Chapter Summaries

After returning to Meng Family Manor, Meng Zhao revealed his plan to cooperate with the Demon Venerable Hall, hoping to gain connections to Ye Huan’s powerful family. Liang Muqiu realized he might actually be pursuing Tan Cai'er for her family ties, leaving her displeased.

• Meng Zhao brought the recovered treasures and spoils back to Meng Family Manor, where Wei Qi learned who he was and worried about his prospects.
• Meng Zhao sent Gu Sinan, Yun Fei, and Wei Qi to rest, then summoned his trusted subordinates to a meeting.
• Meng Zhao announced that he would use his fleet to transport and sell goods for the Demon Venerable Hall, prompting Zhou Hu to object and Cao Zhan to ask for his reasons.
• Meng Zhao explained that Ye Huan had taken control of the Demon Venerable Hall and sought his help, and that Ye Huan’s wife and father-in-law were influential figures he hoped to befriend.
• Liang Muqiu reacted with shock to Ye Huan’s connection to Tan Cai'er, then inferred that Meng Zhao might be courting her for her family background and grew displeased.

Meng Zhao persuaded his allies to pursue cooperation with Tan Cai'er and the Heavenly Wolf Alliance Leader, arguing that their greenwood connections could help his forces expand across the three provinces. He assigned Lü Yue and Han Pu to oversee the arrangement, then prepared to leave for Kunnan County and entrusted Lingwu City’s affairs to five companions.

• Lü Yue explained how the Heavenly Wolf Alliance Leader’s influence could help Meng Zhao expand beyond Lingwu City and establish roots across the three provinces.
• Liang Muqiu warned that Meng Zhao’s ties to Demon Venerable Hall could expose him to public and Imperial Court backlash, but Meng Zhao argued that their cooperation was limited and manageable.
• Meng Zhao persuaded the five people at the meeting to approve the plan and assigned Lü Yue and Han Pu to oversee it.
• Meng Zhao said he would travel to Kunnan County in Yanzhou for an important matter and could not say when he would return.
• Meng Zhao entrusted the residence’s affairs to the five companions, directing them to lie low, make routine decisions together, and seek help from the Meng Mansion if necessary.

Meng Zhao told his subordinates he would leave for Kunnan County and reassured them that the Meng Family would remain secure during his absence. After Liang Muqiu misunderstood his destination, Meng Zhao explained the danger posed by the Heaven Swallowing Dao Child, and Liang Muqiu encouraged him to believe he would prevail.

• Lü Yue, Han Pu, Cao Zhan, and Zhou Hu warned Meng Zhao that his absence could destabilize the Meng Family, but he ordered them to manage affairs while he was away.
• Liang Muqiu teased Meng Zhao about visiting Tan Cai'er, and Meng Zhao dismissed the others so he could speak with her privately.
• Meng Zhao took Liang Muqiu's hand and explained that his journey to Kunnan County had nothing to do with Tan Cai'er and might involve danger.
• Meng Zhao recounted meeting Wei Qi, a substitute for the Heaven Swallowing Dao Child, and described the Dao Child as his greatest rival.
• Liang Muqiu trusted Meng Zhao to defeat the Heaven Swallowing Dao Child, and Meng Zhao agreed that he would win.

Before leaving for Mishui Immortal Palace, Meng Zhao organized his forces, ordered Night Cat to continue discreet surveillance, and finalized a cooperation agreement with Gu Sinan. After bidding farewell to Liang Muqiu and the others, he departed by boat for Kunnan County with Gu Sinan, Yun Fei, and Wei Qi.

• Meng Zhao met with his subordinates, reviewed the growing strength of his forces, and instructed Night Cat to investigate suspicious people in the mansion while only observing Lü Yue and the others.
• Night Cat reported that spies had been planted in rival families and that new suspicious people had come to the Meng Family after Meng Zhao's victory at Mingxiu Lake; Meng Zhao approved his methods and rewarded him.
• Meng Zhao held a grand banquet for 209 people under his command, including nearly thirty Innate Masters, to strengthen their morale before his departure.
• Meng Zhao, Lü Yue, and Han Pu finalized the terms of cooperation with Gu Sinan and Yun Fei, contingent on Meng Zhao and the others returning safely from Mishui Immortal Palace.
• Meng Zhao said farewell to Liang Muqiu, Han Lu, and Zhu'er, then left for Kunnan County with Gu Sinan, Yun Fei, and Wei Qi aboard a swift boat piloted by Han Peng.

Meng Zhao and his companions reached Kunnan County and settled into an inn, where he sought news about the region. He became interested when an inn runner mentioned someone bullying an orphaned mother and child.

• Meng Zhao, Gu Sinan, Yun Fei, and Wei Qi traveled by ship from Lingwu City to Kunnan County and entered the city using papers prepared by Han Peng.
• Meng Zhao found Kunnan’s martial culture disappointing and settled with his companions at an inn in the southern district.
• Meng Zhao listened to the inn’s diners but heard mostly local boasting and gossip, so he tipped a young runner and asked for useful martial-world news.
• The runner recounted recent conflicts and scandals in Kunnan County, and Meng Zhao asked for details when he heard about someone bullying an orphaned mother and child.

Meng Zhao and the others learned how Chen Sheng’s widow, Chen Liu Shi, and son, Chen Tai, had become targets after his death. With Chen Sheng’s friends abandoning them and the authorities offering only token protection, the mother and son faced a powerful enemy seeking revenge.

• The servant boy told Meng Zhao and the others that Chen Sheng had been a famed, righteous swordsman who died from injuries, leaving Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai behind.
• After Chen Sheng’s death, his enemies harassed the family while his old friends offered limited protection and avoided confronting local powers.
• Meng Zhao explained that Chen Sheng’s old friends were constrained by fear of the wealthy families and powerful clans he had opposed.
• The servant boy reported that the son of a local tyrant slain by Chen Sheng had returned with formidable martial arts and tortured one of Chen Sheng’s Innate friends to death.
• Chen Liu Shi sought help from Chen Sheng’s old friends and was turned away, then appealed to the County Yamen, which sent only two unranked runners to guard her home.
• Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai were left with no real protection as their situation became desperate.

Meng Zhao decided to use Chen Sheng’s widow and child as a way to establish a foothold in Kunnan, and he promised to protect them from Chen Sheng’s vengeful enemy. After a loyal restaurant servant offered to guide him to the Chen Family, Meng Zhao invited the young man to leave his job and work for him.

• Meng Zhao weighed how helping Chen Sheng’s widow and child could earn local trust and connections while giving him a foothold in Kunnan.
• Meng Zhao asked a restaurant servant where Chen Sheng’s wife and child lived, and the servant hesitated because he feared they might face further harm.
• Meng Zhao told the servant he intended to protect the widow and orphan from the martial artist seeking revenge for the tyrant Chen Sheng had killed.
• The servant offered to guide Meng Zhao to the Chen Family after the meal, saying he wanted to help them and honor his admiration for Chen Sheng.
• Meng Zhao recognized the servant’s potential and told him to resign and work by his side, leaving the choice to him.

Meng Zhao tested a servant boy’s resolve, recruited him, and prepared to visit the Chen family. After Zhang Dun resigned from the inn, Meng Zhao set out to pay respects to Chen Sheng and deal with the family’s situation.

• Meng Zhao tested the servant boy by offering him a chance to work for him, and Zhang Dun resigned from the inn despite the shopkeeper slapping him.
• Meng Zhao gave Zhang Dun a large ingot of silver, accepted his name, and told him to take him to the Chen family in half an hour.
• Gu Sinan deduced that Meng Zhao planned to establish influence in Kunnan Prefecture City through Chen Sheng’s wife and child.
• Yun Fei and Gu Sinan declined to accompany Meng Zhao to the Chen family, while Wei Qi offered to capture the bully’s son.
• Meng Zhao told Wei Qi to come along and handle anything unexpected.

Meng Zhao and Wei Qi went to Chen Sheng’s residence and found the Chen family abandoned and under threat, guarded only by a crippled old man. The old man recognized a possible source of help in Meng Zhao and let the visitors inside, advancing Meng Zhao’s plan.

• Zhang Dun led Meng Zhao and Wei Qi through Kunnan and described how Chen Sheng’s family had been harassed and deserted after his death.
• At the Chen Residence, Zhang Dun told Meng Zhao that only a blind, crippled old man remained to protect Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai.
• The one-eyed old man confronted the visitors at the gate, gripping a sharpened spearhead and demanding to know their purpose.
• Wei Qi judged that the old man had little internal force left, while Meng Zhao recognized his concentrated will and the danger of his desperate final strike.
• Zhang Dun explained that Meng Zhao had come to honor Chen Sheng and might offer assistance, and the old man opened the gate to admit them.

Meng Zhao visited the ruined Chen Family Estate to pay respects to Chen Sheng and offered to help Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai against the Demonic Cultivators threatening them. Chen Liu Shi questioned his motives and warned him about their enemies, leaving Meng Zhao confident that the danger was manageable.

• The lame old man led Meng Zhao, Gu Sinan, and their companion through the decaying Chen Family Estate to Chen Sheng’s Spirit Hall.
• Chen Tai greeted the visitors with his loyal dog and, after hearing they had come to pay respects to his father, welcomed them inside.
• Meng Zhao saw Chen Liu Shi mourning her husband and offered incense to Chen Sheng’s Memorial Tablet.
• Meng Zhao told Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai he would assist them because Chen Sheng’s family should not suffer humiliation or threats from Demonic Cultivators.
• Chen Liu Shi thanked Meng Zhao but asked what he expected in return and warned him about the enemies facing the Chen family.

Meng Zhao explained that he wanted to use the Chen Family’s reputation to establish his forces in Kunnan Prefecture City, then revealed his noble background and recent achievements. The Chen Family recognized him as the Dragon King and welcomed him as a powerful ally.

• Meng Zhao told Chen Liu Shi and the others that he would help her in exchange for using Great Hero Chen’s reputation to gain a foothold in Kunnan Prefecture City.
• The lame old man asked Meng Zhao for his name and origins, and Meng Zhao identified himself as the heir to the Earl of Nan'an title and a rising power based in Lingwu City.
• Chen Tai recognized Meng Zhao as the Dragon King and praised his victory at Mingxiu Lake, saying his father had urged him to follow Meng Zhao’s example.
• Zhang Dun rejoiced after learning Meng Zhao’s identity and felt confident he had chosen the right person to serve.
• Chen Liu Shi confirmed that her husband had spoken of Meng Zhao, and the lame old man grew excited at the prospect of having him as their backer.

Meng Zhao secured the Chen Family mother and son’s cooperation by offering them protection in exchange for using Chen Sheng’s reputation and connections. Chen Liu Shi entrusted him with the threat of the coveted martial arts inheritance, but Meng Zhao refused the manuals and promised to handle those seeking them; Chen Tai then eagerly questioned him about the battle at Mingxiu Lake.

• Zhang Dun praised Meng Zhao’s reputation and martial prowess, calling him Southern Shen, Northern Meng.
• Meng Zhao asked Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai to cooperate with him, and Chen Liu Shi agreed while asking him to protect her late husband’s reputation.
• Chen Liu Shi explained that old enemies and former acquaintances were coveting Chen Sheng’s sword manual and martial arts secrets, then offered to entrust them to Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao refused the manuals and promised to deal with those seeking them.
• Chen Liu Shi left Chen Tai and the lame old man to receive Meng Zhao, and Chen Tai eagerly asked Meng Zhao about the battle at Mingxiu Lake.

Madam Chen entrusted Meng Zhao with the Chen Family Sword Manual so he could preserve its inheritance and teach Chen Tai. Reading it, Meng Zhao discovered that the manual’s true power came from righteous conviction, and he became deeply absorbed in studying it.

• Madam Chen presented the Chen Family Sword Manual to Meng Zhao and asked him to pass it on to Chen Tai.
• Meng Zhao accepted the manual and promised to teach Chen Tai its sword arts and improve them if necessary.
• Chen Liu Shi urged Chen Tai to thank Meng Zhao, and Chen Tai kowtowed with gratitude and anticipation.
• Meng Zhao read the manual and learned that it was the Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Sword, whose power depended on righteous qi and conviction.
• Meng Zhao recognized the manual’s unusual spiritual essence and immersed himself in studying it.

A group of armed men invaded the Chen Family Estate to abduct Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai and seize Chen Sheng’s fortune and sword manual, but they found the crippled gatekeeper missing. As the intruders headed for the central courtyard, a mysterious martial artist appeared outside the gates, untouched by the rain.

• Eight armed men entered the Chen Family Estate after leaving two companions to guard the gates.
• The intruders found the room of the crippled gatekeeper empty and debated whether he had uncovered their plan.
• The leader’s subordinates urged him to seize Chen Liu Shi, Chen Tai, and Chen Sheng’s sword manual before Xue Ying arrived.
• The eight men headed toward the central courtyard and the room where the Spirit Hall had been arranged.
• The two men guarding the gates saw a pitch-black figure appear, with the rain sliding away from his body.

Two straw-cloaked attackers were killed outside the Chen residence as the family braced for further danger. While Wei Qi went to help the Chen family, Meng Zhao finished studying the sword manual and uncovered the principles behind Mind-Centric Martial Arts.

• A shadow killed two straw-cloaked men outside the Chen residence and vanished.
• The lame old man prepared to defend the Chen family, while Chen Liu Shi, Chen Tai, and Zhang Dun joined him.
• Wei Qi decided to help the Chen family so Meng Zhao would continue to rely on him, then left the room.
• Meng Zhao revealed that he had noticed Wei Qi’s choice and accepted him as a useful ally regardless of his sincerity.
• Meng Zhao realized the Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Sword Technique was a Mind-Centric Martial Art that could let a gifted Innate martial artist glimpse Worldly Power and potentially reach the Grandmaster Realm.

Meng Zhao secretly instructed Zhang Dun and Chen Tai, then watched as a gang of raiders attacked the Chen Family, mistaking him for Chen Liu Shi’s lover. As Wei Qi prepared to unleash his demonic art, two figures burst from the Spirit Hall to defend the family.

• Meng Zhao used Secret Voice Transmission to send instructions to Zhang Dun and Chen Tai, who hurried back into the Spirit Hall.
• The gang of raiders arrived and mistook the unfamiliar Wei Qi for a lover of Chen Liu Shi, then decided to seize the family’s wealth and abduct Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai.
• The gang’s leader attacked the lame old man while his seven companions charged Wei Qi.
• Wei Qi prepared to drain the attackers with his demonic art, but stopped in horror when two fighters rushed out from behind the Spirit Hall doors.
• One fighter formed a water dragon with his sword to counter the leader, while the other used clever fists and kicks to hold off all seven underlings.

Chen Tai and Zhang Dun emerged to defend the Chen Family, astonishing their allies and the straw-cloaked intruders with their unexpected martial skill. As the attackers reeled, Wei Qi and Chen Liu Shi wondered how Meng Zhao had transformed the two young men, leaving Wei Qi wary of Meng Zhao’s growing, mysterious power.

• Zhang Dun used seven forms of fist force to drive back the seven straw-cloaked fighters attacking Wei Qi.
• Chen Tai’s layered sword strike overwhelmed the straw-cloaked leader, who recognized the boy and was shocked by his skill and strength.
• Chen Liu Shi watched Chen Tai fight and wondered how he had learned the Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Sword’s advanced move and gained such powerful internal strength.
• Wei Qi questioned how Meng Zhao had given Zhang Dun formidable internal power and refined fist technique, then grew more cautious of Meng Zhao.

Chen Tai and Zhang Dun fought the eight straw-cloaked figures with martial arts bestowed by Meng Zhao's Divine Demon Eye, killing the attackers and defeating their leader. The eye's power then vanished, leaving both boys drained and barely able to stand.

• The Divine Demon Eye filled Chen Tai and Zhang Dun with martial knowledge, giving Chen Tai the Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Sword Technique and Zhang Dun a range of fist techniques.
• Chen Tai attacked the straw-cloaked leader while Zhang Dun charged the other seven, and both improved their movements as they fought.
• Zhang Dun killed the seven attackers one by one, then joined Chen Tai in battling the leader.
• Chen Tai and Zhang Dun defeated the leader and returned beneath the eaves as Chen Liu Shi worried over her son.
• The eye and the boys' borrowed power disappeared, leaving Chen Tai and Zhang Dun feeble and dependent on Chen Liu Shi and the lame old man for support.

Meng Zhao explained that Chen Tai and Zhang Dun had briefly gained martial arts through Heart Seeds and an incomplete empowerment technique, though their borrowed strength vanished when the seeds dispersed. He said they had retained fragments of insight that could help them when they began cultivating, leaving both boys hoping to regain the power permanently.

• Chen Tai recovered his composure, unmasked the straw-cloaked leader, and the lame old man recognized him as a retainer of the Lin Family acting for Lin Chonggui.
• The lame old man killed the leader, and Chen Liu Shi led Chen Tai and the others back to Meng Zhao.
• Chen Tai and Zhang Dun knelt before Meng Zhao, seeking an explanation for their sudden martial arts and their lost strength.
• Meng Zhao explained that he had implanted Heart Seeds in the boys and temporarily empowered them, but their inner force dissipated when the seeds dispersed.
• Meng Zhao told them that the boys had retained fragments of insight that could aid their future cultivation.

Meng Zhao explained how he had used his Heart Seed to control Chen Tai and Zhang Dun, then arranged for his people to support the Chen Family against the Lin Family. Xue Ying arrived and challenged Meng Zhao’s claim to understand why he had delayed attacking the Chen Family.

• Meng Zhao told Chen Tai and Zhang Dun that the martial power he had lent them could be taken away, urging them to temper their own wills and skills.
• Chen Liu Shi placed the Chen Family under Meng Zhao’s direction, and he said his people would arrive in Kun'nan in two days to help deal with the Lin Family.
• Meng Zhao asked about the tyrant’s son, who had once been spared by Chen Sheng, and suggested that gratitude had kept him from attacking the Chen Family.
• Xue Ying appeared at the doorway and condemned Chen Sheng’s claim that he had shown mercy.
• Meng Zhao identified Xue Ying and said he had delayed attacking because he was torn between hatred and gratitude; Xue Ying questioned how Meng Zhao could know his thoughts.
• Wei Qi watched Xue Ying with a grave expression as crimson light flickered in his eyes.