Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing and Wen Rou fought the Mirror of Sin assassins in Setting Star City, where Chu Qing revealed the Night Emperor was also Sword Ghost and the Mad Blade. After defeating the attackers, Chu Qing delayed confronting Zhou Fu'an so he could go into seclusion.

• Jiang Chunhua joked about collecting Chu Qing's corpse, so Liu Yulai covered her mouth and dragged her away.
• Chu Qing used his swift sword to kill eight Mirror of Sin assassins before they could harm Wen Rou.
• The two experts on the Evil Execution List attacked together, but Chu Qing redirected the Heavenly Profound Heart Breaking Palm and killed them both.
• Chu Qing collected the crimson flying needle and searched the corpses with Wen Rou, keeping their useful possessions and identifying items.
• Chu Qing told Wen Rou that the deaths of the three listed experts would alert Zhou Fu'an, then said he would go into seclusion before going to Zhou Manor.

Chu Qing obtained Tai Chi Swordplay and a clue pointing to Ghost God Gorge, then used a search of Zhou Manor to draw out its hidden contact. He tracked Zhou Fu'an to a concealed Mirror of Sin branch and watched him enter.

• Chu Qing opened a Sword Technique Treasure Chest and received Tai Chi Swordplay, then opened a Clue Treasure Chest and learned of Ghost God Gorge.
• Chu Qing told Wen Rou to have Liu Yulai search Zhou Manor, where Liu Yulai found letters that Chu Qing dismissed as planted distractions.
• Chu Qing gave Liu Yulai a letter and token for Tie Lingyun, asked him to protect Shen Hongye, and offered a letter of introduction to Wen Fusheng if Setting Star City fell.
• Chu Qing returned to collect one thousand taels from Liu Yulai before leaving.
• Zhou Fu'an stayed hidden near Setting Star City, then traveled to a concealed Mirror of Sin branch to report the deaths of the listed experts.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou followed Zhou Fu'an to the village and confirmed that it was the Mirror of Sin branch.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou attacked the Mirror of Sin branch, where Chu Qing killed its hidden guards and fought through the village while Wen Rou watched. As Chu Qing continued his slaughter, Zhou Fu'an told a black-clad man that one person had killed three experts on the Evil Execution List, and the man doubted his report.

• Chu Qing explained how the identities Han San and Sword Ghost could help conceal his connection to Third Young Master, then left Wen Rou outside the village while he silently killed its hidden sentries.
• Wen Rou found a dead Red Feather Carrier Pigeon and gave Chu Qing its letter, which contained Zhou Fu'an's suspicions about Sword Ghost and Han San.
• Chu Qing took Wen Rou to the branch, where two disguised guards attacked them and Chu Qing turned their weapons against them, killing both.
• Chu Qing killed an assassin disguised as an old woman, then fought off waves of Mirror of Sin killers with Tai Chi Swordplay as Wen Rou followed him into the village.
• Zhou Fu'an told a black-clad man that one person had killed three experts listed on the Evil Execution List, and the man challenged the claim.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou tracked Zhou Fu'an to a Mirror of Sin branch and fought their way inside. After Chu Qing killed the branch master and Wen Rou stopped Zhou Fu'an’s carrier pigeon, Chu Qing unleashed the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

• Zhou Fu'an told the branch master that the three assassins sent after Tie Lingyun had died in Setting Star City, and the branch master said he had already alerted the Southern Region Main Branch.
• An assassin warned that an intruder had fought his way to the village square, so the branch master ordered the Seventy-Two Stabilizing Yin Wind Array and set fire to General Building to protect its information.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou arrived at General Building, and Chu Qing revealed that Zhou Fu'an had led them to the branch before attacking its people.
• The branch master ambushed Chu Qing with Ghost Shadow Yin Wind Steps, but Chu Qing blocked his palm and snapped his neck.
• Zhou Fu'an released a Red Feather Carrier Pigeon with a warning for Mirror of Sin, but Wen Rou brought it down and handed it to Chu Qing.
• Chu Qing unleashed Shocking a Hundred Miles, one of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou destroyed a Mirror of Sin branch, recovered a map of its Southern Ridge branches, and left a trap for its investigators. Later, while the two heard rumors about the “Mirror Annihilation Duo,” a storyteller revealed that they had protected Setting Star City from a plot to kill Liu Yulai and seize the city.

• Chu Qing and Wen Rou confirmed that everyone in the Mirror of Sin branch was dead, released Zhou Fu'an's letter to misdirect Mirror of Sin, and searched the village.
• They found a hidden store of wealth and a map of Mirror of Sin's Southern Ridge branches, then poisoned a buried chest for whoever came to investigate.
• Chu Qing proposed giving the map to Tie Lingyun if Iron Blood Hall won its battle, so that the hall could expose Mirror of Sin's crimes; he and Wen Rou then burned the village and left a message signed by Han San and Han Si.
• At an inn, Chu Qing and Wen Rou overheard people call them the “Mirror Annihilation Duo” and discuss the destruction of the branch.
• A storyteller said Han San and Han Si had killed three Mirror of Sin masters who tried to assassinate Liu Yulai, preventing Setting Star City from falling to the four gangs.
• The storyteller claimed Mirror of Sin had targeted Liu Yulai at the request of Guo Wang, who wanted to seize Setting Star City.

Chu Qing rescued the injured Lu Zhi, who told him that Young Master Mei had captured the other Four Horizontal Saber Tigers and the woman in black after Nian Xin and Nian An disappeared. Learning that the trail might lead to Plum King, Chu Qing agreed to investigate and set out with Wen Rou to find Lu Zhi’s brothers.

• At an inn, Chu Qing and Wen Rou heard that Han San and Han Si had destroyed a Mirror of Sin Branch, then returned to their room as snow fell.
• Chu Qing found Lu Zhi injured outside the inn and saved him, discovering that a strange, icy force had wounded him.
• Lu Zhi explained that Young Master Mei had defeated the Five Horizontal Saber Tigers and taken his brothers and the woman in black after Nian Xin and Nian An vanished.
• Lu Zhi said his group had been investigating someone called Plum King, prompting Chu Qing to question him about the possible connection.
• Chu Qing offered to help rescue the captives in exchange for a deal, then asked Lu Zhi for an item belonging to one of his brothers.
• After Lu Zhi gave him a small knife, Chu Qing told him to rest while he and Wen Rou went to search for the others.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou followed the scent of the short blade to Seven Plum Mountain Manor, where they found several familiar martial artists gathered. Their arrival triggered a confrontation when Chen Zhengnan recognized Chu Qing and hurled teacups at Hua Jinnian.

• Chu Qing learned from Lu Zhi about the previous night, then followed Wen Rou to the scene, where she detected the scent of the scholar who had saved the woman in black.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou found Mighty Escort Agency carts and followed the trail into the woods to Seven Plum Mountain Manor.
• A young woman welcomed them into the manor, where Chu Qing recognized Chen Zhengnan, the Sword of Farewell’s former associate, Cao Qiupu, Ling Fei, Hua Jinnian, and the scholar from Iron Ring Town.
• Hua Jinnian greeted Chu Qing, while Chen Zhengnan challenged him over Chu Qing’s killing of Ling Beichen.
• Chen Zhengnan flung the teacups across the hall toward Hua Jinnian.

At Seven Plum Mountain Manor, Chu Qing and the other guests faced four women whose Charm Technique began to overpower the group. The scholar seized Die Wu and demanded to know where the captured people were being held.

• Chu Qing returned Chen Zhengnan’s sword-charged teacup to him without spilling its tea, and Chen Zhengnan questioned Chu Qing about learning Senior Ling’s sword art.
• Hua Jinnian recounted how the Golden Hook Xu Family blamed him for an alleged affair and forced him to flee.
• Die Wu arrived with three young women and welcomed the snowbound guests at Seven Plum Mountain Manor.
• Chen Zhengnan warned Chu Qing that the women used the Charm Technique, while Chu Qing shielded Wen Rou and watched the others succumb to their influence.
• The scholar grabbed Die Wu by the throat and demanded to know where she had locked up the people she captured.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou fought through Seven Plum Mountain Manor after the Seven Charms Burning Passion Great Technique disrupted the battle in the main hall. They found the manor’s dungeon and rescued the four remaining Five Horizontal Saber Tigers, while Nian Xin and Nian An were still missing.

• Miss Butterfly Dance’s Seven Charms Burning Passion Great Technique ensnared the scholar and the little old man, while Cao Qiupu used the Seven-Character Heavenly Sound Sword Technique to break through the red silk and its illusions.
• Chu Qing killed the three girls blocking the hall entrance, then led Wen Rou into the manor and cut down women who tried to stop them.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou discovered an obscene altar, smashed it, and followed the passage beneath it to the dungeon.
• Chu Qing found imprisoned men and women, including the four injured Five Horizontal Saber Tigers, but Nian Xin and Nian An were absent.
• Chu Qing freed the four tigers and learned that Young Master Mei had captured people to force them into sexual exploitation.

Chu Qing learned that Young Master Mei’s manor used the Cloud and Rain Decree to exploit women and capture men, then found Tie Chuqing imprisoned there after the Plum King defeated her escort. He freed the prisoners and emerged to find Cao Qiupu and Chen Zhengnan fighting Young Master Mei while Miss Ling Fei battled Die Wu.

• A captive woman explained to Chu Qing that Young Master Mei used Karma of Marriage and Thread of Fate to harvest internal energy from women and men.
• Wen Rou told Chu Qing that Tie Chuqing was imprisoned deeper in the dungeon, and Chu Qing found her unharmed in a furnished room.
• Tie Chuqing told Chu Qing that the masked Plum King had defeated her escort, captured her, and offered to teach her the Cloud and Rain Decree.
• Chu Qing, Wen Rou, and Tie Chuqing opened the cages and led the prisoners out of the dungeon.
• Chu Qing saw Cao Qiupu and Chen Zhengnan attack Young Master Mei while Miss Ling Fei fought Die Wu, and the four tiger-eyed men warned their Third Young Master to be careful.

Chu Qing intervened when Young Master Mei drove back Chen Zhengnan and Cao Qiupu, then uncovered that Mei's immense inner strength was borrowed and dwindling. Chu Qing killed Young Master Mei with the Sixteen Paths of Startling Evil Blade and completed his mission.

• The black-clad woman chased Fleeing Scholar away, leaving Chen Zhengnan and Cao Qiupu to face Young Master Mei.
• Young Master Mei used Ten Thousand Nights Silent Sea and Raging Sea and Wild Sand to counter the two fighters and nearly killed Chen Zhengnan.
• Chu Qing rescued Chen Zhengnan with Arrogant Dragon Regrets and realized Young Master Mei's borrowed inner strength weakened each time he used it.
• Chu Qing attacked with the Sixteen Paths of Startling Evil Blade, and Young Master Mei caught the blade while asking who Chu Qing was.
• Chu Qing's blade strikes had already cut Young Master Mei, whose head fell as Chu Qing completed the assassination mission and received a Random Martial Arts Treasure Chest.

After defeating Seven Plum Mountain Manor, Chu Qing crippled Butterfly Dance to question her, learned about the Plum King’s schemes, and destroyed the dangerous manuals found in the estate. As the group settled in, the Golden Hook Xu Family arrived seeking shelter, and Hua Jinnian urged Chu Qing to defend him.

• Chu Qing rescued Butterfly Dance from Cao Qiupu, crippled her, and forced her to reveal the Seven Charms Burning Passion Great Technique.
• Chu Qing copied the technique and considered whether its knowledge of the seven emotions and six desires could help Wen Rou overcome the Heavenly Fragrance Scent Body’s drawbacks.
• Chu Qing questioned Butterfly Dance about the Plum King, Thread of Fate, and Karma of Marriage, then killed her after learning that the Plum King treated her followers as disposable tools.
• Chu Qing and the others searched Seven Plum Mountain Manor, buried the corpses, and burned the manuals on Thread of Fate.
• Hua Jinnian woke and recounted being struck after mistaking someone for a block of ice.
• A voice from outside announced that the Golden Hook Xu Family wanted shelter from the snow, and Hua Jinnian asked Chu Qing to stand up for him.

A group posing as the Golden Hook Xu Family attacked the hall, using Hua Jinnian as a distraction to poison Cao Qiupu and target Ling Fei. With Cao Qiupu near death, Chen Zhengnan gave Chu Qing a one-use token to seek help from the Yin Yang Recluse, and Chu Qing set out with Ling Fei and Tie Chuqing.

• Chen Zhengnan invited the supposed Golden Hook Xu Family into the hall so their dispute with Hua Jinnian could be confronted face-to-face.
• Hua Jinnian exposed the attackers as impostors, but they had already surrounded Cao Qiupu and Ling Fei; Cao Qiupu took a poisoned needle while Chu Qing and Ling Fei helped defeat the attackers.
• The dying impostor revealed that Guido's poison had no antidote and warned that Ling Fei would be next; Chu Qing suspected Guido had arranged the ambush to hunt her.
• Chen Zhengnan told Chu Qing that the Yin Yang Recluse might cure Cao Qiupu and gave him an Acupuncture Bronze Figure as a token to secure the recluse's help.
• Chu Qing agreed to take Cao Qiupu to the Yin Yang Forest, bringing Ling Fei and asking Tie Chuqing to come along.

Chu Qing brought Cao Qiupu to Yin Yang Recluse for treatment and discovered the recluse needed a missing needle to cure him. Chu Qing produced the needle, allowing Yin Yang Recluse to begin treatment, then withdrew to rest and summoned the system.

• Chu Qing took Cao Qiupu and the unconscious Tie Chuqing toward Ghost God Gorge, with Wen Rou and Ling Fei following on Brother Bai.
• Chu Qing found Yin Yang Recluse in Yin Yang Forest and followed him through the formation to his cottage.
• Yin Yang Recluse examined Cao Qiupu and said he needed the missing thirteenth needle of his Blood Spirit Thirteen Needles to drive out the poison.
• Chu Qing recognized the lost needle among his possessions and gave it to Yin Yang Recluse, who began treating Cao Qiupu.
• Chu Qing asked Wen Rou to keep watch, went to another room with her and Tie Chuqing, and summoned the system.

After obtaining the Strange Art Heaven and Earth Lose Color, Chu Qing urged Ling Fei to stop fleeing the Mirror of Sin and seek allies to fight back. He and Ling Fei turned their attention to Tie Chuqing as a possible source of support.

• Chu Qing opened the chest from killing Young Master Mei and learned Heaven and Earth Lose Color, a Strange Art that slowed the senses and movements of those within its range.
• Chu Qing released Tie Chuqing's acupoints, then joined Wen Rou outside Yin Yang Recluse's treatment room while Cao Qiupu received acupuncture.
• Ling Fei thanked Chu Qing for helping them and explained that the Mirror of Sin had pursued her and Cao Qiupu since they left Luochen Mountain Manor.
• Chu Qing argued that Ling Fei and Cao Qiupu should use their knowledge and connections to strike back against the Mirror of Sin instead of fleeing.
• Ling Fei agreed they had no chance of reconciliation with the Mirror of Sin, but wondered which powerful faction might shelter them.
• Chu Qing and Ling Fei looked toward Tie Chuqing, who was squatting nearby, and she asked why they were staring at her.

Chu Qing and Ling Fei considered seeking Tie Lingyun’s protection, and Tie Chuqing agreed to help them approach her father. When bells warned that someone had entered Yin Yang Forest, Chu Qing led the others to the injured Cheng Tieshan, just as pursuers demanded that the intruder be handed over.

• Chu Qing explained that Iron Blood Hall might be facing a conspiracy involving Blazing Fire Hall, the Heavenly Evil Cult, and the Mirror of Sin, and Ling Fei considered joining Tie Lingyun for protection.
• Tie Chuqing agreed to help Ling Fei and Cao Qiupu seek refuge with her father, while Chu Qing advised Ling Fei to expose the Mirror of Sin’s false claims and gather its victims and former followers.
• A bell warned that someone had triggered Yin Yang Forest’s formation, so Chu Qing took the young attendant, Tie Chuqing, and Wen Rou into the woods while Ling Fei stayed behind.
• Chu Qing’s group found the badly injured Cheng Tieshan, whom Tie Chuqing recognized, and the young attendant judged that he had only three hours to live without treatment.
• Cheng Tieshan said he had been pursued to the forest, and a voice outside the formation demanded that the intruder be handed over.

Chu Qing confronted Beitang Zun over the Heavenly Evil Cult’s capture of Tie Chuqing and suspected cooperation with Blazing Fire Hall. After Beitang Zun denied the accusation, Chu Qing defeated him in a clash of opposing martial arts and seized him by the throat, demanding the truth.

• Cheng Tieshan explained that Beitang Zun had ambushed him while he was trying to rescue Tie Chuqing, and Chu Qing led the group out of Yin Yang Forest.
• Beitang Zun recognized Chu Qing as the Third Young Master and agreed to leave Cheng Tieshan alone, but Chu Qing stopped him to ask about the Plum King.
• Chu Qing accused Blazing Fire Hall of working with the Heavenly Evil Cult to capture Tie Chuqing, while Beitang Zun denied knowing the Plum King or colluding with the cult.
• Chu Qing challenged Beitang Zun, and the two exchanged attacks with Arrogant Dragon Regrets and Nine Blazes Burning Palm.
• Chu Qing countered Beitang Zun’s attack from behind with Divine Dragon Swings Tail, knocked him back, and seized his throat to demand the truth.

After defeating Beitang Zun, Chu Qing took him along while investigating whether Blazing Fire Hall had colluded with the Heavenly Evil Cult. The group left Yin Yang Cottage and traveled north toward Ghost God Gorge, where Tie Chuqing encountered a masked visitor she recognized as the Night Emperor.

• Chu Qing defeated Beitang Zun, drove off the Blazing Fire Hall disciples, and sealed Beitang Zun’s acupoints before taking him to Yin Yang Cottage.
• Chu Qing questioned Beitang Zun about Blazing Fire Hall’s apparent cooperation with the Heavenly Evil Cult, and Beitang Zun began to suspect his elder brother Beitang Lie.
• Yin Yang Recluse saved Cao Qiupu and repaid Chu Qing for returning the Blood Spirit Needle by letting him keep the Acupuncture Bronze Figure as a token for a future favor.
• Cao Qiupu recovered, and Chu Qing’s group left Yin Yang Cottage and headed north toward Ghost God Gorge with Beitang Zun as their captive.
• Tie Chuqing saw a black-clad figure in a white mask appear at her window and recognized him as the Night Emperor.

Chu Qing visited Tie Chuqing as the Night Emperor and accepted her commission to kill the Mirror of Sin members targeting her father. As the group approached Ghost God Gorge, they entered a suspicious forest and Chu Qing spotted a gigantic, brightly colored mushroom watching them from behind a tree.

• Chu Qing frightened Tie Chuqing before offering his assassination services, and she hired him to kill the Mirror of Sin assassins for one thousand taels per life.
• Tie Chuqing explained that Third Young Master would handle Beitang Lie, so Chu Qing threatened to collect his payment after the commission was done.
• The next morning, Chu Qing refused to explain his plans for Beitang Zun and reassured Cao Qiupu that he would accompany him despite the Mirror of Sin's pursuit.
• Wen Rou recognized the medicinal scent of the man in black from Seven Plum Mountain Manor near the forest, and Chu Qing warned the group that something was wrong there.
• Chu Qing gave everyone antidote pills and led the group into the silent, snow-covered forest, where he saw a huge multicolored mushroom peering at him from behind a tree.

Chu Qing froze and destroyed the poisoned mushroom men planted throughout the forest, then followed Wen Rou deeper into the woods and encountered the masked Grave King at a gorge. The Grave King invited Chu Qing to become his kindred soul, and Chu Qing challenged him by asking if he was waiting there to die.

• Cheng Tieshan struck a mushroom man and was covered in growing mushrooms until Chu Qing blasted them away.
• Chu Qing identified the mushroom men as poison and used the Ten Thousand Mile Ice Field to freeze them, then he and Cao Qiupu destroyed them while the others stayed back.
• After examining the mushroom men, Chu Qing took Wen Rou into the forest, where she used her sense of smell to lead him onward.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou followed zither music to a gorge and found the masked Grave King playing an ancient zither.
• The Grave King asked Chu Qing to become his kindred soul, and Chu Qing asked whether he was waiting there to die.