Chapter Summaries

After recovering his sanity, Yi Shuyuan bid farewell to his master but stayed to care for him until he died, then traveled down the mountain with Qingling. Months later, he reached a village where Xi Liangsheng celebrated the birth of his son, and Yi Shuyuan bought a large fish so he could release it.

• Yi Shuyuan washed up, revealed that he was no longer mad, and told his master he would not seek his birth parents.
• When his master suddenly fell ill, Yi Shuyuan caught him and decided he could not leave; a year and a half later, he and Qingling buried him and departed the temple.
• Yi Shuyuan and Qingling traveled from place to place until Yi Shuyuan's calculation led them to a village where Xi Liangsheng's child had just been born.
• Seeing a large black carp brought as a celebratory gift, Yi Shuyuan offered one tael of silver to buy it and carried it away to release it.

Yi Shuyuan revisited Xi Family Village over many years as Xi Liangsheng became haunted by Square-Inch Mountain and his sons left to search for it. When Xi Liangsheng finally gave up the pursuit and stopped Lingya from leaving, Yi Shuyuan’s vision ended, and he awoke in the cave abode with Jiang Lang and sobbing Zhang Liangxi as dawn approached.

• Yi Shuyuan released the great dark-backed carp into the river and asked the villagers to spare its life as a blessing for Xi Liangsheng’s newborn.
• Over the next twelve years, Yi Shuyuan regularly visited Xi Family Village while Xi Liangsheng raised a family and grew increasingly troubled by his longing for Square-Inch Mountain.
• Xi Liangsheng’s eldest son, Xi Li'an, left to search for Square-Inch Mountain, and his second son followed three years later when neither returned.
• Years later, Lingya prepared to leave in search of her brothers, but Qingling offered to go with her and marry her when she returned.
• Liu Shi pleaded with Lingya to stay, and Xi Liangsheng renounced his search for Square-Inch Mountain as the vision burned away.
• Yi Shuyuan awoke in the cave abode beside a bewildered Jiang Lang and sobbing Zhang Liangxi, with dawn less than a quarter hour away.

Yi Shuyuan explained how Zhang Liangxi’s Demonic Tribulation ended when he gave up his dream of reaching Square-Inch Mountain to protect his family, completing his state of mind despite failing the trial. Zhang Liangxi and Gongsun Yin awoke with their cultivation lost, accepted starting over, and Hui Mian uncovered that Jiang Lang had been reincarnated as a fish.

• Jiang Lang recounted the Demonic Tribulation as a series of linked temptations that drew Zhang Liangxi into a loving family life and tested his Dao heart.
• Yi Shuyuan explained that Xi Liangsheng’s final choice to give up Square-Inch Mountain for his family revealed his kindness and completed his state of mind, even though he failed the tribulation.
• Gongsun Yin shed tears as he sensed Zhang Liangxi’s experience, and Yi Shuyuan said he doubted they would face another Demonic Tribulation.
• Zhang Liangxi awoke and apologized to Gongsun Yin for costing him his cultivation, while Gongsun Yin accepted his aged state and said he would start over.
• Zhang Liangxi and Gongsun Yin thanked Yi Shuyuan and Jiang Lang, then emerged into the morning light with renewed vigor.
• Hui Mian questioned Jiang Lang’s role in the Demon Realm, and Jiang Lang admitted he had reincarnated as a carp because he remembered he was a dragon in a world without dragons.

After leaving the Demon Realm, Yi Shuyuan stayed behind to take the Heavenly Battle Pill while Jiang Lang returned to Longwind Lake. Later, Hui Mian met Qi Zhongbin on his way to Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, where a children’s rhyme about the Tan family left Qi Zhongbin frowning.

• Gongsun Yin and Zhang Liangxi thanked Yi Shuyuan and Jiang Lang, then set off together to travel and cultivate despite having lost their former cultivation.
• The Purple Star Lord arrived, spoke with Yi Shuyuan and Jiang Lang about the Demon Realm, then returned to the heavens as Jiang Lang headed back to Longwind Lake.
• Yi Shuyuan entered the cave, swallowed the Heavenly Battle Pill, and began enduring its power as vines sealed the cave entrance.
• Hui Mian met Qi Zhongbin on the road and accompanied him to Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, where Qi learned that Yi Shuyuan was cultivating to subdue the pill.
• Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian reached the bustling capital during celebrations for a military victory, and Qi frowned after hearing children sing a rhyme about the Tan Residence’s immense wealth.

Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian investigated a nursery rhyme praising Tan Yuanshang, then Qi Zhongbin considered what it might mean for Tan’s fate. Meanwhile, Tan Yuanshang visited Hu Kuangming in Dengzhou and asked him to return to the capital to examine Emperor Yongming.

• Qi Zhongbin asked children where they had learned a nursery rhyme about Tan Yuanshang, then gave them hawthorns to eat with their sweets.
• Qi Zhongbin divined the rhyme and Tan Yuanshang’s name, found their implications unclear, and learned Tan was not in Heaven-Bearing Prefecture.
• Tan Yuanshang visited the Benevolent Aid Hall in Dengzhou and was recognized by its staff and patients as a member of the Tan Household.
• Hu Kuangming welcomed Tan Yuanshang, and they spoke about Lingdong’s great disaster before Tan explained his purpose.
• Tan Yuanshang asked Hu Kuangming to return to the capital and examine Emperor Yongming, whose health had worsened since the Empress Dowager’s death.

Tan Yuanshang brought Hu Kuangming to the Capital City, where Qi Zhongbin also arrived and confronted Tan with a children’s rhyme about the Tan Household’s wealth and power. Tan thanked Qi for the veiled warning, leaving the reason for the rhyme unresolved.

• Tan Yuanshang took Hu Kuangming from Deng Province to Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, impressing him with the Tan Household’s efficient travel network.
• Qi Zhongbin sensed Tan Yuanshang’s return, prepared to leave the Daoist temple, and then agreed to stay after the Abbott asked him to remain.
• Hui Mian showed Qi Zhongbin a cricket he planned to sell to wealthy cricket fighters in the Capital City.
• Tan Yuanshang took Hu Kuangming to see Chengxing’s First Stele and offered to host him at the Tan Residence.
• Qi Zhongbin reached the stele and recited a rhyme about the Tan Household’s riches, prompting Tan Yuanshang to approach and ask where he had heard it.
• Qi Zhongbin said children had been singing the rhyme and mentioned the Tan Household’s offering of the stele to the emperor; Tan Yuanshang thanked him for the guidance.

Qi Zhongbin met Tan Yuanshang at Chengxing's First Stele, and Tan learned that the old man was staying at Sky Void Temple. Tan planned a discreet way to bring Hu Kuangming to examine the emperor, whose worsening exhaustion worried his attendants, while news of Tan's return stirred a prince and his guests.

• Qi Zhongbin and Tan Yuanshang discussed Meng Shiming's calligraphy and the history of Chengxing's First Stele.
• Qi Zhongbin told Tan Yuanshang he was staying at Sky Void Temple, then declined his offer of help and left without being pursued.
• Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian decided to sell their crickets after arranging bouts to raise their value.
• Tan Yuanshang told Hu Kuangming he would arrange a discreet way to examine the emperor and postponed their visits to medical halls.
• The emperor grew exhausted, fell asleep in the Imperial Study, and murmured indistinctly in a dream about his father.
• A prince learned that Tan Yuanshang had returned and discussed the nursery rhyme with his guests, but chose not to visit Tan.

Tan Yuanshang told the emperor about his journey, shared what he remembered of Mr. Yi’s calligraphy, and brought Hu Kuangming to examine the emperor. Hu Kuangming judged the emperor’s illness treatable but dangerous, then insisted that the emperor stop taking palace-prescribed medicines and rely solely on his care.

• Tan Yuanshang visited the Imperial Study and recounted his travels, including rumors of a strange fragrance and golden light at Heavenly Battle Mountain.
• Tan Yuanshang told the emperor that Mr. Yi had left a calligraphy work called “Heaven and Earth Transformation,” but he could recite only part of it.
• Tan Yuanshang revealed that he had invited Hu Kuangming to examine the emperor, and the emperor agreed to visit the Tan Residence.
• Hu Kuangming examined the emperor’s pulse at the Tan Residence and said the condition was extremely dangerous but still treatable.
• Hu Kuangming told the emperor to stop taking all palace medicines and let him alone decide every treatment.

After Hu Kuangming warned Emperor Xiang Ziji to stop taking the palace's medicine, the emperor halted it and summoned medicine from the Tan Residence. A prince who feared exposure over the poison then asked a blood-red-staffed monk to help eliminate Hu Kuangming.

• Hu Kuangming advised Xiang Ziji to stop taking the palace's medicine, and Tan Yuanshang urged the emperor to heed him.
• Xiang Ziji returned to the palace, stopped taking the medicine, and kept his suspicions quiet; the Crown Prince tried to see him but was turned away.
• A scholarly-looking prince learned Hu Kuangming had suppressed the poison and feared Tan Yuanshang would uncover his scheme.
• The prince's subordinate urged him to eliminate Hu Kuangming, and the prince summoned a monk with blood-red prayer beads and a staff.
• The monk agreed to ease the prince's burdens.

The ascetic sent a ghost into the Tan Residence to kill Hu Kuangming, but the attack was stopped by a glowing book. The ascetic’s skull-shaped ritual implement shattered, and he realized Hu Kuangming possessed a supreme treasure.

• The Prince hired the ascetic to eliminate Hu Kuangming, and the ascetic agreed after learning about the Tan Household.
• The ascetic summoned a ghost and sent it into the Tan Residence, where its eerie presence alerted the household’s martial artists.
• The ghost searched for Hu Kuangming while the Tan experts mobilized, and Tan Yuanshang hurried to check on the physician.
• The ghost attacked Hu Kuangming, but the room’s protective patterns blocked it until the ascetic made it stronger with his blood.
• A book on Hu Kuangming’s table radiated light, blasted the ghost away, and shattered the ascetic’s ritual skull, revealing a supreme treasure.

A mysterious old man named Qi Zhongbin defeated Fighter Monk after the ghost attacked the Tan Residence, and Tan Yuanshang went to Sky Void Temple to seek him out. Hu Kuangming recognized Qi Zhongbin as a Celestial Master who had appeared during disasters decades earlier, despite the man being over a hundred years old.

• The manuscript of the Treatise on Strange Epidemics shone as a ghost rampaged through the Tan Residence, and Tan Yuanshang drove it away with an ancient copper coin.
• The ghost attacked Fighter Monk, but his Buddhist Prayer Beads and Monk's Staff let him capture it in a Blood Skull.
• Fighter Monk headed to the Tan Residence to steal its extraordinary treasure, but Qi Zhongbin knocked him unconscious with the Heavenly Gang Mace.
• Tan Yuanshang's household found Fighter Monk outside the gates and discovered his Blood Skull and other sinister implements.
• Tan Yuanshang visited Sky Void Temple with Hu Kuangming and learned that Qi Zhongbin was staying there.
• Hu Kuangming identified Qi Zhongbin as the old Celestial Master who had appeared during the great epidemic in Lingdong and the drought that followed.

Tan Yuanshang and his companions met Qi Zhongbin at Sky Void Temple and discovered that he was the old Celestial Master who had defeated the Demon Monk. After Hui Mian angrily revealed itself as a marten, Tan Yuanshang connected it to the long-lived gray-white Mink kept by the Yi Household.

• The guest-receiving Daoist led Tan Yuanshang and his companions to Qi Zhongbin after Qi invited them in.
• Hu Kuangming recognized Qi Zhongbin as the old Celestial Master, and Tan Yuanshang and the others bowed to him in gratitude for saving them.
• Qi Zhongbin explained that Hu Kuangming's Treatise on Strange Epidemics and accumulated merit had protected him from the Vengeful Ghost.
• Tan Yuanshang asked to see the rat demon, and Hui Mian appeared, angrily insisting that it was a marten rather than a rat.
• Tan Yuanshang recalled the Yi Household's gray-white, long-lived Mink and suspected it was Hui Mian.

Tan Yuanshang told the emperor that Qi Zhongbin, the Celestial Master who helped save Hu Kuangming, had appeared in the capital. The emperor learned that Qi had once been appointed Celestial Master by Emperor Lingzong and was the same figure from the Lingdong disaster.

• Qi Zhongbin explained that Gray was his senior and teacher, a powerful former demon cultivator who had begun cultivating anew under Qi's teacher.
• Tan Yuanshang asked Qi whether he could tell the emperor about him, and Qi agreed.
• At the prince's residence, the prince and his followers speculated that Hu Kuangming had been gravely hurt and wondered where their missing master had gone.
• Tan Yuanshang told the emperor that a foreign demon monk had tried to kill Hu Kuangming, but an expert had intervened and the monk had been captured.
• Tan Yuanshang revealed that the expert was Qi Zhongbin, then explained that Emperor Lingzong had appointed Qi Celestial Master during the Lingdong disaster.
• The emperor was astonished to learn Qi had served as Celestial Master under his grandfather.

Tan Yuanshang told the emperor that the century-old Celestial Master was staying in the Capital City and that Lin Xiu would investigate the sorcerer who attacked the Tan Residence. The Crown Prince learned that the attack had targeted Hu Kuangming, reassured himself that the emperor did not suspect him, and Tan Yuanshang left reflecting that the princes’ struggle was little more than childish games.

• Tan Yuanshang told the emperor that the old Celestial Master had received his title eighty years earlier and was lodging at Sky Void Temple.
• The emperor assigned Lin Xiu to investigate the sorcerer who attacked the Tan Residence and planned to invite the old Celestial Master to court.
• Tan Yuanshang told the Crown Prince that the sorcerer had tried to harm Hu Kuangming, and the Crown Prince urged the emperor to investigate the Imperial Medical Bureau.
• The Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace, where his advisers warned him to stay cautious and discussed the attack and the nursery rhyme targeting the Tan Household.
• Tan Yuanshang rode home, considered the old Celestial Master’s warning about his future, and dismissed the princes’ struggle as childish games.

Qi Zhongbin accepted the emperor’s invitation to court and lent him the old Celestial Master’s gold token, prompting the palace to hurriedly make a replacement. Rumors of Qi’s extraordinary age spread, and the chapter ended as the emperor summoned him before the Grand Court Assembly, alarming several princes.

• A palace eunuch delivered the emperor’s invitation to Qi Zhongbin at Sky Void Temple, and Qi let him take the old Celestial Master’s gold token back to the palace.
• The emperor inspected the token and, after realizing Qi had not agreed to its return, ordered the chief eunuch to make a pure-gold replacement before dawn.
• Rumors about Qi Zhongbin spread through Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, while officials at a prince’s residence dismissed his claimed longevity as impossible.
• At the Grand Court Assembly, the emperor summoned Qi Zhongbin, and several princes grew terrified when they heard his name called.

Qi Zhongbin returned to Great Yong’s court, where the emperor reinstated him as Celestial Master after he accepted the gold token but refused most other rewards. The court assembly then exposed the Fifth Prince’s involvement in the foreign monk’s sorcery, and the emperor ordered him detained for judgment.

• Qi Zhongbin entered the Golden Hall, where Chu Hang recognized him and recalled their meeting in Lingdong nearly forty years earlier.
• The emperor praised Qi Zhongbin for defeating a foreign practitioner and urged him to accept the Celestial Master Token; Qi Zhongbin accepted it but declined the ritual robe, whisk, gold reward, and pavilion.
• The emperor appointed Qi Zhongbin Great Yong’s Celestial Master and told him he need not answer summons or bow before the emperor.
• Lin Xiu reported that the foreign monk had confessed and asked permission to apprehend the principal culprit.
• The Fifth Prince panicked, confessed that the monk had bewitched him, and claimed he had never intended to harm the emperor.
• The emperor ordered guards to take the Fifth Prince away to await judgment.

Lin Xiu read the charges against Fifth Prince Xiang Yuyuan, and the emperor ordered his execution for plotting to poison him. After the court assembly, Qi Zhongbin visited Fighter Monk in prison, where Hui Mian frightened him into demanding that his confession identify him as a Spirit Marten, not a rat.

• Lin Xiu read the charges accusing Fifth Prince Xiang Yuyuan and his accomplices of poisoning the emperor and attempting to eliminate Hu Kuangming.
• The emperor asked the officials for their opinions, heard no objections, and ordered Xiang Yuyuan executed by beheading.
• Qi Zhongbin left the Imperial Palace after the court assembly and appeared inside the Heaven-Bearing Prefectural Office prison.
• Hui Mian confronted Fighter Monk in his cell and terrified him by appearing as a monstrous demon.
• Fighter Monk demanded to change his confession, insisting Hui Mian was a Spirit Marten rather than a rat.

Xiao Yuzhi traced the Fighter Monk’s corrected testimony about a spirit marten to the old Celestial Master, whom he found with the emperor and Tan Yuanshang at the Tan Residence. Tan Yuanshang then announced that he would donate the entire Tan Household fortune to the court, leaving the emperor considering whether to replace the Crown Prince.

• Xiao Yuzhi heard the Fighter Monk change his testimony from a rat demon to a spirit marten and reconsidered the case.
• Xiao Yuzhi learned that the old Celestial Master had left Sky Void Temple and went to the Tan Residence, where the emperor, Tan Yuanshang, and Qi Zhongbin received him.
• Xiao Yuzhi confirmed that the creature involved in the case was a spirit marten, and Qi Zhongbin said Xiao had also come to see him.
• Tan Yuanshang announced that he would donate all the Tan Household’s holdings, including his residence, to the court.
• Tan Yuanshang said he was old and weary of future court and imperial-clan schemes, prompting the emperor to consider replacing the Crown Prince.

Tan Yuanshang asked the emperor to protect the Tan Household from future trouble, while Xiao Yuzhi learned that Qi Zhongbin was Mr. Yi’s disciple and Hui Mian was the talking marten. In the Heavenly Prison, Prince Xiang Yuyuan received his father’s order to choose between white silk and poisoned wine, and he later hanged himself.

• Tan Yuanshang urged the emperor to consider the Tan Household’s future after his death, but the emperor left without answering his request.
• Xiao Yuzhi followed Qi Zhongbin and learned that Hui Mian was the marten from his past and that Mr. Yi was Qi Zhongbin’s master.
• Hui Mian told Xiao Yuzhi that Fighter Monk was not truly mad and advised that he might one day help the Tan Household.
• Qi Zhongbin revealed that Stoneborn was his senior martial brother before leaving Xiao Yuzhi behind.
• Liu Zhongquan delivered Xiang Yuyuan’s sentence: he could choose ten feet of white silk or a pot of poisoned wine, or be publicly beheaded.
• Xiang Yuyuan later hanged himself in the Heavenly Prison.

After the Tan Household surrendered most of its immense wealth to the Imperial Court, Tan Yuanshang settled into a quieter life. In early summer, Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian arrived in Tea Province and reunited with Stoneborn at the Mo Residence, where Master Mo welcomed them.

• The Imperial Court inventoried the Tan Household's donated assets and found detailed accounts of its spending on disasters, wars, and public welfare.
• Tan Yuanshang reflected on the assets he had kept and decided to leave the family's commercial affairs to the younger generation while he enjoyed his retirement.
• Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian revisited Mingzhou before arriving at the Mo Residence to see Stoneborn.
• Stoneborn recognized Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian at the gate, and the three disciples happily reunited.
• Master Mo hurried to the main gates, greeted Qi Zhongbin, and welcomed him after many years apart.