Chapter Summaries

Xiang Yuan moved into Xiao Residence as Xiao He's bodyguard and accompanied him to Yulin Academy, where Xiao He soon abandoned class to investigate his friend Xu's ghostly encounter. The two headed back to the county seat, leaving Xiang Yuan curious about the supposed ghost.

• Xiang Yuan moved into Xiao Residence, found that Xiao He had prepared a room and new clothes for him, and began practicing his saber in the courtyard.
• Xiao He woke late and took Xiang Yuan to Yulin Academy, explaining that he studied under Wang Wenxu, a teacher he feared provoking.
• Xiang Yuan listened to Wang Wenxu's lecture from outside the classroom and noticed an expensive, formidable-looking sword among the students' belongings.
• Xiao He slipped out of class and told Xiang Yuan that Xu had encountered a ghost and was now bedridden.
• Xiang Yuan went with Xiao He back to the county seat to see what had happened to Xu.

Xiao He and Xiang Yuan visited the ill Xu Jixian, who recounted how he had brought a widow home and discovered she was a ghost. Xu Jixian said Widow Wang was now threatening to return at night, leaving Xiao He eager to learn more about her.

• Xiao He took Xiang Yuan from the academy to visit Xu Jixian at the neglected Xu family estate.
• Xiao He teased Xu Jixian about supposedly being drained by a female ghost, and Xu Jixian introduced Xiang Yuan.
• Xu Jixian explained that he had helped a woman in white named Widow Wang after finding her injured in an alley.
• Xu Jixian admitted that he had been intimate with Widow Wang before she revealed she was a ghost.
• Xu Jixian said Widow Wang lived beneath the old well in his backyard and threatened to return at night if he did not seek her out.

Xiao He and Xu Jixian planned to exterminate the female ghost haunting Xu Residence, and Xiang Yuan urged them to seek a real expert. When Wang Wenxu could not come, Xiao He returned with a calligraphy scroll whose Vast Righteous Qi they intended to use against the ghost that night.

• Xiao He vowed to help Xu Jixian get rid of the female ghost, but Xu Jixian refused to leave Xu Residence because he wanted to protect her.
• Xiao He and Xu Jixian insisted their scholarly Vast Righteous Qi could protect them, while Xiang Yuan argued they should find a professional ghost-buster.
• Xiao He dragged Xu Jixian into a carriage and took him with Xiang Yuan to Yulin Academy to invite Wang Wenxu.
• On the journey, Xu Jixian praised Widow Wang and imagined a romantic life with her, while Xiang Yuan mocked his looks and Xiao He teased Xiang Yuan about visiting the pleasure quarters.
• Xiao He returned from the academy without Wang Wenxu but brought a scroll bearing the words “People Have Intentions,” which he and Xu Jixian jokingly misread.
• Xiao He declared that Wang Wenxu’s calligraphy would help the three brothers subdue the female ghost that night.

Xiang Yuan fought the female ghost at the Xu Residence after her seductive illusion ensnared Xiao He and Xu Jixian, using Wang Wenxu’s calligraphy to expose and drive her back. Xiao He and Xu Jixian reached the gate but found another ghost waiting outside.

• Xiang Yuan prepared for the female ghost’s arrival while Xiao He and Xu Jixian ate and played games without fear.
• The female ghost appeared in the mist and bewitched Xiao He and Xu Jixian, while Xiang Yuan resisted her illusion.
• Xiang Yuan knocked Xiao He and Xu Jixian unconscious and used Wang Wenxu’s calligraphy to break the illusion and weaken the ghost.
• Xiang Yuan chased the injured female ghost through the courtyard with his saber and the calligraphy.
• Xiao He and Xu Jixian fled toward the gate, but Xu Jixian hurried back after discovering another ghost outside.

Xiang Yuan fought off a female ghost and confronted a Yellow Springs Dao disciple who controlled ghosts. After exhausting himself, he unleashed the Heavenly Blade’s Lone Star Chasing Moon to kill the black-robed man, leaving Xiao He and Xu Jixian stunned.

• Xiang Yuan used Wang Wenxu’s calligraphy and his blade to destroy the female ghost as Xiao He and Xu Jixian warned him that another threat was approaching.
• A black-robed man arrived and revealed that he controlled the female ghost with Yellow Springs Dao techniques.
• Xiang Yuan recognized the man’s Fierce Yin Wind and, despite his depleted spirit, prepared to attack him.
• Xiang Yuan used the Heavenly Blade’s First Form, Lone Star Chasing Moon, to cut down the black-robed man.
• Eerie green flames consumed the black-robed man’s body, while Xiao He and Xu Jixian gaped at Xiang Yuan and Xu Jixian discovered that he had wet himself.

After Xiang Yuan defeated a Yellow Springs Dao ghost-controller, he reviewed the fight and resolved to deepen his martial arts and cultivation. Xu Jixian offered to repay him, and Xiao He proposed paying Xiang Yuan’s academy tuition, though the academy was not accepting students.

• Xiang Yuan stayed at Xu Residence to recover and review his battle while Xu Jixian and Xiao He argued over who deserved credit for the victory.
• Xiang Yuan reflected on his past fights, studied the Lone Star Chasing Moon slash, and decided to keep training toward Acupoint Opening.
• Xu Jixian’s servant brought Old Liu and another constable, and Xiang Yuan reported how he had killed the Yellow Springs Dao disciple.
• Xu Jixian offered Xiang Yuan a reward, and Xiao He suggested that Xu pay his tuition so Xiang Yuan could study at the academy.
• After learning the academy was not accepting students, Xu Jixian agreed to beg the teacher by rolling on the ground.

Xiang Yuan attended classes at Yulin Academy, where Xiao He and Xu Jixian’s boastful behavior alienated the other students. After Wang Wenxu challenged the class to write a farming poem, Xiang Yuan decided to borrow a poem from Li and Du.

• Xiang Yuan listened to Wang Wenxu’s lecture while advancing his qi through the Ren Meridian and admiring a sword he believed belonged to Sima Qingyan.
• At lunch, Xiao He and Xu Jixian claimed that Sima Qingyan was secretly pursuing each of them, earning the contempt of nearby students.
• Xu Jixian failed to persuade Wang Wenxu to excuse Xiang Yuan from classwork, so Wang Wenxu arranged to test Xiang Yuan with questions.
• Wang Wenxu taught a lesson on farming and assigned the students to write a poem about it.
• Xiang Yuan saw Xiao He and Xu Jixian begin writing and decided to copy a poem, silently asking Li and Du for help.

Xiang Yuan submitted a famous poem about farmers’ labor, which Wang Wenxu recognized as extraordinary despite initially judging it merely acceptable. The poem topped the class noticeboard, while the students wondered how its author could be associated with Xiao He and Xu Jixian.

• Xiao He presented a poem praising the carefree riches of farming, and Wang Wenxu beat him for ignoring the lesson about farmers’ hardships.
• Xu Jixian offered a poem about an ox plowing at midnight and a tree welcoming spring, leaving Wang Wenxu furious and speechless.
• Xiang Yuan claimed he had borrowed Toiling Farmers from an elder named Li Shen, and Wang Wenxu praised it as acceptable before collecting it.
• Wang Wenxu became increasingly absorbed in the poem’s depth and simplicity, and he overlooked Sima Qingyan’s work while continuing to ponder Xiang Yuan’s talent.
• Wang Wenxu posted Toiling Farmers at the top of the noticeboard, and the students debated its plain language and lasting appeal.
• Sima Qingyan learned that Xiang Yuan had written the poem but had left with Xiao He and Xu Jixian, and she worried his association with them would hold him back.

Xiang Yuan earned Wang Wenxu’s approval and enrolled at the academy, but he refused to abandon Xiao He and Xu Jixian. The three headed south to visit Xu Jixian’s family graves, giving Xiang Yuan a chance to investigate the mass burial ground for yin energy that could aid his cultivation.

• Xiang Yuan let Xiao He and Xu Jixian take credit for his poem before Wang Wenxu praised his writing and invited him to study at the academy.
• Wang Wenxu tested Xiang Yuan by offering to fund his studies if he cut ties with Xiao He and Xu Jixian, but Xiang Yuan chose to remain loyal to them.
• Wang Wenxu accepted Xiang Yuan as a student, told him to pay his own expenses, and warned Xiao He and Xu Jixian not to lead him astray.
• Xiao He and Xu Jixian took Xiang Yuan away in a carriage and discussed visiting the mass burial ground to collect sticks for Xiao He’s divine weapon vault.
• Xiang Yuan saw the trip as a chance to scout the mass burial ground for yin energy that could help him cultivate the Thirteen Transformations of Yin Wind and Ghost Mist.

Xiang Yuan accompanied Xu Jixian and Xiao He to the mass grave, where he learned that Yellow Springs Dao fiends had entered Fengxian County and were connected to a new ghost attack. After pulling Xiao He away from the grave, Xiang Yuan urged Xu Jixian to finish quickly and return before dark.

• Xiang Yuan noticed that Wang Wenxu's calligraphy felt lighter, and Xiao He explained that some of its Vast Righteous Qi had been used to exorcise a ghost.
• Xiang Yuan learned that Xu Jixian was paying to send him to the academy as thanks for saving his life.
• At the mass grave, Xiao He wandered among the graves collecting yin soldiers while Xu Jixian and Xiang Yuan prepared to pay respects to Xu Jixian's ancestors.
• Xiang Yuan met Old Liu and learned that Wei Kun had died after mistaking a bridal sedan near the mass grave for his own wedding procession.
• Old Liu reported that Yellow Springs Dao fiends had entered the city, and Xiang Yuan suspected they were behind both Wei Kun's death and Xu Jixian's ghost encounter.
• Xiang Yuan dragged Xiao He back to the carriage and urged Xu Jixian to finish quickly so they could return to the county seat before dark.

Xiang Yuan and his companions left the cemetery and became trapped in a ghostly maze at the mass grave. Separated from Xiao He and Xu Jixian, Xiang Yuan resisted a series of tempting illusions and cut through the final vision of his master, Old Daoist Quexin.

• Xu Jixian paid respects to the Xu family ancestors at the cemetery and vowed to study hard.
• Xiang Yuan, Xiao He, and Xu Jixian crossed the mass grave safely at first, but a thick mist turned them back into it.
• The horse bolted, and Xiang Yuan discovered that Xiao He and Xu Jixian had vanished from the carriage.
• Xiang Yuan faced a sinister laugh that filled the mist with illusions of women, wealth, weapons, and treasures.
• Xiang Yuan broke through the illusions and slashed the vision of Old Daoist Quexin in two.

Xiang Yuan fought Sima Qingyan, a Yellow Springs Dao disciple and the county magistrate’s daughter, inside a dangerous formation. After their weapons broke and Cold Blood went offline, Xiang Yuan continued fighting with Buddhist martial arts, while Xiao He watched from outside and insisted Qingyan was no match for him.

• Xiang Yuan entered the Gate of Death and attacked the black-robed woman, who revealed herself as Sima Qingyan.
• Sima Qingyan and Xiang Yuan clashed with their ultimate arts, and Xiang Yuan recognized her as a Yellow Springs Dao disciple.
• Xiang Yuan used Everlasting Killing Intent and pressured Sima Qingyan with relentless saber strikes, then broke her sword arm with Lone Star Chasing Moon as his saber shattered.
• Cold Blood went offline, but Xiang Yuan charged Sima Qingyan with his fists and fought using several Buddhist martial arts.
• Sima Qingyan realized Xiang Yuan’s apparent exhaustion was a deception, while Xiao He watched the battle from outside the formation and said Qingyan was no match for him.

Xiang Yuan fought Sima Qingyan while Xiao He, Wang Wenxu, and Xu Jixian watched from outside the formation and discussed recruiting him. As Xiang Yuan’s strength ran out and Sima Qingyan pressed her attack, Doubi arrived.

• Xiao He insisted that Xiang Yuan was the fated person he wanted to bring into his sect, while Wang Wenxu argued that he should teach him at the academy.
• Xiao He said he would accompany Xiang Yuan to the Southern Border and urged Wang Wenxu to open the formation so they could seek Xiang Yuan’s forgiveness.
• Sima Qingyan used her remaining strength to fight Xiang Yuan, while he relied on the Formless Seal Method and planned a decisive strike.
• Xiang Yuan used Lone Star Chasing Moon, but Sima Qingyan stopped his attack with two fingers and drained his spiritual energy.
• Sima Qingyan thrust her sword fingers toward Xiang Yuan as Doubi arrived.

Xiang Yuan defeated Sima Qingyan by using her sect’s sword technique, then took her hostage and confronted Xiao He, Xu Jixian, and Wang Wenxu. After guilting them into opening the formation gate, he left, while Xiao He continued pressuring Sima Qingyan to complete another task in exchange for an item.

• Xiang Yuan endured Sima Qingyan’s attack, wounded her, and taunted her until he could seize her sword.
• Xiang Yuan copied Sima Qingyan’s sect sword technique, defeated her, and held the blade to her neck.
• Xiao He, Xu Jixian, and Wang Wenxu appeared, and Xiao He claimed to be a Six Doors agent and Xiang Yuan’s fated companion.
• Xiang Yuan demanded that the three men kneel and accused Wang Wenxu of betraying him; Wang Wenxu dispelled the formation and let him leave.
• Xiao He refused to give Sima Qingyan the item because she had failed to defeat Xiang Yuan, and he followed her while offering an escort.

After defeating Sima Qingyan, Xiang Yuan stayed at the county yamen and focused on cultivation rather than returning to Xiao Residence. He reached the peak of the Qi Refining Stage, pawned his sword for money, and went to White Cloud Manor’s shop to seek pills for his next breakthrough.

• Xiang Yuan took Sima Qingyan’s sword as spoils and left her near the mass grave after claiming she owed him for sparing and protecting her.
• Xiang Yuan spent several days at the county yamen recovering, reviewing the fight, and cultivating until his Ren Meridian was fully open and he reached the peak of the Qi Refining Stage.
• Xiang Yuan decided not to seek help from Xiao He and considered selling belongings to afford supplements and pills for his breakthrough.
• Xiang Yuan pawned the sword for 1,500 taels of silver and headed to White Cloud Manor’s shop.

Xiang Yuan visited White Cloud Manor to buy pills and haggled the greeter down to a bargain price for a top-grade Acupoint Opening Pill. After the greeter persuaded him to consider a weapon, Xiang Yuan agreed to browse the manor’s rear courtyard.

• Xiang Yuan entered White Cloud Manor and bought a blood-replenishing pill for two hundred taels before realizing he had paid without haggling.
• Xiang Yuan chose a top-grade Acupoint Opening Pill and used a string of rhyming offers to bargain its price down from five hundred taels to three hundred and fifty.
• The greeter worried that the shopkeeper would punish him for the low price and followed Xiang Yuan, asking him not to reveal the deal.
• The greeter recommended that Xiang Yuan buy a weapon from White Cloud Manor instead of Forget Sword Manor.
• Xiang Yuan agreed to look around the rear courtyard, curious about its tea, music, and other attractions.

Xiang Yuan visited White Cloud Manor to shop for weapons, but the attendants tried to coax his remaining money from him. When Yue Huanjiang arrived and asked about Xiang Yuan’s business ideas, Xiang Yuan saw a chance to talk his way into a better deal.

• A shopkeeper scolded the front-courtyard attendant for selling Xiang Yuan an Acupoint Opening pill too cheaply and arranged for the rear courtyard to sell him an expensive weapon.
• Xiang Yuan pretended to flirt with his attendant, then browsed White Cloud Manor’s costly weapons while trying to avoid spending his remaining thousand taels.
• The attendant offered to discount a two-thousand-tael weapon to exactly Xiang Yuan’s budget, but refused to lower the price further.
• Yue Huanjiang introduced himself to Xiang Yuan and asked what he meant by membership prices and points.
• Xiang Yuan called his ideas a business secret and persuaded Yue Huanjiang to speak with him privately, while the shopkeeper followed warily.

Xiang Yuan impressed Yue Huanjiang and White Cloud Manor’s shopkeeper with a rambling business strategy for competing with Forget Sword Manor and enlisting the court’s influence. Yue Huanjiang interpreted his advice as a way to work with the Shendu Xiao Clan, then asked Xiang Yuan to become his sworn brother.

• Xiang Yuan explained how points and membership could attract and retain customers at White Cloud Manor.
• Xiang Yuan outlined a platform-based strategy involving events, coordinated businesses, and building White Cloud Manor’s reputation.
• When the shopkeeper asked how to profit if White Cloud Manor and Forget Sword Manor both competed, Xiang Yuan advised working with the government and finding a powerful ally.
• Yue Huanjiang inferred that the Shendu Xiao Clan could help White Cloud Manor and praised Xiang Yuan for resolving its predicament.
• Yue Huanjiang asked Xiang Yuan to become his sworn brother, and the two agreed to use tea in place of wine.

Xiang Yuan accepted Yue Huanjiang’s hospitality at White Cloud Manor, received a supreme-grade Acupoint Opening Pill, and replenished his blood and qi with medicinal food. He then began breaking through to the Acupoint Opening stage in the manor’s quiet rear courtyard.

• Yue Huanjiang treated Xiang Yuan to a feast, and Xiang Yuan complained that White Cloud Manor had no points or membership benefits.
• After learning Xiang Yuan had bought a superior-grade Acupoint Opening Pill, Yue Huanjiang refunded his money and gave him a supreme-grade pill for free.
• Yue Huanjiang connected Xiang Yuan’s injuries to Six Doors’ seizure of contraband pills and offered rare medicinal dishes to make amends.
• Xiang Yuan tactfully declined Yue Huanjiang’s attempt to recruit him, but accepted the medicinal food and a quiet place to practice.
• After replenishing his blood and qi, Xiang Yuan swallowed the supreme-grade Acupoint Opening Pill and began opening the Chengjiang acupoint.

Xiang Yuan made smooth progress opening his mouth aperture with the help of a top-grade Acupoint Opening Pill and Yue Huanjiang’s guidance. When Yue tried to court him with gifts, Xiao He barged in and found the two men holding hands.

• Xiang Yuan used the Formless Seal Method and a top-grade Acupoint Opening Pill to make rapid progress opening his mouth aperture.
• Xiang Yuan planned to perfect the mouth aperture before opening his eyes, and considered asking White Cloud Manor for another pill.
• Yue Huanjiang visited Xiang Yuan with gifts, and Xiang Yuan let Doubi pretend to return his feelings while accepting Yue’s attention.
• Xiao He stormed into the room, mistook Yue Huanjiang for a demoness, and demanded that he let go of Xiang Yuan.
• Xiao He grabbed Xiang Yuan’s other wrist and urged him to leave White Cloud Manor and return home with him.