Chapter Summaries

Qian Wanyu searched Qian Ying’s hidden space for the inheritance while struggling with repeated false versions of Dongfang Minghui, and she finally reunited with the real Dongfang Minghui. Toothless uncovered the inheritance beneath the ruined house, leaving Qian Wanyu poised to retrieve it.

• Qian Wanyu rejected a false Dongfang Minghui and, after repeated impostors appeared, killed one that had shared a meal with her, causing the house and Herb Garden to transform.
• Qian Wanyu found Dongfang Minghui with Toothless, Little Fatty, and Little Sprout, then embraced her and took her back to the house.
• Little Artifact Spirit interrupted Qian Wanyu and Dongfang Minghui’s intimate reunion by bringing down the vine-covered house, and Qian Wanyu punished the spirit before Dongfang Minghui stopped her from continuing.
• Qian Wanyu ordered Little Artifact Spirit to help rebuild the house, and Toothless and the others joined in clearing the rubble.
• Toothless used fire to reveal a fiery red light beneath the ground, and Qian Wanyu recognized the spot as the place where Qian Ying had hidden the inheritance.

Dongfang Minghui discovered that the river concealed a yin-yang spring and cared for the spirits living around it while Qian Wanyu received the Thousand Family Inheritance. When Qian Wanyu underwent a demonic fall, Dongfang Minghui entered the inheritance to reach her, but the chapter ended with her struggling to understand what sacrifice was required to save Seventh Sister.

• Dongfang Minghui found that Toothless and Little Fatty had been exploring a river whose hot and cold outlets formed a yin-yang spring, and she released the Little Golden Pseudo-Dragon into its waters.
• Dongfang Minghui learned that Qian Wanyu's violent Five-Element Spirit Body was being balanced by their shared aura, then returned to tending the herb garden and feeding the spirits with spring water and fish.
• Little Fatty nourished Little Sprout with her saliva until Little Sprout bloomed, gained a human face, and began speaking.
• Dongfang Minghui sensed Qian Wanyu's spiritual power surge and entered the inheritance, where she found Qian Wanyu surrounded by sinister red-black power and nearly strangled herself after hearing the dead people's resentful voices.
• Pig Immortal Grass identified the power as resentment Qian Ying had collected from the dying and sent the Soul-Yin Grass Mark and Ice Lotus Flower toward Qian Wanyu, who swept them into the inheritance and threatened to refine them.
• Dongfang Minghui tried to gather Qian Wanyu's five excluded streams of spiritual power, but could not move them, as Pig Immortal Grass urged her to sacrifice herself.

Dongfang Minghui and Pig Immortal Grass broke Qian Wanyu free from the corrupted Thousand Family inheritance, though Minghui nearly died in the process. After Qian Wanyu received the true inheritance and revived her, they found the Yin-Yang Spring frozen by an imbalance, and set out to rescue Toothless; Ding Ding then pierced the false sky above their hidden realm.

• Dongfang Minghui used her blood and spiritual power to help Pig Immortal Grass and Little Lecher plant the Soul-Yin Grass Mark and Ice Lotus Flower, then entered the inheritance to restrain Qian Wanyu as she fell under its influence.
• Dongfang Minghui and the plants bound Qian Wanyu in a cocoon while Minghui purged the corrupted power; Pig Immortal Grass fed them the Ice Lotus Flower and a Soul-Yin Grass fruit, and Qian Wanyu later awakened to find Minghui gravely injured.
• Qian Wanyu carried Minghui into the true inheritance and received it, restoring Minghui; meanwhile, Toothless and Little Fatty's cultivation depleted the Fire Element Spring Pearl and caused the Yin-Yang Spring to freeze over.
• Qian Wanyu and Dongfang Minghui found Ding Ding, Little Sprout, and Little Fatty trapped by the spreading ice, learned Toothless was at the river bottom, and headed toward the false sky to find a way out.
• Ding Ding struck the false sky with the Longevity Cauldron, accidentally releasing the fierce beast before it pierced open the dark space beyond the sky.

Qian Wanyu and Dongfang Minghui returned to the surface and enlisted Xiao Miao to help stabilize the Yin-Yang Spring and free Toothless. As they investigated the spring and prepared to leave, Dongfang Minghui discovered that Ding Ding had used the Longevity Cauldron to refine an unusually potent elixir.

• Qian Wanyu brought Xiao Miao down to help Little Fatty melt the spreading ice while Ding Ding held open the passage with the Longevity Cauldron.
• Dongfang Minghui uncovered that Ding Ding and Toothless had destroyed her flower beds and herb garden, and Qian Wanyu assigned Ding Ding to care for the replanted herbs.
• Toothless emerged from the river after the ice melted and explained that absorbing the spring pearls had unbalanced the Yin-Yang Spring; Qian Wanyu returned underwater with her to investigate.
• Dongfang Minghui comforted Ding Ding over its punishment and discovered that its tears turned into gold beans, then stayed by the river while Qian Wanyu and Toothless studied the spring.
• Little Sprout grew a hand, and Qian Wanyu told Dongfang Minghui that they might soon need to leave once the spring remained stable.
• Ding Ding put spirit medicine into the Longevity Cauldron, and Dongfang Minghui found that it had produced a fragrant, powerful elixir.

Dongfang Minghui was pulled into the Dragon Clan Hidden Grounds after touching Toothless's forehead, where she helped Toothless drive a hostile Dragon Core from an elder's skeleton. Toothless swallowed the contaminated Dragon Core and fled, leaving Dongfang Minghui and Qian Wanyu scrambling to find and treat her.

• Dongfang Minghui and the others ate fish slices before the Dragon Core ran wild, setting the woods ablaze and leaving Toothless unconscious after it struck her.
• Dongfang Minghui touched the red mole on Toothless's forehead and was drawn into the Dragon Clan Hidden Grounds, where the Dragon Core tried to take over an elder's skeleton.
• Dongfang Minghui and Pig Immortal Grass launched the black herb at the Dragon Core, contaminating it and preventing it from returning to the skeleton; Toothless then forced it out.
• Toothless swallowed the contaminated Dragon Core, returned with Dongfang Minghui to the others, and immediately fled before Dongfang Minghui could give her the potion.
• Qian Wanyu pursued Toothless, while Dongfang Minghui sent Ding Ding after her with instructions to force the potion down her throat.

Summary — “By Force (2)”

• Plot: Toothless leaves; no reason or destination is given.
• Characters: Toothless is the only character mentioned, and no development is shown.
• Themes: The fragment is too brief to establish a significant theme.
• Interactions: None are described.

Qian Wanyu and Dongfang Minghui tried to save Toothless from a conscious Dragon Core that was suppressing her, while Ding Ding entered Toothless’s body and used a potion to weaken the black threads. After Toothless absorbed more of the Dragon Core and emerged from the Longevity Cauldron, the group returned to the Yin-Yang Spring, where Qian Wanyu prepared to retrieve the spring pearls without Toothless’s help.

• Qian Wanyu and Ding Ding found Toothless, whose behavior suggested the Dragon Core’s consciousness was taking control, and Ding Ding trapped her and the Fierce Beast inside the Longevity Cauldron.
• Dongfang Minghui explained that the Dragon Core had retained its memories and was trying to devour Toothless’s mind, so Qian Wanyu planned to keep Toothless’s attachment to her strong while the Fierce Beast occupied the Dragon Core.
• Ding Ding entered Toothless’s body, poured potion over the black threads in her dantian, and punched the Dragon Core, then learned that Toothless wanted it to keep beating the baddie rather than give her more medicine.
• Ding Ding repeatedly visited Toothless inside the cauldron, and it noticed that Toothless grew larger as the Dragon Core and the Fierce Beast grew smaller; Qian Wanyu concluded Toothless was absorbing the Dragon Core.
• Ding Ding brought Toothless out of the Longevity Cauldron, and the group returned to the Yin-Yang Spring as Qian Wanyu went down to retrieve the spring pearls while warning the others to stay back.

Key plot points and events

• Minghui investigates the spiritual imprints that are draining her energy and may be connected to Lu Zongwen. She enlists Tuoba Ze to help locate him and studies how destroying one imprint affects the others.
• She finds an opportunity to remove an imprint but realizes that tampering with the network could destabilize her. Despite warnings from Guo Shuyu, she presses on, convinced that Seventh Sister is somehow suppressing or managing the marks.
• Meanwhile, a coordinated attack erupts near the city. Wolves and bears assault the group as women use stealth and poison against the men. Minghui and Seventh Sister’s party are drawn into the fighting, and several people are badly injured.
• Minghui helps the wounded, while Toothless uses her own blood to heal Minghui, paying a heavy physical price. The group escapes the immediate danger, but hostile forces continue to pursue them.
• During a later confrontation, Toothless puts herself in danger to protect Minghui and is seized by the enemy. Minghui prepares to follow, despite Toothless’s weakened condition; the excerpt ends with Minghui warning her not to do so.

Character developments and interactions

• Minghui is resourceful and caring, but increasingly reckless about the imprints and willing to risk her safety to uncover the truth and rescue others. Her concern for Toothless clashes with her determination to act.
• Toothless demonstrates intense loyalty and self-sacrifice, healing Minghui and repeatedly putting herself between Minghui and danger. Her attachment makes her reluctant to stay behind.
• Seventh Sister remains protective and capable in battle, though Minghui suspects she is withholding information about the imprints.
• Tuoba Ze becomes a trusted helper in Minghui’s investigation. Guo Shuyu tries to warn Minghui about the risks, but she does not heed him.
• The danger also exposes a close, protective bond between Minghui and Seventh Sister’s group as they fight and care for one another.

Significant themes

• Control and bodily autonomy: The imprints drain energy and may link the characters to a larger system of influence.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Toothless’s healing and rescue attempts show how devotion can become self-endangerment.
• Trust and secrecy: Minghui seeks answers while suspecting that people close to her are concealing the truth.
• Courage versus recklessness: Minghui’s compassion drives her to help others, but also pushes her to ignore warnings and take dangerous risks.

Qian Wanyu and Little Fatty took the Ice Spring Pearl and Fire Element Spring Pearl from the Yin-Yang Spring, triggering a flood that forced the group to escape through the Longevity Cauldron. After emerging, they encountered Yuchi Shou, learned he had saved Lien long ago, and prepared to help Toothless resist the Dragon Core's attempt to take over her body.

• Qian Wanyu and Little Fatty seized the two Spring Pearls, causing the Yin-Yang Spring to surge and flood the surrounding area.
• The group escaped through the Longevity Cauldron as the sky curtains closed, then found Yuchi Shou holding Qian Yiling hostage and demanding Toothless abandon her search for the Dragon Clan Lands.
• Yuchi Shou revealed that he had found and cared for Lien in an Ice Coffin, and Qian Wanyu decided to take Lien back to the Thousand Family.
• The Dragon Core inside Toothless launched a desperate attempt to possess her, so Qian Wanyu planned to use Yuchi Shou as bait and the Ice Spring Pearl to seal it.
• Ding Ding expanded the Longevity Cauldron around the group so they could begin the plan to force the Dragon Core out of Toothless.

Dongfang Minghui and the others tried to draw the bad fellow out of Toothless while keeping Toothless distracted. When a fierce beast attacked Dongfang Minghui and disrupted the fight, Ding Ding knocked it unconscious and tossed it to the top of the Longevity Cauldron.

• Ding Ding explained that the bad fellow inside Toothless became restless when Toothless was near death, and offered to draw it out once her flames weakened.
• Dongfang Minghui dodged as the awakened fierce beast attacked her with ice spikes.
• Ding Ding confronted the fierce beast, but hesitated to release it because it had been with Ding Ding for a long time.
• Dongfang Minghui told Ding Ding to knock the beast unconscious or trap it so it would stop interfering.
• Ding Ding slammed the fierce beast into a wall until it was dazed, then tossed it onto the top of the Longevity Cauldron.

Qian Wanyu and the others temporarily sealed Toothless in an Ice Coffin to stop two merging Dragon Cores from deceiving them, then followed the Yin-Yang Spring’s ice outlet in search of its source. Qian Wanyu awoke on a platform surrounded by waterfalls, where Ding Ding caught a strange creature that looked like a small dragon.

• Dongfang Minghui asked Ding Ding to release the ice-element Fierce Beast, and Qian Wanyu persuaded it to help attack Toothless in exchange for treatment with the Ice Spring Pearl.
• Ding Ding entered Toothless’s mouth to identify her Dragon Core but found that both cores looked and felt identical, so Qian Wanyu and Yuchi Shou decided to seek the Dragon Clan Lands and temporarily ice-seal Toothless.
• Qian Wanyu, Yuchi Shou, and the others recovered two intact Ice Coffins from the collapsed mountain, and Toothless agreed to be sealed while Dongfang Minghui stayed with her.
• Qian Wanyu took Ding Ding through the flooded passage behind the Yin-Yang Spring to find the enlarged ice-element outlet, but she weakened in the freezing current and Little White Ball rescued her.
• Qian Wanyu woke on an isolated platform with Dongfang Minghui and Ding Ding, who proudly hauled up a slippery, ten-meter creature that Qian Wanyu said was not a fish.

Ding Ding brought back a creature caught in the Golden Silk Net, and Dongfang Minghui tried to check whether it was alive. The creature attacked her by biting her hand.

• Ding Ding asked whether the motionless creature was still alive.
• Ding Ding threw the Golden Silk Net down in frustration and said it was the only creature she had found after searching for ages.
• Dongfang Minghui loosened the net to examine the creature.
• The creature sprang up and bit Dongfang Minghui's hand.

Dongfang Minghui treated a hostile little dragon after Ding Ding caught it, while she and Qian Wanyu discovered that the Soul-Yin Grass’s yin energy had been making her dangerously cold. She moved the grass into Qian Wanyu’s Soul Sea, then watched the little dragon escape toward the cliff as the others left to investigate the waterway.

• Qian Wanyu struck the little dragon with her Water-Thunder Whip, and Dongfang Minghui treated its wounds despite its resistance.
• The little dragon attacked Ding Ding after waking, and Dongfang Minghui restrained both creatures and gave them Teething Sticks.
• The Pig Immortal Grass explained that the Soul-Yin Fruit caused Dongfang Minghui’s intense cold, so she moved the Soul-Yin Grass into Qian Wanyu’s Soul Sea to nourish Qing Mo.
• Qian Wanyu and the others explored beneath the waterfall and planned to trace the water beyond Mountain Stream.
• Qian Wanyu, Qian Ziyan, Qian Yiling, Little Fatty, and Little White Ball left to investigate, while the little dragon wriggled free of its net and plunged off the edge.

• Plot: The speakers urge Ding Ding to take them along and quickly pursue a group that has gone ahead. Ding Ding agrees.
• Character development: Ding Ding is cooperative; the others are eager to catch up.
• Themes: Urgency, cooperation, and pursuit.
• Interactions: The speakers make a hurried request, and Ding Ding readily accepts. The excerpt is too brief to establish further character or plot details.

Dongfang Minghui and Ding Ding encountered a river-dwelling creature that could escape by exchanging itself with other things, while Qian Wanyu's group was dragged into its lair and fought their way free. After Yuchi Shou identified the creature as an intelligent Worm with the ancient ability of Spatial Transposition, the group prepared to continue toward the Dragon Clan Lands with it in their care.

• Dongfang Minghui tried to touch Toothless's Ice Coffin, then told Yuchi Shou that a snake-like creature had escaped with the Golden Silk Net.
• Ding Ding followed the net through the water, found that its captive had been replaced, and went to the mountain stream to search for Qian Wanyu's group.
• Dongfang Minghui followed a path by the stream, discovered the old tree had lied about her family's whereabouts, and was attacked by river creatures after striking the water with Flying Leaves.
• Yuchi Shou identified the attackers as pseudo-dragons, while Qian Wanyu's group escaped their lair and reunited with Dongfang Minghui.
• Ding Ding caught the elusive creature, but it replaced itself with a vine; Yuchi Shou recognized it as a Worm with the ancient ability of Spatial Transposition.
• Dongfang Minghui treated the injured Worm and agreed to release it once it recovered, while Yuchi Shou apologized to Ding Ding and was allowed back into the Longevity Cauldron.

Dongfang Minghui and Qian Wanyu discovered that the maps showed opposing routes to the Dragon Clan Lands and crossed Mountain Stream, where Qian Wanyu and Ding Ding fought through giant worms. After releasing Little Hui, they continued onward, but Little Hui returned for help with its medicine as Dongfang Minghui grew concerned about Little Sprout’s changed temperament.

• Qian Wanyu explained that the two maps showed opposite routes that overlapped, and she and Dongfang Minghui chose the road toward Mountain Stream.
• Ding Ding cried after Qian Wanyu warned that Little Hui needed to return home, then helped Qian Wanyu fight through the giant worms blocking the crossing.
• Qian Wanyu released Little Hui downstream, but it followed them back, and Dongfang Minghui treated its wounds while wondering why it seemed newly fascinated by Ding Ding.
• Dongfang Minghui told Qian Wanyu that Little Sprout had changed since being separated from them, and she wondered whether the Heavenly Sound Helmet’s Artifact Spirit had entered it.
• Little Hui returned with a medicine bottle tied to its tail, and Dongfang Minghui treated it and gave it a Teething Stick while Ding Ding asked for one too.

Dongfang Minghui and Qian Wanyu encountered a hidden group of worm people in the mountain’s mirror-like paths, and Dongfang Minghui was poisoned in an ambush. After Little Hui helped them obtain an antidote, Qian Wanyu decided to investigate the Worm Clan’s strange condition before continuing toward the Dragon Clan Lands.

• Dongfang Minghui and Qian Wanyu continued uphill, and Qian Wanyu made Little Hui travel under its own power until Ding Ding taught it to transform into objects and move more effectively.
• Ding Ding spotted a tall white-haired man gathering plants, and Qian Wanyu followed him through a hidden path that reversed the surrounding terrain.
• While Qian Wanyu and Ding Ding explored the lower path, white-haired attackers struck Dongfang Minghui with a poisoned silver needle, leaving her unconscious.
• Qian Wanyu found the white-haired man treating another worm person in a cave, and Little Hui brought her a foul-smelling jar that could neutralize Dongfang Minghui’s poison.
• Dongfang Minghui recovered after purging the poison with spiritual power, while Qian Wanyu concluded that the paths formed mirror planes and decided to investigate the Worm Clan without telling Qian Yiling.

After Mu Sheng lost a tooth on a hard fruit, Qian Wanyu concluded that the group was trapped on the reverse side of a mirror and led them toward the other side. Dongfang Minghui repeatedly woke with gaps in her memory while growing stronger, and the group learned from the Worm Clan that the mirror had split their souls and bodies; they continued onward with a reluctant guide.

• Mu Sheng lost a front tooth on Ding Ding's hard fruit, and Qian Wanyu tested the fruits before telling everyone she suspected they were on the reverse side of a mirror.
• Dongfang Minghui slept for days and repeatedly forgot what had happened during her waking spells, while Qian Wanyu found her spiritual power growing purer and stronger.
• Qian Wanyu took Dongfang Minghui down to the caves, where Yuchi Shou questioned the White-Haired Worm People and learned that a mirror had split their clan into beast forms and white-haired bodies.
• Yuchi Shou learned that the Worm Clan had lured Dongfang Minghui because they wanted her to treat their injured kin, and that Qian Wanyu had killed some of their beast forms.
• Qian Wanyu made an injured white-haired worm guide them upward, and Dongfang Minghui woke on her back as the group continued traveling.

Dongfang Minghui traveled with Qian Wanyu and Yuchi Shou while struggling with her missing memories, and she tended to Little Hui’s injuries. She discovered that Little Hui and the white-haired Little Hui had identical wounds, leaving their connection unexplained.

• Dongfang Minghui noticed Little Hui’s bleeding tail, and the white-haired Little Hui carried it.
• Dongfang Minghui asked about missing Spirit Liquid and her Teething Stick, while the group concealed that she had used them up.
• After two days of travel, the group stopped to rest, and Dongfang Minghui treated Little Hui’s tail.
• Little Hui prompted Dongfang Minghui to treat the white-haired Little Hui’s injured feet, and she found matching wounds on its waist and abdomen.
• Dongfang Minghui compared their injuries and realized every wound on Little Hui matched one on the white-haired Little Hui.

Qian Wanyu and Dongfang Minghui’s group reached the Worm Clan’s forbidden mountain and discovered that a mirror embedded in the cliff was likely the Soul-Severing Mirror, which had split the clan’s souls. Ding Ding fell unconscious while trying to help Qian Wanyu reach it, and the group ended with the mirror’s dangers still unknown and the decision to retrieve it unresolved.

• Qian Wanyu explained that Little Hui and White-Haired Little Hui were halves of one soul, and the group traveled toward the mountain’s peak while Dongfang Minghui repeatedly fell asleep.
• Little Hui and White-Haired Little Hui led the group to an archway and showed excitement at a flashing object across the cliff; Little Hui explained that they hoped to destroy the mirror that had divided the Worm Clan.
• Qian Wanyu and Ding Ding tried to reach the mirror shard, but Ding Ding suddenly fainted and both fell; Yuchi Shou caught them, while Little Lecher and Little Hui helped keep the others from slipping off the cliff.
• Qian Wanyu concluded that the mirror was likely the Soul-Severing Mirror, and Little Hui explained that it had trapped the Worm Clan in divided groups.
• Little Lecher warned that people who had seen the Soul-Severing Mirror reportedly died or went mad, and Dongfang Minghui urged Qian Wanyu to wait until Ding Ding woke before deciding what to do.