Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan were confined after their exorcism disrupted the Xiao Clan courtyard, and Xiao Yan began to suspect that the black ring had been draining his Dou Qi. Xiao Yi struck the ring with his talisman-tipped Peachwood Sword and brought Yao Chen’s apparition out again, leaving Yao Chen stunned by the two men.

• The guards escorted Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi to a confinement room while the Second Elder sealed off the courtyard and its ritual objects.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi argued over the exorcism and fought, until Xiao Yi hit Xiao Yan with the Wooden Sword.
• They noticed the ring on Xiao Yan’s hand and suspected it contained the old ghost Xiao Yi had described.
• Xiao Yan removed the ring and placed it on a table, while Xiao Yi prepared another exorcism ritual.
• Xiao Yi struck the ring with the talisman-tipped Peachwood Sword, knocking Yao Chen’s apparition out of it again.
• Yao Chen saw Xiao Yi pointing the sword at him and Xiao Yan trying to stick talismans to his forehead, and he stopped complaining in disbelief.

Xiao Yi confronted Yao Chen about the missing Dou Qi and accused him of stealing from Xiao Yan and himself. Xiao Yan began to suspect Yao Chen, who ended the chapter furious at being called a thief.

• Xiao Yi demanded Yao Chen explain who he was and whether he had absorbed Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan's Dou Qi.
• Yao Chen introduced himself as the famous alchemist Yao Chen, but Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan said they had never heard of him.
• Xiao Yi claimed he and Xiao Yan were transmigrators, while Xiao Yan denied it and argued that his memories came from a past life.
• Xiao Yi called Yao Chen the Qi-Sucking Ghost responsible for Xiao Yan's lost Dou Qi and his own recent loss.
• Xiao Yan recalled his declining cultivation and began suspecting that Yao Chen had caused it.
• Yao Chen denied being a ghost or thief and grew enraged when Xiao Yi demanded the stolen Dou Qi back.

Xiao Yi tried to fend off Yao Chen with a threat to use his urine, but Yao Chen secretly put him to sleep. Xiao Yan then began negotiating with Yao Chen for compensation and a chance to become his disciple, just as Xiao Yi stirred awake.

• Xiao Yi prepared to use his urine against Yao Chen, and Xiao Yan struck him with a stool to stop him.
• Xiao Yi struck Xiao Yan with the Wooden Sword, giving him a third lump on his head.
• Yao Chen secretly used powder to make Xiao Yi fall asleep, then admitted to draining Xiao Yan's Dou Qi and offered to take him as a disciple.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Chen for compensation and considered the promise of training, but Xiao Yi suddenly stirred.

Xiao Yi sleepwalked through a bizarre martial routine, frightening Xiao Yan and Yao Chen until Yao Chen subdued him with Tendon-Softening Powder. Xiao Yan then returned to discussing Yao Chen’s offer of mentorship, which came with a demand for secrecy.

• Xiao Yi abruptly rose while asleep and flailed through a nonsensical sword routine, terrifying Xiao Yan and Yao Chen.
• Xiao Yan suggested killing Xiao Yi, but Yao Chen warned him that the absurd sleeper might remain dangerous even after death.
• Yao Chen used Tendon-Softening Powder to make Xiao Yi collapse, though Xiao Yi continued mumbling and wriggling.
• Xiao Yan asked whether Yao Chen truly meant to take him as a disciple and help him regain his strength.
• Yao Chen promised to guide Xiao Yan back to his former strength or beyond, but required him to keep Yao Chen’s existence secret, even from his father.

Xiao Yan accepted Yao Chen as his teacher, and Yao Chen urged him to make peace with Xiao Yi before returning to the ring. At the Xiao Clan Council Hall, Xiao Yi abruptly woke during the elders’ accusations, leaving everyone stunned as Xiao Yan decided to help him.

• Xiao Yan agreed to become Yao Chen’s student and promised to keep Yao Chen’s existence secret.
• Yao Chen advised Xiao Yan to reconcile with Xiao Yi, then returned to the ring as dawn approached.
• The steward summoned Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi to the Council Hall, where the clan leaders gathered to address the previous night’s clash.
• The Second Elder and others accused Xiao Yi of attacking Xiao Yan and coveting status in the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Yi suddenly sprang up and demanded to know who had been bad-mouthing him, while Xiao Yan resolved to help his fellow transmigrator.

Xiao Yan defended Xiao Yi before the clan council by claiming he had exorcised a ghost that was stealing Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi. Xiao Zhan ordered Xiao Yi housed and watched, and Xiao Yan promised his cultivation would provide proof that the ghost was gone.

• Xiao Yan told the council that Xiao Yi had been trying to help him and that a ghost had been stealing his Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yi nearly revealed Yao Chen’s identity, but Xiao Yan stepped on his foot and stopped him.
• Xiao Yan proposed keeping Xiao Yi in the estate under watch while he tested whether his cultivation could recover.
• Xiao Zhan accepted Xiao Yan’s explanation and ordered the clan to accommodate and monitor Xiao Yi.
• Guards escorted Xiao Yi to his assigned quarters, and he quietly thanked Xiao Yan for keeping him out of trouble.

Xiao Yan resumed cultivating after the force draining his Dou Qi withdrew, while Ling Ying watched and reconsidered Xiao Yi’s strange exorcism methods. Ling Ying began to wonder whether Xiao Yi could use them against the Hall of Souls.

• Xiao Yan found the courtyard wrecked by the previous night’s ritual and returned to his room to cultivate.
• Xiao Yan discovered that his Dou Qi remained in his Qi Vortex instead of vanishing, and Yao Lao remarked that the ghost story had nearly fooled him.
• Ling Ying sensed that the soul force around Xiao Yan had withdrawn and decided not to interfere as long as Xiao Yan did not threaten the young lady.
• Ling Ying recalled Xiao Yi knocking Yao Lao out with a Wooden Sword and wondered whether Xiao Yi’s methods could attack the Hall of Souls.
• Ling Ying burst into laughter as he imagined Xiao Yi’s exorcism techniques being used against the Hall of Souls.

Xiao Yan rebuilt his Dou Qi under Yao Lao’s guidance, and Xiao Zhan celebrated his son’s return to cultivation with a clan banquet. While Xiao Yan longed to leave the festivities and train, Xiao Yi remained under house arrest, grumbling about his treatment and preparing to occupy himself.

• Yao Lao considered recruiting Xiao Yi as a disciple because his strange techniques could suppress souls, but set the thought aside to focus on Xiao Yan’s hidden injuries and recovery.
• After several days of cultivation, Xiao Yan regained a modest amount of Dou Qi, and Xiao Zhan sensed it and rejoiced.
• Xiao Zhan arranged a grand banquet to announce Xiao Yan’s return to cultivation and proudly introduced him to the guests.
• Xiao Yan smiled through the banquet’s congratulations but wished he could return to his room and cultivate.
• Xiao Yi complained from the courtyard where he was under house arrest, then detached a shovel from the Bicycle.

Xiao Yi escaped confinement through a tunnel and set up a makeshift storytelling stall in Wutan City's market. He entertained a growing crowd by boasting that he had exorcised Xiao Yan, though he had not earned any money yet.

• Xiao Yi turned the discarded altar wood into a folding table and stool, then packed his supplies into the table.
• Xiao Yi dug a tunnel beneath the courtyard wall, escaped, and carried his belongings to Wutan City's market.
• Xiao Yi set up a crooked stall at a busy crossroads and began advertising his story about the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Yi told the crowd that he had driven an evil spirit from Xiao Yan by beating him, and embellished the tale with a fanciful description of the spirit.

Xiao Yi's attempt to turn his gossip stall into a fortune-telling business failed when the crowd dispersed. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's doubts about Yao Chen drove him to throw away the Black Ring and flee, leaving Yao Chen stranded and devastated.

• Xiao Yi offered fortune-telling and feng shui services, but the crowd quickly abandoned his stall.
• Xiao Yan questioned whether he could trust Yao Chen after the old soul had drained his Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Chen he was going to see Xun'er, then secretly removed and carried away the Black Ring.
• Xiao Yan threw the ring into a hidden corner and ran toward the Xiao Clan's main gate.
• Yao Chen mistook Xiao Yan's escape for a betrayal like Han Feng's and roared in grief and fury, unable to leave the ring.

After breaking free of Yao Chen, Xiao Yan moved to a secluded courtyard in the Xiao Clan estate. Ling Ying’s warning about choosing a residence near Xun’er made Xiao Yan suspect that Xiao Yi had turned Ling Ying against him, and he ended the night cursing Xiao Yi.

• Xiao Yan decided his old courtyard was no longer safe and asked a clan steward to find him a new residence.
• Xiao Yan chose a quiet courtyard near Xun’er, but Ling Ying warned him that it was too close to her residence and asked him to reconsider.
• Xiao Yan selected a remote courtyard far from Xiao Yi and moved in after cleaning it.
• Unable to sleep, Xiao Yan dwelled on Ling Ying’s warning and blamed Xiao Yi for making him seem like a threat to Xun’er.
• Xiao Yan cursed Xiao Yi as Xiao Yi slept soundly elsewhere in Wutan City.

Yao Chen raged over Xiao Yan’s rejection, reliving Han Feng’s betrayal and lamenting his repeated abandonment. As his soul weakened, he began pondering whether the “Transmigrators” Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan had mentioned came from other worlds.

• Yao Chen recovered moon essence inside the ring and cursed Xiao Yan for casting him aside.
• Yao Chen accused fate of wronging him and recalled how Han Feng had betrayed him for the Flame Mantra.
• Yao Chen compared Xiao Yan’s rejection to his past betrayal and grew too exhausted to keep lamenting.
• Yao Chen remembered Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan discussing transmigration, other worlds, and Meng Po Soup.
• Yao Chen began considering whether transmigration was real, using the possibility to distract himself from despair.

Xiao Yan, lonely in his new lodgings, went to investigate a reputed fortune-teller and discovered that the stall belonged to Xiao Yi. Their reunion sparked a public argument that left Xiao Yi’s business and reputation under threat.

• Xiao Yan grew used to living alone but felt homesick for Mid-Autumn Festival traditions and missed Xun’er’s visits.
• Xiao Yi’s fortune-telling business attracted Xiao Clan customers, while Ling Ying continued to stop Xiao Yan from seeking out Xun’er.
• After hearing about a renowned fortune-teller on South City Street, Xiao Yan went to the stall hoping to find a way to evade Ling Ying.
• Xiao Yan recognized Xiao Yi at the stall, and the two shouted in surprise before accusing each other of wrongdoing.
• Xiao Yan denounced Xiao Yi as a fraud before the crowd, while Xiao Yi defended himself and claimed he had genuinely helped Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan erupted into a street brawl after Xiao Yan accused Xiao Yi of being a fraud and Xiao Yan blamed him for Ling Ying keeping him away from Xun'er. Their fight continued amid bewildered onlookers as the two transmigrators traded insults from their former world.

• Xiao Yi struck Xiao Yan with a Wooden Sword after Xiao Yan publicly undermined him.
• Xiao Yan accused Xiao Yi of causing Ling Ying to watch Xun'er more closely, and Xiao Yi mocked Xiao Yan for pursuing a ten-year-old despite being over thirty.
• Xiao Yan kicked apart Xiao Yi's fortune-telling stall, and the two began fighting in the street.
• Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan recognized each other's curses and argued in their shared former-world slang while wrestling and trading blows.
• The crowd watched the brawl in confusion, mistaking their insults for an incomprehensible language or a mysterious technique.

Xiao Ning sent his lackeys to help Xiao Yan against Xiao Yi, but Xiao Yi escaped the pileup and used chili powder to turn them against one another. After kicking Xiao Ning down, Xiao Yi charged in to thrash the helpless group while Xiao Yan remained trapped beneath the pile.

• Xiao Ning recognized Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi fighting and ordered his lackeys to help Xiao Yan, hoping to earn his favor.
• Xiao Yan warned Xiao Ning that more attackers would make Xiao Yi fight harder, but Xiao Ning's lackeys piled onto both fighters and pinned them down.
• Xiao Yi wriggled free, threw chili powder into the faces of the attackers, and caused Xiao Ning's men to fight each other in the confusion.
• Xiao Yi launched himself at Xiao Ning and kicked him in the face, knocking him down with a bleeding nose.
• Xiao Yi taunted the helpless group and charged in to beat them while Xiao Yan remained pinned beneath the pile.

Xiao Zhan punished Xiao Yi and the Xiao Clan disciples for their marketplace brawl and misconduct. Xiao Yi was dragged away lamenting the confiscation of his money, while Xiao Zhan privately smiled beneath the night sky.

• Xiao Ning urged the elders to expel Xiao Yi, but they rebuked him for trying to use the clan to seek revenge after being beaten.
• Xiao Zhan questioned Xiao Yi about using the Xiao Clan's name to run a fortune-telling stall and joining the brawl.
• Xiao Yi tried to defend his earnings, but Xiao Zhan ordered all the money he had made confiscated and extended his confinement.
• Xiao Zhan ordered Xiao Yi, Xiao Yan, Xiao Ning, and the other disciples taken away for punishment and confinement.
• After the council hall emptied, Xiao Zhan looked at the moon and smiled to himself.

Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan served their confinement, with Xiao Yi secretly slipping out to forage and explore before his sentence ended in the first winter snow. Xun'er continued bringing Xiao Yan food in secret, leaving Ling Ying worried that her feelings for him were growing stronger.

• Xiao Zhan kept the silver confiscated from Xiao Yi, who was mocked by the servants guarding his courtyard and threatened revenge.
• Xiao Yan returned to confinement and realized he had left his ancient ring and the mysterious soul in his old courtyard.
• Xiao Yi spent his confinement digging tunnels and sneaking out to visit the market or catch fish while the guards slept and ate his meals.
• As heavy snow covered the Xiao Clan Courtyard, Xiao Yi's confinement ended, and he sent the guards away before returning to bed.
• Xun'er secretly brought Xiao Yan food every few days, while Ling Ying fretted that her devotion to him was deepening.

After his confinement ended, Xiao Yan took Xun'er to the marketplace, where they encountered a crippled child begging in the snow. Suspecting the child had been maimed by traffickers, Xiao Yan left the market troubled and decided Xiao Yi might be the only person willing to help investigate.

• Xiao Yan left confinement and joined Xun'er for a stroll through the snow-covered marketplace.
• Xun'er gave silver coins to a shivering, crippled boy, while Xiao Yan suspected the child had been maimed to force him to beg.
• Xiao Yan hid his suspicions from Xun'er and remained distracted as they browsed the stalls.
• Xiao Yan considered asking Xiao Zhan or the family elders for help, but doubted they would investigate without evidence.
• Xiao Yan concluded that Xiao Yi, who also came from Earth, might understand his concerns and help uncover the truth.

After Xiao Yan saw a disabled child begging, he told Xiao Yi he suspected children were being mutilated and forced to beg. Xiao Yi took him to seek help from Yao Chen, whose weakened spirit was hiding in the ring in Xiao Yan’s old courtyard, where they arrived to find it lying in a scorched circle.

• Xiao Yan left Xun'er and rushed to wake Xiao Yi, telling him about the child he had seen at the market.
• Xiao Yi became serious, prepared his ghost-catching gear, and suggested asking Yao Chen for help healing any injured children.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi crossed the snow-covered clan grounds as Yao Chen groaned and roared from inside the ring at night.
• Xiao Yi kicked open the gate to Xiao Yan’s former courtyard, where they found the Black Ring in the center of a charred circle.

Xiao Yi used a strange spell to capture Yao Chen and his Black Ring inside a sealed Clay Jar, leaving Xiao Yan stunned. Yao Chen could not escape or summon his Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and Xiao Yi began bargaining with him from outside the jar.

• Yao Chen sensed Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi approaching and vowed not to respond to them.
• Xiao Yi aimed the Clay Jar at the Black Ring, used a spell to pull it inside, and sealed the jar with Red Cloth and Red Cord.
• Xiao Yan watched in shock as Xiao Yi captured Yao Chen, wondering whether Xiao Yi had used magic or some kind of internal energy.
• Yao Chen found himself trapped in the dark, liquor-smelling jar and failed to summon his Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
• Xiao Yi offered to release Yao Chen and help repair his soul in exchange for a favor, but Yao Chen angrily rejected his terms.