Chapter Summaries

Qin He bought melon seeds from White Crane, discussed the Great Immortal Green Ox and the fate of the common people, then spotted Granny Huang selling vegetables. At the Caohe Gang docks, Flower Beard was seized by a Man-Carrying-Ghost as more ghosts appeared, and Cao Tianhe ordered someone to alert the Flying Fish Guard.

• Qin He bought two hundred jin of flavored melon seeds from White Crane and discussed the Great Immortal Green Ox and the suffering of ordinary people.
• Qin He stored the melon seeds in his Armpit Space, went to the market, and greeted Granny Huang as she sold vegetables.
• Caohe Gang members discovered a Man-Carrying-Ghost standing on Flower Beard's shoulders at the docks.
• Cao Tianhe learned Flower Beard had fought someone that morning and realized ghosts were appearing throughout the area.
• Cao Tianhe ordered the Caohe Gang to report the supernatural incident to the Flying Fish Guard.

A ghost outbreak trapped Flower Beard in the Caohe Gang’s warehouse, and Cao Tianhe’s pleas for help brought a Great Monk who was quickly driven back by the ghosts. The monk fled when a Flying Fish Guard signal appeared, leaving Flower Beard trapped.

• The Caohe Gang sent for help while Cao Tianhe worried that the ghosts would destroy the Sunken Yin Wood and kill his brother-in-law, Flower Beard.
• A Great Monk arrived before the officials, raised a Golden Bell Shield, and charged into the warehouse.
• The ghosts quickly hurled the Great Monk back out, leaving his robes shredded and his shield gone.
• The Great Monk told Cao Tianhe that the ghosts were discussing how to divide Flower Beard, then refused to enter the warehouse again.
• A Flying Fish Guard signal exploded in the sky, and the Great Monk hurriedly fled, claiming he had urgent business.

Qin He’s overwhelming ghostly power caused a disturbance at the docks, where the Flying Fish Guard found the ghosts gone and pursued the monk they believed responsible. Back at the Corpse Burning Facility, Qin He fed Big Turtle a Beast Strengthening Pill and discovered that the Charm Corpse had been cremated.

• Chang Wen and the Flying Fish Guard arrived at the docks after Cao Tianhe and Old Gang Head reported a horde of ghosts.
• Chang Wen found the warehouse empty except for clothes and an axe, then led his squad to pursue the monk.
• Qin He wondered if he had used too much power, returned to the Corpse Burning Facility, and added fire oil to the furnace.
• Qin He checked on Big Turtle and found it asleep after taking a Beast Strengthening Pill.
• Qin He saw a gray-white curtain appear and realized the Charm Corpse had been cremated.

The chapter recounts how Qu Miaoyin, a male royal heir, received a girl's name, grew up believing himself a girl, and fell in love with the general Yan Yunli. After Qu Nanfeng's death, Yan Yunli pacified Beiliang and made Qu Miaoyin its nominal king while taking power himself, leaving the two kings' conflict unresolved.

• Qu Nanfeng mistakenly named his beautiful tenth son Miaoyin at a public victory banquet, and the name became permanent.
• Qu Miaoyin grew up believing he was a girl and repeatedly frightened away handsome young men who discovered he was male.
• Qu Miaoyin found mutual love with Yan Yunli, Beiliang's Valiant Cavalry General, and their relationship became public.
• After Qu Nanfeng died, rival generals elevated royal heirs as figurehead kings, and the House Yan made Qu Miaoyin king.
• Yan Yunli pacified Beiliang and became its actual king while Qu Miaoyin remained the nominal king, setting up a struggle between them.

After the Soul-Snatching Shadow Lamp judged Qu Miaoyin’s tragic love and death, Qin He received and activated the Heavenly Secret Concealment Technique, spending nearly all his merit. The technique made him unremarkable and impossible to divine, and the Great Monk promptly forgot why he had come to the Corpse Burning Facility.

• The shadow play revealed that Yan Yunli had stripped Qu Miaoyin of power before ordering him strangled, though Qu had foreseen the betrayal and could not abandon his love.
• The Black Robed Man judged Qu Miaoyin’s story and awarded Qin He the Heavenly Secret Concealment Technique.
• Qin He spent ten thousand merit to cast the technique, leaving himself with only a small balance as a strange aura concealed his presence.
• The Great Monk climbed a tree outside the Corpse Burning Facility to search for Great Immortal Green Ox, then forgot why he had come and left.

Liu Changan traveled with Ermahun and the Bayala Squad toward the Capital City, planning to kill Qin He of Room Seven before gathering intelligence on the grain depots. A mysterious force erased someone’s name from the group’s memories, and after resisting it, Ermahun was engulfed by the force.

• Liu Changan and Ermahun reached an estate in Jixian County, where the riders killed its occupants and camped for the night.
• Liu Changan urged Ermahun to attack Qin He of Room Seven at the East City Corpse Burning Facility as soon as they reached the Capital City, and Ermahun agreed.
• Ermahun ordered the Bayala Squad to avoid entering the city after the attack and instead gather intelligence on the Capital Region’s grain depots.
• A mysterious aura made Liu Changan and the Bayala forget someone’s name, while Ermahun resisted its influence.
• Heavenly lightning struck as the aura overwhelmed Ermahun, leaving mist in his eyes.

Shen Lian resisted a mysterious force that clouded his mind, but a bolt of heavenly lightning struck his study after he carved a message about Qin He and Number Seven. Meanwhile, Qin He tested the Heavenly Secrets Concealment Technique and discovered that people treated his unusual actions as normal, then prepared a more daring test.

• Shen Lian erupted in fury as mist clouded his pupils, and he carved “Qin He, East City Corpse Burning Facility, Number Seven” into a roof beam.
• Heavenly lightning struck Shen Lian’s study, leaving him confused and the building nearly destroyed.
• Qin He returned to the Corpse Burning Room and tested the technique by leaving after the facility had been locked, but the constables saw nothing wrong with it.
• Qin He watched the constables refuse Crippled Li’s request to leave, while they continued to treat Qin He’s escape as normal.
• Qin He concluded that the technique made his actions part of the natural order, then cut a pair of trousers into shorts for another test.

Qin He tested the Heavenly Secrets Concealment by standing in the street half-naked and found that most people treated him as ordinary, though children and Wei Wu noticed his strange appearance. When Wei Wu chased him for disgracing the Corpse Burning Facility, Qin He fled.

• Li Huaian reprimanded people for dressing improperly as he walked through the city.
• Qin He posed in the street wearing only a short hemp jacket and underpants, testing how passersby reacted to him.
• Most adults paid Qin He little attention, but children laughed at him and called him shameful.
• Wei Wu recognized Qin He and rebuked him for not wearing pants, while Wei Yuanji treated his appearance as unremarkable.
• Qin He ran away, and Wei Wu ordered Wei Yuanji to chase him.

Qin He strolled through the Capital City, inspecting the lightning-struck sites of the Flying Fish Guard, the Corpse Refining Gate, and the White Lotus Sect before returning to the Corpse Burning Facility. There he reunited with Little Calf, which had tracked him down and greeted him with a powerful leap.

• Qin He visited North City to see Old Master, but the servants said he was away.
• Qin He inspected the Flying Fish Guard headquarters and saw that a lightning strike had left it in ruins.
• Qin He found condensed Corpse Qi at another destroyed residence and suspected An Zhongjiu had been struck alongside Shen Lian.
• Qin He heard that the Flying Fish Guard was digging beneath the White Lotus Sect's ruined main hall.
• Qin He returned to the Corpse Burning Facility, where Little Calf broke free from the Corpse Burners and leaped into his arms.

Qin He used a staged injury to make Miao Yongde compensate him with the unruly Little Calf, then learned how the calf had caused trouble on its way from Fang County. The calf stayed at the Corpse Burning Facility, where Qin He tied it up and laid down rules for it.

• The Little Calf rammed Qin He into the iron gate, and Yang Baitu pressured Miao Yongde to pay compensation.
• Qin He pretended his back was broken until Miao Yongde agreed to give him the Little Calf, then stood up unharmed.
• The Little Calf charged Liu Sanjin after he suggested eating it, and Qin He promised the Corpse Burners a meal when it snowed.
• Qin He took the Little Calf into the Corpse Burning Room, tied it to a beam, and gave it four rules to follow.
• Qin He used the Ox Riding Technique to learn that the Little Calf had been sold after they parted in Fang County and had caused trouble for successive cattle traders.

Qin He accepted two urgent jobs from Yang Baitu to deal with corpses that had undergone Corpse Mutation, including the headless body of Shuntian Prefect Gao Liheng. At Gao Mansion, Qin He inspected the corpses in the mourning hall, where Gao Liheng’s body suddenly lunged at him.

• Qin He used the Demon Identification Technique on the Little Calf and the Big Turtle, finding that both had grown stronger after taking the Beast Strengthening Pill.
• Yang Baitu offered Qin He two private jobs involving victims attacked by corpses, including Shuntian Prefect Gao Liheng, and Qin He agreed to go.
• Qin He and Yang Baitu traveled to Gao Mansion, where Gao Wensong explained that Gao Liheng’s headless corpse had risen and killed his wife.
• Qin He examined Gao Liheng and his wife’s bodies in the mourning hall, then tapped the headless corpse, which suddenly lunged at him.

Qin He suppressed Gao Liheng’s reanimated corpse and cremated it after the Gao Family asked him to leave the death unexplored. During the Shadow Play Performance, he discovered that Gao Liheng belonged to a family renowned for keeping only five percent of their embezzled money and offering the rest to superiors.

• Qin He immobilized Gao Liheng’s headless corpse with two Corpse Suppressing Nails before it could attack anyone.
• Qin He judged that the killing likely came from resentment or a man-made corpse puppet, but Gao Wensong asked him to burn the corpse first and leave the case for later consideration.
• Qin He carved and painted a wooden head resembling Gao Liheng, then attached it before the Gao Family cremated him.
• Qin He secretly used Abyssal Fire to hasten the cremation, and the Shadow Play Performance began an hour and a half later.
• Qin He watched Gao Liheng’s life and learned that the Gao Family had for eight generations kept only five percent of their embezzled funds, earning Gao Liheng the nickname Gao Five Percent.

The chapter described how the Gao Family’s corrupt officials used disaster relief fraud, extortion, and predatory taxes to enrich themselves while preserving the family’s influence. Qin He concluded that a vicious corpse had killed Gao Liheng, but needed evidence from the other headless corpse’s shadow play to identify the killer and the reason.

• The chapter recounted how Gao Bancheng’s ancestors maintained the Gao Family’s official standing by taking blame and avoiding execution.
• Gao Bancheng fabricated disasters to steal relief funds, extorted wealthy households through rigged lawsuits and false accusations, and imposed taxes and forced donations on common people.
• Qin He determined that Gao Liheng had died from a single strike by a vicious corpse, though the killer’s face had not been seen.
• Qin He concluded that the other headless corpse’s shadow play would likely provide clues to Gao Liheng’s death.
• The Black Robed Man judged the corrupt officials and awarded the Teaching and Enlightening Technique.

Qin He received the Teaching and Enlightening Technique for suppressing the Gao Family’s headless corpse and then visited Qiao Dalu’s home to cremate another vicious corpse. After watching Qiao Dalu’s Shadow Play Performance, Qin He was left confused.

• Qin He examined the Teaching and Enlightening Technique and decided to save his limited merit for emergencies.
• Qin He saw that the Gao Family’s corrupt Dao could continue through Gao Bancheng, though he sensed a calamity approaching the family.
• Gao Wensong paid Qin He and Yang Baitu the agreed tea money, and they headed to Qiao Dalu’s residence.
• Qiao Dai led Qin He to Qiao Dalu’s corpse, which sat up and attacked before Qin He subdued it with two Corpse Suppressing Nails.
• Qiao Dai chose to have the corpse burned, and Qin He carved a wooden head, applied makeup, and cremated Qiao Dalu’s body.
• Qin He watched Qiao Dalu’s Shadow Play Performance and became even more confused.

Qin He reviewed Qiao Dalu’s corrupt life, received the Marking Technique as a reward, and used it to discover Yang Baitu was heading to Yihong Courtyard. He returned to the Corpse Burning Facility and found Big Turtle and Little Calf fighting violently in his room.

• Qin He learned that Qiao Dalu had stolen grain and falsely blamed Hou Zhuang, who was executed as a scapegoat.
• Qin He received the Marking Technique, which let him sense changes in a marked target within a certain distance.
• Qin He left Qiao Residence with Yang Baitu, who praised his corpse-suppression skills and offered to bring him future work.
• Qin He marked Yang Baitu and sensed that he was heading to Yihong Courtyard, then chose to return to the Corpse Burning Facility.
• Qin He found Big Turtle strangling Little Calf while Little Calf tried to crush Big Turtle’s shell.

Qin He reconciled Big Turtle and Little Calf, then discovered that a Blood-Sucking Zombie outbreak had sent seven suspicious corpses to their facility. As the group prepared to burn the bodies, Li Tie asked how many Qin He would handle that night.

• Qin He introduced Big Turtle as Wang Tie Zhu to Little Calf, and Little Calf began speaking after eating Big Turtle's steamed buns.
• After Qin He left, Big Turtle and Little Calf traded insults until Qin He returned with a corpse and stopped Big Turtle from attacking.
• Qin He learned that a Blood-Sucking Zombie had bitten over a hundred people near Copper Drum Mountain and that seven corpses had been sent to their facility.
• Qin He inspected the seven bodies and found one close to rising as a corpse, while Gao Linkun warned the outbreak could worsen.
• Li Tie asked Qin He how many corpses he planned to burn that night.

Qin He suppressed a corpse infected with unusual Corpse Poison and used the Horse Bell to calm the East City Corpse Burning Facility. The Shadow Play Performance revealed that the outbreak began when miners at Copper Drum Mountain opened an ancient coffin, though it ended before showing what emerged.

• Qin He used three Corpse Suppressing Nails to pin down the corpse, then hung the Horse Bell above the Corpse Burning Room to keep it still.
• Qin He finished stitching the corpse and put it in the furnace, leaving Big Turtle to complete the cremation.
• Qin He watched a Shadow Play Performance showing that Li Doukui had been a mine overseer at Copper Drum Mountain.
• After miners uncovered an ancient tomb and took its burial goods, they ignored a Taoist priest's warning to return everything and seal the mine.
• The miners splashed black dog blood on the remaining coffin, which opened and released Corpse Qi that killed everyone present.

Qin He overslept, then raced toward Copper Drum Village with Little Calf as the Flying Fish Guard prepared to confront a deadly zombie and its Corpse Mist. Shen Lian and Ji Chenliang entered the fog to investigate, while several other groups also approached the village.

• Qin He told Little Calf to rest before their journey, then slept through the night at the East City Corpse Burning Facility.
• Qin He woke late and hurried out of the city on Little Calf, while a Great Monk tracked their hoofprints and chased after them.
• Shen Lian arrived at Copper Drum Mountain and learned that the Corpse Mist had trapped the village, killed many residents, and swallowed four Flying Fish Guard subordinates.
• Shen Lian ordered the Corpse Burning Hall to prepare a formation and burn the 137 gathered bodies after noon, then entered the mist with Ji Chenliang.
• A scarred man and two companions, a bearded man, a boat on Sickle River, and a Daoist priest also approached or entered the Corpse Mist.

Qin He reached Copper Drum Village and discovered a powerful, unnatural formation of tangled qi surrounding it, then disguised himself and headed to the Corpse Burning Hall camp to gather information. While he was away, Little Calf repeatedly trampled Wei Wu’s flag and knocked him down before fleeing when Wei Wu drew his blade.

• Qin He used Qi Gazing Technique to spot chaotic qi and traces of a formation over Copper Drum Village.
• Qin He found Wei Wu directing the camp’s workers and Flying Fish Officers, disguised himself, and went to gather information.
• Little Calf repeatedly stole and stomped on Wei Wu’s triangular flag despite Wei Wu’s attempts to chase it off.
• Wei Wu drew his blade and threatened Little Calf after it knocked him down and drew jeers from the onlookers.
• Little Calf fled as soon as Wei Wu’s blade was out, leaving him stunned.

Qin He entered the corpse-filled mist around Copper Drum Village, using his listening skills and Breathing Technique to navigate its hazards. After suppressing an attacking corpse, he found himself surrounded by a horde of red-eyed corpses.

• Qin He slipped into the mist while Little Calf escaped Wei Wu and ran into the Great Monk, starting another battle.
• Qin He used Wind-Following Ear and the Breathing Technique to resist the mist and follow a house through its deceptive hallucinations.
• Qin He reached Copper Drum Village, where a red-eyed Black Shadow lunged at him.
• Qin He struck Black Shadow down with his Great Iron Shovel and pinned it with a Corpse Suppressing Nail.
• Red lights appeared all around Qin He as a horde of corpses rushed toward him.