Chapter Summaries

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu met Yang Zhen in a hidden chamber, where Zhu Xiaoqi revealed that Ruan Fengshan had killed Xiao Zongting and gave Xiao Yu her father's letter. The letter recounted Xiao Zongting's investigation into an old attack on the Yuan Shun Escort Agency and exposed Ruan Fengshan's parentage.

• Duan Rong and Xiao Yu waited in an abandoned residence, then evaded patrols to meet Yang Zhen at Jie Lei's old house.
• Yang Zhen led Duan Rong and Xiao Yu through a dry well to a hidden chamber, where Zhu Xiaoqi reunited with Xiao Yu.
• Zhu Xiaoqi told Xiao Yu that Xiao Zongting was dead and that Ruan Fengshan had killed him.
• Xiao Yu and Duan Rong read Xiao Zongting's letter, which described his efforts to uncover the attack that had crippled him and killed the Old Shopkeeper.
• Xiao Zongting's letter revealed that Ruan Fengshan was not the Old Shopkeeper's biological son, but the child of Madam and her cousin.

Li Man revealed that Ruan Fengshan had orchestrated the ambush that killed Xiao Zongting, and Xiao Yu learned how her father had died. Duan Rong urged Xiao Yu to investigate the forces protecting Ruan Fengshan before seeking revenge, then disguised himself as a beggar to begin the investigation.

• Li Man told Xiao Zongting that Ruan Fengshan was Old Shopkeeper’s illegitimate son and had poisoned his own mother after discovering the truth.
• Xiao Zongting and Li Gu gathered escorts to confront Ruan Fengshan, but masked experts and county authorities arrived swiftly and helped suppress them.
• Yang Zhen told Duan Rong and Xiao Yu how he had rescued Zhu Xiaoqi during the city lockdown after the confrontation turned violent.
• Xiao Yu wanted to kill Ruan Fengshan immediately, but Duan Rong persuaded her to investigate the Filthy Blood Sect and the authorities’ involvement first.
• Duan Rong asked Yang Zhen to gather supplies, then used disguise and Bone Shrinking Skill to transform himself into a small, ragged beggar.

Ruan Fengshan and Sun Qian learned that Duan Rong and Xiao Yu had returned to Xiangu County and discussed how to handle them, while their Secret Agents failed to track the pair. The next morning, Duan Rong disguised himself as a beggar and gathered information at a teahouse, discovering how thoroughly Xiangu County’s powers had changed.

• Ruan Fengshan entered the secret chamber beneath the county yamen to meet Sun Qian and report that Duan Rong and Xiao Yu had returned.
• Sun Qian ordered Ruan Fengshan to confirm their identities through the branch, kill Xiao Yu if she was not a sect disciple, and scare Duan Rong away if he was an Outer Sect Disciple.
• Ruan Fengshan’s Secret Agents reported that they had been discovered and knocked unconscious, leaving them unable to track Duan Rong and Xiao Yu.
• Sun Qian decided their banquet would proceed at Wei Yutian’s old residence, where the Filthy Blood Sect’s brothers could discuss their plans.
• The next morning, Duan Rong disguised himself as a beggar and used his divine sense to listen to conversations at a teahouse.
• Duan Rong learned that Xiangu County’s major powers had been stripped clean under the new County Magistrate.

Duan Rong investigated Xiangu County’s new powers and suspected that County Magistrate Sun Qian and the county’s new business leaders were backed by the Filthy Blood Sect. While spying on Flower Shadow House, he witnessed Bai Rong abusing Hu Huanhuan and identified Bai Rong as a likely sect member; the chapter ended when Bai Rong received a coded message moving that night’s banquet to Wei Yutian’s old courtyard.

• Duan Rong reasoned that Sun Qian may have used the Filthy Blood Sect to take control of Xiangu County, while the Yuan Shun Escort Agency remained untouched.
• An older woman gave Duan Rong a flatbread, and he used an illusion to send a beggar chasing after a phantom beauty and dog shit.
• Duan Rong hid near Flower Shadow House and used his Divine Sense Projection to spy on Bai Rong and Hu Huanhuan.
• Bai Rong praised Hu Huanhuan’s management, then seized and humiliated her when he noticed her contempt for his methods.
• Duan Rong scanned Bai Rong and found that he had reached True Qi Realm First Level, though he could not verify whether Bai Rong had cultivated the Filthy Blood Divine Skill.
• Bai Rong heard a Filthy Blood Sect Whistle Code message moving the night’s banquet to Wei Yutian’s old courtyard and wondered what Ruan Fengshan was plotting.

Duan Rong followed Bai Rong to Wei Yutian's old residence and discovered that Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan were holding a secret Filthy Blood Sect gathering. He witnessed the sect's horrifying ritual and suspected that a letter sent to the Yuan Yang Branch concerned him and Xiao Yu.

• Duan Rong followed Bai Rong through the night to Wei Yutian's old residence, which was guarded by Filthy Blood Sect members.
• Bai Rong joined Temple Keeper Xu Dongyang and other leaders before Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan arrived for the gathering.
• Duan Rong heard Ruan Fengshan confirm that Xu Dongyang had sent a secret letter to the Yuan Yang Branch before dawn.
• Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan led the group into the hidden altar city, where fourteen unconscious women were placed on the sacrificial altar for the Filthy Blood Divine Skill ritual.
• Duan Rong watched the ritual through his Consciousness Shroud and suspected the letter concerned him and Xiao Yu, who had entered Xiangu County the previous day.

Duan Rong overheard Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan’s allies discuss ways to deal with him and Xiao Yu, then followed the two leaders through their secret passages and learned about their operations and strength. Before dawn, he reached the hidden refuge and told Xiao Yu what he had discovered, leaving them to prepare against the coming trap.

• At a gathering in Altar City, Ruan Fengshan revealed that Xiao Yu and Duan Rong had returned, and Sun Qian warned that killing Duan Rong could bring an investigation if he had become an Outer Sect Disciple.
• Bai Rong proposed luring Duan Rong to Flower Shadow House, drugging him, and framing him for Xiao Yu’s murder; Duan Rong overheard the scheme from hiding.
• Duan Rong secretly followed Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan, learned about their underground routes and captive-women operation, and counted thirteen True Qi Realm opponents among their group.
• Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan discussed searching for Duan Rong and Xiao Yu, while Duan Rong assessed the enemies’ cultivation and devised a plan.
• Before dawn, Duan Rong went to Jie Lei’s courtyard and entered the Dark Room, where Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi were hiding.
• Duan Rong told Xiao Yu about the enemies’ plans, and Xiao Yu realized her earlier attempt at revenge could have endangered both of them.

Duan Rong gathered intelligence while Yang Zhen carried his letter to Xi Men Kan Kan, and he learned that Filthy Blood Sect leaders Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei would soon visit Xiangu County. He left the chapter planning to seek their cultivation information at the Office of Transmission’s secret contact point.

• Duan Rong gave Yang Zhen a letter for Xi Men Kan Kan and changed back into his beggar disguise to watch the county yamen.
• Yang Zhen obtained leave from Ding Xingxing and set out to deliver the letter while Duan Rong monitored Ruan Fengshan in the secret chamber.
• Ruan Fengshan received confirmation that Duan Rong and Xiao Yu were both Outer Sect Disciples, then summoned Sun Qian to discuss the news.
• Sun Qian showed Ruan Fengshan a letter announcing that Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei would inspect Xiangu in four days, and decided to postpone dealing with Duan Rong and Xiao Yu.
• Duan Rong learned of the impending visit and decided to seek information about the two Filthy Blood Sect leaders at the Office of Transmission’s secret contact point.

Duan Rong reached the Office of Transmission in Wang Family Village and reported that Xiangu County had become a Filthy Blood Sect stronghold, with its Grand Altar Dharma Envoy and Yuan Yang Branch Master due to arrive in four days. Later, Xi Men Kan Kan entered Xiangu County with Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan disguised as servants, while Chen Lingde decided to report his arrival to the yamen.

• Duan Rong sneaked back to Jie Lei's old residence, retrieved his Taiyi Token and Sect Cloud Document, and left Xiao Yu with a black mark on her face.
• Duan Rong crossed the city wall and traveled to Wang Family Village, where he showed the contact man his credentials and reported the Filthy Blood Sect's plans and the leaders' impending arrival.
• The contact man accepted Duan Rong's intelligence, wrote a secret letter, and sent it toward the sect with his lanner falcon, Little Gray.
• Xi Men Kan Kan entered Xiangu County in a luxurious carriage with Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan disguised as servant boys, and he bribed Chen Lingde to let them pass inspection.
• Chen Lingde recognized Xi Men Kan Kan as a former sect disciple and went to the yamen to report his arrival.

Xi Men Kan Kan, Shen Mizhi, and Liu Shushan waited at the abandoned Xi Men residence while guarding a hidden iron chest and admiring Duan Rong’s erotic painting. Duan Rong arrived in disguise, warned them about the Secret Agents outside, and opened the chest to reveal a powerful bow and arrows as he prepared to fight.

• Xi Men Kan Kan brought Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan to Snow Covered Residence, where they hid a long iron chest and waited for Duan Rong.
• Xi Men Kan Kan and Liu Shushan drank wine and secretly revealed Duan Rong’s erotic painting, but Shen Mizhi returned and chased Xi Men Kan Kan for it.
• Duan Rong slipped past five Secret Agents into Snow Covered Residence, warned the others about the surveillance, and revealed his original form with the Bone Shrinking Skill.
• Duan Rong opened the iron chest and found the Black Python Bow and twenty Mystic Iron Arrows that Xi Men Kan Kan had obtained for him.
• Duan Rong drew the Black Python Bow to its full extent, startling Xi Men Kan Kan, Shen Mizhi, and Liu Shushan with his powerful aura.

Duan Rong and Xi Men Kan Kan used days of conspicuous revelry to shake off the Secret Agents watching them before the Grand Altar Dharma Envoy’s arrival. After Xi Men Kan Kan warned him that Bai Rong was beating Hu Huanhuan to death, Duan Rong chose to intervene and killed Bai Rong with a single arrow.

• Duan Rong left Xi Men Kan Kan, Shen Mizhi, and Liu Shushan to keep watch while he monitored Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan ahead of the inspection.
• Xi Men Kan Kan took Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan to eateries, a gambling house, and brothels for several days, until the Secret Agents stopped following them.
• Xi Men Kan Kan secretly told Duan Rong that Hu Huanhuan had poisoned Bai Rong’s companion and was being beaten by Bai Rong.
• Duan Rong decided to save Hu Huanhuan, retrieved his Black Python Bow and Mystic Iron Arrow, and took aim at Bai Rong from a nearby alley.
• Duan Rong’s arrow pierced Bai Rong’s Filthy Blood Divine Skill and blew his head apart.

Duan Rong rescued Hu Huanhuan from Flower Shadow House after killing Bai Rong, then hid her and took Xiao Yu to a safe place ahead of their planned operation. As the Filthy Blood Sect leaders investigated the killing and tightened security, Grand Altar Dharma Envoy Wei Ziyang entered Xiangu County in disguise.

• Duan Rong shot Bai Rong dead with a Mystic Iron Arrow, rescued the badly injured Hu Huanhuan, and escaped before the Secret Agents could catch him.
• Duan Rong took Hu Huanhuan to the Dark Room, entrusted her care to Zhu Xiaoqi, and led Xiao Yu to a courtyard near the county office to hide.
• Duan Rong disguised himself as a little beggar and overheard Sun Qian, Ruan Fengshan, Xu Dian, and the other leaders discuss Bai Rong's death and prepare for the Dharma Envoy's inspection.
• Xu Dongyang recognized the Dharma Envoy's signal at the East Gate and let Wei Ziyang's battered carriage enter Xiangu County in secret.

Duan Rong secretly followed Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei as they inspected the Filthy Blood Sect’s stronghold in Xiangu County. Wei Ziyang proposed building a mountain stronghold to complement the city, while Wei Tian noticed a beggar who seemed familiar.

• Duan Rong recognized Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei arriving at the county office in a shabby carriage and discovered that their driver, Wei Tian, was at the third level of the True Qi Realm.
• Wei Ziyang met Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan, reviewed their map of Xiangu County, and inspected the secret passage and its altar-city.
• Wei Ziyang declined a formal banquet, ate beef noodles with his companions and Wei Tian, then set out to inspect the city wall as Duan Rong and disguised Filthy Blood followers followed nearby.
• Looking over the surrounding mountains, Wei Ziyang suggested establishing a mountain stronghold as a fallback and counterpoint to the city, and Ge Qinglei praised the proposal.
• Wei Tian spotted a shivering beggar near an alley on the city wall and suspected he had seen him near the county office.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu ambushed Wei Ziyang’s carriage to stop Ruan Fengshan from leaving Xiangu County, triggering a fierce battle with the Filthy Blood Sect. Wei Tian was killed, Duan Rong shot down eleven sect experts, and a Cloud Feathered Mad Eagle appeared above the county as the fight continued.

• Wei Ziyang decided to take Ruan Fengshan and the Xiangu County planning map to the Grand Altar, prompting Duan Rong to abandon his hesitation and launch an ambush.
• Duan Rong fired two Mystic Iron Arrows at Wei Tian from behind a courtyard wall; Wei Ziyang blocked one, but the other killed Wei Tian, and sparks from the intercepted arrow struck Wei Ziyang’s brow.
• Xiao Yu attacked Ruan Fengshan while Duan Rong shot at Ge Qinglei, whose blood threads blocked the arrow; Xi Men Kan Kan, Shen Mizhi, and Liu Shushan joined the fight against Ruan Fengshan and Sun Qian.
• Duan Rong used his bow to kill eleven disguised True Qi Realm experts as they rushed toward the battle, then stopped Ge Qinglei with a Divine Soul Thorn.
• A Cloud Feathered Mad Eagle appeared circling above Xiangu County, and Duan Rong recognized it.

Wei Ziyang endured a Divine Soul Illusion that forced him to face the people he had killed before Duan Rong released him to fight the arriving sect reinforcements. Duan Rong killed Sun Qian and crippled Ruan Fengshan, but Wei Ziyang continued battling four Essence Qi Realm experts in a monstrous new form.

• Wei Ziyang relived his killings in Duan Rong's Divine Soul Illusion until Duan Rong dispelled it as the reinforcements descended.
• Wei Ziyang attacked Duan Rong, but Jiang Zhe pulled Duan Rong clear and joined three other experts in surrounding Wei Ziyang.
• Duan Rong shot Sun Qian dead and pierced Ruan Fengshan's shoulder, leaving Xiao Yu and the others to finish the fight.
• Duan Rong saw that the reinforcements had severed Ge Qinglei's limbs and pinned him to the ground.
• Wei Ziyang fought four Essence Qi Realm experts while transformed into a crimson mass of blood threads surrounding a skeleton.

Duan Rong devoured the artifact spirit in Shen Qing’s saber as Jiang Zhe and the others wore down Wei Ziyang, but Wei Ziyang sacrificed himself with Ge Qinglei in a massive explosion. Jiang Zhe, Lu Jin, and Bai Yuan survived badly injured, Shen Qing died, and Jiang Zhe realized Ge Rusong’s unauthorized mission would spark turmoil in Taiyi Sect.

• Shen Qing was injured attacking Wei Ziyang, then recovered with a frost-covered item from a Black Jade Box while Duan Rong devoured the artifact spirit in Shen Qing’s Phosphorus Crystal Gilded Saber.
• Duan Rong returned Shen Qing’s saber, and Jiang Zhe, Shen Qing, Bai Yuan, and Lu Jin took turns fighting Wei Ziyang while replenishing their qi.
• Heavy Armored Iron Cavalry arrived as the four Taiyi Sect disciples gradually cracked Wei Ziyang’s crimson skeleton and weakened him.
• Wei Ziyang charged toward the wounded Ge Qinglei, and the two declared their loyalty to the holy sect before Wei Ziyang used Explosive Burial.
• The explosion killed Shen Qing and reduced Ge Qinglei to powder, while Jiang Zhe, Lu Jin, and Bai Yuan were badly injured and Wei Ziyang’s skeleton remained cracked in the crater.
• Jiang Zhe blamed Ge Rusong’s pursuit of merit and unauthorized handling of the mission, concluding that the affair would cause a storm within Taiyi Sect’s Hall of Elders.

After Duan Rong led the response to the Filthy Blood Sect’s attack in Xiangu County, he ordered the city sealed and its suspected strongholds surrounded. The chapter ends with him exposing Temple Keeper Xu Dongyang as a Filthy Blood Sect member by threatening him with the Ming Hong Saber.

• Xu Dongyang saw a Filthy Blood Sect corpse and a Mystic Iron Arrow, then watched Taiyi Sect fighters attack Wei Ziyang before fleeing the city through a dog hole, where cavalrymen captured him.
• Jiang Zhe gave Yuan Ye the Tiger Tally and placed Duan Rong in command, and Duan Rong ordered the cavalry to seal the city gates and surround suspected Filthy Blood Sect strongholds.
• Duan Rong sent Xi Men Kan Kan to check the City God Temple, sent Xiao Yu to take the injured Hu Huanhuan to a medical clinic, and asked Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan to guard the wounded men.
• Duan Rong bathed and changed clothes while Yuan Ye and Yang Zhen led the searches; Xi Men Kan Kan reported that Xu Dongyang had escaped the temple, but cavalrymen soon returned with him captured.
• When Xu Dongyang denied belonging to the Filthy Blood Sect, Duan Rong threatened him with the Ming Hong Saber, forcing his Filthy Blood Divine Skill to activate and reveal the truth.

Duan Rong and Jiang Zhe purged more than twenty Filthy Blood Sect members from Xiangu County’s government office, while several suspects were exposed and interrogated. After Wang Shuliang arrived with a sect order to join the investigation, Duan Rong chose the Yuan Shun Escort Agency as their next lead, hoping to learn what had happened to Xiao Yu’s father’s remains.

• Duan Rong and Jiang Zhe began searching the county government office and identified four suspects, but Duan Rong mistakenly killed Ding Xingxing, who was not a Filthy Blood Sect member.
• Jiang Zhe tortured one captured sect member until another agreed to talk, and two named accomplices tried to flee before Xi Men Kan Kan stopped them.
• Duan Rong tested Zhu Baogui with his saber and confirmed he was innocent, then ordered Yang Zhen to treat his wound.
• Duan Rong, Jiang Zhe, and Yuan Ye finished an overnight purge that uncovered more than twenty Filthy Blood Sect members in the county government office.
• Xiao Yu told Duan Rong that Hu Huanhuan’s fever had broken, and Wang Shuliang arrived with a secret order assigning him to the case.
• Duan Rong chose to investigate the Yuan Shun Escort Agency next and asked Xiao Yu to come with him to seek answers about her father’s remains.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu recovered Xiao Zongting’s body from the Mass Burial Grounds, buried him, and avenged his death by displaying Ruan Fengshan’s head at the grave. After the Xiangu County investigation exposed more than 180 Filthy Blood Sect members, Jiang Zhe and the others departed for the Taiyi Sect, leaving Duan Rong with a parting gift.

• Duan Rong and Xiao Yu took Zhang Xinping out of the city and found Xiao Zongting’s body at the Mass Burial Grounds, then Xiao Yu chose to spare Zhang Xinping.
• Duan Rong and his companions brought Xiao Zongting’s body back, buried him at the Xiao Family ancestral graves, and Xiao Yu laid Ruan Fengshan’s head before the gravestone.
• Duan Rong, Xiao Yu, and the others moved into the old Xi Men Residence while Xiangu County’s lockdown and investigation uncovered more than 180 Filthy Blood Sect remnants and rescued over thirty girls from a secret passage.
• Jiang Zhe, Duan Rong, Yuan Ye, Wang Shuliang, and the newly appointed magistrate Guo Xiangbao gathered at the East City Gate to see Jiang Zhe’s group off.
• Jiang Zhe gave Duan Rong a bluish-black jade pendant, then left with three captured Filthy Blood Sect members aboard the Cloud Feathered Mad Eagle.

Duan Rong discovered that Heaven and Earth Essence Qi was nearly nonexistent in remote Xiangu County, then proposed to Xiao Yu and began arranging their wedding. As they settled on a wedding date, a county yamen clerk summoned Duan Rong to meet Guo Xiangbao about an unspecified matter.

• Duan Rong found that the Six Harmonies Saber could not help him break through into the Essence Qi Realm because Xiangu County had almost no Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.
• Zhu Xiaoqi brought Duan Rong pastries made by Xiao Yu, and he found them so awful that he wrapped them up and planned to dispose of them.
• Yuan Ye and Guo Xiangbao uncovered several hundred female Dried Corpses and skeletons in the pond at Wei Yutian's former residence.
• Guo Xiangbao considered returning seized trading-house assets to their original owners in exchange for a personal benefit.
• Duan Rong proposed to Xiao Yu, and she accepted; they chose an auspicious date for their wedding and began planning it.
• A county yamen clerk invited Duan Rong to meet Guo Xiangbao, and Duan Rong rode to the county yamen.

Duan Rong accepted ownership of the Yuan Shun Escort Agency from Guo Xiangbao and returned to restore the agency’s operations with Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi. After reassuring the agency’s staff, he waited at a teahouse to meet Yang Zhen about an important matter.

• Guo Xiangbao returned the Yuan Shun Escort Agency to Duan Rong, who signed the transfer documents and took ownership.
• Duan Rong told Xiao Yu about the agency, and the three returned to its back courtyard and made it their home.
• Duan Rong reassured the remaining team heads that the agency would continue operating, and Wang Zhuoyong told the waiting staff that Duan Rong was their new master.
• Xiao Yu served Duan Rong an excessively sweet bowl of soup, and he forced himself to finish it while Zhu Xiaoqi laughed.
• Duan Rong left the agency and waited at a teahouse to discuss something with Yang Zhen.