Chapter Summaries

Jing Yu of Huailu Academy arrived in Sanshui County to reassure its people as marauders surrounded the town. At the gathering, Pockmarked Li recognized Li Ping'an, who silently asked him not to reveal himself, before Jing Yu and the two children appeared before the crowd.

• Zhang Debiao welcomed Jing Yu and asked him to reassure the people of Sanshui County.
• Jing Yu summoned his sword, flew toward the square with the two children, and mistakenly gave Li Ping'an's name before introducing himself as Jing Yu of the Academy.
• While waiting for the immortal, Li Ping'an chatted with villagers and cracked melon seeds.
• Pockmarked Li spotted Li Ping'an, who signaled him to stay quiet, and Pockmarked Li kept his identity secret.
• Jing Yu, Chunqiu, and Xia Chan arrived through the air and greeted the crowd.

Jing Yu reunited with Li Ping'an and claimed he had a plan to handle the marauders threatening the county town. Three days later, Li Ping'an joined Jing Yu on a masked outing to confront the trouble, unsure how reliable his clumsy friend would be.

• Jing Yu, Chunqiu, and Xia Chan arrived at the village, where Jing Yu crashed headfirst into the ground and was later knocked unconscious by his falling sword.
• Li Ping'an checked Jing Yu and then shared a meal with him, Chunqiu, and Xia Chan as they discussed the marauders, the southern Yi Tribes, and the growing famine.
• Jing Yu told Li Ping'an that his apparent foolishness was a ruse and that he had already arranged a plan, but Chunqiu and Xia Chan finished the stew before the two could eat.
• Three days later, Li Ping'an sensed his peaceful life was ending and prepared to leave with Jing Yu to deal with the spies stirring up trouble.
• Li Ping'an masked himself and agreed to serve as support while Jing Yu took the lead, then Jing Yu stumbled over the threshold and fell.

Ye Hao learned that the besieged county town was counterattacking just as Chunqiu and Xia Chan set the bandit camp ablaze. Jing Yu infiltrated the burning camp and fought his way toward the command tent, then startled the Yi Tribesmen with his bold declaration before fleeing.

• Ye Hao warned the Yi Tribes' Divine Envoy that the bandits were struggling, but the envoy dismissed his concern and told him to trust the gods.
• The county town launched a counterattack, drawing the bandits away from their main camp.
• Chunqiu and Xia Chan used their formations to set the camp on fire, spreading chaos through the tents.
• Disguised as a bandit, Jing Yu cut down guards and soldiers as he advanced toward the command tent.
• Several Yi Tribesmen confronted Jing Yu, who proclaimed his fearlessness and then abruptly ran away.

Jing Yu fought through the bandit camp, targeting the Yi Tribes cultivators, while Li Ping'an ambushed Commander Ye Hao and faced the Yi Tribes envoy inside the central command tent. Li Ping'an turned the envoy's Spirit-Dispersing Formation against him and left a Flying Sword an inch from his throat.

• Jing Yu circled the camp, blocked the bandits' arrows, and killed three Yi Tribes cultivators.
• Ye Hao tried to slip out of the command tent, but Li Ping'an struck him down.
• The Yi Tribes envoy trapped Li Ping'an in a Spirit-Dispersing Formation and drained his strength.
• Li Ping'an sprang up after the envoy released the formation, using acupuncture to seal the envoy's meridians before attacking him with his knee and saber.
• The envoy broke free of the acupuncture, but Li Ping'an pressed his attack and sent the Flying Sword Fine Rain toward his throat.

Li Ping'an killed Ye Hao and the divine envoy, then joined Jing Yu in fighting off the rebel army. After surviving the battle, Li Ping'an tried to collect payment from Jing Yu, who offered noodles and boasts instead.

• Li Ping'an killed the envoy and searched his belongings, then carried the envoy's head and Ye Hao's corpse out of the camp.
• While Jing Yu drew the enemy forces away, Li Ping'an showed a nearby soldier the two severed heads, causing the soldier to knock himself unconscious.
• Jing Yu reunited with Li Ping'an, and they showed the heads to the surrounding rebels and demanded their surrender.
• A rebel commander called for revenge, so Jing Yu wounded him and the two continued fighting the crowd.
• At dawn, Li Ping'an demanded greater pay for his role in the battle, but Jing Yu offered to buy him noodles and boasted about his accomplishments.

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.