Chapter Summaries

After a blow to the head awakened memories of his previous life, Fang Yunhua realized he was a Mount Hua disciple in Gu Long’s martial world and recognized the dangers awaiting his sect. When the sect leader summoned him to the main hall, he feared she was about to involve Mount Hua in her plans concerning Yuan Suiyun.

• Hua Zhenzhen carried the injured Fang Yunhua back to his quarters after their sparring session, and he recognized her as his senior sister when his memories returned.
• Fang Yunhua recalled his life as a Mount Hua disciple, his master Kumei, and his martial arts, including the Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind and the Embrace the Origin Skill.
• Fang Yunhua realized that the events of The Legend of the Bat were approaching and worried that Kumei’s plans could bring disaster to Mount Hua.
• A junior brother summoned Fang Yunhua to the main hall on Kumei’s orders, and Fang Yunhua feared she intended to pursue Yuan Suiyun’s schemes.

Fang Yunhua discovered that his abilities had advanced after he instinctively dispersed Withered Plum’s palm strike. When Jin Ban Hua arrived claiming Chu Liuxiang had stolen his White Jade Beauty, Fang Yunhua suspected the visitor was an impostor and drew his sword.

• Withered Plum asked Fang Yunhua whether he had caused trouble during his last trip, and he told her about an older woman who had showered him with silver.
• Withered Plum attacked Fang Yunhua after he joked about older women, but he effortlessly dispersed her palm force and she realized he might have comprehended intent.
• Withered Plum sent Fang Yunhua to meet Jin Ban Hua, then watched cloudy vapor linger around a candlestick where he had stood.
• Jin Ban Hua asked Fang Yunhua to help recover the White Jade Beauty that Chu Liuxiang had allegedly stolen.
• Fang Yunhua suspected the visitor was not the real Jin Ban Hua, accused him of killing Old Jin, and drew his sword.

Chu Liuxiang suspected Fang Yunhua had led the Divine Water Palace disciple astray, so he disguised himself to approach the Amorous Young Master. Fang Yunhua exposed him and demanded a fight, and their sparring drew Master Kumei and the Mount Hua disciples to the reception hall.

• Chu Liuxiang suspected Fang Yunhua was connected to the pregnant Divine Water Palace disciple who had stolen the Heavenly One Divine Water.
• Chu Liuxiang learned that Jin Ban Hua was friendly with Fang Yunhua and used his disguise to approach him.
• Fang Yunhua recognized Chu Liuxiang and demanded they fight before answering his questions.
• Fang Yunhua and Chu Liuxiang exchanged sword strikes and lightness skills, damaging the reception hall as their sparring intensified.
• Master Kumei arrived and stopped the Mount Hua disciples from joining the fight.

Fang Yunhua fought Chu Liuxiang at Mount Hua, and their duel helped Fang grasp the deeper essence of the Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind. After they settled Chu Liuxiang’s impersonation of Jin Ban Hua, the two noticed the disciples staring at them.

• Fang Yunhua and Chu Liuxiang exchanged blows while Master Kumei recognized Chu Liuxiang and the Mount Hua disciples watched anxiously.
• Fang Yunhua launched a decisive sword strike, but Chu Liuxiang neutralized it with a flick and a light touch to Fang’s sword arm.
• Fang Yunhua used a burst of power to shatter a porcelain vessel, and Chu Liuxiang intercepted the fragments with wine droplets as their weapons stopped near each other.
• Master Kumei held back the spectators while Chu Liuxiang waited for Fang Yunhua to emerge from a sudden enlightenment.
• Fang Yunhua realized his swordplay had moved beyond prescribed forms, thanked Chu Liuxiang for his guidance, and agreed that Chu Liuxiang’s impersonation of Jin Ban Hua was settled.
• Fang Yunhua and Chu Liuxiang noticed the Mount Hua disciples crowding around the reception hall to watch them.

Fang Yunhua reflected on the reforms that had brought Mount Hua prosperity and considered strengthening its ties to the imperial court. After his spar with Hua Zhenzhen, he left to meet Chu Liuxiang, while Hua Zhenzhen agreed to a rematch with neither of them holding back.

• Fang Yunhua explained the misunderstanding to Master Kumei, who trusted his judgment and accepted the changes he had brought to Mount Hua.
• Fang Yunhua recalled how he had reunited Mount Hua's branch lineages, reorganized the sect, and increased its wealth and standing.
• Fang Yunhua arranged for disciples to spread the word that his spar with Chu Liuxiang had ended in a draw, and considered building an alliance with the An Prince's Mansion.
• Hua Zhenzhen asked Fang Yunhua whether he had held back during their spar, and he replied that she had been doing the same.
• Fang Yunhua told Hua Zhenzhen they were even and promised they would both fight without holding back next time before leaving to see Chu Liuxiang.

Fang Yunhua hosted Chu Liuxiang for tea and teased him about Hu Tiehua’s broken promise to Gao Yanan. After easing Chu Liuxiang’s embarrassment, Fang Yunhua asked him to help redeem the White Jade Beauty.

• Chu Liuxiang explained that Hua Zhenzhen had been ready to protect Fang Yunhua during their sparring, and Fang Yunhua apologized for her concern while brewing Mengding Stone Flower tea.
• As he drank tea, Fang Yunhua considered asking Jin Lingzhi to connect Mount Hua with the An Prince’s Mansion through her powerful family.
• Fang Yunhua revealed that Gao Yanan had waited seven years for Hu Tiehua after he denied a drunken promise, leaving Chu Liuxiang embarrassed on his friend’s behalf.
• Chu Liuxiang offered to help Gao Yanan, but Fang Yunhua said he would not interfere in his senior sister’s feelings and instead asked Chu Liuxiang to help redeem the White Jade Beauty.

Fang Yunhua redeemed the White Jade Beauty for Jin Banhua and learned why Chu Liuxiang had disguised himself as Jin Banhua. After hearing Chu Liuxiang’s account of the Divine Water Palace murder, Fang Yunhua suspected Wuhua, but Chu Liuxiang rejected the idea.

• Fang Yunhua offered Chu Liuxiang enough money to redeem the White Jade Beauty and have it delivered to Mount Hua within seven days, explaining the excess would support people harmed by the martial world.
• Fang Yunhua asked why Chu Liuxiang had disguised himself as Jin Banhua, and Chu Liuxiang recounted the five floating corpses, the Divine Water Palace disciple’s death, and his deadline from Gong Nanyan.
• Fang Yunhua agreed that the murderer fit Chu Liuxiang’s profile of an eloquent, clever ladies’ man, then said he was not the culprit.
• Fang Yunhua connected the murder to the martial-world rumor naming himself, Chu Liuxiang, and Wuhua as dream lovers, and privately recalled that he had started the rumor to build his fame.
• Fang Yunhua suggested Wuhua as the remaining suspect, but Chu Liuxiang said Wuhua could not be responsible.

Fang Yunhua deduced that Stone Guanyin and her sons Nangong Ling and Wuhua had secretly obstructed Mount Hua, then used a hypothetical discussion to warn Chu Liuxiang about how a culprit might fake death. Chu Liuxiang resolved to check future bodies carefully, and the conversation turned to Fang Yunhua taking a sword from Xue Yiren's collection.

• Fang Yunhua traced the attacks against Mount Hua to Nangong Ling, with Wuhua acting as an accomplice and Stone Guanyin directing their efforts.
• Chu Liuxiang defended Wuhua, so Fang Yunhua asked him how he would respond if Wuhua were proven guilty.
• Fang Yunhua explained that a culprit could exploit Chu Liuxiang's reluctance to kill a friend by faking death and escaping judgment.
• Chu Liuxiang realized Fang Yunhua's scenario carried a warning and decided he would verify whether anyone who died before him was truly dead.
• Chu Liuxiang asked Fang Yunhua about the renowned swords collected by Xue Yiren, and Fang Yunhua's mood turned heavy.

Fang Yunhua explained to Chu Liuxiang how he met Xue Yiren and came to wield the legendary Skyward Sword. He revealed that the sword was only entrusted to him temporarily, and that he had to pass Xue Yiren’s trial every six months or be killed.

• Chu Liuxiang teased Fang Yunhua with the rumor that he had received the Skyward Sword by winning over Xue Honghong.
• Fang Yunhua explained that Shi Yin helped arrange his meeting with Xue Yiren, and that Xue Honghong also helped him gain access to the swordsman.
• Fang Yunhua said he challenged Xue Yiren after asking to witness the greatest swordsman’s skill, then was given a trial to prove his progress every six months.
• Fang Yunhua told Chu Liuxiang that Xue Yiren would kill him if he failed the trial, and clarified that he was only holding the Skyward Sword temporarily.

After Chu Liuxiang left Mount Hua, Fang Yunhua dealt with the elders’ questions about the Divine Water Palace scandal and continued training with Hua Zhenzhen. He confirmed the story was still years before Mount Hua’s scandals and entrusted Hua Zhenzhen with official work while he prepared to leave.

• Chu Liuxiang and Fang Yunhua parted as friends after their sparring match ended in a draw and Fang Yunhua broke through his bottleneck in the Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind.
• Fang Yunhua told Mount Hua’s elders that a Divine Water Palace disciple had become pregnant, committed suicide, and stolen the Heavenly One Divine Water, prompting them to question him about Chu Liuxiang’s visit and his past behavior.
• Fang Yunhua organized his information, arranged to meet Jin Ban Hua and Jin Lingzhi in the capital, and sparred with Hua Zhenzhen, confirming that Withered Plum had not yet been seduced and that Hua Zhenzhen possessed powerful hidden skills.
• Fang Yunhua asked Hua Zhenzhen to handle official arrangements while he was away, and she eagerly shifted into business mode.

Fang Yunhua told Hua Zhenzhen that Stone Guanyin’s son Nangong Ling was likely behind the attacks on Mount Hua’s businesses, then laid out a plan for Mount Hua to undermine the Beggar Gang and expand its influence across the region. Hua Zhenzhen was swept up in admiration for Fang Yunhua as he described his ambition.

• Fang Yunhua recounted Mount Hua’s reforms and the attacks on its businesses, explaining how Xue Yiren’s reputation had helped protect the sect.
• Fang Yunhua revealed that Li Qi was Stone Guanyin, and that her sons were Wuhua and Nangong Ling.
• Hua Zhenzhen reasoned that Nangong Ling, the Beggar Gang leader, was the likeliest mastermind behind the attacks.
• Fang Yunhua asked Hua Zhenzhen to spread damaging rumors about Nangong Ling and remove the Beggar Gang’s corrupt forces from Mount Hua’s territory.
• Fang Yunhua outlined plans to ally with regional powers, control key routes and towns, and use the Beggar Gang’s disgrace to expand Mount Hua’s dominion.
• Hua Zhenzhen listened to Fang Yunhua’s bold vision and felt her admiration for him intensify.

Fang Yunhua entrusted Hua Zhenzhen with overseeing Mount Hua’s recovery and revealed that Stone Guanyin had spared the sect to keep Huangfu Gao as her captive. Hua Zhenzhen agreed to conceal the truth from Withered Plum, while Fang Yunhua considered bringing Huangfu Gao and Liu Yanfei back into Mount Hua’s story.

• Fang Yunhua’s junior brother interrupted an intimate moment with Hua Zhenzhen to deliver a brocade box.
• Fang Yunhua asked Hua Zhenzhen to remain at Mount Hua and oversee his plan to restore the sect, and she accepted the responsibility.
• Fang Yunhua told Hua Zhenzhen that Stone Guanyin had used Mount Hua’s survivors to keep Huangfu Gao under her control after he refused to submit to her.
• Fang Yunhua explained that Huangfu Gao had been rescued by Ji Bingyan and now lived as Stone Camel, and he considered finding him and Liu Yanfei.
• Hua Zhenzhen agreed not to tell Withered Plum about Stone Guanyin and silently worried that Stone Guanyin might target Fang Yunhua.

Fang Yunhua won Mount Hua’s leaders over to a plan to expand the sect’s influence and prepare for negotiations with the An Prince, then announced he would leave the mountain the next morning. That night, Hua Zhenzhen slipped into his room and joined him beneath the covers.

• Fang Yunhua outlined a plan to use Mount Hua’s position at the junction of Shaanxi, Henan, and Shanxi to expand across the Three Provinces, with the An Prince’s support and pressure on the Beggar Gang.
• Fang Yunhua reassured Mount Hua’s leaders that Chu Liuxiang would keep Nangong Ling occupied, and they accepted his plan and Hua Zhenzhen’s appointment as its commander.
• Fang Yunhua told Withered Plum he would leave the next morning, and she warned him that the assassin who had attacked him remained unidentified.
• Withered Plum announced that Fang Yunhua would become Mount Hua’s Sect Leader Successor so he could represent the sect to the An Prince.
• Hua Zhenzhen entered Fang Yunhua’s room that night and slipped beneath his covers.

After spending another morning with Hua Zhenzhen, Fang Yunhua left Mount Hua for the Capital City with three martial arts manuals and the White Jade Beauty. He arrived stronger after five days of training and headed to the Wonderful Music Tower to meet Jin Ban Hua.

• Hua Zhenzhen explained her Overseer lineage and gave Fang Yunhua copies of the Demon-Subduing Heart Method, Heart-Plucking Hand, and Soaring Swan Step.
• Fang Yunhua postponed his departure, then descended Mount Hua carrying the Skyward Sword and the White Jade Beauty.
• Fang Yunhua joined a Mount Hua Escort Agency convoy to the Capital City and studied Hua Zhenzhen's manuals during the five-day journey.
• Fang Yunhua mastered the Demon-Subduing Heart Method and Heart-Plucking Hand, and improved his lightness skills with Soaring Swan Step.
• Liao Gang delivered Jin Ban Hua's invitation to a noon banquet at the Wonderful Music Tower, and Fang Yunhua agreed to attend with a surprise for Jin Ban Hua.
• Fang Yunhua parted from the convoy and made his way to the Wonderful Music Tower.

Fang Yunhua met Jin Ban Hua at the Wonderful Music Tower and listened as he raged over Chu Liuxiang using the White Jade Beauty for charitable fame. Fang Yunhua presented Jin Ban Hua with the White Jade Beauty, leaving him so overwhelmed that Fang Yunhua told him to calm down or take an incense stick’s time to let off steam.

• Fang Yunhua arrived at the Wonderful Music Tower, where the madam welcomed him and Jin Ban Hua called him into a private room.
• Jin Ban Hua praised Fang Yunhua for supposedly catching Chu Liuxiang at Mount Hua, and Fang Yunhua let the rumor stand while warning him that Chu Liuxiang was exceptionally powerful.
• Jin Ban Hua complained that Chu Liuxiang had sold the White Jade Beauty to fund disaster relief and had used Jin Ban Hua’s treasured possession to build his own reputation.
• Jin Ban Hua slapped banknotes onto the table and hit his own face as he lamented the loss of his dignity.
• Fang Yunhua showed Jin Ban Hua a Jade Box containing the White Jade Beauty, and Jin Ban Hua examined it with growing excitement.

Fang Yunhua refused Jin Ban Hua’s repayment for recovering the White Jade Beauty, and the two friends shared a meal before parting. Later, Fang Yunhua returned to the Mount Hua Trading Company, where Jin Lingzhi was waiting for him.

• Jin Ban Hua offered Fang Yunhua banknotes and gifts to repay him for retrieving the White Jade Beauty, but Fang Yunhua reminded him of their past favors and declined.
• Fang Yunhua asked Jin Ban Hua to treat him to dinner instead, and Jin Ban Hua gladly agreed.
• After the meal, Jin Ban Hua left to celebrate recovering the White Jade Beauty, while Fang Yunhua declined to join him and sent the women away to cultivate.
• Fang Yunhua returned to the Mount Hua Trading Company at night and found Jin Lingzhi waiting outside.
• Jin Lingzhi rushed over, embraced Fang Yunhua, and sniffed him while calling him a big rascal.

Fang Yunhua reunited with Jin Lingzhi in the Capital City and reassured her that his relationship with Yan Wushuang had only been part of a plan to help Mount Hua. Meanwhile, Chu Liuxiang investigated the murders and was attacked by Red One Point after pursuing a lead to Leng Qiuhun.

• Jin Lingzhi confronted Fang Yunhua over spending the afternoon at Wonderful Music Tower and his rumored connection with Yan Wushuang.
• Fang Yunhua explained that he had linked his name with Yan Wushuang to build Mount Hua's reputation, and Jin Lingzhi worried she might also be part of an act.
• Fang Yunhua kissed Jin Lingzhi and recalled how they met while traveling with a merchant caravan, fell in love, and parted when she was summoned home.
• After reuniting, Jin Lingzhi accepted Fang Yunhua's sincerity and let go of her jealousy.
• With his lead on Fang Yunhua cut off, Chu Liuxiang sent Su Rongrong to investigate the Divine Water Palace and pursued the trail of Ximen Qian to Leng Qiuhun.
• Chu Liuxiang encountered a sudden attack from Red One Point in the Central Plains as he investigated the lead.

Chu Liuxiang, disguised as Zhang Xiaolin, befriended Red One Point in the Central Plains and learned that rumors about his fight with Fang Yunhua had spread. After returning to the Treasure Ship, he heard Su Rongrong’s reasons for suspecting Wuhua of stealing the Heavenly One Divine Water, leaving him uncertain about his friend as the investigation continued.

• Red One Point recognized Chu Liuxiang beneath his disguise, praised him, and was won over by his ideas about killing.
• Red One Point asked about Chu Liuxiang’s fight with Fang Yunhua, and Chu Liuxiang said Fang could defeat him within twenty moves if Fang fought to kill.
• Red One Point noticed Chu Liuxiang calling Fang Yunhua “Brother Fang” and left after sheathing his sword.
• Chu Liuxiang told Su Rongrong about Red One Point and their game of “If I were Wuhua.”
• Su Rongrong argued that Wuhua could have used his status as a monk to enter the Divine Water Palace and steal the Heavenly One Divine Water.
• Chu Liuxiang could no longer trust Wuhua unconditionally and continued the investigation with a heavy heart.

Chu Liuxiang pursued Song Gang’s killer but lost the mysterious figure, then faced Red One Point in the Central Plains, whose devotion to him turned into a dangerous demand for a duel. Wuhua’s zither music drove Red One Point toward madness, and Chu Liuxiang dived into the lake to stop him without harming him.

• Chu Liuxiang discovered that Zuo Youzheng and Ximen Qian had received suspicious letters, but a mysterious figure murdered Song Gang before he could reveal what one contained.
• Chu Liuxiang pursued the killer, survived a poisonous smoke bomb, and lost him when he used Japanese Ninjutsu to vanish across the lake.
• Red One Point in the Central Plains demanded that Chu Liuxiang fight him, then turned his sword toward himself when Chu persuaded him not to attack his idol.
• Wuhua played a mournful zither melody that intensified Red One Point’s resentment and drove him to attack Chu Liuxiang.
• Chu Liuxiang saw that Red One Point had nearly lost his reason and dived into the water to prevent him from hurting himself.

Chu Liuxiang grew suspicious that Wuhua was involved in the murders and theft of the Heavenly One Divine Water, but could not identify his motive. As Chu Liuxiang prepared to leave, Wuhua asked about the rumor that he had gone to Mount Hua to steal a treasure and fought the Amorous Young Master.

• Chu Liuxiang subdued One Red Dot underwater and brought him ashore before turning his attention to the zither player.
• Fang Yunhua’s reminder and Su Rongrong’s analysis led Chu Liuxiang to suspect Wuhua’s conveniently timed arrival.
• Chu Liuxiang met Wuhua with sarcasm, while Wuhua concealed his unease and pretended to be surprised.
• Chu Liuxiang considered Wuhua a suspect but decided to leave and investigate further through Leng Qiuhun.
• Wuhua stopped Chu Liuxiang by asking whether the rumor about Mount Hua and the Amorous Young Master was true.