Chapter Summaries

Duan Rong devoured Sun Huang’s Oxtail Saber and gained the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber at Major Accomplishment, transforming his understanding of martial arts. After deciding to ask Xi Men Kan Kan about the Taiyi Sect’s Registered Disciple selection, he went to find him the next morning and saw him loading a carriage.

• Duan Rong read the Oxtail Saber’s artifact data and devoured its Third Rank Artifact Spirit while helping Luo Fanglong take Sun Huang home.
• Duan Rong found a hedgehog trapped under a wooden basin in Willow Lodge, freed it, and later watched it forage in the courtyard.
• After half an hour, Duan Rong awoke and practiced the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber, discovering how greatly Major Accomplishment changed his understanding of martial arts.
• Duan Rong resolved to ask Xi Men Kan Kan about the Taiyi Sect’s Registered Disciple selection and practiced the Hun Yuan Stance through the night.
• The next morning, Duan Rong went to Snow Covered Residence and found Xi Men Kan Kan overseeing servants loading a carriage.

Duan Rong joined Xi Men Kan Kan on an outing, learned about his loyalty to his father and his ordinary hopes for the future, and then sparred with him after revealing a major advance in his saber technique. Xi Men Kan Kan was stunned by Duan Rong’s improvement, and their duel continued with his competitive spirit awakened.

• Xi Men Kan Kan invited Duan Rong on an outing after Jiang Qingyu refused to come, and Duan Rong accepted because he had something to ask him.
• Duan Rong and Xi Men Kan Kan hunted and fished while the servants prepared food, and Duan Rong noticed Xi Men Kan Kan kept his distance from his father’s two maidservants.
• Xi Men Kan Kan told Duan Rong that he wanted a simple life and would obey his father, while Duan Rong reflected on his own lack of family warmth.
• Duan Rong challenged Xi Men Kan Kan to exchange moves, and their saber fight began beside the grove.
• Xi Men Kan Kan realized Duan Rong’s saber technique had advanced by a major level and fought more fiercely.

Duan Rong devoured the Moon Blade Curved Saber’s Artifact Spirit and comprehended the Thunder Smoke Saber at Major Accomplishment. He defeated Xi Men Kan Kan twice in a rematch, while Xi Men Kan Kan worried that losing would endanger his erotic painting collection.

• Duan Rong and Xi Men Kan Kan sparred for nearly half an hour, ending in a draw after Duan Rong revealed his newly improved saber skills.
• Duan Rong inspected Xi Men Kan Kan’s Moon Blade Curved Saber and used Devour to absorb its Artifact Spirit.
• After waking from a nap, Duan Rong understood the Thunder Smoke Saber’s interplay of illusion and substance and challenged Xi Men Kan Kan to spar again.
• Duan Rong defeated Xi Men Kan Kan twice by seeing through his saber feints, astonishing him with how much he had improved during his nap.
• Xi Men Kan Kan admitted he was heartbroken over his erotic paintings, and Duan Rong sat beside him.

Duan Rong learned the costs and requirements for registering for Taiyi Sect’s selection, and Xi Men Kan Kan offered to arrange his registration for sixty thousand silver coins. Hoping to find another way to earn the money, Duan Rong accompanied Xi Men Kan Kan to Weiyang Gambling House, where Xi Men Kan Kan went to meet Jiang Qingyu.

• Xi Men Kan Kan told Duan Rong that registration required ten gentry recommendations, county approval, and a thirty-thousand-silver-coin fee, for a total cost of fifty thousand silver coins before other expenses.
• Xi Men Kan Kan offered to have his father register Duan Rong alongside him for sixty thousand silver coins, and suggested Duan Rong could trade Spring Palace paintings with him.
• Xi Men Kan Kan said he had arranged to gamble with Jiang Qingyu at Weiyang Gambling House, and Duan Rong decided to go because he hoped his Divine Sense Projection could help him win money.
• Xi Men Kan Kan led Duan Rong into Weiyang Gambling House and went to check whether Jiang Qingyu had arrived, leaving Duan Rong to look around the hall.

Duan Rong joined Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu for Pai Gow in a private room, using his divine sense to read their tiles and repeatedly outplay Xi Men Kan Kan. After several losses, Xi Men Kan Kan abandoned Pai Gow and proposed rolling dice instead.

• Duan Rong won five consecutive bets at an Eight Immortals table before Xi Men Kan Kan led him to a private room to meet Jiang Qingyu.
• Xi Men Kan Kan challenged Duan Rong to Pai Gow, and Duan Rong claimed he was known as the Pai Gow Killer.
• Xi Men Kan Kan became the banker, and Jiang Qingyu folded when Xi Men Kan Kan raised the bet to five hundred taels.
• Duan Rong matched Xi Men Kan Kan's rising bets, and they revealed identical six-point Copper Hammer hands, leaving Jiang Qingyu angry after folding his stronger hand.
• Duan Rong beat Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu over several rounds, prompting Xi Men Kan Kan to suggest rolling dice and comparing high and low.

Xi Men Kan Kan, Duan Rong, and Jiang Qingyu went to see Fang Jingbao exposed as a cheat at Weiyang Gambling House. After Wei Yutian spared Fang Jingbao’s hand but had his thumb cut off, Duan Rong absorbed the Jade Thumb Ring’s three mastered skills and returned it.

• Jiang Rong told Jiang Qingyu that a cheat had been caught in the Xin Room, and Xi Men Kan Kan led Duan Rong and Jiang Qingyu to investigate.
• Wei Yutian exposed the disguised Fang Jingbao and explained that the gambling houses had banned him ten years earlier.
• Wei Yutian ordered Fang Jingbao’s right thumb cut off as a mark for breaking the ban, and the Jade Thumb Ring fell near Duan Rong.
• Duan Rong read the Jade Thumb Ring’s properties, devoured its artifact spirit, and gained mastery of Barehanded Thieving, Hundred Transformations Cheating, and Disguise.
• Duan Rong returned the ring to Fang Jingbao, who thanked him, while Xi Men Kan Kan watched him curiously.

Duan Rong watched Jiang Qingyu accept Luo Zhoucheng’s challenge over Lan Ying, then continued gambling with Xi Men Kan Kan. As the Jade Thumb Ring’s artifact spirit finished integrating into him, Duan Rong mastered three unusual arts and displayed effortless control of the dice, leaving Xi Men Kan Kan awed.

• Fang Jingbao took the Jade Thumb Ring and his severed finger, then staggered away after Wei Yutian’s confrontation.
• Luo Zhoucheng provoked Jiang Qingyu into a Pai Gow match and wagered that the loser would never harass Lan Ying again.
• Xi Men Kan Kan dragged Duan Rong back to the Geng Room, where Duan Rong beat him repeatedly at dice.
• Duan Rong fully absorbed the artifact spirit and gained mastery of Barehanded Thieving Skill, Hundred Transformations Cheating Technique, and Disguise Technique.
• Duan Rong shook the dice with new ease, and Xi Men Kan Kan concluded that he was a remarkable man.

Duan Rong took over Jiang Qingyu’s wager with Luo Zhoucheng and used his gambling skill to turn the game around. Jiang Qingyu won the key hand and recovered money, while Duan Rong’s strategy left Luo Zhoucheng’s scheme exposed.

• Jiang Rong told Xi Men Kan Kan that Jiang Qingyu was losing thousands of taels to Luo Zhoucheng, and Xi Men Kan Kan and Duan Rong rushed to the gambling room.
• Duan Rong stopped Jiang Qingyu from making another wager, and Jiang Qingyu folded before Luo Zhoucheng collected the Silver Notes on the table.
• Luo Zhoucheng agreed to let Duan Rong advise Jiang Qingyu, while the wager’s rule meant the loser would have to stop pursuing Miss Lan Ying.
• Duan Rong directed Jiang Qingyu to fold six rounds, then repeatedly wagered five hundred taels until Luo Zhoucheng began calling and matching.
• Luo Zhoucheng pushed the stakes to one thousand taels, but Duan Rong told Jiang Qingyu to call, and Jiang Qingyu won the hand.

Duan Rong used his superior cheating skills to help Jiang Qingyu defeat Luo Zhoucheng at Weiyang Gambling House, then accepted the winnings and returned to Willow Lodge. The chapter ended with Duan Rong going to sleep after practicing, while the little hedgehog slept beneath his bed.

• Luo Zhoucheng lost his Silver Notes to Jiang Qingyu and accused Duan Rong of cheating, but Mr. Tang could find no evidence.
• Mr. Tang realized Duan Rong had outmatched every cheating technique he used during the game.
• Jiang Qingyu gave Duan Rong the winnings, and Xi Men Kan Kan acknowledged him as Brother Duan.
• Duan Rong, Jiang Qingyu, and Xi Men Kan Kan left Weiyang Gambling House, and Duan Rong returned alone to Willow Lodge with food.
• Duan Rong shared food with the little hedgehog, practiced the Hun Yuan Stance until midnight, and found it asleep beneath his bed.

Duan Rong discovered that the stars in his sea of consciousness could grow by consuming wisdom and thought, then visited Xiao Zongting with gifts. Xiao Zongting treated him coldly and angrily sent him away, leaving Duan Rong puzzled about what he had done wrong.

• Duan Rong spotted a pickpocket and realized his Master Pickpocketing ability let him see what he had previously overlooked.
• Duan Rong gained an insight that the stars in his sea of consciousness could feed on wisdom and thought.
• Duan Rong bought Yu Qian Tea, pastries, and candied fruit before visiting Xiao Zongting's courtyard.
• Xiao Zongting ignored Duan Rong's gifts and conversation, then snapped at him for asking whether Xiao Yu and Little Seven were out.
• Duan Rong watched Xiao Zongting limp into the main hall and wondered what had made the old man angry.

Duan Rong learned that Xiao Zongting was angry because he thought Duan Rong and Xiao Yu had no future together, then gradually repaired their relationship. He continued training for the Taiyi Sect selection, but worried that his inner cultivation would not be strong enough to pass.

• Zhu Xiaoqi explained that Xiao Zongting had confronted Xiao Yu about her feelings for Duan Rong and opposed a relationship because he expected her to advance at the Taiyi Sect while Duan Rong remained in Xiangu County.
• Duan Rong realized he had no romantic feelings for Xiao Yu and decided not to challenge Xiao Zongting's assumptions about his future.
• Duan Rong repeatedly visited Xiao Zongting with gifts, and Xiao Zongting gradually softened and began discussing martial arts with him again.
• Duan Rong became closer to Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu, who came to treat him as the center of their group.
• Duan Rong completed two more layers of the Garbha Sutra, raised his Mental Strength to Level 3, and improved his saber techniques to Major Accomplishment.
• Duan Rong continued training for the Taiyi Sect selection next March, but worried that he might not reach the fourth layer of the Inner Breath Realm and would fail against the other candidates.

Duan Rong used his Divine Sense to identify poor medicinal penetration into slender meridians and resolved to investigate the formula and herbs. He visited Gu Suxiu's clinic under the pretense of restless sleep, and Gu Suxiu prescribed a mild calming formula for him.

• Duan Rong discovered that medicinal power struggled to enter slender meridians, which slowed his cultivation, and decided to study the formula and herbs.
• Gu Suxiu opened Suxiu Clinic, honored the Buddha, and read an ancient manuscript on needling while turning his palm beads.
• Duan Rong arrived at the clinic and asked Gu Suxiu about his restless thoughts and poor sleep.
• Gu Suxiu checked Duan Rong's pulse, recognized that he was healthy, and wrote him a mild calming prescription.
• Duan Rong agreed to have Gu Suxiu prepare the herbs at the clinic.

Duan Rong visited Gu Suxiu’s clinic to collect medicine and secretly devoured the medical knowledge stored in Gu Suxiu’s palm beads. Gu Suxiu then showed Duan Rong his grandfather’s handwritten medical manuscript, hoping to learn whether its author was connected to Duan Rong’s teacher.

• Duan Rong read the palm beads’ artifact data and devoured their stored expertise in herbs, medicine, and difficult illnesses.
• Gu Suxiu asked Duan Rong who had taught him the Plum Blossom Needle Technique, and Duan Rong repeated his story about a reclusive old teacher.
• Gu Suxiu brought Duan Rong to the back hall and showed him a manuscript left by his grandfather, explaining how a reclusive extraordinary man had taught his grandfather medicine and needlework.
• Duan Rong examined the annotated manuscript and, noticing its signs of age and handling, thought to read its artifact spirit.

Duan Rong devoured the medical knowledge preserved in Gu Suxiu's grandfather's book and damaged Buddha pendant, then realized it could not help him understand how medicines affected martial artists' inner breath. Unable to find a suitable medical-and-martial practitioner in Xiangu County, he decided to focus on relentlessly training the Hun Yuan Stance.

• Duan Rong devoured the second-rank artifact spirit in Gu Suxiu's grandfather's medical book and found no family connection in its handwriting.
• Duan Rong discovered that the wooden Buddha pendant held three incomplete medical artifact spirits, and he devoured them after Gu Suxiu explained that insects had damaged it.
• Gu Suxiu attended to a pregnant patient while Duan Rong left the clinic and returned to Willow Lodge, where he slept off the strain of devouring three artifact spirits.
• Duan Rong realized that his newly acquired medical knowledge concerned ordinary illnesses and could not explain how medicinal herbs affected inner breath.
• Duan Rong concluded that Xiangu County had no practitioner who combined medicine and martial arts, so he set aside the problem and resolved to train the Hun Yuan Stance relentlessly.

Xi Men Yong returned to Xiangu County and discussed plans to expand the family’s medicinal-herb business with Yuan Shouzhi. After noticing Xi Men Kan Kan’s improved saber skills and learning about his close association with Duan Rong, Xi Men Yong grew suspicious and ordered Shi Kang to report anything unusual.

• Xi Men Yong and Yuan Shouzhi discussed building business ties with Chen Chunlei to sell medicinal herbs from Xiangu County.
• Xi Men Kan Kan returned late after drinking with Duan Rong and Jiang Qingyu, then practiced Thunder Smoke Saber at his father’s request.
• Yuan Shouzhi observed that Xi Men Kan Kan’s saber technique had improved, though Xi Men Yong wondered whether his son had changed his attitude toward Martial Arts.
• Xi Men Yong questioned Shi Kang and learned that Xi Men Kan Kan often sparred with Duan Rong and respectfully called him Brother Duan.
• Xi Men Yong dismissed Shi Kang but told him to watch Xi Men Kan Kan closely and report anything unusual.

Duan Rong grew wary after a stranger followed him, then focused on cultivating until he attained the third level of the Inner Breath Realm. After a second escort mission and more training, he reunited with Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu at Willow Lodge.

• Xi Men Yong ordered Yuan Shouzhi to investigate Duan Rong and find out why he was close to Kan Kan.
• Duan Rong noticed a stranger following him and suspected someone had targeted him after his gambling-house winnings, so he stopped socializing and concentrated on cultivation.
• After more than ten days of training, Duan Rong attained the third level of the Inner Breath Realm and began working toward the difficult fourth level.
• Duan Rong joined the Second Escort Team on a smooth trip to Ruyang Prefecture, where Xiao Yu treated him coldly while the other escorts grew friendlier with him.
• After returning from the escort mission, Duan Rong welcomed Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu to Willow Lodge and served them tea and pastries.

Duan Rong returned from an escort journey and joined Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu at Flower Shadow House to meet Orchid Shadow, whom he had helped by stopping Luo Zhoucheng from harassing her. After Orchid Shadow challenged his criticism of her sorrowful song, Duan Rong described how her worries and physical weariness fed into each other, and Hong Xue said his words resembled Doctor Gu’s.

• Xi Men Kan Kan teased the now-fatter Spiky Ball, but Jiang Qingyu rescued the hedgehog and scolded him.
• Jiang Qingyu and Xi Men Kan Kan told Duan Rong that Orchid Shadow wanted to thank him for stopping Luo Zhoucheng from harassing her, and they persuaded him to visit Flower Shadow House.
• Xi Men Kan Kan collected a hundred-tael bet from Jiang Qingyu after correctly predicting that Duan Rong would agree to go.
• At Lanxiang Courtyard, Orchid Shadow played and sang while Duan Rong ate, then she joined him, Xi Men Kan Kan, and Jiang Qingyu at the table.
• Orchid Shadow mocked Duan Rong for visiting a brothel after he criticized her sorrowful song, and he warned that her worries and weariness were reinforcing each other.
• Hong Xue said Duan Rong’s words were similar to what Doctor Gu had said, and Orchid Shadow glared at her.

Duan Rong gave Orchid Shadow cheerful lyrics that lifted her spirits, and she suggested a drinking game. Meanwhile, a burly man attacked a Tortoise Slave over his bill, and just as he threatened to cut off the man’s other ear, a slender figure leaped down to intervene.

• Duan Rong recognized that Orchid Shadow’s illness came from unhappiness and wrote her lively lyrics to sing.
• Orchid Shadow sang the new song, brightened, and suggested playing She Fu with wine.
• A burly man refused to pay his 280-tael bill at Flower Shadow House and severed the Tortoise Slave’s right ear with his saber.
• Duan Rong and the others rushed to the hall after hearing screams, where the burly man threatened to cut off the Tortoise Slave’s other ear.
• A slender figure leaped down from the second-floor railing as the burly man prepared to strike again.

Huang Gaozu punished a man who tried to eat for free at Flower Shadow House, while Duan Rong used Divine Sense Projection to watch Fan Yuanhai and discovered Jie Daohan meeting him. Jie Daohan asked Fan Yuanhai to help capture Evil Doctor Shen Ping.

• Huang Gaozu disarmed the burly man and, at Hu Huanhuan's order, cut off three of his fingers and both ears.
• Duan Rong spotted Fan Yuanhai watching the commotion and realized he was still in Xiangu County investigating Xu Ruhu's case.
• Duan Rong scanned the nearby rooms with Divine Sense Projection and saw Fan Yuanhai watching Lotus Shadow dance at Flower Shadow House.
• Jie Daohan arrived with Yang Zhen, entered Lotus Shadow's room, and asked Fan Yuanhai to help him catch Evil Doctor Shen Ping.

Fan Yuanhai and Jie Daohan left Lotus Fall to capture Evil Doctor Shen Ping, while Duan Rong stayed behind and overheard a meeting between Black Tiger Stronghold leaders and Huang Gaozu. Li Yiying proposed ambushing Xi Men Yong’s party at Black Tiger Ridge the following night to seize more than a hundred thousand taels.

• Fan Yuanhai and Jie Daohan set out that night to capture Evil Doctor Shen Ping, the suspected creator of Corpse Rot Poison.
• Duan Rong learned that Corpse Rot Poison had been smeared on his Plum Blossom Needle but decided not to follow the two men.
• After Fan Yuanhai and Jie Daohan left, Li Yiying and Wang Zhaoxuan knocked out two women and met with Huang Gaozu in a nearby room.
• Li Yiying told Huang Gaozu that Xi Men Yong had received payment for three shipments of rare medicinal herbs sent to Yuan Yang Prefecture.
• Li Yiying proposed ambushing Xi Men Yong and his party at Black Tiger Ridge the next night to take more than a hundred thousand taels.