Recaps

After the bandits were defeated, Jing Yu became the celebrated hero while Li Ping'an quietly collected payment for his help. Li Ping'an later received an unexpected letter, which Old Ox was about to inspect.

• The Government Office announced that the bandits had been crushed, and townspeople celebrated while stories grew about an unknown hero who had fought alongside Jing Yu.
• Li Ping'an declined to join the festivities and let Jing Yu take the public credit for the victory.
• Li Ping'an presented Jing Yu with an itemized bill, leaving Jing Yu only a loincloth; Jing Yu then flew away with Chunqiu and Xia Chan, and the wind blew the garment off.
• The imperial court rewarded the county town, reopened the roads, and provided subsidies to households whose men had been forcibly conscripted.
• Old Zhang delivered a letter to Li Ping'an, who asked Old Ox to look at it.

Li Ping'an read Aliya’s long letter, learned about Qin Shi’s plans and thought about collecting Jing Yu’s overdue debt. Back in the village, he joined the village-entrance gossip circle to counter the rumors about him, only to find himself caught in its endless chain of suspicion.

• Li Ping'an read Aliya’s letter, which told him she missed him, was progressing in cultivation, and had heard that Qin Shi would attend Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s mountain-opening ceremony.
• Li Ping'an considered visiting the ceremony and Capital City, where Jing Yu had yet to repay the Spirit Stones he owed.
• Li Ping'an sold Jing Yu’s signed clothes and socks at the county-town black market for twenty-five taels of silver.
• Li Ping'an joined the village aunties at the entrance to hear gossip and counter rumors that he was a human trafficker or tomb robber.
• As the other villagers took turns leaving and becoming the subject of gossip, Li Ping'an persuaded one person to stay and chat, prolonging the suspicion about who would leave next.

After the village elders stopped challenging him, Li Ping'an prepared for the New Year and left for the Capital City to collect his debt from Jing Yu. Widow Wang and Er Yatou found his letter after he had departed, while Li Ping'an and Old Ox traveled toward the capital with their belongings.

• Li Ping'an waited at the village entrance, but the old men and women stayed home because they feared they would not survive another outing.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox divided their New Year preparations, with Old Ox cooking and Li Ping'an writing spring couplets.
• Widow Wang sent Er Yatou to bring Li Ping'an soup and invite him to spend the New Year with them, but Er Yatou found that he had already left.
• Widow Wang found Li Ping'an's letter saying he had gone to the Capital City to collect a debt and might be away for months or years, and he left food and money for her.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox traveled through the mountains with their provisions, and Li Ping'an noticed that his lifespan had reached 290 to 300 years.

Li Ping'an sheltered a group of martial artists from the mountain rain, treated the gravely injured Du Zhou, and then went rabbit hunting. The chapter left him holding a white rabbit as a gray rabbit knelt before him.

• Tang Shan and three companions fled through the mountain rain and took shelter in a temple where Li Ping'an and Old Ox were staying.
• Li Ping'an shared hot soup and roasted lamb with the travelers, then offered to treat Du Zhou for a fee.
• Li Ping'an used silver needles to dispel the sinister qi in Du Zhou, restored his circulating true qi, and gave him a prescription and instructions to rest.
• Li Ping'an received payment and Benevolent Healer experience for treating Du Zhou.
• Li Ping'an chased down a white rabbit in the rain, and a gray rabbit ran over and knelt before him.

Li Ping'an traded with a pair of rabbits, then returned to find the ghost woman in red attacking the group inside the temple. He struck her with a sudden sword attack, leaving her screaming as he stood outside.

• Li Ping'an took the gray rabbit’s carrots, then released both rabbits and gave them a Qi Refining manual in return for their kowtows.
• The gray rabbit and white rabbit brought Li Ping'an a basket of food, and he left with it.
• The ghost woman in red broke into the temple and defeated Huang Shan and the other martial artists who tried to stop her.
• Li Ping'an sent a streak of white sword light from outside the temple, making the ghost woman in red scream.

Li Ping'an used Fine Rain to drive off the red-robed female ghost and save Huang Shan and the others. After the ghost escaped, the injured martial artists wondered about the mysterious cultivator while Li Ping'an treated their wounds.

• Li Ping'an controlled Fine Rain from the temple and struck the red-robed female ghost, cutting off her arm and driving her outside.
• The red-robed ghost begged for mercy, and a dark figure pulled her clear of Fine Rain before she escaped.
• Fine Rain returned to the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, leaving Huang Shan and the others amazed that a powerful cultivator had saved them.
• Li Ping'an returned with a basket of carrots and offered to treat the group's injuries.
• Du Zhou and the other martial artists discussed hoping to meet the cultivator and become his disciple while Li Ping'an treated them with silver needles.

After escaping the female ghost, Li Ping'an and the others reached wealthy Yunhe County, where villagers secretly aided the mountain monsters by luring travelers to them. Li Ping'an followed a local into an alley and discovered men gathered around a naked woman locked in an iron cage.

• Li Ping'an and the injured group traveled through the mountain pass and reached Yunhe County, where villagers welcomed them with food and lodging.
• Li Ping'an explored the prosperous county, received a lavish complimentary meal, and grew suspicious of its unusual wealth and hospitality.
• Huang Shan and the others woke feeling healed and decided to rest in the county for several days.
• The wounded red-robed female ghost returned to her cave, where her rescuer revealed that the mountain monsters and villagers cooperated to lure travelers to the monsters as food.
• Li Ping'an went looking for hot pot with Old Ox, followed a local into an alley, and found men gathered around a naked woman imprisoned in an iron cage.

Li Ping'an rescued Zhang Yuwan from the county town’s residents after she revealed she was the daughter of True Person Zhang of Tiger-Suppressing Mountain. He sent word to her father and faced an armed crowd that had come to attack him.

• Zhang Yuwan begged Li Ping'an to save her, but the man guarding her threatened him and offered her to him.
• Li Ping'an knocked the guard down, then called on Old Ox, who scattered the men surrounding them.
• Li Ping'an freed Zhang Yuwan and learned that the county town’s residents had ambushed her and her friend two years earlier, killing her friend and keeping her captive.
• Zhang Yuwan vowed revenge, and Li Ping'an sent a paper crane carrying her hair to Tiger-Suppressing Mountain.
• A crowd of armed residents charged Li Ping'an, who called himself an assassin and said he only cared about money.

Li Ping'an treated Zhang Yuwan while Old Ox routed the villagers who had attacked them. When Daoist Chang Yun defended the villagers and ordered his disciple Chongxu to attack, Li Ping'an killed Chongxu in one exchange and challenged Chang Yun.

• Li Ping'an treated Zhang Yuwan's injuries and warned her to avoid fighting and anger.
• Old Ox charged through the villagers after Li Ping'an fed him beef jerky, killing several and scattering the rest.
• Daoist Chang Yun confronted Li Ping'an and defended the villagers as people coerced by the mountain monster.
• Li Ping'an condemned Chang Yun's inaction and insulted him with an acrostic poem.
• Chang Yun ordered Chongxu to teach Li Ping'an a lesson, but Li Ping'an killed Chongxu with one blow.
• Li Ping'an challenged Chang Yun, saying he would beat him to death.

Li Ping'an pursued Daoist Changyun through the mountains and killed him after overpowering the Lord of the Land who tried to intervene. Three days later, True Person Zhang thanked Li Ping'an for saving Zhang Yuwan and gave him a Storage Ring containing Spirit Stones and pills.

• Huang Shan and the others praised Physician Li Ping'an's care as they recovered and wondered whether they would meet the Immortal who had saved them.
• Li Ping'an and Daoist Changyun raced through the mountains, where Li Ping'an cut apart Changyun's gale with the Fusang Saber.
• The Lord of the Land appeared to stop the fight, but Li Ping'an knocked him aside and beheaded Daoist Changyun.
• Li Ping'an returned to Huang Shan and the others and casually said he had only gone for a stroll.
• True Person Zhang arrived in Xinghe County with Zhang Yuwan and her family, thanked Li Ping'an for saving her, and offered him a Storage Ring.
• Li Ping'an accepted the ring with composure, though he was astonished to learn it held over a thousand Spirit Stones and some pills.

After leaving Yunhe County, Li Ping'an warned Huang Shan and the others to flee before True Person Zhang destroyed the county and its monsters. Li Ping'an cultivated during his journey and reached the Capital City, where he and Old Ox sneaked in through a dog hole to collect debts.

• Li Ping'an left Yunhe County after receiving his payment, and Huang Shan and the others chased after him; he warned them to leave the county soon.
• True Person Zhang crushed the Mountain God, and Yunhe County burned to ashes as the surrounding monsters were wiped out; two rabbits escaped with a cultivation manual.
• Li Ping'an tested his pills, absorbed high-quality Spirit Stones, and cultivated the Six Mysteries of the Human Body while Old Ox kept watch.
• After seven or eight days, Li Ping'an ended his brief seclusion and continued traveling toward the Capital City.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox reached the Capital City without travel papers and squeezed through a dog hole in its wall; fireworks appeared in the distance.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox feasted in the Capital City, then explored its night market and learned that Liu Yun had won a decisive victory over the Turkic Lands. Li Ping'an celebrated the news as he continued preparing to visit Huailu Academy the next day.

• Li Ping'an persuaded a restaurant to let Old Ox inside by offering the waiter extra money, then ordered everything on the menu.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox ate, rested, and later walked through the night market sampling food.
• Li Ping'an continued cultivating his Mud Pellet, which was only 30% opened.
• Li Ping'an asked about fireworks and learned that Liu Yun's army had defeated the Turkic Lands and accepted the surrender of over a hundred thousand tribesmen.
• Li Ping'an smiled at Liu Yun's victory and celebrated by eating another pig's trotter.

Jing Yu explained his visit to an unlicensed brothel to a constable, paid a fine, and headed to Huailu Academy. There, Li Ping'an and Old Ox waited outside as scholars studied, and the chapter ended with the crowd greeting Jing Yu as he arrived.

• Jing Yu told the constable that he had paid half the room rate to share a room, then chose to pay a fine rather than go to jail.
• Jing Yu signed the paperwork and left, privately insisting that Li Ping'an's brothel visit had nothing to do with him.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox waited outside Huailu Academy, where a scholar argued with Li Ping'an about ambition and the imperial examinations.
• The crowd recognized Jing Yu as an Academy disciple when he appeared, and the scholar watched him in astonishment.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox abducted Jing Yu, who explained that he had not yet delivered Li Ping'an's Spirit Stones and promised to pay him back. Jing Yu then brought Li Ping'an to meet his senior brother Zheng Wudi, hoping to borrow money by having Li Ping'an impress him with a poem.

• Li Ping'an and Old Ox kicked Jing Yu down and carried him off, alarming the people around them.
• Jing Yu told Li Ping'an that an accident had delayed delivering the Spirit Stones, then promised he had money as Li Ping'an dug a pit beside him.
• Jing Yu told Li Ping'an that his woman had won a great victory and was returning to Capital City, and predicted that a new emperor would soon take the throne.
• Jing Yu treated Li Ping'an to a bath and a meal, with his senior brother Zheng Wudi paying the bill.
• Jing Yu asked Zheng Wudi to lend him money, but Zheng Wudi refused, so Jing Yu asked Li Ping'an to write a poem to persuade him.
• Jing Yu introduced Li Ping'an as a master poet and urged Zheng Wudi to appraise one of his poems.

Li Ping'an impressed Zheng Wudi with his calligraphy and poem, earning Spirit Stones before visiting Huailu Academy’s night market with Jing Yu and Old Ox. He began selling pills by making extravagant claims to a customer, leaving Jing Yu speechless.

• Li Ping'an wrote a poem with the Knight-Errant Brush, impressing Zheng Wudi, who agreed to provide the requested Spirit Stones.
• Master Zhong admired Li Ping'an’s poem, then changed its dedication to honor himself as Jing Yu’s teacher.
• Jing Yu took Li Ping'an and Old Ox to Huailu Academy’s night market so Li Ping'an could sell pills and equipment.
• Li Ping'an laid out his wares and, when a young man asked about a pill, claimed it could do everything from revive the dead to grant immortality.

Li Ping'an attracted customers by offering love poems with his pills, quickly sold out, and counted his profits. He left with Jing Yu and Old Ox, then went with Jing Yu to a pleasure house for wine and company.

• Li Ping'an added a free love poem to each pill purchase, drawing a crowd to his stall.
• A customer bought a Qi Manipulation Pill for thirty Spirit Stones and praised the poem Li Ping'an gave him.
• Customers rushed to buy the remaining pills, and Li Ping'an announced that the stall was sold out for the day.
• Li Ping'an counted more than two thousand Spirit Stones and gave Jing Yu seven copper coins as his promised share.
• Li Ping'an and Jing Yu walked through the moonlight to a pleasure house, where Jing Yu ordered wine and girls.

Li Ping'an ate and cultivated at a pleasure house, then was arrested with Jing Yu when constables raided it and both men used each other's names to avoid giving their real ones. While waiting to meet Aliya, Zhao Ling'er, and Pang Jun, they saw a foreign cultivator's tiger attack a passerby, and Jing Yu hinted that trouble was coming.

• Li Ping'an ate his fill at the pleasure house, checked his room for hidden dangers, invited Old Ox inside, and cultivated through the night.
• Constables raided the pleasure house and arrested Li Ping'an and Jing Yu, who each signed the other's name before leaving the yamen.
• Li Ping'an, Old Ox, and Jing Yu went to a teahouse to meet Aliya, Zhao Ling'er, and Pang Jun.
• An old cultivator and his followers marched through the street with a huge tiger, which leapt at a passerby.
• Armored guards rescued the passerby and asked the old man to control his spirit pet, but he continued onward with his group.
• Jing Yu told Li Ping'an that a good show was coming.

Li Ping'an reunited with Aliya, Zhao Ling'er, and Pang Jun in the capital, where the city celebrated the Princess’s triumphant return. As they toured the festivities, Aliya recalled that Zhao Ling'er had long admired Li Ping'an.

• An army ambush killed a group of Qi Refining Practitioners with Xuan Crossbows, and guards swiftly cleared away the bodies.
• Li Ping'an welcomed Aliya, Zhao Ling'er, and Pang Jun after several years apart, and Aliya tearfully hugged him and Old Ox.
• Li Ping'an and his companions wandered through the capital’s celebrations, where Zhao Ling'er said she had reached the peak of the first Confucian rank.
• Aliya recalled that Zhao Ling'er secretly liked Li Ping'an and had admired his calligraphy, teaching, cooking, and erhu playing.

Li Ping'an reunited with Liu Yun in Capital City, shared a farewell meal with her, and left after encouraging her as she prepared to become emperor. Half a month later Liu Yun ascended the throne, while Li Ping'an settled into a cave and began seclusion.

• Li Ping'an noticed Zhao Ling'er's feelings but chose to leave them unaddressed, then wandered away from Aliya and Pang Jun while wearing an ox mask.
• Li Ping'an met Liu Yun at the lantern riddles and shared fried rice with her as they talked about their past and future.
• Li Ping'an said goodbye to Liu Yun at dawn and gave her wildflowers, telling her she would be a good emperor.
• Half a month later, Liu Yun ascended the throne after the emperor died in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
• Li Ping'an found a secluded cave, checked that it held no treasure or danger, and began cultivating in seclusion.

Three months after settling into the cave, Li Ping'an continued cultivating cautiously and living with Old Ox. When he heard trouble in the mountains, he used his flying sword to save Jiang Yue Bai, who left to report that the men pursuing her had killed children and sold their corpses to Evil Cultivators.

• Li Ping'an and Old Ox brought a tiger back to their orderly cave, where Li Ping'an scolded Xiao Wu for laying fewer eggs and praised Xiao Liu.
• Li Ping'an continued cultivating with Spirit Stones and chose to delay his breakthrough despite believing his chances of success were high.
• After eating tiger meat and shepherd's purse soup, Li Ping'an rode Old Ox through the mountains and heard footsteps.
• Li Ping'an found Jiang Yue Bai being chased by four martial artists who planned to kill her and strip her.
• Li Ping'an sent Fine Rain from his wine gourd and killed the four men, then Jiang Yue Bai thanked the unseen rescuer and hurried away to report their crimes.

After hiding from Jiang Yue Bai and disposing of four corpses, Li Ping'an spent more than a month preparing to advance his Mud Pellet. He succeeded with surprising ease, increasing its progress from 30% to 35%, but had used up his Spirit Stones and needed to find more.

• After Jiang Yue Bai left, Li Ping'an searched the four corpses, took their few belongings, and had Old Ox bury them while he burned their clothes.
• Li Ping'an sealed himself in the cave and spent more than a month cultivating, using over two thousand Spirit Stones to prepare for advancing his Mud Pellet.
• Li Ping'an delayed his breakthrough after bad weather and repeatedly used Old Ox's hairs to decide whether the day was suitable.
• After checking that the area was safe, Li Ping'an asked Old Ox to guard him and began his breakthrough.
• Li Ping'an emerged shortly afterward, having advanced his Mud Pellet from 30% to 35%, and realized he had exhausted his Spirit Stones.

Li Ping'an left his mountain retreat and set out for Dragon-Tiger Mountain after earning Spirit Stones by sharing information about Qin Shi. On the way, he took shelter at an abandoned post station with a group of young travelers, where their conversation was interrupted by a strange gust of wind.

• Li Ping'an read the group chat about Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s mountain-opening ceremony and told Happy Big Boy what he knew about Qin Shi.
• Happy Big Boy sent Li Ping'an more than three hundred Spirit Stones through resonating Great Dao Runes Fragments.
• Li Ping'an decided to visit Dragon-Tiger Mountain, packed his belongings, and left his cave with Old Ox.
• Li Ping'an traveled along the mountain path and stopped at an abandoned post station where several young men and women were resting.
• Chu Yun and the others asked Li Ping'an about his blindness and his travels, and a gust of wind swept through the post station with a sobbing sound.

Li Ping'an shared noodles with a group of young travelers at an abandoned post station, where a statue revealed a powerful figure who tried to recruit Chu Yun into cultivation. Li Ping'an stepped in to protect the travelers, and the figure’s overwhelming pressure forced them to their knees before Li Ping'an intervened.

• Li Ping'an cooked noodles at the post station and accepted Chu Yun and her companions’ invitation to travel with them through the rain.
• A voice from a statue announced itself, and the travelers met a blue-smoke figure who claimed to be an Immortal.
• The figure praised Chu Yun’s innate aptitude and urged her to follow him into cultivation, persuading her and the others with promises of youth and longevity.
• Li Ping'an interrupted the figure’s recruitment and asked him to spare the kindhearted travelers.
• The figure angrily unleashed his pressure, forcing the travelers to their knees, and Li Ping'an stepped in front of them and told them to get up.

Li Ping'an exposed and killed a weasel spirit posing as an Immortal, then slipped away from Chu Yun and the others. He continued toward Dragon-Tiger Mountain with Old Ox and reunited with the old Daoist who had given him the Sword-Nurturing Gourd.

• Li Ping'an broke the weasel spirit's pressure and cut it down when it attacked the group.
• Chu Yun and the others realized the supposed Immortal was a monster, but Li Ping'an vanished after distracting them.
• Li Ping'an roasted and ate the weasel spirit's meat, then set out for Dragon-Tiger Mountain with Old Ox.
• An old Daoist tried to examine a beautiful woman's body, was slapped, and complained about people's complicated hearts.
• Li Ping'an greeted the old Daoist, recognizing him from their meeting at Yumen Pass.

Li Ping'an visited Dragon-Tiger Mountain with the old Daoist and reunited with Qin Shi, who showed him the mountain’s sacred White Jade Capital. The tower’s power intrigued Li Ping'an, but his unease kept him at a distance as the old Daoist urged him closer.

• The old Daoist made Li Ping'an pay for their food after pretending he had forgotten his money.
• Li Ping'an met Qin Shi on Dragon-Tiger Mountain and learned that the old Daoist had taught him only one fist technique, which Qin Shi had practiced diligently.
• Qin Shi showed Li Ping'an White Jade Capital and explained that it could suppress Arts and was said to await someone destined for it.
• Li Ping'an sensed that the tower might have been prepared for him, but stayed near the stone stele because he feared something would happen.
• The old Daoist arrived and assured Li Ping'an that nothing could go wrong with him there.