Chapter Summaries

Huan Yulang visited Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian to seek a meeting with Yi Shuyuan, who remained in seclusion and slept for nearly fifteen months. After awakening, Yi Shuyuan achieved a genuine transformation into Long Feiyang and reunited with Hui Mian and Qi Zhongbin in a wonton shop, where Qi Zhongbin struggled to recognize his master.

• Huan Yulang asked Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian to arrange a meeting with Yi Shuyuan, but they explained that he was in seclusion, so Huan Yulang asked them to send word when he emerged.
• While Yi Shuyuan slept, his dreams and the Mo Household child's transformation helped him understand the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha transformations.
• Yi Shuyuan awakened and successfully transformed into Long Feiyang, gaining a genuine new form rather than an illusory disguise.
• Yi Shuyuan realized he had slept nearly fifteen months and went into the city to find Qi Zhongbin and Hui Mian.
• Yi Shuyuan approached Qi Zhongbin in a wonton shop, and Hui Mian recognized him while Qi Zhongbin stared in disbelief, unsure whether this stranger was his master.

Yi Shuyuan accepted Mo Stoneborn as his disciple, named him, and began teaching him and Qi Zhongbin how to enter the Immortal Dao. He used the Mountain and River Immortal Furnace Diagram and his magic tools to draw Qi Zhongbin into a vast inner realm, where Qi found himself falling toward a landscape of mountains and rivers.

• Yi Shuyuan met with Huan Yulang’s visit still pending, then went to the Mo Residence to see the child Sheng'er.
• Yi Shuyuan accepted the child as his disciple and named him Mo Stoneborn, while Stoneborn and Hui Mian chased and teased each other.
• Yi Shuyuan taught Stoneborn and Qi Zhongbin about sensing heaven and earth before the Beginning of Spring and showed them the Mountain and River Immortal Furnace Diagram.
• Yi Shuyuan transformed the Folding Fan and used it with the storyteller’s block to send Qi Zhongbin flying out of Mingzhou City and into the diagram’s inner realm.
• Qi Zhongbin saw a vast landscape of mountains and rivers and an immense Alchemy Furnace as he plunged through the inner realm.

Yi Shuyuan guided Mo Shisheng and Qi Zhongbin through their cultivation and protected them from a demonic tribulation with his ritual ruler. After they awakened and began eating, Mo Shisheng said Yi Shuyuan had gone to the Land God Temple to meet Huan Yulang, whom Qi Zhongbin identified as a Fire Department Deity.

• Yi Shuyuan sealed the courtyard and told A De to keep people away until the seventh day, while he, Mo Shisheng, Qi Zhongbin, and Hui Mian cultivated.
• On the night before the Beginning of Spring, Yi Shuyuan used the remaining life-generating qi to help Mo Shisheng and Qi Zhongbin face their tribulation.
• When demonic qi gathered over the Mo Residence and tormented the two disciples, Yi Shuyuan used Jade Startle and Commanding Startle to destroy it and drive away the demonic thoughts.
• On the latter half of the seventh night, Yi Shuyuan opened the courtyard and told A De to prepare plenty of food for the hungry Mo Shisheng and Qi Zhongbin.
• While eating, Mo Shisheng told his parents that Yi Shuyuan had gone to the Land God Temple to see Huan Yulang, and Qi Zhongbin revealed that Huan Yulang was a Fire Department Deity.

Yi Shuyuan visited the Land God to pass along a message for Huan Yulang, then taught Mo Shisheng and Qi Zhongbin about the Five Elements, illusion magic, and transformations. As Yi Shuyuan sat down to lunch at the Mo Household, a Thunder Department general named Cao Yugao arrived to see him.

• Yi Shuyuan asked the Land God to tell Huan Yulang that he was ready to meet, and explained that he had used a spell to dispel demonic energy threatening his disciple’s entry into the Dao.
• Yi Shuyuan taught Mo Shisheng and Qi Zhongbin about the Five Elements and illusion magic, then explained that his transformation was a true change rather than an illusion.
• Yi Shuyuan told Qi Zhongbin to help teach the sleepy Mo Shisheng, and the group went to lunch with the Mo Household.
• A servant reported that Cao Yugao had come to visit Yi Shuyuan, and Qi Zhongbin identified him as one of the Thunder Department’s Five Thunder Generals.

Yi Shuyuan accepted a Celestial Court Jade Token from Cao Yugao and revealed Jade Startle, a treasure whose power astonished the Thunder Department deity. Cao Yugao asked Yi Shuyuan to help find and free his longtime friend from obsessive madness, and Yi agreed in exchange for hearing their story and helping pursue its ending.

• Cao Yugao presented Yi Shuyuan with a Jade Token authorized by the Heavenly Emperor, and Yi accepted it despite noticing its Immortal Venerable inscription.
• Yi Shuyuan showed Cao Yugao Jade Startle, whose thunderous power briefly overwhelmed him and drew lightning from his body.
• Cao Yugao explained that he had spent decades searching for an Immortal Cultivator friend who had fallen into obsessive madness.
• Yi Shuyuan agreed to help Cao Yugao free his friend without damaging his fundamental essence, asking to hear the story and pursue its ending together.

Yi Shuyuan told Qi Zhongbin and Mo Stoneborn that he would eventually travel again, encouraged their cultivation, and accepted Qi Zhongbin’s notes on sorcerer methods. He went to settle his overdue rent, but learned the old farmer had died and found the family mourning him in broad daylight.

• Yi Shuyuan returned to the Mo Household dining hall, explained that he would leave once he finished his business, and urged Qi Zhongbin and Mo Stoneborn to cultivate toward building their immortal foundations and manifesting their immortal furnaces.
• Yi Shuyuan took Qi Zhongbin’s notes on sorcerer methods and said he would explore whether some could become immortal arts; Hui Mian explained that Yi Shuyuan’s reverent bows could overwhelm gods and destabilize their divine statues.
• Yi Shuyuan went to pay the old farmer more than a year of overdue rent, but met him walking freely and heard him complain about his unruly children.
• Yi Shuyuan followed the old farmer’s directions to his courtyard and found the family weeping and fighting over the old man’s death in broad daylight.

Yi Shuyuan visited Old Yu’s family after the old man died, paid the rent he owed, and persuaded the family to keep a quiet vigil. He returned to his old house, packed up, and left, considering whether he might someday buy the land and call it Firefly Sea Residence.

• Yi Shuyuan entered Old Yu’s courtyard and found the old man dead while his children argued and mourned.
• Yi Shuyuan claimed he owed sixteen months of rent, negotiated with the family, and paid the eldest son eight taels of silver.
• Yi Shuyuan warned the family to keep the mourning hall quiet, keep all six children present for the vigil, and keep stray animals away.
• Yi Shuyuan left the neighborhood, reflected that Old Yu might be reincarnated, and passed the Qingyuan Teahouse without going inside.
• Yi Shuyuan packed and cleaned the old house, then left after imagining that he might someday buy the land and name it Firefly Sea Residence.

Yi Shuyuan left Mingzhou after his disciples Qi Zhongbin and Mo Shisheng bid him farewell, then headed to the Tea Province docks to book passage toward Heaven-Bearing Prefecture. As he settled aboard the boat, he recognized a desperate gambler from the docks among its boatmen.

• Hui Mian told Qi Zhongbin and Mo Shisheng that Yi Shuyuan had left, and Qi Zhongbin took Mo Shisheng west to bid their master farewell.
• Yi Shuyuan heard the disciples' calls, reflected that having disciples felt pleasant, and continued toward Heaven-Bearing Prefecture to look for Chu Hang later.
• At the Tea Province docks, Yi Shuyuan watched a gambler lose his money and saw ill fortune gather around him.
• Yi Shuyuan negotiated a four-tael fare aboard a cargo boat bound for Heaven-Bearing Prefecture and met the examination candidate Yang Bencai.
• Yi Shuyuan saw the gambler return to the vessel and realized he was one of its boatmen.

Yi Shuyuan used the moonlit river to form a Painted Shadow Sword and stored it in his gourd with a strand of lung metal essence, hoping to complete it in his Immortal Furnace. The next morning, he left the harbor aboard the ship as the boatmen rowed to a lively work chant.

• Yi Shuyuan watched moonlight shimmer across the canal and, in a moment of insight, used his brush to form the Painted Shadow Sword from the moon’s reflection.
• Yi Shuyuan drew the sword’s moonlight into his gourd and added a strand of lung metal essence, planning to nurture the sword in his Immortal Furnace.
• A boatman climbed along the ship to pry open a cabin window, but slipped into the river and swam ashore.
• Yi Shuyuan woke at dawn as the ship left the harbor and joined in singing the boatmen’s rowing chant.

Yi Shuyuan witnessed supernatural creatures battling beneath the canal, whose struggle sent waves crashing against the ship. That evening, Yang Bencai bought a supposedly lucky carp, and Yi Shuyuan followed to see how he would prepare it.

• Yi Shuyuan saved a child when the ship shuddered, then spotted two enormous shadows fighting underwater as violent waves struck nearby vessels.
• The canal calmed, and a boatman who inspected the hull reported a dent but no serious damage or leak.
• That evening, the boatmen caught a golden-red carp and claimed it could bring good fortune in the examinations.
• Yi Shuyuan bargained the price down to three taels, and Yang Bencai bought the carp, saying he would take any chance to improve his prospects.
• Yang Bencai took a knife and cooking pot to prepare the fish, while Yi Shuyuan followed to watch.

Yang Bencai failed to kill a koi that escaped after drinking his blood, while Yi Shuyuan shared wine with the boatmen and discovered a phantom siphoning yang energy from nearby boats. After Yi Shuyuan dispelled the phantom, he found the golden-red carp surfacing beside the boat and staring at him in terror.

• Yang Bencai cut his hand while trying to gut the koi, which drank his blood and escaped into the river.
• An old boatman invited Yi Shuyuan and Yang Bencai to share a meal, and Yi Shuyuan brought out Sun-Moon Cosmos Wine for the group.
• A boatman saw a blurry white shape over the river, while Yi Shuyuan sensed that white energy was being siphoned from people aboard nearby boats.
• Yi Shuyuan went to the bow, saw a faceless phantom over the water, and shattered it with his Ritual Ruler.
• Yi Shuyuan looked into the river and saw the golden-red carp surface beside the boat, terrified by him.

Yi Shuyuan sheltered a wounded koi demon inside his folding fan after she asked for help escaping the Kaiyang River. She explained that the Kaiyang Water God's Great Yaksha had injured her while the Water God's adopted Catfish Demon pursued her for her mother's treasure.

• Yi Shuyuan discovered the koi hiding near his boat and warned her not to endanger its mortal passengers.
• The koi transformed into a woman and begged Yi Shuyuan to take her beyond the Kaiyang River, but he tested her claims and returned her to fish form.
• Yi Shuyuan opened a pond within his folding fan, and the koi jumped inside to recover.
• After returning to the boat, Yi Shuyuan questioned the woman through the fan as Yang Bencai slept off his drunkenness.
• The woman said the Catfish Demon wanted her mother's treasure and intended to make her his concubine, while the Great Yaksha under the Kaiyang Water God had wounded her.

Yi Shuyuan helped Lu Yuwei evade the Kaiyang Water God by crafting a lifelike decoy from her hair and sending it into the river. As the ship continued through heavy rain, a dangerous creature searched the water and caused two boats to nearly collide, leaving Yi Shuyuan to wonder whether it was trying to lure Lu Yuwei out or prey on passengers.

• Yi Shuyuan questioned Lu Yuwei about her predicament, verified her origins through her hair, and promised to help her reach Heaven-Bearing Prefecture.
• Yi Shuyuan braided Lu Yuwei's hair into a fish, transformed it into a painted koi on his fan, and released it into a riverside inlet as a decoy.
• The ship departed at daybreak, and the boatmen praised Yi Shuyuan's medicinal wine for easing their aches.
• During heavy rain, Yi Shuyuan spotted drowned ghosts scattering as a large shadow searched beneath the river's surface for Lu Yuwei.
• A large ship nearly struck a smaller boat, so Yi Shuyuan used his fan to push the smaller vessel clear of danger.
• Yi Shuyuan realized the creature had deliberately caused the near collision and considered whether it meant to lure Lu Yuwei out or devour people.

Yi Shuyuan drove off a Catfish Demon and its water ghosts with a blade-like force carried by sunlight, though the demon escaped with help from a great Yaksha. After the boats were safe, Yi Shuyuan wondered how to deal with the Kaiyang Water God's godson and considered trying an orthodox method.

• The Catfish Demon and its water ghosts approached Yi Shuyuan's vessel after the rainstorm disrupted a smaller boat.
• Yi Shuyuan used the energy from his Gourd to clear the clouds, then sent a keen, sunlit force through the water that destroyed the ghosts and wounded the Catfish Demon.
• The Catfish Demon fled with the great Yaksha, who learned that it had tried to overturn a boat while searching for the carp demon and warned it that Yi Shuyuan was an immortal.
• The rain stopped, and Yi Shuyuan's vessel regained control as the shaken passengers resumed talking.
• Yi Shuyuan told Hui Mian that the Catfish Demon had escaped through its Water Control and considered trying the orthodox method.

Yi Shuyuan secretly traveled ahead to the Kaiyang Water God's temple and offered three sticks of incense while holding the deity responsible for the fiends and ghosts on the river. The temple began shaking violently, leaving worshippers fleeing in terror.

• Yang Bencai learned that the boat would stop at Small River Village rather than Cloud Moor Harbor, though he could walk to the temple from there.
• Yi Shuyuan used Wind Control to fly ahead to Cloud Moor Harbor while his conjured body slept aboard the boat.
• Yi Shuyuan entered the crowded temple and bought the cheapest incense, ignoring the worker's contempt.
• Yi Shuyuan lit and placed three sticks of incense in the courtyard cauldron without entering the hall or kneeling before the Kaiyang Water God's statue.
• The incense offering triggered violent shaking throughout the temple, and worshippers screamed and tried to escape.

Yi Shuyuan’s incense offering caused the Kaiyang water god, Nian Chaosheng, to suffer severe injuries and collapse his temple statue. Yi Shuyuan confronted him over demons and ghosts harming people along the canal, then left after warning him to govern his waters and cultivate virtue; Nian Chaosheng vowed to pursue the culprits and complain to the Heavenly Emperor.

• Yi Shuyuan’s three incense sticks shook the River God Temple and caused the Kaiyang water god’s golden body to crack and his divine residence to collapse.
• Nian Chaosheng rushed to the temple, recognized Yi Shuyuan as the source of his suffering, and pleaded with him to withdraw the incense offering.
• Yi Shuyuan extinguished the incense and told Nian Chaosheng that demons and ghosts had been harming travelers on the Kaiyang Grand Canal.
• Nian Chaosheng angrily promised to deal with the evil creatures, while Yi Shuyuan urged him to cultivate virtue and said he would keep watching.
• Yi Shuyuan vanished without giving his name, and Nian Chaosheng resolved to capture two culprits and formally accuse Yi Shuyuan before the Heavenly Emperor.

Yi Shuyuan left the River God Temple after humiliating Nian Chaosheng, then returned to his ship as the Water God ordered his subordinates to retrieve the Catfish Demon and Great Yaksha. Nian Chaosheng punished the two demons and caught a golden carp, only to discover it was a clump of hair.

• Yi Shuyuan returned to his ship, where Yang Bencai told him Elder Meng would cover their meals and Hui Mian grumbled that the hospitality was meant for their master.
• The temple keeper and workers found the River God statue shattered and relit the temple's eternal lamps.
• Nian Chaosheng ordered his troops to bring back the Catfish Demon and Great Yaksha, and General Crab arrested them along with the golden carp.
• Nian Chaosheng struck the Catfish Demon and tormented the Great Yaksha before General Crab presented the trapped carp.
• Nian Chaosheng grabbed the golden carp, but it vanished and left a tangled clump of hair in his hand.

Yi Shuyuan learned that the fake fish had been caught, while Nian Chaosheng blamed an unknown immortal for helping the carp demon and damaging his temple. Nian Chaosheng appealed to the Celestial Court, which promised an investigation as the Heavenly Emperor struggled to uncover the immortal’s identity.

• Yi Shuyuan sensed Nian Chaosheng’s furious roar after the Kaiyang Water God’s forces caught the fake fish, then spent the day traveling with Yang Bencai.
• Nian Chaosheng concluded that an immortal had helped the carp demon escape and, unable to bear the insult, flew to the Celestial Court to seek justice.
• The Heavenly Emperor heard Nian Chaosheng’s complaint and ordered officials to investigate, though Nian Chaosheng could provide few details about the immortal.
• The Heavenly Emperor tried to divine the immortal’s identity, but a seven-colored radiance and three sparks destroyed his vision of the past.
• Nian Chaosheng received the Celestial Court’s promise of a fair resolution and returned to the Kaiyang waters.

Yi Shuyuan let Lu Yuwei out of the Folding Fan so she could recover and tell him about her parents, while Hui Mian learned that Chanting Dust could respond to it. On the tenth day of the voyage, heavenly gods searched the rain-lashed land with lightning, and Lu Yuwei warned Yi Shuyuan that some of the thunderbolts were divine.

• Hui Mian summoned Chanting Dust and opened it, finding Lu Yuwei recovering inside the painted pool.
• Yi Shuyuan brought Lu Yuwei out onto the Kaiyang River and told her the Kaiyang Water God and the creatures who had troubled her were unlikely to pursue her for now.
• Yi Shuyuan offered to take Lu Yuwei to Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, then asked about her parents, and she began recalling her father.
• On the tenth day of the voyage, Yi Shuyuan saw heavenly gods searching the land with lightning during a storm.
• Lu Yuwei joined Yi Shuyuan on deck and warned him that some of the thunderbolts were not ordinary.

Yi Shuyuan reached Heaven-Bearing Prefecture with Yang Bencai and left their ship by ferry to go ashore with Lu Yuwei. The Jade Token began glowing, signaling that a heavenly deity was coming.

• Yi Shuyuan and Yang Bencai approached Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, where an officer assigned their ship a berth and announced that military subjects would return to the Spring Examinations.
• Yi Shuyuan chose to go ashore by ferry while Yang Bencai stayed aboard, and the two said farewell as rain began to fall.
• Lu Yuwei joined Yi Shuyuan beneath an umbrella on the ferry, and they discussed Thunder Department Deities searching around the Open Sun Canal basin.
• The Jade Token slipped from Yi Shuyuan's sleeve, and Hui Mian explained that the Heavenly Emperor had sent it to his master.
• The Jade Token's writing flickered, and Lu Yuwei realized that a heavenly deity was coming.