Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing and his companions enter Shadowless Slope at midnight, protected only by grass coverings against insects. A dense mist quickly obscures sight and swallows voices.
• Poisonous insects attack the group. Yang Qing gives Jiang Zhizhou, Bu Er, and Pei Buji Poison-Avoidance Pills, though he cannot be sure they will work. When their carriage stops and its driver and horses appear dead, the four link themselves together with a rope and continue on foot.
• They witness people being devoured by insects, while the mist conceals the carnage. The pills seem to protect the four, and the fog helps them avoid becoming targets.
• The greater danger proves to be human violence: Mo Yi and Mo Ze’s forces slaughter one another in the confusion. Yang Qing and his companions steer clear of the bloodshed and make it off the slope.
• Mo Yi and Mo Ze are waiting beyond it. Their force has lost at least half its roughly two thousand soldiers. Mo Ze is injured, but declines Mo Yi’s suggestion that he return to safety.
• The group proceeds to nearby Sunset Glow Valley in search of possible ruins of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom. Mo Yi asks Yang Qing’s party to lead the way, effectively making them test the dangerous route. Yang Qing agrees and enters first.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing remains composed under pressure, sharing the pills, organizing the rope, and keeping his companions focused. He recognizes the political danger between the princes but chooses not to comment on their costly rivalry.
• Jiang Zhizhou, Bu Er, and Pei Buji act protectively and cooperatively: Jiang and Bu Er shield Yang Qing, while Pei Buji leads and avoids hostile soldiers. Jiang’s unease at Mo Yi’s request is checked by Yang Qing’s reassuring signal.
• Mo Yi maintains a courteous manner, but his smile and actions suggest suspicion and calculation. His request that Yang Qing lead through the ruins places the risk on Yang Qing’s group.
• Mo Ze remains determined despite his serious arm wound and refuses to withdraw. The brothers’ polite exchange contrasts with the deadly conflict between their forces.

Significant themes

• Nature’s and humanity’s dangers: The insects are horrific, but the chapter presents human violence as even more frightening.
• Survival and sacrifice: The princes advance despite enormous losses, treating their soldiers as expendable.
• Trust and concealed motives: Mist hides physical threats, while courteous words hide political calculation.
• Courage amid uncertainty: Yang Qing accepts the risk of entering the valley despite knowing little about what lies ahead.

Plot points and events

• In Sunset Glow Valley, Yang Qing’s party searches for marks linked to the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom’s ruins. A soldier finds one on a lone boulder.
• Yang Qing explains that the mark is genuine but insufficient by itself; he expects several marks to be needed. Despite searching in both passable directions, the group finds no others.
• Concluding the boulder’s mark may be the entrance mechanism, Yang Qing has Jiang Zhizhou strike it. The boulder crumbles, revealing a pit and stairs descending underground.
• Yang Qing suspects the unfamiliar entrance may conceal a lethal trap. He and Jiang Zhizhou, Bu Er, and a fourth companion descend first, while Mo Yi and Mo Ze initially hang back, hoping Yang’s group will face any danger.
• Mo Yi and Mo Ze follow. The passage seems quiet and safe, but when Mo Yi casually strikes the stairway, a section disappears beneath Yang Qing’s party. The four fall into the depths; the stairs then reappear intact.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing demonstrates caution and ingenuity: he questions how easily the mark was found, searches for additional signs, and tests his theory about the boulder.
• Jiang Zhizhou trusts Yang Qing’s judgment and strikes the mark when asked. Yang Qing later warns him and Bu Er that the entrance may be a trap.
• Mo Yi and Mo Ze are eager to reach the ruins but wary of risking themselves. They let Yang Qing’s party go ahead, then follow once the route appears safe.
• Mo Yi’s casual strike triggers the trap, separating Yang Qing’s group from the princes. His action turns the ruins’ apparent calm into immediate danger.

Significant themes

• Caution versus greed: The princes’ eagerness for treasure is tempered by their reluctance to take the first risk.
• Deception and uncertainty: A genuine mark and a seemingly harmless passage conceal a trap.
• Trust and manipulation: Yang Qing recognizes the princes’ motives and uses the descent as a possible chance to get away from them, though the trap abruptly changes the situation.

Plot points and events

• After Yang Qing and his companions vanish, Mo Yi orders his men to search for a secret passage, but they find nothing. He worries that he has lost his chance to learn what they know about the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom.
• Mo Ze reassures Mo Yi that they may meet the four again if they are still alive. Privately, however, he suspects Mo Yi is trying to keep the ancient kingdom’s riches for himself and intends to pursue them too.
• Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, Bu Er, and Pei Buji land safely in a passage beneath Sunset Glow Valley after falling through a hidden pit. They recognize that they have entered another dangerous passage-trap array.
• Yang Qing notices that the markings on the walls lack the paired markings found in earlier ruins. After Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou discover more unusual markings, he concludes that Sunset Glow Valley’s supposed ruins are likely a false site: the markings are bait leading intruders into a deadly trap.
• The trap may nevertheless offer a way to escape the princes’ control. As the passage shakes from a nearby trap being triggered—likely by Mo Yi’s men—Yang Qing leads the group away from them.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing remains analytical despite his recurring illness. He studies the markings, tests his theory, and recognizes both the danger and the possibility of escape.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er protect and support Yang Qing. Jiang worries about his worsening condition, while both men help investigate the passage.
• Pei Buji stays alert to danger, watching the pit’s entrance as the group falls.
• Mo Yi is frustrated by losing the four and his chance to obtain information about the ruins.
• Mo Ze presents himself as supportive but secretly distrusts Mo Yi and covets the ancient kingdom’s wealth.
• The group agrees to face the passage’s risks together, with Jiang expressing resolve and Bu Er grasping Yang Qing’s hope of escaping the princes.

Significant themes

• Greed and rivalry: Mo Yi and Mo Ze’s pursuit of the ancient kingdom’s wealth fuels mutual suspicion.
• Deception and peril: The apparent ruins are a lure, showing how easily signs of promise can conceal lethal danger.
• Hope within hardship: Though the passage is a death trap, surviving it may give the four a chance to regain their freedom.
• Trust and cooperation: The companions’ protection of Yang Qing and their shared investigation strengthen their reliance on one another.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing and his companions realize the underground passage has stopped showing the markings they had followed. Yang Qing concludes the route was designed as a trap for greedy descendants of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom and warns that they must not linger.
• Strange, ill-omened lines appear on the ceiling, resembling symbols from murals at the Spirit Mountain ruins. When Jiang Zhizhou and Pei Buji attack them, they uncover a hidden mechanism filled with poisoned needles.
• The broken opening releases a faint breeze, which lets Yang Qing detect the smell of saltpeter. He warns the others that the needles could trigger a fire. Jiang Zhizhou and Pei Buji retreat and burn their cloaks to ignite the needles safely before they can fall into the passage.
• Yang Qing studies the trap and chooses a left-hand passage at a fork. It leads into a dark corridor whose walls are smeared with old blood. Jiang Zhizhou identifies it as beast blood, and Yang Qing calls the corridor “the road of reincarnation.” Bu Er questions why they would take it.

Character developments

• Yang Qing shows sharp observation and practical intelligence. Though unable to fight, he recognizes danger from subtle clues—the missing markings, the ceiling pattern, and the scent of saltpeter—and guides the group’s decisions.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Pei Buji act swiftly and cooperatively in combat, destroying the mechanism and taking precautions against the needles. Pei Buji’s respect for Yang Qing grows after seeing his insight.
• Bu Er remains fiercely protective of Yang Qing, shielding and supporting him while expressing growing unease about the traps.

Significant themes

• Greed and its consequences: The passage appears deliberately designed to punish those pursuing the ancient kingdom’s secrets.
• Caution and perception: Survival depends less on strength alone than on noticing small signs and responding quickly.
• Danger beneath apparent progress: Each obstacle suggests the deeper route may be more perilous than it first appears.

Character interactions

• Bu Er repeatedly protects Yang Qing, while Jiang Zhizhou and Pei Buji defend the group from physical threats.
• Yang Qing’s warning about the saltpeter saves the others from a potentially deadly fire, earning Pei Buji’s admiration.
• The group trusts Yang Qing’s judgment enough to follow his choice of route, even when the bloodstained corridor makes Bu Er uneasy.

Plot points and events

• Yang Qing identifies the bloodstained passage as a site for Eastern Radiance’s animal and blood sacrifices, and suggests it is the Rebirth Road—a path that can lead either to life or death.
• The group finds a massive stone blocking most of the passage. Yang Qing recognizes it as the legendary Three-Lives Stone and reasons that a Naihe Bridge may lie ahead.
• The stone triggers an illusion drawn from the bloody scenes depicted in earlier murals. While the others remain trapped, Yang Qing realizes the visions are an illusion created by a formation.
• A thin, seemingly harmless mist advances toward them. Yang Qing cuts his own arm and calls out, knowing Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou will react to his injury. They awaken, while Pei Buji remains unconscious.
• Yang Qing directs Jiang Zhizhou to carry Pei Buji around the stone and leads the way through a narrow gap. Bu Er leaps over the stone. The mist cannot pass to the far side, and the group escapes.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing shows growing insight and resolve. His experience at Yan Pass leads him to question whether every grievance must be answered with blood, helping him recognize the illusion.
• He risks injuring himself to rouse Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou, relying on their deep concern for him. They immediately respond and try to help.
• Bu Er remains protective, attempting to bandage Yang Qing and support him, while Yang Qing prioritizes getting everyone—including the unconscious Pei Buji—to safety.
• Bu Er voices concern that the Rebirth Road is a trap. Yang Qing accepts its danger as inherent: surviving it means life; failing means death.

Significant themes

• Life and death: The road and the Three-Lives Stone symbolize a passage where survival depends on confronting danger.
• Violence and its consequences: The illusion forces Yang Qing to reflect on bloodshed, while his memories suggest that not all wrongs need be repaid with violence.
• Trust and sacrifice: Yang Qing’s gamble depends on the others’ attachment to him, and he takes responsibility for guiding the group through peril.
• Appearances and deception: The formation and the innocuous-looking mist conceal serious threats.

Plot points and events

• Yang Qing and his companions rest in the passage and discuss the Rebirth Road and a neighboring route depicted in murals: the Path to Ascension. Yang Qing suspects the routes overlap and that Mo Yi’s group is ahead.
• The group fears being forced back together with Mo Yi and his men, but Yang Qing concludes they have no choice: the Rebirth Road ends farther ahead.
• Pei Buji, still shaken by the illusion formation, suddenly attacks Jiang Zhizhou. He misses, blasting a hole in the wall, then dismisses the outburst as a slip.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er find a hidden mechanism and open a stone door. Bu Er scouts the passage beyond; finding it empty, the group enters and proceeds along the route Yang Qing guesses is the Path to Ascension.
• Strange sounds from the wall alter the passage, making it rough and uneven. Pei Buji scouts ahead and discovers Mo Yi and Mo Ze nearby.
• Though Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou try to turn back, Yang Qing insists the exit is likely ahead and that they must continue. He proposes helping Mo Yi’s party find treasure in exchange for the chance to escape.
• The chapter ends with the two groups meeting again. Mo Yi greets Yang Qing cheerfully, calling their reunion a coincidence.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing remains composed and pragmatic, guiding the group through danger and prioritizing escape over treasure. He acknowledges the risks but accepts that there is only one route forward.
• Jiang Zhizhou supports Yang Qing and helps investigate the hidden door. He also avoids Pei Buji’s sudden strike.
• Bu Er distrusts Mo Yi and resists the prospect of rejoining his group, but follows Yang Qing’s decisions.
• Pei Buji shows lingering effects of the illusion: he reacts with sudden violence before regaining his composure.
• The companions act as a cautious unit, relying on scouting and supporting one another as they move through the passage. Their encounter with Mo Yi and Mo Ze renews the tension between the groups.

Significant themes

• Fate and necessity: Yang Qing frames their unavoidable reunion as heaven’s will, while the route’s dead end leaves the group little choice but to move forward.
• Freedom versus gain: Mo Yi’s party seeks treasure, while Yang Qing’s priority is escape; he hopes to use their different goals to secure mutual cooperation.
• Uncertainty and deception: The presumed Path to Ascension may be only a guess, and the ancient passage remains dangerous and unpredictable.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing reunites with the Second Prince, Mo Yi, and agrees to travel with him and his surviving men through Sunset Glow Slope.
• Mo Yi says his group has found a few treasures but suffered severe losses and remains trapped. He suspects Yang Qing and his companions know more than they admit, pointing out that all four are unharmed while more than half his men have died.
• Yang Qing denies misleading the princes and argues that, if he had meant them harm, he could have escaped without rejoining them. Mo Yi accepts the explanation for now, but orders Yang Qing to lead the way and warns him against deception.
• Yang Qing privately tells Bu Er that the princes likely need someone to blame for their failed, costly expedition. Despite the danger, he believes having the group together may help them find the exit.
• A soldier reports a stone chamber full of treasures. Mo Yi and his elder brother, Mo Ze, hurry inside and have their men collect the valuables. Yang Qing stays back, wary of the chamber.
• Yang Qing notices and takes a half-ruined, unreadable book lodged in a crack in the wall. He cannot explain his impulse to take it, but suspects its contents may become clear later.
• After the princes emerge with their haul, Mo Yi’s mood toward Yang Qing improves. Mo Ze then raises Yang Qing’s unusual background and mentions the Northern Liang ruler’s wanted notice, prompting Yang Qing to ask what the First Prince wants from him.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing remains composed and cautious under suspicion. He deflects Mo Yi’s accusations with practical reasoning, warns the group about the ruins’ dangers, and trusts his instincts in taking the mysterious book.
• Mo Yi shifts from suspicion and hostility to temporary warmth after the treasure find, though he still regards Yang Qing as useful and potentially dangerous.
• Mo Ze becomes curious about Yang Qing’s past and probes him about his identity.
• Bu Er worries that the princes’ hostility will make escape harder; Yang Qing reassures him and explains the princes’ likely motives.
• Yang Qing’s companions follow his lead, while the Mo brothers treat him alternately as a suspected scapegoat, a guide, and a possible source of useful information.

Significant themes

• Suspicion and scapegoating: The princes’ losses make them eager to shift blame, placing Yang Qing and his companions at risk.
• Caution versus greed: Yang Qing avoids the chamber’s apparent riches, while the Mo brothers rush to claim them.
• Instinct and hidden significance: The battered book appears worthless, yet Yang Qing feels compelled to keep it, suggesting its importance will emerge later.
• Survival through cooperation: Though distrustful of one another, the groups may need to work together to escape the dangerous ruins.

Key plot points and events

• Mo Ze interrogates Yang Qing about the Eastern Radiance Ruins and demands that he lead the group to more treasure. Yang Qing says he does not know what lies ahead.
• At a fork, Yang Qing recommends the right-hand passage as safer, but Mo Ze deliberately chooses the left. The passage initially seems normal, then turns rough and unstable.
• The route behind them changes as well, trapping the group between impassable stretches. They find an inscription: “The road ahead breaks, love and hatred cease; blood mourns parting, the peaks turn to reveal a way.”
• Yang Qing suspects that a blood sacrifice is needed to open a way out. Mo Ze presses him to choose someone, apparently hoping Yang Qing will volunteer and be killed.
• Pei Buji offers himself instead and cuts his arm. His blood does not visibly change the passage; then the ground opens beneath him and begins pulling him into a seemingly bottomless pit.
• As Jiang Zhizhou tries to help, Pei Buji tells Yang Qing that the road ahead is dangerous and urges him to be careful. Pei then lets go and disappears into the darkness.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing stays composed under Mo Ze’s hostile questioning and recognizes that Mo Ze’s choice of route is dangerous. He also tries to stop Pei Buji from making a sacrifice before understanding what the inscription means.
• Mo Ze reveals his distrust and apparent cruelty: he ignores Yang Qing’s safety advice, then uses the crisis to put him under pressure and potentially engineer his death.
• Pei Buji shows courage and selflessness by volunteering to sacrifice himself rather than let Yang Qing or another companion be chosen. His final warning underscores his concern for the group.
• Jiang Zhizhou supports Yang Qing and moves to protect him; he also tries to pull Pei Buji from the pit.
• Mo Yi recognizes that the group has fallen into another dangerous situation, while his earlier dealings with Yang Qing appear to have been kept from Mo Ze.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and coercion: Mo Ze turns a life-threatening predicament into a means of targeting Yang Qing.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Pei Buji accepts mortal danger to protect his companions.
• Uncertainty and peril: The shifting passage and ambiguous inscription make survival depend on interpreting a mysterious trap.
• Parting and loss: The inscription foreshadows separation, fulfilled when Pei Buji vanishes into the abyss.

Key plot points and events

• Pei Buji falls into a deep, dark shaft after choosing to let go. The others cannot see or determine whether he survived.
• A stone bridge appears across a broken stretch of path, allowing the group to continue. Mo Ze urges them onward, but Yang Qing refuses to leave without checking on Pei.
• Mo Ze responds by smashing the bridge and trapping Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, and Bu Er on the far side. He then enters the passage with Mo Yi and their soldiers.
• With the route forward and the bridge behind them both cut off, Yang Qing and his companions decide to descend the shaft. Jiang Zhizhou scouts first and discovers a stone platform below; the three eventually regroup there.
• They find that the shaft contains a sequence of separated platforms. Jiang discovers a concealed mechanism that reveals iron chains linking them. After testing a chain, Bu Er volunteers to cross first.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing shows loyalty and resolve by refusing to abandon Pei despite Mo Ze’s threat. He then takes the lead in finding a way down.
• Jiang Zhizhou acts as the group’s practical scout, repeatedly risking himself to investigate the shaft and locate a safe route.
• Bu Er supports Yang Qing throughout the descent and volunteers to cross the chains first, demonstrating courage and protectiveness.
• Mo Ze reveals his vindictive, controlling nature: when Yang Qing defies him, he destroys the bridge to strand the group. Mo Yi accompanies him without challenging his decision.
• Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, and Bu Er cooperate closely, relying on one another to negotiate the dangerous descent.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and friendship: Yang Qing’s concern for Pei outweighs obedience or convenience.
• Power and coercion: Mo Ze uses force to punish dissent and abandon those who oppose him.
• Courage and teamwork: The companions face an uncertain descent through shared effort and trust.
• Ingenuity and survival: Careful observation and a hidden mechanism reveal a chain-supported route through the shaft.

Key plot points and events

• On the second stone platform, Jiang Zhizhou finds no visible mechanism. Yang Qing suspects the mechanism may lie elsewhere, and the group notices the platforms and iron chains are moving.
• Yang Qing reexamines the half-volume Remnant Book they found above and realizes it is a concealed terrain map. Its cryptic lines seem to describe the platforms, chains, and a route where some connections are absent or hidden.
• Following that interpretation, the group leaps to a third platform. It suddenly drops, but Bu Er catches Yang Qing before he falls.
• Yang Qing discovers a small opening containing the Origin-Returning Divine Art, a rare martial manual. He argues that its presence is deliberate: the cavern contains offerings associated with the sacrificial site above.
• Yang Qing concludes that the travelers themselves are also sacrifices, placed in danger from the moment they descended Sunset Glow Slope. He suspects the Mo brothers and Great Hero Pei are in similar peril.

Character developments

• Yang Qing proves perceptive and resourceful, connecting the moving platforms to the Remnant Book and interpreting the cavern as part of a ritual system. His discovery turns the group’s understanding of their predicament from a search for an exit into recognition that they may be intended sacrifices.
• Jiang Zhizhou remains alert and practical, searching for mechanisms, helping Yang Qing cross the platforms, and questioning the suspicious appearance of the martial manual.
• Bu Er supports the group physically, following them across the gaps and saving Yang Qing when the third platform drops.

Character interactions

• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er rely on their martial skill to transport Yang Qing across the platforms.
• Yang Qing shares his interpretation of the map with both companions, and Jiang Zhizhou contributes possible readings of its poetic clues.
• Jiang Zhizhou questions the Origin-Returning Divine Art’s appearance; Yang Qing agrees that it is suspicious and uses the map to explain its connection to the sacrificial site.
• Bu Er’s questions prompt Yang Qing to consider the fate of the absent Mo brothers and Great Hero Pei.

Significant themes

• Life, death, and hidden paths: The map’s lines suggest that apparent dead ends may conceal routes forward, though each step brings danger.
• Trust and interpretation: Survival depends on reading cryptic clues and combining observations.
• Sacrifice and deception: Treasures in the cavern may not be rewards but ritual offerings, while the travelers themselves may be part of the same sacrificial design.

Key plot points and events

• Jiang Zhizhou and Yang Qing suspect the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom—and Emperor Zhetian’s scattered ruins and unexplained history—conceal a larger secret. They decide to continue despite the danger and hope Great Hero Pei is still alive.
• Following a clue from the Remnant Book, they search the stone platform and discover a hidden switch. It lowers them to a previously unseen cave entrance.
• They enter the cold, dry passage, but the platform rises behind them and disappears, cutting off their way back. The cave appears to extend deep through the mountain.
• The chill overwhelms Yang Qing. Jiang Zhizhou uses his internal energy to warm him, but the effort drains him, and Bu Er finds no firewood. As Yang Qing grows weaker, he insists they keep moving toward the cave’s likely exit.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Zhizhou is determined to face the trial and actively searches for the platform mechanism. He also takes responsibility for Yang Qing’s care, expending his own strength to warm him.
• Yang Qing remains thoughtful and resolute, interpreting the clue and locating the hidden switch. Though physically frail, he urges the others to prioritize escape over his condition.
• Bu Er acts protectively and practically: he shields Yang Qing during the descent, leads the way into the cave, and searches for firewood when Yang Qing becomes ill.
• The three rely on one another, with Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er repeatedly protecting Yang Qing while Yang Qing helps guide their decisions.

Significant themes

• Fate versus agency: The characters sense that events may be beyond their control, yet choose to resist and press on.
• Hidden truths and ancient mysteries: The ruins, secret manuals, cryptic clues, and concealed passage deepen the mystery surrounding Emperor Zhetian.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: The companions’ concern for Yang Qing—and Jiang Zhizhou’s costly attempt to keep him warm—shows their commitment to one another.
• Physical vulnerability amid danger: Yang Qing’s frailty becomes a serious obstacle even as the group faces an unknown underground route.

Plot points and events

• Yang Qing’s condition worsens as Bu Er carries him through the mountain cave, but Jiang Zhizhou notices that the passage slopes upward and catches a draft, suggesting an exit is near.
• Near the opening, they hear the Mo Brothers outside. They cautiously look down and discover Mo Yi and Mo Ze arguing among the bodies of their guards after a violent fight.
• Mo Yi stabs Mo Ze, searches him for a small brocade box, and kills him. He declares that he will rule the Western Regions, then leaves with his surviving men.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er climb down the vines after confirming the guards are dead. They hurry away, anticipating Mo Yi’s return to erase evidence.
• The pair see Mo Yi’s men carrying firewood toward the cave to burn it. Once the flames rise and Mo Yi’s group departs, they take Yang Qing in another direction.
• Yang Qing becomes delirious and unconscious. With his usual medicine apparently exhausted, Bu Er remembers a rare medicine bottle given to Yang Qing by the Medicine Elder. Though it was meant for emergencies, they decide to search for it and use it to save him. During the search, a booklet slips from Bu Er’s clothing unnoticed.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Zhizhou remains alert and strategic: he identifies the likely exit, urges caution around the Mo Brothers, interprets their conflict as a struggle for power, and anticipates Mo Yi’s attempt to destroy evidence.
• Bu Er stays devoted to Yang Qing, carrying him and prioritizing his survival. He acts decisively when Yang Qing’s condition becomes critical, despite the warning against using the rare medicine.
• Yang Qing grows increasingly weak and is unable to participate, making his survival the group’s immediate concern.
• Mo Yi and Mo Ze’s conflict ends in fratricide: Mo Yi kills Mo Ze to seize the brocade box and claim rule over the Western Regions.

Significant themes

• Power over family loyalty: Mo Yi’s murder of his brother illustrates how ambition can eclipse kinship.
• Survival and loyalty: Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er work together to escape and protect Yang Qing, even as his condition becomes dire.
• Caution and concealed danger: The group’s escape depends on reading the terrain, observing their enemies, and anticipating what they will do next.

Plot points

• Jiang Zhizhou finds the Origin-Returning Divine Art and uses its Unity Method with Bu Er to restore Yang Qing’s frail body. Though the process is painful and takes six hours, they complete a full circuit through his meridians, and Yang Qing is no longer in danger.
• The three leave Sunset Glow Slope, deciding that Yang Qing’s survival matters more than any other treasure they might find there. Bu Er carries the still-sleeping Yang Qing, and they reach You City after three days.
• After entering the city with little scrutiny, they settle at an inn. There they unexpectedly spot Ouyang Lin, whose connection to Mo Yi makes them fear that their location could be revealed. Jiang Zhizhou stops Bu Er from reacting hastily, and they watch as someone approaches Ouyang Lin.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Zhizhou shows resourcefulness by recognizing that the divine manual might help Yang Qing, and remains calm and practical during both the treatment and the encounter at the inn.
• Bu Er demonstrates deep loyalty and devotion to Yang Qing, enduring the treatment’s backlash and resolving to protect him. His anxiety when he sees Ouyang Lin briefly threatens their secrecy, but he regains control.
• Yang Qing remains unconscious, but his stronger pulse and restored condition mark an important improvement. His well-being is the priority shared by both companions.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er work in close cooperation: they carefully channel their powers into Yang Qing, then agree that saving him is their greatest reward.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and self-sacrifice: Both men endure pain and danger for Yang Qing.
• The value of life over treasure: They abandon further searching at Sunset Glow Slope, content with having saved their companion.
• Hope through knowledge: The divine art, found by chance, offers a way to restore Yang Qing even though it cannot make him capable of cultivation.
• Restraint and caution: Jiang Zhizhou’s warning at the inn underscores the need to stay composed when their safety is at stake.

Plot points

• Mo Yi’s men find Ouyang Lin at an inn and order him to return. Ouyang refuses, mocking their claim that Mo Yi honors the worthy, and leaves despite their threats.
• Jiang Zhizhou suspects Ouyang and Mo Yi have fallen out. Hoping to gain a powerful ally against Mo Yi, he follows Ouyang with Bu Er, who carries the sleeping Yang Qing.
• In the wilderness, Ouyang stops and fights the two pursuers. More of Mo Yi’s armed men arrive, surrounding him and threatening to kill him for refusing to submit.
• Jiang Zhizhou intervenes, confronting the newcomers and joining Ouyang in the battle. Ouyang is surprised by his appearance, but they agree to fight their way out together.

Character developments and interactions

• Ouyang Lin makes clear that he will not be forced into Mo Yi’s service. His independence, confidence, and formidable skill are evident as he faces growing odds.
• Jiang Zhizhou acts strategically, seeing Ouyang as a potential ally, then risking himself to help when Ouyang is outnumbered. His intervention surprises Ouyang.
• Bu Er follows Jiang Zhizhou’s lead and stays behind to protect Yang Qing while Jiang joins the fight.
• Mo Yi remains an unseen but powerful threat: he seeks to control Ouyang, using both persuasion and overwhelming force.

Significant themes

• Freedom versus coercion: Ouyang insists that an independent person cannot be made into a servant or “caged bird.”
• Power and ambition: Mo Yi’s agents claim ambition can win the world, while Ouyang rejects rule based on forced submission.
• Allegiance and political calculation: Jiang’s decision to help Ouyang is both a strategic move against Mo Yi and a direct act of support.

Plot points and events

• Ouyang Lin and Jiang Zhizhou defeat the men sent by Mo Yi to capture them. Knowing more pursuers may be able to track the group, they leave the wasteland with Bu Er and the unconscious Yang Qing.
• Ouyang Lin explains that he never truly joined the Second Prince: he refused an order and is now a fugitive. He proposes traveling with the others.
• Ouyang Lin leads the group toward Urn City, whose lord holds a grudge against Mo Yi and is unlikely to let the prince’s men pursue them there.
• Yang Qing wakes as the group crosses the mountain ridge. He appears to have recovered after exhausting himself, though the group had worried that removing his cold poison might have left lasting harm.
• Yang Qing asks whether they have found Pei Buji. They have not, but Jiang Zhizhou hopes Pei may have found another way through the dangerous, illusion-filled passage and survived.
• Ouyang Lin reveals that Urn City’s Treasure-Displaying Festival will take place in two days. It is mostly a sales spectacle, but genuine treasures may occasionally appear among the fakes. He admits he chose the route partly to attend, and Yang Qing agrees they should not miss it.

Character developments and interactions

• Ouyang Lin’s alliance with the group becomes explicit: he has defied Mo Yi and now seeks safety and companionship. His confident, playful manner also hints that he knows more about Urn City’s politics than he explains.
• Jiang Zhizhou is protective of Yang Qing, carrying him while unconscious and checking his condition when he wakes.
• Yang Qing, despite his weakness, remains focused on Pei Buji’s fate and hopes he has survived.
• Bu Er questions Ouyang Lin’s motives and the apparent danger of displaying rare treasures openly; Ouyang Lin explains the festival’s mix of spectacle and possible genuine finds.
• The group accepts Ouyang Lin’s guidance because they are unfamiliar with the region and need a safe refuge.

Significant themes

• Trust and shifting loyalties: Ouyang Lin’s refusal to obey Mo Yi turns a former associate of the prince into an ally of the travelers.
• Hope amid uncertainty: The group has no news of Pei Buji but chooses to believe he can survive.
• Chance, danger, and discernment: The festival’s treasures may be genuine or misleading, requiring both luck and a sharp eye.
• Seeking safety and opportunity: The journey to Urn City offers protection from Mo Yi while opening the prospect of new discoveries.

Key plot points and events

• During Urn City’s treasure festival, Yang Qing and his companions explore the stalls near the exclusive Gathering Sea Tower. Ouyang Lin explains that the festival also gives people a chance to display unusual or illicit treasures.
• Yang Qing notices a dried-vine-like object and an ordinary-looking stone at a modest stall. The stallholder says buyers must name their own price for the vine, but claims the stone is worthless.
• Yang Qing identifies the “stone” as a jade pendant, surprising Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er. The stallholder reacts with alarm, packs up, and invites Yang Qing to follow him.
• The stallholder leads them to a courtyard, where his master is waiting. The master turns out to be Fen Liyou, an acquaintance Yang Qing last encountered in a dungeon.
• Fen asks how Yang Qing recognized the pendant. Yang Qing instead asks Fen where he obtained it, leaving the chapter’s mystery unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing shows unusual certainty and interest in the stone, recognizing something valuable or hidden in it despite its ordinary appearance. His encounter with Fen is unexpected, but both greet each other warmly.
• Bu Er is wary of the stallholder, sensing a fleeting, strange power within him. He is also bewildered by Yang Qing’s claim that the stone is a jade pendant.
• Fen Liyou shifts from an unseen, mysterious host to a familiar figure from Yang Qing’s past. Their conversation suggests mutual goodwill and shared history.
• The stallholder behaves cryptically, insisting that treasures go only to those with a destined connection. His reaction to Yang Qing’s identification hints at the pendant’s importance.

Significant themes

• Hidden value and perception: What appears worthless may conceal a different identity or significance.
• Fate and connection: The stallholder’s claim that treasures belong to those “with a destined connection” frames Yang Qing’s discovery as possibly more than chance.
• Mystery and reunion: The pendant’s origin and nature remain unexplained, while the unexpected meeting with Fen opens a new line of inquiry.

Key plot points

• Yang Qing recognizes Fen Liyou’s “ordinary stone” as Shadow Jade. Fen explains that it is a Fen Household heirloom, and that his ancestors instructed the family to help whoever could identify it.
• Yang says Shadow Jade’s true form is visible only in sunlight. This piece was hidden beneath volcanic rock, disguising it even in daylight.
• He reveals that his own family’s instructions say the Yang ancestors lost the jade and that he should recover it. Fen recognizes Yang as the family’s Young Master and kneels to him.
• Fen explains the connection: centuries ago, the Fen Household served the Yang Family. The Shadow Jade was the official seal bestowed on them, and only the Yang descendants and their retainers could recognize it.
• Fen invites Yang and his companions to stay at his home in Urn City. He says he is now a commoner because he gave the Fen ancestral estate back to the sovereign to get out of “prison.”

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing learns that his family’s history and the Shadow Jade are tied to the Fen Household and the fallen Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom. Though surprised, he urges Fen not to be overly bound by old formalities.
• Fen Liyou shifts from questioning Yang to treating him as his rightful Young Master. His loyalty to the Fen ancestors’ instructions remains strong despite the centuries that have passed.
• Jiang Zhizhou helps probe the situation, questioning why the jade was displayed and later asking whether the imperial clan had forced Fen from his position.
• Yang and Jiang share a look when Fen brings up the ancient kingdom, sensing that the story is becoming more complicated than they expected.

Significant themes

• Ancestral duty and loyalty: The Fen Household has preserved its service to the Yang Family across generations.
• Inheritance and lost history: The jade connects scattered lineages to events surrounding the collapse of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom.
• Identity and recognition: Yang’s ability to identify the disguised Shadow Jade establishes his connection to the family legacy.
• Power and sacrifice: Fen’s return of the ancestral estate suggests he has relinquished wealth or status to escape imperial service.

Plot points and events

• Fen Liyou explains that he gave up his fortune to regain his freedom and sent most of the Fen Clan away; only his most loyal followers remain. He offers Yang Qing’s group a place to stay.
• Yang asks about Urn City’s history. Fen reveals that the city once belonged to the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom and that the ancestors of both the Fen Household and the Yang Family lived there.
• Fen wants to find their ancestral grounds, a long-standing duty to his family. His household chronicle identifies the location as the “Four-Square Land” in Urn City, but Fen has been unable to find it.
• Ouyang Lin suggests consulting the Four-Square Gambling House, whose mysterious master is said to possess exceptional information-gathering abilities. Though warned that its demands are steep and its conduct unpredictable, Yang decides to investigate.
• At night, the group visits the gambling house. Its attendants ask whether they have come to gamble or seek information, and say the latter requires a “token”—a sign of sincerity. Jiang Zhizhou presents a small box as payment; the chapter ends before its contents or the attendants’ response are revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Fen Liyou has exchanged wealth and status for independence and now focuses on fulfilling his ancestors’ wishes. He welcomes Yang and trusts him with the household chronicle.
• Yang Qing responds sympathetically to Fen’s sacrifice and takes an active interest in the shared family history. He approaches the gambling house with confidence, viewing payment for information as fair compensation.
• Ouyang Lin contributes local knowledge and urges caution about the gambling house.
• Jiang Zhizhou helps move the inquiry forward, first questioning the attendants and then offering the group’s token.

Significant themes

• Freedom and sacrifice: Fen’s wealth was a burden he willingly abandoned to regain autonomy.
• Duty and ancestral ties: Fen’s search reflects the pull of family history and obligations across generations.
• Trust and loyalty: Fen has dismissed most of his household but keeps those he considers dependable, and he extends that trust to Yang.
• Knowledge and its price: The group must weigh the value and cost of information from a powerful, unpredictable source.

Plot points and events

• Yang Qing’s group visits the Four-Square Gambling House and pays to ask about the Four-Square Land. A mysterious, seemingly powerful figure says the name is unfamiliar but promises an answer in a few days.
• After they leave, the gambling house’s master learns of their question. He reveals that people have asked about the Four-Square Land every ten years, and wonders whether Yang Qing’s group is the party he has been waiting for. He orders that no visitors be received and that the grounds be watched.
• Back at Fen Liyou’s courtyard, Fen worries about the search and the danger he senses around it. Yang Qing urges him not to force the matter if they cannot find answers.
• The next morning, Ouyang Lin reports that a stallholder at the Treasure Exhibition claims to possess an Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom treasure. The man offers only a picture as a clue, promising to leave by noon if nobody identifies it.
• Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, Bu Er, and Ouyang Lin find the stall crowded. Yang Qing and the others recognize the picture. Yang Qing says it is simultaneously nearly worthless and beyond price, then adds that it would be worth more if it showed two additional trees. The stallholder is startled and asks why.

Character developments and interactions

• Fen Liyou is hopeful that the gambling house may finally resolve his long search, but increasingly anxious about what it could uncover. Yang Qing reassures him and encourages him to accept uncertainty.
• Yang Qing remains composed under the crowd’s ridicule and demonstrates that he knows the picture’s origin, though the reason for his knowledge is not yet explained.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er recognize the picture too, silently confirming that Yang Qing is not guessing.
• The gambling-house master appears to have a long-standing interest in the Four-Square Land and may be waiting for a particular group; his watchful response suggests the inquiry has greater significance than he lets on.
• Yang Qing’s companions support him as they make their way through the crowd, while onlookers dismiss his first answer as boastful.

Significant themes

• The pull of fate and inherited duty: Fen’s search follows an ancestor’s command, but Yang Qing questions whether duty should be pursued at any cost.
• Hidden knowledge and guarded secrets: Both the gambling house and the picture conceal histories that only a few people can recognize.
• Value beyond appearances: Yang Qing’s contradictory description of the picture suggests its worth depends not on material value alone, but on what it represents or reveals.
• Suspense and foreshadowing: The gambling-house master’s ten-year pattern and Yang Qing’s unexplained familiarity with the picture point toward larger connections still to come.

Key plot points and events

• After seeing a map offered at a stall, Yang Qing suspects the stallholder may be connected to whoever brought it out of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom’s ruins. He sends Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er to investigate.
• Ouyang Lin reports that Mo Yi, the Western Regions’ Second Prince, has arrived in Urn City. Since the group cannot risk a direct confrontation, they plan to move to Fen Liyou’s secluded villa.
• An agent of the Four-Square Gambling House warns them that the villa has already been watched by Mo Yi’s people. The gambling house shelters the group at a safer property and says it will keep them informed.
• Bu Er confirms that Mo Yi’s party came to Urn City seeking a map from the ruins. Jiang Zhizhou discovers that the stallholder, Xiao Zhou, was acting on someone else’s orders.
• The unknown person directing Xiao Zhou appeared to be an older, seriously injured man. Yang Qing suspects he may be Great Hero Pei and orders Jiang Zhizhou to investigate further.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing stays alert and decisive, reorganizing the group’s movements when danger emerges. His suspicion about the injured man reveals a possible connection to Great Hero Pei.
• Ouyang Lin acts protectively toward Yang Qing and commits to cautiously investigating Mo Yi’s purpose.
• Fen Liyou offers his private villa as a refuge, but the group learns it has been compromised.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er investigate the stallholder and report what they uncover; Jiang is tasked with identifying the mysterious contact.
• The Four-Square Gambling House’s agent moves from a suspicious stranger to a helpful ally, using the organization’s reach to warn and shelter the group.

Significant themes

• Trust and uncertainty: The group must judge the motives of strangers, from the gambling-house agent to the unseen figure behind the map.
• Surveillance and pursuit: Mo Yi’s arrival and his men’s watch over the villa show how quickly the group’s movements can be tracked.
• Hidden connections: The map, the ruins, and the injured man point toward a larger mystery involving powerful figures and the ancient kingdom.