Chapter Summaries

Li Rui suspected that Zhuang Renhe was behind Qu Chengfeng’s extravagant spending and encouraged Yao Xue to leave seclusion and face her inner demon. As Li Rui and Yao Xue set out together, Wu Tu arrived with grave news: Qu Chengfeng was dead.

• Qu Chengfeng visited Spring Swallow Pavilion, where Xiang Ting learned that his spending had reached seven thousand three hundred taels and promised to charge it to the County Office.
• Qu Chengfeng told Bao Zhu'er that Zhuang Renhe had agreed to pay to redeem her, and she eagerly asked whether he meant it.
• Li Rui linked Qu Chengfeng’s spending to Zhuang Renhe and wondered what the county magistrate intended.
• Li Rui urged Yao Xue to leave her room and take a walk; she agreed, recognizing that she was beginning to break free of her inner demon.
• Wu Tu came to Li Rui’s residence and told him that Qu Chengfeng was dead.

Li Rui investigated Qu Chengfeng’s brutal death at Spring Swallow Pavilion, questioning Bao Zhu'er and having the remains examined. The coroner identified an axe as the murder weapon, and Li Rui ordered the body taken back to camp while the killer remained unknown.

• Qu Chengfeng awoke in a carriage, realized Zhu'er had lured him into a trap, and was drugged unconscious again by Xiang Ting.
• Li Rui brought Yao Xue to Spring Swallow Pavilion and confronted the madam about the incident and Qu Chengfeng’s death.
• Li Rui inspected Qu Chengfeng’s mangled remains and questioned Bao Zhu'er, who recounted their meeting and said she found him dead the next morning.
• Li Rui summoned Coroner Zhao, who determined that Qu Chengfeng had been hacked to death with an axe.
• Li Rui ordered Liang He to take the remains back to camp, leaving the killer’s identity unresolved.

Li Rui investigated Qu Chengfeng’s death and returned to Spring Swallow Pavilion at night to confront Bao Zhu’er. He exposed her as an Enchanting Demon and left her alive but gravely injured for the Anning Guard’s Punishment Hall.

• Li Rui told Jiang Linxian that Qu Chengfeng had died in a woman’s room at Spring Swallow Pavilion, and Jiang ordered Ning Zhongtian to find the killer within seven days.
• Ning Zhongtian asked Li Rui to help investigate, and Li Rui agreed.
• Yao Xue asked to accompany Li Rui to the brothel, but he refused and promised to share any leads with her.
• Li Rui rented a Heaven-Rank Room at Spring Swallow Pavilion and insisted that Bao Zhu’er come to him.
• When Li Rui pulled Bao Zhu’er into his arms, she transformed into a ghostly creature and attacked him.
• Li Rui restrained Bao Zhu’er with Profound Clear Qi, burst her meridians, and identified her as an Enchanting Demon.

Li Rui exposed Bao Zhu'er as an Enchanting Demon, and Ning Zhongtian took her and Spring Swallow Pavilion’s leaders into custody before the trail abruptly went cold. Yao Xue left Clear River after dispelling her heart demon, while Qu Chengfeng was revived in a blood ritual and declared himself an immortal.

• Li Rui revealed that Bao Zhu'er was an Enchanting Demon, and Ning Zhongtian arrested her and several important Spring Swallow Pavilion figures.
• Ning Zhongtian credited Li Rui with solving the case, while the captured Bao Zhu'er later dissolved into blood in the interrogation cell.
• Yao Xue thanked Li Rui for helping dispel her heart demon and said she was leaving Clear River with her returned master, Old Immortal Zhang.
• Li Rui reflected on the tribulations Yao Xue and her companions had endured and wished her a safe journey.
• In Ten Thousand Mile Marsh, two black-robed men performed a blood ritual that revived Qu Chengfeng, who regained his composure and said he was an immortal.

Zhuang Renhe ordered Spring Swallow Pavilion's people killed and planned to use Cao Wei against Jiang Linxian's investigation. At the Anning Guard, Li Rui stopped Ge Hong from killing Ma San and suspected that the accusation against him had been staged to target Ge Hong.

• Zhuang Renhe told Xiang Ting that Bao Zhu'er had been turned into blood to hide the trail, then ordered him to kill everyone at Spring Swallow Pavilion.
• Zhuang Renhe planned to enlist Cao Wei against Jiang Linxian and target Ning Zhongtian to disrupt the Anning Guard's investigation.
• Ge Hong drew his saber to kill Ma San after a woman accused him of assault, but Li Rui stopped him and sent Ma San to the Enforcement Division.
• Li Rui told Banner Officer Zhao to investigate the case thoroughly, while the onlookers suspected Ma San would be spared.
• Li Rui pointed out that the woman and boy's unexplained access to the Anning Guard could indicate a plot against Ge Hong, and Banner Officer Zhao agreed to investigate.

Li Rui and Ge Hong uncovered a plot to frame Ge Hong, then captured a masked killer after he murdered Li Yang Shi. A dagger found on the killer pointed toward Southern Liang, where the Zhuang Family was based, leaving Li Rui with a possible lead.

• Banner Officer Zhao told Li Rui and Ge Hong that Li Yang Shi had been having an affair with Ma San, and Li Rui proposed using her as bait to find the plot's mastermind.
• Ma San died under military punishment, and Li Yang Shi contacted the man who had hired her to frame Ge Hong.
• The man killed Li Yang Shi and prepared to kill her son, but Ge Hong and Li Rui ambushed him beneath the bridge.
• The captured man triggered poison hidden in his body and died, but Li Rui found a dagger concealed in his shoe.
• Liu Tiezhu examined the dagger and identified Blood Ice Crystal from Southern Liang as one of its materials, prompting Li Rui to think of the Zhuang Family and Clear River's magistrate.

Li Rui melted down A-Liu’s dagger and recruited Liu Tiezhu, then decided to keep his suspicions about Zhuang Renhe to himself. As Zhuang Renhe ordered Li Rui’s death and Xiang Ting planned an ambush, a masked assassin appeared in Xiang Ting’s room claiming that Third Master Zhuang had sent him.

• Li Rui had Liu Tiezhu melt the dagger, recognized his skill, and invited him to join the Anning Guard.
• Li Rui connected Zhuang Renhe to Qu Chengfeng’s spending and chose not to expose the county magistrate with insufficient evidence.
• Zhuang Renhe learned that the men watching Spring Swallow Pavilion had withdrawn and ordered Xiang Ting to deal with Li Rui.
• Xiang Ting decided to have the Ghost Underworld Sect ambush Li Rui, then returned to his empty residence in Clear River.
• A masked man confronted Xiang Ting in his room and claimed that Third Master Zhuang had sent him to kill him.

Li Rui killed Xiang Ting to eliminate a threat linked to Zhuang Renhe, then dissolved the body and earned a reward that increased his comprehension. He returned to the Anning Guard headquarters and resumed his usual routine the next morning.

• Xiang Ting tried to fight and escape, but Li Rui blocked his way and discovered that Xiang Ting had secretly reached the Qi Gathering stage.
• Li Rui endured Xiang Ting's true-qi strike with his body and killed him with the Barrier Blade.
• Xiang Ting begged Li Rui to spare his wife and child, and Li Rui promised they would live before Xiang Ting died.
• Li Rui dissolved Xiang Ting's corpse with Corpse Dissolving Water, completing the achievement and receiving 20 Achievement Points and increased comprehension.
• Li Rui returned to the Anning Guard headquarters, hid his Nightwalker Outfit, practiced his cultivation, and went to sleep before rising to train his saber the next morning.

Li Rui created the Blade Nurturing Stance and used it to split a rockery with one strike, while political purges in the Anning Guard threatened Ning Zhongtian’s followers. After Li Rui drank with the surviving officers and returned home, Wang Zhao told him that Miss Yao had sent him a letter.

• Zhuang Renhe discovered that Xiang Ting had been melted away and ordered his men to find the killer.
• Li Rui completed the Blade Nurturing Stance and split an ornamental rockery with a single strike after nurturing his Blade Intent for five hours.
• Li Rui concluded that Zhuang Renhe could not trace Xiang Ting’s death because he had erased all evidence.
• Cao Wei and Zhuang Renhe’s purge stripped many of Ning Zhongtian’s subordinates of their posts, while Li Rui’s warning helped Wei Ming, Ge Hong, and others avoid the worst of it.
• Li Rui discussed Cao Wei and Zhuang Renhe’s possible alliance with the remaining officers, then returned home late at night.
• Wang Zhao told Li Rui that Miss Yao had sent him a letter.

After Yao Xue revealed that Qu Chengfeng had survived and returned to Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, the pressure on Ning Zhongtian eased and the unrest in Clear River subsided. Li Rui made Liang He his disciple and taught him the Evergreen Art, hoping to use others to nurture qi for his own advancement.

• Li Rui delivered Yao Xue's letter confirming that Qu Chengfeng had escaped the Ghost Underworld Sect and returned safely, and Ning Zhongtian hurried to tell Jiang Linxian.
• With the search no longer necessary, the turmoil around Ning Zhongtian's subordinates eased, though Jiang Linxian had some punished for their wrongdoing.
• Li Rui explained to Liang He how the officials' conflict had unfolded and reassured him that Jiang Linxian would protect her authority over Ning Zhongtian's subordinates.
• Li Rui offered to teach Liang He his self-created Evergreen Art, and Liang He accepted without hesitation.
• Li Rui made Liang He his disciple, taught him the Evergreen Art's mental cultivation formula, and told him to move in so he could help nurture qi.

Li Rui and his companions learned that the Sect Leader of Inquiry Immortal Pavilion had been appointed Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, while Yao Xue, Qu Chengfeng, and Old Taoist Zhang arrived in the Imperial City. Old Taoist Zhang warned that their pavilion’s new prominence put them in danger as they entered the capital’s political world.

• Li Rui settled Liang He into his residence as his personal guard, and Liang He’s cultivation steadily advanced.
• Ning Zhongtian told Li Rui and the others that the Sect Leader of Inquiry Immortal Pavilion had become Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.
• Li Rui considered the appointment and the Seeking Immortal Stone on his wrist, suspecting it could bring him an opportunity.
• Yao Xue and Qu Chengfeng traveled into the Imperial City with Old Taoist Zhang, who said their little martial uncle’s court position could protect them.
• Old Taoist Zhang reflected that Inquiry Immortal Pavilion’s rise had brought danger, and warned that killing intent hid beneath the Imperial City’s peaceful appearance.

Li Rui learned that the Blood Shadow Old Ancestor’s Twelve Blood Disciples were tied to a purge in Qing Province, while Ge Hong revealed that one of them had killed his master. As officials discussed the arrival of a new Guard Commander, Blood Hand Scholar Gao Chong and Gao Zhen separately came to Clear River, leaving their identities and intentions poised to affect the Anning Guard.

• Li Rui watched Liang He’s blade skill improve rapidly, and Wei Ming reported that General Xue had wiped out a Qing Province sect accused of colluding with the Blood Shadow Old Ancestor.
• Ge Hong revealed that Hundred Poisons Ghost, one of the Twelve Blood Disciples, had killed his master, while Wei Ming reassured him that the Annan Army could help avenge him.
• Wei Ming reported that Duan Yu would become an Assistant Minister and that second-class Martial Graduate Gao Zhen would arrive from the Luoyang Gao Clan as a new Guard Commander.
• At a post station outside Qinghe City, Zhuang Renhe met Blood Hand Scholar Gao Chong, who said the Blood Shadow Old Ancestor had approved Zhuang’s gift and that Gao had come to take up a post.
• Gao Zhen introduced himself to Cao Wei, who welcomed him and took him to Spring Swallow Pavilion, where he arranged for Top Courtesan Tao Xin to attend him.

Li Rui considered the political danger posed by the new Guard Commander Gao, then accepted Liu Tiezhu as a disciple and discovered a new way to cultivate the Evergreen Art. By learning from his disciples’ different approaches, Li Rui achieved great completion in Willow Sinew’s Dragon Form Release.

• Wei Ming told Li Rui and the others that Guard Commander Gao had killed a courtesan at Spring Swallow Pavilion, and Li Rui recognized Gao’s alliance with Cao Wei as a threat to the balance in the Anning Guard.
• Li Rui watched Liang He practice the Evergreen Art and reflected on how passing down martial arts could help him refine it and build his own foundation.
• Li Rui brought Liu Tiezhu home as Liang He’s junior brother after secretly observing his conduct in the Anning Guard, and Liu Tiezhu gratefully accepted Li Rui’s offer to teach him martial arts.
• After half a month, Li Rui found that Liu Tiezhu had developed a strength-focused version of the Evergreen Art, prompting Li Rui to reconsider his own approach to cultivation.
• Li Rui sensed the martial intent of Liang He and Liu Tiezhu, reached enlightenment, and released his dragon form, completing Willow Sinew’s Dragon Form Release.

Li Rui demonstrated the power of his Azure Dragon form before joining the Anning Guard’s expedition against the Mingguang Sect, which had been accused of rebellion. He learned the accusation was a pretext in a factional struggle, while Mingguang’s leaders remained unaware that the army was approaching.

• Li Rui wrapped his fist in the Azure Dragon and shattered a massive boulder with one blow.
• Tan Hu told Li Rui that the Mingguang Sect’s Clear River branch had been surrounded, and Li Rui joined the Anning Guard’s mobilization.
• Ge Hong explained that the Guard had killed everyone at the branch after receiving a secret imperial edict accusing the sect of treason.
• Ning Zhongtian told Li Rui and Tan Hu that the rebellion charge masked a political struggle involving Vice Minister Liu, and ordered them to withdraw after scouting the sect.
• Liu Qian warned Sect Master Lü Qiu that his uncle, Vice Minister Liu, had been taken to the Three Judicial Offices, but reassured him that powerful allies would protect them.

After Mingguang Sect surrendered to Cao Wei, Ning Zhongtian and Li Rui arrived as its members were led away and reflected on the danger of factional strife. Cao Wei returned to camp with a victory, while Gao Zhen took the sect leader’s daughter away under the pretense of sending her to Clear River.

• Ning Zhongtian told Li Rui and the others that Sect Leader Lu had surrendered Mingguang Sect, and then led his men to the city after deciding not to risk their lives for Cao Wei’s military merit.
• Ning Zhongtian and his officers took women from the shackled Mingguang Sect members, while Li Rui declined to choose one and discussed the dangers of factional conflict with Ning Zhongtian.
• Ning Zhongtian and Li Rui saw Gao Zhen riding with Mingguang Sect’s legitimate daughter, and Ning Zhongtian left rather than confront the well-connected Guard Commander.
• Anning Prefecture and Ministry of Rites officials took over the emptied city, and Cao Wei returned to camp pleased with his easy victory.
• Cao Wei told Gao Zhen to send the sect leader’s daughter to Clear River by a side road, and Gao Zhen agreed while hiding his true thoughts.

Gao Zhen asked Zhuang Renhe to help eliminate people connected to the Immortal Venerable’s dislike of Qinghe’s karma, including Ning Zhongtian, and planned to use factional strife against him. Li Rui discovered that his Evergreen Art helped Liu Tiezhu advance and could feed strength back to him, while Gao Zhen’s attempt to kill Tang Hai was stopped when Ning Zhongtian intervened.

• Gao Zhen told Zhuang Renhe that the Old Ancestor had ordered him to kill several people, and proposed using factional strife to target Ning Zhongtian.
• Zhuang Renhe learned that the Immortal Venerable disliked Qinghe’s karma and reacted with shock to the reason behind the killings.
• Li Rui confirmed that Liu Tiezhu had reached Ninth Rank and realized the Evergreen Art and Profound Clear Qi had helped him cultivate and could benefit Li Rui in return.
• Liu Tiezhu became emotional when Liang He congratulated him, and Li Rui encouraged him to leave his old status behind and build a new life.
• Gao Zhen accused Tang Hai of stealing a military weapon and had his arm cut off, but Li Rui objected and Ning Zhongtian took Tang Hai away.
• Gao Zhen abandoned his attempt to kill Tang Hai after Ning Zhongtian intervened, lamenting that he could not cross another name off his list.

After Gao Zhen framed Tang Hai and severed his arm, Li Rui urged Ning Zhongtian to prepare for factional conflict rather than yield. Li Rui later discovered that the Seeking Immortal Stone detected immortal traces at Gao Residence and went there to find them.

• Tan Hu carried the unconscious Tang Hai to Ning Zhongtian, who ordered him to seek a physician but chose not to pursue Gao Zhen over the attack.
• Li Rui warned Ning Zhongtian that Gao Zhen’s actions were part of factional strife and urged him to strike first and prepare for battle.
• Gao Zhen returned to his residence, revealed that he served the Ghost Underworld Sect and possessed immortal qi, and resolved that his enemies would die.
• Li Rui’s Eye of Wisdom showed intense killing intent, and the Seeking Immortal Stone Yao Xue had given him began glowing green.
• Li Rui followed the stone’s signal through the Anning Guard barracks and stopped outside Gao Residence.

Li Rui learned that Jiang Linxian had killed Ma Feng after Ning Zhongtian exposed his secret arms sales, forcing Gao Zhen to halt his pressure on the Tiger Sprint Riders. As Li Rui returned home to find his disciples thriving, the Eye of Wisdom’s mist suddenly turned a deeper red.

• Li Rui checked the Seeking Immortal Stone near Gao Zhen’s residence and resolved to wait until it revealed who carried immortal traces.
• Tan Hu told Li Rui that Jiang Linxian had executed Ma Feng, a Shen Character Camp officer caught selling weapons to the Northern Barbarians, after Ning Zhongtian sought her support.
• Li Rui warned Tan Hu to observe military etiquette and explained that striking first had made Gao Zhen’s side pay a price and brought Jiang Linxian’s protection.
• Gao Zhen agreed to suspend his actions against Ning Zhongtian’s group, then received a coded message that his senior brother had come to Clear River.
• Liu Tiezhu showed Liang He a saber he had forged, and Li Rui teased him before praising his disciples’ progress.
• Li Rui’s expression tightened when the red in the Eye of Wisdom’s mist suddenly deepened.

Gao Zhen learned that Fifth Senior Brother had arrived in Clear River to help kill Ning Zhongtian, and he grew eager for the immortal qi promised by Blood Shadow Old Ancestor. Meanwhile, Liu Tiezhu forged a Sixth Rank divine blade for Li Rui using the Qi Infusion Method, and Li Rui named it Hidden Edge.

• Gao Zhen met Wu Yun in a secluded pine forest and learned that Fifth Senior Brother had also come to Clear River.
• Gao Zhen recalled Blood Shadow Old Ancestor’s promise of another wisp of immortal qi if he completed the mission to kill Ning Zhongtian.
• Liu Tiezhu forged Dragon Elephant Iron into a blade and used Li Rui’s Profound Clear Qi to perform the Qi Infusion Method.
• Li Rui tested the blade by splitting a boulder cleanly in two, while Liang He and Liu Tiezhu watched.
• Li Rui praised Liu Tiezhu’s work and named the blade Hidden Edge.

After Ten Thousand Poison Ghost killed Anning Guard soldiers, Ge Hong joined Ning Zhongtian and Feng Yu’s force to investigate a sighting near Small River Ditch, hoping to avenge his master. The soldiers fell into a poison-smoke trap, and a sudden Demon Tide erupted around them.

• Wei Ming told Ge Hong and Li Rui that Ten Thousand Poison Ghost had killed Anning Guard soldiers and that the Guard was preparing to apprehend him.
• Ning Zhongtian gathered Ge Hong, Wei Ming, and Li Rui to investigate a report of Ten Thousand Poison Ghost near Small River Ditch, and two units marched out with him and Feng Yu.
• Gao Zhen met Chou Ping and Wu Yun on a mountain, where they pressured him into dividing his immortal qi among them.
• Chou Ping told Gao Zhen that he and Wu Yun would handle the killing, then declared that none of the targets would escape.
• Li Rui fell back in the marching column as the soldiers entered poison smoke, and Ning Zhongtian recognized the attack as a trap.
• Ning Zhongtian and Feng Yu prepared to advance, but animal roars filled the forest and Ning Zhongtian identified a Demon Tide.