Chapter Summaries

After killing Jie Daohan, Duan Rong returned to Willow Lodge, devoured the Obstacle Blade to learn the Wither Bloom Prajna Saber, and tried to conceal his involvement. When Jie Daohan’s body was found, Yang Zhen began to suspect Duan Rong and the poison that had killed the constable.

• Duan Rong found Jie Daohan’s corpse and the Obstacle Blade at Wild Lake, then devoured the blade and gained the Entry Level Wither Bloom Prajna Saber.
• As women approached the lakeshore, Duan Rong abandoned the blade and returned unseen to Willow Lodge, where he treated his injuries and washed away the traces of the night’s fight.
• Yang Zhen came to check on Duan Rong, but Duan Rong noticed Yang Zhen’s relief when he thought no one was home and suspected that he knew about Jie Daohan’s secret attack.
• Xi Men Kan Kan caught Duan Rong at Willow Lodge and dragged him to Weiyang Gambling House, giving Duan Rong a public alibi.
• At the yamen, Zhu Guibao reported a corpse at Wild Lake and later returned with Jie Daohan’s body; Yang Zhen recognized the constable and learned that he had been poisoned.
• Yang Zhen recalled Shen Ping’s stay at Willow Lodge and feared that Duan Rong had killed Jie Daohan with the poison.

As Shen Yanliu prepared to leave Xiangu County after his promotion, Zhu Guibao reported the murder of Constable Xie, and Shen Yanliu declined to handle the case. Yang Zhen became convinced without evidence that Duan Rong had killed Jie Daohan and went to Willow Lodge, where he found no answer.

• Ma Chunmin oversaw the packing as Shen Yanliu and Shen Mizhi prepared to leave Xiangu County for Ruyang Prefecture and Taiyi Sect.
• Zhu Guibao reported that Constable Xie had been murdered with methods resembling the Jie Lei and Xu Ruhu cases, but Shen Yanliu challenged the connection and told him the new county magistrate would handle the case.
• Shen Yanliu considered whether the killer had grown from the second level of the Inner Breath Realm to the True Qi Realm in little more than half a year, then dismissed the possibility as absurd.
• Zhu Guibao returned to the constables' office and told Liu Kui there was no rush to finish the autopsy report because Shen Yanliu would not oversee the case.
• Yang Zhen privately became certain that Duan Rong had killed Jie Daohan, but he could not bring himself to tell Shen Yanliu.
• Yang Zhen went to Willow Lodge and knocked on its gate, but no one answered, and he was too afraid to climb over the wall.

Duan Rong spent the day gambling with Xi Men Kan Kan, then confronted Yang Zhen, who knew about his killings. Though Duan Rong decided he had to silence Yang Zhen, he could not bring himself to kill his childhood friend and instead hid him in a secret chamber before leaving him in a deathlike state.

• Duan Rong and Xi Men Kan Kan ate wontons, and Duan Rong saw Yang Zhen watching the gambling house with fear after Jie Daohan's body had apparently been discovered.
• Duan Rong and Xi Men Kan Kan gambled all day, then drank at Eight Treasures Pavilion, where Duan Rong reflected on his envy of Xi Men Kan Kan's easy life.
• Duan Rong went to Yang Zhen's home with wine, and Yang Zhen admitted he knew Duan Rong had killed Xu Ruhu, Jie Lei, and Jie Tou.
• Yang Zhen asked whether Duan Rong would kill him, and Duan Rong said he would before drugging Yang Zhen and drawing the Obstacle Blade against his chest.
• Duan Rong stopped when he realized he could not kill Yang Zhen, carried him to Jie Lei's abandoned residence, and gave him medicine that would leave him in a deathlike state for five days.
• Duan Rong left Yang Zhen in the secret chamber and returned to Willow Lodge, hoping to gain time to leave Xiangu County.

After returning from a deadly pursuit, Duan Rong prepared to leave for Taiyi Sect by replacing his ruined saber and buying fine clothes. While testing his new Ming Hong Saber, he briefly entered the Great Emptiness Realm and reached the True Qi Realm, but a thought broke the state and the newly condensed true qi vanished; a knock sounded at his gate.

• Duan Rong left his damaged Oxtail Saber in the weapon racks at Yuan Shun Escort Agency and ate a final breakfast of Beef Soup and sesame flatbreads on West Avenue.
• Duan Rong visited the Weapon Shop, where Tao Rong offered him an imitation Ming Hong Saber and revealed that he had broken through after their duel.
• Duan Rong accepted Tao Rong's gift, bought fine clothes for his departure to Taiyi Sect, and returned to Willow Lodge to test the saber.
• At the yamen, Liu Kui delivered his overnight autopsy report on Jie Daohan, while Zhu Guibao noted that Yang Zhen had failed to appear for roll call.
• Duan Rong practiced the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber, entered the Great Emptiness Realm, and briefly condensed true qi before his thought ended the state; someone then knocked at his courtyard gate.

Before leaving for Taiyi Sect, Duan Rong received parting gifts and guidance from Xiao Zongting, then refined his Cloud Serpent Step and tried cultivating true qi. He realized his unreliable Great Emptiness Realm could briefly accelerate cultivation, but could not control or depend on it, and he went to sleep before departing Xiangu County.

• Duan Rong visited Xiao Zongting and Xiao Yu with gifts before their farewell meal, where Xiao Zongting gave him the Soul Severing Thirteen Forms and Cloud Serpent Step manuals.
• Duan Rong studied the Cloud Serpent Step manual and practiced until he had recultivated its latter half and improved the technique.
• Duan Rong spent the night refining true qi with the Wither Bloom Prajna Saber method, but produced only a faint thread by dawn.
• Duan Rong recalled that the Great Emptiness Realm had once rapidly refined his true qi, connected it to past experiences of the body's original owner, and judged it too unreliable to depend on.
• Duan Rong extinguished his lamp and went to sleep so he could regain strength before leaving Xiangu County for Taiyi Sect.

As the Registered Disciples prepared to leave Xiangu County, Fan Yuanhai learned that Constable Xie had been murdered. A scandal involving Xi Men Kan Kan and Xia Shuangshuang erupted into a near-fatal fight, which Zhu Qunxiang stopped before the carriages departed.

• Xi Men Yong asked Duan Rong to look after Xi Men Kan Kan on the journey, while Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi tearfully said goodbye and the others gathered to depart.
• Fan Yuanhai asked Clerk Qin about Constable Xie and learned that Jie Daohan had been murdered.
• A painting from Xi Men Kan Kan’s collection fell open to reveal Xia Shuangshuang’s image, and she attacked him with her spear.
• Duan Rong blocked Xia Shuangshuang’s first thrust and warned Xia Zhongyang not to intervene, while Xi Men Kan Kan stopped dodging and challenged Xia Shuangshuang to kill him.
• Xia Shuangshuang thrust her spear, but Zhu Qunxiang caught it before it could kill Xi Men Kan Kan; Xia Zhongyang comforted his daughter as Zhu ordered everyone to hurry before departure.

After the sect’s carriages left Xiangu County, Fan Yuanhai returned to investigate Jie Daohan’s murder and its possible link to the Jie Lei and Xu Ruhu case. He examined the corpse and autopsy report, then learned that Yang Zhen had also met with trouble.

• Xia Shuangshuang whispered her suspicions about Xue Qing to Xia Zhongyang, who glared at Xue Qing and accused her of courting death.
• Duan Rong received a replacement scabbard from Xi Men Yong before the sect’s carriages departed, while Fan Yuanhai stayed behind to handle personal business.
• Fan Yuanhai suspected Jie Daohan’s death was connected to the Jie Lei and Xu Ruhu case and went to the county offices to investigate.
• Fan Yuanhai examined Jie Daohan’s poisoned, mutilated corpse, and Liu Kui argued that the same culprit had committed both cases.
• Fan Yuanhai gave Liu Kui money to arrange Jie Daohan’s burial and began reading the autopsy report.
• Zhu Baogui rushed in with an unsheathed Obstacle Blade marked with blood and reported that something had happened to Yang Zhen.

Fan Yuanhai investigated Jie Daohan’s office and linked Duan Rong and Yang Zhen to the murder, then rode out of Xiangu County in pursuit. At the Xia Residence, Xi Men Yong learned that Xue Qing had been beaten to death and abandoned his attempt to reconcile with Xia Zhongyang.

• Zhu Baogui reported that Yang Zhen had vanished and that his bloodstained Obstacle Blade had been found at home in Wutong Alley.
• Fan Yuanhai examined Jie Daohan’s office records and connected Duan Rong’s review file to the Jie Lei and Xu Ruhu case and the Whale Tiger Gang investigation.
• Fan Yuanhai suspected Duan Rong and Yang Zhen had conspired to kill Jie Daohan, then left the county yamen on horseback to pursue them.
• Zhu Baogui recalled that Yang Zhen had stared blankly at Jie Daohan’s corpse and confirmed that Yang had lived in Wutong Alley since childhood.
• Xi Men Yong saw Xue Qing’s bloodied body being carried away from the Xia Residence and returned to his carriage without visiting Xia Zhongyang.

Yu Lieting and Xiao Nan joined a secret Filthy Blood Sect gathering in the Dense Forest, where Ge Qingchuan prepared an ambush against Taiyi Sect's newly promoted Registered Disciples and their escort. Fan Hanzhou arrived dramatically, and Ge Qingchuan began distributing the targets for the operation.

• Yu Lieting and Xiao Nan reached the rendezvous site, gave the password, and were directed into the Dense Forest after their horses were killed to prevent them from revealing the gathering.
• Yu Lieting recognized a beggar from Jiuzhong County among the assembled Filthy Blood Sect members, though the beggar was not part of his branch.
• Ge Qingchuan arrived with a dwarf and learned that Fan Hanzhou had not yet appeared, but decided to begin without him.
• Fan Hanzhou burst out of the ground, argued with two women, and relented after Ge Qingchuan asked him to keep the peace.
• Ge Qingchuan told Xiao Tang to distribute the extermination targets, and he handed out the parchment sheets.

Ge Qingchuan briefed the Filthy Blood Sect’s ambush team and assigned its members targets, while Fan Hanzhou’s crude question tested her composure. As the four carriages carrying the travelers crossed the prepared blast zone, Black Powder exploded and Poison Powder flooded the wreckage.

• Ge Qingchuan explained that she had gathered target intelligence, then outlined the ambush using Black Powder and Poison Powder to scatter the travelers before the attackers struck.
• Ge Qingchuan assigned opponents by martial realm and promised the next level of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill as a reward for success.
• Fan Hanzhou asked whether Ge Qingchuan was a virgin, implying he wanted her as a cultivation cauldron; Ge Qingchuan regained her composure and the ambush team dispersed.
• Ge Qingchuan confirmed the explosives were buried, then prepared to fight Fan Yuanhai, a Sect Envoy at the True Qi Realm Second Level.
• Duan Rong worried about Fan Yuanhai’s unexplained absence as the carriages continued along the official road without him.
• Explosions destroyed the carriage carrying the Sect Envoys, and A Mo warned Lü Qingzhu that poison had entered as figures fled through the smoke.

An ambush by the Filthy Blood Sect scattered the travelers into battles along the official road, and Duan Rong focused on surviving rather than joining the stronger fighters. He lured the fortune teller who intercepted him into a ruined temple and killed him, leaving the larger battle unresolved.

• A Mo escaped the poisoned smoke and was confronted by a gigantic figure bursting from underground, while Lü Qingzhu faced Blood Monk Wuxiang.
• Ge Qingchuan watched the ambush unfold, realized Fan Yuanhai had not emerged from the carriages, and prepared to support the battle before hoofbeats announced his arrival.
• Duan Rong identified the attackers as members of the Filthy Blood Sect and decided to evade his fortune-teller opponent rather than risk joining the nearby fights.
• Duan Rong lured the fortune teller into a Dilapidated Temple, where he disarmed him and discovered that the man healed with the Filthy Blood Divine Skill.
• Duan Rong wounded the fortune teller repeatedly, then cut him in half and pinned his head to the temple floor with his saber.

Duan Rong hid in a jar inside the Dilapidated Temple after killing the Fortune Teller, hoping to survive the battle and assess which side prevailed. Meanwhile, the Filthy Blood Sect’s old farmer defeated and killed Tao Rong, then carried off his head to trade for the next level of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill.

• Duan Rong staged signs of an escape through the Dilapidated Temple’s collapsed wall, then used the Bone Shrinking Skill to hide inside a jar and watch events with Divine Sense Projection.
• Tao Rong escaped the poisoned black smoke and encountered an old farmer who recognized him and attacked with the Firewood Chopping Saber Technique.
• Tao Rong’s hidden darts failed to stop the old farmer, whose blood threads revealed him as a Filthy Blood Sect fighter.
• The old farmer overwhelmed Tao Rong, severed his arm, and then cut off his head after rejecting Tao Rong’s offer of his family’s holdings.
• The old farmer carried Tao Rong’s head toward the forest, intending to give it to Ge Qingchuan in exchange for the next level of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill.

Lü Qingzhu fought Blood Monk Wuxiang until the old farmer joined him, forcing her into the Dilapidated Temple. She found the Fortune Teller dead there and realized Duan Rong had escaped through a hole in the wall.

• Lü Qingzhu used the Winter Plum Swordplay’s unusual Sword Intent to wound Wuxiang and push him into using the Filthy Blood Divine Skill.
• The old farmer arrived carrying Tao Rong’s head, turned back after seeing Lü Qingzhu, and joined Wuxiang’s fight after he promised her to him.
• The old farmer and Wuxiang worked together to exhaust Lü Qingzhu and force her step by step into the Dilapidated Temple.
• Lü Qingzhu saw the Fortune Teller’s corpse at the temple entrance and expected Duan Rong to be inside, but found the temple empty and a hole in its collapsed wall.
• Wuxiang and the old farmer were shocked to discover that the Fortune Teller had been killed after chasing Duan Rong into the temple.

Duan Rong emerged from his hiding place in the Dilapidated Temple and helped Lü Qingzhu kill Blood Monk Wuxiang and the old farmer. The old farmer’s aphrodisiac poisoned both survivors, and as they succumbed, Duan Rong’s second layer of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill began absorbing the nourishment from their Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang.

• The old farmer accidentally broke the jar concealing Duan Rong, who sprang out and attacked him while calling on Lü Qingzhu to fight Wuxiang.
• Duan Rong held off the old farmer as Lü Qingzhu fought Wuxiang, whose Filthy Blood Divine Skill weakened until Lü Qingzhu beheaded him.
• Lü Qingzhu and Duan Rong teamed up against the old farmer, and Lü Qingzhu cut off his head as Duan Rong struck his chest.
• Duan Rong’s saber broke the aphrodisiac hidden in the old farmer’s robe, and the wind blew the powder into both Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu.
• The drug overcame them, and as they became entangled in the straw, Duan Rong’s second layer of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill activated and absorbed the nourishment from their Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang.

Duan Rong reached the second layer of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill after his encounter with Lü Qingzhu, who left the temple after refusing to kill him. Meanwhile, A Mo fought Fan Hanzhou on the official road and killed him by repeatedly striking his head.

• Duan Rong completed Blood Refinement, gained fifteen years of lifespan, and reached the second layer of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill.
• Duan Rong fed Lü Qingzhu a pill, but when she woke and remembered what had happened, she threatened him before leaving the temple.
• A Mo faced Fan Hanzhou and recognized that his Filthy Blood Divine Skill could heal his injuries.
• A Mo targeted Fan Hanzhou's head, overwhelmed him with blows, and killed him after dragging him out of the earth.

A Mo killed Fan Hanzhou, then rescued Xia Shuangshuang from a beggar, but Xia Shuangshuang died after biting off her tongue. Elsewhere, Jiang Qingyu was killed by one of the twin sisters, while Xiao Yu faced the other and was left outnumbered when the sisters reunited.

• A Mo searched the Dense Forest for Lü Qingzhu, found a beggar assaulting Xia Shuangshuang, and killed him with a single punch.
• A Mo found Xia Shuangshuang dead, covered her body, and headed toward the sounds of fighting.
• One twin sister killed Jiang Qingyu, took his head, and hurried toward her elder sister.
• Xiao Yu gained the upper hand against the elder twin sister until the younger sister arrived, leaving Xiao Yu facing both women.

Xiao Yu and Xi Men Kan Kan survived attacks in the Dense Forest with A Mo’s help, while A Mo continued searching for Lü Qingzhu. Xi Men Kan Kan found Xia Shuangshuang dead, and Xiao Yu rushed toward his cries.

• A Mo killed the two sisters who had nearly slain Xiao Yu, then asked whether Xiao Yu had seen her young lady and vanished into the Dense Forest.
• Xiao Yu found Jiang Qingyu’s severed head, fled the blood-soaked area, and worried that Duan Rong might not survive.
• Xi Men Kan Kan broke through to the Minute Subtlety Realm but was overwhelmed by Master Dong’s Filthy Blood Divine Skill and refused his offer to become his son.
• A Mo struck Master Dong through his blood-thread defense, allowing Xi Men Kan Kan to kill him before A Mo rushed off in search of Lü Qingzhu.
• Xi Men Kan Kan found Xia Shuangshuang dead and wept over her body, drawing Xiao Yu toward the sound of his cries.

Xiao Yu and Xi Men Kan Kan searched the forest for Duan Rong after finding Xia Shuangshuang dead. A Mo rescued Shen Mizhi from a Filthy Blood Sect dwarf but left her hanging, and Shen Mizhi remained stranded and furious.

• Xiao Yu spotted Xi Men Kan Kan mourning beside Xia Shuangshuang’s body and came down to stop him from attracting enemies.
• Xi Men Kan Kan told Xiao Yu that A Mo had killed the nearby Filthy Blood Sect members, and the two set off to search for Duan Rong.
• A Filthy Blood Sect dwarf disarmed Shen Mizhi, bound her, and tried to assault her.
• A Mo crushed the dwarf’s head, asked Shen Mizhi whether she had seen her young lady, and left when Shen Mizhi said no.
• Shen Mizhi stayed trapped in the tree and vowed to kill A Mo for abandoning her.

A Mo reached the aftermath of the road ambush and killed Yu Lieting, then continued searching for Lü Qingzhu. Fan Yuanhai arrived and fought Ge Qingchuan, but A Mo interrupted the duel before either could tell her where Lü Qingzhu was.

• Yu Lieting overwhelmed Zhu Qunxiang until A Mo appeared, seized his Copper Hammer, and smashed Yu Lieting's head.
• A Mo asked Zhu Qunxiang whether he had seen Lü Qingzhu, then left as Zhu Qunxiang joined Lu Qingfeng and Wang Shanshan against the blood shadows.
• Fan Yuanhai rode toward the wrecked carriages, where Ge Qingchuan ambushed him with a flexible sword.
• Ge Qingchuan wounded Fan Yuanhai and revealed a hidden Mother-Child Sword, but A Mo struck her and exposed the Inner Armor beneath her clothes.
• A Mo asked Fan Yuanhai whether he had seen Lü Qingzhu; after he said he had not, A Mo vanished, and Ge Qingchuan escaped into the forest.

A Mo reunited with Lü Qingzhu outside a Dilapidated Temple, while Duan Rong found a bloodstained handkerchief embroidered with a winter plum. After losing a hand, Fan Yuanhai grew suspicious of Lü Qingzhu's denial and found Duan Rong near the temple.

• A Mo found Tao Rong's headless corpse, then reunited with Lü Qingzhu outside the Dilapidated Temple.
• Lü Qingzhu warned A Mo not to mention Touch Once, while Duan Rong picked up Lü Qingzhu's bloodstained, embroidered handkerchief.
• Fan Yuanhai bandaged his severed arm, discarded his lost hand, and decided to search for Duan Rong rather than join Zhu Qunxiang's fight.
• Lü Qingzhu denied seeing Duan Rong, but Fan Yuanhai noticed her and A Mo's uneasy reactions and grew suspicious.
• Fan Yuanhai searched near the Dilapidated Temple and found Duan Rong studying the handkerchief.