targeting other towns.
• Xu Shi reassured Yang Dongxiong, and he set aside his worries about the Ghost Mother Sect and Ping Yang Town.
• Before the disciples left for the night, Xu Shi gave each of them two sets of clothes and a sachet for the New Year.

After the Ghost Mother Sect matter ended, Yang Dongxiong tested Liang Qu’s Fate Standard. The reading revealed both a Proper Seal and an Improper Seal, but its strange patterns left Yang Dongxiong calling it greatly ominous.

• The court prepared to take the captives for trial while Liang Qu and his group waited for their rewards.
• Yang Dongxiong asked Liang Qu to stay behind so he could test his Fate Standard using incense ash and other ritual materials.
• Liang Qu’s reading showed a winding river-like pattern and a strange figure that the senior brothers debated as a dragon or ape, and whether each was the Proper or Improper Seal.
• Yang Dongxiong compared the patterns with his manual, plucked several strands of his beard, and declared the reading greatly ominous.

Yang Dongxiong read Liang Qu’s Fate Standard as the greatly inauspicious Flood Dragon Walks the River, which could mean Liang Qu would transform into a dragon or face another rising dragon. After considering the warning, Liang Qu continued training and arranged to study medicine at Evergreen Medical Hall, where he reassured Shopkeeper Chen that the Zhao Residence matter was over.

• Yang Dongxiong explained that Liang Qu’s Proper Seal and Improper Seal both showed dangerous creatures, while Flood Dragon Walks the River pointed to a possible dragon transformation or a powerful rival.
• Liang Qu told his Senior Brothers not to worry, and Yang Dongxiong warned him that marshlands could bring both opportunities and danger.
• Liang Qu wondered whether the flood dragon said to inhabit the Jianghuai Marshlands was real, then asked Hu Qi to exchange more moves at the Martial Arts School.
• Liang Qu visited Evergreen Medical Hall and arranged to study herbs and bone-setting with Shopkeeper Chen after Spring Festival.
• Shopkeeper Chen asked about the ruined Zhao Residence, and Liang Qu said the matter had ended and there was no need to worry.

Liang Qu presented his Pinyin Method to the academy headmaster, who praised the invention and promised him future tax exemption. He then visited his growing Water Beasts before returning to Shangrao, where he placed a Copper Coin in the main beam of his new house for good fortune.

• Si Hengyi brought Liang Qu to meet Headmaster Zhao Ji and explained that the academy had already begun testing his Pinyin Method.
• Zhao Ji showed Liang Qu the lecturers’ improved version of the method, praised his idea, and promised to report his merit and secure his future tax exemption.
• Liang Qu visited the three Water Beasts, received Bullhorn Pomfret horns from Fist, and saw that the other two beasts still needed Marsh Essence to evolve.
• Liang Qu urged the Fat Catfish and Zhu Po Long to search for more Treasure Fish, then headed to Shangrao to check on his new house.
• Liang Qu helped the workers carry a pillar and placed a Copper Coin inside the main beam as the house was prepared for its ridge beam.

Liang Qu searched the riverbed for Treasure Fish, hoping to evolve Cannot Move, but found only one Seven Star Eel that was not enough. When he returned to the dock, he discovered Chen Qingjiang had caught a beautiful Treasure Fish, giving Liang Qu new hope for the evolution.

• Liang Qu gave his workers extra pork and silver for the New Year, and they promised to finish the main house's roof before dawn.
• Liang Qu explored riverbed burrows with his Water Beasts and caught a Seven Star Eel, which he fed to Cannot Move.
• Liang Qu learned the Seven Star Eel had provided too little Marsh Essence for Cannot Move to evolve, then searched until dawn without finding another Treasure Fish.
• Liang Qu returned to the river the next day and heard that Chen Qingjiang had caught a Treasure Fish.
• Chen Qingjiang told the crowd he had knocked the fish unconscious with his oar after his nets tore, and Liang Qu realized the catch could help evolve both beasts.

Liang Qu helped Chen Qingjiang bring home a rare Azureback Dragon Carp, then bought the fish from him for thirty taels of silver. Back on his boat, Liang Qu fed parts of the carp to his beasts and received prompts that two of them could evolve.

• Chen Qingjiang caught an Azureback Dragon Carp, and Liang Qu told him it was worth at least forty or fifty taels of silver.
• Liang Qu helped the shivering Chen Qingjiang get home, where A Di changed his clothes and prepared medicine.
• Chen Qingjiang insisted on splitting the fish with Liang Qu, but Liang Qu paid him thirty taels and took the sixteen-jin carp.
• Liang Qu returned to his boat, summoned his beasts, and prepared the Azureback Dragon Carp while they waited.
• Liang Qu fed portions of the carp to the Fat Catfish and Cannot Move, and the Ze Cauldron offered evolution prompts for the Taihua Crocodile and Six-Whiskered Catfish.

Liang Qu watched Fat Catfish and Cannot Move evolve, gaining new forms and abilities that greatly increased their strength. As New Year's Eve arrived, he decided to share the Treasure Fish with his companions and planned to hunt a Spirit Monster the next day.

• Liang Qu witnessed Cannot Move and Fat Catfish evolve, growing larger and developing tougher bodies and striking new features.
• Liang Qu tested their new strength and learned that Fat Catfish could use a powerful water attack, while Cannot Move could help nearby plants grow.
• Liang Qu checked their evolution requirements and found that both beasts needed about fifteen hundred points of Marsh Essence for their next evolution.
• Liang Qu debated whether to keep the Treasure Fish for himself or share it with his companions on New Year's Eve.
• Liang Qu decided to serve the Treasure Fish to everyone and resolved to hunt a Spirit Monster in the Deep Water Area the next day.

On New Year's Eve, Liang Qu brought a rare Azureback Dragon Carp to Yang Dongxiong's residence, where the disciples shared a lavish feast. Yang Dongxiong set each disciple a training goal, and Liang Qu declared that he expected to become a Martial Master within a year.

• Liang Qu arrived at the Yang Residence with a sixteen-jin Azureback Dragon Carp and gave it to Yang Dongxiong and Xu Shi for the New Year's Eve meal.
• Yang Dongxiong and the disciples praised the fish's auspicious meaning, and the household prepared it alongside a feast of spirit meat.
• During dinner, Yang Dongxiong assigned the disciples martial arts goals for the coming year.
• Yang Dongxiong asked Liang Qu to Break Three Barriers within a year, and Liang Qu said he expected to become a Martial Master after breaking through the Breaking Flesh Realm within half a month.
• Yang Dongxiong praised Liang Qu's confidence, and everyone raised their cups to wish for a smooth and fortunate new year.

Liang Qu trained with Hu Qi, then went underwater with his evolved beasts to investigate a huge creature hidden in the marsh. He left off sensing the creature beneath a patch of silt.

• Fat Catfish launched several large fish into a fisherman's boat, leading the fisherman to worship the River God.
• Liang Qu sparred with Hu Qi until his qi and blood ran out, and Hu Qi was impressed by his progress in the Force Method.
• Liang Qu told Hu Qi he planned to break through the Breaking Flesh Realm, but instead set out to advance his Marsh Spirit.
• Liang Qu renamed Cannot Move Ironwood Mountain and Fat Catfish Ferocious Fang General, keeping A Bu and A Fei as their nicknames.
• Liang Qu and the beasts traveled into deeper water, where dense aquatic grass and soft silt led him to sense an enormous creature hiding below.

Liang Qu and his beasts ambushed and killed a powerful Armored Beast in the marsh without suffering serious injuries. They brought the carcass and a severed piece of tail back toward the surface to eat.

• Liang Qu identified the Armored Beast's mud pit and sent Awei to wound it and draw it out.
• The Armored Beast burst from the mud and chased Awei, while Liang Qu and the other beasts prepared their ambush.
• Cannot Move rammed and grappled the Armored Beast as Fat Catfish bit off part of its tail and struck its mind with a painful ripple.
• Liang Qu pierced the Armored Beast's belly with Fubo, and the wounded beast succumbed to venom and died.
• Liang Qu withdrew with A Bu, A Fei, and Fist, then had A Bu and A Fei carry the carcass toward the surface.

Liang Qu grilled and ate the Armored Beast to gather enough Marsh Essence to complete his fusion with the Marsh Spirit Water Monkey. After obtaining River’s Favor through a fortunate coincidence, he advanced his Marsh Spirit and gained the Marsh Ape’s Dragon Tendons Tiger Bones.

• Liang Qu cut open the Armored Beast, grilled its meat, and shared the leftovers with his four beasts.
• Liang Qu practiced Stance Training and Ape Fist between meals while using the Armored Beast’s flesh to refine his body.
• Liang Qu spent the Marsh Essence he gained to raise his fusion rate to one hundred percent.
• Liang Qu confirmed that he had obtained River’s Favor and met the conditions to advance his Marsh Spirit.
• Liang Qu advanced to Marsh Ape and received Dragon Tendons Tiger Bones.

Liang Qu evolved his Marsh Ape and gained the Dragon Tendons Tiger Bones physique, greatly increasing his strength and qi and blood. With his new talent, he prepared to break through the Flesh Barrier using the internal cultivation method Hu Qi had taught him.

• Liang Qu’s Spirit Monkey Shadow absorbed the river’s reflected light and evolved into a powerful Marsh Ape.
• The evolution inflicted intense pain as Liang Qu’s tendons and bones transformed, granting him Dragon Tendons Tiger Bones.
• Liang Qu tested his new strength by crushing a piece of armored shell into powder without injuring his hand.
• The Ze Cauldron revealed new talents, including Water Breathing, Soaring Water Riding Waves, Water Prison, and Water-Nurturing Vitality.
• Liang Qu began preparing to break through the Flesh Barrier through inner refinement, relying on the method Hu Qi had taught him.