Chapter Summaries

After waking in a ruined temple with no memory of his current life, Ding Songyan realized he had transmigrated into a body with the same name. His younger sister Ding Qingyan identified their family and told him his name, leaving him to face the strange coincidence.

• Ding Songyan recalled being stabbed during a fight at a street-food stall and struggled through a dark dream toward birdsong.
• He woke in a ruined temple beside a girl in traditional clothes and found his body had no wounds.
• Ding Songyan told the girl he remembered nothing and questioned whether she could prove she was his sister.
• The girl said she was Qingyan, his younger sister, and explained that their family was staying in Dingjiang Prefecture.
• Ding Qingyan told him their surname was Ding and his name was Ding Songyan.

Ding Songyan left a ruined temple with Ding Qingyan and discovered that he had awakened in a strange world with flying wooden machines and extraordinary martial arts. As they entered Lingjiang County, Ding Qingyan explained the city’s Watchtowers after Ding Songyan witnessed a county commandant launch a powerful arrow.

• Ding Qingyan found Ding Songyan at the ruined temple and led him toward home after he admitted he had lost his memories.
• Qu Zhongheng arrived in a Wooden Kite Flyer, offered them a ride, then flew off to tell Ding Songyan’s family he was safe.
• Ding Qingyan explained that Qu Zhongheng’s flying machines were dangerous, and she and Ding Songyan continued on foot toward the city.
• Ding Songyan and Ding Qingyan entered Lingjiang County, where he observed its workshops, guards, and varied clothing.
• A tower sounded three drumbeats, and Ding Songyan saw a firelike arrow shoot across the city as constables rushed toward its landing place.
• Ding Qingyan told Ding Songyan that the arrow belonged to Uncle Yi and explained that experts at the Watchtowers monitored the city.

After awakening with amnesia in Dingjiang Prefecture, Ding Songyan learned about his family and suspected someone had tried to harm him before he was found outside the city. His family decided to seek help at the Zhen Estate, and his imposing eldest brother joined them as an escort.

• Ding Qingyan explained that the Xiaoming Sect policed the area and described how advanced martial artists could have unusual physical traits.
• Ding Songyan returned home, saw his reflection, and learned his parents' and eldest brother's names from Ding Qingyan.
• Ding Shengyi explained that Ding Songyan had left Dangkang Temple alone and gone missing, while Ding Qingyan described finding him in a ruined temple.
• Ding Songyan suspected someone had tried to harm him, so Liu Yuzao decided to take him to the Zhen Estate to find his cousin Nuansheng and consult a miracle physician.
• Ding Daniu arrived, armed himself with a heavy iron bar, and prepared to escort Ding Songyan and Liu Yuzao to the Zhen Estate.

Ding Songyan visited the Zhen Estate with Liu Yuzao, where Doctor Shao found no physical injuries and suspected his memory loss came from fright. Mr. Yu agreed to investigate the attempted murder and secretly watch Ding Songyan at Dangkang Temple, while a nighttime conversation with Ding Qingyan left Ding Songyan determined to learn self-defense.

• Liu Yuzao brought Ding Songyan to Qin Nuangsheng’s courtyard at the Zhen Estate and explained that someone had tried to murder him.
• Doctor Shao examined Ding Songyan, found no injuries or illness, and suggested his memory loss might be an ailment of the mind.
• Qin Nuangsheng asked Mr. Yu to investigate the attack, and he told Ding Songyan to act normally and visit Dangkang Temple while he watched from the shadows.
• Qin Nuangsheng gave Liu Yuzao money for nourishing food for Ding Songyan and Ding Qingyan.
• At home, Ding Qingyan told Ding Songyan that their eldest brother was born after their mother was abducted and assaulted, and Ding Songyan resolved to learn fighting skills for protection.

Ding Songyan spent the morning learning more about his family and preparing to visit Dangkang Temple, where he hoped to understand the world through its storytellers. He left Chengyu Lane with Xu Chang'an and reached a storyteller’s stall, where a tale about Su Yunzhang was beginning.

• Ding Songyan heard Ding Qingyan talk in her sleep about learning martial arts and protecting their mother and second brother.
• Ding Shengyi and Liu Yuzao gave Ding Songyan money for his visit to Dangkang Temple, and Ding Qingyan added copper coins and asked him to buy a mechanical toy for Qu Sanlang.
• Ding Qingyan told Ding Songyan that Xu Chang'an was a thief and briefly explained the Zhen Estate before the brothers left Chengyu Lane.
• Ding Songyan questioned Xu Chang'an about the previous day as they walked to Dangkang Temple.
• Ding Songyan and Xu Chang'an arrived at the temple market and heard a storyteller recount how Su Yunzhang defeated Jin Shaochong.

Ding Songyan learned about the Great Wilderness, Great Zhao, and the martial powers surrounding Dingjiang Prefecture as he considered joining the Xiaoming Sect. He then encountered a headless Xingtian Clan Light Cavalry Commandant and decided to make his acquaintance, intrigued by the Xingtian Method.

• A storyteller described famous beauties Feng Yining and Su Liudan, and how Feng Yining left a flaw in Ji Hanyi's heart that blocked her path to the Celestial-Human Realm.
• Xu Chang'an asked whether he could become a Great Thief, and Ding Songyan encouraged him by praising his bearing.
• Ding Songyan questioned a bookseller about martial-world booklets and information on the Xiaoming Sect, but the bookseller refused to sell anything about the local sect.
• Ding Songyan listened to storytellers and pieced together the history, nations, martial realms, sects, and political situation of the Great Wilderness.
• Ding Songyan saw a headless Xingtian Clan Light Cavalry Commandant, and Xu Chang'an explained that the man had come to reorganize the barracks.
• Intrigued by the Xingtian Method, Ding Songyan decided to approach the commandant.

Ding Songyan noticed a red-nosed man flee in fear after seeing him, then met a beautiful newcomer whose arrival seemed suspiciously timed with his supposed death. When she asked to hear him tell stories, he offered a legendary tale, hoping to build a useful connection.

• Ding Songyan saw a red-nosed man recognize him and flee into the market, then warned Xu Chang'an off stealing from an unfamiliar thief.
• Ding Songyan and Xu Chang'an noticed a beautiful girl in white who generously tipped a storyteller, and Ding Songyan suspected her recent arrival might be linked to events in Dingjiang Prefecture.
• Ding Songyan stopped Xu Chang'an from trying to steal from the girl, warning that she might have powerful family or martial arts protection.
• A plaster seller told Ding Songyan that the girl had been asking for him, and the girl hurried over to ask when he would tell stories.
• Ding Songyan offered to tell the girl a legendary tale, hoping to earn her favor rather than a reward.

Ding Songyan told the girl in white and a growing crowd an improvised Legend of the White Snake, ending on a cliffhanger to encourage them to return. After the girl offered to help him at the Tianyang Guildhall, Ding Songyan left the crowded temple area and encountered the red-nosed man again in a deserted alley.

• Ding Songyan began telling the girl in white and the market listeners his version of the Legend of the White Snake.
• Ding Songyan ended the story just as Fahai sensed demonic qi, and he invited the listeners to return the next day.
• The girl in white asked whether Fahai would find Lady White and Xiaoqing, and Ding Songyan promised to continue the story tomorrow.
• Ding Songyan told the girl in white that someone had tried to kill him, and she offered help at the Tianyang Guildhall under the name Xiaoqing.
• Ding Songyan left the Dangkang Temple area through quiet streets, where the red-nosed man confronted him again in an alley.

Ding Songyan bluffed the Wine-Nose Man into explaining that his predecessor had sold Small Boat Gang banner master Chen Yuliang a supposedly genuine Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, making him a target for the major sects. After letting the Wine-Nose Man leave to seek more silver from Chen Yuliang, Ding Songyan realized Chen might be watching nearby and called the man back to ask where Chen was.

• Ding Songyan questioned the Wine-Nose Man's anger and used a series of bluffs to make him reveal that Chen Yuliang had paid Ding Songyan to leave Dingjiang Prefecture.
• Ding Songyan claimed he had lost his memory and threatened to report the attempted murder, prompting the Wine-Nose Man to explain the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas and why its possessor would be hunted.
• The Wine-Nose Man said Ding Songyan had sold Chen Yuliang a complete, genuine copy of the Secret Classic, which recorded Mythical Beasts and the foundations of martial arts legacies.
• The Wine-Nose Man identified Chen Yuliang as a fifth-rank banner master of the Small Boat Gang, which was fighting the Four Waters Gang, and agreed to ask Chen for more silver so Ding Songyan could leave.
• Ding Songyan suspected Chen might be secretly following the Wine-Nose Man and called him back to ask where Chen was.

Ding Songyan’s attempt to question a Small Boat Gang member ended with Ding Daniu killing the man and revealing his strength and history as a killer. Meanwhile, Mr. Yu caught up with Chen Yuliang and began a fight that left Chen blinded and in agony.

• Ding Songyan questioned the drinker-nosed man about Chen Yuliang’s whereabouts, martial art, and keen hearing, prompting Mr. Yu to pursue Chen.
• The drinker-nosed man fled, but Ding Daniu seized him behind a tree and killed him with one punch.
• Ding Daniu told Ding Songyan that he had killed several people on the way to Dingjiang Prefecture, practiced Innate Divine Strength, and enjoyed killing despite their mother’s orders.
• Mr. Yu chased Chen Yuliang into a martial arts school and attacked him with rapid strikes, while Chen’s Dark Turtle Divine Skill hardened his skin against the blows.
• Chen Yuliang trapped Mr. Yu’s left palm in his neck and prepared a counterattack, but Mr. Yu used the Seven Methods of Catching the Wind to rake Chen’s eyes and blind him.

Mr. Yu killed Chen Yuliang and recovered the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas for Zhen Qianfan, who questioned whether the Ding Family was connected to its disappearance. After returning home, Ding Songyan found a line about Feiyi in one of his old books that made him suspect it was the missing classic.

• Mr. Yu gouged out Chen Yuliang's eyes and left the Four Waters Gang to deal with the corpse while Heroine Zheng supervised the authorities' inquiry.
• Ding Daniu and Ding Songyan left the body behind after Mr. Yu told them the Four Waters Gang would handle it.
• Mr. Yu gave Zhen Qianfan the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas and said he had secretly taken it from Chen Yuliang before Zheng Zhuxi examined the corpse.
• Zhen Qianfan questioned Mr. Yu about the Ding Family and ordered him to look for signs that the Small Boat Gang had allied with evil demons.
• Ding Songyan returned to Chengyu Lane and told Ding Qingyan their immediate troubles were resolved, leaving out the secret classic and Ding Daniu's killing.
• Ding Songyan searched his storytelling books for paper and a brush, then found a line about Feiyi that made him suspect one of the books was the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Ding Songyan found his predecessor’s hidden handwritten copy of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas and realized it could be valuable to powerful experts but dangerous for him to keep. He decided to investigate whether the local Xiaoming Sect had an incomplete copy and might accept the book in exchange for a chance to join.

• Ding Songyan found the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas hidden among his predecessor’s books and wondered why it had been left behind.
• He read the book’s entries and inferred that their number of descriptive clauses reflected a hierarchy of power and that the text could reveal the strengths and weaknesses of divine legacies.
• Ding Songyan concluded that the book was dangerous and of little immediate use to him, but could be worth a fortune to experts outside major sects.
• He decided to ask whether the Xiaoming Sect had an incomplete copy and consider trading his book for a chance to join.
• Ding Qingyan entered the room, and Ding Songyan hid the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas and pretended to read a storybook.

Ding Songyan studied the world’s altered history and began writing a version of the Legend of the White Snake to impress the White-Skirted Girl. After his family celebrated his recovery, Liu Yuzao sent him to thank the Zhen Estate the next day.

• Ding Songyan read about the Celestial Emperor and the dynasties, then concluded that history had been displaced across spacetime.
• Ding Songyan told Ding Qingyan he had forgotten many characters and began writing a Legend of the White Snake outline, with plans to make a clean copy for the Storytellers' Association.
• Ding Qingyan read the outline and asked what happened after Xu Xian died, so Ding Songyan revealed that Lady White would seek an immortal herb to save him.
• Liu Yuzao heard that Ding Songyan's problem was solved and told him to visit the Zhen Estate the next day to thank Sister Nuansheng and Mr. Yu.
• Liu Yuzao and Ding Qingyan went out to buy food and a gift for Qu Sanlang, then the family shared a celebratory meal and toasted their recovery from adversity.

Ding Songyan continued telling the Legend of the White Snake at Dangkang Temple, drawing a crowd and earning silver while leaving listeners waiting for the next installment. At the Zhen Estate, he asked Qin Nuangsheng about learning martial arts and learned that he was twenty and that the Xiaoming Sect recruited disciples only at year’s end.

• Xu Chang'an parted from Ding Songyan near a stone bridge to visit his master for a test.
• Ding Songyan told the story of Lady White drinking realgar wine, Xu Xian dying of fright, and Lady White grieving, then stopped before the next installment.
• The girl in purple silk gave Ding Songyan a tael of silver, and other listeners contributed coins before leaving disappointed when he refused to continue that afternoon.
• Ding Songyan told the girl that his memory loss prevented him from recalling who had harmed him, then headed to the Zhen Estate.
• Ding Songyan thanked Qin Nuangsheng and Zhen Quanwang with a copied Buddhist scripture and a protective talisman, and asked Qin Nuangsheng about learning martial arts.
• Qin Nuangsheng explained that the Xiaoming Sect recruited disciples at year’s end and that Ding Songyan, newly twenty, was still young enough to cultivate martial arts.

Qin Nuangsheng explained martial arts realms and the risks of refining apertures, while Ding Songyan encountered trouble at home and worked on the next installment of Legend of the White Snake. A mysterious young woman confronted him at night and revealed a huge white snake tail, leaving him stunned.

• Qin Nuangsheng explained the martial arts realms, warned Ding Songyan against refining apertures blindly, and mentioned that the Xinyu Six Dragon Sect inherited the Winged Dragon's legacy.
• Ding Songyan saw Zhen Quanwang escort a strange, lavishly accompanied guest out of the Zhen Estate, then returned to Chengyu Alley and learned Ding Daniu had nearly struck someone at the docks.
• Liu Yuzao punished Ding Daniu for his conduct, and Ding Songyan treated his brother's wounds afterward.
• Ding Songyan began writing the next part of Legend of the White Snake, but questioned how to fit Fahai into the story.
• The young woman who had listened to Ding Songyan's storytelling appeared in his room and revealed that a thick, white-scaled snake tail extended from beneath her skirt.

Ding Songyan survived Xiaoqing’s visit after improvising more of Legend of the White Snake, then decided to treat her as a potential friend despite learning she was a snake demon. The next day, he continued the story and visited Doctor Shao’s medical hall, where he learned Qu Zhongheng’s father had undergone surgery and thanked Qu with a gift.

• Xiaoqing questioned Ding Songyan about the story, and he invented Yan Nantian as a powerful ally who would help Lady White.
• After Xiaoqing vanished, Ding Songyan accepted that she was a snake demon and resumed writing the story, while Xiaoqing told her maid she might force him to finish it before she left Dingjiang Prefecture.
• Ding Songyan advanced Legend of the White Snake to Fahai luring Xu Xian to Jinshan Temple, then went to Yannian Medical Hall as Qin Nuangsheng had instructed.
• Qu Zhongheng told Ding Songyan that Doctor Shao had operated on his father’s intestinal blockage and would keep him at the medical hall for a month.
• Ding Songyan gave Qu Zhongheng the prepared gift and asked why he never used the eye on his forehead.

Ding Songyan learned that Doctor Shao’s examination found his soul and aspect aligned, then joined Xu Chang'an and Ding Daniu in searching for Xu Chang'an’s missing master. They found a large stash of silver in the master’s courtyard, leaving Ding Songyan suspecting that the man had not simply fled.

• Qu Zhongheng explained that his Yin Eye let him see Qi and wandering ghosts, and Doctor Shao used a gold needle to examine Ding Songyan’s soul, finding that his soul and aspect aligned.
• Xu Chang'an told Ding Songyan that his master had been missing for two days, and Ding Songyan revealed that he too had gone missing and lost his memories.
• Ding Songyan took Xu Chang'an to the docks to find Ding Daniu and asked him to come along in case the search proved dangerous.
• Xu Chang'an opened his master's gate in Autumn Waters Alley, and the three searched the courtyard without finding clues at first.
• Xu Chang'an discovered a hidden compartment holding a large amount of silver, and Ding Songyan doubted that his master had fled while leaving most of his wealth behind.

Ding Songyan accompanied Xu Chang'an to Potter's Field, where they found Xu Chang'an's murdered master with his chest torn open and organs missing. Suspecting the death was connected to the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, Ding Songyan took Xu Chang'an to the Zhen Estate, where the Zhen family was already investigating the Small Boat Gang.

• Xu Chang'an told Ding Songyan that his master had recently sought Yin Corpse Grass to open his orifices, and Ding Songyan noticed the timing might connect to the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas.
• Xu Chang'an persuaded Ding Songyan and Ding Daniu to search Potter's Field before reporting the disappearance to the authorities.
• Ding Daniu detected blood and a foul stench near the rear hill, where the three found Xu Chang'an's rotting master with his chest split open and organs missing.
• Ding Songyan refused to report the corpse to the authorities and took Xu Chang'an to the Zhen Estate because he suspected the death was connected to the former owner of his body.
• At the Zhen Estate, Zhen Qianfan questioned Mr. Yu about the Small Boat Gang's provocations as a family guard announced that Second Brother Ding had arrived with important news.

After Zhang Rui was identified as a thief carrying Jia Yushu’s cultivation art, the Zhen Estate concealed the discovery and offered Ding Songyan a secret storytelling post. Ding Songyan accepted, but a chilling voice interrupted him as he tried to sleep.

• Mr. Yu reported that Zhang Rui had carried the Mystic Art of Ten Bodies and Hundred Hands, and that nearby remains were likely those of Jia Yushu, the Nine-Life Thief, who had died by suicide nine months earlier.
• Mr. Yu ordered Xu Chang'an and the others to keep the discovery secret, then offered Ding Songyan support for martial training or a place in the Zhen Estate in exchange for secretly telling stories to an honored guest.
• Ding Songyan asked his father about the Yi clan and why the family had fled Yuejiang Prefecture; Ding Shengyi admitted he had done things that troubled his conscience and said those matters had forced them to leave.
• Ding Songyan decided to accept the Zhen Estate’s task, but a cold gust swept over him and a soft voice asked how he could sleep without preparing the story he would tell the next day.

Ding Songyan wrote the next installment of Lady White’s tale and asked Xiaoqing for martial-world details to shape Xu Shilin’s future. After Xiaoqing sent him outside to cool off, Ding Songyan glimpsed misty figures at the end of the lane.

• Ding Songyan woke to find Xiaoqing waiting and hurriedly wrote Lady White’s rescue of Xu Xian, her imprisonment beneath Leifeng Pagoda, and their son’s eventual reunion with them.
• Xiaoqing became emotional over the story, then advised Ding Songyan on powerful sects and martial arts for Xu Shilin, including the Divine Firmament Sect’s techniques.
• Ding Songyan asked about the Xiaoming Sect and its teachings, while Xiaoqing explained its surviving techniques and formations.
• Xiaoqing sent Ding Songyan outside the courtyard to escape the summer heat, leaving him unable to get back into his home.
• Ding Songyan noticed mist and blurred figures in tattered clothes and armor at the mouth of the lane, but they disappeared almost immediately.