Chapter Summaries

Black Snake waited for rain on Azure Cloud Monastery’s Back Mountain, and the downpour awakened claws on his limbs as he rose into the clouds. After lightning struck him and briefly sent him falling, he regained some control over his new claws and concluded that he was still short of becoming a true flood dragon.

• Black Snake endured three days of waiting for rain until a storm swept across the mountain.
• As rain essence filled the air, Black Snake uncoiled, rose into the sky, and watched the claws on his four limbs unfurl.
• Black Snake struggled to control his newborn limbs, then was struck across the back by lightning and fell through the clouds.
• Black Snake halted his fall and returned to the clouds while Daoists and pilgrims at the monastery witnessed him and cried out that he was a dragon.
• Black Snake discovered that the lightning had improved his control of his claws, but he sensed that he had not yet become a true flood dragon.
• Black Snake counted four toes on each claw and accepted that his transformation was still incomplete.

Jin Si used the thunderstorm to clear his limbs’ meridians and grow more adept with his new claws, becoming a Black Flood Dragon despite three paws remaining weak. After a clumsy landing, he tested his claws, tended the medicine fields, and returned to the monastery’s summit to absorb rain essence.

• Jin Si cautiously brushed the lightning-filled clouds and found that his meridians had opened further, making his claws more responsive.
• Jin Si realized his left front paw and both hind paws were still weak, and recalled the Abbot’s warning that his incomplete cultivation would make perfection difficult.
• Jin Si tried landing on a grassy ridge with his paws, but they buckled and sent him crashing through the grass and mud.
• Jin Si tested his right front claw on a tree and crushed stones, then used his new paws to tend every medicine field through the night.
• Jin Si returned to a boulder behind the Azure Cloud Monastery and drank in rain essence as the rain continued.

The Azure Cloud Monastery’s leaders confirmed that the Ghost King was gone but worried about whether their powerful guardian spirit beast might become a threat. The Black Flood Dragon sensed a lone, unusually powerful yin spirit approaching and went down the mountain to intercept it.

• Pilgrims visited the Azure Cloud Monastery while Daoists cleared rain-blocked drainage channels and mourned their murdered fellow disciples.
• Cultivators in the Abbot’s study confirmed that the Ghost King of the Holy King Hall had vanished, then debated whether the guardian spirit beast could become dangerous.
• The Abbot reflected on his past decision to recommend the black snake to Pillow Star Mountain and worried more about a deranged old man than the dragon.
• The Black Flood Dragon continued refining control of his claws and watched the mountain for threats, especially the possessed old man.
• The Black Flood Dragon detected a powerful yin spirit on the mountain path, verified that it was alone, and descended to block its way.

Jin Si received a letter from Lin Wei inviting him to Pillowstar Mountain and decided he, Xiao Yu, and Red Clothes would move there next spring. He shared the news with Red Clothes and visited a grave to talk about his new claws and their future move.

• Jin Si and Xiao Yu puzzled out Lin Wei's letter and studied the route to Pillowstar Mountain.
• Jin Si decided to move there with Xiao Yu in the spring and carefully stored the letter among his books.
• Jin Si invited Red Clothes to come with them, and she quietly agreed.
• Jin Si tidied his herb field and later carried two pine cones to a grave, where he spoke about his new claws and the move.

Jin Si prepared to leave the Azure Cloud Monastery for Pillowstar Mountain, gathering his belongings and setting out with Little Feather and Red Robe. Along the way, he passed a busy market held by the mountain’s immortal halls and continued traveling through the mist.

• Jin Si woke from hibernation, found that the medicinal herbs had strengthened his body, and visited the Spring Well and Stone Terrace before leaving.
• Jin Si visited Hu Changqing in the Spirit Realm, packed herb seeds, root tubers, valuables, and Lin Wei’s letters, and decided to set out.
• Jin Si asked Red Robe whether she had belongings, and she said her grave held only combs and bronze mirrors.
• Jin Si, Little Feather, and Red Robe departed for Pillowstar Mountain, traveling through the sea fog.
• Jin Si spotted a lively market where demonic beasts, yin souls, and humans traded goods, then continued on his way.

Jin Si, Xiao Yu, and Red Clothes traveled through the spirit realm, admiring its scenery and avoiding signs of habitation. They reached Pillow Star Mountain, whose quiet and sparsely populated Daoist compound left Jin Si uncertain, so he planned to observe the mountain road before approaching.

• Jin Si and his companions passed scattered dwellings and encountered no opposition as they traveled with the mist tide.
• The group found a woodland devastated by magical combat and bloodshed, then continued onward rather than resting there.
• The companions admired the spirit realm's landscapes and collected several centuries-old medicinal herbs during their leisurely journey.
• Jin Si spotted a vast mountain, and Red Clothes identified it as Pillow Star Mountain.
• Xiao Yu described the quiet halls and broad entrance road on Pillow Star Mountain, prompting Jin Si to plan to watch travelers before approaching the sect.

Jin Si waited in a pool at the foot of Pillowstar Mountain until Lin Wei came to escort him and Xiaoyu up the mountain. As they climbed, Hongyi stayed behind to await news, and the group continued toward the secluded heights of the mountain.

• Jin Si recognized an elderly Daoist as someone who had once accompanied the First Abbot and decided Pillowstar Mountain was trustworthy.
• Lin Wei called Jin Si out of the pool and explained that her senior martial aunt had sensed his arrival three days earlier.
• Lin Wei admitted she had slept for three days after being sent to meet Jin Si, so he went to retrieve Xiaoyu and Hongyi.
• Jin Si and Xiaoyu agreed to climb the mountain while Hongyi stayed below to await news, and Jin Si carried their belongings.
• Lin Wei led Jin Si and Xiaoyu up Pillowstar Mountain along its streams, waterfalls, and mist-covered stone paths.

Lin Wei brought Jin Si and Xiao Yu to Pillowstar Mountain’s Mountain Gate and had their portraits and aura-marked plaques entered into the register. She then led them farther across the quiet mountain, leaving them to explore its vast, sparsely populated grounds.

• Lin Wei told Jin Si that Pillowstar Mountain had grown deserted as Daoists traveled to fight evil spirits and malicious ghosts.
• Lin Wei led Jin Si and Xiao Yu through the Mountain Gate and showed them the tranquil grounds and halls of Pillowstar Mountain.
• Lin Wei brought them to a hall where Junior Martial Niece Du painted Jin Si and Xiao Yu for the register.
• Lin Wei hung Jin Si’s portrait beside the wooden plaque bearing his aura, then added Xiao Yu’s portrait and plaque beside them.
• Lin Wei led Jin Si and Xiao Yu onward across a stone arch bridge as Jin Si observed how few people lived on the mountain.

Lin Wei assigned Jin Si and Xiao Yu to guard Pillowstar Mountain's Library Pavilion and explained its rules. After discovering that he could not read the books, Jin Si chose a new den site, where he began digging as Xiao Yu fetched Red Clothes.

• Lin Wei showed Jin Si and Xiao Yu the Library Pavilion, gave them permission to read its books, and told them to stop anyone who forced entry.
• Jin Si asked about places to live, and Lin Wei said they could settle in any empty house or cave without damaging the mountain.
• Jin Si and Xiao Yu explored all five floors, but Jin Si found that he could not understand the books and decided he needed to learn to read.
• Jin Si and Xiao Yu searched Pillowstar Mountain's outer reaches and chose a spring-fed clearing near the cliff for their den.
• Xiao Yu went to fetch Red Clothes while Jin Si brought their belongings over and dug a cave; after washing off the dust beneath the waterfall, he rested on a rock.

Jin Si visited the shops near Pillowstar Mountain’s Mountain Gate to buy a hoe for his Medicine Field and met Daoist Pang. After she recognized him as the black flood dragon who had avenged her family, she thanked him and gave him a book on spiritual herbs.

• Red Clothes told Jin Si to get a hoe instead of digging with a stick, so he set off for the Mountain Gate with a piece of silver.
• Jin Si spotted two Yin Spirits who turned into red-crowned cranes and flew away, then passed through deserted buildings near the Mountain Gate.
• Jin Si entered a general store and bought an iron hoe from Daoist Pang for one tael of silver.
• Daoist Pang recognized Jin Si as the black flood dragon who had avenged her relatives and descendants, then thanked him for settling their blood debt.
• Daoist Pang gave Jin Si a book about identifying and cultivating spiritual herbs, and invited him to seek her help on the mountain.

Jin Si settled into life on Pillowstar Mountain by planting a Medicine Field, visiting Xiao Yu, and resting, while the Abbot at Azure Cloud Monastery learned of new troubles after the black flood dragon left. After waiting a few days, Jin Si flew to the General Store to see Daoist Pang, but crashed past her shop.

• Jin Si thanked Daoist Pang by leaving her to acknowledge her debt, then returned to his Medicine Field and planted his seeds and roots.
• Jin Si visited Xiao Yu at the Library Pavilion, found a boulder beside it, and slept there in his true form.
• The Abbot at Azure Cloud Monastery read reports about a released Vengeful Soul and water ghosts posing as Dragon Kings, and arranged to seek help.
• Jin Si woke after resting and decided to ask Daoist Pang or Lin Wei about studying in a classroom, then waited several days at the Library Pavilion.
• Jin Si flew toward the General Store, frightening the mountain’s Demon Spirits along the way, and crashed past Daoist Pang’s shop.

Jin Si asked Daoist Pang to help him find a school in the Mortal Realm, and she promised to seek a recommendation. Back at the library, he noticed a dazed mortal woman, but an elderly Female Daoist told him to let her wander, leaving Jin Si watching her in silence.

• Jin Si asked Daoist Pang whether the mountain had a school, and she explained that he would need to study in the Mortal Realm with a legitimate identity and a recommendation.
• Daoist Pang promised to recommend Jin Si to a school and urged him not to give up when his studies became difficult.
• Jin Si returned home, rinsed himself beneath a waterfall, browsed books in the library, and practiced swordplay while reflecting on what his cultivation lacked.
• Jin Si noticed a dazed mortal woman approaching the library and prepared to stop her.
• An elderly Female Daoist asked Jin Si not to attack the woman and said she was a poor soul who could look around, so Jin Si watched her quietly.

Jin Si watched a former cultivator return to her old home in a dream and heard an elderly Daoist warn that those who resist reincarnation become Eerie. He shared the warning with Red Robe, then tended his Medicine Field and went to sleep, resolved to learn more about the danger.

• An elderly Daoist explained that a woman had returned to the Spirit Realm in a dream and would forget most of it when she woke.
• The Daoist warned Jin Si that cultivators and other beings who refused reincarnation could become Eerie, then left as the woman vanished.
• Jin Si breathed in the Mist Tide, returned to his lair, and watered struggling medicinal plants with water carried in a leaf funnel.
• Red Robe told Jin Si that Little Feather was exploring the wilderness, and Jin Si repeated the Daoist's warning about the Eerie.
• Jin Si and Red Robe considered that Eerie might also exist in the Spirit Realm, and Jin Si decided to ask Lin Wei or Daoist Pang about them.
• Jin Si returned to his cave and fell asleep.

Jin Si visited Daoist Pang to ask about the promised news, then went to find Lin Wei and bring her to a True Person’s discourse. He and Lin Wei arrived at the gathering just as an aged female Daoist sat beneath an ancient pine.

• Jin Si left his cave after two days without hearing from Daoist Pang and went to the shop to ask about the lessons.
• Daoist Pang told Jin Si to wait another hour, pointed out where Lin Wei’s Cave Abode was, and mentioned the True Person’s discourse.
• Jin Si found Lin Wei asleep in her Cave Abode and woke her by putting his head through the window.
• Lin Wei remembered the discourse, rushed out, and led Jin Si up the mountain to the gathering.
• Jin Si and Lin Wei reached the cavern hall, where an aged female Daoist sat beneath an ancient pine.

Jin Si attended a Daoist lecture but could not understand it, then resolved to learn to read and study in the Mortal Realm. Daoist Pang arranged for him to attend a school, and Jin Si set off with a letter and his savings, eager to begin.

• Jin Si listened to the white-haired Daoist’s lecture, failed to understand the words, and decided he needed to study earnestly.
• Jin Si left the lecture and went to Daoist Pang, who gave him a letter for Daoist Jiang and explained that she would introduce him to a school.
• Daoist Pang told Jin Si to return to the library on wu days and gui days while he studied in the Mortal Realm.
• Jin Si checked the library, gathered his silver from his den, and headed for the mountain gate with the letter in his pouch.
• Jin Si offered to help deal with malignant spirits and vicious ghosts, but Daoist Pang explained that Jin Si’s involvement would likely mean someone had to die.

Jin Si left Pillowstar Mountain and traveled to the Medicine King Temple to deliver Daoist Pang’s letter to Daoist Jiang. After Daoist Jiang welcomed him, Jin Si settled into a room at the temple and waited to meet the teacher that afternoon.

• Jin Si discovered he could not return to the Mortal Realm until he reached the foot of Pillowstar Mountain, then registered his departure at the Mountain Gate.
• After playing in the Mist Tide, Jin Si descended to the mountain’s foot and crossed into the Mortal Realm near a city and farmland.
• Jin Si traveled to the Medicine King Temple, found no nearby cave, and dug one behind the temple before deciding to deliver Daoist Pang’s letter.
• Jin Si gave the letter to Daoist Jiang, who welcomed him into the temple and showed him a prepared room.
• Daoist Jiang went to attend to pilgrims and said he would take Jin Si to meet the teacher that afternoon; Jin Si put away his sack and went to look around.

Jin Si helped Daoist Jiang at the Medicine King Temple and prepared to begin studying as a Daoist novice. After changing into a Daoist robe and taking silver for supplies, he accompanied Daoist Jiang down the mountain to town.

• Jin Si watched worshippers visit the Medicine King Temple and helped Daoist Jiang with small chores.
• A boy with spirit-sight saw Jin Si as a giant black serpent, but Jin Si ignored the frightened boy’s reaction.
• Jin Si told Daoist Jiang he had his own silver, and he transformed his clothes into a Daoist robe.
• Daoist Jiang and Jin Si left the temple to buy books and school supplies, riding partway to town on an ox cart.
• Jin Si arrived in the bustling city and followed Daoist Jiang along its streets.

Jin Si began his schooling with Teacher Jiang after Daoist Jiang arranged his enrollment, and he received books and instructions for attending class. That night, he returned to his serpent body and chose a rocky summit where he could cultivate under the moonlight while adjusting his routine around school.

• Daoist Jiang brought Jin Si to meet Teacher Jiang, who inspected him and accepted him despite his having only four fingers.
• Teacher Jiang explained the school schedule and rules, and Daoist Jiang bought Jin Si books before warning him not to harm anyone at school.
• Jin Si returned to the Medicine King Temple, read his new books, and went back to his body in the mountain cave after nightfall.
• Jin Si decided to cultivate by absorbing moon essence on ordinary nights and sun essence during spare moments in the day.
• Jin Si found a broad, bare rock summit and began drawing in the moon's essence.

Jin Si attended the Jiang Household’s private school for the first time, enduring a day of lessons that left his head aching. He returned to the Medicine King Temple and wondered why studying felt so ordinary after he had longed for it for over a hundred years.

• Black Flood Dragon sent his Primordial Spirit to fetch Jin Si’s book bag, then traveled to the city and entered the school.
• Jin Si chose a seat at the back of the classroom and watched Jiang inspect the pupils during morning reading.
• Jiang taught Jin Si characters from the Thousand Character Classic, and Jin Si struggled through the day’s lessons.
• Jin Si stayed apart from the other children during breaks and left the school after lessons ended.
• Jin Si returned to the Medicine King Temple, where Daoist Jiang was mending clothes, and sent his Primordial Spirit back to his body.
• Black Flood Dragon practiced breathing in moon essence and reflected on how ordinary school felt after years of anticipation.

Jin Si balanced his studies with rat-removal work before secretly watching a city play, where he heard that a flood dragon had supposedly caused a deadly flash flood. He returned to Pillowstar Mountain determined to investigate the claim and check on his medicinal field.

• Jin Si kept up with his young classmates while earning copper coins by removing rats after school.
• Jin Si watched a play from a theater rooftop and overheard wealthy spectators blame a flash flood that killed more than forty villagers on a flood dragon undergoing tribulation.
• Jin Si doubted the accusation because he had not visited the village and decided to investigate whether another flood dragon existed and what had really caused the disaster.
• Jin Si returned to the Medicine King Temple, then traveled to Pillowstar Mountain before dawn.
• Jin Si checked the noticeboard and library before heading toward his cliffside home, worried that weeds had overrun his medicinal field.