Chapter Summaries

Chen Xun, the mad scholar who had lived in Little River Town for two and a half years, was taken by Old Li to eat after his stomach growled. After Chen Xun ate eleven bowls of noodles, Old Li paid and tried to leave, but Chen Xun asked if he could go home too.

• Chen Xun startled passersby by laughing and reading his blank book on a street corner.
• When Chen Xun's stomach growled, he grabbed Old Li and demanded to know why it was making noises.
• Old Li took Chen Xun to Happiness Noodle Shop, where Chen Xun ate eleven bowls of noodles.
• Chen Xun suggested skipping the bill, so Old Li paid thirty-three copper coins and hurried him out before the owner could confront him.
• Old Li said he needed to buy a hairpin and go home, and Chen Xun excitedly asked whether he could go home too.

Chen Xun followed Old Li home after the old man tried to send him away, alarming him and his granddaughter, Li Yuan. Though Chen Xun remained outside laughing through the cold night, Li Yuan covered him with a quilt, and he seemed to faintly thank her before she went back inside.

• Old Li fled from Chen Xun, who chased him on all fours through the streets to his courtyard.
• Old Li warned Chen Xun to leave, while Li Yuan recognized the mad scholar and urged her grandfather to ignore him.
• Old Li and Li Yuan went indoors, leaving Chen Xun outside the fence as he continued to laugh.
• Li Yuan later saw Chen Xun standing in the cold, brought him a quilt, and wrapped it around him.
• As Li Yuan returned inside, Chen Xun seemed to whisper a faint thanks, but she mistook it for the wind.

Old Li reluctantly took Chen Xun in after Li Yuan offered to support him, and Chen Xun stayed with them through the final month of winter. As his bouts of madness grew less frequent, Li Yuan noticed another change when he calmly handed her his wooden sword.

• Old Li found Chen Xun squatting outside under Li Yuan's quilt and discovered he was pretending to be a sapling.
• Li Yuan persuaded Old Li to let Chen Xun stay, offering to take on more needlework and limit his meals; Old Li agreed to take him in for a while.
• Over more than three months at Old Li's house, Chen Xun's bouts of madness became less frequent, and he often stood quietly in the courtyard.
• At dinner, Li Yuan asked to see Chen Xun's wooden sword, and he stopped eating to hand it to her.
• Li Yuan returned the sword, and Chen Xun put it on his back before going to stand quietly in the courtyard again.
• Li Yuan told Old Li that Brother Chen seemed to have changed a little.

During a rare lucid spell, Chen Xun reflected on his cycles of madness and his immortality before losing his clarity again. The next day, Old Li took him to gather firewood, where a black tiger appeared and Chen Xun stepped forward to protect him.

• Chen Xun realized his lucid period might last only three more months and remembered that he was immortal and had endured countless cycles of madness.
• Chen Xun returned to his usual foolish behavior, and Old Li brought him along to cut firewood on Little River Peak.
• A black tiger approached Old Li and Chen Xun while Old Li bundled the firewood.
• Old Li urged Chen Xun to flee, then faced the tiger with his billhook despite his fear.
• Chen Xun dropped to all fours, growled at the tiger, and shielded Old Li, who praised him and let go of his resentment.

After the black tiger fled, Chen Xun stayed with Old Li and Li Yuan through the winter. When spring came, he suddenly regained his normal speech and behavior, leaving the grandfather and granddaughter stunned as they wondered what he would do next.

• Old Li and Chen Xun escaped Little River Peak after the black tiger turned and fled, then returned home safely.
• Old Li kept the encounter secret from Li Yuan and thereafter gathered firewood alone while Chen Xun stayed home through winter.
• When spring arrived, Chen Xun greeted Li Yuan clearly, and she called Old Li over to see that he had recovered.
• Old Li and Li Yuan watched Chen Xun eat with unusual composure, then Old Li asked about his plans now that he was well.
• Chen Xun thanked Old Li for taking him in, and Old Li said he was happy to see Chen Xun acting normally.

After recovering from his madness, Chen Xun went into Little River Town with Li Yuan, where his changed appearance and lucid manner astonished the townspeople. After celebrating with Old Li and deciding not to buy new clothes, Chen Xun left alone to hunt on Little River Peak and earn money for the family.

• Chen Xun thanked Old Li for letting him stay, and Old Li and Li Yuan welcomed him back to normal life.
• Li Yuan took Chen Xun into town for a haircut, where townspeople recognized him and reacted with shock when he answered them calmly.
• After the haircut revealed Chen Xun's handsome features, he refused Li Yuan's offer to buy him new clothes and returned home with her.
• Old Li prepared a lavish lunch to celebrate Chen Xun's recovery and drank with him.
• After lunch, Chen Xun left alone, planning to hunt on Little River Peak and earn money for Old Li's family.

Chen Xun met Nangong Yao on Little River Peak, where his calm manner and sudden disappearance convinced Nangong Yao he was a master cultivator. He then brought a black tiger into Little River Town and claimed an immortal had saved him, leaving the townsfolk astonished and envious.

• Chen Xun played his zither on Little River Peak, attracting birds and butterflies.
• Nangong Yao approached Chen Xun and introduced himself, but Chen Xun refused to give his name and vanished before his eyes.
• Nangong Yao concluded that Chen Xun was a powerful cultivator and left the mountain, regretting that he had not learned his name.
• Chen Xun carried the black tiger that had once threatened him and Old Li down the mountain, then brought it into town on a cart.
• Chen Xun told the gathered townsfolk that an immortal had saved him from the tiger, and they watched enviously as he set off to sell it.

Three hunters coveted the black tiger Chen Xun had caught and planned to claim it as their own by reporting him to the authorities first. As Chen Xun agreed to sell the tiger for a hundred and twenty gold at Spring Breeze Restaurant, the Yamen arrived to investigate.

• Skinny Monkey persuaded Da Wei and Xu Qiang to falsely claim that they had hunted the black tiger and report Chen Xun to the authorities.
• Da Wei gave in to the plan, and the three hunters prepared to report Chen Xun before he sold the tiger.
• Chen Xun brought the black tiger to Spring Breeze Restaurant, where the proprietor offered him a hundred and twenty gold.
• As the proprietor prepared to pay Chen Xun, the Yamen arrived and ordered bystanders to stand aside while they investigated a case.

Chen Xun was taken before the court after Da Wei, Xu Qiang, and Skinny Monkey accused him of stealing their black tiger. As the hearing began, Chen Xun challenged the hunters to identify the tiger’s fatal wound, and Da Wei claimed it was hidden beneath the carcass.

• Ji Ba brought Chen Xun and the black tiger’s carcass to the yamen, allowing Chen Xun to walk unshackled.
• Old Li and Li Yuan found Chen Xun on the way to the yamen and anxiously followed after learning he had been accused of theft.
• Ji Bochang presided over the case, where Da Wei, Xu Qiang, and Skinny Monkey claimed they had killed the tiger and Chen Xun had stolen it.
• Chen Xun asked the three hunters to point out the tiger’s fatal wound, and Da Wei claimed it was on the side touching the ground.

Chen Xun proved in court that Da Wei and his companions had falsely accused him of stealing the Black Tiger, and the Town Lord bought the animal from him. After securing Ji Bochang’s promise to look after Old Li’s household, Chen Xun prepared to leave Little River Town.

• Ji Bochang ordered the Black Tiger turned over, revealing no wound and disproving the trio’s story.
• Ji Bochang sentenced Da Wei and his companions to twenty strokes each and two years in prison for their false accusation.
• The townspeople cheered the verdict, while Chen Xun noticed most had initially hoped he was guilty.
• Ji Bochang privately offered Chen Xun 120 gold coins for the Black Tiger, and Chen Xun accepted while returning twenty.
• Chen Xun told Ji Bochang he planned to leave Little River Town and asked him to look after Old Li’s household; Ji Bochang agreed.

After selling Black Tiger, Chen Xun gave the proceeds to Old Li and prepared to leave Little River Town, while Li Yuan asked him to return someday. That night, Chen Xun appeared in the government prison and confronted the three men who had threatened him.

• Chen Xun gave Old Li the money from selling Black Tiger, which contained one hundred gold, and Old Li agreed to keep it for him.
• Li Yuan asked whether Chen Xun was leaving and where he would go; he said he would drift wherever life took him and might return to Little River Town.
• Li Yuan told Chen Xun that her parents and grandmother had starved to death during a drought, and asked him to say goodbye before leaving.
• After Old Li and Li Yuan fell asleep, Chen Xun vanished from his room and appeared beside Da Wei, Xu Qiang, and Skinny Monkey in the government prison.
• Skinny Monkey urged Da Wei and Xu Qiang to take revenge on Chen Xun after their release, and Chen Xun suddenly appeared before the three prisoners.

Chen Xun burned Da Wei, Xu Qiang, and Skinny Monkey to ashes in their prison cell, leaving no trace of how he had entered or escaped. The next morning, Ji Bochang and Ji Ba visited Chen Xun to question him about the deaths, and Chen Xun acted surprised when Ji Bochang described what happened.

• Chen Xun conjured flames that burned Da Wei, Xu Qiang, and Skinny Monkey to ashes in their cell.
• Jailers alerted Ji Bochang and Ji Ba, who found no evidence of an intruder and considered whether the Yamen was haunted.
• Ji Bochang told Ji Ba to invite a Taoist to perform rites and decided to visit Chen Xun the next morning.
• Ji Bochang and Ji Ba went to Chen Xun's courtyard, where Chen Xun listened as Ji Bochang recounted the prison deaths and feigned surprise.

Chen Xun reassured Ji Bochang about the deaths in the prison, then decided to leave Little River Town while his mind was clear. Old Li and Li Yuan saw him off, and Old Li discovered that Chen Xun had returned a pouch containing about a hundred gold coins.

• Ji Bochang told Chen Xun he would invite a Taoist to perform rites at the government offices and asked him not to spread word about the prisoners' deaths.
• Chen Xun told Old Li and Li Yuan that he would leave Little River Town that afternoon, despite Old Li's efforts to persuade him to stay.
• Old Li and Li Yuan accompanied Chen Xun out of town, where Chen Xun returned the pouch of money he had given Old Li and hurried away.
• Li Yuan called after Chen Xun, and he waved as he disappeared among the hills and fields.
• Old Li told Li Yuan he had long suspected Chen Xun was not ordinary, then found about a hundred gold coins in the pouch and hurried after him.
• Old Li failed to catch Chen Xun and sat down in tears, saying he could not accept the hundred gold coins.

Chen Xun arrived in Clear Sky City and learned that the Heavenly Dao Sect would recruit disciples there the next day. At a crowded restaurant, he shared his table with Zhao Ting, who regretted paying him for the seat and tried to share his meal instead.

• Chen Xun traveled south through Northern Mystic and reached Clear Sky City after a month on the road.
• Chen Xun read the notice announcing the Heavenly Dao Sect's disciple recruitment and declined a woman's suggestion that he take the test.
• Chen Xun ate at a crowded restaurant where the guests discussed the sect's recruitment.
• Zhao Ting paid Chen Xun a silver coin to share his table, then asked to share Chen Xun's food.
• Chen Xun offered to return Zhao Ting's coin, then told him he would not.

Chen Xun met Zhao Ting, who hoped to join the Heavenly Dao Sect despite being past the recruitment age, and agreed to accompany him to the spiritual root test. As the test began, Chen Xun’s vision blurred and his eyes lost their clarity.

• Chen Xun and Zhao Ting shared a meal and discussed Zhao Ting’s wish to cultivate immortality and the risks of leaving mortal life behind.
• Chen Xun told Zhao Ting that he might possess a spiritual root, and Zhao Ting mistakenly assumed Chen came from a cultivation clan.
• The next morning, Zhao Ting paid Chen Xun to accompany him to the Heavenly Dao Sect’s recruitment test in Clear Sky City’s central square.
• Zhao Ting entered the square to join the lines of children being tested while Chen Xun struggled with a worsening blur in his vision.
• Chen Xun opened his eyes and began grinning crazily as the clarity vanished from them.

Zhao Ting faced ridicule as he waited to test his spiritual roots, while Chen Xun behaved erratically and caused a disturbance. The Heavenly Dao Sect’s deacon allowed Zhao Ting to take the test despite his age, and the testing began.

• Townspeople mocked Zhao Ting for being too old to join the spiritual root test, while Chen Xun laughed wildly beside him.
• City Lord Xu Hai and Heavenly Dao Sect deacon Shen He arrived with six disciples, and Chen Xun loudly insulted a burly man while reading his palm.
• Zhao Ting pleaded with Xu Hai to excuse Chen Xun as a madman, and Shen He agreed to let the disturbance go.
• Shen He allowed Zhao Ting to take the test despite being over the age limit, then explained how the Spirit-Testing Artifact worked.
• Shen He ordered the five disciples to begin testing the boys and girls.

During Clear Sky City's spiritual root testing, Zhao Ting unexpectedly revealed a rare metal-attribute heavenly spiritual root, astonishing Shen He and everyone present. Shen He confirmed that Zhao Ting's age would not stop him from joining the Heavenly Dao Sect, and the chapter ended with his exceptional aptitude revealed.

• Shen He oversaw the testing as most children were eliminated, while Yu Zheng became the first recruit with a false earth spiritual root.
• Three more children with false spiritual roots were found, bringing the day's total to four as Chen Xun slept nearby.
• Zhao Ting placed his hand on the Spirit-Testing Artifact, which burst into brilliant golden light and stunned the disciples and Shen He.
• Shen He learned Zhao Ting's name and reassured him that his age would not prevent him from cultivating.
• Shen He declared that Zhao Ting possessed a metal-attribute heavenly spiritual root and ranked among the finest talents in the Northern Mystic Cultivation World.

After Zhao Ting revealed a heavenly metal spiritual root, Shen He invited him to join the Heavenly Dao Sect and prepared to leave with him. Before departing, Zhao Ting worried over Chen Xun, who remained confused and unresponsive, and asked Shen He to examine him.

• Shen He announced that Zhao Ting had a heavenly metal spiritual root, and Zhao Ting joined him on the platform while the disciple who had dismissed him apologized.
• Zhao Ting told Shen He that he came from Fortune and Prosperity Town and had been preparing for the scholarly examinations; Shen He urged him to focus on cultivation instead.
• Zhao Ting noticed Chen Xun still lying asleep and wondered what had happened to him.
• After testing ended without finding any more spiritual roots, Shen He decided to leave for the sect immediately, and Zhao Ting asked to inform his family first.
• Zhao Ting woke Chen Xun, who seemed not to recognize him, then asked Shen He to examine his friend.

Shen He agreed to take Zhao Ting’s apparently deranged friend Chen Xun to the Heavenly Dao Sect for a sweeping job after Zhao Ting pleaded for him. After Zhao Ting visited his family in Fortune and Prosperity Town, the group departed for the sect with Chen Xun aboard.

• Shen He prepared a flying boat to take Zhao Ting and four boys accepted as disciples toward Fortune and Prosperity Town.
• Zhao Ting asked Shen He to bring Chen Xun along, and Shen He offered him a sweeping job on Servant Disciple Peak.
• Shen He flew Zhao Ting, Chen Xun, and the four boys to Fortune and Prosperity Town while the townspeople watched them depart.
• Zhao Ting reunited with his delighted parents, and Shen He agreed to let the group stay in town for two days.
• Zhao Ting’s family received congratulations from the town’s prominent people, and the family became the town’s most prominent household.
• After two days, Shen He’s group left Fortune and Prosperity Town and headed for the Heavenly Dao Sect with Chen Xun.

Chen Xun mocked cultivators for distancing themselves from mortals, prompting Shen He to reconsider their way of cultivation despite dismissing the madman's words. The flying ship reached the Heavenly Dao Sect, where Zhao Ting and the youngsters saw the sect's majestic immortal mountain.

• Shen He showed Zhao Ting and the youngsters the Heavenly Dao Sect's vast territory and explained why cultivators rarely interacted with mortals.
• Chen Xun criticized cultivators for looking down on mortals and argued that experiencing mortal life could help one attain the Great Dao.
• Shen He grew angry at Chen Xun, then calmed himself and insisted that the man's words were mad nonsense.
• Zhao Ting apologized for Chen Xun, while Shen He privately wondered whether the criticism held some truth before dismissing the thought.
• Yu Zheng spotted the immortal mountain, and Shen He welcomed the youngsters to the Heavenly Dao Sect.