Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua tracked down the man in black who had abducted Wuniang’s seven-year-old daughter, rescued the girl, and crippled the kidnapper by breaking his Dantian. He returned to the square and dropped both before the yamen runners, as his father and companions searched for him.

• Zhang Xiaohua followed the man in black across the rooftops and caught him after the kidnapper changed direction to evade pursuit.
• Zhang Xiaohua knocked the man unconscious, opened the burlap sack, and found Wuniang’s daughter alive but unresponsive.
• Zhang Xiaohua broke the man in black’s Dantian with his True Qi, then considered how the injury crippled martial artists.
• Zhang Xiaohua carried the girl and the kidnapper back to the square, where Wuniang, her husband, two yamen runners, and Zhang Xiaohua’s group had gathered.
• Zhang Xiaohua tossed the kidnapper and the sack before the frightened yamen runners.

Zhang Xiaohua and the townspeople helped recover Zaizai from the black-clad kidnapper, whose attempt to seize her again ended with the crowd burning him alive. The group returned to the Li residence shaken, where Li Jinfeng reflected on how the government runners had fled when danger arose.

• Wuniang found Zaizai in the sack, and the scholar rejoiced at his daughter's rescue before stomping on the unconscious black-clad man.
• The black-clad man awoke with his internal energy crippled, seized Zaizai, and threatened her with a dagger as the yamen runners fled.
• The scholar grabbed the dagger and the kidnapper's wrist, while townspeople rushed forward to defend Zaizai.
• The black-clad man released Zaizai and tried to escape, but the crowd surrounded him and hurled lanterns until he burned to death.
• Zhang Xiaohua left with his companions, and at the Li residence Li Jinfeng said he had expected the government runners to capture the kidnapper.

Zhang Xiaohua explained how fear and the chance to overpower a helpless enemy had led the crowd to burn the man in black, then returned to Guo Village and hinted that he had something valuable to show his family. The chapter ended with him handing hoes to Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong and leading them outside.

• Zhang Xiaohua argued that the crowd had first been afraid of the man in black, then joined in attacking him once he seemed powerless, driven by the pleasure of humiliating someone strong.
• Zhang Xiaohua fell asleep before finishing his explanation, and Liu Kai carried him to the guest room.
• The next day, Zhang Cai bought only a few gifts for Jian'er, reluctant to spend the family's silver.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to Guo Village, visited his grandmother's grave and the bamboo grove, then asked Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong whether the family had enough silver.
• Zhang Xiaohua reassured Zhang Xiaolong that the money he had brought home was for the family and that Zhang Xiaohu would receive his share once they found him.
• Zhang Xiaohua led Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong outside and gave each of them a hoe, preparing to show them something.

Zhang Xiaohua revealed the hidden treasure he had taken from bandits to Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong, then helped bury five chests of gold and jewels beneath the room. After his father and brother considered how to handle the fortune, Zhang Cai began explaining a plan based on Mr. Liu’s advice.

• Zhang Xiaohua stopped Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong from digging in the bamboo grove and led them into his room to show them his mysterious money pouch.
• Zhang Xiaohua produced a chest of gold, explaining that he had taken the treasure from bandits while rescuing Sister-in-law Liu.
• Zhang Xiaolong opened the chest and was stunned by the gold, while Zhang Cai asked who else knew about it.
• Zhang Cai ordered Zhang Xiaolong and Zhang Xiaohua to dig a pit, and Zhang Xiaohua revealed four more chests filled with gold and jewels.
• Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong buried all five chests, then considered how to use the fortune without attracting attention.
• Zhang Cai said he had an easy solution and invoked Mr. Liu’s advice about doing things beyond one’s ability.

Zhang Cai confronted Zhang Xiaohua about his ties to the Misty Sect and urged him to repay its kindness with gratitude and a chivalrous heart. Zhang Xiaohua accepted the rebuke and stayed by his grandmother’s grave to reflect, recognizing that doubts about the sect had begun to cloud his earlier gratitude.

• Zhang Xiaohua asked Zhang Cai whether it was time for him to leave, and Zhang Long objected that he had only just returned home.
• Zhang Xiaohua said he planned to find Zhang Long’s missing brother, but Zhang Cai took him to his grandmother’s grave and ordered him to kneel.
• Zhang Cai questioned Zhang Xiaohua about the Misty Sect’s help and influence in his life, then challenged him to consider whether he could truly sever his ties to it.
• Zhang Cai urged Zhang Xiaohua to remember the sect’s kindness and act with gratitude, compassion, and chivalry, while criticizing how he had handled the man in black and spoken about human nature.
• Zhang Xiaohua admitted he had been wrong and remained at the grave to think, while Guo Sufi tried to comfort him.
• Zhang Xiaohua reflected that he had once been deeply grateful to the Misty Sect, but doubts had grown after he learned about the Dao Immortals and the Carefree Heart Sutra.

After realizing that his glimpses of the Dao of Heaven had made him overly detached from worldly suffering, Zhang Xiaohua resolved to act with a chivalrous heart. He shared the Big Dipper Divine Fist and the Carefree Heart Sutra with his family before preparing to leave and search for Zhang Xiaohu and take Nie Qianyu home.

• Zhang Xiaohua reflected on his doubts and avoidance, then accepted Zhang Cai’s rebuke and resolved to be an upright man who would not neglect small acts of good.
• After kowtowing to his grandmother, Zhang Xiaohua returned to his family, reassured Guo Sufi and Zhang Cai, and joined them for dinner.
• Zhang Xiaohua examined the essence stones Zhang Jian held and, puzzled that the child showed no signs of change, wondered whether he needed Immortal Path cultivation techniques.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Zhang Long and Liu Qian to have Zhang Jian study the Big Dipper Divine Fist from its manual on his own when he was old enough, and explained how to practice its cycles and reverse form.
• At Zhang Xiaolong’s request, Zhang Xiaohua demonstrated the Big Dipper Divine Fist forward and backward, then gave Liu Qian the Carefree Heart Sutra to keep safe and return to the Misty Sect.

Zhang Xiaohua told his family he planned to leave Guo Village to search for Zhang Xiaohu and avenge the Misty Sect, despite Guo Sufi’s fears. He began preparing protective restrictions for his family before setting out.

• Zhang Xiaohua gave Liu Qian the Heart Sutra for Bairen and warned her to keep its contents secret.
• Zhang Xiaohua tried to teach Zhang Xiaolong the Big Dipper Divine Fist, then urged him to study the manual on his own.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Guo Sufi he wanted to leave Guo Village to find Zhang Xiaohu and avenge the Misty Sect’s benefactors.
• Guo Sufi pleaded with Zhang Xiaohua not to leave, while Zhang Cai urged her to think it over before deciding.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to his room and began forming a restriction in a jade pendant using Primordial Qi from a Qi Stone.

Zhang Xiaohua successfully crafted defensive and offensive jade talismans after his formation skills improved, then spent time with his worried parents in Pingyang City. He left the well unrestricted for everyone to use and ended the chapter proposing that Zhang Xiaolong tie him up to reassure Guo Sufi about his martial abilities.

• Zhang Xiaohua embedded a defensive formation into jade, lost one pendant when it crumbled, then successfully made ten defensive talismans and ten reddish offensive talismans.
• Zhang Xiaohua realized that witnessing Zhang Bairen's innate formation had improved his understanding of formations, and he found that crafting talismans also slightly improved his Carefree Heart Sutra cultivation.
• Zhang Xiaohua saw that Guo Sufi had not slept well, fetched water, and decided not to restrict access to the Primordial Qi-rich well.
• Zhang Xiaohua reassured Guo Sufi about his martial arts, but she doubted his claims and demanded proof of master-level skill.
• Zhang Xiaohua proposed that Zhang Xiaolong tie him up, alarming Zhang Xiaolong, who thought their mother wanted him to hang and beat Xiaohua.

Zhang Xiaohua reassured his family that he could escape captivity and gave them jade talismans that protected them or burned stone. After his mother accepted his departure, he proposed leaving the next day, the eighteenth day of the first month.

• Zhang Xiaohua snapped ropes and used an evasion technique to convince Guo Sufi that he could escape if captured.
• Zhang Xiaohua gave his family protective jade talismans and demonstrated that one could block powerful blows.
• Zhang Xiaohua showed that pale-red jade talismans could burn through a huge stone, then handed the remaining talismans to his family.
• Zhang Xiaohua told his family not to use the talismans for evil, and Guo Sufi asked when he planned to leave.
• Zhang Xiaohua said he hoped to leave the next day, calling the ninth day since his return an auspicious sign.

Zhang Xiaohua said farewell to his family and left Guo Village to search for Zhang Xiaohu. When he reached the inn in Pingyang City, the attendants acted strangely, and Nie Qianyu cried out in surprise when she heard him.

• Zhang Xiaohua gave his family jade talismans and gave Bairen a large Qi Stone as a gift.
• Zhang Xiaohua spent the day with his family before they shared a reunion dinner with Mr. Liu, Liu Kai, and Li Yinfeng.
• Guo Sufi made pancakes for Zhang Xiaohua, and his family and villagers escorted him out of Guo Village the next morning.
• Zhang Xiaohua rode Huanhuan toward Pingyang City, watched his family farewell him with his divine sense, and steadied his emotions along the way.
• At the inn, Zhang Xiaohua noticed the attendants avoiding him and found Nie Qianyu's door shut and quiet.
• Nie Qianyu answered that no one was home, then recognized Zhang Xiaohua and cried out, "Brother Ren!"

Zhang Xiaohua returned to Pingyang City and learned from Nie Qianyu that Xiao Juzi had been abducted by a man posing as a blind fortune-teller. He reassured Nie Qianyu that she had been right to stay quiet and promised to handle the search for Xiao Juzi.

• Nie Qianyu rushed into Zhang Xiaohua's arms, crying that Xiao Juzi had been taken away.
• Nie Qianyu explained that she and Xiao Juzi had gone out during the Lantern Festival, visited a fortune-teller, and later been attacked by the same man, who abducted Xiao Juzi.
• Nie Qianyu said the innkeeper had found her after the attacker fled and had concealed the incident, while she waited for Zhang Xiaohua rather than going to the authorities.
• Zhang Xiaohua realized that the abductor might be linked to the man in black he had encountered in Lu Town and concluded that the kidnappings were organized.
• Zhang Xiaohua praised Nie Qianyu for avoiding the authorities and promised to take care of Xiao Juzi's case.

Zhang Xiaohua failed to find Xiao Juzi in Pingyang City, then discovered how to reveal one of the talismans in his Niwan Palace by feeding it divine sense and heartfire. After learning its rabbit-shaped form and incantation, he stopped to recover and tended to Nie Qianyu, leaving her asleep and promising to search again.

• Zhang Xiaohua searched Pingyang City with his divine sense but found no trace of Xiao Juzi.
• Zhang Xiaohua fed divine sense and heartfire into a golden-formation talisman until it revealed a rabbit shape and its incantation.
• Zhang Xiaohua withdrew his divine sense when exhaustion and pain overwhelmed him, then rested and recovered.
• Zhang Xiaohua brought porridge to Nie Qianyu, who woke and ate while he watched over her.
• Nie Qianyu asked about Xiao Juzi, and Zhang Xiaohua said he would search again before telling her to rest.

Zhang Xiaohua searched Pingyang City for clues about Xiao Juzi while secretly using his little sword to stop crimes, earning the city a “Moon Shadow Legend.” After days of searching brought no leads, he noticed something unusual as a manure cart passed him near the city.

• Zhang Xiaohua used his divine sense and little sword to stop several crimes in Pingyang City, becoming known as the “Moon Shadow Legend.”
• Nie Qianyu asked Zhang Xiaohua not to give up searching for Xiao Juzi, and he promised to keep trying.
• Zhang Xiaohua watched the city’s blind fortune-tellers from a teahouse but found no clues, then continued punishing wrongdoers at night.
• Zhang Xiaohua noticed soldiers questioning people leaving Pingyang City and spent several days searching the surrounding area without success.
• Zhang Xiaohua felt guilty about leaving Nie Qianyu and Xiao Juzi behind as he returned toward the city, then furrowed his brows when he passed a manure cart.

Zhang Xiaohua followed two suspicious manure collectors to a village and discovered they were transporting an abducted girl in a hidden carriage compartment. He realized they were likely responsible for Xiao Juzi’s kidnapping, while Flag Bearer Gao learned that the men had used manure to conceal their tracks from the mysterious “Moon Shadow Legend.”

• Zhang Xiaohua noticed the manure collectors were behaving suspiciously and secretly followed their cart with Four Unlike.
• The two men dumped their manure barrels in a grove and drove to a village, where Flag Bearer Gao scolded them for arriving late.
• The men told Flag Bearer Gao that the “Moon Shadow Legend” had attacked people working at night and explained why they had proceeded cautiously.
• Zhang Xiaohua used Earth Escape to reach the courtyard and overheard the men discussing their delivery for the Lord.
• The men opened a hidden carriage compartment and revealed an unconscious girl, whom Zhang Xiaohua suspected was Xiao Juzi.
• Flag Bearer Gao figured out that the men had used manure to hide their tracks, and the two men praised his insight.

Flag Bearer Gao learned that his men had kidnapped a wealthy merchant’s young relative and realized the soldiers guarding Pingyang City’s gates might be connected to her. He took the girl west toward the Commander while Zhang Xiaohua, who had overheard them, discovered something with his divine sense and prepared to act.

• One of Flag Bearer Gao’s men explained that he had kidnapped the girl after overhearing children reveal her birthday, and that he had escaped Pingyang City in a manure cart.
• Flag Bearer Gao connected the newly guarded city gates to the kidnapping and scolded the men for leaving clues by bribing the guards and dumping the manure.
• Flag Bearer Gao decided to take the girl to the Commander, then left west using lightness kung fu while the two men rode south.
• Zhang Xiaohua appeared in the courtyard after the men departed and wondered whether he could pursue them before his midnight sleep overcame him.
• Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense discovered something, and he smiled faintly.

Zhang Xiaohua watched Flag Bearer Gao evade the government troops and prepare to leave with the girl, then recognized Yu Deyi at the village entrance. He separated Yu Deyi from Gao’s path, but learned that Yu Deyi claimed the girl was his niece.

• Flag Bearer Gao hid from two riders, returned to the village, and spent the night in a second courtyard while Zhang Xiaohua monitored him.
• Government troops searched the village the next morning, then rode west after examining the tracks, leaving Flag Bearer Gao undetected.
• Flag Bearer Gao woke, hitched a donkey to a cart, put the girl on it, and headed east as Yu Deyi appeared at the village entrance.
• Zhang Xiaohua covered his face, dragged Yu Deyi behind woodpiles, and let Flag Bearer Gao pass before releasing him.
• Yu Deyi identified himself as Yi Deyu and accused Zhang Xiaohua of being one of the men who abducted his niece.

Zhang Xiaohua persuaded Yu Deyi to help him follow Flag Bearer Gao’s donkey cart to a secluded village, where Gao delivered his captives to a manor. Zhang Xiaohua then entered the village alone to investigate, leaving Yu Deyi to keep watch.

• Zhang Xiaohua told Yu Deyi that Flag Bearer Gao was the real kidnapper and convinced him to follow the donkey cart instead of going west to find his brother-in-law.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Yu Deyi pursued the cart for two days, with Zhang Xiaohua using Four Unlike to keep pace and secretly guiding their route.
• Zhang Xiaohua and Yu Deyi reached a secluded village near Lu Town, and Zhang Xiaohua asked Yu Deyi to wait outside while he scouted ahead.
• Flag Bearer Gao arrived at a large manor and told Steward Qi that he had brought the goods the Lord required.
• Steward Qi opened the side gate, and Flag Bearer Gao drove the donkey cart into the manor.

Zhang Xiaohua discovered an estate where Vice Lord Dan oversaw the capture and delivery of girls, but the masked man seemed to sense Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense. After Yu Deyi left to fetch soldiers from Hui Lu Town, Zhang Xiaohua stayed behind to watch the estate and wondered how Vice Lord Dan had detected him.

• Zhang Xiaohua watched Flag Bearer Gao deliver a captive girl to the estate and overheard Flag Bearer Liang describe how Su Liu had died after an expert sealed his acupoints.
• Vice Lord Dan emerged wearing a bronze mask, sensed Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense, and questioned Flag Bearer Gao about whether anyone had followed him.
• Zhang Xiaohua withdrew his divine sense, escaped to Yu Deyi, and explained that the estate held several skilled fighters.
• Yu Deyi revealed he had a military dispatch token, and Zhang Xiaohua sent him to Hui Lu Town to gather soldiers while he kept watch.
• After Yu Deyi rode away, Zhang Xiaohua pondered whether Vice Lord Dan could detect divine sense and worried he might no longer be able to use it.

Zhang Xiaohua infiltrated the manor to find Xiao Juzi and learned that its Lord planned to absorb the primordial Yin of seventy-seven girls to cultivate a supreme inner art. He concluded that the girls were likely still safe and approached the main hall as night fell, preparing to investigate.

• Zhang Xiaohua abandoned his plan to challenge the bronze-masked Vice Lord Dan and chose to infiltrate the manor to rescue the girls.
• Zhang Xiaohua used earth escape to enter the manor, but a flock of pigeons startled him and two guards searched the area.
• Zhang Qing and Bai Qi revealed that the Lord needed seventy-seven girls born on the seventh day of the seventh month to cultivate an unparalleled inner art by absorbing their primordial Yin.
• Zhang Xiaohua heard the guards leave and inferred that Xiao Juzi had probably not yet been harmed.
• Zhang Xiaohua circled the manor without using divine sense, then rose toward the roof of the main hall to investigate.

Zhang Xiaohua discovered an underground chamber beneath the Howling Heaven Order estate, where seventy-seven girls were held in jade coffins as part of an evil formation. After finding Xiao Juzi alive, he resolved to save the girls and stop the lord, but someone spotted him as he reached for her.

• Zhang Xiaohua overheard Vice Lord Dan tell Flag Bearer Gao about the underground chamber beneath the hall.
• Zhang Xiaohua used Earth Evasion to enter the chamber and found seventy-seven jade coffins arranged around a green grass cushion.
• Zhang Xiaohua found Xiao Juzi asleep in a coffin and realized the formation used the girls' lives to grant its caster extraordinary benefits.
• Zhang Xiaohua took all seventy-seven coffin lids, the grass cushion, and nearly ten empty coffins into his money pouch.
• Zhang Xiaohua reached to pull Xiao Juzi from her coffin, but someone cried out in surprise and demanded to know who he was.