Chapter Summaries

Jiao Wan'er tried to get Song Qingshu drunk and learn whether he would pursue Madam Luo again, but he pulled her into bed before she could escape. Outside, Luo Liru mistook the woman’s voice for Zeng Rou’s and assumed the wedding night had begun.

• Jiao Wan'er hid her dagger, poured Song Qingshu liquor, and was pulled into his arms and made to drink with him.
• Jiao Wan'er pretended to be Zeng Rou and asked Song Qingshu what he had done to Madam Luo and whether he would do it again.
• Song Qingshu refused to reveal what had happened but admitted he might seek Madam Luo out again because he was captivated by her.
• Song Qingshu declared that they should sleep and pinned Jiao Wan'er to the bed, kissing her as she cried out.
• Luo Liru listened outside, mistook Jiao Wan'er's voice for Zeng Rou's, and joked with the people beside him about how long the Great Leader would last.

Luo Liru and the men outside Song Qingshu’s room listened and joked while Song Qingshu was with Jiao Wan'er. Afterward, Jiao Wan'er feared he would remember her willing response and placed Zeng Rou in his arms so he might mistake her for the woman beside him.

• Luo Liru and the men teased each other as they listened outside Song Qingshu’s room.
• Luo Liru shouted encouragement through the window, and Song Qingshu replied without blaming him.
• The men gradually left, and Luo Liru ran home after the sounds inside finally stopped.
• Jiao Wan'er felt guilty about yielding to Song Qingshu and grew angry at Luo Liru for cheering him on.
• Jiao Wan'er put Zeng Rou into Song Qingshu’s arms, hoping he would think Zeng Rou had been with him.

Jiao Wan'er returned from Song Qingshu’s bridal chamber and struggled with guilt and humiliation while Luo Liru misunderstood her distress. Song Qingshu later woke beside Zeng Rou, freed her sealed acupoint, and began kissing her again.

• Jiao Wan'er left Song Qingshu’s courtyard in tears while Xia Qingqing remained hidden nearby.
• Jiao Wan'er rejected Luo Liru’s advances and broke down after he excitedly described eavesdropping on Song Qingshu and Zeng Rou.
• Jiao Wan'er sent Luo Liru to sleep with her maid Cui'er, then cried alone and worried she might become pregnant.
• Song Qingshu woke beside Zeng Rou, noticed her acupoint was sealed, and released her.
• Zeng Rou woke confused and embarrassed in Song Qingshu’s arms, and Song Qingshu kissed her.

Song Qingshu married Zeng Rou, but remained puzzled by a memory of an earlier encounter with another woman. Before leaving for Yanjing, he learned that the woman had been Jiao Wan'er and went to confront the problem he had created.

• Song Qingshu discovered that Zeng Rou was a virgin and treated her gently after realizing he had hurt her.
• Song Qingshu spent the next few days with Zeng Rou while preparing for his journey north, and she encouraged him to leave for Yanjing without worrying about her.
• Song Qingshu privately told Xia Qingqing that his Inner Demon had led him to force himself on Jiao Wan'er.
• Xia Qingqing revealed that she had been the woman in Song Qingshu's mistaken memory, and they realized the encounter had been a misunderstanding.
• Xia Qingqing refused to handle Jiao Wan'er's situation and left, so Song Qingshu devised a plan and went to Jiao Wan'er's residence.

Song Qingshu visited Jiao Wan'er, took advantage of her vulnerability, and offered her a chance to return to Jinling in exchange for establishing a base in Jiangnan. The story left them trapped together in her room as her husband, Luo, approached.

• Jiao Wan'er struggled with memories of her encounters with Song Qingshu while trying to rest.
• Song Qingshu entered Jiao Wan'er's private chamber and teased her before getting into bed with her.
• After they were intimate, Jiao Wan'er worried that the servants would spread rumors about Song Qingshu's long visit.
• Song Qingshu offered Jiao Wan'er a chance to return to Jinling if she established a strong foothold in Jiangnan for the Golden Snake Camp.
• Jiao Wan'er heard that her husband was approaching while Song Qingshu was still in her bed.

Song Qingshu hid beneath the covers while Luo Liru returned home, then asked Jiao Wan'er to establish the Golden Dragon Gang in Yangzhou and build ties with the Jiangnan Green Standard Army. After making arrangements and leaving the Golden Snake Camp in disguise, Song Qingshu entered a tavern and was stunned by what he saw.

• Jiao Wan'er hid Song Qingshu beneath the blankets when her husband, Luo Liru, unexpectedly returned home.
• Luo Liru praised Song Qingshu and left without discovering that he was in the bed with Jiao Wan'er.
• Song Qingshu told Jiao Wan'er to go to Yangzhou, build relations with the Jiangnan Green Standard Army, and prepare to help him take control of it.
• Jiao Wan'er asked about her freedom and her senior brother and younger brother, and Song Qingshu said they would remain in Jinling as hostages while continuing to lead troops.
• After two days of preparations, Song Qingshu said farewell to the women at the Golden Snake Camp and left wearing a silver mask.
• Song Qingshu reached a small town, followed the scent of wine into a tavern, and was stunned by the scene inside.

Song Qingshu concealed his identity while dining at a crowded tavern and recognized Yue Buqun’s family among the patrons. Mu Wanqing arrived and claimed his table, leaving him face-to-face with the woman he had not seen since she left him in Jinling City.

• Song Qingshu entered the packed tavern, ordered food and wine, and drew the attention of its suspicious patrons.
• Yue Lingshan criticized Song Qingshu for flaunting his wealth, while Ning Zhongze cautioned that he might be a skilled martial artist.
• Lin Pingzhi defended Song Qingshu by comparing him to the young Golden Snake King, and Yue Buqun urged his family to finish their meal.
• Song Qingshu recognized the Mount Hua Sect family but kept his identity hidden and reflected on Yue Lingshan and her admirers.
• Mu Wanqing entered, scared off men who whistled at her with a sleeve arrow, and demanded Song Qingshu’s table in exchange for silver.

Song Qingshu shared a table with Mu Wanqing, who wanted to ask him about Jin— before Li Mochou’s arrival interrupted them. The Crimson Lotus Fairy frightened away nearby patrons, then attacked Yue Lingshan after she mocked her.

• Mu Wanqing sat with Song Qingshu and paid for his wine before asking whether he knew the area.
• Song Qingshu said he had lived nearby for years, and Mu Wanqing began asking him about Jin— before a beautiful Daoist nun entered.
• Song Qingshu recognized the nun as Li Mochou, whose presence silenced the inn and drove several men from their table.
• Yue Lingshan mocked the men for fearing Li Mochou, and Li Mochou flicked a greasy chicken leg toward her face.

At an inn, Li Mochou ended a confrontation with the Mount Hua Sect after Yue Buqun intervened when Yue Lingshan was struck by a chicken leg. Song Qingshu and Mu Wanqing traded barbs before Mu Wanqing asked where to find the Golden Snake Camp, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

• Lin Pingzhi tried to stop the chicken leg with a sword strike, but Yue Buqun pinned it to the table with a chopstick, splashing Yue Lingshan.
• Yue Buqun stopped Yue Lingshan from provoking Li Mochou and thanked Li Mochou for letting the incident go, while silently noticing Lin Pingzhi's unfamiliar sword technique.
• Lin Pingzhi worried that Yue Buqun had recognized the sword technique Song Qingshu had secretly taught him, while Li Mochou became wary of the Mount Hua Sect's apparent skill.
• Song Qingshu teased Mu Wanqing, who fired a sleeve arrow at him and threatened him, but could not bring herself to kill him.
• Mu Wanqing asked Song Qingshu where the Golden Snake Camp was, and the tavern fell silent as Li Mochou and the other patrons listened.

Mu Wanqing asked Song Qingshu about the Golden Snake Camp and declared she wanted to kill him, while he hid his identity behind a mask. When Qinghai Yixiao offered to help her, she instead attacked him to protect Song Qingshu.

• Mu Wanqing asked Song Qingshu where she could find the Golden Snake Camp, and he praised himself while concealing who he was.
• Mu Wanqing remembered her time with Song Qingshu as the people in the hall admired her, while Yue Lingshan scolded Lin Pingzhi for looking at her.
• Mu Wanqing said she wanted to kill Song Qingshu and demanded to know where he was.
• Qinghai Yixiao interrupted and offered to teach Mu Wanqing how to kill Song Qingshu.
• Li Mochou mocked Qinghai Yixiao, and Mu Wanqing said only she could kill Song Qingshu before firing a sleeve arrow at him.

Song Qingshu watched Mu Wanqing fight Qinghai Yixiao, then helped her evade him without revealing his martial arts. Qinghai Yixiao and Li Mochou began fighting, while Yue Buqun grew suspicious that Lin Pingzhi had learned the Bixie Sword Manual; the chapter ended as Qinghai Yixiao struck at Song Qingshu.

• Mu Wanqing attacked Qinghai Yixiao, and Song Qingshu recognized him as an unorthodox expert Zuo Lengchan had used against the Taishan Sect.
• As Qinghai Yixiao gained the advantage, Mu Wanqing stumbled into Song Qingshu's arms, and Song Qingshu subtly angled her sword to force Qinghai Yixiao back.
• Li Mochou intervened on Song Qingshu's behalf and began fighting Qinghai Yixiao after he mocked her past.
• Yue Lingshan reassured Lin Pingzhi that Mu Wanqing was safe, while Yue Buqun suspected Lin Pingzhi had secretly learned the Bixie Sword Manual.
• Mu Wanqing attacked Song Qingshu over their brief physical contact, and he pretended to be helpless as he dodged toward Qinghai Yixiao.
• Qinghai Yixiao, distracted by his fight with Li Mochou, struck a palm at Song Qingshu's back.

Song Qingshu protected Mu Wanqing from further conflict while Li Mochou defeated Qinghai Yixiao. When Li Mochou tried to kill him, someone broke her Ice Soul Silver Needle, but a fragment struck Mu Wanqing, leaving Song Qingshu rushing to examine her wound.

• Song Qingshu pretended his injuries left him helpless as he fell on Mu Wanqing, then got up after she pushed him aside.
• Mu Wanqing joined Li Mochou against Qinghai Yixiao, whose defenses crumbled and who fell wounded.
• Qinghai Yixiao warned Li Mochou that the Qinghai Sect would pursue her, but she dismissed the threat and fired an Ice Soul Silver Needle at him.
• An unseen finger wind snapped the needle, and a fragment lodged in Mu Wanqing's arm.
• Song Qingshu tore open Mu Wanqing's sleeve to inspect the wound, and she slapped him.

Song Qingshu treated Mu Wanqing for the Ice Soul Silver Needle’s poison while Li Mochou faced the Qinghai Sect’s arriving masters. Outnumbered and unable to abandon Mu Wanqing, Li Mochou asked Yue Buqun to protect her, but Qinghai Yixiao’s taunt provoked both women.

• Song Qingshu gave Mu Wanqing the oral antidote and applied Li Mochou’s medicine to her wound.
• Li Mochou recognized the River-Interlaced Twin Fiends among the three men who entered the inn, including the Whiteboard Fiend.
• Qinghai Yixiao called for his master’s help, and Yue Buqun identified the Whiteboard Fiend while refusing to intervene on Li Mochou’s behalf.
• Yue Lingshan drew her sword against Li Mochou, but Yue Buqun told her to wait until the Qinghai Sect’s dispute was settled.
• Li Mochou asked Yue Buqun to protect Mu Wanqing after the fight, and Qinghai Yixiao mocked her by suggesting Mu Wanqing was her illegitimate daughter.

Li Mochou fought Whiteboard Fiend while Yue Buqun weighed whether to let them weaken each other before intervening. Song Qingshu reassured Mu Wanqing, then teased her until she chased him with her sword, as Bu Tai and Hao Mi joined the fight against Li Mochou.

• Whiteboard Fiend blocked Mu Wanqing and Li Mochou’s hidden weapons, then threatened them and promised Mu Wanqing to Qinghai Yixiao.
• Li Mochou feigned an attack on Qinghai Yixiao and turned on Whiteboard Fiend, using her experience and poisoned needles to gain the advantage.
• Yue Buqun decided to wait until the fighters were badly wounded before making his move, while Bu Tai and Hao Mi initially held back.
• Song Qingshu stopped the still-poisoned Mu Wanqing from joining the fight and told her that no one would dare harm the Golden Snake King’s woman.
• Mu Wanqing realized Song Qingshu had pretended to be injured and chased him through the tavern with her sword.
• Bu Tai and Hao Mi attacked Li Mochou from both sides.

Li Mochou fought three senior martial artists while Mu Wanqing and Song Qingshu watched, and Mu Wanqing eventually stepped in to protect her. When invoking her ties to the Dali Duan clan failed to deter Whiteboard Fiend, Mu Wanqing claimed she was the Golden Snake King's woman.

• Li Mochou used her Five Poisons Divine Palm to poison Bu Tai while narrowly avoiding Hao Mi's One Finger Zen, leaving her arm numb and the fighters in a tense standoff.
• Song Qingshu told Mu Wanqing that the three attackers would likely defeat the exhausted Li Mochou, prompting Whiteboard Fiend to resume his advance.
• Mu Wanqing stood beside Li Mochou despite Li Mochou warning that she would only be a burden, and Li Mochou urged her to escape while she covered their retreat.
• Mu Wanqing claimed to be the County Princess of Dali and threatened the attackers with the power of the Duan clan, but Whiteboard Fiend and Hao Mi dismissed the threat.
• As Whiteboard Fiend kept approaching, Mu Wanqing declared that she was the Golden Snake King's woman.

Mu Wanqing invoked Song Qingshu’s name to protect herself and Li Mochou from Whiteboard Fiend and the Qinghai brothers, while Yue Buqun considered his own plans. As the fiends prepared to leave, two mysterious masters arrived and identified themselves as Reward Good and Punish Evil.

• Mu Wanqing claimed she belonged to the Golden Snake King, and Hao Mi confirmed that Song Qingshu had once defeated him and Bu Tai together.
• Whiteboard Fiend apologized to Mu Wanqing after realizing Song Qingshu’s reputation made provoking her dangerous.
• Yue Buqun reflected on Song Qingshu’s influence and considered advancing his plans involving the Bixie Sword Manual, Lin Pingzhi, and Yue Lingshan.
• Mu Wanqing claimed Li Mochou was also Song Qingshu’s woman, and Whiteboard Fiend persuaded Bu Tai to spare her.
• Whiteboard Fiend and the others started to leave, but two formidable newcomers entered and introduced themselves as Reward Good and Punish Evil.

Zhang San and Li Si arrived to summon martial sect leaders to Hero's Island, and Zhang San forced the Qinghai Sect members to accept their invitation. Li Si then confronted Li Mochou over her past killings and marked her with a bronze plaque, leaving her fate unsettled.

• Yue Buqun explained that the Two Emissaries of Reward and Punishment had summoned sect leaders to Hero's Island every thirty years, and that resisting them had led to death and destruction.
• Zhang San identified himself and Li Si, then ordered the three Qinghai Sect members to accept their invitations to Hero's Island.
• Whiteboard Fiend, Bu Tai, and Hao Mi attacked Zhang San, but he overpowered them and released Bu Tai when Hao Mi agreed to go.
• Yue Buqun agreed to attend the feast on Hero's Island when Zhang San asked what Mount Hua intended to do.
• Li Si accused Li Mochou of murdering the Lu family and killing many people surnamed He, then embedded a bronze plaque bearing a crying face in a pillar beside her.

Song Qingshu challenged the Two Emissaries of Reward and Punishment after they threatened Li Mochou, then revealed his hidden martial arts and claimed ties to the Ancient Tomb Sect. The chapter ended with Zhang San and Li Si preparing to fight him together, while Mu Wanqing objected to their numbers.

• Zhang San explained that Hero's Island had targeted Li Mochou because she had killed ordinary civilians, and Li Mochou gave Mu Wanqing the Five Poisons Secret Manual before preparing to die.
• Song Qingshu challenged Zhang San and Li Si, claiming the Golden Snake King could defeat them and that they could not defeat him.
• Song Qingshu claimed to be the Ancient Tomb Sect's son-in-law and demonstrated the Heavenly Net and Earth Net Stance, revealing that he had concealed his strength.
• Song Qingshu returned the emissaries' tokens and crushed one into powder using alternating Divine Illumination True Qi and Nine Yin True Qi.
• Zhang San praised Song Qingshu's internal energy but proposed that he and Li Si fight him together, and Mu Wanqing protested.

Song Qingshu helped Mu Wanqing injure Li Si with her sleeve arrow, revealing his extraordinary martial arts. Zhang San recognized him as the Golden Snake King, Mister Song, drawing the entire inn’s attention to his identity.

• Song Qingshu invited Mu Wanqing to fight beside him and encouraged her to use her sleeve arrows against Zhang San and Li Si.
• Li Si mocked Mu Wanqing’s sleeve arrows, so she fired one at him, but he strolled backward faster than it could reach him.
• Song Qingshu secretly accelerated the arrow with an invisible force, and it struck Li Si’s shoulder.
• Mu Wanqing warned Li Si that her arrow was poisoned, but he expelled it from his shoulder using his internal energy.
• Zhang San recognized Song Qingshu as the Golden Snake King, Mister Song, and the martial heroes in the inn were shocked by his identity.

Song Qingshu concealed his identity while claiming the Golden Snake King had defeated him, then challenged Zhang San and Li Si to face the Ancient Tomb Sect’s Jade Maiden Heart Swordplay. His remarks about the true Bixie Sword Manual stirred Yue Buqun and Lin Pingzhi’s determination to find it.

• Yue Buqun, Lin Pingzhi, Yue Lingshan, Li Mochou, and Mu Wanqing reacted to Song Qingshu’s apparent connection to the Golden Snake King.
• Song Qingshu claimed he had challenged the Golden Snake King and lost in a single move, leaving Zhang San and Li Si unsure whether to believe him.
• Zhang San listed the Ancient Tomb Sect’s known martial arts and questioned whether they could account for Song Qingshu’s power.
• Song Qingshu argued that a martial artist mattered more than the martial art, and Zhang San’s remarks suggested that Lin Yuantu’s Bixie Swordplay differed from Lin Zhennan’s version.
• Yue Buqun and Lin Pingzhi resolved to seek the true Bixie Sword Manual, while Song Qingshu accepted that events might take their course.
• Song Qingshu invited Li Mochou to join him in using the Jade Maiden Heart Swordplay against Zhang San and Li Si.