Chapter Summaries

Chapter summary

Key events

Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, Bu Er, and their companions discover a lifelike statue of Chasing Wind, Emperor Zhetian’s long-missing horse. Bu Er accidentally touches its eye, and the group realizes the horse is still alive—barely. Yang Qing identifies a pulsing Longevity Gu implanted in its neck. This sinister Gu suspends the host’s bodily functions and sustains life, apparently allowing Chasing Wind to survive for centuries.
The horse’s presence, along with the rumored Inkcloud Armor, leads the group to suspect they have been brought to the City of Eternal Night—the city where Emperor Zhetian was born. Their mysterious host appears and confirms that he deliberately lured them there. He and his followers hope to restore the ancient golden age, apparently by invoking or resurrecting the Sacred Emperor. Yang Qing rejects the idea as an impossible attempt to turn back history. Enraged by the group’s disrespect, the man strikes a wall and threatens to make them atone.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing displays caution and knowledge, recognizing the Longevity Gu and challenging the host’s revivalist ambitions. He argues that even a glorious past cannot be brought back and that history must move forward.
• Bu Er is curious enough to approach the horse too closely, but his accidental contact reveals that it is alive. He later privately calls the host mad, provoking the man’s anger.
• Jiang Zhizhou and the others share Yang Qing’s growing unease, first at Chasing Wind’s unnatural survival and then at the possibility of the Emperor’s return.
• The host reveals fanatical devotion to Emperor Zhetian and a willingness to sacrifice anything to restore the old age. His confrontation with Yang Qing escalates into open violence.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts reverence for history with the need to move beyond it. It also explores the danger of trying to defy the natural order: Longevity Gu preserves life through a grotesque, unnatural dependence, while the host’s longing to revive a vanished empire suggests a similarly desperate refusal to accept change and loss.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing and his companions fall into a hidden chamber, where Pei Buji reveals that concealed needles struck him during the descent. He had taken the hits to protect the others.
• Jiang Zhizhou removes two poisoned needles and expels much of the poison. Yang Qing and Bu Er help treat Pei Buji with medicine; he stabilizes, though his condition remains concerning.
• Yang Qing discovers that Pei Buji has been concealing serious, unhealed injuries and has been forcing his damaged body onward. He urges him to stop dismissing the problem and take medicine.
• The group examines several lifelike portraits of the same strikingly beautiful man, similar to portraits Yang Qing saw at the Ruins and the village Sacrificial Temple.
• Their unseen captor calls the figure the “Sacred Emperor,” declares that seeing his image is a blessing, and says the group is barely worthy of becoming his servants. Yang Qing rejects the suggestion that they are anything but ordinary people; the captor counters that their survival proves otherwise.

Character developments and interactions

• Pei Buji shows his selflessness by accepting injuries rather than letting his companions be harmed. His jokes and claims that he is fine mask serious physical damage.
• Yang Qing responds with genuine concern and frustration, feeling responsible for the hardships his companions have endured. He insists Pei Buji accept treatment.
• Jiang Zhizhou acts quickly and competently, removing the needles and treating the poison.
• Bu Er supports Pei Buji’s recovery by providing suitable pills.
• The companions’ concern for Pei Buji contrasts with the captor’s attempt to intimidate or recruit them.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Pei Buji silently bears danger for the group, while the others rally to care for him.
• Hidden suffering and pride: Pei Buji’s humor conceals the extent of his injuries, highlighting the cost of enduring hardship without asking for help.
• Manipulation and coercion: The captor frames submission to the Sacred Emperor as an honor, but the group recognizes the implied demand to serve or rebel against the outside world.
• Mystery and influence: The portraits’ uncanny beauty and the group’s survival suggest that the Sacred Emperor and their captors possess unusual power.

Key plot points and events

• The group remains trapped in a hidden chamber, where an unseen captor threatens them with death or forced submission.
• The captor drops six Mind-Cleansing Pills—one for each person. The pills erase independent thought, and the promised antidote would leave them with another incurable poison.
• Yang Qing recognizes the trap and tries to stay calm, hoping to draw the captor into making a mistake.
• Pei Buji suddenly swallows all six pills. After Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou try to force them back out, Pei cuts Yang Qing’s wrist and consumes his blood, invoking a blood taboo that prevents the captor from controlling him.
• The pills unleash Pei’s strength by burning through his cultivation at an extraordinary rate. Realizing Pei is now dangerous, the captor retrieves the Wind-Chasing Horse and Inkcloud Armor and flees.
• Soon afterward, explosions erupt beneath the inn, and a nearby residence collapses and catches fire.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing shows caution and strategic restraint: he warns Bu Er not to speak openly and refuses to provoke the unseen enemy prematurely.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou follow Yang Qing’s lead, then try to save Pei after he takes the pills.
• Pei Buji makes a deliberate sacrifice to protect the others. He explains that the pills cannot be removed once swallowed, but the blood taboo can frustrate the captor’s control. His actions leave him apparently near death.
• The unseen captor underestimates the group and relies on coercion and deception. Pei’s sacrifice overturns his plan and forces him to retreat.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and loyalty: Pei accepts a terrible fate to give the others a chance.
• Control versus agency: The pills turn people into obedient puppets, while the blood taboo provides a way to resist manipulation.
• Cunning and overconfidence: Yang Qing’s caution and Pei’s unexpected move defeat the captor’s supposedly foolproof scheme.
• Life and death: The chapter presents mindless obedience as a fate scarcely better than dying.

Plot points and events

• Pei Buji dies destroying the Hidden Chamber, giving Yang Qing and his companions a chance to escape. The group mourns him, and Ouyang Lin pours out his last bottle of wine in farewell, promising to visit Pei Buji’s homeland.
• With their old plans disrupted and danger still close, Yang Qing abandons the proposed detour south and decides to head directly for the Imperial Capital.
• To arrive ahead of the Lin Family convoy—and evade the powerful man pursuing them—the group chooses a perilous shortcut through a vast swamp. Yang Qing also believes the Wordless Heavenly Book has indicated that a valuable opportunity awaits there.
• After gathering supplies, the companions enter the swamp at dawn. They soon encounter poisonous, foul-smelling mires. Yang Qing and Mo Beixing are badly affected, but Yang Qing’s pills help them recover.
• Yang Qing suspects they have reached the mires too early. Consulting his terrain map, he realizes they have taken the wrong route.

Character developments

• Yang Qing is struck silent by Pei Buji’s death, but eventually shifts from grief to decisive action. He accepts greater risks and cautions that a foretold opportunity is worthless unless they fight to claim it.
• Ouyang Lin expresses his grief through a promise to honor Pei Buji’s connection to Heavenly Mountain.
• Bu Er, Jiang Zhizhou, and the others support Yang Qing and remain committed to his decisions.
• Mo Beixing, despite being accustomed to thoughts of life and death as a Holy Maiden, openly weeps for Pei Buji.

Character interactions and themes

• The companions mourn Pei Buji together and urge Yang Qing not to let grief overwhelm him; their loyalty and shared loss strengthen their resolve.
• Yang Qing assigns the group into pairs to buy supplies, then they face the swamp together.
• Themes: sacrifice and mourning; loyalty and remembrance; choosing action under pressure; and the tension between fate or prophecy and the need to struggle for one’s survival.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing’s party realizes their map is inaccurate: they have reached the marsh earlier than expected. With night approaching and rain imminent, they stop on a patch of ground beside it.
• A sudden downpour causes black water to spill from the marsh. The mud bubbles violently, and Ouyang Lin warns that something living is stirring beneath it.
• A huge snake rises from the mire and prepares to attack the travelers.
• Bu Er, Ouyang Lin, and Jiang Zhizhou form a triangular sword formation. Bu Er’s strike pierces the snake’s palate, but the creature traps his sword in its jaws.
• While Ouyang Lin keeps the snake occupied, Jiang Zhizhou attacks a strange red-and-white marking on its belly. His sword enters easily, releasing foul blood—and something tumbles from the wound.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing remains observant and composed, recognizing that the marsh’s sudden overflow is unnatural, while relying on his companions for protection.
• Bu Er acts protectively toward Yang Qing and boldly attacks the snake, even when its foul breath nearly overwhelms him.
• Ouyang Lin identifies the danger and helps coordinate the defense.
• Jiang Zhizhou pushes past his unease at the humanlike shape in the snake’s belly marking and strikes it.
• The three companions cooperate closely in battle, covering different angles to protect Yang Qing and one another.

Significant themes

• Nature as a hidden danger: The storm and marsh reveal a threat that the travelers could not have anticipated from the map.
• Teamwork under pressure: The companions respond to the snake through coordinated action rather than panic.
• The uncanny: The snake’s strange belly marking—and the humanlike outline within it—suggest a mystery beyond an ordinary animal attack.
  Ending: The object that falls from the snake’s wound is left unidentified, creating a cliffhanger.

Plot points and events

• A bloodied body falls from a giant snake during its attack. Yang Qing notices that, despite apparently having been swallowed, the body is largely intact.
• Yang Qing and Mo Beixing recognize the corpse as Master Lin, whom they saw only days earlier. Before they can examine it further, the snake crushes it.
• The discovery raises questions: Master Lin was supposedly traveling to the Imperial Capital with a large party, so why was he alone in a swamp, and where were the carriages and other travelers?
• Yang Qing concludes that the man traveling as Master Lin may be an impostor, while the real Master Lin died in the swamp. Mo Beixing agrees that they may have to reach the Imperial Capital to learn what is behind the deception.
• Meanwhile, Bu Er, Jiang Zhizhou, and Ouyang Lin struggle to injure the snake. Jiang notices that its lower body remains in the mire; Ouyang strikes where it meets the mud, revealing the snake’s weakness. The three attack that spot until the snake collapses.
• After the fight, Yang tells Jiang Zhizhou that the corpse was Master Lin and shares his suspicion that the traveler to the capital is not the real one.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing’s attention to detail leads him to identify the corpse and piece together the likely impersonation. His discovery leaves him shaken and troubled by the unanswered questions.
• Mo Beixing is cautious and initially urges Yang not to approach the dangerous scene, but she shares his shock and concern once she recognizes the body.
• Bu Er, Jiang Zhizhou, and Ouyang Lin coordinate effectively in battle. Jiang identifies the snake’s dependence on the mire, and Ouyang’s attack exposes its vulnerable point.
• Jiang listens seriously as Yang explains the mystery, admitting that the revelation is surprising despite his own suspicions.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden identities: The apparent Master Lin may be an impostor, suggesting a larger scheme involving the Lin family or others.
• Clues and deduction: Small details—the corpse’s condition, clothing, and location—lead Yang to challenge the accepted account of Master Lin’s journey.
• Cooperation under pressure: The fighters defeat the snake by observing its behavior and working together, while Yang and Mo Beixing depend on their protection.
• Uncertainty and foreshadowing: The missing travelers and carriages, along with the suspected impersonation, leave the larger mystery unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• After defeating the giant snake, Yang Qing and his companions cross the swamp, emerging a day behind schedule and losing their chance to reach the Imperial Capital before the Lin Family convoy.
• They decide to investigate what the Lin Family intends to do rather than rush ahead. In a nearby city, they hear that mountain bandits have seized a wealthy convoy carrying rare treasures from Mountain City.
• Suspecting the convoy belongs to the Lin Family, the group climbs toward the bandits’ stronghold on the region’s tallest mountain.
• Jiang Zhizhou scouts ahead alone. After a long absence, he returns with startling news: the Lin Family’s carriages are on the mountain, but the bandits and the Lin Family are old acquaintances—the convoy was invited there, not captured.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing remains cautious and strategic. He argues that reaching the capital first would no longer help and insists they learn the Lin Family’s true intentions.
• The group debates whether to intervene if the convoy is on the mountain. Yang Qing decides they should first understand Master Lin’s plans.
• Jiang Zhizhou volunteers to scout because of his exceptional Lightness Skill. Yang Qing worries when he is delayed, but restrains Bu Er from rushing after him until they have waited longer.
• Bu Er is protective and quick to act, while Ouyang Lin keeps watch over the group’s surroundings.
• Jiang Zhizhou’s discovery overturns the group’s assumption that the Lin Family has been defeated.

Significant themes

• Appearances can deceive: What seems to be a bandit raid is actually a friendly meeting.
• Uncertainty and hidden motives: The Lin Family’s apparent vulnerability raises questions about what is really happening.
• Caution and trust: The group balances concern for their missing companion with patience and careful planning.
• Dangerous, irreversible choices: The travelers know the Imperial Capital journey is perilous, but feel they cannot turn back.

Plot points and events

• Yang Qing and his companions learn that the Lin Family’s caravan was welcomed by the bandit chief rather than treated like ordinary captives. They suspect the family’s visit to the mountain was part of a secret arrangement.
• Jiang Zhizhou reports that the “bandits” seem more like a disciplined, well-equipped army. The group concludes that a faction is using the Lin Family’s wealth and identity to build military strength, while a false Master Lin impersonates the real one.
• Yang Qing decides they must expose the scheme and save the real Lin Family, despite their earlier disagreements.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou sneak into the underground stronghold to locate the valuables that may be funding the operation. They discover an enormous army training belowground.
• The two are surrounded and confronted by the impostor Master Lin, who recognizes them and threatens them.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing shifts from suspicion to a resolve to protect the Lin Family, distinguishing the real family from those exploiting its name.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou move cautiously after realizing how powerful the underground force is. They work together to investigate and prepare for danger.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Yang Qing reason through the likely political conspiracy, while Bu Er presses for the Lin Family’s whereabouts.
• The impostor Master Lin taunts the intruders; Bu Er answers with defiance rather than fear.

Significant themes

• Power and corruption: The pursuit of imperial authority drives people to ruthless schemes.
• Deception and identity: The false Master Lin’s impersonation lets conspirators exploit the real family while shifting blame onto them.
• The human cost of ambition: The soldiers’ disciplined service contrasts with the leaders who stand to profit from their sacrifices.
• Responsibility and loyalty: Yang Qing’s group chooses to intervene and clear the innocent family’s name, despite past tensions.

Key plot points and events

• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou face Master Lin’s soldiers again. After offering the men a chance to surrender, they fight through the encirclement, killing many and breaking the survivors’ morale. The soldiers drop their weapons or make way for them.
• Master Lin stops his guards from resisting and agrees to meet Yang Qing, curious why Yang’s group came after him instead of continuing toward the Imperial Capital.
• Yang Qing explains that he had intended to rescue Master Lin, but reveals that the man before him is an impostor who replaced the real Master Lin and seized control of the Lin Family.
• Yang Qing also exposes the impostor’s earlier scheme: he arranged for the group to receive false terrain information and be led into a marsh, where a giant snake was meant to kill them. The group survived, and Yang says the snake will no longer be used to harm others.
• Yang asks who ordered the impostor to take over the Lin Family. The impostor responds with his Laughing Sound Art, but Ouyang Lin scrapes a metal object across his sword, producing a piercing sound that disrupts the attack. The impostor spits blood and is astonished that they know how to counter his technique.

Character developments

• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou show their formidable skill and restraint: they give the soldiers a chance to retreat, but act decisively once the fight begins.
• Yang Qing demonstrates calm insight, having pieced together the impostor’s plot and confronting him directly.
• Master Lin (the impostor) shifts from confident schemer to surprised captive. His reaction to the snake’s death and the group’s escape exposes how badly his plan failed.
• Ouyang Lin reveals a specialized countermeasure against the impostor’s sound-based art.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: The soldiers’ defeat shows how quickly fear can overcome a large force.
• Deception and discovery: The false map and staged route reveal how appearances and apparently helpful information can conceal a trap.
• Mercy and consequence: Bu Er offers the soldiers a way out, but those who persist in fighting face the consequences.
• Ingenuity against strength: The group survives not only through combat skill but also by uncovering and countering the impostor’s methods.

Character interactions

• Bu Er gives the soldiers a final warning before fighting; their terror later allows the group to reach Master Lin.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Master Lin exchange wary questions, with Jiang inviting him to meet Yang.
• Yang and the impostor speak politely on the surface while Yang methodically reveals what he knows.
• When the impostor launches his sound attack, Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou shield Yang and Mo Beixing, while Ouyang Lin intervenes to stop it.

Key plot points

• Master Lin uses the long-lost Laughing Sound Art, a technique associated with the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom. Its backlash leaves him gravely injured, and Yang Qing has Jiang Zhizhou restrain him before he can die.
• Suspecting Master Lin’s story is false, Yang Qing orders his disguise removed. Beneath the artificial face is a pallid man with a tattoo matching one found on a previous enemy, linking him to the same group.
• Yang Qing questions him about the Twelve Holy Envoys, Emperor Zhetian’s loyal lieutenants. The man refuses to cooperate and dies without revealing more.
• Ouyang Lin reports that Master Lin’s followers have been cleared from the mountain. The group leaves, troubled by the conflict now facing them.
• On the way down, Yang Qing admits that he and Jiang Zhizhou used the Twelve Holy Envoys as a bluff. The man’s reaction nevertheless confirmed that their old knowledge and legacy remain significant.
• Yang Qing decides they will still travel to the Imperial Capital to investigate Miss Lin, who may also be an impostor.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing shows strategic restraint and resolve: he avoids needless killing where possible, uses a bluff to test Master Lin, and remains determined to pursue the truth despite growing danger.
• Master Lin is exposed as a disguised, dying operative tied to the same faction as a previous adversary. His defiance and fear suggest deep loyalty to a cause he will not explain.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er work together to restrain and unmask Master Lin; Bu Er later questions Yang Qing’s knowledge and plans.
• The followers abandon Master Lin once his authority collapses, revealing that their loyalty was dependent on his power.
• Yang Qing and his companions recognize that Miss Lin and the Imperial Capital may hold answers—and may bring further conflict.

Significant themes

• Legacy and memory: Though centuries have passed, the Twelve Holy Envoys’ descendants appear to be continuing their ancestors’ work.
• Obsession and defiance: Yang Qing warns that attempts to “defy heaven” may lead to slaughter.
• Hidden identities and concealed history: Disguises, tattoos, and ancient loyalties expose how the past is resurfacing.
• Escalating entanglement: What began as a search for legendary treasures is becoming a confrontation with forces connected to the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom.

Key plot points and events

• After descending the mountain, Yang Qing and his companions camp outside the city. He wonders aloud whether immortality is real and whether surviving followers of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom are trying to restore its former glory.
• The group fears their activities may help trigger a realm-wide upheaval. Mo Beixing warns that such conflict would bring immense suffering to ordinary people.
• The next day, they learn that the hundreds of people they allowed to leave the mountain were all killed gruesomely. Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou discover that each had been implanted with a death Gu, which kills anyone who becomes disloyal.
• While considering whether he could have prevented their deaths, Yang Qing is bitten by Jiangli. The bite reveals a fine red thread beneath his skin: a soul-severing Gu.
• Ouyang Lin explains that this Gu can remain dormant for years. Once activated, it gradually unsettles its victim’s mind, potentially trapping them in an illusion from which they cannot escape.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing is increasingly burdened by the prospect of war and the deaths of the mountain’s former captives. He feels guilty, though he recognizes that keeping them there was not a real option.
• Jiang Zhizhou believes in immortality, citing the Longevity Formula and longevity Gu as evidence that the impossible may be real.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou investigate the massacre and reveal how the death Gu enforced loyalty.
• Mo Beixing shares Yang Qing’s concern about the coming upheaval, while her worsening chest tightness goes unnoticed.
• Jiangli’s bite alerts Yang Qing to the hidden Gu, and Ouyang Lin identifies and explains it to the others.

Significant themes

• Hidden threats and manipulation: Gu insects allow unseen forces to control, punish, or psychologically destroy people.
• The human cost of political ambition: Those seeking to restore an ancient kingdom may deliberately foment war, leaving ordinary people to suffer.
• Powerlessness and responsibility: Yang Qing cannot save everyone, yet still wrestles with guilt over the deaths.
• Uncertainty and approaching danger: The ominous weather and the discovery of the Gu reinforce the sense that a larger crisis is closing in.

Key events

• Yang Qing’s group discovers that Yang Qing had been afflicted with Death Gu. He realizes the poison had already affected his emotions, making him unusually sorrowful and reluctant to shed blood.
• Jiangli’s bite has apparently purged the Gu. Yang Qing is relieved and credits the creature with saving him.
• In a city on the way to the Imperial Capital, the group sees a crowd surrounding a remarkably skilled child. Though Ouyang Lin is intrigued, Yang Qing refuses to intervene, prioritizing their mission and avoiding further trouble. They leave by another route.
• Yang Qing reconsiders their encounter with the Lin family. Since the Lin Family Daughter was absent, he suspects she may be more important than the man posing as Master Lin and may have been escorted separately toward the capital. The group decides to work from the shadows instead of pursuing her openly.
• After two days of travel, they reach the Imperial Capital in disguise. Mo Beixing falls ill from exhaustion, leaving Yang Qing and Bu Er to care for her while Ouyang Lin and Jiang Zhizhou investigate.
• On the third evening, Ouyang Lin and Jiang Zhizhou fail to return on time. Yang Qing waits anxiously, until two blood-scented figures arrive and warn the group to flee immediately.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing recognizes that the Death Gu had altered his feelings, clarifying that his recent reluctance to fight was not his true nature. He is more cautious than before, refusing to get involved in the child’s confrontation and focusing on the larger mission.
• Jiangli is established as the one who saved Yang Qing by expelling the Gu.
• Bu Er confirms the child’s exceptional martial skill and later shares Yang Qing’s worry when the scouts are overdue.
• Ouyang Lin is curious about both the child and the investigation, but accepts Yang Qing’s decisions.
• Jiang Zhizhou reassures Yang Qing that they could not have known everything in advance and supports the plan to operate covertly.
• Mo Beixing’s illness shifts the group’s responsibilities, keeping Yang Qing and Bu Er at her side while the others gather information.

Significant themes

• Restraint versus intervention: Yang Qing chooses not to help an apparent victim because the group’s mission and the risk of entangling others take priority.
• Uncertainty and changing strategy: The group reassesses the Lin Family Daughter’s importance and adapts by moving from open pursuit to covert action.
• Compromised agency: The Death Gu reveals that Yang Qing’s recent emotional changes were imposed on him, prompting reflection on how outside forces can shape a person’s choices.
• Loyalty and responsibility: The group cares for Mo Beixing and remains alert to one another’s safety, while the final warning signals immediate danger.

Plot points and events

• Jiang Zhizhou and Ouyang Lin return exhausted and warn Yang Qing that pursuers are close. Jiang reveals that the Lin Family Daughter never entered the Imperial Capital; her supposed arrival was a smokescreen, and the group’s movements have been manipulated as part of a trap connected to their dealings with mountain bandits.
• Jiang and Ouyang had entered the palace to investigate but were surrounded by Imperial Guards and escaped. Before they can explain further, Yang Qing’s carriage is surrounded.
• A mysterious youth breaks through the attackers’ ranks. He asks to see Yang Qing’s Bone Jade Thumb Ring. After inspecting it, he attacks the surrounding forces, helping the group escape the capital.
• The youth follows them, defeats Bu Er when challenged, and insists he cannot be driven away. He introduces himself as Mu Feng and says he is going with them. Yang Qing accepts without pressing him for an explanation.

Character developments

• Yang Qing stays composed amid the danger and responds to Mu Feng with patient curiosity, though his final, darkened expression suggests he suspects the ring and the youth’s arrival carry deeper significance.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Ouyang Lin return injured and visibly worn down, having escaped the palace and uncovered that the group is being deliberately led into danger.
• Bu Er is angered by the group’s predicament and initially rejects Mu Feng’s interference, but is stunned when the youth defeats him.
• Mu Feng is enigmatic, powerful, and single-minded. He seeks the thumb ring, offers no explanation, and makes clear that he intends to stay with Yang Qing.

Character interactions

• Jiang warns Yang Qing about the deception and impending pursuit.
• Mu Feng’s request to see the ring creates immediate suspicion, but his attack on the pursuers turns him into an unexpected ally.
• Bu Er challenges Mu Feng, loses, and is forced to accept that the youth will travel with them.
• Yang Qing treats Mu Feng courteously and leaves the choice to speak—or remain silent—to him.

Significant themes

• Deception and manipulation: The apparent arrival of the Lin Family Daughter conceals a larger plan, and the group’s apparent initiative has been illusory.
• Uncertainty and hidden motives: The reason Mu Feng wants the ring and follows Yang Qing remains unexplained.
• Unexpected alliances and power: A mysterious stranger transforms a desperate escape, while his defeat of Bu Er unsettles the group’s assumptions about strength.

Key plot points and events

• Mu Feng reveals that he joined Yang Qing’s group because of Yang Qing’s Thumb Ring. He does not explain what the ring does, only saying Yang Qing will understand in time, and offers to follow him.
• The group abandons its plan to continue west toward the Ultimate Land. Mu Feng points out that Rootless Wood needs water and identifies its location as the Eastern Sea.
• Yang Qing decides to trust Mu Feng and changes course east, despite Jiang Zhizhou’s doubts. The group travels without encountering their former pursuers, though the unusually quiet journey makes them uneasy.
• They reach a remote fishing village near the Eastern Sea, where many villagers have lost family members at sea. The group asks a child to guide them to the village chief so they can learn about conditions at sea.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Feng shifts from a silent, mysterious newcomer to an acknowledged member of the group, while keeping the full purpose of the Thumb Ring—and how he knows about Rootless Wood—secret.
• Yang Qing demonstrates trust in Mu Feng, accepting his guidance and changing their destination. He also responds warmly to the village children.
• Bu Er remains protective and suspicious, pressing Mu Feng about his identity and motives.
• Jiang Zhizhou questions the sudden change in plans, but stops challenging it after Yang Qing says he trusts Mu Feng.
• At the village, Jiang Zhizhou gives dried meat to the children, and a hesitant child eventually agrees to lead the travelers to the village chief.

Significant themes

• Trust and concealed motives: Mu Feng’s unexplained knowledge and Yang Qing’s willingness to trust him shape the group’s decisions.
• Changing course amid uncertainty: The travelers abandon their original destination as new information redirects their journey.
• Foreshadowing and unease: Their trouble-free passage feels suspicious, while the Thumb Ring and the Eastern Sea’s dangers suggest larger mysteries ahead.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing and his companions visit the village chief, Luo Dahai, who lives in a dark, shabby room and is confined to a wheelchair.
• Luo Dahai explains that the village has dwindled as its men disappeared or died, leaving mostly women and children. The decaying fishing boats outside hint at the village’s former prosperity.
• When Yang Qing asks about the Eastern Sea, Luo Dahai realizes they are seeking Immortal Island. He warns that mortals who visit it either die or lose their sanity—and says his own visit left him disabled.
• Luo Dahai recounts his family’s history: his grandfather sailed to the island with outsiders and never returned. His father later found him there, but the grandfather and the other men no longer recognized anyone and refused to leave. After returning home, Luo Dahai’s father gradually became confused and died.
• Determined to follow his father’s chart, Luo Dahai sailed to the island himself, stayed there briefly, and brought back the wrecked boats now lying by the village.
• He says the island is beautiful and inhabited by immortals, but people who arrive there do not want to leave. After seeing the immortals, he lost his ability to walk and can no longer remember what they looked like.
• Yang Qing asks why the original sailors went to the island. Luo Dahai reveals that they were seeking a treasure.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing leads the questioning, notices the boats’ quality, and probes the dangers and history of the island.
• Luo Dahai begins as a bitter, guarded figure but gradually shares his family’s tragic past. His calm narration suggests long familiarity with loss, though his longing for the village’s former glory briefly shows through.
• Jiang Zhizhou joins Yang Qing in recognizing that Luo Dahai has visited the island.
• Bu Er asks what the immortals looked like, prompting Luo Dahai to reveal that his memory of them is gone.
• The group listens attentively and with sympathy as Luo Dahai recounts the destruction of his family and village.

Significant themes

• The cost of forbidden knowledge and ambition: Each journey to Immortal Island brings a different ruin—disappearance, madness, death, or disability.
• Family duty and inherited consequences: Luo Dahai’s father and Luo Dahai himself pursue the island because of what happened to the previous generation.
• Memory and identity: The island’s visitors lose recognition of loved ones, while Luo Dahai cannot remember the immortals he saw.
• Decline and loss: The village’s decay and abandoned boats reflect the lasting damage left by the island’s influence.

Plot points and events

• Luo Dahai’s story reveals that an expedition to a mysterious island was driven by the search for treasure. Most of the men who reached it stayed there permanently; one of the few who returned died mysteriously, while Luo Dahai himself was left in a wretched state.
• Yang Qing suspects the island hides a major secret and may be protected by dangerous creatures or other forces. His group considers the risks of following the map, which would require a seaworthy ship and extensive supplies.
• Though the sea journey may be perilous, Yang Qing decides he must search for the Rootless Wood. The group learns that the Si Household, the region’s foremost shipbuilders, is their best option for obtaining a vessel.
• Mu Feng says Yang Qing will be admitted because he possesses a token: the thumb ring on his hand. The others are curious about its power, but Mu Feng offers no further explanation.
• The group reaches the Si Household’s vast estate and is treated respectfully despite arriving from a humble fishing village. Its head, Master Craftsman Si Yifan, greets them—but on seeing Yang Qing’s ring, he rushes forward and demands to know where it came from.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing, usually careful and able to anticipate opponents, admits that he feels powerless against the forces of nature and cannot foresee what lies ahead. Nevertheless, he commits to the dangerous search.
• Bu Er examines the map and points out the practical demands of the voyage. He also voices uncertainty about whether the prestigious Si Household will receive them.
• Mu Feng demonstrates that he knows the thumb ring carries influence, while keeping its meaning secret.
• Si Yifan’s abrupt reaction to the ring suggests it is familiar or highly significant to him, setting up a new mystery.

Significant themes

• Human limits before nature: Yang Qing’s usual confidence gives way to uncertainty in the face of the sea and the power of heaven and earth.
• The pull of hidden secrets: The island’s treasure, its vanished explorers, and the mysterious ring all point to concealed histories and dangers.
• Duty despite risk: Yang Qing proceeds because finding the Rootless Wood matters, even though the journey could be fatal.
• Status and influence: The contrast between the fishing village and the wealthy Si Household highlights social hierarchy, while the ring may grant Yang Qing access beyond what his apparent status would normally allow.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing and his companions arrive at the Si Household. Si Yifan recognizes the Bone Jade Thumb Ring Yang Qing wears and reacts with intense interest, then invites the group to stay.
• Si Yifan’s modest home is filled mainly with ship models, reflecting his focus on shipbuilding rather than luxury.
• Learning that Yang Qing’s party plans to sail soon, Si Yifan warns that severe winds and waves are expected. He urges them to wait out the storm and offers to teach them about the sea.
• Si Yifan reveals that his family has possessed another Bone Jade Thumb Ring for two centuries, though he does not know its origin or how many rings exist. Yang Qing likewise has little information, having obtained his by chance.
• Over dinner, Si Yifan gives the group knowledgeable guidance about the sea. When he learns they intend to search for Immortal Island, he warns that it is dangerous despite its appealing name.
• Si Yifan asks how they found his household. Yang Qing explains that they first visited a nearby fishing village, Sea Village; Si Yifan says it now has another name, but the chapter ends before he reveals it.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing is cautious about the ring mystery but prioritizes the immediate challenge of sailing. He acknowledges how little the group knows about the ocean and dislikes having so little control.
• Si Yifan comes across as humble, hospitable, and deeply devoted to shipbuilding. His excitement over Yang Qing’s ring hints at private family knowledge he is not ready to share.
• Yang Qing and Si Yifan exchange information about their rings, but neither can resolve the mystery. Their conversation shifts from curiosity about the rings to practical sailing advice.
• Ouyang Lin praises Si Yifan’s kindness and credits it with the Si Household’s success.

Significant themes

• Preparation and humility: The sea’s dangers demand knowledge and patience; courage alone cannot overcome conditions beyond one’s control.
• Mystery and incomplete knowledge: The rings’ origins and significance remain obscure, while Si Yifan’s guarded remarks suggest undisclosed family history.
• Kindness and restraint: Si Yifan’s hospitality contrasts with his household’s wealth, while Yang Qing’s companions recognize the value of not prying into everything they encounter.

Key plot points and events

• Si Yifan explains that Sea Village is also called No Return Village: many of its men sailed toward Immortal Island and never came back. He believes the village is cursed, with anyone still strong enough eventually going to sea.
• Yang Qing confirms that he and his companions must still seek Rootless Wood on Immortal Island. He believes it may be needed to stop the Fierce Beasts threatening the world.
• Si Yifan warns that the voyage is effectively one-way: even survivors may return damaged like Luo Dahai. Though reluctant to let Yang Qing risk his life, he agrees to provide a sturdy ship.
• A sudden, devastating gale strikes. After it passes, Bu Er discovers a broken stone totem exposed beneath a fallen tree.
• Yang Qing recognizes the pattern from a roof beam in his family’s former home in Yan Prefecture City. The discovery revives memories of his family’s past, and he decides to ask Si Yifan about it.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Qing remains resolved to pursue Rootless Wood despite the danger, accepting that some duties must be faced even at the cost of his life. The totem unsettles him, briefly drawing him into grief before he regains composure.
• Si Yifan shows concern for Yang Qing and offers practical aid despite his belief that the journey is doomed. He is also intrigued by Yang Qing’s knowledge of Rootless Wood.
• Bu Er notices the totem and comforts Yang Qing, reminding him that he has avenged his family and that they would be proud to see him alive.
• Yang Qing and his companions thank Si Yifan for the ship, while Si Yifan warns them to stay indoors during the storm.

Significant themes

• Duty versus survival: Yang Qing accepts grave personal risk because the world may depend on finding Rootless Wood.
• Fate and doom: Sea Village’s repeated losses and the ominous name “No Return Village” suggest a seemingly inescapable pattern.
• Nature’s overwhelming power: The gale demonstrates how fragile human plans and strength are against the forces of the natural world.
• Memory and hidden connections: The matching totem links the sea village to Yang Qing’s former home, hinting at a deeper mystery tied to his past.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qing recognizes that a carved design in the Si Household courtyard resembles one on a portrait in the household’s Library Tower.
• Both designs bear tiny numerals written in the ancient script of Eastern Splendor. Yang Qing discovers a different numeral inside his Bone Jade Thumb Ring, linking the ring to the same legacy.
• Si Yifan explains that knowledge of the design is traditionally kept by the head of the Si Household. He shares it because the portrait and Yang Qing’s ring are both relics of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom.
• Yang Qing concludes that the designs point to the Twelve Holy Envoys—twelve households connected to the ancient kingdom. Si Yifan adds that the Qian Household on Outlying Island has a similar portrait.
• Yang Qing decides to visit the Qian Household, and Si Yifan offers to arrange an introduction.

Character developments and interactions

• The clues make Yang Qing reflect on Fen Liyou, whose death and apparent lack of knowledge about the Twelve Holy Envoys leave Yang Qing unsure whether the Fen Household belonged to them. He briefly becomes absorbed in these thoughts, but Si Yifan and Bu Er draw him back into the conversation.
• Si Yifan shows concern for Yang Qing and, trusting the significance of his ancient ring, breaks with the Si Household’s usual secrecy to share what he knows.
• Bu Er helps connect Si Yifan’s explanation to Yang Qing’s theory about the twelve households.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and identity: Ancient objects and symbols may preserve a connection to a past that current generations barely understand.
• Memory and loss: Fen Liyou’s death leaves Yang Qing without a key source of knowledge.
• Secrecy and trust: Si Yifan chooses to reveal guarded family history because he believes Yang Qing shares the same legacy.
• Unresolved history: The identities and surviving descendants of the Twelve Holy Envoys remain uncertain, prompting Yang Qing’s next search.

Plot points and events

• After a gale, Si Yifan takes Yang Qing and his companions to Outlying Island to meet Qian Tong, head of the Qian Household. They learn Qian Tong has gone fishing with the clan’s young men and will be away for several days.
• Qian Zhi, the head of the household’s second branch, receives them. Si Yifan keeps the reason for their visit secret, and the group shares a lavish seafood meal.
• Yang Qing and the others sense that Qian Zhi’s excessive hospitality is suspicious, but the meal passes without incident. They leave by ship.
• A sudden wind and powerful current drive their vessel toward Rocky Reef. Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou notice the water is flowing unnaturally.
• Si Yifan identifies the danger as the Qian Household Water Prison, a formation built among the reefs. He concludes Qian Zhi has lured them there.

Character developments

• Yang Qing remains observant and restrained. He detects the suspicious current and quickly grasps that Qian Zhi’s actions are tied to their visit.
• Si Yifan reveals knowledge of the Qian brothers’ rivalry and recognizes that his companions have been caught in Qian Zhi’s scheme. He admits he has drawn them into danger.
• Qian Zhi is presented as outwardly courteous but inwardly resentful and ambitious. His hostility is suggested by his reaction to Si Yifan’s refusal to explain their purpose.

Significant themes

• Courtesy concealing danger: Qian Zhi’s generous welcome masks a trap.
• Political ambition and secrecy: Qian Zhi exploits the visitors’ unexplained mission while pursuing control of his household.
• Observation and suspicion: Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou’s attention to small irregularities helps reveal the threat.
• Hidden power: The Water Prison illustrates how much of the Qian Household’s influence and methods remain unknown to outsiders.

Character interactions

• Si Yifan and Qian Zhi exchange formal courtesies, but Si Yifan’s refusal to confide in him deepens Qian Zhi’s resentment.
• Yang Qing stays out of their social exchange, yet his suspicions grow during the meal.
• Once the ship is trapped in the current, Yang Qing and Si Yifan compare observations and recognize the link between Qian Zhi, the reefs, and the Water Prison.