Chapter Summaries

After returning from Cloud Mist Mountain, Meng Zhao tried to strengthen his ties with Zhu Guangxi before the eunuch departed. Zhu Guangxi accepted his gifts and warned him that Zhao Hun possessed a dangerous Demonic Path technique and might have ties to the Imperial Court.

• Meng Zhao returned to the market town with his group, and they reached the familiar routes without incident.
• Meng Zhao offered Zhu Guangxi five thousand taels and a Vajra Bodhi Seed as parting gifts, and Zhu Guangxi accepted them.
• Zhu Guangxi warned Meng Zhao that Zhao Hun cultivated the Blazing Demon Furnace, which could refine other people’s vitality to strengthen its practitioner.
• Zhu Guangxi cautioned Meng Zhao that Zhao Hun might have connections to the Imperial Court and urged him to avoid a clash.
• Meng Zhao appreciated Zhu Guangxi’s warnings, though he knew killing Zhao Hun was the only way to eliminate the danger to his own identity.

Meng Zhao weighed whether Bai Shicheng should join Han Pu’s mission to rescue Bai Shicheng’s wife and daughter from Julu, then agreed in order to earn his trust. Bai Shicheng swore his loyalty, and Meng Zhao gave him a Human Skin Mask for the journey as they finalized the rescue plans.

• Bai Shicheng asked Meng Zhao to send people to Julu quickly, fearing the surviving Qin Family guards would reveal Qin Tao’s death and endanger his wife and daughter.
• Meng Zhao proposed sending Han Pu to lead the rescue, and Bai Shicheng asked to accompany him.
• Meng Zhao considered the benefits and risks of Bai Shicheng joining the mission, then agreed to his request rather than restraining him or refusing him.
• Bai Shicheng thanked Meng Zhao, swore to devote himself to him, and explained that he had tested Meng Zhao’s character with his request.
• Meng Zhao told Bai Shicheng he would be free to leave if he ever stopped wishing to serve, then gave him a Human Skin Mask and discussed the rescue arrangements with him.

Meng Zhao observed the young flood dragon and realized its movements could help him comprehend the True Dragon Martial Dao. Inspired by its scales and his Purple Origin Dragon Body, he broke through two meridians and created a new defensive art, while continuing to strengthen his bond with the young flood dragon.

• The young flood dragon splashed in Meng Zhao’s bath, and he discovered that its scales resisted his Crimson Dragon Force.
• Meng Zhao realized that observing the flood dragon could reveal the true form and techniques behind the Crimson Dragon Heavenly Capital Secret Canon and the True Dragon Visualization Diagram.
• As he examined the young flood dragon, Meng Zhao’s Crimson Dragon Force surged and broke through the final two meridians of the Twelve Regular Meridians.
• Meng Zhao compressed his qi into scale-like armor and named the technique Black Flood Dragon Body Protecting Gang Qi.
• Meng Zhao wore the young flood dragon around his neck and deepened their spiritual bond, knowing he would need to keep guiding it as its savage nature grew.

Meng Zhao discovered that his young flood dragon could shrink, conceal its aura, and disguise itself as dead matter, then named it Little Nine. At dinner, Cao Zhan suggested feeding it Precious Minerals, and Meng Zhao considered using materials from Tu Xiu’s pocket heaven.

• The young flood dragon transformed into a bracelet and revealed its Size at Will and aura-concealing abilities to Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao named the flood dragon Little Nine, and it responded affectionately to him.
• Meng Zhao bathed and dressed, then invited Lü Yue and Cao Zhan to dine with him.
• Lü Yue fed Little Nine a piece of braised pork, and Cao Zhan asked Meng Zhao how he planned to feed the flood dragon.
• Meng Zhao described his plans to provide Little Nine with savage beast meat and rare plants, and Cao Zhan advised that flood dragons could also consume minerals.
• Meng Zhao agreed to consider feeding Little Nine Precious Minerals from Tu Xiu’s pocket heaven.

Meng Zhao discussed the missing Cao Family hunters and rewarded their help, while Cao Zhan and Lü Yue asked what he hoped to accomplish. Meng Zhao remained silent because the danger of Zhao Hun exposing his false identity still kept him focused on survival.

• Meng Zhao apologized to Cao Zhan for the four missing Cao Family hunters and promised each returning hunter silver and pills as thanks.
• Cao Zhan accepted Meng Zhao's explanation and said his father was sending people to search for the hunters.
• Lü Yue offered Cao Zhan access to the Second Branch's treasury and resources, and Cao Zhan affirmed his willingness to serve Meng Zhao's camp.
• Cao Zhan and Lü Yue asked whether Meng Zhao aspired to pursue power in the Imperial Court or the Jianghu Martial Arts World.
• Meng Zhao stayed silent as he recalled that Zhao Hun could expose his false identity, making his schemes to gain power and escape pursuit matters of survival.

Meng Zhao explained how the broader political environment shaped his choices, then revealed that a major rebellion in southern Great Yong was tied to the Li Family’s conflict with the imperial clan. The chapter left Lü Yue and Cao Zhan understanding that the bandit leaders were only pawns in a struggle over central power.

• Meng Zhao used Cao Zhan’s reluctance to enter corrupt officialdom to explain how circumstances could shape a person’s path.
• Lü Yue and Cao Zhan advised Meng Zhao to enter government rather than roam the rivers and lakes, given Great Yong’s prosperity and power.
• Meng Zhao revealed that Gao Yingzhong and Luan Xiaojie had raised a rebellion in Xu Prefecture with more than a hundred thousand troops.
• Meng Zhao explained that the Beitang Imperial Clan’s efforts to reclaim local authority had provoked resistance, and that the Li Family likely stood behind the unrest.
• Lü Yue and Cao Zhan realized that Gao Yingzhong and Luan Xiaojie were pawns in the conflict with the Li Family.

Meng Zhao considered how the Li Family’s rebellion and the Beitang Imperial Clan’s struggle with the aristocratic families could plunge Great Yong into chaos. He decided to discuss his future plans with his uncles after the New Year, while leaning toward building an independent power base in the Jianghu.

• Lü Yue suggested that the other Nine Surnames and Thirteen Families might be secretly aiding the Li Family, and Meng Zhao acknowledged the possibility.
• Meng Zhao compared Beitang Sheng’s campaign against the aristocratic families to Yang Guang’s struggle with the Guanlong Aristocracy and feared Great Yong might collapse into upheaval.
• Cao Zhan asked whether Meng Zhao planned to establish himself in the Jianghu, and Meng Zhao said it offered fewer rules and a faster path to power than court service.
• Meng Zhao privately resolved to gather strong fighters and resources so he could protect himself if Great Yong fell into chaos or his identity was exposed.
• Lü Yue noted that Meng Zhao already had the wealth and resources to contend for influence in the Jianghu, and Meng Zhao concluded he needed power of his own rather than relying on the Meng Family.

Meng Zhao asked Lü Yue whether he could inherit the Earl of Nan'an title and lead the Meng Family, and Lü Yue judged that Meng Jizu would favor Meng Xi or Meng Wen instead. Meng Zhao decided to seek achievements in the martial world rather than challenge his uncle, leaving Lü Yue confident that the family would be less wary and might support him.

• Cao Zhan left to help his father search for clansmen missing in Cloud Mist Mountain, and Meng Zhao sent Meng Family men with him.
• Meng Zhao privately asked Lü Yue how his growing strength and influence affected his place in the Meng Family.
• Lü Yue warned that Meng Zhao's rise threatened Meng Xi and Meng Wen, but said bloodline made his succession to the earldom and family leadership nearly impossible.
• Meng Zhao agreed that Meng Jizu, rather than Meng Xi or Meng Wen, was the true obstacle to his succession.
• Meng Zhao told Lü Yue he would leave to make his own way in the martial world instead of competing for the Meng Family's inheritance.
• Lü Yue said this decision could ease Meng Jizu's and the two young masters' suspicions and win their support for Meng Zhao's outside endeavors.

Meng Zhao explained to Lü Yue why Meng Jizu kept Meng Xi and Meng Wen competing while retaining control of the Meng Family. Seeing that he could become another pawn in his uncle’s schemes, Meng Zhao resolved to leave the family and enter the martial world until he could challenge Meng Jizu on his own terms.

• Meng Zhao told Lü Yue he would temporarily withdraw from the succession struggle and asked which of Meng Xi and Meng Wen was more likely to prevail.
• Meng Zhao argued that Meng Jizu’s continued authority meant neither brother could truly take charge of the Meng Family, and that their rivalry served their father’s interests.
• Meng Zhao explained that Meng Jizu kept the brothers’ contest balanced to prevent either son from becoming impatient and turning against him.
• Lü Yue realized Meng Jizu might use Meng Zhao as another balancing piece, drawing the brothers together against their cousin.
• Meng Zhao decided to leave the Meng Family and venture into the martial world rather than risk being manipulated in the succession struggle.

Wang Tianlei returned safely from the mountain and told Meng Zhao about his encounter with the great flood dragon. He examined Young Flood Dragon Little Nine, praised its unusual potential, and reassured Meng Zhao that Yang Jiu would not mind the name.

• Wang Tianlei returned to town, and Meng Zhao arranged food and hot water before hearing his account.
• Wang Tianlei described how the great flood dragon had chased him and Yang Jiu, nearly swallowing them before they escaped.
• Meng Zhao showed Wang Tianlei Young Flood Dragon Little Nine, coiled around his arm.
• Wang Tianlei compared Little Nine with the great flood dragon and noted its black scales and four claws as signs of exceptional potential.
• Little Nine avoided Wang Tianlei's touch, and he warned Meng Zhao to keep suppressing its ferocity with the spiritual imprint.
• Meng Zhao worried that Yang Jiu might resent Little Nine's name, but Wang Tianlei assured him that Yang Jiu would not mind.

Meng Zhao learned that Zhao Kang had been poisoned and that two Fire Dragon Cave disciples had been ambushed and badly wounded on Cloud Mist Mountain. Wang Tianlei asked him to help secure an antidote, while Meng Zhao agreed to return to the commandery city and protect the young Flood Dragon.

• Wang Tianlei told Meng Zhao that Zhao Kang had been poisoned by a ferocious beast and could not leave the mountain without risking his life.
• Wang Tianlei asked Meng Zhao to accompany him to Cao Family Village to request an antidote, and Meng Zhao agreed.
• Wang Tianlei reported that Ming Yang and Ming Yin had been severely wounded by an ambusher wielding the Hateful Grudge Demonic Blade.
• Wang Tianlei explained that Ming Xia and the Fire Dragon Cave group remained on the mountain to seek revenge and pursue the Flood Dragon.
• Wang Tianlei relayed Meng Hongdao's instruction for Meng Zhao to return to the commandery city and send the Family Head a confidential report.
• Meng Zhao agreed to return and told Wang Tianlei he would take care to keep the young Flood Dragon safe.

Meng Zhao and his companions traveled through the night and reached Tuoluo Village, where they settled into vacant houses to rest. At midnight, Meng Zhao sensed an intruder and watched as a cautious female thief crept toward his room.

• Meng Zhao obtained an antidote for Wang Tianlei from Cao Yan, then departed under cover of night with Meng Chuan, Lü Yue, and ten Meng Family warriors.
• After traveling nonstop for a day and a night, the group reached Tuoluo Village and accepted lodging in vacant houses arranged by the village chief.
• Meng Zhao and the others ate, rested, and settled in, while Meng Zhao meditated and Young Flood Dragon Little Nine ate pills and precious ores.
• At midnight, Meng Zhao sensed someone approaching and concealed his presence behind his door.
• A petite, voluptuous woman vaulted into Meng Zhao's courtyard and clumsily crept toward his room.

Meng Zhao caught a frightened young thief named Zhu'er in his room and discovered she had come to deliver him a message from her young lady. The chapter ended with Zhu'er handing him the note and insisting she had only meant to leave it quietly.

• Meng Zhao used a fiendish aura to frighten the approaching thief, then sprang out and sealed her Qi Meridians.
• Meng Zhao brought the thief into his room, removed her face covering, and found a pretty, baby-faced girl.
• Meng Zhao released some of Zhu'er's acupoints and questioned her about her identity and purpose.
• Zhu'er recognized Meng Zhao and tried to threaten him, but quickly cowered when he reacted with suspicion.
• Zhu'er introduced herself and explained that she had come to deliver a message from her young lady, then handed Meng Zhao a note.

Meng Zhao questioned Zhu'er after she delivered a warning that Qian Jiao of the Demon Venerable Hall intended to capture him. Zhu'er revealed that Tan Cai'er was the daughter of the Demon Venerable Hall's Eighth Elder, leaving Meng Zhao with a powerful new connection to investigate.

• Meng Zhao read a note warning that Qian Jiao, an elder of the Demon Venerable Hall, planned to capture him.
• Meng Zhao calmed Zhu'er with teasing and praise, then questioned her about her young lady and the warning.
• Zhu'er identified her young lady as Tan Cai'er and confirmed that she had met Meng Zhao in a valley with a huge snake.
• Meng Zhao asked whether Tan Cai'er was connected to the Demon Venerable Hall, and Zhu'er blurted out that the Hall's Eighth Elder was her father.

Meng Zhao learned that Tan Cai'er’s mother was the powerful Jade Faced Rakshasa, leader of the Heavenly Wolf Alliance, and that her family connections extended to the Demon Venerable Hall and Great Yong’s nobility. The chapter left him stunned to discover that her maternal grandfather was Tan Changming, Marquis of Gaoping and a leading general.

• Meng Zhao provoked Zhu'er into explaining that Tan Cai'er's father was the Eighth Elder of the Demon Venerable Hall.
• Zhu'er identified her mistress as Jade Faced Rakshasa, leader of the Heavenly Wolf Alliance, which commanded dozens of strongholds and more than a hundred Innate Masters.
• Meng Zhao questioned why he had never heard of Jade Faced Rakshasa, and Zhu'er explained that her main base was in Yanzhou and her alliance's strength was kept secret.
• Meng Zhao realized Jade Faced Rakshasa was a major martial-world power and admired her ability to build such a vast force.
• Zhu'er revealed that Jade Faced Rakshasa was also the eldest daughter of Tan Changming, Marquis of Gaoping, leaving Meng Zhao astonished.

Meng Zhao learned that the powerful and vicious Qian Jiao wanted to capture him as a hostage and seize the Flood Dragon Egg after Meng Zhao disrupted his plans. Though Zhu'er had warned him on Tan Cai'er's behalf, Meng Zhao kept her with him instead of letting her return to her young lady.

• Meng Zhao calculated the influence of Tan Cai'er’s family and saw an opportunity to gain powerful connections through her.
• Zhu'er explained that Qian Jiao was a brutal ninth elder of the Demon Venerable Hall who had turned against Meng Zhao after Xu Laizi’s death and the failed plan to capture Tang Ling'er.
• Zhu'er revealed that Qian Jiao wanted to take Meng Zhao hostage and use him to force the Meng Family to hand over the Flood Dragon Egg.
• Zhu'er said Qian Jiao was unlikely to act personally because he looked down on attacking Houtian Realm martial artists and preferred sending subordinates.
• Meng Zhao refused to let Zhu'er return to Tan Cai'er and said she would stay with him for a few days.

Meng Zhao learned that Qian Jiao of the Demon Venerable Hall intended to target him, and discussed how to return safely to the county seat with Meng Chuan and Lü Yue. The chapter left Meng Zhao rejecting Lü Yue’s plan to disguise him and send him away separately because it could put Meng Chuan and the others in greater danger.

• Meng Zhao meditated through the night, then woke and tended to Little Nine while Zhu'er slept.
• Meng Zhao told Meng Chuan and Lü Yue that Qian Jiao planned to harm him.
• Lü Yue urged the group to return quickly to the county seat, while Meng Chuan argued they could defeat the enemy’s subordinates.
• Lü Yue proposed that someone impersonate Meng Zhao while Meng Zhao traveled in disguise by another route.
• Meng Zhao objected because the plan could leave Meng Chuan and the others exposed to Qian Jiao, and Meng Chuan could be a valuable hostage.

Meng Zhao chose to split from Meng Chuan and Lü Yue to avoid Qian Jiao targeting his family, then punished Lü Yue for proposing a plan that would have endangered Meng Chuan. He warned Lü Yue to act normally around Meng Chuan, whose hidden perceptiveness he respected.

• Meng Zhao ordered Meng Chuan and Lü Yue to return to Cloud Mist Mountain and alert Cao Yan and Tang Ling'er, while he headed for the prefectural city with the messenger girl.
• Meng Zhao explained that Qian Jiao might target Meng Chuan to threaten Third Uncle if he could not capture Meng Zhao.
• After Meng Chuan left, Meng Zhao slapped Lü Yue for suggesting they use Meng Chuan as a decoy and redirect danger toward him.
• Lü Yue admitted he had acted out of loyalty, and Meng Zhao warned him not to plot or act rashly again.
• Meng Zhao told Lü Yue that Meng Chuan was perceptive and instructed him to behave as if nothing had happened when they returned together.

Meng Zhao and Zhu'er disguised themselves as a farming couple and joined a merchant caravan to evade Qian Jiao and return to Nan'an Commandery City. As they traveled, Big Beard noticed Meng Zhao's exceptional potential and hoped to take him as a disciple.

• Meng Zhao and Zhu'er left Tuoluo Village in disguise and joined a caravan heading to Nan'an Commandery City.
• Meng Zhao concealed Zhu'er's beauty and sealed her mute acupoint to avoid drawing attention and trouble.
• Meng Zhao pretended to be an affectionate husband while teasing Zhu'er about making her his maid and marrying Tan Cai'er.
• Big Beard recognized Meng Zhao's remarkable aptitude for hard-body cultivation and repeatedly tried to learn about him.
• Big Beard decided to ask Meng Zhao to become his disciple, though he disliked the appearance of the wife he believed Meng Zhao had.

Meng Zhao traveled with the caravan while Big Beard and another guard criticized Zhu'er and urged him to leave her, but he insisted she was his wife. The caravan stopped at a roadside tavern, where the group rested and prepared to eat and drink.

• Big Beard and the saber-carrying man told Meng Zhao that Zhu'er was unworthy of him and urged him to divorce her.
• Meng Zhao declared that he would never abandon Zhu'er, and she angrily pinched the back of his hand.
• Meng Zhao recognized that Big Beard wanted to take him as a disciple and considered recruiting Big Beard for his future journey through the Jianghu Martial Arts World.
• Shopkeeper Gong smelled wine from a roadside tavern and ordered the caravan to stop, eat, rest, and buy dried provisions.
• The caravan members entered the tavern, while Meng Zhao reflected on how Boss Gong managed the guards and kept them from becoming a threat.