Chapter Summaries

Peacock became inexplicably captivated by Ren Xiaoyao, then struck him during a supposed test of his martial arts. After he pretended to be injured, she offered him a Jade Return Pill, leaving their first encounter uneasy and unresolved.

• Peacock saw Ren Xiaoyao and lost her composure, while Ren sensed something was wrong and concealed his cultivation.
• Peacock recognized Ren as the arena champion and abruptly attacked him to test his martial arts.
• Ren disguised his true power and let Peacock's palm send him flying through Elder Zhang's pill-room door.
• Ren pretended to have suffered an internal injury, and Peacock showed concern while asking what martial art he practiced.
• Peacock explained that she had been rash, then gave Ren a Jade Return Pill, shocking Valley Master Nie and Elder Zhang.

After Lord Kong gave Zhang Xiaohua Jade Return Pills and confirmed his journey to the Incense-Passing Cult, Valley Master Nie warned him about Qiangshi and asked him to protect Hui Chun Valley. Zhang Xiaohua agreed and prepared to leave the valley the next morning, still focused on finding news of his brother.

• Lord Kong gave Zhang Xiaohua a Jade Return Pill and told him to recover before departing the next morning.
• Zhang Xiaohua gave two Jade Return Pills to Valley Master Nie, then revealed that his apparent injury was only a bitten lip.
• Valley Master Nie confirmed that Zhang Xiaohua would travel to the Incense-Passing Cult with nine medicine boys from Hui Chun Valley.
• Valley Master Nie explained Qiangshi's suspicious place among the group and asked Zhang Xiaohua to stop him if he threatened Hui Chun Valley.
• Zhang Xiaohua agreed to watch Qiangshi and decided to follow the Incense-Passing Cult's arrangements while seeking news of his brother.

As Zhang Xiaohua prepared to leave Hui Chun Valley, he and Peacock privately struggled with the feelings stirred by their encounter, while Nie Qianyu grieved over his departure. Valley Master Nie tried to reassure his daughter by revealing Zhang Xiaohua’s gift of five Crimson Flame Pills, but his words left her pale and despairing.

• Zhang Xiaohua reflected on what he had gained in Hui Chun Valley and studied his cultivation-concealment technique before leaving the next morning.
• Peacock recalled her unexpected attraction to Zhang Xiaohua and tried to dismiss it as an attachment she needed to overcome.
• Nie Qianyu mourned Zhang Xiaohua’s impending departure as Xiao Juzi watched over her.
• Valley Master Nie comforted Nie Qianyu and explained that he had done what he could to help her and Zhang Xiaohua.
• Valley Master Nie revealed that Zhang Xiaohua had refined a Crimson Flame Pill and given five of the six pills to Hui Chun Valley.
• Nie Qianyu wondered whether Zhang Xiaohua had given up the pills for her, but turned pale when her father suggested she needed to improve her martial strength most.

Valley Master Nie tried to persuade Nie Qianyu to accept a Crimson Flame Pill, but she recognized that he needed it more to break through his cultivation bottleneck and advance Hui Chun Valley’s pill-making. He encouraged her hopes for Zhang Xiaohua, gave her a Jade Return Pill, and left her wondering why Lord Kong had tested Zhang Xiaohua.

• Nie Qianyu refused the Crimson Flame Pill after explaining that Valley Master Nie needed it to break through his cultivation bottleneck and help Hui Chun Valley refine medicinal pills.
• Valley Master Nie told Nie Qianyu that her return had restored her genuine happiness and that he had risked Hui Chun Valley’s interests to give her and Zhang Xiaohua time together.
• Valley Master Nie encouraged Nie Qianyu not to give up on Zhang Xiaohua, then gave her a Jade Return Pill for protection.
• Valley Master Nie recounted how Lord Kong had injured Zhang Xiaohua while testing him, and Nie Qianyu worried about his condition before learning he was unharmed.
• Nie Qianyu questioned why Lord Kong had tested Zhang Xiaohua, but Valley Master Nie avoided answering and left her with Zhang Xiaohua’s usual weapon.

Zhang Xiaohua prepared to leave Hui Chun Valley with the Incense-Passing Cult convoy, while Nie Qianyu came to see him off despite the rain and cold. Before they parted, he reassured her and persuaded her to keep the pills she had offered him; the story left them facing their imminent farewell.

• Nie Qianyu decided to make needlework instead of visiting Zhang Xiaohua, while he studied his incantation and cultivated through the rainy night.
• At dawn, Nie Qianyu and Xiao Juzi waited outside Zhang Xiaohua's pill room with Huanhuan, and Zhang Xiaohua hurried out to greet them.
• Zhang Xiaohua loaded his bundle and Prajna Heavy Sword onto Huanhuan, then walked with Nie Qianyu toward the Incense-Passing Cult convoy.
• Nie Qianyu offered Zhang Xiaohua Crimson Flame Pills and Jade Return Pills, but he claimed he had enough and urged her to keep them secret.
• As Peacock and the others waited by the carriage, Nie Qianyu tearfully urged Zhang Xiaohua to go, and he prepared to join the convoy.

Zhang Xiaohua said a tearful farewell to Nie Qianyu before leaving Hui Chun Valley with the Incense-Passing Cult convoy. After giving her the Big Dipper Sect’s internal cultivation method and revealing his real name, Zhang Xiaohua caught up with the convoy and bade farewell to Valley Master Nie and the others.

• Zhang Xiaohua started to leave with Huanhuan as the Incense-Passing Cult convoy departed, but Nie Qianyu ran after him and fell into the mud.
• Nie Qianyu gave Zhang Xiaohua a handmade silk pouch containing a lock of her hair, and they embraced as the convoy continued on.
• Zhang Xiaohua secretly taught Nie Qianyu the Big Dipper Sect’s internal cultivation method and told her to keep it secret.
• Zhang Xiaohua revealed that his real name was Zhang Xiaohua, then rode Huanhuan after the convoy while Nie Qianyu watched him go.
• Zhang Xiaohua caught up with the convoy, thanked Valley Master Nie, and promised to help Hui Chun Valley if it ever needed him.

Zhang Xiaohua left Hui Chun Valley and traveled with Steward Yang toward the Incense-Passing Cult, where Yang warned him about his low status and urged him to remain loyal to Xiao Yu. The chapter ended with Yang suspecting that Lord Kong favored Zhang Xiaohua and threatening him against pursuing her.

• Zhang Xiaohua said farewell to Valley Master Nie and the Hui Chun Valley party, then rode Four Unlike to catch up with Steward Yang.
• Nie Qianrong worried that Zhang Xiaohua might bring trouble to Hui Chun Valley, but Valley Master Nie insisted that his kindness outweighed the risks.
• Nie Qianxiu accused Zhang Xiaohua of using Hui Chun Valley as a springboard into the Incense-Passing Cult, while Valley Master Nie dismissed her concerns and sent her and Qiangsheng away.
• Steward Yang reminded Zhang Xiaohua that he was Xiao Yu's future husband and warned him that a medicine boy held low status in the Incense-Passing Cult.
• Steward Yang questioned Zhang Xiaohua about Lord Kong's unusual behavior toward him, then threatened to punish him if he pursued her or betrayed Xiao Yu.

Zhang Xiaohua listened as Steward Yang warned him to avoid Lord Kong and promised to watch over him, then took responsibility for guarding the convoy’s rear. As he tried to conceal his identity before reaching the Incense-Passing Cult, a young man in the last carriage greeted him as “Little Aunt’s Husband.”

• Steward Yang promised to help Zhang Xiaohua advance in the Incense-Passing Cult and warned him not to get involved with Lord Kong.
• Zhang Xiaohua agreed to keep their relationship secret, and Steward Yang explained where Hui Chun Valley’s carriages were positioned in the convoy.
• An escort disciple mocked Zhang Xiaohua over his injuries and Jade Return Pills, then assigned him to watch the convoy’s rear.
• Steward Yang learned Zhang Xiaohua had given the Jade Return Pills to Valley Master Nie and lamented that he had not asked for any.
• Zhang Xiaohua rode toward the rear of the convoy while worrying about concealing himself from Lord Kong and finding news of Second Brother.
• A handsome young man leaned out of the final carriage and respectfully called Zhang Xiaohua “Little Aunt’s Husband.”

Zhang Xiaohua traveled with the Incense-Passing Cult convoy, where Qiangshi persistently called him Little Aunt's Husband and the cult’s disciples treated him as a mere medicine boy. After two days on the road, Zhang Xiaohua sensed danger ahead on a rugged path.

• Qiangshi called Zhang Xiaohua Little Aunt's Husband and promised to use Young Master Ren when others were present, but Zhang Xiaohua told him to stop making such claims.
• Zhang Xiaohua rode Four Unlike beside the convoy and learned from Qiangshi that the privilege might reflect special treatment from the Incense-Passing Cult.
• An Incense-Passing Cult disciple told Zhang Xiaohua to guard only his own family's carriages and corrected him for calling the disciple senior brother.
• The convoy traveled west along winding paths and rested at places already prepared by the Incense-Passing Cult, while Zhang Xiaohua shared a room with Qiangshi.
• As the convoy crossed a rugged path, Zhang Xiaohua sensed danger ahead with his divine sense.

Zhang Xiaohua traveled with the Incense-Passing Cult convoy as sects along the route tried and failed to win the Envoy’s favor. After nearly a month, he sensed a man in green standing on an aerial cableway ahead.

• Mao Qi of Vast Sky Dock tried to host Lord Kong and the convoy, but Lord Kong refused and ordered his followers to drive away such petitioners.
• After spotting Zhang Xiaohua on Four Unlike, Xiao San recognized him as Ren Xiaoyao, the youth who had won Hui Chun Valley’s martial contest for marriage.
• Mao Qi and Xiao San decided to consult the Falling Star Alliance about Ren Xiaoyao’s presence in the convoy, then returned home with the food and wine they had prepared.
• Over the next twenty days, the convoy passed many sects seeking its favor, while Zhang Xiaohua reflected on their submissive behavior.
• After nearly a month of travel, Zhang Xiaohua made a breakthrough in the Spirit Guiding Technique mnemonic formula and sensed a man in green standing on a swaying aerial cableway several miles ahead.

Peacock confronted Liang Cangxu, who blocked the Incense-Passing Cult convoy and threatened to kill her and her followers. They began fighting on the rope bridge, leaving Zhang Xiaohua watching as Liang Cangxu intercepted Peacock’s thrust with his second saber.

• Zhang Xiaohua sensed a man in blue waiting on a rope bridge and later realized he intended to attack the Incense-Passing Cult convoy.
• Liang Cangxu ordered the convoy to stop and challenged Lord Kong, threatening to kill her and throw the others into the ravine.
• Peacock secured the convoy and went to face Liang Cangxu on the bridge while Zhang Xiaohua watched from the rear.
• Liang Cangxu drew twin steel sabers, and Peacock drew her flexible sword before stepping onto the swaying bridge.
• Liang Cangxu attacked Peacock with his right saber, and she thrust at his throat before he blocked her sword with his left saber.

Peacock and Liang Cangxu fought to a standstill on a suspension bridge, then revealed sword radiance and Blade Aura as their battle escalated. While the Incense-Passing Cult disciples watched, Zhang Xiaohua secretly left the carriage and used Earth Escape to reach a nearby mountain, where he watched the duel from cover.

• Peacock and Liang Cangxu exchanged rapid attacks on the bridge chains, and Zhang Xiaohua recognized their techniques as exceptionally difficult to read.
• As the fight continued, Peacock's swordplay seemed to outmatch Liang Cangxu's saber techniques, but her stamina began to wane.
• Peacock and Liang Cangxu took pills to replenish their inner strength and traded remarks about whether Liang belonged to the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
• Peacock summoned sword radiance, and Liang answered by manifesting Blade Aura on his twin sabers.
• Zhang Xiaohua pretended he needed to relieve himself, slipped away unnoticed, and used Earth Escape to watch the duel from a nearby mountain.

Peacock pursued Liang Cangxu across the rope bridge, unaware that two more fighters were waiting to ambush her on the far side. As Zhang Xiaohua tunneled to intervene, he discovered a hidden cave and triggered a transformation into a grand hall, where his divine sense revealed something that horrified him.

• Peacock and Liang Cangxu fought evenly until her sword radiance broke his saber, and she chased him across the bridge.
• Zhang Xiaohua spotted two men resembling Liang Cangxu waiting with Blade Aura on the far side and decided to go help Peacock.
• Zhang Xiaohua tunneled beneath the ravine and emerged inside a cave containing a towering skeleton and a black jade slip and red ring.
• Zhang Xiaohua took the two items, causing the skeleton to crumble and black gas to transform the cave into a grand hall.
• Zhang Xiaohua released his divine sense and turned deathly pale at what he sensed.

Zhang Xiaohua escaped the black vapor after the rooster talisman absorbed it, then hurried to help the badly wounded Peacock. He secretly set up a formation around Peacock and her attackers, but she collapsed before he could intervene openly.

• Black vapor invaded Zhang Xiaohua's Niwan Palace, but the rooster talisman devoured it and became easier for him to examine.
• Zhang Xiaohua used Chasing Dreams to pierce the black vapor and tunneled away from the illusion.
• Zhang Xiaohua emerged several li from the cave and found Peacock gravely wounded while Liang Cangxu and two other men besieged her.
• Zhang Xiaohua concealed himself underground and planted three small flags, forming a barrier around the four fighters.
• Peacock's strength failed, and she collapsed as Liang Cangxu and the others prepared to strike.

Zhang Xiaohua used the Flag Gate Three Talents Formation to drive Liang Cangxu and his companions away from Peacock, but the formation collapsed before he could trap them. After ensuring Peacock was guarded, he returned to the caravan and tried to convince Steward Yang that her long absence might mean she needed help.

• Peacock saw Liang Cangxu and the other two men trapped in strange illusions, while she remained unharmed and feared she had entered a formation.
• Liang Cangxu and his companions escaped when Zhang Xiaohua's formation collapsed, then fled without attacking Peacock.
• Peacock treated her bleeding wounds, took a medicinal pill, and began regulating her breath.
• Zhang Xiaohua collected the small flags, left Dream-Chaser to watch over Peacock, and returned to the caravan.
• Zhang Xiaohua questioned Steward Yang about Peacock's absence and suggested that the lack of an attack might mean she had succeeded, though her failure to return could still signal trouble.

Steward Yang followed Zhang Xiaohua’s advice to cross the rope bridge and guard the injured Peacock, earning her gratitude before the convoy resumed its journey. After camping overnight, the convoy received unexpected support from people sent ahead when Peacock’s warning reached them.

• Steward Yang crossed the rope bridge and found Peacock recovering after her fight, then stood guard until she finished healing.
• Peacock thanked Steward Yang and ordered him to call the Wuming Hall disciples across so the convoy could continue.
• Peacock sent a disciple ahead to warn the other envoys that the Heavenly Dragon Sect might attack again, and the convoy traveled onward before camping for the night.
• Zhang Xiaohua organized the Hui Chun Valley medicine boys’ tent, and Steward Yang thanked him for his earlier advice.
• The next morning, a group of people and horses arrived from ahead to support the convoy after hearing of Peacock’s situation.

Zhang Xiaohua mastered the concealment incantation as the convoy neared Dianchi Lake, while Peacock’s junior sisters arrived to help her and learned about the young Ren Xiaoyao traveling with the group. Peacock agreed to let them meet him only after they promised to keep his identity secret.

• Zhang Xiaohua concealed his cultivation and divine sense after breaking through the incantation’s bottleneck.
• Peacock’s junior sisters, led by Chen Chen, caught up with the convoy and checked on her injuries.
• Xia Qing considered whether the battle Peacock described involved the Three Talents Formation, but Peacock could not explain why she had seen events outside it.
• Xia Qing and the other junior sisters gave Peacock medicine, including Jade Return Pills, to help treat her injuries.
• Peacock told her junior sisters about Nie Qianyu, Zhang Xiaohua, and the events at Hui Chun Valley.
• Chen Chen demanded to meet Ren Xiaoyao, and Peacock agreed only after the women promised not to reveal his presence.

Kong Que introduced Zhang Xiaohua to her junior sisters, who were eager to hear how he had helped Nie Qianyu. After Chen Chen persuaded him to call her and the others sisters, Zhang Xiaohua agreed to tell them the story, while Kong Que felt unexpectedly comfortable being addressed as Sister Kong.

• Kong Que told the inner sect disciples about Zhang Xiaohua's arrival at the Incense-Passing Cult and his help for Nie Qianyu, prompting them to ask to meet him.
• The sisters questioned Kong Que about Four Unlike and the belongings traveling with Zhang Xiaohua, and Kong Que wondered whether her first strong impression of him had been love at first sight.
• Zhang Xiaohua met the sisters and bantered with Chen Chen about his age and how to address them.
• Zhang Xiaohua recognized Chen Chen's name from the Martial Arts Tournament at Misty Mountain Villa but decided she could not have identified him through Zhang Xiaohu.
• Chen Chen made Zhang Xiaohua call her Sister Chen and teased him about revealing every detail of his journey with Nie Qianyu.
• Kong Que explained that the sisters wanted to hear Zhang Xiaohua's story, then allowed him to call them sisters; he addressed Kong Que as Sister Kong, which pleased her.

Zhang Xiaohua endured Chen Chen’s teasing about Nie Qianyu, then kept a low profile as the convoy continued toward the Incense-Passing Cult. The group reached a vast mountain lake that appeared to be the cult’s gateway, and Zhang Xiaohua wondered how they would proceed.

• Zhang Xiaohua told Chen Chen and the other disciples a partly embellished account of his journey with Nie Qianyu and Xiao Juzi, and Chen Chen teased him about his feelings for Nie Qianyu.
• The Peacock ended their conversation so the convoy could resume its journey, while Chen Chen defended her decision to call Zhang Xiaohua her younger brother.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to the carriage and told Qiangshi what had happened, then avoided the inner sect disciples and stayed inside to cultivate after Steward Yang warned him to keep his distance.
• The convoy traveled on for several days as more disciples joined, and Zhang Xiaohua noticed that male disciples of all ages addressed the female disciples as Senior Sister.
• After passing a narrow plank road around a mountain, the convoy arrived at a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, and Zhang Xiaohua suspected the round lake was connected to the cult’s entrance.

Peacock and the other Incense-Passing Cult disciples reached Dianchi Lake, where Abbess Qingleng examined Peacock’s injuries and gave her a rare Meridian Nourishing Pill to test against Blade Aura damage. The group also discussed the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s attack and an unknown helper who had secretly rescued them.

• Steward Lu welcomed Peacock’s convoy and directed her to meet Abbess Qingleng, while arranging lodgings for the others.
• Abbess Qingleng greeted Peacock and the disciples, then asked Peacock to explain the ambush and her severe meridian injuries.
• Peacock described Liang Cangxu and his companions’ attack, prompting Abbess Qingleng to suspect the Heavenly Dragon Sect had a Blade Aura master and to recommend warning the Sect Leader.
• Abbess Qingleng gave Peacock a rare Meridian Nourishing Pill to take during practice that night and asked her to report its effects.
• Abbess Qingleng concluded that an unknown master had intervened to rescue Peacock’s group, and Xia Qing asked whether several people had helped them.