Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng reaches an abandoned Yellow River crossing with a man from Fisherfolk Village. He learns that the riverbank itself contains a deadly “Waterlogged Road,” and that nighttime paths and fires may be deceptive.
• The fisherman warns Xu Feng to follow his route, stay silent on the river, and return immediately if he hears a cow lowing, the weather changes, or something boards the raft.
• Master arrives with supplies: an Earth God Shrine incense burner and a precious set of corpse-stitching Needles, which he entrusts to Xu Feng despite their importance to the shrine.
• After sunset, Xu Feng paddles onto the Yellow River, lights the incense and lamp, raises the Soul-Summoning Banner, and releases all twenty-six Soul Bottles into the water. The crossing is eerily uneventful, and he begins returning.
• Just as the raft reaches shore, a tremendous, unnatural cow’s lowing comes from the river. Xu Feng’s Protective Tiger Talisman shatters, the incense burner breaks, and the fisherman’s blue-green fire goes out.
• Xu Feng and the fisherman flee, but the supposedly safe ground begins writhing and the river sends muddy waves crashing onto the bank. The chapter ends with both men in immediate danger.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng remains cautious and follows the fisherman’s instructions carefully. Though frightened, he completes the task and reacts quickly when the warning sign occurs.
• The fisherman shifts from casual, teasing confidence to grave vigilance. He gives Xu Feng practical warnings and supplies no false reassurance; when the cow sounds, he runs without waiting, and Xu Feng follows.
• Master shows deep trust and care for Xu Feng by lending him the shrine’s valuable Needles, accepting the risk of losing them.
• Xu Feng briefly credits Zhao San’s birth chart for the apparently successful crossing, but holds back from celebrating until he reaches shore.

Significant themes

• Human vulnerability before nature and the supernatural: protections and careful preparation offer limited security against the Yellow River.
• Obedience and survival: the fisherman’s rules—especially silence and immediate retreat—are vital, though danger can still overtake them.
• Duty and sacrifice: Master risks essential tools to give Xu Feng a chance to survive and complete the mission.
• False safety and uncertainty: even the crossing believed safe turns hostile, and an uneventful journey does not mean the danger has passed.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng and the man from Fisherfolk Village are caught by a sudden muddy wave on the Yellow River’s bank. Xu clings to a mooring post; unseen hands—an apparent effect of his Yin Virtue Protection—help him hold on and push him back to his feet.
• Both men flee inland, battered and disoriented. The local man leads Xu off the worn path and into the reeds, while Xu’s enhanced sight helps him keep up.
• Behind them, lightning strikes the Yellow River as whirlpools spread and corpses rise to the surface—newly drowned people, ancient dead, and bodies apparently released from tombs. Their faces all point downward, while the bellowing comes from beneath them.
• A violent storm follows. Rain lashes the area around the river, though Xu and his companion find some shelter from it among the reeds. Xu hears someone ask whether a dragon has awakened.
• At Hezhuangzi Temple, Sun Dashi hears the commotion and fears something unnatural is stirring in the river. Knowing Xu is in danger, he nevertheless judges that no rescue is possible and takes his family to higher ground.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng shows sharp survival instincts: he focuses on escaping, trusts the local man’s knowledge, and uses his Owl Button’s vision to follow him through the reeds.
• The man from Fisherfolk Village remains stoic and takes the lead, guiding Xu away from the river by a route Xu would not have chosen.
• Sun Dashi reveals that Zhao Er, the Corpse Sewer, had asked him to watch over Xu. Though worried and sympathetic, Sun prioritizes the survival of his own family and evacuates them rather than risking a futile rescue.
• Xu and his companion do not speak much; their relationship is defined by practical trust under immediate danger. Sun’s concern for Xu is indirect, shown through his reaction and earlier promise to Zhao Er.

Significant themes

• Survival and self-preservation: Xu and Sun alike recognize when escape is more realistic than fighting or rescuing.
• The Yellow River as an uncanny, overwhelming force: Its sudden flood, unnatural storm, whirlpools, and rising corpses suggest a supernatural threat beyond human control.
• Uncertainty and foreboding: Even Sun, experienced with the river and its dead, cannot identify what is happening; the chapter ends with danger still unfolding.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Er remains preoccupied with a separate task in Luoyin County: he is using the Liu family residence’s carefully prepared defenses to keep two dangerous guests calm and ease their baleful energy.
• Exhausted and soaked, Xu Feng escapes the Yellow River’s dangerous reed paths while dragging three corpses: a Fisherfolk Village man, a tomb raider, and a mysterious “Immortal.”
• He is far from the Earth God Shrine and fears wolves, cold, and collapse. He decides to head for the Desolate Village, where Old Owl’s hired men were supposed to be waiting.
• Xu Feng’s promises and threats helped him survive the spirits in the pools. He vows to honor his bargains by recovering and burying the dead, and by eventually freeing and laying the trapped souls to rest.
• One corpse has provided him with a vicious, awakened blade, which helps keep lesser spirits at bay. The “Immortal” tells Xu Feng that he had been attempting Lunar Form Refinement and that the tomb raider disrupted his bid to ascend Mount Kunlun.
• At last, Xu Feng sees torchlight and riders approaching. Recognizing them as his own people, he is relieved.

Character developments

• Xu Feng shows grit and resourcefulness, pushing onward despite exhaustion and fear. He remains determined to keep his promises, even while using intimidation when necessary.
• Zhao Er is revealed to rely on elaborate, spirit-linked defenses at the shrine and Liu residence, underscoring his experience as a Corpse Sewer.
• The “Immortal” emerges as a talkative, resentful spirit with grand ambitions, though his claims and history remain mysterious.

Significant themes

• Promises and responsibility: Xu Feng’s bargains with the dead become a moral obligation that drives his escape.
• Fear, power, and survival: Xu Feng finds that resolve and willingness to fight can deter spirits that prey on the weak.
• Preparation and place: A fortified stronghold can preserve a Corpse Sewer’s strength, while outside it they must rely on ingenuity and nerve.
• The boundary between life and death: The corpses’ lingering souls, Xu Feng’s ability to perceive them, and the promise of proper burial keep the supernatural central.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng negotiates with and threatens the spirits, balancing reassurance with force to secure their cooperation.
• He scolds the Fisherfolk Village man, warns the tomb raider not to expect his belongings back, and respectfully bargains with the “Immortal.”
• The approaching riders’ arrival marks Xu Feng’s first sign of safety and human support since escaping the river.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng encounters Brother Ma and a group of mounted men sent to meet him on a remote back trail. They are wary of him, especially when they see the three corpses he carries: two are recognizable local figures, while the third is the mysterious body from the “corpse-wrapping blanket.”
• The men are alarmed by the corpses and by Xu Feng’s survival. He asks for dry clothes, food, and water, then explains that the Yellow River calamity left him freezing and in urgent need of help.
• Xu Feng suspects the Tomb Raiders caused the disaster by breaking into the Underground Palace and disrupting the Immortal’s Lunar Form Refinement. He plans to question the tomb raider’s corpse once they return to the Earth God Shrine.
• Brother Ma explains that the group came because they heard a voice calling for help in the wind. Xu Feng realizes the call may have been carried by the protection of the Earth God or his own Yin Virtue, but claims he deliberately summoned them to reassure them.
• The horses refuse to carry the corpses. Xu Feng reasons that their fear comes from the corpses’ baleful aura, then uses incense smoke as a “thread” in a rudimentary application of Calamity-Stitching Art to conceal it. The technique works—even on the Immortal’s corpse—but leaves Xu Feng baffled by how effective it is.

Character developments

• Xu Feng is exhausted and cold but remains observant, resourceful, and determined to understand the calamity. Rather than give up when the horses reject the bodies, he adapts his knowledge of corpse techniques to solve the problem.
• Brother Ma and the men are shown as capable professionals, yet deeply unnerved by Xu Feng and the bodies. Their fear coexists with a strong sense of duty: they will not abandon him, despite their terror.

Themes

• Ingenuity under pressure: Xu Feng uses principles he has learned in an unconventional way to overcome a practical obstacle.
• The supernatural and the limits of knowledge: The calling voice, the river’s roar, and the Immortal’s corpse all raise questions that Xu Feng cannot yet answer.
• Duty amid fear: The rescue party is frightened but still fulfills its responsibility.
• Unintended consequences: Xu Feng believes the Tomb Raiders’ intrusion into the Underground Palace triggered a disaster that endangered everyone nearby.

Character interactions

• The men approach Xu Feng cautiously, testing him with a protective talisman before getting close.
• Brother Ma provides clothes and supplies, while Xu Feng explains what he knows and presses the group about how they found him.
• The group’s uncertainty about the mysterious call creates an uneasy exchange; Xu Feng reassures them by taking credit for it.
• Xu Feng’s practical collaboration with the men culminates in his incense-and-stitching solution, which makes it possible to transport the corpses.

Key plot points and events

• Exhausted after the night’s violence, Xu Feng binds three bodies to a horse and leads them back to the Earth God Shrine. He asks Old Ma to tell his Master that he is safe and will wait at the shrine.
• Xu Feng checks the shrine and its contents, then offers incense. The Earth God accepts it but draws the curtain, signaling that the three bodies—and the sinister objects with them—are unwelcome.
• He notices that Old Owl’s favorability entry has disappeared and concludes that Old Owl likely died the previous night. The realization briefly saddens him.
• Since it is daylight, Xu Feng moves the bodies into the West Room to wait until night before stitching them. He searches the Tomb Raider’s belongings, finding a bloodstained blade, foul-smelling ritual rice, a few coins, and a rhinoceros-horn talisman.
• Xu Feng asks the Earth God to wake him if anything strange happens, then sleeps in the shrine. The Earth God sends him a dream telling him to remove the baleful objects he has left before the altar.
• The blade is identified as a dangerous Demon Blade that has developed a malignant spirit and may attack even its owner. The ritual rice can harm evil spirits, while the Earth Uncle Protective Talisman is a powerful credential in the tomb-raiding trade.
• Meanwhile, Old Ma reaches the Liu family funeral and reassures Master that Xu Feng is safe, though Yu Bin is dead and Xu Feng has brought back three bodies. Old Ma’s account is likely to spread through the escort guards and other gathered people.

Character developments

• Xu Feng pushes through exhaustion and fear to complete his work, relying on caution, ritual, and the shrine’s protection. He briefly mourns Old Owl, then returns to practical concerns. He is also willing to consider using a dangerous weapon if he can master it.
• Old Ma shows growing respect for Xu Feng, treats him as someone who may become influential, and helps carry news back to his Master.
• Xu Feng’s Master is anxious when Old Ma arrives without his apprentice, but is relieved to learn Xu Feng is alive.
• Old Owl’s absence becomes a likely death, giving Xu Feng a quiet moment of grief.

Significant themes

• Danger and protection: The journey and the Demon Blade underline how perilous the world is, while the Earth God Shrine offers a measure of safety.
• Ritual and respect: Xu Feng’s prayers and offerings matter, but leaving hostile objects before a righteous god violates proper boundaries.
• Power with a price: The Demon Blade is potent against inauspicious beings but threatens its owner, illustrating that strength can carry serious risks.
• Reputation and obligation: Xu Feng’s deeds are already becoming news, and Old Ma’s respect hints that his growing standing may bring future relationships and responsibilities.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng thanks Old Ma for escorting him and entrusts him with a message for his Master; Old Ma responds faithfully and with deference.
• Xu Feng approaches the Earth God with offerings and a cheeky request for protection, but the god’s dream-message firmly objects to the baleful items left nearby.
• Old Ma reassures Master about Xu Feng’s safety and reports the deaths and bodies, while showing respect to the older man because of Xu Feng’s potential.

Key plot points

• While helping with Old Owl’s funeral arrangements, Master learns that Xu Feng has brought three bodies back to the Earth God Shrine. One is Sheep Leader, a notorious tomb raider whose death near the Yellow River—and whose presence alongside a heavily wrapped corpse—suggests that something dangerous has come from a tomb.
• Xu Feng dreams that Old Owl comes to bid farewell. Old Owl tells him to retrieve a gift hidden above the Fish-Basket Guanyin statue: a Mirror to take when rescuing people from beneath the Qian Family Mansion. He warns Xu Feng to “look carefully, think less,” trust no one, and keep the Knife away from the Earth God.
• Xu Feng wakes with ten Dragon-Tiger Plaster patches, moves the Knife to another room, and prepares to travel to County Town for Old Owl’s gift and supplies. He and Master meet on the road, retrieve the gift, and return to the shrine.
• Master finally sees the enormous, tomb-wrapped corpse. Xu Feng calls it a would-be Immortal and explains that the Calamity-Stitching Art contained its presence well enough for a horse to carry it. He wonders whether the corpse is willing to be helped—but neither he nor Master knows what to do next.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng takes Old Owl’s warnings seriously: he separates the dangerous Knife from the shrine’s Earth God, offers an apology, and prepares carefully for his next task. He remains curious but cautious about the tomb corpse.
• Master is exhausted yet increasingly alarmed as he learns about Sheep Leader and the corpse from the tomb. He is protective of Xu Feng, but, confronted with an unprecedented situation, has no advice to offer.
• Old Owl makes a final, affectionate appearance, leaving Xu Feng practical help and urgent warnings. Xu Feng accepts the farewell without pursuing him, sensing that doing so would be dangerous.
• Xu Feng and Master cooperate to retrieve Old Owl’s hidden gift, then confront the mystery of the corpse together.

Significant themes

• The danger of the unknown: Sheep Leader’s death and the tomb corpse suggest that grave-robbing can bring back threats beyond anyone’s understanding.
• Caution and trust: Old Owl’s warning urges Xu Feng to observe carefully and be wary of others.
• Farewell and responsibility: Old Owl’s departure leaves Xu Feng with both a keepsake and a new duty.
• Limited knowledge: Despite their experience, Xu Feng and Master can only speculate about the corpse and its intentions.

Key plot points and events

• After surviving the previous night’s calamity, Xu Feng and Master conclude that the disaster was not caused by Xu Feng’s mistake. Sheep Leader’s tomb-breaking may have altered the heavens and drawn Xu Feng into a much larger chain of events.
• Xu Feng suspects that several incidents—the tomb robber’s arrival, the Mysterious Womb, the Ancient Arcane Corpse’s appearance, and the Earth-Fire Cult members’ deaths—may be linked by unseen forces. He thinks Zhao San’s fate, and Luoyin County’s growing catastrophe, may already be set in motion.
• Master and Xu Feng pray to Houtu from outside the Earth God Shrine. The incense burns steadily, reassuring Master that Houtu still protects the shrine. Master vows to visit her temple in Third Grandpa Temple Village if they survive.
• Master explains the significance of the Mirror Old Owl gave Xu Feng: it is a rare Upper Nine Classes treasure that can read feng shui, trace earth veins, observe the heavens, and sometimes foresee or avert disaster. Its readings are extensive but unreliable, and it must periodically be nourished in an Earth Vein.
• To learn how to stitch the dead Immortal’s corpse, Master decides they must consult Doctor Qi, despite warning Xu Feng that the doctor is dangerous and is known as the “Living Ghost King.” Before leaving, they reduce the number of corpses in the shrine to limit the risk of mass reanimation.
• Master and Xu Feng find Doctor Qi in a poor, crowded district. Following the required ritual, they burn offerings before the tablets of Bian Que, Hua Tuo, and Sun Simiao, then ask about the corpse-stitching.
• Doctor Qi warns that the Immortal’s failed attempt at ascension may determine the calamity they face: because a venomous snake stopped him before he reached Mount Kunlun, venomous snakes are likely to appear when they stitch his corpse. He recommends buying realgar to ward them off.

Character developments

• Xu Feng grows more analytical, connecting seemingly separate disasters into a possible long-term conspiracy. Despite the danger, he focuses on immediate survival and follows Master’s lead.
• Master shows practical caution and deep religious faith. He carefully limits the shrine’s risks, seeks help despite distrust of Doctor Qi, and reassures himself through worship of Houtu.
• Doctor Qi remains unsettling and morally ambiguous: he observes ritual rules and gives useful information, but Master warns that his help may carry a hidden cost.
• Old Owl, though absent, is further characterized as self-sacrificing: he kept his craft from his descendants to spare them its dangers, yet entrusted Xu Feng with the valuable Mirror.

Significant themes

• Calamity and fate: Disasters may be connected and set in motion long before their victims understand them.
• Knowledge versus reliability: The Mirror and Doctor Qi offer potentially vital insight, but both come with uncertainty or danger.
• Protection and responsibility: Master’s precautions, Old Owl’s choices, and Xu Feng’s concern for survival all reflect efforts to keep others from being caught in calamity.
• Faith and ritual: Worship, offerings, and observances are practical sources of reassurance and protection in a world shaped by supernatural forces.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng and Master compare their experiences, develop theories about the wider crisis, and work together to prepare for the night’s danger.
• Master explains the distinction between Houtu and the local Earth God, while Xu Feng learns about the protection and obligations tied to worship.
• Master cautions Xu Feng about Doctor Qi’s deceptive nature, but the two still approach him because the danger of the Immortal’s corpse is greater.
• Doctor Qi cooperates only after the ritual offerings, then gives them a warning that shapes their preparations for the coming corpse-stitching.

Key plot points and events

• Doctor Qi prescribes defenses against the possible venomous snakes: realgar smoke, plants, and a rooster. He asks Master for the first thing Xu Feng touches after his next corpse-stitching, and Master agrees.
• Xu Feng glimpses enormous, blood-red eyes inside Doctor Qi’s room. Master confirms the corpse collector is strange but offers no explanation.
• Back at the Earth God Shrine, the chicken refuses to enter and later dies. The shrine’s lanterns largely fail, leaving the place seemingly without divine protection.
• Master and Xu Feng build a defensive trench and earthen ridge around the shrine, scatter realgar and incense ash, and set a stone pillar. Master explains the layout is meant to turn the shrine into a fortified “little city,” though it has no god.
• A man from Fisherfolk Village retrieves Yu Bin’s corpse and offers the pair shelter. Master refuses, and they wait in vain for the corpse collector.
• With danger closing in, Master uses his accumulated Yin Virtue to light lanterns throughout the shrine. The lights burn warmly and steadily; he explains each represents a Household Deity and prepares to invite the Kitchen God and call on the Star Official.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng remains observant and cautious, noticing the blood-red eyes, the failing lanterns, and the risks of the night. He offers to protect Master, showing loyalty and courage.
• Master stays composed and resourceful, using practical defenses while concealing the full extent of his knowledge. His final use of Yin Virtue reveals the power and spiritual merit he has accumulated.
• Doctor Qi is cryptic and transactional: he offers a potentially useful prescription in exchange for a future, potentially valuable item.
• The Fisherfolk Village man is frightened by the shrine’s condition but grateful to Master for helping his village; he retrieves Yu Bin and offers shelter.

Significant themes

• Protection and vulnerability: The shrine’s failing lights suggest that even sacred places can lose their protection.
• Knowledge, risk, and bargaining: Doctor Qi’s advice comes with an unsettling price, while Master must act without knowing exactly what threatens them.
• Faith and earned merit: Master’s Yin Virtue becomes tangible protection, linking years of good deeds to spiritual power.
• Loyalty under danger: Xu Feng’s willingness to stand between Master and danger strengthens their bond.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng and his Master make one last appeal to the Stove God, hoping for help before undertaking Corpse Stitching. Nothing happens, so they proceed with no sign that their prayer was heard.
• Xu Feng prepares a Ghost-Trapping Method and begins stitching Sheep Leader, whose corpse is dangerously corrupted by baleful influences. The work is unusually difficult: white hair grows, his face turns ghostly, and a hard breath is trapped in his belly. Xu Feng uses his skills and improvisation—including cutting open the corpse with the Treasure Blade—to finish the job.
• The ordeal pushes Xu Feng close to the next level of Corpse Stitching. His Master is impressed and says he has little left to teach him.
• They uncover the supposed “Immortal,” only to discover the body is nothing but six layers of blankets. When Xu Feng examines them, his Dragon-Head Miasma condition gains another thirty days, suggesting a link between the miasma and Immortals who have shed their mortal bodies.
• A violent lightning storm strikes the shrine. Xu Feng tries to flee with his Master, but a stone trips him and leaves them exposed. The lightning destroys the shrine and burns the nearby bodies.
• Xu Feng sees a huge, dark presence near the shrine, apparently connected to the Yellow River and the “snakes” Doctor Qi warned would come for him. The lightning kills many colorful snakes around the shrine, raising the question of whether lightning itself might be a kind of “silver snake.”
• After the storm passes, Xu Feng finds his Master unconscious but alive. The stones he had placed for his Ghost-Trapping Method have been rearranged into a path leading to the untouched blankets.

Character developments

• Xu Feng demonstrates considerable skill and nerve in the Sheep Leader stitching, adapting his training under extreme pressure. He comes close to mastering the craft at a higher level, though the experience leaves him exhausted.
• The Master trusts Xu Feng’s abilities enough to step aside during the most difficult stitching and openly acknowledges that he has taught him nearly all he can.
• Xu Feng’s encounter with the blankets deepens the mystery around his Dragon-Head Miasma and the nature of the “Immortals.”

Significant themes

• Skill forged through danger: Xu Feng’s rapid progress comes at the cost of working on the edge of failure.
• Limits of human knowledge: Even an experienced Master and an advanced apprentice cannot explain the “Immortal’s” remains—or the supernatural events surrounding them.
• Faith and uncertain protection: Xu Feng prays and relies on the possibility that doing good will spare him, but survival remains precarious.
• Ambiguous supernatural signs: The storm, the dark presence, the snakes, and the rearranged stones resist easy interpretation.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng and his Master work as a team, with the Master guiding the plan and Xu Feng taking the lead on Sheep Leader’s corpse.
• Their exchange after the stitching marks a shift in their relationship: the Master now treats Xu Feng as nearly his equal in the craft.
• During the lightning strike, Xu Feng grabs and tries to protect his Master, and later searches anxiously for him after the storm.

Key plot points and events

• After the thunderstorm, Xu Feng discovers that a strangely refreshing wind has removed his negative effects and granted him Unruffled Mind, which suppresses extreme emotions and sharpens thought. He worries that it might also dull necessary anger and decides he must learn to control it.
• Stones form a path to the six-layer quilt, revealing that the Corpse-Liberated Immortal is still present. The Immortal explains that he, Xu Feng’s master, and a dead Tomb Raider jointly summoned the lightning, though their different motives accidentally benefited Xu Feng.
• The Immortal asks Xu Feng to burn the quilt before sunrise so he can disperse. While they wait, he describes Lunar Form Refinement: a perilous, step-by-step route from the coffin through the netherworld and judgment of the Three Officials to the Kunlun Ruins, where body and soul are reunited. The Immortal himself failed after being bitten by a venomous snake.
• The Immortal explains that the body must be protected throughout much of the process; those who fail at various stages may become evil or permanent yin ghosts. Xu Feng memorizes the account, though he admits he does not fully understand it.
• Xu Feng learns that the Immortal is not connected to the Mysterious Womb Underground Palace; both simply chose the site for its good earth vein. The Immortal also claims no one there progressed faster than he did.
• Xu Feng burns the quilt. It produces a towering plume of smoke, and he senses an immense, invisible presence above him—possibly the Immortal’s true form.
• Before vanishing, the Immortal warns Xu Feng that the Form-Refining Palace inside Third Grandpa Temple has been occupied by a Monstrous Being, and that corpse liberation in Li Family Village failed, leaving it full of Ghost Corpses and Savage Malevolence.
• At sunrise, the Immortal disappears. Xu Feng then receives a series of notifications indicating that several Household Deities’ favor toward him has greatly increased, leaving him bewildered.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng grows more alert and gains a new, permanent-seeming mental effect. He balances curiosity with gratitude, respectfully calling the Immortal “senior” and ultimately honoring his request to send him off.
• The Corpse-Liberated Immortal proves helpful and generous, sharing crucial knowledge and issuing warnings before his final departure. His detailed account reveals both the ambition and the dangers of his failed quest.
• Xu Feng’s master survives but remains unconscious. The Immortal says a breath of energy suppressed his Yang Energy; rest and sunlight should restore him.
• Xu Feng asks the Immortal about the underground palace, its buried figures, and dangers near Third Grandpa Temple, Li Family Village, and the Yellow River. The Immortal can answer only the questions within his knowledge and offers specific warnings about the first two locations.

Significant themes

• Immortality as a dangerous, conditional journey: Advancement requires surviving a chain of stages, with failure bringing death or monstrous transformation.
• The importance of the body: Lunar Form Refinement depends on preserving the physical body until soul and flesh can be reunited.
• Goodwill and impermanence: Xu Feng’s brief bond with the Immortal ends in a farewell, reinforcing the sadness of losing helpful allies.
• Knowledge and uncertainty: Xu Feng gains a complex map of the supernatural world but understands only part of it, while new warnings point to dangers still ahead.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng discovers that his good deed of helping a Corpse-Liberated Immortal earned him Yin Virtue Favor for a month. It has raised the Household Deities’ affection for him and may let certain spiritual beings perceive his Yin Virtue.
• The storm has devastated the Earth God Shrine: much of the living quarters and shrine are destroyed, and the surrounding ground is covered with thunder-killed snakes. Their horse is missing, and the carcasses threaten to make the area unlivable.
• Xu Feng investigates the snakes cautiously, knowing that a dead snake’s head can still bite. He finds venomous snakes and shed skins, then realizes the well-preserved carcasses could be valuable medicinal materials.
• Salvaging the shrine niche and inspecting a snake’s intact organs sparks a larger plan: rebuild on a stronger scale, invite a more powerful deity to receive offerings, and adapt the design of Old Owl’s protective house. A secure base would help Xu Feng handle several dangerous corpses and other tasks.
• Xu Feng wakes Master, who grieves over the destruction but is relieved that they both survived. Xu Feng insists the disaster is an opportunity, pointing to the snake carcasses as the means to rebuild.

Character development and interactions

• Xu Feng shifts quickly from assessing the damage to identifying practical opportunities. His resourcefulness and ambition grow as he connects Yin Virtue Favor, the snake harvest, and the need for a better-protected shrine. He also remains cautious around potential dangers.
• Master is shaken by the loss of the shrine and years of work, yet puts Xu Feng’s safety first and tries to console him. His resignation contrasts with Xu Feng’s optimism.
• Their relationship is affectionate and protective: Master checks that Xu Feng is unharmed, while Xu Feng wakes Master and tries to restore his hope by presenting a plan.

Significant themes

• Fortune within calamity: The destruction may provide the resources and impetus for a stronger home.
• Resourcefulness and renewal: Xu Feng turns wreckage into materials and a plan for rebuilding.
• Duty and spiritual merit: Xu Feng’s good deed brings Yin Virtue Favor, suggesting moral actions can affect relations with deities.
• Resilience and care: Despite grief and loss, Master and disciple value survival and support one another.

Key plot points and events

• After surviving the night’s lightning storm and the snake attack, Xu Feng proposes rebuilding the ruined Earth God Shrine as a grander home for the Old Zhao family. The many dead snakes are intact enough to sell, and the proceeds could help fund the project.
• Master initially hesitates, then agrees that they should rebuild—but says they will need outside help to process the snakes and construct the shrine before the snakes spoil. He also explains that the shrine’s second Household Shrine must be dedicated to a willing deity, not left empty or occupied by a mere idol.
• Master proposes seeking Houtu’s favor at Third Grandpa Temple, but Xu Feng recalls that the village associated with that temple has become a place of Living Corpses. Master plans to divine whether the visit is auspicious before going.
• Xu Feng retrieves his Meteoritic Iron Treasure Blade from the rubble, relieved that it survived the lightning. He rests while Master gathers help.
• Doctor Qi arrives with several locals. Master tells Xu Feng that a ghost is hiding among the dead snakes and must be caught before anyone will dare process them. The ghost survived the lightning, which was not aimed at it.
• Master instructs Xu Feng to use the situation to practice Stitching Calamity by catching the ghost and stitching it onto his Ritual Robe.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng shows initiative and optimism, turning the destruction into a chance to improve the family shrine and earn money. Though he treats the world partly like a game, he recognizes that its inhabitants experience their lives as real and tries to respect the significance of rebuilding a home and shrine. He also remains anxious about his valuable blade and grateful when it survives.
• Master moves from doubt to commitment, accepting Xu Feng’s rebuilding plan while carefully considering practical costs, timing, and religious protocol. He takes responsibility for finding workers and guiding Xu Feng through unfamiliar customs and techniques.
• Xu Feng and Master balance their contrasting outlooks: Xu Feng supplies ambition and ideas, while Master grounds them in experience, caution, and ritual knowledge. Master’s exasperated humor softens his corrections.
• Doctor Qi helps bring the local community into the effort, but the surviving ghost remains a danger that Xu Feng must address before the villagers can work.

Significant themes

• Rebuilding after catastrophe: The pair see the ruined shrine not only as a loss but as an opportunity for renewal.
• Faith and proper ritual: A shrine requires a deity’s genuine presence and consent; religious practice cannot be improvised carelessly.
• Practical survival and community: Processing the snakes and rebuilding both depend on timely cooperation and local help.
• Learning through danger: Xu Feng’s next lesson is hands-on and hazardous, as he must capture a ghost to advance his craft.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng’s master explains that the night’s “ghost hunt” is mainly a performance to reassure the villagers. Xu Feng is told to wear leg guards, conceal his ritual equipment, and avoid the mass of dead snakes unless properly protected.
• The master reveals a more serious future mission: in two months, they plan to use Thunderfire Cinnabar and other supplies to break through the Lost-Trace Forest. Afterward, Xu Feng may have to face whatever lies within.
• The master recounts that, during the disaster at Li Family Village, he escaped on a paper horse that became real. He saw the village sink into the earth and glimpsed a ghostly face rising from the dust. Xu Feng wonders whether the entity is connected to Mount Feng and begins to share what he knows.
• As darkness falls, Xu Feng performs a soul-summoning circuit through the dead snakes, carrying a bowl of rice, a candle, and a Soul Banner. The candle remains steady, reassuring the onlookers that no ghost is present.
• Near the end of the circuit, Xu Feng suddenly feels intensely cold, then feverish. The snakes beneath him begin moving together like one enormous serpent, carrying him onward despite his efforts to stop. His consciousness fades, though he continues walking and murmuring the Heavenly Venerable’s Sacred Name. He experiences distorted visions and feels as if he is climbing a mountain.

Character developments

• Xu Feng is more capable and disciplined than before, following precautions and using his Unruffled Mind to recognize that his sudden fever is unnatural. His fear of snakes remains very real, however, and the supernatural attack overwhelms him.
• Xu Feng’s master remains protective and composed in practical matters, but the memory of the old catastrophe exposes his lingering fear and uncertainty about what emerged from beneath Li Family Village.
• Doctor Qi shows strong trust in the master and apprentice, while the other villagers remain uneasy around them because of their association with corpses and death.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The ghost hunt is intended as reassurance, but a genuine and unexplained threat emerges during it.
• Fear and uncertainty: The villagers fear the corpse-workers, Xu Feng fears the snakes, and even his master is unsettled by the entity he once glimpsed.
• Preparation for a larger danger: The ritual is only a small undertaking compared with the planned journey through the Lost-Trace Forest.
• Faith and mental discipline: Xu Feng’s repeated sacred invocation and calm-minded trait help him maintain a thread of awareness as his consciousness slips.

Character interactions

• Xu Feng and his master discuss the staged ghost hunt, protective precautions, Thunderfire Cinnabar, and the master’s memories of Li Family Village.
• Xu Feng raises the possibility that the ghostly face came from Mount Feng, connecting the master’s account to earlier warnings.
• Doctor Qi urges Xu Feng to begin the ritual and reassures the villagers afterward, while the crowd watches anxiously from a distance.

Plot points and events

• Xu Feng escapes the Earth God Shrine’s danger under his own power, but returns feverish. Master assumes he has been struck by baleful energy and revives him with a faceful of wine and a shouted command. Xu Feng’s fever soon breaks.
• Doctor Qi lends Xu Feng a gourd. Its item description identifies it as a rare, incomplete Zhu You Gourd, a growth item that provides ongoing healing. Xu Feng checks with Master before drinking from it.
• Xu Feng’s status reveals two conditions: Dragon-Body Miasma, a dangerous affliction that will eventually consume his body and soul, and Drunken Resonance, which explains the strange visions he experienced. The miasma’s description gives Xu Feng a troubling clue about the nature of the phenomenon, though he sets the thought aside.
• Using the Mirror for the first time, Xu Feng sees black-red miasma clinging to him and a hazy, dragonlike shape coiling above the dead snake. The miasma rises from beneath the carcass and could spread to the shrine, killing and transforming everyone there.
• Xu Feng asks for incense and attempts Stitching Calamity on the snake, reasoning that a dead snake is a corpse and might be stitched onto his Ritual Robe. He invokes the household gods, makes offerings, and prepares for Master to whip him with his robe to drive out ill fortune.

Character development and interactions

• Xu Feng shows growing confidence and resourcefulness: he studies his status, tests the Mirror, recognizes the danger, and devises a plan despite having little certainty it will work.
• He is cautious with others, checking that the gourd is safe before drinking and asking Master and Doctor Qi to inspect the other workers while he investigates privately.
• Master acts protectively, quickly trying to revive Xu Feng and supporting his ritual preparations. Doctor Qi remains sardonic but cooperates, lending the gourd and giving Master a pointed warning about the snake’s danger.

Significant themes

• Hidden threats and uncertain reality: The miasma is invisible to ordinary sight, while the visions arise from a separate supernatural influence.
• Knowledge through observation: Xu Feng uses the Mirror, item descriptions, and status effects to piece together clues.
• Ritual, faith, and practical improvisation: Faced with a threat he cannot fully understand, Xu Feng combines offerings, technique, and unconventional methods in an attempt to protect himself and others.

Key events

• Xu Feng recalls that Dragon-Body Miasma had first affected only his skin and flesh. His master’s painful whipping with incense-smoked clothes finally clears it; Xu Feng insists he is cured before the next blow.
• The pair prepare to Stitch Calamity at the Earth God Shrine. They send everyone else away, reinforce the shrine, and gather their tools. Xu Feng’s master warns him not to attempt the dangerous ritual alone.
• Doctor Qi keeps the frightened idlers nearby by describing Xu Feng’s extraordinary past deeds and warning that they may someday need his help against spirits.
• Xu Feng and his master retrieve their tools, pray to the Earth God and their ancestors, and fashion a large straw figure to bait the calamity. When flood damage has ruined the usual materials for its organs, Xu Feng suggests substituting medicinal herbs, and his master approves.
• Using Xu Feng’s Mirror to locate the threat, they plant incense along the path and offer the straw figure. A smaller, headless “dragon-snake” emerges from the vast entity and enters the figure. The master stitches it to the straw, while Xu Feng wraps it in the Ritual Robe. Together they begin dragging the enormous mass of miasma toward the shrine.

Character development and interactions

• Xu Feng shows resilience, practical thinking, and growing confidence as a Corpse Stitcher. He remembers what caused his illness, contributes the herb solution, and works closely with his master in the ritual.
• His master is stern and experienced but deeply protective of Xu Feng, insisting on supervising him because he nearly died when he first attempted Stitching Calamity.
• Doctor Qi acts as a mediator: he recognizes the idlers’ fear and uses Xu Feng’s reputation to persuade them to stay.
• The chapter emphasizes the master-disciple bond through their teasing, shared work, mutual trust, and coordinated response to danger.

Significant themes

• Tradition and ingenuity: The ritual follows established practices, but Xu Feng adapts when essential materials are lost.
• Protection and responsibility: The master’s care for Xu Feng and the pair’s decision not to expose others to danger shape their actions.
• Faith and ritual: Prayers, incense, the Earth God, and ancestral protection are central to confronting the supernatural.
• Fear, reputation, and community: Doctor Qi uses Xu Feng’s reputation to steady the idlers, while their reluctance reveals how fear can divide people.
• Courage against overwhelming danger: The chapter ends with the two stitchers attempting to haul a calamity vastly greater than themselves toward the shrine.

Chapter summary

Key events

• Xu Feng and Master drag the Dragon-Body Miasma into the Earth God Shrine’s protective domain, calling on the local gods for help. Their support makes the burden easier to move and provides the righteous energy needed for the ritual.
• Master anchors a straw figure in the ground with Houtu’s power. Xu Feng then passes his large needle through the incense smoke, which becomes thread, and begins Stitching Calamity.
• Following Master’s instructions, Xu Feng lets the needle guide him and stitches the miasma into the Ritual Robe using the Corpse-Stitching Method. Drawing on knowledge from anatomy, medicine, and other fields, he works through the night.
• The finished design is a headless human figure with a vividly colored snake’s tail. Xu Feng collapses from exhaustion, while Master hides the robe and lets him sleep. Doctor Qi arrives afterward to speak with Master.
• Xu Feng wakes after sleeping a full day and night. His Character Panel shows that his standing with the Household Deities has improved, and Corpse Stitching advances from Proficient to Masterful. His Stitching Calamity skill also rises from Initial Exposure to Skilled.
• The Robe of a Hundred Virtues now feels heavier. Its inventory entry reveals that the stitched fiend has added one qian of ominous power and created a new Dragon-Body Miasma field.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng proves able to perform a complex ritual by combining patience, trust in his teacher, and knowledge from several disciplines. His exhaustion reflects the effort, while his skill advancement marks a deeper understanding of his craft—not merely better technique, but an ability to apply its principles beyond corpse-stitching.
• Master carefully guides Xu Feng through each stage, balancing encouragement with detailed instruction. Though he watches anxiously and prepares extra incense so Xu Feng will not run out of thread, he lets his disciple do the work himself.
• The gods actively assist Xu Feng: their protection strengthens him, and incense smoke supplies the thread. Master recognizes their unusually generous help.
• Doctor Qi approaches and speaks with Master after the ritual, but Xu Feng is asleep and does not hear their conversation.

Significant themes

• Craft as adaptable understanding: Mastery means grasping underlying principles well enough to apply them in new contexts.
• Cooperation between people and the divine: Xu Feng’s success depends on his own skill, Master’s guidance, and the gods’ protection.
• Trust and discipline: Xu Feng succeeds by resisting the urge to control the needle and instead following its movement and the ritual’s momentum.
• Power with a cost: The ritual produces a useful result, but it drains Xu Feng completely and leaves him with an ominous object whose practical use he does not yet understand.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng discovers that the Ritual Robe has gained two abilities: Monstrous Strength, which makes its sleeves extend and strike like giant pythons, and Miasma Poison, a slow-acting, self-reproducing poison that the robe can absorb.
• The Knife’s growing bloodlust forces Xu Feng to travel to Luoyin County for Knife Oil and livestock to feed it. Master gives him money and cautious advice; Doctor Qi urges him to go and offers rough, unsettlingly practical tips for surviving a fight.
• On the road, Xu Feng tests the robe’s strength and, when the Knife can no longer be restrained, asks the Earth God for guidance to a wild wolf. He kills it and lets the Knife drink its blood.
• In town, he buys chickens and ducks, orders a discreet sheath, and purchases a flask of wine for Master. He also visits the Yellow River, uses incense smoke as a ladder to send off the spirits in the river hollow, and finds offerings at a nearby ferry landing. Bootprints there make him suspect a connection to the Tomb Raiders—and perhaps the future Yellow River Demon Corpse.
• After returning, Xu Feng helps with the work at the shrine for nearly ten days. While examining the remains of the giant snake, he discovers several arm-thick, human-snake creatures beneath it, each with a human face grown into its belly—like the face he once saw inside Daqing’s corpse.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng shows increasing competence and restraint: he manages the Knife’s danger, tests his new power, and treats laying the dead to rest as part of his duty. He insists that he is not an executioner and that human life matters.
• Master’s stern warnings reveal deep concern for Xu Feng. He watches for him until nightfall, refuses the money back, and quietly accepts the wine Xu Feng brought.
• Doctor Qi’s blunt advice contrasts with Master’s protectiveness. He believes Xu Feng can handle himself, even joking that potential kidnappers might become his first victims.
• Xu Feng’s suspicions about the snake’s remains deepen, linking the shrine’s horrors to the earlier corpse incident and hinting at a wider mystery.

Significant themes

• Duty toward the dead: Xu Feng’s work as a Corpse Sewer extends to helping restless spirits find peace.
• Violence and restraint: The Knife and the robe offer lethal power, but Xu Feng tries to control when and how that power is used.
• Care beneath harshness: Master’s worry and generosity show affection masked by sternness, while Doctor Qi’s callousness reflects a harsher view of survival.
• Unresolved supernatural mystery: The human-faced creatures, the ferry offerings, and the suspected future Demon Corpse suggest hidden connections still to be uncovered.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng and his master burn the human-faced snake, which the master identifies as a drowned person’s ghost possessing a snake. He links the earlier death of A Qing to a violent attack: A Qing may have swallowed a River Earl Talisman after sensing danger, then been struck down. Xu Feng privately wonders whether the nearby blade was the murder weapon, but has no proof.
• After the snake corpses are removed, Doctor Qi stays behind to oversee them drying. He sends Xu Feng and his master to buy medicine to treat the ground where the snakes died.
• On the way to town, Xu Feng and his master discuss using their earnings to build a large Earth God Shrine. They must plan the construction and choose which deity to enshrine.
• Xu Feng proposes inviting the Houtu Goddess. His master agrees to help him try, explaining that he knows Mr. Li, a longtime keeper of the Houtu Goddess Temple and a reputed mediator between the living and the dead.
• Xu Feng hopes Mr. Li might teach him. His master cautions him not to expect too much, though he may learn useful techniques for inviting deities.
• Xu Feng privately connects the human-faced snakes and the dragon-body miasma to corpse liberation, and wonders whether the Yellow River Demon Corpse is a failed Corpse-Liberation Immortal.
• Their first stop in town is a carriage depot: they need transport to Dayuan Town and the Three Matron Temple.

Character development and interactions

• Xu Feng remains curious and ambitious, questioning his master’s explanation of the snake and building his own theories from prior supernatural events. He also shows affection and concern when he interrupts his master’s ominous-sounding wish to rescue their grandmaster and see Xu Feng take an apprentice.
• His master is practical and supportive: he recognizes Xu Feng’s persistence, agrees to help him approach the Houtu Goddess Temple, and shares his personal connection to Mr. Li. Their warm, teasing exchange also shows how much he values their improved prospects.
• Doctor Qi is blunt and business-minded, focused on sanitation, disposal, and the money he was promised.
• The master and Xu Feng discuss whether Xu Feng could study under Mr. Li. The master is not jealous, but emphasizes humility and realistic expectations.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and competing explanations: The master calls the snake a ghost, while Xu Feng suspects a deeper connection to corpse liberation.
• Knowledge, mentorship, and humility: Xu Feng seeks instruction from multiple teachers, while his master encourages learning but warns against greed.
• Hope and foreshadowing: The new home and shrine represent improving fortunes, but the master’s talk of future happiness makes Xu Feng fear tempting fate.
• Supernatural danger and investigation: The unanswered questions surrounding A Qing, the miasma, and the Yellow River Demon Corpse propel Xu Feng’s reasoning and the journey ahead.

Plot points and events

• At Master’s instruction, Xu Feng waits in the cart while Master visits the Carriage Inn, then arranges through Old Ma at the County Yamen to resolve the matter of the missing bodies. Master says that, with no complainant, a word from the magistrate’s criminal clerk is enough.
• Master takes Xu Feng to a carpenter to arrange construction of an Earth God Shrine. The old craftsman tests Xu Feng by blowing pipe smoke at him, then judges that his “strong nose bridge” means the project can go ahead.
• Xu Feng and Master sketch the building from their memories of Old Owl’s home. The craftsman agrees to build it but warns that the shrine’s second hall cannot remain empty for long; if Xu Feng has not chosen another god to worship there, they will need a protective beam ritual.
• They make further arrangements, revisit Old Owl’s home, and Xu Feng carefully memorizes its courtyard. Uncle Liu returns Xu Feng’s horse, which had found its own way back.
• After Doctor Qi needles them with remarks, Xu Feng and Master hire a cart driver and set out for Dayuan Town, planning to visit Third Grandpa Temple afterward. They travel by official roads, with Xu Feng mapping their route.
• Dayuan Town proves to be a disorderly market where many kinds of people mix: traffickers sell people openly, charity workers distribute porridge, talisman-makers work in the streets, and an Earth-Fire Cult member walks openly in clerical robes. The driver is wary and cooks his own food at his chosen inn. Xu Feng and Master go to a needle shop to have a set made.

Character developments

• Xu Feng shows increasing caution and competence: he follows the journey on his map, observes people and places closely, and commits details to memory. Yet he recognizes that he lacks Master’s standing and the trust that comes with it.
• Master’s reputation and local connections prove crucial in settling the Yamen matter and gaining the craftsman’s attention.
• The taciturn craftsman emerges as a perceptive, authoritative professional, willing to take the shrine project but strict about its ritual requirements.

Significant themes

• Trust and reputation: Master’s credibility opens doors that Xu Feng could not yet open himself.
• Observation and preparation: Xu Feng relies on mapping, memory, and careful attention to navigate unfamiliar places and plans.
• Ritual and uncertainty: The unfinished shrine’s second hall poses a spiritual risk, requiring a god to be chosen or a protective ritual performed.
• Danger amid ordinary life: The journey appears routine, but the driver’s caution and Dayuan Town’s open trafficking suggest that travel and commerce can conceal serious threats.

Character interactions

• Master protects Xu Feng by leaving him a stick and telling him to defend himself while alone.
• Master handles the County Yamen arrangements through Old Ma, while Xu Feng watches and later asks what happened.
• The craftsman questions and tests Xu Feng, then works with both him and Master to shape the shrine plan.
• Uncle Liu teases Xu Feng about his wandering horse but returns it; Doctor Qi’s barbed remarks contrast with Master’s indifference.
• On the road, Xu Feng and Master defer to the cart driver’s choices, while remaining alert to the risks of travel.

Key plot points and events

• Master takes Xu Feng through Dayuan Town’s crowded caravan district to Zhang Kun’s hidden needle shop, warning him about child snatchers and pickpockets.
• Zhang Kun examines Master’s Needle Pouch and agrees to make an identical set of needles, requiring a deposit and three days to finish. He also tries to sell expensive, sha-related “Evil-Repelling Needles with Tiger-Blood Cinnabar.”
• Back at the inn, Master explains that the sales pitch was aimed at him: a full set of needles usually belongs to the experienced Corpse Stitcher, and Zhang Kun was testing whether he would pay for a specialized replacement. The set would cost fifty taels—far beyond their means.
• Master briefly mentions Mr. Li’s “Carriage-and-Horse Escort” work and his ability to perceive Yin Spirit Souls, but offers few details.
• Xu Feng calculates that his [Yin Virtue Favor] will still be active when he reaches the Houtu Goddess Temple. He resolves to use it to secure his future by inviting a god back.
• Elsewhere in Dayuan Town, an Earth-Fire Cult messenger reports that the Cult Leader will be executed in a month. The cult intends to steal and bury his body afterward. However, Sheep Leader is dead, preventing them from retrieving something in the Yellow River for now.

Character developments and interactions

• Master is protective and alert in the crowded streets, guiding Xu Feng safely and handling the needle purchase. He also shows practical caution about money and the risks of other people’s trades.
• Xu Feng remains curious about Corpse Stitching, sha, and other professions. He jokes privately about the needle price, but his ambitions are serious: he plans to use his remaining divine favor to invite a god.
• Zhang Kun is a practiced, persuasive merchant who probes Master’s needs and tries to upsell him, but promptly accepts the simpler order when refused.
• The Earth-Fire Cult members are shown as drugged or exhausted, awaiting their pills’ effects to wear off. The messenger’s report brings both hope about recovering the Cult Leader’s body and a setback caused by Sheep Leader’s death.

Significant themes

• Survival and caution: Crowds, theft, trafficking, dangerous work, and financial pressure make vigilance essential.
• Knowledge and livelihood: Master withholds details about other professions, treating specialized methods as trade secrets.
• Faith, fate, and ambition: Xu Feng sees his [Yin Virtue Favor] as a limited opportunity to shape his future through divine intervention.
• Death and its consequences: Corpse work, spiritual forces, the planned recovery of the Cult Leader’s body, and the ominous coffin shop all reinforce death’s practical and supernatural presence.