Chapter Summaries

The Underworld learned that Great Immortal Green Ox had demanded fairness and threatened to inspect its affairs. Meanwhile, Qin He ignored the Underworld and used his power to bring rain to the Capital City whenever the heat became unbearable.

• The Yin Commanders heard that Great Immortal Green Ox had given away Yama's Palace after being praised for his looks, and Horse-Face asked whether he had made any demands.
• The little ghost reported that Great Immortal Green Ox planned to inspect the Underworld and had three demands: fairness, fairness, and fairness.
• Qin He considered the Underworld matter finished and left its Yin Gods to deal with his warning.
• As drought signs returned outside the Capital City, Qin He remained unconcerned because he had money and access to the Grand Canal.
• When the Capital City grew too hot, Qin He summoned wind, clouds, lightning, thunder, and rain to cool it down.

As Cao Wenzhao’s victories pushed back the Chuang Army, Wei Qiansui’s conflict with the Donglin scholars intensified after Donglin Academy burned. The court’s struggle ended abruptly when the Imperial Lord fell into the palace’s inner lake.

• The Chuang Army swept through the Jin Region, while Cao Wenzhao arrived with elite cavalry and won two battles, inflicting heavy losses.
• Wei Qiansui ordered Donglin Academy burned after court officials criticized his exactions in Jiangnan.
• Donglin scholars and other officials flooded the Imperial Lord with memorials, and Wei Qiansui denied responsibility while his faction muddied the dispute.
• Officials from rival factions fought inside government offices, but the Imperial Lord protected Wei Qiansui and docked his salary for half a year.
• The Donglin men decided to overturn the table, and a few days later the Imperial Lord fell into the palace’s inner lake.

After the Imperial Lord died without an heir, Wei Zhongliang moved to secure his position by supporting Prince Xin as the successor. Prince Xin ascended the throne as the new emperor, changed the era name to Chongzheng, and declared a general amnesty.

• Wei Zhongliang learned the Imperial Lord had died and ordered the palace gates sealed while he and his advisers considered how to preserve their power.
• Wei Zhongliang's advisers concluded that Prince Xin was the only viable successor, while the Donglin Faction gathered outside the palace demanding an audience.
• Wei Zhongliang and his men arranged the mourning hall, obtained Empress Zhang's imperial decree, and went to Prince Xin's Residence to invite him into the palace.
• Prince Xin offered sacrifice to his imperial brother, donned the dragon robe, and was acclaimed by the officials as emperor.
• After the Imperial Lord was buried, Prince Xin formally ascended the throne and changed the era name to Chongzheng.
• The new emperor declared a general amnesty, freeing most prisoners and prompting the Flying Fish Guard to release a group as well.

At Yang Qiao'er's tofu stall, Qin He warned that Great Li might be doomed after seeing the Golden Dragon of Fortune weaken following the new emperor's ascension. Suspecting the False Heavenly Court was scheming for the dragon, he resolved to stir up the court and investigate.

• Gao Linkun and Li Tie argued over whether the new emperor would turn against Wei Zhongliang, then asked Ling Zhonghai and Qin He to weigh in.
• Qin He said Great Li might be doomed, frightening Gao Linkun and Li Tie before reassuring them that their neighborhood would likely remain safe even if the dynasty changed.
• Qin He recalled seeing the Golden Dragon of Fortune above the Imperial Palace dim after the new emperor took the throne.
• Qin He connected the dragon's decline to Bai Tiangang's plan to strike at Great Li's national fortune and suspected the False Heavenly Court coveted the Golden Dragon of Fortune.
• Qin He decided to stir up the court to investigate, then complained that the commotion nearby had been made without greeting him.

Xu Changshou invited Qin He and the others to breakfast and announced that he planned to marry Yang Qiao'er. His friends reacted with surprise because widow remarriage was deeply stigmatized, while Qin He admired Xu Changshou for pursuing what he wanted.

• Xu Changshou brought tofu pudding to Qin He, Li Tie, Gao Linkun, and Ling Zhonghai while Yang Qiao'er served pickled vegetables.
• Li Tie and Gao Linkun admired Yang Qiao'er, and Xu Changshou scolded them for staring at her.
• Ling Zhonghai asked why Xu Changshou had invited them to breakfast, and Xu Changshou announced that he would marry Yang Qiao'er.
• Qin He and the others were shocked because society treated widows who remarried as disgraced and inauspicious.
• Qin He gave Xu Changshou a thumbs-up for choosing what he wanted despite the stigma.

Xu Changshou announced that Yang Qiao'er was pregnant and that their wedding would take place next month, while Qin He directed him to seek help at Immortal Green Ox Temple. At the temple, Qin He discovered Chang Wei assaulting Laifu.

• Xu Changshou said Yang Qiao'er's pregnancy had persuaded his parents to approve their marriage, and he invited his friends to their wedding on the eighth of next month.
• Qin He used Qi Gazing Technique on Xu Changshou and saw that he still faced three trials.
• Xu Changshou asked Qin He for secret medicine, but Qin He sent him to pray at Immortal Green Ox Temple instead.
• Qin He visited the newly built temple and heard prayers from worshippers, including scholars seeking success in the emperor's special examinations.
• Qin He found Chang Wei pinning Laifu against a wall and slapping him in front of a crowd of pilgrims.

Qin He stopped Chang Wei from beating Laifu and defeated Chang Wei and his three subordinates at the Immortal Green Ox Temple. After Laifu explained how he had been pushed aside at the temple, Qin He recorded rewards for the men who helped rebuild it, including a humiliating reward for Chang Wen.

• Qin He intervened when Chang Wei beat Laifu, but Chang Wei ordered his three subordinates to attack Qin He.
• Qin He incapacitated the three subordinates with kicks, then defeated Chang Wei with the Street Brawl Technique and let the group flee.
• Qin He helped Laifu up and learned that the new temple’s staff had pushed him aside and harassed him to make him leave.
• Qin He used his Mysterious Little Notebook to reward Tu Baishou with the Awe-Inspiring Baleful Qi Technique, Wei Yuanji with the Iron Cloth Shirt, and Wei Yuanchun with the Evergreen Skill.
• Qin He chose the Artificial Insemination Technique for Sows as Chang Wen’s reward.

At a teahouse, Tu Baishou, Wei Yuanji, and Wei Yuanchun received cultivation manuals as rewards for helping build the Immortal Green Ox Temple. Chang Wen also received a teaching, but it was the unexpected manual Artificial Insemination of Sows.

• Tu Baishou announced that Immortal Green Ox had bestowed him a Killing Intent manual.
• Wei Yuanji received the Iron Cloth Shirt manual, and Wei Yuanchun received the Evergreen Skill.
• Chang Wen waited eagerly for his teaching after helping build the temple.
• Chang Wen received the manual Artificial Insemination of Sows and cried out in disbelief.

Chang Wen received the humiliating Artificial Insemination Technique for Sows from Great Immortal Green Ox and struggled to accept it. Chang Wei arrived bruised after a fight at the Immortal Green Ox Temple, prompting everyone to suspect his trouble was connected to Chang Wen’s bad luck.

• Chang Wen was outraged by the technique he had been given, while Wei Wu laughed and Wei Yuanji tried to console him.
• Wei Wu and Wei Yuanji advised Chang Wen to accept the Great Immortal’s teaching, and Wei Wu denied having received anything similar.
• Chang Wen lost interest in the card game, while Wei Wu suddenly won hand after hand.
• Chang Wei rushed into the teahouse bruised and asked Chang Wen for help.
• Chang Wei recounted being beaten at the Immortal Green Ox Temple, and the others realized he had fought there around the time of Chang Wen’s visit.

Chang Wen and Wei Wu beat Chang Wei repeatedly after he tried to take control of Immortal Green Ox Temple. At the docks, Qin He heard that a huge rat had killed another of Miao Yongde’s bulls and agreed to hunt it that night.

• Chang Wen confronted Chang Wei over driving out the temple keeper and trying to take over Immortal Green Ox Temple, then beat him severely.
• Chang Wei begged Wei Wu to save him, but Wei Wu joined in and battered him until he collapsed.
• Qin He went to the market intending to buy beef for a meal made with Wang Tie Zhu’s chilies.
• Qin He found Miao Yongde grieving over a bull that a huge rat had bitten to death.
• Qin He blamed the rat for the deaths of Miao Yongde’s previous bulls and promised to hunt it that night.

Qin He returned to the Corpse Burning Facility and planned a hunt for the Rat Spirit while Wei Wu, feeling newly free behind a mask, was confronted by a mob seeking revenge for Great Immortal Green Ox’s misdeeds. Wei Wu admitted to the accusations and fought them alone.

• Qin He returned with a Bull Leg Club and told Wang Tie Zhu to summon Little Sable for lunch and Lamborghini for a nighttime hunt for the Rat Spirit.
• Wei Wu walked through the city wearing a Silver Mask and reflected that he had let go of his resentment toward Great Immortal Green Ox.
• Cai Sandao and more than twenty men from various groups surrounded Wei Wu, accusing him of the many offenses Great Immortal Green Ox had committed in his name.
• Wei Wu removed his mask, identified himself, and admitted to the accusations.
• Wei Wu fought the surrounding mob alone, and the battle shook half of East City.

Wei Wu fought off Cai Sandao and a crowd of gang members, then escaped by tricking Cai Sandao with a feint. The rivalry remained unresolved, and both sides prepared to continue their struggle.

• Cai Sandao and more than twenty scheming fighters overwhelmed Wei Wu, forcing him to summon the Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon.
• The Heavenly Dragon's impact scattered the crowd, but Cai Sandao survived in Black Silkworm Silk Armor, and reinforcements appeared behind Wei Wu.
• After swallowing a Qi Replenishing Pill, Wei Wu fled as Cai Sandao and the gang members pursued him through the streets.
• Wei Wu feigned another Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon, making Cai Sandao retreat while he escaped to the Flying Fish Guard Office.
• Cai Sandao stopped short of attacking the office, and the street fight was quickly forgotten as the pit was filled in.
• Cai Sandao remained enraged at being tricked, while Wei Wu sought to recover his pride, making another clash inevitable.

Lamborghini followed Wang Tie Zhu to the Mass Grave, where it discovered his chili patch, then accepted the Boss’s mission to track down the Wolf King. It followed the scent to a mountain valley, where it found the Wolf King and its followers facing a vast swarm of rats.

• Lamborghini followed Wang Tie Zhu and found the large chili patch he had planted beneath the Mass Grave.
• Wang Tie Zhu returned to the Corpse Burning Facility with a bucket of chili peppers, and the Boss told Lamborghini to track down the Wolf King and bring it back dead or alive.
• Lamborghini eagerly accepted the mission, hoping to earn the Boss’s favor and be named King of the Mass Grave.
• Using the Scent Tracking Technique, Lamborghini followed the Wolf King’s trail for more than two hours to a mountain valley.
• Lamborghini spotted the Wolf King with more than a dozen followers and found the valley filled with rats, including a giant one it had seen near the cattle pen.

The Rat Immortal persuaded the Wolf King to ally with it for the imminent dragon slaying, arguing that the chance to seize merit and Thought Power could let them ascend. The Wolf King agreed to hear its plan, which began with exposing Great Immortal Green Ox.

• The Rat Immortal proposed joining forces with the Wolf King and revealed that Yin Energy was corroding the Wolf King at the Mass Grave.
• The Rat Immortal urged the Wolf King to seize the chance to claim merit and Thought Power from the dying dragon.
• The Wolf King questioned how an alliance could help against the False Gods, the Underworld, and the Dragon Palace.
• The Rat Immortal said they first needed to expose Great Immortal Green Ox.
• The Wolf King asked what the Rat Immortal wanted to do, and listened as it named its first step.

The Rat Immortal told the Wolf King that its investigation had narrowed Great Immortal Green Ox’s identity to East City, but Heavenly Secrets Concealment prevented it from saying more and struck them with lightning. After the beasts survived the strike, a towering figure approached and asked whether they knew This Revered Bull.

• The Rat Immortal explained that monitoring Green Ox Disciples had led it to narrow Great Immortal Green Ox’s location to East City.
• The Rat Immortal tried to name the East City Corpse Burning Facility and Qin He, but Heavenly Secrets Concealment stopped it from speaking the truth.
• Heavenly lightning struck the Rat Immortal and the Wolf King, scorching them and blasting nearby rats and dogs away.
• The Wolf King urged the Rat Immortal to abandon its attempt to reveal Great Immortal Green Ox’s identity, and the Rat Immortal swore never to speak of it.
• The Heavenly Might faded, and a towering figure approached the two beasts and asked if they knew This Revered Bull.

After the lightning stopped, Lamborghini confronted Rat Immortal and the Wolf King, revealing itself as Qin He’s bull. The Wolf King tried to escape, but Lamborghini used Savage Ox Charge to kill it.

• Lamborghini appeared after the lightning and frightened Rat Immortal, which recognized it as Qin He’s bull.
• Rat Immortal submitted to Lamborghini and answered its taunting questions.
• The Wolf King sprang away, refusing to submit and attempting to escape.
• Lamborghini unleashed Savage Ox Charge, caught the Wolf King, and smashed it to death.

Lamborghini killed the Wolf King and spared Rat Immortal so it could haul the corpse back. By dusk, Rat Immortal was dragging an ox cart through the Capital City docks while Lamborghini rode atop the Wolf King's body.

• The Wolf King died from Lamborghini's devastating attack, leaving Rat Immortal terrified and hopeless.
• Lamborghini told Rat Immortal the Wolf King was dead but spared it because it needed the rat to transport the corpse.
• Rat Immortal revealed it had three hundred and sixty-five years of Dao Xing and had been transformed for fifty years.
• Rat Immortal hauled the Wolf King's corpse on an ox cart as Lamborghini rode atop it through the Capital City docks, astonishing the townsfolk.

Qin He and Wang Tie Zhu feasted on the Rat Immortal’s snowflake beef while Lamborghini returned with Hui Miqiu and the Wolf King’s corpse. Hui Miqiu submitted to Qin He, and Lamborghini joined the feast after Wang Tie Zhu lied about the beef; the Rat Immortal recognized the meat as the cow it had killed.

• Qin He, Wang Tie Zhu, and the mink ate snowflake beef and discussed the different kinds of chilies.
• Lamborghini returned with the injured Rat Immortal, who introduced itself as Hui Miqiu and cautiously addressed Qin He as its lord.
• Qin He jokingly called Hui Miqiu Mickey Mouse, and the Rat Immortal quickly agreed that its kind used that nickname.
• Wang Tie Zhu ordered Hui Miqiu to take its rat form and stay quiet, while Lamborghini boasted about capturing it and the Wolf King.
• Wang Tie Zhu told Lamborghini that the beef was camel meat, and Lamborghini believed him and agreed to eat it.
• The Rat Immortal recognized the beef as the mutated cow it had killed for its bezoar and watched the others deceive Lamborghini.

Qin He let Rat Immortal survive the meal after Rat Immortal prepared fish for the group, then entered his Mud Palace Space to question how he had discovered Qin He's identity. After learning the explanation, Qin He offered Rat Immortal a chance to prove he was worth sparing.

• Wang Tie Zhu suggested that Rat Immortal kill the fish, and Rat Immortal prepared several for Qin He and the beasts to eat.
• The group ate together while Wolf King's body burned to ash, leaving Rat Immortal astonished by Great Immortal Green Ox's simple home and lack of airs.
• Qin He appeared inside Hui Miqiu's Mud Palace Space and questioned him about breaking through the Heavenly Secrets Concealment and learning Qin He's identity.
• Hui Miqiu explained how he had monitored the Green Ox Disciples and discovered Qin He's identity.
• Qin He warned Hui Miqiu that secrets could only be kept through the annihilation of the soul, then offered him a chance to convince Qin He not to kill him.

Qin He interrogated Rat Immortal about its usefulness, then became interested when it mentioned an Immortal Corpse in the Western Regions. Rat Immortal revealed that its claim came from records shared by many factions, including possibly the Flying Fish Guard, and the scene returned to the Corpse Burning Room with Rat Immortal ordered to wash dishes.

• Rat Immortal offered its abilities and possessions to Qin He in a desperate attempt to save its life, but Qin He answered each offer with an indifferent "mm."
• Rat Immortal mentioned an Immortal Corpse in an ancient Divine Relic Immortal Palace in the Western Regions, catching Qin He's interest.
• Qin He questioned Rat Immortal, whose Truth Spell forced it to admit that no one in its clan had seen the Immortal Corpse and that many factions had records of it.
• Rat Immortal said the Flying Fish Guard might also have records, and Qin He leaned back in his recliner as the scene returned to the Corpse Burning Room.
• Wang Tie Zhu ordered Rat Immortal to come wash the dishes.