Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Human or Ghost?”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• One-Brow Taoist captures two headless monk ghosts using a divination mirror, Daoist incantations, and red binding thread. The ghosts become paper figures marked with the character “Edict.”
• His disciples, Qiu Sheng and Wencai, reveal their contrasting personalities: Qiu Sheng is more courageous and martial, while Wencai is foolish, nervous, and easily amused.
• One-Brow Taoist explains that the ghosts came from Withered Forest Chan Temple, a ruined Buddhist temple once occupied by a bloodthirsty tree demon known as One-Eye.
• He reveals that rumors say Su Che, the newly appointed county commandant of Shanyin County, has already seriously wounded the tree demon.
• Because Su Che and One-Brow Taoist have encountered each other, they decide to continue into the temple and eliminate the demon rather than merely deal with the immediate haunting.
• One-Brow Taoist sends Qiu Sheng and Wencai back to Guobei County for safety. The disciples reluctantly leave, showing concern for their master and Su Che.
• Su Che and One-Brow Taoist enter the ruined temple, reflecting on its former grandeur and the impermanence of human institutions.
• As they proceed deeper inside, One-Brow Taoist suddenly stops and asks Su Che whether he is human or a ghost, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

2. Character Developments

• One-Brow Taoist/Lin Jiugong: Demonstrates considerable Daoist power and experience by effortlessly subduing the headless ghosts. He is practical, morally determined, and committed to resisting the growing influence of demons and ghosts.
• Su Che: Gains One-Brow Taoist’s trust and agrees to help destroy the tree demon. He presents himself as a sword cultivator whose “sword qi” matters more than a physical sword, concealing the unusual nature of his true abilities.
• Qiu Sheng: Shows courage, loyalty, and a strong sense of martial righteousness. Though he accepts his master’s order to leave, he openly worries about the danger and challenges Su Che to compare their abilities someday.
• Wencai: Remains comic, timid, and somewhat scatterbrained, but his concern for his master is genuine. His warning that money is not worth risking one’s life reveals practical common sense beneath his foolish behavior.
• The two disciples together: Their farewell demonstrates their loyalty and affection for One-Brow Taoist, while also emphasizing how inexperienced they are compared with their master.

3. Significant Themes

• The struggle against supernatural evil: The chapter presents cultivation as a defense of humanity in a world where demons and ghosts are increasingly common.
• Duty versus personal safety: One-Brow Taoist and Su Che choose to confront the tree demon despite the danger, while the disciples are sent away because their lives should not be risked unnecessarily.
• The decline of the human world: Lin Jiugong laments that demons fill the land and ghosts walk openly. Su Che reflects that ordinary cultivators act like small candles preserving fragments of light in a dark age.
• Impermanence and historical decline: The ruined temple symbolizes the rise and fall of religious and human institutions. A once-great Buddhist lineage has been destroyed, leaving only ruins, ghosts, and a demon occupying the site.
• Identity and hidden origins: Su Che’s unexplained swordsmanship and lack of a visible sword raise suspicions. The final question—whether he is human or ghost—introduces doubt about his true nature.

4. Important Character Interactions

• One-Brow Taoist’s exchange with his disciples highlights the gap between his mastery and their immaturity.
• His discussion with Su Che establishes mutual respect and a shared commitment to eliminating evil.
• Qiu Sheng and Wencai’s farewell to Su Che shows their differing personalities while creating a friendly connection between them.
• One-Brow Taoist questions Su Che about his sword, forcing Su Che to invent an explanation involving a lineage based on sword qi.
• The final confrontation between Lin Jiugong and Su Che shifts the mood from cooperation to suspicion, suggesting that Lin Jiugong may have detected something abnormal about Su Che’s presence or identity.

Chapter Summary: “Ghost Encounter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che and One-Brow Taoist Lin Jiugong arrive at Withered Forest Chan Temple and discover that it has transformed into a terrifying corpse-nurturing ground.
• The compass becomes useless, the directions of life and death are confused, Yin energy fills the area, and the normally lively forest is unnaturally silent.
• Ghostly Buddhist chanting emerges from the fog, suggesting that the temple has regained the appearance of its former prosperous days. The ghosts here seem even more dangerous than those of Lanruo Temple.
• Lin determines that the temple is experiencing an unprecedented “hundred ghosts walk at night” phenomenon, despite there being no obvious seasonal or calendrical reason for the sudden increase in Yin energy.
• Lin decides to enter the temple and investigate, even though he acknowledges the danger. Su Che suspects that Zhongyuan deliberately directed them here for a hidden purpose and chooses to accompany him.
• Both men disguise themselves as ghosts. Su Che uses the Mirage Shadow Primordial Sword to conceal his body and make himself translucent, while Lin employs Maoshan breath-control techniques, an inverted Daoist robe, a Yellow Talisman, and “nether incense” to make himself appear ghostly.
• Inside the fog, they encounter Qutan, a grotesque ghost inhabiting a black urn, and Xue Fu, an attractive female ghost.
• Lin claims that they serve under the Yin-Yang Dharma King of Guobei County and are visiting during a day off. Xue Fu accepts the explanation.
• Xue Fu shows interest in Su Che, saying she has seen someone like him before and jokingly suggests asking the Dharma King to give him to her as a personal attendant. Lin playfully interrupts, warning that their disguises and abilities are insignificant compared with her presence.

Character Developments

• Su Che: Becomes increasingly suspicious that Zhongyuan’s mission contains a deeper purpose. He demonstrates greater mastery of the Mirage Shadow Primordial Sword and recognizes its value as a stealth- and assassination-oriented technique. He also reveals a witty, composed side when speaking with Xue Fu.
• Lin Jiugong / One-Brow Taoist: Shows both courage and stubbornness by insisting on investigating the dangerous temple despite recognizing the risks. His expertise in Daoist occult arts is highlighted through his ability to read Yin-Yang changes and disguise himself as a ghost. He also proves skilled at improvising within the ghost world.
• Xue Fu: Introduced as a beautiful but potentially dangerous female ghost. She appears polite and curious, yet her casual reference to obtaining a human scholar as a servant reveals her supernatural power and predatory nature.
• Qutan: A grotesque, half-decomposed urn ghost who openly admits to eating people. Though crude and suspicious, he is not immediately hostile because he believes Su Che and Lin are fellow ghosts.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus identity: Humans disguise themselves as ghosts, while the temple’s distorted spiritual environment makes the living appear more ghostlike than the dead.
• Dangerous curiosity: Lin’s refusal to retreat reflects the tension between scholarly investigation and reckless exposure to supernatural danger.
• Hidden designs and fate: Su Che suspects that Zhongyuan’s assignment was intentional, implying that the strange temple may be part of a larger plan.
• Adaptability and deception: Survival depends not only on strength but also on disguises, quick thinking, social manipulation, and understanding the customs of the supernatural world.
• Daoist and Buddhist imagery: Buddhist chants, ghostly offerings, talismans, Daoist arts, Yin energy, and the reversal of life and death combine to create a spiritually corrupted version of the temple.

Character Interactions

• Su Che and Lin initially discuss whether they are truly human or have become ghostlike due to the temple’s overwhelming Yin energy.
• Lin urges caution but still chooses to proceed; Su Che warns him about being surrounded by hungry ghosts, then decides to accompany him.
• The two compare their respective concealment techniques, with Lin admiring the unusual nature of Su Che’s sword art.
• Su Che and Xue Fu exchange flirtatious and witty remarks about her name and his possible future as her attendant.
• Lin smoothly supports their false identities and later teases Su Che, suggesting that neither of them should boast in front of the powerful Xue Fu.

Chapter Summary: “Divine Register”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che recognizes the beautiful female ghost as Lady Snow, also known as Xue Fu, a powerful water monster ruling the White Cang River between Guobei and Shanyin Counties.
• Lady Snow has cultivated for more than a century and reached the fifth grade of the Ghost Path, but she has been unable to advance because ghost cultivation lacks sufficient true yang.
• Seeking a way forward, she plans to change cultivation paths: by gathering the Incense of the Myriad People, she hopes to transform from a ghostly monster into an Orthodox God.
• Her immediate goal is to become the River God of the White Cang River. To do so, she must organize the river’s spiritual energy, establish a temple, receive worship, and condense a Divine Register—the core proof of godhood.
• Lady Snow brings Su Che and Lin Jiugong to Withered Forest Chan Temple on the anniversary of its destruction. On this night, a pagoda in the temple’s Pagoda Grove emits miraculous light, allowing ghosts to strengthen their yin energy while an Ancient Buddha appears to preach.
• Though Lady Snow invites the two young ghosts farther into the temple grounds, Su Che cautiously refuses, recognizing the danger posed by the many powerful ghosts gathered there.
• They enter the Pagoda Grove, where headless monk ghosts chant the Three Refuges mantra around the patriarch’s cenotaph.
• The cenotaph transforms, producing an azure, sixteen-foot-tall, six-armed lion-headed Buddha: Lion Azure Lotus Perfected Tathagata, the founder of Withered Forest Chan Temple.
• The Buddha recites scripture about demons being converted into Bodhisattvas. His preaching deeply affects the surrounding ghosts, though Su Che and Lin Jiugong do not understand its significance.
• The apparition suddenly fades, accompanied by a mysterious bell. A refreshing current flows through Su Che, and an unknown object mysteriously appears on his wrist, ending the chapter.

Character Developments

• Su Che demonstrates caution and strategic awareness by refusing to follow Lady Snow too deeply into a gathering of dangerous ghosts.
• His thoughts reveal growing interest in the mysteries surrounding Lion Azure Lotus Perfected Tathagata, Zhongyuan, and the possibility of advancing to higher realms through changing paths.
• Lady Snow is presented as ambitious, patient, and knowledgeable. Despite her formidable cultivation, she is trapped by the limitations of the Ghost Path and is willing to abandon centuries of accumulated progress to pursue divinity.
• Lin Jiugong remains aligned with Su Che, following his judgment and sharing his caution.
• Lion Azure Lotus Perfected Tathagata is revealed as a being who changed paths multiple times—from demon to Daoist-related cultivation and ultimately Buddha—in pursuit of greater advancement, suggesting a deeper connection to the chapter’s central issue of changing paths.

Significant Themes

• The difficulty of transcendence: Even a powerful ghost king such as Lady Snow can become trapped by the limitations of her chosen path.
• Changing paths and sacrificing accumulated power: Advancement may require abandoning one’s original cultivation and pursuing an entirely different system.
• Godhood versus monstrosity: The Divine Register symbolizes the distinction between a recognized deity and an unrecognized supernatural creature.
• Incense, belief, and divine authority: Mortal worship can provide the power necessary to rebuild a ghost’s true yang and establish an orthodox divine identity.
• Hidden legacies and higher realms: The appearance of the Lion Buddha hints that ancient figures and their remains may conceal opportunities for unprecedented advancement.
• Knowledge versus understanding: Many ghosts absorb the Buddha’s sermon as profound spiritual truth, while Su Che and Lin Jiugong are unable to comprehend it, emphasizing the vast gap between their current level and the mysteries before them.

Important Character Interactions

• Lady Snow and Su Che/Lin Jiugong: She treats them as inexperienced disciples of the Yin-Yang Dharma King and offers to guide them toward the coming spiritual benefits. Su Che politely declines, prioritizing survival.
• Su Che and Lady Snow: Her explanation of changing paths prompts Su Che to reflect on Lion Azure Lotus Perfected Tathagata’s unusual history and Zhongyuan’s possible motives.
• The gathered ghosts and the Lion Buddha: The ghosts listen reverently to the Buddha’s sermon, seemingly receiving spiritual insight and cultivation benefits.
• Su Che and Lin Jiugong: They exchange a wary glance and remain skeptical observers amid the supernatural gathering.
• Su Che and the emerging mystery: After the Buddha vanishes, a strange object appears on Su Che’s wrist, implying that the ceremony has marked him or granted him something significant.

Chapter Summary: “Opening the Pagoda”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che experiences a sudden surge of comfort and vitality when an object in his hand reacts, recalling Zhongyuan’s promise connected to the Withered Forest Chan Temple.
• The gloomy mist surrounding the temple disperses, revealing the pagoda of Lion Azure Lotus Perfected Tathagata. Four glowing characters appear on its surface: “Opens upon meeting Che.”
• Lady Snow explains that the yin energy has not vanished but has been drawn into the pagoda. She identifies the region’s feng shui as “Yama Casts Off His Crown,” a configuration associated with the unchecked growth of ghosts and demons.
• She theorizes that the temple and pagoda were built to suppress the region’s dangerous spiritual energy and that the pagoda may contain a Buddhist treasure, inheritance, or cultivation method.
• The gathered ghosts debate whether the pagoda is an opportunity or a trap. Lady Snow declares that she has no interest in Buddhist treasures but insists that every ghost present be allowed to enter.
• Qutan, Ghost General Ying Xian, Bieshou the Corpse Fiend, and the other ghosts rush into the pagoda to claim whatever lies within.
• Su Che, One-Brow Taoist, and Lady Snow remain outside. One-Brow Taoist tries to maintain his disguise as a subordinate of the Yin-Yang Dharma King, but Lady Snow exposes weaknesses in his act.
• The chapter ends with Lady Snow teasing Su Che about his repeated agreement with her words, while Su Che responds by adopting her advice: “See through it, but do not speak it.”

Character Developments

• Su Che: Becomes increasingly suspicious that the pagoda’s inscription refers directly to him and may be connected to his hidden identity or destiny. He remains cautious, concealing his true involvement while observing the unfolding situation.
• Lady Snow: Demonstrates superior knowledge of feng shui, regional spiritual forces, and the motives of the gathered ghosts. She acts as a calm mediator, deliberately allowing others to enter the pagoda while safeguarding fairness. Her playful exchanges with Su Che reveal a more perceptive and lightly teasing side.
• Qutan: Displays intense greed and ambition. Once Lady Snow declines the pagoda’s contents, he immediately attempts to seize the opportunity for himself.
• Ghost General Ying Xian: Shows a direct, forceful personality, agreeing to follow Lady Snow’s conditions without engaging in prolonged argument.
• Bieshou the Corpse Fiend: Remains suspicious and cautious, questioning the meaning of the inscription and warning that the pagoda may consume the ghosts who enter.
• One-Brow Taoist: Struggles to maintain his supposed identity as the Yin-Yang Dharma King’s subordinate, exposing the difficulty of deceiving Lady Snow.

Significant Themes

• Destiny and Recognition: The inscription “Opens upon meeting Che” strongly suggests that Su Che is connected to the pagoda through fate, identity, or a predetermined opportunity.
• Suppressed Power: The pagoda is presented as a vessel containing the concentrated yin energy of the region, implying that dangerous power can be restrained rather than destroyed.
• Greed Versus Caution: The ghosts’ reactions divide them between those eager to seize an opportunity and those wary of a possible trap.
• Feng Shui and the Supernatural Order: The region’s geography is portrayed as shaping the prevalence of ghosts and demons, linking spiritual disasters to the natural arrangement of land and water.
• Seeing Through Deception: Lady Snow repeatedly emphasizes the value of understanding hidden truths without openly exposing them, a principle Su Che adopts at the chapter’s end.

Character Interactions

• Lady Snow explains the pagoda’s significance to the assembled ghosts and gains their cooperation by presenting herself as uninterested in Buddhist treasures.
• Qutan and Bieshou question Lady Snow about the pagoda’s contents and inscription, while Ying Xian agrees to her terms more bluntly.
• Lady Snow subtly protects Su Che by rejecting the idea that the inscription refers to County Commandant Su, unaware—or pretending not to know—that Su Che is standing before her.
• She challenges One-Brow Taoist’s disguise and mocks his imperfect knowledge of the Yin-Yang Dharma King’s preferred title.
• Her teasing conversation with Su Che creates a moment of mutual understanding and growing familiarity amid the tension surrounding the pagoda.

Chapter Summary: “Handling the Situation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After all the ghosts enter the azure tower, the inscription “Open Upon Meeting Che” fades away, though the tower continues emitting a dim green light.
• Lady Snow announces that Withered Forest Chan Temple holds nothing else of interest and invites Su Che and One-Brow Taoist to visit her temple by the White Cang River. She departs mysteriously in a gust of cold wind.
• Su Che and One-Brow Taoist recognize that they cannot defeat One-Eye and the assembled ghosts on their own. They agree to gather allies and attack the ghost stronghold later.
• They establish the Double Ninth Festival as the deadline for assembling their forces and destroying the ghost den. One-Brow Taoist offers his paper-effigy shop near Guobei County as their meeting place.
• Lin Jiugong warns that demons and ghosts have spies throughout Guobei and Shanyin Counties, so their plans must remain secret. The two men part ways separately.
• Su Che uses the Shadow Transformation technique of the Mirage Shadow Primordial Sword to travel rapidly toward Shanyin County.
• While reflecting on the danger, Su Che concludes that the ghosts may eventually target him because of the tower’s message. He also criticizes Zhongyuan for creating a reckless situation by sending everyone into the tower.
• Su Che considers asking the Mount Zhong Association for help, since its powerful members will soon gather in Shanyin. However, he rejects this option because involving the association could expose his connection to the wanted criminal Wu Zhiqi and create political trouble.
• Instead, Su Che decides to exploit his identity as a member of the Duling Su Clan and an official of Shanyin County. He plans to report the situation to the imperial authorities, portraying One-Eye and the ghosts as dangerous rebels threatening the state.
• His imagined official memorial accuses One-Eye of defying imperial authority, establishing a false religious cult, gathering weapons, and colluding with ghosts connected to the former dynasty’s Lion Azure Lotus Perfected Tathagata. Su Che intends to request that the court dispatch forces to eliminate them.

Character Developments

• Su Che becomes more cautious and politically resourceful. Rather than relying solely on his sword or powerful organizations, he recognizes his own limits and plans to use his official position and family connections.
• Lin Jiugong / One-Brow Taoist demonstrates practical judgment and loyalty. He accepts that the situation is beyond their individual strength and agrees to recruit allies, even though doing so requires setting aside his pride.
• Lady Snow remains enigmatic and influential. Her graceful invitation and effortless disappearance emphasize her supernatural power and ambiguous relationship with the ghosts.
• One-Eye and the ghosts emerge as a serious, organized threat rather than enemies that Su Che can simply defeat through combat.
• Zhongyuan is implicitly criticized for creating a dangerous situation through poor planning, particularly by allowing the ghosts to enter the tower.

Significant Themes

• Knowing one’s limits: Su Che understands that possessing a divine sword does not make him powerful enough to defeat every supernatural enemy.
• Strategy over brute force: The protagonists shift from direct confrontation to alliance-building, secrecy, and political maneuvering.
• The danger of information and trust: Ghostly spies are believed to be everywhere, making secrecy essential. Even powerful allies may carry political risks.
• Institutional power and personal responsibility: Su Che chooses to involve the imperial court, arguing that a supernatural threat disturbing the region is ultimately the government’s responsibility.
• Politics as a weapon: Su Che’s imagined memorial deliberately frames the ghosts and One-Eye as traitors and threats to the dynasty, showing how official language can transform a local conflict into a matter of national security.
• Ambiguous supernatural alliances: Lady Snow’s invitation and the ghosts’ temporary focus on the tower suggest shifting loyalties and hidden motives.

Character Interactions

• Lady Snow politely but confidently dismisses Su Che and Lin Jiugong, inviting them to visit her temple while maintaining control of the encounter.
• Su Che and Lin Jiugong mutually acknowledge their inability to handle the crisis alone and agree to coordinate their allies.
• Lin Jiugong urges Su Che to keep their plans secret, reinforcing their shared distrust of the surrounding supernatural network.
• Su Che rejects using the Mount Zhong Association because of the political complications involving Wu Zhiqi, demonstrating that his obligations extend beyond personal survival.
• The chapter ends with Su Che mentally composing a forceful petition to the imperial authorities, positioning himself as a loyal official calling for the state to suppress a supernatural rebellion.

Chapter Summary: Weiyang’s Old Relic

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che returns toward Shanyin County Town after surviving the dangers surrounding Withered Forest Chan Temple and White Deer Grotto.
• He examines the ancient wine goblet given to him by Zhongyuan. A talisman bearing the words “Falls upon meeting Su” burns away once removed.
• The goblet is revealed to be an ancient artifact engraved with “Made by Weiyang,” suggesting it was crafted by Azure Emperor Ling Weiyang, a supposedly nonexistent deity from the Ancient Era.
• The goblet begins producing condensed Emperor’s Nectar, a rare and immensely powerful substance normally obtainable only in tiny amounts from moonlight on a Gengshen night.
• Su Che realizes the relic can continuously generate Emperor’s Nectar, making it capable of greatly strengthening demons and ghosts. In the hands of a Demon King or ghost immortal, it could support an entire army and endanger the Human Path.
• He drinks the goblet’s contents himself. The nectar rapidly restores injuries from White Deer Grotto, nourishes his sea of consciousness, strengthens his sword intent, and improves his physical foundation.
• Su Che recognizes the relic’s enormous strategic value and briefly considers eliminating his current companions or rivals to secure its benefits, especially since Qingqiu remains under his control.
• He conceals the goblet and enters Shanyin County Town, anticipating that his reunion with Qingqiu will be significantly more complicated than before.

Character Developments

• Su Che: Becomes more aware of the danger and potential of the artifact. His wounds heal, his sword intent grows stronger, and his confidence increases. He also reveals a pragmatic, morally flexible side, contemplating betrayal or eliminating others for personal advantage.
• Zhongyuan: His generosity and power are emphasized. By giving Su Che a relic capable of producing Emperor’s Nectar, he demonstrates access to treasures of world-shaking importance.
• Azure Emperor Weiyang: Though absent, he is characterized as an Ancient Era deity whose craftsmanship could imitate or even manipulate the workings of Creation itself.
• Qingqiu: Still held by Su Che, she becomes central to his upcoming plans and the anticipated reunion.
• Wu Zhiqi and other powerful figures: Their strength is placed in a new light, as Su Che realizes that Emperor’s Nectar may have contributed to Wu Zhiqi’s ability to challenge elite Censorate experts.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus self-determination: Su Che questions whether his shattered Destiny Pattern has made him unusually unlucky, but he continues rejecting the idea that fate controls him.
• Hidden power beneath simplicity: The seemingly ordinary goblet conceals an artifact capable of altering the balance between humans, demons, and ghosts.
• The danger of unchecked power: Emperor’s Nectar could save lives and advance cultivation, but in evil hands it could fuel armies of supernatural beings and destabilize the world.
• Moral compromise and survival: Su Che’s thoughts show how quickly valuable power can tempt him toward ruthless decisions.
• Ancient civilization and forgotten gods: The relic connects the present world to lost Ancient Era deities and suggests that old artifacts may still possess extraordinary influence.
• The precarious Human Path: The world is already unstable, and the emergence of the goblet threatens to worsen the conflict between humans and supernatural forces.

Character Interactions

• Su Che and Zhongyuan: Their relationship is defined by Zhongyuan’s cryptic but immensely valuable gift. Su Che jokes that the talisman may as well have openly advertised him as the goblet’s intended recipient.
• Su Che and Qingqiu: Although they do not meet directly in the chapter, Su Che’s possession of Qingqiu shapes his calculations. He views their coming reunion as an opportunity rather than approaching it with trust or loyalty.
• Su Che and his allies/rivals: His thoughts about removing others reveal growing suspicion and opportunism, particularly regarding those who might compete for the goblet’s benefits.
• Su Che and the relic: The goblet acts almost like a silent partner, restoring his body and mind while giving him access to power capable of transforming the wider conflict.

Chapter Summary: “When the Fruit Brought Change”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Despite Shanyin County’s strict nighttime curfew, Su Che returns to the city after the gates have closed. Rather than scaling the walls, he loudly orders the gate guards to let him in and identifies himself as the deputy magistrate.
• The nervous gate guards initially trade insults with him, then panic and kneel when they realize who he is. Su Che dismisses their offense, recognizing that guarding the gates at night is dangerous enough without punishing ordinary workers for their fear and sarcasm.
• The guards inform Su Che that a powerful demonic wind has blown the roof off the county yamen’s Ever-Provision Treasury. Silver, copper coins, and other valuables have been scattered throughout the city.
• Su Che immediately understands that the incident is connected to the severed arm dropped by the demon One-Eye. He had placed the arm in the treasury as bait, and its owner has apparently come to retrieve it.
• At the county yamen, Registrar Tian and the three inspectors have mobilized armed yamen runners and soldiers. They are preparing for a possible demonic attack, though they have no clear idea which demon is responsible.
• Registrar Tian is also frustrated because Su Che had been missing during the crisis. A clerk reports that Su Che previously had a woman from the Qi Household bound and taken into the yamen, though she has since disappeared. Tian assumes Su Che abducted her for immoral reasons and recalls that she had predicted he would suffer a major calamity.
• Su Che arrives just as the officials are gathered. He calmly questions Registrar Tian about the military-style preparations and sarcastically asks whether they have identified the demon and intend to seek revenge.
• The chapter ends with Tian privately recognizing the danger of confronting the demons and being irritated by Su Che’s apparent lack of seriousness.

Character Developments

• Su Che: Demonstrates growing confidence and authority as a newly advanced sword cultivator. He can now perceive distant disturbances and moves quickly using the Mirage Shadow Origin Sword. Despite his status, he treats the gate guards leniently and prioritizes their survival, showing practical compassion and a developing sense of responsibility.
• Registrar Tian: Becomes increasingly anxious and irritable as the treasury is attacked and Su Che disappears. His suspicions about Su Che’s behavior reveal his tendency to judge him as a womanizer and irresponsible wastrel, even though Su Che is secretly handling a supernatural crisis.
• Gate guards and yamen runners: Their fear of nighttime demons is emphasized, but they also display the sharp humor and blunt speech common in Shanyin County. They are relieved when Su Che does not punish them.
• The Qi Household woman: Though absent from the chapter, her earlier fortune-telling gains importance. Her prediction that Registrar Tian would face a calamity now appears to be coming true.
• One-Eye’s mysterious master or owner: Remains unseen, but the attack on the treasury confirms that the severed arm is connected to a powerful demon capable of infiltrating the county.

Significant Themes

• Law versus supernatural reality: The county’s laws impose a strict curfew, but ordinary legal authority is far less effective against demons and ghosts prowling the streets.
• Practical leadership and compassion: Su Che distinguishes between enforcing authority and abusing it. He refuses to punish frightened guards and tells them to preserve their lives rather than fight demons recklessly.
• Appearances versus reality: Officials believe Su Che is pursuing personal pleasures, while he is actually setting a trap for a dangerous demon. His apparent irresponsibility conceals deliberate action.
• Fear and survival: The chapter portrays Shanyin’s people as living under constant supernatural danger. Even armed officials understand that confronting demons directly may be suicidal.
• Bait and consequence: Su Che’s decision to place the severed arm in the treasury has successfully drawn out its owner, but it has also endangered the county’s finances and officials.

Character Interactions

• Su Che and the gate guards: Their exchange begins with mutual suspicion and sarcastic banter. Su Che asserts his authority but ultimately shows mercy, while the guards shift from mockery to exaggerated submission.
• Su Che and the yamen runners: He gives them practical instructions to avoid fighting demons head-on, reinforcing his concern for ordinary personnel.
• Registrar Tian and Inspector Liu: Tian uses his authority to silence Inspector Liu and threatens to transfer him to the more dangerous countryside patrols, revealing the tense hierarchy among the officials.
• Su Che and Registrar Tian: Their interaction is marked by restrained sarcasm. Tian is exasperated by Su Che’s disappearance and perceived lechery, while Su Che calmly exposes the weakness of the officials’ preparations.
• Officials and the unseen demon: The gathered soldiers prepare for battle, but their fear and uncertainty show that the real opponent remains beyond their understanding.

Chapter Summary: “Joint Report to the Throne”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Ever-Provision Treasury has been attacked by a demon wind, which tore off its roof and scattered all the stored silver and copper coins throughout the city.
• Magistrate Jiang orders the three inspectors, yamen runners, and patrolmen to search the homes and streets for the missing money. Su Che recognizes this as an attempt to shift the treasury’s losses onto the common people through extortion.
• Su Che publicly challenges the inspectors, ordering them to disarm because they are mobilizing government forces without proper authorization.
• Inspector Liu tries to avoid openly opposing either side and suggests inviting Magistrate Jiang. Su Che suddenly draws Liu’s rusty saber and holds it to Liu’s neck, accusing the officials of rebellion and collusion with demons.
• Magistrate Jiang arrives and confronts Su Che, accusing him of obstructing the search and disappearing during the county office’s attack.
• Su Che counters by exposing the supernatural events at Withered Forest Chan Temple, where ghosts gathered and glowing words appeared proclaiming, “Heaven destroys the crippled Liang.” He implies that Jiang’s activities at the temple and the county’s demonic disturbances may amount to treason.
• Because the phrase threatens the legitimacy of the Great Liang court, Jiang and Registrar Tian realize that the matter can no longer be quietly concealed.
• Su Che forces Jiang to stop the search, return the weapons to the arsenal, and join him and Registrar Tian in submitting a formal report to the court, the prefectural office, and the Mounted Embroidered Guards.
• Jiang reluctantly agrees, planning to settle the conflict with Su Che later.

Character Developments

• Su Che reveals himself as far more politically aggressive and calculating than the other officials expected. He uses moral rhetoric, accusations of treason, and the threat of imperial scrutiny to block Jiang’s exploitation of the people.
• Magistrate Jiang is shown to be corrupt, pragmatic, and deeply concerned with protecting himself and his local power network. Though furious at Su Che, he recognizes that the accusation involving “crippled Liang” is too dangerous to ignore.
• Registrar Tian remains cautious and conflict-averse. He understands Jiang’s wrongdoing but hesitates to oppose him because of long-standing local relationships and the danger of offending either faction.
• Inspector Liu demonstrates political calculation, weighing his loyalty to Jiang against Su Che’s possible future promotion. His attempt to remain neutral fails when Su Che uses him as a hostage.
• Su Che’s bold actions establish him as an outsider willing to disrupt the county’s entrenched alliances rather than quietly participate in them.

Significant Themes

• Corruption and exploitation: The officials intend to recover the treasury’s losses by squeezing money from ordinary people.
• Political maneuvering: Su Che turns a local financial scandal into a matter of possible treason and imperial concern, making it dangerous for Jiang to suppress.
• The conflict between law and power: Su Che invokes official regulations to challenge the inspectors, while Jiang relies on customary authority and local influence.
• Public image versus self-interest: Tian worries about appearing improper, while Jiang normally maintains the appearance of legitimacy; Su Che deliberately destroys these pretenses.
• Prophecy and state legitimacy: The phrase “Heaven destroys the crippled Liang” threatens the court’s authority, showing how supernatural omens and popular belief can become politically explosive.
• Creating chaos to gain leverage: Su Che intentionally links the treasury attack, the temple’s supernatural events, and the disturbance at Mystic Mountain so that no single faction can quietly control the narrative.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Che and the inspectors: Su Che orders them to disarm, asserting legal authority over their unauthorized mobilization. Inspector Liu’s attempted compromise ends with Su Che holding a blade to his throat.
• Su Che and Magistrate Jiang: Their confrontation is a battle of accusations. Jiang claims Su Che is obstructing official duties, while Su Che implies Jiang is collaborating with monsters and plotting rebellion.
• Su Che and Registrar Tian: Su Che pressures Tian to recognize that Jiang’s search is effectively legalized extortion, though Tian remains hesitant to take a firm side.
• Jiang and Tian: Their long-standing local alliance is strained by the crisis. Jiang resents Tian’s weakness, while both understand that the temple prophecy could expose their collective failures.
• Su Che and the court: By demanding a joint report to the throne and higher authorities, Su Che places the entire county’s problems under imperial scrutiny and prevents Jiang from handling the matter privately.

Chapter Summary: Night Pacification by the Imperial Demon Hunters

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ci Prefecture houses both the Imperial Demon Hunters and the Night Pacification Bureau, two rival but cooperative forces responsible for supernatural threats.
• Shi Chibao, the Sixth-Grade Confucian Judicial Inspector Thousand-Household Officer, oversees the local Imperial Demon Hunters.
• His office executes a Seventh-Grade carp demon from Chen Family Village, which had disguised itself as a deity and demanded children as sacrifices. Its Divine Register fragment is destroyed, and its demon core is stored.
• Shi orders Hundred-Household Officer Li to investigate demon cultists in Yongning County who are trafficking children and refining cursed magical artifacts.
• Shi reviews two troubling county reports:
  • Guobei County claims its ghosts have largely disappeared, but Shi’s aura-observation technique reveals intense killing intent and concentrated yin energy, suggesting the Ghost Path is actually flourishing. He suspects the magistrate is falsely taking credit for ghosts temporarily leaving.
  • Shanyin County reports three extraordinary incidents: a great demon robbed the prefectural treasury, treasonous words appeared in an ancient temple, and ghosts and demons attempted a rebellion.
• Shi finds the Shanyin report difficult to believe but too serious to ignore. His observations show no obvious abnormality, leading him to suspect either a powerful concealment technique or deliberate manipulation by someone within the county.
• Because Shanyin’s commandant, Su, belongs to a powerful clan connected to the Imperial Demon Hunters’ future leadership, Shi is wary of confronting him directly.
• To avoid the two supernatural authorities mishandling the situation or contradicting one another, Shi summons Liu Yu, the Night Pacification Bureau’s counterpart.
• Liu Yu arrives in visibly poor spirits as heavy rain falls, setting up a joint discussion about the Shanyin crisis.

Character Developments

• Shi Chibao is established as perceptive, experienced, cautious, and politically astute. His Confucian cultivation allows him to detect hidden changes in spiritual energy, and his years handling official reports help him recognize bureaucratic deception.
• Although Shi is loyal and diligent, he is not blindly aggressive. He carefully weighs supernatural evidence against political consequences, particularly because Commandant Su has influential family connections.
• Hundred-Household Officer Li is portrayed as a trusted subordinate who follows Shi’s orders without hesitation and is assigned a dangerous investigation.
• Commandant Su does not appear directly, but his reputation and connections make him a potentially suspicious and politically protected figure.
• Liu Yu is introduced through his arrival at the end of the chapter, appearing displeased or troubled, suggesting that the Night Pacification Bureau may already know more about the developing crisis.

Significant Themes

• Supernatural order versus political corruption: Officials may distort or conceal supernatural events for personal credit or political protection.
• Duty and responsibility: Both organizations are expected to protect the empire, even when cases are politically inconvenient or difficult to believe.
• Rivalry and cooperation: The Imperial Demon Hunters and Night Pacification Bureau compete for authority but must coordinate when threats cross institutional boundaries.
• Appearance versus reality: Guobei County’s apparent peace hides growing yin energy, while Shanyin County’s supposedly impossible disasters may conceal a deeper truth.
• Power and accountability: Shi must balance justice with the danger of offending influential clans and officials.
• Decline of the Human Path: The existence of increasingly organized demons, ghosts, cultists, and supernatural rebellions reflects a destabilizing world.

Important Character Interactions

• Shi questions a subordinate about the execution and treatment of the carp demon, demonstrating his administrative oversight.
• He gives Hundred-Household Officer Li direct orders to investigate child trafficking and curse-based artifact refining.
• Shi analyzes the reports from the Guobei magistrate and the Shanyin officials, mentally challenging their claims and identifying inconsistencies.
• He decides that the Imperial Demon Hunters and Night Pacification Bureau must form a unified response, rather than allowing either side to underestimate or exaggerate the danger.
• Shi personally leaves the yamen to greet Liu Yu, showing professional respect between equal-ranking officials despite their organizations’ rivalry.

Chapter Summary: “No Trivial Matter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Yu, the Recording Secretary Military Adviser of the Night Pacification Bureau, visits Captain Shi Chibao at the Judicial Inspectorate Office.
• Liu’s unusually formal and cooperative attitude makes Shi suspect that something serious has happened.
• They retreat to a heavily protected underground chamber to discuss confidential intelligence.
• Liu reveals that strange events are occurring in Guobei and Shanyin Counties:
  • The Yin-Yang Dharma King, a powerful Fourth Grade Ghost Path cultivator, has unexpectedly sealed Shanyin City and entered seclusion.
  • The ghosts under his command have withdrawn, an action completely unlike his usual flamboyant and sociable behavior.
  • Reports from cultivators in Guobei and Lady Snow of the White Cang River suggest that ghosts and monsters throughout the region are undergoing an unusual change.
• Shi produces a dispatch from Su Che concerning Guobei and wonders whether the situations in Guobei and Shanyin are connected.
• Neither official can determine whether the developments signify good fortune or disaster, but both agree that the reports are too serious to ignore.
• They decide not to submit a joint report. Shi will draft a memorial while Liu travels to Jiankang to report separately to the Imperial Demon Hunters and the Night Pacification Bureau headquarters.
• Shi initially plans to go to Guobei, but changes course after noting that Shanyin’s report describes far more obvious upheaval. He decides to lead a team there first.
• Liu mentions that headquarters had already ordered him to monitor Shanyin’s newly appointed county commandant, suggesting that the new official may be connected to the disturbances.
• The chapter closes with Shi beginning to write the memorial while Liu prepares to depart.

Character Developments

• Shi Chibao: Demonstrates caution, responsibility, and political judgment. He recognizes that neither agency can dismiss uncertain supernatural intelligence and willingly takes personal responsibility for investigating Shanyin.
• Liu Yu: Reveals himself to be perceptive and experienced despite his joking manner. His concern over the reports shows that he understands the potential scale of the crisis. He is also portrayed as quick and capable, able to travel rapidly using the Armor Horse Earth-Shrinking Art.
• The Yin-Yang Dharma King: Though absent from the scene, his sudden retreat is highly significant. His normally theatrical and sociable personality makes his seclusion a clear indication that something extraordinary has occurred.
• Su Che and the new Shanyin county commandant: Their roles are not directly developed, but the dispatch from Su Che and headquarters’ order to watch the commandant establish them as possible figures in the unfolding mystery.

Significant Themes

• No event is truly trivial: Strange incidents involving demons, ghosts, and local officials may be connected to much larger disturbances.
• Official responsibility and vigilance: The two agencies emphasize that failing to investigate a possible threat would be a serious dereliction of duty.
• Uncertainty and incomplete information: The officials have conflicting reports—Guobei appears calm while Shanyin seems chaotic—and must act without knowing whether the developments are beneficial or dangerous.
• Changing supernatural forces: Demons and monsters are becoming more active and resourceful, suggesting a broader transformation in the world.
• Cooperation between rival institutions: Though the Judicial Inspectorate Office and Night Pacification Bureau have different jurisdictions, they recognize that the situation requires coordinated action.

Character Interactions

• Shi and Liu begin with formal courtesy, but their conversation quickly becomes a confidential exchange between wary colleagues.
• Liu’s humorous remarks—about Shi’s intelligence, his own supposed aging, and recent demon crimes—contrast with the seriousness of the situation.
• Shi presses Liu for an assessment, while Liu urges immediate reporting rather than speculation.
• Their discussion reflects mutual trust: Liu carries Shi’s memorial to headquarters, while Shi personally investigates the local crisis.
• Their banter about a fox stealing from the treasury and a monkey disrupting the Censorate reinforces the chapter’s suggestion that supernatural beings across the realm are becoming unusually bold and capable.

Chapter Summary: “Codename Problem”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The county yamen remains on high alert after the recent monster attack and the theft of valuable items. Since County Lieutenant Su refuses to authorize a search, the three inspectors organize the runners and guards into patrol teams circling the office.
• The patrols are largely symbolic: they allow Magistrate Jiang and the inspectors to preserve some dignity while avoiding direct conflict with Su Che.
• Su Che returns to his room and finds three people inside:
  • Qingqiu, the fox demon inhabiting the Qi Household daughter-in-law’s body, tightly bound, gagged, and blindfolded.
  • A terrified young page hiding beneath the bed.
  • Zhang San, a yamen runner, guarding Qingqiu with his ears plugged and his robe partly cut up.
• Zhang San explains that a sudden demonic wind caused confusion in the yamen. The young page was mentally overwhelmed after Qingqiu cursed him and hid beneath the bed. Zhang San restrained and blindfolded Qingqiu, then blocked his ears to prevent her beguiling influence from affecting him.
• Su Che sends Zhang San to take the page away for food and wine, using the opportunity to calm him and teach him a lesson about the dangers of demons.
• After Zhang San leaves, Su Che releases Qingqiu and questions her more directly.
• Their conversation turns to the Mount Zhong Association’s strange system of codenames. Qingqiu guesses that Su Che’s codename must be something like “Ba Serpent” or “Feng Boar.”
• Su Che recognizes a problem in the Association’s hierarchy: its members range from exalted divine or immortal beings to ordinary demon beasts. He concludes that Qingqiu is merely a low-level fox demon.
• When Qingqiu asks for his codename, Su Che confirms that it is “Feng Boar.”

Character Developments

• Su Che remains cautious and observant, checking both Qingqiu’s restraints and the spiritual sword for signs of deception or violence. He demonstrates practical authority by managing the frightened page and rewarding Zhang San’s loyalty.
• Qingqiu is revealed to be highly skilled at mental manipulation and intimidation. Even while restrained, she has easily frightened the page and unsettled Zhang San. Her playful manner also shows that she is confident, mischievous, and not especially intimidated by Su Che.
• Zhang San proves himself dutiful and resourceful. Though terrified, he follows Su Che’s orders, protects the possessed woman’s body from harm, and devises ways to guard himself against Qingqiu’s influence.
• The young page is shown to be inexperienced and impulsive. His attempt to retaliate against Qingqiu quickly collapses into fear, emphasizing how dangerous her supernatural abilities are.
• Magistrate Jiang and the inspectors are portrayed as constrained officials who must preserve appearances while obeying superiors and avoiding open confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Endurance under official constraints: Government service is depicted as a burden in which people must suppress their true thoughts and endure humiliation.
• Appearance versus reality: The yamen’s patrols are mostly a performance intended to restore Magistrate Jiang’s dignity rather than an effective defense.
• The danger of supernatural influence: Qingqiu’s power lies not only in physical strength but in manipulating emotions and perception.
• Hierarchy and identity: The discussion of codenames exposes the Mount Zhong Association’s confusing mixture of gods, immortals, demon beasts, and lesser supernatural beings.
• Practical compassion and authority: Su Che handles fear and disorder not through cruelty, but by giving the page food, wine, and time to recover.

Character Interactions

• The inspectors and guards indirectly support Magistrate Jiang while carefully avoiding opposition to Su Che.
• Zhang San respectfully reports to Su Che and explains how he protected himself and the page from Qingqiu.
• Su Che treats Zhang San generously, entrusting him with money and responsibility.
• Su Che and Qingqiu engage in a playful but tense exchange: he analyzes her low status as a demon, while she teases him about his codename.
• Their conversation suggests an uneasy relationship built on mutual curiosity, guarded trust, and Qingqiu’s continued attempts to test Su Che’s composure.

Chapter Summary: “Bait”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che meets Qingqiu, the first other member of the Mount Zhong Association he has encountered in person. Their conversation begins playfully, with Qingqiu teasing Feng Boar’s name and Su Che reassuring her that he is a beast rather than a demon.
• Qingqiu confirms that the recent gathering was incomplete and that Gushe did not attend. She also learns that Zhongyuan granted Su Che the Mirage Shadow Primordial Sword cultivation method, dismissing it as an inferior introductory technique and promising to find him something better.
• The association’s next mission is revealed: investigate unusual changes in the depths of Mystic Mountain.
• Qingqiu explains that Mystic Mountain may contain the remains of Lion Azure Lotus Perfected Tathagata, an ancient Third Grade Buddhist expert whose burial site could hold extraordinary treasures. Su Che already knows the Old Lion is indeed hidden there but keeps this information to himself.
• She warns that too many factions now know about the possible treasure. The Imperial Demon Hunters, the Night Pacification Bureau, and other authorities have already begun reacting, making the situation dangerous and crowded.
• Su Che proposes forming an alliance with Qingqiu. She bluntly refuses, arguing that he is too weak and that cooperating with him would only burden her.
• Su Che instead questions the structure and recruitment methods of the Mount Zhong Association. He points out that every member is either highly noticeable because of their blood feuds or ambitious goals, making the association vulnerable to investigation.
• Qingqiu reveals that she met Zhongyuan in the Eastern Sea. From this, Su Che deduces that Zhongyuan actively travels the realm to recruit promising individuals and must possess an exceptional movement technique or magical artifact.
• Su Che concludes that the association’s members may not merely be recruits—they may be deliberately used as bait to draw attention, expose connections, and conceal Zhongyuan’s true purpose or identity.

Character Developments

• Su Che: Becomes more analytical and suspicious of the Mount Zhong Association. Rather than focusing only on immediate alliances, he studies its structure, Zhongyuan’s recruitment patterns, and the possibility that the members are being manipulated. He also hides his knowledge about Lion Azure Lotus’s true location.
• Qingqiu: Is established as lively, outspoken, guileless, and somewhat naive despite possessing useful knowledge and experience. She is protective toward those she considers her subordinates, offering Su Che better sword techniques, but she remains cautious and refuses his proposed cooperation.
• Zhongyuan: Though absent, he becomes increasingly mysterious. His ability to locate and recruit unusual talents suggests great mobility, resources, and a deliberate long-term plan.
• Feng Boar and the other members: Their reputations as dangerous, ambitious, or vengeful individuals reinforce Su Che’s suspicion that the association was assembled according to a specific design.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and hidden agendas: The chapter questions whether the Mount Zhong Association is a genuine alliance or a trap designed to serve Zhongyuan’s unknown objectives.
• Trust and cooperation: Su Che tries to build a partnership with Qingqiu, but their unequal strength and different levels of caution prevent immediate trust.
• Power attracts danger: The rumored remains of a Third Grade expert draw treasure hunters, imperial authorities, and rival factions, showing how opportunity inevitably creates conflict.
• Identity and concealment: Su Che investigates Zhongyuan’s unknown identity while withholding his own crucial information, emphasizing the importance of secrets and misdirection.
• The value of weakness: Su Che argues that his lack of strength makes him less threatening and therefore potentially more trustworthy, though Qingqiu does not accept this reasoning.

Character Interactions

• Qingqiu jokes about Feng Boar and teases Su Che, creating an informal, almost familial atmosphere.
• Su Che caters to Qingqiu by refilling her tea, subtly acknowledging her position as his senior within the association.
• Qingqiu acts like a protective but dismissive superior, promising to improve Su Che’s cultivation while bluntly rejecting his attempt at cooperation.
• Their discussion shifts from casual banter to serious strategic analysis as Su Che challenges Qingqiu to reconsider the association’s organization.
• By the end, Su Che and Qingqiu share a new uncertainty: the possibility that both of them—and all the association’s members—are being used as bait.

Chapter Summary: “Eyes and Ears”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che explains to Qingqiu why he suspects the Mount Zhong Association may be using its members as expendable bait rather than operating as a careful, hidden organization.
• He analyzes what a powerful mastermind would seek in agents: absolute loyalty, anonymity or great experience, and cautious behavior. The Association’s members do not fit these requirements:
  • Several have independent affiliations and interests.
  • Wu Zhiqi is conspicuous and reckless rather than subtle.
  • The group has entered the dangerous heartland of Mystic Mountain, where an ancient third-rank Buddha’s remains are located, despite its members’ relatively low cultivation.
• Su Che reflects on his own suspicious transformation. After leaving Jiankang as a cripple with shattered meridians, he suddenly acquired extraordinary cultivation and swordsmanship. He fears that if his secrets become known, he will attract dangerous enemies.
• He warns Qingqiu that neither of them can safely rely on Zhongyuan or the Association. If their identities and activities are exposed, they may not be as expendable as the organization’s leader.
• Su Che proposes that he and Qingqiu cooperate because they are now “in the same boat.” Qingqiu, originally tasked with investigating and recruiting him, begins to take his suspicions seriously.
• Su Che identifies a possible immediate threat: the bookboy who accompanied him when he took office. He suspects the bookboy was planted by White Deer Grotto to monitor him because of his supposed Six Harmonies Azure Dragon fate.
• Although Su Che admits he cannot prove the suspicion and is only thirty percent certain, he argues that even a small possibility must be investigated.
• He plans to personally kill—or, as he later clarifies, test—the bookboy, while Qingqiu provides cover. Qingqiu agrees, though she warns that ordinary methods may not work if the bookboy truly comes from White Deer Grotto.

Character Developments

• Su Che becomes increasingly cautious, analytical, and distrustful. Rather than accepting the Mount Zhong Association’s plans, he evaluates them from the perspective of a mastermind and identifies numerous strategic inconsistencies.
• He also reveals a willingness to act decisively on incomplete information when the potential danger concerns everyone’s survival.
• Qingqiu shifts from viewing Su Che as a weak and unremarkable human to recognizing him as perceptive and capable of meaningful strategic thought. Her initial mission-based interest in him begins developing into genuine cooperation.
• Her natural suspicion as a fox demon is reinforced by Su Che’s reasoning, leading her to question whether the Mount Zhong Association truly has no hidden flaw.
• Zhongyuan and the Mount Zhong Association are indirectly characterized as mysterious and possibly manipulative. Their recruitment methods and risky operations make Su Che question whether the members are being deliberately used as bait.
• The bookboy is recontextualized as a possible spy or surveillance agent for White Deer Grotto, though this remains unconfirmed.

Significant Themes

• Trust and betrayal: Su Che questions whether the Association’s leader genuinely values its members or merely treats them as disposable pieces.
• Strategic thinking and perspective: By imagining himself as the mastermind behind a secret organization, Su Che exposes weaknesses in the Association’s structure and methods.
• Survival through caution: The chapter emphasizes secrecy, restraint, and avoiding unnecessary exposure as essential qualities for covert organizations.
• Uncertainty and risk: Su Che is willing to act despite lacking proof, arguing that even a thirty-percent chance of danger may demand a response when the consequences are fatal.
• Power versus vulnerability: Though Su Che’s abilities are growing, his unexplained origins and lack of strong backing leave him vulnerable to powerful factions.
• Alliance born from necessity: Su Che and Qingqiu do not fully trust one another, but shared danger forces them into cooperation.

Character Interactions

• Su Che openly presents his suspicions to Qingqiu, testing whether she can understand and accept his reasoning.
• Qingqiu challenges his conclusions, particularly his lack of certainty about the bookboy, preventing the conversation from becoming a simple agreement.
• Su Che reframes their relationship from captor and prisoner—or investigator and target—to partners whose survival depends on mutual assistance.
• Their exchange establishes a tentative alliance: Qingqiu will conceal or support Su Che’s actions, while Su Che will confront the suspected spy himself.

Chapter Summary: “White Deer First Appears”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang San brings County Commandant Su food and wine, hoping to win his favor after learning that Su has come into conflict with Magistrate Jiang. He recognizes that the struggle between these two powerful figures could endanger minor officials, but decides to prove his usefulness to Su.
• When Zhang San enters Su’s room, he finds Qi Household’s wife asleep and Su missing. Three incense sticks burn before the mysterious wooden box Su brought with him.
• Su has secretly left the county yamen and is traveling through the night with Qingqiu, who appears as a tall, featureless white ghost.
• Qingqiu explains that a Yin Spirit cannot develop facial features until reaching the Seventh Grade. She describes cultivation as the process of preserving and strengthening one’s Innate Spirit, drawing on the ancient story of Chaos.
• Su reflects on the different cultivation systems of sages, immortals, demons, Buddhas, and devils, suggesting that their divergent methods arise from different understandings of the world.
• The chapter establishes the importance of cultivation ranks: Ninth Grade is only the beginning, Seventh Grade marks a firm foundation, Fifth Grade experts are regional pillars, and Fourth Grade beings can dominate entire territories.
• Qingqiu boasts that she can kill anyone below the Sixth Grade if she becomes serious, but admits she would flee from a Sixth Grade opponent.
• Su apologizes for previously binding and offending Qingqiu. She accepts the apology but demands a generous gift.
• Su encounters the mysterious bookboy who has followed him from Jiankang to Shanyin. Su acknowledges that the boy has been testing and flattering him while concealing his true identity.
• Su identifies the ideals of White Deer Grotto Academy, including the Four Sayings of Hengqu. The bookboy laughs when Su recognizes them, strongly implying that he is connected to White Deer Grotto and is far more significant than he appears.

Character Developments

• Zhang San: Shows ambition and political awareness. Though merely a yamen runner, he understands the danger of the conflict between Su and Magistrate Jiang and chooses to attach himself to Su while he has the opportunity.
• Su Che: Becomes more cautious and perceptive. He reassesses Qingqiu’s strength, realizing that she is only at the beginning of the higher cultivation realms, and openly attempts to repair their relationship through an apology. He also demonstrates increasing ability to see through the bookboy’s disguise and motives.
• Qingqiu: Reveals more about her cultivation and worldview. Despite her frightening appearance and boastful confidence, she is practical enough to retreat from opponents stronger than herself. Her teasing and demand for a gift show that she is becoming more familiar and comfortable with Su.
• The bookboy: His playful, apparently harmless persona begins to crack. His knowledge, persistence, and association with White Deer Grotto suggest that he is an educated and powerful figure with an agenda of his own.

Significant Themes

• Political conflict and survival: Zhang San’s behavior reflects how weaker individuals must choose sides when powerful authorities clash.
• Different paths to truth: Su’s reflections suggest that cultivation systems are shaped by distinct worldviews, with demons, sages, immortals, and other traditions interpreting life and the universe differently.
• The nature of cultivation: The chapter emphasizes that cultivation is not merely gaining power, but preserving and developing the Innate Spirit against the erosion of time.
• Appearance versus reality: Qingqiu looks like a terrifying ghost but is still a relatively low-ranked cultivator, while the bookboy appears humble and harmless despite his likely importance.
• Pragmatism and humility: Qingqiu’s willingness to flee from stronger enemies and Su’s decision to apologize demonstrate that survival often requires restraint rather than blind pride.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang San and Su Che: Zhang San tries to curry favor with Su by bringing him food, but discovers that Su is absent.
• Su Che and Qingqiu: Their nighttime conversation mixes teasing with serious discussion of cultivation. Su learns about her limitations, apologizes for mistreating her, and agrees to compensate her with a gift.
• Su Che and the bookboy: Su directly confronts the bookboy’s hidden intentions and acknowledges that he has been testing him. The bookboy’s laughter at Su’s knowledge of White Deer Grotto hints at a deeper connection between them and sets up the chapter’s major mystery.

Chapter Summary: “Four-Domain Suppression”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with a historical account of Master Hengqu and the rise of the Confucian academies. Hengqu opposed the Confucian School’s elitist, hereditary traditions and promoted broad learning, open teaching, benevolence, and the restoration of peace. His ideals became known as the Four Sayings of Hengqu and inspired the flourishing of the Martial Confucian Lineage.
• White Deer Grotto Academy is presented as the orthodox inheritor of Hengqu’s teachings.
• Su Che explains to the book boy why he suspected that his earlier downfall and subsequent journey were part of a larger political scheme:
  • His family strangely approved of his leaving Jiankang despite his injuries.
  • He received valuable artifacts and spirit treasures that were unsuitable for his crippled condition but highly effective against demons.
  • The gifts appeared intended as compensation or protection rather than practical aid.
  • The seven official posts offered to him were likely controlled by the same faction, allowing him to be monitored wherever he went.
• Su Che concludes that the court or an allied faction engineered his misfortune, sparing his life while damaging his prospects. The book boy’s presence then convinced him that he was being watched.
• The book boy reveals his true identity as Gu Yin, a disciple of White Deer Grotto Academy. He admits that he was assigned to accompany and supervise Su Che, initially intending to kill him but delaying after observing that Su Che was not irredeemably evil.
• Gu Yin removes a golden needle using the Golden Needle Body-Transformation Method, transforming from a small book boy into a tall, imposing young man.
• Gu Yin now claims that Su Che’s association with Little Fox proves he is colluding with demons. He decides to kill Su Che, believing the accusation will justify his actions before the academy’s Chief Instructor.
• Gu Yin attacks with the Four-Domain Suppression Palm, beginning with the form Ancient Emperor’s Mandate. Su Che relies on the Mirage Shadow Primordial Sword’s evasive techniques, while Little Fox assists him by creating a whirlwind and illusions.
• The battle ends the chapter unresolved, with Gu Yin pressing his overwhelming advantage and recognizing Su Che’s rapid improvement.

Character Developments

• Su Che demonstrates careful reasoning and political awareness. He reconstructs the hidden motives behind his family’s actions, his rewards, his appointment, and Gu Yin’s involvement. He also shows growing combat ability, approaching the Ninth Grade of Sword Cultivation.
• Gu Yin is revealed to be an elite disciple of White Deer Grotto Academy and a Seventh Grade Innate Realm Martial Confucian. He is disciplined, powerful, and initially committed to his mission, but his observations of Su Che have made him uncertain. Despite their opposition, he acknowledges Su Che’s intelligence and potential.
• Little Fox/Qingqiu is openly identified as a demon spirit, though she assists Su Che loyally in combat. Her ability to create wind and illusions becomes essential to their survival.
• Su Che and Gu Yin develop a complicated relationship: they are enemies because of their affiliations, yet both recognize that under different circumstances they might have become friends.

Significant Themes

• Open learning versus inherited privilege: Master Hengqu’s ideals condemn the Confucian School’s practice of restricting knowledge to family lineages. The academies represent broader education and social access.
• Political manipulation and surveillance: Su Che’s misfortune, rewards, appointment, and escort were all parts of an elaborate scheme. The chapter emphasizes how power operates through indirect control and observation.
• Appearance versus reality: Gu Yin’s harmless book-boy identity conceals his true strength and purpose, while Su Che’s reputation as a wastrel hides his intelligence and developing abilities.
• Orthodoxy versus moral judgment: Gu Yin sees Su Che’s association with Little Fox as proof of corruption, but the reader is encouraged to question whether affiliation with a demon automatically makes someone evil.
• Confucian ideals and violence: The academy’s teachings promote benevolence and order, yet Gu Yin uses the academy’s sacred martial techniques to execute Su Che. This creates tension between philosophical ideals and institutional action.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Che openly analyzes Gu Yin’s behavior, forcing him to admit his identity and mission.
• Gu Yin acknowledges that Su Che’s deductions are correct and admits he was assigned both to monitor and protect him.
• Their exchange remains courteous despite their hostility; Su Che praises Gu Yin’s bearing, and Gu Yin admits they might have become friends under different circumstances.
• Gu Yin condemns Su Che for associating with Little Fox, while Su Che and Little Fox work together to evade his attack.
• The chapter culminates in a confrontation between Gu Yin’s orthodox Confucian martial power and Su Che’s evasive sword techniques supported by Little Fox’s demonic abilities.

Chapter Summary: “Nine Deaths, Nine Lives”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Yin confronts Su Che and Qingqiu, using the Confucian School’s Four-Domain Suppression Palm against what he believes are their real bodies.
• He realizes that Qingqiu has been using powerful illusion arts to create false targets. To counter her, Gu Yin employs Wind-Corner Divination, a Confucian divination technique that reveals hidden beings through karmic traces.
• Gu Yin wounds Qingqiu’s hidden Yin Spirit with his own essence blood, using its pure yang and Confucian righteous energy to disrupt her spiritual form.
• Qingqiu is badly injured and admits that she cannot easily support Su Che. Gu Yin confidently keeps his distance, believing Su Che—only a newly initiated Sword Cultivator—cannot break through his defenses.
• During a violent rainstorm, Gu Yin advances while unleashing overwhelming palm force. Su Che responds by drawing an ancient bronze sword from one of his sword cases.
• Su Che reveals that he has successfully subdued the sword, formerly belonging to the legendary hero Jiang Qin. Gu Yin is shocked, believing the sword could only acknowledge someone truly righteous.
• Su Che uses the sword technique Mirage-Shadow Origin Sword: Hidden Bow, Shooting Shadow, piercing through Gu Yin’s palm defenses and striking his left shoulder.
• Gu Yin simultaneously lands his own palm strikes on Su Che’s chest and abdomen. Both men are seriously wounded.
• Gu Yin reveals that he intentionally allowed Su Che to approach, accepting severe injury to create the opportunity to counterattack and possibly exchange his own life for Su Che’s.

2. Character Developments

• Gu Yin demonstrates exceptional discipline, combat experience, and Confucian conviction. His long-cultivated Purple Sash Azure Charter gives him stable and powerful energy, while his willingness to sacrifice himself shows the depth of his devotion to protecting the world.
• Despite his confidence, Gu Yin is forced to reassess Su Che after witnessing the ancient sword acknowledge him. His cultivation foundation is severely damaged by the sword strike, threatening years of painstaking progress.
• Su Che proves that he is far more dangerous than Gu Yin assumed. Though only a novice Sword Cultivator, he possesses a powerful ancient weapon and enough sword intent to penetrate Gu Yin’s defenses.
• Su Che also displays greater self-assurance and emotional release. Drawing the sword relieves the frustration and oppression he has endured, allowing him to fight with renewed confidence.
• Qingqiu is shown to be powerful but vulnerable. Her illusion arts initially mislead Gu Yin, yet his divination and essence blood severely injure her Yin Spirit, leaving her unable to provide Su Che much assistance.
• Jiang Qin’s legacy becomes important through the ancient sword. The sword’s acceptance of Su Che raises questions about Su Che’s true character and hints that he may possess qualities worthy of the former hero’s weapon.

3. Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and duty: Gu Yin’s readiness to ruin his cultivation and risk death reflects the Confucian ideal of sacrificing oneself for the greater good.
• Appearances versus reality: Qingqiu’s illusions and Su Che’s concealed strategy emphasize that perception can be deceptive, even in a battle between powerful cultivators.
• Righteousness and moral judgment: Gu Yin assumes the sword should only recognize a morally upright hero, but the sword’s choice of Su Che challenges his simplistic understanding of virtue.
• Power beyond cultivation rank: Although Gu Yin has the higher cultivation realm, Su Che’s sword and technique allow him to threaten a stronger opponent. The chapter emphasizes that weapons, skill, and resolve can overcome differences in realm.
• Long-term perseverance versus sudden breakthrough: Gu Yin’s years of stable cultivation contrast with Su Che’s dramatic rise through sword mastery and the recognition of an ancient weapon.
• Mutual destruction: The final exchange suggests that victory may come at an enormous cost, with both combatants willing to suffer grievous wounds to defeat the other.

4. Character Interactions

• Gu Yin and Qingqiu: Gu Yin exposes and wounds Qingqiu’s hidden spirit, while Qingqiu warns that she is too injured to assist Su Che effectively.
• Gu Yin and Su Che: Their confrontation shifts from Gu Yin’s confident suppression of a weaker opponent to genuine alarm after Su Che draws Jiang Qin’s sword. They trade devastating attacks, with Gu Yin ultimately revealing that his apparent vulnerability was part of a deliberate strategy.
• Su Che and Qingqiu: Su Che asks Qingqiu to use her illusions to help him approach Gu Yin, but her injury limits her ability to cooperate. Their exchange also shows Su Che’s determination and Qingqiu’s growing concern for her own survival.
• Gu Yin and Jiang Qin’s legacy: Gu Yin’s disbelief that Jiang Qin’s sword would accept Su Che exposes his assumptions about Su Che’s character, while the sword’s response undermines his judgment.

Chapter Summary: “What Grievance Does the White Deer Bear?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Yin defeats Su Che after exploiting the power of a spirit sword, leaving him gravely wounded and at his mercy.
• Before killing him, Gu Yin explains that White Deer Grotto orchestrated the attacks against Su Che because his Destiny Pattern changed from the spiritually promising “Canopy Fate” to the “Sixfold Azure Dragon,” a fate associated with becoming a human sovereign.
• White Deer Grotto believes Su Che could become a hegemon and plunge the world into another age of war. Claiming to protect the Human Path and common people, the academy decided to eliminate him before he could rise.
• Su Che rejects this justification, arguing that suffering already exists under the current order and that preventing change merely preserves the people’s misery.
• As Gu Yin prepares to finish him, Su Che deliberately taunts him and calls for Qingqiu, buying time until she arrives in her true Cloud Fox form.
• Qingqiu attacks Gu Yin, easily overpowering him. Gu Yin attempts to stabilize himself by piercing his heart with a jade hairpin, but Qingqiu removes it before he can complete his technique.
• Gu Yin dies while trying to invoke White Deer Grotto’s righteous teachings. Qingqiu rescues Su Che and carries him away to recover, while Su Che’s Golden Core medicine keeps him alive.

Character Developments

• Su Che: Despite being critically injured, he remains defiant, sarcastic, and mentally sharp. He directly challenges White Deer Grotto’s ideology and refuses to accept that his potential future makes him guilty of crimes not yet committed.
• Gu Yin: His loyalty to White Deer Grotto is revealed to be rooted in fear of historical chaos and a sincere, if rigid, belief that preventing a future tyrant protects ordinary people. However, he is shaken by Su Che’s criticism and ultimately proves unable to adapt tactically when Qingqiu arrives.
• Qingqiu: She reveals her powerful true form as a Cloud Fox and demonstrates overwhelming combat ability. Her teasing affection toward Su Che contrasts with her ruthless efficiency against Gu Yin, showing both her emotional attachment and formidable strength.

Significant Themes

• Destiny versus free will: White Deer Grotto treats Destiny Patterns as reliable predictions and acts to prevent Su Che from fulfilling a possible imperial destiny. Su Che challenges the legitimacy of judging and killing someone based on a future that has not happened.
• The cost of order and rebellion: The chapter questions whether avoiding war truly benefits the common people, emphasizing that both the rise and fall of states bring suffering.
• Ideological hypocrisy: White Deer Grotto claims to protect humanity, yet its methods involve manipulation, assassination, and preserving a corrupt status quo.
• Defiance in the face of death: Su Che’s humor and resistance show that physical defeat does not mean ideological surrender.
• Companionship and rescue: Qingqiu’s arrival reinforces her bond with Su Che and provides a sharp contrast to Gu Yin’s solitary devotion to doctrine.

Important Character Interactions

• Su Che and Gu Yin: Their final conversation becomes an ideological confrontation. Gu Yin explains the academy’s motives, while Su Che condemns its paternalistic belief that it alone knows what is best for the world.
• Su Che and Qingqiu: Su Che trusts Qingqiu enough to provoke Gu Yin until she arrives. Qingqiu responds with mockery and affection, then carries him to safety.
• Qingqiu and Gu Yin: Their battle exposes the disparity between them. Qingqiu dismisses Gu Yin’s rigid martial training and defeats him before he can use his desperate defensive technique.

Chapter Summary: Heavenly Demon Soul-Sundering

Plot Points and Events

• Su Che awakens in a damp limestone cave that serves as Qingqiu’s residence. The cave is furnished with tiger-hide bedding, bookshelves filled with Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist works, musical instruments, incense, and several of Su Che’s possessions.
• His wounds from Gu Yin, the White Deer Grotto’s “book boy,” have stabilized because of the Nine-Revolution Golden Core, allowing him to move again.
• Qingqiu visits him and jokes flirtatiously, suggesting he marry her. Su Che responds with equally irreverent remarks, maintaining their playful and combative dynamic.
• The two discuss Su Che’s situation after Gu Yin’s death. White Deer Grotto will likely pursue him, so Su Che proposes blaming Gu Yin’s death on a demon and allowing Qingqiu to help maintain that story.
• Qingqiu complains that Su Che has involved her in trouble with White Deer Grotto, but she nevertheless urges him to leave before the Imperial Demon Hunters and Night Pacification Bureau investigate the disappearance of the county commandant.
• Before he departs, Qingqiu asks Su Che to cut out and draw a human-shaped paper figure. She then demonstrates her powerful soul-sundering technique, separating a spirit-like projection from her body and attaching it to the paper figure.
• The projection transforms into the beautiful appearance of a young woman. Qingqiu instructs Su Che to fetch an umbrella, announcing that she intends to take him out to “see some excitement.”

Character Developments

• Su Che: Recovers enough to travel and demonstrates his usual wit, composure, and willingness to manipulate political circumstances. He accepts Qingqiu’s help while subtly arranging for Gu Yin’s death to be attributed to demonic forces.
• Qingqiu: Reveals herself as both cultured and highly capable. Her refined library and artistic possessions contrast with her enormous fox form, while her actions show that she is a pragmatic and responsible ally despite her constant teasing.
• Qingqiu’s cultivation: She reveals possession of the Boundless Heavenly Demon Purple True Soul-Sundering Secret Art, a high-level technique supposedly granted by Zhongyuan. Her soul-sundering ability allows her spirit to inhabit or animate a paper figure, suggesting considerable mastery of demonic arts.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus identity: Qingqiu’s elegant cave and scholarly interests contrast sharply with her monstrous fox body, while her soul projection creates yet another outward identity.
• Alliance and mutual exploitation: Su Che and Qingqiu rely on each other, but their cooperation involves calculated deception, shared risks, and playful accusations of betrayal.
• Humor amid danger: Their flirtatious banter and exaggerated jokes lighten a situation involving murder, political investigation, and conflict with powerful sects.
• Knowledge and cultivation: Qingqiu’s extensive reading suggests that wisdom and understanding of the Dao can exist outside formal cultivation manuals. The chapter also distinguishes between ordinary spiritual techniques and rare, high-level demonic arts.
• Responsibility and consequences: Qingqiu’s warning about government investigators emphasizes that Su Che’s actions have broader repercussions, forcing him to leave before his presence exposes her.

Character Interactions

• Su Che praises Qingqiu’s refined tastes, prompting her to joke that he should marry her.
• Qingqiu accuses him of using her as a scapegoat; Su Che responds by pretending to accept marriage arrangements.
• Despite their bickering, Qingqiu protects Su Che, provides him shelter, helps construct a cover story, and warns him to flee.
• Their final interaction shifts from conversation to action when Qingqiu uses Su Che’s paper figure for her soul-sundering art and invites him to accompany her on another risky excursion.

Chapter Summary: “Mountain Bazaar”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che travels through Mystic Mountain with Qingqiu, carrying the Azure Emperor Wine Cup. He reflects on the cup’s unusual significance and suspects it may recognize him because of his Sixfold Azure Dragon fate and its connection to the Azure/Green Dragon and the East’s wood element.
• Qingqiu explains that Mystic Mountain is likely to change dramatically because the remains of an ancient transcendent master—the “old lion”—are hidden there. Once news spreads, demons, ghosts, the imperial court, Daoist and Buddhist sects, and the Sword Palace will all compete for the remains.
• She leads Su Che to a strange settlement established by Lord Dushan, a demon king. The town is enclosed by a wooden wall and guarded by beast-headed demons.
• At the gate, a sheep-headed clerk collects entry fees. Demons are charged ten cash, while ghosts enter for free and humans are given five cash upon arrival. Su Che has no money, but the clerk follows the law and actually pays him to enter.
• Inside, Su Che discovers an orderly, lively demon marketplace where beast demons and humans appear to coexist peacefully. The town has organized streets, shops, signs, and customs resembling a human city.
• A powerful blue ox demon, the proprietor of the “Old Niu Family Shop,” invites Su Che and Qingqiu inside for food and lodging. Su Che requests vegetarian noodles for himself while Qingqiu is left free to eat normally.

2. Character Developments

• Su Che becomes more perceptive about the Azure Emperor Wine Cup, forming the theory that his fate and elemental affinity explain why he can wield it. His observations also show his growing ability to assess unfamiliar supernatural environments.
• He remains cautious and skeptical, especially regarding Mystic Mountain’s hidden dangers and the unusual demon society. However, he is also curious about Lord Dushan’s creation.
• Qingqiu is portrayed as knowledgeable about Mystic Mountain, demon cultivation, and the settlement’s customs. Her playful, teasing personality appears in her jokes about money and her casual treatment of the demons.
• Qingqiu’s Yin Spirit still cannot endure direct sunlight, so she must travel beneath an umbrella, emphasizing her current limitations.
• Lord Dushan, though absent, is characterized indirectly as an imaginative and unusually progressive demon ruler who has created a structured, civilized community.
• The sheep-headed clerk and blue ox shopkeeper demonstrate that the demons are intelligent, organized, commercially minded, and capable of humor and hospitality.

3. Significant Themes

• The coming upheaval of Mystic Mountain: The hidden remains will attract powerful factions, suggesting that the peaceful landscape and marketplace may soon be destroyed or transformed by competition.
• Civilization beyond humanity: Lord Dushan’s settlement challenges the assumption that demons are chaotic or savage. Its laws, commerce, architecture, and social order closely resemble human society.
• Identity and destiny: Su Che’s reflections on the Azure Emperor Wine Cup connect personal fate, elemental symbolism, and the possibility that his destiny is tied to greater forces.
• Cultural coexistence: Humans and demons interact through trade and hospitality, presenting a temporary example of harmony between traditionally opposed groups.
• Humor and inversion: Familiar human institutions—taxes, bureaucracy, lodging, markets, and written records—are reimagined through demon characters, creating a playful contrast between appearance and behavior.

4. Character Interactions

• Qingqiu guides Su Che through the mountains and explains the importance of Mystic Mountain and Lord Dushan’s settlement.
• Su Che and Qingqiu banter over their lack of money and how the gate clerk might react to joss paper.
• The sheep-headed clerk treats them according to the settlement’s laws, humorously giving Su Che money because humans are supposed to receive five cash upon arrival.
• Su Che observes the flirtatious rabbit demons and the disciplined guards, highlighting the town’s mixture of ordinary social behavior and organized authority.
• The blue ox shopkeeper warmly welcomes Su Che and Qingqiu, interpreting them as a married couple and offering food and lodging. Su Che politely requests vegetarian noodles, ending the chapter with their entry into the demon inn or restaurant.

Chapter Summary: “The Story of Those Years”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Su Che and Qingqiu enter Dujue City and dine at Old Niu House, a restaurant run by an Azure Ox demon.
• The attendants mistake Qingqiu, who is disguised as a silent little fox, for a female ghost and assume she is Su Che’s wife or concubine.
• Su Che learns that Dujue City uses only copper currency, according to the rules of its founder, Lord Dushan.
• Through conversation with the ox proprietor, Su Che discovers that Dujue City was established over thirty years earlier by Lord Dushan, who was inspired by a powerful Buddhist monk.
• The proprietor recounts how the monk defeated nearly all the major demons around Mystic Mountain. The monk was an iron-bodied arhat or vajra, apparently possessing at least fifth-grade cultivation.
• After witnessing the monk’s power, Lord Dushan submitted to him and founded Dujue City. The Azure Ox, once a proud and combative demon, became a restaurant owner and began selling meat from his own body.
• The monk had claimed that offering his flesh to living beings—and building the city—could eventually help the demons attain the Dao.
• Su Che suspects that the monk’s arrival and the city’s creation were connected to the “Old Lion,” whose karma links him to the imperial court, the Confucian School, and various Daoist factions.
• He concludes that Dujue City may be an old strategic piece placed by the Buddhist side more than thirty years ago, at a time when all major factions were preparing for a larger conflict.

Character Developments

• Su Che remains cautious and observant. He uses casual conversation to investigate Dujue City while concealing his identity and true purpose. He deliberately avoids being called a “hero,” since accepting the title would imply an obligation to fight demons.
• Qingqiu displays her foxlike cleverness and mischievous humor. She invents an absurd explanation for Su Che’s “Gengshen Fast,” implying he can eat ox meat only during rare calendrical periods. She also openly mocks the Azure Ox’s explanation of his lifestyle.
• The Azure Ox proprietor is revealed to have once been a hot-blooded, powerful demon who challenged others around Mystic Mountain. His defeat and later submission transformed him into a seemingly simple but politically aware shopkeeper. He continues to probe Su Che while sharing information.
• Lord Dushan is portrayed as a formerly powerful demon who changed from a combatant into a city founder and apparent mountain ruler after encountering the monk.
• The Buddhist monk emerges as a major unseen force. His overwhelming strength and deliberate actions suggest that his visit to Mystic Mountain was part of a larger long-term plan.
• Qingqiu and Su Che interact with increasing familiarity, presenting themselves as husband and wife while jointly manipulating the conversation.

Significant Themes

• Political maneuvering and hidden plans: Ordinary locations and apparently harmless characters may be pieces in a decades-old struggle among Buddhism, the imperial court, Confucianism, and Daoism.
• Transformation and submission: The Azure Ox and Lord Dushan abandon their former lives as aggressive demons after encountering a superior power, suggesting that strength can reshape identity and political allegiance.
• The boundary between cultivation and immortality: The explanation of the Form-Change Realm emphasizes the stages by which demons cross from mortality toward transcendence.
• Deception and role-playing: Su Che and Qingqiu conceal their identities, while the Azure Ox presents himself as a simple restaurateur despite his past and intelligence.
• Karma and long-term causality: The monk’s actions, the founding of Dujue City, and the Old Lion’s connections imply that events from decades earlier are now converging.
• Buddhist notions of sacrifice and merit: The ox’s flesh-selling and the city’s construction are framed as offerings intended to create a path toward future enlightenment, though the demons remain uncertain whether they were genuinely guided or manipulated.

Character Interactions

• The attendants treat Su Che respectfully but misunderstand Qingqiu’s nature, creating comic tension.
• Su Che and the Azure Ox engage in a polite but guarded exchange, each attempting to assess the other’s background and intentions.
• Qingqiu supports Su Che’s cover story and uses humor to maintain their disguise, especially through the fabricated explanation of the Gengshen Fast.
• The Azure Ox recounts his past to Su Che, indirectly revealing the Buddhist monk’s influence and the hidden origins of Dujue City.
• Su Che listens without openly reacting, mentally connecting the ox’s story to the Old Lion and the broader factional conflict.