Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian gave Long Xiyue the Black Silkworm Armor for protection before a warrior was found frozen beneath the village archway and another was discovered dried out in a cottage. As the party strengthened its defenses, Zhou Mo suspected the attacks were caused by the Whale-Swallowing Art.

• Hu Xiaotian gave Long Xiyue the Black Silkworm Armor and explained it was woven from Ironback Black Ape hair.
• Hu Xiaotian learned that the party might change its route because of a reported uprising in Wuxing Commandery.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhou Mo found a patrol warrior's frozen corpse hanging from the village archway, and Wen Boyuan identified a mark on its chest as the Ice-Soul Asura Palm.
• Hu Xiaotian suspected Wen Ya might be pursuing him, while Tang Tiehan searched for his missing sister, Tang Qingxuan.
• Hu Xiaotian, Tang Tiehan, and Tang Tiexin found another warrior's corpse with its flesh and vital blood seemingly drained away.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to the courtyard, where Zhou Mo asked whether the attacks were caused by the Whale-Swallowing Art.

Hu Xiaotian was abducted from Lu Family Village through a hidden underground passage while the party prepared to flee, and he discovered Tang Qingxuan had been captured too. In the darkness, he found her bound and learned that her fire striker was inside her robe.

• Zhou Mo told Hu Xiaotian that the unseen attacker might be using the lost Whale-Swallowing Art, and the group agreed to leave Lu Family Village after four warriors died.
• The Tang Family brothers stayed behind because Tang Qingxuan was missing, while Princess Anping and the others prepared to depart.
• Snowball ran into a courtyard after a bone, and a blue ribbon snared Hu Xiaotian and dragged him into a hidden cellar despite Zhan Peng's attempt to stop it.
• Hu Xiaotian was hauled through an underground passage, while Zhan Peng found the tunnel blocked by a collapse and called for tools to search for him.
• Hu Xiaotian encountered Tang Qingxuan underground, learned that her acupoints were sealed, and asked where she had hidden her fire striker.

Hu Xiaotian and Tang Qingxuan searched an underground chamber for a way out, eventually reaching a strange passage marked “Underworld.” Hu Xiaotian went ahead alone and found a young woman playing a flute among glowing subterranean plants, recognizing her as the person behind the eerie scene.

• Tang Qingxuan told Hu Xiaotian that an unknown attacker had abducted her and sealed her acupoints, and he lit a fire striker to inspect the chamber.
• Hu Xiaotian found a corpse, discovered the entrance was sealed, and carried Tang Qingxuan through a doorway in search of another exit.
• Hu Xiaotian and Tang Qingxuan crossed an underground river and found a lantern hanging between boulders marked “Underworld.”
• After hearing a flute, Hu Xiaotian left Tang Qingxuan behind and entered the narrow passage alone.
• Hu Xiaotian found glowing flowers and insects, then saw a young woman in white playing a flute in a stone pavilion and recognized her.

Hu Xiaotian confronted Wen Ya beneath the flowers and learned that she was Sumeru Heaven, who had killed Le Yao and taken over her body. Wen Ya pursued him, but his Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps kept him out of her grasp, and their confrontation ended with her accusing him of trying to poison and kill her at Bright Moon Palace.

• Hu Xiaotian recognized Wen Ya and tried to calm her while secretly looking for a chance to attack.
• Wen Ya admitted she had killed the warriors and threatened to kill Hu Xiaotian, while he accused her of being Sumeru Heaven and killing Le Yao.
• Wen Ya charged at Hu Xiaotian, but he escaped her grasp with his unusual Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps.
• Wen Ya pursued Hu Xiaotian through the flowers but could not catch him, and he refused to fight her directly.
• Wen Ya accused Hu Xiaotian of trying to poison her food and drink, using Crimson Sun Yin-Burning Pills, and unleashing bloodshadow golden beetles at Bright Moon Palace.

Hu Xiaotian and Sumeru Heaven traded questions while Tang Qingxuan lay unconscious under a deadly poison. When Sumeru Heaven’s cold poison flared, Hu Xiaotian tried to take advantage of her weakness, but she trapped him with the Bloodshadow Beetle King and paralyzed him with a palm strike.

• Wen Ya brought the acupoint-sealed Tang Qingxuan before Hu Xiaotian and threatened to kill her unless he answered her questions.
• Hu Xiaotian and Wen Ya exchanged questions, revealing that Ji Feihua had given him the Crimson Sun Yin-Burning Pills and Bloodshadow Golden Beetles, and that she had used the Demon-Seeding Great Art on Le Yao.
• Wen Ya’s cold poison flared up, and Hu Xiaotian drew his Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, considering killing her while she was vulnerable.
• Sumeru Heaven revealed a Bloodshadow Beetle King on Hu Xiaotian’s hand, stopping him from firing the needles.
• Sumeru Heaven struck Hu Xiaotian with the Ice-Soul Asura Palm, leaving him paralyzed as she advanced toward him.

Hu Xiaotian survived Sumeru Heaven’s attack after she used him as a medicinal catalyst to recover from her injuries. She demanded his help with a crisis in her body, leaving him to protest that their arrangement had cost him dearly.

• Hu Xiaotian tried to bargain for his life as Sumeru Heaven approached, but she collapsed after coughing blood and exposed him to the Nine Yang Blazing Heart Pill.
• Sumeru Heaven struck Hu Xiaotian’s acupoints and used a flower pavilion to recover, then restored his movement and warned him to keep their encounters secret.
• Hu Xiaotian accused Sumeru Heaven of using and humiliating him, while she explained that he had ruined the suitable body she had found for the Demon-Seeding Great Art.
• Sumeru Heaven demanded Hu Xiaotian’s help because something had gone wrong with her body, and Hu Xiaotian complained about what he had lost.

Hu Xiaotian agreed to help Sumeru Heaven perfect her Myriad Poison Spirit Body in exchange for her protection, then rescued Tang Qingxuan and rejoined the search party. His safe return relieved Long Xiyue, while Wen Boyuan’s jealousy of Hu Xiaotian deepened.

• Sumeru Heaven threatened to use Tang Qingxuan or Long Xiyue as a host for her demon embryo unless Hu Xiaotian helped her perfect the Myriad Poison Spirit Body, and Hu Xiaotian agreed to cooperate.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Sumeru Heaven to spare his life three times after mastering her skill, and she accepted that condition while demanding he avoid other women during their practice.
• Sumeru Heaven gave Hu Xiaotian an antidote for Tang Qingxuan and left as rescuers approached; Hu Xiaotian found his Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles and administered the antidote.
• Zhan Peng and the warriors found Hu Xiaotian and Tang Qingxuan underground, and Hu Xiaotian returned to the surface the following morning.
• Long Xiyue refused to leave Lu Family Village while Hu Xiaotian was missing, then wept with relief when he returned safely.
• Wen Boyuan noticed Long Xiyue’s concern for Hu Xiaotian and grew jealous, blaming Hu Xiaotian for the love he could not win.

Hu Xiaotian returned safely from the underground passages with Tang Qingxuan and reassured Princess Anping and Zhou Mo before the party left Lu Family Village. On the road, he accused Wen Boyuan of having no proof about the latest attack, leaving Wen furious.

• Hu Xiaotian returned to camp, and Princess Anping withdrew to her tent after seeing him safe.
• Hu Xiaotian told Princess Anping that a masked attacker had ambushed him underground, where he found Tang Qingxuan, and he later recovered his Black-Gold Saber from Zhan Peng.
• Hu Xiaotian privately told Zhou Mo that Sumeru Heaven had been behind the incident and that they had reached an agreement.
• Princess Anping agreed to leave Lu Family Village, and the group broke camp and continued their journey.
• After resting in the carriage, Hu Xiaotian rode to the front of the procession and told Wen Boyuan that the latest ambush might be connected to the one in Black Pine Forest.
• Wen Boyuan angrily denied Hu Xiaotian's accusation, while Hu Xiaotian mocked his lack of humor.

As the procession approached Peak Forest Gorge, Hu Xiaotian questioned Wen Boyuan’s motives while Princess Anping visited Tang Qingxuan, who had been rescued by Hu. In the capital, Ji Feihua learned that the emperor had gone to visit the ill Retired Emperor, then confronted Lin Wan about keeping Baobao beside her.

• Hu Xiaotian warned Wu Jingshan that Wen Boyuan might be deceiving them and pointed out the dangers of taking the route through Peak Forest Gorge.
• Wu Jingshan explained that a civilian uprising threatened the Prosperity Granary, and the procession camped outside Peak Forest Gorge for the night.
• Princess Anping visited Tang Qingxuan, who said Hu Xiaotian had saved her from an unknown captor.
• Tang Tiehan and Tang Tiexin thanked Hu Xiaotian for rescuing their sister and tried to repair their relationship with him.
• Ji Feihua learned that the emperor had gone to the Spirit Firmament Palace to visit the ill Retired Emperor, then encountered Lin Wan and questioned why she still kept Baobao by her side.

Lin Wan warned Ji Feihua that Hong Beimo had arrived in the Kang Capital, while Long Yelin confronted the ailing Long Xuan'en over the secret treasury and Great Kang's future. After Long Yelin left, Qiqi visited her grandfather but kept her distance, recalling that Eunuch Quan had saved her from danger.

• Lin Wan told Ji Feihua that Hong Beimo had arrived in the Kang Capital to help the Retired Emperor reclaim the throne, and Ji Feihua ordered her to report anything she learned.
• Long Yelin confronted Long Xuan'en about the secret treasury, but Long Xuan'en denied hiding any treasure and warned that Long Yelin lacked the power to protect Great Kang.
• Long Yelin gave Long Xuan'en ten days to reveal the treasury's location, threatening that his birthday would become his death anniversary if he refused.
• Long Yelin allowed Qiqi to visit Long Xuan'en after she offered to persuade him.
• Qiqi refused to approach Long Xuan'en, saying Eunuch Quan had risked his life to protect her on the road to Western Sichuan.

Qiqi visited Long Xuan'en, who revealed that he was her real father and that Ye Lin had killed her mother. He warned her that Ye Lin was considering eliminating Ji Feihua, while Qiqi said Ye Lin planned to name her third elder brother Crown Prince.

• Qiqi questioned Long Xuan'en about her mother's death and the empty treasury, and he denied killing her or ordering the attempt on her life.
• Long Xuan'en told Qiqi that she had seven red moles on her right foot and that her mother's bellyband and luminous pearl together revealed the Long family's secret treasury.
• Long Xuan'en claimed he was Qiqi's real father and said Ye Lin had killed her mother, while Fu Wan had saved her as an unborn child.
• Long Xuan'en said Ji Feihua might have arranged the assassination attempt to strengthen Ye Lin's resolve to seize the throne and eliminate Quan Dean.
• Long Xuan'en explained that he had treated Qiqi harshly in public to conceal his affection and protect her from political danger.
• Long Xuan'en warned that Ye Lin might try to eliminate Ji Feihua, and Qiqi said Ye Lin planned to name her third elder brother Crown Prince within two days.

Qiqi followed Long Xuan'en's plan to make it appear that she had attacked him, but Long Yelin and Wang Qian intervened. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian warned the Tang brothers that Tang Qingxuan was at risk on the journey; she refused to go home and insisted on accompanying Long Xiyue to Yong Capital.

• Long Xuan'en reminded Qiqi of a nursery rhyme, whispered a plan to her, and cut her shoulder with a shard of porcelain so she could pretend to attack him.
• Qiqi raised the shard toward Long Xuan'en's heart as Wang Qian pleaded with her to stop and Long Yelin shouted her name.
• The Tang brothers shared wine and food with Hu Xiaotian, who warned them that Tang Qingxuan might face trouble from Wen Boyuan on the journey.
• Tang Qingxuan joined the gathering, toasted Hu Xiaotian, and refused her brothers' demand that she return home.
• Tang Qingxuan told Hu Xiaotian she would accompany Long Xiyue to Yong Capital, and he agreed not to raise sending her home again.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Tang Qingxuan that Wen Boyuan might retaliate, but she said the Tang Family would fight back if he targeted them.

Sumeru Heaven warned Hu Xiaotian that at least five hundred trained Turbid Water Gang bandits were waiting in Peak Forest Gorge to attack their party. After Hu Xiaotian persuaded her to help with his supposed qi problem, the two cooperated in his tent, leaving the threat ahead unresolved.

• Hu Xiaotian cautioned Tang Qingxuan to keep her distance from Wen Boyuan, but Tang Qingxuan said she would not let him off lightly.
• Sumeru Heaven summoned Hu Xiaotian from his tent, then secretly slipped inside and told him that at least five hundred bandits were lying in ambush in Peak Forest Gorge.
• Hu Xiaotian worried that the ambush might target the princess or himself and shamelessly teased Sumeru Heaven while she warned him not to try anything.
• Hu Xiaotian claimed his qi was dangerously disrupted and persuaded Sumeru Heaven to cooperate with him to attain the myriad poison spirit body.
• Hu Xiaotian emerged from his tent during the third watch with disheveled hair and told Zhan Peng he kept needing to urinate.

Hu Xiaotian warned Zhou Mo that Peak Forest Gorge held an ambush, but the convoy’s scouts found no sign of danger as it entered the gorge. He questioned the reports and traded barbs with Wen Boyuan and Wu Jingshan, while the chapter left the supposed ambush unexplained.

• Hu Xiaotian used his nighttime trip into the woods to cover Sumeru Heaven’s departure, and she told him to practice Secret Voice Transmission and said she would assist him the next day.
• Hu Xiaotian woke late and warned Zhou Mo that an ambush awaited them in Peak Forest Gorge, though the scouts had reported nothing unusual.
• Hu Xiaotian rode beside Princess Anping’s carriage as the convoy entered the gorge, where Tang Qingxuan and Long Xiyue admired the loess formations.
• Hu Xiaotian urged Wen Boyuan to slow the procession, but Wen mocked him and a scout reported that the road ahead was clear.
• Hu Xiaotian joked with Wu Jingshan about the scenery and recited Zhou Wenpu’s poem “Stone Forest.”

A natural disaster in Peak Forest Gorge revealed an enemy ambush that shattered Princess Anping’s procession. Hu Xiaotian and the others rescued Princess Anping and Tang Qingxuan as the ground split and earthen pillars collapsed, but the group remained trapped amid the attack.

• Hu Xiaotian recited poems to Wu Jingshan as the procession traveled through Peak Forest Gorge.
• An earthen pillar collapsed onto two wagons, killing seven guards and four horses; Wen Boyuan found no signs of an ambush and ordered the procession onward.
• A second pillar fell and blocked the road, then an underground explosion killed more than ten warriors and caused pillars to collapse around the procession.
• Zhou Mo stopped Princess Anping’s carriage from plunging into a fissure, while Hu Xiaotian pulled Long Xiyue to safety.
• Zhan Peng shot and killed an enemy beneath the ground as Tang Qingxuan escaped the carriage and Hu Xiaotian hauled her away from the crumbling fissure.

Hu Xiaotian led the survivors through the ambush in Peak Forest Gorge with Sumeru Heaven secretly guiding him, while Wen Boyuan’s forces suffered heavy losses. The group regrouped in an open space, found Zijuan and Snowball safe, and Hu Xiaotian began helping treat the wounded.

• Zhou Mo, Hu Xiaotian, and the others came under a sudden attack as collapsing earthen pillars and hidden archers killed and wounded dozens of warriors.
• Zhan Peng shot down the ambushers while Zhou Mo charged their positions, and Hu Xiaotian followed Sumeru Heaven’s directions to lead the party away from the danger.
• Hu Xiaotian reunited with the Tang Family Brothers and guided the survivors to an open space, where Wen Boyuan arrived with his battered forces.
• Princess Anping and Tang Qingxuan were shaken by the wounded, and Princess Anping panicked over Zijuan’s disappearance before Zijuan returned safely with Snowball.
• Wu Jingshan rebuked Wen Boyuan, while Hu Xiaotian fetched his Medical Kit and went to help Zhan Peng treat the wounded Zhao Chongwu.

Hu Xiaotian treated the wounded after the party’s ambush in Peak Forest Gorge, then helped neutralize a poison that sickened many of the warriors. The group made camp for the night, but the Tang Family Brothers reported that four carriages were lost and eleven men were missing.

• Hu Xiaotian treated and stitched the wounded, earning the gratitude of several warriors and Wu Jingshan.
• Wu Jingshan developed painful, blue bumps as many warriors and the accompanying physician showed the same poisoning symptoms.
• Hu Xiaotian consulted the disguised Sumeru Heaven, who identified the poison as heart-itch agony and told him to boil yellow earth in water as an antidote.
• Hu Xiaotian gave the muddy water to the poisoned warriors, and their itching stopped; Wu Jingshan thanked him while Wen Boyuan refused to drink his portion.
• Wen Boyuan agreed to camp for the night and sent scouts ahead to find a route out of Peak Forest Gorge.
• After Sumeru Heaven vanished, Tang Tiehan told Hu Xiaotian that four carriages were lost and eleven brothers were missing.

After two carriages carrying Princess Anping's dowry went missing, Hu Xiaotian stopped the Tang Family Brothers from risking their men recklessly and urged the escort to focus on surviving the Turbid Water Gang. He comforted Long Xiyue and then met Sumeru Heaven among the wounded soldiers, asking whether she had been following him.

• Wen Boyuan blamed the Tang Family Brothers for losing the princess's dowry and threatened to have them executed if they failed to recover it by morning.
• Tang Tiehan confronted Wen Boyuan, while Wu Jingshan and Hu Xiaotian argued that everyone shared responsibility for the loss.
• Hu Xiaotian persuaded Tang Tiehan to prioritize his men's safety and told Wu Jingshan that the Turbid Water Gang had to be dealt with before the escort could safely search for the dowry.
• Long Xiyue said the men should not risk their lives for the lost dowry, and Hu Xiaotian comforted her about the casualties and her arranged marriage.
• Sumeru Heaven summoned Hu Xiaotian to the earthen wall and secretly muffled the wounded soldiers' hearing; Hu Xiaotian asked her whether she had been following him.

Hu Xiaotian discussed how to escape Peak Forest Gorge and clashed with Wen Boyuan over whether the escort should leave or confront the Turbid Water Gang. The chapter ended with Hu Xiaotian arguing that they should recover the missing dowry and reclaim their honor before departing.

• Sumeru Heaven offered to help Hu Xiaotian and arranged to visit his tent that night.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhou Mo agreed that the Turbid Water Gang's underground hideouts had to be dealt with and discussed smoking out the bandits.
• Wu Jingshan urged Hu Xiaotian and Wen Boyuan to put aside their conflict and plan how to get the procession safely out of Peak Forest Gorge.
• Wen Boyuan said his scouts had found an exit and proposed leaving the next morning, but Hu Xiaotian questioned whether they could withstand another ambush.
• Hu Xiaotian argued that the procession should recover its wounded and missing dowry and confront the Turbid Water Gang rather than retreat in disgrace.

Hu Xiaotian met Sumeru Heaven beneath the camp, where she offered help navigating the tunnels under Peak Forest Gorge in exchange for learning about his Formless Divine Skill. He used her dependence on him to bargain for mutual benefits, leaving their deal unresolved.

• Wu Jingshan urged the group to prioritize escorting Long Xiyue out of danger, but Hu Xiaotian refused to leave, and Wen Boyuan told Wu to ask the princess what she wanted.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to his tent and considered how to force the bandits hiding underground to emerge while continuing to cultivate the Formless Divine Skill.
• At midnight, Sumeru Heaven appeared in Hu Xiaotian's tent and led him through a tunnel to an underground chamber.
• Sumeru Heaven warned Hu Xiaotian that the Turbid Water Gang knew the maze beneath Peak Forest Gorge and offered to help him in exchange for information about his cultivation.
• Hu Xiaotian resisted her threats by pointing out that his Formless Divine Skill could expose her weakened state and that she needed him to restore her power.
• Hu Xiaotian demanded that their arrangement benefit both of them, while Sumeru Heaven threatened to take him down with her if he pushed too far.