Chapter Summaries

Duan Rong overheard Li Yiying and Huang Gaozu plan to attack Xi Men Yong, then learned from Xi Men Kan Kan that Xi Men Yong had been traveling to the prefectural city frequently. After weighing the danger, Duan Rong decided to intervene in the planned attack.

• Li Yiying offered Huang Gaozu half the silver to hold off Yuan Shouzhi while Black Tiger Stronghold attacked Xi Men Yong, and Huang Gaozu agreed to meet them at dusk the next day.
• Li Yiying turned his attention to the two unconscious women after Huang Gaozu left, while Duan Rong withdrew his Divine Sense Projection.
• Duan Rong helped the drunken Orchid Shadow to bed, then carried Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu out of Flower Shadow House.
• In the carriage, Duan Rong asked Xi Men Kan Kan about his father, and Xi Men Kan Kan mumbled that Xi Men Yong had been going to the prefectural city throughout the past month.
• Duan Rong assessed the strength of Li Yiying, Wang Zhaoxuan, and Huang Gaozu, then decided to involve himself in the planned attack on Xi Men Yong.

Duan Rong prepared to help Xi Men Yong by buying and practicing with Willow Leaf Knives, then traveled toward Black Tiger Ridge to ambush Huang Gaozu’s group. He hid in a tree near the ridge and waited for Xi Men Yong’s party to arrive, conserving his Divine Sense for the coming attack.

• Duan Rong decided to join the interception attempt because Xi Men Yong’s survival could affect his Taiyi Sect registration, and he believed his skills might turn the battle.
• Duan Rong bought forty Willow Leaf Knives and practiced throwing them until he felt proficient.
• Duan Rong rode toward Black Tiger Ridge, changed into night clothes, and reached the area after nightfall.
• Duan Rong detected two black-clad men setting a rope studded with Iron Caltrops beside the official road and chose not to attack them.
• Duan Rong concealed himself in a tree, withdrew his Divine Sense, and waited for Xi Men Yong’s group and Huang Gaozu to arrive.

Black Tiger Stronghold ambushed Xi Men Yong’s party on Black Tiger Ridge, but Duan Rong intervened and fought Li Yiying. The battle continued with Li Yiying dying from a severed throat, while Duan Rong’s fate remained unclear.

• Black Tiger Stronghold stopped three carriages with iron-caltrop ropes and attacked the passengers as they emerged from the wreckage.
• Yuan Shouzhi protected Xi Men Yong and fought Huang Gaozu, while the Xi Men Family’s Guards formed a defensive ring around their master.
• Li Yiying broke through the Guards and attacked Xi Men Yong, disarming him and preparing a killing thrust.
• Duan Rong entered the fight with Willow Leaf Cold Blades and an Oxtail Saber, forcing Li Yiying back with superior martial skill.
• Li Yiying tried to stab Duan Rong with a concealed short sword, but Duan Rong used the Bone Shrinking Skill to evade it and cut Li Yiying’s throat.

Duan Rong killed Li Yiying and wiped out the Black Tiger Stronghold bandits, then helped Yuan Shouzhi defeat Huang Gaozu. Huang Gaozu died on Black Tiger Ridge, while the wounded Xi Men Family survivors were left with Wang Zhaoxuan to interrogate.

• Duan Rong killed Li Yiying and hunted down the fleeing Black Tiger Stronghold bandits in the woods.
• Duan Rong returned with the unconscious Wang Zhaoxuan, told Xi Men Yong that he had crippled Wang Zhaoxuan's Dantian, and went to assist Yuan Shouzhi.
• Duan Rong warned Yuan Shouzhi when Huang Gaozu released Poison Powder, then hindered Huang Gaozu's escape with his Plum Blossom Willow Leaf Knives.
• Yuan Shouzhi and Duan Rong overwhelmed Huang Gaozu, and Yuan Shouzhi killed him with his saber.

Duan Rong helped Yuan Shouzhi defeat Huang Gaozu, but left after realizing Xi Men Yong had investigated him. He returned with a Date-Red Horse to help the Xi Men Family transport its wounded and dead Guards, while Yuan Shouzhi wondered whether Duan Rong was connected to the family.

• Duan Rong examined a replacement longsword and realized Huang Gaozu had concealed his identity before Yuan Shouzhi revealed Huang Gaozu's face.
• Duan Rong recognized Yuan Shouzhi as the man who had watched him and angrily left after suspecting Xi Men Yong had ordered the investigation.
• Xi Men Yong struggled to recall where he had seen Duan Rong's familiar eyes, then ordered Yuan Shouzhi to treat the wounded Guards.
• Duan Rong found Huang Gaozu's Date-Red Horse and brought it back so the Xi Men Family could transport its wounded and dead Guards.
• Xi Men Yong thanked Duan Rong as he vanished into the forest, and Yuan Shouzhi reconsidered his suspicions and wondered whether Duan Rong had ties to the Xi Men Family.

After the ambush on Black Tiger Ridge, Xi Men Yong returned to Xiangu County and learned that Chen Chunlei had arranged the attack. He and Yuan Shouzhi suspected that the masked warrior who saved them was Duan Rong, but Xi Men Yong ordered that he not be investigated and resolved to ask him directly.

• Xi Men Yong’s party returned to Xiangu County with wounded survivors and the bodies of their dead guards, while Duan Rong changed into his bodyguard clothes and rode away separately.
• Xi Men Kan Kan redressed Xi Men Yong’s shoulder wound and offered to accompany his father on future trips.
• Yuan Shouzhi reported that Wang Zhaoxuan’s interrogation traced the ambush to Chen Chunlei through a connection to Li Meng of Black Tiger Stronghold.
• Xi Men Yong ordered Yuan Shouzhi to take Wang Zhaoxuan and confront Chen Chunlei, then discussed whether the masked warrior had been Duan Rong.
• Xi Men Yong forbade Yuan Shouzhi from investigating Duan Rong, believing the warrior was a friend, and decided to find a chance to ask Duan Rong about his connection to the Xi Men Family.

After returning from Black Tiger Ridge, Duan Rong recovered and learned that Tao Rong had reached Major Accomplishment in the fourth level of the Inner Breath Realm. He met his exhausted childhood friend Yang Zhen outside the county office and left with him to drink, as Yang Zhen began to see him as an equal.

• Duan Rong returned his exhausted Date-Red Horse, ate at the Beef Soup Shop, and went back to Willow Lodge to sleep and practice.
• At a teahouse near the yamen, Duan Rong overheard that Tao Rong had reached Major Accomplishment in the fourth level of the Inner Breath Realm.
• Duan Rong saw Yang Zhen leave the county office after two days of interrogating Shen Ping and learned that Shen Ping was unrelated to the Xu Ruhu and Jie Lei cases.
• Duan Rong startled Yang Zhen in an alley, apologized, and invited him to drink.
• Yang Zhen noticed Duan Rong's escort master outfit, praised his progress, and began treating him as a companion on the same level.

Duan Rong tried to learn about the stalled case from Yang Zhen, then visited Xi Men Kan Kan to ask about Ice Toad Paste for cultivating the third layer of the Garbha Sutra. He learned the ingredient would not be available until next spring and was left facing Xi Men Yong’s unexpectedly focused attention.

• Duan Rong drank with Yang Zhen and realized from his friend’s silence and weary expression that the case had made no progress.
• Duan Rong returned to the escort agency and practiced his stance drills intensely after hearing that Tao Rong had reached Major Accomplishment.
• Duan Rong visited Xi Men Kan Kan to ask whether Lao Qin had obtained Ice Toad Paste.
• Xi Men Kan Kan explained that Ice Toad Paste was only sold at the start of spring, leaving Duan Rong unable to cultivate the third layer until next year.
• Mei Qin brought Duan Rong Ice Vein Melon cut and chilled by Xi Men Yong, who appeared at the doorway and said he had prepared it for Duan Rong.

Xi Men Yong welcomed Duan Rong as family and tried to learn about his identity, but Duan Rong kept it secret. Afterward, Xi Men Yong suspected Duan Rong was a surviving descendant of the Li Family, his late wife’s condemned clan.

• Xi Men Yong recognized Duan Rong as the man from Black Tiger Ridge and persuaded him to call him Uncle, then invited him to a family feast.
• Xi Men Kan Kan was barred from the meal while Xi Men Yong questioned Duan Rong, who evasively denied revealing his identity.
• Xi Men Yong and Duan Rong shared stories over lunch, and Xi Men Yong warmly saw him off after nearly two hours.
• Xi Men Kan Kan asked Duan Rong why Xi Men Yong favored him, and Duan Rong suggested it was because Xi Men Kan Kan’s saber skills had improved.
• Xi Men Yong recalled Li Yilin’s family’s execution and concluded that Duan Rong might be an escaped descendant of the Li Family.
• Xi Men Yong decided to hang Duan Rong’s painting in Xi Men Kan Kan’s bedroom so Kan Kan would reflect on its message.

Duan Rong visited Gu Yue Zhai to authenticate the Myriad Valleys Pine Breeze Painting and confirmed it was genuine with his artifact-reading ability. After discovering Shen Yanliu had been secretly present, Duan Rong left and used his divine sense to watch the magistrate and Tang Wan Hong.

• Ma Wentao gave Duan Rong a calling card from Tang Wan Hong inviting him to appraise an old painting at Gu Yue Zhai.
• Duan Rong went to Gu Yue Zhai, where Tang Wan Hong showed him the Myriad Valleys Pine Breeze Painting and asked him to verify its authenticity.
• Duan Rong used Read Artifact Spirit and confirmed the painting was authentic, then accepted a fifty-tael Silver Note from Tang Wan Hong.
• Duan Rong noticed signs that someone else had been in the back hall and discovered Shen Yanliu hiding behind a screen.
• After leaving Gu Yue Zhai, Duan Rong crouched by a nearby stall and used his divine sense to observe Shen Yanliu and Tang Wan Hong talking.

Duan Rong learned that Shen Yanliu had arranged to close the Xu Ruhu and Jie Lei case, and the official findings were accepted. As the case ended, Xiao Zongting rescued Shen Ping from Death Row, and urgent pounding sounded at Duan Rong's gate.

• Duan Rong overheard Shen Yanliu and Tang Wan Hong plan to use a painting to persuade the Investigating Censor to close the case.
• Tang Wan Hong returned from Yuan Yang Prefecture, and Shen Yanliu and Fan Yuanhai submitted a memorial blaming Xu Ruhu and Jie Lei's deaths on a dispute over stolen profits.
• The Surveillance Commissioner Yamen accepted the findings, and Fan Yuanhai left Xiangu County with a new assignment of miscellaneous tasks.
• Xiao Zongting found Shen Ping alive beside Death Row and carried him away, having learned of his release through Hu Huanhuan and an old jailer.
• Duan Rong practiced the Hun Yuan Stance at Willow Lodge until someone urgently pounded on the courtyard gate.

Duan Rong took in the gravely injured Shen Ping after Xiao Zongting brought him to Willow Lodge, where Gu Suxiu treated him and warned his survival depended on breaking his fever within two days. Hu Huanhuan arrived with food and revealed she had come to see Shen Ping, leaving Duan Rong to welcome her inside.

• Xiao Zongting brought the tortured Shen Ping to Duan Rong’s secluded residence and asked him to care for him.
• Duan Rong recognized Shen Ping, washed his festering wounds, and discovered his Dantian had been destroyed and he was burning with fever.
• Gu Suxiu examined Shen Ping, treated his wounds, prescribed medicine, and warned that he might not survive if his fever did not break within two days.
• Duan Rong prepared Gu Suxiu’s medicine and also made two adjusted doses of his own.
• Xiao Zongting asked Duan Rong to look after Shen Ping, then left after seeing how grave his condition was.
• Hu Huanhuan arrived at Willow Lodge carrying food and told Duan Rong she had come to see Shen Ping.

Hu Huanhuan cared for the unconscious Shen Ping while Duan Rong assessed his condition and realized Shen Ping’s medical and martial expertise might help with Duan Rong’s cultivation problem. Duan Rong devised a risky new prescription and began treating Shen Ping, hoping to rouse him enough to swallow the medicine.

• Hu Huanhuan brought food for Shen Ping, but Duan Rong persuaded her not to give him ginseng soup and to feed him plain congee instead.
• Hu Huanhuan tried to feed Shen Ping and wept when she saw his badly rotting chest wound, then asked Duan Rong whether Shen Ping would survive.
• After Hu Huanhuan left, Duan Rong realized Shen Ping’s medical knowledge and martial cultivation might help him overcome the medicinal penetration problem in his own training.
• Duan Rong carefully examined Shen Ping’s pulse and wrote a new, risky prescription containing two potent medicines.
• Duan Rong bought the herbs and silver needles, prepared a dose, and needled Shen Ping to rouse him so he could administer the medicine.

Duan Rong nursed Shen Ping through several nights of fever and treated his festering wounds, while Hu Huanhuan brought him food and watched hopefully for signs of recovery. Shen Ping's fever finally broke, and Duan Rong told Hu Huanhuan that he would likely recover as she prepared to bring him chicken soup.

• Duan Rong kept Shen Ping awake through a dangerous fever with acupuncture, then fed him diluted Old Ginseng Soup the next morning.
• Xiao Zongting visited Shen Ping and asked Duan Rong to care for him, then left to handle the midyear inventory.
• Duan Rong found pus in Shen Ping's wounds, scraped away the rotten flesh, and endured Shen Ping's pain as he woke and mistook him for a torturer.
• Duan Rong treated Shen Ping through another feverish night, and by dawn Shen Ping's fever had broken.
• Hu Huanhuan fed Shen Ping a bowl of porridge, and Duan Rong suggested she bring chicken soup with ginseng and angelica the next day.

Duan Rong cared for Shen Ping as he recovered from a severe illness, then explained why he had treated him with a powerful medicine. Shen Ping remained wary of the prescription, leaving Duan Rong to defend his risky treatment.

• Duan Rong monitored Shen Ping’s recovery and gave him acupuncture until he woke and learned that Xu Ruhu and Jie Lei’s case had been closed.
• Hu Huanhuan brought food to Willow Lodge, saw Shen Ping, and left without speaking to him, leaving a nourishing chicken soup for him.
• Duan Rong fed Shen Ping the soup and chicken, then returned to his own meal.
• Shen Ping found Gu Suxiu’s prescription and questioned it, prompting Duan Rong to show him the stronger formula he had prescribed.
• Shen Ping accused Duan Rong of nearly killing him with Tiger and Wolf Medicine, and Duan Rong explained why Shen Ping’s condition and constitution had made the treatment viable.

Duan Rong demonstrated his uncanny precision with acupuncture to Shen Ping, who then dictated a new medicinal paste prescription for his wounds. Duan Rong prepared the unusual ingredients under Shen Ping’s supervision, leaving the medicine still to be made.

• Shen Ping asked Duan Rong to show how he could locate and disperse medicinal qi with acupuncture, and Duan Rong placed two needles precisely where the qi had gathered.
• Duan Rong claimed his ability was a talent he called “Sense and Know,” while secretly relying on Divine Sense Projection to observe Shen Ping’s body.
• Shen Ping recognized traces of Gu Suxiu’s family’s Plum Blossom Needle Technique, and Duan Rong said a reclusive eccentric had taught it to him.
• Shen Ping criticized Gu Suxiu’s medicinal paste and dictated a new prescription for Duan Rong to prepare.
• Duan Rong gathered the ingredients, processed the Pig Bladder, Donkey Hoof, and herbs, then brought Shen Ping to the pavilion so he could supervise the brewing.

Duan Rong prepared medicinal paste under Shen Ping’s guidance, impressing him with his skill and knowledge. As Shen Ping recovered, their discussions revealed Duan Rong’s extraordinary understanding of Medical and Martial Arts Dual Cultivation.

• Duan Rong followed Shen Ping’s instructions to brew medicinal paste, and Shen Ping praised his technique and instincts.
• Duan Rong applied the paste to Shen Ping’s wounds, and Shen Ping fell asleep after its pain-relieving effects took hold.
• Over the following days, Shen Ping recovered with Duan Rong’s daily acupuncture and treatment.
• Xiao Zongting visited Shen Ping, while Hu Huanhuan did not return and her food box remained in the room.
• Duan Rong trained intensely, bought meals for himself and Shen Ping, and asked Shen Ping questions about medicine and inner breath.
• Shen Ping realized Duan Rong quickly understood his explanations and could extend them with insightful questions.

Shen Ping and Xiao Zongting argued after sharing drinks at Willow Lodge, and Shen Ping later took Duan Rong into Wild Boar Mountain. They encountered a black bear that fled from Shen Ping, who explained that he had once drugged it and drained its bear bile for medicine.

• Shen Ping toasted Xiao Zongting for saving his life, and Xiao Zongting revealed that he had already taken Duan Rong as an apprentice.
• Shen Ping mocked Xiao Zongting, who left Willow Lodge in anger; Duan Rong returned with wine and found the two men had fallen out.
• Two days later, Shen Ping told Duan Rong to rent a carriage and take him to Wild Boar Mountain.
• After resting overnight near the mountain, Duan Rong accompanied Shen Ping along a route of cliffs rather than the valleys he usually visited.
• A black bear spotted Shen Ping and fled, and Shen Ping told Duan Rong that he had drugged the bear and drained its bile for medicine before releasing it.

Shen Ping took Duan Rong to his hidden cave to retrieve a poison he called First Grade Red, the culmination of his decades of study of the Poison Path. He explained that the Poison Path ultimately led to a dead end because poison could harm Inner Breath Realm martial artists but could be expelled by someone with sufficiently powerful true qi.

• Shen Ping described the Poison Path as a dead end, then led Duan Rong to a cave beneath a cliff and had him carry him down.
• Duan Rong accidentally bumped Shen Ping's head while tumbling into the cave, and Shen Ping searched among his belongings before asking to be carried back up.
• On the cliff, Shen Ping handed Duan Rong a black porcelain bottle and identified its contents as First Grade Red, the poison of the Ultimate Poison Path.
• Shen Ping said he had spent decades pursuing the Poison Path but concluded it was inferior to the Martial Path and could not harm those who reached the True Qi Realm.
• Shen Ping explained that powerful true qi could block poison's spread and force it out of the body, shocking Duan Rong.

Shen Ping told Duan Rong how his lifelong pursuit of the poison path ended in failure and entrusted him with his notes and medicines before leaving Xiangu County to practice medicine and atone for his past. He also asked Duan Rong to kill Jie Daohan and Fan Yuanhai when it was safe, and Duan Rong reluctantly promised to do so.

• Shen Ping explained that his First Grade Red was the strongest poison he could create, but abundant true qi could still suppress it, ending his hope of making poisons rival martial arts.
• Shen Ping warned Duan Rong not to repeat his mistakes and gave him the notes and books in the cave, along with three bottles of medicine for himself, Xiao Zongting, and Hu Huanhuan.
• Shen Ping revealed that his Dantian had been destroyed and said he would leave Xiangu County to travel the world, practice medicine, and repay the harm he had caused.
• Shen Ping asked Duan Rong to tell Hu Huanhuan that he had wronged her and was not worth remembering.
• Shen Ping asked Duan Rong to kill Jie Daohan and Fan Yuanhai when he could do so safely, and Duan Rong promised to act only if there were no future repercussions.
• Shen Ping bid Duan Rong farewell, looked over the valley, and strode away.