Chapter Summaries

Zhang Chengdao brought Zhang Xiao to the hidden Celestial Masters' Mansion on upper Dragon-Tiger Mountain, revealing the secret route and its wonders along the way. Zhang Xiao reunited with his mother, Li Qingshu, at the mountain's blessed land.

• Zhang Chengdao showed Zhang Xiao Dragon-Tiger Mountain and explained that the real Celestial Masters' Mansion was hidden from ordinary visitors.
• Zhang Xiao and Zhang Chengdao found a straight branch, practiced swordplay with it, and decided to make it a family heirloom.
• Zhang Chengdao guided Zhang Xiao down the Luxi River on a bamboo raft and passed through a concealed entrance into upper Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
• Zhang Chengdao introduced the immortal cranes Qingfeng and Mingyue, and Zhang Xiao rode one through the mist to the mountain.
• Zhang Xiao arrived at the Celestial Masters' Mansion and reunited with his mother, Li Qingshu.

Zhang Xiao returned to Dragon-Tiger Mountain, reunited with his family and the Mountain Lord, and received gifts before his talisman investiture test began. Sent to investigate missing disciples in Little Yang Village, he encountered a powerful bridal ghost and a warning from a little girl, then apparently died after drinking tea at a teahouse.

• Zhang Xiao learned that Neville's parents had recovered and that Neville had gone to Wudang as a lay practitioner.
• Zhang Xiao reunited with Azure Luan and the Mountain Lord, then watched his father get beaten by his senior brothers after their reunion.
• Fifth Martial Aunt gave Zhang Xiao gifts, and his mother explained that his talisman investiture test was two days away.
• Zhang Xiao awoke in a cave, received an order to investigate Little Yang Village and find three missing Dragon-Tiger Mountain disciples, and saw a terrifying bridal ghost outside the village.
• Zhang Xiao reached Little Yang Village, bought buns, and followed a little girl into an alley, where she warned him to leave.
• Zhang Xiao entered Rising Cloud Teahouse to gather information, drank tea, and heard the voice announce that he had died.

Zhang Xiao passed the illusion test by escaping Little Yang Village with the Earth God’s incense ash, then learned that the village had been the haunted Peach Blossom Spring and that its three helpful figures were Dragon-Tiger Mountain disciples. After recovering, he joined the candidates at the plaza, where Zhang Cunyi opened the Talisman Investiture examination.

• Zhang Xiao repeatedly died in the Little Yang Village illusion, then realized the test required caution and followed the ghost’s instructions to escape.
• Zhang Chengdao and Li Qingshu explained that the illusion tested self-protection and revealed that the little girl, Earth God, and ghost in red were the three lost disciples.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that the illusion’s original location was Peach Blossom Spring, and Zhang Xiao recognized its resemblance to the place in the old tale.
• Zhang Xiao dressed in Daoist robes, took Fasting Pills, and joined the candidates gathered at the bagua diagram.
• Zhang Cunyi addressed the gathered Daoists and announced the start of the Talisman Investiture examination.

Zhang Xiao endured the Golden Light Spell trials and struggled to draw talismans under crushing pressure as the Old Celestial Master changed the Talisman Investiture examination in preparation for coming turmoil. At the brink of exhaustion, Zhang Xiao used the Void-Clarity Mirror and Void Talisman Formation to manifest ten talismans.

• Zhang Xiao and the other disciples endured the first two incense sticks of the Golden Light Spell trial, while spectators praised Zhang Xiao's unusually powerful golden light.
• The Old Celestial Master set the third trial as drawing ten talismans while maintaining golden light, and declared that a disciple who gave up had failed the examination.
• The Old Celestial Master announced that the great Talisman Investiture examination would change because turmoil was coming and disciples unprepared to leave the mountain would die.
• Zhang Xiao and the remaining disciples drew on their resolve and began completing talismans under the crushing pressure.
• As Zhang Xiao neared collapse, his wand guided his hand, and he used the Void-Clarity Mirror and Void Talisman Formation to create ten phantomlike talismans.

After Zhang Xiao’s ten-talisman feat earned him a seventh-rank promotion, he spent time with his parents and Mountain Lord before Zhang Chengdao took him to pay respects at the Nameless Tomb. The chapter ended with Zhang Xiao learning that the kneeling Shinto Priest Statue was tied to a painful history, as a young Daoist attacked it after hearing the story.

• Zhang Xiao collapsed after creating ten talismans, and Li Qingshu confirmed he had only passed out from exhaustion.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that he had been promoted one rank and would receive the seventh rank for his talisman feat and for slaying the serpent demon in the West.
• Zhang Chengdao and Li Qingshu took Zhang Xiao to the back mountain, where Big Black Bear fled after recognizing Zhang Chengdao.
• Zhang Xiao found a clear Stone Pool in the bamboo grove and later saw his parents sleeping beside Mountain Lord.
• Zhang Chengdao took Zhang Xiao to the Nameless Tomb, where they saw a Shinto Priest Statue kneeling outside an old hall.
• After hearing the story inside the hall, the young Daoist child emerged enraged and kicked the statue.

Zhang Chengdao showed Zhang Xiao a memorial hall for more than seventeen thousand Daoist forebears who died fighting an eight-headed serpent in 1938, then revealed how the Daoist Order avenged them. Zhang Xiao left determined to remember the dead and join the fight against their enemies.

• Zhang Xiao entered the memorial hall with Zhang Chengdao and saw thousands of tablets honoring forebears who died on the same day in 1938.
• Zhang Chengdao explained that an eight-headed serpent had threatened Huaxia, prompting the Daoist Order and other fighters to answer the Celestial Master Token's summons.
• Zhang Chengdao recounted how the battle lasted half a month and the fighters used Dao-Transmutation, sacrificing themselves to defeat the serpent and its allies.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that 17,024 Daoist forebears had died and urged him never to forget the hatred their deaths left behind.
• Zhang Chengdao revealed that the Daoist Order had crossed the sea and wiped out Shinto and the Onmyoji, leaving Mahoutokoro as Fusang's only remaining school.

Zhang Xiao learned why the Daoist Order avoided worldly conflicts as he remembered the seventeen thousand and twenty-four predecessors lost in battle. On Wudang Mountain, Neville became Zhou Chuzhi’s nominal disciple and was assigned to learn Tai Chi from Gu Ying after forgetting Zhou’s demonstration.

• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that the Daoist Order stayed out of worldly conflicts and described how Zhang Jiao and others had failed when trying to change history.
• Zhang Xiao counted the seventeen thousand and twenty-four steps down the mountain and vowed never to forget the predecessors lost in battle.
• Zhou Chuzhi offered to teach Neville Tai Chi because Neville wanted to learn kung fu that protected people.
• Neville forgot Zhou Chuzhi’s entire Tai Chi demonstration, so Zhou Chuzhi ordered Gu Ying to teach him.
• The Celestial Masters’ Mansion on Dragon-Tiger Mountain held a talisman investiture ceremony for one person.

Zhang Xiao received talisman investiture at a grand ceremony and was recognized as a roaming representative of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, permitted to leave the mountain. The Old Celestial Master explained why Zhang Xiao could not learn the Daoist Order’s usual magic and revealed that Zhang Xiao alone could practice its Eight-Nine Arcane Art Transformation Technique.

• Zhang Xiao bathed and dressed in an ordination robe and Nine-Beam Hat before walking alone through the assembled disciples to Shangqing Palace.
• The Old Celestial Master completed Zhang Xiao’s talisman investiture, appointing him to several offices and granting him permission to leave Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
• A starry vision appeared above Dragon-Tiger Mountain, and Zhang Xiao sensed a connection to one of the stars before the ceremony ended.
• Zhang Chengdao and Li Qingshu told Zhang Xiao that the ceremony’s unusual brevity and his grandfather’s warnings had left the Daoist Order wondering whether turmoil was coming.
• Zhang Cunyi told Zhang Xiao that learning the Daoist Order’s full system of magic would prevent him from learning other magic, then offered to teach him the Transformation Technique of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art.
• Zhang Cunyi explained that Zhang Xiao could practice only one transformation for now and was the only person capable of learning the art.

Zhang Xiao chose a peregrine falcon as his transformation for the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, which Zhang Cunyi explained would let him experience the animal’s life in a dream. The chapter ended with the Malfoys arriving at Hong Kong International Airport, where Draco prepared to meet Zhang Xiao.

• Zhang Cunyi reassured Zhang Xiao that he was the only one able to learn the Eight-Nine Arcane Art because no one else in their Daoist Order studied magic.
• Zhang Chengdao demanded that Zhang Cunyi teach him the art too, but Zhang Cunyi beat him with the Golden Light Spell and revealed that Zhang Chengdao had come expecting punishment.
• Zhang Cunyi warned Zhang Xiao against transforming into an insect and explained the risks of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art’s physical transformations.
• Zhang Xiao chose a peregrine falcon as his transformation, and Zhang Cunyi said he would experience the falcon’s life in a dream, drawing on Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream.
• Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco arrived at Hong Kong International Airport, where Draco thought of Zhang Xiao and clenched his fists.

The Malfoy family entered China to find Zhang Xiao, enduring an overwhelming oppressive sensation and a comic misunderstanding over Draco’s Chinese. After learning of their arrival, Zhang Xiao flew from Dragon-Tiger Mountain toward Pengcheng, where the chapter left him arriving at dusk.

• Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco crossed into China, where an intense supernatural pressure briefly overwhelmed them before Draco recalled Zhang Xiao’s warning about entering the East.
• In Pengcheng, Draco’s attempt to ask for directions in Chinese failed because he spoke a Northeast dialect, and a Daoist disciple nearly fought the Malfoys before recognizing their connection to Zhang Xiao.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao that the Malfoy family had arrived and were staying at a guesthouse under Uncle Zhao’s supervision, prompting Zhang Xiao to go meet them.
• Zhang Xiao transformed into a peregrine falcon and flew with the Azure Luan from Dragon-Tiger Mountain toward Pengcheng.
• Zhang Xiao and the Azure Luan reached Pengcheng as evening arrived.

Zhang Xiao reunited with the Malfoys in China and agreed to protect them after Lucius revealed that Azkaban had been breached and escaped Death Eaters had gathered for Voldemort’s return. Lucius chose to invest in Muggle businesses in China, while Zhang Xiao asked whether the Dark Lord had been found.

• Zhang Xiao arrived at the guesthouse as a falcon Animagus and greeted Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa.
• Zhang Chengdao told Zhang Xiao by phone that he was investigating a ghost-filled Hebang Hotel and could not meet the Malfoys yet.
• Lucius explained that escaped prisoners had taken the Ministry’s Portkey and that Bellatrix, Anthony, and other Death Eaters had contacted him about Voldemort’s return.
• Lucius asked Zhang Xiao to honor his promise to keep the Malfoy family safe, and Zhang Xiao agreed to let them stay in Huaxia.
• Lucius said he wanted to invest in Chinese Muggle businesses, including real estate and textiles, and Zhang Xiao contacted Zhao Yuanxu about investment opportunities.
• Zhang Xiao asked Lucius whether the Death Eaters had found the Dark Lord.

Zhang Xiao learned that the escaped Death Eaters had not found Voldemort, while Zhang Chengdao warned him that turmoil was growing in both the East and the West. In Little Whinging, Harry enjoyed his summer with Sirius, and the two planned to meet Zhang Xiao in Diagon Alley.

• Lucius showed Zhang Xiao his Dark Mark and said the Death Eaters were unsure whether Voldemort had returned.
• Zhang Chengdao assured Lucius that the Daoist Order would honor Zhang Xiao's promise, while Zhao Yuanxu discussed the rules with the Malfoys.
• Zhang Chengdao warned Zhang Xiao that uncanny creatures and other signs of change suggested growing turmoil, and told him to be careful in the West.
• Zhang Xiao worried that the Ministry of Magic had failed to account for Peter Pettigrew's Animagus abilities and resolved to gather the Horcruxes and strengthen himself.
• Harry recalled how Sirius had won the Dursleys over and moved into the house across the street, where Sirius treated him to a happy summer.
• Harry told Sirius that he would meet Zhang Xiao in Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow.

Zhang Xiao and Malfoy returned to Britain and saw the fear spreading through the Wizarding World after the Azkaban breakout. In Albania, Voldemort gathered the escaped Death Eaters and ordered them to find a way past Harry Potter’s protection.

• Zhang Xiao warned Malfoy that Slytherin might become unsettled and urged him to report anything suspicious.
• Zhang Xiao and Malfoy reached the Leaky Cauldron, where Malfoy went back to sleep after breakfast.
• Zhang Xiao entered Diagon Alley and saw wanted posters for escaped Death Eaters and Ministry guards watching the tense streets.
• Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters gathered before Voldemort, whose new body remained weak despite the potion made from unicorn blood and Nagini venom.
• Voldemort declared that he would use Harry Potter and called on the Death Eaters to breach the protection around him; one servant offered an idea.

Voldemort approved Umbridge’s plan to use Muggle methods to lure Harry’s relatives out, while Harry woke from a dream of the plot with his scar burning. After telling Sirius, Harry learned they would soon go to Diagon Alley and see his friends.

• Voldemort heard Umbridge propose using Muggle methods to lure Harry’s aunt, uncle, and cousin out, then approved her plan and promised her the future position of Minister for Magic.
• Voldemort told a silent hooded figure that he would help with the curses the figure wanted to learn.
• Harry woke from a vivid dream about Voldemort’s plot with his scar burning and tried to decide whom to tell.
• Harry went to Sirius, who listened seriously and recalled Dumbledore’s advice to ask Zhang for help if needed.
• Sirius reassured Harry and reminded him that they were going to Diagon Alley that day to see his friends.

Zhang Xiao, Malfoy, Hermione, the Weasleys, Harry, and Sirius reunited at the Leaky Cauldron before setting off together to buy school supplies in Diagon Alley. Their shopping trip ended when they spotted a newly released Firebolt on display.

• Malfoy waited with Zhang Xiao at the Leaky Cauldron and denied that Harry and Hermione were his friends.
• Hermione arrived with her parents and said she was considering buying herself an owl for her birthday.
• The Weasleys arrived, followed by Harry and Sirius, and Harry excitedly told his friends about his summer holiday with his godfather.
• Malfoy described his summer trip to China without mentioning that he had spent much of it sick in bed.
• Sirius led the children to Diagon Alley to buy supplies, and Zhang Xiao used Geminio to make sunglasses for the group.
• After buying new school robes, Harry, Ron, and Malfoy joined a crowd outside Quality Quidditch Supplies and saw a Firebolt on display.

Harry declined Sirius’s offer to buy him a Firebolt because it would undermine the efforts of Zhang Xiao and Malfoy to make Quidditch fairer. Sirius later offered Zhang Xiao the Black family’s ancestral home as a headquarters for his house-elf domestic-services organization.

• Sirius offered Harry a Firebolt as an early birthday present, but Harry refused so he would not undo Zhang Xiao and Malfoy’s work to make the competition fairer.
• Sirius praised Harry for his decision, while Malfoy felt ashamed for overlooking how the Firebolt could harm the Azure Luan Society.
• Hermione explained how to calm the Monster Book of Monsters, earning the bookshop manager’s gratitude and a discount on the children’s textbooks.
• Sirius thanked Zhang Xiao for helping him and Harry, then offered 12 Grimmauld Place as a headquarters for Zhang Xiao’s organization.

Zhang Xiao agreed to use Sirius's house at 12 Grimmauld Place as the Daoist Order's headquarters, then went with Sirius and the children to see the Black family home. The chapter ended as the hidden house appeared between numbers eleven and thirteen.

• Zhang Xiao agreed to rent 12 Grimmauld Place from Sirius, and Sirius let him use it without charge.
• Harry revealed that Sirius was an Animagus whose animal form was a large black dog, and Malfoy inadvertently revealed that Zhang Xiao could transform too.
• Ron chose a new owl, and Hermione adopted Crookshanks from the pet shop.
• Zhang Xiao noticed that Bellatrix and the other escaped Death Eaters had disappeared without a trace.
• The Weasley twins teased Percy over his Head Boy badge while the families reunited at the Leaky Cauldron.
• Sirius led Zhang Xiao, Malfoy, and the other children to Grimmauld Place, where the hidden house emerged between numbers eleven and thirteen.

Zhang Xiao and Sirius brought Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy to the decaying Black family home, where they met Sirius’s hostile mother’s portrait and the house-elf Kreacher. Zhang Xiao summoned his own house-elves to help search and clean the mansion as the group began looking for Slytherin’s Locket.

• Sirius opened the Black family home, and Zhang Xiao illuminated its dark, dust-covered entrance hall with a spell.
• Sirius silenced his mother’s portrait after it insulted him and the others.
• Sirius summoned Kreacher, who welcomed Malfoy as a Black descendant but insulted Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
• Sirius declared that Zhang Xiao would have the right to use the mansion, and Malfoy confirmed that Zhang’s family was noble.
• Zhang Xiao summoned Rainwater and seven other house-elves, then organized the group into pairs to clean and search the house while Sirius identified anything they found.
• Zhang Xiao asked Kreacher to clean rooms with him as he planned to locate Slytherin’s Locket.

Zhang Xiao and the others cleaned the Black family home, uncovered its history, and sorted its possessions while searching for Slytherin’s Locket. Kreacher eventually brought out his hidden belongings, revealing the locket among them.

• Zhang Xiao used powerful cleaning magic to clear a drawing room and assured Kreacher that the Black family’s possessions would be kept and cared for.
• Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco discovered the Black family tapestry and realized that Harry and Ron were Draco’s uncles by blood.
• The house-elves found dangerous creatures and hundreds of suspected Dark Magic objects, while Sirius agreed to sort the Black family’s possessions instead of throwing them away.
• Kreacher returned with a filthy sack of his own belongings and asked Zhang Xiao to store them with the family possessions.
• Zhang Xiao spotted Slytherin’s Locket among the objects Kreacher had brought.

Zhang Xiao discovered that the locket at Grimmauld Place was a Horcrux, and Kreacher revealed how Regulus Black had stolen it from Voldemort at the cost of his life. The chapter ended with Sirius asking Dumbledore and Zhang Xiao to help retrieve Regulus's body so he could receive a proper burial.

• While sorting the Black family possessions, Zhang Xiao used an Eastern spell to detect Dark Magic and found a Horcrux locket.
• Dumbledore arrived at Grimmauld Place, and Zhang Xiao and Sirius questioned Kreacher about how the locket had come into the house.
• Kreacher recounted how Regulus had sent him to Voldemort's cave, then returned there to swap the locket and sacrifice himself.
• Sirius broke down as he learned that Regulus had defied Voldemort and died to protect the Black family.
• Dumbledore explained that Regulus had hidden the Horcrux's theft to spare his family Voldemort's retaliation.
• Sirius asked Dumbledore and Zhang Xiao to help recover Regulus's body and give him a proper funeral.