Chapter Summaries

Song Qingshu borrowed a sword for Li Mochou and used paired Jade Maiden and Quanzhen swordplay to fight Zhang San and Li Si. Their opponents were driven back, while the romantic-looking movements embarrassed Li Mochou and enraged Mu Wanqing.

• Song Qingshu asked Li Mochou to fight beside him, and Mu Wanqing offered him her sword before Yue Lingshan insisted he take hers instead.
• Song Qingshu declined Yue Lingshan's sword, borrowed Ning Zhongze's sword, and handed it to Li Mochou.
• Zhang San and Li Si attacked Li Mochou to draw Song Qingshu into a vulnerable rescue, but Song Qingshu guided her through a combined sword technique that forced them to retreat.
• Song Qingshu called out successive moves as Li Mochou followed his lead, and their coordinated swordplay increasingly overwhelmed Zhang San and Li Si.
• Li Mochou blushed as the pair's movements took on a romantic air, while Mu Wanqing grew furious at Song Qingshu's apparent flirtation.

Song Qingshu and Li Mochou used Jade Maiden Heart Swordplay to defeat Zhang San and Li Si, who surrendered and handed over Hero's Island's token. Afterward, Song Qingshu flirted with Li Mochou and Ning Zhongze, then fled the tavern when Mu Wanqing attacked him, with both women pursuing.

• Li Mochou and Song Qingshu coordinated with Jade Maiden Heart Swordplay until Zhang San and Li Si surrendered.
• Song Qingshu let the two emissaries leave, accepted Hero's Island's Order of Reward and Punishment, and said he would visit Long and Mu.
• Song Qingshu returned the borrowed sword to Ning Zhongze while secretly touching her hand; she concealed her reaction from Yue Buqun.
• Song Qingshu teased Mu Wanqing, who recognized him and attacked him with her sword.
• Song Qingshu fled the tavern, and Mu Wanqing and Li Mochou followed him while the Qinghai Sect members escaped.

Song Qingshu revealed his identity to Mu Wanqing, who confronted him over his relationship with Zhong Ling and his many romantic affairs. After he kissed her and softened her anger with teasing, she aimed her sleeve arrow at him, while Li Mochou watched from hiding.

• Song Qingshu removed his mask and explained that he had hidden his identity because his whereabouts could attract dangerous attention.
• Mu Wanqing told Song Qingshu that Zhong Ling was her younger sister and accused him of abandoning her, while recalling how she had learned of their relationship and searched for him.
• Song Qingshu explained how he and Zhong Ling had become lovers, but Mu Wanqing criticized him for leaving Zhong Ling at the Five Poisons Sect and cited his other rumored romances.
• Song Qingshu pulled Mu Wanqing into his arms and kissed her, then teased her about wanting him to treat her like Zhong Ling.
• Song Qingshu closed his eyes and invited Mu Wanqing to shoot him with her poison arrows, and Li Mochou watched from behind a distant tree.

Mu Wanqing shot Song Qingshu with a poisoned arrow, then risked poisoning herself to draw the toxin from his wound. After he treated her and they set off for another town, Li Mochou watched them leave and wondered whether to follow.

• Mu Wanqing shot Song Qingshu, and he refused to dodge because he had promised not to.
• Mu Wanqing sucked the poisoned blood from Song Qingshu's wound and collapsed after absorbing some of the toxin.
• Song Qingshu treated Mu Wanqing with his inner power until she spat out poisoned blood and woke.
• Song Qingshu retrieved wound medicine from Mu Wanqing's collar and dressed his reopened wound while they exchanged teasing remarks.
• Song Qingshu carried Mu Wanqing toward a nearby town, and Li Mochou emerged from behind a tree, conflicted about following them.

Song Qingshu carried Mu Wanqing to a lavish inn arranged by an unknown young master, whose description suggested he was exceptionally handsome and noble. As they settled in, Song Qingshu urged Mu Wanqing to bathe so he could force the remaining poison from her body, and her flustered reply left the moment awkwardly unresolved.

• Mu Wanqing woke in Song Qingshu's arms in a busy marketplace and hid her face while he carried her on.
• An innkeeper recognized Song Qingshu and revealed that an unknown, richly dressed young master had paid for their room and requested they be treated well.
• Song Qingshu learned the mysterious benefactor was a handsome stranger and took Mu Wanqing to the lavishly furnished room.
• Song Qingshu suspected the room had been prepared to draw him out and chose to stay until the mysterious person revealed himself.
• Song Qingshu explained that Mu Wanqing needed a hot bath so he could force out the poison left in her body.
• Song Qingshu promised to cover his eyes during the treatment, but Mu Wanqing's immediate response made him look at her strangely.

Song Qingshu helped Mu Wanqing expel the poison while they discussed her mission to assassinate Li Qingluo and her family history. He revealed that Li Qingluo’s daughter, Wang Yuyan, was Mu Wanqing’s half-sister, leaving Mu Wanqing to suspect Song Qingshu had a relationship with Wang Yuyan.

• Mu Wanqing entered the flower-petal bath, and Song Qingshu turned around to help expel the poison through his true qi.
• As Song Qingshu treated her, Mu Wanqing said she planned to carry out Qin Hongmian’s order to kill Li Qingluo at Mantuo Mountain Villa.
• Song Qingshu warned Mu Wanqing that the assassination was dangerous and condemned Duan Zhengchun for abandoning her mother.
• Song Qingshu told Mu Wanqing that Li Qingluo’s daughter, Wang Yuyan, was her half-sister and asked her to reconsider the mission.
• Mu Wanqing asked Song Qingshu whether he also had a relationship with Wang Yuyan.

Song Qingshu treated Mu Wanqing’s poison and reassured her about her past, bringing them closer before she stopped their intimacy to insist that he seek her mother’s approval. The chapter left Song Qingshu delighted that Mu Wanqing wanted to marry him, though he still tried to persuade her to continue.

• Song Qingshu told Mu Wanqing that Wang Yuyan was her blood sister and reassured her that Duan Yu would be fine.
• Song Qingshu expelled the remaining poison from Mu Wanqing’s body, and she changed into dry clothes.
• Mu Wanqing confessed what the Four Great Evils had done to her and Duan Yu, and Song Qingshu comforted her and promised to protect her.
• Mu Wanqing embraced Song Qingshu and kissed him, but then pushed him away after realizing he had not known she was testing him about her innocence.
• Mu Wanqing said she would agree to marry Song Qingshu if he asked her mother for her hand, and Song Qingshu happily accepted the prospect.

Song Qingshu and Mu Wanqing grew closer before parting, with Mu Wanqing setting out for Gusu and Song Qingshu continuing his journey. A mysterious Brocade-Robed Young Master learned that Song Qingshu had delayed in town with Mu Wanqing, flew into a rage, and remained unaware that Song Qingshu had sensed someone following him.

• Song Qingshu promised to marry Mu Wanqing, and she agreed to wait for his proposal before going further with him.
• Mu Wanqing said she would travel to Gusu to fulfill her promise to her mother, while Song Qingshu advised her to be careful and use his name if she met a powerful foe.
• Song Qingshu and Mu Wanqing spent several days together before she departed for Gusu, leaving him moved by their parting.
• A Brocade-Robed Young Master learned that Song Qingshu had spent his stay in Liulian Town with Mu Wanqing and smashed a porcelain cup in anger.
• After leaving Liulian Town, Song Qingshu guessed that the mysterious person waiting ahead was furious, then sensed someone following him and demanded that they come out.

Song Qingshu teased Li Mochou and revealed that the Ancient Tomb Sect had an eldest senior sister, Bing Xue'er, whom he had married. He offered to teach Li Mochou the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, and she collapsed after realizing her master had left her out of the art.

• Li Mochou approached Song Qingshu, and the two traded flirtatious, exasperated remarks about how he should address her.
• Li Mochou asked how Song Qingshu knew the Ancient Tomb Sect's martial arts, and he claimed to be the sect's son-in-law.
• After Song Qingshu clarified that he was Bing Xue'er's husband, he told Li Mochou that Bing Xue'er was her eldest senior sister and that Xiaolongnü had acknowledged her.
• Song Qingshu offered to teach Li Mochou the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and recited part of its incantation to prove he knew it.
• Li Mochou realized that her master had taught the supreme art to the other disciples but not to her, then turned pale and spat blood.

Song Qingshu explained that Li Mochou’s emotional turmoil had destabilized her Ancient Tomb Sect cultivation, leaving her unable to use her martial arts without risking death. He offered two ways to save her, and the chapter ended with her weighing the humiliating requirements of both.

• Song Qingshu falsely told Li Mochou that her master had intended Bing Xue'er to pass the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to her if she abandoned her violent ways, but Li Mochou’s grief worsened and she vomited blood.
• Song Qingshu carried the fainted Li Mochou to a bed and stabilized her injuries, then explained that her internal energy remained dangerously disordered.
• Li Mochou asked Song Qingshu to save her, and he revealed that one option was to cleanse her sinews and marrow through dual cultivation, which would cost him much of his cultivation.
• Song Qingshu offered the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra as another remedy and warned Li Mochou that practicing it required both partners to remove all their clothes.
• Li Mochou accepted the idea of practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra with Song Qingshu, then reacted with shock when he disclosed its requirements.

Song Qingshu negotiated with Li Mochou over how to treat her Qi Deviation and secured her agreement to join the Nian Gan Chu for a year. The Brocade-Robed Young Master learned that Song Qingshu had arrived in Xueyue Town and decided to visit him.

• The Brocade-Robed Young Master learned that Song Qingshu had entered the inn carrying Li Mochou and suspected that Song Qingshu was trying to provoke him.
• Song Qingshu told Li Mochou that her unstable foundation left only two possible methods of treatment, and she rejected the prospect of living in seclusion.
• Li Mochou agreed to Song Qingshu's first method if he surrendered his cultivation, then called him her brother-in-law after he invoked her senior sister.
• Song Qingshu offered Li Mochou a place in the Nian Gan Chu, and she agreed to serve for one year in exchange for treatment and freedom outside assignments.
• Song Qingshu proposed treating Li Mochou's injuries immediately.

Song Qingshu began guiding Li Mochou through the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to treat her injuries, while she secretly planned to kill him once she recovered. Their practice stirred an unusual reaction in Li Mochou, and Song Qingshu paused the exercise when her true qi began to boil over.

• Li Mochou agreed to practice immediately and asked Song Qingshu to cover his eyes while she undressed.
• Song Qingshu explained the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra’s alternating stages and began guiding Li Mochou through its first stage.
• As they circulated their energy, Song Qingshu struggled to maintain focus, while Li Mochou became physically weak and aroused by his scent.
• Song Qingshu noticed Li Mochou’s true qi boiling over and told her to rest before they continued.

Li Mochou completed the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra with Song Qingshu and prepared to kill him, but the Brocade-Robed Young Master barged in as she launched her poisoned needles at him. The needles were about to strike the intruder when the chapter ended.

• Song Qingshu guided Li Mochou through the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and left her alone briefly to relieve herself and recover.
• The Brocade-Robed Young Master received reports about Song Qingshu and Li Mochou, then hurried to Xueyue Town to confront them.
• Song Qingshu and Li Mochou completed the final sections of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, and Li Mochou planned to fake Qi Deviation and kill him with hidden Ice Soul Silver Needles.
• Li Mochou asked Song Qingshu to remove his eye covering, while he mistook her behavior for growing affection.
• The Brocade-Robed Young Master burst into the room, and Li Mochou redirected her attack toward him, firing three poisoned needles at his eyes.

Zhao Min burst into the room and nearly struck Li Mochou and Song Qingshu with poisoned needles, disrupting their cultivation and leaving Li Mochou gravely injured. Song Qingshu revealed Zhao Min was a woman and tried to calm their quarrel, but Zhao Min learned that Li Mochou might not survive.

• Zhao Min entered alone and launched Ice Soul Silver Needles at Song Qingshu and Li Mochou.
• Song Qingshu pulled Zhao Min out of the needles’ path, then found Li Mochou’s interrupted cultivation had caused her true qi to run wild.
• Li Mochou demanded that Song Qingshu kill Zhao Min, while Zhao Min drew her sword and accused them of being adulterers.
• Song Qingshu removed Zhao Min’s cap and revealed that she was a woman, easing Li Mochou’s distress about being seen exposed.
• Zhao Min complained that Song Qingshu had delayed their promised journey to Blackwood Cliff, where she hoped to find an antidote for her poison.
• Song Qingshu warned Zhao Min that her interruption had caused Li Mochou’s Qi Deviation and that Li Mochou might not survive.

Song Qingshu and Zhao Min argued over the critically injured Li Mochou, whose Qi Deviation left her near death, while their teasing turned flirtatious. Li Mochou woke and called them out for flirting beside her.

• Li Mochou gathered her remaining true qi and attacked Zhao Min, but her meridians failed and she collapsed into Song Qingshu's arms.
• Song Qingshu examined Li Mochou and explained that her chaotic true qi from Qi Deviation could not be cured by ordinary doctors.
• Zhao Min suggested Song Qingshu use dual cultivation to save Li Mochou, but he said his method would not work on injuries caused from within.
• Zhao Min teased Song Qingshu about whether he preferred enchantresses or gentle ladies, and he asked whether she preferred gentlemen or scoundrels.
• Zhao Min recalled Zhang Wuji and answered that she liked little thieves before Li Mochou woke and rebuked them for flirting beside her.

Song Qingshu took the gravely injured Li Mochou toward Blackwood Cliff, hoping the Star-Absorbing Technique could disperse the chaotic true qi in her body and save her. He asked Zhao Min to help him obtain Ren Woxing’s signature skill.

• Li Mochou asked Song Qingshu to take her back to the Ancient Tomb on Mount Zhongnan, but he promised to try to cure her first.
• Song Qingshu carried Li Mochou to Zhao Min’s carriage and announced they were heading to Blackwood Cliff.
• Zhao Min ordered the carriage toward Pingding Prefecture despite the driver’s warning that the journey was dangerous.
• Song Qingshu explained that the Star-Absorbing Technique could disperse Li Mochou’s chaotic true qi while giving her a powerful new skill.
• Zhao Min questioned how Ren Woxing could be persuaded to share his technique, and Song Qingshu asked her to help devise a way.

Song Qingshu used Zhao Min’s old token to persuade her to help find a way to save Li Mochou, and their playful exchange erased the estrangement between them. They began discussing how to obtain Ren Woxing’s Star-Absorbing Art, before Zhao Min asked Song Qingshu how he had summoned wind and rain at Fox Slope.

• Song Qingshu showed Zhao Min the earring she had given him as a token and asked her to help save Li Mochou, but she initially refused.
• Zhao Min agreed to help while letting Song Qingshu keep the earring, and their teasing restored their closeness after the Golden Snake Camp incident.
• Song Qingshu explained that defeating Ren Woxing would be easier than making him hand over the real Star-Absorbing Art.
• Zhao Min praised Song Qingshu’s martial arts after recalling his victory over A Qing, and he dismissed it as a trick.
• Zhao Min asked how Song Qingshu had summoned wind and rain at Fox Slope, and he began to explain that he would share the secret with her.

Song Qingshu told Zhao Min how he summoned wind and rain, and she devised a plan to obtain Ren Woxing’s genuine Star-Sucking Skill formula through Ren Yingying. Song Qingshu hesitated over the danger and indignity the plan could cause Ren Yingying.

• Zhao Min explained that she had been feigning affection for Song Qingshu to enlist his help against Lord of Light, but she began to feel guilty when she sensed his sincerity.
• Song Qingshu explained the secret of summoning wind and rain, then asked Zhao Min how to obtain the Star-Sucking Skill.
• Zhao Min proposed making Ren Yingying suffer symptoms like Li Mochou’s so Ren Woxing would teach her the Star-Sucking Skill while Song Qingshu secretly listened.
• Song Qingshu realized that provoking Ren Yingying’s condition would likely require having her cultivate the Jade Maiden Heart Manual until she suffered Qi Deviation.
• Song Qingshu worried that the plan would dishonor and endanger Ren Yingying, and he hesitated to proceed.

Song Qingshu brought Zhao Min and the weakened Li Mochou to Blackwood Cliff, where he hid them in Dongfang Bubai’s abandoned residence before heading toward Ren Yingying. Ren Yingying woke from a recurring dream about Song Qingshu just as he appeared beside her.

• Zhao Min warned Song Qingshu that finding an antidote for her Three Corpses Godly Brain Pill might be difficult, and he promised to seek remedies at Blackwood Cliff.
• Zhao Min insisted on accompanying Song Qingshu, and he carried her and Li Mochou up Blackwood Cliff using his extraordinary lightness skill.
• Song Qingshu left Zhao Min and Li Mochou in Dongfang Bubai’s abandoned residence, where Zhao Min discovered a dressing table and wondered whether Dongfang Bubai had been a woman.
• Ren Yingying woke from a nightmare in which Song Qingshu touched her while she could not resist, and she vowed to kill him.
• Song Qingshu appeared beside Ren Yingying as she spoke, startling her.

Song Qingshu visited Ren Yingying on Blackwood Cliff and tried to force her into helping him save his injured friend by threatening to make her suffer the same Qi Deviation. Ren Yingying offered to ask her father for the Star-Sucking Art, but Song rejected the offer and carried her toward the bed to begin practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

• Ren Yingying fainted when she saw Song Qingshu, who woke her and sealed her acupoints when she tried to call for help.
• Song Qingshu teased Ren Yingying about dreaming of him and explained that he needed her help treating an injured Ancient Tomb Sect inheritor.
• Ren Yingying recognized that Song wanted the Star-Sucking Art and refused to help him obtain it.
• Song Qingshu revealed that he planned to induce Qi Deviation in Ren Yingying so Ren Woxing would have to save both her and his friend.
• Ren Yingying tried to escape, then offered to ask her father for the Star-Sucking Art, but Song Qingshu carried her toward the bed and refused to trust that the manual would be genuine.