Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong discovered that Sword Slave was Dongfang Wuwu, the Sword Demon, freed from decades of control and transformed by poison. Dongfang Wuwu recounted his confrontation with Emperor Jingde and the mysterious swordsman who defeated him, while Qin Yutong began explaining how he had been controlled.

• Hu Xiaotian cautiously approached the white-haired man, who confirmed that he was Sword Slave.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized him as Dongfang Wuwu, the Sword Demon, through the Seven Heaven-Slaying Swords and told him that fifty years had passed.
• Dongfang Wuwu recalled confronting Emperor Jingde over Lin Baitao and being blocked by a swordsman wielding a hilt with a green gem.
• Dongfang Wuwu learned from Hu Xiaotian that he had been transformed by the Five Immortals Cult's Prayer Bead Body-Warping Poison.
• Qin Yutong suggested that the thousand-illusion heart demon and poison had been used to control Dongfang Wuwu, then hesitated before revealing more.

Dongfang Wuwu, poisoned and near death, accepted Hu Xiaotian as his disciple after watching him perform the Seven Heaven-Slaying Swords. He charged Hu with burying him beside Lin Baitao and avenging her, then revealed that Qin Yutong was connected to the person who had once intercepted him for the Great Yong Imperial House.

• Qin Yutong told Dongfang Wuwu that the poison had reached his heart, and he explained that Hu Xiaotian had helped drive out his inner demon.
• Dongfang Wuwu asked Hu Xiaotian to demonstrate the Seven Heaven-Slaying Swords, then agreed to take him as a disciple.
• Dongfang Wuwu charged Hu Xiaotian with burying him beside Lin Baitao and destroying Brahma Sound Temple to avenge her.
• Dongfang Wuwu sent Qin Yutong away and told Hu Xiaotian that the person who had intercepted him for the Great Yong Imperial House had worn the same inner armor as Qin Yutong.
• Dongfang Wuwu explained that he had refined his swordsmanship into seven simple moves before Baitao's death interrupted his plans to retire and practice.

Hu Xiaotian learned the Heaven-Breaking Sword from Dongfang Wuwu before his master died, then discovered the Thousand Illusions Demon Eye among Dongfang Wuwu’s ashes. The relic recharged the Lightsaber, giving Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong a chance to cut through the boulder blocking their way toward Ji Feihua.

• Dongfang Wuwu explained the sword Dao and taught Hu Xiaotian the Heaven-Breaking Sword, a technique suited to Hu Xiaotian’s abilities.
• Dongfang Wuwu died, and Qin Yutong cremated his body with a Phosphorus Fire Bomb while Hu Xiaotian gathered his ashes.
• Hu Xiaotian found a green crystal among the ashes, and Qin Yutong identified it as the mind-controlling Thousand Illusions Demon Eye.
• The Lightsaber’s signal led Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong toward Ji Feihua, but a massive boulder blocked their route through the cavern.
• The Thousand Illusions Demon Eye transferred its energy to the Lightsaber, restoring its blade, and Hu Xiaotian thrust it into the boulder.

Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong escaped through a stream and encountered Ji Feihua, while the Sword Palace dealt with the devastation left by the battle. Xue Daoming learned that Ji Feihua was alive and had mastered Heavenly Dao Power.

• Hu Xiaotian cut through a boulder with his Lightsaber and led Qin Yutong along a stream toward an exit.
• Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong encountered Ji Feihua, who left after recognizing them, then hid as Sword Palace disciples passed by.
• Qiu Xianguang told Li Chenzhou and Shi Kuan that a man posing as Meng Zizai had lured him into a trap by promising to help rescue Qiu Mubai.
• Li Chenzhou promised to cover the Sword Palace's losses and help find Qiu Mubai, then heard Qiu Xianguang recount the day's events.
• Xue Daoming met Ma Qingyun at Autumn Splendor Manor, where Ma revealed that Ji Feihua was alive and had mastered Heavenly Dao Power.

Hu Xiaotian reunited with Jian Rongxin and tried to send her away from the growing danger in the Yong Capital, but she refused because she still had unfinished business. After tricking her into believing he was dying, he drew her into an intimate relationship; she then revealed that she still had an elder brother.

• Jian Rongxin waited at her courtyard in Pingyan Lane, thinking about Hu Xiaotian and her growing feelings for him.
• Hu Xiaotian arrived alone and urged Jian Rongxin to leave for Eastern Liang Commandery, but she refused.
• Hu Xiaotian pretended that injuries from absorbing an enemy's internal power would kill him unless Jian Rongxin helped him, and she gave in to his deception.
• Jian Rongxin realized Hu Xiaotian had tricked her, but she felt no regret about their intimacy and bit his shoulder in anger.
• Hu Xiaotian again asked Jian Rongxin to leave, and she revealed that she still had an elder brother in the world.

Qiu Xianguang learned that the Black Hu people held his son and joined Li Chenzhou in moving against them, while Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua prepared to exploit the conflict. Li Chenzhou’s party reached the Black Hu ruins on Doghead Mountain, where they began searching for the captives.

• Ji Feihua told Qiu Xianguang that Qiu Mubai was held by the Black Hu people and that Prince Xue Shengjing had arranged the attack on the Sword Palace.
• Qiu Xianguang told Li Chenzhou that Black Hu National Preceptor Gangbala and other experts were hiding on Doghead Mountain, and Li Chenzhou agreed to assist him without sending a large force.
• Hu Xiaotian buried his master Dongfang Wuwu’s ashes in the underwater cave at Peach Blossom Pool, then met Ji Feihua, who had tracked him with the Lightsaber hilt.
• Hu Xiaotian explained that he had revealed Qiu Mubai’s location to draw Li Chenzhou into attacking the Black Hu experts and to strike back at Xue Shengjing.
• Li Chenzhou’s party reached the ruins of Zha Wan’s estate, and Li ordered his men to search the area for the Black Hu people.

Black Corpse and White Corpse attacked the warriors searching the ruins, then fled into an underground opening. As Li Chenzhou suspected a trap, thousands of rats poured from the hole and overwhelmed the Sword Palace forces while the leaders fled.

• A hidden archer killed the falcon, revealing the Black Hu group's position, and Black Corpse and White Corpse clashed with the pursuers.
• Black Corpse killed the masked beast handler and escaped with White Corpse into the ruins as Qiu Xianguang and Shi Kuan pursued them.
• The pursuers found an underground opening, where two Sword Palace men were killed, and Li Chenzhou warned that the group might have been lured into a trap.
• Li Chenzhou asked Shi Kuan to search the area and questioned Qiu Xianguang about who had revealed Mubai's hiding place.
• Thousands of rats surged from the hole, forcing Li Chenzhou and Shi Kuan to flee while the rats overwhelmed the Sword Palace warriors.

Li Chenzhou’s group was driven from the ruins by a vast army of rats and bats heading toward Yong Capital, while Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua stayed behind. Hu Xiaotian defeated the Black-and-White Twin Corpses by using the Body-as-Sword technique, and the threat to Yong Capital remained unresolved.

• Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua escaped uphill from the rats as the swarm poured down toward Yong Capital.
• Li Chenzhou led his group away from the ruins, then ordered Shi Kuan to return to the Imperial City after seeing bats fly toward the capital.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized the possible link between the rat army and Yan Huxiao, then intercepted the Black-and-White Twin Corpses with Ji Feihua nearby.
• Hu Xiaotian fought the Twin Corpses, abandoned his sword, and used the Heaven-Breaking Sword’s Body-as-Sword technique to cut them in half.
• Ji Feihua recognized Hu Xiaotian’s sword technique, and Hu Xiaotian proudly confirmed it.

Hu Xiaotian suspected that the Black Hu people had unleashed a plague on the Yong Capital and arranged for his companions to leave while he stayed to help. As Jian Rongxin departed, she gave him her father’s keepsakes and asked him to deliver a letter to Li Chenzhou, leaving Hu Xiaotian uncertain about her feelings.

• Hu Xiaotian returned to Pingyan Lane and told Qin Yutong, Xia Changming, and Jian Rongxin about the Beast Tamers’ activity on Doghead Mountain.
• Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong suspected the Black Hu people were spreading plague through the Yong Capital, while the authorities suppressed reports of the disease.
• Xia Changming reported that fifteen Beggar Gang disciples had died after eating rats, and Hu Xiaotian ordered him to escort Jian Rongxin and others to Eastern Liang Commandery and arrange border controls.
• Jian Rongxin gave Hu Xiaotian her father’s keepsakes and asked him to help the innocent people; he promised to stay and do what he could.
• Jian Rongxin kissed Hu Xiaotian before leaving, then gave him a letter to deliver to Li Chenzhou, making him wonder whether she still had feelings for him.

Hu Xiaotian told Qin Yutong he intended to reveal himself to Great Yong’s rulers and push for citywide measures to contain the epidemic, while quietly strengthening Xue Daoming’s position. He sought out Dong Tianjiang, who recognized him as the man from the Red Mountain Guildhall, though Hu Xiaotian’s disguise left him puzzled.

• Jian Rongxin told Hu Xiaotian that her marriage had been formally dissolved, then left after he teased her.
• Qin Yutong questioned why Hu Xiaotian had stayed and challenged his claim of Boundless Great Love; he proposed controlling infection sources, transmission, and vulnerable people.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to approach Dong Tianjiang rather than Li Chenzhou, hoping to gain Xue Daoming’s support for epidemic-control measures.
• Dong Tianjiang rode to the deserted Westwind Tower and learned its proprietor had been bitten to death by rats.
• Hu Xiaotian approached Dong Tianjiang in disguise and reminded him of their shared battle at the Red Mountain Guildhall, prompting Dong Tianjiang to recognize him.

Hu Xiaotian warned Dong Tianjiang that the rat infestation in the Yong Capital was likely plague and offered help in exchange for strengthening Emperor Xue Daoming against Li Chenzhou. After learning the emperor had fallen ill, Dong Tianjiang agreed to seek Hu Xiaotian’s help, while Li Chenzhou and Xue Lingjun feared the plague could destroy Great Yong.

• Hu Xiaotian told Dong Tianjiang that the rat infestation was likely plague and offered to help Xue Daoming rather than Li Chenzhou.
• Dong An reported that Xue Daoming had been bitten by a rat and was suffering from a persistent fever, so Dong Tianjiang urgently asked Hu Xiaotian about a cure.
• Hu Xiaotian said he could not cure the plague himself but had a friend who might, and Dong Tianjiang promised to negotiate if Xue Daoming could be saved.
• Xue Lingjun visited Li Chenzhou, who admitted that plague could not be ruled out and stopped her from going to the palace.
• Xue Lingjun feared that Xue Daoming’s death would leave no one willing to take the throne, while Li Chenzhou insisted the situation might still be controlled.

Xue Daoming feigned plague to disrupt Li Chenzhou’s plans, but Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong were invited to examine him. After Qin Yutong confirmed he was healthy, Hu Xiaotian revealed himself and began discussing how he could benefit Xue Daoming amid the crisis in Great Yong.

• Xu Baichuan told Dong Bingtai that the plague might have struck Great Yong, while Xue Daoming privately admitted the illness was fabricated to unsettle Li Chenzhou.
• Dong Tianjiang brought Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong to examine Xue Daoming, and Dong Bingtai allowed the physicians inside after hearing his son’s explanation.
• Qin Yutong examined Xue Daoming and secretly told Hu Xiaotian that he was not ill.
• Hu Xiaotian sent Xu Baichuan and Qin Yutong away, then revealed his identity to Xue Daoming and Dong Bingtai.
• Xue Daoming demanded to know Hu Xiaotian’s purpose, and Hu Xiaotian began explaining the benefits he could offer and asked whether Xue Daoming knew what was happening outside.

Hu Xiaotian urged Xue Daoming to use the plague crisis to challenge Li Chenzhou by winning the people’s support, and Xue decided to take the risk. After Xue left the palace to aid the sick, Li Chenzhou learned that Xu Baichuan had cured the Emperor and provided clinics with a treatment.

• Hu Xiaotian told Xue Daoming that the Yong Capital Rat Plague had been engineered by Xue Shengjing and Black Hu, and offered a treatment and preventive medicine.
• Hu Xiaotian urged Xue Daoming to leave the palace and lead the response, warning that doing so could win the people’s support against Li Chenzhou.
• Xue Daoming recognized that Hu Xiaotian wanted to use him, but decided to use Hu Xiaotian in turn and face the plague crisis.
• Qin Yutong told Hu Xiaotian that the Beggar Gang patients had stabilized while Li Chenzhou enforced patrols and isolation across the city.
• Shi Kuan informed Li Chenzhou that Xue Daoming had left the Imperial City with imperial physicians, reopened clinics, and mobilized Yong Capital’s physicians after Xu Baichuan cured him and distributed a prescription.

Xue Daoming’s response to the epidemic won him widespread support, while Hu Xiaotian visited Xue Lingjun to deliver Jian Rongxin’s letter ending her marriage to Li Chenzhou and to warn her about Xue Shengjing. After reading the letter, Li Chenzhou concluded that Xue Shengjing had engineered the epidemic and used its resolution to strengthen the emperor and weaken him.

• Xue Daoming visited infected ministers and common people, helping contain the epidemic and earning their gratitude and support.
• Hu Xiaotian entered Xue Lingjun’s room and asked her to deliver Jian Rongxin’s letter dissolving her marriage to Li Chenzhou.
• Hu Xiaotian declared that Jian Rongxin was his woman, warned Xue Lingjun that Xue Shengjing could threaten Great Yong, and said Xue Shengjing needed to be eliminated for the realm to know peace.
• Xue Lingjun gave Li Chenzhou the letter, and he burned it after reading it without showing anger.
• Li Chenzhou told Xue Lingjun that Xue Shengjing had likely orchestrated the epidemic and helped Xue Daoming resolve it to strengthen the emperor and set him against Li Chenzhou.

Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua met at the Great Buddha Temple on New Year’s Eve, where Ji Feihua revealed he planned to investigate the skulls’ secret before leaving. On New Year’s Day, Hu Xiaotian visited the reopened Divine Farmer Society and told Qin Yutong that he had been a physician from another world who died from overwork.

• Hu Xiaotian met Ji Feihua at the Great Buddha Temple, and they discussed the plague, the Black Hu People, and their plans to part ways.
• Ji Feihua prayed upon seeing a shooting star, then told Hu Xiaotian he would investigate the secret of the skulls and left despite Hu Xiaotian’s offer to accompany him.
• The Divine Farmer Society reopened as Qin Yutong, Fan Ling'er, and An Zhai helped distribute medicinal broth to patients, while Hu Xiaotian gave red envelopes and comforted Qin Yutong.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Qin Yutong what kind of person her mother was, then admitted he was not truly Hu Xiaotian and described his former life as a physician in a high-tech world.

Hu Xiaotian told Qin Yutong his theory that powerful martial artists, including her mother and master, descended from visitors from other worlds. As they traveled to Dong Bingtai’s residence, Qin Yutong accepted that her home was worth defending, though Hu Xiaotian’s story remained difficult to believe.

• Hu Xiaotian began explaining the mystery of Qin Yutong’s mother’s murder, then paused when An Zhai arrived and thanked him for helping the Beggar Gang.
• An Zhai told Hu Xiaotian that Elder Mu planned to root out Shangguan Tianhuo and Son’s forces, while the Beggar Gang first intended to settle its North of the River Branch dispute.
• Hu Xiaotian left the Divine Farmer Society with Qin Yutong, who removed her mask as they rode toward Dong Bingtai’s residence and asked him to explain the discrepancies she had found in the Creation Heart Sutra.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed that Ren Tianqing, Hong Beimo, the Master of Mei Manor, and Qin Yutong’s mother were descendants of visitors from other worlds, and showed her the Lightsaber as evidence.
• When Hu Xiaotian asked which side she would choose if the visitors threatened their world, Qin Yutong said that it was her home.

Hu Xiaotian warned Qin Yutong that repairing the spaceship could bring invaders from beyond and destroy the world, and she agreed to help him. After dining with Dong Tianjiang and warning him about Xue Shengjing, Hu Xiaotian prepared a meal for Qin Yutong, who suspected his sudden attentiveness had an ulterior motive.

• Hu Xiaotian explained the danger posed by the spaceship and asked Qin Yutong to help him, and she agreed.
• Hu Xiaotian dined with Dong Tianjiang, discussed the politics of the Central Plains, and revealed that Huo Shengnan was now his wife.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Dong Tianjiang that Xue Shengjing had been involved in the outbreak and told him to seek help in Xingzhou if trouble arose.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to the carriage and let the exhausted Qin Yutong rest as they traveled back to their lodgings.
• Hu Xiaotian cooked a feast for Qin Yutong, who woke, saw the meal, and questioned his sudden attentiveness.

Hu Xiaotian returned to Eastern Liang Commandery for the New Year after sharing a meal and conversation with Qin Yutong in the Yong Capital. Reunited with his companions and Huo Shengnan, he welcomed them home and then visited Master Zhuge’s residence.

• Hu Xiaotian cooked Qin Yutong a Western-style meal, taught her to use a knife and fork, and told her about his former world before she worried that the Visitors from Beyond could threaten the Central Plains.
• Xia Changming arrived in the Yong Capital to fetch Hu Xiaotian, but Qin Yutong stayed behind to monitor the epidemic and help the reopened Divine Farmer Society.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to Eastern Liang Commandery, where Liang Yinghao, Zhan Peng, Xiong Tianba, Gao Yuan, and others welcomed him with red envelopes and plans for a reunion banquet.
• Huo Shengnan arrived on her Lion-Steed, and Hu Xiaotian playfully lifted her down before she hurried inside to change.
• Huo Xiaotian bathed with Huo Shengnan, then left to visit Master Zhuge while she stayed behind to rest.

Hu Xiaotian visited Zhuge Guanqi’s family, met Bao’er, and discussed the threat posed by Hong Beimo and the possibility that Princess Yongyang was the Fated One. The chapter ended with Zhuge Guanqi preparing new weapons to counter Hong Beimo’s war machines, while Hu Xiaotian remained uncertain about Qiqi’s intentions.

• Hu Xiaotian visited Zhuge Guanqi, met Bao’er, and gave her purple-gold bracelets and a longevity lock as her godfather.
• Hu Xiaotian recounted his experiences in the Yong Capital and told Zhuge Guanqi about Ghost Physician Fu Wan, the Fated One, and the tattoos on Emperor Jingde and Empress Dowager Jiang.
• Zhuge Guanqi showed Hu Xiaotian a celestial chart based on the Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter, which suggested that the chapter might be forged.
• Hu Xiaotian and Zhuge Guanqi discussed destroying the Spaceship in the Imperial Mausoleum and considered whether Princess Yongyang might be the Fated One who could help Hong Beimo repair it.
• Zhuge Guanqi urged Hu Xiaotian to clarify Qiqi’s intentions, but Hu Xiaotian changed the subject and asked how to counter the Tortoise-Shell War Chariot and Heaven-Shaking Crossbow.
• Zhuge Guanqi revealed that he had designed several new weapons, and Hu Xiaotian said Zong Tang would soon arrive to help.

Hu Xiaotian proposed to Long Xiyue, and she accepted, as they prepared to visit friends at the Sandbar Horse Ranch. Huo Shengnan told him she planned to visit Yuchi Chong in the Northern Frontier, but their plans paused when an envoy from Great Kang arrived.

• Hu Xiaotian proposed to Long Xiyue with a diamond ring, and she accepted.
• Huo Shengnan and Visa congratulated Hu Xiaotian and said they supported his marriage to Long Xiyue.
• Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan joked together, then she said she wanted to visit Yuchi Chong in the Northern Frontier.
• Hu Xiaotian offered to send Changming with Huo Shengnan, but she said she would go later with Little Gray.
• Visa announced that an envoy from Great Kang had arrived.