Chapter Summaries

Liu Yun visited Jing Yu’s residence with Prince Heng and Princess Hewan, while Li Ping'an’s presence drew the attention of the two possible heirs. The chapter ended with Prince Heng and Princess Hewan privately displeased that Li Ping'an had greeted them only with a seated nod.

• Jing Yu welcomed Liu Yun, Prince Heng, and Princess Hewan to his home during the Emperor’s private visit.
• Prince Heng praised the tea, and Jing Yu revealed that Li Ping'an had returned and was staying at the residence.
• Jing Yu sent Prince Heng and Princess Hewan to tour the residence with Jingyun while he spoke privately with Liu Yun.
• Jingyun showed Prince Heng and Princess Hewan calligraphy by Mr. Li before introducing them to Li Ping'an in the rear courtyard.
• Li Ping'an greeted Prince Heng and Princess Hewan with a nod, leaving both displeased by his lack of deference.

Li Ping'an reunited with Liu Yun at Lord Jing's residence after playing Go with Prince Heng and Princess Hewan. He cautioned Liu Yun against rushing her reforms, then the two parted, leaving Kitten to wait for Li Ping'an to wake.

• Li Ping'an played Go with Prince Heng and defeated him, then beat Princess Hewan after praising her careful strategy.
• Li Ping'an asked Prince Heng and Princess Hewan whether they had considered becoming emperor, alarming them before Liu Yun arrived.
• Liu Yun dismissed the three youngsters and caught up with Li Ping'an over roasted potatoes and eggs.
• Li Ping'an warned Liu Yun that hasty changes could unsettle the country and praised what she had already accomplished.
• Li Ping'an and Liu Yun ended their reunion, and the imperial procession returned to the palace.
• Kitten came back to the residence, found Li Ping'an asleep in the kitchen, and waited to tell him about the day.

As the New Year approached, Li Ping'an and his companions enjoyed a peaceful winter at the Jing Residence while Cat Immortal earned money catching mice to support the family. Jingyun later met Prince Heng, who asked who Li Ping'an was, and Jingyun began explaining.

• Cat Immortal told Old Ox about earning money, then proudly showed Jingyun the ten copper coins she had made and said she needed to support Li Ping'an and Niu Niu.
• Jing Yu told Jingyun that Cat Immortal had cultivated for about a dozen years and had the intelligence of a human child.
• At the Jing Residence, Li Ping'an, Jing Yu, Aliya, Zhao Ling'er, and Old Ox played Nine Provinces Monopoly while Cat Immortal left to catch mice for a customer.
• Jingyun went to the Imperial Academy and met Prince Heng, who asked him who Li Ping'an was.
• Jingyun began telling Prince Heng about Li Ping'an.

Li Ping'an and his companions celebrated the New Year together while Liu Yun marked the turn of the year in the palace. After the festivities, Li Ping'an and Old Ox left Capital City to visit old acquaintances, carrying the sleeping Cat Immortal with them.

• Jingyun told Prince Heng the rumors about Li Ping'an and Liu Yun, and Prince Heng found them more believable after recalling the Empress's behavior.
• Prince Heng and Princess Hewan sent Li Ping'an costly gifts, but he returned both sets unopened.
• Li Ping'an, Old Ox, the Cat Immortal, and Jingyun exchanged New Year's money, with the Cat Immortal giving Jingyun a live rat.
• Li Ping'an celebrated the New Year with Jing Yu, Old Ox, Aliya, and Zhao Ling'er, while Liu Yun prepared for the year's court ceremonies.
• After the Cat Immortal fell asleep, Li Ping'an and Old Ox left Capital City to visit old acquaintances.

The Confucian Scholar rushed back to the capital hoping to meet Li Ping'an, only to learn that he had already left. Li Ping'an, Black Ox, and Kitten traveled toward Floating Jade Mountain, where Song Ziyun joined them on a shortcut to the sect.

• The Confucian Scholar returned to the Jing Residence, learned from Jingyun that Li Ping'an had left, and collapsed in despair.
• Li Ping'an, Black Ox, and Kitten traveled toward the Floating Jade Mountain Sect, which was recruiting disciples after Yan Shisan's victory over Shicha Sea.
• At a roadside tea stall, Li Ping'an met Song Ziyun, who planned to join the sect despite his father's objections.
• Song Ziyun asked Li Ping'an to help him enter the sect through the back door, but Li Ping'an refused.
• Li Ping'an took a mountain path he said was shorter, and Song Ziyun followed him with his father and mounted party.

Li Ping'an and Kitten traveled toward Floating Jade Gate with Song Ziyun and a group of young cultivators, while Kitten's antics left Song Ziyun convinced he had seen a ghost. Two days from their destination, a cultivator sent Song Ziyun flying into a tree, startling Kitten as she gathered mushrooms.

• Song Ziyun spotted a little girl in the bushes at night, but she turned back into a cat after he ran away.
• The next morning, Song Ziyun told Li Ping'an he thought he had encountered a ghost, and Li Ping'an glanced at Kitten without explaining.
• Song Ziyun's group met Guan Li and several young cultivators heading to Floating Jade Gate, and the groups traveled together.
• Guan Li's companions recognized Kitten as a cat demon, while Guan Li learned Li Ping'an was visiting a friend rather than seeking a master.
• Two days from Floating Jade Gate, Song Ziyun was flung into a tree and nearly struck Kitten as she gathered mushrooms.

Lin Xiao beat Song Ziyun during a dispute, and Li Ping'an treated the injured before confronting Lin Xiao over his violence. Li Ping'an's casual strike sent Lin Xiao flying and overwhelmed Guan Li and the other cultivators, leaving them scrambling as it bore down on Lin Xiao.

• Lin Xiao injured Song Ziyun in a sparring match, then defeated the servants and escorts Father Song sent against him.
• Li Ping'an treated Song Ziyun and the others, while Guan Li apologized and offered money as compensation.
• Lin Xiao snapped at Li Ping'an for criticizing him, and Li Ping'an decided to teach him a lesson.
• Li Ping'an struck with a branch, sending a column of air toward Lin Xiao that shattered his golden shield.
• Guan Li and the other cultivators tried to stop the attack, but it broke their defenses and forced them to scatter as Lin Xiao watched it approach.

After teaching Lin Xiao and his companions a lesson, Li Ping'an arrived at Floating Jade Mountain with Cat Immortal to find sect leader Yan Shisan. The disciples recognized him as their Grandmaster Ancestor and rushed to announce his arrival, while Cat Immortal worried that they would be expected to give red envelopes.

• Li Ping'an stopped his air strike before it hit Lin Xiao, and Guan Li apologized and led the shaken group away.
• Lin Xiao complained about seeking revenge, but Guan Li warned him that Li Ping'an could easily kill them.
• Three days later, Guan Li's group reached Floating Jade Mountain and explored the sect, where they learned an octopus was the Deputy Sect Leader.
• At the Ancestral Shrine, Guan Li's group recognized the statue of Li Ping'an and realized Lin Xiao had offended their Grandmaster Ancestor.
• Li Ping'an and Cat Immortal arrived at the sect entrance to find Yan Shisan, and the disciples recognized Li Ping'an and knelt.
• Li Ping'an and Cat Immortal filled out forms, and Cat Immortal asked the disciple if they could skip the red envelopes because they were short on money.

Li Ping'an returned to Floating Jade Gate with Old Ox and Kitten, reuniting with Yan Shisan and sharing stories of his travels over a meal. He ended the night by sending Kitten to rinse her mouth while Old Ox gave up his own nuts in protest.

• Yan Shisan learned that the patriarch had arrived and hurried to greet Li Ping'an, who confirmed he had come to visit after traveling across other continents.
• Yan Shisan and Octopus Swordsman welcomed Li Ping'an, and Kitten hid behind his feet when she saw Octopus Swordsman.
• Li Ping'an told Yan Shisan that he had watched his challenge at Shicha Sea, then joined him and Octopus Swordsman for a fish dinner.
• Li Ping'an recounted his travels and adventures, and Floating Jade Gate disciples gathered outside to hear about their patriarch.
• Kitten argued that she could keep eating nuts because she had brushed her teeth in human form, but Li Ping'an sent her to rinse her mouth.
• Old Ox slapped down his nuts and went to sleep after Li Ping'an told Kitten not to learn his bad habits.

Li Ping'an explored the Floating Jade Mountain Gate with the little girl and met the frog-spirit twins Bi Qing and Bi An in the spirit medicine fields. After the children jokingly begged one another for money, Bi Qing and Bi An asked Li Ping'an to teach them how to get rid of pests.

• The disciples brought Li Ping'an and the little girl an enormous breakfast, and he had most of it distributed among the sect disciples and apprenticeship seekers.
• After eating a whole roast ox, Old Ox stayed behind while Li Ping'an and the little girl toured the Floating Jade Mountain Gate with Yan Shisan and the Octopus Swordsman.
• Li Ping'an visited the spirit medicine fields and met the twins Bi Qing and Bi An, who tended the garden and greeted him as their patriarch.
• Bi Qing and Bi An begged Li Ping'an for Spirit Stones, and the little girl joined them in a comic exchange of kowtows.
• Bi Qing and Bi An asked Li Ping'an to help with pests, so he examined the soil and crops and asked them to explain their pest-control methods.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox transformed Floating Jade Mountain’s Spirit Herb Garden, clearing pests and weeds and building an irrigation and filtration system. After giving Bi Qing and Bi An books on herb cultivation, Li Ping'an headed to the Scripture Pavilion to leave his disciple something worth passing down.

• Li Ping'an asked Bi Qing and Bi An how they handled pests, then summoned Old Ox to help clear the Spirit Herb Garden.
• Li Ping'an removed pests and introduced beneficial insects while Old Ox ate the weeds across the garden.
• Li Ping'an built a reservoir, latrines, settling tanks, and planted ponds to create an irrigation and water-filtration system.
• Li Ping'an gave Bi Qing and Bi An two books on growing and managing spirit herbs, and they kowtowed to him, Old Ox, and Kitten.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox walked to the Scripture Pavilion, where they passed Guan Li and Lin Xiao before arriving at the guarded entrance.

Li Ping'an brought a vast collection of books to the Floating Jade Sect and spent the night copying the Supreme Yin Breathing Spirit-Opening Art into its Scripture Pavilion. At the sect’s disciple recruitment ceremony, Song Ziyun asked Li Ping'an to use his connections to help him get selected, leaving Li Ping'an unsure how to respond.

• The Attendant proudly described the Scripture Pavilion’s books, and Li Ping'an had Old Ox unload a huge collection of texts that buried the Attendant.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox spent the night copying books, including the Supreme Yin Breathing Spirit-Opening Art, while the Attendant secretly studied the newly written manual.
• When the recruitment bell rang, Li Ping'an dragged Old Ox away from his beef jerky to watch the ceremony.
• Song Ziyun greeted Li Ping'an at the crowded Main Peak square and asked him to have his friend pull strings to get him selected.

Li Ping'an watched the Floating Jade Sect’s first large-scale disciple assessment and laughed at the applicants’ mishaps. He and Old Ox later returned to the Scripture Pavilion, while Kitten enjoyed being treated as a Cat Immortal until she tripped in front of some children.

• Song Ziyun offered Li Ping'an banknotes and hinted at using connections, but Li Ping'an urged him to compete honestly.
• A disciple recognized Li Ping'an as Grandmaster Ancestor, and Song Ziyun realized he had tried to bribe the sect’s ancestor.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox watched the assessment, where rejected applicants argued and a newlywed learned his Pure Yang Body had already been broken.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox spent the next few days in the Scripture Pavilion and left the assessment results of Guan Li, Lin Xiao, and Song Ziyun to others.
• Kitten heard children speculate that she had centuries of cultivation, then failed to notice a step and fell face-first.

Li Ping'an and his companions left Floating Jade Mountain after preparing a gift for Yan Shisan, then continued their journey toward Shushan. After witnessing the curious customs of Great Sui's cultivators, they spotted Shushan cultivators streaking across the sky and followed them.

• Li Ping'an and Old Ox finished writing their gift for Yan Shisan and departed Floating Jade Mountain without saying goodbye.
• Yan Shisan discovered Li Ping'an was gone, remembered his difficult childhood, and thanked his teacher at the Ancestral Shrine Hall.
• Li Ping'an, Old Ox, and Kitten shared fish soup with a fleeing cultivator and his pursuers, who later beat him for spying on their junior sister.
• The group saw many Shushan cultivators flying across the sky and followed them toward Shushan on Li Ping'an's Fine Rain Flying Sword.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox joined a Shushan party headed to suppress demons and fiends drawn to a leaking dragon vein. They reached the besieged island, where Li Ping'an saw the dragon vein and Wen Ruyu prepared to warn those fighting over it.

• Li Ping'an encountered Shushan cultivators led by Wen Ruyu and introduced Old Ox and Cat Immortal.
• Wen Ruyu explained that a small country's exposed dragon vein had drawn demons, fiends, and cultivators, and Li Ping'an agreed to join the mission.
• Li Ping'an traveled with the Shushan party for five days, playing his erhu along the way.
• The group arrived at an island where demons, fiends, and human cultivators fought amid layered restrictions.
• Li Ping'an used his Dharma Eye to see the dragon vein's golden threads gathered into the shape of an infant.
• Wen Ruyu asked Li Ping'an for help and said he would warn the intruders to leave.

Wen Ruyu led Shushan’s disciples to attack the Yaomo around the Imperial City while Li Ping'an guarded the skies and drove off the Cultivators who refused to leave. After the battle began, Li Ping'an sensed that something was wrong with the old emperor inside the Imperial Palace.

• Wen Ruyu announced Shushan’s arrival and ordered the factions and Yaomo to leave, then led Shushan’s disciples into the black mist to slay the Yaomo.
• Li Ping'an warned the remaining onlookers to leave while holding Old Ox and rescuing Kitten as Shushan’s disciples fought the Yaomo in coordinated formations.
• When several Cultivators attacked or lingered to watch, Li Ping'an swiftly killed more than a dozen of them, forcing the remaining factions to retreat.
• Kitten asked whether she could open her eyes, and Li Ping'an looked through the Imperial Palace with his Dharma Eye and sensed that something was wrong with the old emperor.

Li Ping'an discovered that the old emperor was draining the dynasty’s fortune to restore his youth, so he severed the hidden formation and helped Old Ox seal the Dragon Vein. The old emperor had already absorbed much of the fortune, and his transformation into a young man continued inside the palace.

• Li Ping'an saw that a hidden formation was channeling the Dragon Vein’s power to the old emperor to prolong his life.
• Li Ping'an struck down a mountain summit and broke the formation, then repelled the Yaomo and rogue cultivators who attacked him.
• Old Ox used talismans to guide the Dragon Vein qi back and seal it away, then charged into battle against an ox Yaomo.
• Wei Ruyu ordered the Shushan cultivators to form an array and prioritize killing Yaomo as Li Ping'an fought near the Imperial City.
• The old emperor continued absorbing the dynasty’s fortune as his white hair turned black, his wrinkles disappeared, and his vitality flared anew.

Li Ping'an defeated the emperor's schemes, killed the Chief Attendant, and left the emperor alive but deprived of his senses and sealed inside the palace. After Shushan cleared the Yaomo and departed, Li Ping'an returned for Cat Immortal, whom he had forgotten on a hill.

• Li Ping'an entered the Imperial Palace after Wen Ruyu explained that Shushan could not simply kill a mortal emperor.
• Li Ping'an crushed the Chief Attendant for helping the emperor and condemned the emperor to live without his senses inside the sealed palace.
• Li Ping'an and the Shushan disciples destroyed the Grand Arrays, cleared out the Yaomo, and left as Wei Ruyu warned that war and famine would likely follow.
• Li Ping'an dragged Old Ox away from an ox Yaomo's corpse, then realized Cat Immortal was missing and went back to retrieve her.
• Cat Immortal revealed that she had seen Li Ping'an and Old Ox leave without her, but Li Ping'an distracted her with the promise of pastries.

Run Tu led Heaven-Reaching Peak’s increasingly prosperous business while Qingfeng got into trouble after trying to take a sword from the Feng City Auction House without paying. Li Ping'an returned to Shushan with Old Ox and Kitten and was stunned by how drastically Heaven-Reaching Peak had changed.

• Run Tu learned that the Tianshui Gang had robbed Heaven-Reaching Peak’s goods again and prepared to gather disciples to retaliate.
• Elder Sun warned Run Tu that the peak’s business practices were making it look like a bandits’ den.
• Qingfeng returned from Feng City after fighting at the auction house because its staff refused to give him a sword without payment.
• Run Tu comforted Qingfeng and boasted about the wealth he had built for Heaven-Reaching Peak.
• Run Tu learned that Li Ping'an had returned with Wei Ruyu, and Li Ping'an arrived with Old Ox and Kitten.
• Li Ping'an and Old Ox stared in disbelief at the lavishly transformed Heaven-Reaching Peak.

Li Ping'an and Old Ox returned to Heaven-Reaching Peak and reunited with Run Tu and Qingfeng, revisiting old memories as they explored the changed mountain. Qingfeng and Cat Immortal became friends, then competed over their knowledge and hurried off to study, leaving Li Ping'an amused by their newfound motivation.

• Li Ping'an and Old Ox arrived at Heaven-Reaching Peak, where Qingfeng and Run Tu joyfully welcomed them.
• Run Tu showed Li Ping'an and Old Ox around the renovated peak as they recalled their past adventures there.
• Qingfeng and Cat Immortal squabbled over their heights, but later bonded while playing together.
• At dinner, Cat Immortal quizzed Qingfeng on reading and arithmetic, prompting Qingfeng to rush off and study.
• Cat Immortal grabbed food to take with her and hurried after Qingfeng, determined to study too.