Recaps

Yang Shuqing learned that his younger brother Yang Er had been murdered and left the County Office to investigate, carrying his newly awarded pill with him. In Three Trees Village, Yi Yang secretly broke through to the Qi-Blood Third Level just as approaching hoofbeats reached his courtyard.

• Yang Shuqing received three hundred taels of silver, a promotion to Deputy Chief Constable, and a Sinew-Breaking Bone-Pulling Pill for capturing the culprit behind the Wang Family manual theft.
• Yang Shuqing learned that Yang Er had been killed and that a Nine Evil Sect token was found at the scene, then struck the clerk for delaying the report.
• Yang Shuqing ordered Zhao Si and Ma Liu to prepare horses and weapons so they could leave for Three Trees Village immediately.
• Yi Yang used his remaining pills and medicinal baths to reach the Sinew Tempering Realm, the Qi-Blood Third Level, and reflected on his improved saber skill.
• Yi Yang pretended to be frail when Jiang Yuexin questioned him, and hoofbeats sounded beyond the courtyard.

Yang Shuqing returned to Three Trees Village to investigate Yang Er’s murder and questioned the village chief and Yi Yang about the death and the mountain expedition. He remained suspicious of the evidence and Yi Yang’s account, and Zhao Si asked whether they should let the only survivor go.

• Yang Shuqing arrived with Zhao Si and Ma Liu, then went with Village Chief Yang Shuyu to inspect Yang Er’s corpse.
• Yang Shuqing examined the Nine Evil Sect token and the wounds, finding the evidence suspicious despite the token and blade marks appearing genuine.
• Yang Shuyu told Yang Shuqing that Wang Yue had led an expedition up Greenwood Mountain with Yi Yang and that only Yi Yang had returned alive.
• Yang Shuqing questioned Yi Yang about the mountain, and Yi Yang claimed the snake knocked him down a slope before he woke at dawn and climbed back.
• Yang Shuqing left to inspect the snake on the mountain, and Zhao Si asked whether they were letting Yi Yang go despite his being the sole survivor.

Yi Yang overheard Yang Shuqing planning to take him up Greenwood Mountain and kill him, so he ambushed Yang Shuqing and his two men there. After killing them, Yi Yang took a Sinew-Breaking Bone-Pulling Pill, silver, a letter, and a parchment, then left the mountain.

• Yang Shuqing told Zhao Si and Ma Liu that he planned to search the mountain and later force Yi Yang to reveal what happened to Wang Yue and the purplewood.
• Yi Yang heard their plan from his courtyard and decided to deal with them on the mountain that night.
• At the clearing, Yang Shuqing found human blood and drag marks before Yi Yang attacked, killing Zhao Si and Ma Liu.
• Yi Yang defeated Yang Shuqing with the Nine Peaks Saber and killed him after Yang Shuqing recognized him.
• Yi Yang searched the bodies, took silver, a letter, a Sinew-Breaking Bone-Pulling Pill, and a sheepskin parchment, then concealed the bodies and left Greenwood Mountain.

Yi Yang went to Cloud Pattern Town to buy medicine for Yang Hui and gather news, then met Zhao Gang, who explained how the Heaven Patrol Office planned to use the Nine Evil Sect’s activity to expand its influence in Yunlin County. Zhao Gang revealed that he had joined the office as a Patrol Captain.

• Yi Yang bought medicine for Yang Hui from Physician Hu and heard rumors about the Shengcang Martial Hall, the Nine Evil Sect, and recent deaths around the county.
• Yi Yang replenished ingredients for Blood-Strengthening Decoction and reflected that silver alone could not secure the cultivation resources he needed.
• Ren Hao invited Yi Yang to meet Zhao Gang, who noted that Yi Yang’s strength had advanced since their last meeting.
• Zhao Gang explained the county’s major powers and said the Heaven Patrol Office planned to expand into nearby towns and villages under the pretext of combating the Nine Evil Sect.
• Zhao Gang told Yi Yang that he had joined the Heaven Patrol Office as a Patrol Captain.

Yi Yang accepted Zhao Gang’s recommendation to join the Heaven Patrol Office, hoping to gain access to resources and official protection. Two days later, Superintendent Fang Yue approved his appointment but assigned him to the Archive Hall rather than field duty.

• Zhao Gang offered Yi Yang a place in the Heaven Patrol Office, explaining its pay, access to medicinal resources, and loose rules.
• Yi Yang agreed to be recommended, giving Zhao Gang his personal details while claiming to be sixty years old and at the qi-blood second level.
• After Yi Yang left, Zhao Gang told Ren Hao that Yi Yang’s apparent cultivation was all he could see and that he had invited him rather than simply recommended him.
• Two days later, Fang Yue reviewed the candidates submitted to the Cloud Pattern Town branch and questioned whether Yi Yang was fit for field work at his age.
• Fang Yue assigned Yi Yang to the Archive Hall with the treatment of a Patrol Captain.

Yi Yang practiced the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force and gained sixty points of progress before Zhao Gang arrived with news of his Heaven Patrol Office appointment. Yi Yang accepted his low-ranked Archive Hall post and a Water Essence Pill, seeing the quiet job as an opportunity to keep his secrets and explore the office’s records.

• Yi Yang practiced the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force and reached beginner progress of 60/5000.
• Zhao Gang gave Yi Yang Black Iron Token 34 and explained that its number determined his rank and resource share.
• Zhao Gang told Yi Yang he had been appointed Patrol Captain of the Archive Hall, a quiet post with few chances to earn merit.
• Yi Yang accepted the Archive Hall assignment without complaint and listened to Zhao Gang’s warning about competition and office politics.
• Zhao Gang gave Yi Yang a Water Essence Pill and left after Yi Yang agreed to let the favor remain a debt.

After using Zhao Gang’s Water Essence Pill to strengthen his cultivation, Yi Yang registered as a Patrol Captain at the Heaven Patrol Office in Cloud Pattern Town. He received his post and equipment, and planned to bring Jiang Yuexin from Three Trees Village to live with him.

• Yi Yang swallowed Zhao Gang’s Water Essence Pill and practiced the Yi Wood Longevity Stance, raising his Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art progress from 1,245 to 2,000 points.
• Yi Yang decided to trade Yang Shuqing’s Sinew-Breaking Bone-Pulling Pill for medicine better suited to his current cultivation.
• Yi Yang left Jiang Yuexin at home and went to the Heaven Patrol Office, where the guards recognized his Black Iron Token and addressed him as a Patrol Captain.
• Ren Hao showed Yi Yang around and explained that he would manage the Archive Hall’s case files without leading a squad, while retaining the benefits of his rank.
• Yi Yang registered, received his residence token and Patrol Captain equipment, and decided to bring Jiang Yuexin to town in a few days.

Yi Yang took up his new post as Patrol Captain of the quiet Archive Hall and assessed its staff, records, and security. After encouraging Huang Yushu to pursue old Nine Evil Sect cases, Yi Yang left the Heaven Patrol Office for Three Trees Village.

• Ren Hao showed Yi Yang to the Archive Hall, where Yi Yang welcomed the quiet posting and reassured Ren Hao that he was satisfied.
• Yi Yang found Sun Hao asleep on duty, learned who staffed the hall, and allowed Sun Hao to rest as long as he kept proper records and guarded the files.
• Yi Yang read case files about the Nine Evil Sect and learned about its ranks, violent activities, and suspected presence around Yunlin County.
• Yi Yang found Huang Yushu studying recent cult cases, heard how investigating a village massacre had gotten him reassigned, and encouraged him to keep digging through the Archive Hall's records.
• Yi Yang inspected the restricted files and met Li Tong when he returned, then left the office at dusk for Three Trees Village.

Yi Yang returned to Three Trees Village in his Heaven Patrol Office uniform and arranged to move to town with Jiang Yuexin and Yang Hui. Meanwhile, Yi Xun refused to believe his elder brother had become a Patrol Captain, and the County Commandant sent a head constable to find Yang Shuqing and recover the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force.

• Yi Xun ordered Liu Fu to prepare to sell Yi Yang's property, then dismissed reports that Yi Yang wore a Heaven Patrol Office uniform as mistaken identification.
• Yi Yang told Jiang Yuexin to pack for a move to town and visited the recovering Yang Hui, who agreed to come with them.
• Zhou Liang asked whether Yang Er's case had been resolved, and Yi Yang said Yang Shuqing's delay could be explained by county duties.
• The County Commandant learned Yang Shuqing had not returned with the cultivation technique and ordered a head constable to find him and retrieve it, killing him if necessary.

Yi Yang moved into his Heaven Patrol Office quarters in Cloud Pattern Town and bought two Minor Tendon-Refining Pills to advance his cultivation. Meanwhile, Yi Xun mortgaged the Yi Family house to fund Yi Zhanzhi’s bid to become the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall master’s Personal Disciple.

• Yi Yang, Jiang Yuexin, and Yang Hui left Three Trees Village and settled into the courtyard assigned to Yi Yang by the Heaven Patrol Office.
• Yi Yang visited the Contribution Hall, learned about pill grades, and spent seventy taels on two Minor Tendon-Refining Pills.
• Yi Yang planned to refine the pills with Blood-Strengthening Decoction baths over a month to advance his Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art and reach the qi-blood fourth level.
• Yi Xun gave Yi Zhanzhi one hundred taels from mortgaging the family house so he could buy apprenticeship gifts for the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall.
• Yi Zhanzhi vowed to become the hall master’s Personal Disciple and dismissed Yi Yang’s new Heaven Patrol Office position as an unimportant post.

Yi Yang received five Water Essence Pills from Zhao Gang while learning that County Commandant men were investigating him and that Tang Hao and Fang Yu posed threats within the Heaven Patrol Office. Lu Neng concluded that Yi Yang was connected to the deaths and missing treasure, and ordered his men to watch for a chance to attack him alone.

• Zhao Gang told Yi Yang that unfamiliar men in town were likely County Office agents investigating Yang Shuqing’s disappearance and warned him about Tang Hao and Fang Yu.
• Zhao Gang gave Yi Yang five Water Essence Pills in exchange for the Sinew-Breaking Bone-Pulling Pill.
• Yi Yang reviewed his cultivation progress and planned to use the pills to advance the Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art toward the Bone Tempering Realm.
• Lu Neng told Zhou Ping and Du Sheng that investigators had found the giant snake’s carcass, Wang Yue’s remains, Yang Shuqing’s body, and evidence pointing toward Yi Yang.
• Lu Neng ordered Zhou Ping and Du Sheng to watch Yi Yang starting the next night and wait until he was alone.

Yi Yang reached qi-blood fourth level in the Bone Tempering Realm, then was ambushed by three County Office men on his way home. He killed them all, including their leader Lu Neng, who revealed that the County Commandant had ordered the attack.

• Yi Yang finished tempering his bones and advanced to qi-blood fourth level while monitoring suspicious activity around the Heaven Patrol Office.
• Yi Yang noticed he was being followed and entered a dark alley, where three County Office men ambushed him.
• Yi Yang broke the narrow-faced attacker’s wrist and drove him into a wall, breaking the encirclement.
• Yi Yang used the Nine Peaks Saber to kill the fleshy-faced man and the narrow-faced man in quick succession.
• Lu Neng recognized Yi Yang’s strength and begged for his life, claiming the County Commandant had ordered the attack.
• Lu Neng attempted to stab Yi Yang with a poisoned blade, but Yi Yang broke his wrist and killed him with a thrust through the skull.

After killing Lu Neng and his two companions, Yi Yang concealed their bodies and considered the County Commandant’s interest in the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force. The next morning, he learned that Yi Zhanzhi had become Mu Fenghai’s Personal Disciple, and left the Yi Family’s banquet invitation noncommittal.

• Yi Yang searched Lu Neng, Zhou Ping, and Du Sheng, took their money and useful weapons, and hid their bodies in an abandoned drainage channel.
• Yi Yang returned home, hid his gains, and concluded that the County Commandant would continue probing for the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force in secret.
• Patrol Guards told Yi Yang that Yi Zhanzhi had reached the qi-blood third level and been accepted as Mu Fenghai’s Personal Disciple at the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall.
• Yi Yang dismissed questions about whether he was related to the Yi Family and considered the danger posed by Mu Fenghai, a qi-blood sixth-level martial artist.
• Liu Fu invited Yi Yang to the Yi Residence banquet celebrating Yi Zhanzhi’s discipleship and offered him osmanthus cakes.
• Yi Yang accepted the food box but told Liu Fu he would attend only if he had time.

Yi Yang attended Yi Xun’s banquet for Yi Zhanzhi, where the family and guests belittled him for his small gift and humble past. He left without confronting them, passed Yi Zhanzhi and his martial arts companions at the entrance, and continued toward the Heaven Patrol Office.

• Yi Yang decided to attend Yi Xun’s banquet to observe Cloud Pattern Town’s prominent guests and brought five taels of silver as a gift.
• At the Yi Residence, Yi Yang was seated at the last table while guests praised Yi Zhanzhi’s apprenticeship at the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall and presented lavish gifts.
• Liu Fu announced Yi Yang’s five-tael gift and portrayed Yi Xun as generous for offering to help his elder brother, prompting guests to gossip about Yi Yang.
• Yi Yang ignored the guests’ remarks, drank his wine, and left the banquet without greeting Yi Xun.
• Yi Zhanzhi returned with four fellow disciples from the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall, ignored Yi Yang as he passed, and went inside while Yi Yang continued toward the Heaven Patrol Office.

Yi Yang reached minor mastery of the Nine Peaks Saber and initiated the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force, which let him glimpse pure yi wood qi and begin to restore his vitality. He hid the dangerous art and reflected on how far his cultivation had advanced while remaining wary of trouble.

• Yi Yang completed the Nine Peaks Saber’s final hurdle and reached minor mastery after three nights of practice.
• Yi Yang reread the Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art and recognized how its nourishment of vitality connected with the saber’s cultivation of qi and blood.
• Yi Yang circulated the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force, reached initiation, and saw black returning to the tips of his white hair.
• Yi Yang compared the two arts and sensed pure yi wood qi despite being only at the qi-blood fourth level.
• Yi Yang concealed the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force and resolved not to tell the Heaven Patrol Office, Zhao Gang, Jiang Yuexin, or Yang Hui.

Yi Yang learned that Tang Hao had assigned him to accompany Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall disciples against suspected Nine Evil Sect remnants, a mission that could let the Yi Family target him. He traveled toward Stone Bridge Abandoned Village with Zhang Li and Zhu Yuanshan and faced Yi Zhanzhi’s contempt when they met the martial arts hall party.

• Tang Hao delivered an order sending Yi Yang, Zhang Li, and Zhu Yuanshan to Stone Bridge Abandoned Village with Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall disciples to eliminate suspected Nine Evil Sect remnants.
• Zhang Li told Yi Yang that a Patrol Director would soon arrive to consolidate Yunlin County’s forces, and Zhu Yuanshan listed the five disciples accompanying them, including Yi Zhanzhi.
• Yi Yang suspected Tang Hao had arranged the assignment to put him at risk and help the Yi Family.
• Yi Yang left town with Zhang Li and Zhu Yuanshan and reached a mountain clearing where Liao Xu and the other Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall disciples were waiting.
• Yi Zhanzhi insulted Yi Yang’s low Patrol Captain number, and Yi Yang replied that he would not be able to outrun the others if danger came.

Yi Yang realized the Nine Evil Sect deacon was missing while the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall attacked the Ancestral Hall, but Wang Gongqin revealed that he had used them to refine a Blood Origin Pill. Wang Gongqin demonstrated his qi-blood fourth-level perfection and overwhelmed the assembled fighters, leaving them badly injured and trapped.

• Liao Xu divided the group into teams and ordered Yi Zhanzhi to confront the supposed qi-blood third-level deacon while Yi Yang guarded the village’s southern end.
• Yi Yang heard the battle end too quickly and suspected the deacon had not been among the followers in the Ancestral Hall.
• Wang Gongqin emerged after the followers were killed and explained that he had used their deaths to complete a Blood Origin Pill.
• Wang Gongqin knocked Song Wu aside with one punch, revealing that he had reached qi-blood fourth-level perfection.
• Liao Xu led Yi Zhanzhi, Zhao He, and Shen Qingyue in a coordinated attack, but Wang Gongqin swallowed the pill and defeated them in a single exchange.

Yi Yang discovered that Wang Gongqin had lured the others into a trap, then searched the ruined ancestral hall and found a sinister saber hidden in its rear courtyard. He stole the weapon and hid it on Greenwood Mountain while Wang Gongqin rushed back toward the village, leaving Yi Yang safely at home.

• Yi Yang realized Wang Gongqin was a qi-blood fourth-level fighter planning to use the trapped group's blood to advance, so he waited outside the ancestral hall.
• Liao Xu, Yi Zhanzhi, Shen Qingyue, and Zhao He escaped the collapsing hall, while Song Wu remained dead inside and Wang Gongqin pursued the survivors.
• Yi Yang entered the ruins, followed a blood trail into the rear courtyard, and found a black-patterned saber suppressed by a blood array.
• Yi Yang took the saber, causing the blood array to weaken, and left the ancestral hall unnoticed.
• Wang Gongqin sensed the saber had been taken and abandoned his pursuit to return to the village, while Liao Xu led the others away to report to the Heaven Patrol Office.
• Yi Yang hid the saber in a cave on Greenwood Mountain and returned safely to his courtyard in Cloud Pattern Town.

After surviving the deserted village, Yi Yang faced an investigation by Tang Hao, Fang Yu, and Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall curator Mu Fenghai, who tested him with the Thunderous Sound Mantra. Yi Yang concealed his strength and passed the probe, but recognized Tang Hao and Fang Yu as threats and marked them for revenge.

• Yi Yang recalled that Zhang Li and Zhu Yuanshan had survived the deserted village, while Song Wu had died and the Heaven Patrol Office had not investigated them.
• Tang Hao, Fang Yu, and Mu Fenghai visited Yi Yang and questioned him about the failed intelligence and the Nine Evil Sect deacon Wang Gongqin.
• Mu Fenghai used the Thunderous Sound Mantra to ask whether Yi Yang had entered the ancestral hall, but Yi Yang's Five-Organ Internal Refining Force resisted it.
• Yi Yang pretended to be dazed and claimed he had fled south without entering the village, convincing Mu Fenghai that he was telling the truth.
• After the visitors left, Yi Yang recognized Fang Yu's hostility and resolved to keep both Fang Yu and Tang Hao in mind.

Ten days of intense training brought Yi Yang closer to the qi-blood fifth level, and he saw Patrol Director Qi Shujian arrive in Yunlin County with two inner qi realm companions. Qi Shujian’s arrival signaled an impending Heaven Patrol Office campaign against the Nine Evil Sect, which Yi Yang saw as a chance to profit from shifting resource prices.

• Yi Yang advanced his three martial arts through medicine, meat, stance training, and saber practice, while hiding his growing strength from the townspeople.
• The Three Great Families, local gangs, and other powers gathered at Yunlin County’s south gate to assess the incoming Patrol Director.
• Yi Yang and the Patrol Guards witnessed Qi Shujian ride past with Song Tiecheng and Chen Wuya, feeling the overwhelming pressure of their inner qi.
• Zhao Gang recounted Qi Shujian’s battlefield exploits and the fearsome reputations of Song Tiecheng and Chen Wuya.
• Yi Yang recognized that Qi Shujian’s arrival foreshadowed a major campaign against the Nine Evil Sect and considered how the resulting resource fluctuations could benefit him.

Yi Yang collected medicine from Zhao Gang and learned that Qi Shujian was organizing a joint purge of the Nine Evil Sect in Yunlin County. As the Heaven Patrol Office recruited volunteers, Yi Yang chose to avoid the operation and focus on cultivating in secret.

• Yi Yang noticed his improving complexion and darkening hair, then collected pills from Zhao Gang, who let him keep the remaining proceeds from the purplewood sale.
• Zhao Gang told Yi Yang that Qi Shujian was assembling the county's factions for a major purge of the Nine Evil Sect's strongholds.
• Zhao Gang agreed to join the operation, and Yi Yang urged him to come back alive.
• Fang Yue announced that the purge would begin in five days and offered silver and pills to volunteers; Tang Hao and Zhao Gang signed up.
• Yi Yang declined to volunteer and left for the Archive Hall, intent on cultivating while others joined the purge.

Yi Yang watched the expedition against the Nine Evil Sect leave town, then prepared for his own nighttime mission while Fang Yu plotted to target him and his granddaughter. The chapter ended with Yi Yang leaving home in black clothes with a saber.

• Huang Yushu asked to join the expedition so he could pursue new leads in the Clear River Village massacre, and Yi Yang approved while warning him to return alive.
• Tang Hao, Zhao Gang, Huang Yushu, and the other volunteers departed to attack the Nine Evil Sect, leaving the Heaven Patrol Office short-handed.
• Yi Yang reassured Jiang Yuexin that he would not join the fighting, then used Sinew-Strengthening Powder and practiced his stance as he neared the qi-blood fifth level.
• Fang Yu revealed that Tang Hao had ordered him to target Yi Yang while the office was depleted, and he spoke obscenely about Yi Yang's granddaughter.
• Yi Yang finished his stance practice, dressed in black night clothes, took a saber, and quietly left his courtyard.

Yi Yang strangled Fang Yu in an alley and hid his body after recalling Fang Yu’s earlier malice toward him and Jiang Yuexin. The next day, the Heaven Patrol Office doubled its night patrols, but its guards treated Fang Yu’s death as a possible security threat rather than mourning him.

• Yi Yang followed Fang Yu into a dark alley and killed him by breaking his neck.
• Yi Yang found only three taels of silver on Fang Yu, hid the corpse in a drainage ditch, and returned home unnoticed.
• An old man discovered Fang Yu’s body the next day and reported the killing to the Heaven Patrol Office.
• Qian Hu said there was no evidence the Nine Evil Sect was responsible and ordered doubled night patrols and other precautions.
• Yi Yang acted concerned with the other guards, then returned to the Archive Hall as the office focused on the threat rather than Fang Yu’s death.

Yi Yang neared the fifth level of qi-blood and planned to break through that night as the army returned victorious from the campaign against the Nine Evil Sect. At the homecoming, Yi Zhanzhi received praise for killing a sect steward, while Yi Yang ignored his contempt and focused on the 540 points he still needed.

• Yi Yang saw that his Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art was at 29,460 of 30,000 and decided to save his breakthrough attempt for that night.
• Jiang Yuexin noticed Yi Yang looked younger and more vigorous, and Yi Yang told her he hoped to earn merit and move them to the county seat.
• Sun Hao and Li Tong told Yi Yang the army had destroyed the Nine Evil Sect branch altar with few casualties, and the returning troops would arrive around noon.
• Yi Yang joined the town's welcome as the army returned, and he heard Patrol Guards praise Yi Zhanzhi for killing a qi-blood third-level steward.
• Yi Xun, Song Yi, and Liu Fu celebrated Yi Zhanzhi as admirers crowded around him, while Yi Zhanzhi looked down on Yi Yang and walked away.

After learning that Tang Hao had joined forces with the County Commandant to arrange Yi Yang’s assassination, Yi Yang focused on strengthening himself. He broke through to the qi-blood fifth level, the Organ Refining Realm.

• Yi Yang met Zhao Gang, who returned wounded from the expedition and said Tang Hao had stolen his target and advanced to the qi-blood third level.
• Zhao Gang warned Yi Yang that Tang Hao had connected with the County Commandant, prompting Yi Yang to suspect they were targeting him over the Five-Organ Internal Refining Force.
• The County Commandant hired Tang Hao to arrange Yi Yang’s death for 350 taels of silver and two Bone Tempering Pills, and Tang Hao agreed to recruit powerful fighters.
• Yi Yang endured a painful medicinal bath and broke through to the qi-blood fifth level, the Organ Refining Realm.