Chapter Summaries

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.

Ghost-Headed Saber, imprisoned and stripped of his chance to compete, searched his memories for a way to regain Wu Yuanjun’s trust and secure his release. When he was brought before the Witch Lord, a white python emerged from Clearwater Pool and showed Ghost-Headed Saber extraordinary affection.

• Ghost-Headed Saber recovered his resolve and decided that memories of events from his childhood might help him escape his predicament.
• He recalled that the Heavenly Dao forbade him from revealing his identity to Wu Yuanjun, then identified an incident he could use to make a persuasive offer to his father.
• Ghost-Headed Saber demanded to see the Witch Lord, and the jailers reported his request to Wu Yuanjun.
• Wu Yuanjun met with a man in a cloth robe and sensed that trouble was approaching as Clearwater Pool began to churn.
• Ghost-Headed Saber knelt before Wu Yuanjun, and a white python sprang from the pool, wrapped itself around him, and affectionately licked his hair.

Ghost-Headed Saber used his memories of the planned arson in Funan County to earn another assignment from Wu Yuanjun, but Wu Yuanjun still suspected him and treated him as bait. The Star Gate branded Ghost-Headed Saber a suspected spy with Trust Value 1, while the steward summoned Ren Ye to meet Wu Yuanjun.

• Wu Yuanjun questioned Ghost-Headed Saber about the White Python’s unusual affection, and Ghost-Headed Saber claimed that Spirit Python Grass had left a familiar scent on him.
• Ghost-Headed Saber warned that two of Niu Xi’s Qianhu planned to burn Funan County’s granary, and Wu Yuanjun sent for confirmation.
• A report confirmed the plot, so Wu Yuanjun credited Ghost-Headed Saber with saving the granary and gave him another mission alongside the Six Gentlemen, excluding Weng Sanren.
• Wu Yuanjun told the steward that he suspected Ghost-Headed Saber and intended to use him as bait while keeping the other five under observation.
• The Star Gate labeled Ghost-Headed Saber a suspected spy, granted him the Title “Self-Exposer,” and reduced his Trust Value to 1.
• The steward found Ren Ye and Big Fat Dragon outside the Kitchen and summoned Ren Ye to Wu Yuanjun.

Ren Ye impressed Wu Yuanjun after the White Python treated him with unusual reverence, and he invented a prophetic dream to explain their connection. Wu Yuanjun concluded that Ren Ye might be destined to become Shenzhou’s central figure and invited him to sit beside him.

• Ghost-Headed Saber suspected Prince Huai had framed him and worried that one mistake in the Secret Realm could get him killed.
• The White Python emerged from the Pure Water Pool, approached Ren Ye, and licked his hand while behaving as though it revered him.
• The White Python confronted Big Fat Dragon, then splashed him with mud before returning to the pool.
• Wu Yuanjun questioned Ren Ye about the White Python’s behavior, and Ren Ye told him an invented childhood dream about killing a white snake and hearing a prophecy.
• Wu Yuanjun interpreted Ren Ye’s story and the White Python’s deference as signs that Ren Ye might be destined to rule, then invited him to sit beside him.

Ren Ye was appointed leader of the Six Gentlemen and given authority over their next assignment as Imperial Court forces gathered for battle. The group fought over the dangerous Red Brocade Pouch, and Ren Ye proposed drawing lots while making its recipient share Star Source with the others.

• Ghost-Headed Saber told the Six Gentlemen that the Witch Lord had released him and hired him again, while the others teased him about his special treatment.
• The steward announced that Ren Ye would lead the Six Gentlemen and take charge of their next assignment, then delivered five brocade pouches and a sheet of Xuan paper.
• After the steward left, Ghost-Headed Saber and the others argued over who should take the Red Brocade Pouch to earn the greatest Trust Value.
• Poison Wine Flask, Hundred-Flower Immortal, Big Fat Dragon, and Ghost-Headed Saber bid increasingly large sums of Star Source for the Red Brocade Pouch.
• Ren Ye stopped the bidding by threatening to report the infighting to the Witch Lord, then proposed drawing lots and splitting five hundred thousand Star Source from whoever drew the Red Brocade Pouch.

Ren Ye manipulated the draw for the six assignments, steering Ghost-Headed Saber toward the task with the higher Trust Value reward while arranging for Hundred-Flower Immortal to negotiate with him. The Star Gate then revealed that the group must retrieve eighteen Painted Terracotta Figures and clear the dangerous Spirit-Communicating Tunnel within two days.

• Big Fat Dragon produced a Silence Lamp to prevent telepathic cheating, and the group agreed to draw willow twigs to determine their assignment order.
• Ren Ye secretly signaled Big Fat Dragon and Hundred-Flower Immortal, then used his Destiny to influence Ghost-Headed Saber into choosing the shortest twig.
• Ghost-Headed Saber left with Hundred-Flower Immortal to negotiate for her assignment, while Ren Ye told Poison Wine Flask to discuss their possible shared interests during the mission.
• Ren Ye heard the Star Gate's orders to retrieve eighteen Painted Terracotta Figures, clear the Sui from the Spirit-Communicating Tunnel, and return within two days.
• Ren Ye telepathically told Hundred-Flower Immortal that the Witch Lord had tasked him with keeping an eye on Ghost-Headed Saber and instructed her to sell him her assignment.