Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua began farming a plot of wasteland on his own, hoping to turn it into productive farmland and earn a better life. After his mother brought him pork belly for his first day, he learned his blind, elderly grandmother had been worrying about him, and the chapter left him feeling guilty for eating all the meat.

• A mysterious ring appeared in the sky long ago and plunged into a mountain, where it disappeared without a trace.
• Zhang Xiaohua’s family endured poverty and loss before Zhang Cai obtained a plot of wasteland for him to cultivate.
• At twelve, Zhang Xiaohua began clearing his own field and worked until noon, determined to make it productive.
• Guo Sufi brought Xiaohua pork belly and buns, explaining that Zhang Cai had asked her to reward him for his first day working alone.
• Guo Sufi told Xiaohua that his blind grandmother had spent the morning worrying about him and asked him to come home early.
• After helping his mother down the slope, Zhang Xiaohua regretted eating all the pork belly while his father and brothers went without it.

Zhang Xiaohua worked to reclaim his hillside field and learned that his family planned to dig a well to irrigate it. After several days of well digging, the workers struck stone, leaving Zhang Xiaohua worried that their progress would be wasted as he climbed back down to investigate.

• Zhang Xiaohua injured his hand while clearing rocks from the hillside and hurried home after realizing the field would need water.
• Zhang Cai explained that the family would dig a well in the hollow behind the field, and Zhang Xiaohua resumed leveling the land without worrying about irrigation.
• Zhang Xiaohua found the wooden well frame and learned from Zhang Xiaohu that his family had begun preparing the site.
• Zhang Cai assigned the family tasks, and Zhang Xiaohua and his brothers joined the well diggers as they excavated the hollow.
• Zhang Xiaohua struck stone throughout the bottom of the well, warned Zhang Cai and the well diggers, then climbed back down to keep digging.

Zhang Xiaohua found a strange black bracelet while digging a well, and after wearing it to keep it safe, he continued to experience vivid dreams of flickering lights and unusual energy. The well was widened and the obstructing rock removed, but it still had not found water by the chapter’s end.

• Zhang Xiaohua struck something while digging, then freed a sturdy black ring from his hoe and discovered it was a bracelet.
• Zhang Xiaolong told Zhang Xiaohua that the well could continue if the workers widened its mouth to remove the rock.
• Zhang Xiaohua dreamed of pulsing lights and woke unusually energetic, while the bracelet remained forgotten beneath his bedding.
• The workers widened the well and removed the rock, but the well still produced no water as winter approached.
• After hearing that Mr. Wu’s family found pearls and agates in a chest while digging their well, Zhang Xiaohua showed his family his bracelet, which they dismissed as a toy.
• Zhang Xiaohua slipped the bracelet onto his wrist before sleeping, where it fit snugly, while his dreams continued to fill with flickering lights.

After Zhang Cai’s family completed their well, news of bandits slaughtering the Wu family cast a shadow over the New Year. Zhang Cai then took his sons to the crowded New Year fair in Lu Town, while Zhang Xiaohua’s dream seemed to grow clearer.

• Zhang Cai’s family finished digging their well as winter began, and Zhang Cai prepared extra New Year provisions while Guo Sufi continued seeking a match for their eldest son.
• On New Year’s Eve, villagers learned that One-Eyed’s bandits had burned the Wu family alive and abducted a woman after discovering treasure in their home.
• Zhang Cai refused to let his sons go to Xin Village, and the family spent a subdued New Year’s Eve fearing for their own safety.
• After the New Year, Zhang Cai took his three sons to the Lu Town fair while Guo Sufi stayed home to care for Zhang Xiaohua’s grandmother.
• Zhang Xiaohua was overwhelmed by the crowds filling Lu Town’s main street.

Zhang Xiaolong and his family went to Lu Town’s New Year market, where they helped two village sisters choose cloth. When the sisters were harassed by Master Zhao and his men, the Zhang family tried to rescue them but was beaten and trapped.

• Zhang Cai took Zhang Xiaolong, Zhang Xiaohu, and Zhang Xiaohua through the crowded market and struggled to choose cloth for the family.
• Two village sisters offered to help Zhang Cai select fabric in exchange for Zhang Xiaolong trying on clothes for their absent brother.
• Zhang Xiaohua spotted the sisters being harassed by two young masters, and Zhang Xiaolong rushed over to pull them free.
• Master Zhao and his companion accused the sisters of stepping on a shoe and demanded five taels of silver, while Zhang Cai tried to calm them.
• When Master Zhao ordered his servants to attack, Zhang Cai and his sons fought back, but the servants knocked them down and beat them.
• Zhang Xiaohua tried to escape with the sisters, but a bodyguard blocked their way, and servants pinned him against a wall as he watched his father and brothers being beaten.

Zhang Xiaohua watched his family suffer until Wen Wenhai and a veiled woman in purple intervened, forcing the bullies to apologize and pay compensation. After the group left Lu Town, Wen Wenhai examined Zhang Cai and the others’ injuries.

• Zhang Xiaohua’s family and two village girls were beaten and harassed by the servants and sons of a local commander.
• Wen Wenhai jumped down from the wall and defeated the servants, while his Junior Sister in purple challenged Zhao Quansheng and the two young masters.
• Wen Wenhai showed Zhao Quansheng a token, prompting the young masters to apologize and pay Zhang Cai’s family two hundred taels of silver.
• Wen Wenhai and the woman in purple led Zhang Cai’s group out of Lu Town to a stream, where they washed and checked their injuries.
• Wen Wenhai introduced himself to Zhang Cai and examined the family’s injuries.

Wen Wenhai treated Zhang Cai’s family, gave them medicine and a token to protect the compensation money, then left with his veiled junior sister. Zhang Cai brought the injured family and the two rescued girls home to Guo Village, where Old Chen set Zhang Xiaolong’s broken arm.

• Wen Wenhai examined Zhang Cai’s family, gave them healing medicine and silver, and handed Zhang Cai a sect token to use if the people who paid the compensation returned.
• Zhang Xiaohua remained fascinated by Wen Wenhai’s swordsmanship as Wen Wenhai and his junior sister departed.
• Zhang Cai invited Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue to stay at his home in Guo Village for the night.
• Guo Sufi brought Zhang Xiaolong to Old Chen, who set his fractured arm and told the family to return in half a month.

After the attack, Zhang Cai’s family treated their injuries and sheltered Liu Qian and the other girl, while Zhang Cai explained why they had to keep the money and token for now. In Lu Town, Third Brother Zhao revealed that the Misty token belonged to the Misty Sect, leaving the wealthy merchants and the two fat men terrified of the trouble they had caused.

• Zhang Cai’s family found places for Liu Qian and the other girl to sleep, and Zhang Cai gave his sons the healing medicine Wen Wenhai had left behind.
• Zhang Cai told Guo Sufi what had happened and urged her to keep the token and banknotes rather than risk trying to return them.
• Wen Wenhai and his junior sister retrieved their horses and rode on toward their destination.
• Zhao Quansheng reported the encounter to the Fierce Tiger Gang leader and the wealthy merchants, and the leader recognized the word “Misty” on the token.
• Third Brother Zhao struck the two fat men and warned them not to reclaim the money because it had bought their lives.
• Third Brother Zhao explained that the Lotus Escort Agency was a branch of the Outer Hall of the Misty Sect, shocking the two fat men.

Zhao Quansheng reported that members of the Misty Sect had arrived in Lu Town, while Situ Ping guided Young Master Ma into the mountains toward Five Claw Peak. Wen Wenhai and his junior sister also approached the mountain, and Young Master Ma revealed that others would meet them at the first peak before they ventured toward a dangerous jujube forest.

• Third Brother Zhao advised the merchant to end the dispute, punish his sons publicly, and warn the gang leader that someone from the Misty Sect had appeared in Lu Town.
• Zhao Quansheng sent the report by carrier pigeon, and Hall Master Situ received it but could not locate Gang Leader Situ.
• Situ Ping guided Young Master Ma toward Five Claw Peak while Wen Wenhai and his junior sister rested before entering the mountains.
• Situ Ping told Young Master Ma that a vast jujube forest on the Nameless Finger was said to contain man-eating beasts, and that her gang's wolfdog had disappeared there.
• Young Master Ma asked Situ Ping to lead him to the dangerous place and said they would first meet others at the first peak of Five Claw Peak.

Situ Ping guided Ma Xiangyang, Wen Wenhai, Xue Qing, Tan Wen, and Tan Wu to a wild jujube forest on Five Claw Peak under Hermit Yanming’s command. Before leading them into the forest, Hermit Yanming began explaining how the four forces had uncovered the mystery, recalling an encounter at Wutong Mountain.

• Ma Xiangyang, Situ Ping, Wen Wenhai, Xue Qing, Tan Wen, and Tan Wu gathered at Five Claw Peak and waited for Hermit Yanming.
• Hermit Yanming arrived, introduced himself, and declared that he would command their operation.
• Ma Xiangyang assembled the four map pieces, and Situ Ping identified the marked spot as a wild jujube forest where a wolfdog had disappeared.
• Situ Ping led the group to the forest, where Hermit Yanming had them rest and began explaining the One-Armed Sword God’s history.
• Hermit Yanming recounted meeting Wan Chengjiu, Ou Peng, and Tan Yefeng at Dragon God Temple before they traveled to Wutong Mountain and encountered something strange.

Hermit Yanming told Xue Qing, Situ Ping, and the others how he and three fellow masters received a treasure map from a dying beggar and traced it to Stone Man Peak. After explaining the rules for dividing the treasure, he led the group to the forest’s edge, where a shadow flashed between two trees as the sun rose.

• Hermit Yanming recounted how an old beggar gave him and three companions pieces of a hide map and a booklet before dying.
• Hermit Yanming explained that the map led to Qu Da’s treasure in the wild jujube grove and that Qu Da had lived to be one hundred and twenty.
• Hermit Yanming said the four masters sent trusted disciples to Stone Man Peak and promised them any personal opportunities they found.
• Wen Wenhai proposed settling disputes over the treasure with martial arts, and Xue Qing guessed that Hermit Yanming had chosen rock paper scissors.
• Hermit Yanming hurried the group to the forest’s edge, where a shadow darted between two trees and sped back toward Stone Man Peak as the sun rose.

After witnessing his family and Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue suffer at the hands of bullies, Zhang Xiaohua resolved to learn martial arts so he could protect himself and others. He and a villager traveled to Baligou to tell the girls’ families they were safe, where Liu Yueyue’s father mistook him for a kidnapper.

• Zhang Xiaohua reflected on the previous day’s violence and decided he needed martial arts and strength to protect his family and help others.
• Zhang Xiaohua greeted his grandmother and joined Guo Sufi, Liu Qian, and Liu Yueyue in the courtyard while his father and brothers recovered from their injuries.
• Zhang Cai suggested sending word to the girls’ families, and Zhang Xiaohua set out for Baligou with a village man.
• At Baligou, a local resident led Zhang Xiaohua and his companion to Mr. Liu’s courtyard after hearing they had news of Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue.
• Liu the Butcher grabbed Zhang Xiaohua by the neck, mistaking him for a kidnapper, until Mr. Liu told him to let the boy speak.

Zhang Xiaohua told Liu the Butcher, Mr. Liu, and Liu Kai how Liu Yueyue and Liu Qian had survived, and set out with Liu the Butcher to return to Guo Village. Meanwhile, Hermit Yanming led Ma Xiangyang, Wen Wenhai, Xue, Situ Ping, and the Tan Brothers into the Sour Jujube Forest, where Situ Ping spotted something ahead.

• Zhang Xiaohua described how he and his family had rescued Liu Yueyue and Liu Qian, reassuring their relatives that the girls were safe in Guo Village.
• Mr. Liu, Liu the Butcher, and Liu Kai thanked Zhang Xiaohua and planned to bring the girls home; after lunch, Zhang Xiaohua and his companion left with Liu the Butcher for Guo Village.
• Hermit Yanming had the group smear blood on their hides, revealing directions that he arranged into an incantation for entering the Sour Jujube Forest.
• Hermit Yanming marked two Sour Jujube Trees and led the group into the misty forest, with the others following in the order he assigned.
• Situ Ping suddenly called the group's attention to something ahead.

Situ Ping became separated from the group after stumbling outside the Sour Jujube Trees and discovered that the forest could hide people from one another. Hermit Yanming led everyone safely into the Secret Realm, where they found a steaming lake, precious medicinal fields, and a stone house containing mysterious objects and three faded paintings.

• Situ Ping stumbled outside the space between two Sour Jujube Trees and could no longer see or hear the others until Hermit Yanming guided her back with Secretive Sound Transmission.
• Hermit Yanming led the group through the forest by following the mnemonic verse, and they emerged into the Secret Realm.
• Tan Wu tested the lake with an egg, which cooked in the hot water, so the group abandoned any thought of entering it.
• Hermit Yanming pointed out valuable medicinal herbs around the stone house, and the group continued inside to investigate.
• The group found a spacious hall with tables, Brocade Boxes, an incense burner, and three faded paintings whose subjects they could not identify.

Hermit Yanming led the factions in dividing the Secret Realm’s treasures and gathering medicinal herbs before guiding them out of the realm. As they entered the jujube forest, a snake-headed monster surfaced from the lake and watched them leave.

• Hermit Yanming searched the hall for mechanisms, then oversaw the four factions taking one Brocade Box each without opening them.
• The factions used rock paper scissors to decide who would receive the sealed stone box, and Xue Qing won it for the Misty Sect.
• The group failed to open the stone box, so Wen Wenhai stored it away.
• Hermit Yanming led everyone in dividing mature medicinal herbs among their factions, then let each person pick three kinds for personal use.
• Hermit Yanming guided the group into the jujube forest to leave the Secret Realm, while a snake-headed monster surfaced from the lake and watched them go.

After the treasure hunt ended, Zhang Xiaohua returned to Guo Village with Liu the Butcher and reunited with his family. As Zhang Xiaolong recovered from his injuries, Liu Qian grew closer to him, and Guo Sufi began to see her as a promising daughter-in-law.

• Hermit Yanming dismissed the young heroes at Thumb Peak and invited their masters to meet him on the Second day of the second lunar month.
• Wen Wenhai apologized to Situ Ping for interfering in Lu Town, and Situ Ping accompanied Ma Xiangyang to Ten Thousand Sword Peak.
• Liu Yueyue tearfully reunited with Liu the Butcher at the Zhang home, while Zhang Xiaohua found Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu recovering from their injuries.
• Liu the Butcher thanked Zhang Xiaolong for protecting Liu Qian, and the two families teased the injured brothers about a possible match.
• Zhang Xiaohua left Zhang Xiaolong and Liu Qian alone, and Liu Qian began to feel attached to him.
• The next morning, Guo Sufi admired Liu Qian's looks and household skills and considered her a good candidate for a daughter-in-law.

Liu Qian's father and brother visited the Zhang family to thank them for saving Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue, but Zhang Cai refused their offers of money. Liu Qian proposed that she and Liu Yueyue stay to care for the injured Zhang family, and after the girls returned home, the Zhangs wondered whether Liu Qian could come to like Zhang Xiaolong.

• Mr. Liu and Liu Kai arrived with gifts and thanked the Zhang family for protecting Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue.
• Zhang Cai refused Mr. Liu's offer of silver for the family's injuries, so Liu Qian proposed that she and Liu Yueyue help care for the household instead.
• Mr. Liu and Liu Kai visited the injured Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohu, and Mr. Liu praised Zhang Xiaolong before leaving with the two girls.
• After the guests departed, the Zhang family missed the girls' lively presence and discussed Liu Qian's background and whether she might like Zhang Xiaolong.
• Zhang Xiaolong lay awake all night, troubled by his injuries or worries.

Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing hurried back to the Misty Sect with their precious herbs, avoiding a roadside tea stall and pushing their exhausted horses until they collapsed. Oupeng and the sect’s disciples received them safely, and the party entered the sect to discuss business in the Council Hall.

• Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing rode day and night toward Misty Sect territory, wary that other factions might learn what they carried.
• Wen Wenhai passed up a roadside tea stall, and Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother recognized his caution before riding after him.
• Wen Wenhai’s horse collapsed from exhaustion, so he fired a Signal Arrow; Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother arrived and said they had been sent to receive him and Xue Qing.
• Oupeng arrived with his wife and an armed escort, welcomed Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing, and arranged for a replacement horse for Xue Qing.
• Oupeng led the party past Pingyang City to the Misty Sect manor, where Zhang Chengyue and the disciples welcomed him.
• Oupeng dismissed the gathered disciples and led Wen Wenhai, Xue Qing, and the others into the Council Hall, while a passerby who had followed them rode off to report what he had seen.

Ou Peng examined the treasures Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing brought back and ordered the Misty Sect to safeguard them as its highest secret. The chapter ended with him summoning the Medicine Hall’s leaders after discovering an abundance of precious herbs.

• Wen Wenhai recounted the journey and placed the Brocade Box and gathered herbs before Ou Peng.
• Ou Peng found a sword manual and ordered Zhang Chengyue to copy it and preserve it in the Library Pavilion, while Sixth Brother selected disciples to learn its art.
• Ou Peng identified Qi Boosting Pills and Bone-Strengthening Pills, then revealed that the final bottle supposedly held legendary Longevity Pills.
• Ou Peng warned everyone to keep the treasures secret and wondered whether the other three sects had received the same items.
• Ou Peng examined the precious medicinal herbs and ordered Zhang Chengyue to summon the Medicine Hall’s master and elders.

Ouyang Peng and the Misty Sect examined rare medicinal herbs from the Secret Realm and learned that some could be ingredients for cultivation-boosting pills. They struggled to open an indestructible box and left the chapter with Ouyang Peng striking it using Water Severer infused with his Misty Divine Art.

• Hall Master Bai and Elder He Yunpu identified the herbs as exceptionally rare and said Dragon Slaying Grass and Peacock Grass could help refine cultivation-boosting pills, so Ouyang Peng sent them to study the herbs and ordered the Medicine Hall protected.
• Ouyang Peng summoned Shi Yukun to examine the box, but the Divine Mechanism Hall master could not open it and suggested calling Shi Niu.
• Shi Niu struck the box with his Great Strength Vajra Hand, driving it into the stone floor without damaging it.
• Ouyang Peng ordered Shi Yukun to bring Water Severer and watched the saber fail to damage the box.
• Ouyang Peng infused Water Severer with his Misty Divine Art and slashed at the box.