Chapter Summary

Setting/Context: In Great Qian, the Emperor has long used reality-altering decrees—even prolonging daylight and renaming hours. After he withdrew from court, the empire began falling into turmoil; bandit attacks grow frequent.

1. Key Plot Points / Events

• Li Shun, a transmigrated corvée laborer of 26 years, hides with his fellow laborer Old Feng when bandits—said to be remnants of Xiang Kingdom—attack Cold Mountain County.
• They take refuge in a secret underground shelter Li Shun dug, lined with Cold Mountain Grass (a valuable, tribute-required plant cultivated with blood essence; Li Shun has secretly hoarded a great deal).
• Old Feng uses a School of Novelists technique to scout through an ant. He learns the county yamen has fallen, the Black-Armored Army is annihilated, and the bandits are now searching for a "Cold Mountain Venerable."
• The Xiang Kingdom leader—a towering, fire-wielding shaman with an eight-armed demon god—discovers their hiding place and incinerates both men to ash.
• Afterward, a ghostly phantom resembling Li Shun appears above the ruins and declares: "Each day, I examine myself thrice!"
• These words cause time to reverse. Li Shun abruptly wakes up in his bed inside the wooden house, alive again.

2. Character Developments

• Li Shun: Calm, calculating, and secretive. He keeps hidden reserves of Cold Mountain Grass, has prepared a hidden shelter, and reacts to crisis with quick decision-making. His mysterious "self-examination" ritual reveals he possesses some kind of time-reversal ability or higher existence.
• Old Feng (Feng Guan): A frightened old man but not simple—he knows rare School of Novelists techniques and is observant. His lingering suspicions of Li Shun hint at deeper layers to both men.
• Xiang Kingdom remnant leader: Brutal, overwhelmingly powerful, and contemptuous toward commoners; he kills without hesitation and is seeking something important in Cold Mountain.

3. Significant Themes

• Oppression and rebellion: The aging Qian empire tries to control nature and labor through imperial decrees; resentful conquered peoples like Xiang Kingdom rise in violent revolt.
• Hidden power and identity: Ordinary laborers conceal extraordinary abilities, resources, and secrets beneath their lowly exteriors.
• Survival under tyranny: Common people hide, scrape by, and wait out disasters rather than confront overwhelming force.
• Time and self-examination: The phrase "examine myself thrice daily" is literalized as a mighty spell capable of rewinding time, suggesting inner cultivation/the self becomes the ultimate source of power.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Shun & Old Feng: A pragmatic survival partnership. Li Shun reveals a hidden tunnel and supplies; Feng Guan reluctantly uses his secret technique. Their mutual suspicion and need for trust create tension.
• Old Feng & Li Shun’s secret: Feng notes Li Shun’s inexplicable surplus of Cold Mountain Grass, silently questioning who Li Shun really is.
• The Xiang leader & the two laborers: He treats them as vermin, executes them without a word beyond contempt—then unknowingly triggers Li Shun’s mysterious revival.

Chapter Summary: “A Square Inch of Land Within”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After being killed by flames during the previous day’s chaos, Li Shun awakens and activates Three Reflections Upon Myself, a divine ability that rewinds events and allows him to relive the same day three times. The first two iterations are effectively illusions, while the third becomes reality.
• He enters the mysterious inner space he calls Square Inch, which is divided into three regions:
  • One contains an intact, heavily damaged stone statue.
  • Another contains a half-statue that has been severed at the waist.
  • The third contains a puppet resembling Li Shun, endlessly cultivating Cold Mountain Grass through the Agricultural School’s Spirit-Splitting Life-Creation Technique.
• The puppet produces over a hundred stalks of Cold Mountain Grass, sparing Li Shun’s real body from the blood-essence depletion suffered by ordinary laborers.
• Li Shun uses more than ten stalks to nourish the damaged half-statue, temporarily stabilizing it. This statue grants him the Three Reflections ability, but each activation damages it and requires increasingly large amounts of Cold Mountain Grass to repair.
• He reflects on the attack by remnants of the Xiang Kingdom on the Cold Mountain County government office. Although he could have survived by hiding, he deliberately encouraged Feng Kuan to investigate with the Wind-Listening Shadow-Seizing Technique, hoping to exploit the reset and gain an advantage.
• Returning to his physical body, Li Shun recognizes that his real flesh is still aging despite Square Inch’s protection. At fifty-four, he is already unusually old compared with other laborers.
• He resolves to use the growing disorder in the Great Qian Dynasty as an opportunity to escape his lowly status, pursue longevity, expand Square Inch, and eventually gather powerful figures within it.

Character Development

• Li Shun shifts from cautious survival to open ambition. After decades of enduring life as a laborer, he becomes determined to break free from Cold Mountain County and change his fate.
• He grows more calculating and risk-tolerant, accepting danger as worthwhile if it can produce greater gains.
• His concern for his aging body creates urgency: Square Inch can protect him indirectly, but it cannot stop his mortal body from growing old.
• Li Shun also demonstrates increasing mastery of Square Inch and a deeper understanding of its puppets, divine abilities, and potential for future expansion.
• Feng Kuan is indirectly characterized as a fellow laborer who was drawn into danger through Li Shun’s encouragement and investigative ambitions. His earlier suffering from consuming Cold Mountain Grass also highlights the brutal cost of labor in Cold Mountain County.

Significant Themes

• Survival versus ambition: Li Shun no longer wishes merely to stay alive; he wants to seize the chance to rise above his assigned social class.
• Exploitation and class oppression: Laborers are treated as expendable resources whose blood essence is consumed to cultivate Cold Mountain Grass for the Great Qian Dynasty.
• The cost of power: Three Reflections can reverse death and alter events, but each use damages the statue and consumes precious resources.
• Time, aging, and mortality: Even supernatural abilities cannot fully overcome Li Shun’s physical aging, motivating his pursuit of longevity.
• Hidden potential and expansion: Square Inch represents both a sanctuary and an undeveloped world whose future regions may allow Li Shun to collect more puppets and acquire greater power.
• Risk as opportunity: With rebellion and disorder spreading, Li Shun believes dangerous times offer the only realistic path for a powerless laborer to change his destiny.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun’s most important interaction is with the half-statue, which he sustains by feeding it Cold Mountain Grass and from which he receives the Three Reflections divine ability.
• His relationship with the puppet version of himself is utilitarian: the puppet performs the exhausting life-creation technique continuously, allowing Li Shun to preserve his own health.
• Li Shun’s decision to urge Feng Kuan to investigate the government office demonstrates how he uses others to test danger and exploit opportunities, even though the action contributes to their exposure.
• His unfulfilled interest in the intact statue suggests a future relationship with another dormant power, likely requiring a stronger spiritual resource to awaken.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After meditating through the night, Li Shun visits the secretive Jixia Bookshop in Cold Mountain County at dawn.
• He trades three leaves of Cold Mountain Grass for:
  • A new fragment of the forbidden Book of Imperial Exegesis.
  • Information about the mysterious Cold Mountain Venerable.
• The shopkeeper reveals his name as Zhou Xunzhen and agrees to provide cultivation information in exchange for Li Shun’s future insights if he succeeds.
• Li Shun learns that the Cold Mountain Venerable is an extremely rare transformation of Cold Mountain Grass. Only three had appeared in 572 years, and each was enormously valuable.
• A historical record states that a laborer who cultivated one was promoted four ranks and became a fourth-rank noble, escaping forced labor. Li Shun realizes that the emergence of a fourth Cold Mountain Venerable this year likely explains why Xiang Kingdom remnants have infiltrated the county.
• The second historical fragment explains how Great Qian replaced all gold and silver with Yuan currency, revealing the origins of the empire’s unusual monetary system.
• Li Shun reflects on the Book of Imperial Exegesis, written by the Grand Historian, whose records expose the hidden pasts of powerful officials. Though not formally banned, the book is treated as a dangerous taboo.
• At the market, Li Shun secretly purchases ninety Image-Recording Coins, devices capable of remotely transmitting visual images for seven days.
• He returns home and recruits his elderly neighbor, Feng Guan, to help distribute the coins throughout the county.
• Feng Guan panics, fearing execution if the authorities discover their actions. Li Shun forces him to confront his age and miserable condition by showing him his reflection, then tells him that a chance to “defy heaven and change his fate” has appeared.

Character Developments

• Li Shun remains cautious, calculating, and resourceful. He skillfully hides his lack of knowledge about the Cold Mountain Venerable while extracting valuable information from Zhou Xunzhen.
• His investigation reveals that he is not merely seeking cultivation progress; he is actively preparing for a major operation connected to the county’s political and supernatural secrets.
• Li Shun’s use of the Book of Imperial Exegesis shows his long-term effort to understand Great Qian’s history and uncover truths hidden by the ruling class.
• Zhou Xunzhen appears increasingly mysterious and powerful. His ability to manifest historical text through golden characters suggests extraordinary cultivation or knowledge. His interest in Li Shun’s future cultivation indicates that he may have motives beyond ordinary trade.
• Feng Guan is introduced as fearful and resigned, but Li Shun’s confrontation with his aging body awakens his despair and possibly his desire for a final opportunity.

Significant Themes

• Defying fate and social hierarchy: The Cold Mountain Venerable represents a rare opportunity for an ordinary laborer to rise into nobility.
• Hidden history and political censorship: The Book of Imperial Exegesis preserves truths that powerful figures want forgotten, emphasizing the tension between official history and reality.
• Aging, desperation, and hope: Feng Guan’s shock at seeing his aged face highlights the brutal passage of time and the possibility that desperation can drive people toward dangerous action.
• Knowledge as power: Li Shun uses historical fragments, rare plants, and technological tools to gain advantages in a rigid and oppressive society.
• Surveillance and control: The Image-Recording Coins, originally military spy equipment, demonstrate how tools of state power have entered everyday life and can be repurposed by individuals.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Zhou Xunzhen interact with practiced familiarity, bargaining over book fragments and exchanging information for Cold Mountain Grass.
• Zhou tests Li Shun’s ambition by demanding his future cultivation insights, while Li Shun maintains a carefully constructed façade about his knowledge.
• Li Shun and Feng Guan share a relationship built on familiarity but marked by unequal resolve: Feng is frightened and submissive, while Li Shun is decisive and manipulative.
• By making Feng confront his own mortality, Li Shun psychologically pushes him toward participating in the dangerous plan to spread the Image-Recording Coins across Cold Mountain County.

Chapter Summary: “Gnats Rise Against the Wind”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun successfully persuades Feng Guan to assist him, confident that Feng’s timid but fundamentally loyal nature makes him trustworthy. Li also relies on his heaven-defying ability, [Three Reflections Upon Myself], which allows him to learn from failed attempts.
• Feng Guan places and activates ninety Image-Recording Coins throughout Cold Mountain County. Li and Feng then hide in an underground cave to observe events.
• At approximately three in the afternoon, the attack Li Shun experienced previously begins exactly as expected. A powerful Xiang Kingdom remnant appears above the county yamen, manifesting an enormous eight-armed demon god.
• The attacker and his forces overwhelm the Black-Armored Army, destroy the county yamen’s defenses, and proclaim the restoration of Xiang and the downfall of Great Qian.
• Through the recording coins, Li identifies several familiar faces among the rebels, realizing that some people he had believed to be ordinary laborers were secretly Xiang loyalists.
• As the rebels search the ruined yamen for the [Cold Mountain Venerable], Li uses his perfected [Spirit-Splitting Life-Creation Technique] to strengthen a gnat with part of his essence-blood. Feng Guan controls the insect and sends it into the battlefield to spy.
• The gnat hides among a swarm and observes the rebels’ movements. At sunset, the rebels discover the treasure at a concubine’s residence rather than in the yamen.
• The rebel leader, Jin, kills the terrified woman who possessed or sheltered the treasure, then declares that Great Qian will perish.
• Jin detects the spying gnat, crushes it, and locates Li and Feng’s underground hiding place. He destroys the cave’s roof and confronts them.
• Li, drawing on his familiarity with dying from the previous reversion, manages to resist his fear and taunts Jin. Jin reveals his identity as Xiong Jin, the last imperial descendant of Great Xiang, before engulfing Li in flames.

Character Developments

• Li Shun demonstrates careful planning, emotional control, and deep knowledge of both Feng Guan and the repeating events. He moves from simply predicting the rebellion to actively gathering intelligence and testing the rebels’ plans.
• His mastery of the Spirit-Splitting technique has reached an extraordinary level after decades of cultivation and training. However, using it still drains his essence-blood and leaves his body weakened.
• Li’s repeated experiences of death have made him more resistant to terror. Even when directly confronted by Jin, he can force himself to speak defiantly.
• Feng Guan remains frightened and easily pressured, but proves his loyalty by carrying out dangerous tasks. He overcomes his hesitation, uses his secret art, and controls the gnat during the surveillance mission.
• Xiong Jin/Jin is established as a ruthless, powerful, and fanatically loyal remnant of the Xiang imperial house. His killing of the concubine and effortless destruction of Li’s hiding place reveal both his brutality and overwhelming strength.

Significant Themes

• Trust and calculated dependence: Li trusts Feng not because Feng is brave, but because he understands Feng’s character and has tested him repeatedly through past reversions.
• Preparation versus fate: The rebellion unfolds exactly as Li remembers, suggesting that foreknowledge allows him to alter his position even when the larger sequence of events remains unchanged.
• The hidden identities of ordinary people: Familiar laborers are revealed as infiltrators, emphasizing how political conflict can conceal allegiance beneath everyday appearances.
• Power and vulnerability: Li possesses remarkable techniques and foresight, yet remains physically weak and vulnerable before an opponent like Jin.
• Courage under coercion: Feng’s actions show that courage can emerge when retreat is impossible, while Li’s taunting of Jin reflects defiance even in the face of certain death.
• Rebellion and fanaticism: The Xiang remnants’ slogans and violence reveal a movement driven by historical grievance, imperial loyalty, and destructive vengeance.

Character Interactions

• Li carefully manipulates and reassures Feng, then later forces him to continue when fear makes him consider retreat.
• Feng obeys Li’s instructions during the gnat mission, suppressing his curiosity and avoiding direct observation of Jin as warned.
• Li and Feng cooperate through complementary strengths: Feng provides mobility and control of the insect, while Li provides the technique, strategy, and interpretation of events.
• Jin’s confrontation with Li becomes a clash of personalities as well as power. Jin presents himself as the rightful surviving heir of Xiang, while Li responds with mockery rather than submission.
• The chapter ends with Jin asserting his identity and power by attacking Li, leaving Li apparently consumed by flames and setting up another possible reversion or continuation of his repeated struggle.

Chapter Summary: Casting the Elephant Down into the Mortal World

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun awakens from another vision of being consumed by flames and performs the ritual of the “Three Reflections Upon Myself.” He recognizes that this third reflection will be real rather than illusory and that failure may result in his death.
• From his previous awakening, he has learned two crucial facts: Cold Mountain Venerable’s true hiding place and the identity of the Great Xiang remnant leader, Xiong Jin, a legitimate descendant of the destroyed Great Xiang imperial family.
• Li Shun recalls the impending historical disaster: on the second day of the second month in Great Qian year 572, Xiong Jin’s forces will attack Cold Mountain County, annihilate much of its defensive force, and capture Cold Mountain Venerable.
• Seeking to exploit this event, Li Shun visits Jixia Bookshop and exchanges for another fragment of the Book of Imperial Exegesis. The passage describes the future Right Chancellor, Jiang Tai’e, being mocked as a lowly laborer before eventually rising to greatness.
• Inspired by the passage, Li Shun decides that his own low status does not prevent him from changing his fate.
• He wakes Feng Guan and suggests that Liang Zhou may be a rebel sympathizer. By encouraging Feng Guan’s suspicion and greed, Li Shun persuades him to investigate.
• Feng Guan uses a midge from the School of Novelists to spy on Liang Zhou. He observes Liang Zhou meeting secretly with Sun Bo and discussing preparations, apparently confirming Li Shun’s accusation.
• Li Shun orders Feng Guan to report the suspected rebels to Foreman Sun rather than directly to the county office, ostensibly to avoid alerting enemy spies. Once Feng Guan leaves, Li Shun reveals his true purpose: he intends to act alone.
• He merges his consciousness with the puppet inside his Square Inch space and performs the technique “Casting the Elephant into the Mortal World.”
• The technique summons a hazy, identical duplicate of Li Shun into the physical world. The process severely drains him: the puppet becomes faint and immobile, while Li Shun’s body turns deathly pale and sweats heavily. Despite the cost, he smiles at the successful manifestation.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Becomes more calculating, courageous, and ambitious. Though aware that he is insignificant compared with Xiong Jin and the coming catastrophe, he resolves to exploit foreknowledge rather than passively accept his fate. His manipulation of Feng Guan shows his growing willingness to use others as tools, while the creation of his duplicate marks a major advancement in his abilities.
• Feng Guan: Shifts rapidly from sleepy skepticism to fear, then to greed-driven enthusiasm. He is easily influenced by Li Shun’s framing of Liang Zhou as a rebel and becomes eager to claim the supposed reward and escape forced labor.
• Xiong Jin: Though absent from the immediate action, he is established as an overwhelmingly powerful Great Xiang descendant and the central threat behind the coming assault.
• Liang Zhou and Sun Bo: Their secretive behavior makes them appear connected to a conspiracy, though the chapter leaves their true intentions uncertain.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus agency: Li Shun knows the historical course of events but believes foreknowledge allows even a powerless person to alter destiny.
• The hidden greatness of the humble: The Jiang Tai’e passage reinforces the idea that outward poverty and weakness can conceal extraordinary potential.
• Manipulation and moral ambiguity: Li Shun engineers suspicion against Liang Zhou and exploits Feng Guan’s fear and desire for reward, showing that survival may require deception.
• Risk and transformation: Li Shun’s plan involves immense danger, but he accepts the physical cost of creating a double in order to gain influence over events.
• Appearance versus reality: The chapter contrasts Li Shun’s crippled laborer identity with his secret powers and ambitions, while the summoned duplicate itself exists between illusion and reality.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Feng Guan: Li Shun directs the conversation, planting suspicion and carefully controlling Feng Guan’s actions. Feng Guan initially resists but ultimately agrees because of the possibility of reward and freedom.
• Feng Guan and Liang Zhou/Sun Bo: Through the summoned midge, Feng Guan spies on their clandestine meeting and interprets their words as evidence of rebellion.
• Li Shun and the Jixia Bookshop: Li Shun maintains his usual routine and conceals his knowledge, using the exchanged text as psychological encouragement rather than revealing his larger plan.
• Li Shun and his puppet: Through the Square Inch space, Li Shun joins with the tireless puppet and uses it as the foundation for manifesting a physical duplicate.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun successfully sends a puppet into the real world, but the process is agonizing and leaves him weakened.
• Sun Wu takes Li Shun to the county office, leaving a puppet in his place.
• Liang Zhou and Sun Bo are tortured for information, revealing the rebellion's details and the Sect Master's identity, Xiong Jin.
• Fang Xun and Cheng Yishu discuss how to handle the situation, deciding to keep it secret and report it directly to a powerful figure.
• Fang Xun contacts his benefactor and teacher, revealing the impending rebellion.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Becomes more desperate and secretive, using a puppet to protect himself while he's weakened. His plan to expose the rebellion is progressing, but he's also putting himself and Feng Guan in danger.
• Fang Xun: Shows his ambition and ruthlessness, willing to do whatever it takes to gain the reward for capturing Xiong Jin. He's also cunning, planning to bypass the Commandery Governor to keep the merit for himself.
• Cheng Yishu: Initially excited about the potential rewards, he becomes more cautious and fearful as he realizes the risks involved. He's willing to follow Fang Xun's lead but is also worried about the consequences.

Significant Themes

• Ambition vs. Caution: Both Fang Xun and Cheng Yishu are driven by ambition but also show caution, highlighting the delicate balance between seizing opportunities and avoiding risks.
• Power Dynamics: The relationship between Fang Xun and his benefactor/teacher, as well as between Fang Xun and Cheng Yishu, illustrates the power dynamics in the official hierarchy.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Feng Guan: Li Shun's desperation leads him to put Feng Guan in danger, showing his growing disregard for others in pursuit of his goal.
• Fang Xun and Cheng Yishu: Their interaction shows a power dynamic where Fang Xun is clearly in charge, with Cheng Yishu following his lead but also showing some independence of thought.
• Fang Xun and his benefactor/teacher: Their interaction reveals Fang Xun's loyalty to his benefactor and his willingness to use their connection to further his own goals.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking Opportunity Amid Chaos”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Guan is subjected to brutal torture in the underground prison and reveals everything he knows. Li Shun appears to suffer alongside him, but secretly withdraws his consciousness into the Square Inch Space, leaving his body to endure the punishment mechanically.
• Li Shun realizes his original plan has failed: the Great Qian authorities were far more cautious than expected, and his report has not guaranteed the Cold Mountain County yamen’s survival.
• He cannot reactivate Three Reflections Upon Myself. He concludes that the third reflection represents fixed reality, leaving him no opportunity to revise events.
• With Xiong Jin’s attack imminent, Li Shun considers releasing the mysterious complete stone statue from the Square Inch Space. When he approaches it, the statue briefly awakens and unleashes overwhelming killing intent, nearly destroying his consciousness. This confirms its terrifying power and suggests it could protect him if released.
• Li Shun resolves to use the statue only as a last resort, while keeping his true goal—confronting the Cold Mountain Venerable—in mind.
• At three o’clock, Xiong Jin attacks the Cold Mountain County yamen. The authorities have prepared a powerful defensive formation, preventing the yamen from being destroyed as it was in the previous timeline.
• Xiong Jin responds with amusement and launches a relentless assault. At the same time, surviving Great Xiang rebels rise throughout the city, setting fires and killing civilians, plunging Cold Mountain County into chaos.
• Amid the disorder, Li Shun’s substitute puppet travels to a secluded residence and deceives the woman inside by claiming that the county magistrate ordered him to escort her to safety. She opens the door, relieved that her “dead fool” has remembered her, allowing Li Shun to enter.

Character Development

• Li Shun demonstrates extreme calculation and endurance. He willingly sacrifices his body to torture while preserving his true consciousness, showing both ruthlessness and resourcefulness.
• His concern for Feng Guan reveals that, despite his manipulative methods, he retains some loyalty and affection toward his longtime associate.
• Li Shun becomes increasingly desperate as his ability to alter events disappears. His willingness to summon the dangerous stone statue marks a shift toward more extreme measures.
• His encounter with the statue reveals both fear and determination: he recognizes its immense danger but is prepared to exploit it to survive and pursue his greater objective.
• Xiong Jin is portrayed as fearless, violent, and fanatically devoted to the Great Xiang restoration cause. Discovering that the yamen was prepared only heightens his excitement rather than discouraging him.
• The unnamed woman is shown to be cautious but emotionally vulnerable, quickly trusting Li Shun’s fabricated rescue story because she believes the county magistrate still cares about her.

Significant Themes

• Opportunity amid chaos: Li Shun uses the citywide rebellion and confusion to pursue private objectives while everyone else focuses on survival.
• Fate versus control: The failure of Three Reflections emphasizes that some events have become fixed, forcing Li Shun to act within an unchangeable reality.
• Calculated sacrifice: Li Shun repeatedly risks his body, consciousness, and potentially the entire world to preserve his life and advance his plans.
• Hidden power and danger: The stone statue represents an unknown force whose protection may come at an enormous cost.
• Deception and manipulation: Li Shun survives through false confessions, substitute bodies, psychological concealment, and carefully crafted lies.
• Chaos as opportunity: The rebellion creates widespread destruction but also gives Li Shun cover to infiltrate the woman’s residence and continue his scheme.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Feng Guan: Their shared torture exposes Feng Guan’s helplessness and Li Shun’s concealed mental strategy. Li Shun’s concern for Feng Guan suggests decades of companionship beneath their ruthless circumstances.
• Li Shun and the stone statue: Their encounter establishes the statue as a nearly uncontrollable, ancient power. Its killing intent forces Li Shun to retreat but convinces him that it could guarantee his survival.
• Xiong Jin and the Cold Mountain County yamen: Xiong Jin attacks the fortified yamen, mocking the authorities when their defenses hold. His assault becomes the opening act of a larger rebellion.
• Li Shun’s puppet and the unnamed woman: The puppet exploits the woman’s fear and affection for the county magistrate, convincing her to open the door and granting Li Shun access to her home.

Summary: "An Arrow Comes from the Sacred Capital" (Bonus Chapter)

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• The Treasure Heist: In a small courtyard, puppet Li Shun (remotely controlled by the protagonist's main consciousness) arrives under the pretense of official orders, telling a beautiful woman to bring "that thing" (the Cold Mountain Venerable treasure) for safekeeping from rebels. She retrieves a long brocade case containing the treasure but grows suspicious when Li Shun offers to carry it.
• The Failed Deception: The woman sees through the ruse, realizing her cold-hearted husband would never care about her safety. A struggle breaks out over the case.
• Divine Arrow Intervenes: A golden arrow of light, emanating from the Sacred Capital a million miles away, crosses the sky in an instant and erupts above the yamen. In the distraction, Li Shun snatches the treasure case and vanishes completely, leaving only the gray cloth spinning mockingly to the ground. The woman is left dumbfounded and flees the county in disguise after the rebellion is suppressed.
• Flashback—The Standoff at the Yamen: Moments earlier, County Magistrate Fang Xun exits alone as the defense formation crumbles. Rebel leader Xiong Jin demands the treasure. Fang Xun astutely deduces that Xiong Jin, a Xiang Kingdom remnant, must want it for a junior with possible Xiang imperial blood — an accusation that enrages Xiong Jin.
• The Trap is Spring: As Xiong Jin prepares to strike, the golden arrow from the Sacred Capital pierces through his eight-armed demon god phantom, striking him directly. Golden threads erupt from the wound, cocooning and sealing Xiong Jin's power entirely. He crashes to the ground and is bound in chains by constables.
• Fang Xun's Victory: Fang Xun bows toward the Sacred Capital, thanking his "Martial Uncle" for the divine arrow. A voice responds that the Black-Clothed Envoys will arrive tomorrow to take custody of Xiong Jin.
• Prison Finale: In Cold Mountain Prison, the protagonist (suspended in a net) successfully stores the stolen Cold Mountain Venerable case into his pocket dimension. He watches as constables drag the bound golden cocoon containing the humiliated, rage-contorted Xiong Jin into the deepest cage.

2. Character Developments

• The Protagonist (via Li Shun puppet): Demonstrates cunning and opportunism — orchestrates a chaotic distraction to steal a precious treasure while the city is under attack. Shows tactical patience and clever misdirection, disappearing without a trace.
• Fang Xun: Reveals himself as more than a mere scholar — a strategist who deliberately used the treasure as bait to lure out Xiang Kingdom remnants. Displays sharp deductive reasoning (deducing Xiong Jin's motive and the junior's likely royal blood), composure under threat, and the backing of a powerful martial uncle in the Sacred Capital. Ends the chapter with a self-satisfied smile.
• The Beautiful Woman: Initially seductive and suspicious, she proves sharp-witted (recognizing the ruse) and decisive (disguising herself and fleeing). Her backstory hints at a cold, self-serving relationship with the magistrate.
• Xiong Jin: A fearsome rebel leader whose arrogance and mission to protect a royal-blooded junior become his undoing. Reduced from a commanding threat to a sealed, humiliated prisoner.

3. Significant Themes

• Deception and Misdirection: Layers of double-crossing — the protagonist impersonates an official agent, the woman feigns compliance, Fang Xun uses the treasure as bait while secretly summoning an arrow from afar.
• Power Dynamics and Restraint: The Sacred Capital's overwhelming might is displayed casually through a single arrow, dwarfing all local powers. True authority is shown to reside at a distance, untouchable.
• Strategy vs. Brute Force: Xiong Jin's raw power loses to Fang Xun's calculated planning and the protagonist's opportunistic timing.
• Treachery and Self-Interest: Betrayal is normalized — the woman expects betrayal from her husband; Li Shun betrays her mid-handoff; everyone maneuvers for personal gain amidst the chaos.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Shun (puppet) & The Woman: A tense, polite exchange masking mutual suspicion, culminating in a brief physical struggle for the treasure case. Ends with the puppet outwitting her through supernatural timing.
• Fang Xun & Xiong Jin: Confrontation marked by Fang Xun's calm, probing taunts versus Xiong Jin's escalating fury — a battle of wits before the actual strike.
• Fang Xun & the "Martial Uncle": An unseen, one-sided exchange showing Fang Xun's deference to a vastly superior power in the Sacred Capital.
• The Protagonist & the Case: An unspoken victory — the protagonist secures the Cold Mountain Venerable (an item sharing origins with the Cold Mountain Grass) into his storage, implying a major cultivation breakthrough ahead.

Summary: Black-Robed Envoys Tread the Clouds

1. Key Plot Points

• Li Shun, imprisoned but with his consciousness hidden in a pocket dimension, witnesses Xiong Jin—the once-arrogant leader of Great Xiang—captured and sealed in a "Golden Cocoon." He realizes Great Qian's power runs far deeper than he imagined.
• Magistrate Fang Xun orders the captured prisoners (Li Shun, Feng Guan) to be released and cared for after confirming their testimony. He then privately tortures Xiong Jin for information.
• That night, Fang Xun visits his concubine Yu Niang's residence, only to find it empty. The brocade box containing Cold Mountain Venerable—which he intended to use to advance his career—has been stolen without breaking his seal.
• Fang Xun's tracking spell fails completely. He finds only a piece of common gray cloth at the scene.
• On the third day of the second month, Black-Robed Envoys arrive on iron-armored qilin horses to take custody of Xiong Jin. Their leader (Brother Zhao) privately congratulates Fang Xun, promising to recommend him to their teacher.
• After the envoys depart, Fang Xun orders Constable Chief Wu Kuang to trace the origin of the cloth. Wu Kuang identifies its source and reports back by noon.

2. Character Developments

• Fang Xun: Revealed as ruthless and politically ambitious—he tortures captured enemies, schemes to return to the Sacred Capital, and flies into suppressed rage when his prize is stolen. His resourcefulness is shown when he swiftly pivots to investigating the cloth clue.
• Li Shun: Initially confident in Great Xiang's power, now humbled and shocked by his faction's failure. His primary consciousness remains hidden, suggesting survival and possible future schemes.
• Xiong Jin: Once arrogant and powerful, now reduced to a sealed, torturing prisoner making only bestial sounds—a dramatic fall from power.
• Wu Kuang: Demonstrates loyalty and remarkable efficiency, quickly identifying the cloth's source.

3. Significant Themes

• Pride and fall: Xiong Jin's capture illustrates how quickly the powerful can be undone.
• Ambition and corruption: Fang Xun's cold torture and career-driven scheming highlight the moral rot beneath officialdom.
• Deception amid chaos: An unseen thief steals Cold Mountain Venerable during the upheaval, showing that even victors are vulnerable.
• Bureaucratic power: The Black-Robed Envoys' dramatic arrival reinforces the overwhelming reach of the Great Qian state.

4. Character Interactions

• Fang Xun ↔ Subordinates (Sun Wu, Wu Kuang): He commands with cold authority; they respond with deference and competence.
• Fang Xun ↔ Xiong Jin: Brutal interrogator versus captive; Fang Xun shows no mercy.
• Fang Xun ↔ Brother Zhao: Politically savvy exchange between allies—one seeks favor, one offers patronage.
• Li Shun (internal): His observations of Xiong Jin's captivity drive his shift from arrogance to wariness of Great Qian's hidden strength.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fang Xun discovers that the owner of the cloth found at the crime scene is Sun Bo, a Xiang Kingdom remnant.
• Li Shun struggles to open the sealed brocade box containing the Cold Mountain Venerable.
• Li Shun receives rewards for his role in exposing the Xiang Kingdom remnant, including a residence and exemption from corvée.
• Feng Guan, who reported the matter, receives a first-rank noble title and a method to restore his youth.

Character Developments

• Fang Xun remains calm and scheming, prioritizing his political career over the loss of the Cold Mountain Venerable.
• Li Shun, despite his shock at Feng Guan's transformation, remains focused on his goals and maintains his composure.
• Feng Guan, now youthful and energetic, struggles with the secret nature of his new method and his loyalty to Li Shun.

Significant Themes

• The pursuit of power and status, as seen in Fang Xun's political ambitions and Li Shun's desire for the Cold Mountain Venerable.
• The consequences of secrets and forbidden knowledge, as exemplified by the youth-restoring method's restrictions.
• The passage of time and the reversal of aging, symbolized by Feng Guan's transformation.

Character Interactions

• Fang Xun's interaction with his subordinate reveals his shrewdness and lack of trust in others.
• Li Shun and Feng Guan's reunion is marked by shock, disbelief, and a hint of tension due to Feng Guan's new status and knowledge.
• The dynamic between Li Shun and Feng Guan shifts, with Feng Guan now possessing a secret that Li Shun desires.

Chapter Summary

Li Shun continues pondering the cryptic phrase “Borrowing Longevity from Heaven, the Twelve Longevities,” especially what the “Twelve Longevities” might mean and what price the Great Qian imperial family must pay for such a heaven-defying technique.
Meanwhile, Feng Guan enthusiastically celebrates receiving the rank of Public Scholar. His new status earns him respect from the county magistrate and former tormentors, who now avoid him. The magistrate also gives him the courtesy name Jianwei, greatly increasing Feng Guan’s pride and happiness. Feng Guan tries to encourage Li Shun, assuring him that they may both eventually regain their youth through accumulated merit.
However, Feng Guan’s joy collapses when he realizes that his new title requires him to leave Cold Mountain County and return to his registered hometown, Yunguan County. Having lived nearly all his life in Cold Mountain, Feng Guan regards it as his true home and feels terrified at the prospect of returning to a place where he has no remaining family, friends, or familiarity. He breaks down in tears, revealing that beneath his youthful body is still an old, traumatized soul. Li Shun comforts him and advises him to remain cautious, observant, and inconspicuous in his unfamiliar homeland.
On the seventeenth day of the second month, Feng Guan departs under the escort of two official postal envoys. Li Shun watches helplessly as his friend leaves. That same night, news arrives that Feng Guan and both escorts have been murdered. The killers are revealed to be surviving remnants of the Xiang Kingdom rebellion, seeking revenge because Feng Guan’s report helped foil their attack and led to the capture of their leader.
Deeply shaken and enraged, Li Shun uses the power of the [Square Inch] space to reverse time through his technique, “I daily, Three Reflections upon myself!” He returns to the morning of Feng Guan’s departure and warns him that the Xiang remnants may retaliate. Li Shun proposes two solutions: Feng Guan can disguise himself and secretly conceal his departure, or he can seek protection from the county magistrate, who would not want a newly elevated first-rank noble to be killed under his jurisdiction.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Li Shun remains thoughtful and cautious, but Feng Guan’s death reveals his deep emotional attachment and protective instincts. He is willing to use his mysterious time-reversal ability to save his friend.
• Feng Guan shifts from exuberant pride to fear and vulnerability. His youthful appearance contrasts with his aged, frightened mind, emphasizing the emotional burden of his long life.
• Their friendship becomes more clearly familial: Feng Guan treats Li Shun as a trusted brother, while Li Shun acts like a stern but caring elder.
• Feng Guan’s promotion improves his social standing but also exposes him to political danger and forces him to confront his alienation from his birthplace.

Significant Themes

• The difference between physical youth and emotional age: Feng Guan’s rejuvenated body cannot erase decades of hardship and fear.
• Home and belonging: Feng Guan realizes that his birthplace is no longer home; Cold Mountain County, where he built his life, is where he truly belongs.
• The cost of power and advancement: His new status brings dignity and privilege but also separation, danger, and political consequences.
• Loyalty and protection: Li Shun’s willingness to reverse time demonstrates the strength of their bond.
• The oppressive power of imperial law: Even a newly honored scholar fears defying Great Qian’s regulations, showing how deeply the state controls ordinary lives.
• Fate and the attempt to alter it: After witnessing Feng Guan’s murder, Li Shun uses time reversal to intervene and seek a different outcome.

Chapter Summary: “Altering Another’s Fate Lightly”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun urges Feng Guan to seek protection from County Magistrate Fang Xun before returning home, since rebel remnants still threaten the region.
• Although Feng Guan initially fears approaching the magistrate, his new status as a first-rank Public Scholar gives him the courage to ask for help.
• Fang Xun agrees that Feng Guan’s escort is insufficient and orders County Commandant Cheng Yishu to personally lead a squad of Black-Armored cavalry to protect him.
• Feng Guan departs safely from Cold Mountain County. Li Shun watches from the crowd and later uses Threefold Self-Reflection to revisit the event and confirm that the journey proceeds without immediate danger.
• During the escort’s journey, Feng Guan gradually becomes comfortable riding the famous Moonlit White horses and experiences a rare sense of freedom and pride.
• At the Cold Mountain Commandery border checkpoint, travelers recognize Feng Guan’s “homecoming in glory” and discuss how his discovery of the Xiang rebels’ scheme brought him honor.
• The crowd also emphasizes that Fang Xun benefited even more, since capturing the legitimate imperial bloodline of Great Xiang may restore his political career and bring him promotion.
• Yu Niang, disguised as an old woman and fleeing through the checkpoint, overhears these discussions. Consumed by jealousy and resentment toward Fang Xun, she decides she cannot allow him to enjoy his success and returns toward Cold Mountain County.
• Meanwhile, Li Shun continues repairing the damaged stone statue inside the Square Inch Space. The process consumes eighteen more stalks of Cold Mountain Grass, leaving only eighty-seven.
• The frost seal on the box containing the Cold Mountain Venerable has weakened considerably and is expected to break completely in roughly ten more days.
• On the nineteenth day of the second month, Li Shun receives his official rewards: ten years’ exemption from corvée labor, three hundred thousand coins, and a private residence in the county seat.
• He moves into the new house but remains highly cautious, suspecting that Fang Xun may have installed surveillance or detection arrays. He decides not to reveal or use his puppet openly and suppresses the urge to immediately construct an underground escape tunnel.

Character Developments

• Feng Guan: Gains confidence from his new noble status. His initial timidity gives way to pride, exhilaration, and a growing awareness that his life has radically changed.
• Li Shun: Demonstrates concern for Feng Guan by subtly altering events to improve his chances of survival. He remains calculating and cautious, carefully managing his resources and concealing the Square Inch Space.
• Fang Xun: Shows increased recognition of Feng Guan’s value and exercises practical political judgment by providing elite protection. His broader ambitions and likely return to the capital become apparent.
• Yu Niang: Her resentment toward Fang Xun intensifies into consuming jealousy. She loses emotional control and appears ready to act against him, despite the danger.
• Cheng Yishu: Initially finds Fang Xun’s order unreasonable, but submits immediately when confronted with the magistrate’s authority.

Significant Themes

• Changing fate through small interventions: Li Shun cannot control the future completely, but his seemingly minor actions—encouraging Feng Guan to seek protection—substantially alter the man’s survival prospects.
• Status and social power: Feng Guan’s promotion transforms how others treat him, proving how dramatically rank influences protection, respect, and opportunity.
• Jealousy and unequal fortune: Yu Niang’s bitterness arises from the sharp contrast between Fang Xun’s impending glory and her own life in hiding.
• Caution and secrecy: Li Shun’s suspicion of surveillance reflects the danger of possessing extraordinary abilities and hidden treasures in a politically controlled world.
• Political ambition and reputation: Fang Xun’s success demonstrates how military achievements and association with imperial bloodlines can reshape a disgraced official’s future.
• Resource management: The dwindling supply of Cold Mountain Grass and the weakening seal on the Cold Mountain Venerable create mounting pressure for Li Shun.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Feng Guan: Li Shun encourages Feng Guan to seek official protection, indirectly saving him from likely assassination.
• Feng Guan and Fang Xun: Feng Guan approaches the magistrate as a former laborer, but Fang Xun now treats him as a respected noble and grants him military protection.
• Fang Xun and Cheng Yishu: Fang Xun commands Cheng to escort Feng Guan personally; Cheng questions the order but ultimately obeys.
• Yu Niang and Fang Xun: Though Fang Xun is absent, Yu Niang’s thoughts reveal their troubled past and her intense resentment over his success.
• Li Shun and his hidden resources: Li Shun continues balancing the repair of the stone statue, the weakening seal, and the need to conceal the Square Inch Space from Fang Xun’s possible surveillance.

Chapter Summary: “One Method Subdues the Hundred Schools”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun spends a sleepless night in his newly awarded residence. He is uncomfortable with both the soft bed and the possibility that the Great Qian authorities are secretly monitoring him.
• After weighing the danger, he decides to deliberately test whether the residence contains surveillance formations. Using the seemingly inexhaustible L-County Thousand-Bristle brush, he covers the walls with treasonous statements, including:
  • “Should I one day fulfill my soaring-cloud ambition, I would dare mock Emperor Gan as no true man.”
  • “Heaven shall destroy Great Qian.”
  • “Though Xiang has but three households, it shall be Xiang that destroys Qian.”
• He waits for the authorities to react, expecting soldiers or constables to arrest him. After several hours pass without incident, he concludes that the residence is probably not being closely monitored—or that the authorities do not consider him important enough to watch.
• Li Shun then locks the residence and visits the Jixia Bookstore, where he meets Zhou Xunzhen.
• Instead of exchanging for more fragments of the Book of Imperial Exegesis, Li Shun asks for information about “Borrowing Longevity from Heaven, Twelve Longevity Realms.”
• Zhou explains that the cultivation method is known among Great Qian’s upper ranks but is forbidden to transmit without authorization because it was personally created by Emperor Gan. Even Zhou himself could suffer backlash for leaking it.
• Zhou nevertheless offers to reveal five words about the method in exchange for five leaves of Cold Mountain Grass.
• The chapter ends with Zhou writing the message: “The Emperor used this method to subdue the Hundred Schools!”

Character Developments

• Li Shun becomes more calculating and proactive. Rather than merely fearing surveillance, he intentionally provokes a reaction to determine how closely the authorities are watching him.
• His willingness to write openly treasonous declarations shows both his boldness and his reliance on the Threefold Self-Reflection divine ability to protect him from hidden dangers.
• Li Shun also reveals growing urgency about cultivation and longevity. He recognizes that, given his age and limited time, he must obtain the Twelve Longevity Realms method as soon as possible.
• Zhou Xunzhen maintains his mysterious, controlled demeanor. He refuses to disclose forbidden information directly but is willing to provide a carefully limited clue for a valuable price.

Significant Themes

• Paranoia and surveillance: Li Shun struggles with the fear that every action is being observed by the Great Qian Court.
• Risk and calculated defiance: Rather than remain passive, Li Shun turns danger into an experiment, deliberately challenging the authorities to expose their surveillance.
• Power and secrecy: The Twelve Longevity Realms method is not merely a cultivation technique; its restricted circulation reflects the political power tied to Emperor Gan’s authority.
• Longevity and mortality: Li Shun’s concern that he may not master the method within ten years emphasizes his awareness of age, limited time, and the need to seize every opportunity.
• Imperial control over ideology: The final clue suggests that Emperor Gan used the method not only for personal cultivation but also to suppress or dominate the various intellectual and philosophical traditions represented by the “Hundred Schools.”

Character Interactions

• Li Shun has no direct confrontation with the authorities, but his provocative writings represent an indirect challenge to Great Qian and Emperor Gan.
• At the Jixia Bookstore, Li Shun and Zhou Xunzhen communicate cautiously, using lowered voices and closed doors because of the sensitive information involved.
• Zhou initially refuses Li Shun’s request, emphasizing the danger of violating imperial restrictions, but he ultimately bargains with him for five leaves of Cold Mountain Grass.
• Their exchange ends with Zhou’s cryptic revelation, which hints that the Twelve Longevity Realms method may be a tool of imperial domination rather than merely a path to extended life.

The Gathering Storm — Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points & Events

1. Bookshop visit: Li Shun returns to Jixia Bookshop and purchases more incomplete pages of the Book of Imperial Exegesis. Zhou Xunzhen sells him seven words ("The Qian Emperor was greatly pleased upon hearing this") for five leaves, hinting the words carry weight from centuries of bloody history.
2. New knowledge: The purchased page details the construction of Great Qian's official roads by the Grand Artisan Gongshu Ji—a massive project that altered the realm's geography and qi flow. Li Shun reflects on how these roads enable swift travel and imperial control.
3. First Reflection: Li Shun tests whether he is under surveillance by writing treasonous verses. No reaction occurs, confirming he is unobserved, and he triggers Three Reflections Upon Myself, reversing time to start the day anew.
4. Second Reflection: He repeats the bookshop visit, then witnesses the Black-Armored cavalry returning early in haste. Suspicious, he investigates the "military secret"—and is swiftly arrested by Constable Chief Wu Kuang, who tortures him brutally for prying into military affairs. Li Shun endures by hiding his consciousness in the [Square Inch] space.
5. Third Reflection: After reversing time once more, Li Shun prepares for the coming danger. He releases his puppet double [Li Shun] to secretly dig a deeper escape tunnel.
6. Premonition: As he repeatedly uses his soul-puppet abilities, Li Shun senses the white-mist region within the [Square Inch] space may soon become accessible.

Character Developments

• Li Shun: Demonstrates growing caution and tactical use of his time-reversal ability to probe danger safely. His soul control is improving—summoning the puppet is increasingly less painful. He shows a calculating, survival-first mindset.
• Zhou Xunzhen: Revealed as a man burdened by a hidden, heavy past. Though seemingly a simple bookseller, his words imply he has witnessed great bloodshed and deliberately confines himself to the bookshop as a refuge from the world's chaos. He appears prematurely aged and weary.

Significant Themes

• The cost of curiosity / state secrecy: Even casual inquiries about troop movements invite lethal reprisal—an oppressive, authoritarian atmosphere.
• Survival through preparation: Li Shun's use of multiple time loops to test scenarios and pre-dig an escape route highlights the theme of calculated survival.
• The "gathering storm": The early-returning Black-Armored cavalry, the ominous hints, and Wu Kuang's brutality signal imminent upheaval in Cold Mountain County.
• Zhou's philosophy: The outside world ("rolling red dust") breeds disorder and death; retreat and stillness offer safety of a kind.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun & Zhou Xunzhen: A reserved but meaningful exchange. Zhou reveals a hint of his tragic history; Li Shun senses Zhou carries a heavy story. Their dialogue contrasts the quiet safety of the bookshop with the danger of the world outside.
• Li Shun & Wu Kuang: Antagonistic. Wu Kuang, determined to extract information or exact cruelty, arrests and tortures Li Shun without listening to his defense—a display of unchecked authority and personal malice.

Chapter Summary

Li Shun makes a major breakthrough within the [Square Inch] space. His consciousness penetrates the previously impenetrable white mist surrounding the realm and discovers that it can be physically displaced through sheer force of will. Although moving the mist severely strains his soul and leaves him exhausted, the openings he creates remain stable. After a full day of effort, he successfully expands the usable area and estimates that, with continued work for another dozen days or so, he can create enough space to house another puppet. Encouraged by this prospect, he commits himself to expanding the domain every day.
Meanwhile, Li Shun continues observing developments in Cold Mountain County. The county appears peaceful after the arrival of the Black-Armored Army, but increased inspections at the gates and the presence of numerous plainclothes detectives reveal that the authorities are preparing for an important arrival or possible disturbance. On the twenty-third day of the second month, County Commandant Cheng Yishu returns safely after escorting Feng Guan back to his homeland, reassuring Li Shun that this matter has concluded without incident.
The following day, Cold Mountain County receives Changle Marquis, a highly distinguished noblewoman of the Great Qian Dynasty and a surviving descendant of the former Xu Kingdom’s royal family. Her arrival causes a county-wide sensation. She travels in an ornate agarwood carriage drawn by eight extraordinary one-horned beasts, protected from the crowds by a formation barrier. Her striking beauty, aloof demeanor, and sorrowful expression leave the spectators—including Li Shun—deeply impressed. Her simple wooden hairpin, decorated with ancient sword-hilt patterns, hints at an unusual background or hidden significance.
At the county government office, County Magistrate Fang Xun leads the officials in welcoming her. Although he behaves respectfully, his fleeting greedy expression suggests that he sees Changle’s visit as an opportunity for advancement. During the lavish banquet held in her honor, the officials repeatedly stare at her, fascinated by her presence. Fang Xun eventually asks why she has come to the remote county. Changle explains that she heard a surviving member of the former Xiang Kingdom’s royal family had been captured there and came on a sudden whim to see him. Excited by her interest, Fang Xun boasts at length about the operation that supposedly pacified the region and captured the royal descendant.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Li Shun grows more capable and determined as he learns to manipulate the Square Inch space. The possibility of creating another puppet gives him renewed motivation.
• Changle Marquis is introduced as powerful, noble, beautiful, and emotionally distant, yet marked by an underlying sorrow and fragility. Her personal interest in the captured royal descendant suggests that her visit may have deeper motives.
• Fang Xun presents himself as a loyal official but reveals ambition and opportunism through his greedy reaction and exaggerated account of the capture.
• Li Shun and Changle Marquis do not directly interact, but Li Shun observes her arrival among the crowd.
• Changle Marquis and Fang Xun interact at the welcoming ceremony and banquet, with Fang Xun probing her intentions and attempting to impress her through self-aggrandizing stories.

Significant Themes

• Growth through endurance: Li Shun’s painstaking expansion of the Square Inch space reflects his increasing strength and perseverance.
• Hidden forces beneath apparent peace: Cold Mountain County’s calm exterior conceals heightened security and political tension.
• Power and social hierarchy: Changle’s arrival demonstrates the overwhelming influence commanded by high imperial rank.
• Appearance versus reality: Changle’s beauty and noble presentation conceal sorrow and possible secrets, while Fang Xun’s respectful exterior masks ambition.
• Political intrigue and the past: The capture of a former royal descendant and Changle’s sudden interest suggest that unresolved histories and royal loyalties will drive future events.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the banquet, Changle Marquis rejects Magistrate Fang Xun’s offer of accommodation. She reveals that her agarwood sedan can transform into a vast manor suspended above the county yamen.
• Li Shun observes the spectacle from afar but remains focused on living quietly until the Cold Mountain Venerable’s seal is removed and the new Square Inch space opens.
• Fang Xun becomes increasingly preoccupied with Changle Marquis. Having recently risen in rank after helping capture Xiong Jin, he considers pursuing her romantically or at least forming a valuable alliance through her powerful status and connections.
• Believing she may appreciate swords because of her sword-shaped hairpin, Fang Xun searches throughout the county and collects two ornate swords as gifts.
• During his visit, Changle Marquis explains that the former Xu Kingdom was renowned for sword forging and that its royal family created seven of the world’s ten famous swords.
• She demonstrates the true nature of a sword by stabbing Fang Xun. Because of Great Qian’s strange universal rule that “a sword cannot harm people,” the blade shatters upon striking him and then reforms.
• The event evokes deep sorrow in Changle Marquis, who mournfully repeats, “It once was...” before dismissing Fang Xun.
• Upon returning to the county yamen, Fang Xun learns that Yu Niang has returned—and is heavily pregnant, waiting at the gates. The revelation leaves him stunned and furious.

Character Developments

• Changle Marquis: Remains mysterious, detached, and immensely powerful. Her explanation of Xu Kingdom’s sword-forging legacy reveals her connection to its lost royal heritage. Her reaction to the harmless sword exposes profound grief and nostalgia for a vanished past.
• Fang Xun: His confidence and ambition shift into infatuation and opportunism. He fantasizes about marrying Changle Marquis or benefiting from her connections, but his attempt to impress her fails. His sudden encounter with pregnant Yu Niang introduces a major threat to his reputation and plans.
• Li Shun: Continues his cautious, low-profile existence and shows amusement at Changle Marquis’s extravagant aerial manor, but otherwise stays detached from the unfolding drama.
• Cheng Yishu: Quietly recognizes Fang Xun’s romantic foolishness and privately views his behavior with contempt.
• Wu Kuang: Acts as Fang Xun’s anxious confidant, delivering the shocking news about Yu Niang.

Significant Themes

• Power and social ambition: Fang Xun sees Changle Marquis less as an individual than as a life-changing opportunity, revealing his desire to climb even higher in status.
• The loss of the past: Changle Marquis’s sorrow over the sword reflects the decline of Xu Kingdom, its royal family, and perhaps the former meaning of swords themselves.
• The contrast between appearance and reality: The sedan is actually a flying manor, while swords appear deadly but are incapable of harming anyone. Fang Xun’s seemingly successful career likewise hides his precarious personal situation.
• Unintended consequences: Fang Xun’s attempt to court Changle Marquis is interrupted by Yu Niang’s unexpected return and pregnancy, threatening to overturn his carefully cultivated image.
• Power without violence: Although swords are traditionally symbols of killing and authority, the world’s laws prevent them from injuring people, creating an ironic tension between their historical meaning and present function.

Important Character Interactions

• Fang Xun repeatedly attempts to ingratiate himself with Changle Marquis, first by offering lodging and later by presenting swords.
• Changle Marquis shares Xu Kingdom’s sword-making history with Fang Xun but then tests the nature of the sword by attacking him.
• Cheng Yishu silently judges Fang Xun’s behavior, while Wu Kuang later brings him the alarming news of Yu Niang’s arrival.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yu Niang, pregnant and claiming Fang Xun is the father, causes a stir in Cold Mountain County.
• Fang Xun, initially enraged, realizes the implications and orders Yu Niang to be treated well.
• Li Shun successfully opens the fourth area in his [Square Inch] space, learning about its rules for taking in puppets.

Character Developments

• Fang Xun: Initially impulsive and lustful, he regains his composure and prioritizes his career after Yu Niang's reappearance.
• Li Shun: Realizes he possessed [Square Inch] before taking over Li Shun's body and understands the rules for taking in puppets.

Significant Themes

• Lust vs. Ambition: Fang Xun's initial lust for Yu Niang and the Changle Marquis's daughter threatens his career, but he ultimately prioritizes his ambition.
• Powerlessness and Cunning: Li Shun lacks physical strength but uses cunning to achieve his goals, such as opening [Square Inch] and planning against Cold Mountain Venerable.

Character Interactions

• Fang Xun and Wu Kuang: Fang Xun's anger and subsequent order to treat Yu Niang well reveal his change in priorities.
• Li Shun and his thoughts: Li Shun's internal monologue reveals his strategic thinking and plans for the new puppet in [Square Inch].

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the third day of the third month, Changle Marquis summons County Magistrate Fang Xun to Changle Residence.
• She first warns Fang Xun not to betray his pregnant wife, Yu Niang, emphasizing her hatred of faithless men. Fang Xun responds with exaggerated assurances of loyalty.
• Changle Marquis explains the ancient origins of Cold Mountain County. The region became a land of extreme yin after an ancient powerful being died there, leaving behind an undispersed yin soul.
• She reveals that this “Cold Mountain Soul” moves through the underground and is the source of Cold Mountain’s unusual power and its famous Cold Mountain Grass.
• Her actual purpose is to enter the abandoned Cold Mountain Great Mine and locate the Cold Mountain Soul, which she believes may be connected to the ancient being’s attempt to revive itself through the cold moon’s radiance.
• Because the old mine is vast, dangerous, and labyrinthine, she proposes using laborers skilled at cultivating Cold Mountain Grass. Their sensitivity to the grass’s presence could allow them to track the Cold Mountain Soul.
• Fang Xun agrees enthusiastically and returns to the county yamen. He orders Sun Wu, the labor overseer, to identify laborers who have consistently met or exceeded their Cold Mountain Grass quotas.
• Sun Wu produces a list of twenty-three suitable laborers. Fang Xun orders all of them brought secretly to the yamen.
• Li Shun is among those summoned. He arrives in a heavily guarded rear hall and notices the other laborers are frightened and confused, leaving him to wonder what is happening.

Character Developments

• Changle Marquis demonstrates authority, strategic intelligence, and extensive knowledge of Cold Mountain’s hidden history. She carefully controls the conversation, beginning with a moral warning before revealing her real objective.
• Fang Xun is nervous around Changle Marquis, especially after being warned about Yu Niang. Although he pretends to be upright and selfless, he is inwardly delighted that she needs his assistance and hopes the assignment may benefit him.
• Fang Xun also displays political experience: he quickly understands the connection between the Cold Mountain Soul, Cold Mountain Grass, and the laborers, then acts efficiently and discreetly.
• Sun Wu is shown as a capable administrator who knows the laborers’ records well and can quickly produce the requested list.
• Li Shun shifts from ordinary domestic peace to sudden anxiety after being secretly summoned with the other laborers.

Significant Themes

• Hidden ancient history: Cold Mountain conceals secrets from an erased and largely unknowable pre-Great Qian past.
• Power beneath the ordinary: A familiar local product, Cold Mountain Grass, is linked to a vast supernatural force and an ancient being’s possible rebirth.
• Political manipulation and self-interest: Changle Marquis uses Fang Xun’s position and ambitions to secure his cooperation, while Fang Xun eagerly seeks advantage beneath his official façade.
• Loyalty versus hypocrisy: The opening warning about faithless men contrasts with Fang Xun’s outward declarations of virtue and his concealed selfish motives.
• Exploration and danger: The abandoned mine represents both a physical labyrinth and a gateway to forbidden knowledge and immense power.

Character Interactions

• Changle Marquis confronts Fang Xun about his treatment of his pregnant wife, Yu Niang, establishing moral pressure and reminding him that she is watching his conduct.
• She then tests Fang Xun’s knowledge of Cold Mountain before revealing information he does not know, placing herself in the position of superior authority and understanding.
• Fang Xun responds with formal obedience and promises to assist her, recognizing the opportunity hidden in her request.
• Changle Marquis explains her plan directly and gives Fang Xun a practical role without asking him to enter the dangerous mine himself.
• Fang Xun privately orders Sun Wu to act in secrecy, showing how the Marquis’s request immediately affects the county administration.
• The chapter ends with Li Shun and the other selected laborers gathered under guard, creating suspense about their role in the expedition and the dangers awaiting them underground.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The 23 laborers, including Li Shun, are brought to Changle Marquis's floating residence.
• They are served an extravagant meal that has rejuvenating properties, making them appear younger.
• The laborers are given red garments (Langhuan Blaze Robes) and tasked with searching for Cold Mountain Grass in an underground mine.
• A group of music attendants accompanies the laborers, with the promise of being bestowed upon them if they please the Marquis.
• As the laborers explore the mine, red threads from their robes create a web-like network, marking their paths and locations of Cold Mountain Grass.
• Ten days later, Li Shun struggles to walk due to his age, raising suspicion from his music attendant.

Character Developments

• Li Shun demonstrates his cunning and adaptability, hiding his thoughts from Changle Marquis and manipulating his music attendant.
• Changle Marquis is revealed to be powerful and manipulative, using the laborers and the underground mine for her own purposes.

Significant Themes

• Power and Manipulation: Changle Marquis's actions show her power and control over the laborers, using them for her own ends.
• Appearance vs Reality: The rejuvenating meal and robes given to the laborers mask the true purpose of their task and the danger they face.
• Trust and Deception: Li Shun hides his true thoughts and intentions, deceiving both Changle Marquis and his music attendant.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun and Changle Marquis: Li Shun is wary of Changle Marquis's power and hides his thoughts from her.
• Li Shun and the Music Attendant: Li Shun manipulates his music attendant, using her concern for him to avoid going deeper into the mine.
• The Laborers and Changle Marquis: The laborers are intimidated by Changle Marquis's power and authority, but are motivated by the promise of wealth and women.

Chapter Summary: “Extreme Yin Transforms into True Gold”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Shun realizes that the unusual distribution of Cold Mountain Grass suggests something more valuable lies deeper underground. When he continues talking, Yue Shi silences him by carrying him rapidly into the depths of the mine.
• Inside his Square Inch Space, Li Shun examines the previously obtained Cold Mountain Venerable, a rare mutated plant whose aura strengthens his divine sense, sharpens his mind, and allows him to perceive the mine’s sinister yin energy.
• The underground cold becomes increasingly dangerous. Li Shun nearly succumbs despite the Langhuan Blaze Robe, forcing Yue Shi to stop and give him a warming medicinal pill before continuing.
• Li Shun senses an aura similar to the Cold Mountain Venerable and leads Yue Shi to a massive mutated plant: the Cold Mountain Lord. Yue Shi explains that it is extraordinarily rare and valuable. After Li Shun pleads to collect it, she permits him to take it using the Farmer’s Spirit-Splitting Life-Birthing Art.
• Yue Shi continues toward a specific destination, seemingly knowing the mine’s layout. She is joined by five maids, who confirm that they have found their target and summon the Changle Marquis.
• The Changle Marquis orders the laborers removed and the area sealed before entering the deepest passage alone. There she encounters a translucent green-blue figure suspended in the air amid extreme cold.
• The Marquis identifies herself as Si Zhanqing, an “unfilial daughter” paying respects to her ancestor. Her reverence and grief suggest the figure is a powerful deceased or transformed ancestor.
• Afterward, Si Zhanqing performs a ritual using a green gourd and the mine’s extreme yin energy. Her incantation condenses the surrounding power into golden liquid, apparently producing True Gold through the transformation of extreme yin.
• Three days later, Si Zhanqing returns to Cold Mountain County with a successful harvest. The mine’s oppressive yin aura begins to dissipate.
• County Magistrate Fang Xun congratulates her and cautiously asks what should be done with the laborers, implying that their fate may be connected to the secrecy of the ritual.

Character Developments

• Li Shun demonstrates increasing perceptiveness and usefulness. His knowledge of Cold Mountain Grass helps him identify the mine’s abnormal conditions and locate the Cold Mountain Lord. He also continues using exaggerated helplessness and chatter to manipulate Yue Shi while secretly concealing the valuable plants he notices.
• Yue Shi becomes more protective and cooperative toward Li Shun. Although impatient with his talk and focused on her own objective, she saves him from the cold, gives him medicine, permits him to collect the Cold Mountain Lord, and relies on his senses to guide her.
• Si Zhanqing, the Changle Marquis, is revealed to possess a hidden, highly ambitious purpose. Her respectful encounter with the mysterious ancestor contrasts with her later excitement and ruthless determination to exploit the mine’s yin energy.
• Fang Xun is shown to be politically cautious and deferential. He understands the Marquis’s authority and carefully raises the issue of the laborers without directly challenging her.

Significant Themes

• Hidden value beneath appearances: Ordinary Cold Mountain Grass conceals increasingly rare treasures, while the mine itself hides a powerful source of energy and an ancestral secret.
• Exploitation of natural and spiritual forces: Si Zhanqing manipulates the mine’s extreme yin aura to create True Gold, reflecting the cultivation world’s pursuit of power through dangerous methods.
• Secrecy and concealed motives: Li Shun hides the Cold Mountain Lords he senses, Yue Shi conceals her destination, and Si Zhanqing seals the mine to prevent witnesses from learning the truth.
• Reverence versus ambition: Si Zhanqing bows before her ancestor with genuine grief, yet quickly turns to using the surrounding power for personal gain.
• Danger beneath calm surfaces: The mine’s cold is not merely physical; it carries a sentient, oppressive quality that suggests an ancient and possibly threatening presence.

Character Interactions

• Li Shun’s constant chatter frustrates Yue Shi, but his observations remain valuable enough that she continues relying on him.
• Yue Shi carries, protects, and medicates Li Shun, while Li Shun uses feigned weakness and exaggerated sincerity to secure permission to harvest the Cold Mountain Lord.
• Yue Shi’s maids coordinate with her and later summon the Changle Marquis after confirming the hidden destination.
• Si Zhanqing’s interaction with the green-blue figure is one-sided: she shows reverence and addresses it as her ancestor, but it gives no response.
• Fang Xun’s final exchange with Si Zhanqing establishes the unresolved issue of the laborers and hints that the Marquis may intend to silence or otherwise dispose of them.