Chapter Summaries

Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu, a modern woman, transmigrates into the body of a convict in the Great Tang dynasty, where demons and monsters run rampant.
• She finds herself in a desolate wilderness with corpses of convicts and Demon Suppression Bureau officers, including a dying squad leader named Pei Changqing.
• A seemingly dead Tiger Demon rises, revealing it's in the Bone-Resonating Realm and nearly unkillable.
• Jiang Yuechu discovers a golden finger, the Hundred Demon Manual, which allows her to gain cultivation base by killing living beings and consuming their cultivation base.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Initially shocked and helpless, she adapts to her new situation and decides to fight for survival using the Hundred Demon Manual.
• Pei Changqing: Despite being mortally wounded, he tries to protect Jiang Yuechu and reveals his name and status to gain her trust.

Significant Themes

• Survival and adaptability in a harsh, demon-infested world.
• The power dynamics between humans and demons, with humans being vastly outmatched.
• The moral dilemma Jiang Yuechu faces when considering killing Pei Changqing to gain cultivation base.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Pei Changqing: Their interaction is tense and uncertain, with Pei Changqing trying to convince Jiang Yuechu to help him, while she considers using him to gain power.
• Jiang Yuechu and the Tiger Demon: The demon taunts Jiang Yuechu, underestimating her and giving her time to consider her options.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu kills Pei Changqing to obtain Dao Cultivation.
• She then battles the Tiger Demon, using all twenty years of her new Dao Cultivation in a single strike, which kills the Tiger Demon.
• After the battle, Jiang Yuechu uses her remaining Dao Cultivation to record the Tiger Demon, creating a 'Shadow Copy' and gaining a new martial art, 'Fierce Tiger Quickblade (Mastery)'.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates her ruthlessness and determination to survive, killing Pei Changqing despite her reservations.
• She shows remorse for killing Pei Changqing but accepts it as necessary for her survival.
• She displays strategic thinking by recording the Tiger Demon to gain its powers, rather than just consuming Dao Cultivation.

Significant Themes

• Survival at any cost.
• The consequences of one's actions.
• The power dynamics between humans and demons.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu's interaction with Pei Changqing is brief but intense, ending in his death at her hands.
• Her interaction with the Tiger Demon is a battle to the death, with Jiang Yuechu emerging victorious.
• There's a sense of camaraderie and shared fate between Jiang Yuechu and Pei Changqing, even though he's dead, as she expresses regret for killing him and a desire to help him if she can.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu buries Pei Changqing and loots the corpses of the Demon Suppression Guards for supplies.
• She dons the uniform of a Demon Suppression Guard to avoid being targeted.
• She encounters a group of martial men led by Chen Qingyuan, who mistake her for a Demon Suppression Bureau officer.
• They beg her to help save the villagers of Shangpan Village from a group of Wolf Demons.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates adaptability and resourcefulness in her new circumstances.
• Chen Qingyuan shows urgency and desperation in his plea for help, highlighting the gravity of the situation in Shangpan Village.

Significant Themes

• Identity and its importance in society (Jiang Yuechu's struggle with her lowborn status and lack of registration).
• The power dynamics between different factions (the Demon Suppression Bureau, local sects like the Flying Eagle Sect, and demonic forces).

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu's silent and aloof demeanor contrasts with Chen Qingyuan's urgent and respectful plea, creating a tense and uncertain dynamic between them.
• The Flying Eagle Sect members' united kneeling emphasizes their desperation and the severity of the situation in Shangpan Village.

Chapter Summary: Shangpan Village

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu initially refuses to help Shangpan Village, believing that confronting the Wolf Demons is too dangerous and that she should focus on secretly growing stronger.
• Seeing Chen Qingyuan and the other villagers lose hope stirs an unexpected sense of anger and responsibility in her. She changes her mind and agrees to investigate.
• Chen explains that seven or eight Wolf Demons have occupied the village. Their leader, the Green-Faced Gentleman, is a powerful blue-furred wolf capable of human speech and likely at the String-Hearing Realm.
• The group rides through the night to Shangpan Village. Along the way, Jiang compares the Wolf Demon’s strength to the Tiger Demon she previously fought and gains confidence that her twenty-five years of Dao Cultivation and perfected Fierce Tiger Quickblade may allow her to challenge it.
• Upon arrival, they find the village devastated: the entrance stele is broken, blood and torn clothing cover the road, and mutilated corpses hang from racks outside the homes.
• The Green-Shirt Wolf Demon confronts the group and mocks them for returning after previously escaping. It justifies eating humans by comparing the practice to humans eating livestock.
• When the demon notices Jiang’s Demon Suppression Bureau uniform, it becomes wary. Jiang identifies it as the Green-Faced Gentleman and deliberately provokes it, declaring that killing a speaking beast will make the journey worthwhile.
• Enraged, the demon orders its followers to kill Jiang, setting up the confrontation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: She begins as cautious, self-protective, and unwilling to risk her life for strangers. However, her sympathy for the villagers and anger at their despair overcome her survival instincts. She accepts the mission despite still fearing the danger, then demonstrates increasing confidence by confronting the Wolf Demon directly and using her official identity to intimidate it.
• Chen Qingyuan: He is initially bitter and resigned when Jiang appears unwilling to help, but becomes intensely grateful and excited when she agrees. His description of the Wolf Demon reveals both his own injuries and the threat posed by the creature.
• The Flying Eagle Sect members: Their sense of communal duty is emphasized. Although they are not acting solely out of heroism, their connections to Shangpan Village make the villagers’ suffering personal. Their anger grows when the Wolf Demon dismisses humans as food.
• Green-Faced Gentleman: It is arrogant, cruel, and confident in its power. It treats humans as livestock and initially mocks Chen’s group, but Jiang’s presence and Demon Suppression Bureau uniform make it cautious. Her verbal dominance unsettles it before the battle begins.

Significant Themes

• Self-preservation versus moral responsibility: Jiang’s decision reflects the conflict between surviving in a dangerous world and responding to the suffering of others.
• The dehumanization of victims: The Wolf Demon’s comparison of humans to livestock highlights how violence is justified through the denial of others’ humanity.
• Power and authority: Jiang’s uniform gives her an intimidating status even before she demonstrates her actual strength, showing how reputation and institutional power influence confrontations.
• Community and interconnectedness: The villagers and the Flying Eagle Sect are linked through family and local relationships, suggesting that people help one another not only out of idealism but also because their lives are deeply intertwined.
• Courage through confrontation: Jiang gains psychological momentum by refusing to answer the demon defensively and instead forcing it to acknowledge her authority and threat.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qingyuan respectfully begs Jiang for help and provides crucial information about the demons.
• Jiang responds curtly but accepts the mission, prompting gratitude from Chen and the other men.
• The Flying Eagle Sect members react with outrage to the Wolf Demon’s taunting and its claim that humans are merely food.
• Jiang and the Green-Faced Gentleman engage in a tense exchange of intimidation. She identifies it by name and insults it as a beast, while the demon attempts to reassert dominance but becomes increasingly unsettled.
• The chapter ends with the Wolf Demon ordering its pack to attack Jiang.

Chapter Summary: “Battle the Wolf Demon”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Green-Shirt Wolf Demon orders his lesser demons to attack Jiang Yuechu.
• Jiang Yuechu draws her Horizontal Blade and unleashes the perfected Fierce Tiger Quickblade. Her first strike cleaves one demon in half, while a follow-up horizontal sweep decapitates three more.
• The remaining lesser demons panic and retreat, while the Green-Shirt Wolf Demon is horrified and enraged at the loss of most of his lineage.
• Jiang Yuechu challenges his earlier belief that “the strong devour the weak” by applying that principle to his own fallen companions.
• The Wolf Demon launches a powerful counterattack using black baleful qi. Jiang Yuechu responds by summoning the phantom of a Variegated Blood Tiger, and the two collide in midair.
• Both combatants are injured: Jiang Yuechu suffers deep claw wounds across her abdomen, while the Wolf Demon’s left shoulder is nearly severed.
• The Flying Eagle Sect members, initially stunned by Jiang Yuechu’s speed and ferocity, recover and surround her to provide protection. The remaining demons flee.
• Jiang Yuechu assesses the fight and realizes that although this Wolf Demon is weaker than the Tiger Demon she previously killed, a String-Hearing Realm demon remains extremely dangerous.
• Concerned that a prolonged battle would leave her seriously wounded and expose her sensitive identity, she decides to use her stored Dao Cultivation.
• She channels all 152 years of accumulated Dao Cultivation into the Tiger Demon Scroll, causing her perception of the world to shift into black and white.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates overwhelming speed, precision, and killing intent, killing four lesser demons almost instantly. She remains calm and psychologically composed, using the Wolf Demon’s own philosophy against him. However, the battle reveals the limits of her current martial skill: she can contend with a String-Hearing Realm demon but may be seriously injured in the process. Her willingness to use the “cheat” of accumulated Dao Cultivation shows both pragmatism and growing dependence on the Ancient Scroll’s power.
• Green-Shirt Wolf Demon: Changes from arrogant and mocking to horrified, furious, and vengeful after witnessing his offspring’s deaths. His grief exposes the emotional contradiction in his belief that the strong naturally prey upon the weak.
• Chen Qingyuan and the Flying Eagle Sect: Initially overwhelmed by Jiang Yuechu’s terrifying display, they later regain their courage and move to protect her. Chen Qingyuan takes the lead in organizing their response.
• The lesser Wolf Demons: Their loyalty collapses under fear. Unlike the humans, they instinctively flee once the danger becomes overwhelming.

Significant Themes

• The strong devouring the weak: Jiang Yuechu turns the Wolf Demon’s justification for violence back upon him, exposing his hypocrisy when he suffers the same losses he inflicts on others.
• Humanity versus instinct: The fleeing demons represent the instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm, while the humans’ decision to protect Jiang Yuechu demonstrates their ability to suppress fear for loyalty, duty, or moral purpose.
• The cost of power: Jiang Yuechu’s decisive attacks do not make her invulnerable. Her injuries and calculations emphasize that victory against powerful demons may come at a heavy price.
• Pragmatism and hidden identity: Jiang Yuechu avoids risking a prolonged, damaging battle because her identity is sensitive. Survival and concealment matter as much as defeating her opponent.
• Lineage and loss: The Wolf Demon’s rage stems from the rarity of demon reproduction and the destruction of his entire small family line, giving his anger a personal dimension beyond simple revenge.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu directly confronts the Wolf Demon verbally, using his own philosophy to mock his grief and anger.
• The Wolf Demon responds with a furious personal attack, transforming their confrontation from a general battle into a vendetta.
• Jiang Yuechu and the Wolf Demon clash physically, with her Tiger-derived blade technique meeting his claw attack and baleful qi.
• Chen Qingyuan and the Flying Eagle Sect initially stand stunned but then rally around Jiang Yuechu, shielding her after the exchange.
• The remaining demons abandon their master, highlighting the contrast between the Wolf Demon’s rage and the lesser demons’ instinct for survival.

Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu's consciousness relives her past as a tiger cub on South Mountain, where she was abandoned and raised by a White Ape, who taught her to read and use a blade.
• She descends the mountain after learning about a woman's fate, marking the start of her journey.
• She encounters a Green-Shirt Wolf Demon and its pack, who attack a village. Jiang Yuechu intervenes, killing the wolf demon king and the rest of the pack.
• She decides to go to Guangwu County City with Chen Qingyuan, a Flying Eagle Sect member, to rest and gather information.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: She gains two new martial arts (Green Cliff Echoing Shadow and Fierce Tiger Quickblade), advances to the Late String-Hearing Realm, and obtains two new divine abilities (Tiger Dharma Heaven-Bestowed and Tiger Sha Blood Boil).
• Chen Qingyuan: He shows gratitude and respect towards Jiang Yuechu for saving his village and offers her hospitality in Guangwu County City.

Significant Themes

• The power of knowledge and learning, as demonstrated by the White Ape teaching Jiang Yuechu to read and use a blade.
• The consequences of inaction, shown through the fate of the woman who was married off and beaten to death.
• The dual nature of Jiang Yuechu's identity, as she is both human and demon, reflected in her ability to record and consume demon creatures.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and the White Ape: The White Ape raises and teaches Jiang Yuechu, fostering her growth and understanding of the world.
• Jiang Yuechu and Chen Qingyuan: Chen Qingyuan is grateful to Jiang Yuechu for saving his village and offers her hospitality, showing respect and admiration for her strength and actions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Qingyuan, a sect master, returns to Guangwu County with Jiang Yuechu, a woman he rescued from Shangpan Village.
• They enter the city, which is desolate and plagued by demon and monster attacks.
• They arrive at a Flying Eagle Sect lodging, where Jiang Yuechu is left to rest.

Character Developments

• Chen Qingyuan: He is respectful and considerate towards Jiang Yuechu, showing no arrogance despite his sect master status. He lies about Jiang Yuechu's background to protect her.
• Jiang Yuechu: She is calm and collected, even in unfamiliar circumstances. She shows resourcefulness by securing the door of her room.

Significant Themes

• Desolation and Fear: Guangwu County is depicted as a desolate place, with its inhabitants living in fear due to frequent demon and monster attacks.
• Protection and Deception: Chen Qingyuan lies to protect Jiang Yuechu, highlighting the theme of protection and deception in their relationship.

Character Interactions

• Chen Qingyuan and Jiang Yuechu: Their interaction is formal and respectful, with Chen Qingyuan showing deference to Jiang Yuechu despite being her rescuer.
• Chen Qingyuan and the Soldier: Their interaction shows the soldier's recognition of Chen Qingyuan and his curiosity about Jiang Yuechu.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The story begins in Liangzhou Prefecture, where a government office is constantly shrouded in darkness and evil-warding wind chimes hang from its eaves.
• An urgent report arrives from Lanzhou about a series of village massacres committed by a demon calling itself the "Black-Clad Sword Immortal," which has entered the Bone Resonance Realm.
• Wei He, the general, orders Liu Chen and Xu Nian to lead a squad to Lanzhou to investigate and deal with the demon.
• Wei He also mentions a prisoner, escorted by Pei Changqing, who is nearing Jincheng County, where the demon was last seen.

Character Developments

• Wei He: A middle-aged man in a dark robe, the general of the Demon Suppression Bureau, who is calm and collected even when faced with news of a powerful demon.
• Liu Chen: A young man in a black uniform, a capable officer under Wei He, who is sent to investigate the demon.
• Jiang Yuechu: A girl who has been secretly cultivating demons using the Ancient Scroll, deciding to improve the Green-Faced Gentleman demon to the Vermilion-Dyeing Realm.

Significant Themes

• The struggle against demonic forces and the power dynamics between humans and demons.
• The importance of decision-making in cultivation and the consequences of one's choices.
• The tension between refinement (focusing on a single path) and breadth (exploring multiple paths) in cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Wei He and Liu Chen: The general and his officer discuss the demon threat and the necessary response.
• Jiang Yuechu and her inner thoughts: The girl grapples with her cultivation choices and the lack of useful information in her memories.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu wakes up in the Flying Eagle Sect, preparing to leave.
• Chen Qingyuan reports to her that he has covered up the sect's involvement in Shangpan Village.
• Jiang Yuechu asks Chen Qingyuan for basic martial arts books to prepare for her upcoming breakthrough.
• Chen Qingyuan gives her 'True Interpretation of Martial Arts', a beginner's guidebook issued by the imperial court.
• Chen Qingyuan asks about the Jincheng County case, but Jiang Yuechu remains silent.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Shows humility in seeking foundational knowledge before her breakthrough, displays patience and calmness.
• Chen Qingyuan: Shows respect and eagerness to please, reveals his knowledge of the Jincheng County case.

Significant Themes

• The importance of a solid foundation in martial arts.
• The secrecy and power of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
• The panic caused by the Jincheng County case.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Chen Qingyuan: Their interaction is formal and respectful, with Chen Qingyuan trying to please Jiang Yuechu while she maintains her composure and authority.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu travels towards Gold City, where a Great Demon is wreaking havoc.
• She reads a book about martial arts realms, learning about the Mortal Realm, String-Hearing Realm, and Bone Resonance.
• She decides to infiltrate the Demon Suppression Bureau to justify her demon-slaying actions and gain access to information.
• She encounters refugees fleeing Gold City and learns about the severity of the demon threat from an old man.
• She sees two demonic-looking figures on the road, realizing that the threat is imminent.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu shows determination and courage in facing the demon threat, despite the danger.
• She demonstrates her intelligence by planning to infiltrate the Demon Suppression Bureau to gain an advantage.
• She displays a calm and collected demeanor when encountering the demonic figures.

Significant Themes

• The power of martial arts and the realms of cultivation.
• The threat and danger posed by demons and monsters.
• The courage and determination required to face such threats.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu interacts with an old man fleeing Gold City, learning about the demon threat and the county magistrate's flight.
• She encounters two demonic-looking figures, showing her alertness and readiness to face danger.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Two Pig Demons arrive on the official road, complaining that their father killed all the humans before they could eat any. They openly plan to find and devour living travelers.
• The refugees panic, but Jiang Yuechu remains calm and defiant. Offended by her contemptuous gaze, the Pig Demons attack her.
• Using her improved speed, footwork, and the Horizontal Blade, Jiang Yuechu instantly appears behind one demon and decapitates it.
• The second Pig Demon attempts to flee and then begs for mercy, claiming its father is a powerful Bone Resonance Realm Great Demon. Jiang Yuechu ignores the threat and kills it by driving her blade through its skull.
• The system rewards her with thirty years of Dao cultivation for each String-Hearing Realm demon, raising her total cultivation to 180 years. She considers the reward insignificant, revealing how far she has advanced.
• The refugees thank Jiang Yuechu and kneel before her. She dismisses their gratitude and urges them to leave before more danger appears.
• Considering how demon flesh and blood might help her break through to the Bone Resonance Realm, Jiang Yuechu decides not to waste the corpses. She borrows a rope, ties the demons to her horse, and drags them toward Gold City.
• The chapter then shifts to a group from the Demon Suppression Bureau—or a similar demon-fighting organization—riding through the night on supernatural Crimson-Eyed Stallions.
• Their leaders, the young rider and the experienced Xu Nian, discuss their progress toward Jincheng County, which has already been overrun by demons. Xu Nian emphasizes that arriving quickly may allow them to save more victims.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates a major increase in confidence and combat ability. Once frightened before powerful demons such as the Tiger Demon, she now effortlessly kills String-Hearing Realm opponents.
• Her fighting style has become flexible and practical. She adapts the Green Cliff Echoing Shadow technique for sword combat and combines it with Wolf Travels a Thousand Miles to achieve overwhelming speed.
• Jiang Yuechu remains emotionally detached from both the demons’ threats and the system’s rewards, viewing the Pig Demons as worthless opponents.
• At the same time, her decision to haul away the corpses shows her pragmatic, slightly humorous personality and her determination to exploit every possible resource for cultivation.
• Xu Nian is introduced as a hardened, responsible figure. She is pessimistic about the crisis but remains committed to reaching demon-infested areas and rescuing people.
• The young rider initially expresses admiration for the group’s speed but becomes sober after Xu Nian reminds him that demons are killing people faster than they can travel.

Significant Themes

• Reversal of power: Humans who were previously helpless prey are beginning to resist and defeat demons. Jiang Yuechu’s effortless victory illustrates her transformation.
• Predator and prey: The Pig Demons view humans as livestock, but Jiang Yuechu turns the dynamic around by treating and killing them like animals.
• Pragmatism and survival: Jiang Yuechu wastes nothing, even considering demon corpses as resources for cultivation. The refugees and demon hunters likewise focus on escaping, traveling, and saving lives.
• Escalating demon crisis: The devastation on the official road and the occupation of Jincheng County suggest that the demonic threat is widespread and worsening.
• Duty versus despair: Xu Nian recognizes the scale of the disaster but continues forward, emphasizing the responsibility of those capable of protecting others.

Important Character Interactions

• The Pig Demons’ arrogant conversation reveals their brutality and their belief that humans exist merely as food.
• Their confrontation with Jiang Yuechu exposes the contrast between their confidence and her calm superiority.
• The second demon attempts to use its powerful father as leverage, but Jiang Yuechu’s immediate execution shows that threats no longer intimidate her.
• The refugees shift from terror to reverence after witnessing Jiang Yuechu’s victory, kneeling and thanking her as their savior.
• Jiang Yuechu’s request for a rope confuses the old man and the refugees, creating a humorous contrast with the gruesome practicality of her plan.
• Xu Nian’s exchange with the young rider establishes the new group as disciplined demon fighters racing to aid civilians in a county already under demonic control.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu struggles to reach Gold City before nightfall but decides to rest at a ruined Land God Temple due to her horse's exhaustion.
• She consumes 180 years of Dao Cultivation to upgrade her Tiger Mountain God scroll, successfully eye-dotting it and unlocking the Demonization ability.
• Jiang Yuechu tests the Demonization ability, transforming her right hand and eyes temporarily, but the power drains her vitality and blood rapidly.
• Hungry after the transformation, she decides to cook and eat a Pig Demon corpse, discovering it replenishes her vitality and blood.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu demonstrates her determination and resourcefulness in handling unexpected situations (resting at the temple, cooking the Pig Demon corpse).
• She shows caution and self-control in using her new Demonization ability, understanding its dangerous nature and limited use.

Significant Themes

• Power and Sacrifice: Jiang Yuechu gains immense power through Demonization but at the cost of her vitality and blood, highlighting the theme of power requiring sacrifice.
• Adaptability: Jiang Yuechu's ability to adapt to her circumstances is shown when she decides to cook and eat the Pig Demon corpse to replenish her energy.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu interacts with her horse, showing concern for its well-being, and later with the Pig Demon corpses, demonstrating her practicality and lack of squeamishness.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu discovers that consuming demon flesh not only restores her qi and blood but also increases her cultivation limit.
• She consumes two String-Hearing Realm Pig Demons, feeling significant improvements in her cultivation.
• She decides to continue to Jincheng County to deal with the demon threat there.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: She becomes more determined to improve her strength and understands the potential benefits of consuming demon flesh.
• The horse: It shows a hint of personality, expressing reluctance to work but ultimately complying with Jiang Yuechu's orders.

Significant Themes

• The power of demon flesh in cultivation.
• Jiang Yuechu's growing resolve to become stronger.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu interacts with her horse, showing a casual, almost playful dynamic despite the seriousness of the situation.
• There are no human interactions in this chapter, as Jiang Yuechu is alone with her horse.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu arrives in the deserted Jincheng County, suspecting the demon may already have departed.
• She hears fighting and secretly approaches the scene.
• Xu Nian, a Bone Resonance Realm expert from the Demon Suppression Bureau, confronts the Pig Demon, Zhu Yan. His first strike shatters Zhu Yan’s rusted sword, but Xu immediately recognizes that the demon is far more dangerous than an ordinary Bone Resonance expert.
• Xu orders Liu Chen and the other Imperial Guards to retreat and report to Liangzhou Prefecture.
• Zhu Yan reveals an extraordinary divine ability: his body releases a foul blood mist that transforms into countless regenerative, blood-colored tentacles.
• Zhu Yan declares that the guards must pay for two crimes: serving the Demon Suppression Bureau and slaughtering his offspring. He begins killing them brutally, biting off their heads as the tentacles restrain them.
• Xu unleashes the Demon Suppression Bureau’s secret technique, the Prison-Suppressing Blade, successfully damaging the tentacles. However, the blood mist is effectively endless, and he cannot protect everyone.
• Liu Chen is captured and appears certain to die.
• At the crucial moment, Zhu Yan suddenly stops and stares toward the end of the street.
• Jiang Yuechu appears, and a powerful blade radiance rises behind her in the form of a blood-colored tiger, ending the chapter on a dramatic cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu is introduced as observant, composed, and willing to investigate danger alone. Her sudden appearance and tiger-shaped blade aura suggest formidable, possibly hidden strength.
• Xu Nian demonstrates immense combat ability and courage. Despite being a Bone Resonance expert, he remains realistic about Zhu Yan’s power and prioritizes his subordinates’ survival.
• Liu Chen shows loyalty and bravery by continuing to fight beside Xu, but he is overwhelmed by Zhu Yan’s divine ability.
• Zhu Yan is established as a highly intelligent and vengeful demon rather than a simple beast. His anger stems from the loss of his offspring, and he combines martial skill with a rare supernatural power.

Significant Themes

• Vengeance and retribution: Zhu Yan sees the guards’ actions as crimes and seeks to punish them for destroying his bloodline.
• The danger of supernatural power: Zhu Yan’s divine ability makes him nearly impossible to defeat through ordinary strength or numbers.
• Duty versus survival: Xu Nian must balance his responsibility to protect his troops with the need to retreat from an overwhelming enemy.
• Hidden strength and dramatic intervention: Jiang Yuechu’s arrival emphasizes that appearances can be deceptive and introduces a new force capable of changing the battle.
• Moral ambiguity: The chapter presents conflict from both sides—humans view Zhu Yan as a murderous demon, while Zhu Yan believes he is avenging unjust slaughter.

Character Interactions

• Xu Nian commands Liu Chen and the Imperial Guards to withdraw, but they remain caught in the battle.
• Zhu Yan directly taunts and condemns the Demon Suppression Bureau soldiers, framing the conflict as punishment for their past actions.
• Xu protects his subordinates with the Prison-Suppressing Blade, though he cannot prevent several deaths.
• Liu Chen nearly becomes Zhu Yan’s next victim before Jiang Yuechu’s arrival distracts the demon.
• Jiang Yuechu does not yet speak or directly engage, but her appearance immediately alters the confrontation and signals a coming clash with Zhu Yan.

Chapter Summary: “Battle Against the Pig Demon”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Chen reflects on his twenty years of martial training and realizes how insignificant his strength is before the Pig Demon’s overwhelming blood-mist ability.
• Jiang Yuechu arrives alone to confront Zhu Yan, the Bone Resonance Realm Pig Demon. Her courage shocks Liu Chen and the wounded Xu Nian.
• Zhu Yan recognizes Jiang Yuechu as the person who killed its two sons and immediately attacks her.
• Jiang Yuechu uses her Supreme Realm Fierce Tiger Quickblade, enhanced by Tiger Dharma Heaven-Bestowed, to strike Zhu Yan’s neck. However, the demon’s blood-mist tentacles form a powerful defensive shield, forcing her back.
• Enraged by the death of its children, Zhu Yan unleashes countless blood-red tentacles across the street.
• Xu Nian, unwilling to watch Jiang Yuechu fight alone, launches a desperate full-power attack. Zhu Yan easily blocks his strike and knocks him through the chest with a devastating blow.
• Jiang Yuechu exploits the brief opening created by Xu Nian’s attack. She leaps above Zhu Yan and drives her blade deeply into its neck.
• Despite the severity of the wound, Zhu Yan’s extraordinary muscles clamp around the blade, preventing her from severing its head. The demon counterattacks, forcing Jiang Yuechu to abandon the sword and retreat with a kick.
• Xu Nian, gravely wounded, tells Liu Chen to retreat with the surviving guards. Liu Chen collapses in despair, feeling powerless.
• Jiang Yuechu rises again despite being injured. As the chapter ends, the Imperial Guards witness a spectral tiger’s claw emerge and clasp her hand, suggesting she is preparing another powerful technique or transformation.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Demonstrates exceptional courage, speed, and swordsmanship by confronting a Great Demon alone. She remains calm and determined despite discovering that Zhu Yan’s defenses and physical body are far tougher than expected.
• Zhu Yan: Shifts from arrogant confidence to furious vengeance after recognizing Jiang Yuechu as his sons’ killer. Its blood-mist manipulation, regenerative toughness, and immense physical strength establish it as a terrifying opponent.
• Xu Nian: Reveals strong loyalty and responsibility by charging into battle rather than abandoning Jiang Yuechu. His final attack is a self-sacrificing attempt to create an opening, leaving him critically wounded.
• Liu Chen: Experiences a crisis of confidence as he recognizes the gap between his training and true martial power. His admiration for Jiang Yuechu grows, while his helplessness and grief intensify.

Significant Themes

• Courage against overwhelming odds: Jiang Yuechu and Xu Nian both confront an enemy far beyond ordinary fighters, refusing to surrender immediately.
• The limits of strength and experience: Liu Chen’s realization that he is “a frog at the bottom of a well” highlights the vastness of the martial world.
• Sacrifice and duty: Xu Nian risks his life to protect others and uphold the responsibility of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
• Revenge and familial bonds: Zhu Yan’s rage is driven by the deaths of its sons, turning the encounter into a personal vendetta.
• Persistence and resilience: Even after her strongest attack fails to kill Zhu Yan and she is injured, Jiang Yuechu continues to stand and fight.

Character Interactions

• Zhu Yan identifies Jiang Yuechu as the killer of its children, creating the central personal conflict.
• Xu Nian and Jiang Yuechu briefly cooperate in battle: his reckless attack distracts Zhu Yan, allowing her to land a serious blow.
• Liu Chen supports the wounded Xu Nian, but Xu Nian orders him to retreat and protect the surviving guards.
• Jiang Yuechu’s silent refusal to explain herself communicates her determination and acceptance of Zhu Yan’s hostility.
• The final image of the spectral tiger clasping Jiang Yuechu’s hand signals a mysterious escalation in her confrontation with Zhu Yan.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu, using the power of Demonization, transforms and kills the Pig Demon, a Bone Resonance Realm creature.
• She is subsequently rescued by the Demon Suppression Bureau and taken to Liangzhou Prefecture.
• She wakes up after five days, weak and exhausted, in the care of a woman named Wei Qing.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: She demonstrates immense power and courage in her fight against the Pig Demon. Her use of Demonization hints at her mysterious past and abilities.
• Wei Qing: She is introduced as a kind and caring individual, nursing Jiang Yuechu back to health.

Significant Themes

• Power and Weakness: Jiang Yuechu's power is immense, but it comes at a cost, leaving her severely weakened afterward.
• Mystery: Jiang Yuechu's past and her abilities remain shrouded in mystery, adding intrigue to her character.
• Trust and Betrayal: The Demon Suppression Bureau, despite their initial hostility, ultimately helps Jiang Yuechu, suggesting a complex relationship between them.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Wei Qing: Their interaction is brief but shows Wei Qing's kindness and Jiang Yuechu's wariness, given her circumstances.
• Jiang Yuechu and the Demon Suppression Bureau: Their relationship is ambiguous, with the Bureau initially hostile but later helping Jiang Yuechu, suggesting a potential alliance or at least mutual respect.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Demon Suppression Bureau in Liangzhou Prefecture receives reports of unusual phenomena: a mountain moving on its own and a river flowing backward.
• Captain Xu, a Bone-Resonating Realm martial artist, is severely injured and his cultivation ruined after battling a demon in Jincheng County.
• Liu Chen, who survived the battle, describes a mysterious woman who killed the demon with an extraordinary technique.
• Wei He, the Great General, decides to end the investigation into the Jincheng County incident and orders all Imperial Guards to withdraw.
• Jiang Yuechu, the husky who fell into the wolf den, is being cared for in the Demon Suppression Bureau's rear courtyard by Wei Qing, Wei He's sister.

Character Developments

• Wei He: He is the Great General of the Demon Suppression Bureau, with a calm and unreadable demeanor. He makes decisions based on his own judgment, even against the advice of his subordinates.
• Jiang Yuechu: She is injured and recovering in the Demon Suppression Bureau, aware of the danger she's in but trying to gather information discreetly.

Significant Themes

• Power and Authority: Wei He's decisions are final, demonstrating his authority within the Demon Suppression Bureau.
• Trust and Betrayal: Jiang Yuechu's presence in the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters raises questions about trust and betrayal, given her past actions.

Character Interactions

• Wei He and Wei Qing: They have a sibling relationship, with Wei Qing showing deference to her elder brother.
• Wei He and Jiang Yuechu: There's a tense standoff between them, with Wei He scrutinizing Jiang Yuechu and her trying to gather information while hiding her true identity.

Key Plot Points

• Jiang Yuechu's identity as Jiang Xun's daughter is revealed to Wei He, the Commandery Prince of Longyou.
• Wei He offers Jiang Yuechu two choices: return to the capital for investigation, or join the Demon Suppression Bureau.
• Jiang Yuechu chooses to join the Demon Suppression Bureau, becoming a Ninth Rank Demon Suppression Guard.
• Wei He warns Jiang Yuechu not to investigate her father's case due to her current weakness.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu accepts her situation and makes a decisive choice to join the Demon Suppression Bureau.
• Wei He shows understanding and patience in explaining the Demon Suppression Bureau's hierarchy and benefits to Jiang Yuechu.

Significant Themes

• Fate and free will: Jiang Yuechu realizes that fate has brought her to this point, and she chooses to accept it.
• The struggle between fear and decisiveness: Jiang Yuechu faces her fears and makes a choice that will shape her future.
• The value of identity and belonging: Jiang Yuechu gains an official identity and a sense of belonging by joining the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Wei He: They have a tense but understanding conversation, with Wei He revealing the two choices before Jiang Yuechu and explaining the Demon Suppression Bureau's hierarchy.
• Wei Qing and Jiang Yuechu: Wei Qing brings Jiang Yuechu her Demon Suppression Bureau uniform and waist token, showing kindness and understanding toward her.

Chapter Summary: “If You Don’t Want to Marry, Then Don’t”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu continues recovering from her injuries under Wei Qing’s care. Wei Qing feeds her medicinal porridge, tends to her appearance, and keeps her company with stories from Liangzhou Prefecture.
• Wei Qing brings up marriage, suggesting that Jiang Yuechu could find a good husband once she establishes herself in the Demon Suppression Bureau. This triggers Jiang Yuechu’s discomfort with her female body and her uncertain future in this world.
• Jiang Yuechu reflects on how she still thinks and acts like a man, preferring direct and violent solutions, while society continually reminds her that she is now a woman. She considers whether she must eventually marry, but resolves that she will resist anyone who tries to force her.
• Wei He arrives and declares that Jiang Yuechu has recovered enough to begin working and repay the cost of her treatment. Despite Wei Qing’s concern that her injuries are not fully healed, Wei He orders her to report to the Demon Suppression Bureau.
• Wei Qing helps Jiang Yuechu dress in the Bureau’s black-and-red uniform and gives her a protective talisman in an embroidered brocade pouch.
• Jiang Yuechu asks Wei Qing whether a woman can choose never to marry. Wei Qing reassures her that she can live well through her own abilities and jokingly suggests that, like Princess Anle, she might keep male favorites after achieving a high position.
• Jiang Yuechu reports to the Demon Suppression Bureau, where an elderly clerk registers her as an eighteen-year-old native of Chang’an and explains the Bureau’s ranking and merit system.
• She officially becomes a ninth-rank Demon Suppression Guard in the Mysterious Battalion of the Longyou Circuit. The chapter ends when she learns that her team leader is supposedly waiting outside, despite her having seen no one there.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu: Her physical recovery allows her to return to active duty, but she begins confronting the psychological and social consequences of living as a woman. She remains fiercely independent, pragmatic, and resistant to traditional expectations, especially marriage. Wearing the Demon Suppression uniform restores some of her confidence and sense of identity.
• Wei Qing: She is established as gentle, nurturing, thoughtful, and protective. Her support helps Jiang Yuechu recover emotionally as well as physically. Her progressive attitude toward marriage demonstrates that she values personal choice and independence.
• Wei He: He remains stern, efficient, and emotionally distant. He focuses on duty and practicality, sending Jiang Yuechu back to work as soon as she is capable, though his actions also confirm that he considers her useful and capable.
• The elderly clerk: He is detached and bureaucratic but provides Jiang Yuechu with essential information about her new position and the Bureau’s advancement system.

Significant Themes

• Gender identity and social displacement: Jiang Yuechu struggles between her former male identity and the expectations imposed on her female body and status.
• Independence versus traditional marriage: The chapter questions whether marriage is necessary for a woman’s fulfillment and presents self-reliance as a legitimate alternative.
• Duty and personal freedom: Jiang Yuechu’s return to the Bureau represents both a new opportunity for advancement and another obligation imposed by her circumstances.
• Recovery and renewal: Her healing, new uniform, and official appointment symbolize a transition from vulnerable survivor to active member of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
• Power and ambition: The merit system gives Jiang Yuechu a clear path to advancement through her combat abilities, reinforcing her hope that strength can secure her freedom.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Wei Qing: Their relationship grows warmer through Wei Qing’s attentive care. Their conversation about marriage gives Jiang Yuechu emotional reassurance and reveals Wei Qing’s playful, open-minded personality.
• Jiang Yuechu and Wei He: Their interaction is formal and utilitarian. Wei He orders her back to duty, while Jiang Yuechu responds obediently but maintains her composure.
• Jiang Yuechu and the elderly clerk: The clerk formally inducts her into the Bureau and explains the merit-based hierarchy, establishing the rules governing her new career.
• Jiang Yuechu and the unseen team leader: The final mention of a waiting team leader creates a small mystery and sets up her next encounter.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Yuechu meets Liu Chen, her new squad leader, who is surprised by her strength.
• She joins the Mysterious Battalion of the Longyou Circuit Commandery's Demon Suppression Bureau.
• Liu Chen explains the bureau's structure and the Mysterious Battalion's role in slaying demons and vanquishing evil.
• Jiang Yuechu is introduced to her new team, who are skeptical of her abilities due to her gender and young age.

Character Developments

• Jiang Yuechu remains calm and collected, showing no particular reaction to her new role or the skepticism from her teammates.
• Liu Chen is initially shocked by Jiang Yuechu's strength but later shows respect for her abilities and supports her joining the team.
• The Mysterious Battalion members are skeptical of Jiang Yuechu's abilities, with one member questioning her presence and comparing her unfavorably to the Right Demon Suppression Envoy.

Significant Themes

• Gender Inequality: The Mysterious Battalion members' skepticism and laughter when they learn Jiang Yuechu is a woman highlight the gender inequality in the bureau.
• Strength and Merit: The Demon Suppression Bureau values strength and merit, with Liu Chen mentioning that slaying a Demon King could grant Jiang Yuechu a chance to enter the Heaven Battalion.

Character Interactions

• Jiang Yuechu and Liu Chen meet again after their initial encounter in Jincheng County, with Liu Chen being surprised and somewhat intimidated by Jiang Yuechu's strength.
• Liu Chen introduces Jiang Yuechu to the Mysterious Battalion, with one member questioning her presence and comparing her to the Right Demon Suppression Envoy.
• Jiang Yuechu remains calm and collected throughout the interactions, showing no particular reaction to the skepticism from her teammates.