Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian and Princess Yongyang arrived at the Heavenly Dragon Temple, where she planned to offer incense and meet Yuanmu. Yuanmu warned Tongyuan that Hu Xiaotian might go to Cloudsplit Valley that night, then hinted that his own plans could bring danger while insisting the temple would not be implicated.

• Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi paid their respects at Xu Fengyi's grave before traveling to the Heavenly Dragon Temple.
• Tongyuan welcomed Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian and escorted them to the guarded Samantabhadra Courtyard.
• Qiqi told Tongyuan she intended to offer incense and visit Yuanmu the next morning to speak with him.
• Yuanmu told Tongyuan that Hu Xiaotian might go to Cloudsplit Valley that night and that the temple's guards could not contain him.
• Tongyuan voiced concern that Yuanmu's actions might endanger the Heavenly Dragon Temple, and Yuanmu told him not to worry and said the temple should not be implicated.

Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi prepared to meet Yuanmu over the Heart Sutra, but Qiqi kept the scripture in her memory while Hu Xiaotian secretly explored the Heavenly Dragon Temple. In Unenlightened’s cave, Hu Xiaotian discovered that the empty eye sockets in an unfinished mural were holes in the rock.

• Qiqi copied the Heart Sutra from memory, then tore up the pages after realizing some details were wrong and decided to write it out before Yuanmu the next day.
• Hu Xiaotian concealed that Yuanmu wanted the sutra in exchange for Ji Feihua, and persuaded Qiqi that he would scout the Heavenly Dragon Temple that night.
• Hu Xiaotian used his Winged Armor to fly over the temple and land in Cloudsplit Valley, where he recalled Unenlightened and Mu Yuming’s deaths and the secret that Murong Zhan was Li Yuncong’s son.
• Hu Xiaotian climbed to Unenlightened’s abandoned cave and examined its grotesque murals, including an unfinished arhat painting.
• Hu Xiaotian inserted his fingers into the painted arhat’s empty eye sockets and found that they were holes poked into the rock wall.

Hu Xiaotian found a hidden passage beneath the Heavenly Dragon Temple and encountered the blind monk Kongjian meditating in a cavern. Kongjian questioned whether he should have intervened in past calamities, and Hu Xiaotian told him he would act when he could not bear to stand by.

• Hu Xiaotian broke through a thin rock wall and followed a long underground passage, hoping he might find Ji Feihua.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized a broken Rebirth Stele and realized the passage lay beneath the well where Ji Feihua had once recovered.
• Hu Xiaotian entered a cavern and discovered an elderly monk sitting motionless beside a lamp.
• Hu Xiaotian learned that the monk was Kongjian, who had concealed his breathing and heartbeat while meditating.
• Kongjian recounted how repeated encounters had humbled him and asked whether he had been selfish to stand by while Yuankong lost his internal power and Unenlightened brought calamity upon the temple.
• Hu Xiaotian said he would intervene when he encountered something he could not bear to watch.

Hu Xiaotian realized Ji Feihua had arranged to trap him in Cloudsplit Valley so Qiqi could be targeted, but Kongjian refused to let him leave. As Hu Xiaotian faced the monk, Ji Feihua appeared behind Qiqi.

• Hu Xiaotian explained to Kongjian that people should act on the problems within their reach, then asked him where Ji Feihua was.
• Kongjian said he had promised someone to keep Hu Xiaotian there for three days and refused to let him leave.
• Hu Xiaotian deduced that Ji Feihua, also known as Chu Feihua, had arranged the trap and was likely targeting Qiqi.
• Kongjian revealed that he had reached the Innate Realm and was confident Hu Xiaotian could not defeat him.
• Qiqi found Ji Feihua standing behind her and realized she could not escape or call for help.

Ji Feihua entered Qiqi’s room and began drawing something from her mind, but Hu Xiaotian returned in time to interrupt him. Qiqi survived and stayed close to Hu Xiaotian, while Ji Feihua’s reasons for sparing her remained unknown.

• Ji Feihua confronted Qiqi, asked about the Skull, and restrained her before trying to extract something from her mind.
• Hu Xiaotian persuaded Kongjian to let him leave by warning that Qiqi’s death would bring disaster on the Heavenly Dragon Temple and make Ji Feihua his enemy.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to Qiqi’s room, and Ji Feihua fled through the window before Hu Xiaotian released Qiqi’s sealed acupoints.
• Qiqi told Hu Xiaotian what happened, and he ordered Murong Zhan and the guards to keep the incident secret.
• Qiqi asked Hu Xiaotian to stay beside her, then woke from a nightmare and discussed Ji Feihua’s attempted attack with him.

Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi discussed the attempt on her life before she agreed to meet Yuanmu alone at the Heavenly Dragon Temple. Hu Xiaotian followed Ji Feihua’s secret instructions to the Pavilion of Buddhist Incense, where Ji Feihua revealed himself in disguise.

• Qiqi told Hu Xiaotian that Ji Feihua had tried to drain her consciousness, and Hu Xiaotian suspected Ji Feihua wanted information from her.
• Hu Xiaotian rebuked Murong Zhan for failing to protect Qiqi, while Murong Zhan continued to suspect Hu Xiaotian’s role in the rescue.
• Qiqi decided not to investigate the attack and agreed to meet Yuanmu alone, while Hu Xiaotian and the guards waited outside.
• Ji Feihua secretly told Hu Xiaotian that Qiqi was not in danger and directed him to offer incense and then go alone to the Pavilion of Buddhist Incense.
• Ji Feihua, disguised as a monk, revealed himself to Hu Xiaotian in the pavilion.

Qiqi questioned Master Yuanmu about her mother and the death trap, while Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua discussed the Long-Life Buddha, Ji Feihua’s abandoned plan to kill Qiqi, and their possible family connection. Hu Xiaotian concluded that eliminating Qiqi would not end the danger: every skull linked to the Fated Ones would have to be found and destroyed.

• Qiqi asked Master Yuanmu about her mother, Minghui, and the death trap, but Yuanmu challenged her search for answers instead of explaining the past.
• Ji Feihua revealed that the clay Ksitigarbha statue was the Chu Family’s Long-Life Buddha, deliberately left as bait by the Old Master.
• Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua discussed how Hu escaped Master Kongjian, and Ji Feihua admitted he had once planned to kill Qiqi.
• Ji Feihua said he abandoned the plan after seeing his father, Chu Yuanhai, in Qiqi’s mind, and Hu Xiaotian suspected they were half-siblings descended from Fated Ones.
• Hu Xiaotian told Ji Feihua that another skull was held in the Heavenly Secrets Bureau’s Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower and that all the skulls might need to be destroyed to remove the danger.

Qiqi learned why Yuanmu had relinquished the Heart Sutra and returned to the palace, while Hu Xiaotian secured Rong Shi’s release and brought him to the Prince of Suppressing the Sea’s Residence. There, Hu Xiaotian reunited with four powerful allies and prepared to see whether Huo Xiaoru would meet him.

• Yuanmu told Qiqi that Minghui had been his disciple and had died willingly for her mother, and he explained that he had let go of his resentment and sought freedom from his own greed.
• Qiqi returned to the palace without telling Hu Xiaotian what she had discussed with Yuanmu.
• Hu Xiaotian used Qiqi’s written order to have Fu Yuhong release Rong Shi from the Black Prison, then told Rong Shi that Ren Tianqing had abandoned him and his master before promising to let him go.
• Hu Xiaotian brought Rong Shi to the Prince of Suppressing the Sea’s Residence, hoping Huo Xiaoru would appear and answer his questions.
• Xiong Tianba, Xia Changming, Liang Yinghao, and Zong Tang arrived in Kang Capital to help Hu Xiaotian, and Xiong Tianba approached Rong Shi to ask who he was.

Hu Xiaotian reunited with Huo Xiaoru after rescuing Rong Shi at her request. Huo Xiaoru revealed that Xue Shengjing had sent her to ask for help, and that his situation was dire.

• Hu Xiaotian welcomed Xiong Tianba and the other generals, read letters from home, and agreed to celebrate with them at the Aftertaste Tower.
• Hu Xiaotian met Xiang Shancong, who offered to take Rong Shi away and told him that Huo Xiaoru was waiting in the rear building.
• Hu Xiaotian greeted Wan'er and entered the building, where he reunited with Huo Xiaoru over tea.
• Huo Xiaoru explained that she had turned to Hu Xiaotian because she had run out of options, and he assured her he would help.
• Huo Xiaoru acknowledged Xue Shengjing as her father and revealed that he had asked her to have Rong Shi rescued.
• Huo Xiaoru told Hu Xiaotian that Xue Shengjing's situation was very bad, which was why he had sent her to ask for help publicly.

Hu Xiaotian investigated Huo Xiaoru’s changed behavior and followed a lead to Cloud Music House, where he overheard Madam Meizhuang and Xiang Shancong bargaining over Rong Shi and a skull. Xiang Shancong then revealed that Rong Shi’s original surname was Jian, leaving Meizhuang stunned and suspicious of his knowledge.

• Hu Xiaotian sang to Huo Xiaoru, then left Aftertaste Tower without saying goodbye.
• Xia Changming reported that Huo Xiaoru had visited Butterfly Dance Pavilion and Cloud Music House, prompting Hu Xiaotian to investigate the latter with Xia Changming and Liang Yinghao.
• Hu Xiaotian and Xia Changming entered Cloud Music House and overheard Madam Meizhuang demanding Rong Shi from Xiang Shancong in exchange for a skull.
• Meizhuang said she had brought the skull out of Dragon Spirit Wonderland, while Xiang Shancong revealed that Huo Xiaoru had taken it away.
• Xiang Shancong told Meizhuang that he had originally given Rong Shi to Daoist Tian Can and said Rong Shi’s original surname was Jian.

Meizhuang confronted Xiang Shancong over his plan to use Rong Shi and the skull, but Xiang Shancong revealed overwhelming martial strength. Hu Xiaotian intervened over the skull and attacked Xiang Shancong, while Ji Feihua prepared to take Rong Shi away; the fight continued as Xiang Shancong escaped through the floor.

• Meizhuang confessed that she had tried to use Rong Shi and the hidden secret to blackmail Wuji Monastery, then attacked Xiang Shancong with poisonous smoke and steel needles.
• Xiang Shancong overwhelmed Meizhuang with a powerful palm strike and demanded that she leave, saying he wanted both Rong Shi and the skull.
• Ji Feihua secretly instructed Hu Xiaotian to distract Xiang Shancong while he took Rong Shi, and gave Hu Xiaotian a Lightsaber.
• Hu Xiaotian confronted Xiang Shancong about the skull, then drew the Lightsaber and attacked him as Meizhuang joined in.
• Xiang Shancong smashed through the floor to evade their combined attacks, causing Meizhuang's White Bone Needles to pursue him downward.

Hu Xiaotian fought Xiang Shancong while Meizhuang escaped, then regrouped with Ji Feihua and learned that the Wuji Monastery might hold the key to the conspiracy. The skull was now in Huo Xiaoru’s hands, and Ji Feihua warned Hu Xiaotian that Qiqi’s fate depended on his choices.

• Hu Xiaotian pursued Xiang Shancong through the building, giving Meizhuang a chance to escape.
• Hu Xiaotian wounded Xiang Shancong with the Lone Moon Slash and drove him into an underground tunnel, but Xiang Shancong escaped.
• Ji Feihua returned carrying Rong Shi, and Hu Xiaotian ordered Liang Yinghao to secure the area and search for suspects.
• Ji Feihua told Hu Xiaotian that Xue Shengjing was a pawn and that finding the Wuji Monastery could reveal who controlled the Immortal Envoys.
• Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua discussed Huo Xiaoru’s possession of the skull and Qiqi’s role, and Ji Feihua threatened to kill Qiqi if Hu Xiaotian could not change her.

Ji Feihua and Hu Xiaotian discussed Qiqi’s unusual birth and possible Fated One bloodline, then Hu Xiaotian visited the palace and found Murong Zhan clearing out Li Yuncong’s former room. The chapter left Hu Xiaotian mourning Li Yuncong’s treatment while Murong Zhan defended the palace’s claim to its rooms.

• Hu Xiaotian told Ji Feihua that Ren Tianqing had given Qiqi the skull and that people able to understand its mysteries were likely related by blood to its original owner.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed that Quan Dean had said Ling Jiazi carried Qiqi for seven years, leading Ji Feihua to suspect Qiqi was the child of two Fated Ones and not Long Yelin’s or Long Xuan'en’s daughter.
• After the rain stopped, Hu Xiaotian went to the Purple Orchid Palace and learned that Qiqi was discussing state affairs in the Diligent Governance Hall.
• Hu Xiaotian visited the flooded Library Pavilion, where he encountered Murong Zhan overseeing the cleanup and entered Li Yuncong’s former room.
• Hu Xiaotian lamented that Li Yuncong’s belongings were being removed, while Murong Zhan said every room in the palace belonged to the royal family.

Hu Xiaotian revealed to Murong Zhan that Granny Shadow was likely his mother and that Li Yuncong was his birth father. He then comforted Qiqi after she told him officials had impeached him, and began reconsidering Wen Boyuan’s death as a possible plot tied to Great Yong’s succession struggle.

• Hu Xiaotian told Murong Zhan that Granny Shadow had been his mother and that Ren Tianqing and Meizhuang had killed her.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed that Eunuch Li, whose original name was Mu Yuming, had been Murong Zhan’s birth father, leaving Murong Zhan stunned.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to Qiqi and caught the objects she threw at him, including a dagger, before easing her anger with a shoulder massage.
• Qiqi told Hu Xiaotian that a group of officials led by Wen Chenghuan had impeached him.
• Hu Xiaotian denied involvement in Wen Boyuan’s death and reasoned that Wen Boyuan may have tried to kill Princess Anping to frame him.
• Hu Xiaotian suggested that Xue Daohong would have benefited most from Princess Anping’s death because it could have prevented Xue Daoming from gaining the Great Yong crown prince position.

Hu Xiaotian defended himself against Qiqi’s concerns about Wen Chenghuan and Xue Lingjun while the two grew intimate. He explained that Great Kang should avoid choosing sides between Great Yong and Black Hu as it faced pressure from the Fragrant Kingdom.

• Qiqi rejected Hu Xiaotian’s unsupported suspicion that Wen Boyuan had colluded with Xue Daohong and urged him to restrain his feud with Wen Chenghuan.
• Hu Xiaotian kissed Qiqi, and she eventually kissed him in return after he caught and pinned her against the wall.
• Qiqi questioned Hu Xiaotian’s dealings with Black Hu and warned him not to let personal grudges affect negotiations with Great Yong.
• Hu Xiaotian denied having any improper relationship with Xue Lingjun and told Qiqi that his feelings were for her.
• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that Black Hu was colluding with Great Yong’s Prince of Yan, Xue Shengjing, and that Great Yong was divided between Li Chenzhou and Xue Lingjun and Emperor Xue Daoming.
• Qiqi said Great Kang should ally with neither Great Yong nor Black Hu because it was not ready for war and the Fragrant Kingdom remained its main enemy.

Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that the skull from Dragon Spirit Wonderland had been taken, and they considered who might be pursuing it. They learned that the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower had burned from the inside, likely destroying the skull, and arrived to investigate.

• Hu Xiaotian told Qiqi that Madam Meizhuang had taken the skull and that Xiang Shancong had used him while arranging Rong Shi’s release.
• Hu Xiaotian suspected Xue Shengjing was hiding in Black Hu and working with Xiang Shancong, while Qiqi wondered whether Ji Feihua could understand the skull.
• Yin Zheng reported that a fire had badly damaged the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower, and Qiqi decided to go to the Heavenly Secrets Bureau.
• Hu Xiaotian considered Hong Beimo, Xue Shengjing, and Ji Feihua as possible culprits who could have entered the tower and stolen the skull.
• Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian arrived with Hong Beimo and learned from Fu Yuhong that the tower had caught fire from within, and no intruder had been seen.

After the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower burned, Qiqi ordered Hong Beimo to investigate within three days while Hu Xiaotian agreed to look into possible Black Hu involvement. Hu Xiaotian learned Baobao had been gravely injured and prepared to operate on her, while Wen Chenghuan received Xue Lingjun at his residence.

• Qiqi, Hong Beimo, and Hu Xiaotian entered the burned tower and found its ironwood inner structure reduced to ashes; Qiqi said the Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter of Heaven and Earth Unveiled had been inside.
• Qiqi assigned Hong Beimo the investigation and gave him three days, while Hu Xiaotian offered to investigate the Black Hu side and Hong Beimo defended the bureau.
• Fu Yuhong reported that Baobao was gravely wounded, and Hu Xiaotian learned Gang Baduo had attacked her.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Hong Beimo to summon Liang Dazhuang with his medical kit so he could operate on Baobao.
• Wen Chenghuan received Xue Lingjun, who presented gifts including calligraphy by Li Xuangan, sent by Li Chenzhou.

Wen Chenghuan heard Xue Lingjun’s warnings about Great Kang’s alliance negotiations and grieved over how his son Li Chenzhou had betrayed the Li Family’s loyalty to Great Yong. After saving Baobao and arranging to move her to his residence, Hu Xiaotian was urgently summoned to the palace.

• Xue Lingjun urged Wen Chenghuan to warn Princess Yongyang against letting Hu Xiaotian favor Black Hu, and Wen promised to arrange a meeting and convey her concerns.
• Wen Chenghuan reflected on his decades undercover for Great Yong and lamented that Li Chenzhou’s ambition had undone the Li Family’s devotion to the nation.
• Hu Xiaotian emerged after surgery and confirmed to Hong Beimo that Baobao was out of danger.
• Hu Xiaotian asked to care for Baobao at his residence, and Hong Beimo agreed to have her moved the next morning after she stabilized overnight.
• Yin Zheng arrived with an urgent summons from Princess Yongyang, and Hu Xiaotian asked what the matter was.

Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi discussed Black Hu’s alleged offer of Princess Xima, Great Yong’s political maneuvering, and plans to counter it while investigating the skull and Hong Beimo. After leaving Qiqi, Hu Xiaotian went to the Black Hu Post Station to question Wanyan Liexin and Gang Baduo, then sneaked inside when they were absent.

• Qiqi questioned Hu Xiaotian about the rumor that Black Hu had offered him Princess Xima, and he said he had refused her.
• Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi suspected Wen Chenghuan and Xue Lingjun were manipulating the rumor, and they agreed to spread counter-rumors to undermine them.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed restoring the Divine Strategy Office, and Qiqi agreed.
• Hu Xiaotian went to the Black Hu Post Station to investigate the burning of the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower and Baobao’s injury, but learned Wanyan Liexin and Gang Baduo were absent.
• Hu Xiaotian put on a mask, vaulted over the Post Station’s rear wall, and slipped inside.

Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua secretly watched Xima and Bu Buma at the Post Station before sharing a reunion meal on a boat at West Phoenix Bridge. Ji Feihua revealed that he had witnessed Baobao’s injury and identified Bu Buma as the expert who intervened when Gang Baduo attacked her.

• Hu Xiaotian slipped into the Post Station and spotted Xima speaking with Bu Buma, while Ji Feihua secretly joined him and translated their conversation.
• Ji Feihua and Hu Xiaotian left the Post Station and went to West Phoenix Bridge, where Wu Renxing served them familiar food and wine aboard a boat.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Ji Feihua about Baobao’s injury, and Ji Feihua explained that he had tracked Xiang Shancong and Gang Baduo after they entered the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower.
• Ji Feihua said he had seen Gang Baduo injure Baobao and recognized Bu Buma as the expert who intervened.