Recaps

Ren Ye and the other five gentlemen read their assignments for infiltrating Crouching Tiger Temple and capturing Niu Xi, then split into pairs to prepare in Funan County. Ren Ye traveled with Big Fat Dragon, while Poison Wine Flask rode with Weng Sanren, and both pairs exchanged evasive answers about their origins.

• Ren Ye read his hard-difficulty assignment to investigate evidence of Niu Xi's collusion with the Imperial Court within two days, with help from a hermit surnamed Huang if needed.
• Hundred-Flower Immortal, Ghost-Headed Saber, Ren Ye, Big Fat Dragon, Weng Sanren, and Poison Wine Flask compared assignments involving capturing Niu Xi, investigating him, learning poison and disguise skills, and digging an escape tunnel.
• The group agreed to leave promptly, gathered horses and personal guards, and departed in pairs for their separate preparations.
• Ren Ye rode with Big Fat Dragon toward Funan County; Big Fat Dragon claimed to know the way and said the secret realm's rewards were probably already described in its background information.
• Poison Wine Flask asked Weng Sanren where he came from, and Weng Sanren claimed he was not human.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon found Master Huang, who demanded a rooster and then a young python as payment for his Disguise Secret Art and poison formulas. Big Fat Dragon paid Ren Ye to fetch the python, while Weng Sanren and Poison Wine Flask and Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred-Flower Immortal pursued their own quests.

• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon bribed a waiter at Wangbei Tower to locate Master Huang and visited his residence, where they found him rendering oil from human skin.
• Ren Ye asked Master Huang for the Disguise Secret Art and a poison that could silently disable people, and Huang demanded a rooster weighing three jin and two liang.
• The two found the rooster by asking around and stole it, then brought it to Huang, who demanded a young python three chi and three cun long as well.
• Big Fat Dragon gave Ren Ye twenty thousand star source to fetch the python himself, then returned to Huang's residence to rest while Ren Ye went back to the inn for help.
• Weng Sanren and Poison Wine Flask reached their own quest location, and Ghost-Headed Saber asked Hundred-Flower Immortal to team up.

Big Fat Dragon suspected the Huang Family was plotting against him and slaughtered the household, including its children. After returning to find the massacre, Ren Ye challenged him, but Big Fat Dragon defended his actions and left the truth of the suspected betrayal unresolved.

• Big Fat Dragon noticed Steward You and a horse had disappeared, then killed Yingying and Second Madam before attacking the servants and other members of the Huang Family.
• Ren Ye returned to Huang Mansion with a young python and found the courtyard strewn with bodies; Big Fat Dragon told him to hide while he pursued the last person.
• Ren Ye discovered that all twenty-seven members of the Huang Family, including Master Huang, had been killed.
• Big Fat Dragon returned and explained that he suspected Master Huang had sent someone to alert others and that the family's requests for a chicken and python had been meant to delay them.
• Ren Ye condemned Big Fat Dragon for killing the household based on suspicion, but Big Fat Dragon insisted that the risk was enough to justify it.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon uncovered Huang Hermit's poison operation for the Wuyao Kingdom's Rat Lord and found methods to poison guards and impersonate them. After two of Niu Xi's guards arrived to collect poison, Big Fat Dragon called Ren Ye to remove their bodies, leaving their plan to infiltrate Crouching Tiger Temple underway.

• Big Fat Dragon paid Ren Ye to dispose of the Huang household's bodies, then used a spirit-querying recollection art to locate Huang Hermit's hidden chamber.
• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon found the Source-Sealing Poison Formula, the Same-Life Secret Art, and a letter revealing Huang Hermit had supplied poison and monitored Niu Xi for Rat Lord.
• Ren Ye reasoned that the poison deliveries could provide a way into Crouching Tiger Temple, and Big Fat Dragon revealed the next two guards would arrive that morning.
• Big Fat Dragon impersonated the household's steward and led the two guards inside; afterward, he called Ren Ye to collect their bodies for another payment.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon reported their discovery about Huang Hermit to Wu Yuanjun, who rewarded them and tasked them with finding Niu Xi’s Thousand Poisons Manual at Crouching Tiger Temple. The hidden quest raised their trust, while the other four participants argued over whether the pair would share their rewards.

• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon finished making Disguise Pills, buried the bodies at the Huang residence, and returned to Immortality Mountain Manor.
• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon told the other participants they had found a way into Crouching Tiger Temple but needed to report to the Witch Lord first.
• Wu Yuanjun read the letters linking Huang Hermit to Rat Lord and said they were not enough to prove that Niu Xi had defected to the Imperial Court.
• Wu Yuanjun ordered Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon to search Crouching Tiger Temple for Niu Xi’s Thousand Poisons Manual and promised them a reward.
• The Star Gate announced a hidden quest and raised both players’ trust in Wu Yuanjun to 60.
• Hundred-Flower Immortal challenged Ghost-Headed Saber’s hope of sharing rewards, and he defended himself by citing the story of Kong Rong giving away the larger pears.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon received the Witch Lord’s rewards, and Ren Ye talked Big Fat Dragon into giving him his share as payment for a future favor. The Six Gentlemen finalized a plan to capture Niu Xi and left for Crouching Tiger Temple, where Hundred Flowers Fairy hinted that her old friend was Yan Bo.

• The Witch Lord’s steward rewarded Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon with forty thousand Star Source, and Ren Ye persuaded Big Fat Dragon to hand over his twenty thousand in exchange for a favor.
• Poison Wine Flask outlined Niu Xi’s routine and the group identified the change of guards at the end of Xu Hour as their chance to strike.
• Ren Ye explained how he and Big Fat Dragon would infiltrate Crouching Tiger Temple, search for evidence, and poison the night guards while Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred Flowers Fairy ambushed Niu Xi.
• The Six Gentlemen agreed on their roles and rode toward Crouching Tiger Temple before their deadline expired.
• Hundred Flowers Fairy told Ren Ye that four bamboo leaves reminded her of an old friend who had been deceived by a scoundrel, and Ren Ye asked if the friend was surnamed Yan.

Ren Ye and Hundred-Flower Immortal secretly confirmed they were allies in the Immortality Mountain Secret Realm and compared their roles in the unfolding Borderland Turmoil. Ren Ye exposed that she was likely the Thousand-Mile Green Battalion’s Dragon Head in disguise, leaving their partnership at a tense turning point.

• Ren Ye and Hundred-Flower Immortal recognized each other through the secret four-leaf agreement and confirmed that she was Feather Immortal-Fuyao, a successor of the Thousand-Mile Green Battalion.
• Hundred-Flower Immortal explained that Daoist Meishan had given her an Entrant token so she could secretly assist Ren Ye, who disclosed that his own token named him the Gamebreaker.
• Hundred-Flower Immortal reasoned that the six Secret Realm entrants represented factions involved in the Borderland Turmoil, but Ren Ye questioned why only she had entered for the Thousand-Mile Green Battalion.
• Ren Ye concluded that Hundred-Flower Immortal was not merely a successor but the Dragon Head disguised as a woman, and challenged her to deny it.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon infiltrated Crouching Tiger Temple disguised as dead guards to place Hundred-Flower Immortal and Ghost-Headed Saber, transformed into weapons, near Niu Xi. Their cover came under threat when a royal Scenting Spirit Hound recognized Ren Ye as it inspected the guards.

• Hundred-Flower Immortal denied being Dragon Head but agreed to help Ren Ye investigate the conspiracy, while Ren Ye privately suspected she held a senior position in the Thousand-Mile Green Battalion.
• Ren Ye tested Weng Sanren by pretending to demand compensation, then set out with Big Fat Dragon and the others to infiltrate Crouching Tiger Temple.
• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon used Disguise Pills to impersonate Wang Liang and Li Ping, passed the temple guards, and left Hundred-Flower Immortal and Ghost-Headed Saber, disguised as weapons, by the Inner Courtyard wall.
• A captain ordered the guards to assemble for inspection by a Scenting Spirit Hound, and Big Fat Dragon warned Ren Ye that the royal spirit beast might see through their disguises.
• The Scenting Spirit Hound reached Ren Ye, opened its jaws, and growled as the captain reached for his saber.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon passed the Scenting Spirit Hound’s inspection and secretly prepared weapons while planning to search Niu Xi’s bedroom for evidence. Niu Xi refused the Emperor’s gifts, and the chapter ended as a fire broke out in the Inner Courtyard.

• Big Fat Dragon released an aura that frightened the Scenting Spirit Hound, allowing it to finish inspecting the guards without raising an alarm.
• Ren Ye handed the captain one hundred bottles of poison from Old Huang, then he and Big Fat Dragon placed Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred-Flower Immortal on the weapon racks.
• Niu Xi told the captain to give Old Huang a curiosity as a message to the court, then refused the treasures and star source sent by the Emperor.
• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon discussed a plan to search Niu Xi’s bedroom and agreed they needed a plausible distraction.
• As the servants left for dinner, shouts of “Fire!” rang out from a storeroom at the rear of the Inner Courtyard.

Ren Ye infiltrated Niu Xi’s residence during a fire diversion and found letters proving Niu Xi had sided with the emperor against Wu Yuanjun. While searching for the Thousand Poisons Manual, he hid beneath Niu Xi’s bed when another masked thief entered, but his surprise attack missed and the stranger demanded to know who he served.

• Big Fat Dragon set fire to a storage room in the Rear Courtyard, drawing guards away while Ren Ye used an Invisibility Talisman to enter Niu Xi’s Main House.
• Ren Ye searched Niu Xi’s study and found letters showing that Niu Xi had pledged loyalty to the emperor and would help Ao Yin’s army encircle Wu Yuanjun at Immortality Mountain.
• Ren Ye searched Niu Xi’s bedroom for the Thousand Poisons Manual but heard footsteps approaching and hid beneath the bed.
• A masked thief entered the bedroom and headed toward the bed, prompting Ren Ye to attack with the Human Emperor Sword.
• The masked thief dodged Ren Ye’s strike and asked whether he was working for Wu Yuanjun, Great Qian, or one of the tribal Witch Lords.

Ren Ye fought a rat-headed thief who had trapped him inside an isolated space and badly outmatched him with overwhelming speed. Big Fat Dragon intervened, exposed the thief’s movements, and wounded him, but the thief escaped before Ren Ye could learn why he had come.

• A black-clad intruder trapped Ren Ye in a separate space with the Void-Entering Talisman and attacked him, but Ren Ye used Holy Eyes to wound him with a changing sword strike.
• The intruder transformed into a small, rat-like figure and used his speed to batter Ren Ye while demanding the Thousand Poisons Manual.
• Big Fat Dragon appeared just as the intruder prepared to strike Ren Ye down.
• Big Fat Dragon filled the room with floating Star Source chunks, exposing the intruder’s path, then wounded him with steel needles.
• The intruder’s mask slipped, revealing his rat-like face; he recognized Big Fat Dragon as someone from Wuyao City and fled.
• The space returned to normal, and Ren Ye asked Big Fat Dragon why he was there.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon escaped after searching Niu Xi’s bedroom for the Thousand Poisons Manual, then discussed Rat Lord and Big Fat Dragon’s hidden connections. Meanwhile, Rat Lord reviewed his mission, and Poison Wine Flask identified Weng Sanren as a man from Great Qian, prompting Weng Sanren to suspect Poison Wine Flask’s own origins.

• Ren Ye found a hidden box beneath the bed but failed to locate the Thousand Poisons Manual, then escaped with Big Fat Dragon as the guards inspected the bedroom.
• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon returned to the duty room, where Ren Ye deduced that the masked attacker was Rat Lord and challenged Big Fat Dragon about his knowledge of him.
• Big Fat Dragon claimed he came from the Southern Border and had fought Rat Lord before, but Ren Ye suspected he was either a court insider or an opponent of the Wuyao Kingdom’s Imperial Court.
• Rat Lord pulled steel nails from his backside and recalled that the sovereign had sent him to deliver wealth to Niu Xi, steal the Thousand Poisons Manual, and meet someone else.
• While Weng Sanren and Poison Wine Flask rested during their tunnel digging, Poison Wine Flask recognized Weng Sanren’s Great Qian court wine and dining custom.
• Weng Sanren replied that Poison Wine Flask seemed even more like someone from Great Qian, leaving Poison Wine Flask frowning and frozen.

Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon attempted to poison Niu Xi’s Personal Guards and capture Niu Xi, but the plan went awry when Niu Xi brought Zhaliteng to spar with weapons transformed from Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred-Flower Immortal. After Ren Ye woke Hundred-Flower Immortal, both weapons revealed signs of life, and Niu Xi suspected an assassin or illusion.

• Weng Sanren told Poison Wine Flask to stop guessing about his background, while Poison Wine Flask suspected he had ties to Great Qian’s Imperial Court and decided to try to win him over.
• Big Fat Dragon shared poisoned wine with Niu Xi’s Personal Guards under the pretense of celebrating a possible promotion, then secretly added more poison to the wine jars before the guards changed shifts.
• Niu Xi returned to the Inner Courtyard with Zhaliteng and began sparring, choosing Ghost-Headed Saber’s transformed spear while Zhaliteng wielded Hundred-Flower Immortal’s transformed saber.
• Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon watched anxiously as the two weapons took repeated blows; Ren Ye eventually went outside and used his perception to tell Hundred-Flower Immortal to wake up.
• Hundred-Flower Immortal’s saber emitted a faint life force, and Niu Xi’s spear soon did the same, causing Niu Xi to throw it away and suspect an assassin or illusion.
• Poison Wine Flask and Weng Sanren dug furiously outside Crouching Tiger Temple using the Earth-Escape Technique.

Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred-Flower Immortal revealed themselves and trapped Niu Xi’s group inside a peach orchard illusion, while Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon helped keep the Inner Courtyard’s guards from intervening. The guards managed to send a signal arrow, and Niu Xi broke free of the attackers’ restraints and launched a counterattack.

• Zhaliteng recognized Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred-Flower Immortal as assassins and ordered the Personal Guards to break out and report the attack.
• Ghost-Headed Saber cast an Illusion-Realm Within a Realm, turning the Inner Courtyard into a peach orchard, where Niu Xi guessed his eldest brother had sent the assassins.
• Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred-Flower Immortal attacked Niu Xi, while Ren Ye ambushed Zhaliteng and wounded him despite being only a second-rank Martial Artist.
• Big Fat Dragon poisoned and killed the Personal Guards who tried to break out, but the youngest guard launched a Signal Arrow before Big Fat Dragon killed him.
• Hundred-Flower Immortal bound Niu Xi with golden threads, but Niu Xi activated Aura-Horizontal-Training Golden Body, broke free, kicked Ghost-Headed Saber away, and thrust his spear toward his neck.

Ren Ye and the Six Gentlemen ambushed Niu Xi, but Zhaliteng sacrificed himself to save his commander, driving Niu Xi into the Unifying Thoughts Realm and overwhelming the group. Ghost-Headed Saber shook Niu Xi’s resolve by reminding him of his old bonds, allowing the others to strike his weakness and prepare to flee through Poison Wine Flask’s tunnel.

• Big Fat Dragon joined Ghost-Headed Saber and Hundred-Flower Immortal against Niu Xi, while the Signal Arrow summoned reinforcements and Weng Sanren abandoned Poison Wine Flask to fetch the Spirit Nether Mirror.
• Ren Ye fought Zhaliteng and tried to turn him against Niu Xi, but Zhaliteng refused and remained loyal to his commander.
• Big Fat Dragon, Ghost-Headed Saber, and Hundred-Flower Immortal trapped Niu Xi and attacked his weakness with the Wall-Breaking Awl, but Zhaliteng took the blow meant for him and died protecting him.
• Niu Xi entered the Unifying Thoughts Realm, broke free of the group’s restraints, and badly wounded Big Fat Dragon, Hundred-Flower Immortal, Ren Ye, and Ghost-Headed Saber before Poison Wine Flask emerged from his tunnel.
• Ghost-Headed Saber confronted Niu Xi with memories of his brotherhood and past promises, destabilizing his resolve as Hundred-Flower Immortal retrieved the Wall-Breaking Awl.
• The group combined their abilities to drive the Wall-Breaking Awl into Niu Xi’s vulnerable point, dissipating his aura, and Ghost-Headed Saber ordered everyone to retreat through the tunnel.

The Six Gentlemen escaped Crouching Tiger Temple with Niu Xi and returned to Immortality Mountain Manor, where Wu Yuanjun prepared to question them individually. Niu Xi explained that he had betrayed Wu Yuanjun to end the Southern Border’s long wars and spare its people further suffering.

• Hundred-Flower Immortal struck Niu Xi, and Ren Ye, Big Fat Dragon, Ghost-Headed Saber, Poison Wine Flask, and Weng Sanren escaped through a sealed tunnel with him.
• Weng Sanren rejoined the group, gave Ren Ye and the others pills, and was welcomed back after paying each of them twenty thousand Star Source.
• Wu Yuanjun learned that the Six Gentlemen had returned with Niu Xi, ordered Niu Xi brought to the main hall, and arranged to meet the six men separately.
• The Six Gentlemen treated their injuries and agreed to praise one another’s efforts when speaking to Wu Yuanjun.
• Wu Yuanjun asked Niu Xi why he had turned against him, and Niu Xi said he wanted to end the Southern Border’s century of war and let its people recover.

Wu Yuanjun imprisoned Niu Xi after rejecting his plan to prevent war, while the Six Gentlemen took turns privately reporting to Wu Yuanjun and losing one another Trust Value. Ren Ye then gave a carefully crafted account that praised Big Fat Dragon, leaving Big Fat Dragon with a ten-point Trust Value loss.

• Wu Yuanjun accused Niu Xi of betraying their sworn brothers and ordered him imprisoned after Niu Xi admitted his plan had failed.
• Wu Yuanjun's son secretly watched Niu Xi being taken away, then asked his mother whether either man had been wrong; she said perhaps neither had.
• Poison Wine Flask and then Ghost-Headed Saber met Wu Yuanjun privately, and the others noticed their Trust Values fall after each audience.
• After the other five Gentlemen had left, Ren Ye told Wu Yuanjun that all six had worked together, then praised Big Fat Dragon's clever defeat of Rat Lord.
• Wu Yuanjun became suspicious of Big Fat Dragon and deducted ten points from his Trust Value.

Ren Ye reported the mission to Wu Yuanjun, praising himself while using truthful accounts to undermine his fellow spies and reduce their Trust Value. After arguing that Niu Xi’s rebellion served the greater good but betrayed Wu Yuanjun, Ren Ye earned the Witch Lord’s trust, a reward, and permission to move freely through much of the manor; Weng Sanren was sent to the dungeon.

• Ren Ye defended Weng Sanren’s absence with a story about fetching a Supreme Treasure, but his account and the others’ reports cost Weng Sanren fifteen Trust Value points.
• Ren Ye described Poison Wine Flask’s tunnel work and Ghost-Headed Saber’s role in capturing Niu Xi, causing both men to lose Trust Value.
• Ren Ye praised Hundred-Flower Immortal only faintly, then told Wu Yuanjun that Niu Xi acted rightly for the greater good but betrayed him as a brother.
• Wu Yuanjun asked Ren Ye what he would do in Niu Xi’s place, and Ren Ye pledged to serve if Wu Yuanjun chose war or retire if he laid down his armor.
• Ren Ye received thirty Trust Value points and a reward, while the Star Gate announced that he was Wu Yuanjun’s most trusted person and granted him wider access around the manor.
• Wu Yuanjun’s Personal Guards took Weng Sanren to the dungeon to reflect on his conduct.

Ren Ye received a generous reward from Wu Yuanjun and planned to visit the Dungeon to find the Thousand Poisons Manual. He followed Wu Yuanjun’s son, Jing'er, into the Dungeon, where Jing'er went to visit his Second Uncle, while Weng Sanren waited in his cell for breakfast.

• Ren Ye accepted three hundred thousand Star Source and eight Three-Burst Poison Sky Stars from the steward, learning that the other five had received lesser rewards.
• Ren Ye taunted Weng Sanren as soldiers escorted him toward a cell, then returned to the Secret Chamber and traded insults with the others.
• Ren Ye told the Hundred-Flower Immortal he planned to visit the Dungeon to find the Thousand Poisons Manual, and she agreed to cover for him.
• Ren Ye saw Jing'er arrive at the Dungeon with food and wine for his Second Uncle, then claimed the Witch Lord had authorized him to investigate and followed inside.
• Weng Sanren waited in his cell for breakfast until Jing'er entered carrying a large food box.

Jing'er visited his imprisoned Second Uncle Niu Xi, bringing him a meal and receiving his family’s Thousand Poisons Manual with instructions to keep out of politics. Ren Ye later learned about the tome from Weng Sanren, though he suspected Weng Sanren had left out details.

• Ren Ye was stopped at the prison entrance while Jing'er visited Niu Xi.
• Jing'er brought Niu Xi food cooked by his mother, and Niu Xi reassured him that he and his father would reconcile.
• Niu Xi gave Jing'er his family's Thousand Poisons Manual and told him to memorize it, keep it secret, and avoid politics.
• After Jing'er left, Ren Ye questioned Weng Sanren about the visit and threatened him until Weng Sanren revealed that Niu Xi had given the child a tome.
• Ren Ye accused Weng Sanren of withholding the truth and claimed Niu Xi had also given Jing'er a hundred thousand Star Source.

Ren Ye deduced that Jing'er might grow up to be the Guanfeng Young Master and secretly broke into the boy’s room to take the Thousand Poisons Manual. After beating Jing'er, he encountered another masked intruder and began plotting to make the stranger take the blame.

• Weng Sanren admitted that Niu Xi had given him a hundred thousand Star Source, and he made a deal with Ren Ye to trade information for food and a possible future reward.
• Weng Sanren told Ren Ye that Niu Xi had given Jing'er a book, leading Ren Ye to suspect it was the Thousand Poisons Manual and that Jing'er might become the Guanfeng Young Master.
• Ren Ye used an alibi and an Invisibility Talisman to sneak into Jing'er's room, where he saw the boy reading the Thousand Poisons Manual.
• Ren Ye knocked Jing'er unconscious, beat him, and took the manual.
• A masked intruder entered Jing'er's room, noticed the injured boy, and realized someone might still be hiding there; Ren Ye prepared to escape, then considered framing the intruder.

Ren Ye exposed a masked thief in Jing'er's room and inferred that the man was adult Guan Feng, who had come to protect the Thousand Poisons Manual. As Ren Ye planned to use the revelation against him, Jing'er identified the thief by his distinctive bald patches, prompting Wu Yuanjun to order Ghost-Headed Saber captured alive.

• Ren Ye hid in Jing'er's room and waited as a masked thief searched for the Thousand Poisons Manual.
• Ren Ye threw a Star Source Stone at Jing'er to wake him, then unmasked the thief and fled while the thief escaped the Family Compound.
• Ren Ye recognized the thief as one of the Six Gentlemen and deduced he was adult Guan Feng, who knew where his childhood self had hidden the manual.
• Wu Yuanjun arrived to check on Jing'er, who said he had seen the thief's distinctive Ghost-Shaved Head.
• Wu Yuanjun ordered the Guard Camp to capture Ghost-Headed Saber alive within fifteen minutes.

Ren Ye helped turn Ghost-Headed Saber’s arrest into a brutal interrogation while pretending to defend him. Ghost-Headed Saber was actually Guan Feng, grown-up Jing'er, and his secret mission to steal the Thousand Poisons Manual left him unable to explain his innocence without exposing himself; Wu Yuanjun then went to observe the questioning.

• Ren Ye reached the Secret Chamber as General Feng arrested Ghost-Headed Saber for allegedly infiltrating the Family Compound and harming Jing'er.
• Ren Ye told Big Fat Dragon and Hundred-Flower Immortal that he would plead Ghost-Headed Saber's case, then privately urged General Feng to torture him severely.
• General Feng’s interrogators tortured Ghost-Headed Saber, who realized Jing'er had identified him and that explaining the presence of another intruder would incriminate him.
• Ghost-Headed Saber was revealed to be Guan Feng, grown-up Jing'er, who had entered the Family Compound to steal the Thousand Poisons Manual.
• Ren Ye urged General Feng to use mystical abilities, while Wu Yuanjun ordered the clan elders to question Ghost-Headed Saber and went to observe.

Ren Ye watched Elder Xun use spirit magic to question Ghost-Headed Saber, whose answers denied that he had entered the Family Compound. Ghost-Headed Saber then passed a lineup test when Jing'er could not identify him, and he accused someone close to him—turning the investigation toward Ren Ye.

• Ren Ye watched Elder Xun use the Vanguard Spirit Child's soul-capturing art on Ghost-Headed Saber, who said he had studied Niu Xi's past to please Wu Yuanjun and had stayed in the Kitchen during the incident.
• Elder Xun told Wu Yuanjun that Ghost-Headed Saber was not the intruder, though the Spirit Child's unusually gentle aura left him concerned that a rare power might be involved.
• Ghost-Headed Saber asked Wu Yuanjun to let Jing'er identify him among ten similar-looking guards, and Ren Ye advised Wu Yuanjun to grant the test so the brothers would trust the result.
• Wu Yuanjun brought Jing'er to the lineup, but Jing'er could not identify Ghost-Headed Saber because the men's matching Ghost-Shaved Heads confused him.
• Ghost-Headed Saber argued that his distinctive hairstyle was not proof and suggested the culprit was someone who had been alone during the incident, then looked toward Ren Ye.

Wu Yuanjun imprisoned Ghost-Headed Saber after suspecting him of infiltrating the Family Compound, while Ren Ye and Hundred-Flower Immortal debated whether to kill him, believing he was Guan Feng. They decided to wait and act together later, as an unidentified god of wealth reached Funan County outside the Secret Realm.

• Ghost-Headed Saber argued that the intruder would not have revealed his face, but Wu Yuanjun ordered him held in the Dungeon until the danger had passed.
• Ghost-Headed Saber’s Trust Value fell by fifty points, leaving him discarded, while Wu Yuanjun secretly ordered the Dungeon to watch for anyone trying to silence or rescue him.
• Ren Ye told Big Fat Dragon, Poison Wine Flask, and Hundred-Flower Immortal that Ghost-Headed Saber was likely to be executed, then privately admitted to Hundred-Flower Immortal that he believed Ghost-Headed Saber was Guan Feng.
• Ren Ye explained that he had found a plague cure in the Thousand Poisons Manual and was considering killing Guan Feng, but Hundred-Flower Immortal warned that he might have accomplices and that killing him could block hidden assignments.
• Hundred-Flower Immortal suggested they wait until they were about to leave the Secret Realm before joining forces against Guan Feng.
• Weng Sanren denied knowing Ghost-Headed Saber after learning why he had been imprisoned, while a god of wealth and four followers arrived in Funan County outside the Secret Realm.