Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua visited Ji Xiaohua’s impoverished home and saw the sacrifices Madam Zhang made for her son. He gave Ji Xiaohua ten thousand copper coins and five taels of silver as thanks, while reassuring Madam Zhang that he did not intend to take the boy away; she struggled to understand his generosity.

• Ji Xiaohua brought Zhang Xiaohua home, where Madam Zhang urged her son to return to work at the tea stall for steady income.
• Zhang Xiaohua overheard Ji Xiaohua coaxing his sick mother to eat pastries and was reminded of his own family and grandmother.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Madam Zhang to speak with him privately and explained that Ji Xiaohua had helped him greatly.
• Zhang Xiaohua gave Madam Zhang a sack containing ten strings of copper coins and a bundle of five taels of silver, saying the money was for Ji Xiaohua.
• Madam Zhang refused the gift at first, fearing Zhang Xiaohua meant to take her son away, but he assured her Ji Xiaohua would stay with her.
• Madam Zhang asked why Zhang Xiaohua was being so kind, unable to understand his reason for giving them the money.

Zhang Xiaohua reassured Madam Zhang that his money was a sincere gift, then tested Ji Xiaohua’s Four Unlike, Huanhuan, and found it strong enough to serve as his mount. He arranged compensation for Huanhuan and Old Father Hao before heading into the family’s dilapidated kitchen shed.

• Zhang Xiaohua explained to Madam Zhang that memories of his own mother and Ji Xiaohua’s help had moved him to give the family money.
• Ji Xiaohua returned with Huanhuan and apologized for hiding that he could offer the animal to Zhang Xiaohua.
• Zhang Xiaohua tested Huanhuan’s strength, rode it, and decided it could help with his transportation needs.
• Zhang Xiaohua gave Ji Xiaohua a banknote to buy replacement livestock for Old Father Hao, while leaving the other money for Ji Xiaohua’s family.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked to use the family’s empty kitchen shed and went inside.

Zhang Xiaohua gave Ji Xiaohua a jade charm for his sick mother and rode Huanhuan out of town toward Pingyang City. At sunset, he encountered Old Xu and the bandits who had planned to rob him, and they surrounded him on the road.

• Zhang Xiaohua gave Ji Xiaohua a piece of jade and told him it could help Madam Zhang recover, then revealed his name before leaving on Huanhuan.
• Ji Xiaohua memorized the route to Huanxi Mountain Villa and returned home with his mother and the jade.
• Zhang Xiaohua rode Huanhuan out of Songning Town, praised the creature as a spirit beast, and promised to feed and care for it.
• As darkness fell, Zhang Xiaohua heard Old Xu and several men discussing their plan to rob and kill the wealthy young traveler they had tricked.
• Old Xu recognized Zhang Xiaohua as the target, and the men spread out on their horses to surround him.

Zhang Xiaohua killed four murderous bandits with his flying sword and continued traveling with Huanhuan, cultivating along the way. The chapter ended with a voice accusing a fleeing person ahead of being a thief from the Misty Sect.

• Zhang Xiaohua killed Xiao Jing and two other bandits with his flying sword, then pursued Old Xu with Huanhuan and killed him as well.
• The government discovered the four bandits’ bodies the next day and uncovered their many crimes, prompting a crackdown on criminal forces in Songning Town.
• Zhang Xiaohua rested in a tree while Huanhuan searched for food, then the two continued traveling by day and resting at night.
• Zhang Xiaohua cultivated and practiced miniature formations during their journey, making progress in his Qi Cultivation and skills.
• A voice from a hollow slope ahead called out to a fleeing person, accusing them of being a little thief from the Misty Sect.

Zhang Xiaohua overheard that the Misty Sect had been destroyed three years earlier and intervened when a surviving disciple was about to kill himself rather than be captured. The three Righteous Path Alliance men turned their attention to the young intruder as he demanded to know what had happened to the Misty Sect.

• Zhang Xiaohua heard three men call a wounded Misty Sect disciple a little thief and say they had been tracking him to find the sect’s hiding place.
• The men revealed that the Misty Sect had been destroyed three years earlier, shocking Zhang Xiaohua and making him wonder whether Zhang Xiaohu had survived.
• The Misty Sect disciple pretended to surrender, then attacked one of his captors, but the three men overwhelmed him and tried to take him alive.
• The wounded disciple used the Eight Directions of Night Battle to force the attackers back, then tried to cut his own throat rather than be captured.
• Zhang Xiaohua’s flying dagger shattered the disciple’s sword, and he rushed into the clearing to ask what had happened to the Misty Sect.
• The three Righteous Path Alliance men began surrounding Zhang Xiaohua and asked which sect he belonged to.

Zhang Xiaohua rescued Chu Yunfei from Righteous Path Alliance disciples and learned that the Misty Sect had been destroyed three years earlier. The chapter ended as Chu Yunfei began to explain what had happened to Great Gang Leader Ou.

• Zhang Xiaohua introduced himself to Chu Yunfei and asked why the Righteous Path Alliance was attacking him.
• A Righteous Path Alliance disciple attacked Zhang Xiaohua, who dodged his sword and caught a sleeve arrow with his fingers.
• Zhang Xiaohua swiftly defeated two attackers and chased down the third, knocking him unconscious with a kick.
• Chu Yunfei treated his wounds, introduced himself as a disciple of Divine Mechanism Hall, and apologized for distrusting Zhang Xiaohua.
• Zhang Xiaohua explained that he had been away from the martial world for four or five years and asked about the Misty Sect and Great Gang Leader Ou.
• Chu Yunfei told Zhang Xiaohua that the Misty Sect had been destroyed three years earlier and began to explain what had happened to Great Gang Leader Ou.

Chu Yunfei told Zhang Xiaohua that the Misty Sect had been destroyed three years earlier, leaving Zhang Xiaohua desperate to learn whether Zhang Xiaohu survived. He began recounting the events that led to the sect’s demise, including Ou Peng’s attempts to revive the Immortal Path and Zhang Xiaohu’s search for his missing brother.

• Chu Yunfei said most of the Misty Sect’s disciples had died, then gave Zhang Xiaohua conflicting answers about whether Zhang Xiaohu was alive.
• Chu Yunfei began telling Zhang Xiaohua what had happened to the Misty Sect three years earlier.
• Ou Peng had Zhang Chengyue teach Shui Tiantian the Big Dipper Divine Fist, but its effects seemed limited to increased arm strength.
• After Zhang Xiaohua disappeared, Ou Peng blamed Zhang Xiaohu and sent disciples to investigate.
• Zhang Xiaohu returned to West Cui Mountain to search for Zhang Xiaohua and found the stronghold in chaos.
• Qin Shiyue killed many West Cui Mountain bandits and their chief, after which the remaining bandits fought over scattered treasure.

After Zhang Xiaohua disappeared during the West Cui Mountain upheaval, Zhang Xiaohu returned home without him and sought the Misty Sect’s help. Ou Peng ordered a search, but after the search linked the bandits to the Heavenly Dragon Sect, he recalled the disciples and concealed the news, leaving Zhang Xiaohu without answers as nearly a year passed.

• After West Cui Mountain descended into chaos, Zhang Xiaohu searched the stronghold for Zhang Xiaohua but found no sign of him.
• Zhang Xiaohu returned to Guo Village alone and told his family that Zhang Xiaohua had vanished while saving someone; Guo Sufi wept, and Mr. Liu suggested asking the Misty Sect for help.
• Zhang Xiaohu returned to the Misty Sect, where Wen Wenhai brought the matter to Zhang Chengyue, who quickly informed Ou Peng.
• Ou Peng sent ten Divine Mechanism Hall disciples to search West Cui Mountain, but they found no trace of Zhang Xiaohua and reported that a Heavenly Dragon Sect envoy had been at the stronghold.
• Fearing a confrontation with the Heavenly Dragon Sect, Ou Peng recalled the search party, postponed the immortal path plan, and withheld the findings from Zhang Xiaohu.
• Nearly a year passed without news of Zhang Xiaohua, while Ou Peng remained frustrated by the stalled Big Dipper Divine Fist plan and another troubling matter.

Ou Peng learned that Shangguan Fengliu and Xu Peihua had been killed in an ambush and ordered their bodies examined while he investigated the attack. A surviving disciple’s account pointed toward Great Forest Temple, though the identity of the sallow-faced killer remained unknown.

• Ou Peng suspected the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult might be behind the attacks on the Misty Sect but could not settle on a motive.
• Zhang Chengyue reported that Shangguan Fengliu and Xu Peihua had been killed, and Ou Peng went to view their bodies.
• Ou Peng ordered the bodies taken to the Divine Mechanism Hall for examination and sent for three elders while questioning the surviving disciples.
• The survivors described how masked experts ambushed the group, and a sallow-faced old man killed Shangguan Fengliu and Xu Peihua with a single palm strike each.
• A disciple recalled that one of the masked attackers had been bald, leading Ou Peng to suspect Great Forest Temple.

Ou Peng learned that Zhang the Third of the Righteous Path Alliance had killed Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother, and he prepared the Misty Sect for an imminent attack. He and Hu the Eldest suspected the Secret Realm and its Longevity Pills might have drawn powerful enemies, while the author’s closing note asked readers to keep following the novel.

• Hu the Eldest, Li the Second, and Liu the Fifth arrived as Ou Peng led them to the Divine Mechanism Hall, where they discovered Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother had been killed.
• Zhang Chengyue told Ou Peng that Zhang the Third’s Great Qiankun Hand had caused the fatal injuries, and Liu the Fifth grieved over the bodies.
• Ou Peng ordered Zhang Chengyue to put the Misty Sect on full alert, move valuables to the Secret Chamber, prepare to retreat to Misty Peak, and send the young miss there.
• Liu the Fifth vowed to avenge the brothers, but Ou Peng and Hu the Eldest stopped him from rushing to the Righteous Path Alliance.
• Ou Peng and Hu the Eldest considered whether the Righteous Path Alliance, Great Forest Temple, the Heavenly Dragon Sect, or a leak about the Secret Realm had brought the danger upon the Misty Sect.
• The author added a note asking readers to continue reading and support the novel.

After the Righteous Path Alliance’s attack left the Misty Sect facing destruction, Ouyang Peng arranged for Hu Yunyi to lead the sect’s younger disciples and martial arts inheritance through a secret passage. As Hu Yunyi prepared to leave, Zhang Chengyue arrived with news that matters had taken a terrible turn.

• Ouyang Peng predicted that the Righteous Path Alliance would launch its final assault by the next day, and Liu the Fifth rushed to guard the sect’s entrance while Li Jian followed him.
• Hu Yunyi and Ouyang Peng decided to ask the Great Forest Temple and the Incense-Passing Cult for aid, and Shi Yukun went to send messengers.
• Ouyang Peng entrusted Hu Yunyi with saving the sect’s inheritance and ordered him to take the manuals and all Commoner First Rank and Second Rank disciples through the rear mountain’s secret passage if the battle went badly.
• Hu Yunyi and Ouyang Peng exchanged farewells, and Hu Yunyi left to prepare the escape.
• Zhang Chengyue reported that he had completed Ouyang Peng’s instructions except for arranging people to take over the martial arts manuals, then warned that matters had taken a terrible turn.

Ou Peng prepared the Misty Sect for the Righteous Path Alliance’s encirclement and sent disciples to defend the villa and Misty Peak. As the battle began, he went up the peak to oversee its defenses and protect his family and the disciples gathered there.

• Zhang Chengyue reported that masked Righteous Path Alliance forces had surrounded Misty Mountain Villa and were closing in on the rear mountain.
• Ou Peng ordered the sect’s halls and elite disciples to defend the villa and peak, while Senior Martial Uncle and the others prepared to use a secret passage to escape.
• A Signal Arrow rose from the rear mountain at noon, and the masked attackers surged against the Misty Sect’s defenses.
• Ou Peng left Zhang Chengyue in command at the villa and climbed Misty Peak, where he spoke with Zhang Xiaohu, Ou Yan, and the Gang Leader’s Wife.
• Liu Qingyang took up a position on the mountain path to protect the family members and Mingcui Hall’s disciples.

As the Misty Sect struggled to hold off the Righteous Path Alliance, Ou Peng sent Aunt Qin and the Mingcui Hall disciples to reinforce the lower defenses. Zhang San and the alliance’s Deputy Alliance Leaders arrived at Misty Peak, where Li Jian and Liu Qingyang confronted them, leaving the battle between the factions’ leaders underway.

• Ou Peng sent Aunt Qin, Changge, and half the Mingcui Hall female disciples to support Chengyue and the defenders at the foot of Misty Peak.
• A disturbance and a Signal Arrow near the secret passage exit alarmed Ou Peng, while Zhang San and the Righteous Path Alliance’s Deputy Alliance Leaders approached from Pingyang City.
• Zhang San reached Misty Mountain Villa, crossed the battlefield, and knocked aside Liu Qingyang’s axe before Li Jian steadied Liu Qingyang and prevented his fall.
• Ou Peng and Zhang San exchanged words as Chai Qingrong declared that the Righteous Path Alliance intended to take Misty Peak.
• Li Jian began fighting Chai Qingrong, while Liu Qingyang challenged the Deputy Alliance Leaders and Mi Kong stepped forward to face him.

The Righteous Path Alliance leaders fought the Misty Sect masters atop Misty Peak, and Li Jian’s Sword Radiance severed Chai Qingrong’s arm while Liu Qingyang knocked Mi Kong unconscious and sent him tumbling down the mountain. As Ou Peng drove Zhang San into retreat, Zhang San called for help, and several people sprang from the rear of Misty Peak.

• Zhang San and Ou Peng exchanged attacks while Liu Qingyang fought Mi Kong and Li Jian fought Chai Qingrong.
• Li Jian’s Sword Radiance cut through Chai Qingrong’s sword and severed his right arm, and You Zhanfei rescued him from a fatal blow.
• Liu Qingyang’s thrown axe distracted Mi Kong, then his punch knocked Mi Kong unconscious and sent him rolling down the mountain; You Zhanfei pursued him.
• Ou Peng pierced Zhang San’s palm with Invisible Sword Qi and pursued him as Zhang San fled toward the rear mountain.
• Yan Yang moved to help Zhang San, while Li Jian advanced and considered how the alliance leaders might have killed his brothers.
• Zhang San shouted for help, and several people sprang from behind Misty Peak.

Ou Peng confronted Zhang San, Elder Changsheng, Abbess Jingyi, and the Incense-Passing Cult elders as they revealed their involvement in the conflict over the Secret Realm and demanded the Misty Sect’s sheepskin scroll. After rejecting their claim that the bloodshed was even, Ou Peng asked who had attacked his unarmed younger sister, and Zhang San began to answer.

• Ou Peng recognized Elder Changsheng, Abbess Jingyi, and the Incense-Passing Cult elders arriving at Misty Peak and challenged Zhang San to continue their contest.
• Zhang San accused the Misty Sect of hiding its rapid growth and revealed that Situ Ping had told the Righteous Path Alliance about the Secret Realm and the sheepskin scroll.
• Ou Peng refused to hand over the scroll, while Abbess Jingyi denied that her sect or Great Forest Temple had joined the attack and claimed the losses between the Misty Sect and alliance were even.
• Ou Peng learned that Hu Yunyi had survived and that the Misty Sect’s low-ranking disciples had escaped, then condemned the alliance for attacking his younger sister.
• Zhang San said he had only recently learned about the attack on Ou Yan and offered to identify the person responsible.

Zhang Chengyue reported the Misty Sect’s devastating losses, while Ou Peng refused to surrender the supposed sheepskin scroll to Zhang San and the allied sects. Abbess Jingyi revealed that Ou Peng’s wife, Yang Ruying, was her disciple and demanded that he join the Incense-Passing Cult, leaving her undecided about how to deal with him.

• Zhang Chengyue returned to Misty Peak and told Ou Peng that the three sects had killed or gravely wounded most of the Misty Sect’s fighters, including Shi Niu, Wen Wenhai, and Lu Yueming.
• Ou Peng challenged Zhang San’s claim that he possessed a sheepskin scroll, accused the attackers of destroying his sect, and offered to fight Zhang San to the death; Zhang San declined and stood aside.
• Abbess Jingyi called for Ru Ping, and Ou Peng’s wife stepped forward, revealing herself as the Incense-Passing Cult disciple Yang Ruying.
• Yang Ruying assured Ou Peng she had never reported the Misty Sect’s affairs, and she explained that their meeting beneath the willow trees had not been arranged by her sect.
• Ou Peng paid respects to Abbess Jingyi and asked how she intended to deal with him, but she hesitated to answer.

Elder Changsheng demanded that Ou Peng cripple himself and bring the Misty Sect disciples into the Incense-Passing Cult, but Ou Peng chose death instead. With the sect’s leaders crippled and Zhang San demanding the sheepskin scroll, Yang Ruying defended the survivors and Abbess Jingyi questioned Ou Yan about the scroll.

• Elder Changsheng told Ou Peng that he had no choice but to cripple his martial arts and join the Incense-Passing Cult with the remaining Misty Sect disciples.
• Ou Peng apologized to the Misty Sect, entrusted Yang Ruying with protecting Ou Yan and the disciples, then severed his meridians and died.
• Zhang Chengyue killed himself, and Li Jian and Liu Qingyang attacked Zhang San before five powerful fighters defeated and crippled them.
• The wounded Misty Sect disciples shielded Li Jian and Liu Qingyang as Zhang San demanded that the sect members be taken into custody and interrogated for the sheepskin scroll.
• Yang Ruying threatened to kill herself unless Abbess Jingyi protected Ou Yan and the Misty Sect disciples; Abbess Jingyi agreed to decide the matter and asked Ou Yan whether she knew about the scroll.

Chu Yunfei recounted how the Incense-Passing Cult, Great Forest Temple, and Righteous Path Alliance divided the Misty Sect after Ou Peng's death, while Yang Ruying led the survivors to safety. Zhang Xiaohua learned that his brother Zhang Xiaohu might be with the Incense-Passing Cult and asked Chu Yunfei to find out where it was, ending with a vow to avenge his brother if he could not find him.

• Zhang San proposed searching Huanxi Mountain Villa for the sheepskin scroll, and Abbess Jingyi allowed the three sects to search it for half a day while forbidding further interference.
• The three sects divided the Misty Sect's holdings, and the surviving disciples went with Yang Ruying to the Incense-Passing Cult, where she established Misty Hall.
• Chu Yunfei told Zhang Xiaohua that the Misty Sect's survivors and Ou Yan were at the Incense-Passing Cult, but he did not know the cult's location.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Chu Yunfei to ask Elder Hu for the Incense-Passing Cult's location so he could find his brother Zhang Xiaohu.
• When Chu Yunfei asked what he would do if he could not find Zhang Xiaohu, Zhang Xiaohua said he would repay a blood debt with blood.

Zhang Xiaohua arranged for Chu Yunfei to deliver the Incense-Passing Cult’s address to Ji Xiaohua, then continued his journey while dealing with roadside robbers. The chapter left him hearing a woman identify Huanhuan as a Four Unlike.

• Zhang Xiaohua asked Chu Yunfei to find Ji Xiaohua in Songning Town and pass along the Incense-Passing Cult’s address.
• After Zhang Xiaohua left, Chu Yunfei examined the dead men, concealed their bodies, and took several different routes away.
• The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua practiced Big Dipper Divine Fist and sensed that his skill might be advancing.
• While traveling, Zhang Xiaohua punished robbers who tried to extort him or steal Huanhuan.
• A woman on a passing carriage called Huanhuan a Four Unlike, and Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes to listen.

Zhang Xiaohua overheard two women in a carriage teasing him and caught up to ask what Huanhuan ate. After the carriage continued on, he resumed his journey, then saw a group of armed riders pass and secretly sensed that several were Internal Family experts.

• A young woman and her maid mistook Zhang Xiaohua’s ability to ride Huanhuan for a sign that he was an extraordinary person, then teased his looks and manners.
• Zhang Xiaohua waved at the women, startling them, and chased after their carriage to ask what Four Unlike ate.
• The young woman told him Huanhuan preferred tender grass covered in morning dew, and the women realized afterward that Zhang Xiaohua had tricked them into revealing what they knew.
• Zhang Xiaohua let Huanhuan rest and drink water before continuing along the Official Road.
• About twenty armed riders galloped past Zhang Xiaohua, and he sensed that several were Internal Family experts while they watched him suspiciously.