Chapter Summaries

Two Tunzei Ghost Cultivators discovered they had killed King Yu and stole his complete cultivation method before fleeing, while Shen Lian directed the Flying Fish Guard to blame Lady of Sacred Reverence’s abduction on a dead Di Barbarian spy and Tunzei Ghost Cultivators. The Capital City descended into a violent purge as the search for Lady of Sacred Reverence continued.

• Two Tunzei Ghost Cultivators found King Yu’s complete Tunzei Ghost Qi Canon and Imperial Palace token, then buried his body and fled with his belongings.
• A young man later arrived on an ox and began uncovering King Yu’s grave with a Big Black Shovel.
• Lady of Sacred Reverence vanished after her phoenix carriage was attacked, prompting the Emperor to issue seven edicts and the city authorities to seal the gates and search the Capital City.
• Shen Lian told Ji Chenliang that Lady Ke and the other missing people were dead, then ordered the Flying Fish Guard to frame the incident as a plot by Ermahun and Tunzei Ghost Cultivators.
• The Flying Fish Guard deployed both major arrest squads and began dragging suspects from across the city, killing those who resisted.

Qin He returned with the faceless corpse while the Capital City was under martial law, but Wei Wu’s attempts to identify him as Great Immortal Green Ox repeatedly failed as everyone else dismissed the obvious clues. After Qin He left unchallenged, Wei Wu began to wonder whether he was the one seeing things strangely.

• Qin He collected the marked faceless corpse and headed back to the Capital City.
• Wei Wu spotted Qin He riding Little Calf but watched his apprentices arrest three unrelated bystanders instead.
• Wei Wu appealed to Gong Tianxing, who first detained a servant boy and then questioned Qin He about riding Great Immortal Green Ox’s cow.
• Qin He showed Gong Tianxing the gilded Flame Copper Coin, was recognized as a Corpse Burner, and rode away.
• Wei Wu insisted that Qin He was Great Immortal Green Ox, but Gong Tianxing and the others remained confused, leaving Wei Wu to question his own judgment.

Qin He declined Yang Baitu’s offer to hunt the vicious corpse, then burned King Yu and Lady Ke’s bodies and watched Lady Ke’s past unfold. The Black Robed Man judged Lady Ke, and Qin He received the Manifestation Technique and a Soul-Capturing Lamp.

• Qin He wondered why he and Wei Wu seemed bound by heavy karma, though they were only acquaintances.
• Yang Baitu told Qin He that the vicious corpse had attacked the Qiao and Gao Families, but Qin He refused the five-hundred-tael job and named a price of one hundred thousand taels.
• Qin He burned King Yu and Lady Ke’s corpses at the East City Corpse Burning Facility.
• Lady Ke’s Shadow Play Performance showed how she became a wet nurse to the future Emperor and, with King Yu’s help, rose to power.
• The Black Robed Man judged Lady Ke, and Qin He received the Manifestation Technique and the Soul-Capturing Lamp as a double reward.

Qin He tested the merit-consuming Manifestation Technique, then rushed out after realizing someone might finally pray at his temple. In the past, starving and freezing Hou Xiaoliu prayed to Great Immortal Green Ox and received a steamed bun.

• Qin He used the Manifestation Technique on Big Turtle, who saw golden words that Qin He could not see.
• Qin He discovered that casting the technique had consumed one hundred merit and worried about how difficult merit was to earn.
• Hou Xiaoliu, freezing and starving after his master was imprisoned, sought shelter in the Immortal Green Ox Temple.
• Hou Xiaoliu prayed to Great Immortal Green Ox for food and shelter, then lay down expecting to die.
• A warm steamed bun landed on Hou Xiaoliu's face.

Qin He secretly granted Hou Xiaoliu’s prayers for food, clothes, shoes, and silver at the ruined temple, earning merit as the boy’s faith grew. After Hou Xiaoliu jokingly wished to become Emperor, Qin He gave him a bag of steamed buns instead, and his merit unexpectedly dropped.

• Hou Xiaoliu prayed to Great Immortal Green Ox for food, and Qin He dropped a steamed bun to him, earning one merit point.
• Hou Xiaoliu asked for more steamed buns, then clothes and shoes, and Qin He granted each wish as his merit rose.
• Hou Xiaoliu asked for silver, and Qin He gave him an ingot worth enough to live on for a year.
• Hou Xiaoliu wished to become Emperor, making Qin He worry that he had promised too much, but Hou Xiaoliu soon admitted he was joking.
• Qin He gave Hou Xiaoliu a bag of steamed buns, and his merit fell from ten points to nine.

Qin He secretly entered the Corpse Burning Hall, replaced its Soul-Capturing Lamp, and burned Shiju along with five mutilated corpses. As he watched the corpses, a hidden figure emerged from a clay jar and disappeared into his shadow.

• Qin He left the Immortal Temple and carried Shiju from the Corpse Burning Facility to Zhaoyu Prison.
• Qin He saw Chang Wen’s men escorting a Fat Monk to the torture chambers while Wei Wu pushed in a cart full of cow dung.
• After the Corpse Burning Hall closed, Qin He slipped inside, swapped its Soul-Capturing Lamp for his own, and began burning Shiju.
• Qin He repaired five badly mutilated corpses and used Corpse Suppressing Nails to quiet them when their talismans ignited.
• A shadowy figure drifted out of a clay jar, evaded Qin He’s gaze, and melted into his shadow.

Qin He used his skills and firelight to expose a phantom hiding in his shadow, then destroyed its clone with golden merit and pure Yang energy. He inspected the sealed iron door but left without opening it, wary of whatever was imprisoned behind it.

• Qin He spotted the phantom in his shadow and challenged it to reveal itself, but it refused.
• Qin He struck with the Thirty-Six Spirit Suppressing Forms and briefly bound the phantom, which escaped back into his shadow.
• Qin He spread fire oil around himself and used the flames to draw the phantom close to his golden merit.
• Qin He released a tide of pure Yang energy that destroyed the phantom's clone, which cursed him before vanishing.
• Qin He inspected the rusted iron door, found no way to see through or open it, and decided to leave it alone.

Qin He inspected seven corpses and learned how Zhang Dajia formed the Dog Beating Gang to hunt the Mass Grave’s wild dogs. The demon wolf ended the gang’s struggle with the packs by attacking Zhang Dajia and four gang leaders, and Qin He received a Shapeshifting Divine Robe.

• Qin He burned two assigned corpses and five corpses from the Corpse Burning Hall, then watched their Shadow Plays.
• Zhang Dajia survived a drought, fire, and Refugee Camp rebellion before using his hunting skills to trap wild dogs in the Mass Grave.
• Zhang Dajia formed the Dog Beating Gang after the increasingly organized dog packs made hunting alone too dangerous.
• The Dog Beating Gang and the wild dog packs fought through traps and tactics, until the demon wolf attacked Zhang Dajia’s gathering and killed five men.
• The Black Robed Man judged the demon wolf and awarded Qin He a Shapeshifting Divine Robe.

Qin He received the Shapeshifting Divine Robe and other rewards, then cursed the Di Barbarian commander with an Abyss-made doll. Meanwhile, the Di Barbarians captured Shahu Pass and advanced into Great Li, leaving the docks in panic as Qin He claimed their army would not reach it.

• Qin He used the Soul-Capturing Lamp to cremate four more corpses, gaining a Power Fruit, four years of inner strength, and three years of Dao Xing.
• Qin He received the Shapeshifting Divine Robe, which transformed into clothing of his choice, and resolved to challenge the King of the Mass Grave soon.
• Di Barbarian infiltrators killed Shahu Pass's night patrol, scaled the walls, opened the gates, and let their cavalry pour through.
• Two days later, diners at Yang Qiao'er's tofu stall discussed the fall of Shahu Pass and the Di Barbarian army's advance while merchants and travelers fled the docks.
• Qin He told Xu Changshou that General Da Cao had only five thousand cavalry against the Di Barbarians' fifty thousand, then secretly cursed their commander with a Cursed Doll.
• Qin He crushed the doll, which carried a seven-day bad-luck curse, while Xu Changshou dismissed his claim as a joke.

Cao Wenzhao led Bao'an Prefecture’s outnumbered defenders against A Qige’s overwhelming Di Barbarian assault as the city’s walls began to fall. A mysterious tornado then tore through the besieging army, forcing A Qige to retreat while Bao'an remained standing.

• Cao Wenzhao assessed the dire odds as the Di Barbarian army surrounded Bao'an Prefecture and began attacking from all sides.
• A Qige ordered the assault, and his troops overwhelmed the Guan Ning Border Soldiers, capturing sections of the wall.
• Cao Wenzhao killed several Di Barbarian commanders before A Qige confronted him, and the two External Force experts clashed on the wall.
• A tornado swept into the Di Barbarian ranks and then circled Bao'an Prefecture, devastating the besiegers while sparing the city wall.
• A Qige’s general warned him about ambushed grade-ranked experts, and A Qige ordered the Di Barbarian army to retreat.

After a tornado devastated the Di Barbarian army, A Qige summoned the Spirit Sacrifice Great Shaman, who sacrificed ten Di Clan warriors to suppress the wind. The Di Barbarians attacked Bao'an Prefecture City again, but a hail disaster struck their ranks while the defenders remained untouched.

• A Qige learned that the tornado had caused more than six thousand casualties and summoned the Spirit Sacrifice Great Shaman to investigate.
• The Spirit Sacrifice Great Shaman identified a magical artifact as the likely source of the wind and demanded ten Di Clan warriors as offerings to suppress it.
• A Qige ordered ten warriors chosen by lot to be sacrificed, and the ritual stopped the wind.
• A Qige ordered the Di Barbarian army to attack Bao'an Prefecture City again, while Cao Wenzhao urged the Guan Ning Border Soldiers to fight to the death.
• Black clouds gathered and enormous hailstones battered the Di Barbarian army, while the Guan Ning Border Soldiers on the walls remained unharmed.
• A Qige confronted the Spirit Sacrifice Great Shaman, who guessed that the defenders possessed a second magical artifact.

A Qige ordered the siege to resume after the Spirit Sacrifice Great Shaman used twenty human sacrifices to suppress Frost Sorcery. The city’s defenders answered with freezing winter rain, leaving the Di Barbarian troops soaked and stiff with cold.

• A Qige ordered the Di Barbarians to retreat from the hailstorm, and the army suffered four thousand deaths and sixteen thousand wounded.
• The Spirit Sacrifice Great Shaman offered a secret art to suppress Frost energy, but said it required twenty human sacrifices.
• A Qige agreed to the sacrifice, and twenty Di Barbarian warriors slit their throats for the ritual.
• The Spirit Sacrifice Great Shaman contacted the Frost God and severed the foundation of Frost Sorcery.
• The Di Barbarians resumed their siege as freezing rain fell, soaking their troops and making them stiff with cold.

Qin He built the Immortal Green Ox Temple’s reputation by feeding refugees and answering a worshipper’s prayer, while news of the Di army’s retreat restored bustle to the docks. He returned home to find the two beasts fighting again.

• King Di received Haofang’s report of the western army’s disastrous losses and blamed A Qige.
• News of the Di army’s temporary withdrawal reached the capital, and trade and entertainment resumed around the docks.
• Qin He’s daily steamed-bun offerings earned him more than twenty thousand Merit and drew worshippers to the Immortal Green Ox Temple.
• Qin He used a fragment of a Marrow Cleansing Pill to help Granny Huang’s sick son recover.
• Qin He saw a vast fleet of southern grain and military supplies arrive at the docks.
• Qin He returned to the Corpse Burning Facility and found the two beasts fighting again.

Qin He discovered that Big Turtle and Little Calf had fought again, leaving Little Calf with half a chili pepper stuck in its rear and Big Turtle’s bucket full of cow dung. He stopped their argument and prepared to remove the pepper, warning Little Calf not to fart.

• Qin He arrived at the Corpse Burning Facility and found Little Calf bouncing around in pain because its butt was burning.
• Qin He pulled half a chili pepper from Little Calf’s rear and realized Big Turtle had stuffed it there during their fight.
• Big Turtle complained that Little Calf had pooped in its bucket, and Qin He confirmed the bucket was full of watery cow dung.
• Little Calf and Big Turtle argued over the cause of the fight until Qin He ordered both of them to stop.
• Qin He picked up chopsticks and fire tongs to remove the remaining chili pepper, and Little Calf reluctantly agreed to let him try.

Qin He arranged for Little Calf to stay at Miao Yongde’s cattle market, paying generously and using Chamber Arts and a Marrow Cleansing Pill to persuade the reluctant ox. Little Calf settled in, but immediately knocked Miao Yongde into the courtyard, leaving the proprietor convinced he had made the right choice.

• Qin He decided to move Little Calf from the Corpse Burning Facility, and told the others he was taking the ox to the market.
• Qin He tempted Little Calf with the prospect of heifers, taught it a quarter of the Chamber Arts, and gave it a Marrow Cleansing Pill.
• Miao Yongde initially refused to take Little Calf, but agreed to house it after Qin He offered fifty taels of silver and set out its care requirements.
• Miao Yongde ordered a clean room prepared for Little Calf and celebrated his profitable deal, then called the ox disliked.
• Little Calf sent Miao Yongde flying into the courtyard, and the injured proprietor said he could rest easy.

After cremating members of the Yu Clan, Qin He found an abandoned infant amid the frozen refugees and carried it away. At Prince Zhongshan Xu Tianen’s lavish birthday banquet, Xu Tianen ordered rebellious tenant farmers killed, while a strange young man holding an infant devoured the feast.

• Qin He cremated three members of the Yu Clan and learned how taxes and land seizures had driven their clan to ruin and death.
• Qin He wandered through the frozen streets and heard an infant crying beside its dead parents and three would-be attackers.
• Qin He picked up the surviving infant and left the scene.
• At his birthday banquet, Xu Tianen ordered his steward to kill tenant farmers who had resisted rent collectors and demanded the full rent despite their failed harvest.
• Xu Tianen discovered that a young man in coarse linen holding an infant had rapidly eaten all the dishes from the banquet’s flowing feast.

Qin He crashed Prince Zhongshan’s birthday banquet, ate the dishes served to poison him, and revealed that he could withstand repeated doses. After his explosive fart sent the guests fleeing, mansion guards surrounded him.

• Xu Tianen learned that Qin He was an uninvited guest and ordered the chief steward to deal with him quietly.
• Qin He claimed he was an unnamed man under Great Immortal Green Ox and asked for more food.
• Xu Tianen had poisoned dishes served to Qin He, but Qin He ate them without showing any ill effects.
• The chief steward served Qin He nine platters of goose, yet Qin He continued eating and grew more energetic.
• Qin He released a foul, colorful fart that sent the guests and dancing girls running as armed mansion guards closed in around him.

Qin He overwhelmed the guards at Prince Zhongshan's Mansion while feeding a hungry infant, then spared Xu Tianen and the chief steward in exchange for a promise to feed the city's refugees. After Qin He vanished, Hua Sandao reappeared holding the mansion's treasured ancient ginseng, and the chief steward attacked him.

• Xu Tianen threatened Qin He, but Qin He ignored him and fed the infant warm milk.
• Hua Sandao attacked Qin He and fell after Qin He used the One-Leg Gale Technique.
• The guards charged Qin He, but his Shape-Shifting technique caused them to strike Hua Sandao instead, leaving him badly wounded.
• Qin He released a poisonous fart bomb that incapacitated most of the guards, while Hua Sandao fled and the remaining experts ran to seek help from the Flying Fish Guard.
• Qin He spared Xu Tianen and the chief steward on condition that they distribute thick, salted porridge to refugees throughout the city and at every dock.
• Qin He vanished and Hua Sandao appeared holding the mansion's two-thousand-year Ancient Ginseng, prompting the chief steward to punch him and call him a thief.

Qin He discovered Hua Sandao in Prince Zhongshan's Mansion's treasure vault and confiscated its valuables. Elsewhere, Wang Laoqi and Yun Shi received a baby and a message from Great Immortal Green Ox promising them children if they raised the infant well.

• Qin He found the treasure vault's rare herbs, pearls, Demon Cores, and other valuables behind a locked door near four dead guards.
• Qin He swept the treasures and their shelves into his Armpit Space, deciding to deal with Hua Sandao later.
• Wang Laoqi woke during the night, troubled by his inability to have children, and told Yun Shi he planned to pray at Guanyin Temple.
• After someone knocked at their door, Wang Laoqi and Yun Shi discovered a swaddled baby on their table despite their doors and windows being shut.
• Golden words signed by Great Immortal Green Ox told the couple to raise the baby well and promised they would have descendants; Yun Shi accepted the infant as their eldest son.

Qin He reflected on meddling and karma while Big Turtle repeated his godfather’s warning. At a victory banquet, Cao Wenming failed to convince Gao Qiqian to prepare for a counterattack, and A Qige’s cavalry attacked the Capital Garrison camp.

• Qin He marked Wang Laoqi’s search for a child in his notebook and discussed meddling and karma with Big Turtle.
• Gao Qiqian celebrated the Capital Garrison’s claimed victory and rewards at a banquet outside Bao'an Prefecture City.
• Cao Wenming warned Gao Qiqian that A Qige still had the strength to attack and urged the generals to return to their camps.
• Gao Qiqian and the generals dismissed Cao Wenming’s warning and continued drinking.
• A scout reported that A Qige was leading five thousand cavalry toward the camp, and Gao Qiqian ordered the troops to defend as the banquet erupted into chaos.