Chapter Summaries

Luo Bin studied Feng Shui, then joined Feng Qiang’s team on a mountain expedition. During their first night’s camp, his growing Evil Spirit instincts drew him to a freshly killed, skinned man.

• Luo Bin studied a geomantic compass diagram and noticed that the gray discoloration on his fingers had worsened.
• Fifth Master Feng introduced Luo Bin to Feng Qiang and sent them with a team of ten people to travel up the mountain.
• Feng Qiang led the group along a steep trail, and they reached a familiar campsite without major trouble.
• At night, Luo Bin struggled to suppress his thirst for blood and followed a sweet scent away from camp.
• Luo Bin found a man who had been skinned alive, his body still warm, and wondered who had killed him.

Luo Bin and Feng Qiang discovered that an Observer had infiltrated the Feng Family camp and killed Feng Liang. After the group killed the Observer, Luo Bin noticed his left ring finger and pinky trembling as if something were pulling them.

• Luo Bin found a skinless corpse and wondered whether an Observer had followed the group from the Group Dwelling.
• Feng Qiang checked Luo Bin and himself for signs that either had been replaced, then returned with him to camp.
• Feng Qiang woke everyone and questioned who had left the camp; Luo Bin spotted Feng Liang trying to flee and blocked his path.
• The Feng Family surrounded and killed Feng Liang, then peeled back his face to reveal the smooth, featureless head of an Observer.
• The group suspected Luo Bin, but Feng Qiang defended him; Luo Bin noticed his left ring finger and pinky trembling strangely.

Luo Bin’s group reached the Feng Family Main Household on Floating Tortoise Mountain, where they were treated coldly after their supply delivery fell short. As Luo Bin’s bodily changes and mysterious pull intensified, he left the group and followed the connection into the mountain, while Li Yunyi sensed someone approaching and planned to take everything from his junior sister.

• Feng Qiang led the group through two days of travel to the Main Household, where they fought evil spirits along the way.
• Song Tianzhu reprimanded Feng Qiang over the missing supplies and refused to let the group rest inside the compound.
• Feng Qiang explained that the Main Household protected the branch families’ residences with feng shui features and talismans in exchange for tribute.
• Luo Bin realized his Mountain-and-Water Divination knowledge might help the Feng Family, then kept watch while Feng Qiang slept.
• Li Yunyi awoke to a mysterious connection drawing closer and said he would take everything his junior sister had.
• Luo Bin could no longer resist the pull from his changing fingers, left the Feng Family’s group, and followed it through the mountain forest.

Luo Bin followed a mysterious pull to a suspended coffin on Floating Tortoise Mountain, while Li Yunyi used a Corpse Talisman in an attempt to cross the dangerous cliff path. The chapter ended with Luo Bin opening the coffin and finding Qin Jiume inside.

• Luo Bin reached a severed mountain path where evil spirits kept falling from the cliffs and sensed that a coffin across the gap was drawing him toward it.
• Li Yunyi led Li Xiangyang and the disciples to the cliff path, insisting that Shangguan Xingyue was nearby, but Li Xiangyang believed he had mistaken her presence for the corpse from Cabinet Mountain.
• Li Yunyi affixed a Corpse Talisman to his forehead to transform himself into an evil spirit and try to cross the gap while remaining lucid.
• Luo Bin climbed across the sheer cliff face to the beams supporting the suspended coffin, unable to resist the pull drawing him toward it.
• Luo Bin opened the coffin and saw Qin Jiume lying inside with his eyes open and blood vessels filling his mouth.

Luo Bin hid beneath Qin Jiumo’s body in the coffin while Li Yunyi, turned into an evil spirit by the Corpse Talisman, passed nearby. After Li Yunyi tore the talisman from his face and was carried away by companions, Luo Bin followed them to a small temple on Floating Tortoise Mountain.

• A Guide who looked like Qin Jiumo told Luo Bin to hide beneath the body in the coffin, and Luo Bin obeyed.
• Li Yunyi appeared at the cliff as an evil spirit, looked toward the open coffin, and then left without noticing Luo Bin.
• Luo Bin climbed out and followed Li Yunyi, whom he saw tearing the talisman from his face before two people carried him into the woods.
• At daylight, Luo Bin secretly followed Li Yunyi’s group of sixteen along a direct mountain route for about three hours.
• Li Yunyi’s group entered a small temple, and Luo Bin hid behind a tree to wait outside.

Luo Bin used the Primordial Sixteen Trigrams to conceal himself in the southwest wind and sneak into a ritual ground, where he saw a strange tortoise statue but found no one to question. He returned to Qin Jiumo’s coffin under the pull of the summons, while Shangguan Xingyue left after realizing she could not reach him across Floating Tortoise Mountain.

• Luo Bin worked out that the Xun direction could hide him as he moved, then cautiously approached the ritual ground.
• Luo Bin climbed over the wall and saw a hall containing a statue shaped like a tortoise bearing a huge stone, but found no sign of a gathering.
• Luo Bin left the ritual ground and headed back toward Qin Jiumo’s coffin when his left fingers twitched under the summons.
• Shangguan Xingyue watched Luo Bin cross the cliff but could not follow him through the dangerous mountain, so she turned and left.
• Luo Bin climbed back to Qin Jiumo’s coffin and noticed that his twitching fingers had grown grayer and his nails seemed longer.

Luo Bin escaped the evil spirits, found Qin Jiumo’s body, and rendered it into Lamp Oil to suppress his evil-spirit instincts. After overhearing Li Yunyi and Li Xiangyang discuss Shangguan Xingyue and the Black Blood Vine, Luo Bin concluded that the Lord of Cabinet Mountain had used him and Yuan Yinxin, and resolved not to return to Cabinet Mountain.

• Luo Bin dragged Qin Jiumo’s body from the Coffin, rendered it into Lamp Oil, and filled several flasks with the oil.
• Luo Bin returned to the Taoist Grounds and overheard Li Xiangyang reject Li Yunyi’s claim that Shangguan Xingyue had been beside him.
• Li Xiangyang told Li Yunyi to wait for Shangguan Xingyue and prepare to counter her rather than go searching for her.
• Luo Bin inferred that Shangguan Xingyue and the Lord of Cabinet Mountain had been involved in the events surrounding Li Yunyi and that he and Yuan Yinxin had become pawns.
• Luo Bin decided that returning to Cabinet Mountain was not an option and that he had to break free.

Luo Bin watched Li Yunyi leave the Taoist Grounds for the mountain summit, then tried to follow him and encountered a deadly-seeming shift in the mountain path. He stepped back to safety but was confronted by an armed Taoist Grounds disciple.

• Luo Bin hid in a tree overnight and watched the Taoist Grounds from a distance as he studied the Primordial Sixteen Trigrams.
• Zhan Qing, Zhan Kong, You Yang, and Hu Jin went to the Feng Family grounds, hoping to take shelter there and repair its Talisman Array.
• Li Yunyi tried to decipher the Primordial Sixteen Trigrams, then rejected Li Xiangyang's proposal to teach the disciples and set out alone for the summit.
• Li Yunyi realized Li Xiangyang intended to exploit him and grew more resentful as he continued up the mountain.
• Luo Bin followed Li Yunyi, but one step onto the path plunged him into a decayed landscape and filled him with fear; stepping back restored the path to normal.
• A Taoist Grounds disciple appeared behind Luo Bin and demanded to know who he was.

Luo Bin disguised himself as a Song Family supplier to approach Li Yu, then forced him to lead the way along the dangerous path Li Yunyi had taken. Li Yu died after trying to drag Luo Bin into danger, leaving Luo Bin hidden nearby and unable to pursue Li Yunyi.

• Luo Bin claimed to be Song Tianzhu, a lost Song Family supplier, and approached Li Yu.
• Luo Bin seized Li Yu, threatened him, and questioned him about Floating Tortoise Mountain eating people.
• Luo Bin forced Li Yu to lead him along the path Li Yunyi had taken, following his steps through the dangerous terrain.
• Li Yu suddenly tried to pull Luo Bin forward, but the lower half of Li Yu's body vanished and his upper body fell dead.
• Luo Bin withdrew from the path and hid behind a secluded tree in the southeast.

Luo Bin reached Floating Tortoise Mountain's summit by using his evil-spirit body to bypass the Hexagram Path, but found no Rift or Blackblood Vine and left to seek another way forward. When he returned to the Feng Family, he discovered that Zhan Qing, Zhan Kong, You Yang, and Hu Jin had taken control and were questioning Feng Qiang about him.

• Evil spirits ate Li Yu's remains, and Li Yunyi carried the mutilated corpse back to the Taoist Grounds, where he blamed Li Yu's death on evil spirits attacking him.
• Luo Bin used his transformed body to walk up the Hexagram Path without following its steps, but the summit held no sign of the Rift or the Blackblood Vine's main vine.
• After waiting outside the Taoist Grounds for seven days without seeing Li Yunyi, Luo Bin left to learn more about Floating Tortoise Mountain and returned to the Feng Family after a four-day journey.
• Zhan Qing, Zhan Kong, You Yang, and Hu Jin kept the Feng Family under their control while holding its patriarchs captive.
• Zhan Qing spotted Luo Bin returning to his lodgings, and the group summoned Feng Qiang and ordered him to kneel before asking about Luo Bin.

Shangguan Xingyue watched Luo Bin after his return, while Luo Bin went to meet the Feng Family elders and noticed signs of a violent confrontation. Left alone with Feng Qiang, he began to suspect that the Feng Family had been taken over and that the tea and pastries might be a trap.

• Shangguan Xingyue observed Luo Bin’s changed aura and left without confronting him.
• Luo Bin woke refreshed and planned to visit the Feng Family elders before continuing his study of the Primordial Sixteen Trigrams.
• Feng Qiang told Luo Bin that the elders wanted to see him and led him to the discussion courtyard.
• Luo Bin found the courtyard empty except for Feng Qiang, tea, and pastries, and noticed blood traces and replaced furniture that suggested a fight.
• Luo Bin questioned Feng Qiang about Feng Yi and who had prepared the tea, growing suspicious of the Feng Family’s situation.

Luo Bin uncovered the Feng Family’s coerced attack and used Xun Hexagram footwork to break through the crowd, killing Zhan Kong and helping the Feng Family capture the intruders. After learning the elders and Huang Ying were being held captive, he confronted Hu Jin about the Feng Shui art imprisoning them, leaving Hu Jin terrified and uncertain.

• Luo Bin detected poison in Feng Qiang’s tea, and Feng Yi emerged with Feng Family members and the four intruders who had occupied the family.
• Feng Yi ordered the Feng Family to capture Luo Bin alive, and Luo Bin realized their elders and Huang Ying had been taken hostage.
• Luo Bin followed the Xun Hexagram’s concealment and surprise-attack positions, passed through the encirclement, and killed Zhan Kong while injuring him fatally.
• Feng Qiang turned against the intruders, and the Feng Family captured Zhan Qing, You Yang, and Hu Jin after defeating them.
• Feng Qiang told Luo Bin that the intruders had imprisoned the elders and Huang Ying, while Feng Yi warned that Hu Jin was needed to maintain the formation protecting the family.
• Luo Bin questioned Hu Jin about whether he could break the Feng Shui art, and Hu Jin offered to open it and release the captives, but Luo Bin demanded a direct answer.

Luo Bin went to the Feng Shui formation trapping the Feng Family elders and endured its hidden attacks while trying to understand how it worked. He remained outside the building through the night, waiting for a night patrol to reveal who had set the formation.

• Luo Bin ordered Feng Qiang to take him to the imprisoned Feng Family elders and had Zhan Qing and the others detained for questioning.
• Feng Qiang led Luo Bin to a detached building where the elders were held and warned him that an earlier rescue attempt had killed a family member.
• Luo Bin identified the building’s position as the Injury Gate and stepped into the formation, catching a Bone Shard and enduring an invisible blow and the illusion of a spear thrust.
• Luo Bin stopped advancing so he could study and unravel the formation instead of forcing his way through it, while the Feng Family elders watched from the windows.
• After waiting motionless from noon through midnight, Luo Bin asked Feng Qiang whether one of Hu Jin’s four people would make a night patrol, then told him to wait.

Luo Bin used his Feng Shui knowledge to enter the Small Building and reach the imprisoned Feng elders, while Hu Jin, Zhan Qing, and You Yang feared his abilities. Huang Ying asked Luo Bin to stay with the Feng Family permanently.

• Hu Jin explained that Luo Bin had mastered Judicial Executor techniques and Footfall Into the Trigram, and Zhan Qing vowed to make him suffer if he failed.
• Shangguan Xingyue watched Luo Bin from the mountainside and admired his talent and destructive potential.
• Luo Bin explained to Feng Qiang that the patrols guarded the Injury Gate during the hour of void death, then entered the Small Building.
• Luo Bin told the Feng elders that he had caught the men behind their imprisonment and tested the formation without forcing Hu Jin to break it.
• Huang Ying realized Luo Bin had reached the elders through the formation and asked whether he would stay with the Feng Family permanently.

Luo Bin helped the Feng Family after rescuing its elders and questioned the three prisoners, Zhan Qing, You Yang, and Hu Jin. Hu Jin hinted at another secret about Floating Tortoise Mountain, and after Luo Bin went home and slept, Huang Ying visited him with pastries.

• Luo Bin agreed to stay with the Feng Family and warned them to avoid the dangerous building.
• Feng Qiang knelt to thank Luo Bin, who asked to question the three prisoners while the elders handled the family’s affairs.
• Luo Bin confronted Zhan Qing, You Yang, and Hu Jin, then turned to leave when they offered no useful answers.
• Hu Jin claimed he knew another secret about Floating Tortoise Mountain, but Luo Bin left without asking him to explain.
• Luo Bin returned to his lodgings, ate noodles, and slept until after two in the afternoon.
• Huang Ying greeted Luo Bin with pastries and asked whether she could visit him on her own.

Luo Bin questioned Hu Jin about Floating Tortoise Mountain and learned that Hu Jin knew a route to the mountain’s deepest place, where Luo Bin hoped to find Li Yunyi. Luo Bin freed Hu Jin in exchange for the secret but refused to release You Yang and Zhan Qing.

• Huang Ying brought Luo Bin to the Feng Family courtyard, where Zhan Qing, You Yang, and Hu Jin were bound and badly injured.
• Feng Shou told Luo Bin that Hu Jin claimed to know a secret about Floating Tortoise Mountain, but torture had failed to make him reveal it.
• Luo Bin threatened Hu Jin with a knife, and Hu Jin demanded that the Feng Family members leave before he shared the secret.
• Hu Jin inferred that Luo Bin was searching for his Master and offered to guide him to the mountain’s deepest place in exchange for being taken there and leaving alive.
• Luo Bin agreed to take Hu Jin with him and cut him free, but refused to release You Yang and Zhan Qing.
• Zhan Qing accused Luo Bin of going back on his word and playing both sides.

Luo Bin arranged for Hu Jin to repair the Feng Family’s Talisman Array and left Zhan Qing and You Yang’s fate to the family. After accepting clothes and shoes from Huang Ying while setting a boundary with her, Luo Bin returned to find Feng Yi secretly hiding beneath his bed.

• Luo Bin rejected Hu Jin’s offer to repair the array as a bargaining chip, then told the Feng Family they could spare Zhan Qing and You Yang if they offered something valuable.
• Hu Jin reinforced an anchor point in the Feng Family’s Talisman Array, and Luo Bin told him to finish securing the entire area before leaving.
• Luo Bin found Feng Yi’s courtyard empty and ransacked, then told Huang Ying he had only come to ask for calming medicine.
• Huang Ying gave Luo Bin handmade clothes and shoes, and he accepted them while asking her not to do it again.
• Feng Yi crept into Luo Bin’s lodgings, hid under his bed, and seethed with hatred and disbelief.

Luo Bin survived Feng Yi’s attempt to kill him, then discovered an inexplicable force had devastated Feng Yi before he threw him from the cliff. After studying the Primordial Sixteen Trigrams, Luo Bin carved a powerful array across sixteen houses in the Feng Family settlement and prepared to leave with Hu Jin.

• Luo Bin studied Yuan Yinxin’s teachings and planned to secure the Feng Family’s grounds before climbing the mountain.
• Feng Yi attacked Luo Bin in his sleep, but Luo Bin cut off his wrist; an unseen force then mangled Feng Yi and left him unable to speak.
• Luo Bin carried Feng Yi to the cliff and threw him down among the evil spirits, then returned to clean his room and rest.
• Over seven days, Luo Bin deepened his understanding of the Primordial Sixteen Trigrams while the Feng Family reported that Hu Jin had repaired the perimeter Talisman Array.
• Luo Bin carved Talismanic Runes into sixteen houses to form a unified array and advised Feng Shou to move the family there for safety.
• Luo Bin told Feng Shou he would leave with Hu Jin, who was astonished by Luo Bin’s unfamiliar Feng Shui technique.

Huang Ying returned to the Council Courtyard hoping to find Luo Bin, but learned he had left. The Main Household arrived to seize the Feng Family’s supplies and force Huang Ying to return, and the chapter ended with Feng Si dead and Huang Ying overwhelmed by grief.

• Huang Ying learned that Luo Bin had left and asked which way he had gone, while Feng Shou ordered the family to relocate and prepare for trouble.
• A messenger announced that about ten people from the Main Household had entered the Small Road, so Feng Shou ordered the family’s supplies and horses gathered.
• Song Tianzhu demanded all the supplies and threatened to dismantle a third of the talismans if the Feng Family resisted.
• Song Tianzhu ordered Huang Ying to return to the Main Household, but she refused to leave her grandfathers.
• A middle-aged man used a paper person to tear Feng Si’s neck, killing him, and Huang Ying collapsed in tears.

Luo Bin followed Hu Jin down the mountain to a ruined temple, where they entered a hidden underground passage leading toward Floating Tortoise Mountain’s heart. Hu Jin’s discoveries connected the mountain’s evil spirits, corpse poison, and Blackblood Vine to a failed Taoist Grounds experiment, while Luo Bin realized Qin Jiumo’s plan could not destroy the Lord of Cabinet Mountain.

• Luo Bin followed Hu Jin away from Three Trigrams Town as Hu Jin explained the mountain shelters and misleading signs for the Group Dwellings.
• After three days of travel, Hu Jin led Luo Bin into a ruined temple and down a tunnel beneath the Mountain God Statue.
• Hu Jin revealed that the tunnel held life force and that he had seen clean-clothed evil spirits emerge from beneath the statue, apparently infected with corpse poison.
• Hu Jin said the life force led toward the heart of Floating Tortoise Mountain, where he suspected the Blackblood Vine and the source of the evil spirits were located.
• Luo Bin considered how Floating Tortoise Mountain’s Taoist Grounds might have tried and failed to control the Blackblood Vine, and wondered whether the Lord of Cabinet Mountain sought the same power.
• Luo Bin concluded that Gu Yiren’s heart and blood could destroy the nightmare corpse and disrupt the Lord of Cabinet Mountain’s overt methods, but could not destroy Cabinet Mountain or make the Lord let them leave.